Chapter 229
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Chapter 229: Title
Yu Yue unwrapped the box in her hands, revealing a minimalist-styled wristband. The black polished surface gleamed with intricate silver motifs.
"This is our employee benefit? I could kiss the deputy director! Guess I can return my online purchase now."
"Told you the Special Bureau takes care of its people," An Xiao chimed in, fastening the black bracelet around her wrist with a grin.
【Virtual world login device successfully bound. User ID: 67873. Proceed to virtual world entry?】
The sudden announcement made An Xiao start. She threw a glance at Yu Yue, whose peculiar expression confirmed she’d received the same system prompt.
"The Heavenly Law Battleground’s personal system can interface with this login device?!"
Yu Yue rose from her seat, bewildered, scanning the office where numerous colleagues wore similar looks of confusion. The cutting-edge virtual world login devices had naturally been donned immediately by all recipients. With lunch hour underway, it seemed the perfect time to test this mysterious new technology.
"The instructions recommend logging in from a quiet space. Shall we try?" An Xiao’s eyes sparkled with adventurous spirit – a newfound boldness cultivated since surviving the abyssal invasion.
—Having narrowly escaped death during America’s first dimensional collapse, An Xiao had fled home without hesitation. Her subsequent rigorous training earned her a coveted position in the Special Bureau’s logistics division through exceptional merit.
"Here? Now?"
"Where safer than Special Bureau headquarters?" An Xiao shrugged. "We’ve got an hour. Might as well peek inside."
If the Bureau’s fortified complex couldn’t guarantee security, nowhere in Capital City could.
Yu Yue bit her lip before curiosity prevailed. "Alright, but just a quick look. The deputy director wouldn’t issue dangerous equipment."
The spacious office hummed with quiet anticipation, agents settling at their individual workstations. Lunch breaks here typically involved desk naps, but today promised different adventures.
An Xiao focused inward: ‘System, initiate virtual world login.’
【User ID:67873. Confirm virtual world entry?】
‘Confirm.’
Her eyelids suddenly weighed tons. Through gathering drowsiness, An Xiao belatedly recalled the manual’s warnings about physical sedation during login.
Wait! Let me at least adjust my posture—
The system remained merciless. As her consciousness dissolved into digital space, her body slumped forward across the desk.
"Is this… the virtual world?" An Xiao spun slowly in featureless whiteness, the infinite void reminiscent of heaven’s stereotypical portrayal. Yet something felt familiar – that same boundless sensation from the Battleground-hosted exchange meeting.
"Virtual space?" she murmured, then shook her head. Zhongxia’s Spiritual Network bulletins had explained the Battleground’s reality-warping capacity as rule-based "virtual space" manifestation. If they possessed true space-creation tech, why bother with mere simulation?
After momentary awe, An Xiao began exploring. Wasting precious lunchtime standing around seemed foolish, though the blank canvas offered little to examine.
"Absolutely barren. Not even basic terrain?" She paced aimlessly before halting abruptly. A forgotten detail surfaced in her memory—
An Xiao suddenly called out, “System, are you there?”
【Subsidiary System of Heavenly Law Battleground, ID 67873 at your service.】
She’d spoken on a whim without expecting actual response, making the system’s sudden reply all the more startling.
"But you only handle Heavenly Law Battleground affairs," An Xiao blurted, unable to conceal her astonishment. "Why respond here?"
The system typically ignored unrelated queries.
【All virtual world login device operations fall under Heavenly Law Battleground jurisdiction.】
"Wait," her eyes widened, "the virtual world answers to the Battleground?"
【Negative.】
"Then what’s my next move?"
【Initialize virtual world orientation?】
"Proceed."
Though bewildered, An Xiao nodded. Now wasn’t the time for existential questions – the higher-ups likely already knew these details anyway. The system’s candor suggested no attempt at concealment.
【…Virtual world coexists with Heavenly Tablet. Final interpretation rights reserved by Heavenly Law Battleground… Primary functions: cross-realm teleportation, virtual community interface, source world transit hub…】
Five minutes of technical exposition elapsed before reaching crucial information.
