Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

Just then, she heard a knock on the door.

Chapter Thirty-Three: I Am the One Chosen by Heaven (Part Two)

There should be no visitors here, no people, no outside sounds. Sirin's extraordinary will has enveloped the surrounding buildings since the moment she arrived. Not only people, but even ants, plankton, and even airborne viruses and bacteria—if she doesn't allow it, they cannot approach this space.

No one can do it; no ordinary person can do it.

And only a very limited number of people in this world will be able to knock on this door at this moment.

Is the dream about to end...?

The white-haired girl at her feet twitched her eyebrows slightly, as if she were about to awaken from her slumber and sweet dreams. But before that, Sirin snapped her fingers, leaving the unawakened girl to remain in the illusion.

What's meant to happen will happen eventually. As a new member of the team, it's indeed a bit unreasonable for her to be willful for two whole years. The responsibilities she previously abandoned must eventually be shouldered, after all, it is her duty as a member of the team.

She moved away from the bedside, the particle cluster around her shifting its structure to become a set of casual everyday clothes. With a few insignificant breaths and heartbeats, she readjusted her mindset and walked towards the door.

Who could it be? Who could be standing at the door? — It couldn't be Zhao Yingkong. If it were her, she would have appeared directly on the chair by the bed and startled Xilin when she woke up. It couldn't be Zhao Zhuikong either. If it were him, he would not only sit down uninvited, but he might even pick up the teapot and pour tea on Xilin's forehead.

It wouldn't be Alice; Alice would project the message directly onto her retina. Patchouli might choose a gentler approach, but her 'gentle' method would be to use a swarm of nanobots to create a loud alarm clock by her bedside. As for Zheng Zha, the only one who might politely knock on the door... based on Xilin's understanding of the Zhongzhou team members, even if he chose to meet, it would be when she was out.

These people are not among them, and members of the team who haven't reached the fourth level simply cannot bypass their will to reach the door without being detected beforehand—Chu Xuan might be able to, but he wouldn't get involved in the search. He would simply send over a plan list directly; verbal communication is completely unnecessary.

So who could it be? Chang'e? If it were Chang'e, Xilin would only be in a dream world right now. But this is clearly not a dream. However, if this is reality, then who is knocking on the door?

As she pondered, her feet naturally carried her to the door. The knocking stopped just in time, and then she placed her hand on the doorknob and opened the door.

Complex psychological activity is not without value. At least when she saw the strange yet familiar face outside the door, she did not feel much surprise—the face did not belong to any of the extraordinary beings she knew, but she had met the owner of that face at a concert a day earlier.

She sensed a strange aura. Strange yet familiar—the woman before her, whose clothes and appearance were so ordinary as to leave no impression, was undoubtedly of extraordinary status. Yet, the last time they met, this ordinary woman had given her the impression of being nothing more than a powerless mortal.

She was less than a meter away, yet she didn't notice anything unusual at that time!

"You are……"

"Luo Ye," Luo Ye replied, glancing past Xi Lin at the sleeping girl on the bed. "Don't be so nervous. You can think of me as an avatar, a special avatar of someone you know. I have no ill intentions towards you. Won't you invite me in?"

“I think standing here is fine.” Sirin shifted slightly, blocking Luo Ye’s view of what was behind her. She stared at Luo Ye for several seconds before asking uncertainly, “Alice Margotrovid?”

"That's one way to think about it."

“…You are not her.” Celine continued to stare at her, for a long while. “You seem to be, and there are remnants of cause and effect. But there is a difference in essence…A demon? No, you are a demon, but not just a simple demon…What exactly are you?”

“Besides Chu Xuan, the woman who calls herself Chang'e, and that cheap old woman whose name I can’t reveal here, you’re the first person who can see this deep.” Luo Ye tilted her head, a subtle smile appearing on her lips. The next moment, her figure passed through Xilin like a phantom, and reappeared before the latter could react excessively, sitting on a chair at the tea table in the room.

"you--!"

“Don’t worry, I have no interest in your ‘treasure.’ I’m here for another purpose, or rather, I’ve already accomplished my purpose.” Her ten fingers gently interlocked, forming a tower shape. Her eyebrows curved slightly, her eyes fixed on the quietly closing door and on Sirin, who had been teleported directly to the seat opposite her from the doorway. “But based on my observations, you shouldn’t possess such insight—so, is it experience? Did you witness something similar to me in the distant past?”

"It's not that long ago, just some terrible experiences from seven or eight worlds ago. Once the mental pollution accumulated on you is released, this entire planet will be corrupted into a bloody inferno within minutes. And I don't believe that something like you, who wouldn't even be considered a nobody among the Old Gods, is just a mere inner demon."

