Chapter 45: Will Become the Guardian of the World

Of course, not everyone can realize they are still in the illusion.

At the blurred edge of consciousness, even if someone initially stays on shore, they will eventually succumb somewhere in the rolling waves.

Not everyone plays the same role.

Some fail the assessment, but after leaving Dragon Gate they find their own way; some barely pass, yet later in life they achieve nothing among the many, and only Ji Heng obtained a script very similar to Jiang Jiang's.

In this world belonging to Ji Heng, without Chén Chén, without Jiāng Jiāng, without Luofeng, Ji Heng became the first to overwhelm his contemporaries.

Ji Heng uses a spear, the same weapon as the world's strongest, Hong; after entering Dragon Gate for just over a month he broke through to War God, and in the second month's beast tide he received the title 'Invincible War God' and was personally summoned by Hong.

The next day, rumors spread that the world's strongest had taken Ji Heng as a disciple.

Ji Heng also felt it somewhat unreal, but it didn't matter; no matter where he was, he only needed to do what he believed was right.

Time is precious everywhere; every minute and second should be cherished: wake at four, train genetic primal force; morning, seven, refine body technique; ten, hunt monsters; after lunch, socialize to expand a certain network; afternoon, practice spear; dinner, night hunt, sleep at twelve.

Of course, not every day needs to be lived with such precision; there will always be things one must resolve.

The master's guidance, the sudden beast tide, and Master Jia Yi's affairs, as well as support needed from time to time around the world.

As strength continually increased, Ji Heng's time became ever more tense, especially with the increasingly tense situation with monsters; the peace originally brought by laser weapon negotiations gradually broke down.

Monsters are not fools; they negotiate with humans likewise to rest and recuperate, developing power through vaster lands and oceans to seek a surer way to annihilate humanity.

But with the emergence of Dragon Gate and Ji Heng, monsters gradually realized that human cultivation seemed to be growing faster; according to Master Hong's estimate, they could at any moment break the current balance and initiate the final showdown with humanity.

As the most dazzling talent of this era, Ji Heng was more than once targeted by monsters' schemes, unexpectedly encountering the attack of a king‑level monster during a hunt, and during beast tides being besieged by several high‑rank lords and king‑level monsters.

Monsters did not want Ji Heng to keep growing, and there were also people within human forces who did not want Ji Heng to stay alive.

On the battlefield, Ji Heng was increasingly needed, while his own training time grew ever shorter, yet his forces showed no sign of stopping; after merely another year, Ji Heng broke through to War God, or what is called Planet‑level.

From then on, it was day after day of slaughter, spears stained with blood, monsters falling.

One hundred, one thousand, ten thousand—Ji Heng kills every day, yet these monsters seem endless.

Actively active on Ji Heng's battlefield, Ji Heng gradually gained the following of many people, from the Two Great Martial Halls, from the World Tree, from China, from any country around the world.

Active at the forefront of the monster war, the shifting battlefields stretched from Asia to Europe, from Europe to the Americas; companions came and went in waves, yet the number of followers kept increasing.

War makes people angry, slaughter makes people crazy. But those around often say that when one falls into numbness or confusion, they feel Ji Heng can bring hope to everyone.

Those lost in the war began to take Ji Heng as their faith to keep fighting.

Ji Heng knows this is not a good thing, but once everyone chooses to walk this path, the future outcome is already sealed.

In the name of subjugation, with the Valkyrie as leader, a death‑defying squad seemed to become the hope of the whole world, and humanity seemed finally to blow the horn of counterattack.

Of course, merely seeming.

The true decisive battle erupted, but it was not as Hong had expected—a desperate last stand; instead, a true emperor appeared among the monsters.

Among monsters, becoming a king‑level monster corresponds to humanity's Planet‑level; the even stronger Imperial‑level, in fact, did not break through Planet‑level, but is merely a stronger existence within Planet‑level, just like the gap between Hong and an ordinary Planet‑level.

Humanity was waiting for more newborn power, more power to resist monsters, and humanity indeed received it.

And the monsters were waiting for a true king, a true ruler who could suppress all monsters of land, sea, and air, and the monsters also received him.

