Chao Yan found out about it and went to Xiao Ying alone.

"Lu Meng has a lot of negative emotions. Is this your doing?" Chao Yan asked.

Xiao Ying shrugged: "She came to me on her own, asking what she could do to help Su Ming'an. I was researching how to extract negative emotions from the Black Mist, so I told her the method."

Chao Yan said, "You still haven't given up on establishing the Old Day Church?"

Xiao Ying said, "Su Ming'an doesn't allow it, but I think it's necessary. We need both the subtlely inspiring methods of deities to evoke negative emotions and my instantaneous method to stir up a huge wave of negative emotions."

Chao Yan said, "But you must know, most of the public won't accept your method – surviving in the Black Mist is too dangerous, it's a red line!"

Xiao Ying smiled: "What I want to do, people wouldn't understand anyway."

Chao Yan said, "Once this comes to light, we can't back you up; we can only denounce you as a madman because we can't let the public learn from you. If everyone thinks they can take risks and get stronger just by entering the Black Mist, the era will be chaotic!"

Xiao Ying said, "So, I will research quietly by myself. This is a last-ditch method, not something to be brought out now."

Chao Yan was silent for a moment and said slowly: "Everyone will see you as a villain lacking humanity."

"Let them think what they want."

"Does it really not matter to you if everyone spurns and despises you?"

"... I don't care."

Emerald green and pitch-black eyes stared at each other, seeing the reflection of the same person in the other's eyes.

…

On the sixteenth day of instance activation, someone leaked the news, and Xiao Ying's secret human experiments erupted, striking people's sensitive nerves.

Su Ming'an had to publicly judge the matter.

His method of handling it was to push Xiao Ying into the Black Mist, letting Xiao Ying feel the pain of bearing an enormous amount of negative emotions.

Su Ming'an knew that during this special period, Xiao Ying's research wasn't the problem; the key was not letting people know. They couldn't acknowledge Xiao Ying's research inclination at this stage.

Xiao Ying stood in the Black Mist.

This was the mist outside the Holy City. Xiao Ying stood quietly inside, his pitch-black eyes not reflecting any pain. Because the physical pain was not to be feared, Su Ming'an's gaze caused him more anguish.

"..."

Xiao Ying took a step forward.

The short distance felt as if he had walked for a very long time. Su Ming'an's gaze fixed on him, like two knives.

Hatred towards the deity flashed momentarily in his mind, then quickly dissipated. For the sake of civilization's continuation, to resort to extreme means, even human experiments—was this wrong? Was this a fault worthy of being personally judged by the deity? What hypocritical and meaningless old values did humankind hold, for which they rejected him?

Xiao Ying's gaze trembled briefly and then clarified... he shouldn't have exposed this matter publicly because the deity is bright, righteous, and pure white. Any impurity in the deity's image would cause people's faith to waver even slightly, allowing Dieying to take advantage.

So, errors could only pile up on his head.

Even if no one was wrong.

"... qualified Savior... qualified Savior... indeed, our ideals are at odds. You're not wrong, and I'm not wrong... Who is wrong..."

The Black Mist was like a sharp blade, cutting his soul, and he suddenly realized—the fault lay with the chariot.

He slowly reached out with his bloodied hand, the blood staining his arm, his exposed skin touched with deep red.

Under the accusatory and disdainful gazes of people, he lightly raised his hand towards Su Ming'an, pressing his index and middle fingers together, blocking Su Ming'an's face from his view. As if this way, it would block the gaze Su Ming'an directed at him.

In the midst of deep red, Xiao Ying smiled.

"... Right."

"This way... you won't be able to see."

"I'm still that free adventurer. I can go beyond the Holy City... I'm unrestrained, not bound by any wager..."

"You'll never... see me in such a pitiful state... never..."

Amidst the curses of the people, he fell.

…

At night, Su Ming'an walked into Xiao Ying's room.

"Judging me by day, yet healing me at night," Xiao Ying murmured from beneath the covers, "…you are the real angel, aren't you? An angel without distinction of good and evil."

