Chapter 277: Starlit Sky

Hey, how did you die?

Li Cheng, hearing the system broadcast, didn't immediately put down his gun; instead, he focused his mind, opened the player panel's quest log, confirmed the current progress showed completed, then exhaled in relief.

He casually pulled a voice recorder from his 3D storage, pressed it, and immediately a hoarse mechanical electronic voice emitted: "Player Master Pi Fu has been eliminated."

This recording was something Li Cheng made himself out of boredom using software.

If he hadn't defeated any other players and was about to lose, he could play the recording, then activate his spirit servant to swap positions and escape; if the opponent lowered their guard upon hearing the sound and mistook it for the system broadcast, failing to check their quest log,

he could quietly circle around and stab them in the back.

To increase its credibility, Li Cheng also recorded other versions, such as: 【One breakthrough, the Dragon emerges from the mountain; two consecutive wins, fame spreads; three in a row, the world is stunned; four in a row, unmatched under heaven; five in a row, annihilate heaven and earth】

【Congratulations, you have won this match! Three-win Double EXP Card, Three-win Double Currency Card, 30-Day Pass ×1, Hero Fragment ×5 have been sent to your inventory. Please collect.】

【Playing your MVP anthem to all players: Knock2-dashstar charges the stars】

Unfortunately, none of it was put to use.

"Done?"

Hui Yu's voice drew nearer; she had only just arrived, unable to grab a car due to the elevated highway's congestion, so she had rolled over as an iron pancake.

"Done."

Li Cheng pulled out his long-unused remaining wound-sealing gel from his inventory slot, sprayed it wildly over his wounds, then reattached the fallen arm.

He then stepped across the street and picked up the last key, labeled No. 1, from the rubble where Gouchen had lain.

Hum!

The remaining six keys spontaneously floated from Li Cheng's palm, all suspended midair, forming a circle, spinning rapidly, radiating dazzling multicolored light.

In a daze, Li Cheng seemed to hear hundreds or thousands of chaotic sounds.

The explosion of cannons shattering the continental shelf, the worshipful chants of billions of devotees, children's cheers upon receiving gifts, the sound of seeds sprouting, and a faint, almost imperceptible sneer.

These noises lasted too briefly; Li Cheng couldn't tell if they were hallucinations from his body nearing its limit or real phenomena.

Whoosh!

Amid the brilliant light, the seven keys fused into one, their volume decreasing rather than increasing, becoming a metal key the size of a fingertip, shaped like a bird's beak.

【Name: Achili Toy Sun Changyao】

【Type: Anomaly Item】

【Quality: Common】

【Effect: Factory Owner. You have acquired the identity of the Toy Factory's owner and may use all its contents.】

【Note: Achili Toy Factory, as a renowned toy company, adheres to the principle of "bringing joy to the world," ensuring quality through technology, earning reputation through quality, and promoting development through reputation. It owns multiple renowned IPs, markets products across the multiverse, and is widely acclaimed.】

【Note: Our slogan is: Create joy with heart.】

The instant he grasped the key, countless pieces of information suddenly appeared in Li Cheng's mind, as if enlightenment had struck.

The entire Toy City was the factory's creation.

【Special Duel Quest "Toy Story" completed】

【Reward calculation in progress】

【Ten minutes until teleportation. Teleport immediately?】

The matter wasn't finished; he certainly wouldn't leave now.

Li Cheng slashed himself again with the Taiyi Blade, deactivated his enhanced form, and, while the dust and smoke from the rubble hadn't yet cleared, quickly dressed himself (his previous clothing had been ripped apart).

Gulp.

Beside him, Hui Yu, seeing him change clothes, couldn't help swallowing hard.

Li Cheng had just shed his enhanced state; his muscles hadn't fully dissipated, each one perfectly defined, his overall physique more perfect than an ancient Greek sculpture, yet not unnaturally exaggerated like a steroid-fueled bodybuilder.

Hui Yu feigned calmness, quietly picked up a camera from the ruins of a store, hid it behind her waist, and nonchalantly snapped a quick photo.

"."

"Biyadi, can you turn off your flash when you sneak photos?"

Li Cheng's eye twitched; he hopped into his shoes and gave Hui Yu a light but firm head flick. "Let's go."

Hui Yu rubbed her forehead and grinned foolishly. "Where to?"

"There."

Li Cheng tilted his chin toward the distance—the EVA Unit-02, crouched atop the dome's highest point, had somehow slipped and was falling, slow yet swift, toward the ground.

Boom—

The massive universal humanoid battle machine crashed heavily into the artificial lake, sending up waves over twenty meters high, cratering the entire lakebed.

