Volume 1: Stranger in a Strange Land Chapter 1: The End
“It feels like it’s about time.”
Zhou Mu muttered to himself as he glanced at the seemingly endless "Completed Task List".
More than 200 main quests, more than 2,000 side quests, more than 1,000 hidden exploration elements, as well as full collection and all achievements... It is no exaggeration to say that he has experienced all the game content that the developers of the VRRPG (Virtual Reality Role Playing Game) could have thought of and unexpectedly experienced in "End Watcher".
The so-called "picture-licking" players are no more than this.
While flipping through the various statistical records in the game, Zhou Mu lamented how much energy he had invested in this game.
"By the way, more than 13,000 hours of game time? This is a bit too exaggerated for a single-player game. Is there anyone else in the world who has played games for more than 10,000 hours?"
When Zhou Mu saw the game time on the statistics panel, he was shocked.
Zhou Mu has always had a concept: during the more than ten hours he spends as a social animal in the company , he is not really living as a human being.
If I calculate my life in this way, and deduct the time I sleep every day, then compared to the real world, I am more like a person living in the sword and magic world of "End Watch".
But all good things must come to an end, and today is the time to say goodbye to this world.
Thinking of this, Zhou Mu, feeling increasingly depressed, waved his hand and closed the statistics panel.
It's not that he's tired of the game - compared to the real world where he has to face all kinds of pressure every day, in the game's Vic continent, he would feel extremely relaxed even if he just looked around the scenery.
If possible, he really hopes that this second life in the game can go on forever.
But the same thing goes - the pressure of reality.
Zhou Mu, who has already passed the age of 30, can increasingly feel the invisible shackles that are gradually tightening: the shocking data in the physical examination report, the pressure of mortgage and car loans, the rumors within the company about "optimizing" old employees, etc.
Now, even if it is just one or two hours of gaming time every day, he has to sacrifice sleep to squeeze it out. And his body, which has been in a sub-healthy state for a long time, has begun to send out alarms.
In the past six months, he had fainted twice without warning, after which his doctor and boss had serious talks with him more than once.
"Sudden death" or "optimization" are not the endings he expected. After weighing the pros and cons, it is time to close the file.
Zhou Mu raised his head and looked around. At this moment, he was in a hall as magnificent as the Pantheon in Rome, sitting at the huge obsidian round table in the center of the hall.
This is the Round Table Room in the Dusk Fortress.
"Dusk Fortress" is the headquarters of the End Watchers, a salvation organization without borders. For players, it is the place closest to "home". It is also the first stronghold that players reach in the main storyline.
Before leaving completely, Zhou Mu planned to give himself a ceremonial farewell. Choosing this place as the ending was of great commemorative significance.
It is both the beginning and the end.
Zhou Mu sat for a while and heard chaotic footsteps outside the door. Then the heavy golden door was pushed open, and the entire round table hall was divided into two halves by the light projected from outside the door.
Twelve men and women of different races and in different clothes entered against the light and sat down at their respective seats in front of the round table.
In the Thirteen Judgements of Endwatch, players can directly assign twelve core NPCs to their own team, who will be partners with the protagonist in saving the world during the game plot.
Zhou Mu's eyes swept over all the people present. Of course, they were not all human, but also companions of other races. He couldn't help but recall the stupid things he had done before.
In order to achieve the "perfect clearance" in his mind, he had to reload and refresh the files for every NPC included in the Judgment Seat dozens or even hundreds of times, just to get satisfactory initial attributes and characteristic entries.
And after that, he will choose the perk points and equipment that best suit them. It can be said that the character build of each member of the Tribunal may be better than that of most ordinary players who have completed the game.
"Chief Judge William Kane, may I ask if you have anything to announce that you have summoned us here this time?"
Perhaps the system judged that Zhou Mu had not spoken for too long, and a character wearing black half-body armor and carrying a huge sword as heavy as a door panel spoke.
William Kane is the name of Zhou Mu's character in this archive.
Zhou Mu came back to his senses, cleared his throat and said.
"That's right, Black Seba, I am calling all members of the Tribunal here today because I have an important announcement to make."
