Chapter 123 Skylight* Falling, falling, endlessly...
*
Falling, falling, endlessly falling.
The edges of the world were shattered by glass shards, and I was the hardest one.
Many voices flashed past my ears, and countless scenes flowed back in fragments. The data flow was like a river rushing to the sky, and I was a fish swimming against the current.
I was immersed in a past memory for a while, and after a while I realized that I had entered the memory of the main brain. In the darkness, electronic sounds continued to sound, pushing the program to run.
"The invasion has been successful. The creation of the world has begun."
"The data configuration and mental power configuration have been checked, and the character page is now being constructed."
"Highest authority detected... Excellent mental power detected... Detected, detected..."
The inorganic electronic sound gradually became lower and lower, and the two sounds overlapped with a barely perceptible trace of anxiety.
"...Why are you hurt? Why did you come to us?"
"He must be saved...He must be saved."
"Activate emergency status."
A soft light lit up in the darkness, rising into transparent lines. I was surprised to find that it was a stream, which made people intoxicated and like a dream. When this clear light fell on the ground, it became a series of fragmented codes. Two voices intercepted the "flowing water" and shaped... me alone.
Then, they created several people with me as the center: Samuel, Kajol, Neil, Odysseus, Sean...
This world is made up of spiritual power and code. So the masterminds divided themselves as the inheritors of the code. And used these people as carriers of spiritual power to create a book. The remaining "flowing water" was transformed into the sun, moon, stars, flowers, birds, fish, insects, buildings and creatures. Clear spring water fell from the sky and sprinkled all over the world under the watchful eyes of the two masterminds.
Destiny expands, grows, flows, perfects...
One night, crying sounds were heard from the dilapidated thatched hut.
——This is the beginning of the world, my birth.
*
I hit the ground with a thud, but it didn't hurt much. A soft force caught me, as light as a feather.
No, it was feathers. The fine white and golden feathers supported me. I sat up and found that I had been pulled away from that memory.
Looking around, I found that I had indeed arrived at the entrance to the Kingdom of God. But unlike what I remembered, the space here was also covered with fine cracks.
Glorious wings spread before me. Michael stepped out from the divine. Lucifer appeared on the other side, black feathers falling like poppy petals.
In the distance, I could see the vast river of the Kingdom of God, and the Knight Commander and the dragon struggling in the other two gaps. I could tell it wasn't because I was lucky, but because Michael caught me on purpose.
But the preferential treatment ended here. The two men had no intention of indulging me any further. They sandwiched me in the middle, as if gods were looking down on a rebellious believer.
The golden wings drooped and the black hair fluttered.
Like temptation, like advice. No resistance, just an order.
"That's it. Give up."
"You're done."
"Really? I feel like it's just the beginning."
I took a step back, and the data stream arrived belatedly, protecting me in it. The sizzling sound of the current was slightly distorted, and Lucifer snorted when he saw it: "You dare to appear in front of me? Wasn't it enough that I beat you last time?"
"That's why I have to appear in front of you. If I don't cause you some trouble, wouldn't I be beaten for nothing?"
A man in a suit appeared in front of me. His face was exactly the same as the Knight Commander's, expressionless but with a subtle hint of sarcasm.
I turned and ran in the direction I sensed. Lucifer tried to chase me, but was stopped.
"You can't even maintain your facial shape, and you still dare to stop me. It seems like you really want to die here."
"We are just artificial intelligence. How can we die? You have been the game mastermind for a long time. You think too much."
"You'd better shut your mouth."
The violent vibration came from behind, shaking the whole space. I shouldn't sigh that even they themselves don't like their mouths, but I should say that men with sharp tongues are not loved.
I hurriedly ran in the direction I sensed. Before I had far, hundreds of light blades fell from the sky and pierced directly in front of me.
"Please don't run around. It will bother me. This time, I won't let you escape again."
Time seemed to slow down at this moment.
The world in front of me turned azure blue again, and dense data flashed like shooting stars. Compared with the last time, I could see it more clearly this time.
The entire kingdom of God was transformed into code, and several main brains shone like the sun. The blue data stream was moving every moment, and in the far distance of my sight, I saw something flowing down.
It looked like a river that fell from the sky to the ground, shining like silk among countless codes. It was like a winding brocade, and like thousands of transparent spider silks. I immediately recognized that this was the stream I had seen in my memory, and now it was about to become an ocean.
If it were to be shown to the public, a group of painters would rack their brains to figure out how to mix the colors.
Xia Pingan did say that this world is absorbing external spiritual power. But I don't know if he was aiming for the scale of the Noah's Ark flood! ?
