Chapter 39 Then We'll Always Meet on the Moon

Chapter 39 Then We'll Always Meet on the Moon

The background audio in the game changed for the first time from instrumental music to a lyrical theme song.

【Everything's Alright】.

It was as if the song voiced Liva's innermost thoughts.

Accompanied by the sorrowful melody, Liva was gradually erased from Johnny's life.

On the staircase of the teaching building where Johnny believed he had first met Liva,

the platypus and Liva, who had been sitting on the steps, had vanished. Only a book about lighthouses remained, rustling in the wind.

Here, Johnny's close friend Nicolas walked through the hallway.

In the library, Liva was no longer present. Joey had taken her place, and the two brothers chatted about变形战士 and space travel.

The copy of The Emperor's New Clothes, once Liva's favorite, was now covered in dust.

In front of the cinema where Johnny and Liva had watched movies together, Johnny walked in laughing and talking with his brother Joey.

Yes, although Liva had been removed,

Eva altered Johnny's memories, allowing his brother Joey to take her place.

She continuously guided and suggested that Johnny's dream and goal was to become an astronaut.

Without Liva, Johnny now had Joey by his side,

and his future had completely changed.

The horse-racing field where Johnny and Liva once galloped together was now completely empty.

Before the lighthouse named Anya, only endless Tall Grass remained—no trace of the couple who once stood there.

Even the rabbit that had been hit and killed during their wedding ceremony had disappeared.

In Johnny's memories, his entire future had been rewritten.

Through constant training and study,

Johnny finally received a hiring notice from the Space Agency and went to visit the base.

His goal was now within reach.

'To the Moon'—this objective now seemed only a matter of time.

Everything Eva had done appeared to have succeeded.

Yet all the players and viewers remained silent.

Yes, Johnny was about to go to the Moon.

Eva and Neil were about to complete their quests.

But was this outcome truly what Johnny wanted?

Going to the Moon—but without Liva.

Did it really have any meaning?

In the imagined future of Johnny's illusion, they arrived at the Space Agency.

At this moment, Dong Zhen, along with every player who had reached this point,

were merely mechanically controlling the character.

Only one feeling remained: pain!

But as Eva and Neil followed Johnny through the Space Agency,

'Not here either...'

'What are you talking about?'

'Let's just go anyway.'

As Neil and Eva exchanged words, Dong Zhen sensed something unusual.

"Wait! That old hag!"

"That old hag seems to be looking for something!"

In the waiting room, replaying the events and Eva's words in his mind, Dong Zhen formed a bold hypothesis—one he desperately hoped was true.

But before he could voice it in the live stream room,

the previously melancholic background audio suddenly fell into silence, replaced by the sound of a heartbeat.

Then, cheerful background audio began to play.

A girl with an orange-red ponytail appeared at the doorway.

'Ah! You're our new recruit, Liva, right? We're so glad you came,' said the nameless director of the Space Agency.

'Hi, I'm Johnny,' Johnny stepped forward to greet her, just as he had done before.

At last, the final memory shred was gathered.

Standing by the window, Eva let out a sigh of relief.

'Phew! I was afraid she was gone for good.'

'What the hell, Eva! But you... you deleted her!' Neil exclaimed in disbelief.

'No, I told you—I only relocated her. How she chooses to live her life still depends on... her.'

'This new world... was built from public data and Johnny's personal beliefs. Since Liva belongs to the personal realm, her data wouldn't be recorded in public data.'

As Eva explained, Neil finally understood: 'So... this was entirely Johnny's doing...'

Yes, Liva had still come!

Even though their lives had changed, even though Johnny and Liva had no connection in the past,

in this fictional world, Johnny still remembered that promise.

'What if we get lost? Then we'll meet on the Moon, silly!'

Yes, they would ultimately meet again on the Moon.

The tears Dong Zhen had held back now threatened to spill once more.

In the Space Agency, that piece of music was no longer titled To Liva.

It now bore a new name: To the Moon.

In the hall, as Liva watched Johnny playing the piano, she murmured, 'I like that name.'

……

In Johnny's imagined memories, the two underwent years of training and preparation.

Finally, the rocket was about to launch.

Neil and Eva invited Lily, the caretaker who looked after Johnny, along with his doctor and others, to witness this moment.

Under the setting sun, countless people stood on the Cross-river Bridge, gazing at the distant rocket launch base.

With a thunderous roar, the rocket lifted off.

At the same time, a heartbeat sound echoed.

A very dull, heavy heartbeat.

It was the heartbeat of Johnny in the real-world—gravely ill.

He was about to leave this world.

To the Moon, the piano piece, played as the rocket ascended.

Ahead lay their destination—the Moon.

Inside the rocket, Johnny and Liva simultaneously looked at each other.

Then, gently, their hands intertwined.

【Then we'll always meet on the Moon, silly!】

As the Moon appeared, the screen faded to black.

The next moment, Johnny's memories flashed before his eyes like a slideshow.

Watching these memories, recalling the story of Johnny and Liva in the game,

Dong Zhen, sitting before his computer, could no longer hold back. He covered his face with both hands and pulled a tissue from the side.

He wasn't wiping his nose—but his eyes.

'Damn it! Tough guy cries again!'

'I'm completely broken down!'

'Can't see the screen through my tears!'

'What if you really get lost? Then we'll meet on the Moon, silly!'

'What if you really get lost? Then we'll meet on the Moon, silly!'

As the game's credits rolled on screen,

the bullet comments in Dong Zhen's live stream room gradually turned into this single repeated sentence.

At that moment, everyone was deeply moved by the story.

Everyone had even forgotten

that this was actually a game submitted to the Sci-Fi Game Design Competition.

No one questioned anymore whether it truly counted as a sci-fi game.

Everyone was immersed in the story of Johnny and Liva.

Thank you for the 1500 tip from 'Caiji 2016'

(End of Chapter) <>