8-digit Death
[Giving this story a five-star rating and saying nice things about it just feels wrong. However, I must! I can't keep something this amazing to myself. My heart would hurt even more!]
[Ha! You got me! Why make it seem like something bad is going to happen, then give me candy? [Ahhh, so sweet. Eat some too!]
[You are way more important than this whole world! Wait, who said that? (I don't like the sound of this.) Now, the world is going to hurt you even more? Not if I can help it!]
[Why does Kongming die every single time? Is there no way to win this game? Or is this some kind of trick?]
Although Luo Mo had prepared texts for at least a thousand ways Kongming to die, we also specially mobilized a team at that time to think through the plots and make them more reasonable.
Of course, with such a huge number of possibilities, and the rewards being so enticing, players couldn't just try their luck!
Preparedness could only take you so far—a bit of randomness was essential! Out of all the potential outcomes, Luo Mo carefully picked some calculated "deaths."
Players would get these after approximately 20 attempts if they chose to keep pushing for Kongming's demise.
The dead is randomly generated from the text prepared by the production team, and we try to ensure that all players are not completely consistent, but the classic ones must be experienced by everyone, and they are hand-drawn by Griseo.
Okay, choosing those classic death scenes? That was a whole ordeal, We got a bunch of people from the company together to vote on the best ones.
Then, practically the whole team of girls who worked on those asked for two days off – said they were depressed or something.
Honestly, Luo Mo had no clue what the right way to handle that was!
Anyway, maybe this random selection method will give players more to talk about. You know, comparing how their Kongming died with others. It could generate tons of online discussion and reactions
——For example, how did my Kongming die? How about yours? From a barrage perspective, this measure is very effective.
Of course, it's way more likely everyone will just roast Luo Mo for being heartless or whatever. Ah well, what can you do?
But if you ask Luo Mo himself, he chose to imitate Vill-V's words, "Celebrate to your heart's content! This is a spectacular finale!"
This was a grand performance he had prepared, and it was originally intended to be a Kongming event.
But who the heck could have predicted Kongming would kick the bucket so soon in this world? That's not Luo Mo's fault, right?
Still, now he's got these three people next to him, two of them completely bawling their eyes out. They're not just sad about Kongming – they're giving Luo Mo the stink-eye.
That's when it finally hits him… maybe he messed up a little. Okay, maybe a lot.
But hey, if they give him enough grief about it, it just means he'll have to pull off an even bigger stunt next time!
Theresa had abandoned all pretenses of composure. Tissues piled up around her, and still, the tears wouldn't stop. There was a stubbornness about her, though – she wouldn't turn her head, wouldn't look. It was like she was holding onto that last shred of principal-like dignity even in the face of overwhelming sadness.
Luna, meanwhile, had completely collapsed into Luo Mo's arms. Her clothes were soaked through with tears. It was like a dam had broken inside of her, and all that sadness she couldn't even put into words was finally pouring out.
"Ugh," Kongming scoffed, but there was no real bite to it.
Her gaze softened as she looked at Luo Mo, at his tear-stained face.
"Have you... have you really been through all of that? It sounds... just awful."
"Honestly, I have no idea. Maybe...maybe I just don't have what it takes," Luo Mo mumbled, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. He knew he was just a lousy gamer, not some strategy mastermind.
"It seems like no matter what, the ending's always the same. This captain...he's been painted into a corner. He's just an ordinary guy." A sense of frustration crept into Luo Mo's voice.
"How's someone ordinary supposed to save the person who means the most to them?" Luo Mo's question hung in the air, heavy and unanswered.
"All he can do is keep trying. Keep fighting... Because if he backs down, it's all over. Giving up, that's when he really lose." His eyes were fixed on the game screen, watching the captain struggle, and something about the scene resonated deeply with him.
His mind felt fuzzy, like everything was fading at the edges. Yet, there was a stubborn core within him that refused to fade, a spark of determination that held him steady.
They told him he was a captain, showed him memories that weren't his own.
Honestly, he didn't have a clue if any of it was real. It didn't seem to fit with who he was now. But something about their certainty, their belief in him... that made him willing to consider the impossible.
Maybe... just maybe, there was a part of him buried deep down that matched the stories they told. Maybe that captain, that desperate, relentless figure, was a piece of himself he couldn't access anymore.
"Hmph, as if I can trust you not to give up, Mr. Assassin." Kongming's snort held a hint of bitterness as she turned away, She suddenly understood the silent question in Luo Mo's eyes, the way he'd kept searching her face.
It wasn't fair. Is she not allowed to cry? Not allowed to feel the weight of it all?
