Chapter 196: Zhou Chu: Elbow, Come With Me To The Security Bureau For Investigation!
Hearing A Miao’s statement, Yuan Zhu curiously asked back: “Could it be that in this world, many people are not their original selves?”
Meng Xiyue also had a curious look seeking guidance, leaning over, eager to hear A Miao’s unique insights.
A Miao pondered for a moment and said: “I’m not clear about other places, but in Running City over the past 20 years, there have been at least 4 large-scale group cognition tampering incidents. Each time, the affected area was no less than 1/5 of Running City. Ordinary civilians within the [Event] range had their memories tampered with and overwritten to varying degrees multiple times. And these are just the ones I’ve personally experienced and retained related memories of. Beyond that, whether I experienced tampering and overwriting of experiences and cognition like today in my childhood, or even death followed by replication and replacement, is unknown.”
Hearing her words, Meng Xiyue felt a chill down her spine, falling into self-intimidation: maybe ‘I’ am not me? The real Meng Xiyue died in childhood, and the current me is just a replacement.
Yuan Zhu felt nothing, with an exceptionally good mindset. Because he deeply knew he was a fake who had transmigrated. His soul was deeply bound to the [Great Desolation Immortal Scripture], impossible to fake! No, it was [True. Fake]!
Seeing Meng Xiyue’s expression full of shock and doubt, completely trapped in a cycle of entanglement and contradiction, A Miao helplessly patted her head and comforted: “No need to dwell on such things. The reason you are yourself now is precisely because the memories from the latest week form your personality through mutual combination. At this moment, that is the true self. Let me tell you a good way to resolve this distress.”
“Mortals have no right to decide their own ‘authenticity,’ and can only silently endure, at the mercy of fate. But ability users are different. Once your strength reaches the [Seed] realm, you qualify to protect your own memories and personality from external interference. In this regard, the Holy Church’s [Soul Crystal] is particularly renowned!”
A Miao glanced at Yuan Zhu and boasted: “[Soul Crystal] is notoriously stubborn and stable. Once memory information and personality consciousness are recorded, it’s hard to tamper with or overwrite. As strength grows stronger, the [Soul Crystal] not only increases in quantity and intensity, becoming indestructible through calamities, but also clearly remembers the ‘real life’ one has experienced, calmly reviewing layer upon layer of stacked cognition tampering, memory overwriting, time system changes…”
“Only the strong won’t be affected by the world. Instead, they are like an [Anchor], inserted in the river of spacetime, withstanding all impacts unmoved.”
Yuan Zhu proudly puffed out his chest: I’m awesome!
A Miao rolled her eyes: Is that you I’m talking about? I’m talking about the ultimate Holy Church ancient antique with ‘thought solidification’!
Meng Xiyue was stunned and bewildered, momentarily unsure what to say, only knowing that ‘Get Stronger’ is the hard truth—only by getting stronger can one preserve the true self.
But this A Miao is so amazing! She clearly remembers the 4 group cognition tampering incidents Running City experienced, meaning she was a strong one very early on and personally experienced them without being affected. She’s also calm about this ‘Future People revising the timeline.’
Looking at the silly Candle on the side still proudly puffing his chest, obviously a fool who remembers nothing, washed four times in his hometown yet still feels nothing’s wrong, smug as ever.
Is condensing [Soul Crystal] that impressive? You’ve long ceased to be your former self!
“Sister Miao Miao, do you think I might have suffered memory tampering like this fool, or even had my timeline overwritten?” Though enlightened, Meng Xiyue still felt inexplicably melancholic, always sensing she was no longer pure.
A Miao asked puzzled: “Do you have any regrets or dissatisfaction with your life?”
“No, I’ve lived quite happily. Harmonious family, dad is very rich, mom fully supports my studies.”
A Miao: “Then that’s fine. A super first-tier metropolis like Taixi City must have encountered more overt or covert accidents and changes than Running City. But Taixi City has smoothly survived to this day, meaning past crises were all resolved. Perhaps you were overwritten, but in those timelines, you likely fell into family crises and upheavals… Do you want to live that kind of life?”
Yuan Zhu on the side propped his chin, contemplating whether to resurrect his long-deceased ‘mother’ to let his younger brother enjoy some ‘motherly love,’ thereby settling the original body’s karma?
Little Spicy Stick prompted: “Boss, don’t court death! Just get your younger brother several wives to grow the Yuan family, and that’ll clear this body’s karma!”
“True, that’s the lowest difficulty.”
