Tonight, Alice joins the hunt.

“Exactly,” Luo Ye replied. “You should know what the Principles of Civilization are, and you should also know what role the Principles of Civilization can play. It is because of the existence of the Principles of Civilization that the many worlds in these infinite planes can continue to exist after humanity’s defeat of Heaven. And it is also because of the existence of the Principles of Civilization that non-saints other than reincarnators cannot take anything from the world—because everything is predetermined, and everything is a script. These infinite worlds are destined to cycle in eternity, which is why all the joys and sorrows, separations and reunions, repeat themselves.”

"Is she doing this for revenge?" Sirin paused for a moment, then came to a conclusion. "No, no, neither The Wandering Earth nor The Three-Body Problem should be worlds she experienced. So she's doing this for..." She suddenly remembered the information she had obtained from Chang'e seven years ago. "...She wants to achieve sainthood here by destroying the principles of civilization?"

"Becoming a saint is merely a means, not an end."

"……………………"

“…So that’s how it is.” Celine leaned back slightly, all the tension she had been holding in instantly dissipating. She lay limply on the chair, not wanting to move an inch. “Then I should really stay here and do nothing… Ah, damn it, I rarely hate someone. But reality hits me in the face with this truth.”

“Things never go as planned,” Luo Ye replied, reclining in his chair. “Since you’ve decided to do nothing, my task is complete. An intruder who gets involved in a plan that’s reached its final stages has to do something. And my commission was to ensure you don’t become an obstacle to the plan.”

"You bastard." Sirin weakly swung her fist. "If I were still able to muster the energy, I would definitely give you a good beating."

"You'd better do it sooner rather than later, or you won't have another chance."

"………………"silence.

A while later.

"Hey, Luo Ye," Xi Lin suddenly asked, "Will you survive?"

“No.” Luo Ye’s reply was decisive and swift. “Living is just a burden to me. I’m already exhausted and don’t want to carry this burden any longer. The reason I’m paying attention to Chang’e’s plans is because, in a sense, she’s the same kind of person as me. By observing her goals and actions, I, this combustible waste, have finally found a cleaner, more thorough, and more valuable way to dispose of myself than simply burning me as fuel.”

“…You’re really hard on yourself.” Celine shook her head slightly. “There are so many things in the world worth paying attention to, so many landscapes worth experiencing, so many beautiful stories, and so many heartwarming emotions. Don’t you plan to stay a little longer and see more?”

“Waste is waste no matter where it is. It’s already a good outcome if it can be properly disposed of and create some value, rather than being left to pollute the environment.” Luo Ye shook his head slightly. “As for what you mentioned… those belong to Alice and have nothing to do with me.”

"………………"silence.

"What's the next step? Are we just supposed to sit here and watch?"

“Yes, watching from here is enough.” Luo Ye continued to patiently and comprehensively give his answer. “Information magicians believe that a world has three elements. These are the underlying worldview settings, the grand story corresponding to the changing tides of humanity, and the important characters who lead the trend of the times within this grand tide. If a world is designated as the original, then if it is missing one element, it is an external version; if two elements are problematic, it is a pseudo-version. If all three are changed, it becomes a completely different original world—this is actually a theory spread by someone’s unspeakable cheap mother. So it is damnably correct.”

"In other words, if you want to disrupt the script of a world and destroy the principles of civilization that operate on it, all you need to do is remove these three elements one by one. Of course, before that, the identity of a reincarnator is necessary. Otherwise, you don't even have the right to intervene. And after a reincarnator intervenes, the rest is very simple."

"The underlying premise of this world is the classical physics system of suspicion and the dark forest theory. These have been rendered obsolete with the influx of magic and the birth of teleportation technology."

"The story of this world consists of two parts: one is the lonely Earth struggling to escape the solar system amidst a catastrophe, and the other is the entanglement and ultimate outcome between Earth's civilization and the Trisolaran civilization. The former has been systematized into something worthless by the March system. The latter will end after Earth passes Pluto unscathed. Earth's traces should be completely erased on Pluto by the two-dimensional foil that falls from the sky. Once it passes Pluto, this story will be unable to continue."

"The setting is no longer a setting, and the story is no longer a story. So what's missing now is to make the protagonist no longer the protagonist."

Xilin understood and gave two names: "Luo Ji, Cheng Xin."

“We were originally going to add Ye Wenjie, but she already took care of things on her end a long time ago.” Luo Ye nodded, confirming Xilin’s guess. “Now, we just need to wait quietly for the arrangements to take effect, and the protagonist will be disqualified.”

