Richard Parker seemed to have lost his mind at the very beginning of this cycle. He flipped to the last page.
In the blank space, he scrawled a series of furious questions in messy handwriting: "FXXX... FXXX... What the hell are you?"
"Tell me already. What the hell are you? What do you want? Do you want me dead? Do you want me to break down? Do you want me to surrender to you, kneel before you, and beg for forgiveness?"
"Say it. Say it already."
Richard's frenzied questioning received no answer. He suddenly turned his head and immediately saw, through the Escape Pod's transparent door and windows, heads pressed together outside, wearing savage grins that chilled him to the marrow.
"Ha ha ha... Ha ha ha..."
"Open the door, Captain. Open it already."
Outside the door, all of Richard's subordinates and companions had gathered. Their faces were squashed flat, their bulging eyes fixed intently on Richard Parker.
At the same time, they kept slamming into the hatch, trying to force their way inside.
Having already endured the torment of many cycles, Richard Parker suddenly made a new decision. Time accelerated once more.
"Richard Parker modified the equipment and detonated the Silentium. All astronauts died. Riding the force of the explosion, he was launched toward Lomannu Star in the Escape Pod."
"The Escape Pod was damaged. Survival failed. Richard Parker died."
"Game restarted!"
Once again, Tang Qi heard that voice beside his ear.
Richard Parker, meanwhile, returned once more to the beginning that had driven him mad. He no longer tried to stop the crew from witnessing that magnificent "Star Explosion."
Over a number of cycles he could no longer remember, he had tried to stop them many times, but every attempt had failed without exception.
With a blank