Chapter 344: He Yun's Psionic Activation Surgery

The 100th floor of the Anthem Corporation, inside Schultz’s secret laboratory.

This is the place with the highest clearance in the entire company, bar none.

It can only be opened when the Chairman is personally present; it cannot be authorized remotely, nor can it be opened via keys, passwords, or any other means.

Near the side facing the Anthem Corporation’s front plaza, Wu Chang and Ailin sat side by side, looking down at the view below.

"I was sitting right here when I saw the Light Society invade the plane, and Schultz transformed into a hymn to fight the projections of three Light Society members, holding his own."

"Schultz is the second smartest person I have ever met across all planes. I have always believed that even without the All-Knowing Crystal, he would have achieved great things."

"I don't know what he saw in the All-Knowing Crystal, but I could feel that although his arrangements were aimed at the Light Society, his hypothetical enemy was not limited to the Rational Realm, but something higher."

When Wu Chang mentioned the origin of the All-Knowing Crystal, he had briefly spoken about what happened in the Anthem Corporation instance, but this was the first time he had been so detailed.

Ailin observed the secret laboratory on the 100th floor; accepting the worldview of the real world was already a struggle for her.

Entering a future technological world, everything around her was difficult for her to comprehend.

But as long as Wu Chang was there to explain, she listened very attentively.

"It's a pity that I was stabilizing the Divine Kingdom on Earth at the time and couldn't come to this plane with you."

"If I had been there, perhaps I could have saved your cousin."

Mentioning the days Ailin spent stabilizing the Divine Kingdom on Earth made Wu Chang feel a bit guilty; after all, during that time, he had entered more planes than just the Anthem Corporation.

He said: "Perhaps with you there, we could have joined forces to save Schultz, but saving Schultz was unlikely."

"At most, we could have protected him in the Wild Realm, but once his plan began, there was no possibility of stopping it. He would have brought the instance plane to ascend to the Rational Realm, and when the Light Society struck again, he still would have been unable to resist."

Ailin did not speak this time; she had heard from Wu Chang and knew that the leader of the Light Society, Huanxi, possessed the power to withstand Authority head-on.

Facing an enemy of that caliber, they couldn't win even now, let alone Schultz.

Seeing that the groundwork was laid, Wu Chang tentatively said:

"During the time you were guarding the Divine Kingdom on Earth, many things happened. Although I didn't save Schultz, I did save others."

Ailin asked: "Are you referring to that Vice Chairman mentioned in the press conference?"

Wu Chang: "Uh..."

A woman's deadly intuition is always so sharp.

"Yes."

Ailin did not press further, waiting quietly for what Wu Chang had to say next.

Wu Chang crossed his arms over his chest, took a deep breath, and said:

"The matter goes back to when we obtained the Divine Kingdom on Earth from the Apocalypse and guided the Administration to purge the Apocalypse in Wanghai City. Do you remember that we let a leader named Yu Na go back then?"

Ailin nodded and said: "I remember."

They had saved Yu Na from the Administration's encirclement at the time, and she was the one who had changed the other's clothes.

Wu Chang continued:

"When I sent Yu Na to Wanming City, I met the deity they worshipped. From that deity, I learned of the existence of the Pillars of the Present World."

"At that time, It told me that the fate of the Pillars of the Present World and the Wild Realm was already sealed and could not be changed, and that if you and I were too deeply involved, we would die because of it."

"I said I didn't believe it."

"Not long after that, my college roommate Fang Hui was abducted by followers of an evil god because he was born with the Power of Origin. To save him, by a stroke of luck, I entered a Pillar of the Present World; its name was Underground Shelter No. 88."

Next, Wu Chang told Ailin in detail about what happened in the Underground Shelter.

He had mentioned the Underground Shelter to Ailin before, but only an abridged version.

This time, there was no avoiding it; he had to lay out the entire sequence of events.

At the end of the story, he said:

"The Light Society's plan was interlinked, calculating both the Underground Shelter and the Mother of Desire into the equation, trapping everything in a time loop and forming a dead end that was difficult to break free from."

"The situation in the Underground Shelter perfectly matched what the Apocalypse deity said: the ending was already sealed and could not be changed."

"I am not a person who likes to meddle in other people's business, but my rebellious nature got the better of me. I hate seeing people acting high and mighty, taking it for granted that they can decide the fate of others."