As for how to face the monsters, Ji Heng never made a choice from the beginning—or rather, he had already made his decision.

For home and country, for this world, he offered everything, including his life.

Looking back, his comrades behind were mountains of corpses and seas of blood, yet each silhouette seemed to cheer for him.

——————

In the illusion where Jiāng Jiāng was.

"Eh... hehe."

"So you mean all that preparation was just for this?"

"But speaking of it, there probably wasn't much preparation; the flowing time around me is merely implanting some memory fragments, making it gradually impossible for me to distinguish here from reality."

"Naturally, drawing out the final choice is the decision at the moment of humanity's life and death."

Jiāng Jiāng didn't even bother to examine the so‑called frontline battle reports, because they were actually meaningless.

The choices given were only two: one, to fight the monsters to the death for a chance of victory; two, to use a spacecraft to escape Earth and preserve humanity's fire seed.

The correct answer is obvious—of course it's to keep the fire seed!

A gentleman's revenge need not wait ten years; especially for someone like me who might break through Planet‑level, it's best to take it along—perhaps in ten or eight years we can start thinking about retaking Earth.

Hasn't everyone heard the story of sleeping on firewood and tasting gall?

As for those ordinary people lacking the ability to take it along…

Speaking of which, I used to be just an ordinary person; I was exactly those ordinary people who, when fleeing, each carried their own ability.

But even so, Jiāng Jiāng knows this is definitely the correct answer for himself; if Chén Chén were here, if Chén Chén were here…

All right, indeed staying is the correct answer.

Really boring.

Just as Jiāng Jiāng was thinking that, he felt a sudden headache and the world went dark——

The next instant, Jiāng Jiāng's eyes snapped open.

The glaring light bulb was a bit dazzling; in the room with a black metal frame and white tin cladding, the air was somewhat stuffy and sour.

Jiāng Jiāng shook his head, feeling he had forgotten something.

Right.

"What about Chén Chén?"

The surrounding air felt familiar yet somewhat nauseating—perhaps from having left such an environment too long? How long has it been?

Probably just as long as a dream?

Jiāng Jiāng felt he had had a very long dream, in which he seemed to become the martial artist that Chén Chén often said they would become in the future.

Right, what about Chén Chén?

Jiāng Jiāng sat up, the glaring light making his eyes hard to open, but he could see some strangers nearby, strangers to the point that turning away he might not remember them again.

Step

Jiāng Jiāng felt something fall from beside her, lowered her head, and it was a red hairpin.

Jiāng Jiāng bent over, picked up the hairpin, rubbed it repeatedly; the originally bright red had already turned somewhat dim.

After all, she had worn it for several years; even if Jiāng Jiāng treasured it, it was just a cheap item worth a few cents to me.

However, for Jiāng Jiāng, price could not naturally measure the hairpin's value; this was the only thing Chén Chén left for her……

No, where is Chén Chén?

Jiāng Jiāng looked around; everything was unfamiliar, unfamiliar, unfamiliar. The small tin house was packed with over ten people, yet none were known to Jiāng Jiāng.

Jiāng Jiāng immediately rushed out the door; all around were the same tin houses, each about ten cubic meters, five tin sheets standing on the ground like one container after another; in the distance, those wearing obviously different uniforms should be the staff.

Jiāng Jiāng hurried over, but after just a few steps she faintly heard the staff talking.

You heard? Behind the main force, another little girl escaped on her own to the temporary camp; her luck is really not bad.

Yeah, the eastern part of Jianghai City fell five days ago; I really don't know how that little girl managed to persist and get here, the most outrageous part is that she was also carrying……

Jiāng Jiāng knew they were talking about her; she was the little girl they mentioned, and the person she was carrying was Chén Chén.

Jiāng Jiāng unconsciously quickened her pace, already eager to know Chén Chén's condition.

Yeah, I heard it's already rotting, carrying a corpse to the camp; initially the rescue team was still preparing to pull the person off the little girl to save them, but who knew that as soon as they got close they smelled the stench…… I also don't know how that little girl managed to persist.

Just being able to run over here is not bad, and she's even carrying a corpse……

I heard her condition was also poor at the time, her body severely dehydrated, almost becoming two corpses……

While the two were talking, they heard a 'pa' sound not far away; looking toward the sound, the little girl they had been talking about fell straight to the ground.

