Chapter 196: Heroes

Xiao Lan walked for a long time through the streets, which were still the same.

The pedestrians on either side were busy, each doing their own thing, and they didn't look like the kind of fake human dummies they were.

Xiao Lan tries to walk into an out-of-the-way shop, where he used to work.

Everything in this shop is authentic in detail, whether it's the texture of the merchandise, the somewhat dated labels on the shelves, the dust that settles in inconspicuous corners and the occasional spider that slips away from the walls.

Everything was exactly as he remembered it, even filling in the parts he couldn't remember.

It is like a real world, which proceeds in its original order.

He could not find a way to leave.

This doesn't seem to be a playground either, and Xiao Lan can't leave in the same way as the shuttle game.

For a moment it was as if he was trapped.

Leaving the shop, Xiao Lan pushes down the anxiety in her heart and forces herself to calm down.

First of all, this must not be the real world; he could not have stayed here.

Secondly, since this is an illusion, there must be a break in it.

So where is the biggest break in this illusion of ......?

Suddenly, his mother's face flashed across his mind.

Mum ...... should be dead at this point in time, so her presence is against the grain.

Did he need to do it to his mother?

Xiao Lan clenched his fists, but he couldn't bring himself to turn around and go back.

Even if it's a fantasy, even if it's just a mother fabricated from memories, she is still the same mother who cares for her son and encourages him to do what he wants to do.

But the war between ...... and Advent Worlds continues.

He could not allow others to sink with him because of his own hesitation and reluctance.

He is in no position to console himself with the lives of others.

[Bone of Disobedience] instantly appeared in his hand, Xiao Lan switched it to blade and looked in the direction he had come from.

"Ah-" the little boy beside him was startled by his movement, he looked at the knife in Xiao Lan's hand and hid behind his own mother in fear.

His mother reached out and wrapped her arms around her child, backing away cautiously while reassuring her own child, "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, your brother is doing magic tricks."

Xiao Lan looked at the woman in front of her, who was only as tall as her shoulders.

The awe in her eyes was so obvious, but she still held the child firmly behind herself, stopping the immediate danger for him with her own body.

Her thin body could not have withstood Xiao Lan's slash.

She may well have known it herself, but she did so without hesitation.

Presumably, this is the mother.

At this moment, Xiao Lan felt as if the strange woman in front of her rejoined her own mother's figure.

He put away the knife and showed the child his empty hands, "Look, I can really do magic."

"Wow!" The little boy shouted excitedly as he shook his mother's arm, "Look, Mum, this brother is so good."

The child's mother looked at Xiao Lan with some hesitation and still reached out to pull the child who was trying to rush forward.

Xiao Lan bowed to her, "I'm sorry, I was so absorbed in my thoughts that I didn't realise it was a street and practiced, sorry for scaring you."

Having said that, he turned and left.

Behind them came a conversation between mother and son.

"Mum, I want to learn magic too!"

"Then you must drink a glass of milk every day from now on."

"Eh? No well ......"

"You can't learn magic until you're as tall as your brother. Look how tall that brother has grown because he drinks milk every day."

"Oh ...... then I'm going to drink milk every day too."

"Good boy."

Their voices faded away.

But it was their presence that made Xiao Lan suddenly realise something else.

It is not only his mother who exists differently in this world, but also himself.

He almost thought wrong.

A man from the future is the biggest deal breaker in the world than a mother who has only changed the outcome of her surgery.

Xiao Lan walks up to the rooftop of a tall building and looks down to the hard concrete floor below.

Without hesitation, he leapt down.

Everything around him flew past his eyes, the high-speed fall blurring the image before him.

He kept falling downwards, feeling his body hitting the ground hard.

But the descent continues unabated.

And so he continued to plummet downwards as the scene around him gradually changed, a white mist from nowhere gradually spilling out of the picture and increasing to take up the entirety of his vision.

The sensation of falling finally stops.

Xiao Lan finds himself standing on a dark path, surrounded by chaos.

A hazy white mist was above him, and it was impossible to see exactly what it was, but this would be where the world of illusion had been before, and from which he had just left.

