Chapter 277: with translation of chapter title

Long time no see……

Jin Bing stared dumbfounded for a long while, as if an indescribable emotion was gestating in his heart……

Long time no see, Zhao Si……

He smiled, and the long-standing loss in his eyes vanished without a trace.

Because from this moment on, he was acknowledged, and his false life became reality!

He was no longer an ordinary copy.

……

Long time no see……

The retired Golden Heavenly Emperor far in the East Sea also muttered to himself at the same time, nostalgia, sentiment, sorrow, enlightenment… countless thoughts arose unconsciously.

Finally, this legendary heavenly emperor smiled knowingly: "Long time no see, Zhao Si……"

No need for many words, nor for ornate language; a single deliberate greeting sufficed to express boundless feeling.

He knew he was not the true protagonist, Jin Bing, and had been depressed about it all along, after all, who could accept being a clone when his memories seemed perfectly normal……

In this despondent state, he, who had already developed the "jade jade syndrome" from imprisonment, inevitably became withdrawn, spending all day deep within his courtyard, unwilling to meddle in Heavenly Court affairs or meet old friends and troops to catch up.

Because it's all fake, nobody is the true self!

However, in this matter, it's always a blessing to be ignorant; the less you know, the better.

Those who have never been the protagonist will never discover this fact, nor will they be troubled by knowing too much.

But the Golden Heavenly Emperor is different; as the protagonist, he knows too much, giving rise to countless worries……

However, these worries vanished in an instant upon Zhao Si's single "Long time no see."

Whether the self is real or false is not important.

What matters is that a real person is willing to acknowledge his reality!

As long as the true protagonist Zhao Si is willing to acknowledge him as Jin Bing, then he is Jin Bing.

Zhao Si is willing to acknowledge his entire life; if so, what does he have left to be unable to let go of?

This, too, could be considered a special kind of "anchoring"……

The Golden Heavenly Emperor smiled happily, then rose to his feet.

Bing brother?

Jin Ding, who was in charge of looking after him, glanced at this introverted brother whose demeanor had changed greatly since leaving prison, seeing him suddenly perk up, and couldn't help but wonder: "What's this?"

"Brother, help me send out invitations; I want to invite old friends and chat about the fun of our past assault on the Heavenly Court."

The Golden Heavenly Emperor smiled, and the sun of years past shone forth once more! Jin Ding rejoiced:

"Good! Who should I invite? Veterans of the Heavenly Court? The Xuandu folks should be able to come, the Azure Dragon Elder and True Dragon King would work too, Houyi and Xiangliu as well…"

"Hmm… I'd like to invite the Former Emperor, Donghuang, the Demon Master, the Sun Charioteer, Gonggong, and Zhurong…"

Jin Ding: ……

If they start fighting, the Golden Flood Dragon King's Palace probably won't be enough to hold them……

……

【Ding! Your command has been transmitted as is; you have used all three commands for this round, and the count will refresh in the next chapter—please check…】

All right!

Zhao Si clapped his hands satisfiedly, making full use of his last chance, thus making up for not having greeted Jin Bing earlier.

Of course, the more important reason is to comfort those two Jin Bings who have come down with the jade jade syndrome!

Although their state of mind doesn't affect whether the plot proceeds smoothly, out of respect for the characters, Zhao Si still wishes to acknowledge them.

After all, this game is no ordinary game; every character within it is real, and being real, they possess personalities that deserve respect.

This is the profound truth Zhao Si has realized through the three story arcs!

Treating them purely as NPCs might not affect clearing efficiency, but it will definitely influence how the protagonists view themselves.

Zhao Si doesn't want to be some behind-the-scenes manipulator, nor some hegemon of the heavens, nor a high-dimensional player who treats all beings in the game as mere weeds.

Although one's position determines one's mindset, a player's perspective can never fully coincide with that of an NPC, a fact dictated by class attributes.

But class is innate, while thought is not! Therefore, he is willing to consider their views as much as possible, projecting his perspective onto the game characters, offering them clearance strategies they can accept, so as to establish a more amicable mode of interaction.

Whether one calls this superfluous or says his sympathy overflows, in short, this is his unique understanding of the game……

"Let's go, let's go! Beer and barbecue are set up!"

With a cheer, Zhao Si turned and stepped out the door, moving from the long‑lasting illusory game into genuine reality.

After playing immersive games for so long, he's begun to have trouble telling whether he's in the game or in reality……

……

The next day.

【Ding! Update completed!】

A system notification sounded, and Zhao Si woke from his sound sleep.

"Is it time?"

Bleary‑eyed, Zhao Si, feeling a bit numb from sleep, sat up from his messy bed; as he stirred, his internal mana turned a few times, quickly dispelling the drowsiness.

"Go ahead, what was updated?"

Zhao Si slapped his face and casually asked the system.

【The relevant content is all in the simulation process; please explore it yourself, player.】

"Tch! Again like this!"

Zhao Si pursed his lips, inured to the system's quirks, and rather than bothering to ask, he simply picked up his phone and flipped to the simulation chapter list: