Bai Liu was able to sit up the next day, much to the doctors' astonishment.
Before they could investigate the reasons for his remarkably fast recovery, he was taken to bed and attended by the domestic observatory.
Now, Bai Liu sat quietly on an observation-post bed, gazing sideways out the window at the howling snow and wind, while a dozing Du Sanying lay beside him.
There was a light knock at the door.
"Mr. Bai Liu, may we come in?"
Du Sanying jolted awake, wiped the drool from his mouth, and glanced at Bai Liu in the hospital bed.
Bai Liu didn't turn, still staring out the window. "Come in."
The door swung open, and the five escorts entered, followed by the chief of the observation post. They stood respectfully at the foot of Bai Liu's bed, heads bowed.
"You helped us deal with the heretic during this escort," the chief said.
Bai Liu gave a faint hum. "I didn't do anything."
"Mr. Bai, you've done a truly worthy thing," the station manager said, smiling. "I heard the Heretic Authority was relocating the original plant that caused the dried-leaf rose to Antarctica for preservation. I didn't agree with it, but since no method was found to destroy the plant, it had to be moved to this sparsely populated region."
He exhaled a long sigh of relief. "Fortunately, you found a way to destroy it in time, so other observatory researchers wouldn't be misled by the rose and tempted to take it."
Bai Liu finally turned toward them and laughed softly, slowly repeating the manager's words. "The original rose plant was transported to the South Pole?"
The station manager froze. "…Yes."
"So," Bai Liu murmured, almost to himself, "Your memories of it have been altered… changed to the rose plant…"
"…I'm the only one who remembers him dead. I'm the only one who remembers him alive."
He turned his head again, nodding slightly, indicating he understood. Then he fell silent.
Everyone else remembered only the withering of an insignificant, fragrant rose. Only he remembered that it was his God who had died.
The five escorts exchanged glances, then bowed and thanked Bai Liu for saving them from the near-crash on the plane. They said their goodbyes and left, allowing Bai Liu to rest.
The captain lingered at the door. As he was about to leave, he looked back at Bai Liu's pale face. His mind drifted to what Bai Liu had said on the plane:
[You have people you want to save, and I have a monster I want to save.]
At that moment, Bai Liu's eyes were so sincere. In all his years in the Heretic Authority, the captain had encountered countless high-risk heretics, but he had never seen such a moving look in the eyes of one.
Even though this heretic had only shown that look to save a sinfully alluring rose, the captain felt genuinely moved.
That rose had been Bai Liu's equivalent of a friend, a lover, a family—everything he had risked himself for on the plane, even if it meant cutting himself into four pieces.
In the end, the people Bai Liu sought to save survived—but the rose he wanted to save did not.
The captain felt an inexplicable pang of regret. After a pause, he spoke.
"I've briefed Captain Su on what happened when you helped us. He will apply to his superiors to consider downgrading your risk level, giving you greater freedom of movement."
"All four body restraints were removed during your transfer to the domestic observatory. The Third Branch will not monitor you until the new downgrade decision is issued."
"Thank you for saving us—and everyone here," the captain added. "About the rose… I'm sorry."
Bai Liu didn't reply. He simply closed the door behind him, a slight bow of farewell.
Once they had left, Bai Liu ripped the IV tube from the back of his hand. To Du Sanying's shock, he ordered, "Lock the door. Don't let any ordinary people in. Pack up—we're going into the game."
Du Sanying watched in disbelief as blood trickled steadily from Bai Liu's hand. He whispered, "The doctor said you were given an anticoagulant to prevent clots and told you not to walk around. It'll bleed nonstop…"
Bai Liu glanced at him, and Du Sanying shrank back obediently, locking the door behind him.
"Go into the game. Liu Jiayi and the others should be waiting there," Bai Liu said. "Liu Jiayi has a better treatment than anticoagulants."
Du Sanying asked, stunned, "What kind of treatment?"
Bai Liu's answer was simple: "An antidote."
-----------------
In-game.
Outside the small guild building of the Wandering Circus, Liu Jiayi paced anxiously. Mu Sicheng crouched in the doorway, vacant-eyed, hands on his knees.
Mu Ke leaned motionless against the door, arms crossed, head bowed, expression unreadable.
Tang Erda stood near the bin, a lit cigarette dangling from his mouth, fiddling distractedly with his gun—moving so fast that the naked eye could barely follow.
Unloaded, assembled, ammo removed, reloaded, magazine and chamber bumping against each other…
In all the countless world lines, he had never imagined Bai Liu would get into trouble trying to save the people of the Heresy Handling Bureau.
His heart dissected… bleeding profusely, collapsed in the freezing snow, held by Du Sanying for over half an hour before rescue arrived, clothes soaked in his own blood…
Tang Erda had never seen Bai Liu so… miserable.
He had always been omnipotent and omnipresent, the sole chosen believer of the evil gods, the world existing only to indulge his whims.
But this time, the gods—who had always favored Bai Liu—seemed to punish him severely because he refused to follow the trajectory he was meant to follow.
Tang Erda was lost in thought when Mu Sicheng's shout cut through the air: "Bai Liu!"
All eyes swiveled instantly.
Bai Liu appeared, dressed in a loose hospital gown, blood still dripping from his hands, followed by a sneaky man. He looked at them calmly and walked straight toward the guild entrance.
Mu Ke lowered his hands, Mu Sicheng jumped to his feet, Liu Jiayi froze, and Tang Erda stowed his gun.
He didn't look well—but after all this tension, he was finally here.