"However, if you can't persist and give up, I won't blame you."
The last sound was as thin as a mosquito—very tiny.
...
"Kongming...my Kongming! That sneaky boss, he stabbed me again!" Kiana practically wailed, burying her face in Mei's shoulder.
Tears were flowing, even if it was hard to tell if she was being a little bit dramatic on purpose.
They clung to each other, a jumble of arms and legs. For a second, part of you wondered if Kiana was really this upset or if she was just trying to get attention.
Suddenly, her small hands started roaming up Mei's back, like she was searching for something.
"This story is so messed up..." Mei mumbled, her voice thick. Her eyes were red too, and she kept taking deep breaths, probably to keep herself from crying.
She was hugging Kiana and smelling her body's scent.
She watched them, her heart aching a little. What would she do, if it was her and Kiana? Would she be stronger? Smarter?
No, giving up is absolutely impossible, but there is no light in the gloomy future, making people more desperate than in the main Story.
What about backtracking? What can be changed by going back again and again?
The future of death is like an unshakable, towering mountain, and all you can lift is a small stone at its foot.
---
[It reminds me of the choice of death just now. Why is it necessary for Kongming to die?]
[There are many paintings that I have never seen before. Could they be what other players have experienced? Fuck (a kind of herbaceous plant), it's true! ]
[One more knife? So many Pictures and CG, all death cg of Kongming? Are you (Screenwriter) a human being? ]
The players' voices were weak, destined not to reach Luo Mo's ears.
[By the way, have you noticed the number in the upper left corner? It's not big, right? ]
Facts have proven that this kind of knife cannot stop people who really love Kongming.
The dreaded twenty-death mark. Finally, someone had reached it, only to be rewarded with a cruel animated sequence.
Picture after picture of Kongming's deaths flickered across the screen, an onslaught of despair. Some images were achingly familiar – the echoes of the players' own choices.
Others were brand new, fresh horrors from other paths not taken.
Though the accompanying text flashed too quickly to decipher in full, each image lingered just long enough to burn itself into memory.
These weren't mere sketches, but carefully crafted scenes, brimming with devastating detail.
One by one, they flashed past, leaving behind a trail of renewed pain. Like a knife slicing into an already open wound, these images poured salt upon the players' grief.
Kongming smiling, her warmth just out of reach.
Kongming falling, life fading from her eyes.
And worst of all, Kongming dying in their arms, her last breath stolen by their own choices.
The ruins beneath the night sky felt cold, desolate. Her body seemed almost weightless now, a terrible hollowness where once there'd been warmth and life. Blood stained the ground, a stark contrast to Kongming's pale face, her eyes filled with a helpless terror.
That single bite of poisoned food... it had stolen even her final moments. One last glance in your direction, a flicker of longing, and then it was over.
Flames roared, a hungry beast consuming everything. Trapped within the crumbling building, that familiar white figure fought with a desperation that turned to stillness far too quickly.
Then the fall, from so high up. You could only stare, helpless, as Kongming plummeted to the unyielding ground.
The numbers flashed in the corner of the screen, a relentless count. You knew what they meant. Every death. Every time you'd tried to rewind. Every failed attempt.
Each image burned itself into your mind – quick, brutal flashes.
But the numbers... they blurred with sickening speed.
Three digits, then four, then six, seven...
The relentless climb was almost worse than those frozen images of despair.
---
"Waaaah, this time... this time it wasn't even our fault!" Rozaliya sobbed, burying her face in Bronya's shoulder. "It's so unfair!"
"I didn't hit you or anything," Bronya muttered, her voice thick even though no tears fell. She awkwardly patted Seele's back, trying her best to be comforting.
Honestly, Bronya was struggling just as much as the others. She just wasn't good at showing it. A wave of helplessness washed over her, mixed with a simmering anger.
"Liliya's cheating!" Rozaliya wailed, smearing tears across her face. "How can she just fall asleep like that, even when she's sad? It's not fair!"
...
"Dr. Tesla? Did you just...sniffle?" Einstein squints, suspicion creeping into her voice.
"I have something in my eye! Yes, just dust." Tesla jumps back, frantically wiping at her face. A blush creeps up her neck.
"Don't be embarrassed. The story was moving – I even teared up a bit myself," Einstein reassures her.
"R-really? You did?" Tesla turns, looking relieved. And in that moment... click!
A flash of light, followed by the sight of her own red-rimmed eyes captured for posterity. Einstein isn't smiling; she's not even crying anymore. No, there's a mischievous gleam in her eyes, a challenge.
"MOP HEAD——!"
