[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-the-system-protagonist-joined-a-cross-dimensio":3,"chapter-i-the-system-protagonist-joined-a-cross-dimensio-i-the-system-protagonist-joined-a-cross-dimensio-chapter-653":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I, the System Protagonist, Joined a Cross-Dimensional Chat Group",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2293313,4485,"Chapter 653","i-the-system-protagonist-joined-a-cross-dimensio-chapter-653",653,"\u003Cp>What kind of ending could possibly match the hardships of this journey?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That sentence suddenly surfaced in his mind for no reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Everyone will die, including me.]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Under a gauzy crimson moonlight, the glow of gas lamps illuminated the handwriting; from the moment he awoke again from death, he was no longer merely Zhou Mingrui.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Along this path, he had played many roles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bearded, sharp-witted Baker Street detective “Sherlock Morretia.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The cold-faced, decisive mad adventurer “Gelmán Sparrow.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elderly, shrewd investor and mysterious tycoon “Dawn Tantess.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wandering miracle-worker who grants wishes, “Merlin Hermes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the Great Master above the Gray Mist—the Fool.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each identity had its own vivid story and left traces upon this world.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But this was merely acting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kelaien  pressed his hands to his head; scenes flashed before him as he stood helplessly in profound darkness, as if a fog had enveloped his mind, dulling all memory and cognition.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He finally remembered these things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was no sense of direction around him; he simply followed instinct forward, as if some memories had yet to return—but it didn’t matter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kelaien  walked step by step forward; fragments resembling historical light spots gradually appeared along this path, and as he looked around, he saw bizarre, surreal images.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A remote village, a brother and sister drawn into a cult ritual and reset, the young man chosen by an Outer God.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Himself living a 996 office drone life in the dream world, accidentally meeting Miss Sharon, so he made her watch “A Chinese Ghost Story” on the computer all night.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Tao fought the Indefinite Mist atop the misty thirty-third layer of heaven, within magnificent buildings, shouting “Elder Brother!” and receiving power from the Western Continent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Several young people entered the dream world, attempting to awaken themselves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Finally, the Fool awoke.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Each image branched into countless possibilities, some existing in the future, others in the past.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw countless versions of himself rushing in and out, too frantic to pause, all racing to meet the coming apocalypse—all “ Kelaien ” were in motion, some succeeding, others failing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But none of them gave up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The most pleasant time after awakening was still those days in the Night Watch team,” Kelaien  saw a scene where Old Neil was teaching him how to submit expense reports, his eyes holding a trace of nostalgia.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Earning a decent salary, doing work with real satisfaction, buying seasonings and meat for Melisa and Benson after work—he had once thought this was enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But they were pitiful creatures constantly battling danger and madness, and they were guardians.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Parallel worlds?” Kelaien  stopped walking; after the temporal light spots faded, a kaleidoscope of illusions appeared before him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The original Creator himself originated from these illusory black worlds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A formless destructive force churned in the deepest chaos, boiling at the center of all infinity; this force, like the convergence effect of extraordinary traits, exerted an indescribable pull on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He tried to resist, but was stunned to find this convergent power far exceeded any prior experience; his recently restored mind began to unravel, and the sensation of madness once again enveloped his entire being.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a thin, terrifying monotone hum entered his ears; everywhere, the contradictory sensations of terrifying pulses and calming stillness coexisted.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No way~ You actually found your way here? The First Heaven is such a useless waste!” A familiar voice spoke, sounding like human speech yet like a murmur.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Ugh, seriously, the most annoying thing is a man who won’t leave! You’re not actually in love with me, are you?!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Luckily I sensed something was off and came back to guard against your home invasion—heehee~~~”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beyond the realm of light and darkness, a rod-shaped object flew from the end of time and space, striking Kelaien ’s head with perfect accuracy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He couldn’t comprehend what had happened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kelaien  felt the world spin, his head reeling, breaking free from the terrifying convergence, regaining his rational self amid searing pain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He saw the path he had come from—the temporal light spots marking the moment his fate changed, beginning with the chat group, granting him an utterly unique experience.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kelaien  struggled toward the light spot reflecting countless familiar faces, a bustling city, the immortal realm where cultivators battled, and countless similar yet alien starry skies.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom—!