As Bai Liu reached them, Mu Ke handed him a bandage. "Wrap this around your arm."
Bai Liu nodded, taking it. As he moved inside, he began giving orders. "I still have wounds. Du Sanying has told you my condition—they're not difficult to handle. Wait for a less challenging game in the pool. Once we enter, Liu Jiayi will heal me with her skill."
Liu Jiayi nodded. "Understood."
Bai Liu glanced at Mu Ke. "Is Wang Shun in the guild?"
Mu Ke nodded.
Turning to Du Sanying, who had been trailing behind, Bai Liu said, "Have Wang Shun give Du Sanying a lesson on the basics of the game. Track his progress for me, and have Wang Shun reserve a weekly time slot to teach the same material—because Du Sanying will forget."
"Also, remind Wang Shun to limit emotional contact while teaching. Du Sanying's luck value will be affected."
"Mu Ke, you take Du Sanying through the team and league basics. Run him through a level 1 game or two so he gets used to it first."
"Understood." Mu Ke led Du Sanying away. The younger boy hesitated, then, after a nod from Bai Liu, trotted after him.
Bai Liu turned to Mu Sicheng. "There's something for you."
Mu Sicheng's face remained neutral. "What is it?"
"Because of something… Killer Sequence Spades did, my usual weapons and props were partially confiscated. The league still needs them, so I need better replacements."
"I think the cost should be borne by Killer Sequence," Bai Liu continued. "They were the number one guild last year—they should have a substantial stock of props this year."
"Let Charles communicate first. If they're willing to sell, buy them. If not…"
Bai Liu glanced at Mu Sicheng's monkey paw. "Do you understand?"
Mu Sicheng grinned, rubbing his wrist. "Got it. Just storm in and raid their master inventory, right?"
Bai Liu nodded.
Mu Sicheng gave the OK sign and left.
Bai Liu then looked at Tang Erda. "You and Jiayi will enter the game with me. I'm not in a state to go in alone with Jiayi. I'll be surrounded and need strong support."
Tang Erda finally relaxed. "Naturally. Shall we enter the game pool now?"
Bai Liu nodded.
Liu Jiayi felt relieved as well. She had feared Bai Liu would try to be the hero and enter the game alone with her. He looked too weak now.
Yet, even in his haggard state, Bai Liu's arrival immediately steadied the guild. Hearts calmed, tensions eased.
What a natural tactician—such control over the field.
Liu Jiayi stole a glance at Bai Liu's chest.
He looked calm and composed, as if he had suffered no psychological trauma at all. The memory of him being brought out of the game unconscious already seemed blurred.
Who could have broken Bai Liu's heart like that?
Only Spades could have wounded him in the last round—but that guy didn't seem capable of inflicting real psychological damage.
Yet Bai Liu now looked poised to target Killer Sequence and Spades as soon as he went online. Clearly, Spades had angered him.
What had Spades done to provoke Bai Liu, the eternally cool-headed strategist?
Liu Jiayi stroked her chin, more curious than ever.
-----------------
Killer Sequence Guild Lounge
Spades sat on one side of the sofa, head bowed. On the opposite sofa, The Judge Defying Gods (also known as 'the Reverse God') leaned forward, gripping his knees, scolding him mercilessly.
"Look at you! I'm not forbidding you from playing the game alone. It's normal to clash with other players if you want to win. Everyone's young, ignorant, and wants to be number one at everything. As your tactician, I can understand that."
The Reverse God's voice rose with anger as he waved his hand dramatically. "But how can you go and crush the hearts of other kids—bah, no, other players?!"
"It's just a game pool! It's not even the league! Is that really necessary? Ah!"
The Judge Defying Gods slapped his thigh in frustration. "Spades, is this really the right thing to do?!"
Spades clutched his whip, crossed his arms, and leaned back on the sofa, nodding slightly, as if to admit his guilt.
The Reverse God softened slightly, recognizing this rare, honest admission. "Spades, it's still support season. If you arrogantly bully smaller guilds and word gets out, it will hurt our guild's support rate. Killer Sequence doesn't have many members already, and our image is scary enough—many ordinary players aren't willing to support us."
He sighed. "Tell you what—why don't we go to their door, apologize, shake hands, and pretend it never happened?"
Spades continued nodding, his head almost down to his chest.
The Judge Defying Gods blinked in surprise. "Spades, you agreed! You can't go back on your word!"
One of the team members leaned forward cautiously, noticing something off about Spades. After a long pause, he whispered to the Reverse God: "Judge… Spades is asleep."
The Reverse God froze.
Rolling up his sleeves, he snarled at Spades: "Axksaj—Spades—you askjhdc—sooner or later, you'll be on your knees in front of the people you bullied, begging for forgiveness! You stupid bastard!"
Other players rushed forward to restrain the erupting Judge.
"Take it easy! Take it easy! We need him to play the game!"
"It's not the first time he's slept through a meeting!"
"Yes, yes! He'll just have to lose three games as punishment. It hurts him more than killing him!"
Half-asleep, Spades opened his eyes slightly as the Reverse God took a deep breath and declared: "Okay, as usual—since Spades dawdled and slept through the meeting, his penalty is to lose the next three games."
"For the next three games, the whole team will watch over Spades, forbidding him from taking any victories, whether from the enemy or us. This is his punishment—but also a test and training for us. You hear me?"
The team cheered: "We hear you!"
Spades, slowly waking, tilted his head: "?"
Why am I being punished again? Didn't you just say that?