…
1 hour later, the three finished their business respectively and smoothly left the [Star Realm Bank]. After breathing fresh outside air again, Yuan Zhu felt the wondrous experience of those prior three hours too dreamlike.
With [Soul Crystal] protecting him, he could still clearly recall every move in the [Space-Time Fault], but it still felt unreal. Looking at Meng Xiyue again, she was preoccupied throughout.
Though rationally she was 100% certain of her experiences, and after leaving the bank, retrieved her ‘Little Pumpkin’ from A Miao. But her spirit remained dazed, as if fallen into a dream, trapped in some mental vortex, immersed in her own world, becoming listless and unwilling to communicate.
At this time, A Miao said to the two: “I’ve received the advance payment. Next, we’ll part ways. I guarantee to bring the goods back to Running City within a week, then contact again.”
Yuan Zhu nodded, though very reluctant to part with the good-looking and good-smelling A Miao. But with no real connection between them, he chose farewell: “Take care, see you in Running City!”
Anyway, they’ll be in the same city in the future, with more intersections. Slowly cultivate feelings… Hmm, the priority now is Get Stronger, or with weak male strong female, it’s easy to get reversed.
Meng Xiyue slightly reluctant: “Sister Miao, see you later. We’ll keep in touch by letter often.”
“Sure, farewell.” The Miss who reaped a great harvest waved cheerfully goodbye, merging into the crowd.
Compared to the dazed Yuan Zhu duo, her mood was exceptionally good. Today’s harvest is great! Truly two lucky charms bringing fortune.
……
After A Miao left, Yuan Zhu and the other wandered aimlessly on the streets in silence, both in poor mental states.
Probably the prior three hours of experiences were too stimulating, exceeding the mental threshold, somewhat unbearable. Now entering the fatigue period, each preoccupied, not even wanting to talk.
Fortunately, Meng Xiyue had some manners and bought two ice pops from a roadside shop, making the atmosphere even more silent.
Walking along, he was led by Meng Xiyue into a dead-end alley. Looking at the tall wall ahead, he couldn’t help saying: “Hey, what’s up with you.”
Facing the wall, Meng Xiyue snapped back: “Huh?”
“Ah!” The awakened Pink Haired Head smiled awkwardly, “I’m thinking about the information leaking from the [Star Core] in my brain, messing up my mind, scattered and unfocused.”
She hesitated, sighed: “Candle, I’ll come clean! It’s not that sis doesn’t want to take you around Taixi, it’s that my brain is stuffed with a pile of indigestible good stuff, can’t calm down. I’m too tired, no energy to care for you. Now I just want to return to the academy.”
Yuan Zhu, gradually familiar with her style: “Return to the academy for what? Voluntarily become an experimental subject to be studied?”
The latter gave a thumbs up, sincerely praising: “You get me!”
“You really not afraid of being sliced up?”
Meng Xiyue tsundere: “Such precious research material as me will only be cherished and protected. Who could bear to harm me?! Rather than fumbling blindly alone, wasting time and energy, even missing opportunities, better to indirectly reveal some secrets and cooperate with the academy, letting big-shot experts diagnose and research me.”
“I won’t fully disclose contacting the ‘future brewing [Star Constellation Plan],’ gaining an opportunity. I’ll only say I obtained unknown benefits from the [Space of Gods], existing in my brain, hoping to cooperate with the academy. I’ll be the research subject, contributing 30% of final results, the rest as personal gain. But the academy gets priority purchase rights and priority cooperation on related technology development.”
Hearing her introduction, Yuan Zhu immediately thought of the second pillar. Rather than dawdling in Konoha, spied on by the Anbu, getting no resources and squeezed out; better to join the ninja world’s top scientist, enjoy various cutting-edge tech and ruthless stuff, graduate smoothly, then flip and kill the investor to settle accounts.
Meng Xiyue’s move of ‘staking oneself in the game, using self as shares’ was truly wise.
Unfortunately, bearing the [Great Desolation Immortal Scripture], he was destined for the folk self-research route, only able to silently toil brainlessly.
Yuan Zhu: “Then we part now? When you’re researched and something comes out, don’t forget to tell me. Let me reference it, maybe gain inspiration.”
His main purpose coming to Taixi City was to finalize cooperation on [Skull Server. Shadow Domain] with her. Fortunately, those issues were settled yesterday. Specific projects await return to the ‘Underground World’ to proceed. Parting now was acceptable.
Too bad, her promise of all-inclusive stay and free play in Taixi City for a week would likely fall through! On the contrary, he brought her a bunch of [Little Pumpkin] and [Star Constellation Plan] opportunities— she owes me too much!
