Welcome to Rewind World Game-Chapter 1636 - 53: The Solar Saintly Mermaid and the Sinless Society (21)

Chapter 1636: Chapter 53: The Solar Saintly Mermaid and the Sinless Society (21)

Su Ming’an carried the frail boy, as weak as a stalk, and flew into the air. The cross light of space carried the two forward.

They soared over mountains and fields, over endless deserts and beaches, over the crumbling firmament, over a land full of wounds, and over the sun and stars...

The heartbeat behind him grew fainter.

Warm blood flowed onto Su Ming’an’s shoulder; the boy was bleeding. Su Ming’an knew the terrifying state of death from genetic collapse: organ failure, cell death, systemic collapse, the whole body turning to sludge, leaving nothing that resembled a human.

His back grew increasingly warm and damp, like a small furnace burning behind him.

It seemed like fate’s final touch of mercy or a carelessly cruel joke after intense suffering. Su Ming’an looked up.

— Above the firmament, a morning sun, with sunlight shining brilliantly, so magnificent.

Vast, resilient, all-encompassing. It dyed the distant horizon in misty, shy warm orange, and then the colors spread like ink: flowgold, vermilion, soft pink, cobalt blue... Countless colors flowed among the clouds. Spreading over the shattered mountains and rivers, it soothed the earth’s scars. The entire world seemed to awaken from a lengthy, painful nightmare, bathed in a peaceful new beginning.

Beyond the firmament, a giant ark was slowly landing. The humans who had wandered for so long were about to step into this world. Some were weeping, some were laughing.

"A new world! We are here!"

"I’ll definitely live better, I won’t be bullied anymore...!"

"Mom, this planet is so beautiful..."

Su Ming’an’s black hair was dyed with warm hues, gently enveloping the boy on his back who was silently disintegrating.

"Just give me a little more time..." he murmured, clenching his teeth.

He wanted to take the Little King out.

Look, the Little King had dreamed about many things in Luowasha, surely he would be helpful for future journeys. Besides, the Little King had undergone many experiments. Although those experiences were painful, he was willing to help more people survive. So taking him out was meaningful.

Moreover, the birthday cake that day was delicious, the fairy tale was interesting, and they had not finished writing the last song.

"Crack crack crack—" The cracks grew larger, and the entire world was collapsing.

A weak voice came from behind:

— "You can finally leave, Lighthouse Sect Leader. You should not be confined here."

"Just give me a little more time..." Su Ming’an murmured.

— "After you leave, the Great Emperor Su Liujin, who is truly dreaming, will also wake up. You will surely find him, and you can soar together as sunfish in the sky..."

"Just give me a little more time..."

— "You must fulfill your promise to me, ensure that he is not cold anymore, he will never be cold again..."

"I will definitely take you out..."

— "Today’s sun is so warm..."

Su Ming’an stopped in his tracks.

Before him was a fairy tale kingdom flowing with honey and milk, sweet candy streets, laughing subjects, and the arrogant Little King.

"Come on! Holy Envoy, fly! We shall defeat them!" The scarlet silk fluttered before his eyes, and the spirited, healthy Little King waved his fists, took his hand, and smiled boldly.

["Bang!"]

The boy mimicked a finger gun at the sunfish above, making naive yet earnest sounds. Underfoot was a chocolate cobblestone road, the air filled with the sweet scent of sugar frosting.

["Holy Envoy, look! It’s a top sign!"]

He held up a piece of wood that would always be a "top sign," his smile sweeter than ice cream, passionately promising a false yet beautiful future.

["Come on! Holy Envoy! We shall defeat them!"]

He spiritedly pointed to the distant Candy Castle, and behind him, the chibi subjects cheered like mountains and seas. They flew through cotton candy clouds, slicing through chocolate rivers, like invincible brave heroes and kings, unimpeded in a world without pain.

["The sunfish won’t come... because I can become a sunfish."]

On the warm sunset sugar frosting eaves, the boy’s brows and eyes arched as he spoke the most rebellious vows, tightly grasping his hand, resolutely abandoning crowns and gemstones, and leaping from the pinnacle of happiness, actively ending his safe and beautiful dream to step out of the experiment tank and sentencing himself to death.

It turns out that if jellyfish want freedom, they must pay the price of being melted by the sun.

Is Jin’s dream for fish, or the fish’s dream for Jin? Is he turning into a butterfly in a dream, or is the butterfly dreaming of the Great Emperor?

The sunfish will not come because he is the one and only jellyfish in the world. He will make everyone know that the sunfish does not need to devour jellyfish to grow wings.

