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Even though Gu Zhan said this, Yu Yezhou was still very nervous, continuously looking at Mo Tuo.

Gu Zhan walked over to sit next to Mo Tuo and asked, “How is the situation outside?”

Yu Yezhou replied, “It’s still the same. Hai Chao’s people are causing havoc everywhere. We followed your advice and took over a nearby warehouse. For some reason, the robots inside didn’t resist.”

“Your system has completely failed.” Mo Tuo suddenly spoke up.

Although he had appeared in front of Yu Yezhou and the others several times, this was the first time he directly spoke to them. When he did, it startled them.

The room was silent for a moment, but curiosity about the situation soon took over.

Yu Yezhou asked, “Why did the system fail?”

Mo Tuo said, “The system is there to maintain the world’s rules. When the rules fail, the system naturally fails too. Well, as you guessed, the system has no combat power. It cannot maintain the rules.”

“How can it have no combat power?” Yu Yezhou was confused. “If it has no combat power, then what about before…?”

What about being bound by the system to enter instances? Many had died in those instances and turned into monsters. If the entity enforcing those rules had no combat power, then why had they obeyed the system?

In that moment, Yu Yezhou felt like his worldview was about to collapse.

Mo Tuo, however, continued, “You were only constrained by the need to survive. Your daily supplies, aren’t they all provided by the system? From the start, no one forced you to go into the instances. Everyone simply knew that the consequences of being left to wander the streets would be far worse than entering an instance.”

“And…” Mo Tuo showed that mischievous smile again, leaning on the table and getting closer to Yu Yezhou, grinning as he said, “You didn’t come here unwillingly, right? You definitely had to enter the instances, otherwise, the purpose of being here would be meaningless.”

Yu Yezhou was momentarily stunned.

Gu Zhan stepped forward, trying to stop Mo Tuo from going any further.

But it seemed it was already too late.

Yu Yezhou’s expression went blank, as if remembering something.

The others nearby had slightly open mouths, their faces full of shock.

The purpose of being here...

Yu Yezhou suddenly recalled something from a long time ago.

At that time, he was still an elementary school teacher, taking his students on a spring outing. A massive oil tanker passed by, and suddenly it overturned. Their peaceful lives were shrouded in darkness as they were crushed under the vehicle. He lost consciousness, and the children with him were thrown out through the doors and windows, their blood and entrails spilling everywhere.

If only time could rewind to before they left.

He would never have chosen that path.

These children’s lives had just begun. How could they end here?

He imagined the despair of the children’s parents upon hearing the bad news, crying uncontrollably.

But then, someone suddenly asked him.

“Do you just want the children to survive?”

Just the children?

What about him?

Of course, he had his own life. He had worked for a few years, saved a little money, and was planning to travel abroad with some friends during the summer. He had already paid for the travel agency and was discussing the details, the money was all paid… but now he couldn’t go back…

And his parents… they should be devastated as well.

“There’s a chance now. If successful, time will rewind, and everything will go back to before it was irrevocable. Would you like to try?”

In the void, Yu Yezhou heard himself say, “I want to try.”

“…”

Everyone in the room simultaneously recalled similar stories—everything they couldn’t achieve, everything they had lost, everything beyond their control, and deep down, a voice telling them there could be one more chance.

They had all been half deceived, half voluntarily brought here.

The moment they arrived in Chun Bai Cheng, their past memories dissolved. Not forgotten, but submerged deep in the sea of memories, they couldn’t recall them.

Now, with Mo Tuo’s words, those dissolved memories resurfaced in their minds.

There was a moment of silence in the meeting room. After the silence, everyone’s expressions changed.

They remembered some forgotten things.

So, it was true—they had come to this instance voluntarily.

Yu Yezhou sat on the bench, his eyes unfocused, unsure of what brought others to the instance. But for him, if he died without obtaining that ticket to leave, even if he left this game world, his life would be over.

In comparison, staying here didn’t seem so bad.

Maybe he could stay here for the rest of his life.

But then, a voice seemed to ask him in his mind: what about those children? Before coming here, he had vowed to save their lives together…

Yu Yezhou felt a headache coming on, his hand pressed against the table, holding his forehead.

Yang Lin sat beside him, her expression dazed, for the first time not offering comfort to Yu Yezhou.

Suddenly, Mo Tuo’s light laugh rang out, as he observed the players, as if this was a very amusing thing.

Gu Zhan frowned slightly, walking behind Mo Tuo, pressing on his shoulder and signaling for him to stop being so arrogant.

As familiar faces entered his field of vision, Yu Yezhou slowly regained his senses, looking up at Gu Zhan and asking, “Aren’t you shocked? You must have known by now…”

Gu Zhan replied, “I did know a long time ago, but it’s not that hard to accept.”

Yu Yezhou looked up at Gu Zhan. “What was your reason for entering the game?”

Gu Zhan said, “Life was too boring. I was just looking for a place that suited my life.”

