Mini World Game Console-Chapter 630 - 631 Even If It’s Me [Second Update]

"Do you have a death wish?"

Ren Suo, who was petting a cat, instantly stiffened.

He silently lowered his head and exchanged a glance with the orange cat in his arms. Then the fat orange cat turned around, shook its butt at him, displaying the area where two tiny balls had once been but was now smooth and empty, and finally, with a strong leap, it fled.

With the orange cat, his shield, gone, Ren Suo pressed his legs together and sat upright, his eyes darting to the upper right corner as a strange tremor sounded in his throat, "Oh... um... about that..."

Qiao Muyi sighed and stood up. Ren Suo shuddered. She sat down next to Ren Suo, making him shudder again. Ren Suo instinctively wanted to scoot away but forced himself to hold back, compelling himself to suppress the panic in his heart and look directly at this officially recognized 'Catastrophe Witch' with as calm a gaze as he could manage.

She tilted her head to look at Ren Suo, tucking her hair behind her ear. Perhaps noticing Ren Suo's unease, she slightly curled the corners of her lips into a smile, her eyes filled with charm. She placed her hand on Ren Suo's shoulder and, with a calm and soothing voice, said, "Xiao Suo."

"Mmm." Ren Suo's heart relaxed a little. It was just Young Master Mu's way of throwing her weight around; they could still have a proper conversation. Ah, Young Master Mu sure has a unique way of greeting...

Qiao Muyi moved a bit closer, locking eyes with Ren Suo, her gaze filled with unsaid thoughts. In a lingering tone, she said, "I really don't want to see you become a corpse."

Ren Suo instinctively began to activate 'Gauze Clothing,' but then he suddenly realized his Qi Cyclone had been imprisoned!

His Qi Cyclone had been imprisoned!

The sensation was familiar—it was a 'Lock' type spell! However, neither 'Lock' nor 'Finger Lock' could perfectly suppress the Qi Cyclone of a Third-turn Cultivator. It had to be an exclusive, powerful suppression spell from within the Tactical Bureau!

Ren Suo glanced at the hand Qiao Muyi had on his shoulder, and cold sweat streamed down his back.

Even at a moment like this, Ren Suo couldn't help but marvel at Qiao Muyi's remarkable talent. She usually had to work at the Tactical Bureau and often asked him out to play. Yet, Qiao Muyi had neglected neither her cultivation nor her study of spells. She had mastered various powerful long-range spells and even this close-range suppression spell.

Noticing Ren Suo's gaze, Qiao Muyi softly said, "Since you're here, I won't hold back any longer. I won't let you go until I get some clear answers... Tell me, do you have a death wish?"

Ren Suo instantly knelt. He had no prepared remarks, and under this pressure, he certainly couldn't conjure any eloquent words. He said despondently, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry for what?" Qiao Muyi's fox-like eyes bored into him, the slight annoyance in her gaze making Ren Suo's eyebrows twitch.

"I'm sorry to you," Ren Suo said honestly.

"Sorry to *me*?" Qiao Muyi sneered. "Ren Suo, do you think you're only sorry to me?"

It was rare to hear his full name from Qiao Muyi's lips, but Ren Suo felt a chill run down his spine. He took a deep breath and said earnestly, "Yes, I'm not only sorry to you, but also to Cheng Ling, to Yueyan, to the country, to nine years of compulsory education, to so many single-heroine RPGs... I hadn't realized you all liked me before. Now that I've noticed, I don't know what to do. I can't hold on, yet I can't let go. I finally became the person I most envied... ah, no, the person I hated the most..."

Listening to Ren Suo's rambling explanation, Qiao Muyi was momentarily stunned, then couldn't help but snort with laughter.

Ren Suo immediately stopped and carefully watched Qiao Muyi. Am I going to make it to the new year alive? While a death sentence might be spared, a severe punishment is unavoidable. Now, can honesty bring leniency...