【Orientation commencing.】
【Select designation for virtual world presence.】
An Xiao’s mouth quirked. This game-like process contrasted sharply with the system’s earlier revelation about the virtual world’s immense significance.
"Any naming restrictions?"
【None. Approval not guaranteed.】
【System advisory: Exercise naming caution.】
She massaged her temples. While she’d never consider bizarre names, the warning clearly thwarted would-be troublemakers. Since the Awakening of Spiritual Energy, both mortal authorities and enigmatic entities prioritized Blue Star’s stability.
Official Spiritual Network bulletins stated that though deities recognized no moral binaries, most inherently upheld cosmic order through established rules – clear boundaries of ethics and law binding all sentient beings, whether human cultivators, spirit cultivators, or others. Obscene pseudonyms would shame their entire world.
This peculiar emphasis made An Xiao stroke her chin thoughtfully. "Xiao An then," she decided, erring on the side of prudence.
【ID available. Confirming: Xiao An.】
High in the World Tree’s canopy, Ye Linlang observed the inaugural "players" with amusement as ridiculous handles flooded her interface:
"How to Lose With Dragon Cavalry," "Zhao Tiezhu," "Wang Er’gou," "Magical Girl Barbara," "Invincible Bald Youth," "Tipsy Cigarette Maiden," "Petit Biscuit," "Supreme Spearbearer"…
Only scattered sensible names dotted the chaotic list. The "cautionary" advisory had been her personal touch – a final test these jesters failed spectacularly.
Ye Linlang reclined in her chair, eyelids heavy as she stifled a yawn. Though feigning sleep, her mind churned with schemes. Having meticulously arranged her chessboard and positioned every piece, the master schemer found herself adrift in monotonous days devoid of amusement.
"Perhaps I should enter closed-door cultivation…" The murmured words hung in the air like cobwebs. Subsequent events would unfold smoothly without her intervention anyway. Contemplating her stagnant progress in comprehending universal principles, she sighed deeply – this path proved excruciatingly arduous.
"System, rouse me in six weeks. Maintain strict surveillance during this period and compile full reports afterward." Her decision crystallized as she spoke. Though currently invincible on Blue Star through borrowed power, this strength felt alien – akin to using a phone without understanding its circuitry. Each time she channeled energy through the system’s mediation with world consciousness, it grated against her desire for true mastery.
Between one breath and the next, galaxies could blink into oblivion.
This arrangement made her feel like some kept man sustained by world consciousness – though ‘kept man’ wasn’t the most accurate term. The analogy sufficed.
……
After navigating labyrinthine menus, An Xiao gaped at the log bridge spanning skyscraper canyons. Peering over the railing, she estimated the drop at over thirty stories.
"This can’t be right," she muttered, clutching the virtual interface. "Wasn’t I supposed to enter the virtual community?"
[Novice testing scene activated]
[Objective: Traverse aerial bridge]
[Performance evaluation pending completion]
"Seriously? Just walk across? Though the height’s…" Her voice faltered as she noticed her vanished abilities. "My cultivation! Why am I mortal here?"
The first tentative step sent tremors through her legs. What seemed manageable at ground level transformed into nightmare fuel suspended between heavens. Thirty centimeters might as well be thirty miles for an ordinary person.
Countless identical scenes unfolded simultaneously across servers. Bold souls sauntered across like tightrope walkers; trembling novices inched forward on hands and knees; petrified victims plummeted screaming into digital voids.
—After all, this was the virtual world. The promised 100% realism delivered authentic death simulations. Newcomers’ neural networks lit up with primal terror during that endless second of freefall before protection protocols engaged, pain receptors dialed down, and second attempts commenced.
At the Heavenly Law Battleground’s core, subsystems processed endless data streams. Automated filters sieved through performance metrics before forwarding elite candidates to the main system’s attention – though none comprehended this hierarchy, not even Jiang Nan who assumed it mere cultivation trials.
