Simultaneous Transmigration: We Share a Role-Playing System

Chapter 186 Human Body, Gu Heart; Gu Body, Human Heart: The Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord's First Lesson - What is Humanity?

In a secluded canyon deep within the folds of the mountains, sunlight struggles to penetrate layers of dense green foliage, casting fragmented patches of light on the humus-covered earth.

But this forest, which should have been teeming with life, had long since become a forbidden zone for living creatures. Dark brown worms swept across every inch of the ground like a tide, devouring even the grass roots and tree bark, leaving only layers upon layers of pale, ghastly white bones.

The rustling crawling sounds merged into a chilling buzzing, startling the last few birds in the canyon into flapping their wings and fleeing this deadly place without looking back.

Chen Duo squatted quietly in the very center of the Gu nest, a faint yet pure smile on her face, gently watching the tide of Gu surging past her feet.

These deadly worms, capable of devouring a ferocious predator in an instant, became as docile as domesticated kittens in her presence, automatically leaving a clean circle around her and flowing around her like a tide.

The swarm of Gu surged toward the throne made of giant centipedes, offering all the life-giving nutrients they had plundered to their ruler.

On the throne, the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord, shirtless, sat with his eyes closed.

His grayish-purple skin was covered with countless compound eyes, each one gleaming with a cold, eerie green light in the dim light. The moment the nutrients from the Gu tide flooded into his body, he let out a low, satisfied roar, his head snapping back, the veins on his neck bulging.

The hideous wounds that had been slashed out by the Great Sage Huangfeng's Samadhi Divine Wind were visibly wriggling and healing, with new flesh growing and surging beneath the wounds.

Of course, all of this was fake, or rather, a play specifically for Chen Duo. In reality, it was Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord Locke creating a temporary physical body for himself.

Thanks to the clay sculpting technique obtained by the Red Boy Locke, all Lockes other than the original now possess real physical bodies, instead of being fake clones made entirely of Qi.

Although this world does not possess world-destroying supernatural abilities, its various esoteric methods are exquisite. Even the Quanxing sect has become a vast treasure trove of strange arts. A clay puppet show that was originally useless can be of such great help to them after being upgraded and improved with spiritual essence.

Leaving aside the Eight Extraordinary Techniques, which are so bizarre they are almost like the Dao, the Divine Mask alone has already helped them a great deal.

Putting everything else aside, even though the company had suppressed the news after the incident at Longhu Mountain, Locke still felt the power of will that was provided for his alternate identity. Although it wasn't much, it still made Locke very happy.

This means that perhaps Locke and others can reuse these worship power when dealing with the popularity points they receive in the future.

Thinking of this, Locke couldn't help but open his eyes, glance at Chen Duo who was surrounded by the swarm of Gu, and continue to improve the completion of the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord's disguise based on her holy body.

After all, the reason why we didn't let others see the Demon Kings' melee was because the Four Demon Kings were imitations, and the level of completion of the disguises was too low. We were afraid that people would see through them. Now we can only rely on learning more local methods to improve the disguises of other Demon Kings.

The Golden Light Mantra and Thunder Magic on Longhu Mountain supplemented the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord's character design. The Gu worms were temporarily modified using parasitic worms obtained by Naruto Rock, but there were still many hidden dangers. It wasn't until Chen Duo was captured that the design was perfected.

While the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord was still recovering from his injuries, Chen Duo showed no awareness of being a hostage. Like a child, she stretched out her fingertip, gently picked out a golden-headed Gu worm that was obediently following the main group, and with a flick of her finger, pressed it belly up on the ground.

The golden-headed worm was so anxious that it kicked its six legs wildly, desperately trying to turn itself over. Its little body twisted and turned, looking quite comical.

Seeing this, Chen Duo revealed a very faint yet incredibly pure smile, like a child who had just played a prank on an ant.

