The male supporting character was actually myself.

Jiang Chen couldn't help but reach out and touch him. Li Chengze didn't dare to move and watched helplessly as Jiang Chen's hand vanished as it approached his body. Then, as if his heart had been squeezed, he couldn't breathe and his whole body trembled slightly.

The ball of light he was holding seemed to be trembling, so he quickly let go and withdrew his hand.

"Phew!" Finally catching his breath, Li Chengze sat on the ground, his face pale, clutching his chest and panting heavily. "You almost killed me!"

"Sorry, I just... I'm not quite sure what's going on myself. After absorbing the energy, I seem to have become a bit... plasmolysis?!" Jiang Chen looked down at himself and found that his condition was different from Li Chengze's.

His entire body, composed of particles, tightly envelops a ball of soul light; the two are inextricably linked.

There was a clear barrier between his body and soul, like an ill-fitting piece of clothing being forcibly put on him. He even felt that his soul could break free from the constraints of this body with just a little effort!

"Hiss..." Prop, who was playing happily downstairs, let out a joyful exclamation.

The syllables, which were originally meaningless, fell into Jiang Chen's ears and he instantly understood the other party's soul "language," which was saying, "How wonderful!"

No wonder Propp couldn't explain what "soul sound waves" were; in fact, his wording was quite accurate.

This is a resonance of the soul, unrelated to the essence of sound. Only when the soul's ability is strong enough can it receive meaningful syllables and understand the other person's meaning.

"Hiss..." Jiang Chen walked to the window and used Soul Resonance to issue a command, telling Prop to come up.

Li Chengze looked at him in surprise, "How did you make that sound? It's almost indistinguishable from Prop's voice, not the kind of throaty sound that everyone was imitating before!"

Jiang Chen watched as Prop obediently went upstairs and stood there waiting, a smile appearing on his face. "Now I finally know the difference between the Unknown Entities, Soul Eaters, and humans."

Both the Unknown Entities and Soul Eaters exist in a soul state and are essentially without physical form, unable to make contact with human limbs. The sounds they emit are soul resonances, which ordinary humans cannot receive at all.

Therefore, for ordinary people, even if they are subjected to downgraded attacks, they cannot see, hear, or even touch them.

The security team members who could see them were all beings with soul energy far greater than that of ordinary people.

The more powerful they are, the clearer their vision becomes. The security team members are able to touch them because their soul power is strong enough.

This isn't touch in the traditional sense, but rather a combination of soul perception and vision—what we usually consider 'touching'! This is a question many new members have raised that we can't answer—if you can see it, you can touch it; if you can't see it, you can't touch it. Does the existence of the Unknown Entities and Soul Eaters belong to idealism?

Li Chengze was stunned for two seconds before he suddenly realized, "So although you were always the strongest among us before, your soul energy hadn't actually reached a certain level. Now that you've replenished your energy, it has increased significantly. So you can control your soul and feel resonance, and naturally you've mastered soul sound waves. Naturally, you understand the other party's meaning and can also make the same sound."

In other words, the Fallen Predator group has developed a written language but doesn't actually have a spoken language; can anyone with a strong enough soul 'understand' and communicate with them?

"That seems to be the case for now." The map reappeared in Jiang Chen's mind. He frowned slightly and instructed, "Have the task force members come over and see if they can find more clues. Dig deeper into Jiang Chen's identity from twenty years ago; there might be other discoveries. I need the most detailed electronic world map now to see if we can find a route back to headquarters!"

"Returning to headquarters?!" Li Chengze was excited and immediately contacted relevant personnel to handle the matter.

I may witness a miracle with my own eyes and learn more profound secrets of the universe!

Once Jiang Chen unravels the mystery, he may very well use cutting-edge technology to completely change the world!

"Click! Click-click!"

The only sounds in the quiet office were the soft hum of the mouse and keyboard. Li Chengze sat at the back, his brow furrowed, barely daring to breathe.

Jiang Chen also stared intently at the big screen, constantly operating the mouse and keyboard.

Three days have passed since they returned to headquarters. Apart from eating and sleeping, the two have spent the rest of their time staring at the world map on the screen, but no matter how they search, they still find nothing.

