Stelle's eyes widened.
She couldn't help looking at the screen again.
The same line was still there.
[He succeeded.]
Stelle opened her mouth, about to complain about the game's story, when she saw Dan Heng clench his fist. Veins stood out on the back of his hand. The next moment, he slowly relaxed it.
Many details in the game were extremely similar to the real Xianzhou Alliance and the "Father of the Xianzhou."
While playing through the story, Stelle would sometimes treat the Emperor as if he were her close friend.
Not to mention Dan Heng, who was actually from the Xianzhou.
He must be feeling awful.
Stelle blinked.
"Let's stop playing for now."
"Let's go find Pom-Pom."
"The conductor has been working so hard. We..."
Dan Heng cut her off.
"It's fine."
"Let's finish the game first."
After saying that, he lowered his head and tapped the screen with his fingertip.
[Hidden Gameplay Unlocked: Hell Mode]
Maybe the creator couldn't figure out a way to kill the virtual NPC.
Or maybe the creator changed their opinion of the Xianzhou and Zero halfway through making the game.
The game never explained the details of the assassination.
How was it carried out? Why didn't the target resist?
The text said nothing.
The creator skipped over the whole event with just four words before immediately starting a new mode.
Stelle leaned closer to Dan Heng and replayed the text from the three endings in her mind.
Then she noticed something.
When she got the death ending, the text said, "You died."
After the successful assassination, it said, "He succeeded."
The corner of Stelle's mouth twitched.
She took all the risk, yet someone else got the credit.
Beside her, Dan Heng had already started the new Hell Mode.
The senior officials were completely lost.
They cried and screamed miserably, like abandoned puppies.
Since Stelle's character was the first subordinate to discover that the Emperor had disappeared, everyone naturally suspected her.
The game provided almost no information.
Dan Heng could only try to get information out of his colleagues while clearing himself of suspicion.
He couldn't blame a nonexistent outside enemy.
Again and again, Dan Heng's fingers flew across the controls as he defended himself while subtly leading everyone to suspect the people around them.
He couldn't remember how many timed challenges he had cleared.
Only when his knuckles started aching did he finally manage to calm his colleagues' desire to kill him.
He watched coldly as the senior officials in the game blamed and cursed each other.
Some even chose to die alongside the Emperor.
At some point, someone drew a sword and pointed it at a colleague.
Dan Heng was briefly distracted.
This was a game made to deliberately smear the Xianzhou.
Yet through the game's text, he seemed... to have caught a brief glimpse of that period of history.
Dan Heng steadied himself and said calmly, "Stelle... you probably won't be able to inherit the throne."
"We absolutely can't stand out right now."
"Let's wait until they've calmed down before making any plans."
At this point, Stelle had long since given up on personally taking revenge.
She definitely wasn't expecting to become the ruler anymore.
She knew this kind of story well.
Back in the Simulated Universe, she'd been killed over and over by her close friend's subordinates.
In a situation like this, staying alive was already a victory.
The NPCs slaughtered one another.
The richly patterned carpet gradually became soaked in blood.
Looking down, all they could see was red.
The two of them waited.
One colleague after another fell.
By the time only a little over a dozen people remained, they had finally regained some sense.
The most important matter now was the Emperor's funeral.
Standing among the severed limbs of their former colleagues and pools of blood, the survivors discussed what to do next.
Fortunately, the most stubborn and most insane officials had already died in the fighting.
They reached a decision in only ten minutes.
Hide the truth and recall the main forces from the front lines.
At this point, they no longer cared how the outside world would react after learning the Empire had withdrawn its troops.
Once the Emperor's death became public, countless people in the Empire would die one after another.
Their enemies would launch a nearly mad counterattack.
First, stabilize things internally.
Fill the vacant positions and maintain the illusion that the Emperor was still alive.
The Emperor had always favored the Crown Prince.
He allowed him to freely enter his residence.
He tolerated him disobeying orders.
Everyone unanimously decided to wait until the successor returned before holding the Emperor's funeral.
The First Prince was the first to return to the Empire.
