The male supporting character was actually myself.

I'm not sure when or if I'll ever be pulled into the virtual world again, but I'm certain that my real-world memories won't be erased there.

If I could enter again, I would definitely use my current conclusions to probe the ultimate purpose of the main system.

Therefore, this video might be useful.

"Is there anything I can help you with?"

"Get me some machines. Starting today, when I sleep at night, connect a device to my heart. If I stop breathing or there is an abnormality, you will receive a notification. Then, don't do anything, just observe quietly."

"Once the 'Spider-Man' unidentified entity leaves, try to capture one for research."

Li Chengze was still a little worried. "Before we figure out what role the 'Spider-Man' unknown entity is playing, shouldn't we avoid making any rash moves? Otherwise, what if it triggers a chain reaction and your soul can't return to your body?"

"All current theories are speculations; only through experiments can we find corroborating evidence."

Jiang Chen parked the car, jumped out, grabbed his laptop, took the key, and opened the door. While changing his shoes, he explained, "I should be the best test subject. Others probably don't even have much ability to protect themselves in the virtual world."

I can assure you I'll try my best to come back alive and bring back some important clues using the Horcruxes.

"It doesn't feel quite right," Li Chengze muttered to himself, putting on his specialized equipment to carefully observe the courtyard.

A row of plum blossom-shaped footprints came in through the front door, making a mess in the front yard. Following the slightly shimmering footprints, they went upstairs and finally stopped on either side of the bed.

All the evidence matched the footage captured by the surveillance cameras that Jiang Chen installed throughout the house.

"This is really too strange. How could you suddenly stop breathing?" Li Chengze sat in front of the computer, zoomed in on the ultra-high-definition night vision surveillance footage, and observed it carefully.

Jiang Chen felt something was off seeing a grown man staring at a video of himself sleeping over and over again.

After finishing his study, Li Chengze turned off the screen, propped himself up on his computer chair, turned around, and seriously suggested, "Why don't you go to the hospital for a full checkup?"

If sudden death is caused by a heart or brain problem, there should be clues to be found even after recovery.

Maybe there really is a problem with your health?

If we check and rule out one possibility, wouldn't our hypothesis be closer to the truth?

“There’s nothing wrong with my body,” Jiang Chen said directly. “I’m not going to the hospital to have a bunch of people touching me.”

Li Chengze: ...

"It's just a routine check-up, why are you describing it in such a strange way? The department is organizing its semi-annual physical exams next month, should I submit your name?"

Jiang Chen refused without hesitation, "No need."

"Beep beep beep!" Just as he finished collecting footprints on the bedroom floor, Li Chengze's phone rang. He answered it for half a minute and then hung up, saying in a low voice, "We have news from the Beijing branch that Li Zixuan has just passed away in the hospital."

The cause of death was prolonged asphyxiation, leading to severe insufficient blood supply to the brain and ultimately brain death.

died?

Jiang Chen raised his hand to check the time; it was already 1:30 PM.

"I stopped breathing at 2:05 a.m. and woke up at 6:00 a.m. If we calculate it as three hours, I have experienced about ten mission worlds."

Li Zixuan was almost finished collecting medals during the competition.

In other words, she entered the virtual world earlier than me and had a smoother experience compared to me.

If I remember correctly, dying in a match only deducts a medal and has no real-world impact.

"At least six or seven hours have passed since six o'clock, more than enough time for her to collect all the medals. How could she be dead?"

Li Chengze immediately reacted and called to inquire about Feng Yuan's situation.

"Feng Yuan hasn't woken up yet, but his condition is stable and all his indicators have improved. It's only a matter of time before he wakes up." After hanging up the phone, he also felt strange. "Isn't the virtual world just about completing tasks? Are there other risks?"

Trying to awaken the deepest memories caused a tearing pain to strike again, so Jiang Chen could only sit down, close his eyes slightly, and try to recall.