Yu Yezhou’s eyes widened suddenly, and after a moment, he smiled helplessly, saying, “Of course it’s you. Your reason is as expected.”

Then, he blankly looked at Gu Zhan, his eyes thoughtful.

Finally, he mumbled softly, “You really are more suited to…”

Monster's life.

The words were left unspoken, but Gu Zhan understood.

Being rejected by fellow humans and relegated to the monster faction didn’t bother Gu Zhan himself. In fact, it excited Mo Tuo, who looked up with a "see, he thinks the same" expression at Gu Zhan.

Gu Zhan pressed Mo Tuo’s face back down and said to Yu Yezhou, “Does how you came here have a big impact on what you do next?”

Yu Yezhou’s slow mind finally began to turn.

It mattered, but not much.

They were now facing Hai Chao... Hai Chao were the ones disrupting the game rules.

They wanted to stay here forever.

Suddenly, an idea sparked in Yu Yezhou’s mind. If time in the real world didn’t move forward while in the game, and he never left, the story outside would stop progressing. Could that mean...?

Quickly, he dismissed the thought.

That was avoidance!

“I still want to leave here.” Yu Yezhou’s eyes regained their determination. “What about you?”

He asked Yang Lin and the others.

Yang Lin’s story wasn’t as complicated. After the initial shock, she had already recovered.

Her tone was even more resolute than Yu Yezhou’s. “Of course, I want to leave. But how does leaving relate to dealing with Hai Chao?”

At that moment, Mo Tuo suddenly snapped his fingers, drawing everyone’s attention to him.

Mo Tuo said, “I have some news for you. After dealing with Hai Chao, a large number of exit qualifications will be released. If you want to leave the game, this will be your last chance.”

“Why?” Yu Yezhou was shocked.

Mo Tuo replied, “This world isn’t as stable as you think. Monsters and humans are both real beings, and as such, they are bound by rules. We need power to exchange for wishes and bring you here, but some disobedient people have disrupted the rules. All players who witnessed that scene now have the seed of rebellion in their hearts. So, it’s time to replace the current batch of livestock.”

“Before we let you leave, the final batch of qualifications will be issued. Whether you can get one depends on your abilities.” He leaned on his arm, tilting his head as he looked at them.

His exquisitely beautiful eyes held a smile, a naive cruelty to them.

Yu Yezhou and the others were completely stunned.

The last chance?

That meant, whether they obtained the qualification or not, they would be kicked out of this world?

Yu Yezhou fell silent for a moment before letting out a bitter laugh. “I never thought that one day I would actually want to stay here.”

“Of course you can stay here.” Mo Tuo said. “Become a monster.”

Yang Lin asked, “What about Hai Chao? Didn’t they become monsters?”

Mo Tuo laughed, “Even I have to accept the system’s constraints. They want to become monsters, but they don’t want to accept the system’s rules. Is there such a good deal in this world? They’re not monsters. They’re more like parasites—parasites of this world.”

“Building a world requires a lot of energy and resources. But if parasites cannot be removed, the only option is to destroy the world and create a new one... Understand? Help us get rid of these parasites, and the system will calculate your contribution in the final settlement. You will have a better chance of getting that exit qualification.”

Exit qualifications were always rare and only available in the shop at exorbitant prices.

Hearing that the system would release exit qualifications, especially in bulk, Yu Yezhou found it hard to believe his ears.

Mo Tuo watched them with a slight smile, not bothering to defend this matter.

The game world had a huge advantage when it came to exit qualifications.

Yu Yezhou said, “From your description, it seems we weren’t supposed to be sent out this soon.”

“Yes.” Mo Tuo nodded. “After all, constructing a world is complicated. It won’t be dismantled until it starts to rot.”

“It’s because of Hai Chao.” Yang Lin frowned.

Mo Tuo didn’t nod this time, but everyone understood.

“Well, stop dwelling on the reasons. The result is what it is.”

At this point, Sang Yue, who had been silent, suddenly spoke up.

Her expression had calmed down significantly, clearly, she too had fallen deep into her own memories.

“What should we do?” Sang Yue asked Mo Tuo directly.

Mo Tuo shrugged. “You’ll know soon enough.”

This conversation ended like that. Afterward, when Yu Yezhou relayed Hai Chao’s movements, Mo Tuo stood by the window, listlessly staring outside, daydreaming, yawning.

When everything was said and done, Yu Yezhou couldn’t help himself and pulled Gu Zhan aside, quietly asking, “What are you planning?”

Before Gu Zhan could respond, the others stealthily gathered around.

There were only a few people in the room, but as they crowded around the door, despite their sneaky movements...

It was still quite obvious.

“What are you all doing?” Gu Zhan asked helplessly.

Sang Yue tugged at his sleeve. “Of course we’re leaving this hellhole if we can, but what about you?”

“Yes.” Yang Lin asked, worried, “What about you?”

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