Several figures flashed into view: besides the three enforcers of City Hall, there was Sakura Kinomoto, and Mayor Dumbledore, clad in a long robe, with white hair and beard, holding a wand.

On his shoulder stood Deputy Mayor Einstein—Einstein was a common real-world rocking toy, fifteen centimeters tall, with a large head containing a spring that made the head sway back and forth.

Bang!

The rear neck armor of Unit-02 automatically opened; the insertion plug carrying the cockpit ejected, and Yagami Light floated inside a pale yellow viscous liquid called LCL, emaciated, eyes vacant.

EVA must be piloted by a compatible individual; Yagami Light forcibly piloted it, causing his body, mind, and soul to fracture beyond repair—even gods couldn't save him. What had sustained him this long was nothing but obsession.

Naruto's eyes burned red; he slammed a fist against the insertion plug, cracking the reinforced glass, and roared at Yagami Light, "Did killing so many people make it worth it? Worth it?!"

Yagami Light's expression was dazed; he ignored Naruto's roar and everyone else surrounding him, staring blankly upward, voice barely a whisper: "I looked… beyond. There's nothing out there."

Through the hole newly carved by the vibrating particle blade at the dome's apex, one could clearly see: utter void.

No starlight, no celestial bodies—only blackness, silence, and emptiness.

The entire Toy City was like an island adrift in a cold ocean.

This meant the most terrifying prophecy would surely come true—when Toy City's resources ran out and its furnace extinguished, all citizens trapped on the island would face an eternal dark future.

Naruto's raised fist trembled; he collapsed, utterly drained, and turned to the two mayors. "Is this… true?"

"Under the conditions of no exit beyond and the furnace gradually dying, our only option is to reduce energy consumption."

As a bobblehead, Einstein nodded his head: "The essence of the failure syndrome is the degradation of the furnace fire."

If we conserve resources and control reproduction, we might sustain the current state for a hundred years—perhaps even two hundred, if we're lucky.

What's terrifying isn't being in darkness, but being utterly unable to see any light.

The scene fell silent; even Naruto lost the urge to drag Light Yagami out of the cockpit and beat him senseless.

Everyone either gazed at the distant fires gradually dying down, or looked up at the lifeless void.

Until

Hum!

Li Cheng and Huiyu arrived on their bat-wing motorcycles, roaring in and skidding to a stop with effortless flair: "You all having a meeting here?"

"You?"

"You?"

Sakura Matou and the three enforcers exclaimed in shock simultaneously; Kenshin had already placed his hand on his sword hilt.

"Don't be impulsive—I'm here to help."

Li Cheng shrugged, picked up the factory key, and waved it casually.

Splash—

The forty-meter-tall Eva Unit-02, submerged in water, was suddenly yanked through the air and halted beside the lake.

Those standing atop Unit-02 swayed, regained their balance, and stared in stunned disbelief: "How did you—"

"How you pulled that lump of steel, right?"

Li Cheng grinned: "I've got all the keys. For the next ten minutes, I'm the temporary god of Toy City."

He waved the key toward the city center; every burning building, street, and vehicle extinguished its flames at once.

This sudden spectacle left everyone speechless.

Einstein was the first to react, shaking his head: "The keys you outsiders seized—are they actually the control over Toy City itself?"

"Yes and no."

Li Cheng smiled lightly: "Your understanding of the keys came from Eugene—you believed they controlled the factories and furnace fires beneath City Hall.

But in truth, Toy City is merely an exhibit inside the real toy factory.

Using the box theory: the toy factory is a large box, containing Toy City as a smaller box. And the key I obtained? It's the key to the large box."

The three enforcers and Sakura Matou had no such knowledge and couldn't grasp it immediately; only Light Yagami and the two mayors truly understood.

Dumbledore's eyes lit up as he pondered: "So you're now the master of Toy City?"

"I'd like to be."

Li Cheng weighed the key in his hand and said casually: "Though I don't understand the exact mechanism, my mind tells me that when I leave this world, I still can't take even a blade of grass or a speck of dust with me."

Huiyu snapped his fingers in sudden realization: "My vassal's vassal isn't my vassal."

"Something like that."

Li Cheng nodded: "Use it or lose it. So I want to test this new authority—and maybe do something good. For instance—"

He extended the key, pointing it at the furnace fire clutched in Unit-02's hand.

Whoosh!

The furnace fire, originally three meters in diameter, expanded several times over, its red hue deepening into a profound gold-red.

"Within my authority, I've recharged the furnace fire—it should last about a thousand years. More than enough to sustain you for a long time."

Li Cheng said easily, "And as for the second thing—"

He crouched down, plunged the key into the soil, and slowly turned it, following an intuitive pull.