"When the Duke of Zhou feared rumors, Wang Mang was humble before his usurpation."

"If I had died then, who would know the truth of my life?"

Section 43 The Final Step (Part 2)

"It was my dereliction of duty. I neglected to monitor Luo Ji," Cheng Xiao replied grimly to the other end of the communication link. Just now, he learned that Luo Ji had somehow bypassed multiple layers of surveillance and protection, taking advantage of a moment when no one was paying attention to enter the Star Research Institute's central database and steal a very valuable scientific research result.

Chu Xuan didn't specify what it was, but judging from the fact that he immediately issued an alarm the moment it was stolen, it must have been a rather important item. Due to some unknown astronomical phenomenon, Earth was about to arrive at Pluto ahead of schedule—Zheng Zha speculated that it was Chang'e's doing, to express her presence and impatience. Therefore, all the idle fourth-tier combat forces had to be transferred to Pluto. Those of them who hadn't reached the fourth tier would remain in Gray Moon to deal with this significant unexpected event.

Ah, yes, it's not a small matter. But it shouldn't be considered a big deal either. Luo Ji's situation is ultimately just at the level of a mortal. Even if he did obtain some super research results, he couldn't possibly become a Sentinel with the power of a million stars just by drinking a sip of water. At best, he'd be at the level of a movie version of Doctor Octopus, something that reincarnators below the fourth rank could easily handle.

After all, even treasures aren't something everyone is qualified or capable of using. A newborn baby, even if given a gun, wouldn't be able to pull the trigger or even find it. And the reincarnators believed that the mortal they needed to deal with didn't possess the bloodline of Hercules from mythology.

“Be careful, this is the final stage. Don’t make any mistakes now,” Zheng Zha said over the phone, his tone devoid of dissatisfaction or disappointment. The call ended after that, but his reaction revealed Cheng Xiao’s deep concern.

If an employee makes a mistake, and the supervisor turns a blind eye, there are only two possibilities: First, the mistake the employee made cannot even be called a mistake. No further explanation is needed; let him handle it himself. Second, this employee is already in a precarious position and may soon receive a termination notice.

Cheng Xiao hoped it would be the first possibility, but his years of experience in dealing with people and his current situation as the bottom team in Zhongzhou made him more inclined to the second possibility. Since he was already in such a bad situation, he could no longer hesitate. It was time to mobilize all available resources to make up for this mistake in the shortest possible time.

Cheng Xiao took a deep breath and dialed the number on his mobile phone. His years of cultivation had finally yielded some results in building a network of connections. Now was the time to put them to use.

One minute later, an army of approximately 150,000 men within Gray Moon was mobilized. Like sand scattered into a basin of water, Cheng Xiao's will was poured into every hidden corner of Gray Moon. Five minutes later, the wills of six reincarnators connected with him through the mental network that Zhan Lan had specially opened for him.

The search operation has begun, and it won't last long. Although Luo Ji has evaded the omnipresent surveillance network of Gray Moon in some temporarily unanalyzable way, and the nanobot swarm is temporarily unmobilizable due to Patchouli's absence, everyone knows that finding Luo Ji is only a matter of time.

Including Luo Ji himself.

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

Luo Ji felt he must have gone mad, and not just himself, but the world had gone mad too. He had actually managed to bypass numerous guards and infiltrate the Star Research Institute's core laboratory using those seemingly mystical rural rituals described in that book. And even more unbelievable was that he had escaped unscathed!

That's a joke!

Although it was predicted from the start that the technology of the people from another world would be superior to that of Earth, and that the woman who called herself Luo Ye, being the enemy of the enemy, would at least provide sufficient assistance at this stage, the current quality of this original work is still far too impressive! The entire Gray Moon surveillance system treats him as invisible, and ordinary people completely ignore him!

[But this won't last long. Although Luo Ye is from another world with advanced technology, the fact that she didn't take the initiative and instead pushed me out to take the fall means she's absolutely unable to confront her enemies head-on. In other words, if they get serious, they won't need much time to find me, especially now that I've obtained this!]

He took a deep breath, the distorted information flow separating the light and heat signals around him, ensuring he wouldn't appear on any surveillance cameras or anyone's retinas at this moment. He was currently inside a commercial plaza near the Gray Moon residential area, and the crowds in the plaza allowed him to conceal himself well.

In his hand was a light pistol, which he had acquired with great difficulty as a weapon for his final stand. In his other hand, he tightly gripped a test tube-like container encasing a small silver snake.

