[Joint Group·Eastern District Conference Hall]
In the spacious conference hall, the chief of staff of the Joint Regiment, Ashkel, looked solemn.
In the hall, more than fifty people in suits and ties looked at the screen with serious expressions. The people at the back lowered their heads to record, their fingers and keyboard almost slipping out of the afterimage.
Chief of Staff Ashkel is the leader of the "Hero Project". Aiming to make heroes out of the times, his plan has reversed the trend of pessimistic public opinion. But now, with the end of the ninth world, people with red eyes appear in the world of the Lord God, and mankind begins to be in chaos again.
"Who is attacking our account?" Ashkel asked.
"Chief of Staff, it may be that the [Human Self-Rescue Alliance] launched an attack on us." Kentaro Suzuki, who formerly belonged to the Fuso Ground Self-Defense Force's Mecha Section and now belongs to the Shukaku Division of the Joint Regiment, said: "This kind of invasion method is like The skill effect of adventurer Lai En. He is a famous hacker player. Even though his strength was wiped out, his hacking skills still caught up quickly and he is at the forefront of the players."
"The Human Self-Rescue Alliance and we are both human mutual aid organizations and we work together with each other. I don't think they will attack us." Qiao Manni from the Red Heart Volunteer Association shook her head.
Ashkel remained silent, his frown already revealing his anxiety.
"Perfect passers can fulfill a wish. This is a certified rule." A middle-aged man from Godler's department said: "Now, all organizations want to compete for the existing perfect passers, and they want to give up the right to grant wishes. It is in the hands of mankind itself. As the largest human organization, the United Group will indeed be targeted."
"It won't be long before there will be more attacks. I heard that there have been a lot of medical disturbances in the district service branch of Peace Dove Hospital recently. It doesn't look like a coincidence," said Abra, a representative of scientific research.
"Damn it... Obviously we are all for the future of mankind..." An unwilling man hammered the table with a look of helplessness on his face.
Someone didn't know who sighed softly.
"Why are they fighting each other...?"
"Who knows, people's hearts are separated from each other."
"We may not all be good people."
"Chief of Staff, I want to ask a question." At the table, Derrick, the adventure player representative, suddenly raised his hand: "Is Edward still alive?"
When he asked this question, the whole audience fell silent.
People's eyes were focused on Ashkel, and even the pens in their hands stopped.
They have been paying close attention to Edward's issue.
As an adventure player who once completed all levels perfectly, but was defeated by the first player himself, what will be the fate of Edward? Was he given up mercilessly, exposing the shame of the United Group after it was used up, or was it given enough compensation to allow him to make a comeback?
Edward has offended Su Ming'an. Does the United Group value Su Ming'an's face, or do they value their own people more?
The expressions of several people in Godler's department changed slightly. They all used to support the Edward faction. Edron was the leader among them. Now that the situation has changed and Edward is gone, it is their turn to bow their heads like quails, not daring to say anything.
Ashkel's expression remained unchanged, and there was no flaw on his face. He replied appropriately: "Edward is still alive. He is receiving the best mental treatment, so he has been unable to come forward."
"Really?" Agnes, the adventure player representative, straightened the broken hair around her ears and said with a sweet smile: "Then Chief of Staff, you must let him receive good treatment. I'm still waiting for the moment he appears again. . Such a handsome young man, I really hope he lives forever."
"Of course." Ashkel said decisively: "We respect the lives of all people."
He turned his eyes and saw that no one had spoken. He was about to talk about the next topic when he suddenly heard:
"——What about Su Ming'an? Don't you respect his life?"
Everyone was shocked and looked at the player behind, Aiden. I saw that his dark boy's eyes were full of hostility, and his expression was already a bit angry.
Aiden is a top player with no outstanding personality. He is a gentle and normal person. On weekdays, as a guest of the United Regiment, most of them remain silent and silent. No one expected that he would suddenly be so angry.
"Aiden, you..." Ashkel said in surprise.
"Edward has always attacked Su Ming'an in the ruined world, regardless of the overall situation, ignoring the plot, and even attacked the observer Yueyue. I cannot accept it." Aiden said coldly: "I have no doubt that if there is Given the opportunity, Edward will definitely choose to be the organizer's dog and target humans themselves. It is reasonable for him to die. But I don't see that this person represents the value of human beings at all. I can only say that you are wrong. Man, you still claim to respect his life in a high-sounding way. If one day I stand in front of him, will you also favor him?"