"Xiao Suo, Xiao Suo, you really..." Qiao Muyi slowly composed herself, gently shaking her head. "You've really got my thoughts all mixed up."

"You might as well answer my question first." Qiao Muyi tilted her head and gazed at Ren Suo, the hand on his shoulder tightening its grip slightly, and asked again, "Do you, or do you not, have a death wish?"

Ren Suo's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly answered, "No."

Wait, what does Young Master Mu mean by this? If she really wanted to chop me up, there's no reason to ask three times in a row. Is she trying to intimidate me with death, to force me into submission? It can't be, right? There's no need for this. It's also unnecessary to start with 'death.' Actually, the threat of 'breaking my legs' would have been enough to make me shiver. Could it be that I still underestimated her possessiveness?

While Ren Suo was wildly speculating, Qiao Muyi increased the pressure from her hand, making him focus instantly before she continued, "Since you don't wish to die..."

"Then why were you seeking death?"

Ren Suo hesitated. "But these feelings... they come like a Tornado. Yueyan..."

"I'm not talking about Gu Yueyan," Qiao Muyi said irritably. "I mean Luna, Goddess Luna!"

Gu Yueyan had informed Qiao Muyi and Dong Chengling about everything that happened on The Dark Side of the Moon, including those secret events not mentioned in the 'Moon Chanter' videos. Ren Suo had anticipated that she would bring up Luna, but he was still somewhat panicky. "Luna... Luna is similar to Yueyan, also like a Tornado..."

"Do you like Luna?"

Ren Suo was silent for a moment, then nodded. "If I have to choose among dislike, indifference, and liking, I like her."

"Like her enough to sacrifice your life to save her?" Qiao Muyi leaned closer to Ren Suo, pronouncing each word distinctly. "Like her so much that you think her life is more important than yours?"

Ren Suo felt something was off with Qiao Muyi, and he was also confused—he hadn't expected Qiao Muyi to ask this sort of question. He felt it was as ridiculous and detached from reality as Lin Xianyu asking him, 'If Teacher Dong, Sister Qiao, and the class leader all fell into the water, who would you save first?'

"Of course not..." Ren Suo shook his head. He was an ordinary person, after all, so he naturally felt his own life was more important.

"Then why would you risk your life to save a girl who has already achieved Divine Enthronement?"

Qiao Muyi stared intently at him. "When you were saving her, you already knew she would become the Moon God, right? Of course, I know you had your reasons for saving her, but you had no assurance when you did it, did you!? If Gu Yueyan hadn't stayed to wait for you, you would have perished on The Dark Side of the Moon!"

"You didn't have to save her; she wasn't in mortal danger, and neither were you. But for some reason—one I don't know but you think is important—you had to risk your life to save a deity..."

Qiao Muyi's voice gradually grew louder, her tone growing fierce, her voice carrying a barely perceptible sob. "Ren Suo! Who do you think you are?! You can't even break free from my binding! You're just an ordinary cultivator who isn't even at the fourth transformation and ranked only 39th on the combat power board! Don't think you're so incredible for beating Gu Yuexuan and Zhao Huo. I could blast them even with my hands and legs tied."

"Mysterious Country has its army of cultivators and the Great Wall. The Federation has the Watchers. The European Union has the Wizard Council, and Flourishing Sakura has the Martial Soul Hall. I don't know if not saving Luna would have caused severe consequences. But no matter what terrifying disaster happens, the sky won't fall. There are strong ones holding it up, including me!"

"Why are you taking such risks? What kind of hero are you trying to be? What are you posturing for? Are you still some chuunibyou who thinks he can save the world?"

"You don't owe anyone anything. You don't owe this world."

"You can't save everyone. You are just a person who will die, who will become a corpse."

Qiao Muyi grabbed Ren Suo by the collar and pulled him close. Her voice became as soft as a large, sugar-frosted Cotton Candy being smeared on Ren Suo's face, yet like a silent, penetrating rain, it seeped into the depths of Ren Suo's heart: "...Why must you always do such dangerous things?"