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Piercing a thin barrier, Kelaien  felt himself plummet violently into a sea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Black, void-like waters surrounded him, both real and illusory; at this moment, all memories surged forth from the depths of his soul-island.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The true him was a pitiful office drone named Zhou Mingrui, chosen by the Heavenly Sovereign from the Old Era, stranded far from his parents, relatives, best friends, unable to return home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was Kelaien  Morreti, who daily checked in at the Night Watch team to collect his salary and submit expense reports, with a brother and sister at home.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Only when these two lives overlapped did he become who he was now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I am Kelaien  Morreti, and I am Zhou Mingrui.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having confirmed his self.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The world shattered; a terrifying storm swept away all darkness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He opened his eyes, beneath a blue sky, on the horizon of the Chaotic Sea that embraced all colors, numerous figures surrounded him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Congratulations,” Su Lin clapped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huai Shi moved his restored throat, tears welling as he offered: “Congratulations.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhong Li glanced around and clapped too: “Congratulations.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Well done, Senior Zhou!” Song Shu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xing clapped happily: “Congratulations!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lu Mingfei bit his lip, lips trembling, clapping: “Pfft.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He burst out laughing, then immediately forced a serious face to offer his congratulations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Congratulations.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Congratulations.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Familiar and unfamiliar faces from the chat group surrounded Kelaien , clapping and saying “Congratulations.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He expressionlessly pulled out a hat and placed it on his head, calmly watching everyone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No ending should ever be like the finale of Evangelion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This whole stunt nearly made him black out and fall asleep again!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Thank you,” Kelaien  nodded casually. “Without your help, my slumber might have lasted much longer.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Could you please stop clapping for a moment?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He sighed helplessly, then reached out and grasped a weathered, light-and-shadow-woven clock, pressing it with his gloved left hand.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With a gentle shake, the clock transformed into a cane.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kelaien  looked at them all and asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Everything within the dream world created by the Heavenly Sovereign was false, but I wonder—after the concept of the dream vanished, has the outside world not yet returned to its original state?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His words carried two meanings: one, to shift the topic; two, to ask certain people not to dwell on the dream world’s details.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Chaotic Sea shimmered; after violent tremors, a city of wildly disparate architecture—like a chaotic stew—appeared beneath the Gray Mist Castle.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Next time, I should install a door lock, so the Source Fortress isn’t so freely entered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kelaien  rubbed his head; the sensation of being struck by the rod had not faded, yet he could no longer recall what had happened when his consciousness dissolved.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He probed his spiritual sense, but found nothing; instead, his mind grew clouded under the influence of a higher, blind, foolish force.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Forget it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now isn’t the time to dwell on this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The residual self of the Heavenly Sovereign of Fortune and Yellow Heaven had been extracted by Su Lin; now, this Path of Transcendence was far more stable than before.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He thought, and through the Source Fortress arrived at that city; the concept of the dream had vanished, yes, but due to the power of the Heart Essence anchoring reality, combined with the overlay of fictional multiverses from comic stories, restoration would require a process.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Still, he now had a simple solution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At that moment, a black-robed sword immortal he vaguely recognized spoke: “Interesting. If it could be preserved, it wouldn’t be bad—I could preserve these stories and characters within my own created multiverse, couldn’t I?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not impossible, but when did someone this powerful join the group?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Sen\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kelaien  remembered his name was this.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But then,” Song Shu raised his hand awkwardly, “don’t any of you seniors feel this world is… familiar?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes,” Meng Qi frowned. “Looks like I’ll need to train harder and purify the true world’s origin soon!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A red-furred creature radiated divine light, shedding its ominous aura to reveal Ye Fan’s face: “I don’t care.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What does it resemble?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What are you talking about?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Didn’t you notice?” Su Lin pointed with his thumb at the surrounding scenery: “Under your dream world’s fusion and transformation, the world’s setting—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zhētiān Corporation,” “Dan Alliance Pharmaceuticals,” and “Liyue Divine Court” ads were everywhere; resurrection artifacts flooded the streets, available anywhere; cultivators, mages, and transcendent beings were participating in the annual Peak Challenge.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s exactly like the background world in that movie.