"Even while trapped in the scheme, He Yun's refusal to stop fighting attracted me and made me unable to help but want to assist her. Later, the atmosphere took over, and between us, we..."

After finishing everything, a heavy weight was lifted from Wu Chang's chest, and he let out a long breath.

He had confessed everything that needed to be confessed; all that was left for him to do was wait for Ailin's judgment.

Anyway, there was no one else here, and he was prepared—whether by soft-pedaling or by being thick-skinned, he had to settle this matter today.

Although it hadn't been long since Ailin regained her complete soul, she had watched quite a few romance dramas during this time and quickly understood the situation before her.

There was no anger on her face, nor sadness; she just looked at Wu Chang calmly and asked:

"Will you give up He Yun for me?"

Wu Chang shook his head and said: "No, and at the same time, it is impossible for me to give you up."

"Although it sounds a bit shameless, I've always been thick-skinned. I want to achieve a perfect ending in this life instance where I get everything."

After hearing this, Ailin was not angry; instead, a smile appeared on her face as she said:

"I am very happy that you chose not to give her up."

Wu Chang, judging others by himself, was unsure if Ailin was being sarcastic, so he put on a well-behaved posture and listened quietly from the side.

Ailin sighed, looked at Wu Chang tenderly, and said:

"When I needed help the most, you saved me from the ashes, gave me a new life, and took me to see a world broader than I had ever imagined."

"All the beauty I have experienced as a person has been with you, and every memory I recall has your shadow in it."

"Although I am a little sad, what else can I do?"

Wu Chang opened his mouth. The apology he had asked the All-Knowing Crystal to prepare had been memorized perfectly, but now it felt like he was choking, unable to say a single word.

Ailin said: "You saved her from the cycle of time, helped her make amends for the great mistakes she once made, and saved her only relative."

"I believe that at that time, she was just like me now, believing that you were the one person in her life who could not be replaced."

The heart that had been hanging in Wu Chang's chest finally settled; it seemed he had passed the test this time.

Ailin shook her head slightly and said:

"But from now on, I will always be by your side. If you encounter anyone else who needs help, I will help you provide it to them."

Wu Chang did not speak, maintaining his look of complete obedience.

The confession process looked smooth, but in reality, he had utilized Ailin's strong empathy and the feelings between them.

Although Ailin did not complain or show anger, the pressure brought on by guilt still made him feel a bit breathless.

He took a deep breath and rubbed his face, which had gone stiff from grinning like an idiot. Regardless of the process, the result was good.

He had not hidden anything from either Ailin or He Yun, nor had he given up on either side, achieving a hidden ending that only a Rule-Breaker could complete.

After Ailin finished speaking about her side, she couldn't help but ask:

"Now that you've finished telling me, have you thought about how to explain it to her? If you're in a difficult spot, I can pretend..."

Wu Chang hugged Ailin, cutting off the rest of her words.

The rest of that content could not be said; if he said any more, his guilt would be maxed out.

He gazed at Ailin and said: "From the very beginning, I never thought about hiding your existence."

He explained to Ailin that He Yun knew of her existence and described He Yun's attitude.

He didn't know what Ailin had imagined, but judging by her gaze, she seemed to have gained a bit more understanding of He Yun.

He shook his head, not daring to press further, but since the topic had come up, he took the opportunity to tell Ailin about He Yun's plan.

Ailin did not place much weight on the power of faith and immediately agreed to He Yun's plan.

From a certain perspective, Ailin was purer as a deity.

She did not treat believers as tools to contribute faith; compared to harvesting faith, she preferred to protect all believers and do her best to help the world.

Upon hearing that the surface of the Underground Shelter plane was dead and people could only live in the sunless underground, pity and compassion immediately welled up in her eyes.

Learning that He Yun obtaining the power of faith could purify the surface and return a clean world to the residents of the shelter,

she even took the initiative to suggest handing over the power of faith from the Anthem Corporation plane to He Yun, so that she could complete the purification of the surface sooner.

In her view, what He Yun had done for the plane was far more than what she, as a deity, had done, and she was more worthy of using the faith of the plane's believers.

Seeing this, Wu Chang couldn't help but shake his head. Compared to the "Great Holy Mother" who "created" Ailin, Ailin was clearly more deserving of the title of "Great Holy Mother."