Xiao Lan feels the power of Luo on the dark path beneath his feet, a path that winds and twists, not knowing where it will lead.

He took a deep breath and stepped forward.

Go ahead, this is the road Luo has made for him, it must be more than just a way to get out.

--

Along the dark path, Xiao Lan moves through the chaos.

The dark path beneath your feet goes on and on through a number of playgrounds.

Without exception, these playgrounds look disastrous after great battles, with large holes appearing in the air.

But all the way there, he saw no one.

Suddenly, Xiao Lan saw a figure ahead of her.

They are wearing the grey trench coats Xiao Lan has seen before, which are the hallmark of Wu She members.

" Wu She? The members of Wu She were not already ......" Xiao Lan wondered.

He stepped up quickly and ran in the direction of the figure.

Stepping in he realised that the image ahead was still.

There was a woman in a grey trench coat with a high ponytail; a bald man with a tattoo on the back of his head, also wearing a grey trench coat; and a white knight who looked like he would only appear in a museum.

The woman with the high ponytail knelt on the back of the white knight and, holding her knife in both hands, sank it viciously into the back of the white knight's head in front of her.

In front, the bald man stabbed the White Knight in the chest, while at the same time being stabbed through the chest with a lance in the White Knight's hand.

Both men's breathing had long since ceased, yet the bodies remained in their final fighting stance.

Looking closely, both the women and the men, they were all covered in scars and appeared to have been through countless battles.

The blood on them stained the White Knight and also turned him into a blotch.

The three figures just stand still, as if they were frozen statues.

Although the cause is unknown, Xiao Lan happens to be witnessing the death of a member of Wu She at the moment.

Could this be his way back in time?

The superimposed blood and dust made it almost impossible to see their faces.

But Xiao Lan still senses an indescribable familiarity in the man and woman in front of him.

In particular, the tattoo on the back of the man's head, and the woman's long light brown hair tied up high.

He had seen them before, but at the time, they weren't wearing Wu She's iconic grey trench coats.

It was during one of Xiao Lan's mother's hospital stays that she met a very kind couple.

They say they have elders in hospital and often stop by to share food, introduce doctors and help move beds when they visit.

Xiao Lan had to work part-time, take care of Mother Gu and study at the same time, so she was very busy every day.

Now that I think about it, the ICU ward is not a short distance from my mother's ward.

How could this couple have travelled so far and met them so coincidentally and were so eager to help that they were simply warmer than some of their relatives?

It turns out that they are Wu She's people.

The elders probably made it up too, just an excuse for them to come to the hospital to look after Xiao Lan's mother and son.

Xiao Lan remembers that Xiao Chengyan had previously agreed with Wen Qi not to appear in front of them.

Hua Jia also said that the boss wouldn't let them near his wife and children.

But secretly, a member of Wu She sneaked in to look after them, and I wonder if Xiao Chengyan was deliberately trying to let them off the hook.

Xiao Chengyan, a tough-talking guy, never mentioned it to his son.

Perhaps it was out of the old father's face, or perhaps it was something else.

Later, Xiao Lan saw some of the same figures he had seen before.

The man with the dirty dreadlocks whom I had seen a few times in my working life.

A few pretty girls who used to get together at the restaurant where he worked.

Although they were in different guises when they met previously, this time they all wore the uniform grey trench coat of Wu She without exception.

It turns out that they are all members of Wu She.

But by the time Xiao Lan met them, they were all dead.

Every one of them died in battle, they were bruised and battered, yet none of them retreated.

Xiao Lan thinks of the many strangers who have shown up and helped out.

Were many of those people who had reached out to him also members of Wu She?

Xiao Lan wanted to know their names, but by this time they could no longer speak.

At the end of the day they are all just strangers.

--

As Xiao Lan moves on, the scenery around him continues to appear and return to chaos.

As we walked, the scene reappeared ahead.

There are broken walls everywhere, and none of the buildings are intact, much as we have seen before, as if they had been through a huge war.

A little further on, Xiao Lan's pace stops.

He saw a familiar face ......

Perhaps that's not quite "one" anymore.

The man was leaning reluctantly against a broken section of wall, all of him gone from the waist down, the break looking hideous, blood staining the floor, traces of his internal organs and spine vaguely visible.

