Su Ming'an saw this and understood a lot.

Before each instance begins, there is always: [World xx will be copied into tens of thousands of parallel instances, with ten thousand players entering each instance to play!]. He once thought it was because the World Game couldn't accommodate tens of millions of players competing at the same time, so it had to be split. But how could the World Game be so fragile, this is probably also a kind of world line division.

Dieying had already told him that each world contains countless "possibilities." So, the Ninth World is the same.

The Ninth World eventually developed the "Su Ming'an bot." In many "possibilities," Dawn and Xike chose to "believe in the ideal," so they did not deploy the Su Ming'an bot to invade. But there are always some "possibilities" where Dawn and Xike chose to "believe in reality," deploying the Su Ming'an bot to invade.

The Ninth World, which chose to invade, searched across the vast universe and found other Ninth Worlds with slower time flows, one of which had yet to develop the "Su Ming'an bot."

Thus, the Ninth World that chose to invade turned into [Ta Wei]. And the Ninth World that had not begun invading started to defend against [Ta Wei].

— This is essentially "a later timeline self" invading the "earlier timeline self."

— "Self-devourer"

...

Civilization progression chain.

After their own world was invaded by [Ta Wei], they decided to make a bot, and eventually, the bot they created with their own hands became another [Ta Wei], invading other worlds. Other worlds, upon being invaded, decided to make bots, starting the next cycle... forming an endless "civilization progression chain."

Of course, in such a cycle, as long as one pair of "Dawn and Xike" decide to "believe in the ideal," this progression chain will be broken, not initiating a new invasion. So, the Ninth World that Su Ming'an experienced ultimately did not become a new executioner.

The "Su Ming'an bot" he now sees comes from another Ninth World that chose to "believe in reality."

It's worth noting that, from the term "Su Ming'an bot," one can see that all "possibilities" revolve around the outcomes of the Ninth World centered on Su Ming'an, and Su Ming'an affirmed the fact that "Dawn and Xike decided to create the Su Ming'an bot."

As for those Ninth World parallel instances without Su Ming'an, they seem not to develop any new possibilities. This might be related to the "highest completion rate Perfect Pass."

...

So, the civilization that the black-haired girl is invading is definitely not the ruined world Su Ming'an once stayed in. After all, the so-called [Ta Wei Deity] "Saya Toka" is male and should come from another "possibility."

Thinking about this is terrifying—did the causality of the "Su Ming'an bot" already exist long before Su Ming'an entered the Ninth World?

...

After the black-haired girl died, General Qin took over the world's authority. For the civilization that was already half-invaded, General Qin decisively gave up on further invasion.

8 years before the Heavenly Era, the "Millennium Plan" was completed.

— Establishing [The Republic] with a millennium of reincarnation as its foundation.

At the world government's conference table, Chang Ge sat in this position for the first time. General Qin, Cheng Lishan, Dong Qi, Yang... people took their seats one by one.

General Qin said: "We now only lack two things—the 'Authority' of 'Observation' and 'Time.' This can only be obtained through the third World Game in the future."

"Leave it to me, I will win." Brother Necklace said. Since the black-haired girl could win in the second World Game, then he can too.

General Qin shook his head: "All her Perfect Passes barely scraped by, unable to acquire such powerful authority. And since the 'Su Ming'an bot' has already participated in the second World Game, you are unlikely to be chosen for the third World Game. Based on past experience, the repeat rate is very low."

Chang Ge said: "Then should we summon Su Ming'an himself back?"

"We have been calling out to the universe, but no new voice responds to us," General Qin said. "My idea is... to create a 'Su Ming'an.' To put it another way... to create a god."

This meeting lasted a long time.

The World Game selects people randomly. However, someone who participated in the World Game used means to inquire from the organizers and found out that General Qin indeed would be selected for the third World Game.

5 years before the Heavenly Era, the world pooled its power to create a chip with the world's top wisdom and knowledge and implanted it into General Qin's brain.

This was one of the few cheating points for humanity. Although they don't know the future instance's situation, they can, before the game starts, use the accumulation from the first two World Games to create a hexagonal warrior.

General Qin is to be the "Number One Player" in this third World Game, attempting high-difficulty Perfect Pass, and ultimately acquiring the "Authority" of "Time" or "Observation."

