GRMFBS CH213

Gu Jiancheng agreed.

Based on his years of experience dealing with the Infinite, when it prepares a trap, the person it has targeted has no choice but to walk into it. They are all within its world; it has ten thousand ways to force a person inside.

But just like the Infinite’s instances, it never sets up a dead end with absolutely no escape; living people are the only ones useful to it. It just doesn’t care much about “wear and tear.”

Therefore, rather than being forced into the trap, it was better to enter proactively to find a path to survival.

—This was the lie Gu Jiancheng told Wan Shitong, and himself.

Wan Shitong didn’t want him to go in.

The out-of-control Apocalypse Instance, the Infinite’s most terrifying BOSS, the glaring 0% survival rate…

“Boss, with your current strength, the vast majority of instances can’t kill you anymore. You just need to save up slowly, and sooner or later you can get out. But the Apocalypse has a zero survival rate. Even ‘The Undying’ died inside…”

Wan Shitong’s face was pale. “The Undying” was the second-ranked player on the leaderboard. Deep Shadow had fought him in the Disorderly Lands; both had held back, resulting in a draw.

If Deep Shadow unleashed his full power, his combat ability might be higher than The Undying, but his survivability was definitely not as high.

Wan Shitong was scared. He hoped Deep Shadow wouldn’t go.

Gu Jiancheng gave him those reasons.

But in reality, he had just had enough.

It had been too long.

He wanted to go home.

Regardless of what the Infinite was planning, at least this time it genuinely hoped Gu Jiancheng could solve the out-of-control Apocalypse Instance.

It gave Gu Jiancheng all the data it could provide in advance. Among the provided materials, the information before the Apocalypse Instance went out of control was detailed, but there were many gaps in the data after it went out of control.

Gu Jiancheng flipped through the materials carefully and roughly understood how “The Undying” had failed.

Players lived under constant fear and oppression for years; they long ago lost the energy to think—and didn’t dare to think—that the Infinite was not perfect. It had flaws too.

If it were truly flawless, why would it need players to solve the out-of-control Apocalypse Instance?

Gu Jiancheng sorted through the situation of the Apocalypse.

The key to the Apocalypse World going out of control lay with the “Lord,” Rong Sui.

Rong Sui’s mental power accumulated through cycle after cycle of reincarnation until she broke through the Infinite’s overwrite of her memories.

She discovered that in every cycle of memories, only the players were different. And these players, whether they chose to cooperate or betray, would ultimately leave behind nothing but a mess.

Rong Sui decided to kill all the players.

The time of the Apocalypse no longer reversed, and the out-of-control instance sailed toward a future no one knew.

The Infinite released a mission to solve the out-of-control instance. Batch after batch of players entered, and batch after batch were disposed of by the “Lord,” until no one dared to challenge this task anymore, until the former “Lord” became the most famous BOSS in the Infinite. They called her “The Tyrant.”

For the first three months after entering the Apocalypse Instance, Gu Jiancheng was constantly evading the Tyrant’s pursuit.

He expended a lot of effort, even accidentally getting involved in a Black Nest halfway through. He and Rong Sui destroyed that fully formed Black Nest together, finally earning a chance to talk.

Inside the wreckage of the Black Nest, within the mental barrier Rong Sui had released, blood slid down from a wound on Gu Jiancheng’s cheek as he revealed a strange smile.

“Don’t remove your mental barrier. It cannot see what happens here.”

“Who is ‘It’?”

Amidst the mental barrier that swirled like a blizzard, Gu Jiancheng introduced her to the “Infinite.”

“Your world has already begun to break away from the Infinite’s control, but this doesn’t mean you are capable of contending with the Infinite yet. If the Apocalypse World continues to spiral out of control, the Infinite will have no choice but to abandon this world.”

The Infinite could no longer control the Apocalypse World as it did before, but it could still destroy it.

It would completely dismantle this small world, which could no longer provide sustainable benefits, using it as one-time fodder.

“We both need to wait for the right time.”

“What time?”

“I don’t know.” Gu Jiancheng’s eyes were deep and dark, a frantic, violent fire burning at the bottom of his gaze. “If I am still around on that day, I will do everything in my power to kill it!”

Rong Sui listened to his advice. She restrained her power, went into hiding, and disguised herself. The Apocalypse World was rebooted once again.

And the Infinite, unsurprisingly, played word games.

It opened a passage home for Gu Jiancheng, but Gu Jiancheng had already been tainted by pollution. If he returned to his own world, he would bring the pollution with him.

Gu Jiancheng looked at that passage for a long time.

He gave up the chance to return.

…

“Boss?” Wan Shitong asked cautiously.

He hadn’t seen the Boss look like this in a long time. It made people afraid to approach, yet felt terribly uncomfortable to witness.

Gu Jiancheng snapped back to reality. “It’s nothing. I’m heading back now.”

He hung up the communication with the Magician and dismissed the Shadow Clone.