"There's danger." After a moment, he finally remembered some details. "I remember the auxiliary system saying that if you accidentally die in the mission world, you have several chances to revive, but after using them all, you'll enter a hard mode..."

"And what about some devilish scenarios? Oh right, I've also experienced the apocalypse. If she encounters a difficult mission after the competition and dies, that seems possible too."

Li Chengzhe was even more confused. "What exactly is the main system doing? Is it screening people? Only qualified people can survive?"

I also find it quite strange that you would be so compliant in completing the task.

"I can't remember the specifics clearly." Jiang Chen shook his head helplessly. "How can I describe it? Many fragments are like clouds floating in mid-air. I can't touch them, grasp them, or remember the specific details."

"I'd better contact the hospital and have you get a full checkup..."

Before Li Chengze could finish speaking, a rapid, low alarm suddenly sounded in his ears!

This device was modified using the energy of Unknown Entity No. 9. Once an enemy attack is detected and an alarm is triggered, ordinary people cannot hear it, but relevant personnel distributed throughout the city can all take immediate action.

"Two short shots and one long shot! Another Soul Eater intrusion!" Li Chengze's expression turned grave as he drew his gun and chambered a round, simultaneously dialing headquarters. "Have you pinpointed the exact location of the intrusion?"

"We're investigating. The energy fluctuations from this intrusion are very chaotic, and our current equipment isn't very sensitive." The staff member responsible for monitoring the energy fluctuations quickly locked onto several targets on the computer. "Captain, Gaoyang East Street, which is closest to you, may have been invaded."

That's an old residential area. I've already issued a danger notice, and a colleague has contacted the local police station to assist with the evacuation. Please be careful!

Li Chengze hung up the phone, glanced at the map showing the locations where the alert had been issued, and immediately dialed another number. "Gaoyang East Street is a bit large. Ask other departments in the surrounding area to assist in evacuating the crowd."

Earthquake, tornado, gas pipeline leak—find any excuse, the faster the better!

"Get in the car!" Jiang Chen had already prepared to start the car the moment he heard the alarm.

Li Chengze, who was constantly on the phone, jumped into the passenger seat and drove straight to Gaoyang East Street.

Chapter Six: Soul Eater

"Waaaaah~"

The alarm, sounding like a low, mournful wail, continued to ring.

People taking photos on Paradise Street smile sweetly around the brightly blooming trees in spring; the sound of reading aloud comes from a school not far away; young people playing basketball on the sports field shout and jump with great enthusiasm; white-collar workers in high-rise buildings are busy typing on their keyboards, occasionally pausing to whisper and discuss which milk tea is better.

Under the newly sprouted buds, elderly women sat chatting about everyday matters while holding teacups.

The old men gathered in groups of three or five, playing cards or chess, while others gathered in the park square, dancing their skilled steps.

The neighbor's child broke something and was scolded, bursting into tears.

The food was sizzling as it was being fried in the hot pan...

This is an ordinary yet beautiful day in a bustling world, where people are immersed in their own little circles, experiencing worries and sorrows or joy and happiness.

Jiang Chen drove by in his car, honking his horn, attracting only a few curious glances before everyone else stopped paying attention to things that had nothing to do with him.

As he watched the scenes of everyday life unfold before him, for a moment he felt as if he were looking at an unfolding painting.

It is real and ordinary, yet it is also full of distance.

"Turn right ahead!" Li Chengze stared at the constantly flashing red dots on his phone map. It seemed that there were definitely Soul Eaters invading Gaoyang East Street, and it shouldn't be just one or two.

Jiang Chen made a sharp right turn, and the SUV sped across the low median, startling a man on a bicycle. Seeing the car quickly disappear down the street on the right, the man spat and cursed, "Fuck your mother! How do you drive? If you hit me, can you afford to pay for it...?"

"Isn't that a police car? How dare they honk their siren? Take a picture and post it online to expose them!"

"Anyone who dares to do this must be using a fake license plate. These days, young people don't care about anything but getting clicks."

