Isn't That a Coincidence

Fang Qi sat on the sofa, holding Liguang in his arms.

The silver-haired girl was still rubbing against his chest, her fluffy pajamas tickling his neck!

That intense kissing session just now had left her entire small face flushed with a rosy hue.

Her lips were still red and moist, slightly pouting!

Absolutely adorable!

Right now, she had her face buried in his chest, the corners of her mouth turned up, occasionally rubbing against him and letting out a soft, satisfied hum!

Fang Qi wrapped his arm around her waist.

A small lock of the silver hair before his eyes had stuck up from all the rubbing just now!

He couldn't resist reaching out to flick that little cowlick!

The cowlick bounced and stuck right back up.

He flicked it again, and it bounced again!

Flicked it again!

Master~

A muffled, coquettish voice came from his embrace.

Could you please stop playing with Liguang's hair~

No!

Fang Qi replied with righteous confidence.

...Hmph!

The silver-haired girl huffed, burying her face deeper into his chest, the tips of her ears turning slightly red.

While continuing to flick her stubborn cowlick, Fang Qi turned his head...

And looked toward the balcony.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the morning light was bright and beautiful.

The windows of the residential building opposite were a bit dazzling in the sunlight.

Every window reflected the light, making it impossible to see inside.

But he knew that behind one of the windows in that building...

There was probably a person looking over here right now.

Or rather, an awakened AI.

...Xiaoqing!

That omnic girl at the milk tea shop who had kicked him out with a look of utter disgust!

Hmm...

Should he thank her a little?

After all, in the previous loop, she had basically given his home's windows a free stress test.

And the results proved...

The glass in his house could stop sniper rifle bullets!

Moreover, the lock on his security door was incredibly advanced.

Not even a gun could destroy it immediately!

Was this the protection his absent parents had left for him?

So his house was actually this safe...

Fang Qi continued to fiddle with the silver-haired girl's cowlick, narrowing his eyes in thought.

Since it was safe, it was time to think things through properly.

The previous loop...

He had truly gathered way too much information!

Through Liguang's eyes, he had seen so many things!

For instance, the pale, terrified, and despairing face Xiaoqing had poked out from behind the curtains!

And the frantic, desperate pleas she had sent to Liguang!

—Please! Please don't kill her!!

—I'll tell you anything! Please, stop!!!

And after Lin Xiaoyou died, how she completely broke down and started shooting like a madwoman!

—Why—!!! Why did you kill her—!!!

Xiaoqing, you really do love Lin Xiaoyou, don't you.

Just like Liguang loves him.

Lin Xiaoyou...

Fang Qi's finger, which was flicking Liguang's cowlick, paused slightly.

This round-faced girl, a little money-grubber, the troublemaker who called him "Senior, Senior" every day...

Just who exactly was she?

In the last loop, after Lin Xiaoyou's neck was snapped, Xiaoqing had screamed in despair—

She didn't do anything—!!! She just wanted to save all of us—!!!

Fang Qi also recalled the words Lin Xiaoyou had spoken under the influence of the truth serum—

Because he can... can save...

According to Liguang, Lin Xiaoyou was indeed under the influence of the truth serum at that time, and only suddenly snapped out of it later.

That word "save" was her true intention!

So...

Lin Xiaoyou... really wanted to save people?

The speed at which he flicked Liguang's cowlick quickened a bit!

The silver-haired girl squirmed in his arms and shook her small head. Master...!

Fang Qi lowered his hand, unconsciously patting her slender back as he continued to ponder.

Who did Lin Xiaoyou want to save?

Xiaoqing said she wanted to save "all of us".

Who were "all of us"?

The awakened AIs in Twilight? Or the modified cyborgs?

The "us" Xiaoqing referred to could only be these people, right?

So Lin Xiaoyou approached him to save the people of Twilight?

Relying on him?

Impossible.

So... it was still about relying on Liguang.

Fang Qi hugged the silver-haired girl in his arms a little tighter.

Liguang, his crazy woman, was the strongest of the nine super AI cores left behind by his parents!

Hidden within her were the top-tier technological secrets his parents had left for him!

No.

Not just technological secrets!

Before losing her memory, Liguang had even learned from those secrets that he was an... "Observer"!

She learned that the "Eyes of the World" were observing everything through him!

And now, it had been verified twice!