Once he entered the third layer of the Abyss, it would be necessary for him to pay a visit to the Great Holy Mother to see if he could force her to drop her deity title.

The preparation phase ended. Next, he held Ailin's hand and brought her into the Underground Shelter plane.

The Anthem Corporation plane was overall close to the real world, so Ailin had accepted it very smoothly.

But as another technological plane, the Underground Shelter plane was much more novel.

The two walked on the streets of the Underground Shelter, and Ailin kept looking around. Whether it was the giant sky screen simulating the change of day and night or the massive city built underground, everything made her feel curious.

Wu Chang asked: "How do you feel about this place?"

Ailin thought for a moment and said: "Better than I imagined. The underground environment hasn't brought too much impact on the people."

"It's clear that the city's builders are trying hard to make people's lives better."

"Thank you for the compliment." He Yun's voice sounded from behind the two.

Wu Chang and Ailin turned around and found that He Yun had appeared behind them silently; the two hadn't even noticed.

After a brief moment of surprise, the two quickly saw the clue. He Yun's body looked no different from a real person, but upon closer inspection, her body was somewhat translucent, and the edges and facial details were slightly blurred.

Wu Chang asked: "Holographic projection?"

He looked around, but did not find any projector. He Yun's projection appeared out of thin air before them, as if condensing the void into reality.

He Yun's projection smiled and said:

"A special application of the Underground Shelter's energy network. The stray energy throughout the shelter is controlled by me. It's not easy to use them to launch direct attacks, but condensing a simple holographic projection is not difficult."

He Yun reached out toward Ailin and said: "It is a pleasure to meet you, Light of Eternal Purity, Miss Ailin."

Ailin reached out to shake hands with He Yun, and a sensation as if touching a physical object traveled through her hand.

"Miss He Yun, I am also very happy to meet you."

From Ailin's attitude, He Yun sensed that Wu Chang had truly told her what he had said.

She gave Wu Chang a look that said, "Well done, I'll reward you later," and then said:

"Since this is Miss Ailin's first time at the Underground Shelter, as the city's administrator, I will be your guide and show you around this city."

"I wonder if Wu Chang has mentioned to you the matter of establishing the Eternal Light Sect in the Underground Shelter and collecting faith."

Ailin nodded and said: "We have come precisely for this matter."

He Yun smiled and said: "That works out perfectly. The route I planned passes by the former church of the Bliss Sect. The location is excellent, and the residents of the Underground Shelter are used to going there to pray. It only needs minor renovations to be put into use immediately."

Along the way, He Yun and Ailin chatted very harmoniously.

He Yun displayed the composure and ease of a city administrator, while Ailin displayed the solemnity and compassion of a Saintess.

It looked like there was no problem, but to Wu Chang, they only gave him one feeling: estrangement.

The atmosphere was too formal.

The scene before him was as if a Saintess had come as a religious representative to inspect a city that needed a church to move in, and the mayor, having received the news, was personally receiving the Saintess.

And Wu Chang, who followed behind without saying a word, was like a little sidekick to the two of them.

He narrowed his eyes; he had to break this atmosphere.

Wu Chang walked forward quickly, squeezed between the two, and grabbed both of their hands at the same time.

This action immediately caused both of them to break their composure, and their faces turned red simultaneously.

However, it was still too early to fast-forward to "you are all my wings."

His action of holding both their hands only lasted a few seconds before He Yun deactivated her projection, and Ailin also entered her true divine form, pulling her hand away from Wu Chang's.

Using him as a bridge to connect the two had failed, but from the perspective of easing the atmosphere, his action had succeeded.

By the time He Yun's real body arrived by air car, the formality of an official meeting between the two was gone.

Wu Chang and Ailin stayed in the Underground Shelter for two days, and during these two days, the three of them were always together.

Ailin was born with a powerful affinity, making people subconsciously feel close to her and unable to harbor hostility.

After spending time together, the relationship between He Yun and Ailin gradually became harmonious, and their cooperation became increasingly tacit.

Under He Yun's promotion and organization, Ailin's missionary activities were very successful.

Including He Yun and He Yi, all the shelter residents joined the Eternal Light Sect.

