Chapter 175: Real? Fake?

"Ruan Qingtan" seemed not to have noticed Lin Yifan's change, still immersed in the joy of persuading him.

Even her expression showed a hint of emotion; as she reached out to touch Lin Yifan's hair, she spoke softly:

"Yes, unless you are willing to worship the God of the Red Moon with me…… otherwise…… you can only kill me, but you shouldn't mind, none of this is your fault."

"And this time, you finally want to change your mind; we no longer have to face such a love‑and‑kill ending. Our future will be bright, right?"

Her eyes sparkled with anticipation, as if she had already seen the two of them bathing together under the Red Moon in the future.

However, Lin Yifan slowly raised his head, the corner of his mouth curling into a cold smile.

"No, you're wrong."

"What? \" Ruan Qingtan stared for a moment, seeming not to have reacted.

"I said, you're wrong. \" Lin Yifan's voice was calm and firm, \"I will not worship any God of the Red Moon, nor will I become that disgusting monster. \"

"As for you……\" he paused, his gaze sharp as a blade, \"since you say this is the rule, then I want to see what happens if we break it. \"

Ruan Qingtan's face changed instantly; she took a step back, a flicker of panic flashing in her eyes: "You…… what do you want to do?"

Lin Yifan didn't answer; instead, he suddenly reached out and grabbed her throat!

At this moment, Lin Yifan realized that the figure before him, who looked like a queen, was actually as weak as a chicken.

In his hand she had absolutely no strength to resist!

She couldn't even struggle!

This made Lin Yifan even more certain that the so‑called rule was definitely problematic!

He hadn't never faced a Maggot Human Bone before; even the first‑time encounter with a low‑level Maggot Human Bone was not easy to deal with.

Yet the "Ruan Qingtan" before him had no trace of resistance in his grip; to say there was nothing fishy about it, he simply wouldn't believe!

"You, what exactly do you want to do? \" Ruan Qingtan also panicked at this moment.

Lin Yifan gave a light laugh, his resolve growing firmer, and said with a half‑smile:

"Since you say I must kill you, this time I will deliberately not kill you."

"I want to see today whether this so‑called rule can actually be broken!"

Ruan Qingtan's pupils contracted sharply; she struggled to break free, but Lin Yifan's strength was astonishing, and she couldn't move at all.

"You…… you will regret this……\" her voice turned hoarse, her eyes filled with anger and fear, \"Breaking the rule…… will only make everything worse……\"

"Then let it get worse! \" Lin Yifan snorted coldly, increasing the pressure on his hand, \"Anyway this world is already crazy enough; I don't mind adding fuel to the fire. \"

Ruan Qingtan's face gradually turned pale, her body began to tremble, the full flesh on her body started to wither at this moment, as if something was being stripped away from her.

Lin Yifan frowned, looking at the soon‑to‑be skeleton "Ruan Qingtan," momentarily puzzled about what was happening.

However, before he could investigate, the editor "Ruan Qingtan"'s mouth corner curled into a strange smile.

"Do you think…… this will end it? \" her voice suddenly became hollow, as if coming from far away, she spoke faintly:

"The cycle…… cannot be broken……"

Before her words faded, her body suddenly turned into a black mist, dissipating from between Lin Yifan's fingers.

Lin Yifan froze, looking at his empty hand, a sense of foreboding welling up in his heart.

At that moment, the entire space began to shake violently, the surrounding walls twisting and collapsing like melting wax.

The red moon in the sky suddenly enlarged, its bloody light shrouding everything.

A low, hoarse voice sounded in Lin Yifan's ear:

"You…… have broken the balance, you will be punished……"

Lin Yifan snapped his head around, but behind him was pitch black.

The next second, his vision went black, as if he had fallen into an endless abyss.

In the last moment before losing consciousness, he heard Ruan Qingtan's voice faintly:

"Welcome to…… the 128th cycle……"

……

After an unknown amount of time, Lin Yifan suddenly opened his eyes; the blinding sunlight made him instinctively raise his hand to shield himself.

Soon he discovered he was standing on a familiar street, with passersby hurrying by and traffic flowing, as if everything were normal.

"This is…… the earth star world…… Rongcheng?"

The scene before him was, for Lin Yifan, as familiar as could be.

It was precisely the campus path beside Rongcheng University!

He had walked this path countless times on his way to the teaching building for class.

Even before leaving this world, he had been returning to handle graduation procedures.

As soon as the procedures were finished, everyone in the world was thrown into the Survival Realm!

He never expected to be back here now.

He lowered his gaze to his hands—no bloodstains, no contamination, even the crazy fragments in his memory began to blur.

"Could my previous experiences have just been a nightmare? \" he muttered to himself.

If possible, he would of course also want to return to life on Earth Star; after all, although there he toiled like an ox or horse, at least he didn't have to worry about his life.

The money he earned might not make him rich, but at least he could eat and drink without worry, and he wouldn't constantly fear being logged out.

However, even if his memories were starting to blur, Lin Yifan still clearly remembered——

There is no Earth Star anymore!

Therefore, everything happening around him now is his homeland!

"Lin Yifan! \" a clear female voice called from behind.

He snapped his head back, his pupils contracting sharply——

It was Ruan Qingtan again.

She wore a simple white shirt and jeans, her hair tied in a ponytail, a bright smile on her face, and she jogged over to him.

"What are you spacing out for? Didn't we agree I'd go to the Place: Tushuguan with you today?" She lightly tapped his shoulder, her tone familiar and affectionate.

Although her outfit was different, the smile on her face was exactly the same as when Lin Yifan first saw her.

Even without love, seeing this person who repeatedly appears before him, indistinguishable between real and fake.

Lin Yifan's heart still began to pound uncontrollably.

In his mind, countless fragmentary memories flashed uncontrollably.

Blood Moon, throne, Cthulhu, 127 cycles…… and finally the words "Welcome to the 128th cycle".

Although this false world is beautiful, Lin Yifan clearly remembers.

This is punishment!

It is his punishment for breaking the rules!

So, all the beauty here is likely danger and punishment!

Can't get lost in it!

Absolutely not!