"Beep, data is being restored. Current progress is 10%. Estimated time is three hours. Please be patient."
A sound appeared in my mind, "beep beep" so loud that it was extremely annoying. I sat in a black and white space with my hands covering my head.
He remembered that his name was Xing Shuo, Xing Ye's younger brother, who accidentally entered a game called "Challenge Fate".
Back then, he was incredibly bored, often wishing the world would end. He didn't panic when he entered the game. Between the two options of "follow fate" and "defy fate," he didn't take it seriously at all. He simply closed his eyes and clicked casually, becoming a player who followed his fate.
Xing Shuo didn't know that fate began to change from that moment on.
Once people despise fate, they will be manipulated by fate.
When he chose his side carelessly, his fate was sealed.
As his progress resumed, Xing Shuo gradually recalled his experiences in the game. He hadn't taken the game too seriously at first, thinking it was easy to win as a casual player, not challenging at all.
However, as the game progressed, Xing Shuo gradually realized that he seemed to have chosen the wrong camp.
Even though he was playing the game carelessly, he still had a few teammates with whom he didn't have a good relationship. His teammates were very stupid. Xing Shuo despised his teammates while helping them pass the levels.
Until one day, a teammate was wiped out in front of him. It was a teammate who defied fate, with bad luck, but he was very hardworking and obedient. Xing Shuo liked obedient people, so he took the opportunity to guide his teammate.
But the teammate was unlucky and died just like that.
In real life, Xing Ye took time out to attend his teammate's funeral. His wife and children's heart-wrenching cries made Xing Shuo feel a little sad.
The system does not encourage killing, but it will tempt people to do evil. In such a game where reality cannot constrain it, who will uphold justice?
Xing Shuo didn't know, nor did he think he was a god. He was just an executioner. After encountering a player who killed his teammates in the advanced world, he killed this player using the fate item. This item belonged to another teammate of his who had betrayed him.
After the teammate who defied fate died, Xing Shuo recorded his game number and, in the black and white space of the system, exploited a loophole in the system space that allowed messages to be sent, and found the system space of the teammate who defied fate in the virtual two-dimensional space.
He changed the space of the two people, used the number of his teammate who went against fate, gave up the luck value, and became a player who went against fate and could use props that went along with fate.
But Xing Shuo himself knew that he was still a player who followed his fate at heart. He had killed people in the game, and he could not pass the final level.
Initially, he simply wanted to avenge his murdered teammate, since they had known each other before. Later, after reaching the advanced world and progressing deeper into the game, Xing Shuo realized that the murderer couldn't clear the level, and neither players with a favorable fate nor those with a poor one had the possibility of completing the game.
Standing before the final level, looking at the invitation card, Xing Shuo knew that he would lose, lose to the system, lose to fate.
He refuses to admit defeat.
So he began to collect props and methods, and after making sufficient preparations, he placed his hopes on his brother.
At the final level, Xing Shuo had a choice because of the special nature of his identity. If he chose to become a player who followed his fate, he could become a prop and continue to live. If he chose to become a player who went against his fate, he would die directly at the final level, but at the same time, he would have the power to fight against the system.
Xing Shuo chose to die. The moment he died at the final level, all his preparations were complete, and he was just waiting for his brother Xing Ye to enter the game.
"Let's join forces to defeat fate." At the final hurdle, Xing Shuo closed his eyes.
He didn't know how long he had been sleeping. When he woke up again, he saw his brother Xing Ye again. However, Xing Shuo knew in his heart that he was dead and his brother was still alive.
This was behind his door. Xing Ye did not give up on finding out the cause of his death and walked up to him.
Xing Shuo, who briefly regained consciousness, made a bold decision. Since he was able to allow Xing Ye to sneak into the game, he could also send his own power out.
He quickly drew the "Kuafu Chasing the Sun" skill and gave it to Xing Ye. After making sure that his brother had received the skill and understood the message he sent, Xing Shuo closed his eyes again.
But this time, Xing Shuo did not fall asleep. He woke up behind an empty door. There was a QR code left inside the door, which was left by Xing Ye when he left.
"What is this?" Xing Shuo didn't have a bracelet, but his initial skill was "knowledge power". After obtaining this power, he specifically learned how to generate QR codes and what information different QR codes stored.
For other contents that can only be clearly seen by scanning with a mobile phone, he can calculate, convert and analyze them with his brain.
His knowledge told him that this was a QR code for an achievement title called "Hide the Sky and Escape the Sea".
What are you trying to hide? What sea are you trying to cross?
Xing Shuo kept looking at the QR code behind the door. He didn't know how long he had been looking at it. Finally one day, he felt the entire door vibrating.