That's ...... Hua Jia .

Hua Jia is seriously injured but is holding his breath with the strong constitution of an advanced player.

Xiao Lan rushed to Hua Jia's face.

Xiao Lan feels a sense of sadness at seeing the person she once knew become what she is now.

Hua Jia heard footsteps in front of her and reluctantly looked up.

"Yo~ Isn't this the young master ...... we've ...... met before ...... do you remember me?"

Exactly the same dialogue, but in a different time and place, in a different scene.

Xiao Lan called out his name: " Hua Jia ."

Hua Jia froze, "How do you ...... ...... know my name ......"

Xiao Lan crouched down in front of him, "Don't say anything yet, you can explain later."

With that he took out the [Reverse Timer], with the last time left to use it.

There is no way to heal a wound like a lumbar chop, but this level of injury will certainly not last more than a day, and if you use the [Reverse Timer], there will still be salvation.

Xiao Lan used [Reverse Timer] on Hua Jia.

But the prop was untouched, as if it had broken down.

"How?" Xiao Lan felt incredulous.

Hua Jia but smiled: "Young master ah ...... when I saw you I noticed ...... your aura is very strong, such a strong player ...... I can't possible that I hadn't heard of it. Moreover, the last time I saw you ...... you weren't a player at all either, there's no reason to upgrade so quickly ...... like ...... eating golden rubbish... ..."

He looked at Xiao Lan: "Are you ...... from another time? This prop ...... isn't in my timeline either, is it?"

Xiao Lan looked at his familiar face and suddenly realised that this was the time when Wu She had rebelled against the descent into the world.

The [Reverse Timer] is a prop that can reverse time, but it doesn't appear to be able to manipulate a timeline that doesn't belong to the one it's in.

Xiao Lan said, "Yes, I am from the future, when we were also fighting against the Advent world."

Hua Jia made an effort to give him a thumbs up: "Worthy of the young master ...... bully ...... pity ...... we can't back you up ......"

Xiao Lan looked at the huge wound that made him feel powerless: "What's wrong with your injury?"

Hua Jia pointed to a few White Knights next to her that had been hacked into pieces, "Here, those ...... Dimensional Sequencers, hey, I got rid of a few of them, but unfortunately ...... there were just too many of them ......"

Xiao Lan looked around at the shattered pieces of the White Knight that he had seen so often before and asked, "A Vizier? What's that?"

Hua Jia: "They are transformed from contracted players ...... burning the life of the contract to carry the power of the master for a brief period of strong battle power, a secret undercurrent of ...... his creation. "

So this is what the Lord relies on.

He never looked at the indentured players in the eye, nor did he expect to rely solely on their battle prowess to quell resistance.

Humans are just fodder for him, and he believes in nothing but his own power.

Having said that, Hua Jia seems to be feeling very tired.

His voice trailed off, "Do you ...... have a cigarette, O young master? Preferably from the system shop ......99 No. ......"

Xiao Lan took the 99 out of his storage space and handed it to Hua Jia.

He had put it there by accident after meeting Hua Jia at the training ground, but he never expected it to reach him after all this time.

Hua Jia took the cigarette and took a satisfying puff: "Mmm ...... or this ...... is the most tasty ...... young master you really have good taste ......"

Xiao Lan said, "It was meant for you."

Hua Jia: "We ...... have met in the future, right?"

Xiao Lan nods.

Hua Jia thought about it, "It must be in the skills training ground ...... because I ...... am going to die ...... "

There is still some disenchantment with the world in his eyes, but no fear or struggle to be seen.

Perhaps in deciding to engage in resistance, he was prepared to face the worst possible outcome.

Hua Jia Like remembering something: "Since we have a friendship ...... then ...... can you please see my brother ...... help him a little ......"

Xiao Lan said, "I've already met Hua Bei when he was an intermediate player, so I'll help him again if I see him again. If we can make it, he won't have to worry anymore."

Hua Jia laughed: "Oh ...... that's good ...... that's good ......"

He looked up at the sky, his eyes no longer in focus, and he murmured, but his voice was getting lower: "Do you think ...... what we do ...... will... ...someone ...... remember ...... get ......"

