Nie Li slowly got up, his jaw throbbing with pain.

He looked around and found himself in a frozen, broken-down hallway.

The walls and ceiling looked like they had given way a long time ago, leaving sharp icicles hanging dangerously above him.

As the memories flooded back, Nie Li's heart sank.

The image of Lu Piao, his best friend, sacrificing himself so Nie Li could escape, hit him like a ton of bricks.

He fell to his knees, unable to hold back the wave of emotion.

"Lu Piao..." he whispered, his voice breaking.

Nie Li wasn't the type to cry easily, but at that moment, tears streamed down his face, mixing with the snot from his nose as he sobbed uncontrollably.

He wasn't thinking about revenge or fighting back.

He wasn't planning his next move.

All he could think about was the loss of his friend, the person who had always been by his side, now gone forever.

"Please, someone, anyone, save us," he pleaded between sobs, though he knew no one could hear him.

"Please save Lu Piao," he cried out, even though he knew it was too late.

The roars of the monsters outside seemed louder now, as if mocking his pain.

He covered his ears, trying to block out the sound, but it was no use.

The fear was overwhelming, paralyzing.

He felt so alone, so helpless.

In his mind, he kept replaying that last moment with Lu Piao, wondering if there was anything he could have done differently.

Nie Li wished he could be brave, wished he could stand up and fight in Lu Piao's memory, but he couldn't even lift his head from the ground.

He felt weak, useless, a failure.

"I'm sorry, Lu Piao. I'm so, so sorry," he whispered, his voice lost in the vast, empty hall.

As Nie Li limped through the demolished hall, he saw the devastation wrought by the monsters.

The shelter, a supposed haven, had collapsed.

Nie Li moved forward, driven by the faint hope that these tunnels might lead him out of Glory City.

Despite his despair, survival instinct pushed him onward.

With each step, he tried to ignore the chilling sensation of blood pooling around his ankles.

The commoners, who had believed in the safety of the shelter, had died in vain. It struck Nie Li that they were all "like lambs to the slaughter," utterly defenseless and betrayed by the very city they called home.

As he trudged through the ruins, Nie Li's mind was a whirlwind of dark thoughts.

Did the nobles even bother to fight for Glory City?

The more he thought about it, the more he doubted their intentions.

It seemed to him that the nobles might have used their power not to protect, but to escape, leaving everyone else behind to face their doom.

Was our faith in the city's defenses just a joke?

The realization that they might have been nothing more than pawns in a larger game made his blood boil.

Perhaps we were all just naive, thinking that someone would come to save us.

Nie Li couldn't help but think about Lu Piao and the sacrifices he had made.

Was it all for nothing?

The idea that his friend's bravery and ultimate sacrifice might have been in vain was a heavy burden.

Could it be that in the end, our struggles mean nothing to those in power?

The further Nie Li walked, the more he was consumed by these pessimistic thoughts. Maybe there's no such thing as heroes or saviors. Maybe there's only survival, and even that is a game for the lucky few.

Are we all just fighting a losing battle, trying to cling to a glimmer of hope that doesn't exist?

After what felt like an endless journey through the darkness, Nie Li finally saw a glimmer of light.

He estimated he had been walking for two days straight, his body pushed to its limits. As he stepped out into the open, the air hit him-a fresh, cold breeze that felt both revitalizing and shocking after the stale, suffocating atmosphere of the tunnels.

Turning around, Nie Li was confronted with a sight that left him utterly stunned.

Glory City, once a bustling, vibrant stronghold of humanity, lay in ruins. Buildings that had stood for centuries were now reduced to rubble, streets once filled with laughter and life now silent except for the eerie whistle of the wind.

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Scattered across the desolate landscape were the corpses of hundreds of demon beasts.

It seemed that in the face of total annihilation, some had stood their ground, defending what was left of their city, their honor, their lives.

As Nie Li tried to process the destruction of everything he held dear, the ground beneath him began to shake. Instinctively, he darted behind a nearby tree, seeking cover. His heart raced as he felt a familiar, ominous presence. Before he could fully comprehend what was happening, the tree was uprooted, and Nie Li found himself hurtling through the air. Time seemed to slow down as he saw the creature responsible for his current plight-the Snow Devil Yeti, the very beast that had claimed Lu Piao's life.

As Nie Li hit the ground, a surge of anger and desperation pulsed through him, forcing out a silent scream.

Tears streamed down his face as he ran, driven by a fierce, unyielding desire to fight, to destroy the monster before him, to avenge his friend.

Yet, with every step, a harsh truth echoed in his mind: he was weak, painfully weak.

So, Nie Li ran, not for glory or vengeance, but simply to survive, to ensure that Lu Piao's sacrifice was not in vain.

Suddenly, the Snow Devil Yeti, with a swift, merciless motion, hurled the uprooted tree towards Nie Li.

The impact flung him deeper into the forest, where he landed with a chilling thud.

A numbness spread through his body, a stark, terrifying indication that his spine was shattered.

As he lay there, immobilized, he caught sight of the Snow Devil Yeti's shit eating grin from the treeline.

The monster was reveling in his agony, drawing pleasure from his despair.

Through the haze of his pain and the shock of his injuries, Nie Li saw the Yeti launch a massive spike of ice, watching as it sailed through the air to impale him in the stomach.

Gratefully, Nie Li was spared the sensation of pain.