He possesses fins more beautiful than wings.

The desolate wilderness was dyed golden red by the morning sun. The wind howled by, carrying the chilling breath of a planet’s birth.

"... Tsk." Su Ming’an stopped his steps.

—They stood on a pale wasteland, the white gravel resembling crushed bones swirling in the gale, sand and stones flying everywhere.

Here was the future site of the Red Tower. It was the most primitive and untouched Red Tower, without any civilization’s carving.

It was also the "location" of the dream Candy Kingdom.

From the beginning, the weak boy was lying on Su Ming’an’s back, just now using a light and slow voice to revisit how they proudly acted and passionately radiated on this land in the dream.

There was no warm wind or honey, no ministers or citizens, only a desolate, boundless wilderness and a few ordinary insects yet to evolve.

Su Ming’an placed the boy from his back, letting him lean against a weathered giant stone. His movements were as gentle as dealing with fragile glass.

Completed.

He had sent him back home. Back to the coordinates of this "home" that only existed in a dream.

... This was the boy’s only home.

The light of the morning sun fell, illuminating the boy’s pale face, making it almost transparent, with long, dense white eyelashes casting shadows on the lower eyelids.

He quietly closed his eyes, as if just falling into a deep sleep in this barren sunlight, ready to be awakened by the call of "the sunfish is coming," and then jump up, mimicking his harmless "finger gun."

"... I know." The boy’s voice was as light as a feather brushing over gravel, "... Time is running out."

Su Ming’an said nothing, rummaging through medical supplies given by Hui Bai, using his knowledge of the Ruined World’s biology to analyze if he could extend Su Liujin’s life.

"Vitality Agent...it’s no use. I can feel it..." Su Liujin slowly blinked, his gaze seemed unfocused, "Inside my body... it’s like something is... melting, breaking... first the bones, then the organs... finally, probably... turning into a blob... looking ugly..."

His mouth struggled to curve upward, attempting to form a self-mocking arc:

"From a few days ago... I noticed, no strength left, unable to walk, life is about to end... I really hope... the dream continues... I want to live..."

"But I heard, you said... the people outside... they are still crying..."

"A dignified Little King, how could I let them keep crying, keep suffering..."

"So, I made a decision, you can’t be trapped here... you must go... to a farther sky. You must... stop those people from crying."

He coughed violently, his body slightly curled, Su Ming’an could feel the hand in his palm clenching tightly, nails almost digging into his skin, a sticky, wet warmth.

"I often... feel dizzy and faint... when I wake up, I continue reading like crazy... I long to know more things..."

"So many books... so many... things I don’t know... the world is so big... stars and sea... I don’t wish for my life to end so shortly and barrenly, I wish to leave something like the great figures in history... and if I read enough books, would that be enough?"

"I read desperately... thinking... even if I only live a few days... as long as I read enough... can I also be like those... people remembered in history... not live in vain?"

"...But I... can only make up... fairy tales of the cannibal flower and the brave..." A teardrop slid from the corner of his eye without warning, quickly disappearing into his temples, "I really want to know... real schooling... real learning as an ordinary child... what it’s really like..."

Those golden pupils gradually began to disperse, yet he stubbornly looked in the direction of Su Ming’an:

"Many times, I wish this was a nightmare, that in the end, I would wake up as me, I would be the Great Emperor... I could still see you... could still fly into the sky with you..."

"...But..." He closed his eyes, gently shaking his head, "...I can’t sit up... can’t fly anymore..."

"...You once told me... the people outside... they are still crying..."

His voice lowered, almost to a whisper, yet carrying a strange, resolved calm.

"...You cannot... stay here..."

"...Stay with me... this jellyfish... that’s about to melt..."

"...You deserve... a farther sky..."

He shouldn’t be confined here.

He deserves better.

Su Ming’an found a dose of potion, adjusting the dose to maintain Su Liujin’s consciousness, saying:

"Su Liujin, how about we continue telling that story? The Great Emperor and the Sect Hierarch were not swallowed whole by the cannibal flower; they ran towards the universe..."

At this moment, he heard a very light yet clear laughing breath in front of him, as if unloading all burdens:

"...Sure."

"We... will finish the story..."

Su Ming’an took a deep breath, facing the sunrise that rendered everything infinitely gentle, speaking in the calmest voice possible, continuing the fairy tale that belonged only to them:

"The Great Emperor and the Sect Hierarch... were not swallowed by the cannibal flower. Their singing... contains love, courage... the cannibal flower had never heard such complex music, it was defeated and transformed into a meadow emitting a glowing light, illuminating their path forward..."