This was the culmination of his daring adventure, and his ultimate weapon for turning the tide. This object, named SERRS, is said to be a super life form created by Dr. Chu Xuan using the combined power of numerous Earth elites. Once the control problem is solved, humanity can gain galactic-level dominance in a very short time!

[I can control it. As long as I can trigger the Death of the Righteous, I can control it. Luo Ye must have wanted me to do that, which is why she gave me this ritual manual—let me guess, she must have planted a backdoor in the ritual. As long as I follow her example and give up at the end of the ritual, preserving my self-awareness at the cost of weakening the weapon's power, then she will have a way to control this super weapon I've fused with.]

Luo Ji sneered. He carefully weaved through the crowd, passing a coffee shop and a cloakroom. Without changing his clothes, he left the commercial plaza and walked onto a main street—sure enough, shortly after he left, several armed squads in flying cars surrounded the entire plaza and began searching. Clearly, the forces mobilized by the otherworldly beings were gradually increasing.

She underestimated the backbone of Earthlings. I'm not like her; I won't become that indecisive half-hearted person. I have no attachment to this world anymore, but I'm willing to give everything for this planet! What does it matter if I die? As long as the newborn super-life form can inherit my will, then 'Luo Ji' will still live. You people from other worlds must all get out of my home!

Danger is safety. Without a doubt, the otherworldly beings have thoroughly examined the Center for Cosmic Sociology's research. They might even have deployed a large force there—but in other words, they've likely only deployed a large force there, without actually patrolling the area. Therefore, as long as they can't break through this cover for a while, I can gain a period of peace there!

[It only takes a few minutes, just a few minutes, and everything can be turned around! But I have to stop; I can't make any sudden movements!]

He quickly crossed the street, and for some reason, whenever he lingered in one place for a while, that place would be heavily searched. However, it was just a search, not a complete blockade with a massive number of robots conducting a thorough search. This indicated that they didn't have the exact location, but only estimated that there were anomalies in those areas.

[It must be some kind of supercomputer, some kind of super AI... that deduced my possible location using pedestrian traffic and other random data. In that case, the research center might not be safe either... but there's no other way but to bite the bullet and go for it!]

A heavily armed squad with mechanical hunting dogs passed in front of Luo Ji, who ignored them. However, as he approached the research center, a familiar face made his heart pound!

It's Cheng Xiao! Cheng Xiao, the otherworldly being! He was waiting here beforehand!

His heart felt like it had stopped beating at that moment, but that wasn't enough, because just then, Cheng Xiao suddenly turned his head and glanced in his direction!

He spotted me!

Luo Ji turned and ran, but at the same instant, he felt something invisible behind him suddenly shatter!

"He's there!"

A whooshing sound, a crashing sound—it seemed as if a steel giant was descending from the sky. The ground trembled violently—some inexplicable reaction made him instinctively dodge to the side. Then, instantly, a capture electric fence, driven into the ground, appeared beside him!

"How could he react so quickly!?"

It sounded like a slightly irritable male voice, but Luo Ji paid it no heed. In that instant, he felt as if a shackle had silently broken, and his speed and reaction time increased by thirty percent!

With a somersault, he leaped from a narrow passage into an unclosed window. The wall behind him crashed open, and he had already burst from the room opposite the window into the corridor!

Run, run for your life. The air around him would often become thick and sticky for a moment, but he would dodge it before that happened. There were always invisible arrows falling towards him, but a shield would form above his head as the books in his arms heated up, temporarily blocking them.

"He's unlocked at least two levels of the gene lock! What the hell!" someone shouted, but Luo Ji couldn't hear anything more. Because at the end of the corridor in front of him, a woman in a rookie uniform stood with her arms outstretched, blocking the only passage.

He didn't know this person because he knew that his research center would never have such a dedicated individual.

He recognized her because he had recently seen her on the news and knew that she was Cheng Xin, an outstanding young scientist who would be sent to Gray Moon for further studies soon.

Luo Ji and Cheng Xin met for the first time in this world. In that instant, Luo Ji felt as if the pursuers behind him had slowed down. But the distance between them continued to shrink.

There was no other way to go; behind them lay death, and ahead lay life. Life meant hope and uncertainty, but it was completely blocked by this woman named Cheng Xin.

Ten meters, nine meters.

If I fail here, Earth will forever be enslaved by these otherworldly beings.

Six meters, five meters.

So... I'm sorry, but I'm willing to shed the blood of innocent people for this.

