Why did Johnny want to go to the moon?
Because even though his childhood memories had been clouded by beta blockers,
Even though he had forgotten that he had already met River before—
He still remembered that promise.
"If you get lost or forget..."
"Then let's meet on the moon."
After River left Johnny, this thought slowly surfaced from deep in his memory.
He had forgotten everything—how he met River, what they talked about.
But the one thing he remembered was that he had to go to the moon,
Because River had gone missing from his life,
And he needed to go to the moon to find her.
Why did River keep folding paper rabbits throughout her life?
Because from what Johnny said, River realized he couldn't remember the first time they met.
So she kept folding paper rabbits, trying to remind Johnny in her own way
That they had already met long ago.
She was even willing to sacrifice her own health to build that house,
Just to help Johnny remember.
Because when they first met, River had opened her heart to Johnny,
Saying the stars were like lighthouses, shining toward one another.
And Johnny felt there was something special about her—
Something he needed.
It was all because they had met before.
Every mystery had finally been solved.
Johnny didn't really want to go to the moon.
He wanted to be with River.
"I can't say what's in my heart, But I'll spend my whole life trying to help you remember. Like a lighthouse shining for you. It's a kind of obsession, A kind that no one else understands. Even if I've forgotten you, I've never forgotten the promise That we'd meet again on the moon."
River, holding the platypus in her hands, stared at the moon in the distance.
In that moment, every player's eyes started to blur.
"Damn, what kind of game is this? I can't even see the screen anymore!"
"Can't see the screen +1."
"Sh\*t, my eyes are burning! Must've been watching the stream too long!"
"Thought the game was kind of boring earlier, but now I just want to say—why?!"
"I'm crying my eyes out! I just can't hold it in!"
"Real men cry—look at the streamer, even his eyes are red."
"What does 'tough guys cry too' mean? This. This is it."
"This hurts. I seriously can't take it anymore."
The game used reverse storytelling,
Starting with the mystery of going to the moon,
Pulling at the players' curiosity and emotions—
And slowly, piece by piece, revealed the final truth.
Combined with the background music,
It moved countless players to tears.
Some emotional players couldn't help but cry once everything was revealed.
Men or women—it didn't matter.
They were all deeply moved by the story between River and Johnny.
"Damn it, I never thought this game would wreck me like this!" Eric grabbed a napkin to blow his nose, his eyes red from holding back tears.
But to everyone's surprise, the game didn't end there.
As Neil and Dr. Eva talked, everyone suddenly remembered—
This was still inside Johnny's memories.
There was also the contract Johnny signed: to go to the moon.
Neil: "What if they really got lost?... Wait, does this mean—?"
Eva: "Don't tell me you didn't see it coming."
Neil: "I thought this was going to be an uplifting fairy tale…"
Eva: "I should've known a certain little girl would turn it into a mess… I think now we finally know how to send him to the moon."
Neil: "Wait, you're not seriously thinking of doing that, are you?"
Eva: "It's our job, Neil… It's what the contract says we must do."
Neil: "Damn it… Watts, hold on!"
As the two of them argued, Eva disappeared into Johnny's childhood memories.
Neil ran after her.
Eric, sitting in front of the computer, suddenly had a very bad feeling.
"Wait, what's this lady doctor trying to do?"
Back in the memories, Neil found Eva during their high school years.
At the same time, the background music turned intense, and the screen took on an old yellow filter, like an old photo.
Neil: "I know what you're about to do!"
Eva: "Look, the contract says we have to get him to the moon. The only way to do that is to give Johnny a reason to want to go."
Neil: "So that means removing River? But if you do that, what's the point of the moon? The whole reason he wanted to go was because River was gone."
Eva: "I understand, but we're bound by contract—especially…"
Neil: "Screw the damn contract! I didn't take this job to make people more miserable! Eva! I don't know about you, but I do this so those old folks can leave this world with a smile! What about you?"
As their conversation went on, Eric's bad feeling was confirmed.
That lady doctor really was going to remove River!
Even if she had a solid reason.
There was no law or rule that forced this choice.
But after spending hours getting to know the story between Johnny and River, the players just couldn't accept it.
"She's seriously that coldhearted?!"
"Why is she so damn rigid?!"
"Damn it, I can't take this anymore!"
If people were touched by Johnny and River's story earlier…
Then now they were just as furious.
Eric slammed the table during the livestream.
And the chat exploded.
Clearly, no one could accept this.
What the hell was this?!
Screw the contract, screw the rules!
Johnny didn't want to go to the moon—he just wanted River!
And now, this woman is trying to erase River? Seriously, how can anyone accept that?
But neither the viewers watching the stream, nor players like Eric, nor even Neil inside the game, could do anything to stop it.
Eva, who had higher control over the machine, kept deleting River from every corner of Johnny's memory, changing everything.
Along the way, she even set up traps to block Neil.
(End of Chapter)
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