way to cheapen the entire story with the amnesiac ending. That's one of the biggest pitfalls when it comes to writing, and it seems this author didn't read the manual... or pay attention in class, even. All the growth and experience of the characters throughout the story just wash away at the end, and everything they went through was for nothing in the end. Might as well not have read the novel at that point, huh.

yes, there's a connection between them

The ML is just a character created by the bestfriend and in a way they are one.

So, the 'game' is actually created by the mother of the ML. The purpose of the game is to try and stimulate the brainwaves of the ML since he's in a vegetative state.

The ML seemed to be not aware that he's in a game but whenever he becomes aware and wants to escape, the 'machine' releases some type of gas that makes him lose his memories.

All in all, everything about the Abyss is all created by the ML, he controls everything there since it is especially made for him.

Once the ML appears back on reality, all the players also woke up.

The only difference is that they have no memory of it while oir MC and ML remember.

Now here it come, here it comes.

The MC received a call from his best friend (the streamer) Mian Mian and his best friend is asking our MC to play the game named Abyss.

The MC suspiciously inquires about the game and looked at the ML

Then the ML teases our MC and begins to acts like everything is still an illusion.

Because before the ML went to reality, he placed our MC in an illusion where he didn't get hit by a car, or he did get hit but survive.

So now, with the ML acting like: "how do you know that this is real?" to our MC

I'm just sitting here going wtf 'did the MC really leave the game? Is this really reality?'

Now I am left with questions and am wondering: "What will happen once the MC plays the game again?"

MC's friend (the ML) is declared brain-dead (this is the type of "death" where the body is alive but there is no brain signal - this happens irl too, you can google it)

ML's mother, a scientist, can't accept her son's fate, so she took him away and used AI to try stimulating ML's brain

At first it seems to be working, and even though ML can't wake up irl, he "live" inside his conciousness (think of it like lucid dream)

Since ML conciousness is his, he's basically the god of his realm, he could do anything, create everything, nothing is impossible except for one unchangeable truth - everything is just his "fake" creation and no matter how many "npc" he created, he's always alone - which leads to a mental breakdown

ML's mental breakdown manifests in real life as weakening of brain waves and ML's mother really couldn't accept this - since AI isn't enough, she began kidnapping real people and made them unconcious > sending them to the same conciousness "realm" as ML

And from that point this story begins - MC coming to ML's grave, met his mother, and since he answer "yes", ML's mother kidnap him too - all for the sake of bring ML back to real life

additional info:

Now ML - as Shen Yuan - really can't remember MC, one part because "Shen Yuan" is the result of ML's mental breakdown (incomplete/split piece), the other part was because whenever ML had the idea to "stop", his mother doused him with amnesiac gas

Which is the same as every other player; ML actually have good intention; whenever someone died inside the "game world" they return to real world but ML's mother doused those people with amnesiac gas and send them back into the game - rendering ML's effort futile

At the end, ML took the chance when his mother is out to send MC back into reality and trick MC into unplugging his oxygen supply - in order to save MC (and everyone else) - because if those people stay too long in the "game", they will become brain dead too

extra chapters;

It's HE;

ML's conciousness comes back to real world after his oxygen supply is removed, though he couldn't do anything for a while and later have to gone through physical therapy before reuniting with MC and build their live together <3

...

supposedly >:D

(the last part hinted that the "real world" might or might not be just another "fake world" that ML created to trick MC into staying with him)

according the forums its a HE so you can be assured all is well in the end