"His actions are illegal and must be exposed!"

……

Seeing this, a few busybodies quickly opened a short video app on their phones and started recording. "I'm on Gaoyang West Street in Angu City right now. I ran into some idiot today! A family SUV dared to have a police siren on and ran a red light... I'm going to follow him and expose him..."

“The Gaoyang East Street Police Station has already evacuated the crowd, but the intrusion point is an old and dilapidated community without elevators, so it may be difficult to evacuate everyone in a short time.” Li Chengze said anxiously, fiddling with his fingers, “They have people evacuate from the north to the north of Heping Lane. Let’s go from here and meet up with Xiao Zhang and the others.”

Jiang Chen glanced at the map on his phone while driving and instructed, "Have Xiao Zhang and the others go to support the other intrusion sites. The two of us can handle this."

"Upgrading your Soul Weapon has made you quite arrogant, hasn't it?"

"The security team is already short-staffed, and we can't use the new recruits. Zhang and the others are experienced, so sending them to other areas to provide support can relieve some of the pressure. You'll be in charge of controlling the situation later, and leave the rest to me."

Li Chengze hesitated for two seconds, then called Xiao Zhang to bring his men to support the second intrusion site.

"Gas pipeline leak, which could cause an explosion at any time. Please follow instructions and evacuate immediately!"

"Don't panic, be careful not to trample, and evacuate quickly through the safety exits!"

"A gas pipeline leak could cause an explosion at any time..."

……

At this time, in the old residential area on Gaoyang East Street, hundreds of property staff, traffic police, police officers and even firefighters were mobilized to evacuate the crowd.

He quickly packed his things and ran to a safe area as instructed.

Many elderly, infirm, and disabled people needed to be evacuated and were pushed, helped, or even carried to safe locations by evacuees in wheelchairs.

"Did you see that?"

"I didn't see a shadow, but I sensed the presence of the Soul Eaters." Jiang Chen parked the car in the middle of the empty road, jumped out, grabbed his toolbox, and ran towards the source of the strong aura. "At least five of them. This invasion is a bit tricky!"

Li Chengze, holding a gun, followed him into the residential compound.

Seeing this, a group of people who were chasing the "illegal vehicle" in the distance and filming it became even more excited. "Holy crap! Did you see that? That's so arrogant, just parking the car right in the middle of the road! This guy is really unlucky to have met us. If we don't charge him with dangerous driving this time... holy crap!"

Before he could finish speaking, he suddenly exclaimed, and his phone involuntarily shook as he took a picture of the dilapidated neighborhood.

For some unknown reason, a black whirlwind suddenly appeared there, followed by a loud crash, as if something had collapsed.

"Gas pipeline leak, which could cause an explosion at any time. Please follow instructions and evacuate immediately!"

The loudspeaker continued to repeat the evacuation instructions. The group of people who were filming the incident listened intently and shouted, "Turn around and run! The gas pipeline is exploding, we're all going to die here!"

"hiss……"

A chilling, sinister hissing sound rang out, and a black cloaked figure, over three meters tall and exuding a cold, black aura, appeared in the collapsed crater.

The Soul Eater has no face; only a cloud of black mist is hidden under its large hood, and a shadow can be vaguely seen inside its black, wind-blown cloak.

It hisses as it searches for nearby life.

A young man wearing headphones, engrossed in a game and shouting loudly, clearly did not hear the evacuation warning or the knocking reminder. He was so absorbed in the joy of frantically attacking and killing monsters in the game that he could not extricate himself.

"hiss……"

The Soul Eater had clearly spotted him, bending down its tall, cloaked body, and a large, faceless hood suddenly appeared outside the window.

The young man playing video games suddenly felt darkness outside the window, as if the sunlight had been blocked by something.

He glanced at it nonchalantly, saw nothing, and prepared to reach out and turn on the light so the screen wouldn't be so glaring.

However, the next second, he suddenly felt a tightness in his throat!