She laughed for less than two seconds, then reached out her fingertip and gently turned the golden-headed Gu worm over. After turning over, the little guy angrily nudged her fingertip with its head, then turned and chased after the main force of the Gu horde without looking back.

Chen Duo's gaze remained fixed on the golden-headed Gu worm. She watched it and its companions work in perfect harmony to build a bridge across the puddle, watched them surge past the stark white bones of a black bear, watched them traverse the layers upon layers of Gu worm waves, and finally land steadily in the palm of the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord, offering up all the nutrients it had accumulated.

Her gaze slowly rose, meeting the eyes of the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord who had opened his eyes on the throne.

"Aren't you afraid of me?"

Chen Duo gently shook her head, her eyes showing no fear, only a stagnant calm, even a rare sense of relaxation. What would be a terrifying hellish Gu nest for others was, to her, a sanctuary more comfortable than anywhere else.

Because everything here is of her kind, even if it is different from her companions in the Medicine Immortal Society, it is still of the same kind.

"Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

"I don't want to."

"I'm asking if you're not afraid?"

"I'm not afraid."

"Then why aren't you afraid, but also don't want to be?"

"Because I haven't finished the task Uncle Liao gave me, and if I die, Uncle Liao will be very sad. He doesn't want me to die."

Locke looked at Chen Duo, who seemed somewhat dejected, and a hint of pity flashed in his eyes. Before transmigrating, he had fallen into the pit of "Under One Person" through the Chen Duo arc. He was greatly shocked when he saw Chen Duo seeking death.

The story revolves around a child who was tamed into a Gu (a type of poisonous insect) from a young age. With the help of a company, the child successfully awakens his instincts and rediscovers his humanity. After a series of coincidences and disasters, he awakens to his true self, gains the freedom to choose, and ultimately chooses to return to death.

This story may be a tragedy for most people, but for Chen Duo, it was a dream come true.

Locke originally intended to respect Chen Duo's choice and follow the original plot, but after seeing Chen Duo smiling just now, he suddenly changed his mind.

Originally, Chen Duo chose death. She couldn't find her place, no one could truly understand her, and she had no companions. Liao Zhong wanted her to have a normal life, but that was impossible from the start because her heart could never be normal again. She was lonely, she was an outsider.

But things are different now. Chen Duo has found someone like her, and that is Locke.

They are a Gu in human form and a human in Gu form; they are the same kind of people. Perhaps Chen Duo can have other options this time?

Thinking of this, Locke stood up from his throne, casually donned a Taoist robe, walked up to Chen Duo, circled her once, and asked, "Does it hurt?"

Chen Duo was taken aback for a moment, then understood what he was talking about. She shook her head, her tone as calm as if she were talking about someone else: "It doesn't hurt, I'm used to it."

"Turning living people into poisonous insects—the evil and heretical sects of this world are no less than I am. You people should not be underestimated."

After saying that, the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord shook his head, and Chen Duo tilted her head slightly, her eyes full of pure confusion.

She remembered Uncle Liao saying that the Hundred-Eyed Demon King Centipede had become a spirit and was the king of all Gu. She had always thought that the other party was a "Gu" like herself. But now, the one standing in front of her had joy and anger, likes and dislikes, its own thoughts, and the freedom to make its own choices. It was clearly a person, even more human than herself.

The Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord saw through her thoughts at a glance, and asked, "Tell me, what do you consider yourself? Are you human, or a Gu?"

"I am a Gu."

Chen Duo answered without hesitation, as if it were a truth etched into her very bones.

"So, what do you think I am?"

Chen Duo remained silent for a moment, carefully examining him, and finally shook her head.

"I don't know, but you don't seem like a Gu."

He chuckled softly, a laugh devoid of any pride, only filled with the vicissitudes and bitterness of a long time.

"That's right, I think so too. I'm no longer some kind of Gu. Do you know how many years it took me to gradually shed my animalistic nature and gain enlightenment from that centipede in the gutter that couldn't even think, and finally acquire this human nature?"