[He remained silent for a long time before saying, "...He liked things clean."]
Dan Heng was speechless.
Zero really did have a thing about cleanliness.
But how did the creator know that?
Didn't they hate Zero?
Why insist on getting such an unnecessary detail right?
The creator had really become a Marshal fan.
The First Prince approached Stelle's character and asked about the events of that day.
Before his colleagues started killing each other, Dan Heng had already explained everything countless times.
He skillfully shifted the blame onto the Empire's senior officials.
The First Prince then asked about the Crown Prince. After learning that he had disobeyed orders and remained at the front lines, he frowned and ordered the character to summon him back again in the Emperor's name.
The next day, the Crown Prince was still at the front.
Unable to bear it any longer, the First Prince started a communication and stated the date of the Emperor's death.
[He asked: "Where were you at that time?"]
[Before the other side could answer, he continued, "He's dead."]
["If it wasn't you, then someone must have taken your place."]
["Because... I couldn't find any sign that he resisted."]
["Until the moment he died, he believed it was you."]
["He never blamed you."]
That same day, the Crown Prince returned to the Empire.
Dan Heng controlled his character and walked over.
Before he could type anything, the character immediately collapsed, and the screen went black.
[The Crown Prince killed you.]
[You were not loyal.]
Dan Heng: "???"
He was completely confused.
Killed on sight?
How was he disloyal?
At least give a reason.
Stelle had expected this.
She patted Dan Heng on the shoulder with a world-weary look.
"Sigh, you'll get used to it."
"How about typing while you're walking?"
"That way you'll look really sad..."
Dan Heng was silent for a moment.
He loaded the latest save and had no choice but to replay the First Prince and Crown Prince scenes.
He saved right before the Crown Prince summoned him.
Following Stelle's suggestion, he started typing before entering the room.
A walk that should have taken only a few seconds took him several minutes.
This time, the Crown Prince didn't attack immediately.
Instead, he coldly asked a few questions.
Dan Heng answered exactly as before.
The next moment, the character collapsed again.
[The Crown Prince killed you.]
[How did you see everything so clearly?]
Dan Heng stared silently at the new prompt.
He had almost forgotten.
The creator was a Marshal fan, not a Lan fan.
Unable to smear Zero, they had redirected their malice toward the Aeon.
Stelle scratched her cheek.
"Uh... maybe make the details vaguer?"
Dan Heng thought for a moment before understanding.
Right.
When someone is emotionally shattered, how could they notice every detail?
He loaded the save again and deliberately left some details vague.
[The Crown Prince killed you.]
[The Empire has no need for trash.]
Dan Heng: "..."
He sighed and handed the Remote Sensory Device to Stelle.
The two took turns loading saves.
Neither of them knew how many times the Crown Prince killed them.
After lunch...
After Himeko had started preparing afternoon tea...
The two immediately moved from the passenger car to the Archive.
By the time dinner was approaching, they finally cleared that part.
News of the Emperor's death spread.
The entire universe shook.
After the obituary was released, countless documents piled onto the Crown Prince's desk.
But even more numerous were the orders he gave to execute certain people.
The game even included a joke.
[Three people chatted in the underworld about how they died.]
[The first said, "The Crown Prince said I wasn't loyal to the Emperor."]
[The second said, "The Crown Prince said I was too loyal to the Emperor."]
[The third said, "Well... I'm the Emperor."]
Stelle's mouth twitched.
No way.
That was way too dark.
After constantly reloading saves, they finally made it to the funeral.
[The Crown Prince stood before the coffin. Around his feet lay the severed limbs of subordinates and guests.]
["I told you not to trust anyone, not even me..."]
[He suddenly stopped and let out a deep sigh.]
["...Forget it."]
[The First Prince held out a letter and handed it to the Crown Prince.]
["He didn't want you to drown yourself in killing."]
["So he entrusted the Empire to me."]
["He asked me to tell you that civilization has never been the sickness of the sea of stars."]
["War is."]
["He wanted you to try trusting me."]
["Trust that I will end the war."]
Dan Heng thought to himself that the Reignbow Arbiter wasn't Nanook.
This was slander against an Aeon.
Just as he was thinking that, the character on the screen suddenly fell over.
[The two began fighting.]
[A flying piece of metal pierced your vital organs.]
[Next time, don't stand around watching.]
By now, the two of them were numb.
Fortunately, they had developed the habit of saving often.
After loading, they hid in a remote corner ahead of time.
The Crown Prince and the First Prince fought.
Countless guests were caught in the battle.
Only after someone risked their life to stop them did they finally stop.
[The Crown Prince casually threw the letter into the candle flame.]
[After it burned to ashes, he expressionlessly stepped forward and stood beside the First Prince, welcoming the guests who had come to pay their respects.]
Next, everyone had to step forward and speak with them.
Dan Heng had never experienced losing someone close.
For a moment, he had no idea what to say.
After thinking for a while, he saved the game.
Stelle suggested, "Let's get outside help."
The two immediately left the Archive and returned to the passenger car.
They walked over to Welt.
After explaining the situation, the older man solemnly accepted the Remote Sensory Device.
Welt typed two words.
"My condolences."
Stelle opened her mouth to stop him.
Too late.
The message had already been sent.
[Your entire clan has been wiped out.]
The three of them: "..."
Welt tried several more times.
He still couldn't get past that scene.
The three then went to Himeko.
With a smile in her eyes, Himeko casually teased Welt before starting to type.
[Your home planet has become a mining world.]
The four of them: "..."
Just then, it was dinner time, and March 7th arrived.
Seeing the four of them gathered around the Remote Sensory Device, she became curious.
After hearing that the game had completely defeated all four of them, March 7th put her hands on her hips and confidently raised her chin.
"Looks like it's finally this young lady's turn..."
———
Ten minutes later...
After getting the death ending countless times...
March 7th finally earned the right to be buried with the Emperor.
"Why does it feel like even breathing is a mistake?" March 7th cried in frustration. "This game doesn't even have a happy ending, does it?!"
Stelle put on a serious expression and spoke like someone with experience.
"Being buried with him is already a pretty good ending."
March 7th refused to accept that.
"No way. There has to be a better ending..."
From then on, the three of them became completely obsessed with beating the game.
Until they arrived at a new planet...
They still hadn't managed to leave that funeral alive.
March 7th remained deeply bitter about it.
But when the three of them stood together under the warm spring sun, looking at the towering circular fortress in the distance...
March 7th instantly forgot all about the game.
Camera in one hand and Stelle in the other, she charged forward without looking back.
Dan Heng lagged behind.
He sighed helplessly, took a palm-sized notebook out of his pocket, looked around, and finally turned his attention to two locals.
They looked like students.
Dan Heng walked over.
"Excuse me..."
As a tourist, he asked about local attractions and famous food.
The gray-haired girl gently introduced several sightseeing spots.
As they talked, the conversation turned to local history.
She mentioned the "Divine Foresight" General of the Xianzhou Luofu.
Dan Heng immediately understood.
So Jing Yuan had been here before.
Out of the corner of her eye, the gray-haired girl noticed her friend's growing impatience and quickly sped up.
Dan Heng also closed his notebook at the right time and thanked them.
He quickly ran toward his companions.
As he got closer, he saw what they were doing and almost wanted to pretend he didn't know them.
More than half of Stelle's body was inside a trash can.
The veins on March 7th's forehead bulged as she tightly wrapped both arms around Stelle's waist, trying to pull her out.
Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Dan Heng.
"Dan Heng... come... help..."
Dan Heng looked up at the sky.
"You've got the wrong person. I'm Yingxing."
Between strained breaths, March 7th said, "Fine... Yingxing... hurry..."
Trying not to laugh, Dan Heng walked a few steps closer while replacing the name with Zero's.
March 7th: "...Fine, Zero, hurry over!"
With Dan Heng's help, Stelle finally had no choice but to leave the trash can.
She gently stroked it, sounding full of regret.
"March, can you take a picture of me with it?"