Normally, I would have studied it carefully. But right now, there was something more deadly. The azure flying in front of me was almost touching my pupils. My attention immediately shifted to the place. Countless information was interpreted by my brain, and the trajectory of each light blade landing was clearly visible. I quickly retreated, avoiding these hundreds of light blades with a smoothness that even surprised myself.
"Almost forgot, you can see the code now too."
Michael folded his wings and bent his knees gracefully. I immediately felt a hidden wave coming from another direction. Xia Pingan forcibly snatched away my perception authority and kicked me out of the code world.
Shit! Cheating! While others were still playing in the game framework, someone had already unplugged the cables from the gaming company's computer room. How could they play the game?
My throat choked up. It wasn't because I was afraid of Xia Pingan, but because I wasn't proficient in controlling the purchasing agent, and I needed the help of the mastermind Remiel. But that guy was busy right now, so I had to bite the bullet and go against Xia Pingan.
Seeing that I couldn't beat Xia Pingan, I immediately changed my mind and started to use magic to defend. But Michael controlled the core of the system, so magic was naturally under his control.
With a light tap of his fingertips, my magic power was sealed. The feather-like blades of light formed a fence, locking me in tightly. At the same time, a sharp explosion sounded from the direction. The black light was violently turbulent, and it could be seen that Lucifer was having a great time fighting.
There is no way to heaven and no door to earth.
"Please don't resist. If you continue like this, you will only get hurt."
Michael didn't care about the other two. He landed beside me, his voice soft, as if he really cared about me. New blades of light appeared around me again, aiming at the gaps around me to fill them. They circled me from bottom to top, leaving only a small gap, where I could vaguely see his face and wings.
I used my last authority to secretly release Neil and the Knight Commander. I asked calmly, "If you consider me, can you let me go?"
"Thinking about you is not listening to your nonsense."
Michael treated me like an ignorant child. The last blade of light fell from a height, intending to completely seal me in. In a flash, a flash of red suddenly exploded in my sight.
——That’s not Michael. The main brain has no blood.
The last blade of light was grasped. The blond knight stood in front of me, and his right hand was almost torn by the blade of light, and blood spurted out. The left shoulder fell limply, and blood was dripping. Even so, the knight commander's voice was still gentle.
"I'm sorry I'm late."
Michael's expression became serious. After sensing for a moment, his eyes relaxed a little: "I thought... that's all. You can't defeat me. Get out of the way."
"I know. My other self told me that as long as I'm an NPC, I'll be controlled by the game. So..."
Remiel placed the blade of light on his neck, and the high temperature instantly scorched a large piece of flesh. The air was filled with the smell of burnt flesh, dripping down stickily.
"I'm not an NPC, isn't that enough?"
My blood froze. “Remiel!?”
"Please don't worry, it's just a game. The other one said it right, I should have done it a long time ago. Hesitation would be irresponsible to you...but I can't bear to do it. When I knew I was born for you, I knew what I should do. I live for you, and I will die for you."
Remiel turned his back to me and didn't look back. His back was as straight as ever, silently supporting a space. No matter the wind and rain, no matter everything collapsed, no matter what he faced, he always guarded me in front of me with such perseverance.
"This is not the end. We will meet again in reality. Go and do what you should do. Leave this to me. Neil, take him away."
Blood spurted out, and the Knight Commander's body slowly fell down. And another life revived from his body - dazzling rainbow light burst out, like a butterfly spreading its wings. It was a magnificent sight I had never seen before, the human body disintegrated into data, and then swirled up, curling like the light smoke from an incense burner.
[System started...Identity confirmed...]
[Function awakening...memory loading...]
The same rainbow light was lit up in the direction from which they came, and the two rainbow lights merged into one, as if they were born to be this way. Michael looked solemn, and he obviously sensed trouble.
Neil took the opportunity to scoop me up with his tail and flew as far as he could toward the depths of the Kingdom of God. He realized that I was in a bad mood and asked me worriedly, "Are you okay?"
"fine."
I squeezed out two words from between my teeth, indicating the direction I sensed.
There was a fire burning in my chest, and my mind was filled with the bloody image of Remiel. The masterminds were fighting behind me. I kept reminding myself that as long as I could win, they would be safe.
He took one last look at Remiel, gritted his teeth and directed the dragon to fly towards the target. Neil immediately accelerated, so fast that it left an afterimage. The strong wind slapped his cheeks, and he suddenly tilted very obviously.
"It's so weird here, I can't fly anymore!"
"Come down, this is the River of the Curse."
