Rebirth of the God Hunter Legend

Chapter 2 If Time Could Turn Back
Exiting the game and taking off his helmet, Ling Chuan looked out the window. Through the blinds, he saw a zipline and a figure leap past. It seemed that through this year's Divine Revelation Global League, Chonghuang's business department had negotiated new advertising deals and needed to add holographic advertising devices. Such things happened every year, so he didn't pay much attention to it.

After taking one last look around the office environment where he had lived for ten years, Ling Chuan picked up the file bag on the table and slowly walked out of the office.

The corridor is outside, and to avoid being disturbed frequently, his office is separated from the strategy department area, so he does not need to pass by the department members when leaving.

At the elevator entrance, the floor display kept changing. Ling Chuan paused for a moment, but just as the elevator was about to reach the 30th floor, he suddenly chose to leave and headed towards the staircase that no one had used for years. Perhaps it was a strange impulse, or perhaps it was just a sudden whim, but in any case, he wanted to leave from here today.

One floor, two floors, going around and around, when the floor indicator reached the twentieth floor, an elegant figure stood facing the window, bathed in neon lights, with a faint smile on her flawless face, revealing a gentleness that others had never seen before.

"Mo Ran?" Ling Chuan was somewhat surprised.

Mo Ran turned around and smiled, "Well, you can recognize me from just my back. Tell me, do you often peek at me?"

The initial surprise quickly dissipated. After ten years of getting along, they had developed a certain subconscious understanding. Ling Chuan walked to Mo Ran's side, leaned against the railing against the wall, and asked, "Waiting for me?"

"What else? To find love here?"

Ling Chuan asked helplessly, "Are you so sure I'll take the stairs?"

"Let's take a gamble. Wouldn't it be romantic if we won?"

"What if you bet wrong?" Ling Chuan asked.

"I'll block your door, it's not like I don't know your address," Mo Ran said without hesitation.

Ling Chuan chuckled, looking up at the dazzling world outside the window, "Ten years have passed in the blink of an eye."

Mo Ran, holding onto the handrail, playfully tiptoed, "Yes, time really flies. Looking back now, the scene of applying for your job is still vivid in my mind. That phrase, 'Having me means having the whole world,' really shocked my old man. People who didn't know better would think you were some cheesy, awkward host from a live streaming platform."

Ling Chuan also recalled the scene back then, and gave Mo Ran a meaningful look, "In the end, you still got hired, didn't you? What, did you like this kind of thing back then?"

Mo Ran chuckled and said, "If I said I fell in love with you at first sight, would you believe me?"

"Haha, I almost believed it."

"Straight men really have no sense of romance."

Ling Chuan smiled without saying a word, and Mo Ran also stopped speaking. After several seconds, Mo Ran turned to look at Ling Chuan and said wistfully, "Are you really leaving?"

By the light from the window, Ling Chuan's face was as calm as an ancient well. He nodded and sighed, "You know me. Rather than being a bystander, I want to be involved. I dream about it."

"But the problem can't be viewed from just one perspective. Look at Tang Ling, Wen Yuan, Song Xing, Liu Lei, which one of them wasn't a king born from your hands? You were never a bystander from beginning to end; you were also involved, just in a different way."

"I'm tired."

Without any overly aggressive rebuttal, Ling Chuan uttered just three words to shatter Mo Ran's argument.

"You're tired, but what about Tang Ling? What will happen to her?"

"Little girl? She's already capable of handling things on her own."

"You know that's not what I'm talking about."

"You know my personality. Mo Ran, wake up! Look at this bustling world. Holographic technology will only become more and more widespread in the future, and all kinds of simulation industries will develop at an unimaginable speed. Now, the older generation even meets up in the holographic world to buy groceries, shop, and dance in the square. When everything in the world is connected to simulation technology, what do you think I will become?"

Before Mo Ran could speak, Ling Chuan replied with a self-deprecating laugh, "An ancient person living in the last century might have trouble even with daily life, because I can't enter the holographic realm."

Mo Ran said firmly, "No, of course you can. Haven't you been existing in 'Divine Revelation' for the past ten years?"

Ling Chuan denied it, "You underestimate FNC. Do you know how many times I reconnected to Divine Revelation today? One hundred and sixty-three times. Over the past ten years, my abnormal brainwaves have worsened almost every year. Yes, maybe I can still get in next year or the year after, but what about ten years later, twenty years later? Will I still be able to get in?"

"You yourself said that holographic technology will be developed unprecedentedly in ten or twenty years, so how can you conclude that it is impossible to develop a way to eliminate FNC?"

