Welcome to Nightmare Game III

Ning Zhou stood on the podium, surrounded by dense crowds. They raised their arms and shouted to celebrate his victory, but the joy in his heart gradually sank.

Where did the Qi Le people go?

In the crowd, Ning Zhou saw Lance. He was holding a scarf, and the little penguin in the scarf was screaming non-stop. He recognized it as Qi Le's scarf at a glance.

The ominous premonition in his heart suddenly came true—Qi Leren left.

"Sorry...sorry, please let me go!" Ning Zhou jumped off the podium and pushed through the crowd amidst the exclamations of the audience.

"Wait, Ning Zhou, you haven't won the trophy yet, where are you going? Everyone is waiting to see your award ceremony." The referee wanted to hold Ning Zhou back, but he was like a fish returning to the river, and he The child slipped away from the crowd.

The sudden departure of the champion of the fencing competition caused chaos on the scene.

The young champion grabbed Lance and asked eagerly, "What about the others?"

"The guards of the Holy See came to look for him. He went to Tranquility Square, and he will soon... Hey, I haven't finished yet!" Lance hugged the little penguin, and watched Ning Zhou, who suddenly ran wildly, disappear in his lap. in view.

Tranquil square.

The guards of the Holy See who were escorting them to serve their sentences were already in full battle, and they only waited for the time to arrive before the convoy set off.

Qi Yuxiu frowned and looked at Qi Leren who was sweating profusely all the way: "What's going on, why didn't you even bring your luggage?"

"A very important matter was delayed just now..." Qi Leren didn't dare to elaborate.

"This time we are going to the border between the two worlds. It is impossible to come back in recent years. It will be very difficult there, and it is impossible to buy clothes and daily necessities for you." Qi Yuxiu said awkwardly.

"I'm mentally prepared. By the way, father, what kind of meritorious service do we have to make to get the chance to come back?" Qi Leren asked.

Qi Yuxiu touched his head: "This is not something you should consider, you are just a child."

"I'm not young anymore." Qi Leren avoided it calmly.

Qi Yuxiu laughed: "Indeed. Since you arrived in Neverland, every little change has surprised me. Maybe you can really get a chance of parole, but this requires you to make outstanding military exploits."

Qi Leren nodded in understanding.

"It's time, we should set off," the guard of the Holy See reminded.

Qi Leren stepped into the car, and Ning Zhou's voice suddenly came from behind: "Wait a minute—!"

He suddenly turned around: "Ning Zhou?"

Isn't Ning Zhou attending the awards ceremony?Why did it suddenly appear here?

On the quiet square covered by ice and snow, the champion who had just earned honor and respect for himself ran towards him. He ran so fast and so anxiously that he seemed to feel no pain, and the wound on his arm burst and bled without knowing it.Hot sweat slid down his blushing cheeks, and in the blink of an eye, it froze into ice grains in the fall.

"You...don't go." Panting, Ning Zhou grabbed Qi Leren's arm, pleading in his blue eyes, "I'm going to ask the Pope to forgive you. Please don't leave me!"

The young man eagerly and sincerely longed not to leave, this emotion that hit the soul suddenly made Qi Leren's eye sockets moist and hot.

At this moment, he realized how reluctant he was.

No, he knew all along, he just didn't dare to think about it.

As long as he thought about it for a while, he wanted to stay regardless, even if he had to violate the rules of the dungeon.

"Don't do stupid things for me." Qi Leren restrained the impulse at this moment, and gently comforted him.

"It's not stupid. We are already friends, aren't we? I don't want to be separated from you." Ning Zhou clumsily confided his heart, naively thinking that friends should not be separated.

"No matter how far apart we are, we will always be..." Qi Leren choked up.

Ning Zhou looked at him straight, and asked in a questioning tone, "Friend?"

Qi Leren smiled, hiding a helpless smile: "Well, friend, best friend."

Ning Zhou suddenly felt that he said something wrong, but he couldn't figure it out.He stared blankly at Qi Leren covering his wound with his hand, and the wound left on the field quickly healed.

After finishing all this, Qi Leren smiled at him and silently said: Goodbye.

