ca-book Chapter 1695 - 38: The Pursuit of Perfection
Chapter 1695 - 38: The Pursuit of Perfection
Perhaps Lin Wang’an has gone through some years, and the scars in her heart have started to heal, so she no longer vents her resentment on the child.Oh well...
What does it have to do with me?
In the space, Bai Chun talked about the days shared between mother and daughter. Lin Wang’an seemed to truly understand how to educate a child, hitting and scolding were rare, mostly verbal education, and the two of them lived harmoniously. Bai Chun also learned to cook, and the two often busied themselves in the kitchen together. Sometimes, when they had free time, they’d plant flowers in the yard. Lin Wang’an liked grinding coffee and blending perfumes, and they made many perfumes from the flowers they planted themselves. They’d go to the market together, and travel on outings, living very amicably...
If parents stop hitting and scolding a child, does that mean they’re disappointed in the child?
If strict discipline is expected to produce respectful children, should it be seen as a reflection of parental responsibility?
Perhaps Lin Wang’an no longer lays hands on the child because she doesn’t love Bai Chun enough to have strict expectations, but she truly wants to nurture Su Ming’an... But does that justify the pain she left behind? The ten months of pregnancy agony, years of patient upbringing, is it enough to turn a child into a puppet of the parents? If they rebel, are they unfilial?
If life was given, should life forever be lived with a devout heart?
Su Ming’an didn’t want to listen anymore.
When the curtain fell, he fixed his gaze on the button, but Bai Chun’s voice continued to float:
"...Mom is really nice, she tells me bedtime stories, and sometimes she mentions you."
"...She talked about your embarrassing childhood... Haha, turns out you used to cut Jingu Bang from colored paper when you were little, seeing mosquitos as spirits, flies as demons, chanting their crimes, raising your weapon to ’uphold justice’, and even accidentally broke a glass..."
"...She said you loved drinking red bean paste, in the kitchen the red bean paste was often warm, sometimes you’d sneak in, and the bowl would be empty, cleaned up and placed neatly in the cupboard."
"...You like to lean against grandma’s legs listening to stories, those old-fashioned hero stories, listening over and over again..."
"...When this is all over, you should go home."
Su Ming’an shut his eyes.
In the last second, he pressed down.
"Click."
...
[Choices did not align: [Su Ming’an] chose [Betrayal], [Lin Chunchun] chose [Forgiveness].]
[Lin Chunchun suffered severe damage.]
...
"Pfft!"
As the curtain rose, Su Ming’an stepped back, blood splattering on his shoe tips.
The girl’s body was soaked with blood, her muscles limp, bright red blood flowed from every part as if abruptly devastated by an invisible force, even her beautiful face was streaked with blood flowing across.
She supported herself on the ground with both hands, staring blankly at him.
"Why..." she said softly, "I won’t blame you, I know you don’t trust anyone..."
Su Ming’an looked at Lin Chunchun indifferently.
He knew she would never choose [Betrayal], so he decisively chose [Betrayal]. She wasn’t angry because this wasn’t her body; she could leave anytime if she died, like logging off a game.
If he killed her, he would gain her ability, similar to Najasha’s situation, he couldn’t ensure he would not absorb some stuff mixed by the Lord of Dreams.
He turned around, ignored her, and walked out through the door.
The barrage was surprisingly amused:
[I’ve hated Lin Wang’an my whole life, hope she doesn’t come near me, it’s disgusting.]
[Some people are making excuses for Su Ming’an, who hasn’t been abused in childhood, my dad whipped me with a leather whip for half an hour in the street, my butt was covered in blood, and now we’re doing fine.]
[Some people shouldn’t forgive on behalf of Su Ming’an.]
[If Lin Wang’an truly ’mends her ways’, what conflict couldn’t be resolved? Just finish with a dumplings feast.]
[No, no, I would throw up.]
[What’s going on outside now? I can’t see anything!]
