novelraw Chapter 270: The Former Player and the Former Game
Chapter 270: The Former Player and the Former Game
After finishing his speech, the warden went back to his own business. There were still quite a few surviving prisoners left, so he had plenty of "cleanup work" to do. As for what he had said earlier, only Lu Ce and Xie Antong truly understood among the others.
"What did he mean by people similar to us? Was he also a player? Did he fail in a previous game and get imprisoned here?"
"The timeline doesn't add up. How long has this game been running? From the sound of it, he seems to have been here for many years."
"Maybe the timelines were never consistent to begin with..."
While the group was discussing, Lu Ce had already stepped forward and approached Know-it-All.
Xie Antong glanced at them and explained: "This game's arrival might not be the first time. The duration of this game and the secrets involved are numerous."
"If that person is indeed a former player... he might have truly entered this game many years ago."
......
"What's wrong? Feeling depressed? Or did I smooth out the wrinkles on your cerebral cortex?"
Standing before Know-it-All, Lu Ce looked him up and down with a laugh.The previously dazed Know-it-All's eyes flickered slightly upon hearing that tone. He raised his head to look at Lu Ce.
"Hmph." He snorted coldly, having figured out many things by now. "You were the one who talked to me earlier, weren't you? You're quite the master at changing faces."
"Not entirely me," Lu Ce replied.
"I know. The rude one was you. That girl isn't as annoying as you."
"Thanks for the recognition."
After exchanging a few meaningless words, Know-it-All suddenly let out a long sigh.
"How... did you know everything here was a conspiracy?"
"What if I told you I was just spouting nonsense at the beginning? Would you believe me?"
Know-it-All looked up, somewhat confused. "Complete nonsense? Without any basis?"
"Yep. No basis whatsoever."
Lu Ce shrugged, his already corrupted and twisted mask seemingly eager to see the other's reaction.
Know-it-All's lips twitched before he let out a couple of bitter laughs.
"Heh... hehe. To think something like this could be guessed randomly... and yet it all turned out to be correct?"
"The world truly is unpredictable."
Another silence fell between them. Know-it-All raised a hand to his lips, and a cigarette materialized out of thin air. Then, lifting his other hand, he rubbed his fingers together to produce a match and lit it.
"Pfft—"
He exhaled a long stream of smoke. Though Lu Ce never smoked, judging by the other's expression, that drag must have felt incredible.
"You're... number one? What does that mean? Is everyone acknowledging you? Who specifically ranked you?"
"The game did. It's public now." Lu Ce found a spot to sit down as he spoke.
"Public?" Know-it-All raised his eyebrows. "To whom?"
"The game has descended. Everyone in the world knows about it now. Hundreds of millions have been chosen and can become players at any time."
"Cough! Cough cough!!"
Hearing this, Know-it-All choked violently, his wounds oozing fresh blood as he threw the cigarette to the ground.
"What?! The whole world knows? And players are publicly ranked?!"
Lu Ce nodded.
Know-it-All was first shocked, then gradually calmed down, his eyes filled with unfathomable melancholy. He sighed deeply and said nothing more.
"What era are you from? Judging by your face, we're probably from the same country," Lu Ce asked.
"The People's Republic of China," Know-it-All declared with pride and composure.
Lu Ce nodded.
"Mm. You're number one, huh? Not bringing shame to the country. Are you a Party member?"
"I think we should change the subject..." Lu Ce frowned slightly. This guy might be from who-knows-what era. "What year was it when you came here?"
"I can't remember," Know-it-All said, pounding his head hard.
"My memories are chaotic. To be honest, I can't even tell which memories are truly mine anymore."
"I'm acutely aware that I know things I shouldn't have seen, like computers, the internet, and... Bitcoin."
"Our era shouldn't have had those..."
Lu Ce fell silent. Honestly, the other's experience was terrifying.
Physical pain could be endured—especially since he didn't feel any to begin with—but if one's mind was directly tampered with and memories replaced, it was hard to say whether this person could even be considered alive anymore...
"So... what major events happened in your era?" Lu Ce tentatively asked.
"In my era... How's the Soviet Union doing now? Have relations improved? Has communism been achieved?"
"The Soviet Union is gone," Lu Ce replied calmly. "It's called Russia now, along with a bunch of smaller countries."
......
Know-it-All said nothing, but Lu Ce could clearly see the shock in his eyes.
"...What about those damn Japs?"
"They're still around."
"Heh. Fuck."
Letting out a sarcastic laugh, Know-it-All didn't dwell on the topic. Instead, he looked at Lu Ce and said:
"Alright, enough about these old stories."
"I know what you came to ask me. I'll try to share whatever information I can confirm."
At this point, the other players had gathered around, their eyes filled with curiosity.
For many of them, this was the first time they'd heard that this game might have existed before.
Xie Antong checked the live stream and said to Lu Ce:
"The live stream seems to have been cut off. Tch. Not sure if it's the game's AI detection."
"What live stream?" Know-it-All interjected, looking up in confusion.
After hearing Xie Antong's explanation, he was utterly stunned before shaking his head in amazement.
"Technology has advanced so much nowadays..."
"Alright, everyone. I may be from an older era, but due to the asymmetrical timeline and my messed-up memories, I won't play the elder."
"Let me just share this with you: First, this game didn't start in your era. It existed long before—trust me, possibly far earlier than you can imagine."
"Many of the bizarre stories you've read in history books might be related to this."
Hearing such a strange claim for the first time, many grew intrigued.
Charge Horn couldn't hold back and blurted out: "Like what?"
"I won't talk about domestic cases since many are uncertain. Let's discuss foreign ones," Know-it-All replied.
"For example... Dante!"