Player Reload

"Combine."

The Side of Truth enveloped the cardboard box with the Star Realm Cocoon, squeezing and rolling it until it formed... the figure of an eight or nine-year-old girl.

The cardboard girl's limbs were covered in hideous scars. She slowly opened her eyes within the Star Realm Cocoon, lowering her gaze to look at her own hands.

Li Cheng stepped half a pace forward, "Do you remember who you are?"

"I am... Cai Anjie."

The cardboard girl's voice was ethereal, and she glanced below at the collapsed city, listening to the wailing of thousands of malevolent spirits. A flash of pain crossed her eyes, "Is all of this... because of me? I'm sorry..."

"We'll discuss it later. You took away the player essence of these people, can you return it to them first?"

Li Cheng retrieved Zhangsun Yao, the Red Spider, and others from the Three-dimensional Warehouse. These individuals' player essences were not fully restored. If the Secret Realm collapsed, none of them would escape.

"Okay."

The cardboard girl closed her eyes, as if regaining control over her own strength. After a while, she opened her hands, and a gentle glow flowed from her palms.

The glow branched in mid-air like banyan tree branches, not only guiding toward the living Zhangsun Yao and others, but also toward the already deceased White Horse Tombstone and Mikazuki,

and further, penetrating the ground, excavating a large quantity of human remains.

Card Emperor, Feihong Witch, Noise Warrior, Fat Head, Skinny...

These players who had died once or even twice in the Inverted Pyramid, in the glow of the cardboard girl, had their bodies remolded, opening their eyes in bewilderment.

Witnessing this scene, the Red Driver couldn't straighten his tongue, "Mass resurrection technique?"

"It's not as exaggerated as resurrection, it's reality distortion."

The Side of Truth watched this scene with interest and commented, "The player essence of these individuals was taken in advance, which in turn saved their lives.

The Secret Realm is akin to a personal Divine Country, where the holder possesses high-level authority. By returning the player essence and using reality distortion power to remold the body, a near-resurrection effect can be achieved."

Deities have a tremendous home advantage in their Divine Country. Even if the Side of Truth were to try to "resurrect" the players below, it wouldn't be so easy or casual.

As light rain fell, the collapse of the entire city gradually slowed down, and the wailing of thousands of malevolent spirits slowly calmed.

"I am still... alive..."

The Card Emperor, bathed in gentle light, desperately rubbed his re-grown eyeball, overwhelmed with joy and tears.

He recalled how he had been controlled by the hooded man; the fear within the Illusion Realm was etched into his bones. Now, he only wished to kiss the ground and savor this second chance at life.

"Screw you."

Before the Card Emperor could kiss the ground, the Feihong Witch kicked him in the face.

She clearly remembered how, as part of the second vanguard team, she was betrayed and murdered by the Card Emperor upon entering the Secret Realm.

"Everyone, come and beat this bastard to death."

Veins bulging on the Feihong Witch's forehead, she kicked and shouted simultaneously. All the players who were taken out by the Card Emperor surrounded him with hostile expressions and began to beat him in a circle.

"Aaaahhhhhh——"

The Card Emperor's screams echoed through the sky.

Li Cheng didn't pay attention to what was happening nearby. He seriously asked the cardboard girl, "You should have remembered your memories before your death now, right?"

"...Yes." The cardboard girl nodded sadly. Her change in emotion turned the light rain into ordinary raindrops.

"What do you plan to do?"

"I still... don't want to live."

Cai Anjie slightly lowered her head, her soul too deeply and severely wounded that not even Extraordinary Power could heal.

"..." Hearing Cai Anjie's answer, the recently awakened Zhangsun Yao couldn't help biting her lip.

The powerful strength she dreamed of was being discarded by Cai Anjie like a worn-out shoe. At that very moment, she really wanted to rush over, shake Cai Anjie's shoulders desperately, and tell her that having power meant having everything.

She could completely go to the slum to find someone to delete the painful memories.

However, Zhangsun Yao also understood that each person has their own will. Even by the standards of players starting from war-torn hell regions, Cai Anjie's short life of a decade and some years was excessively tragic.

Zhangsun Yao could understand why Cai Anjie didn't want her memories deleted and wished to die eternally with her own identity.

"This..."

