Chapter 443

Where to begin? Let's start with the periphery of the illusion.

Li Cheng removed the action camera from his body, connected it to his laptop and projector, and projected the recorded footage onto the wall.

After entering the illusion, I first encountered Gary Hoy, the Canadian lawyer who fell to his death.

The Vietnamese woman who hugged a deformed infant and poisoned herself.

The facial recognition deformation patient who accidentally killed his entire family. These three anomalous entities lingering at the illusion's periphery are arranged in a stepped pattern.

That is, the more suffering and resentment one endured in life, the stronger their posthumous power and the larger their range of movement.

Li Cheng pressed the projector remote, skipped past the footage of the player killing the insect lord and infecting his comrades, and explained: "After reaching the player camp, I asked Fu Ding Hua Long for data and found all participants in this event reached similar conclusions.

It makes sense—after all, horror films depict it this way.

By the way, if I were to die, I'd definitely wear red clothes and red shoes, drink the poison, and jump into the wood chipper beside the city reservoir at midnight on the Ghost Festival,

becoming the most vicious Ultimate Ultra-SuperMax Ghost King."

??? Are you stacking buffs here?

Chang Sun Yao's expression was odd; on the surface she listened quietly to Li Cheng, but secretly withdrew paper from her sleeve, ready to act at any moment.

"But there's one problem: whether Gary Hoy or the Vietnamese woman, their death times were long before the killing field descended. That's interesting."

Li Cheng snapped his fingers and smiled lightly: "Two possibilities. One: the illusion's core—the cardboard box—fabricates ghosts out of thin air based on real-world records and news reports.

Given that the Vietnamese woman died alone and unnoticed, leaving no trace whatsoever, this can be ruled out.

Two: all the ghosts are genuine, original specimens.

They were merely 'awakened' by the killing field first, then absorbed by the illusion."

Huh?

Chang Sun Yao frowned slightly, not quite following—until Hui Yu raised his hand first, speaking confidently: "Report, officer! I didn't understand!"

"For example, the killing field issues routine tasks on Earth. Some of these tasks often take place in abandoned castles, derelict hospitals, or deserted villages.

To increase difficulty, the system 'awakens' the ghosts in these locations as part of the task composition.

Thus, although the Vietnamese woman and others died before the killing field descended, they were awakened after its arrival—no contradiction."

Li Cheng explained casually: "Back to the point: why did the cardboard box steal ghosts from the killing field system?

To build an undead army? Unlikely—the ghosts act independently, with no organization.

To liberate and purify them? Also unlikely—they're trapped in their own deaths, with no redemption possible.

Since the most probable explanation has been eliminated, only one remains: the cardboard box, as the illusion's core, lacks full individual consciousness and merely follows instinct, absorbing the souls of the wrongfully dead."

Chang Sun Yao froze, instinctively thinking: Isn't that obvious? An ownerless hidden space runs automatically by program.

Wait.

Her pupils shrank—she suddenly understood Li Cheng's meaning—the hidden space has an owner!

"Exactly. At this moment, the owner of the hidden space is Cai Anjie." Li Cheng grinned, "The girl hiding inside the cardboard box."

Hui Yu's expression turned solemn, and he mused: "The day Cai Anjie appeared as the illusion's owner, the entire player community erupted—everyone was discussing who Cai Anjie was."

"You're kidding, right? Cai Anjie is that little girl from the orphanage you only heard but never saw in the illusion."

Li Cheng rolled his eyes, gave Hui Yu a light flick on the forehead, and continued: "On August 28, 2024, China officially terminated its international adoption program,

due to economic development, declining orphan numbers, and rising domestic adoption willingness—ending a transnational population migration that had sent over 160,000 children abroad.

Tracing back, decades ago, Chinese orphanages housed vast numbers of children with congenital disabilities, each receiving only 120 yuan monthly care fees; foreign families' $30,000 donations were the lifeline sustaining operations.

Meanwhile, China's various sectors, newly joined to the WTO and participating in global division of labor, held unrealistic fantasies about the West, accepting global intellectuals' narrative that 'international adoption = life reversal.'

But in reality, the rate of abuse among internationally adopted children exposed so far is 2.7 times higher than that of domestically adopted children, with conviction rates for perpetrators under 15%.

Due to lack of oversight, countless children died mysteriously, vanished, or were abused—some even trafficked or had organs sold."

"Oh oh, I know this."

Hui Yu raised his hand: "I saw on TikTok that some American director Woody Allen married his Asian adopted daughter, who's 35 years younger than him."

"Correct."

Li Cheng nodded: "Cai Anjie was one of the unfortunate victims of the international adoption program. She was sent abroad, tortured to death by her adoptive parents, and after death, her soul accidentally fell into the killing field, becoming the hidden space's owner unconsciously.

The full function of a complete hidden space is to contain dead souls, purify and liberate them, allowing them to exist long-term in the sub-dimension created by the cardboard box.

Cai Anjie was kind—even in death, she never transformed into a vengeful ghost out of hatred, but instinctively absorbed other souls as unfortunate as hers.