In those moments, as Nie Li faced the cold, brutal reality of his end, his mind spiraled into darkness.

Is this it?

To die here, in this forgotten corner of the forest, at the hands of this beast, like a bug crushed underfoot?

So much for revenge, for honor, for making Lu Piao's sacrifice count.

In the end, I'm nothing but prey, a minor inconvenience to be dispatched by this monster.

As Nie Li braced for impact, a strange phenomenon unfolded before his eyes.

Mist began to swirl around him, thick and disorienting, enveloping him in a cold embrace.

Within moments, the terrifying figure of the Snow Devil Yeti vanished into the fog as if it had never been there.

Confusion mixed with a sudden realization hit Nie Li.

Oh, this is the Devil's Forest.

The Devil's Forest, a name that evoked fear and curiosity in equal measure, was known as a forbidden area. It was said to be a bizarre maze, a forest that constantly shifted its terrain.

No cultivator, no adventurer had ever successfully mapped it out because the landscape never remained the same.

Those who ventured into its depths rarely, if ever, returned.

Rumors abounded about the forest-some said it was a cursed land where the spirits of those lost roamed, forever trapped. Others whispered of a hidden treasure guarded by ancient, unspeakable horrors. And then there were tales of a gateway to other realms, a crack between the worlds that only the bravest-or most foolish-dared to explore.

Nie Li couldn't help but chuckle, though it turned into him coughing up blood.

Ironically, the forbidden and dangerous zone saved me, and not the safe haven of Glory City.

Nie Li laid there, feeling the sharp, unyielding cold against his skin.

Half of his body had been impaled by an ice shard.

As he stared at the ice spike, despair gripped his heart.

Kill yourself.

The idea that his death could be the final act of defiance, a way to reclaim some semblance of control, was a dark comfort. But before he could act on this thought, before despair could take him further down that path, Nie Li suddenly reared his head back and pierced his throat with the ice spike.

Dying was not so much painful as it was unpleasant.

Very, very unpleasant.

And slow because he didn't pierce his throat properly.

Nie Li could hear his heart pumping blood out in the open, quickening his asphyxiation, hastening his doom.

The ginger could not breathe anymore, his attempts at supplying oxygen to his lungs filling them with red life liquid and resulting in gurgling sounds and blood red bubbles escaping the gash on his throat.

His brain was shutting down quickly and the pain was made distant by the heavy, tar-like cloud of darkness weighing on his mind and quickly eradicating his consciousness.

He had no strength left in him to protest his fate.

He had chosen death.

Death was nothing but appeased silence. Expectation and reality were really two different things.

He was maybe a little bit angry at being left to die like a bug, but all in all, he felt too tired to muster any real heat.

He knew full well there was nothing he could do about it anyway.

He had lost too much blood, and no one was there to save him.

Death was not such a horrifying possibility anyway.

The process was unpleasant, yes, but there were good sides to it.

First of all, he would not be missed; no one would be saddened or cry for him, and that was a relief, if slightly frightening. Then maybe he would get to meet his family in the afterlife? That was not such a bad thought.

Did Mom and Dad survive, though? What about Uncle and Aunty? What about Nie Yu? A small functional part of his otherwise foggy, dying brain asked himself, needling him uncomfortably.

What if they survived?

He found that thought; horrifying.

Maybe it would have been better if they died because the outside world beyond Glory City is too unforgiving.

They probably died.

What are the chances any of them lived?

Content with his conclusion, Nie Li allowed his brain to continue dying from the lack of oxygen and immersed his consciousness in the flow of his soul force.

He was dead, and he would enjoy the ride one last time.

The blond relished the familiar feeling of the rushing flow, even if he could feel it slowly dying down.

One last ride, and he would go.

Departing with dignity, that was important too.

He was definitely not turning into a ghostly cry-baby. With a smile on his face, the ginger gurgled one last time.

If only I had a second chance, maybe I could have done better.

Maybe, I could have saved Glory City.

----------------------------------------

[ Activation Detected: The System of Simulation Engaged ]

[ Process Initiated: Fusing with Vessel Nie Li ]

[ Input Recognized: Nie Li desires power to save Glory City ]

[ Commencing: Optimal Action Simulation for Desire ]

[ Simulation Progress: 1% ]

[ Simulation Progress: 2% ]

[ Simulation Progress: 10% ]

[ Simulation Progress: 100% ]

[ Status: Simulation Complete ]

[ Operation Initiated: Simulation System Guide Framework ]

[ Command: Begin... ]

I felt a peculiar sensation, as if I was floating in an endless void.

[ Notification: Simulation System Activation ]

[ Player Selected: Nie Li ]

[ Options on the Screen: ]

- [ Continue ]

- [ Load from a Saved Point ]

- [ Start Over ]

I blinked, confused.

Was this some kind of twisted dream?

I tried to reach out, to touch the text, but my hands wouldn't respond.

My entire body felt weightless, and a chilling numbness had set in.

[ Options on the Screen: ]

- [ Continue ]

- [ Load from a Saved Point ]

- [ Start Over ]

Is this a second chance?

What if I could change it all?

Start over?

The characters seemed to pulse, as if reacting to my inner turmoil.

Maybe this was a hallucination, a product of my dying mind, but I couldn't shake off the hope it inspired.

I mentally reached out to the option that read 'Start Over'.

[ You have selected Start Over ]