He turned around, opened the car door and got in.The car door was closed, and they were separated inside and outside the car, two completely different worlds.

"Go back, you have your responsibilities, and I have mine. But no matter where we are, the relationship between us will not be blocked by time and distance. We will always meet again." Through the glass window , Qi Leren said to Ning Zhou.

At this moment, Ning Zhou's expression was so sad, as if tears would fall at any moment.

"You have done so much for me, but I have not done anything for you." He said sadly.

"So next time we meet, draw me a picture as my birthday present." Qi Leren said with a smile.

"it is good."

The convoy started, and the speed was very slow at first, and Ning Zhou trotted along, as if he could follow all the way to the border between the two worlds, and never be separated from his best friend.

But the reality is always cruel, and it didn't take long for him to be left behind, watching the shadow of the convoy disappear into the vast ice field exhaustedly.

He still couldn't believe it, Qi Le people just left.

He came to his life inconceivably, like a fire ignited in the dark night, which warmed his body and illuminated his way forward.

His life changed because of him.

………………

Ning Zhou returned to the arena in a daze.

He thought that this place had already ended, and what awaited him was only a messy emptiness.

But when he stepped into the dead silence of the arena, he was shocked by the neat and solemn crowd in the auditorium-the audience who flocked to the podium not long ago, now returned to their seats, making this place full of seats.

Everyone is looking at him.

In the silent and fiery eyes of thousands of people, Ning Zhou's chest seemed to be hit hard by a heavy hammer.

They were waiting for his return, after his irresponsible escape for no reason.

No one left, they just went back to the audience and waited for his return.

Ning Zhou saw His Majesty the Pope, who had not come to watch the game, appeared in front of the podium, holding a trophy in his hand, looking at him solemnly.

"Good boy, everyone is waiting for you to come back. Fortunately, you are back." The pope's tone was calm and majestic.

"I'm sorry." Ning Zhou's heart was trembling.

No one blamed him, everyone was expecting him, and at this moment he understood how heavy it was.

This is the love and expectation of everyone.

"Go up, this championship is hard-won, you can hold the trophy with your head held high." The Pope said.

Ning Zhou once again stood on the podium.

This time, there was no ecstatic audience rushing towards the podium, no cheers and singing resounded through the audience, everything was solemn and solemn, like a holy ceremony.

The Pope handed over the heavy trophy to Ning Zhou, and gave him a pair of double knives.

"20 years ago, your mother Maria stood on the podium of the fencing competition and accepted the trophy I handed her. At that time, she was young, proud, high-spirited, and thought that her sword skills were unmatched. .So I gave her a pair of double swords, let her try new weapons, and warned her not to be complacent. Later, she really used the double swords and learned new skills from them. Now, I put this pair The weapon is given to you. Ning Zhou, you are as good as her."

He is recognized and praised by others. At this moment, he is no longer a child who was at a loss when he first came to Neverland, but a teenager who has already touched the heavy and dazzling responsibility.

Ning Zhou took the pair of swords.

"I will try my best to do it." He solemnly promised.

………………

In the dead of night, Ning Zhou, who had been racing all day, dragged his tired feet home.

He was thinking about the Qi Le people who had just left, and thinking about it, he thought about the little penguin.The people of Qi Le seem to have handed over the penguins to Lance, what about the people of Lance?

Ning Zhou pushed open the door of the dormitory, and it was pitch black and empty.

No, someone!

The pair of knives he had just obtained were unsheathed, and Ning Zhou asked sharply, "Who's in there?"

The fire was lit up, illuminating the dark room, and the students hiding in the room rushed out: "You are finally back, we have been waiting for you for a long time!"

"Hurry up, where's the cake? Bring the cake here."

"Oh, don't push me, I'm still hugging the penguin!"

There was a great chaos in the house, some students were in a hurry to light the fire, some were getting cakes, and some were running around in the room like headless chickens.

"What are you doing?" Ning Zhou asked blankly.

Lance, who is the commander-in-chief, came to his side: "Qi Le told me before he left. He made a cake with his own hands. He was going to celebrate your birthday tonight, and he secretly called us to give you a surprise. But it happened suddenly... In short, this is his birthday present to you, take it."

