Chapter 1

Nielian stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.

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Life's bitterness, death's pain, the pain of parting from loved ones, the pain of meeting those one hates, the pain of unfulfilled desires—Buddha speaks of eight sufferings, and Nielian has experienced five of them. His life has essentially been a history of suffering, fortunately, it was a short one, as he only lived to the age of twenty-eight.

His life perhaps should have ended there, but fate took a turn at that moment.

Nielian turned over, feeling a wet sensation on his back. His clothes clung to his body, making him very uncomfortable. He vaguely remembered being hit by a bullet in the back, falling to the ground, and blood pooling around him.

Death, after all, was nothing to be afraid of. Nielian was quite calm, ready to die quietly, which would be a form of liberation.

He had lain in ambush at the entrance of Cao Xu's villa for five whole days, finally waiting for Cao Xu to appear. Just as Cao Xu was about to get into his car, Nielian pulled the trigger, sending a bullet from a sniper rifle into Cao Xu's head. With a bang, blood splattered everywhere. Through the scope, Nielian saw a hole in Cao Xu's head, from which blood was gushing out.

Cao Xu's eyes were full of confusion, gradually losing focus.

The moment of the bullet hitting Cao Xu's head replayed in Nielian's mind, bringing him immense satisfaction, a release of his hatred.

Cao Xu, who had enjoyed a life of luxury, died at the hands of a small person like Nielian. He probably wouldn't be at peace even in death. In the face of death, everyone is the same. No matter how much wealth he had, it couldn't save his life.

Too much evil, in the end, cannot escape the cycle of retribution.

At the moment Cao Xu's head was shattered, Nielian found his worldview completely transformed. It turned out that everything was just a bullet. Tomorrow's morning newspaper might feature his photo on the front page, with the headline "Billionaire Cao Xu Assassinated," followed by a large close-up of the criminal, for the world to admire and worship.

After shooting Cao Xu, Nielian was discovered by Cao Xu's bodyguards, who tracked him down and shot him in the back.

Nielian felt a sharp pain in his back, realizing this was the sensation of being pierced by a bullet. His heart gradually numbed, and he could feel his life force rapidly draining away.

Am I dying? But he smiled, laughing at the brevity of life, laughing at his own aimless existence, only to realize the truth at the moment of death.

Tears streamed down his face.

The deep enmity against his parents was avenged. Scenes from the past played in his mind like a movie. The only thing Nielian still cared about in this world was her smile, untainted by any impurity.

She was Nielian's high school classmate, now married. Her clear and beautiful face was etched in Nielian's heart, becoming more and more indelible with time. He wondered what her reaction would be when she saw the news of Nielian and Cao Xu's mutual destruction. Would she sigh, or shed tears?

Sealed memories flooded his mind like a breached dam. He regretted that some things, once understood, were already too late. This life, he had too many regrets, too many unfulfilled wishes.

Nielian reached out to grab something but found everything gradually fading away. Life was coming to an end, and ahead lay eternal darkness.

Regret and despair cut into his heart like a sharp knife, making it hard to bear.

What did I do wrong in my past life to be so punished and tormented by heaven?

Nielian's resentment soared, unwilling to accept his fate. He screamed in his heart, tears rolling down his face.

After a long while, Nielian's emotions slowly calmed down.

His mind was still active, his brain still thinking. Is this what death is? Perhaps this is my soul.

After a long time, Nielian's fingers felt a slight sensation, and it was so real. Why, after so long, do I still have consciousness? He suddenly sat up, looking around, feeling lost and bewildered.

Is this hell?

Nielian's lifeless eyes slowly regained focus. He looked around, seeing some old items: a wooden bed, a chair, a damaged floor.

Where am I? Didn't I die?

It felt like a dream, an unreal sensation. He touched his back, feeling a sticky liquid. Looking at his hand, it was not blood but sweat. His clothes were soaked with sweat, giving a wet feeling.

What's happening?

Didn't I bleed a lot? He vaguely remembered the blood, as red as wine, the color of a life fading away.

Nielian pinched himself, feeling pain. This wasn't a dream. Could the assassination of Cao Xu have been a dream?

Why did it feel so real?

Like the ancient philosopher Zhuangzi, who upon waking from a dream, wondered if he was Zhuangzi who had dreamed of being a butterfly, or a butterfly dreaming of being Zhuangzi.

Which is real, which is a dream?

He looked around, full of confusion.

Dim lighting, an old wooden bed, a desk, a chair, a wall clock that his father claimed was an antique, ticking away. Nielian remembered it was never accurate.

Memories unfolded like an old photo album.

This environment was so familiar. Wasn't this the house he lived in during high school?

Sunlight filtered through the holes in the curtains, causing his pupils to dilate painfully, giving him a vivid sense of reality.

I'm still alive. Nielian held his right hand in front of him, slightly tender and pale.

"What's wrong with me? Am I the me from ten years ago, or the me from ten years later?" Nielian scratched his head, feeling extremely troubled.

He organized his thoughts, and certain memories gradually became clearer.

This was the summer of his sophomore year in high school, when his parents were away, and he had a high fever of forty degrees, almost dying. He barely survived.

During that time, his parents left him some money and then disappeared for two to three months, unreachable by phone. He thought they had abandoned him, feeling fear, panic, and anxiety. Combined with his high fever, it left a deep psychological scar, making him timid and withdrawn, a trait that persisted until he was twenty-five.

