The male supporting character was actually myself.

Membership requires a referral and a certain amount of money.

Afterwards, participants can attend monthly gatherings at different levels, where everyone listens to lectures on how to pursue physical and mental freedom, how to become stronger, and so on.

I casually flipped through the internal documents collected by the Ministry of State Security, and it turns out that this group of fake religious charlatans just cobbled together parts from various religions, trained some lecturers who could hype up toxic ideas, and held a party in a different city every month.

“I suspect that Qin Rufeng joined that celestial project not for his beliefs,” Li Chengze said, turning a couple of pages and pointing. “He probably just wanted to appreciate free art.”

The following pictures are all of lecturers who have been trained, with fair skin, beautiful faces, long legs, and various titles.

"Free training once a month?" Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow, then flipped through the various suggestive speeches, full of toxic motivational platitudes encouraging the "brothers and sisters" in the group to break free from external shackles and pursue physical and mental freedom.

He could already roughly guess what the meeting would be about.

Li Chengze handed over the list he had gathered and joked, "See? Qin Rufeng is a very small minority. Most of them are white-collar workers under a lot of pressure, gold-collar workers, and even some well-known tycoons."

The higher-ups at the Nyx Project will allocate the number of speakers based on the size of the gathering; in short, it's a service that costs a large sum of money each year but is provided for free.

After the security team completed its investigation, the relevant departments naturally shut down the organization.

A detailed investigation of the members on the membership list revealed that, in addition to Qin Rufeng, two other members had experienced accidents.

One of them was a divorced programmer in his forties who suddenly fell into a coma while working overtime six months ago, but woke up after three days of treatment without causing any physical harm.

However, since waking up from his coma, the programmer has become quiet and low-key, and has never participated in any of the Nyx project's activities again.

So far, he has not exhibited any unusual behavior. He works diligently and regularly, going back to his hometown to spend time with his parents and family instead of going out drinking and having fun during holidays. He is currently trying to repair his relationship with his ex-wife, presumably wanting to remarry and start over.

"Before this guy got into trouble, he was a womanizer. He had a lot of money, but he spent it all on women. His wife found out and they divorced." Li Chengze pointed to the person in the file and explained in detail: "He went to great lengths to make his stay-at-home wife leave with their daughter and nothing. He didn't care about his parents for nearly ten years."

But this piece of trash, after waking up from a three-day coma, suddenly underwent a drastic personality change.

He's filial, down-to-earth, and striving to be a good father, husband, and son. If he's ever been to the virtual world, I imagine he must have endured all sorts of beatings to be transformed into a model man.

Chapter Twelve doesn't seem like such a bad thing?

Another person involved in the incident was a female lecturer and trainer within the Celestial Project.

The records show that she was 38 years old, but she looked like a young woman in her early twenties in the photos. She died in the wild three months ago while on vacation abroad.

Since I was traveling alone and staying in a rented guesthouse, the manager only came to check on me about once a week.

Therefore, when the family discovered they could not contact the body, they reported it to the police and began a search. It wasn't until two days later that they found the mutilated body in the wild.

The autopsy report concluded that she had been dead for more than four days. Since only remnants of her body remained, and wild animals were frequently seen in the valley she visited, it cannot be ruled out that she was attacked and killed.

“This is noteworthy,” Li Chengze said, pointing to a line of small print on the last page. “The deceased’s internal organs and skull showed signs of biting. According to the autopsy’s imaging records, her heart and brain were missing.”

But it's uncertain whether they were attacked by wild animals or, like Qin Rufeng, were abducted by an unknown entity.

"When researching this trainer, focus on which part of the training she is responsible for, and it would be best to compile all her training materials."

Jiang Chen felt that he had gradually found a new approach, but he needed more evidence to support it.

It was the second day when we returned to Angu City. The sky was overcast and a light drizzle was falling.

Spring rain is as precious as oil!

He couldn't quite place who had said those words again. He looked up at the dark, gloomy clouds, and then a ray of light suddenly flashed by.

Following the symbols in his memory, Jiang Chen drew a "symbol" in the air.

"Oh!"

After a very soft popping sound, the falling raindrops suddenly dodged me for a few seconds before wobbling and hitting me again.