But due to her fragmented will, she failed to advance further—to purify and liberate the souls.

Her will—or soul—split into you."

"The horse-headed S, symbolizing Shame."

Li Cheng pressed the remote, switching the projector's image.

"The fat L, symbolizing Laziness. The gray-green giant A, symbolizing Anger. The black-clad woman H, symbolizing Hope. The hooded F, symbolizing Fear."

The projector's image switched one by one; Li Cheng paused, "As for the suit-wearing infant E, and you—"

"Infant E is Exhausted. And I am Think."

The anomalous entity wearing the orphanage director's appearance smiled: "How did you deduce all this?"

"There were too many clues, weren't there?"

Li Cheng spread his hands: "The random graffiti appearing across surface cities are actually murals of the Red Star Orphanage's nursery rhyme.

Ducks swim beneath the bridge, come quick, count them: two, four, six, eight.

The locust tree bears cherries, the willow tree bears chili peppers.

The orphanage director was from Wenzhou; 'Cha Yu Ji' is Wenzhou dialect for Cai Anjie.

The British criminal court, jarringly out of place in the pedestrian shopping street, points to Cai Anjie's adoption location in Britain—her adoptive parents were likely convicted after her death."

He paused, rubbing his chin: "But one thing still seems odd—the surface city also has ouroboros patterns. I don't know what they point to."

"That's… the shape of the basement door knocker."

The director said calmly: "After Cai Anjie was sent abroad, she was beaten, abused, and tormented daily by her adoptive parents, forced to eat scraps, made to wear leg irons and chains, and locked in a basement."

Every day, the only time she could leave the basement was to clean the farm animals' feces and wash and massage her adoptive mother's feet; after nightfall, she returned to the basement and slept in a cardboard box."

Each night, she clung to the butterfly hairpin—the only thing she took from Red Star Orphanage, a gift from her childhood friend—as her spiritual anchor, sustaining her through unbearable hardship."

No wonder there were sounds of chains clinking inside the cardboard box."

Li Cheng nodded; the director continued: "She tried to escape three times, nearly succeeding each time, but was always caught and dragged back by her adoptive parents and the police."

White police officers, even knowing her adoptive parents were abusing her, sided with the white adoptive parents and let her suffer—in their eyes, Asian orphans were vermin."

Creak—creak."

Hui Yu's teeth grated together; her gaze grew strange. She had long considered herself purely, utterly Chinese. Rage surged in her heart, malice hardened in her gall. Unconsciously, she glanced at Nicolas, the British Clock Tower Mage still unconscious, and slightly raised her Skullcrusher.

If he were awake now, he'd likely drop to his knees at once, repeatedly swearing he had nothing to do with those white cops, and sever all ties with Britain."

"Your earlier deduction is correct. After Cai Anjie died, she accidentally fell into the Killing Ground and became the holder of the Hidden Realm as a spirit. But her soul was shattered—or rather, she no longer wished to live—so she split into us."

Director T pointed to himself and said calmly: "Our abilities are intrinsically tied to our nature."

Anger—unlimited, endlessly regenerating fury."

Fear—fabricating illusions to torment the mind."

Hope—twisting reality to create matter."

As for me, I am the leader of all fragments. I am also the voice that issued the 'system tasks' to you inside the Inverted Pyramid."

"Why?" Changsun Yao's expression turned solemn; she asked in a low voice, "If you wanted to kill us, you could have had the Black-Cloaked Woman H strike at once and wipe out all the outsiders."

Why go through all these elaborate steps?"

"To screen the qualified."

Director T tapped the edge of the cardboard box and said softly: "The cardboard box holds Cai Anjie's shattered consciousness—she lacks a complete individual will. Thus, we, as personality fragments, cannot depart from it."

We are part of her. We do not wish for her to die, yet we wish to break free from the original body and become independent beings with free will."

That is why we lured in players, set up these stages, guided you to investigate and uncover the truth behind the realm, so that you two could feel it as if it were your own."

Strictly speaking, both Changsun Yao and Li Cheng, like Cai Anjie, were orphans who lost both parents—Changsun Yao was still a minor when hers died."

All three were even natives of Yin City."

"Cai Anjie's fate should not have ended this way."

Li Cheng sighed for the wrongly dead, like the White Horse Tombstone group, and for Cai Anjie: "You make players feel it… then what?"

"Then, re-hatch."

Director T said: "If you both voluntarily merge completely with the fragments of Cai Anjie inside the cardboard box, you can leave the realm with full ownership of the Hidden Realm—and we, these aberrant entities, can break free from the original body and gain freedom."

"Merging with soul fragments? That sounds completely implausible."

Li Cheng squinted: "After merging, will I still be myself?"

"The very notion of 'self' is a false proposition,"

Director T said: "Modern people scroll through apps, rage at cruel news and wish to kill every evil person on earth; they weep at uplifting stories and marvel at how many good people remain. Their thoughts swing wildly, their stances flip constantly. In the age of information overload, personal will is like seaweed in water, easily swept by public opinion."

