Chapter 60: Transcendence

"The Special Affairs Bureau can't yet restore her to normal life."

At this, Yuan Zhixia's expression also turned serious: "On one hand, her body has fully transformed into a spider-thing, and the spider's nervous system is distributed throughout its entire body—it's nearly impossible to transfer the brain intact into an artificial body."

"On the other hand, her 'existence' has been consumed by the anti-memetic spider. Even if we returned her to her family, they would suffer psychological torment due to cognitive dissonance. For now, there's no better solution—she must live within the Special Affairs Bureau."

Li Cheng caught the key word: "Temporary?"

"Mm."

Yuan Zhixia nodded: "Currently, the player population in the Killing Field is pyramid-shaped: over 70% are Lv1–Lv15 players, 19% are Lv15–Lv20, 8% are Lv20–Lv29,"

"Lv30 and above—worldwide, there are only about fifteen hundred such people, each a core member of their respective guilds."

"As for max-level Lv40, they're virtually indistinguishable from gods in public perception—reviving the dead and regrowing flesh is commonplace."

"There are many ordinary people like Yang Ling who, due to sudden accidents, are forced to leave normal life."

"Many are protected by the Special Affairs Bureau, waiting for its top experts to emerge from the Killing Field, so they can resolve these cases with relatively small costs."

Li Cheng asked: "So it sounds like the Special Affairs Bureau's experts don't stay in reality often?"

Yuan Zhixia shrugged: "Mm. Top-tier transcenders, merely by existing, act like massive anomalous reaction reactors—they easily attract rifts and trigger anomalies in the real world."

"Besides, for them, exploring the Killing Field, seeking hidden spaces, even searching for the legendary 【Origin House】 that can alter worldlines, is the most important thing. They can't escape the Killing Field's control—they must achieve true transcendence."

She paused slightly, then said seriously: "At your current level, you've probably completed two or three scenario missions already. According to data from major guilds, your next one is likely a standard Killing Field exploration mission."

"Aside from Louchai as a neutral zone, the Killing Field itself has no friendly-fire prevention mechanics—every player and every construct you encounter could be an enemy. You must be extremely cautious."

"Here, take these Bluetooth earbuds. Wear them if necessary—they might help."

【Item Name: Ten Thousand Eyes Communication Earbuds】

【Type: Worn Item】

【Quality: Common】

【Effect: Customer Service Call. Press the button to dial the Special Affairs Bureau's customer service desk in the Ten Thousand Eyes Room. She will provide you with real-time, zero-latency, god's-eye-view surveillance footage of your location and offer guidance, lasting up to 30 minutes.】

【Consumption: None】

【Cooldown: 30 hours】

【Equipment Requirement: None】

【Note: The customer service representative is a real person with feelings, not an AI program—so please be polite and gentle, always say "please" and "thank you."】

【Note: It is strictly forbidden to chat idly with the customer service representative and waste her time—this is no joke!】

【Note: The above note doesn't count—those with high emotional intelligence and a pleasant voice may chat slightly within polite bounds.】

【Note: Special Affairs Bureau standard equipment. If you find it, return it promptly to the nearest Special Affairs Bureau office—must bear weight.】

What the hell is this déjà vu-filled note? Why can notes even be edited?

Aren't these earbuds made by the Special Affairs Bureau themselves?

And that last line—"If you find it, return it promptly to the nearest Special Affairs Bureau office—must bear weight"—is definitely a sting operation, right?

When you return it, a squad of fully armed men will definitely jump out from behind the door, right?

Even though Li Cheng had grown accustomed to the Killing Field's intermittent cruelty, he still couldn't help twitching his eyebrow. He tucked away the wired Bluetooth earbuds and nodded sincerely to Yuan Zhixia: "Thanks."

"One thing at a time. Alright, business is done—let's talk about our personal matter."

Yuan Zhixia set her teacup on the desk, rolled up her sleeves, and smiled at Li Cheng: "Heh, back in the Shadow Realm, you called yourself Da Zai Zhi, huh? Trying to look cool, right? Let's spar—I want to test out the Special Affairs Bureau's mixed martial arts."

"Huh?" Li Cheng hesitated: "Let's not fight. Our school uniforms are expensive. I need to wear mine for the Gaokao."

"Huh? Why wear the uniform for the Gaokao?"

"Because during Gaokao season, if you walk around town wearing the uniform and say you're a Gaokao student, you can ride police cars for free. I tested it in my past life—it's true. The only regret is I never tried it at the airport to see if I could fly for free."

"Ah, speaking of which, I just remembered two friends—an American athlete and a Russian chef—both died in an air crash. By now, they should be four and one years old respectively."

"???"

The big guy Kebe, the second guy Puli Gejin, huh? Yuan Zhixia suppressed her urge to retort and launched a flurry of punches—fast as wind and rain—each move precise: Wing Chun, Baji, Changquan, Tai Chi—all executed flawlessly.

A day ago, Li Cheng might have relied on his superior agility to dodge. But now, he casually activated his Multi-Threaded Brain Domain Technique. Several working memories operated like CPU threads, simultaneously processing the situation—and he blocked every punch, even the slow ones.

Seeing this, Yuan Zhixia stepped into Tai Chi's circling footwork, slipped behind Li Cheng, tiptoed slightly, twisted sharply, and launched a high side kick toward his shoulder.

Pah.

Li Cheng didn't use any strength beyond normal human limits—he casually caught her slender calf, clad in white cotton leggings.

Unexpectedly, Yuan Zhixia slapped the desk beside her, her petite frame snapping upright. In midair, she wrapped her legs around Li Cheng's head and arched backward, attempting to use her body weight, gravitational potential, and centripetal force to fling him away.

This move is one of mixed martial arts—it can become a Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu triangle choke, cutting off blood flow to the neck and rendering the opponent unconscious.

Or, as now, it can hurl the opponent flying into the ground, dragging them into ground grappling, where size and strength advantages matter less.

But Li Cheng stood firm, unmoved.

The weight difference between them was too extreme—Yuan Zhixia simply couldn't throw him.

The scene froze. She remained arched backward: "Bro, can you just cooperate for a second?"

"Shit," Li Cheng snapped to attention, "Go, ignore!"

He shouted, leapt upward, and spun her around in midair.

Something like this—

Li Cheng landed on both feet. Yuan Zhixia finally understood the gap in their physical strength. She silently climbed down from his shoulder, gathered her bag and teacup, lowered her head, and sprinted out of the classroom. At the bottom of the building, she leaned against the wall and vomited.

That backflip was too intense—she barely avoided throwing up last night's dinner.

"A worthy opponent, a match made in heaven."

She muttered softly, wiped her lips, and walked toward the electric scooter parked in the bike shed.

(More this afternoon)

(End of Chapter)