Su Ming'an sat on the edge of the bed, took out the Priest's Staff, and slowly healed Xiao Ying. He didn't know whether this method was effective, but it should make one feel a bit comfortable.

After a while of silence, a muffled voice came from beneath the covers:

"What is a bad person, what is ideal."

"Are they opposed to each other? I became a bad person for an ideal, is that my fault?"

Su Ming'an remained silent.

Suddenly, Xiao Ying pulled back the covers, facing him: "Which is more important, procedural justice or result justice? Deity... no, Angel, can you tell me?"

Su Ming'an still didn't speak.

Xiao Ying's pitch-black eyes studied him, as if searching for something special in Su Ming'an's eyes:

"... I've always felt you are lonely."

"You have no ties to this world, except that many have tied your heart tightly to it."

"When Chao Yan killed those criminals, when Lv Shu helped kill the infected, when you sat on the throne, I felt... you are indeed lonely. And this loneliness can only be alienated in your divinity, people would think you should be like this. They wouldn't care why you are lonely."

Su Ming'an looked back into these pitch-black eyes, suddenly recalling long ago when Hei Que said to him with a smile, "People follow you because you fulfill their desires, they value the bread more than the lighthouse."

In a daze, he seemed to see a hundred years later... a dark figure in a cloak, lifting his head, the crucifix pendant on his neck gently swaying: "Revolution from the bottom up is difficult, requires a lot of blood and life. But reform from the top down is relatively gentle..."

In the end, he saw a solitary figure eternally and despairingly fixed on Penglai Fairy Island, drinking one jar after another of peach blossom brew.

He ruined everything for Xiao Ying, destroyed his freedom, his reputation, his legacy. Sometimes Xiao Ying was at fault first, sometimes he had to move forward; their relationship had become chaotic. And Su Ming'an no longer had the energy to deal with these tangled ties, he was too tired.

"... Don't do anything too drastic, I'm leaving." Su Ming'an rose.

"—Is your heart sincere?" Xiao Ying asked, staring directly at him, "—Is your heart for civilization sincere?"

Su Ming'an looked back at him.

Xiao Ying longed to see a trace of impurity in those eyes, so he could tell himself that Su Ming'an was personally seeking revenge on him, which is why he was subjected to such punishment. This way, he could slightly divert the resentment in his heart, having a target to anchor his malice, sparing himself from the torment of guilt.

However, there was none.

The eyes looking back were pitch black, almost reflecting a shadow, without a single trace of impurity, or any emotion of guilt or resentment.

He had completely laid bare his evil intentions before Su Ming'an, in the most vile and embarrassing manner, yet Su Ming'an's eyes showed no other emotions, as if completely accepting, yet completely ignoring.

"…I really wish you hated me." Xiao Ying truly wished to tear off the indifferent mask of the deity, even he himself was unsure of his own mentality. Complex, inexplicable.

Su Ming'an's gaze remained indifferent, like treating every loveless and hateless NPC, he turned and left.

This made Xiao Ying understand.

The deity was a true deity—without any personal agenda, nor any sense of vengeance, simply delivering the optimal judgment for the current situation. Thus, he should not hate the deity... there was no room for resentment, he could only be forced to accept this pain lingering around him, accept people's fear and disdain towards him.

This only made him begin to hate himself.

Taking out a sculpture of a black bird, he pressed it against his forehead, laughing lowly, speaking indistinct words:

"…Clearly, we are the same, clearly only we come from the same homeland…Su Ming'an."

…

The sixteenth day of replica activation, evening.

Heavenly Era, Year 1, December 1st.

The transmigrators' travels have begun to stabilize, and the millennium plan is about to enter its second phase.

That is, establishing the Dream Patrol game. And creating the largest life hard drive.

The latter need not be discussed, the former requires Su Ming'an's direct involvement.

Establishing the Dream Patrol game requires "localization," ensuring that people feel no abruptness or rejection during their crossing—this requires probing a reasonable game proposal and rules, exploring what era fits what type of game.

In other words—Su Ming'an became a game planner. Also known as the "dog planner" in the mouths of people a millennium later.