Li Chengze, dressed in a gray suit, walked down the street with an umbrella. The bag in his right hand was bulging, probably containing information on various newly generated unknown entities.

"Why are you standing in the rain?" he asked curiously, taking a few steps into the small courtyard full of roses, folding up his umbrella and standing under the corridor.

Jiang Chen tried again, and this time the raindrops avoided him in a shorter time.

“I once entered a world of immortals and heroes.” He turned around and explained, “In that world, I knew many spells and even cultivated them to the point of ascending to the upper realm and becoming a god. Just now, I suddenly remembered a minor spell called the Rain-Avoiding Spell, so I tried it out.”

Li Chengze immediately leaned closer out of curiosity, and after taking a closer look at the fine raindrops on his body, he couldn't help but laugh and say, "It seems the spell didn't work."

He didn't refute it, but instead drew another talisman.

The light rain dodged him for two seconds before starting to fall again, as if an invisible umbrella had been placed over his head for that instant.

"Holy crap!" Li Chengze pushed up his glasses, too shocked to say anything.

Eight years ago, this guy first showed me an unknown entity, overturning my definition of the world;

Eight years later, he once again overturned his own understanding.

"Can what you learn in the virtual world be applied in the real world?! Besides that, can you remember any other spells? Can they help people cultivate or achieve eternal youth and immortality?"

Jiang Chen grinned and shook his head, saying, "Are you dreaming? You really want to become a god? Aren't you afraid of cultivating into the 19th Unknown Entity?"

Unknown Entity 19 is a harmless, extremely long-lived, pale green shadow shaped like a pile of excrement. They always slowly bounce and rub against things in dark, damp places, devouring some slimy stains.

“After falling into a coma due to excessive use of the Horcrux, I merged with some memories from the virtual world.” He pushed open the door and invited the other person in, explaining, “At first, I thought I could only remember some fragments, but now I realize that it’s very likely because the other plot points are not very useful.”

The brain automatically filters out and retains useful information.

It's all open now, and I can use it when necessary.

To put it simply, it's like—I underwent some kind of training in a virtual world, only it was interspersed among long and tedious tasks, requiring me to sift through them to find useful skills.

"Wow!" Li Chengze made an exaggerated expression, then hesitated and said, "According to you, entering the virtual world doesn't seem like a bad thing?"

"The prerequisite is that you can come out of the virtual world alive."

As soon as Jiang Chen finished speaking, the other party's phone beeped with a message notification.

After conducting a big data analysis, the security team finally found detailed information on two people whose names matched the information he provided.

Meng Xiucheng, male, 37 years old.

A man from Dafengying County, Zhouhai City, Namyi Province, was found sitting idly in a wooded area on the outskirts of the county town on the afternoon of May 8th, appearing completely incoherent. It is understood that no one had seen him between May 1st and the afternoon of May 8th.

Meng Xiucheng was a notorious deadbeat and scoundrel in the county town. He was almost forty years old and still hadn't found a wife. He was not well-educated and loved reading vulgar books with little literary merit. He spent his days idly, stealing petty things and being dishonest.

He often talks about wanting to be "reborn" or "travel" to a chaotic world, and fantasizes about becoming a powerful figure amidst the chaos.

Because Meng Xiucheng was known for his drinking, talking nonsense, and unreliable behavior, and for his occasional thefts followed by hiding and even being arrested and detained for several days, no one noticed anything unusual about his disappearance on May 1st.

It wasn't until the afternoon of the 8th that someone discovered Meng Xiucheng had gone mad, muttering incomprehensible gibberish, and hiding in an abandoned, dilapidated factory, refusing to come out, afraid of strangers.

“There were no eyewitnesses, and the county’s surveillance coverage wasn’t that extensive, so we couldn’t pinpoint his exact location during the days he was missing, let alone know if any unknown entities had approached.” Li Chengze shrugged helplessly. “The security team sent experts over, but it seems there are no leads.”

Yao Tianyu, male, 23 years old.

A villager from Xiaoyao Village, Lieyang Mountain, Yunning Province, dropped out of high school and started growing fruit trees at home.

