GRMFBS CH260

Zhan Yan turned his head to sneak a glance. Gu Jiancheng was sitting nearby, seemingly playing with his phone, his face solemn and serious.

Humph humph humph, previously you ground my brother down every single day, making me worry endlessly. Anxious now, aren’t you?

Having just coaxed classmate Xiao Gu, Zhan Yan couldn’t resist being a bit playful.

Approaching Science: [Didn’t you two collaborate quite well before?]

Go ask him yourself~

I Just Saved The World!: [.]

Oh my… It was rare to see Xiao Gu acting like this when donning his Deep Shadow persona.

Approaching Science: [Ghost King Lin Yuan’s main current concern is the problem with his divine ability.]

[His demon core is with Ghost King Wan Yan to help stabilize Ghost King Wan Yan’s soul, which is why his divine ability is unstable.]

[If he wants to retrieve his divine ability, he must first heal Ghost King Wan Yan’s soul.]

Gu Jiancheng felt that Approaching Science truly understood him. With just a simple inquiry about preferences, Approaching Science immediately deduced what he wanted to do. Although the answer provided wasn’t about preferences, it was far more useful to him.

Hmm… healing souls, Rong Sui is experienced in this matter.

Yet Rong Sui was Zhan Suiru. Did she and Zhan Jinli not know each other’s secret identities? Or did they know, but it was useless?

Both seemed possible… Previously, Rong Sui had sought numerous methods to heal Yang Ran, and she must have contacted the Ghost Kings who understood souls best. Yet in the end, she didn’t utilize a Ghost King’s help. It was probably because the soul composition between the two worlds differed slightly, and Yang Ran’s soul state couldn’t withstand the friction of adaptation.

While Gu Jiancheng was deep in thought, another message arrived from the other side.

Approaching Science: [The reason Ghost King Wan Yan’s soul cannot recover is that he lacks the single horn containing his divine ability.]

[I’ll send you the clues once I find them.]

Gu Jiancheng felt a weight lift from his heart.

Thank goodness. Helping Ghost King Wan Yan heal his soul and allowing Ghost King Lin Yuan to recover his divine ability was definitely more important than treating Lin Yuan Ghost King as a wishing machine.

Besides… once Ghost King Lin Yuan recovered his divine ability and could transfer fortune and misfortune, wouldn’t he be able to continue using him as a wishing machine?

The second thought flashed across Gu Jiancheng’s mind in an instant. In short, he had to farm favorability first—farming it to the point where even if Ghost King Lin Yuan found him displeasing, he wouldn’t be able to stop him!

Speaking of which, getting to know Approaching Science was truly fortunate; previously, finding the opportunity to help Rong Sui heal Yang Ran was also arranged by Approaching Science.

Did Approaching Science still need points? He could continue transferring points…

As for whether to mention this to Zhan Suiru… better drop that idea for now. The current situation was chaotic enough, and besides, he didn’t think Zhan Suiru would help him farm Zhan Jinli’s favorability.

With Approaching Science helping out, Gu Jiancheng turned to gather information about Ghost King Lin Yuan from other angles. He couldn’t rely solely on this one major task; he had to do his best to farm favorability in minor aspects as well.

Gu Jiancheng began searching for various news related to Ghost King Lin Yuan on the forum.

Unsurprisingly, he found fanfiction written about Ghost King Lin Yuan on the forum.

Curious, Gu Jiancheng clicked on it.

Emmm… a bit odd. The first half of the fanfiction was extremely Gary Stu, but midway through, the style suddenly took a sharp turn and started developing toward the culinary genre.

The Ghost King returns to become a Master Chef??? What kind of bizarre progression is this?

Yet Gu Jiancheng was able to keep reading because the piece frequently featured unexpectedly accurate details. This author named “Five-Colored Auspiciousness” was definitely not just an ordinary fanfiction writer.

I Just Saved The World!: [What is the relationship between this “Five-Colored Auspiciousness” person and Ghost King Lin Yuan?]

Zhan Yan, who was working on the jigsaw puzzle for clues to Wan Yan’s single horn, took a moment to check after receiving the message.

Approaching Science: [The five little ghosts under Ghost King Lin Yuan.]

[They have always followed him.]