I flapped his wings, bent my knees and jumped off his head.
*
The river of curse flows quietly. Not a feather floats on the river. If there is no boat to ferry people, the souls passing by will be caught at the bottom of the river and perish forever.
I stepped onto the dilapidated wooden boat, and at the other end stood the black-robed Grim Reaper—or rather, Xia Pingan. He had the face I was most familiar with, and it gave me the illusion of looking in a mirror.
He looks exactly like me now, like a twin brother.
I glared at him: "What on earth are you planning?"
"Nothing, I just want to change the rules of this world. I know your problem and what you are doing here, but I just want to chat with you, so forget about the others."
Xia Pingan answered slowly, the old wooden boat drifting on the river. The riverside was full of red flowers of the other shore, and for a moment only the sound of the water could be heard. He stretched out his hand and pointed in the direction of the dragon, and Neil suddenly turned over, as if he was hung in the air by an invisible pole.
Neil: “??? What!!”
He struggled angrily, but Xia Pingan didn't care.
"You will be troublesome when you grow up, but you are just a little kid now, so just go away."
The black-robed Grim Reaper took a step forward, and ripples arose from under his feet, pulling us into the sea of code at the same time.
The surrounding scenery suddenly changed. The world was spinning, like a mixture of plasticine. The crystal clear river flowed under our feet. Xia Pingan and I stood opposite each other on the river. The river surface was like a mirror, reflecting our figures.
"This is... spiritual power"
I frowned and looked around, sensing something more subtle from the river. Countless thoughts intertwined together, forming every drop of river water.
"That's right. This is the source of this world, the starting point of everything. Do you know what spiritual power is? Before humans figured out what spiritual power is, they called it will and belief. And the biggest source of support for human will is..."
"memory."
“People become themselves because they have memories.”
The river began to surge, and I suddenly sensed a huge danger. Xia Pingan stared at me motionlessly, with invisible flames in his eyes. The entire river turned upside down, overwhelming me. For a moment, I felt my bones break, and the next second, I realized that I had been scattered.
Literally spreading out.
My arms and legs were separated from my body, and my head was also away from home. Data was flowing wildly, and Xia Pingan walked towards me, collecting the data I was losing while speaking slowly.
"Since I came to this world, I can always see your past. No matter which world we are in, we are all so unfortunate, and we all long for happiness. I have thought about it a thousand times and ten thousand times, why is it me, why is it grandpa, why can't I be happy? Why is there always someone who takes everything away from me? After finally accepting all this, they took the rest of my family away from me. Over and over again, over and over again! I'm tired of it. Everyone is responsible for this, including you, me, and this world."
"So, I decided—"
"I want a completely new world where these things won't happen. Mental power is a person's thoughts. When they are all exhausted, they will become living dead. And they will be resurrected in this world and all evolve into electronic life."
Xia Pingan showed a strange, somewhat crazy smile. I was dumbfounded: "No, no, no, just a few mental powers and a device? You think too much."
"Please call it: spiritual power that can stir up a storm in half of the human world. Sean is the leader of the Star Pirates Group. The current system is built around him. He has always advocated peaceful coexistence with the Alliance. Once he dies, the militant faction will take over. Samuel and Kajol are both the only sons of corporate giants in both the black and white worlds. They also have strong industry leadership capabilities. Needless to say, what kind of storm will be caused after their death. Neil is a genuine royal family. Thirteen generations ago, they were all kings who commanded the entire galaxy. It was only later that this became unpopular, and they transformed into aristocrats."
"There is also Odysseus. Not to mention how many crazy die-hard fans his works have, his spiritual power is incredibly high, and it can be said to be the best in the entire galaxy. With the help of their spiritual power, the bridge has snowballed over such a long time. As long as they don't leave here, all the support from my family will not disappear. It only takes a while, and I can continue to expand in this way and finally achieve my goal. As for whether it takes more than ten years or decades, it doesn't matter to me."
I am not afraid that a madman is a madman, I am only afraid that the madman has the ability to take action. Then I think that this madman is me. I really want to go back to my childhood and let my grandfather give me some ideological education lessons.
I really admire you guys. Playing is playing, but don't destroy the world every day as the end of your career, okay? The world is so innocent!
I hit him twice and found that Xia Pingan was extremely strong. I failed to wrest the core control from him. So I turned around and ran, using the surrounding data stream as a paddle.
Is the world falling, or are we rising? The concepts are blurring.
I vaguely saw a room. The walls were smoked to a burnt yellow color, with dense black spots. The light bulbs with poor contact were flickering, and the light was bright and dim, which was quite scary.
