Chapter 201: Truth

Li Cheng pulled a drone from his backpack slot, launched it into the air, and quickly located the mission battery lying in a corner of the grass, emitting a faint golden light.

The battery still had 60% charge left—more than enough to handle the mission.

As expected, after Li Cheng retrieved Key 3 of the Achilles Toy Factory

and inserted the battery into the blue recess on the right side of the pipe, then tightened the valve, a system prompt immediately sounded in everyone's ears.

【Regular Mission "Energy Retrospection" Completed】

【Reward Settlement In Progress】

【Chosen One May Now Use Personal Panel to Teleport Out of the Killing Ground】

The system's cold voice was strangely reassuring; the Chi Hong Che Shou let out a long breath, clasped his throbbing head with both hands, and shook his head with a bitter smile.

"That was truly a near-death experience. The mission difficulty wasn't high to begin with, but a half-dead transcendent at Lv30, skilled in both Psychic Precognition and Psychic Enchantment, had been manipulating things from behind, plotting his own resurrection."

The Chi Hong Che Shou's expression was incredibly complex—he carried two memories of death, acutely aware he had died countless times.

After a pause, he bowed to Li Cheng. "Brother Pi Fu, I truly owe you. Without you, we'd have been completely fooled by Silver."

Back in the Dark Amusement Park, the Racer had only thought Pi Fu was a memorable player.

Now, he genuinely respected him.

Pi Fu, at Lv12, had gone head-to-head with a Lv30 psychic who held the home-field advantage. They had schemed against each other through the grass, and in the end, Pi Fu had won.

No words needed—he was truly convinced.

"Here, take this." The Racer drew a shiny silver disc from thin air and tossed it to Li Cheng.

【Item Name: Move Tutor · Phantom Ambush】

【Type: Consumable】

【Quality: Fine】

【Effect: Teaches a move. After use, permanently grants a pet the Phantom Ambush skill, allowing brief entry into an alternate dimension to deliver a charged attack】

【Cost: None】

【Cooldown: None】

【Usage Requirement: Intelligence attribute ≥ 3】

【Note: Trick! Ambush!】

"Huh?"

Li Cheng caught the disc, turned it over in his hands, and sighed. "Not that kind of disc."

"What are you disappointed about?!"

The Chi Hong Che Shou retorted. "You were expecting one of those discs where three people can act out a whole scene in a classroom, on a bus, on the subway, in a hotel, in a pool, or out in the wild?"

"Looks like you've watched plenty."

Li Cheng squinted back, then casually stowed the disc in his backpack slot. "Thanks."

The Move Tutor looked like a disc, but was in fact a special item used by Pokémon Trainers to teach their Pokémon specific moves—equivalent, in a sense, to a skill scroll.

"Don't mention it."

The Racer shook his head. This item was especially valuable—he'd planned to save it for when he obtained a higher-level Pokémon.

But using it now to repay Pi Fu's life-saving deed wasn't too much of a loss—consider it an investment in friendship.

"I'm logging off now. The mountains and rivers will meet again—see you if fate allows."

The Racer waved off casually, then teleported out of the Killing Ground, taking with him the Pokémon he'd been revived alongside.

"."

Midnight Howl opened his mouth. Like the Racer, he had died countless times—in the B-cycle, he'd been brainwashed by Silver and then killed by B-Pi Fu.

The Racer had given a gift to repay his life debt; Midnight Howl had said nothing and teleported away—this seemed a bit rude.

Midnight Howl scanned his backpack slot, found nothing suitable to give, hesitated, then transformed into a werewolf, grabbed his massive head, and slammed it against his own jaw several times.

Crack! Crack!

All his teeth fell out. Embarrassed, Midnight Howl wrapped the werewolf fangs in cloth and handed them to Li Cheng, speaking through his gap-toothed mouth: "Brother Pi Fu, these are the fangs of a Moonchild Werewolf.

Ordinary werewolf fangs carry the werewolf virus and can infect others, turning them into werewolves.

But Moonchild fangs, besides carrying the same virus, also possess a degree of anti-magic ability—they can harm spirits, ghosts, and other ethereal beings.

Useful as an anti-magic weapon."

Uh… brother, you've lost all your teeth—you didn't have to go that far.

Li Cheng's expression was odd; he exchanged a few polite words, then stowed the pile of fangs.

"Next time we meet."

Midnight Howl bowed as the Racer had, then teleported out of the Killing Ground, not wanting to stay a second longer.

Then came… Cliff.

This unlucky brother from the Mercury Alloy Guild had also been revived along with the others.

He had been betrayed by his own guild master a year ago, brainwashed without realizing it, and in a daze, murdered all his companions—then trapped here for countless years. What a miserable fate.

With Silver's final death, Cliff's brainwashing gradually faded.

His expression was strained and exhausted; he forced out a faint smile and said to Li Cheng: "You're Pi Fu? Thank you."

Thousands of words stuck in his throat—he didn't know what to say. After long hesitation, he said: "I have nothing on me. After I settle the guild's affairs, I'll bring you a proper thanks. Is that alright?"