He felt the youth gently move, seemingly nodding, or perhaps just unconsciously convulsing.

"They... kept going forward..." Su Ming’an’s voice began to tremble uncontrollably, but he forced himself to continue, injecting the syringe into Su Liujin’s arm, "They flew over... the highest tower, discovering that there was no sleeping Brave at the top... nor a trapped King..."

"...What’s inside there?" a weak voice followed, filled with pure curiosity, like a child listening to a story.

Su Ming’an’s vision blurred, he put away the empty syringe, opened his eyes wide, looking at the front clouds dyed gold and red by the sunrise, saying each word seriously:

"At the top of the tower... there is nothing. Only a door... leading to the starry sky."

"Turns out all the legends were to guide them... to this place."

"The Great Emperor and the Sect Hierarch exchanged a glance, smiled and hand in hand... together pushed open that door—"

He took a deep breath, held the youth’s hand: "Behind the door is a broader, more beautiful... starry sea than we have ever seen."

"Countless stars glimmer like gemstones... star clouds like the softest silk... they can... go anywhere they want, become anything they want... no more laboratories, no more syringes, no more cold glass jars...!"

"They... are free."

The story was finished.

The world was silent, only the sound of wind passing by the ears and the increasingly faint, almost imperceptible sound of breathing ahead.

"How wonderful..."

After a long time, a very light sigh echoed, filled with infinite satisfaction and longing.

"They... are free..."

Su Ming’an didn’t look at Su Liujin’s appearance, he kept his head down, knowing that at this moment Su Liujin’s appearance was a bloody mess, ghastly to the extreme, just like those brethren crushed into meat and thrown into the recycling machine.

"Su Ming’an, Lighthouse Sect Leader... At the end of the story, I will wait for you there." The voice gradually became hoarse, blurred, as if the vocal cords were also melting, turning into blood paste.

"As long as you walk to the end, accomplish everything, until you grow old happily with friends and finish a lifetime... you will surely see me again."

"There will be countless candies, a kingdom flowing with milk and honey, I will wear the King’s crown, wield the Scepter, waiting for you in the endless spring breeze and warmth."

"You must..."

The Little King instinctively reached out his hand, but his hands had already turned into mud constantly falling, bones unable to support his motion, his whole body slumped forward like liquid...

Su Ming’an instinctively caught the liquid mass plunging at him, touching soggy and sticky.

He almost thought he had embraced a pool of bloody mud.

Even when bones and flesh softened, can anything be absorbed with a syringe?

The pool of blood mud buried in Su Ming’an’s arms seemed to try hard to hide his face melted into mud, yet also seemed to try hard to hold him tight, tightly, not letting go.

"At the end of roads and rivers... you will surely meet me..." the blood mud said softly:

"No pain, sorrow, loss, and sacrifice, no betrayal, deceit, and madness. I’ll be waiting at the river end filled with smiley flowers."

"I will stand there asking you, how was the journey? Happy? Were dreams fulfilled? Was the trip enjoyable?"

"You, white-haired, would smile and reply to me – yes, you obtained victory, you realized your dreams, you were satisfied and joyful on this path! Remember, you chose the path forward, this path never lets you down, and you never let anyone down. You’ve overturned destined fate, you are the Eternal victor, Su Ming’an!"

"Then, I will show a joyful smile." 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

"My journey ended before it even began, but you are different."

"At the end of the river that blooms with flowers, you must hold your head high, proudly and joyfully say to me—"

"’Oh King, I never regret meeting you! I have lived a joyful and happy life, I achieved my ideals, everyone is proud of me, and I have walked alongside the companions I love and who love me through the vast spring breeze!’"

"’Oh King, I am happy, I bring you good news!’"

Something warm dampens Su Ming’an’s palm, he tries hard to conceal his expression, not letting himself see the final appearance of Emperor Su Liujin. The Little King is so proud, he would not permit it.

However, at this moment, a warm, almost melted hand bone slowly lifts his chin, making him gaze at the bloody mud in his embrace.

—The Little King’s entire body had turned into a flowing crimson liquid, with only the outlines of his limbs and torso remaining, and his head almost collapsed, yet still retaining a pair of bloodstained eyes.

The barely discernible lips slowly move, uttering almost voiceless words:

...

"They all taught me how to become good, become great, become a Saint, but only you taught me how to be an evil person."

"And so I learned to deceive, learned to hide my body, learned how to send you away."