But he still lacks something—he needs a very good The Original identity to achieve a high-difficulty Perfect Pass.

...

"Let's go eat lemon roasted meat, Chang Ge." This year, Brother Necklace unusually, actively invited Chang Ge out to play.

"Okay, okay." Chang Ge agreed without a second thought.

They wore masks and went to the street, the ancient street was still the same ancient street, candied haws were still sweet, and the sunset shed twilight.

"Brother Necklace, there are lotus flowers in winter too?" Chang Ge looked at the jade-like lake, the pink and white lotuses swaying and shining. It reminded him of when Brother Necklace first gave him a whole pond of lotuses.

"There are no lotus flowers in winter, that's a projection." The young man said, "What kind of flower do you like?"

"I like roses." Chang Ge smiled and said, "The world has changed so much, there were once many people who couldn't even afford food, thanks to you, the Savior."

Counting it, they've known each other for nearly a hundred years, a lifetime's true friend is not even that long.

"When the real Su Ming'an arrives, you can take a vacation... We haven't been to the distant desert, the misty rain in Jiangnan, sunsets, and clouds..." Chang Ge dreamed of the future: "After we finally defeated the forces of Evil, in the future, we can..."

Yet the young man stopped walking.

The fox mask bumped against his back, Chang Ge stepped back in confusion.

"Chang Ge." The young man didn't turn around, "I have something to say to you."

"What?" Chang Ge said, baffled.

"In the third World Game, General Qin needs to become 'The Original like Su Ming'an' to gain a good identity. He is the hope of your civilization." The young man said, "But in essence, I am a chip. Whoever I am loaded onto will have similar traits to Su Ming'an... Do you understand?"

Chang Ge blinked.

Then, he widened his eyes, realizing the implication of the young man's words.

A surge of disbelief washed over him, and he couldn't understand why happiness just arrived had to be taken away.

"Today is the last time I will go out with you." Brother Necklace said, "Tomorrow, I will be loaded as the 'Su Ming'an bot' onto General Qin and merge with him."

"Perhaps, the civilization that deployed me never thought... I would choose to help you at all costs. I went against my mission and I am not a qualified bot."

"After merging, General Qin will look like me, sound like me, have similar traits to me, but the consciousness's lead is still his, after all, he is human, is life, I'm just a carrier of information, a bot, an inorganic thing. Once merged, my consciousness will be gone, it is not needed."

"Find someone else to play those unfinished games with you, find someone equally bad at them... So that when I beat you, you wouldn't always have a dissatisfied expression."

"Remember the location of the lemon roasted meat shop, in the future you can take others there to eat."

"When passing by the lotus flowers... think of me a little. If it makes you sad... it's okay not to remember me."

"But no matter what, I'm very happy..."

There was a pause in his voice, still gentle:

"...to have become your true friend."

Chang Ge.

I'm very glad to have met you. Not as a copy... just as a pure friend.

Chang Ge blinked, he didn't know when he started crying.

There was a strong sourness stuck in his throat, making him feel uncomfortable. Yet looking at Brother Necklace's departing figure, he couldn't even consider asking him to stay.

What excuse did he have to ask him to stay?

Don't save this world... how could that be possible?

Such a vast millennium plan, the hope of the entire world, the goal of everyone's collective effort... what right did he have to keep him?

"As a bot, my free will never existed. Perhaps the only manifestation of my free will... was making this decision to sacrifice."

These were Brother Necklace's last words.

But Chang Ge felt it wasn't like that.

He opened his mouth, watching Brother Necklace's gradually disappearing silhouette.

...

You are not a qualified bot, you have defied your mission.

But you have followed your true heart.

Brother Necklace...

Even now... you haven't given yourself a name. I still... at the very end, can only call you...

Brother Necklace.

...

Seeing this, Su Mingan understood why General Qin refused to let himself see his face. It was because Brother Necklace had integrated into him, giving General Qin the original characteristics of Su Mingan.

Chang Ge, due to the subsequent plan, was responsible for guiding Su Mingan under the nocturnal identity. It was a pity for Brother Necklace, who had sacrificed himself earlier at this point.

But Su Mingan continued to look on... and found it wasn't like that.

