Chapter 447: Test (4K)

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

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 secret realm, I first encountered Gary Hoy, the Canadian lawyer who fell to his death.

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

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

That is, the more suffering one endured in life and the heavier their resentment, the stronger their power after death 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's reasonable—after all, horror movies depict it exactly like this.

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 in one go."

??? Are you stacking buffs here?

Changsun Yao's expression was strange; 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 secret realm's core—the cardboard box—fabricates ghosts out of thin air based on real-world records and news reports.

Considering 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 secret realm."

Huh?

Changsun Yao frowned slightly, not quite following—luckily, Hui Yu raised his hand first and declared confidently: "Report, officer! I didn't understand!"

"For example, the Killing Field issues routine missions on Earth, some of which use locations like abandoned castles, derelict hospitals, or deserted villages as backdrops.

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

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 the Killing Field's workforce and absorb so many unjustly dead souls?

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.

The most probable explanation has been eliminated; only one remains: the cardboard box, as the secret realm's core, lacks full individual consciousness and merely follows instinct, absorbing unjustly dead souls."

Changsun Yao froze, instinctively thinking: Isn't that obvious? An unowned 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 as he mused: "The day Cai Anjie appeared, the entire player community erupted—everyone was discussing who Cai Anjie was."

"Are you kidding? 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 publicly was 2.7 times higher than among domestically adopted children, with conviction rates for abusers under 15%.

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

"Oh, I know that."

Hui Yu raised his hand: "I saw on TikTok that some American director Woody Allen married his Asian adopted daughter, who was 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 and purify and transcend them, allowing them to exist long-term within 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 further purify and transcend the souls.

Her will—or soul—split into you."

"The Shame-symbolized Horseman S."

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

"The Lazy-symbolized Fleshy Mountain L. The Anger-symbolized Gray-Green Giant A. The Hope-symbolized Woman in Black H. The Fear-symbolized Hooded Man F."

The projector's image switched one by one; Li Cheng paused, "As for the Suitcase Baby E, and you—"

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

The anomaly dressed as the orphanage director smiled: "How did you deduce all this?"

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

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

Ducks swim beneath the bridge before the gate, come quickly, 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 she had taken from Red Star Orphanage—the only 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 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 regarded herself as purely, utterly Chinese. Rage surged in her heart, malice hardened in her gall. Unconsciously, she glanced at the still-unconscious British Clock Tower Mage Nicolas, and slightly raised her Skullcrusher.

If the latter were awake now, he'd likely drop to his knees at once, repeatedly swearing he had nothing to do with those white police officers and denouncing Britain with all his might."

"Your earlier deductions are correct. After Cai Anjie died, she accidentally fell into the Killing Ground and became the holder of the Hidden Realm in spirit form. 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-clad woman H act at once and wipe out all the outsider players."

Why go through all these elaborate steps?"

"To screen the qualified."

Director T tapped the edge of the cardboard box and said coolly: "The cardboard box holds Cai Anjie's shattered consciousness; she lacks a complete individual will. Thus, we, as personality fragments, cannot escape either."

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 secret realm, so that you two could feel it as if it were your own."

Strictly speaking, both Changsun Yao and Li Cheng are orphans who lost both parents—Changsun Yao was still a minor when her parents died."

All three are 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 secret realm with full ownership of the Hidden Realm—and we, these abnormal 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 concept 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 positive 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 gave a thumbs-up. "Stealing gold, silver, or even national power cables isn't as good as your theft of concepts."

"Brilliant." Li Cheng gave a thumbs-up. "Stealing gold, stealing silver, stealing national defense cables—none of them compare to you stealing and swapping concepts."

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—even the Special Affairs Bureau and GOC will treat you as an honored guest."

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

They also needed a backup plan, to preserve a shelter for humanity to entrust their hopes to.

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."

It was merely absorbing some soul fragments that did not affect the main 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 abnormal entity, had not sensed it, and had been affected himself."

"About half a minute ago."

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

【Item Name: Death-Bringing Aconite Poison】

【Effect: Soft on entry, sharp in 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-modification ability he had stolen from Daqun:"

First, he split micro-mouths on his calf, then poured the 【Death-Bringing Aconite Poison】 from the bowl, layered with the final effect of the 【Dragon's Breath】 skill—the Green Dragon's Poison Gas—"

and dispersed the poison as a fine mist evenly through the surrounding air."

"Cough—cough—" Hui Yu, caught in the poison gas, coughed twice; her metal-wire hair rapidly fell out. Terrified, she scrambled through the 3D warehouse and frantically grabbed a rice cooker to place atop her head."

Meanwhile, Director T, the primary target, vomited blood profusely, his face visibly withering away."

The Vietnamese woman's poison shared the same origin as his own—and inflicted percentage-based damage."

And

As the primary target, Principal T vomited a mouthful of blood, his face visibly thinning out before one's eyes.

The Vietnamese woman's poison shared the same origin as his, capable of inflicting percentage-based damage.

Laughing out of sheer fury, the dean's face darkened as he rasped, "You don't agree yourself, fine, but you won't even allow others to fuse willingly. Don't you think that's going too far?"

"It's not going too far."

Li Cheng unhurriedly drew the Twin-Principle Blade heavily across his chest, switching to his Insect Transformation form.

Crack-crack-crack-crack.

Accompanied by the dense, popping sounds of muscle and bone reshaping, his frame shot up once more, reaching roughly three meters.

Sky-piercing horns atop his head; thick matte shells covered his shoulders and chest, the gaps between shells filled with dark-red muscle fibers.

Bright-blue compound eyes on either side occupied most of his face, granting a 180° wide-angle field of view. Spikes sprouted at his elbows and ankles, and two rows of six chimney-shaped vector nozzles lined his streamlined spine.

The original mantis-arm bone blades were now alloyed with far more metallic content—razor-sharp, elongated, and pressed flat against the sides of his arms.

And behind him, extending from the tip of his spine, a thick, long tail had grown out.

"Hiss."

Li Cheng let out a muffled breath. The area of his nose and mouth was now covered by a faceplate; his breathing organs were the spiracles distributed across his entire body, concentrated especially in a ring around his neck.

"Hiss—"

The sound of the spiracles was exactly like Darth Vader's respirator in Star Wars.

Insect-Transformed Li Cheng tilted his body slightly forward, the mantis-arm bone blades quietly unfolding, and said in a thick voice: "I told you—Cai Anjie's ending was never meant to be like this."

The next instant, the twelve vector nozzles on his back all blasted out fierce blue flames in unison, propelling him surging forward.

(End of this chapter)