He no longer held fort at the Old Divine Palace, officially stepping into the era.

—Heavenly Era Year 1, Old God Era.

At this time, the deities had just "usurped power," erasing history, all traces of the Old Gods were being wiped out. The uninformed people were anxiously collecting data, trying to preserve history.

Su Ming'an could choose soul crossing or bodily crossing. Considering convenience, he chose soul crossing—soul crossing as a deity.

The hexagonal prism-like tall buildings gleamed with gemstone-like purity. He possessed the deity, the pure sunlight fell upon his shoulders, like a sun descending from the sky, his long white hair resembling frost and snow.

On the ground, schools were vandalized, buildings exploded, hospitals were broken into. Without the leadership of the Old Gods, people fell into extreme chaos.

From a great distance, Su Ming'an immediately saw Li Mingyue running inside a building, and Li Mingyue happened to look up, their eyes meeting through the glass.

At the same time, the watch on Li Mingyue's wrist, sensing a frequency similar to its own, let out a puzzled sound: "…Hmm?"

"What's the matter?" Li Mingyue asked.

"Hmm…no, it's nothing…" Duo fell silent. Thinking it might have sensed wrongly, how could there be two Duos at the same time!

The Su Ming'an on the tall building wasted no time and quickly took action.

He observed era characteristics, human nature, where to implant time channels, and where to implant system prompts. Su Ming'an discussed it with the deities, finalizing step-by-step details.

—Establish channels with the "time" authority, allowing "players" to descend upon this era.

—Establish a "game system" through cognitive shielding, setting up a "main quest" and "side quests."

—Convert emotions gained from dispelling the black mist into energy that humans can use, considered as "experience points." Creating a positive feedback loop of "dispel the black mist to gain experience points and level up."

—Guide local people with an oracle, serving as "NPCs that can provide positive feedback," giving "players" monetary and item rewards.

Finally, determine the specific content of the game.

Considering that the Old God Era (Heavenly Era Year 0 to Year 86) mainly focused on "erasing history, escorting life hard drives" as the era's theme. The deities suggested using a "chase game" format to guide people to the edges of the black mist.

Su Ming'an, using his game experience, suggested creating an "asymmetrical chase game," making it more competitive and proactive. Retaining the thrill, stripping away the fear, replacing harsh warfare with warm animal imagery, reducing mental burden on people.

After discussion, he and the deities set on a theme of "cat" and "little girl," not deviating from mimicking.

Since "players" are all soul crossing and not bodily crossing, in-game death does not result in death in reality, but will cause soul trauma. This means that the Dream Patrol game often induces madness and mental collapse. The deities proposed that Dream Patrol players should be able to gain more positive feedback, raising the mental threshold.

Su Ming'an suggested incorporating a "live broadcast room" and "game forum" mode, allowing the audience to see the efforts and struggles of the Dream Patrol family, positively reinforcing their fight. Meanwhile, the live broadcast room can also pool ideas, enabling the human expert team to help top Dream Patrol family members make game decisions. But it can also be detrimental, as the evils of human nature can be unimaginable, and the audience might channel negative emotions onto the Dream Patrol players, counterproductively.

The deities proposed increasing the role of "entertaining Dream Patrol family," having them bear the negative output from the audience. Main positive emotional output is primarily given to top-ranking Dream Patrol families.

They exchanged opinions, gradually filling in the details not mentioned in the simulation, envisionable—

An orange cat and a blue-eyed ragdoll cat set foot on this land a millennium later.

The ragdoll cat called out, "Little Cloud! Come with me!" The orange cat started to stride, they crossed bustling streets, leaped over tall streetlamps, everything felt as free as the wind…

Click.

A crisp sound.

…

The snake's teeth bit into its tail, forming a silver-bright ring, complete and beautiful.

…

—The little girl holding a teddy bear stood beneath the church, surrounded by cats, [She] quietly smiled.

…

[TE3·"Your and His Utopia" (Reached the final Old Day land, establishing a Utopia) Perfect Completion Progress: 93%]

…

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