Welcome to Rewind World Game-Chapter 1308 - 1304: Mingxi · “Hailan House”
In the dark night, the handle of the cabinet door glistened with a white edge.
"Creak," the cabinet opened, a trembling youth hiding inside.
Seeing Su Ming’an open the cabinet, the youth was terrified and held his head: "Don’t kill me... don’t kill me... I’m just a small office worker, I never do bad things, don’t kill me..."
Above the youth’s head, a line of names floated: [Number 07 · Xue Jiarui].
...Not Little Su, it’s a contestant.
Su Ming’an uttered a light "huh" and looked to the other side. He had remembered incorrectly, there were many cabinets in this office, and Little Su should be hiding in another one.
"Judging by your clothes, you should be a student. Why are you hiding in the cabinet at night?" Su Ming’an asked.
Xue Jiarui’s face was pale, as if scared stiff by something, endlessly repeating: "Don’t kill me... I don’t dare to run around anymore, don’t kill me..."
Su Ming’an knew he couldn’t get any information from him, directly proceeded to another cabinet, fingers resting on the door handle: "Little Su?"
The next moment, the cabinet door opened, inside sat a white-haired girl, her forehead resting on the cabinet door, already asleep. As Su Ming’an pulled open the cabinet door, her slender figure leaned forward, hair like mercury-white strands surged——
Su Ming’an retreated half a step, she fell to the ground, making a solid thud.
"Mmm..."
The girl was awakened by the fall and touched her bluish-red forehead. What was shocking was that her exposed skin was covered in bruises of blue and purple.
For a moment, Su Ming’an felt as if he was opening blind boxes, each cabinet door unlocking a different person.
"Xi Li? Why are you in the cabinet at night?" Su Ming’an crouched down. He never expected such a small office to be a dragon’s lair. It’s likely these contestants wanted to explore at night, and the office on the first floor seemed the safest.
"I’ve been in the cabinet all the time." Xi Li said softly: "The students locked me in the cabinet, even snatched my wheelchair, they said ’The legless toad should crawl on the ground’."
It seemed Xi Li had entered the instance earlier than all of them, even experienced campus violence.
Xue Jiarui regained his composure, pointed at Xi Li and shouted: "You you you—You entered the office before me? Then after I hid in the cabinet, I heard someone else enter a cabinet, who was that???"
—Is there another skilled player?
Su Ming’an’s gaze fixed on the third cabinet in the corner. This should finally be Little Su. The office was already very lively, like playing mahjong.
Beside him, Xiao Xiao wore an embarrassed expression, he had just confessed with Wang Zhenzhen, warm words... all were heard by a group of people? These people, in the middle of the night, came to hide in cabinets, really sneaky.
"Little Su?" Su Ming’an walked towards the cabinet.
This time it ought to be Little Su.
Su Ming’an’s fingers rested on the handle, pulled —
A slightly warm wind hit them.
A man with shimmering golden eyes coldly stared at Su Ming’an. On the man’s head were a pair of dragon horns, wearing a dark red short coat, his tall stature squeezed in the narrow cabinet, appearing extremely constrained.
"—Olivius! Finally caught you!"
The man’s large hand reached out straight, aiming for Su Ming’an’s neck.
...Opened a golden legend.
Su Ming’an was prepared in advance, with a "slap," immediately closed the cabinet door, forced sealing.
The next moment, with a "bang," the dragon horns broke through the door, the man’s tall and broad figure cast a heavy shadow, golden eyes full of anger. Previously he couldn’t catch Olivius, let the magpie escape, this time seeing himself paired with Sique, he immediately went out at night to ambush, indeed cornered him.
"Your Dragon Valley’s destruction has nothing to do with me." Su Ming’an explained. At this moment, he wanted to use his palms to quickly touch Sique’s face more than ever before.
"Do you think excuses can work? I want you to atone for eternity forever..." Ian’s spine bones curved, his body emitted crisp cracking sounds, even intending to transform into dragon form.
However, Ian couldn’t successfully transform.
Su Ming’an’s gaze remained fixed on the Lu Xun photo on the wall, for over five seconds.
...
[19. Do not stare at Lu Xun’s photo on the wall for more than five seconds. If over five seconds, immediately move according to the direction of the portrait’s pupil until the pupil looks another way.]
...
Su Ming’an stayed still.