Silver was dead, but Mercury Alloy Guild still owed banks large sums, and the families of the deceased teammates needed compensation.

Someone had to clean up this mess. Fortunately, Mercury Alloy still owned property in the Slums, and its secret warehouse held some assets.

After receiving Li Cheng's consent, Cliff, his steps heavy, took Bismuth Yellow's corpse and teleported away.

Catherine and Mendoza, two ordinary people, didn't know whether to call themselves lucky or unlucky—they had survived too.

After profusely thanking Li Cheng, they both chose to teleport back to the real world.

Among the tall grass, only Li Cheng, the bandaged man, and Zhao Zijing remained.

"They've already said all my thanks for me."

Zhao Zijing's expression was bitter; she had done the most during this mission, fully exercising her initiative.

Assassinating A-cycle riders, stealing A-group batteries, reviving Silverite, destroying and downing B-cycle hot-air balloons, using B-group batteries to further charge Silverite.

Strictly speaking, every step she took was not wrong—it all complied with GOC agent guidelines.

But objectively, it was precisely because of her professionalism, her rigor, her competence, that the mission's difficulty skyrocketed.

Everyone had to become stepping stones for Silverite's revival—unless Master Pi Fu had intervened.

In the infinite loop, Silverite continuously accumulated battery energy, waiting for revival.

In both loops, Master Pi Fu paid with death, again and again turning the valve, chasing that single thread of hope.

The calculations and struggles between both sides were akin to gods clashing.

As for Zhao Zijing—

Put it this way: if this were an online game, Zhao Zijing herself felt she had spent the entire mission putting pressure on her teammates—purely a negative effect, the kind that would get you banned with your entire household registration on the line.

"I was wrong. Completely wrong. I'm sorry."

Zhao Zijing sighed deeply, ashamed and humiliated: "Myself and GOC will offer you compensation. I hope you won't mind."

"No problem."

Li Cheng waved his hand, curious: "Aren't you teleporting away?"

"Not yet."

Zhao Zijing shook her head: "This pipe might, possibly, probably lead to the Hidden Chamber·Retrospective Room. It has some value—I'll plant a coordinate here first, then call other GOC colleagues to come take a look later."

In the grass, Zhao Zijing planted a metal rod-like positioning device, then boarded a small single-person aircraft and departed.

With the mission complete, her friend communication function was now active; flying steadily in one direction would eventually lead her to GOC teammates or a GOC outpost, from which she could then pinpoint the coordinates of this grassland and return with others.

After Zhao Zijing left, only the bandaged man remained.

He fell silent for a long while, then rasped: "Master Pi Fu, could you help me look up information about my family?"

"Are you certain?"

Li Cheng frowned slightly—he had heard earlier that the bandaged man's family was poor, his wife and children both ill, their entire livelihood dependent on his salary.

The bandaged man had vanished four years ago; his family was likely in dire straits.

"I'm certain."

"Alright."

Seeing the bandaged man's determination, Li Cheng pulled out the Ten-Eye Communication Earpiece and asked the customer service sister on the other end to locate the bandaged man's relatives in the real world.

The answer was grim.

Two months after the bandaged man's mysterious disappearance, his wife and children lost hope and jumped to their deaths. It has been four years since.

"."

To Li Cheng's surprise, the bandaged man did not cry out in anguish. He simply lowered his head, fell silent for a moment, then rasped: "Master Pi Fu, does this pipe truly lead to the Retrospective Room—the one that can rewind time and rewrite the future's course?"

"Probably."

Li Cheng guessed his thoughts and said at once: "But most pipes are buried deep underground; you can't simply follow the pipe to find the Retrospective Room.

Besides, the Killing Ground is full of bizarre phenomena—the pipe might spontaneously fracture mid-path, transmitting energy remotely through some incomprehensible means."

"I know. But one prophecy painting remains unfulfilled."

Slowly, the bandaged man pulled a prophecy painting from his chest—it showed him struck by some energy fluid, shattered into fragments.

He placed the paper on the ground and thrust his head into the pipe's fissure.

"If I'm pulled into the temporal chaos, is there even a sliver of chance I could return to four years ago? At least let me say goodbye to them."

The bandaged man's voice rumbled: "Please, Master Pi Fu. This is my final request."

"."

Hearing the man's resolve and finality, Li Cheng slowly nodded, pulled Huiyu back a dozen steps, then raised his hand and slammed it hard against the right-side pipe.

The pipe, its valve shut, likely still held a few lingering strands of temporal chaos.

Struck by Li Cheng's blow, the energy surged, boiling and roaring, rising from deep beneath the earth.

"May you achieve your wish—return to the past and successfully save them and yourself."

Li Cheng said sincerely: "By the way, what player name will you choose?"

"Name? I haven't thought of one."

The noisy hum of temporal chaos drew nearer. The bandaged man gazed at the brilliant golden light surging toward him from afar, murmuring something.

The next instant, golden energy like the fading glow of a star consumed his entire body, leaving not a trace.

Only his final voice still echoed in the air.

"Side of Truth—how does that sound?"

(Author's note: Happy Mid-Autumn Festival)

(End of Chapter)