He Wuning and Yi Luo stepped onto the sky region that had been dyed blood-red. The two of them were like glowing fireflies shedding shimmering particles along the way, continuously dropping specks of white light. The area slowly began to return to its original state—though the progress was quite slow.
He Wuning took a fighting stance. The Monster King showed no real intent to fight, but clearly had no plan to simply wait for death either.
He picked up his weapon—a long spear glowing with golden light, its shaft engraved with characters He Wuning couldn’t recognize, likely the writing of the monsters’ world.
He Wuning exchanged a glance with Yi Luo. Yi Luo raised his gun but only stayed on guard, while He Wuning charged forward alone.
He intended to test the monster’s strength first.
“Be careful, sweetie—don’t push yourself!” Q-chan sat anxiously in front of the anti-aircraft machine gun, clearly ready to fire at the first sign of trouble.
He Wuning struck first. Given the opponent’s massive size, he leapt straight onto its arm. Whether wary of He Wuning’s strength or afraid of injuring itself with its weapon, the monster simply kept shaking its arm, trying to fling him off.
He Wuning tested a slash—there was no resistance. The creature’s HP dropped smoothly, and it let out a pained howl.
But He Wuning frowned.
He stepped onto the monster’s shoulder, pressing his blade to its throat. “Do you even intend to fight?”
“I do not wish to fight,” the Monster King said, panting. The imposing spear it had summoned seemed to serve merely as a walking stick.
A strange irritation rose in He Wuning. It felt like he was bullying the weak—yet at the same time, he was angered by the creature’s sudden display of pacifism.
When it held the advantage, it committed atrocities without hesitation. Now that defeat was inevitable, it refused to resist, acting like a helpless civilian to appeal to others’ morality?
The more he thought about it, the more absurd it felt.
“I know we’ve already lost. No matter what, I will die,” the Monster King said, seemingly noticing the disdain in He Wuning’s gaze as it tried to straighten its back. “To become the final administrator, you must kill the previous one to obtain the last 1% fragment.”
“If you are to achieve ultimate victory, I must perish.”
He Wuning raised his head slightly. No wonder this thing had no fighting spirit—it had already accepted its fate.
“Even if I kill you here, I cannot stop the vast human army behind you. This time, it is Blue Star’s victory.” Ignoring the blade at its throat, the Monster King lowered its head to look at him. “I was once the strongest warrior of my world. Human—you may not be my match.”
The name of its planet came out in a strange, vibrating pronunciation—something like “Musia” when approximated in Earth language.
Its massive body showed no intention of resistance. “But I cannot fight for a warrior’s honor at the cost of my innocent people. That is my homeland—I cannot yield.”
“I will accept my death calmly. I will offer you the final 1% fragment. I ask for little—human, leave us a place to exist within this game.”
Clap. Clap. Clap.
Yi Luo applauded expressionlessly, even adding a sound effect himself. “Nice tragic speech. Still, I think you’ve got no backbone.”
“Are you begging your enemy just to secure a chance for your people to become slaves?”
“Backbone…” the monster repeated thoughtfully. “In a biological sense, we are closer to soft-bodied creatures—we have no bones, so naturally we have no ‘backbone.’”
“To survive—that is our only goal.”
“The bodies of the Musia are not strong. Before we gained the help of this game, concepts like technological civilization were nearly nonexistent for us. Our initial circumstances were far worse than yours.”
For the first time, emotion flickered across its face. Its hand clenched slowly against the ground. “We were foolish and weak. In the beginning, we weren’t even qualified to be slaves. Musia was a hunting ground for neighboring planets—we were prey, entertainment for stronger races.”
Its gaze darkened. “I, too, was once a remarkable warrior.”
“You and I are both candidates chosen by this game. You should understand—besides superior physical ability, what sets us apart is our overwhelming desire to win.”
He Wuning fell silent for a moment… then reluctantly admitted that yes, he probably did have that trait.
“We won that game,” the Monster King continued, breathing quickening with emotion. “It was our first victory since the birth of our species—an unforgettable moment of glory.”
“In the century that followed, our planet advanced rapidly. We built defenses and were no longer hunted at will. Yet my cowardly people did not dare to seek revenge.”
“But I am the king of the game—and the king of Musia. I led them to hunt on the enemy’s planets, just as they once hunted us. From that day on, my world rose, and my people awakened.”
“It took me hundreds—thousands—of years to erase their cowardice, to make them call themselves warriors.”
“It was incredibly difficult.”