The red hairpin fell to the ground again; the little girl seemed to want to reach out to pick it up, but there was no light in her red eyes, just a tiny distance, yet she could not grasp it no matter what.

I am the one you randomly set a flag to kill people, right?

Don't cry, save some strength to help me find medical personnel, okay? Maybe we can still rescue a bit.

Actually, I'm a bit unwilling……

Right, if I die, remember this, cultivate well, and when you reach a…… very powerful realm later, you can save me.

I can't speak anymore; maybe I truly…… really have no breath left…… Remember to find rescue for me…… to rescue a bit.

I'll rest a moment.

From childhood, Chén Chén has always been deceitful.

But I know that even if Chén Chén deceives me, she won't harm me, so I will believe every word she says.

No matter how unbelievable the lie, as long as it's said by Chén Chén, to Jiāng Jiāng it's the same.

Chén Chén, do you know?

I had a dream, a very long super-long dream; I dreamed we went together to Yangzhou City, trained martial arts together, and went to participate in the warrior examination……

Little Jiāng Jiāng knelt on the ground, tears flowing uncontrollably; the tears blurred the hairpin a bit more, until her fingertips were about to touch the hairpin.

The hairpin disappeared in place.

Or rather, the 'in place' also disappeared together, and the whole surrounding world turned into a pitch-black expanse.

Jiāng Jiāng could still feel the tears sliding down her neck, a hoarse throat unable to speak, but the memories of the previous dream gradually surged back……

That is to say, the first segment of environmental memory was meant to dilute the original memory……

After being deceived, I then entered the actual trial.

The first segment is naturally also a trial.

In the darkness a voice sounded; although I had only heard it from one side, Jiāng Jiāng could be certain it was the person who announced the start of the examination at the beginning of the test, namely the chief examiner of this examination: Lord East.

Is it because I saw through the options that there is a second one?

The reason I say the second one is because although the two illusions are both virtual worlds, they differ essentially.

The first-layer illusion is a guiding illusion, based on the influence of external objects on the spirit; essentially it has not yet invaded Jiāng Jiāng, so she can easily notice the 'defects' in the world, or rather things that differ from her cognition.

Upon entering the second-layer environment, Jiāng Jiāng has had her memory of entering the illusion trial directly erased.

In the illusory world you can no longer clearly perceive the surrounding logic, just as in a dream you wouldn't find it strange that one second you're clothed and the next you're meticulously dressed; the controller of the illusion can eliminate all unnecessary interference and attack from a single point.

'Have I failed?' Jiāng Jiāng tried to adjust her emotions.

If one collapses weakly and cannot get up, stops thinking, stops resisting, and that is not called failure, then perhaps there is no other way to fail.

That's right.

'But do I still have a chance?' Jiāng Jiāng continued to ask.

Having come this far with difficulty, Jiāng Jiāng naturally also does not want her plan to come to naught; if she cannot successfully pass the examination, then she cannot complete her later plans, nor can she help Chén Chén.

However, since she has met the chief examiner of this examination here and met him here, that indicates the examination has not yet ended.

Of course not, the examination has already ended.

In the illusion, it is common for one's thoughts to be perceived by the other party.

'I just want to get to know you in advance.'

'You mean I passed?'

But the other party just said I failed a moment ago.

'That's right, I let you win, but you owe me a favor; how about that?'

Jiāng Jiāng was puzzled; the surroundings were still pitch black, and the other party seemed unwilling to show themselves.

Jiāng Jiāng tentatively asked: 'Can I not owe you?'

The darkness remained silent for a while.

'Of course you can, but then you'd have to wait until next time to come again.'

'Alright, I'll owe you, I'll owe you.'

Anyway, first owe it to solve the present problem; we'll talk about later things later.

Wait, this isn't also part of the test, is it!

Let me think again! Jiāng Jiāng suddenly said, retracting again.

Huh? The voice in the dark clearly froze.

Cough cough, don't worry, of course not. By the way, I'll secretly tell you my name; remember to repay me next time.

My name is Yun Zhongjun.