"【Those who sleep eternally are not the dead. In the mysterious eternity, even death itself vanishes】—aren't all things that have entered the Abyss of Death and emerged from it with something in the same state? When life withers, souls shatter, and even the purest imprints of primal life disappear without a trace, isn't this what remains in the Abyss of Death?" A smile played on Luo Ye's lips. "The script for overturning the world comes at a price, and you yourself have borne that price—you are hated by the world, misfortune and suffering have always accompanied you, and even the structure of your soul has become incomplete… You and I are actually quite similar. So there's no need to blame those poor alien creatures."

“Things like Cthulhu and Sathogua can’t corrupt the nascent Mind Light. To become like you and me, besides destroying the world, you’d at least have to run into the incarnations of the Three Pillars and get directly involved. And as far as I know, anyone who comes into contact with that level of anomaly will inevitably be marked—but you don’t seem to have that kind of thing on you.”

"...Don't you have none on you either?"

“After all, there’s more than one world whose script was ruined by Alice and Patchouli.” Luo Ye tilted his head slightly. “Entering the Abyss and then escaping from it is just the most basic qualification. Whether one will become an enemy of the world depends on one’s actions after obtaining the qualification—I am a demon, and demons are born to bear sins. As the saying goes, whether you herd one sheep or two, you’ll still be herding them, so I might as well take on the sins of Alice Margot Lloyd and Patchouli Knowledge as well. Anyway, I’ve already taken over enough filth from Alice, who likes to eat curses, so I’m not afraid of having more.”

Celine stopped speaking, and the silence between them lasted for several seconds.

"Is this... the 'idealism' that Alice has always been wary of?"

“Idealism is only a part of the manifestation, but it’s not unreasonable for you to think that way,” Luo Ye replied, the mental pollution she had deliberately displayed to Xilin quietly disappearing as her thoughts turned. “I didn’t understand these things before, I just passively bore the curse, the hatred, the misfortune, the pain… It wasn’t until I came to this world, to this planet, that I understood from the traces of Chang’e’s power that idealism and materialism are one, and only then did I gain the power to transform this hatred of the world into authority in my hands.”

—And it was precisely because of this that I was able to see through the true purpose of the person who called herself Chang'e. And after knowing everything, I made the choice not to cause any destruction.

The spire formed by her ten fingers quietly dissipated, and a faint radiance, like a relic within the spire, was clearly visible in the foundation stone formed by her ten fingers.

“You are not an information mage and cannot wield this power. But I can rewrite the secret technique to bind its curse and give it to you.”

“…What use would I have for this?” Sirin frowned slightly. “It’s not that I don’t know how to solve my problems. As long as I can reach the fourth tier, all my problems will disappear after the Light of the Mind is personalized.”

“Yes, your problems will disappear. But until that day comes, this gift I have can bring you more value.” Luo Ye’s gaze shifted slightly, looking at a certain spot in the room. “At least, it can make your dreams come true. Or to be more precise, it can let you know that you’re not dreaming.”

"You mean...!?" A look of surprise and disbelief appeared in Celine's eyes.

"I didn't say anything," Luo Ye concluded before she could finish. "But this gift allows you to perceive subtle information pollution and minute psychological interference." — You can use this gift to verify whether the treasure you hold in your hands truly belongs to you.

This time, Sirin remained silent for a longer period than before. In their previous conversation, she had confirmed Luo Ye's true identity and learned that she could indeed offer such a high price. Now—she had to exert every ounce of her strength to restrain herself from turning her head to look at the bed behind her during the negotiation.

a long time……

"...What do you want? What do you want me to do?"

“I don’t want anything, and I don’t need you to do anything for me. Don’t treat me like some kind of mastermind or villain.” Luo Ye shook her head slightly and replied, “I will just be your new neighbor, or a chance encounter, or a newly acquainted friend. I’ll just observe things around you before your vacation ends.”

“I have figured out the puzzle, but there are still some details that are not crucial to the reincarnators of the Central Continent Team, but may be quite important to me personally, that I have not been able to fully understand. I believe that such observations will help me achieve the final result - and until then, you just need to do what you want to do according to your own heart.”

—Cilyn did not refuse.

................................................

Just as she had arrived, Luo Ye politely left through the main entrance, vanishing into thin air the instant she stepped across the threshold. No trace of her actions remained; no matter how closely Xi Lin observed, she couldn't detect anything amiss in her departure.