---
The truth hits you harder than any blow. It's a bitter pill to swallow: no matter what, Kongming will die. You could fight until you bleed, could thrash and scheme and scream, but the walls of this world won't budge.
It's not about wanting it badly enough. It's about what is. That's a lesson you don't learn in a manual.
If anyone else could see this...the endless resets, the repeated failures... they'd laugh. You hear their imagined voices whispering in your head.
"What an idiot."
"Can't even get this right? Pathetic."
"If I were in his place..."
"Why didn't he try that? He could have saved them all..."
They must be right, you think. You finally see it, that chasm between the legend of 'Mr. Assassin' and the reality.
All that bravado, all that certainty… it crumbles away.
At this moment, you're not a hero.
You're not special at all.
You're just an ordinary captain, and that's not enough.
"Mr. Assassin, as you call me, is not me, Ms. Kongming."
The players couldn't help but feel deeply when they looked at this language, which was similar to an inner monologue.
They're forcing an ordinary guy to try and be a hero.
This character, he's just like them. Wants to do the impossible, to change things. He's no different, no matter how hard he tries.
They've watched him try everything. Every scheme, every desperate gamble, every twist of logic to break the rules of this cruel game. And then...nothing. Failure again and again.
Now, after all of that, deep down a terrifying thought gnaws at them: maybe it's okay to give up.
but they didn't think about the captain's own feelings, why give up? why keep going? why I IN THIS HELL.
There's no glorious victory waiting at the end of this tunnel.
Only that deep-seated fear, the crushing weight of powerlessness.
There's only the grim truth that sometimes, even trying your hardest isn't enough.
...
Ms. Iron Fist Tesla - Zero walked through a long river as the short video entered automatically.
The Day You Vanished With the Stars ♪ ~
The feeling hidden in the music seemed to resonate with all the players, and a trace of sadness and regret appeared from the bottom of their hearts.
"I have experienced the future with you, but I have never witnessed your past."
" At that time, you chose to shoulder the destinies of others, just like what you are doing now."
" You have been forced to repeat the past over and over again."
"You're still in pain, But you have never forgotten your pain."
the image of Kongming with Gemini twins behind her emerged to the surface.
"And I have finally come to your past."
the image of a cold Kongming sitting on a throne surfaced.
"To give your arduous journey through world fragments."
The image of the Hero King and the Pirate King held in chains appeared on the surface.
"A starting note."
the image of kongming drinking wine with you surfaced.
...
"Cry, cry, if you feel the pain."
"Just cry like a toddler. Let it all out."
"Don't fear your pain."
"It saved you from something even more horrible numbness."
The image of Kongming holding Rita's body tightly appeared on the surface.
"It's because you no longer play a part yourself."
the image of you playing chess with Kongming comes to the surface.
"You only observe now, like me."
the image of kongming dying in your arms appeared on the surface.
"Watching the horrors that you've undergone."
…
" 'But if you wish to understand humanity, you can't just be an onlooker.' "
" 'You have to stand right next to them and try to see what they are looking at.' "
the image of Rita with her scythe advancing into battle surfaced
"That was what you told me in the distant future."
the image of Rita holding back the beast with all her might surfaced.
"Now I try to stand beside you."
an image of Rita standing next to a lone tree surfaced.
"What do your eyes fall upon?"
…
"If there are other onlookers (bystanders), they must be full of expectations for you at this time."
"They expect you to bypass even more tragedies, until you reach a happy ending where everyone is safe and sound."
" They do not know or care about what you have been through."
the image of Kongming going with you to the festival surfaced.
"What you have experienced is lost and regained and gained and lost again."
Images of explosions in the city and burning palaces surfaced.
"Are little more than tall tales to them."
"Tales whose endings they think they know."
the image of Kongming being stabbed with a poisoned knife surfaced.
"But is what they believe the truth?"
...
"This story is not about deliverance."
"Its ending is constantly being modified, and new rifts emerge therewith."
"And you are the one who keeps trying, trying, trying and reliving the pain."
A vague image of Kongming on an arrow appeared on the surface.
"Persistence alone won't help you accomplish the impossible."
"A miracle will not happen just because you say, "I can do it."
a vague image of Kongming lying on the ground in blood surfaced.
"I know; actually, you know too."
Vague images of Kongming and Rita's lifeless bodies surfaced.
" Even if you've strived for it, it's still beyond your current reach."
and more vague images of Kongming's death surface.
In its comforting voice, accompanied by the music, you recall the scenes you have experienced, the death and powerlessness of Kongming, and tears are filled.
---
[Ughhh, I'm crying. I couldn't stop it. The tears just came! ]
[It was mostly the music... that sad song, "The Day the Star Disappeared with You"? It sounds just like what happened...]