The person next to him immediately reassured him in a low voice, saying no, we respect everyone equally. We treated Edward simply because we wouldn't give up anyone's life.
"The situation in the ruined world has clearly demonstrated one point - Su Ming'an is our hope!" The reason for Aiden's sudden change of attitude was exactly what the ruined world revealed. He stood up and said coldly: "I came to this meeting today just to tell you. Asa Akto's experience has proven that we don't need additional perfect passers! Su Mingan, as Asa Akto The 'original one', only he can save mankind. Leaders with great love, if you continue to focus on 'everyone', you will lose this 'everyone' sooner or later."
After Aiden finished speaking, he left, leaving only the quiet conference room.
The silence in the conference room lasted for a long time, everyone was thinking about Aiden's words.
The information explosion exposed in the ruined world has completely renovated their concepts, and they have not yet recovered from the huge amount of information.
"The original theory about the ruined world... will be discussed later." Finally, Ashkel said this.
His expression was a little bitter.
When the United League was founded, its purpose was "for the majority of people to survive." In any case, it is impossible for them to put their hope in the hands of just one person. This is responsible for the entire human species.
They have no retrieval, no mind-reading, and the only thing they have is a sense of responsibility and mission. They gave up on fighting for points for themselves and gathered here for free just to maintain the human group of one billion people.
No one knows whether the information about the ruined world is a trap by the organizers. As leaders, they tend to act step by step, neither making leaps nor being impulsive.
The meeting continues.
Dong Jiangpeng of the Changbai Department of the Yangtze River System proposed that in the name of the joint group, with the theme of "the future of mankind", all perfect customs clearance personnel should be called together to hold a meeting to listen to their ideas.
Dong Jiangpeng's proposal was recognized by most people. Nowadays, the world is undergoing great changes, and public opinion is sweeping like a storm. Although not all perfect passers will succeed, at least they are all candidates and may take control of this planet in the future.
Soon, an invitation to the joint group meeting "All perfect passers, this world needs you" was posted on the World Forum with the official account of the joint group. The content is to invite all perfect passers to come to District 12 to participate in the meeting at 20:00 on February 10 to discuss the future of mankind.
Once the post was posted, it became extremely popular, and the attention instantly soared by hundreds of millions, becoming the hottest topic on the forum. The post specifically mentioned "The number one player must be here" and "The authority controller Noel must be here", which seemed to place the two in the most important position.
…
"All, all, all——"
I dialed the call, but no one picked up.
Su Mingan stared at the strawberry Noel's portrait in his hand, but Noel still didn't reply.
"Let's rest first." Su Lin approached with a pot of milk tea: "Drink a cup of tea and get some sleep. If anything happens, I will keep an eye on you."
Su Mingan's eyes were fixed on the cup of milk tea that looked like black blood for a moment, and he pulled away as if he was electrocuted. This liquid looks very suspicious at first glance and must not be drunk.
He rubbed his temples, and Lu Shu next to him stretched out his hand, as if he wanted to help him take the milk tea, but Su Ming'an immediately held him down to avoid a disaster.
"I'm going to find Noel." Seeing that the communication still couldn't be dialed, Su Mingan stood up.
As soon as he stood up, his body shook violently and he almost fell down. The moment his vision wavered, a steady weight came from his shoulders. Su Lin and Lu Shu held him down one on the left and the other on the right.
"If he is picked up by the organizer, you won't be able to find him if you go there," Su Lin said.
"Just let me go, you need to rest." Lu Shu said.
Su Mingan raised his shoulders, and the two immediately let go.
"I just went to the New World Guild to see if he was there, and at least to confirm that he had been taken away." Su Mingan started.
He walked straight out and quickly rushed through the villa. Lu Shu trotted after him, but Su Lin didn't follow.
Su Mingan walked quickly through the park. He noticed that not only the park, but also pubs, teahouses, streets and alleys... everywhere were filled with people discussing topics related to the ruined world.
Although the topics in the usual dungeons are highly discussed, there is no such time as in the ruined world. Almost everyone is discussing it, putting themselves in their shoes with worries and emotions, as if they are talking about their own fate.