The selection process remained exclusive to Practitioners, though ordinary people could request activation through system petitions. After all, Practitioners originated from mortal stock – eventually, the curious masses would come knocking.
When An Xiao finally stumbled onto the opposite platform, the virtual metropolis engulfed her senses. Humanoid and alien figures jostled through streets where European features mingled with Asian counterparts.
"Global server?" she whispered, noting the minimap’s three bluntly labeled regions. Her suspicion crystallized – Blue Star had indeed become a digital village, its entire population compressed into this shimmering grid of data.
Transfer Station, Communication Zone, Source World Community.
An Xiao observed the others while being observed in return. This nascent environment kept most occupants in a state of cautious acclimatization.
【Registration confirmed. Report to Transfer Station within 72 hours for teleportation to ‘Heavenly Inquiry World’. Expired applications require renewal.】
The system’s announcement startled her—this was the very program she’d applied for days prior. Teleportation through the station implied her true form wouldn’t journey physically. How then would she reach another world? Through reincarnation?
Though questions proliferated, An Xiao’s resolve held firm. Mere application couldn’t secure this rare opportunity—she’d heard interworld slots were lottery-drawn in phases. First-phase selection signaled extraordinary fortune. All their intelligence about Another World stemmed from cryptic engravings on the Heavenly Tablet, with vanished predecessors offering no returning whispers of insight.
Two dawns later, having secured a month’s leave from the Special Bureau, An Xiao stood before the virtual world’s Transfer Station—an azure-limned expanse mimicking endless waters. Yet these illusionary depths refused reflections, instead revealing a firmament of shadowed constellations beneath visitors’ feet.
A starry ocean inverted.
Above this cosmic mirror floated an alabaster platform vast enough for legions. Ascending its opalescent stairs, An Xiao mentally triggered the activation sequence. Cobalt light gates materialized around her like spectral blooms, their proliferation betraying the multitude embracing this interworld exodus.
【Teleportation commencing in 10…】
【Tasker, heed this final counsel before immersion:】
【Heaven’s justice cycles eternally—no deed, virtuous or vile, escapes cosmic reckoning.】
The system’s portentous words still hung unresolved as An Xiao’s foot breached the luminous threshold.
Weightlessness seized her—a plummet through existential layers.
Consciousness returned through filter of torment. Every bone throbbed with leaden anguish, neural pathways afire with static-laced suffering. Unaccustomed to true pain, tears streaked An Xiao’s face—this eclipsed even the Special Bureau’s devil-like training regimens.
"Where…?" Her blurred vision discerned gloom-shrouded surroundings. Had the light gate delivered her to Heavenly Inquiry World? Teleportation success meant… what? Testing her limbs brought relief—no infant rebirth—yet the mystery of her agony persisted.
‘System. Status.’
Mental communion still felt alien, though less so since the entity’s bonding. At least others couldn’t witness these silent colloquies, sparing her suspicions of lunacy.
【Acknowledged, Tasker.】
‘Location designation.’
【Heavenly Inquiry World.】
‘Explain corporeal state. Host body feels… fatally compromised.’
【Soul-based crossing protocol engaged. Deceased local vessel (expired <60mins) requisitioned. Native linguistics and semiotics auto-integrated.】
Nausea gripped An Xiao. Possessing cadavers wasn’t mentioned in the briefing. ‘Remedial measures?’
【Vital signs stabilized. Initializing task panel.】
【Tasker ‘An Xiao’ has triggered the mission: Resolve the Cause and Effect.】
"This mission is brutally straightforward," An Xiao murmured, her whisper barely audible even to herself.
Having passed the Special Bureau’s rigorous exams, endured its grueling training, and secured a position in its logistics division, she’d already proven her competence.
Though facing dire circumstances, she steeled herself to assess the situation.
While unaware she’d inherit a corpse in this world, An Xiao remembered one crucial rule: death here would bar her from this realm’s missions for seven days.
Survival imperative – did this mean imminent danger? What form would it take?
She gingerly shifted from her prone position, every movement calculated. Without knowing the body’s injuries – whether mere soft tissue damage, fractures, or life-threatening internal trauma – recklessness could be fatal.