[Someone please turn off the music! It makes me want to cry even more. No one likes sad songs like this.]
[Story? What story? It wasn't just a story. I tried so hard, but I still couldn't save the person I cared about.]
[Every time I tell myself to try again, to try harder... I'm so scared I'll fail again. But I don't want to give up! It hurts so much, not being able to help.]
"Ellie, here are tissues."
Eden handed it over. Elysia couldn't help but twitch her shoulders in front of her. She didn't need to look, but she knew that Elysia face must be full of tears now.
"I just didn't expect that music would be used at this time." Eden said it with a wry smile, but there was also some emotion in his eyes.
"This story... I like it very much. Sadness is not the keynote… What it shows is more about ordinary people's brilliance and all that a person can do."
"I don't hate stories like this either." Aponia's expression did not change, but his eyes became more compassionate.
She will never hate people who try to change their existing future, no matter what.
"I...I absolutely adore stories like this. Stories about beauty, about hope...about never, ever giving up, no matter how hard things get."
Elysia turns, and sure enough, there are tears. They leave streaks across her cheeks, but her eyes sparkle with a stubborn determination.
"I might be a mess right now," she sniffles, a slight laugh catching in her throat, "but I wouldn't trade this feeling for anything. Stories like this...they touch something deep down, don't they? They show us the best of what we can be. Stubborn. Hopeful. Unwilling to let go, even when the odds are stacked against us."
Her voice grows stronger with each word. "If I have to go through ten thousand trials, if I have to cry ten thousand times...as long as there's that tiny flicker of hope, I won't stop fighting."
A tissue swipes across her face, but the tears don't listen. They keep streaming down like runaway pearls, and there's no stopping them.
"It's such a wonderful story," Elysia manages, her voice thick with emotion. Even with tear-streaked cheeks, her smile is radiant. Eden would probably say it's like a flower after the rain – even more beautiful.
"But... that bad guy Luo Mo still needs to be corrected!"
Elysia waved her little fist and said righteously, "How can you want to see a girl cry?"
...
You jolt awake, heart pounding.
Kongming is the first thing you see, and the words tumble out of you in a frantic rush: explosions, palace guards, children in the streets, building the carriage... everything's a blur, the plans jumbled and frantic in your head.
Each reset makes things foggier. The steps, once so clear, now twist and tangle in your mind. You try to plan for everything, but there are always new dangers, new variables you never considered. It's a desperate scramble to catch up with a situation that keeps shifting beneath your feet.
Finally, the weight of it all crashes down. Slumping forward, you can't even bring yourself to look up. You don't want to know what disaster awaits this time, don't want to see the consequences of your frantic choices.
Kongming reaches out with the towel, her eyes filled with worry. But the look on her face, that mix of concern and a desperate hope, makes your skin crawl.
"Don't touch me." Your voice is harsh, a command laced with self-loathing. You can't bear to meet her eyes.
"Don't look at me like that," you mumble. You hate that flicker of hope she can't hide, the belief that maybe this time you can fix it. Staring down at your bare feet, the words finally spill out, barely a whisper: "I can't save you. I'm sorry."
"Mr. Assassin..." Kongming's voice is soft. She studies you, and you know she sees beyond the anger, the outburst. She sees the exhaustion, a brokenness you've tried to hide.
"I'm not Mr. Assassin!" The words explode from you, louder than you intended.
But then, like a wave crashing and retreating, the strength leaves you. Your shoulders slump in defeat.
"Chinese lantern festival... I've seen it over and over. But it always ends the same." Your eyes are drawn back to her, searching for something, anything, in her expression. "Each time, watching you slip away...it's the worst kind of torture."
"It makes me believe... just for a minute... that maybe this time will be different," you confess, the words heavy with desperation. "Then I wake up, and..."
Kongming doesn't look away. There's no scorn in her gaze, no disappointment, just a steady, quiet focus. And for some reason, that's almost worse.
"Why?" The question hangs in the air, directed as much at yourself as at the world. "Why am I so useless?"
"But the captain obviously has a choice. He can give up at any time and escape from this nightmare."
"In the distant past, if it weren't for you, I would have died long ago. But without you, we would not have been able to overcome the troubles, negotiate successfully, and prevent the explosion just now."
"You have done a lot, so you should trust yourself more. Also, how can I blame you?"
Kongming offers a small, gentle smile – warmth tinged with a hint of sadness.
But isn't that the crux of the problem? Isn't that smile both a beacon of hope and a haunting reminder of everything you've failed to protect?
You plunge into the unknown, desperate to see a different ending, to erase the need for that smile altogether.