[Wang... Outside...]
...
Upon leaving, it was still the vast star sea and black water ripples, one figure after another appeared.
Su Ming’an vaguely saw the number of others, except for his group, other groups seemed to be in separate layers like membranes in a phantasmal space, resembling a beehive, shadows fluttering.
"Pain pain pain...!"
A boy rolled on the ground screaming, slapping the water splashing around. Next to him, a blue-haired young man held a microphone, singing while healing.
"What happened?" Su Ming’an walked over.
The two chattered all at once in reply; it turned out Chen Yuhang and Alger had collided, both chose [Betrayal], resulting in injuries for both. And Xiao Xiao’s full healing form required singing, so this journey would be accompanied by the heartfelt singing of a resident singer.
Perhaps out of stubbornness, Alger did not accept the treatment, leaning on a crimson scepter, his right leg’s pants soaked with blood, the twisted bone faintly visible. Such pain should be extremely scorching, yet Alger remained silent.
"Alger," Su Ming’an wanted to resolve this conflict, "From what we discussed earlier, you should know that Atlanda can’t save your sister, but I can."
Alger’s attitude was no longer resistant; he silently stared for a second, this time without averting his gaze: "But you saw it, not only me, this Chen kid also chose [Betrayal]. I want to save Golinda, but I have to be alive first. Su Ming’an, you circled around to save Xi Li’s life because you’re tired of sacrifice, but you still face sacrifice."
Su Ming’an half-closed his eyelids: "It’s striving for completeness."
Sometimes, decisive action means high efficiency and consequently abandoning some things; these might seem unimportant to some people, but they are significant for someone like Su Ming’an. Many grow colder as they mature, but Su Ming’an becomes more colorful as he goes, his flesh and blood becoming more abundant. However, he is equally aware of certain necessities—if kindness results in wasted efforts, if some things truly can’t be changed, if the behavior he’s tired of is also an ’inducement’... he cannot stay stagnant.
He saved Xi Li because his emotions were so repressed, and there was indeed a non-fatal possibility. But he’s very clear that he’s an idealist, not a fantasist, this is a war, there is no future with no casualties where the winner takes all.
Alger chuckled softly: "Indeed, out of the millions, only two people are absolutely indispensable: one is you, the other is Chen Yuhang with the key—both of you have occupied the precious survival slots, so, are you ready for ’necessary sacrifice’?"
"Necessary sacrifice, including you?" Su Ming’an asked.
"Not including me." Alger immediately replied with sincerity.
... Then what are you talking about? Saying grand principles, yet still wanting to stay alive.
Su Ming’an held his forehead, and with Alger’s banter, felt less tense inside.
Undeniably, he and Alger had severe conflict. But under such special circumstances, after knowing Su Ming’an could save the sister, Su Ming’an also required Alger’s cooperation for a smooth pass, their relationship instead became subtle. Like holding onto something that can’t be uncovered, pretending to be oblivious, and talking normally like nothing happened.
"Clack clack clack—"
Colorful halos flickered, several large doors rose, and the sixth question appeared——
...
[Color’s Question·Question Six]
[Question: In the 110181st reincarnation, the ideal scenario occurred——a full perfect pass was successfully achieved, Su Ming’an wished to save Zhai Xing, and there was no conflict of wishes, everyone returned home safely, this was a perfect development... In the end, who destroyed all this?]
[A·White Gate: "They"]
[B·Stone Gate: High Dimensions]
[C·Gray Gate: Noel Agnini]
[D·Mirror Gate: Su Ming’an]
[E·Dust Gate: Humanity itself]
[F·Ice Gate: Players of Black Water Dream]
[Please walk towards the door representing your answer.]
...
A colorful hexagonal prism floated in the air, like a flowing light ball, with six doors resembling white jade, giant stone, gray mist, mirror surface, dust, and frost.
[!!!]
[???]
