Chapter 202

The final trace of temporal chaos in the right pipe dispersed into the wind.

Li Cheng stood in place, his hand still clenched in a fist, beads of cold sweat slowly forming on his forehead.

Hui Yu hesitated for several seconds, then turned and asked, "Didn't he just say 'The Side of Truth'?"

Li Cheng swallowed hard. "No."

"I definitely heard it."

Hui Yu reached out and unfastened the first button of Li Cheng's shirt—it was in fact a GoPro camera with recording and video functions. She pressed the button, and immediately, the bandaged man's voice played from inside.

"Name? Haven't thought of one yet. How about 'The Side of Truth'?"

Hearing the phrase again, Li Cheng lifted his hand to push his bangs back, his expression as if wearing a mask of agony.

At that moment, he suddenly realized that every step of this mission had been carefully planted with foreshadowing.

The mission's name was 【Power Resurgence】: "power" referred to the mission battery, and "resurgence" referred to the Resurgence Chamber.

The bandaged man claimed to come from over four years ago—the exact time when the Killing Ground first opened.

In Bi Huang's previous recording, it was only mentioned that the Mercury Alloy Guild had once sought help from the head of the Evil Science Alliance, but his name was never revealed; nor did Li Cheng or Zhao Zijing or others ever mention the words "The Side of Truth."

Moreover, a year ago, the Mercury Alloy Guild sought out the Resurgence Chamber precisely on the advice of The Side of Truth.

The entire incident was tightly interwoven, seamless—and the more he thought about it, the more complex it became.

The head of the Mercury Alloy Guild, the Lv30 transcendent Silver, never learned the truth even in death—he never realized he was merely a pawn in the game.

【You have a new friend request from a Chosen One: The Side of Truth】

The system notification chimed just in time. Li Cheng swallowed again, took a deep breath, and with mixed emotions, accepted the friend request.

"Ding dong."

A new avatar appeared in his friend list—a figure clad in yellow robes, face hidden beneath the shadow of a hood.

The other party sent a message proactively.

The Side of Truth: Long time no see.

Master Pi Fu:. Long time no see.

The Side of Truth: I know you have many questions. Let's talk? In six hours, at the headquarters of the Evil Science Alliance on Filth Street, I'll have my secretary meet you.

Master Pi Fu:. Alright.

The communication ended. Li Cheng and Hui Yu stared at each other, feeling thoroughly exasperated as they exited the Killing Ground and returned to reality.

At the same moment, in an unknown place.

The yellow-robed, hooded entity known as "The Side of Truth" looked at the chat window and let out a nostalgic chuckle.

The wind moaned. Before The Side of Truth, a vast and majestic canyon was piled high with tens of thousands of corpses of Fire Demons.

These Fire Demons ranged from thirty to fifty to over a hundred meters in height, with twin wings on their backs and flames covering their entire bodies.

Most were bare-chested, wielding whips and axes of flame.

A few wore heavy metal armor, clutching scepters and longswords.

Not a single Fire Demon survived; molten lava oozed from their eyes, noses, mouths, and ears, converging into rivers of magma that flowed silently through the canyon.

The Side of Truth, who had personally slaughtered an entire kingdom of Fire Demons, showed no emotional reaction—merely snapped his fingers, summoning specks of starlight to store all the corpses within his own semi-plane.

Then, he slashed the air with a hand, opening a dimensional gate, stepped through, and vanished.

————

His familiar living room.

Li Cheng glanced at the wall clock—half a day had passed since he entered the mission. Fortunately, it was the weekend, so he didn't have to go to school.

"I'm going to rest," Hui Yu stretched, humming a tune she'd composed herself, then headed to her bedroom to lie on the bed and scroll through her phone—

Because of her excessive weight, Li Cheng had recently commissioned a custom-made super-strong steel-spring bed for her from a shop on Filth Street.

To prevent collapse or damage, he'd bought extra spring parts in bulk, ready for immediate replacement.

【Reward settlement in progress】

【Player overall performance: S+, game coins and experience gained increased by 160%】

【Mission Reward 1: 1300 experience points】

【Mission Reward 2: 2000 game coins】

If last time's Baekje Black Heaven was like opening a small safe, this 【Power Resurgence】 mission was like robbing a bank.

With the 1.6x multiplier, Li Cheng instantly gained 2080 experience points, rising from his previous Lv12 with 560/1200 experience,

leveling up twice consecutively to Lv14, with 140/1400 experience.

His game coin balance also rose from 1053 to 4253.

【Mission Reward 5: Medium Life Potion ×1】

【Mission Reward 6: One free attribute point】

Earlier, Li Cheng had been injured while killing Cliff—his ankle shattered—and he'd consumed a mini life potion.

But due to the time reversal, the consumed mini life potion returned, and now he received a brand-new one.

【Mission Reward 3: Two random items, quality determined by mission rating】

【Mission Reward 4: One random skill scroll, quality determined by mission rating】

It was time to open boxes again—and this time, three in a row. Li Cheng rubbed his palms together and muttered, "Open!"

Three flashes of light. The first item revealed was a "USB flash drive."

【Item Name: Skill Transfer U Disk】

【Type: Portable Item】

【Quality: Perfect】

【Effect: Copy and Paste. The user may copy one of their own skills into the U Disk, consuming the same amount as normal skill use. Once copied, any individual may use that skill from the U Disk without any cost.】

【Cooldown: 24 hours】

【Usage Requirement: None】

【Currently Copied Skill: None】

【Note: This item must be bound to its holder. Once bound, it cannot be transferred, and can only drop upon death】

【Note: Bored at home? Why not pick up a side gig — copy and paste this passage, be a repeater, earn 0 yuan each time. All your friends are doing it】

Uh.

Li Cheng's expression was quite a sight — it was actually a Perfect-quality item!

And unlike that absurdly abstract item, the Patchwork Doll, the special effects of this 【Skill Transfer USB Drive】 were simple and clear — its power was obvious at a glance.

"The copying process consumes something, but there's no note afterward about how long the skill stays saved in the USB drive. In other words, the skill can be stored permanently."

"Not only can it be transferred to others, more importantly, it can be used on yourself! First cast a skill normally, plug in the USB drive, then cast it again.

That essentially bypasses the Killing Ground's cooldown restriction on individual skills."

Li Cheng's mind raced, and in the blink of an eye he had thought up several ways to use it.

For instance, lending out skills to make money;

Casting a big move twice in quick succession;

Learning a skill with severe side effects (like self-destructing), not using it himself, but instead transferring it to Summoning Art · Thousand Paper Cranes, letting the Thousand Paper Cranes cast it on his behalf;

"Starting off with a Perfect item — could my luck have finally turned?"

Li Cheng muttered as he tucked the USB drive into his inventory, then looked at the next item. "Why is it a pair of glasses?"

(End of Chapter)