Clang-clang-clang-clang—

Toy City itself showed no change, but the view beyond the gap at the highest point of the dome shifted rapidly.

Light flowed, shimmered, and blazed.

The once pitch-black universe suddenly sprouted countless stars.

Countless stars, planets, and comets, drawn by gravity, attracted and spun around one another, forming a dazzling galaxy.

"That's—"

Kenshin and Naruto gaped, the former nearly dropping his zanpakutō.

"The real universe."

Einstein drew a deep breath, turned his head toward Li Cheng, his eyes brimming with thirst for knowledge: "How did you do it?"

"I don't know."

Li Cheng answered honestly: "I thought of it, so I did it."

He hadn't created a universe ex nihilo for Toy City—he'd simply removed Toy City from the factory, lifted the lid of the box, and let them step into the real universe.

Whether this universe was a region of the real world or a territory within some script beneath the Killing Grounds? That lay beyond Li Cheng's knowledge.

"I've also reinforced your atmosphere. With a real universe now accessible, you can launch spacecraft, explore the stars, expand colonies—you won't be trapped here anymore."

Li Cheng tucked away the key and stood up: "And a thousand years of furnace fire should be enough for you to develop technology, reproduce without relying on the furnace, and build a civilization."

The progression exceeded everyone's most optimistic expectations.

The City Hall officials exchanged glances, speechless; Sakura Matou opened her mouth, still half-confused: "Uh… thank you?"

"No need to thank me—it's nothing. Without Toy City's karmic ties, I wouldn't have obtained all the keys. Likewise, without smashing through the dome, I probably wouldn't have relocated Toy City."

Li Cheng's gaze lingered on the insertion plug at Unit-02's neck—inside it, Light Yagami's life flame had extinguished the moment he saw the stars.

Only a final faint smile remained on his face.

"Your grace repays our enmity—this debt Toy City can never repay,"

Mayor Dumbledore spoke slowly, choosing each word carefully: "Is there anything we can do for you?"

"Probably not."

With only a few minutes left before the teleportation back, Li Cheng shook his head—he could take nothing from this world, not even a blade of grass or a tree, and the technology of Toy City was too far ahead of the real world to replicate.

Wait.

He suddenly thought of something, his eyes lighting up. "There is one thing I'd like to ask you for help with."

In the real world, Earth, northern Myanmar, a two-story house.

In a pitch-dark room stood a two-meter-tall cylindrical glass container filled with blue liquid, floating inside which was a naked young man with closed eyes—his face was none other than Joker's.

Beep-beep!

The computer connected to the container emitted a sharp alarm; the container opened automatically, spilling blue liquid across the floor, and Joker—or rather, Joker's clone—jolted awake, collapsing onto the ground and coughing violently.

As a global troublemaker and core member of the Laughing Troupe, Joker had prepared a backup plan before entering the Death Match mission.

He used an advanced growth tank acquired from the script world to clone himself and implanted into the clone all memories of his past life.

This clone was not a player, possessing no skills or items.

If Joker's original body died, the machine would awaken the clone, making him the new Joker.

"Cough, cough… I actually got wiped out in a script mission. I'm such a waste."

The new Joker, grumbling, pounded his chest hard, coughing up the blue liquid trapped in his lung alveoli, then staggered to his feet. Without wiping himself, he sat directly at the computer, plugged a data cable into the interface already installed at the back of his neck, and began downloading the data.

The original Joker had indeed perished in the script mission, his form and spirit utterly destroyed. But while inhabiting Eugene's body, he had implanted a data recorder inside it, similar to an airplane's black box.

After Eugene's body died, it was teleported back to the real world, and the black box within the corpse automatically activated, using satellites in Earth's orbit as relay stations to transmit all data to the computer in the Myanmar house.

Thus completing a kind of legacy.

The new Joker rapidly read the black box's data and murmured, "So the last me was turned into a cockroach by Master Pi Fu. Hmph. That's really rough."

All four players, including himself, had been eliminated. The final victor would emerge only between Gouchen and Master Pi Fu—no one knew which of them was stronger and would claim ultimate victory.

It didn't matter.

Joker stepped down the stairs. In the empty first-floor living room sat a chair, upon which rested a Level 3 new player from Myanmar, injected with anesthetic and bound at hands and feet.

Joker casually picked up a dagger and slit the player's throat.

As he listened to the system's notification granting him player qualifications, he opened his own player panel—reset to Level 1—and clicked the search function to add the leader of the Laughing Troupe as a friend.

"Hey, boss, mission failed. I need to go to Yin City."

Eugene had hidden in the Shadow Realm of Yin City during his life; after death, his corpse would drop back into the real world. Joker had to go to Yin City to recover his equipment and items from the corpse.