Li Cheng looked towards the Side of Truth. The latter shrugged and casually said, "Severe depression is within the field of psychology. If there were a brain, I could treat it with medication. But without a brain... I'm also at a loss."

"Sorry, I still want to die."

Cai Anjie looked up at Li Cheng and softly said, "After I die, the cardboard box can be yours. Please send that butterfly hairpin to a person named Li who once stayed at the Red Star Orphanage in Yin City..."

"Hold on."

Li Cheng raised his hand to interrupt Cai Anjie, who was intent on seeking death.

On one hand, the magic contract signed by the players before this mission was still in effect. Even if Cai Anjie transferred the cardboard box to Li Cheng, he would only receive 25% of the profits at most.

If he commissioned the Side of Truth to launder the cardboard box's ownership, then he could obtain the complete cardboard box, but he would also suffer some backlash from violating the contract.

On the other hand, he genuinely didn't want to see Cai Anjie's ending as living only to die again.

"How about this."

Li Cheng rubbed his hands and earnestly said, "How about considering living a new life?"

"Hm?" Cai Anjie blinked in confusion, "What do you mean?"

"Seal your current memories, strip away most of your Extraordinary Power, reset your soul back to the size of an eight or nine-year-old, and integrate it into a suitable body."

As thoughts gradually cleared up, Li Cheng said, "You can return to your carefree childhood as an ordinary person, grow up to seventeen or eighteen in a happy environment, then decide for yourself whether to unlock dusty memories and merge with your current self,

using happy childhood memories to heal past traumas."

Cai Anjie showed hesitation, "Is this... possible?"

"On this killing field, there should be no one more proficient in soul matters than I am."

The Side of Truth said with great interest. As a scientific fanatic, an opportunity to voluntarily transform a demigod into an ordinary person doesn't come easy. "It's entirely operable.

The only issue is how you'll create a happy childhood."

Not to mention that players generally carry some psychological issues that make them unsuitable for raising children,

Even if they were up for it, the average player lifespan is only about two and a half years, hardly enough to see Cai Anjie to adulthood.

"Contact the Special Affairs Bureau."

Li Cheng pointed to the Fuding Hualong nearby, "They will be responsible for the entire project's operation, ensuring you live a life uninterrupted. It's their debt to you."

Fuding Hualong, an innocent collateral damage, blinked blankly.

Li Cheng spoke with extreme certainty. Given that he mattered little but was wise in significant affairs, it could possibly, probably, maybe indicate that the Special Affairs Bureau indeed bears some responsibility in this matter.

"Uh... how about I make a call to the leadership for instructions?"

Fuding Hualong put on his [Eyes Communication Headset], turned around, and lowered his voice, "Hello, this is Fuding Hualong, number 610-351, please connect me to Director Xing Hechou in Yin City, I have significant matters to report..."

While Fuding Hualong was on the phone, the Side of Truth had already laid out an array of oddly-shaped instruments, constructing some gigantic facility, and also took out an egg-shaped pod.

"The guilds like GS Biotechnology and Thousand Throats Beast all use standardized cloning pods. Each clone still requires two reproductive cells—a bit primitive.

My egg-shaped pod uses genetic material from the first female Homo sapiens 250,000 years ago in East Africa, Ethiopia.

Compared to her, Adam and Eve are just rookies.

Using the oldest genetic material to control mutations, you can have any type of gene you want.

Hair color, skin color, eye color, intelligence, height, even elusive talents like Spiritual Energy, Original Force, and Chakra..."

The Side of Truth babbled on about his advanced technology, while Cai Anjie slightly lowered her head, reaching into her heart to extract a ball of light, handing it to Li Cheng.

Li Cheng perplexedly accepted the ball of light, feeling its lightweight warmth. "Um... what is this?"

"A part of my... Authority? It should be the essence I must strip away when I'm reset to eight or nine years old. It's no use for me to keep; please continue on with it."

Cai Anjie was not quite sure herself. She used the reality distortion ability of a woman in black to reshape the ball of light into... a Metal Glove.

[Item Name: Mercy Soul Song]

[Type: Ritual Item]

[Quality: Epic]

Without time to examine the item's details, the Side of Truth had already prepared the Spirit Transformation Equipment, crackling with electric sparks.

Cai Anjie nodded gratefully towards Li Cheng and the Gray Rain, then turned and stepped into the instrument.