He Wuning’s expression darkened. He clearly had no desire to keep listening. Yi Luo glanced at him and smoothly took over the questioning. “Turning an entire species’ nature around does sound unbelievable. How did you do it?”
“Simple,” the Monster King said, almost proudly. “Musia have strong reproductive capabilities—that is how we survived despite our weakness.”
“I first taught them to fight, guiding them toward aggression. Then I killed the timid ones—the children who resembled our former selves.”
He Wuning’s grip on his blade tightened instantly. Yi Luo’s smile didn’t change, but the warmth in his eyes vanished. Still, he subtly stopped He Wuning from acting.
The monster continued calmly, “I told them only aggressive children could earn the honor of entering the game and becoming my warriors. You may not understand—but on my planet, I am revered like a god.”
“The average Musia lifespan is only about ten years. But with this game, as its administrator, I’ve lived for over a thousand.”
“When you live hundreds of times longer than your kind, you cease to be one of them—you become something to be worshipped.”
“I don’t believe in gods,” He Wuning said coldly.
“Yes,” the Monster King replied without surprise. “That disbelief among some of your people has always troubled us.”
“You are a troublesome species.”
“But there’s no need to worry. Even after generations of cultivation, only a portion of my people are warlike. Many remain gentle, unwilling to fight.” It calmly proposed something horrifying. “You can kill all the aggressive ones. The rest would never dare betray you.”
“They are naturally submissive—ideal slaves.”
Yi Luo looked at it strangely. “That’s… quite the suggestion.”
“I only want them to survive—to let our species continue.” The monster lowered its gaze. “As for the future… who knows?”
“Perhaps we will have another chance to rise again.”
As if deciding the topic was pointless, it quickly shifted. “Will you accept my request? It poses no harm to you.”
“After the game ends, the administrator gains the right to choose opponents across the universe. The coordinates of Musia are recorded—you could easily destroy it.”
“As for civilizations before us—we wiped them out. To prevent future vengeance, every victorious civilization has done the same.”
“Always.”
By now, the players following He Wuning had finally reached the edge of the sky region—but they could not enter.
An invisible barrier blocked their way. Panting from the climb, they anxiously pounded against the unseen wall.
“What’s going on?” He Wuning glanced back, raising his brows in confusion.
“It’s my ability.” Held at blade-point by He Wuning, the Monster King looked toward the players blocked outside. “I know that under the gaze of the masses, your decisions would inevitably be influenced.”
“So this is just a transaction between us.”
“They won’t know. You can kill me like a legendary hero. If necessary, I can even act out a scene with you.”
“You don’t seem to realize—I intend to end this game,” He Wuning looked down at it, clearly ready to end the conversation. “Now then, are you going to fight to the death?”
“What did you say?”
The Monster King froze, stunned. It had expected rejection—perhaps threats, perhaps arrogance—but it had never considered that someone would want to shut the game down entirely.
“Why?”
It asked in disbelief, “Your civilization is far inferior to what exists in the game. You can obtain endless resources here! In a hundred years, would you really be willing to let all of that disappear?”
“And with the game’s support, an administrator shares its lifespan. If the game is shut down, with a human lifespan, it’s very possible you’ll die instantly the moment it ends!”
“The aging that has been suppressed over the years will strike all at once—diseases of old age, hidden organ failure—all of it will bring you endless pain. You might literally die of old age!”
“Why would you choose such an ugly way to die? Why give up the chance to become a ruler? Even in a universe this vast, as long as you don’t encounter higher civilizations, within our reach you could still become kings—”
He Wuning impatiently raised his blade. Only then did the monster finally show a trace of fighting spirit.
But it was far from composed. In several exchanges, it couldn’t gain any advantage. Wounds multiplied across its body, its HP steadily dropped, and its emotions began to spiral.
“Something must be wrong—this is a mistake! The game chose the wrong person! You’re not qualified to be an administrator candidate—you have no competitive drive at all! Voice of the World! Are you there?! Aaagh!”
“This is impossible! How could anyone not want to grow stronger? How could anyone give up the chance to rule? Don’t tell me—you’re not even planning to take revenge on Musia?!”
“Hey, if that’s the case, your home planet gets to survive—why do you look so shocked?” Yi Luo said lightly while aiming his gun, his tone cheerful but words sharp. “Or is it that you think being slaves under a ruler is better than continuing to live as the weak?”
He chuckled. “Though honestly, if I were Musia, I might set off fireworks when you die. …Wait, does Musia even have fireworks?”