Luo Ji raised his gun and, in that seemingly frozen moment, pulled the trigger toward Cheng Xin, who was right in front of him. He clearly saw the high-speed bullet pierce through the woman's brow and heart, and the woman fell backward, blood splattering everywhere.

The path was opened, and he passed her.

Cheng Xin, who should have committed numerous evil deeds, was completely killed before she could commit her first evil act. Meanwhile, Luo Ji, who should have committed numerous good deeds, is about to lose his human identity.

He crossed the corridor, his figure vanishing in the blink of an eye. Little did he know that the reincarnators who had been pursuing him were all utterly astonished.

"Cheng Xin is dead? He killed Cheng Xin!?" Cheng Xiao, who was closest to Cheng Xin, stopped in front of the dead body, feeling the lifeless shell, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"He killed Chang'e?! A mortal killed Chang'e?" Luo Gandao, who had destroyed half the street, sat in his Titan, stunned. Zhan Lan, whose mental link had been activated, found her thoughts frozen.

Cheng Xin died, shot in the head, her brain practically cooked. Chang'e, however, showed no sign of intervening.

Just then, on the other side of the corridor, Luo Ji, having finally caught his breath, stared at Pluto, now far behind Earth, on the monitor. Without a second thought, he plunged the opened test tube into his heart!

Time seemed to stand still... no, time truly stopped.

Between heaven and earth, there was a clanging sound from the breaking of enormous gears.

Chapter 44: The Dream of Returning Home

—'I am not Chang'e.'

—'Chang'e is long dead.'

—Or to be more precise, the real Chang'e, the idealistic Qi cultivator of the Yaochi School, died long ago, when she first crossed worlds.

"But who am I, really? I do remember my original name, but it's as meaningless as all the other names I've had since."

—So, let's just consider me Chang'e for now. Chang'e, a Qi cultivator from the Yaochi School, focused solely on inner peace.

"Long ago, a soul crossed the barriers between worlds. As one of the countless travelers, she arrived in a strange world and acquired a new body there."

The situation changed; the voices in the still world materialized into a real landscape. It was a planet that looked exactly like Earth, but its surface was teeming with strange and malevolent creatures. If any of the reincarnators from the Central Continent Team could see this planet, which dates back to around the 16th century, they would immediately know that this was once the world of Ju-on II.

"This lost soul had no interest in the new world she had arrived in. Her only wish was to return to her homeland—but she failed. How could a ignorant Middle Ages, filled with demons and monsters and with no technological advancements, allow her to cross the gap between worlds and return to her homeland? So she settled for second best. Since she could not return to her homeland, dying on a land similar to her homeland might not be a failure to fulfill her wish."

The scene shifts to the vast ocean. A large sailing ship, representing the most advanced shipbuilding technology of that era, has traversed half the world from the West to the East. A woman dressed as a navigator sits in the cabin, while outside, a riot is brewing.

"She was a person of limited talent, only thinking about returning to her homeland, but she did not notice what a dark and decadent era it was. From beginning to end, she was the only traveler who wanted to travel from the West to the East. And when it was determined that she had little wealth left, the bodyguards who had been hired at great expense also had other ideas. Since she was the only one who wanted to return to the East, then let her go on her journey alone."

A riot broke out, and the navigator, abandoned by all, was caught off guard and quickly found herself in dire straits. The first mate she had hired at great expense shot her in the head. Then her body was thrown into the sea, leaving her remains to drift with the ocean currents toward the nearest land that was not her homeland.

"She died, but she wasn't really dead. Because at that moment, a legacy carrying power crossed over and attached itself to her soul, which was still attached to her broken body. And this legacy of power came from the Yaochi School, who died when she crossed the boundary, and whose heart was devoted to the Qi cultivator Chang'e."

The dead girl awakens on the beach, the idealistic inheritance that has not yet fully merged with her granting her immortality, at least on a mortal level. Completely unaware of her current situation, she cautiously sets foot on this unfamiliar land, filled with confusion and a desire for help. And soon, she discovers a village situated on the beach.

"What a pitiful woman. She underestimated this chaotic world filled with demons and monsters. She never imagined that the first reaction of a village that had been attacked by demons and monsters when they found a stranger coming in the night rain was to shoot her with an arrow. She also never imagined what fate awaited her after her immortal body was discovered."

The girl faced death once more, regarded by the villagers as an immortal sorceress. She was repeatedly killed in various ways: hacked, strangled, buried, burned—she experienced every imaginable form of death imaginable by mortals of that era. Finally, the ignorant and foolish villagers summoned a monk with inherited magical powers. He sealed her in a state of neither life nor death on a hill far from the village.