Only the worst low-end hotels would continue to use such inferior products. The room was not large, and I - or rather, the "me" in my memory - was standing in the middle of the room. Opposite me was a chair.
The young man sat on the chair, his black hair untied, which made him look like a mermaid who had just surfaced. Half of his face was hidden in the light, and the other half was exposed in the darkness. The flickering light and shadow outlined his familiar eyebrows and eyes. His voice contained a tingling smile that made people intoxicated. He just lazily leaned back on the chair, like a shining black hole.
"You seem to be confused. You actually came to me to talk about this. The place you are going to has a quarter of the shares of my family. Do you expect me, the young master, to stand on your side?"
"I know, otherwise I wouldn't have come to you. I need your help."
"You're really going to do this, it's no small thing."
Another hand was placed on my shoulder, and the voice was deep and beautiful, familiar yet strange. I couldn't remember whose voice it was. The man said in a steady tone: "It's not him who plans to do this, it's us who plan to do this. Sean is preparing to lurk, and Samuel will take care of the surveillance. If you don't come, don't make trouble, this is just a notice."
"Who said I won't come? I certainly can't be absent from such an interesting event. However, my price is not low. Are you ready?"
Kajol stood up and walked towards me with a pleasant smile on his face. In my memory, I put my hand in his palm. The face was blurred in my memory, leaving only a hazy, dazzling light and shadow.
"certainly."
I saw another place, and everything around me was blurry, but I knew other people were sitting next to me. I heard myself speak, and my voice melted into the night.
"Why did you choose to help me?"
Odysseus asked calmly: "Then why did you choose to believe us?"
Samuel smiled and patted my shoulder: "Don't think too much, the reason we gathered together is simple, because you are interesting enough and because you are our friend. If the world is against you, it must be the world's fault."
I rolled my eyes: "Thank you for being so talkative, now tell me something serious."
Samuel changed his words swiftly: "If the world is right, let's make it wrong."
......
In the endlessly spreading light, Xia Pingan and I chased each other. We snatched permissions from each other. The sea of code was disturbed by us, and the violent storm affected all the underlying data, constantly surfacing various scenes and memories.
Countless information flooded into my mind, making me a little confused. If I knew them and had a good relationship with them, so that they would take risks for me, then why would I use their mental power?
【Because it was me who betrayed them, not you. 】
I suddenly understood. They knew me as the one who had all the memories, but the one in front of me was Xia Pingan, who only had the painful memories of the past. Different memories create different people... Wait, where did the sound come from?
The narrow eyes were almost close to me, as black as a pool of ink. Xia Ping'an and I were face to face, reminiscent of the night ghosts that would attach to people's backs in Chinese horror stories. I was terrified and subconsciously took a step back. The scene behind me suddenly turned into an abyss. In the center of the crack, a data stream flashed, like a group of snakes dancing wildly.
"goodbye."
He pushed me gently. My body fell backwards involuntarily, and a strong suction swept up from bottom to top, instantly wrapping around my calves. I grabbed Xia Ping'an's arm, but a stream of data passed through my palm.
I was stunned.
Xia Pingan smiled: "Sorry, I disappoint you. I told you... both you and I have to pay the price."
It turns out that this world already has its first electronic resident.
That was Xia Pingan himself.
*
I am not afraid of death.
It is always with me. Both Parka and Xia Ping'an often struggle on the line between life and death.
Beating and scolding by father, abandonment by mother.
Being treated as a sacrifice, he was given nothing to eat or drink.
It's all normal.
Death is like a shadow of life to me. As I fell, the first thing that came to my mind was, "Will I just disappear?"
I have asked myself this question many times.
In the cramped thatched hut, when I almost starved to death, in those days I spent alone.
Bathing in the fountain of eternal life can bring immortality, but your heart will be broken, your soul will become empty, and you will become a walking corpse.
I have thought countless times that I would become one of them. But now when I think about this question again, I realize very clearly in my heart: [I don’t want to disappear].
I don't want to die, at least not here.
I want to rescue Remiel and the others, I want everyone to live well, and I want to solve the problems of the two worlds.
I want to witness the summer meteor shower, to weigh the mountains and rivers, to send a bouquet of flowers to someone I like, and to experience the difference between real life and illusion.
I can't die here, at least not now.
The strong feeling of falling engulfed me, and the sky flew upward. The familiar face moved away from me. This world will not hurt us, so the only one who can kill us is ourselves.
What else can help me, what else can be used? I took some effort to stop myself. There was no sound at the bottom of the abyss, even the data stream disappeared, leaving only endless blackness.
