Chapter 24: The Infinite Protagonist Project!

Have you heard of the Six Desires Split Demon Scripture?

In the conference room, the superhumans who had been preparing to leave were halted by the sudden voice.

Turning back, they saw the young man speaking, and their expressions darkened.

For the speaker was an eighteen-year-old youth wearing a headset, known in the underworld as the King of Trash.

This guy not only loved recycling old memes from before the Collapse, but occasionally proposed mind-blowing ideas, earning him the title of the Genius Idea King.

“King of Trash, every time I try to show you some respect, you open your mouth.”

Ji Donglai couldn’t help but say: “Hand me your thirty-thousand-word reflection report first, then tell me your idea.”

“Boss, please believe in the genius wisdom of the Idea King.”

The King of Trash patted his chest: “You’ve adopted all my previous ideas—whether it was the Y-Pa competition or the Carnival Day.”

‘Fuck, wasn’t it always us accommodating this lunatic?’ the superhumans silently cursed inside.

Looking at the fanatical King of Trash, Ji Donglai paused, then said: “Fine. Give you two minutes to explain your idea.”

“Heh, the Six Desires Split Demon Scripture is a cultivation technique from a pre-Collapse web novel—basically, it lets you split off different personalities to devour them and boost your power,” the King of Trash explained to those present.

“And so?” Ji Donglai asked the archaeologist who knew everything about the Collapse era: “What are you planning?”

“I want to reverse it,” the King of Trash said seriously.

“If alien cultivation techniques require subjective belief to practice, why not have mental ability users erase those people’s original personalities entirely and replace them with new ones?”

“So… what’s the point?” a superhuman asked.

“The point is huge!” the King of Trash said seriously, holding up his phone for everyone to see.

Under everyone’s gaze, the King of Trash’s phone displayed folder after folder, each labeled:

The Void Breaker, The Martial God Ascends, The Devouring Heavens, Is the Dragon Really Just a Pond Fish?, Young Ah Bin, Storm Riders, Silent Killing, Dragon Ball…

Some among them, familiar with pre-Collapse entertainment, recognized these as works from that era—but they didn’t understand why the King of Trash was showing them now.

Looking at this crowd of fools, the King of Trash smirked: “Most web novel protagonists possess extraordinary willpower—unshakable, resolute, perfect raw material for martial cultivation.”

“Since this technique requires subjective belief to cultivate, we can have mental ability users implant the protagonists’ life experiences into cloned bodies and mass-produce protagonists.”

“Imagine—countless monsters with the memories of Xiao Yan, Ye Fan, Li Anping, Tang San, Gu Chensha, Li Huowang, Lan Mu, Zheng Zha… Isn’t that enough subjective belief?”

Smiling triumphantly, the King of Trash said: “Look at my genius idea—combine cloning tech, mental superpowers, and subjective martial arts—what kind of monster could we create?”

With the King of Trash’s proposal, everyone fell silent, unsure how to respond.

After all… this idea seemed… kind of viable?

“But how do you trick them into believing they’re really themselves?” a beautiful superhuman countered.

“One moment they’re invincible in their own world, the next they’re ordinary people in a completely different cultivation system—logically, that doesn’t make sense.”

“Easy. Tang San reincarnated into another world—so why can’t these people? Given their willpower, starting over from scratch is nothing. If all else fails, just say they’re spirits we summoned.” The King of Trash grinned.

This time, no one objected—after all, the protagonist reincarnation theory seemed flawless.

“So… should we try it?” a superhuman looked to Ji Donglai, waiting for their nominal leader to decide.

“Alright,” Ji Donglai agreed. “Let’s start with ten thousand clones as a trial. This project will run alongside the Mortal Martial Training program—call it the Infinite Protagonist Project.”

“Woo-hoo!” The King of Trash cheered.

In truth, he didn’t care a bit about subjective belief or not—he just wanted to see what would happen when clones carrying various novel protagonist memories collided.

Plainly put, he wanted to see blood run like rivers.

“Since you proposed this project,” Ji Donglai said to the King of Trash, “you’ll manage it.”

“Yes, Boss!” The King of Trash saluted with a grin. “I’ll clone a hundred Tang Shenwangs first—he’s been reincarnated before, so he’s got experience.”

Ji Donglai didn’t object, looking at the King of Trash and saying:

“You’re in Z City, right? Then we’ll make Z City the pilot site. We’ll also hold the Carnival Day there—do both at once. You’re nearby, so you can keep an eye on things.”

The King of Trash didn’t object—he already opened the door with a gleeful smile and began preparing for cloning.

…

In Z City, deep in the deserted rear mountain of a school, Fang Can stood before a tree as thick as a water barrel.

“I can probably test the effect of a 3% mutation level now,” Fang Can stared at the ancient tree.

He raised his hand without hesitation, clenched his fist, and his pale arm muscles swelled slightly—then he slammed it forward.

“Boom!!”

In an instant, a sound like a cannon blast echoed—and Fang Can was flung backward.

The thunderous impact startled a flock of birds into flight. Fang Can rose from the ground, expression tinged with resignation.

‘Did I forget the recoil? Can’t physics just vanish like common sense for once?’ Fang Can sighed.

Slowly lifting his head, he saw a bowl-sized depression blasted into the solid ancient trunk.

At the center of the depression was a clear fist imprint; his right fist, meanwhile, showed only faint redness on the skin—no injury.

“After testing strength, next I’ll test speed.”

As soon as Fang Can spoke, he vanished from his spot, his body becoming a blur as he darted around the ancient tree.

The wind from his sprint made nearby shrubs tremble; clear footprints began etching themselves into the hard, dry earth.

After roughly half an hour of full-speed running, Fang Can finally stopped.

Not a trace of breathlessness showed on his face.

Because the surrounding light, shining upon him, was automatically absorbed to replenish his stamina.

Combined with his body’s self-repair, he now rarely experienced fatigue.

Fang Can declared: “Right now, even with just my physical stats, I could rank among the top in the Training Hall.”

(End of Chapter)