Last night, Chang Xu had a dream. In it, he met the god who had bet on him—the Lord of Time and Space, "Li."
Fragments of past memories flashed through the pitch-black space, their black, white, and gray images reminiscent of old photographs from the last century.
Chang Xu sat cross-legged in the center of the surging tide of fragments, just as he had when he was on the verge of death after leaving the Sea of Hopelessness Instance.
Golden eyes opened and closed in the silence. The voice was distant and vast. "You have learned to hate and developed desires. That is good. But your hatred is not intense enough, and your desires are not distinct enough. I cannot invest more in you.
"So I have come here to meet you and ask you—after winning this game, what do you want?"
Chang Xu raised his head and looked directly into the god's eyes. "I want to shut down the Eerie Game and bring those innocent people who died back to life."
"Not a bad desire. It can serve as an option to attract gamblers' bets." The god's voice remained flat, carrying an eternal indifference. "I also wish to know what you are willing to pay for your desire."
Chang Xu fell silent.
A scene was fished out from the chaotic fragments, scattering into pieces that drifted down from overhead and joined with other fragments to weave the same image.
It was the very end of the Red Maple Leaf Boarding School Instance. Above the ashes left behind by the forest fire, Qi Si asked casually, "Suppose a madman wants to compete with you in killing people. Within a set time limit, whoever kills more people wins.
"If you win, nothing happens. If you lose, he destroys the entire world.