Chapter 995 – Past Life, This Life (Fin)

Huahai, the Moro River Banquet Hall. This establishment was bustling, with a steady stream of people coming and going. A total of 6,000 people were invited for tonight’s celebrations.

The gathering was quite secretive. No one from the public knew why they were here.

The guests came from all walks of life. There were the CEOs of large financial groups as well as ordinary shop owners you would find in your everyday corner store. There were bureaucrats and white-collar workers. Some were even freelancers with no particular job. However, none of them seemed to care about any of this. They chatted merrily, shoulder to shoulder as if they were close brothers.

If other players from Conviction were here, they would be shocked speechless. The names these people were calling each other were the most famous characters in the game.

The top few floors of the Moro River Banquet Hall were merged together. 600 people were gathered together across 40 tables. They were chatting happily and toasting to each other.

On both sides of the hall were 60 waitresses dressed in elegant qipaos.

“Scoundrel, aren’t you quite the playboy in Conviction? You always have a beautiful girl around your arm! I didn’t expect you to be so timid. When that waitress poured a drink for you just now, your face was bright red,” Tang Yao teased.

“W-well… you know, it’s different! That’s inside the game!” Scoundrel refuted in embarrassment.

Everyone erupted into laughter. Who knew Undying Scoundrel had such an interesting side to him?

“The boss is coming!”

The 600 people stirred, standing up one after another as their faces lit up with excitement. Even the waitresses couldn’t help but shoot curious gazes over. They also played Conviction and naturally knew Nie Yan’s name, not to mention he was also the Xie Family’s son-in-law.

Nie Yan was dressed in a well-ironed western suit. He looked dignified and suave. Next to him was Xie Yao in a white evening dress, her long hair worn up in a bun. Her beautiful figure was perfectly accentuated. Many of the guests couldn’t help but sigh in admiration. What a lovely couple!

“Nie Yan, you lil’ punk! You’ve made us wait! Get over here and toast with us, or are you going to let us all down?” Bladelight walked over. He looked like a bear with his large, hulking figure. Sure enough, he lived up to his reputation even in real life.

Following Bladelight’s words, everyone heckled jokingly.

Nie Yan swept his eyes over the crowd. These fellows were all a bunch of troublemakers, wishing nothing more than to stir up chaos. They were his old comrades who’d followed him through countless campaigns. So, there were no misunderstandings between each other, and they all spoke fairly frankly.

“I had to pay a visit to the guys below. So, I ended up being a little late. Alright, a toast to you all! I’ll down the first drink!” Nie Yan raised the glass from his table and downed his drink in one gulp, letting out a satisfied sigh.

Today was the largest gathering they’ve had since the start of the game. Asskickers United’s core members were all here, Young Seven, Smoke Stub, Sun, and so on. Not only Asskickers United, but Holy Empire, Radiant Sacred Flame, Sapphire Shrine, the War God Tribe, they were all here as well. Naturally, Sleepy Fox, Fa Lan, and Nightbreak Trickster were among the crowd.

“Big Bro!” Sun walked up to Nie Yan with an excited expression.

Looking at Sun’s juvenile face, it was hard to imagine that he was one of the most ruthless and decisive killers in the game. Nie Yan chuckled, “Today’s a school night, isn’t it? Don’t tell me you’re planning on playing hooky tomorrow? Remember to study hard! Don’t let Asskickers United lose face!”

Sun rolled his eyes. How was skipping school related to the face of the guild?

Seeing Sun’s crumbling expression, Xie Yao couldn’t help but giggle. Convincing this mischievous kid to study hard wasn’t easy!

“Did everyone make it?” Nie Yan asked, looking around.

“Yeah, everyone’s here. This is our biggest gathering yet,” Paladin of the Elegy said.

“That’s great! I didn’t expect so many people to turn up. Tonight, we’re going to drink until everyone’s piss drunk!” Nie Yan declared.

The entire banquet hall erupted into cheers.

“Yeah, piss drunk!”

Asskickers United’s peak experts all made toasts to Nie Yan one after the other, downing several dozen glasses in the process. Despite Nie Yan’s shocking alcohol tolerance, he also started showing signs of getting tipsy.

The celebrations in the Moro River Banquet Hall continued all night.

No one could imagine that these 6,000 people had changed the history of Conviction as well as the world. In real life, they were ordinary civilians, working hard everyday for a livelihood. However, with the escape of the game, they’d all played out their own respective legendary stories and became existences that countless players revered.