“Nonsense!” the monster roared. “I am their beloved king! I am the giant who created the Musia era! I have ruled this game for ten—ugh!”
He Wuning kicked it square in the chest, frowning in irritation. “Slaughtering your own people—that’s something worth respecting in a king?”
“You’ve done a lot of things I find unbelievable, but this one takes the prize. And you’re actually proud of it?”
“It was for the evolution of our race!” the monster insisted stubbornly. “A species ruled by someone like you—that is their greatest tragedy!”
It suddenly snapped its fingers. The players were shocked to find the invisible barrier blocking them had vanished. But the situation in the arena was already completely one-sided—He Wuning clearly didn’t need any help.
Pointing at him, the monster shouted, “Humans, remember him!”
“Because of this man—this weak man—you have lost the chance to become rulers of the Solar System, the galaxy!”
“You’ll continue to cower in this barren star system as weak carbon-based lifeforms—all because of this fool!”
Panting as he arrived to watch the commotion, Xue Xun wiped his sweat and asked casually, “What’s this about? Rambling nonsense before death?”
Padra analyzed seriously, “I think it knows it’s going to die, but still wants to cause trouble—probably trying to incite internal conflict among us.”
“Whoa, these aliens are really devious.” Xue Xun immediately grabbed Padra’s hand. “Comrade, we’ve fought side by side—we’re family. Can’t fall for such low-level tricks.”
“Long live peace, long live peace.”
Padra clasped his hand back. “Exactly, exactly—love & peace!”
Yi Luo rubbed his temples. “He gave such an impassioned speech, and this is your reaction? Isn’t that a bit disrespectful?”
“I actually have a lot I want to correct you on,” He Wuning said calmly, not angry. He stepped on the monster’s chest and tilted his head slightly. “But thinking about it, educating you isn’t really my responsibility.”
His blade pointed at the monster’s heart. “I don’t know if your Musia have a concept of reincarnation. If you do, I hope in your next life you’ll understand a bit more about how to be a decent person.”
The blade plunged down without hesitation.
The monster let out its final wail. The key He Wuning held finally became complete—but no one had time to study it. The crowd erupted into thunderous cheers, surging forward all at once.
Brilliant white light burst from the players. The blood-soaked sky was instantly flooded with radiant light, as if washed clean, gradually returning to its original state.
Everyone across the world saw the change—on the sky ladder, in the wild, in the safe zones—cheers rang out everywhere.
“We won! We won!”
“Humanity has won! We can go home!”
“Waaah, Mom, Dad…”
“I want to go home! I want xiaolongbao, soup dumplings, wontons! I want crystal pork knuckle, Longjing shrimp, crispy roast duck!”
“Stop listing food—you’re making me hungry!”
Inside the service hall building, He An’an stared blankly at the distant white light. His tightly clenched fists finally relaxed.
Qi Hong had come to stand beside him at some point. He pointed at the horizon and smiled. “Look—it’s light. The light I’ve seen before.”
……
The Voice of the World began its final announcement: “Congratulations to the players of Blue Star—”
“Wait a second!”
Yi Luo interrupted with a dissatisfied click of his tongue. “Such a huge victory and you’re just going to announce it dryly like that? Put on some appropriate background music.”
“How about an old Eastern celebratory song—Today Is a Good Day!”
He Wuning fell silent for a moment. “Isn’t that a bit… too festive?”
Yi Luo slung an arm around his shoulders and shouted to the players, “Do you want to hear it?”
The response was overwhelming: “Yes—!”
He Wuning was stunned by the enthusiasm, then sighed. “Fine, play it.”
The Voice of the World paused. Then a bright, cheerful female voice rang out across every corner of the game, accompanied by lively “Hey! Hey!” chants.
Amid the noisy, joyful music, it announced: “Congratulations to the players of Blue Star for achieving final victory. Reward: one hundred years of game experience. During this period, Administrator He Ningning—”
He Wuning corrected, “He Wuning.”
The Voice paused again, then gave up resisting. “Administrator He Wuning will possess full authority within the game. The administrator may establish auxiliary systems at will. Acting administrator ‘Voice of the World’ will enter temporary dormancy for one hundred years. If necessary, it may be reawakened using the Administrator’s Key.”
“Enjoy your game.”
It seemed to disappear—but only He Wuning heard it whisper softly: “See you in one hundred years, esteemed administrator.”
He Wuning let out a quiet laugh. “We won’t meet again.”
End of main story.
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