Because of Song Gui’s inherited extreme bad luck, the six of them spent another day and night on the game board.
By dusk on the second day, they returned to the tower and gathered around the table, once again looking at the final heart square on the board.
Yuan Kejie gazed longingly at the finish line and asked Song Gui, “Want to try again, buddy?”
Song Gui modestly declined with a gentle tone, “No, I think it’s more appropriate for Lu Chuchu to have this opportunity.”
If he rolled, he feared it would still come up as one.
So, Lu Chu once again took on the honorable task of rolling the dice and successfully rolled a three—clearing the game.
As the token representing the six of them moved past the final square and reached the finish line, there was a crisp “ding” sound. The floating images above the game board gradually transformed into scattered points of light and dissipated into the air until they all vanished.
As the various images disappeared, the squares on the board began to flip over one by one, starting from the first square. When the square at the finish line flipped, the group immediately saw a model of a tower, identical in shape to the real one, with a faint glow at its top. Simultaneously, a spiral staircase appeared on the previously blank walls of the tower, leading up into the dark, unseen top of the tower.
They stood up and looked up; the table and chairs had suddenly vanished.
Yuan Kejie looked up at the spiral staircase, her voice full of doubt, “Is this… the exit?”
Seeing the staircase, which resembled the one in the tower he had lived in, Lu Chu exchanged a glance with 7 and then affirmed, “This is the exit.”
Yuan Kejie tilted her head back, “Why does it seem like I can’t see the top?”
“It’s not just a feeling,” Song Gui replied, “You really can’t.”
Luo Qi turned to Lu Chu and asked, “Shall we go up?”
“Yes,” Lu Chu explained, “Follow the stairs up, and we’ll return to the ‘Rules’.”
Hearing this, Luo Qi dropped her backpack and weapons on the ground, stretching her neck and limbs, “Let’s go.” The others followed suit, discarding the supplies they had collected.
Since the items from the ‘Rounds’ couldn’t be brought into the ‘Rules’, they were now useless.
They were all seasoned players.
In the beginning, they had tried to bring what they thought were useful weapons from the ‘Rounds’ into the ‘Rules’, but as soon as they stepped through the door, those weapons disintegrated into particles and vanished.
After two such experiences, they gave up the idea.
Lu Chu always believed that what entered the ‘Rounds’ was not their complete physical selves but their souls or mental powers. Otherwise, how could one explain that while their general appearance in each ‘Round’ was the same, their bone age and build varied? Moreover, items in the ‘Rules’ and ‘Rounds’ were not interchangeable. Even the clothes they wore in the ‘Rounds’ reverted to what they had on before entering once they returned to the ‘Rules’.
The inner walls of the tower were lit by faint, yellowish oil lamps placed at intervals along the spiral staircase, providing just enough light to see the steps ahead.
The stairs were attached to one side of the tower’s inner wall, with the other side open, without any protective barriers, creating a sense of danger. The steps were narrow, allowing only one person to pass at a time.
Petite Luo Qi led the way, followed closely by Yuan Kejie, Song Gui, Qian Zhen, with Lu Chu and 7 bringing up the rear.
Whether viewed from outside as a cloud-piercing black tower or from the bottom inside, gazing up into the unending darkness, one would think the tower was incredibly tall. However, after only a few spirals, they saw a light ahead.
Luo Qi, at the front, squinted and turned to tell the others, “The exit seems to be ahead.”
Yuan Kejie smiled, touching her empty wrist where her wristband used to be in the ‘Rules’, “After all this, I wonder how much time we’ll be rewarded with back in the ‘Rules’.”
Song Gui responded, “Probably a lot.”
.
Luo Qi continued, and soon they reached a spacious platform, where both the view and space suddenly expanded.
Luo Qi stepped onto the platform without hesitation but then stopped, staring fixedly in one direction.
Curious, Yuan Kejie stepped onto the platform and was stunned by what she saw, “What is this?”
The others followed, one by one.
The walls of the tower became transparent as they stepped onto the platform, leaving only a door standing alone, as if floating in mid-air. Looking down, they seemed to be standing in the clouds; looking out, the night sky adorned with a bright full moon and countless stars presented a magnificent scene.
What left them in awe was the view below, not of a single landmass but fifty-two square regions, each with distinct environments and scenery, connected in a layout identical to the game board they had just played on.
Beyond these squares lay a void, reminiscent of an unfinished game backdrop, devoid of any need for detailed construction.
They could almost see every inch of land they had traversed, especially the penultimate square where they had recently battled monsters due to Song Gui’s bad luck.
Yuan Kejie murmured, “Is this the… end? It’s truly enlightening…”
Song Gui frowned.
The feeling was unsettling, seeing the places where they had fought so hard reduced to mere models. What was the meaning of their desperate battles in such a vast simulated arena?
Qian Zhen and Luo Qi remained silent, deep in thought.
This was the second time Lu Chu had seen the “world” he had just lived in as a detached observer.
For 7, as an eliminator, every time he executed a task, it was from the top of a similar tower.
“Let’s go,” Luo Qi said coldly, “One day, we’ll escape from here.”
She stepped through the door, followed by Yuan Kejie with a shrug, “She’s right, we’ll leave here someday.”
Song Gui smiled, “Of course we will.”
Yuan Kejie, Song Gui, and Qian Zhen stepped through the door.
Now, only Lu Chu and 7 remained.
7 didn’t belong to the same ‘Rules’ as them. Even if they entered the same door, they wouldn’t end up in the same system, meaning Lu Chu wouldn’t see 7 in the ‘Rules’.
With this in mind, Lu Chu stopped and looked at the tall, handsome man beside him.
Lu Chu smiled warmly, looking up into 7’s deep eyes, and asked, “Do you remember what you promised me?”
7 recalled that night, with the sunset blazing like fire. Covered in blood, he stood before a slain giant monster. Lu Chu approached, embraced him, getting blood on his clothes, then stepped back and extended his hand, saying, “Sir, please give me the right to live and die with you.”
7’s eyes softened with indulgence, “I remember everything I promised you.”
—To live and die together.
The most beautiful words he had ever heard.
Lu Chu’s eyes sparkled with a smile, then he extended his hand again.
7, just like before, enveloped Lu Chu’s slender hand with his larger one, “Lu Chu, I will show you the complete world.”
His response was the same as before.
Lu Chu’s eyes shone with a smile, “See you in the next ‘Round’.”
7 smiled back, “Alright.”
Then he released Lu Chu’s hand.
Just as 7 thought Lu Chu would step through the door to the ‘Rules’, Lu Chu suddenly moved closer, and before 7 could react, he gently held 7’s shoulders, tilted his head slightly, and closed his eyes with a soft smile.
A brief touch, like a dragonfly skimming the water.
In that moment, the warm, soft contact through their lips sent a shiver down his spine.
Then, Lu Chu, seemingly calm, said goodbye and stepped through the door, but his ears were slightly red.
7 stood there, watching Lu Chu’s slightly flustered back, feeling a warmth spreading through his heart.
Standing alone at the top of the tower, 7 suddenly felt a searing pain in his chest. His neck muscles tightened, his skin cracked, and warm blood seeped out, soaking his clothes. The wounds tore and healed slowly and painfully, but he remained indifferent.
——————
Lu Chu.
As long as it lets you take one step forward, I would do anything.
Outside the ‘Round’.