Seeing this rag-tag bunch of people, all from varying backgrounds and social circles, Nie Yan couldn’t help but recall a certain phrase, “The stage is as wide as your heart makes it!”

As he thought back to the last 10 years since his reincarnation, Nie Yan couldn’t help but express his thanks to the heavens for giving him another opportunity at life. Finding love with Xie Yao and coming to know this amazing group of brothers was the best thing in the world to have happened to him. Life was no longer lonesome!

After partying into the early morning, at around 5 AM, everyone retired to their respective suites.

Nie Yan staggered into the room, Xie Yao supporting him with her shoulder. His vision was hazy from all the alcohol. Looking at her delicate face, he could tell she had also drank a few glasses. Her flushed cheeks looked particularly charming.

“Xie Yao, thank you. Hic… Y-you know… The most fortunate thing to happen in my life is bumping into you on that fateful day in Ningjiang. I… Hic, I thought I’d pass away with that regret in my heart. Who knew the heavens would give me another chance?” Nie Yan slurred. He was completely drunk.

Xie Yao thought Nie Yan was referring to the time he was shot in the heart. Her eyes brimmed red with tears. When the news had reached her, she felt like her whole world was collapsing as all the colour drained away from her life. Thankfully, that had all passed.

“Come, let me bring you somewhere.” Nie Yan pulled Xie Yao into the bedroom. There were two game capsules set up. He’d already prepared them in advance.

“This late? Where are we going?” Xie Yao asked in confusion.

Nie Yan’s gaze fell on Xie Yao’s body. Her skin-tight white dress revealed her perfect curves. She was like an angel descended from heaven, the most beautiful spark to his life. Her jet-black hair draped down over her shoulders, her picturesque face you could only find in the magnum-opus of a painter. Everything about her carried an indescribable, otherworldly charm.

“The game!” Nie Yan said. Focusing his gaze on Xie Yao, countless memories gushed forth like a spring. His heart was beating wildly.

Xie Yao was skeptical. Why did Nie Yan want to play Conviction with her now of all times?

The two stepped into the game capsule. Nie Yan teleported to an underground dungeon using Instant Transmission. He appeared in a stone chamber. It was completely sealed while the remains of disarmed boobytraps could be found all around the entrance. They were enough to blow up anyone.

「It’s safe now. Use the ring to teleport to me,」Nie Yan said.

With a flash of light, Xie Yao apepared by Nie Yan’s side. She looked around in a daze. What was this place? Why did Nie Yan bring her here?

The room was clean without a speck of dust in sight. On the walls were various murals, giving off a mysterious feeling.

“Yeeek!” Xie Yao cried out. Nie Yan’s rugged arms had latched onto her waist.

The two locked bodies. Sensing Nie Yan’s heavy breathing, Xie Yao’s heart couldn’t help but beat wildly. Did Nie Yan really plan to… here of all places?

This stone chamber was unfamiliar to Xie Yao. She couldn’t help but worry that a stranger might walk in on them.

Nie Yan was drunk. His hands mischeviously groped Xie Yao’s body, delving into her robes and caressing her fair white skin. She felt an electric shock run through her from head to toe.

Nie Yan was behaving particularly wild tonight. Xie Yao couldn’t help but bashfully close her eyes, letting him devour her.

Xie Yao’s robes dropped to the ground, revealing a beautiful, fair figure, as if she were the most perfect statue carved by God himself. Her slender shoulders trembled lightly. This was her first time doing it in the game. She felt like she’d returned to their first time. Her stomach was filled with butterflies as well as a hint of expectation.

Nie Yan couldn’t help but recall his past life. Back then, Yao Yao had exposed herself to him, resembling a goddess that had come down from the heavens. It was after that fated night that the two of them slowly drifted apart as she left his world.

Nie Yan felt his hands tremble. The scene before him wasn’t a dream. The tragedies of his past life were nothing more than that, relics of a history that would never repeat.

Nie Yan gently nibbled Xie Yao’s ear, his heart filled with a slight ache as he relived the memories of that fateful night. His voice trembled as he whispered, “Tonight, you’re Yao Yao.”

Xie Yao’s eyes trembled as she felt a mysterious aching in her heart. She didn’t understand. After all, Yao Yao was her, and she was Yao Yao.

No longer thinking about it, the two lost themselves in each other’s embrace.

Fin.