Do you think I would willingly go back to being that clueless maggot who only knows how to eat and kill?

He paused, his voice suddenly dropping to a low hue, trembling slightly without him even realizing it: "If given a choice, no creature born from moisture and eggs would willingly remain a beast forever."

These words seemed to pierce the deepest, most painful scar in his heart. He suddenly flicked his sleeve, and a bolt of purplish-black lightning crashed to the ground, splitting a bottomless chasm between the two of them. The earth trembled violently, and the distant mountains echoed with the cries of startled birds and beasts.

Chen Duo stared blankly at the crack that was still emitting black smoke, then looked up at the demon king in front of her, who was exuding an aura of anger.

Her face remained expressionless, but for the first time, a barely perceptible ripple appeared in her eyes, which had always been as empty as still water.

She can understand the literal meaning of many things, but she just doesn't understand the reasons behind them, especially now.

Why would someone be possessed by a curse, desperately trying to become human?

Isn't it tiring to be human?

"Isn't it better to be a Gu (a type of poison)? Why must one be human?"

"Isn't it better to be a human? Why do you want to be a Gu?"

"Being human is certainly not good. It's exhausting. There are so many things you don't understand, so many complicated things. Your mind is a mess, and you can't calm down. Trouble keeps popping up, and you can never solve it all."

She paused, then spoke her truest thoughts: "Being a Gu (a type of poison/devourer) eliminates these troubles. You don't have to think about anything, you don't have to care about anything, as long as you obey, there will be no pain."

The Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord looked at her, the rage in his eyes gradually fading, replaced by a deeper, almost sorrowful emotion. He sneered, a laugh full of self-mockery and heartache: "If being a Gu was really so good, I'd be laughing in my dreams, why would I suffer the hardships of the world? But do you know what kind of life a real Gu lives?"

His voice lowered, as if he were telling a distant and cruel nightmare: "Every day when I open my eyes, I have to worry about whether I will be eaten. In order to have a bite to eat and to survive, I have to fight to the death with all my might. If I am injured, I can only gamble and entrust my life to God. If I die, I will become someone else's food. If I survive, I will thank God."

You think that means "not having to think about anything"? That means you don't even have the right to think! You think that means "not having to care about anything"? That means you can't care about anything except surviving!

"Do you know how much effort it took me to crawl out of that mud? Do you know how much I sacrificed to gain the ability to think, to speak, walk, and feel the sunlight like a human? How many furry, horned, wet-born creatures envy you, who are born as humans? They cultivate themselves desperately, transform themselves desperately, even if they can only be a true human for one day, they would be willing!"

"Even being used as food for gods and immortals is better than being reduced to a lowly ant!"

His voice suddenly rose, filled with anger once more, yet concealing endless grievances and resentment: "And you! You were born a human being! Yet you trample on what we fought so hard for like garbage!"

Chen Duo's fingers suddenly curled up.

"You think becoming a Gu means you don't have to choose? You're wrong!"

The Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord pointed at her and spoke, each word like a hammer blow to her heart: "Being a Gu means you don't even have the right to choose! You can only be raised by others, controlled by others, and used as a tool for killing. If others want you to live, you live; if others want you to die, you die. You can't even control your own life, so what's the point of talking about 'no worries'?"

"You feel tired of being human now because it's the first time you've had the right to choose!"

His roar echoed through the mountains and forests. After a long while, he slowly calmed his breathing. Looking at the girl before him, whose eyes finally showed a flicker of emotion, his voice was low and hoarse, carrying the last vestiges of his soul's question: "Now I ask you, if I told you that a true Gu (a type of poisonous insect) lives a life of endless fear and pain, while a human can at least choose how to live and how to die, would you—still be willing to be a Gu?"

Chen Duo, facing the Demon King's wrath head-on, looked puzzled and shook her head.

"I don't know, I've never thought about it that way. Uncle Liao wants me to become normal, and I want to become normal."

"So, what's your choice?"

"I—I don't know."