Just as Yuan Zhu lamented Meng Xiyue not acting human, only freeloading from him, she shook her head: “No need, no need! You’re unfamiliar with life here, I can’t rest easy letting you wander alone. I’ve already contacted Zhou Chu. We’re going to see her now. After entrusting you to her care, then we part.”
“As for our secret cooperation, hand all technical aspects to me. Your top priority is returning to [Happy Home], check the [Space of Gods] exchange list for a good head to serve as the Shadow Domain’s [Server]. Your idea for [Cockroach Village] is interesting, but needs a large batch of high-quality ‘heads’ for support.”
Then, hesitating, she proposed another idea: “Or… actually, we could commission the Captain to get a high-quality ‘good head’ from the [Underground World]. To be honest, I think a [Heaven Rank. Qi Refiner]’s head would be great!”
…
Yuan Zhu naturally knew Heaven Rank situations, divided into [Essence, Qi, Spirit] three transformations.
[Essence]: Requires completing [Armor Casting (Insect Armor)], similar to the Knight System’s [Armor], yet like an insect’s [Cocoon], wrapping the physical body to complete a new round of physical transformation (cocoonization), thoroughly refining, devouring, absorbing the [Insect Eggs Dao Seed] in the Dantian.
[Qi]: Qi Refiner communicates with the [Nightmare Dimension], obtaining a type of outer domain (pollution) energy from the Nightmare World, merging with ‘Qi Threads’ to refine [Innate True Qi], thereby triggering soul transformation.
[Spirit]: Wrapped in [Armor Casting (Cocoon)], nourished and stimulated by Innate True Qi, begins [Eclosion (metamorphosis)], refining and absorbing ‘Insect Eggs ([Seed])’, cultivating Primordial Spirit, perfectly controlling Insect System pollution, no longer symbiotic/parasitic.
The three proceed synchronously, interpenetrating, transforming simultaneously. Upon completion, the [Insectoid Race] is truly named. One can nurture countless ‘Insect Eggs Dao Seeds’ to cultivate one’s race, creating one’s [Insect City].
Beyond that, a fourth transformation: binding a [Dream Hole], gaining heaven and earth (Bubble World) recognition, becoming [True. Heaven Rank].
One holding a [Dream Hole] grasps channels to mass-produce ordinary Heaven Ranks.
In Meng Xiyue’s eyes, a Heaven Rank good head would surely contain full [Essence, Qi, Spirit] data. Connecting to Yuan Zhu’s [Shadow Dream Hole], it could develop a top-tier [Server]. Combined with [Shadow Domain], shape a knockoff mini Insect City!
…
Around 3 PM, the two waited at a seaside cafe in Taixi and met Zhou Chu who came on leave.
Iron Head Sis was dashing today too, wearing Investigator suit, exuding tall and straight uniform temptation. Clearly same [Female Knight] as A Miao, but style difference too vast—though pretty, impossible to love. A reliable good brother!
Meng Xiyue grumbled: “Clearly both ‘Knights,’ why is Sister Miao Miao so charming? Seeing her makes me shudder?”
“Same feeling, maybe she’s too righteous? Also, what kind of [Knight] is she? Clearly [Law System]!”
“No wonder, I was wondering why zero affinity—turns out it’s the evil [Law]! Almost fooled by her disguise.”
All pollution roots will eventually be brought to justice!
After some tugging, Meng Xiyue decisively sold out Yuan Zhu and fled. Zhou Chu likewise focused more on Yuan Zhu this potential [Space of Gods] criminal, eager to take him back to the bureau for investigation.
“Let’s go! Come with me to the Security Bureau for a simple aptitude test. I’ll request experts to customize a professional ‘Cultivation Plan’ for you based on the investigation report.” Her words sounded nice, but Yuan Zhu knew what she really thought.
You don’t trust me, fine, no brotherhood!
Thus, before finishing the coffee, she forcibly paid and dragged him to the Security Bureau’s advanced inspection room for a thorough full-body check.
After the ordeal, he got the report: body very healthy, pollution deviation low, [Holy Light] quality high, soul strength excellent for the rank.
This showed [Soul Crystal] was top-tier [Seed] among numerous power systems, especially outstanding in [Soul] domain.
In Zhou Chu’s explanation, the hallmark [Seed] stage could be roughly divided into upper, middle, lower grades by ‘Pollution System’ type.
Just like Golden Cores divided into nine, six, three grades representing [Pollution Seed]’s value and potential. The Holy Church [Soul Crystal] was undoubtedly the highest grade—as long as condensed, it’s [Upper] grade.