He arrived at the square and reached the New World Guild through the teleportation array. Facing the dazzling glazed roof, the New World Guild is still in the style of a fairy tale, giving you the feeling of stepping into a fairy tale book.
He first went to the orphanage to confirm that Noel was not there. I went to the office where Noel often stayed and saw no one. He had been covered with a dark fog of privacy during the whole journey. Since Noel had given him entry permission before, he had an unimpeded journey and almost conducted a carpet search.
The longer time goes by, the heavier my heart becomes.
Lu Shu followed him until he stopped completely.
Su Mingan stared at the blue sky in front of him, snow falling on his shoulders. He stared blankly at the falling snow in the sky, and the snowflakes melted on his cheeks bit by bit.
Noel was not found.
Nowhere.
"...Go back." Su Mingan said.
It has been confirmed that Noel was taken away.
He turned around, shrouded in black mist, and walked through empty rooms, past people laughing and chatting, and through long corridors and squares...
Lu Shu followed him silently, like a silent guard.
Along the way, there was no sound from either of them, and the heaviness increased day by day.
"Su Ming'an." Finally, Lu Shu couldn't help but say, "I'll roast a sweet potato for you to eat, or roast corn. Don't be sad..."
He didn't know any way to comfort him, so he could only comfort the other person through the limited ability he had. Even if it's just to make the other person laugh, that's fine.
"It's okay." Su Mingan curled her lips and said nothing more.
"Shall I make tea for you?" Lu Shu said immediately.
"I won't drink tea anymore." Su Mingan said.
"Is it because of 'him'?"
"……Um."
They walked along the long snowy landscape. Su Mingan stepped on the snow and walked back step by step, silently all the way.
It wasn't until he returned to his own villa that Su Mingan was startled.
He saw a small figure.
At the entrance of the villa, the blond boy sat in front of the rose bushes, with his back to him. The water light of the fountain stained the young man's flowing blond hair, reflecting the brilliance of ice.
The blood-like red robe was draped on the overlapping leaves. The young man was sitting in the wind and snow, but he seemed to blend into the wind and snow. His hair was fluttering in the cold wind, like bird feathers fluttering in the wind.
Hearing the noise, the blond boy turned around and glanced at Su Ming'an.
"You... weren't taken away?" Su Mingan didn't expect that Noel not only wasn't taken away, but also came here to wait for him.
Then Noel...why didn't you reply to his message?
Noel raised his eyes, stood up, and walked closer step by step.
Da da da.
The high-top shoes hit the road, sounding as clear and beautiful as a musical instrument.
Finally, Noel walked up to him, opened his arms, and hugged him gently.
This hug carries the fragrance of fresh flowers and earth, and the force is very light. It is not as heavy as the thirty-three-year-old handover that blends into the bones and blood, but more like a light farewell.
"I will not be taken away within three days. Not until three days later." Noel said softly: "All my player functions have been temporarily frozen, so I cannot receive your private message."
……freeze?
Su Ming'an's child's hole has shrunk.
Wouldn't that mean... puppet silk can't be used, weapons can't be used, and the World Forum can't be seen?
Just like an ordinary person who has lost all preferential treatment, he has lost the game system in this kind of game world. Even the crow is frozen, unable to use any of its abilities, and cannot even send messages...
Su Mingan looked at Noel, but there was no sadness on Noel's face. Instead, he smiled easily.
"It doesn't matter." Noel smiled and pointed at his own head: "This is my greatest weapon."
Su Mingan stared at him for a long time before nodding: "I believe it."
With the top wisdom of mankind and the strong will of an explorer, Noel will not be afraid of anything he faces, even in the face of death.
"Go back to sleep, everyone will be fine." Noel always had a smile on his face, making it hard for people to see how sad he was.
It is clear that in three days, we will face an unknown fate and the judgment of "God".
But he leaned into Su Ming'an's ear, and his tone was so light that it seemed to be comforting.
"When you wake up, we will play together for three days and celebrate the New Year together. I have prepared a lot of interesting activities and want to share them with you... We will make dumplings, cook New Year's Eve dinner, play board games, and watch the wedding. Bring Lin Yin, Yamada, Luna, let’s go together.”
Noel held Su Mingan's hand and pressed his heart.
It's still beating there.
He was still smiling.
"I won't die."
"I promise."