"Could it not even exist in our world?" After going through the map in detail again and again, confirming that there was no point of overlap with the map in his mind, Jiang Chen rubbed his temples and sighed, "This is all the information left in the energy stone. I probably didn't expect that I would lose my memory to this extent back then."

Li Chengze slumped in his chair, his brow furrowed in worry. "I thought I was finally going to solve the last mystery, but who knew I was just one step away... If we weren't in this world, we would be in big trouble! With our current technology, we don't support space travel at all."

"Unless we try an astral projection and travel through the universe to find our way back, if my girlfriend and I really escaped here disguised as humans, we definitely wouldn't use something like a UFO that's easy to spot. We'd most likely travel through the universe directly with our souls, just like the Fallen Predator."

"The key question is... even if one's soul travels freely, the universe is so vast, which direction would one go?"

“I don’t know either.” Jiang Chen shook his head with a helpless look. “The information left by the energy stone is very important—no matter what, the other party will not kill me, at most they will make me lose my memory. This is probably why I suddenly became eight years old twenty years ago. The advantage is that if this is true, my margin for error is very high, but the disadvantage is that once I fail, I have to start a new account.”

Chengze, I'm giving you a task.

If this attempt fails and I never return, immediately search the entire world for my new self. Most likely, I'll still be called Jiang Chen… or they'll test my soul strength. In short, find me and give me the map I drew so I can continue my search for the way back to headquarters.”

Li Chengze was startled and hurriedly waved his hand, saying, "You can't make a decision to act lightly now. First of all, the Soul Weapon is still mending the sky. If you make any mistake, the army outside will rush in."

Secondly, Prop, as a Fallen Predator, has lingered here for so long, yet the world barrier has never repelled him. This indicates that once the world barrier breaks, things like the laws of heaven or the will of the world become ineffective, and once the Soul Eaters invade, the entire world will soon be annihilated…”

Jiang Chen: (???)?

The army of corrupt predators is watching closely, and I don't have a capable assistant to hold them off. It's a real headache!

He was caught between a rock and a hard place, with wolves in front and tigers behind, and struggled for a long time with the question of whether to stay or leave.

When the first snow fell in Angu City, Jiang Chen stood by the window watching Prop, who had left his soul imprint and could never betray him again, happily playing in the snow. He took a sip of the hot coffee in his hand and sighed softly.

Staying here will bring temporary peace to the world, but what about the future?

I haven't mastered the technology to switch bodies. What will happen when this body ages and can no longer support the power of my soul? No matter how rapidly technology develops, it takes time and cannot be achieved overnight. Even if we wait another one or two hundred years, it will be impossible to find a weapon that can resist the army of fallen predators.

They have been holding firm outside the world's barriers and even want to open a new door; it's only a matter of time before they break in.

But what if we really have to leave to pursue unknown mysteries and can't come back? Won't the Horcruxes go out of control? What if the army of Fallen Predators comes rushing in then?

It's so difficult to make a decision when weighing the two options.

Unfortunately, those depraved predators are all fanatics. Once they set their sights on this world, they refuse to give up and relentlessly try to conquer it. Their own ability to control the Horcruxes is limited, and they have no way to deal with them.

"Master is in a bad mood, which will affect your sleep quality tonight." Propp, who had a great day playing in the snow, comforted her cozy little nest in the cold winter and said, "How about I sing you a lullaby? The music of soul waves can soothe a tired soul and help you sleep more soundly!"

After washing up and putting on her pajamas, Jiang Chen thought for a moment, nodded and smiled, "Okay, then sing me a lullaby. We've been together for so long, and I've never heard Propp sing before."

It lowered its head and smiled shyly, "I sang very clumsily, I'm just glad my owner doesn't mind."

Outside the window, the cold wind howled, and the streetlights seemed to have dimmed slightly due to the low temperature. In the warm and cozy bedroom with the thick curtains drawn, Jiang Chen turned off the lights and lay on the bed, quietly listening to the faint, deep singing of Prop nestled in her little nest.

"The vast and boundless universe is filled with countless wandering souls in its boundless void. The journey lies in the endless distance, where sweet fruits await to reward the long and arduous journey..."

The deep resonance of the soul produced an invisible vibration that slowly dissipated in the air, penetrating the buildings and drifting outwards.

Jiang Chen drifted off to sleep, seemingly having a very long dream. In the dream, he led a vast, indistinct army on a long journey through the vast and deep universe, not knowing where their destination was, just drifting aimlessly, drifting, drifting...

