Conquest Space.
The tavern.
When Lao Gou dragged Li Tie inside by the arm, he still had not recovered from his shock.
Then he saw Big Steel sitting at the bar, wiping down a dagger.
He saw Ironhide sitting in a corner, head lowered as he tinkered with precision mechanical components.
He saw Ash standing before the window with his back to the entrance, his figure as straight as a blade.
There was also Kandao, feasting at a dining table.
And all the other dead players of every description.
"What are you standing there for? Come in." Scarface sat at the largest round table furthest inside, legs crossed and an amber wineglass in hand, raising his chin at him.
The old scar running diagonally from his brow to his jaw looked just as Li Tie remembered. His eyes were now filled with the joy of reunion after a long separation.
Li Tie's feet were rooted to the threshold.
His gaze swept across the small tavern, and an absurd thought surfaced in his mind.
He was already dead, and everything before him was an illusion woven by his consciousness.
Before he perished on Return-to-Stillness Peak, his final lingering wish had been to reunite with his fallen comrades.
So, the instant his consciousness completely dispersed, his subconscious had automatically constructed this space, recreating everyone as he remembered them.
From now on, he would be trapped forever in this dream of his own making.
"Commander, are you coming in or not?" Lao Gou pushed him from behind, teasing, "Standing guard at the door?"
Li Tie stumbled a step forward. Behind him, the tavern's wooden door moved without a breeze and quietly closed.
The Wallbreaker Battle Group veterans inside all looked up, their gazes settling on him, the delight of a long-awaited reunion visible