Visibly, the audience was shocked by this question, with exclamation marks and question marks floating all over the screen.
So they really succeeded before?
So they once had the possibility of walking peacefully for a year.
So they could have had a happy ending.
This was once the hope of all humanity. However, more and more conflicts and contradictions led them to put aside their dreamlike vision.
——But, if all this was truly perfect, if such development was eternal, why would it be destroyed in the end?
This validated the correctness of Su Ming’an’s actions, a single instance of happiness was not enough, the ultimate possibility must be found, otherwise happiness is as fragile as a bubble.
Six colored lights fell on them, as if draping everyone in a layer of soft and bright satin. The correct answer was unknowable, and it seemed every answer was possible.
"The answer... is probably A." Alger guessed.
"I think, High Dimensions didn’t spare humanity, B is the correct answer." Perlo said.
"Although I don’t want to say this, Noel has been trying to end us, it should be him, choose C." Xiao Xiao said.
"Perhaps our Savior also has the potential to lose control, I think it’s D." Najasha said with a slight smile.
At this moment, Su Ming’an noticed something strange——A "they" and F "Players of Black Water Dream" were essentially the same kind of people, why were they distinguished separately? In theory, as long as two options had overlapping elements, they wouldn’t appear simultaneously.
"What do you think?" Lu looked over.
"...B, I suppose." Su Ming’an said, "A and F have overlapping concepts. The probability of other options is relatively lower."
Lu pursed his lips and fixedly gazed at the distant, deep starry sky, his shoulders slightly slumped, he sighed: "I’ll go and choose then."
"You can’t go." Su Ming’an said.
"I can’t let you go." Lu shook his head.
Originally, the time of the normal world line was still, Su Ming’an was certain that he could definitely return to the moment under the World Tree just as he began to flip forward. But after Lü Shu and other top players came, time resumed its flow, and he now didn’t know what the normal world line’s situation was, or how much time had passed.
Since he started to turn forward, it had already far exceeded his determined "Death Rebound shortest cross point"——six hours.
Moreover, it was perplexing to consider whether the Death Rebound could still take effect here inside the organ of the Universe?
"——I’ll answer it then."
At this moment, someone stepped out.
Unexpectedly, that person was not Najasha with a death wish, nor Evelyn who swore loyalty to Su Ming’an, but an ordinary local from Luowasha, Hang Xin.
But, with a 16% correctness rate, how could it be guessed correctly?
Hang Xin stood firmly in front of a door, her gaze shifted to Su Ming’an.
"Hey, Savior." Her tone carried arrogance, as if what she was going to do was nothing more than a small matter, "Now the whole world is watching you?"
"Only my world." Su Ming’an answered truthfully.
"Is that so... that’s enough then." Hang Xin raised her head, tidied her collar, "I’ve been a burden to my mom since childhood because I’m a mutated short-lived species, causing her to be ridiculed. I know my own lifespan; while peers are still in school, I’m already close to death now..."
She stared at her own few white strands of hair for a few seconds.
"You all are amazing, so let me do it, anyway, trial and error doesn’t require me to be very strong, just to walk over, it’s very simple..."
"I will prove that short-lived species are not inferior to anyone, I helped the Savior, much better than those tribesfolk who idly ate for hundreds of years... I will prove my mom was never wrong."
Su Ming’an instinctively looked toward Talia, expecting the mother to stop her daughter, yet Talia only lowered her eyes for a moment, walking to her daughter’s back.
"Tap."
The blonde mercenary girl rushed into the door.
She didn’t even hesitate for a moment before resolutely rushing in, a few strands of her pale hair flying, her slender figure like a blooming sunflower.
She took a step into E.
Then, from the doorway where nothing had ever happened, erupted a scarlet red light.
The blood-like color shone above their heads, like a blazing sun suddenly falling down.
"Shua——!"
...
[Wrong answer, the correct answer is, F.]
...