As the settlement concluded, Tong Gu noticed tiny specks of light beginning to flicker within the pitch-black void. The space was collapsing.
This place operated at an almost frozen time flow, never allowing anyone to linger for too long.
With a sharp motion, Tong Gu ripped the alloy plate embedded in his back.
Rip!
A searing pain shot through him. Even with his extraordinary physique boasting a non-human constitution score of 19, veins bulged on his forehead as he suppressed a groan.
He shouted into the void, "Full restoration!"
[Due to your injuries, full restoration will deduct 632 Destiny Points. Proceed with restoration?]
Tong Gu frowned. Why was the cost so high? From what he'd gathered on the forums, most external injuries—burns covering the entire body, even—wouldn't exceed 200 points. Did his body harbor some hidden condition?
"Restore!"
As the points were deducted, a warm energy instantly enveloped him. Tong Gu felt his skin rapidly regenerate, returning to pristine condition. More importantly, a cooling sensation swept through his body, making him realize just how overheated he had been.
[Restoration complete.]
He placed the bloodstained alloy plate into his inventory, took one last look at the void-like space, and silently muttered, "Return."
The space collapsed in an instant. Blinding white light erupted, flooding Tong Gu's vision, accompanied by a torrent of data that surged through his brain in mere moments, leaving him unable to process any coherent thoughts.
As the light gradually faded, he felt solid ground beneath his feet.
---
"Ah…"
"Ugh…"
"My daughter is gone…"
"Has anyone seen my son? He must have returned. He was… so talented…"
Li Mei listened to the ceaseless cries echoing around her in Amber Square, her heart gripped by fear. She pulled tightly on her ill-fitting blazer, the mature makeup on her face barely concealing the tears threatening to spill.
Next to her, Guo Dengyuan patted her shoulder reassuringly, then nudged the cowering cameraman behind him, Wang Xiang. In an exaggeratedly jovial tone, he teased, "What's wrong? Did this scene scare you stiff?"
Li Mei shot him a glare and retaliated with a kick. She could tell Guo Dengyuan was just as nervous as she was. Turning serious, she asked, "Do you really think someone like that will appear?"
Wang Xiang, looking utterly drained, muttered bitterly to himself. He already regretted tagging along with Guo Dengyuan today. Each wail he heard only confirmed that yet another family had lost a child—yet another ordinary person like him… had died.
Would his parents cry like this next year? Or… would they even survive until next year?
With a touch of fatalism, he muttered, "As if some purple portal is going to appear!"
"Anyone who gets an A-rank in the Awakening Trial is a monster. There are barely a handful nationwide in a year."
Guo Dengyuan, however, stared intently at the central portal of the square, dormant for so long. Despite its typical dim, gray-white glow when active, he murmured, "It'll happen. Xinyuan's intel is never wrong…"
Suddenly, the colossal portal—hundreds of meters tall—dimmed momentarily before bursting into golden light.
The radiant golden portal illuminated the pre-dawn Amber Square as if the sun had risen prematurely.
"This… this is…"
Wang Xiang gawked at the portal's dazzling brilliance, struggling to articulate words as his lips trembled.
"Gold… that's an S-rank portal!" Li Mei's voice quivered with emotion, tears smearing her makeup as she hastily wiped her face. The oppressive gloom in her heart seemed to lift, replaced by radiant hope.
Guo Dengyuan stood in stunned silence, overwhelmed by the sight. For a moment, he couldn't react. All he could think was, This light… it's so warm.
"With people like this, humanity… won't perish, right? Maybe… I won't die either!"
Driven by excitement, Guo Dengyuan grabbed Li Mei and Wang Xiang by the arms and dashed toward the portal. His frail body faltered after a few steps, leaving him gasping for breath, but his face was alight with exhilaration.
---
The piercing wails of Amber Square rushed into Tong Gu's ears as his hearing returned. Standing beneath the resplendent golden portal, he gazed at the square—a scene of human suffering laid bare.
The square was a veritable human purgatory. Hooded men and women wept and wailed uncontrollably, their faces twisted in grief. Nearby, others stood frozen in mute despair.
Their children hadn't returned from the Awakening Trial.
Tong Gu's lips, which had been curving ever so slightly from his S-rank success, flattened once more.
That's right—people like him were the rare exception.
In the face of the "Game of Fate," humanity was simply losing—losing their children, lovers, parents…
A wave of apathy washed over him. He pulled up the tattered hood of his cloak, concealing his face, and prepared to leave.
But the radiant golden portal had drawn countless stares. More and more people turned to the lone figure standing beneath it.
Clap. Clap. Clap.
To Tong Gu's astonishment, the grieving crowd began to applaud.
"You people…"
He stared at the tear-streaked faces, at these anguished souls clapping with all their might. The absurdity of it all pressed heavily on him.
"Quick, get the camera on him!"
"Li Mei, interview him now, before the commercial media arrive!"
Feeling irritated, Tong Gu raised his gaze. A young man in a crisp blue suit had approached, directing a man and woman behind him. Despite his pale complexion, the man's glasses glinted with amusement, which Tong Gu found particularly grating.
The woman stepped forward to block his path. Her long hair cascaded to her waist, but her expression faltered under Tong Gu's emotionless gaze. She paled, gripping the microphone tightly but unable to utter a word.
Guo Dengyuan, seeing Li Mei falter, hurried over. He called out, "Sir, student…" fumbling over which term to use, "This S-rank individual, may I ask how you feel right now?"
Tong Gu cast him a cold look, his patience fraying. Everywhere, there were always opportunists like this. In times like these, they couldn't resist chasing the spotlight?
Placing a hand over the microphone, Tong Gu locked eyes with Guo Dengyuan and asked icily, "Seeing this scene of separation and death, how do you feel?"
With a firm squeeze, the microphone cracked and fizzled with static before falling to the ground in pieces.
Li Mei's eyes welled with tears once more, though now from frustration. Yet, staring at the still-glowing golden portal, she mustered her courage and shouted at the retreating figure.
"Hey, S-rank! You'll be humanity's hero, won't you?"
Tong Gu's steps faltered briefly but resumed without him looking back.
"Humanity's hero? Hah…" The words stirred something complicated within him.
As Tong Gu disappeared into the distance, the square's atmosphere plunged back into despair. Cries rang out once more, while late-arriving media scrambled to locate the S-rank trial survivor.
*********************************************
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