Her gaze swept the dim surroundings. Slender limbs suggested a teenage host, perhaps fifteen or sixteen. Coarse fabric chafed against her skin as the musty scent of decay permeated what appeared to be a windowless storage room – a woodshed or makeshift prison.
What vendetta justified trapping a little girl here? Drawing on emergency medical training from the Bureau, she began self-examination.
Controlled breathing steadied her nerves. She hadn’t volunteered for interdimensional duty unprepared – curiosity alone wouldn’t drive someone through the Bureau’s hellish selection.
The Heavenly Inquiry World was never meant to be welcoming. From inception, Blue Star and this realm had been locked in existential conflict. In war, atrocities became commonplace.
‘System, why corpse possession? Weren’t agents supposed to cross over in their true forms?’
【Cadavers evade heavenly perception. Maintain cover to avoid the heaven path’s detection.】
【Postmortem retrieval ensures source world reclamation.】
【True form crossing occurs only during planetary convergence.】
‘Perpetual grave-robbing then?’
【Assimilate this world into the source world for unrestricted passage.】
The system’s monotone remained unchanged – efficient to the point of inhumanity. An Xiao abandoned philosophical queries; such matters exceeded a logistics officer’s pay grade.
‘Define "resolving causality."’
【Self-discovery required.】
【Terminating guidance in 3… Mission interface will dormant until completion/termination.】
The abrupt withdrawal left her reeling. ‘System! Don’t you dare ghost me!’ Mental shouts echoed unanswered. Fury vibrated through her as the cold interface materialized – no mission companion, just a stark panel.
Beside the glowing Resolve the Cause and Effect prompt, the Ultimate Task’s progress bar taunted her at 50%. The objective burned in her mind: subsume Heavenly Inquiry into Blue Star’s dominion through calculated conquest. This teenage corpse would become the vessel for interplanetary annexation.
Either die or complete the mission—why did this feel like getting the short end of the stick?
Yet here she was, living a true Second Life.
An Xiao gazed down at her rough hands, tangible proof of this unimagined rebirth.
——Creak.
The weathered door groaned open with a rusty protest.
The sound jerked An Xiao’s attention toward the intrusion.
A burly matron shoved through, immediately yielding space to a girl dressed in luxurious clothing whose radiance pierced the dim chamber like dawn through stormclouds.
"Still breathing? How typical of gutter-born vermin."
An Xiao’s eyelid flickered. Though the insult targeted this body’s original owner, the venom stung personally. Who were these people dripping with both finery and contempt?
Had she been thrust into some family feud drama?
"Xiao An." The girl in red dress swooped down, crimson skirts pooling around her as she gripped An Xiao’s chin with jeweled fingers. "Cat got your silver tongue? Or did my discipline finally teach you manners?"
"Had I known beatings worked this well, I’d have cane-whipped you at sunrise."
An Xiao remained pliant, gathering clues through lowered lashes.
What choice had she? This world offered no familiar faces, only shadows and hostility.
The girl’s surprisingly strong grip left crescent marks on flesh. When the pampered brat finally released her, An Xiao watched through stinging eyes as the heiress accepted an embroidered handkerchief from hovering servants.
Every detail screamed aristocratic excess—from the ruby-encrusted bangles to the cruel smirk. Ye Xiao An… the name echoed her gaming avatar. Coincidence? Or had the system woven identity from digital remnants?
Her pondering stillness seemed to infuriate the red-clad girl.
CRACK!
The slap exploded through the woodshed.
An Xiao slowly turned her throbbing face back, tasting blood. She needn’t touch her cheek to know the welt rising beneath flushed skin.
Never—not in twenty-three years—had anyone dared strike her.
Mockery she could weather as another’s burden. But this pain burned personal.
"You—" Fury thickened her voice.
"Me?" The assailant chimed, shaking out her hand with a musical clatter of gold and ruby bangles. "Oh do glare harder, little mouse. Your borrowed pride makes this far more entertaining."