"There’s a passage in my mind, I don’t remember why it exists, but I feel it’s very suitable to say to you."

"When the story reaches its finale, Destiny sounds the final charge, the Ark reaches the other shore, and there is no longer a fog-shrouded Solitary Island between people... I hope at that moment, you can remove the crown that has long restrained you, and walk towards true happiness."

"I hope... those who helped me in secret, those innocent people... can all be happy."

"I hope... to break all that is cruel, dark, painful.

"I hope... you can achieve your ideal, fly to the sky."

At this moment, he lifts his shapeless hand, the melting bones slightly shifting, as if clasping three fingers, the thumb gently lifting.

An almost indistinguishable finger gun.

—Did you know? Here to be a King, if you want to punish someone, you can do this.

"Bang." He lightly fires a shot aimed at Su Ming’an’s forehead at close range,

"I want you to know your mistake... your mistake of being too kind, too perfect, always wanting to save those who cannot be saved, harsh on yourself to do things extremely difficult to achieve, and when you can’t, you take all the mistakes upon yourself, thinking you’ve chosen wrongly... I want to punish that line of thinking."

"I want to punish you," his hand gradually weakens, and his head gently lowers—

"Punish you with receiving all love, punish you with everyone around you liking, caring for, and loving you... Punish you with having no more troubling matters after achieving your ideal..."

...

"Bang."

"I punish you, Su Ming’an,"

"To live this life without sickness or pain, without ailments or worries."

...

Those eyes, filled with a Flowgold-like brilliance, still remain passionate and pure as if a newborn child in this world.

Life is too short, when he dies, it is as if he is born for the first time.

The slightly juvenile voice of punishment is almost whispering in Su Ming’an’s ear, as warm fluid flows over the shoulder and neck, gently sliding down—

The voice grows lighter, like a flickering candle in the wind, life irreversibly rushing out from his body.

"After being born, my favorite thing."

"... was playing the piano with you. It really was, so wonderful."

...

{"’Thou— I ask thee—’" The Little King spoke arrogantly,}

{"’Oh Holy Envoy, art thou my Servant?’"}

...

{"’Mm. There’s no harm and it won’t hurt, but as long as anyone sees me fire like this.’ Su Liujin gestured: ’They will know their mistakes, you know.’"}

...

{"’You see, it is a high sign, right, I will surely be able to take you away.’"}

...

{"’I’m so cold... Sect Leader...’"}

{"’You will not feel cold anymore.’"}

{"’Never cold again, Great Emperor.’"}

...

{"’Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are...’"}

{"’Up above the world so high, like a diamond in the sky...’"}

...

{"’The Great Emperor only needs to live as the Great Emperor, enjoying a happy life. The World Tree loves him, the Gods favor him, and we accompany him, he will live this life without ailment or woe, with joy and happiness.’"}

{"’If ever bored, listen to songs and tunes, Hui Bai will take him to the streets. If ever lonely, Hui Zi and Hui Cheng will cheer him up. The people are delighted to see Your Majesty, fruit-filled chariots are commonplace. Whenever His Majesty goes out, he returns covered in flowers.’"}

{"’Moreover, His Majesty possesses a God-given undying body, we will forever ensure his joy and well-being, making him an eternal Great Emperor of Luowasha.’"}

...

{"’He only needs to be happy, and that’s enough.’"}

...

Su Ming’an holds the silent youth.

As if a sound brushed his ear, transforming into a long and monotonous "beep"—

If he were to never leave that narrow nutrition chamber until his death, when the boy died, there should remain nothing but the monotonous "beep—" of the instrument, no rich images, nothing worth remembering.

Yet now, he can clearly recall the boy at the memorial looking at his photo, earnestly saying he wanted to remember his appearance; recall him listening to the sound of reading in the school corridor with a flash of envy in his eyes, smilingly promising to try going to school like an ordinary child upon awakening from the dream; recall him frowning slightly upon hearing sobbing outside the hospital walls; recall him playing an off-key "Little Star", saying he would collect all the love into his pocket...

Recall the Little King’s glowing eyes while playing the piano, as if he had grasped something.

Playing the piano was the only autonomous, exclusively belonging to the Little King, not controlled by anyone else. Each piano key was pressed at his own discretion, every second of hums determined by the Little King himself.

The Little King was educated by countless ironclads upon birth: First, do not harm humans. Second, must ensure inner benevolence, kindness, and justice. Third, all behaviors must lean towards humans, not to consider private desires or emotions. Fourth, do not stain hands with blood, do not harm others, do not become a villain...

