After saying those words, Li Xian stared unblinkingly at Lin Shiming for a long while. He gave no answer, but his silence said everything.
Lin Shiming's clearance objective... was different from theirs.
And most likely, the two objectives directly opposed each other and could not both be completed.
Li Xian recalled what had happened when they first entered the Instance. Just after the introduction ended, a player had complained-
"What does 'liberation' mean? This clearance objective is way too vague."
So Lin Shiming had known from the beginning that his objective was different. The system's aim was to kill Li Xian by exploiting the conflict between their objectives and the gap in what each of them knew.
But faced with a situation where only one of them could survive, Lin Shiming had chosen to...
Help Li Xian's side clear the Instance.
Li Xian silently clenched his fists. He looked away from Lin Shiming's face and bowed his head low, stray strands of hair falling over his forehead and obscuring his expression.
Thinking he could not accept the truth just yet, Lin Shiming raised a hand and gently patted Li Xian's shoulder.
"It's all right."
After those few words, Lin Shiming found himself at a loss for what else to say. Faced with inevitable death, he felt little fear or resentment. The item holding most of his points would remain intact, and he had already made arrangements for all the guild's affairs. After his death, everything would soon get back on track.
Everything had been arranged in advance, yet Lin Shiming still felt there was something he needed to say. After a moment's thought, he gave a soft, faintly self-deprecating laugh.
"Tell Cheng Xin I'm sorry."
"No."
Li Xian rejected Lin Shiming's request without a moment's hesitation, then raised his head