Not all stories have endings, but at least this one does. The blue ribbon he saw before him now, and its tattered state, marked the conclusion of this entire tale.
Cao Baming gently stroked it with his other hand, his thoughts lingering. Why would he feel such emotion for an ordinary blue ribbon? Had the stories he just recounted imbued this simple ribbon with a touch of something more?
An ordinary person, thinking these thoughts, would only marvel at their own vivid imagination. But Cao Baming harbored deeper notions. If he thought of these things, perhaps they had truly happened before.
Subtly, he began to sense he possessed an ability to perceive the cause and effect of things, an ability that might be a consequence of his system's upgrades.
Unconsciously, Cao Baming grew curious about the little girl in his imagination. What became of her? Did she cheer up under her father's comfort?
Would the wounds of the sailors injured in the crisis become infected? Would they find a doctor in time to save them, and what would become of their fates? These were all things that might have truly happened, and if so, their significance would be immeasurably different.
At this moment, the sky was quietly changing. The lingering remnants of the sunset had already grown dimmer, and it wouldn't be long before nightfall enveloped everything.
The Earth continued its ceaseless rotation, and this rotation meant the baton would now pass between the sun and the moon.
Though the sun had appeared white moments ago, perhaps due to cloud reflection or weather, it now looked like an orange-yellow disc, even casting hues upon its surroundings.
It lacked the vibrancy of a typical sunset, but this hazy glow offered a new experience, a sense of novelty.
Cao Baming gently stood up, unfolded the blue ribbon in his hand, and carefully placed it in his chest pocket.
Meaning is bestowed by people. Regardless of whether something truly happened, if one believes it did, then it is real.
In the fading light of this beautiful evening, Cao Baming witnessed the final handover between day and night, watching as the reflected light shifted from a yellowish hue to pure white, illuminating the darkening sky from blue to purple, and then to an ever-deepening black.
Glancing at his watch again, he realized it was already nighttime.
"Ding! New limited-time mission updated! Achieve an average of 2.66 goals per game to unlock!"
The system's voice suddenly echoed, startling him on the quiet beach.
Why would the system update a mission at this moment?
At this instant, all Cao Baming desired was rest, an undisturbed peace, even from a system's limited-time mission.
Although, based on past experience, the rewards for such missions were typically quite generous.
He looked out at the sea, where waves rolled one after another. It was high tide, and everything around was dark. Though his eyes had adjusted to the gloom, he still couldn't see far.
It was getting late. Unwittingly, time had flown. He supposed it was time to head back.
With this thought, Cao Baming took a step. The sand pit behind him was no longer clearly visible in the dim light.
Perhaps, before long, the sea would reclaim it all. Those sand pits, washed away by the waves, would vanish without a trace, leaving no sign that they had ever existed there.
Back in the car, the scene still played in his mind. He could now vividly feel the events that had unfolded there, as if he had personally experienced them.
The sensation was so profound that Cao Baming had not fully recovered.
However, home was still home. After resting briefly in the car, Cao Baming pressed the button to close the door. With a mechanical hum, the car started on the sand.
Instantly, it kicked up a cloud of sand behind it. Far from the sea, this fine sand was like dust, or perhaps it was never clean to begin with.
In a flash, the car vanished from sight, leaving only two tire tracks on the sand. These marks would likely take longer to be smoothed over than footprints by the sea.
The only thing that could erase them might be the wind. The wind from nature would lift sand and dust, gradually covering these uneven depressions.
If there were onlookers, they would surely associate the car's speed with Cao Baming on the football field. A person with such absolute speed would naturally have a matching ride, and this car, a sports car with the fastest instantaneous acceleration in his garage, was no exception.
For a sports car, top speed wasn't the sole measure of its performance. Few cars could maintain their top speed for long. True performance was tested by acceleration from a standstill. The higher the car's performance and configuration, the faster this acceleration.
The car Cao Baming was driving now was likely one of fewer than five in the entire world that could outperform it.
As he drove, Cao Baming suddenly realized he hadn't eaten!
He tried to recall. After leaving the stadium, he had turned at the intersection and driven straight along this road to this place.
He had no memory of stopping to eat anything.
He hadn't felt noticeably unwell before, but after this period of thought and recollection, a pang of hunger surged through him like a flood.
It was already past nine. If he didn't eat soon, he'd starve. Not eating dinner was for those who were dieting or trying to maintain their figure. He wasn't going to endure such torment!
With that thought, he spotted a restaurant on the left side of the street, directly ahead. It looked promising, at least from the outside. He figured the food inside wouldn't be too disappointing, Cao Baming mused.