She was like a phantom existing only on the retina, needing no vessel, no medium; she could appear anywhere at will. And judging from Sirin's observation of the curse on her not long ago, at least a few minutes ago, it was her true form that appeared here.

The physical body... Can inner demons also have a physical body?

Celine pondered the question for a few seconds before quickly dismissing it. There was something far more important to her to deal with immediately—she raised her hand, and the point of light woven from the leaves of the tree clearly appeared in her palm. Then, she took a deep breath.

[Loy is indeed a part of Alice Margotrovid. Though it's a rather strange part... but she truly is. She also carries a vast amount of world hatred on her shoulders—which at least proves she doesn't actually harbor much malice towards Alice.]

Alice and the Zhongzhou Team can essentially be considered a single entity. If the interests of the Zhongzhou Team are harmed, Alice will inevitably suffer corresponding losses as well. Therefore, it's unlikely she would do anything to harm me, a key member of the Zhongzhou Team. After all, I'm not only a fourth-tier reincarnator, but also one of the links maintaining the connection between Zhao Zhuikong and the Zhongzhou Team. If something happens to me, Zhao Zhuikong will take action, and Zhao Yingkong's attitude will also change.

Therefore, although the effectiveness of this 'gift' cannot be verified at the moment, it should at least be harmless. And since it is a harmless secret technique of knowledge, then I can...

She closed her eyes, and the next moment she pressed the point of light into her forehead!

'Boom—!' An invisible sound exploded in her mind, and endless knowledge filled her vision. Even with her fourth-level manipulation ability, she felt her calculation ability was insufficient at this moment. It took her a full three minutes to categorize and organize this knowledge into a complete system in her mind.

An operational technique appeared in her mind, and the corresponding knowledge was also formed within her consciousness.

She opened her eyes.

What comes into view is a black wisp of silk surrounding everything. The vast majority of matter in this world is shrouded in this black wisp, with only a few areas remaining untouched by the interference of idealism.

She took a deep breath and slowly turned to look at the head of the bed... What came into view was a sleeping girl, her entire body covered in white.

Joy suddenly filled her heart.

So...dreams really can come true.

Chapter Thirty-Four: I Am the Man Chosen by Heaven (Part Three)

The plans are progressing smoothly—Chu Xuan's plan, Chang'e's plan, my plan… even Alice's plan is being executed methodically. Ah… this chaos is like a whirlpool; what will ultimately remain?

Above the clouds, Luo Ye used the colorful sunset as her bed, her feet dangling as she gazed down—the vast earth appeared in her sight, and from one end of her line of sight to the other, the curve of the earth was clearly visible in her eyes.

Her gaze shifted upwards, and a dim star appeared in the dark night sky—Pluto. A crucial turning point in the Three-Body Problem narrative, the destruction of Pluto signified the end of the entire solar system's history. Before that, the two-dimensional foil from the Singer civilization had completely destroyed the Sun and the eight planets of the Three-Body world.

[The singer... if the script were working properly, the singer should have already started making moves by now.]

Her gaze passed over Pluto, continuing into the far reaches of deep space. Even though it was invisible to the naked eye, she knew a massive fleet was approaching Earth at the speed of light—the fleet of the Trisolaran civilization. Ah, yes, they could build a fleet capable of traveling at the speed of light, just as humans in the original story could build spaceships at that speed. The Trisolaran civilization actually possessed the corresponding technological reserves—even if they didn't originally have them, Alice would find a way to give them them.

In this world, light-speed travel utilizes warp drive, a relatively primitive technology compared to other interstellar worlds. Its limit here is the speed of light, unlike warp drive which can exceed it. Warp drive also generates a wake effect similar to spatial fluctuations, thus attracting detection and attacks from cosmic civilizations that adhere to the Dark Forest theory.

Alice revealed her warp technology to the Trisolaran civilization, so the Trisolaran civilization will definitely advance towards the solar system at all costs. Given the general technological level of this universe in the original story, even advanced civilizations in this universe would not possess the capability to strike and intercept a fleet traveling at the speed of light.

Therefore, any extraterrestrial civilization that discovered the contrail effect would strike at the destination reached by the Trisolaran civilization's light-speed fleet. And this rendezvous point is, in fact, Pluto.

Earth will collide with the Trisolaran civilization's fleet outside Pluto. A large-scale and rapidly unfolding war will ensue. Chang'e will not intervene… or rather, Alice determines that Chang'e will not intervene. Because Pluto is a crucial point in the Trisolaran storyline, and as 'Cheng Xin,' she would be happy to witness the clash between Earth and the Trisolaran civilization. Then, 'Cheng Xin' will play a vital role in Earth's defeat.

