Main story completed.

 

The white cube had no facial expression—it was like a sheet of blank paper. But after hearing Xing Ye’s words, it began to tremble violently as it spoke: “Does the player know what is sealed in the attic?”

Xing Ye said, “When I first came here—back when I was behind Xing Shuo’s door—the monster in the attic once struggled violently, yet it couldn’t break through that tiny attic door. At the time, I believed the monster in the attic was something the system left behind in the cemetery to suppress the consciousnesses of dead players. Destroying the attic door would release the monster, allowing the consciousnesses of dead players to interfere with the game world and harm the players who are still alive. Back then, I didn’t dare touch that door, afraid of breaking the balance.

“But now that you’ve brought us before the throne and are using this place as the final-stage reward, I realize I was wrong.

“If the system can directly reach the cemetery, that means the cemetery itself is under the system’s control. Just like last time, when the mental world dragged players into the cemetery, that also happened because the system tacitly allowed it. If the system can control the cemetery to a certain extent, then what exactly is being sealed inside the cemetery by the system? Could it be something that even the system itself fears?”

The white cube replied stiffly, “Player, you’re overthinking it.”

Xing Ye said, “No, I’m not overthinking it. I originally thought that once the black shell peeled away and only the white cube remained, things would be better. Who knew you’d still try to trick me into staying in the cemetery, with no intention at all of letting us return to the real world? In that case, everything you say becomes suspect.

“And who said white must represent goodwill?

“I just thought of a saying: a person is born as a blank sheet of paper, free to be written upon. White does not represent goodness—it represents the most pure and primal desires. And what, then, is the desire of the black-and-white cube—of fate itself? In a game supported by malice, wouldn’t its wish be for all players to never clear the game?

“If that’s the case, then whether you are the white cube or the black cube, I can’t believe a single word you say.

“The only true way to leave the game is to destroy the game.”

Xing Ye paced back and forth on the third floor, while Lu Mingze carefully examined the surroundings. Suddenly, he said, “Behind the throne—the back of that golden chair—there seems to be something there.”

Following his indication, Xing Ye found a dirty stain. He picked it gently, and a small, heavily rusted key fell out.

Judging by its size, it fit perfectly into the lock on the attic door.

Holding the key, Xing Ye said, “So this must be the true reward of the final stage—releasing a powerful monster capable of destroying the entire system, granting players true freedom.”

The white cube did not stop him. From its initial panic, it returned to calmness and said softly, “Congratulations to player x8205 for discovering the true method to shut down the system. You may indeed use this to release the mind monster and destroy the system, returning to the real world. However, there is one thing the system must remind you of.”

“What is it?” Xing Ye asked.

The white cube said, “After the system disappears, everything all players experienced will return to its original course. The system does not wish for anyone to remember what happened in the game. Other than the true victor, all remaining players will lose their memories of the game—including your ‘Fate-following’ items.”

Xing Ye’s step toward the attic paused slightly. He looked at his small mirror, inside which the tiny Lu Mingze was gazing up at him.

They met and fell in love within the game. Losing these precious memories would mean that, in Lu Mingze’s heart, Xing Ye would be nothing more than an older brother he met once nine years ago.

Only the true winner, Xing Ye, would retain these memories. The companions who walked alongside him would no longer remember him.

The white cube said, “All joyful, painful, happy, and lonely memories—only you alone will remember them.”

Lu Mingze looked at Xing Ye. He still remembered that Xing Ye entered the game because his only family member had died. When they first met, Xing Ye seemed indifferent to everything, carrying only loneliness and an obsession with uncovering the truth behind his brother’s death.

But as the game went on, Xing Ye met companions, and the loneliness clinging to him gradually faded away.

And now—was Xing Ye going to lose everything again?

Hearing Lu Mingze’s unspoken thoughts, Xing Ye reached out and tapped the surface of the mirror, saying, “What are you thinking about? Do you really think I’m that fragile? Don’t forget—I remember all of you.”

He recited a string of numbers, one after another—the phone numbers that Cao Qian, Yan Hebi, Guan Ling, and Qian Jinlai had given him before he challenged the final stage.

“I haven’t forgotten. As long as I want to, I will find you all, meet you again, and become friends again,” Xing Ye said firmly.

“But I don’t want to forget you,” Lu Mingze said sadly from inside the mirror. “I feel terrible.”

“I’ll come find you,” Xing Ye said earnestly. “I’ll pursue you all over again and make you fall in love with me.”

Lu Mingze said, “But I love myself very much—narcissistic and delicate. I’m afraid you… won’t be able to catch up with me.”

It was the first time Xing Ye had ever seen someone worry this much on behalf of another. He said to Lu Mingze, “Don’t worry. I know everything you like and understand all your thoughts. I’ll make you fall in love with me again.”

“I know the system must be destroyed, and players must gain freedom, but—but…” Lu Mingze looked at Xing Ye eagerly and said, “You have to come find me quickly.”

Because right now, he already felt lonely.

“Don’t worry,” Xing Ye said soothingly, gently rubbing the mirror as he continued up toward the attic.

Standing before the door, Lu Mingze looked at the key in Xing Ye’s hand and asked, “What exactly is the system? And what is sealed behind this door?”

