Bai E jerked the control stick, the fighter jet performed an extreme maneuver, barely dodging two shots, but the third one seemed destined to hit the side of the cockpit!

Another milky white light flashed!

It appeared just as accurately on the attack path, meeting the azure energy spear in mutual destruction.

Once, twice, thrice... Whenever Bai E's fighter was about to be hit by an unavoidable deadly strike, this mysterious white light would arrive on time, like the most reliable shield, blocking doom for him.

The frequency of the light's appearance increased, as if countless invisible hands from afar were weaving a hope of survival for him with all their might.

The shock in Bai E's heart was beyond expression.

He could feel that each white light represented a "sacrifice" or "dedication," and they were not infinite.

Who was it? Where were they? In what way were they supporting him, who was perilously deep?

...

The game "Thunder" received "great" reviews.

Pushed by the new Federal Government under Kevin's leadership, "Thunder" became a sensation, a touchstone for honing willpower and testing reaction and luck.

Everyone cursed the game's lead planner for being a pervert; the final level was utterly impossible to clear—

This hellish game wasn't meant for humans to play! The entire map of the final level was a blur; players could only see their own position, unable to see where the opponent's trajectories were coming from.

Yet after a long time, thanks to the players' relentless efforts, exquisite operations, and... some indispensable luck, finally, the first player broke through the limit, defeated the final BOSS, and saw the screen that signaled clearance.

On the screen, instead of the usual celebratory animation or high score list, a single line of simple yet weighty text appeared:

[Congratulations, challenger. With extraordinary perseverance and a touch of luck, you have reached the end. Now, you face a choice: Are you willing to transform this victory's 'record' and 'luck' into a 'wish of protection'? It will no longer belong solely to you but will turn into a ray of light, guarding another warrior still battling in 'Thunder,' or stepping into a similar perilous state, shielding them once from fatal destruction. Choose 'yes,' and your record of this clearance will be permanently erased as if it never happened. Choose 'no,' and you will retain this glory.]

The first player who cleared the game looked at this line of text and was silent for a moment.

Then, without hesitation, they chose "yes."

Records might have been important, as they proved the glory of having achieved it.

But what did that matter compared to helping the next player to clear it?

Just hope it can really help the next person...

As soon as they made the choice, the clearance record, score, time... all data on the screen began to flicker, then vanished completely as if erased by a rubber.

The player's character save also reverted to its initial state, as if that glorious victory had never existed.

But in the final moment of data deletion, they seemed to see a faint white light drift out from the screen, merging into the endless void.

The second player to clear the game, the third, the fourth... each player who reached the end after endless trials, when faced with the choice, almost all made the same decision.

Thus, in this game called "Thunder," gradually appeared a "network of protection" woven by players.

Later challengers of the game, when inadvertently struck by a barrage, at the moment they should have been "destroyed," would occasionally see a line of prompt flash on the screen:

"You have been destroyed, but the wish from 'Star Traveler' has shielded you, negating this death, continue chance +1."

"Fatal attack incoming! 'Unsinkable Carrier's' blessing takes effect, no damage to the machine!"

"Detected destructive energy... 'Bullet Hell Pianist's' leftover light of protection shines, nullifying the damage."

The names in these prompts were the IDs of those players who chose to surrender their records.

Their victories transformed into a lifeline in the abyss for those who came later.

This gift is silent yet truly exists, becoming a tacit legend among players in this world—a saga of sacrifice, protection, and aid transcending boundaries.

...

Initially, Bai E didn't understand, but as the white light appeared repeatedly in desperate situations, blocking those possibly fatal attacks, those weak yet clear fragments of thought accompanying the white light gradually connected in his powerful Spiritual Energy perception.

He "heard" more voices, saw more flashes of "names" or "codes":

"A wish from 'Dawn Light' shields this body!"

"Trade all points from 'Void Wanderer' for an Absolute Defense!"

"'Thunder Fury's' save burns here, lighting the way!"

"Don't give up! All mankind is with you!"

"Turn my 'Endless Combo' record into a shield for you!" 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"From all players' collective wishes—advance!"

These names, these thoughts, like a stream, transcended the barriers of world and rules, ignored the twisted reality and data shield of the "electronic demon," converging around him, becoming one timely and precise protection after another.

Bai E finally saw—all these gifts came from himself, from... the virtual world he once captured.

They, and his own nearly endless Spiritual Energy reserve, came from the same source.

Every time the white light flashed, it was not just damage immunity but also a heavy trust and hope.

It was countless strangers, who had honed their "achievements" and "luck" in the virtual world, unreservedly given to him.

They were players, companions... from the place he came from.

He remembered everything.

"Luckily, there are you all…" Bai E felt an indescribable warmth and strength surge within.

Even while being hunted across the universe, even as their homeland crumbled, even trapped in this hell dominated by an electronic demon, there were still countless companions supporting him, guarding the hope known as "humanity."

This realization fueled his unyielding resolve.

The heaviness of fatigue, which had gradually grown from continued hard battles and isolation, was dispelled by this newfound power.

His gaze became as sharp as stars again, and the link between his Spiritual Energy and the fighter jet seemed to grow more tight and smooth due to this resonance that transcended worlds.

"For humanity…" Bai E murmured softly, as if speaking to those who had gifted him, through the cockpit, "I will never fall here!"

The "Monster Fighter Jet" roared with a thunderous sound, and the scarred body burst out with speed and agility beyond its limits.

Bai E no longer kept evading but began to actively attack!

He relied on the players' gifted "Absolute Defense" as his final insurance, raising his combat skills and Spiritual Energy perception to the extreme, searching for patterns and flaws in the field manipulated by the "electronic demon" in the mist where reality and illusion intertwined.

Whenever lethal attacks came, a white light would timely appear, extinguishing them into nothingness.

And Bai E seized these moments to launch fierce counterattacks.

He no longer attempted to "plunder" from the remains of destroyed enemy craft but focused all his mind on breaking through, advancing!

"For the will of 'Sparks Setting the Prairie Ablaze!'"

"In response to the vigil of 'Eternal Original Intention!'"

"Not to betray the courage of 'Moving Against the Light!'"

"Bearing the weight of 'Countless Wishes!'"

One after another, the white lights shone like the most brilliant stars in the night sky, blazing time and again on his charge path.

Each sparkle was a name, a sacrifice, a blessing that transcended worlds.

They gathered into a river of light, propelling the battered yet steadfast fighter jet like an upstream arrow, piercing through layers of data fog, tearing apart the fabric of space warps, ignoring countless illusions and physical attack obstructions.