The room was warm, but Luo Zishang felt as if he had fallen into an icy abyss. The world was about to bloom with spring, yet he was forever sealed in the depths of the northern wind and snow, with each fading footprint around him… No one would ever return… But eventually, everyone grew up, healed, yet there would never be another Luo Zishang, no Xiao Zhizi, no proud five-element mage standing in the snow, no grand strategist who could command thousands with a laugh, wherever I went, peace reigned, the world at peace…
The folding fan fluttered down, the white robe fluttered away… and so did the man… In the urgent ring of the bell, the emergency room lights blazed, but in S City, on the other end of the country, Nanbo Wan had worse luck. After checking with friends in the medical system to find Luo Zishang at the South City Hospital, he arrived to find it empty. After learning Luo Zishang’s home address, he was met with a closed door. He had his secretary buy several boxes of gifts before the door was finally opened, but the old man reeking of alcohol, tempted by a thick red envelope, still remained indifferent. Nanbo Wan was shocked; Luo Zishang didn’t want money, and now his father didn’t want money either?
“Are you his friend?” The old man glanced at Nanbo Wan, who was dressed in affluent attire. “If you’re looking for him, go to the hospital in the south of the city. Why does everyone keep coming here…” Nanbo Wan quickly replied, “I came here because I couldn’t find him at the hospital…” “He’s not even staying there anymore?” The old man seemed dazed before taking a drag from his cigarette. “Then I advise you to stop looking for him. He’s given up, and you should too.”
“Give up?”
“Instead of staying in the well-equipped hospital, he insists on going to that rundown place in the south of the city to watch the sunset. This kid is as stubborn as his mother…”
“His mother?” Nanbo Wan then noticed another young, flashy woman in the room, who certainly didn’t look like Luo Zishang’s mother.
“His mother died of leukemia a few years ago. He has it too, inherited, and it manifested even earlier…”
“What are you saying…”
“Don’t be too upset; it’s all fate. A month ago, he was supposed to have his sixth round of chemotherapy, but he suddenly left the central hospital and went north alone, not telling anyone why. When he returned, he didn’t say a word and went straight to the south of the city. He said the sunset there was comforting. This kid has always been like this.
In the old man’s chatty monologue, the young secretary, yawning, stayed with his boss until very late. He only remembered that many years later, when City S was undergoing a massive renovation for the Asian Games, Nanbo Wan used all his connections and influence for the first and only time in his long life to ensure that the old hospital in the south of the city was not demolished in the new urban planning. When friends asked why this was worth so much effort, Nanbo Wan uttered a sentence no one understood — “Because someone said he liked watching the sunset there.” For that reason alone, it was worth everything to preserve it.
I can’t remember which snowfall this was in the northern region. In a not-so-spacious internet café in the suburbs, the shop owner would see a man with a plaster cast on his left hand come to use the internet every day. He remembered this man who always wore a black hat and sunglasses, wrapped in a high-collared coat, sitting in a corner with his computer on, but he neither browsed the internet, chatted, nor played games. While everyone else was enthusiastically playing the hottest online game, “Human Realm,” he would just stare at the Windows desktop with its blue sky and white clouds, lost in thought for the entire day. The shop owner gradually went from being puzzled to getting used to it, not indulging his curiosity to strike up a conversation, for he had a more important mission — protection, yes, to protect the Rebirth City, to protect the Eternal Palace, to protect the faith and honor they uphold. Three thousand followers of the Eternal Sect call it their mission. In this vast world, to have a few people willing to believe in you with pure hearts, Qin Chuan didn’t know if this was fortunate or unfortunate.
He couldn’t understand, nor could the followers who shared his beliefs, why, even if the Eternal Palace had indeed done some terrible things ten years ago, wasn’t a decade of hiding and suffering enough penance? This was a matter between the Eternal Palace, Luo Zishang, and the deceased girl. Why did unrelated people online feel entitled to wield the sword of justice to cut down what they saw as demons?
The air was murky, and Qin Chuan sat silently behind a wide-screen monitor, gazing at the blue sky and white clouds on the screen. Perhaps, if he had died back then, it would have been better, sparing others from being hurt… He wasn’t unaware of the overwhelming negative news on the internet, nor was he unaware that someone must be manipulating public opinion behind the scenes. It wouldn’t be Luo Zishang; he knew Luo Zishang’s character well. Having been active online for so many years, he had offended many under various pseudonyms. When these people finally banded together, he wasn’t afraid. Alone, he could kill and argue back against the fabricated news, but he was no longer the carefree Grim Reaper. Now, he had a girl he missed, a girl he loved. Even if all the blades were aimed at him, it didn’t matter; he only wished those lunatics wouldn’t harm Yao Yao — the girl who confessed to him at the WCG awards ceremony.
In an era where even the innocent brother and parents of Xuan Yan were doxxed and scrutinized online, he had no better way to protect her. In the endless darkness, he could only pray, Yao Yao… may you have peace and joy throughout your life, and, I love you.
Qin Chuan sat silently in the corner every day, staring blankly. The players around him changed one after another; some were new to the game, some were grinding for levels, and others were part of the violent PvP crowd. Sometimes Qin Chuan would turn his head to watch them, spotting one or two extremely talented kids among the novices. But he was no longer the young man who used to admire the competitive team leader Luo Zishang in the arcade. This world already has one Luo Zishang, that’s enough…
“Damn! Can’t fight in the arena today! The king wants me to siege the City of Rebirth!”
“Haha, that’s a cushy job. Cang Hai said the first hero to plant the national flag in the City of Rebirth can claim a hundred thousand yuanbao from the national treasury.”
“Wow, looks like Cang Hai is determined to win this battle.”
I still miss the days when the National Master of Hongyao Hall was here, but now she’s our enemy.
“Dude, women are such strange creatures, aren’t they? Just because Cang Hai dumped her, she still holds the position of National Master of Xia, enjoying endless wealth and luxury. Now she’s even become the leader of the three thousand Longevity followers.”
“Ha, what’s the point of discussing women? The King of Yan has also offered a hefty reward. My classmate is in the frontline assault team of Yan. Even though our two nations are allied this time, we’re still competing, right? I can’t die before my classmate, haha…”
“We won’t die. With two nations allied, an army of two hundred thousand, how many are defending the City of Rebirth? Only three thousand, hahaha, this is like tank crushing.”
“Actually, those idiots are not easy to deal with. They might be few, but they have the advantage of terrain. When the Longevity Hall was still around, who knows how many traps they set outside the City of Rebirth. Anyone who accidentally entered died for real, just like a black vortex in the deep sea where one misstep means doom.”