I reassembled the shattered body. This is a convenient feature of game characters. It's as easy to put together missing arms and legs as to put them together with building blocks.
It was pitch black above my head, and I couldn't see any light. But as long as the direction was right, I had to give it a try.
I tried to use my authority, using my right arm as a sacrifice, to build three steps for myself using data streams. We took turns going up like this.
The further I walked, the more empty I felt, as if an invisible hand had turned me inside out and was shaking out everything inside.
The first thing to be forgotten was the sound, followed by the breath. The darkness swallowed everything, including thoughts and memories.
I began to forget why I came here. I also didn't remember how to leave. I began to repeat those names over and over in my mind.
Sean, Neil, Kajol, Odysseus, Samuel, Lemuel, my cat...
I remembered the blood-covered Knight Commander, and the Mastermind Remiel asking me, "Will you remember me?"
Thinking of the painting in Kajol's bedroom, I also thought of many other things.
Suddenly, I stumbled and fell on the stairs because I forgot how to manipulate the data.
My mind was groggy, and I began to lose track of Xia Ping'an's location. I suddenly understood why those who turned into data streams and disappeared were so panicked. Because at the moment of death, everything they had was inherited by another person, as if they had never existed.
After I fell for the umpteenth time, I felt my joints snap. Apart from the pain, it wasn't a big deal. I turned over on the steps and climbed up calmly. If a leg is broken, there is still an arm. If the arm is broken, just turn the steps into a rolling track and roll up.
For a long time, for a long time, for a long time.
Who am I? Where am I? What am I doing?
I don't remember much, the only thing I know for sure is that there is someone waiting for me behind the dark sky. I was still thinking this when I fell for the last time.
I was falling, falling continuously, and the higher I climbed, the harder I fell.
Something in my arms was getting hotter and hotter. I lay there in the void, and it took me a long time to get up and take out the thing.
It's a book.
...What book is it?
I can't remember clearly. It was emitting a burning temperature, so hot that it was almost difficult to hold. It was like a reminder. The densely packed words on it lit up.
[Werewolf Sean admires you]
Neil likes you
[Lord of Darkness Kazhuo has a crush on you]
[Since the first time we met a thousand years ago, he has liked your eyes]
【.....】
[Like, like, like, like, like, like, like...]
【like】
Large sections of text floated up from the pages and enveloped me in the middle. Every time I touched a section of text, a memory popped up in my mind.
The sky was full of stars, as if God's hand had scattered diamond fragments on the ground. Odysseus sat in a wooden house in the forest, lowering his head and concentrating on sketching my portrait. There were many poems on his hand, engraved with my name. He wanted to ask a question, but he thought about it for a long time, and finally just swallowed it back silently, thinking about saying it at a perfect moment.
Neil wandered in the abyss, concentrating on finding the sound stone. He stepped over the remains of the monster, thinking about which one was the most beautiful. Then he carefully wove it into a bracelet and carefully engraved the letters of his name in the most inconspicuous place.
The goddess of nature rode exhaustedly on the deer, commanding the elves and the shining knights to build defensive measures. Odysseus lowered his head to bandage his wounds, and the wolf-like Thane licked the blood on his claws. He seemed to have sensed something and suddenly raised his head. The gilded pupils reflected the vast sky, and the dark and shining pillars of the sky were just like day and night.
Everyone desires to be invincible and overcome all obstacles to become the hero of their dreams.
Few people can achieve it. No matter what happens, reality will always force the arrogant to bow their heads. It will separate those who love each other. The people or things you cherish will be destroyed in an instant, and happiness will be out of reach, let alone protection.
We seem to be living in a strange story. On the one hand, we desperately desire happiness, and on the other hand, we are so numb from struggling to survive that we laugh at the most insignificant gains.
How much do you have to pay to ensure that you are qualified to be happy, rather than being wasted by reality?
How much do you have to sacrifice to be qualified to keep the person you want and embrace everything you want to love?
No matter which one, I think I am the one who is not qualified. I have no luck, and I have nothing precious. But at this moment, I saw the sky suddenly break, and the sea of data parted.
Just like I would cross a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood to hold someone's hand. There would also be someone who would break through the abyss and come down from the sky to pull me out from the deepest part of the abyss.
Neil saw me and flew towards me immediately. He grabbed me and turned to fly high. His flesh and blood peeled off, almost turning into a skeleton. Behind him, all kinds of magic and divine power burst out.
Then I understood that it was not the light of the sky.
That was the ray of light that the person I was looking for held out for me.
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