All around, the rustling sound emerged, mingled with child’s laughter. Sticky darkness swept in, drip drop, clinging to everyone’s calves present.
Su Ming’an waved his hand, Black Flame ran to Xiao Xiao and Wang Zhenzhen’s side, the white cat ran to Xi Li’s side.
...
[2. Ensure you have a "cat" in any position around you, whether a real cat, cat toy, cat picture, or cat accessory. "Cat" will protect you.]
...
Analog Horror.
As a horror game content creator, Su Ming’an was very familiar with this type of game. Situated inside an analog horror, it was like coming home.
The cats protected Xiao Xiao and Xi Li, while Su Ming’an was not afraid of instant death, Ian became the "abnormality’s" sole attack target. Ian witnessing these strange phenomena, his fearless demeanor changed a bit, gritted his teeth, stomped out, making a rumbling noise.
The office finally quieted down.
Su Ming’an walked to the last cabinet, this should finally be Little Su. This office was quite bizarre, with four cabinets neatly placed at each corner.
Xiao Xiao clasped his hands together, he had an urge to bury himself, who could have thought so many people were secretly eavesdropping?
"...Little Su." Su Ming’an opened the cabinet.
This time, it was finally Little Su.
Little Su’s forehead leaned against the cabinet, messy black hair scattered across his head, eyelids shimmering with a smooth light, the white shirt clean. Even though the cabinet was small and cramped, he quietly curled into a ball, seeming more at peace hiding here. He appeared too tired, already asleep.
"Little Su, wake up, three hours until dawn, can’t stay in the cabinet too long." Su Ming’an tapped Little Su’s shoulder.
Little Su didn’t respond, still leaned against the cabinet asleep, face pale, dark circles heavy. His arms and calves bore scars, likely from battles too exhausting.
"Little Su, it’s time to wake up." Su Ming’an patted Little Su’s cheek.
—What left him startled was.
The next moment, Little Su’s body tilted backwards, collapsed in the cabinet.
"Drip drip drop..."
Blood.
Red blood, flowing down the back of Little Su’s neck, pooled inside the cabinet, immediately staining the shirt red.
"Glug glug..."
Soon after, a deep red line of blood appeared on Little Su’s neck, his skin and flesh overwhelmed and torn apart, his head tilted, gradually falling from his neck.
Su Ming’an hurriedly reached out to support him, Little Su’s cold neck sending a shiver through his whole body, the seeping blood stained his hands red. He looked in horror at Little Su, who had his eyes closed and head hanging low, reaching out his palm—
On the back of his hand, there was no warm breath.
Little Su had long since stopped breathing.
Judging by the wound at the back of Little Su’s neck, it had been some time since someone instantly cut off his life, only when Su Ming’an nudged Little Su, did he fall, his head severed from his body.
—Little Su had died.
"Ahhhhhhhh——!!!" Wang Zhenzhen screamed in fright, disbelieving the scene before her.
"Impossible—impossible!! The Number One Player can’t die! This can’t be!" Xiao Xiao’s face was also pale.
Though it was only the third instance now, the initial appeal of the Number One Player had already deeply rooted in people’s hearts. Yet now, the Number One Player was dead!?
Xiao Xiao couldn’t remain calm, nor could Wang Zhenzhen, both felt their minds buzzing, their eyes seemed shrouded in a layer of darkness, panicking to the point of seeing nothing...
"—Quiet."
At this moment, a finger was raised.
Moonlight flowed, the white-haired young man silently raised a finger before his lips, softly "shh..."
His expression was unperturbed, his gaze calm, causing Xiao Xiao and Wang Zhenzhen to instinctively quiet down, their panicked emotions gradually calming. It was a kind of almost persona-like charm of re-assurance, requiring nothing but a glance to sway others along with his emotions.
For an instant, Xiao Xiao almost thought—standing before him was the true Number One Player. Or maybe, the person before him was even more mature, profound than the Number One Player.
But how could that be?
There was only one Number One Player, and he had died.
Su Ming’an lowered his gaze to Little Su, closed his eyes, and then slowly opened them. His heart was an empty vastness, as if something had spilled, yet it seemed always to be a barren silent wilderness. He had never thought he would see Little Su in such a state, in his subconscious, Little Su was like him, the Number One Player, and the Number One Player wouldn’t die.
—The Number One Player wouldn’t die.
