Chen Fan saw the gleam in their eyes and knew these guys were definitely thinking about something far-fetched. He could not be bothered to explain; the more he explained this sort of thing, the messier it became. With a wave of his hand, he coaxed them all away. The others were reassured as well, selected Log Out, and vanished before their eyes.
Before long, the vast BOSS hall was left with only Chen Fan and Asuna. Asuna wrapped her arms around Chen Fan as though afraid he would disappear. Her eyes met his directly, and the affection within them could be felt without a word.
Chen Fan smiled and gently stroked Asuna's hair. "Leave the game now. I'll come find you soon."
Asuna nodded. "Mm! I'll wait for you!" She absolutely believed what Chen Fan said, because he had never broken a promise.
"Then I'll tell you my story," Chen Fan said, kissing Asuna.
"I want to watch you leave first."
"Then let's leave together." Chen Fan opened the logout window as well, and he and Asuna selected Confirm Logout together. Their bodies turned into white light and vanished from the BOSS hall.
When Chen Fan appeared again, he found himself in a strange place. Endless clouds stretched beneath his feet, while a massive tower-shaped object floated in the sky not far away. Its lowest floor had already begun to disintegrate.
Suddenly, a somewhat abrupt voice sounded beside Chen Fan. "That is Aincrad, the world I created."
Chen Fan turned and saw a figure in a white lab coat standing nearby. He was a stranger by appearance, but Chen Fan knew that this person was Akihiko Kayaba.
"It's a fine world. If it were truly just a game, it would be perfect."
"Is that what you think?"
"If you hadn't