"Damn! How did I... again..." Jiang Chen, who was floating in his dream, suddenly woke up and found that he had unknowingly broken free of his body and his entire soul was floating in mid-air!

Before he could react and quickly return to his body, a bright light suddenly flashed in the void, as if opening a door that did not exist. A strong suction force forcibly dragged him inside!

"Biu!" The door appeared and disappeared in just half a second, and Jiang Chen's soul vanished from the spot.

Downstairs, Prop, already half asleep, was still humming the lullaby of the Fallen Predator, completely unaware that the other's soul had already departed...

Chapter Nine, Final Chapter, Can Be Slaughtered

"Why don't you try and see?" Jiang Chen casually took out a pen from his pocket and dripped a drop of ink onto the ground.

"Clap!"

The black ink fell to the ground, leaving a blooming ink flower on the brown floor.

The two stared intently at the drop of ink, which gradually dried up and faded in color over the next few seconds before disappearing completely.

"As expected, there is an energy that we cannot currently understand maintaining some kind of state." Jiang Chen's heart grew heavier. Just who was he?

Why could such an illogical and even physics-defying force be left in a dwelling?

Why did they suddenly leave?

Before leaving, why didn't they withdraw that force? Were they waiting to show me the way?

The restaurant had only one table and two simply designed chairs; the clean and bright kitchen had no pots or pans and looked like it had never been used.

"Strange, even if you move away, you shouldn't leave no trace. Don't you two need to eat?" Li Chengze muttered to himself as he took the photos.

Jiang Chen pushed open the master bedroom door and went inside. The room was decorated very warmly.

On the wall opposite the old-fashioned double bed hangs a group photo. Against a red background, a man and a woman wearing white shirts are smiling brightly.

"Huh? This should be a wedding photo, right?" Li Chengze took out his computer-generated image, compared it, and shook his head, saying, "That old man was right, none of these pictures look like it. This girl is much prettier than any of the images made from random guesses!"

Jiang Chen stared blankly at the group photo.

Suddenly, some chaotic fragments popped into my mind—it seemed to be a beautiful dream.

The sky was deep blue, yet twinkled with stars. I sat facing the girl in the photo, enveloped in a hazy, pale purple mist.

"What are you looking at?" Her voice was alluring and magnetic.

He seemed to be laughing happily as he replied, "Look at you."

Is it pretty?

"nice!"

Do you like it?

"I love it! I really love it!"

……

"You've been single all these years and never been interested in anyone?"

"Then you must be very lonely."

"Once I'm with you, I won't be lonely anymore."

"But... are you really not going to leave here? If you stay, you'll have to give up so much. Is it worth it for me?"

"I've solved this problem perfectly. I've divided myself in two: the ruthless me hands over my work; the tender me gives you my whole heart. Isn't that better?"

…………

Jiang Chen suddenly opened his eyes, his forehead covered in fine beads of sweat. "I think I misunderstood. My soul... it's very likely that it took the initiative to split itself apart!"

"Separated on your own? Why?" Li Chengze looked completely bewildered. "Didn't you say you were tricked?"

A jumble of fragmented thoughts swirled in Jiang Chen's mind. He rubbed his forehead and sighed, "It seems like I split myself in two to focus on dating. One half was a workaholic; the other half was dedicated to finding a partner... So, back then, when I lived here, I was actually only half a soul?"

Lee Seung-taek: !!(o'?'o)?o????

For the sake of dating?

Bro, are you serious?

"As expected of you!" After holding back for a while, he finally commented on the speculation.

There were a few clean clothes hanging in the closet, all of which were for spring and summer; there were no household items in the other closets; the bathroom was as clean and tidy as a showroom; the two secondary bedrooms were empty, I don’t know if they had been cleaned or never been used; the other room was a study.

On the table were writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, as well as two rubbings of inscriptions. The bookshelf was filled with books from more than twenty years ago, ranging from literature and history to biographies of famous people, novels, and even some comic books.

But after going through the whole thing, there was no trace of any hidden agenda.

"Could it be that his sudden departure had nothing to do with being scammed?" Jiang Chen looked through the documents for a long time, completely bewildered. "If something really happened, shouldn't he at least have left some clues?"