The five little ghosts who could always follow host King Lin Yuan were, if nothing else, deeply trusted by Ghost King Lin Yuan and understood him intimately.

That stroke-of-genius plot twist turning into a Master Chef storyline also aligned well with the fact that Ghost King Lin Yuan opened a bakery—he had never understood why Ghost King Lin Yuan thought of opening a bakery. He had looked up this bakery before, and business was actually quite good.

Could it be… Ghost King Lin Yuan’s inner self and exterior harbored such a stark contrast, and these five little ghosts were the ones who truly understood him?

Staring at that piece titled Return of the Ghost King, Gu Jiancheng fell into deep contemplation.

After working on the puzzle for a while, Zhan Yan stopped. The drain grew heavier the closer he got to the end, so he planned to call it a day.

When sleeping tonight, it would be the perfect time to brush up on new information tags in Dawn World; who knew which skill might become useful after leveling up?

Zhan Yan closed his eyes and entered Dawn World.

Having not visited for several days, another batch of dumplings had accumulated in the core area.

The number of dumplings was growing smaller and smaller. Zhan Yan gathered them all together. Looking up at the increasingly faint sky, he estimated he wouldn’t be able to eat many more dumplings.

The dumplings he could consume were merely remnants; the lion’s share had already integrated into this world.

Just as Zhan Yan finished consuming the final batch of dumplings, he suddenly heard a low rumble echoing across the sky, as if the entire firmament were trembling.

Ripples suddenly broke across the tranquil sky; glowing clouds surged and converged toward the center, swirling into an inverted tower that slowly descended to connect with the surface of the sea. The azure hue of the sea surged upward like a waterspout, blue light intertwining with the orange-red clouds.

Zhan Yan looked up in astonishment.

What happened? Did eating dumplings cause the sky to collapse?

Wan Shitong, who was currently on duty, was startled and rushed over by the commotion.

His mouth dropped wide open: “What’s going on here?”

Zhan Yan had just pieced together the situation from the Gossip System.

“The apocalyptic world is about to connect to the Reincarnation of our world.”

Wan Shitong: “Connecting to Reincarnation… Oh, right, it has mostly finished integrating now, so this step can finally begin.”

Zhan Yan: “Then next, those souls from the apocalyptic world can enter Reincarnation, right?”

Wan Shitong: “They should be able to, though I don’t know what form it will take.”

Once they understood what was happening, neither of them felt nervous anymore.

Wan Shitong: “There might also be souls who don’t want to enter Reincarnation right away.”

Zhan Yan: “Why?”

Wan Shitong: “A couple of days ago, I ran into a dragon who said he wanted to seek revenge on a weirdo who pinched his eyelids while he was sleeping.”

Zhan Yan: “Ah…”

Wan Shitong observed for a moment: “I feel this game might connect to the Underworld first.”

Zhan Yan: “Then should we coordinate with Mount Chaofu?”

Wan Shitong: “Definitely.”

For such a monumental event, who knew whether Infinite would try to cause trouble again? Someone needed to guard it throughout the entire process.

Wan Shitong went to contact people, and Zhan Yan exited Dawn World as well.

He decided not to log in to farm information tags for the next few days to avoid causing unnecessary complications. He would wait until Dawn World finished its integration before reconsidering.

After exiting the game world, Zhan Yan let out a yawn, turned over, and prepared to sleep.

Xingxing’s tail was lightly pressed, letting out a tiny squeak from his throat, before shifting a bit and continuing to sleep.

Gu Jiancheng hadn’t slept at all, still immersed in the shock of discovering that Zhan Yan’s brother was Ghost King Lin Yuan. Ghost King Lin Yuan was suspected of being a closet Gary Stu whose goal was to become a Master Chef or Cake King?

Because no matter how he racked his brain, he couldn’t comprehend why Ghost King Lin Yuan would open a bakery—it had zero relation to his divine ability or his true form from his previous life. Gu Jiancheng had even specifically looked it up; the initial reviews for The Bakery were all complaints about how terrible it tasted, and business seemed very poor early on.

To persist in opening a bakery despite all that could only be explained by personal passion or a dream, right?

Should he help invest and open a chain for him?

While Gu Jiancheng was pondering this, he suddenly sensed a shift in Zhan Yan’s breathing, as if he had woken up mid-sleep.