Chen Duo wanted to go back to the past. She didn't actually want to become a Gu. She just missed the past. But now, after being reprimanded by the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord, even she began to doubt herself. Did she really want to become a Gu?

She didn't understand why the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord, who was a Gu, would want to be a human being so much.

One person thinks he is a Gu, while another Gu wants to be a human; they are both equally strange.

When this thought came to mind, Chen Duo subconsciously began to see the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord in a different light. Her gaze changed, and the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord noticed this change in his gaze.

That was the look in his eyes when he looked at his companion.

Seeing that the first step had been completed, the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord slowly raised his hand, his five fingers loosely clenched, and the originally surging Gu tide instantly calmed down. Then, like soldiers receiving a military order, they all moved in unison according to his will.

"Since your answer is 'I don't know,' then I'm going to get rid of that foolish idea in your head."

His voice was deep and hoarse, yet undeniably authoritative, as he forcefully stated, "To make a real choice, you must first understand three things: who you really are, what you can gain from the choice, and what you truly desire deep down."

Countless tiny Gu worms, like a black tide, burrowed downwards through the cracks in the ground. In no time, a bottomless cave entrance appeared on the once flat land. The Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord's gaze fell on Chen Duo, and he said, word by word, "The first lesson that our master taught us when we were learning from our junior sisters is now being passed on to you."

"And the name of this class has only three characters."

"What is a human being?"

A few hours later, Liao Zhong, along with a few of his most trusted confidants, followed the clues left by his colleagues at the local espionage agency and tracked them all the way to the entrance of the underground cave deep in the canyon. But all that remained was a collapsed pile of rubble, and the soil still carried a faint, pungent smell of Gu poison. The Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord had already left with Chen Duo, completely destroying the underground cave before leaving, leaving no useful trace.

Liao Zhong, his face grim, put on gloves and grabbed a handful of soil. The moment his fingertips touched the ground, black, corrosive venom seeped through the gloves and began to gnaw at the rubber. He abruptly threw the soil on the ground, staring at the holes corroded in the gloves. His face darkened, and he cursed through gritted teeth, "Damn it! Chairman Bi was right! That damn centipede demon actually dared to crawl in here! Doesn't he fear being caught by that yellow-haired rat demon and skinned alive like spicy snacks?!"

Just as Liao Zhong was stomping his feet in anger, his trusted confidant cautiously reminded him: "Boss, Mr. Hao instructed us beforehand that if we really find any trace of the Hundred-Eyed Demon Lord, we should report to him immediately."

Should we call Mr. Hao first?

After a moment of silence, Liao Zhong glanced at the horrific scene before him, nodded, and then took out his phone to call Bi Youlong.

"Hey, Mr. Bi, I have something to report."

"I'll talk to you later. I'm going into the meeting room soon. I'll call you back later."

After saying that, Bi Youlong hung up the phone. He casually put his phone in his pocket, rubbed his throbbing temples, and pushed open the door to walk into the conference room.

The remaining directors had all arrived, each sitting solemnly in their seats. The large conference room was completely silent, even breathing was hushed. When the last person arrived, Zhao Fangxu, who was sitting in the main seat, raised his eyes and, without hesitation, got straight to the point: "After so many meetings recently, I believe everyone is tired. So I'll be frank today. This morning, the company received some news that a few unexpected figures went to Biyou Village."

"We've had countless meetings lately, and I know everyone is exhausted. I'll get straight to the point today. This morning, headquarters received the latest news from the front lines—several individuals we didn't expect have broken through the company's blockade in the southwest and entered Biyou Village."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pressed the remote control on the table. The screen behind him lit up instantly, projecting several clear surveillance photos.

"Lu Jin, Feng Zhenghao, and Lü Ci, three of the Ten Elders, each led their core juniors, bypassing all our checkpoints and entering the village silently. In addition, there was Xia Liuqing from Quanxing, and that foreign superhuman Baron Griers whose identity was unknown."