Hua Jia's eyes slowly closed before the words left her mouth.

His hand, which had been holding up the cigarette, also dropped, and the cigarette in his hand had fallen to the floor before it had burned out.

He still has unfinished business and a tug on his heart, but unfortunately there is no more time.

Xiao Lan picked up Hua Jia's grey trench coat, which had fallen to the side, covered in dust and blood and still a bit tattered, and was about to cover him up.

Not far away, however, came the sudden sound of heavy footsteps.

It is like, a knight in heavy armour.

Xiao Lan turns his head to see a Vizier walking towards him with a huge axe amidst the wreckage.

The huge snow-white axe, still stained with stinging red, was dripping down.

Think and know what the source of these reds is.

The dripping blood falls to the ground, stains the dust and then is absorbed by the ground, leaving only a round spot that becomes dark red.

As if his eyes were stung by the blood stained on the axe, Xiao Lan felt a surge of anger in his heart.

This rage screamed at him to pull down the lord who towered over mankind and trampled on it with abandon.

To beat him into the dust and never again be able to manipulate the destiny of mankind.

The Sequencer had arrived in front of Xiao Lan and without a word waved his huge axe at him.

Xiao Lan didn't say anything either, as he temporarily dropped the bloodstained trench coat and gripped the [Bone of Disobedience] tightly, his pitch-black blade slashing at the Vizier without showing any weakness.

The heavy axe and the long, slender-looking blade met with an ear-splitting clash.

A weapon fused with the core of the Paradox, against a Vizier created by the power of the Master.

The weapons, which are clearly disparate in size, are at a standstill at the moment.

Xiao Lan's eyes glared harshly at the white knight in front of him, and the force in his hands intensified once more.

The pitch-black blade advanced again, slashing away the incoming giant axe with a fierce slash.

Then came a succession of frantic slashes, seemingly without discipline, but carrying a powerful force that could not be resisted.

Xiao Lan's arm was bruised from holding the knife, each slash carrying his anger.

At the moment his eyes are only on the opponent in front of him and he wants to destroy him completely.

The thick, huge axe was notched by his blade, and the hard armour was shredded beneath the blade.

As the outer armour continues to be destroyed, Xiao Lan discovers that the interior of the Vizier is empty.

Of these, the one who was the carrier of the pact player has been consumed.

This is the truth about indentured players.

The privilege they desperately thought they would get was in fact to become livestock kept by the master, to be slaughtered when needed, cut or bled to provide him with everything he needed.

With a single swing, Xiao Lan completely decapitated the helmet of the Vizier.

There is certainly no physical presence under the helmet.

But at the moment there is a white glow shimmering in the helmet, and the power emanating from it feels very familiar to Xiao Lan.

It is, the power of the Lord.

As Bai Guang flashed, the body of the sequencer moved again.

His tattered body took up his weapon and staggered to his feet, ready to launch another attack on Xiao Lan.

Xiao Lan reached out and grabbed the ball of Bai Guang.

At the same time he turned on the skill with the ability - Disintegration.

After his awakening, Xiao Lan has not only gained more power, but also a more precise control of it.

At this moment, he carefully perceived the energy form of this Bai Guang mass in his hands.

Looking for where its weak points are and thinking about what it would take to break it down.

It turned out that the seemingly invincible guy was such that even if he was a higher dimensional being, he wasn't that invincible once he found his way of combining energy.

The heavy pace behind them approaches little by little.

Xiao Lan didn't turn around and clenched his hand fiercely.

The ball of Bai Guang in his hand glows with a blinding light that seems to be trying to detach itself, but grows helplessly dimmer and dimmer, eventually disappearing without a trace.

As Bai Guang disappeared, the body of the sequencer fell again.

Deprived of its strength, the already tattered white armour fell to pieces on the ground, fusing with the dust and rubble.

It's like an unremarkable piece of rubbish.

Xiao Lan turned around and went back to Hua Jia.

He picked up the grey trench coat on the floor and covered his mutilated body.

Xiao Lan whispered to him, "We will remember and carry on with your will."

"Because, you're all heroes."