The attack from the extraterrestrial civilization is irrelevant to Cheng Xin, but choosing Pluto as the location certainly meets her needs. Therefore, Cheng Xin will not interfere here. After all, according to Alice's plan, Cheng Xin still needs to travel to deep space in a light-speed spaceship and leave behind a five-kilogram ecosphere when the universe is destroyed, causing its demise. The process may differ slightly, but the outcome will certainly be roughly the same.

Luo Ye lowered her eyes; she knew Alice's scheme. She knew that the three celestial bodies Alice designed were actually meant to establish the concept of the 'moon,' constructing a galactic-level apocalypse, 'Chang'e Flying to the Moon,' to temporarily imprison Chang'e in this space when an attack from outer space struck. Because she judged that Chang'e couldn't read her mind, she made this arrangement—she even secretly had Patchouli use the swarms of nanobots that filled the world as a disguise—

The global swarm of nanobots is merely a decoy; the true purpose, under the guise of the Gravity Well, is to transform Earth's core into a massive warp drive. Once Chang'e is trapped in the apocalypse constructed by the March system, Earth will directly warp to the Trisolaran system. The "Moon Flight" apocalypse itself is a massive broadcast containing crucial information about Chang'e. In other words, at that point, the Central Continent team can complete their mission and leave, while Chang'e will be trapped in this world, facing attacks from across the universe.

Good strategy. If Chang'e really is Chang'e, this strategy has an 80% to 90% chance of being effective.

However, the problem is... there's a high chance that Chang'e isn't the real Chang'e. And her true purpose has absolutely nothing to do with playing the role of 'Cheng Xin'. What she really wants to do... is to induce our reincarnation team to do something we can do but she can't. She...

[...They want to completely destroy the script of The Three-Body Problem.]

With the objective shifting, Alice's plan becomes useless—no, Chang'e won't stop her plan. On the contrary, she'll push it forward. Even if the Book of Revelation has no effect on her, she'll obediently pretend to be trapped. And when Alice thinks she's won, perhaps this foolish entity will swallow the bitter pill of defeat.

"No, she won't fail. Because I won't stop her, nor will I hinder you reincarnators from returning after completing your mission... if that girl named Alice can execute her plan perfectly."

Luo Ye turned her head and saw a woman standing beside the colorful clouds who looked exactly like 'Cheng Xin' in this world.

"Your reaction is really strong." Luo Ye gently tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"You're the one who called me out, and you're blaming me. How could I not react in time when you were thinking such dangerous things? You're a reincarnator protected by the Supreme God, but I'm not. If this world finds out my true purpose, all my plans will be ruined." — Cheng Xin said calmly.

"It seems Alice's judgment of you was wrong from beginning to end. You were able to read her mind from the start. You are indeed not as powerful as you appear. You are actually much stronger than you seem. It seems my true self was really outmaneuvered by Chu Xuan. It's quite speechless that my intelligence has dropped to this level."

“It was just a simple mental intervention. The mental structure she discovered was actually just a disguise to cover up the truth. I know that there is a dark and terrifying secret hidden deep in her heart, but as long as I don’t look at it, there will be no problem. As a spiritual cultivator, I can do that perfectly well—” She paused. “And my mental intervention was actually just to make her subconsciously ignore this insignificant detail.”

"How pitiful, Alice was completely outmaneuvered." Luo Ye shook his head slightly.

After a few seconds, she suddenly asked again, "What is your real purpose? What I guessed was just a means to achieve your true goal, wasn't it?"

Is this important?

"This might not matter to others, but it might not be to me. You have a certain... similar feeling to me. Your actions might be of some reference to me."

"...If that's all you wanted to say, then this conversation can end here." The woman who resembled 'Cheng Xin' shook her head. "I don't object to cooperating with Chu Xuan, nor do I object to the changes you make to our script. The book you gave to Luo Ji... is very interesting. I believe he's the kind of person who has the courage to finish reading it. But apart from that, I don't want any further interaction with you."

"I would have looked it up even if you hadn't told me."

That's your freedom.

Luo Ye closed her eyes, took a light breath, and then asked again, "So, let's change the subject. What is your relationship with Theresa Apocalypse, the woman next to Sirin? She couldn't have appeared in this world without a reason, so I suspect she should be a clue. Even if you don't tell me, I will observe and draw my own conclusions. But if you tell me, it might save both of us time."

"I have nothing to do with her."

"Even a ghost wouldn't believe that."

There was silence.

In the silence, Cheng Xin's form faded. In its place appeared a gigantic fist that descended from the sky, visible only to Luo Ye!

....................................