Gu Chenhui took the key, a wry smile on his face. He remained silent, and Jing Minghe likewise said nothing more, turning to clear a path for him. Gu Chenhui simply followed behind Jing Minghe, as if it were only natural.
Gu Chenhui had already spotted the enormous iron gate. Unlocking it would be easy, but pushing it open would require considerable strength. Thus, he felt no qualms about letting Jing Minghe lead the way.
The two arrived at the iron gate. Jing Minghe stepped aside voluntarily. Gu Chenhui, without further ado, stepped forward to open it. Removing the key from the iron gate, Gu Chenhui slowly pushed it open, revealing the familiar flower garden.
Seeing this scene, Gu Chenhui was rendered speechless, caught between laughter and tears. Lu Fanfei's peculiar sense of humor was something he could never condone, no matter the time.
The moment he stepped into the flower garden, he saw the final task.
On a circular white disc, there was a purple button, and a countdown timer, with three minutes remaining.
Gu Chenhui didn't need to look back to know that Jing Minghe, who had guided him, had vanished. But that was for the best, sparing him the urge to expose the truth. For now, he needed to focus on one thing only. He believed that once he left the City of Death, all answers would be revealed.
The countdown ticked away second by second. Across different spaces, everyone's eyes were fixed on the timer in the air. With only ten seconds left, all held their breath, a rare seriousness even appearing in Gong Liang's eyes.
A colossal portal of light displayed a rapidly decreasing timer.
Ten, nine, eight, seven, six…
"Brother Hao," Jing Minghe emerged from behind Chi Hao, "this gate, once opened, is our final trial."
"You are not my Minghe," Chi Hao's icy eyes radiated a chilling glare. "Where is he?"
Jing Minghe turned to look at Chi Hao, slowly approaching him. "Brother Hao, of course, I am your Minghe. It's just… I've undergone a slight change."
The portal of light before them turned to zero, and a swirling vortex appeared in its center.
"Let's go," Jing Minghe moved forward first. "I will tell you everything you wish to know."
They entered the portal of light together. Inside, the long tunnel was filled with the specters of past fallen players, some familiar, but most strangers.
These figures, initially still, seemed to have their switches suddenly flipped upon Jing Minghe and Chi Hao's entry, lunging at them one after another.
Of course, these individuals were no match for the two of them; they were merely falling into their traps one by one.
Jing Minghe knocked one aside and said with a smile to Chi Hao, "Who would have thought? Sister Youmi and the others timed it perfectly. Not a single person missed the right moment. Otherwise, it would have been very difficult for us two."
Chi Hao, his expression unchanged, kicked away an attacker. "Now, you can tell me."
"Brother Hao," Jing Minghe glanced back at Chi Hao, "you truly are very clever. That's right, here, my brother cannot see us."
"Speak."
"Alright, alright, don't be so impatient."
Jing Minghe and Chi Hao, in tacit agreement, simultaneously slowed their pace.
"Brother Hao, I am indeed Jing Minghe, but a more complete Jing Minghe. Because from the very beginning, the one you knew was not the complete Jing Minghe."
"What do you mean?"
Jing Minghe moved even closer to Chi Hao, explaining, "The real Jing Minghe never entered the City of Death. Instead, he entered a state of suspended animation. Lu Fanfei would never have allowed the true Jing Minghe to enter this place of near-certain death. I once said my brother is a genius, unparalleled. From the moment he adopted me, he implanted a chip in my brain. This chip could slowly peel away another consciousness from me. Ah, that new consciousness, that is me."
The long tunnel seemed endless, yet the two continued to slow their advance.
"Some time after my brother entered the City of Death, or rather, after he successfully reached its core, he controlled me to enter the City of Death," Jing Minghe elbowed an attacker. "And not just one me. I, as pure consciousness, was divided into eight parts by my brother, sent into eight different teams. The Jing Minghe you knew was one of them. The other seven teams were eliminated, and only your team successfully reached the stage Lu Fanfei wanted you to reach."
Chi Hao had considered many possibilities, but never imagined the reality would be more absurd than he had conceived. That Lu Fanfei was not human at all!
"My brother," Jing Minghe continued, "his goal from the very beginning was very clear: to one day completely destroy this system that controls the human world. From the moment his parents were selected by the system to enter the City of Death, he had already begun his preparations."
"The system is not without its flaws," Chi Hao said. "Therefore, its control cannot be perfect."
Jing Minghe turned to Chi Hao. "Almost forgot. Brother Hao, you've also entered the system's core. All players who successfully complete a stage and enter the core are controlled by the system to work for it. Those who cannot be controlled are re-released into the game."
"Of course, there are exceptions," Jing Minghe added. "For example, Brother Hao, you did it voluntarily. As for why you volunteered, everyone has their own reasons, which is understandable. Then there's my brother, who couldn't be controlled, couldn't be re-released, and who, when attempting to eliminate him, was instead outmaneuvered."
Chi Hao had to admit, "Lu Fanfei did what all those who reached the system's core wanted to do but couldn't. It's just…"
Chi Hao looked at the Jing Minghe before him and thought of how Lu Fanfei had used Jing Minghe like a tool. He just wanted to tear that bastard Lu Fanfei to shreds.
"Brother Hao," Jing Minghe asked, seeing the tunnel was nearing its end without them realizing, "the one you like, is it just that one-eighth of Jing Minghe?"
Before Chi Hao could answer, Jing Minghe exited the tunnel. After all, he was born to destroy the system and would ultimately perish with it. Chi Hao's answer was not that important to him.
Exiting the tunnel, they were met by a massive sphere covered in various chips. One protruding chip was emitting a constant blue light.
"This is it," Jing Minghe removed the pendant from his neck and slowly brought it closer to the protruding chip. The two seemed drawn to each other.
Just as the pendant and chip were about to connect, the space shifted dramatically. Youmi, Gu Chenhui, Gong Liang, and the others also appeared in this space.
Lu Fanfei emerged from behind the sphere, handing each of them a knife. "Whatever appears before you, stand your ground and strike with your blade. Absolutely do not let those things approach you, nor let them slip away before your eyes. Otherwise, if those things get close to Jing Minghe, all your previous efforts will be in vain. You don't want all your hard work to go to waste, do you?"