March 7th raised her camera.
"Sure, sure."
As long as you stop digging through trash, anything's fine.
After taking the picture, Dan Heng took out his notebook and showed them the schedule he had planned.
It was still early.
They could visit the museum first to learn about the planet's history.
After lunch, they could visit the planet's landmark and take photos.
After dinner, they could go watch a boxing match.
The two immediately approved the plan.
When they arrived at the museum, Dan Heng saw a familiar face...
Jing Yuan.
It was an old photograph.
He was standing beside a red-haired man, both looking toward a library that was still under construction.
A museum staff member walked over and quietly explained the background of the photograph.
Dan Heng carefully examined the red-haired man.
There were fine lines at the corners of his eyes.
A short-life species.
Dan Heng gave up the idea of taking a photo.
Instead, he sent the planet's location and jokingly asked...
[Cloud-Piercer: If I tell people the General's name while eating here, can I get a discount?]
[Jing Yuan: Hahaha, of course you can.]
Taking the opportunity, Jing Yuan asked Dan Heng to help look into the descendants of his old friend.
Some time later, he learned that his friend's descendants had become a famous local boxer.
Jing Yuan couldn't help feeling emotional.
He put down his jade abacus. When he glanced at Zero, the smile disappeared from his face.
As the "Champion," Zero was leading a group of Lan believers around, fishing for targets.
Unexpectedly...
He really caught one.
The very first thing they said was,
"Do you really intend to live off others forever? Don't you want to reclaim everything that belongs to you? You're that person's bloodline..."
Just as Jing Yuan had expected, the enemy had mistaken Zero for the "Father of the Xianzhou's" descendant.
They had also uncovered something else.
Zero had been dismissed by one of the current Marshal's direct subordinates.
He hadn't resigned willingly.
That alone became solid proof that Zero and the current Marshal were at odds.
With the bait taken, Zero borrowed Jing Yuan's name to visit the Sky-Faring Commission and the Alchemy Commission, handed out several talismans, then gave a location and told Jing Yuan to meet them there at the appointed time.
Jing Yuan said quietly, "What a pitiful cat."
Just how much had they tricked out of him?
"What's pitiful about him?" Zero didn't care.
"He doesn't have to do anything and still gets what he wants."
"Looking at it that way, I'm the one who lost out."
Jing Yuan nodded repeatedly.
With Zero, if he didn't make a profit, then it was a loss.
Interested, Jing Yuan asked, "Grandmaster, what's your codename in the Disciples of Sanctus Medicus?"
Zero didn't answer.
He stared blankly into space.
After a while, he suddenly changed his mind.
"I'm going away for a few days."
"If I haven't returned before the plan begins..."
Jing Yuan cautiously finished the sentence.
"We follow the original plan? Keep fishing..."
"No."
Zero shook his head and calmly said, "Execute them on the spot."
He quickly said goodbye to Jing Yuan.
After leaving the General's residence, the red-haired boy appeared behind him, sounding deeply discouraged.
"My friend, I couldn't find Them."
"It's alright."
Zero had expected that.
He stared into empty space, constantly searching through the module interface.
After a long while, he smiled.
"Found Them."
"They're in..."
"...a world without 'Higher-Dimensional Invaders.'"
———
Meanwhile, in the world without "Higher-Dimensional Invaders."
Inside the train car, Pom-Pom paced back and forth.
They kept looking toward the tightly closed door.
After an unknown amount of time, the door opened.
Pom-Pom hurried over in a panic and stumbled to the bedside.
They heard the other person ask, "Pom-Pom, where's the knife I was holding?"
Pom-Pom stared at him without blinking.
After a long silence, they said, "When we found you... there wasn't a knife in your hand."
Those golden eyes instantly lost their light, like a candle blown out by the wind.
After a long time, Pom-Pom finally heard him ask in an almost inaudible voice, "Where's his badge?"
Pom-Pom lowered their voice as well.
"...Whose?"
"...Eric's."
"..."
"..."
"What's wrong, Pom-Pom?"
"...Who... is Eric?"