Zhou Mu took a deep breath and opened his arms.
"I am about to leave you, forever."
As soon as these words were spoken, all the NPCs at the round table showed expressions of disbelief, panic, and even fear.
The production company of "End of Watch" has equipped important NPCs in the game with extremely powerful AI programs. As long as they don't talk about things that go beyond the game framework itself, their dialogues and reactions are very close to real people.
Of course, this was essentially just a chat program. Zhou Mu himself knew that he was being foolish by saying goodbye to the NPC.
"My friend William, do you mean that you want to leave the continent of Vic and go to other places for adventure?"
A man with scales all over his body, horns on his head, and a thick tail behind him asked in a rough voice.
"No, Duwa Jin, I am not just leaving this continent, I am leaving the whole world."
As soon as these words were spoken, there was another commotion.
"Are you saying that you plan to leave this world and go to the Moon Realm, to the realm ruled by those Void Kings? If so, please allow me to go with you."
A "human figure" wrapped in a cloak that continuously emits ominous black mist asked in a singing tone.
"I don't mean the present world or the Moon Realm, Kos. I mean the whole world, everything, beyond the present world, beyond the Moon Realm, beyond the Light Realm, beyond the farthest boundaries you can understand. Only I can walk this path alone . Apart from my memories of you, there is nothing you can accompany you with."
An elf girl wearing light leather armor and carrying a bow as transparent as glass on her back asked.
"Can you tell us why Lord Kane decided to leave?"
"Because I have to leave. If possible, I also hope to accompany you forever. But in the distance, there are existences that are heavier than the seven disasters and the Void Kings that I need to go and fight against."
"What is that?"
"Reality."
The scene was silent, and every member of the jury seemed to be pondering what Zhou Mu meant by "reality".
Of course, Zhou Mu knew that this was impossible. It was just that the system detected a conversation that went beyond the game framework, making the NPCs act as if they were thinking, and they would immediately change the subject.
"That……"
The youngest boy among the twelve spoke up. He was wearing a cloak woven with black feathers and had a pair of amber eyes like some kind of bird of prey.
"Will you come back?"
"I don't know... Coles, I don't know. But if there really comes a day like that, I hope to see you all again. I will look forward to the day of our reunion."
Zhou Mu said as he stood up with his hands on the obsidian round table, and the other twelve people in front of the round table also stood up with him. He looked at his companions, feeling a little dazed for a moment.
If only this world were real...
"Then, I hereby declare that the Thirteen Judgment Seats are disbanded. By defeating the disaster and expelling the Void King, we have brought a thousand years of peace to this world. It is time for everyone to pursue their own happiness. This is my final order - everyone, go and do what you want to do!"
What a stupid statement...
They were clearly just programs stored in a computer, and as long as he went offline they would stay at this moment forever. Yet he still shamelessly told them, "Let them pursue their own happiness."
What's with the "day of reunion"? He even put his game cabinet up for sale on Xianyu, and he will pack it up and send it to others tomorrow. What's the point of talking about reunion?
When Zhou Mu thought of this, he still bowed to everyone, and then silently activated the magic circle on the obsidian round table.
【Teleport】
After a short loading interface, Zhou Mu arrived in a strange space filled with stars.
This is his treasure house.
Because the number of rare props he collected was too huge. As a collector, he not only collected things that could be obtained during the game, but also the abandoned designs that the developers did not put into the game in the end. He made them through the console.
If it was just for exhibition, the entire "Dusk Fortress" would not be enough to hold half of his collection. So he created such a different space through the game console, specifically for storing his massive collection. Every star in this boundless starry sky is a rare prop wrapped in a bubble of time and space.
Zhou Mu finally looked up at the starry sky.
"Goodbye, then!"
He took a deep breath, then called up the game menu and pressed the "Exit Game" button.
Everything in front of me suddenly became dark.
Soon, as soon as the bell sounded indicating that he had successfully logged off , he would return completely to the real world.
Zhou Mu silently counted his breaths, waiting for the bell to ring. For some reason, his previously subtle and complicated state of mind became extremely calm at this moment.
…………
However, after a few minutes, the offline bell still did not ring.
