Chapter 30: The Journey Home

[‘Just Judgment’ Ruling:
Death-Born Aggregate, factor of abyssal contamination, triggered the Death Zone using the Lost as a catalyst, distorted dreams, and hunted the inhabitants of the current realm. Verdict finalized!
Judgment amplification: 356%.
Single application of the [Tribunal]-[Knight of Justice] meme, 50% increased damage against spiritual pollution, dealing a cumulative total of 261 points of Holy damage.]

[Due to excessive judgment damage, the Arbiter—Chief Player Su Wen—is currently suffering from excessive psychic consumption and mental load.]
[As the Source of the Dream bears the mental burden, the Origin Point 'Azure Hyacinth'—Wind of Resurgence has been activated.]
[Psychic energy recovering slowly.]
[Abyssal contamination purification index: 98%.]
[Trace amounts of contamination source diffusing.]
[Analysis indicates the escaping nightmare contamination has contacted human mental fields; there is no lasting impact on their psyche.]

In the future timeline:
Many people sleeping around the Tenth Middle School were drawn into the dissipating Death Zone due to the minute fragments of the abyss that had escaped.
There, they caught a glimpse of a knight whose features were somewhat blurred:
He stood tall, holding a silvery spear, pinning the nightmare’s source of contamination against the blood-red sky.
Compared to the grotesque environment surrounding them, the knight’s figure appeared incredibly sacred and sublime.
He seemed like a hero standing against endless peril in an apocalyptic world.
Even a single glance left an unforgettable impression on the onlookers.

Similarly, within the game interface, Su Wen also saw those hazy figures standing on the edge of the nightmare.
[Identification: Due to the dissipation of the abyssal field, a faulty link to the mental fields of Binhai City residents has occurred. (Note: The link cannot be maintained for long and will soon be severed.)]
It seems he had disturbed a few people after all.
He said, calm and gentle:
"Have a good dream. Goodnight."

In an instant, the nightmare fragments vanished.
[Abyssal contamination purification complete.]
[Future timeline altered.]
[Those affected were not interfered with by the 'nightmare' trigger.]

The dream-walkers who had witnessed the most magnificent scene of the 'Tenth Middle School' Death Zone finale departed as spectators.
The evildoers of the past remained there forever, under the gaze of the abyssal will and trapped by the sins they had committed.
The abyssal contamination—the Death-Born Aggregate—was purged.

Now, only the 'Nightmare Ground Zero' remained in Su Wen’s view, a girl with a remnant consciousness:
A frail little girl named Wu Shuang.
She no longer bore the horrific appearance she had at the start.
She looked like the little granddaughter of Old Lady Zhang, who lived near Su Wen’s old house—a well-behaved child who would greet him with a "Hello, Brother" whenever they met.

Su Wen was extremely rational.
He knew clearly that this world was neither gentle nor just.
Human history is merely a process of constantly repeating past mistakes.
But precisely because of that, if there is a light, it should illuminate the darkness all the more.
Just like Lighthouse No. 43 piercing through a storm.
Someone has to do these things.

Su Wen was not pedantic; he did not adhere to so-called social conventions, nor did he set moral bottom lines for himself.
He was not a paladin of the Church, but a researcher.
Therefore, he followed only scientific truth and his own heart.

[Contacted Origin Knowledge Fragment: Knight—Mercy]
[Contacted Origin Knowledge Fragment: Knight—Integrity]

Su Wen knelt down, looked at the little girl whose consciousness was gradually fading, and said gently:
"Don't worry, it's all over."
"Brother, thank you."
Little Wu Shuang bowed to him earnestly and whispered, "But I have nothing left to repay you with."
"No repayment is needed. Everything is enough as it is."
Su Wen gently stroked her hair as it began to dissolve into points of light.
But the little girl seemed to think of something.

The world background shifted, changing into an art studio bathed in warm sunlight.
The little girl said shyly:
"Brother, let me draw a picture for you. It's the only thing I can do."
"Alright."
Su Wen nodded slightly, ultimately choosing not to refuse.

Half an hour later.
Unlike the sketches of the middle school students once scattered numbly in their coffins, in this drawing:
Beneath Su Wen’s handsome features, there was an incredibly firm and dazzling light in his eyes.

The Knight accepted the painting.
His mood was complex, but it eventually settled into relief:
"Thank you. This gift is very precious; I like it very much."

Su Wen did not use a computer as a medium for this final segment.
Instead, he crossed time and consciousness to truly connect with the future fragment and bid the little girl farewell.
[Obtained Extraordinary Accessory (Painting): The Paladin Who Brought Redemption]

[Extraordinary Accessory Description: In the autumn of the fifth year of the Origin Era, the Knight of Justice, Su Wen, infiltrated a Tier 2 Death Zone alone. He redeemed the sunken and judged malice; let this painting serve as a reminder.]

"I can finally go home."
The little girl waved at him, a clear, simple smile rippling across her face.
Perhaps, she had been waiting for the word 'home' for too long.

The sound of the tides of the Silver Sea began to rise. As the sun exhausted its last bit of strength, silvery light replaced everything.
Wave after wave, carrying white sea foam, it carried the lost souls toward their journey home.

[Contacted Origin Scene: The Return of the Lost]
[Contacted Origin Scene: The Sound of the Silver Sea Tides]

Everything ended.
The game froze.

[‘Tenth Middle School Death Zone’ future timeline node altered.]
[Timeline Correction:
1. The ‘Heavenly Hymn’ event, due to the decreased repulsion of the Heavenly Mountain fragments, now has a probability of appearing in the Binhai urban area of the Jiangnan region along the Pacific coast.
2. The initiation of the ‘Death-Sleeping Maiden’ destruction event is canceled; the possibility of the Night Watchers encountering large-scale Death-Born events at the borders is reduced.
3. The impact of the ‘Bronze Throne’ revival has increased from 15% to 20%.]

[Due to future changes, ‘Leave Quickly’ game over.]

The death countdown before Su Wen’s eyes stopped counting again.
The scene before him shifted from the deep blue starry night sky to a very ordinary rural courtyard.
In the bedroom of the farmhouse lay a couple with weathered faces.
The bedroom door had been shut, but for some reason, it was quietly opened by a light breeze.
Then, the edges of the blankets, which hadn't been tucked in properly, were gently pulled to a position that would keep them warm.

Before long, the mother woke up. She wiped away tears that had flowed from somewhere unknown and said to her husband beside her:
"Old man, I think I dreamed of Little Shuang."
"Me too."
The two looked out the window.
At this moment, the evening breeze was gentle, and the moonlight was clear and bright.
It was the farewell Wu Shuang had spoken to them in the dream.