(NT: idiom meaning to hide the truth through clever disguise or misdirection)

 

Xing Shuo’s New Life.

“Beep. Restoring data. Current progress: 10%. Estimated time: three hours. Please be patient, player.”

A voice appeared in his mind, the incessant “beep beep beep” was maddening. He covered his head and sat in a black-and-white space.

He remembered that his name was Xing Shuo, younger brother of Xing Ye, and that he had accidentally entered a game called Challenging Fate.

At that time, he was extremely bored and often thought, “It would be nice if this world just perished.” He wasn’t alarmed upon entering the game.

Between the two options, “Follow Fate” and “Defy Fate”, he didn’t take them seriously. Closing his eyes, he clicked at random and became a Following Fate player.

Xing Shuo didn’t know that from that moment, fate had begun to turn. Once a person underestimates fate, they will be toyed with by it. Even while choosing a faction casually, his ending had already been determined.

As the progress restored, Xing Shuo gradually recalled his experiences in the game. At first, he hadn’t taken the game seriously. As a Following Fate player, winning was easy and lacked challenge.

But as the game progressed, Xing Shuo gradually realized he might have chosen the wrong faction.

Even playing casually, he had a few teammates he didn’t get along with. His teammates were rather dumb. Xing Shuo despised them but still helped them pass levels.

Until one day, a teammate in front of him had their consciousness erased. This was a Fate-defying teammate—unlucky, but diligent, obedient, and polite. Xing Shuo liked obedient people, so he had taken the teammate along casually.

But the teammate’s luck was bad—they died just like that.

In real life, Xing Ye took time to attend the teammate’s funeral. The cries of his wife and child made Xing Shuo feel a twinge of sadness.

The system didn’t encourage killing, but it tempted people to commit evil. In such a game, where reality couldn’t intervene, who would uphold justice?

Xing Shuo didn’t know. He didn’t think of himself as a god; he was just an executioner. In the high-level world, after encountering the player who killed his teammate, he killed that player using a Following Fate item. This item belonged to another teammate who had betrayed him.

After that Fate-defying teammate died, Xing Shuo recorded his game ID. Using a loophole in the system space where messages could be sent, he located the Fate-defying teammate’s system space in the virtual 2D environment.

He swapped the two spaces, using the Fate-defying teammate’s ID, discarding luck value, and became a Fate-defying player capable of using Following Fate items.

But Xing Shuo knew, at his core, he was still a Following Fate player. He had killed in the game; he couldn’t pass the final level.

At first, he just wanted to avenge the teammate who had been killed—they had shared a bond. Later, upon reaching the high-level world, he realized that killers couldn’t clear the game. Neither Following Fate nor Fate-defying players could pass the final stage.

Standing before the final level, staring at the invitation card, Xing Shuo knew he would lose—lose to the system, lose to fate.

He refused to accept defeat.

So he began collecting items and methods. Once prepared, he pinned his hopes on his brother.

At the final level, due to his special status, Xing Shuo had a choice: choose to be a Following Fate player—he could survive as an item—or choose to be a Fate-defying player—he would die instantly at the final stage, but gain the power to resist the system.

Xing Shuo chose death. The moment he died in the final stage, all his preparations were complete. He only waited for his brother Xing Ye to enter the game.

“Together, we will defeat fate,” Xing Shuo thought, closing his eyes at the final stage.

He didn’t know how long he slept. When he woke again, he saw his brother Xing Ye, but Xing Shuo knew in his heart that he was already dead and his brother still lived.

This was behind his door. Xing Ye had not given up investigating his death and had come before him.

Briefly regaining consciousness, Xing Shuo made a bold decision. Since he could let Xing Ye sneak into the game, he could also send his own power out.

He rapidly drew the skill “Kuafu Chasing the Sun” and gave it to Xing Ye. After confirming his brother had received the skill and understood the message he sent, Xing Shuo closed his eyes again.

But this time, Xing Shuo did not fall asleep. He awoke behind the empty door. A QR code had been left inside—the one Xing Ye had left when he left.

“What is this?” Xing Shuo wondered. He didn’t have a bracelet, but his initial skill was “Knowledge Power”. With this power, he had specifically learned how QR codes were generated and what information different codes stored.

Content normally only readable by phone scan could now be computed and analysed in his mind.

His knowledge told him that this was an achievement QR code, called “Stealing the Sky and Swapping the Sun”.

Stealing what? Swapping which sun?

Xing Shuo stared at the QR code behind the door for an unknown length of time. Finally, one day, he felt the entire door vibrating.

A voice echoed through the graveyard: “Congratulations to player Xing Ye for defeating the system and obtaining the title ‘Life Winner.’ Based on player Xing Ye’s choice, the system in this world will be disbanded, and all failed players’ consciousness will be released from the system.”