The little penguin had already eaten and drank enough to fall asleep, and was wrapped in a scarf and handed to Ning Zhou.

Ning Zhou was stunned for half a minute before he accepted the little life with his eyes closed.It looked so soft and fragile, he and Qi Le people hid it in their arms every day and hatched it with great difficulty.

Ning Zhou had a sore nose, and he thought of Qi Leren again.

"The candles are lit, come and make a wish." Lance urged.

Ning Zhou stood in front of the cake, and his classmates stood around him. Everyone looked at him silently, waiting for him to make a wish.

On her 14th birthday, Ning Zhou made a wish:

"I hope Le Ren and I will always be best friends."

………………

The birthday party was over, the students left, and only Ning Zhou and the leftover cake were left in the room.

He sat on the chair blankly, holding the sleeping little penguin in his arms, neither wanting to clean up the room nor to wash and rest.

Qi Leren's departure was like a spell, making him exhausted as if he had been emptied, not only physically, but also mentally.

Now he knew the answer to that question: yes, people in Qi Le always remembered his birthday.He planned the perfect birthday party for him, with victories, cake, presents, and friends.

But without Qi Le people, none of this would be perfect.

It will never be perfect.

He tried to convince himself that there are always regrets in life...

"Tuk tuk tuk", there was a knock on the door.

Is the Qi Le people back?

Ning Zhou jumped up from the chair and quickly ran to open the door.

The door opened, and His Majesty the Pope stood outside the door, as if he did not expect him to open the door so quickly.

"Your Majesty, are you looking for me? Why didn't the guards summon me?" Ning Zhou looked at the Pope suspiciously.

His Majesty the Pope seldom appeared outside of the workplace, except that when Ning Zhou came to Neverland on the first day, he personally sent him to the dormitory, the rest of the time the Pope never came here.

"I received a letter reminding me that today is your birthday." The Pope looked at him kindly. "Although it is not the day of baptism, birthday is just as important, so I brought you a present."

Ning Zhou didn't ask about the gift, but instead asked, "Who wrote that letter?"

"You already guessed it, didn't you?"

Ning Zhou said firmly, "It's from Qi Le."

The Pope nodded and handed a photo album to Ning Zhou, "It contains photos of your mother when she was young. She is an orphan of the Knights. After her parents died in the line of duty, I raised her as her guardian. She is as old as you When I was young, she was a passionate and energetic girl who liked swordsmanship and adventure. She once went to explore the southern continent alone, and there, she met your father... Sorry, I suddenly talked about the past, as if it were old age People like to miss the past."

The glass windows of the room rattled slightly, and a fat pigeon was pecking at the window.

"It seems that someone else sent you a gift." The Pope smiled and patted Ning Zhou on the shoulder, "Good boy, I wish you a happy birthday."

After the Pope left, Ning Zhou came to the window and let the fat pigeon in.

A small metal feather was tied to the pigeon's feet. When Ning Zhou touched it, the feather turned into a beautiful metal box.

When Ning Zhou saw this steampunk-style metal box, he guessed who sent it.

Inside the box was a set of oil paints and brushes, and a short letter.

[This year's fireworks are also beautiful.I wish you come back from your studies as soon as possible, and watch the fireworks on the founding day again.Happy birthday, Ning Zhou. 】

The prophet who was so forgetful in the land of dusk that he couldn't remember his name remembered his birthday.

He is loved by many, many people, and he is not alone.

Aurora lights up in the dark sky.The dark green aurora slowly swayed in the night like waves.

Ning Zhou hugged the penguin and stood by the window to watch the aurora. He thought to himself, did the people of Qi Le, who had already embarked on a long journey, see this scene?

some.

On the vast ice field, the convoy moved forward in the snow.Qi Leren leaned in the carriage, looking at the aurora in the black sky, a gentle smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

It's the best job he's ever done.

………………

【You fulfilled Ning Zhou's wish. 14-year-old Ning Zhou has friends, and some of the regrets in his life have been made up for. 】

[However, "you"'s wish has only been fulfilled by a third: you have liberated the dragon. 】

[The plot is deadlocked, the restart conditions are met, and the dungeon rollback begins. 】

[Remaining backtracking times: 2/3]