The number of residents in Underground Shelter No. 88 was not large, but an underground shelter that birthed two "Children of the Plane" seemed to also be a center of a plane.

Under the faith of the Underground Shelter residents, the Tree of Miracles quickly took root and grew into the Pillar of the Divine Kingdom.

Wu Chang had originally thought that the Underground Shelter would only be able to accumulate enough power of faith around the start of the world instance, but he did not expect that in just two days, the Underground Shelter would be merged into Ailin's large Divine Kingdom.

With the Underground Shelter merged into the large Divine Kingdom, He Yun, as a believer within the Divine Kingdom, possessed the ability to travel between the various planes of the Divine Kingdom after receiving Ailin's authorization.

He Yun was eager to perfect her research on condensing divinity and was particularly urgent about entering the Chant Company plane.

So, the moment the Underground Shelter was merged into the large Divine Kingdom, Wu Chang took her into the company to complete the induction ceremony for the company's Vice Chairman.

With the qualification instance for the world instance approaching, Wu Chang could not stay at Chant Company to watch over He Yun, so before he left, he brought He Yun to the Psionic Excitation Department.

Psionic excitation surgery is one of the three core businesses of Chant Company.

Once the talent zone in the brain is fully developed, the intelligence of the person who completes the surgery will not only be greatly improved, but they will also awaken some special talents.

It is also the ultimate goal of Abyss Game players; players modified by psionic excitation surgery can unlock a class transfer most suitable for themselves.

Since even Abyss Game players can undergo the modification, theoretically, even if they are not humans from this instance, a talent zone still exists in their brains.

He had always been curious: with He Yun's current brainpower, she was already capable of researching technological mysticism; if she completed the psionic excitation surgery, to what extent would her brain be developed?

Psionic excitation surgery was also He Yun's main research target.

In Schultz's research, psionic excitation is the transition from ordinary to extraordinary, the beginning of unlocking human potential.

Whether it is Prime Matter Armament, Disqualified Monsters, or even the final Artificial God project, all are based on psionic excitation, with technologies developed upon that foundation.

To completely crack Schultz's research, psionic excitation is a link that cannot be bypassed.

There is no research more profound than experiencing it personally.

A Vice Chairman undergoing psionic excitation surgery with the Chairman personally accompanying her—this level of display made everyone in the Psionic Excitation Department stand by in full readiness.

To complete this surgery, Hughes, who had been promoted to partner and had left the front lines, put on his white coat again to serve as He Yun's lead surgeon.

This was not only to reflect his regard for the two Chairmen but also to salvage his image.

The last time he performed surgery on Chairman Xiao En, he was unable to handle the complex modification of Chairman Xiao En's talent zone due to insufficient ability, almost causing the surgery to fail.

Although Chairman Schultz eventually stepped in to clean up the mess for him, he didn't need to think to know that his impression in Chairman Xiao En's heart must be very poor.

That failure was the humiliation of his life; every time he remembered the panic at that time, he felt ashamed; the alarm sound of the surgical abnormality was like his nightmare.

This made him sweat and his limbs tremble whenever he saw red lights flashing for a long time afterward.

To prevent that incident from happening again, he had improved the psionic excitation surgery once more.

As long as he didn't encounter a brain as complex as Chairman Xiao En's, even if the talent zone was naturally defective, he was confident in using his techniques to compensate for the defect.

This time, he would use everything he had learned in his life to salvage his image in Chairman Xiao En's heart with a perfect surgery.

His eyes were fixed on the screen, and every move was extra careful, striving to ensure there was not the slightest mistake.

Under his superb technique, more than a dozen tiny mechanical arms pierced into the body from the back of He Yun's neck, extending all the way to the brain, without causing He Yun to feel the slightest discomfort throughout the process.

Unlike Chairman Xiao En, Ms. He Yun in the surgical pod was worthy of being Chairman Schultz's student; her brain was different from ordinary people, and her talent zone was naturally in a semi-open state.

With only a little operation, he fully opened He Yun's talent zone.

However, before he could see the state of He Yun's talent zone clearly, the surgical pod suddenly flashed with red light, and a piercing alarm sounded in the operating room.

"Warning, an unknown error occurred during the surgery! Please stop the surgery immediately!"

Hughes stared blankly at the screen, his body seemingly losing all strength, and only two words remained in his mind.

It's over!

(End of chapter)