[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-player-reboot":3,"chapter-player-reboot-player-reboot-chapter-24":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","Player Reboot",{"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},2271989,4438,"Chapter 24: Passage Forbidden","player-reboot-chapter-24",24,"\u003Cp>Black oil seeped into Cai Zixuan’s skin, merging with his blood, sinking into his bones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Crack!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The bandages wrapped around his hands suddenly snapped; his rapidly swelling muscles tore through the fabric, exposing them to the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The plaster cast on his leg suddenly exploded; the foot emerging from the shards was already larger than an adult’s.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The needle was forcibly ejected from his vein along with the cationic cleanser injected into his body an hour earlier.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, Cai Zixuan’s body had expanded to one point eight meters and still kept growing; his excessive weight made the hospital bed groan under him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In some deep instinct, a primal urge rose in his heart; Cai Zixuan pressed his palms together and slammed them down, twisting.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>An invisible force spread outward; the metal bed, cotton blankets, reinforced concrete walls, glass water cups—all seemed draped in a thin shadow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the night sky, a deep red fissure stretched across.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Shadow Realm opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Vast amounts of blurred knowledge flooded Cai Zixuan’s mind; he instantly understood the Shadow Realm’s function—any destruction caused here would not affect the real world, thus avoiding immediate detection by agencies like the Special Affairs Bureau.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It gave him ample time.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The only downside was that any transcendent beings within a certain radius would also be drawn into the Shadow Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why did the lights go out?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the end of the corridor, Cai Yongyuan, who had been staring fixedly at his phone’s countdown, lifted his head in confusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Everything around him was shrouded in shadow—not just the buildings, but also the doctors, nurses, and family members in the corridor—they passed him as if they couldn’t see him or hear his cries for help.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outside the window, visibility had plummeted; he could no longer make out any scenery beyond the hospital grounds.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before he could make sense of the situation,\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The wooden door of the single room was violently kicked open from within, slamming hard against the corridor wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A towering giant, two meters tall and bulging with muscle, stepped out from the room, hunched over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tattered fragments of his patient gown hung from his body; his veins rose like earthworms; his face was painted with black oil into a grotesque, manic grin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Behind him, the shattered wooden door rapidly turned to sand, then reversed time itself, flying back into place on the frame.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zi… Zixuan?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Yongyuan stared at the familiar contours of the giant’s face, his hand trembling, dropping his phone to the floor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh—huh—”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giant did not answer; he merely hunched his spine, gasping heavily, slowly advancing toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t come closer! Don’t come closer!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Yongyuan’s voice cracked like a chicken with its throat squeezed; just then, someone was about to take the elevator downstairs—he bolted into the cab, cowering in the corner.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap. Tap. Tap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The heavy footsteps in the corridor grew closer, louder; under Cai Yongyuan’s wide-eyed stare, the elevator doors finally closed slowly, descending.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Safe?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The towering giant paused outside the elevator doors, extended both hands, fingers hooked into the metal seam, and pried it open.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elevator shaft was deep and dark, with only the sound of cables retracting and extending.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giant took one step forward and plunged straight down, crashing onto the cab.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The massive impact dented the cab’s ceiling within the Shadow Realm, kicking up clouds of dust—but everyone except Cai Yongyuan acted as if nothing had happened, chatting and scrolling on their phones.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bang! Bang! Bang!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One punch after another, the giant hammered the cab, tearing open the metal ceiling; through the cracks, Cai Yongyuan’s face—terrified, desperate—was clearly visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giant reached through the ceiling crack, grabbed the hem of Cai Yongyuan’s clothes, and yanked upward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Thud—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Yongyuan’s spine slammed into the ceiling; his untrained muscles were easily pierced by metal shards; blood spurted instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is the elevator leaking?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One elevator passenger sensed something, looked up in confusion, touched his cheek—but found no wetness.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Probably just an illusion.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The elevator reached the first floor; the passenger dismissed his doubt and stepped out with the others into the inpatient ward lobby.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At the same moment in the Shadow Realm, Cai Yongyuan’s clothing tore apart from the violent pull.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He fell to the ground, ignored his injuries, scrambled to his feet, limped along the wall out of the lobby, reached the parking lot, and climbed into his Volkswagen.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The car started; his bleeding thigh stomped the accelerator, speeding full throttle toward the hospital gates.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Boom!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Suddenly, a towering black shadow burst from the lobby and slammed into the car’s side; the 1.3-ton vehicle skidded sideways, rolled several times, and crashed into a lamppost, flipping onto its back and dying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Yongyuan inside the driver’s seat was thrown into dizziness; he hung upside down, face covered in blood; through blurred vision, he saw his “son”—taller than him—walking steadily toward him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Zi… Zixuan,”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He stammered, “Dad’s sorry. Dad shouldn’t have pushed you off the balcony.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giant gripped the car door frame and yanked hard, tearing the door off and dragging Cai Yongyuan out.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was those loan sharks! They pressured me too hard—I had no choice, I only thought of your accidental insurance payout.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Cai Yongyuan was lifted into the air, sobbing and weeping, begging, “Forgive me this one time!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giant said nothing; he merely stared into the man’s eyes, lost in thought—as he had been three days ago, when his own father had thrown him off their balcony, falling toward the ground.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Left hand gripped the man’s shoulder; right hand gripped his legs; lifted above his head, then twisted like wringing out a towel.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amid a piercing scream, the man’s bones shattered, piercing his skin; blood gushed like a waterfall; organs swayed and dropped into the giant’s open mouth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Chewing. Swallowing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giant devoured the man’s remains; the black oil paint on his face was not smudged by blood—instead, it grew brighter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not enough. More blood. More death.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The giant tossed aside the remains, turned to the inpatient ward, pressed his palms together, and slammed them down.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Many inside the building looked up, puzzled by the flickering lights; they did not know the entire ward was slowly being pulled into the Shadow Realm.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Tap.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A figure stepped out from the building.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Cheng’s gaze was icy; his body retained numerous insect traits—his arms covered in ant-like bristles, his forearms extended with mantis bone blades.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Click—\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The mantis bone blades plunged into the concrete floor, carving a straight line between him and the giant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This place is forbidden passage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1099,"2026-06-19T22:31:22.154Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","eaa9d3c306f8ee7a69989cf32a7693e66e3fd2df9a4e819ada5880cca43de800","player-reboot-chapter-25","player-reboot-chapter-23",612,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fplayer-reboot-cover.jpg"]