"The one you're truly sorry to is yourself."

Gazing into Qiao Muyi's eyes—filled with anger, grievance, and worry—Ren Suo was speechless for a long moment.

Unlike Lin Xianyu's 'who would you choose to save' question, Qiao Muyi's 'would you sacrifice your life to save someone' query had already been answered by Ren Suo through his actions. And Qiao Muyi was right. The process of Ren Suo saving Luna was indeed fraught with peril, a matter of life and death.

It wasn't a main questline woven through countless saves in the game, but a side story with him as the protagonist, one he had never played before.

Ren Suo went on the journey solely trusting in the Mini-World Game Console. But what if Miracle Full Moon hadn't granted him the right miracles? What if he had recklessly used up his soul's miracles early? What if Gu Yueyan hadn't waited for him...

Fate was like meticulously meshed gears running smoothly, which was why Ren Suo could sit here getting schooled by Qiao Muyi. The slightest error could have changed everything. For example, if the team of five hadn't helped him withstand the Seraphs and Taoists, or if he hadn't seen the radiance of Gu Yueyan's Silver Moon Crystal...

Recalling it now, Ren Suo felt a pang of lingering fear.

No wonder he was always unlucky in draws; it turned out all his luck had been spent on his Destiny, much like Krypton Gold. The Goddess of Destiny had given him a crucial pull, so Ren Suo couldn't really complain about his usual lack of luck in draws. If not for the need for secrecy over this experience, Ren Suo could boast for a lifetime about it, 'Back in the day, I was also fearless,' and so on.

Therefore, faced with Qiao Muyi's questioning, Ren Suo didn't know how to respond and could only say feebly, "...I'm sorry."

Qiao Muyi knew he wasn't articulate and didn't expect him to declare something cold-hearted. She directly asked, "So the next time you encounter this situation, you know what to do, right?"

Ren Suo remained silent.

Qiao Muyi stared straight at him and asked, "What would you do if you saw a stranger in danger?"

"If it only takes a little effort..."

"What if you saw Xie Qiansi, Yuan Chu, or people you're not very close with in danger?"

"If it only takes a bit more effort to lend a hand..."

"What if you saw Zhao Huo, Bai Ji, Cheng Ling, Yueyan, or Salted Fish in danger?"

Ren Suo was silent again.

Qiao Muyi tilted her head, bit her lip, and with a tone of exasperated disappointment said, "You just have to say one sentence: 'I will always prioritize my own life and never risk it for others.' Then I would forgive you; no matter what you've done, I wouldn't be mad at you."

"It's simple, right? These are just universal values; everyone is like this. Is it that hard for you?"

"Or you could lie to me. Come on, as long as you're willing to lie, I'd consider you passed."

Ren Suo finally spoke, "Actually, with things like this, you only know what you would do when they actually happen... For example, with Zhao Huo, I might really hesitate if he was in mortal danger..."

"That excuse can only be used by those 'who have never encountered a similar situation'!" Qiao Muyi sighed heavily, her tone complex. "That's why I know what you would do if it happens again, and that's why I'm so upset."

"Can't you learn to be a bit more selfish like me? Can't you? Can't you?"

With each 'Can't you?' Qiao Muyi shook Ren Suo's head, leaving him dizzy and disoriented. He struggled to find a retort, "You all might not encounter danger, and I might not be around..."

"...Xiao Suo," Qiao Muyi gave a helpless smile, stopping her physical tirade. She gently cupped Ren Suo's face with both hands and said with a wry smile, "Do you think such an excuse can fool me? I just want you to understand one simple, very simple principle..."

Suddenly, Qiao Muyi pinched Ren Suo's cheeks, first pulling them back and forth quite satisfiedly, then pulled his face close to hers, emphasizing each word, "You yourself are more important than anyone."

"Your life is more precious than anyone's."

"In this world, no one is worth you risking your life to save."

"No one!"

"Even you?" Ren Suo attempted a counterattack.

"Even me," Qiao Muyi replied calmly.