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kelaien  fell silent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m fine,” Tony Stark shrugged, holding a can of Alchemist’s Potion soda. “During your sleep, the Marvel universe has been destroyed many times… Why do I feel my IQ dropped?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kelaien  stared blankly around, turned in place, and saw a wild Abbot Amon standing before the Fool Church’s gate, sketching something with an ink pen in midair.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Closer inspection revealed what looked like a bronze gate and a small village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Penglai Secret Realm and Eden are almost finished—ready for deployment.” Amon adjusted the monocle on his right eye socket and asked:\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My dear toy… when will the cultivators arrive?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My dear toy. When will the cultivators arrive?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The linked manga story: a newly born world with stitched-together settings and transcendent systems.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, Kelaien ’s spiritual sense screamed a warning: hidden dangers lurked in the surrounding gazes; even without spiritual perception, he could sense the aura of persecution.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Just a coincidence,” he said, facing the crowd with a smile free of any shadow or hesitation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Besides, I must restore this world to its original state, or others’ pasts and selves will become chaotic.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Sen blinked and said, “It’s fine—I’m just copying the settings.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bell’s chime seemed to have crossed vast ages from ancient times, echoing through this city drowned in information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Within the Astral Plane, a hazy ocean of faint light mingled with countless concepts, surging into the city, covering every corner and every person, weaving the power of authority into it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed intent on returning everything to illusion, reverting to its original state.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yan Sen reluctantly withdrew his gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The true nature of this real city had been reverted to its prior dream-state; the settings and images projected from Kelaien ’s subconscious began to peel away from real people, returning to mere illusory concepts.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Except for true gods and certain unique angels, most beings—even half-gods—would merely believe they had experienced a dream.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ordinary people would likely forget these events within a few days, minimizing the impact.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The torrent of information surged toward Kelaien ’s right hand, misty and hazy, coalescing into a contracted spherical mass of gray mist—his dream, where the affected Old Ones still lingered.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Hahaha, Lu Mingfei, why are you wearing a skirt again?” Xiao Yan laughed, his body shaking with mirth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Brother Huai Shi, I feel like you’re prettier than before,” Ge Xiaolun slapped himself hard: “Damn it, what am I saying?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“In the end, I still didn’t find that pretty little girl. Long the Great Lord made a wasted trip,” said the Purple Gold Divine Dragon, stroking his beard as he turned to Kelaien :\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Who was that pretty girl who was with Adam?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Murmurs of conversation arose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Kelaien  suddenly remembered: since he had turned reality back into a dream, the images and settings from the prior dream would naturally re-cover the corresponding people.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Including those female forms.’ His expression darkened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Faceless One strained to maintain a stiff smile, but his pupils could not help but drift toward Su Lin, who had been trying to snatch the story belt from Star.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Star ceased her struggle and instead pulled out a wig, placing it atop Su Lin’s head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huh?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Su Yuling, holding the transformation device, froze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A certain sixth sense stirred; everyone turned their heads along Kelaien ’s gaze to the same spot.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Time\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Stopped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though time stop was ineffective for many, Yilena even tried to conjure something to shield Su Lin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Alongside a tidal wave of solidified murderous aura, and the swift actions of some who pulled out interdimensional talismans to flee.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Heavenly Form spontaneously manifested; at the moment Su Lin’s spiritual frequency peaked, the inverted Kabbalistic Tree of Life emblem on his dorsal hand spun and flew free.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As the familiar evolution music sounded, a long ribbon of light tore through the void, descending from the heavens and sinking into the Heavenly Form’s body.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So it’s not a Stand.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before Su Lin’s eyes appeared the black throne of the Abyssal God; a searing sensation of being stripped of all concepts and burned to ash emanated from the Heavenly Form.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It’s Digimon.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[First Heavenly Ultimate Evolution: Abyssal God Form]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Abyssal God: Current Plane—Material Realm—Creative Authority]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Information—Annihilation]\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>[Thou Shalt Go to Heaven: Modification of the Material World Commencing.]\u003C\u002Fp>",2165,"2026-06-20T04:17:33.470Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","57b5b3ef1a754a7cb856f5c5ed48f35a76b9a0ebc309f7e583f7bef2176687b8","i-the-system-protagonist-joined-a-cross-dimensio-chapter-654","i-the-system-protagonist-joined-a-cross-dimensio-chapter-652",720,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-the-system-protagonist-joined-a-cross-dimensio-cover.jpg"]