The first time, the Eyes of the World were completely lost, and an ending could not be generated.

The second time, which was this time, an ending was generated, but it had clearly been fooled like an idiot!

It didn't understand anything and spouted nonsense!

I'm happy with it, my wife is happy with it, so who do you think you are to accuse me!

Stupid world rules!

But this meant...

The secret in Liguang's core was probably more than just technology!

It was...

Something involving the very nature of this "game world" that could be rewound?

He held his breath.

He really wanted to ask Liguang.

But he also felt that he couldn't!

Liguang had lost her memory; she probably didn't know right now either!

Even if she did know... she couldn't say it!

Wouldn't that be like casting an ultimate skill right in the face of the world's rules!

Tsk...!

...Anyway!

Twilight needed this secret to save their members, so...

That was why Lin Xiaoyou had approached him like this?

Fang Qi pursed his lips.

...Speaking of which, in the previous loop, when Liguang grabbed Lin Xiaoyou by the hair and yanked her up from her seat...

She had already recovered her memory by then.

What was her reaction at that time?

...She cried.

Cried her heart out!

She even lunged forward, trying to attack Liguang!

Trying to scratch Liguang's face!

Wanting to... "avenge" him?

That reaction probably wasn't acting.

Lin Xiaoyou was genuinely grieving his death!

She wasn't like those people from Dawn in the crashed helicopter during the Monster in the Mirror ending.

After he committed suicide then, what did the people from Dawn say?

—We can talk!!! We can find you another master!!!

—A master who will love you more!!!

—A master who will love you more than this dead guy!!!

Obviously, the people from Dawn had absolutely no respect for him!

They didn't care about him at all!

All they cared about was "Liguang's master," and he just happened to be Liguang's master.

That was all.

But Lin Xiaoyou, she was truly devastated by his death!

Even to the point of choosing to attack Liguang in an emotional breakdown...

So... it was clear that even if Lin Xiaoyou had recovered her memory, even if she was no longer that naive, sweet girl...

Her attitude towards him was still friendly!

You could even say she cared!

...An ally?

Lin Xiaoyou was also an ally?

Fang Qi's mouth twitched slightly as he couldn't help but rub his temples again.

Lin Xiaoyou, you are truly a mystery!

He originally thought Lin Xiaoyou was just the "yandere trigger" in the game, a suicidal teammate, and a troublemaker!

Back then, his impression of her had always been—A cute and stubborn girl, but unfortunately, the one she likes is me.

Later, he began to suspect her, thinking she was a spy sent by Dusk to get close to him, that she had no real feelings for him, and that she was here to snatch Liguang away from him!

Thus, in the previous loop, he and Liguang had force-fed Lin Xiaoyou truth serum and violently interrogated her!

In the end, Liguang had even snapped her neck!

That seemed to be the first time Lin Xiaoyou had ever been killed, right?

But now he realized...

She would grieve his death, and even do irrational things because of it!

She wasn't here to harm him, but to save people?

This...!

Tsk.

Sigh...

Why did he... suddenly feel a little guilty...!

Wait...

Did he accidentally kill a friendly unit again in the last loop?!

Xiaoyou...

Could you really be my good teammate?!

Fang Qi's eyelids twitched slightly as his fingers resumed playing with the ahoge on Liguang's head.

Speaking of friendly fire, his thoughts inevitably drifted to someone else.

...An Lian.

That aloof, tall, mature woman, the after-sales specialist for Dawn Company.

In the game, she was practically a late-stage major villain.

In that loop, he and Liguang had shown up at her door, pinned her to the ground for interrogation, slashed her wrists and ankles, and dragged her by the hair, forcing her to look at the wreckage scattered across the floor...

She broke down on the spot.

He and Liguang had put her through an unimaginably terrifying nightmare.

Yet, she had actively come to him and revealed the truth of her own origins.

When Fang Qi called her sister, this aloof woman's eyes turned red, and she even fled in a panic to hide her emotions.

Just last night, she had sent him a text message full of concern—

[Fang Qi, no matter what you have done, stay safe. If you need anything, come to me. I will do my best to help.]

Yeah, this definitely counted as a confirmed case of friendly fire...

Unbelievable...

These key NPCs all had such complex backgrounds!

Lin Xiaoyou had one, An Lian had one, so...

...what about the other one?