Later, he learned that his parents had borrowed money from relatives and friends to engage in smuggling along the border. The country urgently needed a metal called polonium, a strategic material. After its importance was discovered, countries quickly restricted exports and stockpiled it. Nielian's parents found a way to collect this material, smuggle it back into the country, and sell it to the government at a high price, earning a substantial sum.

During that time, the situation was tense, and Nielian's parents couldn't contact him. The matter was a military secret, and if it leaked, it could lead to their deaths. This misunderstanding between Nielian and his parents persisted until many years later, when his father revealed the truth, and Nielian forgave them.

From that year on, his father used the initial capital to start a metal smelting company, securing several major contracts, rapidly advancing his business, and solving the family's financial problems. Nielian was then transferred to a prestigious school in the city.

Did I really return to that time?

Can everything really start over?

Surprise and anxiety intertwined, making it hard for Nielian to describe his feelings. He was worried that everything now was just a dream.

Nielian got out of bed, pulled the curtains, and the intense sunlight, like flames, confirmed he wasn't dreaming.

Looking down, on the desk by the window were his textbooks: mechanical theory, automation theory, Chinese, advanced mathematics, intelligent programming languages, and more.

Nielian flipped through the books, the familiar words flowing like a clear stream, bringing back memories, refreshing and invigorating. These textbooks were a part of his lost youth. In his senior year, he transferred to a prestigious school in the city. His father's business success provided ample resources, making him a wealthy second-generation. He developed a lazy attitude, and his grades suffered. His father spent money to get him into a prestigious university, but he didn't learn much, spending his days idly.

At twenty-five, his father's business was besieged by Cao Xu's Century Group. Trusted relatives and friends were bought off by Cao Xu, leading to a series of setbacks for the company. The family fell into financial distress again. His father committed suicide by poisoning, and his mother died of illness and grief. After losing both parents, Nielian learned to strive, self-studying many subjects, but he had missed many opportunities.

Nielian had once been full of hope to make a name for himself, but would Cao Xu let the son of his enemy rise again? Under Cao Xu's interference, no company would hire Nielian, leaving him with no options. If not for the meager income from playing the virtual game Faith, he wouldn't even have food to eat.

A fair fight against Cao Xu was impossible. Desperate, Nielian chose to take Cao Xu down with him. The gunshot was a release of his hatred.

The heavens are just, and Cao Xu probably never expected such an outcome.

Nielian thought he had died, but time played a trick on him, sending him back to the summer of his sophomore year in high school.

Though he couldn't contact his parents, Nielian was certain they were still alive, and he often shed tears thinking about it.

The pain of not being able to care for his parents in his past life was something others couldn't understand.

Heaven had given him another chance, and he would not waste it.

His parents would return in twenty days, and it was summer break. He would have to stay home alone.

"Second semester of sophomore year, that year, the virtual game Faith had just launched." Nielian clearly remembered the scene when Faith launched, with numerous corporations investing heavily, making it a true second world for humans.

He entered Faith later, after transferring to a prestigious school, introduced by a close friend. By then, many players were already at high levels, and he had to catch up.

Memories of those days in the game were vivid, the most unforgettable part of his life. He made many friends, and their presence made his lonely days less boring.

Before shooting Cao Xu, Nielian was a level 180 thief, not top-tier but still considered skilled.

Nielian suddenly remembered a bank card in his drawer, his only savings.

"I can buy a helmet now." Nielian thought, opening the drawer and finding the silver bank card. If his memory served, it had 2,000 credit points, equivalent to 2,000 yuan. He had saved this money over several years, intending to buy an advanced x3 computer, but by the time he saved enough, the x3 was outdated. Later, with his father's success, he had more pocket money, and his father, wanting to make up for lost time, almost always granted his requests.

At eighteen, Nielian had the soul of a twenty-eight-year-old. Everything started anew, and life took a new turn. Without sufficient capital, he couldn't do much, so he would start with the game. With his previous gaming experience, becoming a professional player and earning money would be relatively easy.

He remembered that when Faith helmets first launched, to promote them, they were very affordable, with three models: A, B, and C, each with different configurations and virtual reality levels ranging from 76% to 98%. The cheapest C model cost 1,300 credit points, which he could afford with his savings.

He clearly remembered many aspects of the game. Starting over wouldn't be difficult.

Putting the bank card in his pocket, Nielian's gaze fell on the advanced mathematics textbook. He picked it up, shook it, and a crisp hundred-yuan bill fell out, bringing back more memories.

He suddenly remembered his first encounter with Xie Yao, which happened today. He had taken this hundred-yuan bill to buy medicine from the pharmacy.

Xie Yao was his senior year classmate and the class beauty. Their past, once a source of regret, was now a source of reflection. Ten years later, Xie Yao was in a relationship with the class genius Liu Rui, and they had moved to the moon. After a few phone calls, Nielian learned that Xie Yao was not happy. Talking about high school, they both sighed.

If he had been braver and less timid and insecure in front of Xie Yao, he might not have missed out.

Sometimes, a turn can mean a lifetime of regret.

Xie Yao often wore white dresses, beautiful and pure. Her image was deeply etched in Nielian's heart, a nostalgic and peaceful memory, like the sound of a flute at dusk.

Nielian glanced at the old clock, which read three o'clock. He still had time. He took the bill and ran downstairs.

They lived in a desolate suburb, with a narrow, old road that raised dust in the wind. Trees lined both sides, providing shade in the scorching sun.

The afternoon was hot, with