Countless chains like ironclads bound him tightly, unable to break free or escape fate. Yet the Little King severed them with just one prop—

"Love."

Before the sharp edge named "Love", all World Rules and Destiny would retreat. All impossible miracles would happen.

This most vital and Eternal sharp edge was not taught by anyone, it was discovered by himself within prolonged dreams and interactions with friends.

He shattered his oxygen bottle, keeping pushing Su Ming’an beyond the dreamscape—holding firmly to the blade edge of love.

In the desolate wilderness, Su Ming’an finally reached out, attempting to hold onto Su Liujin’s shattered hand.

However, the muddy blood around the Little King suddenly halted—

"Clatter—!"

Su Ming’an closed his eyes, splattered with blood and mud, and the body in his embrace exploded and vanished instantly. Countless cracks spread from around, transforming the world into void in an instant.

He stood quietly for a moment.

Long wind beside his ears for a brief instant.

As if hearing the sound of youthful laughter.

—Oh, Sect Leader, the Great Emperor has already headed to the end of the river blooming with flowers. At that end, make sure to visit me after you’ve grown gray and old!

Su Ming’an covered his face, bending over, shoulders trembling, with smile teared face.

Laughter echoed in the desolate wilderness, growing increasingly sharp, gradually tainted with huskiness mixed with the whistling wind.

Was he laughing at the rising morning sun, and a youth deceiving the world behind him? Or was he laughing at that boy, who until the end, punished him to be happy with such an innocent yet cruel manner?

—Neither.

He was happy for the Little King.

Warm fluid seeped through his fingers, traced down his bloodstained cheek.

—Oh, Little King, you won!

The Little King did not lose to those scientists who set his life’s course.

Because his ultimate cause of death was not due to genetic breakdown, but... from the moment the dreamscape collapsed.

In the second before Su Liujin stopped breathing, this dreamscape completely collapsed. It was the spatial rift that shredded Su Liujin’s final body, and even at the last moment, that heart continued to beat tenaciously.

He shattered the scientists’ definitions for his final life span, using the survival will sustained by "love", forcefully living one more day; it was he who assisted Su Ming’an all the way through thorns and quickened the collapse of this dreamscape, causing the dreamscape to shatter before his genetic breakdown death.

All of this was "actively" initiated by him, not "passively" awaited.

He no longer waited, no longer stood still, no longer awaited a sunfish to take him—he himself brought himself along, flying towards the river’s end.

Su Ming’an lowered his head, black hair covering his expression, with subtle tremors in his shoulders revealing the flooding, almost overwhelming grief.

"Hahaha, hahahaha...!"

Yet this frantic laughter did not last long.

As if exhausting the last ounce of strength, the laughter abruptly ceased like a severed string.

He slowly straightened up, wiping away the wolfish tears and stains from his face, calmly raising his eyes.

He wants to end this absurd story.

The Little King always thought he was omnipotent, capable of anything. He would not disappoint the Little King’s expectations... He would end all of this. This is something he can only accomplish firsthand.

Radiant Mother God, Kritchens.

Wait for me.

As if the wind continued to blow, stirring pale gravel that struck his tranquil cheeks. The wilderness was silent, as if there was a distant rumble of an Ark’s landing faintly heard, heralding the clamor of a New Era poised to engulf the dead silence and ignite the New World’s fireworks in the Mortal World.

Dreamscape collapsed, he stood in a piece of pure white space, devoid of anything around.

And at this moment, real history silently completed the final Mobius Ring—for why future "Su Liujin" held no nostalgia for the Ark, why his eyes were only for Luowasha’s boundless ocean, why he never recalled the warm acquaintance on the Ark with Su Ming’an.

Because for that "Complete" Su Liujin, the Ark and this brief warmth were but a forgotten old dream.

The dream woke.

The morning light shone.

As if a sunfish flew towards the firmament with its fin, gleaming like golden threads, warm as the morning sun, flying high towards the river’s end and spring breeze.

The morning sun brightened at this moment, and the Little King, who was radiant and dazzling, finally became the Sun illuminating the world of Luowasha.

September 30, 2021, 8:21 AM.

Upon this moment, the journey of the Little King’s life stopped.

...

Suddenly, in the blank space, Su Ming’an heard a frantic and sharp laughter.

"Hahahahahaha, hahahaha—!"

He silently raised his head, covered in blood and mud, black blood across his face.

He already knew who would arrive.

—A mask covered face, with a rainbow-like presence, like a demon of joyful wickedness at this moment. Around him echoed perpetually sharp laughter, as if countless voices laughed along.