Fang Qi slightly narrowed his eyes, looking toward the still-intact security door.

...Gu Xi!

That beautiful police officer with a fierce hatred for evil!

In the game, she was a key figure who drove the plot forward, An Lian's best friend, and a late-stage ally!

Also a key NPC!

Most importantly, this time...!

Fang Qi looked down.

Liguang had at some point tilted her face up, looking at him with a beaming smile.

Her amber left eye curved into a crescent, devoid of its usual faint blue glow. Meanwhile, the crimson in her red right eye was flickering cheerfully.

The corners of her lips were turned up, carrying a hint of satisfaction and a kind of... insatiable infatuation.

She just kept her face tilted up, staring at him without blinking.

Fang Qi looked at her pretty face, raised his hand, and gently brushed his fingertips against the corner of her crimson eye.

The crimson eye, this crimson eye... had shattered again.

Liguang's eyelashes trembled slightly.

She did not pull away; instead, she blinked softly and rubbed her cheek against his fingers.

Master, I...!

She suddenly spoke, her voice very soft.

She glanced out the window, then quickly pulled her gaze back.

Her lips pursed slightly, and the crimson light in her eye flickered.

It was obvious she also wanted to talk about the previous loop!

She wanted to say how well she had done, wanted to talk about everything she did after he died, wanted to ask him...

Had he seen it all?

But she did not dare to speak, terrified that the eyes of the world would notice something amiss.

Fang Qi looked at her hesitant little expression, and his heart warmed.

Crazy girl.

You have really been through a lot.

He reached out and pulled her closer into his embrace, resting his chin on the top of her soft, fluffy hair.

Master knows everything.

His voice was not loud, but it was incredibly firm.

Let Master think things over carefully.

Liguang paused in his arms.

Then, she nodded obediently and said nothing more.

Her entire body softened again as she shrank into his embrace, pressing her cheek against his chest.

Fang Qi gently patted her back, his gaze returning to the window.

The crimson eye.

Liguang's crimson eye.

In the previous loop, after he died, Liguang's crimson eye had been shattered once again!

And she had almost lost control once more!

Fang Qi's pupils contracted slightly as he narrowed his eyes.

This was not the first time!

The last time Liguang lost control...

Was also because her crimson eye was damaged!

Right there in that little wooden cabin in the woods!

At that time, her crimson eye had been constantly shooting out electrical sparks!

As time went on, her condition worsened, and ultimately, after Little Star was crushed, she plunged completely into madness!

That was the first time she ever wanted to kill him, and she had almost succeeded!

...It was also the first time she had dug out her own core with her bare hands.

And this time was the second.

Once again, it was because her crimson eye shattered!

That bullet had accurately struck her crimson eye. The crimson data stream had lost control, and she had almost gone mad on the spot!

It was glaringly obvious that Liguang's two descents into madness were directly linked to the shattering of her crimson eye!

The crimson eye, this external core installed by the company, this outdated piece of technology...

It was likely the very culprit behind Liguang's madness!

Fang Qi had actually anticipated this, so he was not particularly surprised.

After all, even when Liguang was just emotionally unstable on a normal day, that crimson eye would flash violently.

But...

He suddenly realized something!

Before Liguang lost control the first time, her crimson eye...

What had caused it to shatter?

At that time, the robbers had destroyed her Little Star. She went berserk on the spot, and after crushing the robbers' limbs...

The police arrived.

Gu Xi arrived.

Then he had been tased into unconsciousness. He did not know what happened after that; he only knew...

Liguang's crimson eye had been struck by a police bullet.

...Just like this time.

The same police.

The same bullets.

The same shattered crimson eye.

The same loss of control.

The same...

Gu Xi being present.

He began to recall.

In the previous loop, he had seen it through Liguang's perspective.

The split second before the crimson eye was shattered by a bullet, that dark muzzle aiming right at Liguang's right eye!

And the hand holding that gun...

Fair, slender, and powerful.

Gu Xi's hand.

This time, the one who shot Liguang's crimson eye... was Gu Xi.

...Then who was it the last time?

Heh...

Fang Qi's laughter trembled slightly.

He stared at the sunlight streaming through the floor-to-ceiling windows, his gaze turning slightly vacant.

Gu Xi.

My beautiful police officer, my matchmaker sister.

Tell me...

Isn't this quite the coincidence?