As Xing Ye inserted the key into the lock, he said, “I’m reminded of a myth—Pandora opened the box gifted to humanity by the gods, releasing disasters and leaving behind only one beautiful thing: hope. Hope was always locked inside the box, hidden deep within people’s hearts.”

(NT: In Greek mythology, Pandora opened a jar given by the gods, releasing all the evils of the world—suffering, disease, and despair—into humanity. When she closed it again, only Hope remained inside, symbolizing that even after all disasters are unleashed, hope stands as humanity’s last refuge.)

“That’s just a myth,” Lu Mingze said.

“I know, so this is only a guess. But the system is a collection of malice, existing across countless human worlds since ancient times. Mythological stories themselves were collections of exaggerated and imagined tales based on certain facts by ancient humans—who knows what their true origin was?”

“You mean…”

Before Lu Mingze could finish, Xing Ye had already opened the door.

The thing inside sounded like a monster, but once opened, there was nothing there—only a soft, warm light that wrapped around them both.

Before being enveloped by the white light, Lu Mingze asked in his heart: Xing Ye, what is hope? It has no form or colour, can’t be grasped or seen—how can it possibly destroy a system filled with malice?

Xing Ye answered him in his heart: Hope is probably like a foundation—hidden deep below, yet capable of becoming the driving force behind all other beautiful emotions.

Without a foundation, no skyscraper can rise from flat ground; likewise, without hope, all beautiful emotions such as resilience, effort, and belief lose their footing and cannot last long.

The soft light beyond the door grew stronger and stronger, gradually swallowing the entire cemetery, then spreading through the castle’s spire all the way into the system space. In that moment, all players were enveloped by this gentle light, as if sinking into a beautiful dream.

Xing Ye held the mirror in his arms, curled up in the light. After an unknown length of time, he finally opened his eyes.

He was sitting in front of the family cemetery, holding a phone encased in a mirror-like shell.

He removed the mirror case. The phone inside returned to its original colours—no longer black and white—and the “Challenging Fate” app had disappeared.

The person in the mirror was gone as well.

Xing Ye’s fingers brushed over his younger brother’s name engraved on the tombstone as he whispered, “I won.”

***

Half a month later.

Assistant Qi entered Xing Ye’s office and said, “Chairman Xing, please sign here.”

As he handed over the documents, he noticed a sticky note on the desk with several phone numbers written on it—belonging to no one in particular.

After reviewing the documents and asking a few questions, Xing Ye signed and handed them back.

As Assistant Qi left the office and closed the door, he saw Xing Ye pick up that phone with a mirror case—clearly unsuited to him—and stare at the phone numbers on the desk.

Xing Ye sighed softly and put the sticky note away. Although they had agreed to have a group dinner, arranging one so rashly now would only bring trouble to those former companions.

He checked his schedule and called the driver. “Take me to the airport.”

After Lu Mingze woke up, he was immediately sent abroad by his family for medical examinations. The cemetery was too far from the sanatorium. Xing Ye quietly chatted with his brother for a while longer, and by the time he arrived at the sanatorium, it was already dawn—Lu Mingze had boarded a private jet and flown across the ocean.

Today was the day Lu Mingze returned home. Xing Ye brought a bouquet of flowers to pick him up.

The game’s shutdown had no impact on people’s lives—after all, time in the real world was frozen during gameplay. Even if a game occurred every seven days, real life still went on.

The only difference was that Lu Mingze woke up—and the other Fate-following players trapped in the game likely woke up as well.

Xing Ye also tried to investigate the whereabouts of Shao Lin and others. Some players were difficult to track down, but he found Shao Lin. It was said that Shao Lin had somehow committed job-related crimes and embezzled over three billion, and was currently in detention awaiting trial.

Fate, in its own way, reclaimed interest from the players.

Xing Ye waited in the airport’s VIP passage, thinking about what he should say when he saw Lu Mingze.

He hadn’t chased him overseas these past days because he didn’t want to leave an overly impatient impression on a Lu Mingze without memories. So Xing Ye restrained himself, waiting for Lu Mingze to return home.

Due to weather conditions, the flight was delayed. Xing Ye waited at the airport until nightfall. Feeling tired, he went to the restroom to wash his face. Standing in front of the sink mirror, he suddenly saw a familiar figure appear in the reflection.

Instinctively, he reached out to touch the mirror—only to see the figure turn and walk toward the restroom. Xing Ye spun around sharply and saw Lu Mingze standing behind him.

Not a reflection—but a living, breathing Lu Mingze, existing in the real world.

Xing Ye strode quickly toward him. Lu Mingze, urgently needing the restroom, saw someone blocking his path and changed direction—only for the man to shift sideways and block him again.

Lu Mingze grew irritated and lifted his face. “What are you doing?”

The man in front of him was much taller, carried strong presence, and had a face that didn’t quite compare to his own but still stood out slightly in a crowd.

He took Lu Mingze’s hand and placed a mirror-finished phone case into his palm, saying gently, “This is for you.”

Lu Mingze stared wide-eyed at the obviously well-used phone case and asked, “Who are you?”

The man said softly, “I’m Xing Ye. I’m very glad to meet you again.”

 

—End of Main Story—

 

End of volume 9

 

 

Translator : DarNan