A voice echoed throughout the cemetery: "Congratulations to player Xing Ye for defeating the system and earning the title of 'Winner of Life'. Based on player Xing Ye's choice, the system will disband in this world, and the consciousness of all losers will be released from the system."
At this moment, Xing Shuo understood how to use "Hide the Sky and the Sea".
Before the system released his consciousness, he clicked on the QR code on the door, deceived the system, and entered a completely new system space through the consciousness space.
"Ding, the data is fully restored. Player Xing Shuo, welcome to the 'Challenge Destiny Game'. Please choose a camp." A black and white Rubik's Cube appeared in front of him and said to Xing Shuo.
"Didn't the system disband?" Xing Shuo asked.
"The player world's system has been disbanded. Players who die in the real world cannot be resurrected. This is the truth, and the system cannot change it," said the Black and White Cube. "But as the 'winner of life,' you have been given a chance at a new life. Your current location is within the system space of all parallel worlds. If you can complete the game, you can choose a life in another parallel world."
"Can't I go back to my original world?" Xing Shuo asked.
"No." said the Black and White Cube.
"What's the point?" Xing Shuo sat lazily on the ground, not interested in the so-called resurrection.
He said: "I killed someone. Although it was revenge, I crossed the line and I accept the punishment of death."
"Are you sure you want to give up your chance at resurrection?" the Black and White Cube asked. "If you give up, the system will send your consciousness back to your original world. Your consciousness is an energy body. Without the support of your body, your energy body will dissipate into the world and become part of the dark matter that makes up the world. From then on, you will be unable to hear or see anything, becoming the cornerstone of the world, just like countless other dead people."
"It doesn't matter," Xing Shuo said, "I've already accomplished everything I wanted to do... Wait, there's one more thing. Brother, how many levels did it take you to complete the game?"
"There are nine levels in total: one in the Novice World, four in the Melee World, three in the Advanced World, and one in the Final World. He has no record of failure, and all levels have perfect endings and are passed perfectly. He is the perfect winner."
Xing Shuo was stunned for a moment: "I believe Xing Ye can win, but this record is too amazing, right?"
He thought of his own battle record, and a rare fighting spirit rose in his heart.
"What's the difference between my first attempt and the second?" Xing Shuo asked while reaching out and clicking on the "Defying Fate Camp".
The Black and White Cube said, "All of the player's original skills and achievement titles will be retained. In addition, you can gain one skill from player Xing Ye, because you lent him a skill before."
Xing Shuo opened his phone and saw that his personal attributes were——
Player ID: x7903
Initial skills: Knowledge Power, Kuafu Chasing the Sun, Redrawing Pen
Achievement Titles: Reversal of Faction, Concealment, Falling at the Last Moment (Deleted)
Player Points: 100
Game difficulty: Locked hard mode
"What does this locked difficult mode mean?" Xing Shuo asked.
Black and White Cube: "Since the player is not a novice, this is the second round of the game. The system has increased the difficulty for the player. Each world you play is in hard mode."
Xing Shuo looked at his phone and said, "Interesting, the hard mode also brings a lot of points. Xing Ye can defeat the system in nine worlds, and I can't lose to him."
He looked up and said, "I don't have a body. What will happen during the seven-day break in the middle of the game?"
"You will be in the system space until you pass the final level, and then you can be resurrected in a certain world."
"Okay, let's start a new game." Xing Shuo said decisively.
He had no interest in resurrection; he just wanted to know if he could pass the level in a shorter time than Xing Ye.
This was the last challenge of his life.
After accepting the mission and entering the game, Xing Shuo woke up in a dark room. A wind chime on the door kept spinning, making a pleasant sound.
There was a "bang bang" sound outside the door, and the sound of the wind chimes became more urgent, as if reminding Xing Shuo of the coming danger.
Xing Shuo picked up the iron rod in the corner of the room, opened the door, and killed the monster outside that was trying to break in with one stick.
"This is a doomsday world, so boring." He killed several monsters outside the door and walked out of the room holding an iron rod.
The wind chimes on the door kept ringing "ding ding dong dong" behind Xing Shuo.
Xing Shuo, who had already reached the stairs, stopped, turned around, took off the wind chime, and said to it, "Are you the destiny item?"
The wind chimes go "ding dong ding dong".
"You're too big to carry." Xing Shuo reached out and flicked the wind chime.
The wind chimes make pleasant sounds.
"It sounds pretty good." Xing Shuo picked up the wind chime and said, "I hope you are more capable and can help me pass the level quickly. I'm in a hurry."
One person and one wind chime walked downstairs, and the pleasant "ding dong" sound rang out from time to time in the wind.
This is Xing Shuo's new life.
—End of full text—