Back in the rental apartment, Yanyan’s clothes were still hanging on the balcony, emitting a warm, clean scent of soap. After he brought in the dried clothes and folded them, Xingxing hopped onto his knee with familiar ease, carrying a comb in his mouth.

Gu Jiancheng sat on the sofa grooming the cat, half in a daze and half worrying.

Yanyan’s sister was the “Lord,” Rong Sui. He couldn’t be sure before he remembered, but now that he had remembered, he didn’t need any other evidence. Strong individuals all had their own unique characteristics. The look he exchanged with Zhan Suiru was definitely the unique feeling of Rong Sui.

The man following her must be the “Artisan,” Yang Ran. Although his appearance was different, there were many ways to mask one’s appearance. Gu Jiancheng had changed his appearance inside the Infinite as well.

When he entered the Infinite, he was young. He was tall but had a baby face, leading many to think he was easy to bully. After suffering a few losses, Gu Jiancheng used an item to change his appearance to a more intimidating adult. Later, even after he grew up inside the Infinite, he never changed it back and just kept using that face.

After the Infinite exploded and the items lost their effect, he reverted to his original appearance after falling into this world.

At that time, looking at himself in the mirror, he even felt like a stranger.

Gu Jiancheng touched his own face, unable to help feeling grateful that he had changed his appearance back then.

Otherwise, he would have been exposed the moment he bumped into Zhan Suiru!

But even though he wasn’t exposed, the current situation was still very troublesome…

Zhan Suiru also looked different from before. Yanyan had said the three of them were adopted, which meant Zhan Suiru had experienced a growth period from childhood to adulthood in this world.

Rong Sui wasn’t someone who would do something so boring on purpose. Gu Jiancheng guessed that Rong Sui had undergone reincarnation in this world.

What kind of luck did Yanyan’s parents have…

Gu Jiancheng began to worry.

Although he didn’t have a conflict with Rong Sui, their relationship was definitely not good enough for Rong Sui to happily watch him date her younger brother.

If it were anyone else, he would have the confidence to use his identity as Deep Shadow as leverage, but with Rong Sui… Rong Sui was extremely protective. Gu Jiancheng suspected that his identity as Deep Shadow was actually a negative factor in her eyes.

He couldn’t let Yanyan be troubled by this kind of thing.

So… how on earth could he get Zhan Suiru to happily accept him?

Stress.

Gu Jiancheng thought while brushing Xingxing.

Is there anything Zhan Suiru is lacking right now?

The Apocalypse had already merged, and the surviving souls from the Apocalypse were recovering in the Dawn World. Yang Ran was by her side, and she could protect her family herself. In the supernatural world… she had already allied with the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau, and the Artisan was doing exceptionally well… He didn’t even have as many points as they did!

Xingxing enjoyed the grooming service for a while.

Fifteen minutes later. Hmm? Why hasn’t he stopped yet? Xingxing rolled over, changing position to continue enjoying it.

Thirty minutes later. Enough, right? Every spot has been brushed!

Forty-five minutes later. Let go, Meow! I’m going to be brushed bald by you!

The distracted Big Shot Deep Shadow subconsciously held down the cat that was trying to stand up and leave, his other hand continuing the mechanical motion.

Xingxing: …

“Meow-ow!”

Gu Jiancheng snapped back to attention and found Xingxing brandishing his claws under his hand, struggling hard, but unable to break free.

Gu Jiancheng quickly let go.

Xingxing jumped off his leg, looked up at him, and was very indignant: “Meow wu meow ao!”

The little kitty was very angry, but he hadn’t extended his claws once during the struggle.

“Sorry, Xingxing.” Gu Jiancheng apologized to the cat with a piece of dried meat.

Xingxing picked up the dried meat and meowed forgivingly.

Sigh, what else can I do? Although this human’s cooking skills are bad and he occasionally zones out while brushing, his attitude is really good! And his petting technique is also excellent.

Chewing on the dried meat, Xingxing began to miss Zhan Yunkai.

Although Zhan Yan’s cooking skills were decent, Zhan Yunkai still made the best food. He hadn’t eaten Zhan Yunkai’s cat food in a long time. Miss him…

A dazzling, colorful shadow suddenly flew down.

Zhan Yunkai steadily grasped a branch of the Xunmu tree and relaxed, preening his feathers.

“You’re back?” The Xunmu Demon King greeted him cheerfully.

Zhan Yunkai paused; he felt something was a bit off with Xunmu.

The Xunmu Demon King was a bit lively today; many demons, big and small, were hiding under his branches and leaves.

That in itself wasn’t unusual. Xunmu was full of vitality, and many creatures relied on him. But there were simply too many demons today! And their state was a bit strange.

Zhan Yunkai’s double pupils contracted and expanded. He saw that in front of these demons, big and small, hung a leaf of the Xunmu tree, and these leaves were all playing images… Were they watching TV shows?

The Xunmu Demon King cheerfully turned a large leaf toward him and asked, “Do you want to watch?”