At that moment, Xing Shuo understood how to use “Stealing the Sky and Swapping the Sun.”

Before the system released consciousness, he clicked the QR code on the door, tricked the system, and, through the consciousness space, entered a completely new system space.

“Beep. Data fully restored. Player Xing Shuo, welcome to Challenging Fate Game. Please select your faction.” A black-and-white Rubik’s cube appeared before Xing Shuo and spoke.

“Didn’t the system disband?” Xing Shuo asked.

“The system of the player world has been disbanded. Players who die in the real world cannot be revived; those who have already died cannot come back to life. This is the truth. The system cannot change it,” said the black-and-white Rubik’s cube. “However, as the player is a Life Winner you gain an opportunity for rebirth. Your current position is in the total system space of all parallel worlds. If you can clear the game, you can choose a life in one of the other parallel worlds.”

“Can’t I return to my original world?” Xing Shuo asked.

“No,” the black-and-white Rubik’s cube replied.

“What’s the point then?” Xing Shuo said lazily, sitting on the ground. He had no interest in so-called resurrection.

He said, “I killed someone. Although it was revenge, I crossed the line. I accept the punishment of death.”

“Are you sure you want to forgo the opportunity to be resurrected?” the black-and-white Rubik’s cube asked. “If you give it up, the system will send your consciousness back to the original world. Your consciousness is an energy body; without a physical body for support, the energy body will disperse into the world, becoming part of the world’s dark matter. You will no longer hear or see anything, becoming a cornerstone of the world, like countless others who have died.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Xing Shuo said. “Everything I wanted to do has already been achieved… Wait, there’s still one thing: how many levels did my brother clear the game in?”

“Nine in total. One level in the novice world, four in the melee world, three in the advanced world, and the final level. No failures, all perfect endings, perfect clearances. He is a perfect winner.”

Xing Shuo paused. “I believed Xing Ye could win, but that record… it’s incredible!”

Thinking of his own record, a rare surge of fighting spirit rose in his heart.

“If I replay the game, what’s different from the first run?” Xing Shuo asked, reaching out to select the “Fate defying” option.

The black-and-white Rubik’s cube said, “All your previous skills and achievement titles are retained. Additionally, you may obtain one skill from Xing Ye, because you once lent him a skill.”

Xing Shuo opened his phone and saw his personal attributes:

Player ID: x7903
Initial Skills: Knowledge Power, Kuafu Chasing the Sun, Repainting Brush
Achievement Titles: Fate-defying Faction, Stealing the Sky and Swapping the Sun, Falling Short at the Last Moment (deleted)
Player Points: 100
Game Difficulty: Locked Hard Mode

“What does ‘Locked Hard Mode’ mean?” Xing Shuo asked.

The black-and-white Rubik’s cube said, “Since the player is not a novice, this is the second run. The system increases the difficulty for you; every world you enter is in hard mode.”

Xing Shuo looked at his phone: “Interesting. Hard mode also gives more points. If Xing Ye could defeat the system in nine worlds, I cannot lose to him either.”

He lifted his head. “I don’t have a body. What happens to the seven-day rest periods during the game?”

“You will remain in the system space. Only after clearing the final level can you be resurrected in one of the worlds.”

“Good. Let’s start a new game,” Xing Shuo decisively said.

He had no interest in resurrection. He only wanted to know if he could clear the game faster than Xing Ye.

This was the last challenge of his life.

Upon accepting the task and entering the game, Xing Shuo awoke in a pitch-black room. On the door, a wind chime spun continuously, producing a pleasant, melodious sound.

Outside the door came a “bang bang” noise. The chime’s sound grew more urgent, seemingly warning Xing Shuo of danger.

Xing Shuo picked up an iron rod from the corner of the room, opened the door, and killed the monsters trying to break in with a single swing.

“Apocalyptic world, boring,” he said, dispatching the few monsters outside the door and stepping out with the iron rod.

The wind chime on the door rang continuously behind him, “ding dong ding dong.”

Originally walking to the stairs, Xing Shuo stopped and turned to remove the wind chime. He said to it, “Are you a Following Fate item?”

The wind chime responded, “ding dong ding dong.”

“You’re too big. Can’t carry you,” Xing Shuo said, flicking it lightly.

The wind chime produced a pleasant sound.

“Not bad,” Xing Shuo said, picking up the chime. “I hope your power is strong enough to help me clear the game quickly. I’m in a hurry.”

One man, one wind chime, walked down the stairs. Amid the wind, the pleasant “ding dong” sounded intermittently.

This was Xing Shuo’s rebirth.

 

—The end—

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Note from the translator

Thank you to the readers for waiting patiently during this long translation journey. It took more than one year and a half, but every minute of it was enjoyable.

 

Translator : DarNan