At this moment, he finally came to his senses, horrified to realize—he too had harbored such a thought, like everyone else, firmly believing "The Number One Player wouldn’t die," as if it had become a mental seal. Even upon seeing the immature Little Su, he instinctively continually believed he absolutely couldn’t see Little Su’s body.
He had never considered this possibility of death.
But Little Su had turned into a corpse.
The Number One Player could indeed die.
...
["Don’t worry, we’re allies, I won’t leave you alone."]
...
["Friend? What’s wrong with you? Why are you in a wheelchair? Don’t panic, I’ll continue alongside you."]
...
["No injury from the kick, right? I heard sudden movement in legs might cause muscle strain. I have recovery potion here."]
...
["Friend! I knew you were fine!"]
...
["Friend... seems you’ve been through a lot."]
...
["Friend..."]
...
Su Ming’an looked at the bloody Little Su and sighed. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚
Little Su might just be a simulation or perhaps he shouldn’t expend so much effort. Time was not on his side, there wasn’t enough to care anymore. He should put Little Su’s body down.
But he still squatted, took out the Immortal’s Talisman, and gently said: "Needle and thread."
...he thought, maybe Little Su still had some use, maybe he held some important information, he still needed to save him.
The needle and thread took form in his palm, he placed the ragdoll-like Little Su on the ground, picked up the needle and thread, used a lighter to disinfect, and began stitching the torn flesh on Little Su’s neck.
Moonlight poured through the window panes, dappled and serene, like pieces of transparent blue cloth. The crimson needle steadily pierced the blood-stained skin, weaving a web finely and densely at the back of the neck. Su Ming’an stitched carefully, sewing the almost detached head back onto Little Su’s neck, leaving only stubbly-threaded seams on the surface, his expression focused, as if working on an artwork, a delicate ragdoll.
Seeing this scene, Xiao Xiao felt a baseless fear. He momentarily doubted whether what stood before him was human, or an anomaly. Otherwise, why could this person’s emotions be this steady, as if he had encountered such situations countless times?
The moonlight was bright, inside only the friction of needle and thread could be heard.
"You... what are you doing! He’s already dead, he’s already dead..." Xiao Xiao stammered, wanting to scream in fear, but Su Ming’an’s gaze involuntarily calmed him.
"..." Su Ming’an did not respond to him, after finishing the stitching, he lifted Little Su, raising him overhead.
Little Su’s head hung, limbs limply dangling from his body, like a cotton doll. When moonlight fell upon his hair whorls and back of the neck, the fine stitching was visible, yet no more blood seeped out, the head and neck were tightly connected, and the head wouldn’t fall anymore.
Su Ming’an lifted Little Su, confirmed his appearance complete, head, hands, feet—all parts were there, and he lowered him satisfactorily, a slight smile on his lips.
Once on the ground, Little Su collapsed again like a dough.
Su Ming’an once more took out the Immortal’s Talisman, fashioned a harness, wrapped Little Su at his back, carrying him.
He surely had to carry Little Su, he didn’t think Little Su would die so easily, perhaps a rebirth opportunity awaited ahead. After all, it was an "Eternal" campus, maybe death could be reversed. He initially thought of making a wheelchair, but considered that in case of combat it’d be inconvenient to push Little Su, after all, when Lin Guang carried his corpse, it turned out quite a mess.
So simply carrying Little Su was convenient everywhere.
"So you sewed his head to his neck just to... carry him easier? To avoid holding the body in one hand and the head in the other..." Xiao Xiao suddenly realized something. Following it was intense panic—he finally realized, the Su Ming’an before him, wasn’t normal.
Su Ming’an was just... "an apparently normal abnormal person."
His mindset was calm, his emotions stable, his demeanor rational, but it did not mean he was normal. Only under such specific circumstances, the deep-seated abnormality in his heart would be exposed. But these were not fabrications out of thin air, rather, the cumulative weight of repeated tragedies and scars that had not yet healed but were bloodily torn open... leading to his longstanding "ailment" adding up to this point.
In earlier days, Su Ming’an had also been the healthy "Little Su."
Su Ming’an hefted Little Su lightly, clearly aware of his current weight, around 120 pounds, making it easy to carry, convenient for transport.
—Portable Little Su.
Just sew the neck, and it can be carried everywhere, come and try it.
He slipped Little Su’s legs into the harness’s opening, preventing them from dragging on the ground.