If that's the case, what's so wrong with merging a few soul fragments?"

"Brilliant." Li Cheng raised his thumb. "Stealing gold, silver, or national defense cables isn't as good as your theft of concepts."

"Impressive," Li Cheng gave a thumbs-up. "Stealing gold, stealing silver, stealing national defense cables—none of them beat you at shifting the concept."

Director T said calmly: "The Hidden Realm's power rivals a personal divine realm. It grants immense advantages to transcendents."

Retreat: you can absorb vengeful ghosts and command countless undead."

Advance: you can build your own divine realm, redeem wronged souls, and instantly attain godhood—so much so that even the Special Affairs Bureau or GOC will treat you as an honored guest."

They, too, need a backup plan—a sanctuary to preserve humanity."

They also needed a contingency plan, a sanctuary to preserve for humanity.

Changsun Yao's expression wavered repeatedly. The benefits of possessing a personal Hidden Realm were undeniable—it was a stepping stone to Lv35, Lv38, even the pinnacle of power. The cost? Only absorbing soul fragments that wouldn't affect her core personality."

She desperately needed power—before the fated moment arrived, she must gather as much strength as possible to rescue her parents."

Merely absorbing some soul fragments that don't affect the core personality.

She finally made up her mind, opened her mouth to accept Director T's proposal—then suddenly stiffened, utterly powerless."

Shock, fear, confusion rose. Her eyelids drooped uncontrollably."

The last thing she saw was Li Cheng supporting her shoulders, placing her back into the war vehicle's cabin. Then her consciousness scattered, and she slipped into unconsciousness."

"Huh?? When did you act?!"

Not only Changsun Yao was bewildered—Director T stepped back two paces, frowning deeply. Changsun Yao had been knocked out by Li Cheng—and even he, as an aberrant entity, had not sensed it, and had himself been affected."

"About half a minute ago."

Li Cheng flipped his palm—and pulled out an empty, broken bowl from his sleeve."

【Item Name: Lethal Aconite Poison】

【Effect: Soft on the tongue, a single thread down the throat. After injection, ingestion, or absorption, induces poisoning state. Effective against all life forms (plants, animals, spirits, silicon-based life, undead, constructs, mythic beings)】

The mere vapor from the poison alone could never have knocked out Changsun Yao or poisoned Director T."

So Li Cheng had silently activated the gene-modified ability he stole from Daqun:"

First, splitting micro-mouths on his calves; then, adding the final green dragon gas component of the 'Dragon's Breath' skill to the bowl's 【Lethal Aconite Poison】,"

dispersing the toxin as minute gas particles evenly into the surrounding air."

"Cough—cough—" Hui Yu, caught in the toxic mist, coughed twice; her metal-wire hair rapidly fell out. Terrified, she scrambled through the 3D warehouse and frantically pulled out a rice cooker to wear on her head."

And as the primary target, Director T vomited blood profusely, his face visibly withering before their eyes."

"Cough, cough—" Grey Rain, accidentally injured by the poison gas, coughed twice as her metallic-thread hair fell off rapidly. Startled, she scrambled in every direction, hurriedly rummaging through the three-dimensional warehouse and pulling out a rice cooker to put on her head.

As for

Director T, the primary target, vomited a mouthful of blood, his face visibly thinning with the naked eye.

The Vietnamese woman's poison shares the same origin as his, causing percentage-based damage.

Furious yet laughing bitterly, the dean's face darkened as he rasped, "If you won't agree, fine—but don't forbid others from voluntarily fusing. Don't you think that's excessive?"

"It's not excessive."

Li Cheng moved slowly and calmly, his Taiji Blade slicing deep into his chest as he shifted into the Insect Form.

Click-click-click-click.

Amidst the rapid, popping sounds of muscle and bone reshaping, his stature surged again, reaching nearly three meters.

Towering horns thrust upward from his head; thick, matte carapace covered his shoulders and chest, with gaps between the plates filled with dark red muscle fibers.

On either side, brilliant blue compound eyes dominated most of his face, granting a 180° wide-angle view. Spikes sprouted at his elbows and ankles; along his streamlined spine grew two rows of six vector nozzles, shaped like chimneys.

The original mantis-arm bone blades now contained more metal, sharpened and elongated, hugging the sides of his arms.

Behind him, a thick, lengthy tail extended from the tip of his spine.

"Hss"

Li Cheng exhaled with a heavy breath; his nose and mouth were covered by a faceplate. His respiratory organs were now spread across his entire body, especially concentrated in a ring around his neck—respiratory pores.

"Hss—"

The sound of his respiratory pores resembled Darth Vader's respirator from Star Wars.

The Insect Form Li Cheng leaned slightly forward, his mantis-arm bone blades unfolding silently as he growled, "I said it before—Cai Anjie's fate need not have ended this way."

In the next instant, the twelve vector nozzles on his back erupted in unison with violent, cobalt-blue flames, propelling him forward in a blinding rush.