He was one of the first young people in the village to open an online store, and came from a relatively well-off family with a lot of access to online information.

In March of this year, Yao Tianyu spent a large sum of money to marry a woman from a remote mountain village, leaving the family heavily in debt. It is understood that Yao Tianyu is usually timid and cowardly, but he is prone to domestic violence after drinking, and his wife, whom he has only been married to for two months, always bears bruises.

Neighbors reported that Yao Tianyu, who was spoiled, was a bully at home and sometimes even beat his parents.

However, his parents are concerned about their image and never mention it in order to maintain their beloved son's image as smart and capable.

On the morning of May 8th, after waking up, Yao Tianyu, contrary to his usual behavior, took the initiative to admit his mistake and cried bitterly, saying that he would definitely change his ways.

So far, Yao Tianyu, who used to have a few drinks every night and then curse, has not touched a drop of alcohol, and his behavior is well-disciplined.

Because my family runs an online store, we installed security cameras in our yard.

Reviewing the surveillance footage revealed that at 6:10 a.m. on May 8th, an unknown Spider-Man appeared for two minutes before leaving.

"Meng Xiucheng's interpersonal relationships are complicated. He usually associates with gamblers, thugs and the like, so it's hard to find out his background in a short time. Yao Tianyu is much simpler in comparison. According to what we know, he was 'guided' by a wandering monk two months ago and paid money to become a follower. The monk secretly passed on a secret formula that he said could help him cultivate and attain enlightenment."

Li Chengze quickly scanned the densely packed documents, picking out the important ones to summarize: "But the whole family, including Yao Tianyu's newlywed wife, didn't know the contents of the formula."

I just saw that he would meditate seriously whenever he had free time, trying to sense the spiritual energy of heaven and earth to cultivate into an immortal.

Strangely, after Yao Tianyu's personality drastically changed on the morning of the 8th, he could no longer remember the so-called incantation.

Jiang Chen frowned slightly. "So the clues have gone cold again."

Chapter Thirteen: Bold Hypotheses

"Based on what we know, people whose souls are accidentally pulled into the virtual world after leaving their bodies seem to be changed to some extent as long as they wake up." Li Chengze cautiously glanced at Jiang Chen and guessed, "It seems... the modification effect is quite good?"

Jiang Chen flipped through the urgently delivered paper documents and suddenly asked, "Have I changed?"

"He wasn't like that before he fell into a coma, but after he woke up, he was a bit..." He carefully chose his words, "...imposing?"

Jiang Chen: ? ? ?

Does that mean I've become fierce?

Does it really exist?

Why can't I feel it myself?

"I think the so-called main system subtly changes your temperament when you participate in various virtual world missions. It's just that the situation might be a little different for you."

After all, other people don't remember anything after waking up, but you have a Horcrux record, so you can't compare yourself to others.

In contrast, your changes are different from those of others.

Whether it's Lu Xinnan, Yao Tianyu, the insane Meng Xiucheng, or the suspected divorced programmer, they all have one thing in common—they've become docile and reliable, and are no longer a threat.

And you…

Looking at the familiar face but with a slightly unfamiliar demeanor, Li Chengze cautiously said, "From the perspective of a friend who has dealt with you for many years, you seem to have had your true nature unleashed."

In your daily life, you are meticulous, quiet, and focused on researching and hunting unknown entities, showing little interest in other things. Overall, you are gentle, unassuming, and unperturbed by fame or disgrace.

Although he hasn't changed much on the surface, he now exudes an aura of authority and dignity befitting someone in a superior position, a feeling that's hard to describe, making people hesitant to approach him and even a little afraid.

"Are you afraid of me?" Jiang Chen looked at the other person with some surprise.

Li Chengze nodded in acquiescence, "It feels like my life is in your hands, and I'm worried that I might be pushed out and beheaded if I'm not careful."

Sensing the awkward atmosphere, he quickly lowered his head to organize the paper materials, and added in a low voice, "The old you was better. If this continues, I feel like we'll evolve into different races sooner or later."

Jiang Chen: ? ? ?

Is that a euphemism for me being inhuman?

The materials regarding the female trainer in the Celestial Project have been sent over, which contain a detailed record of her life and career.