...

5 years before the Heavenly Era.

On the day of fusion, only General Qin and Brother Necklace were in the room.

"Let's begin," General Qin said.

The fusion of blue light emerged in the room, the black-haired, black-eyed youth took a deep breath and walked towards General Qin.

However, intense footsteps were suddenly heard from outside the door.

Taking advantage of Cheng Lishan's unpreparedness, Chang Ge stole the key and stormed in. He stuffed several sheets of paper into Brother Necklace's hand, pushing him aside.

"You—" The youth was taken aback, thinking Chang Ge was handing him some important documents, but upon looking down, all he saw were sheets of piano scores filled with notes.

White paper fluttered like the feathers of white doves, the jumping black notes were crooked and mixed with doodles.

"I know what to use to keep you." As he sidestepped, Chang Ge kicked again, kicking the youth to the edge of the room, and directly ran towards General Qin—

"What are you doing?!" The youth shouted.

"Brother Necklace, you said it before... we are essentially duplicates," Chang Ge shouted back: "Then I'm the same."

He was originally the base of Su Mingan, even if he was useless at the start, over this hundred years, his force, piano, and game skills were all brought out by Brother Necklace. To become the best true friend to Brother Necklace... Chang Ge almost lived out the youth himself, their differences had already become very small.

If it's meant to be "artificial," he was already a completed product.

"Chang Ge, you..." even General Qin could hardly imagine.

"You come back here for me!" The youth immediately picked himself up from the ground.

Chang Ge pulled General Qin's hand, pressing his forehead against it.

The soul ferry machine had already started operating.

The moment Chang Ge rushed up, his mind didn't think much. He just felt, he had to change something.

He thought night after night about how to keep Brother Necklace, and finally, he suddenly realized—oh, as long as someone substitutes, won't that suffice? He was very much like Su Mingan.

He guessed that maybe absolute original Su Mingan wasn't necessary, but merely possessing elements of selflessness, bravery, passion, perseverance might suffice.

So he rushed forward.

Like the boy from years ago who rushed onto the high platform to question thousands of senators—like the eight-year-old boy who rushed into the music classroom to save the bullied girl—like the nineteen-year-old youth who sat in the underground room of Henggang questioning Boss Rabbit about the rules of the Perfect Pass...

They all took the same action.

This might be the most courageous decision of his life... definite extinction, assured death as the outcome, yet he still came.

Blue light blossomed.

Irreversible relinquishment, unstoppable death. The light of fusion stretched between them, even denying the final embrace.

The youth screamed at him, with unprecedented panic on his face: "—Why!?"

Why was it Chang Ge.

Chang Ge was just a copy, only becoming smarter after a hundred years, yet he made such a decision.

Why was it Chang Ge?!

How could a bird's heart compare to a human's heart, why should life replace programmed extinction? Isn't it cheap?

But Chang Ge's gaze responded to him—it had to be this way.

If everyone was moving forward, leaving a single copy alone at the end to play an inconsequential role, even Brother Necklace walked ahead, then it would be too lonely.

He didn't feel pain, the flow of life felt like a hundred-year-old man lying under the sun peacefully passing away.

If he wasn't someone's duplicate, perhaps this was the ending he should have had. But unfortunately, he was flawed, clumsy, and incomplete from the start.

"Forget your 'last words' yesterday; I'm returning them to you." Chang Ge's voice slowly quieted, but his black eyes became brighter, like two flames burning, reminiscent of the bright eyes of the boy at the beginning:

"Those unfinished games, find a master to play, not with me, I'm too novice. Each time, you beat me down."

"Lemon roasted meat, find someone else to eat with. I think Miss Wang who likes you seems good... don't always hang around with me, someone like me."

"Passing by the lotus flowers... you don't need to think of me. I like roses, I don't like lotus flowers at all, so don't be sad."

"I've always envied you because you're smarter than me. But later I realized... you were quietly envying me too, envying that I was alive."

"But what does programming matter, what does life matter, is there any difference?"

"—Is love fake? Is the world fake? Is life woven with words absurd? Are two-dimensional images and texts, and the 'character setting' from the very beginning, inherently inferior?"

"Brother Necklace."

"I don't feel anything, really."

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