Ling Chuan smiled wryly, "Actually, you understand. It's not that no one has discussed FNC syndrome before, but the fact is that only 1,000 out of 10 billion people in the world have a chance of developing this syndrome. Moreover, apart from affecting the connection between brainwaves and virtual reality technology, this syndrome does not harm the human body. It is so special that the world organization would not spend huge sums of money and effort to set up a research group, not to mention that the sample size is not enough to support this research."

Mo Ran was speechless, especially the despair and resignation hidden behind that bitter smile, which made her feel deeply sorry for her. In front of others, she was the owner of the Chonghuang Club, enjoying the honor of a queen, and could decide countless matters with a wave of her hand. But in front of Ling Chuan, she was an incompetent weakling who could do nothing but get help from Ling Chuan.

"So what are your plans for the future?" Now that the question has been asked, it would be too selfish to try to persuade you to stay.

Ling Chuan said, "Find an old sandbox game, dig holes and fill them in, enjoy the scenery and plant vegetables, be a free otaku. Anyway, the money I've earned from you in the past ten years is enough for me to squander for several lifetimes. If all else fails, you can support me."

"you……"

Mo Ran's cheeks flushed, and she glared at Ling Chuan with a hint of annoyance. Seeing Ling Chuan's calm expression, the flutter in her heart slowly subsided. The two fell silent again. One minute, ten minutes, thirty minutes passed. When the sound of a rope turning came from outside the window again, Mo Ran let out a long sigh, "You won."

Ling Chuan laughed, "You should have surrendered long ago. Don't forget that you're facing the invincible legend behind the Chonghuang Emperor."

Mo Ran rolled her eyes. "Narcissist."

As she spoke, she glanced at Ling Chuan's arm and saw the brown file folder. In this era of dazzling information carriers, paper is considered an antique, but she had no intention of mocking it.

"Artemis?"

Ling Chuan glanced at the file folder and chuckled, "Hmm, the second biggest regret in my life."

Mo Ran said, "Who would have thought that there would be such an Easter egg in 'Divine Revelation'? The weapons of the gods, the ultimate artifacts. If you could know about its existence at the beginning of the game, it would be easy to reach the top of the Divine Revelation."

“It’s not that simple.” Ling Chuan gently stroked the file bag. “In the end, a supreme artifact is just a piece of equipment. Whether it can be used effectively depends on the person using it. But if it’s just a piece of equipment, there’s no need to hide it so deeply, not even revealing its grade. The secrets behind it are truly intriguing. Unfortunately, the opportunity to forge it has been lost, which also means the possibility of in-depth research has been cut off. It can only remain a regret forever.”

"Judging from your words now, I really can't tell that you're a reclusive guy who wants to 'retire early'."

"Don't judge a book by its cover. I should go now, you dawdler."

"I send you."

"Pretentious."

"Tch... In this world, apart from family and relatives, you are the first man who made me wait for an hour and even offered to see me off. You dare to say I'm being pretentious? You should feel honored."

"Yes, Your Majesty, it is my great honor."

"That's pretty much it."

Amidst playful banter and teasing, the two walked downstairs side by side.

……

In the lobby, in front of the club, Mo Ran resumed her usual aloof and dignified demeanor, and instructed, "Contact me anytime if anything happens. My phone is not switched off or out of service for you."

"You're the same. While I can still access 'Divine Revelation' now, I can occasionally give you some extra help."

"Really? That would be a huge help."

"It's okay, just pay me."

"You guy."

Shaking her head without getting angry, Mo Ran reached out her hand and said gently, "Ling Chuan, you've had a tough time all these years."

Ling Chuan stopped being irreverent, reached out and grasped that soft hand, and said contentedly, "It wasn't hard work. On the contrary, I had a very fulfilling life, except for one last regret."

"What is it?"

"Actually, I was serious just now."

"What did you just say?"

"You raise..."

If time could be reversed, if he hadn't spoken up to start a dialogue, or if he had openly expressed his feelings from the beginning, would the ending have been different?

"Clang—!!!"

A startling cracking sound rang out from high above, followed by a screeching shriek that pierced eardrums. Passersby scattered in panic, screaming and shouting in response. Mo Ran and Ling Chuan looked up at the sky at the same time, and a huge black object came into view.

"Lingchuan!"

Mo Ran was terrified and raised her hand to push Ling Chuan, but the moment he made his move, a strong force suddenly passed through her shoulder and spread throughout her body.

Her vision gradually filled with terror, and Ling Chuan's figure receded further and further into the distance, finally disappearing into the deafening roar with a bitter sigh...

"Lingchuan!!!"

(End of this chapter)