Yan Yan’s sleep quality lately didn’t seem as sound as before; at night, he often slept for a bit, woke up briefly, and then fell back asleep.

He adjusted his pillow, gently leaned closer, and draped an arm over Zhan Yan’s back.

Zhan Yan instinctively nuzzled closer. Enveloped by the comforting aura, he soon drifted off to sleep.

The soft night draped over him, stretching from reality into dreams.

Like the weight of a quilt, steady and comforting, it brought deep relaxation. Gradually, however, the air seemed to grow heavier and colder, saturated with damp, chilly moisture like the onset of a torrential downpour—stifling and oppressive, suffocating the lungs.

A beam of cold light struck before him. Zhan Yan looked up to find concentric tiers of circular seating encircling him like mountains, hazily packed with figures at first glance, yet appearing utterly empty upon closer inspection.

The cold beam of light ahead resembled a projection screen playing footage, yet no matter how hard Zhan Yan tried, he couldn’t see it clearly.

“Judgment Court.” The words surfaced abruptly in Zhan Yan’s mind.

This was an instance Xiao Gu had experienced in the past.

The dream resembled a videotape playing at high speed on an antique television set; many parts were muffled and obscured, as though the owner of the memory was unwilling to recall them. Yet Zhan Yan could comprehend everything taking place.

Only when the accused appeared would the Judgment Court manifest. Part of the court’s rules was determined by the accused, though it held minimal influence over the final verdict.

Gu Jiancheng had altered only a single rule: he dragged Infinite onto the plaintiff’s bench.

Drifting through the dream, Zhan Yan’s mind was completely incapable of remembering that this was a matter that had already concluded in the past.

His breath hitched.

If the rules allowed a plaintiff, why choose Infinite?

If anyone knew Deep Shadow’s past actions best and could produce the most evidence, it was Infinite! Had it been any other player, they likely wouldn’t have been able to harm Deep Shadow in the end. Even if some price had to be paid, he should have been able to endure it.

“No one is innocent in the Judgment Court.”

Zhan Yan seemed to hear Deep Shadow’s inner voice.

It was lower and raspier than the voice he was accustomed to, tinged with congealed chill, stiff and cold like withered wood submerged at the bottom of a frozen pool.

—Even ordinary mortals who had never experienced Infinite had never gone through life without making a single mistake.

Infinite wouldn’t let him walk away from the Judgment Court so easily. Choosing the Judgment Court was specifically to exploit its rules and drag Infinite onto the bench alongside him.

Starting from the moment he first entered Infinite, the projection flicked through every instance he had endured: dripping blood, piercing wails, scorching flames, the stench of decay, collapsing ruins…

Guilty, guilty… all grave offenses.

Unrushed, Gu Jiancheng dragged out the trial process, methodically offering each rebuttal. Some succeeded, some failed, yet regardless of the outcome, he faced the next trial steadily, as though those replayed memories failed to stir the slightest ripple of emotion in his heart.

Yet Zhan Yan felt a suffocating tightness in his chest, aching beneath the weight of surging emotions.

Gu Jiancheng had never planned on securing an innocent verdict without paying a price; he was stalling the trial process, for as long as the trial remained unfinished, the final sentencing would never descend.

He wasn’t merely stalling; he was waiting.

Infinite was so voracious, unwilling to forfeit even the slightest advantage, utilizing every single event he had lived through as evidence, and Gu Jiancheng entangled them until they became impossible to adjudicate. When the backlog of case files grew immense and the Judgment Court lacked the capacity to conclude the trial, the Supreme Balance hidden within this instance finally materialized.

At the two ends of the scale, plaintiff and defendant, all inquiries were strictly impartial.

“Come on.” Gu Jiancheng bared his teeth in an emotionless grin, sparks erupting in the cold depths of his eyes.

He had never intended to clear this instance; all he needed was the Supreme Balance within it.

Using the bloody footprints from clawing his way out of hell one by one, he secured a single opportunity to drag Infinite onto the Supreme Balance.

“I have nothing left to hide. Now it’s your turn.”

Gu Jiancheng licked the tips of his teeth, tasting the metallic tang of blood on his tongue.

He was going to see where Infinite’s core truly lay.

Zhan Yan’s eyes snapped open.