Zhan Yunkai: “Did you convert yourself into a cinema?”

The Xunmu Demon King was very proud: “Sun Feifei helped me set up the signal relay. How is it? Pretty amazing, right?”

Zhan Yunkai fell silent. In the deep and mysterious Shennongjia, on the ancient and magnificent Xunmu Divine Tree, every unsophisticated, veined leaf… could be used to broadcast messy human videos.

“Pretty good,” he said against his conscience.

Several demons noticed him and turned off their broadcast leaves. Bird demons flapped their wings through the gaps in the foliage, while squirrels and tree rat demons bounded up the branches.

“Your Majesty Chongming! Your Majesty Chongming!” The demons, large and small, gathered around. “What is that Dawn World like? When can we go inside?”

They had been curious since the day the Apocalypse merged, but His Majesty Xunmu said he hadn’t participated and didn’t know the specifics. This group of demons had been curious for a long time.

Zhan Yunkai didn’t know either. He hadn’t entered the Dawn World yet.

This world was destined to no longer belong solely to Network-types, but they hadn’t found a direct entrance from reality yet.

Zhan Yunkai looked down at the group of little demons hopping around his claws. They all looked at him with bright, round black eyes, their gazes full of expectation.

Zhan Yunkai told the truth: “I don’t know, we probably have to wait for quite a while.”

The round, large eyes instantly became very disappointed.

“Do you guys come to watch broadcasts every day?” Zhan Yunkai asked.

The little demons shook their heads: “His Majesty Xunmu broadcasts once a week.”

Good. He was actually afraid the Xunmu Demon King would turn into the Wan Yao Alliance’s biggest internet café.

Zhan Yunkai spread his wings, leaving behind the disappointed demons, and flew into the depths of Xunmu’s branches.

Xunmu lived for a long time, a single tree forming a forest. The outer edges coexisted with birds and beasts, chirping and lively, but the inner side was silent and secluded, forming a natural maze.

Zhan Yunkai followed Xunmu’s guidance into the maze and landed at his roots.

Xunmu opened the passage to the Candle Dragon’s hiding place for him, the colorful little mosses still glowing.

Zhan Yunkai flew all the way into the secret chamber. The Candle Dragon was coiled around her stone, sleeping soundly, the overflowing time ripples becoming more and more numerous and dense.

Undoubtedly, sending the Candle Dragon’s power inside would only become increasingly difficult, but this also meant the Candle Dragon was recovering better.

“Did you find out who sent the last batch of Candle Dragon power?” Zhan Yunkai asked.

A while ago, the Wan Yao Alliance suddenly received a large batch of Candle Dragon power. The person who left the items had superb strength, showing neither their face nor leaving a name.

Although this was a good thing, it inevitably made people worry whether the Candle Dragon’s existence had been exposed.

Xunmu Demon King: “Didn’t find a trace, but it should be Deep Shadow’s doing. On the day the Apocalypse merged, besides us and the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau, he solved the most Apocalypse Projections.”

Zhan Yunkai frowned: “Why would Deep Shadow suddenly send Candle Dragon power? Did he guess something?”

Xunmu Demon King: “I don’t know. But in any case, he is well-intentioned. If he had other ideas, he wouldn’t have sent it secretly.”

Zhan Yunkai felt the Xunmu Demon King made sense, so he silently adjusted his favorability toward Deep Shadow up a notch in his heart, and then silently adjusted his vigilance up a notch as well. Hmm… after all, they aren’t familiar with Deep Shadow yet, just to be safe.

“This is the last batch of Candle Dragon power,” Zhan Yunkai said. He had retrieved all the Candle Dragon power from the map Approaching Science gave him. After delivering this batch, he could go home. Once home, he could see his wife and children.

After sending this batch of Candle Dragon power, the Candle Dragon still didn’t wake up. She turned over, her tail wrapped around the stone, her upper half hanging upside down off the edge of the stone. Her sleeping posture was very poor.

The Xunmu Demon King was also quite troubled wrapping around such a weapon of mass destruction all day: “When will she wake up?”

Zhan Yunkai’s feather tip was grazed by a time ripple; hearing this, he sneered, “I think she’s having a great time dreaming this time, she even wants to play games.”

As promised, while delivering the power, he muttered in the Candle Dragon’s ear to remember to give Approaching Science a blessing, but the Candle Dragon was sleeping very soundly.

Relying on the Candle Dragon to repay Approaching Science’s favor seemed unlikely; he would have to think of a way himself.

“I’ll go firs—” Zhan Yunkai hadn’t finished speaking.

The Candle Dragon did a sit-up, lifting her upper body. She spat out a small flame from her mouth, then rolled over and went back to sleep.

Zhan Yunkai: “…What is this?”

The Gossip System refreshed a notification for Zhan Yan:

[The Candle Dragon thinks you asking for a blessing all the time is too annoying. She sent you a piece of candle and told you to light it yourself when you need it.]