“You really don’t know? So, does that mean the T-virus wasn’t your doing either?”
Ning Yu furrowed her brow, realizing that things were indeed not as she had imagined.
“Some of your and William’s records were hidden in the metadata of the T-virus serum.”
She stated this fact but didn’t explain how she had decrypted it.
Upon hearing this, Lacy was momentarily stunned, then suddenly laughed in relief.
“So that’s how it is. It seems Lord William did some other things as well.”
“Now everything makes sense.”
Ning Yu also stepped closer to her, glancing at the screen beside her.
“Why don’t you elaborate?”
Lacy took a deep breath, the light wings behind her flickering twice before dimming.
She began to speak slowly.
“To bring happiness to all humanity—this has always been Lord William’s dream.”
“He wanted to eradicate sickness, disaster, and the inevitability of aging and death, allowing everyone to continue existing in some form forever.”
“The method he chose was cyberization.”
Lacy raised her arm, the sophistication of her body far surpassing what Ning Yu and Shen Yiyue could have imagined.
The skin on her hand spread apart in perfect arcs, revealing intricate structures beneath—delicate circuits and transistors arranged like stars in the night sky.
Then, all the structures in her hand rearranged themselves, transforming into a small, adorable mechanical rabbit before shifting back to her hand.
“However, in many voluntary human experiments on critically ill patients, cyberization encountered unprecedented failures.”
“It seems humanity is bound by a genetic shackle.”
Hearing this, Ning Yu blurted out:
“51%?”
“Correct.”
Lacy nodded, knowing that Ning Yu must have also obtained this information from the virus metadata.
“Then how were you able to break through this limitation?”
Ning Yu felt puzzled.
“This body of mine once belonged to Lord William’s fiancée.”
“She suffered from an incurable malignant disease. In a moment of utter despair, Lord William attempted the first human cyberization on her.”
“But this cyberization succeeded on the first try.”
“It was also the only successful one.”
Lacy opened her palm, lifting it and gazing at it with an unfamiliar expression.
“She? Aren’t you her?”
Ning Yu seemed to have noticed a detail.
“After the transformation, I completely lost all my previous memories. Sometimes, I wonder if I’m still her.”
“If you replaced a part of your body or some of your memories with something else, would you still be you?”
She murmured, as if lost in thought.
“But based on his gaze and reactions, my rational judgment tells me that Lord William doesn’t believe I’m still her.”
“No matter how much I wish…”
She was about to continue but suddenly stopped, her eyes returning to normal as if some mechanism had triggered a reset.
“Never mind, it’s not important.”
She shook her head, seemingly refocusing on the main topic.
Ning Yu, however, clearly sensed something unusual about Lacy. She recalled a recording in which William had once said to Lacy:
‘You will always be my beloved.’
Was this statement true or false? And who exactly did the ‘you’ refer to? Perhaps only William himself knew.
But judging from the current conversation, it seemed William had indeed…
“To solve the issue of humanity’s genetic shackle, William experimented and created the Utopia serum.”
Lacy pointed to a small vial that appeared on the screen, engraved with the letter “U.” The liquid inside shimmered with a faint, multicolored glow.
“Isn’t this…”
Shen Yiyue had a strong impression of this Mary Sue-like liquid, and Ning Yu also seemed to recall it.
“What you’re seeing now—the phenomenon of zombification—is what occurs when the Utopia experiment fails.”
She clicked on a video on the screen:
Inside a sealed laboratory, a creature that could no longer be called human wandered aimlessly.
Its face contorted grotesquely, its limbs flailing wildly under the shackles, its mouth agape as if trying to bite something.
Yet, it was far less terrifying than the current zombies. At least its skin didn’t have the sickly grayish hue, and its body showed no signs of decay.
“Utopia doesn’t have the horrifying effects of the current T-virus. Its primary purpose was to completely transform the human body to resolve the rejection effects caused by cyberization.”
“The T-virus was Leon’s creation, based on Utopia.”
At the mention of Leon’s name, Lacy’s eyes instantly sharpened, filled with unmistakable hatred and a desire to kill.
“He and Lord William were students of the same teacher, and Leon was the teacher’s biological son.”
“Although both were students, the teacher imparted all his knowledge to Lord William and sent Leon to the Clock Tower Magical Association in the Fog City.”
The screen displayed a man with long black hair, wearing round glasses, his features handsome and gentle—a classic image of a beautiful man.
He stood in front of a massive clock tower, dressed in a black robe, facing the camera with an expressionless face.
This was likely Leon.
“Unfortunately, in this era, magic has long since declined. Leon is the last student of the Clock Tower in Fog City.”
“He is known as the greatest magician of the present age.”
Ning Yu and Shen Yiyue didn’t quite understand what magic was, exchanging confused glances.
“Magic, in essence, refers to artificially created mysteries or miracles that can be achieved with current technology.”
Noticing their expressions, Lacy added an explanation.
“These magicians spend their entire lives pursuing a single goal.”
Hearing this, Ning Yu’s heart skipped a beat.
“Could it be… reaching the Root?”
“Correct.”
Lacy confirmed Ning Yu’s guess.
“It is said that in that place, you and I are one, past and future coexist, and it contains all supreme knowledge and truth.”
“In a way, magicians are also pitiful philosophers. The Root, to them, is like a flame to a moth—irresistibly fatal.”
“If one could reach it, all questions would be answered, all worries and delusions would vanish, and ultimate happiness could be attained.”
“That’s how they describe it.”
Lacy’s tone was filled with disdain for what sounded like a lofty ideal.
for mindless slaughter, this isn't for you.] My name is Ye Shu, and I'm a transmigrator. It seems I'm supposed to be the protagonist, but that feels pretty unlikely. This world has been invaded by a system. The antagonists on the other side have suddenly become pure, flawless saints. The female leads have been force-fed the so-called "original plot," making them think they've been reborn. Now, everyone thinks I'm scum. Including the old lady in my ring. And here I am, in the Monster Beast Mountain Range, braising pork. To put my situation in perspective— It's as if, the moment Xiao Yan stepped into the Monster Beast Mountain Range, the Soul Emperor already knew he would become the Flame Emperor, and Yao Lao had been turned to the enemy's side. I have nothing right now. Oh wait, that's not true. I do have a white-haired loli child-bride who's the Heavenly Dao, and her only skill is acting cute. So, tell me guys... what are my chances of making it to the end?
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
rowess are unmatched, commanding a million-strong army! Yet, the Emperor wants to depose him for the sake of a false prince? Hold on, are you throwing me into some female-oriented romance plot? How can I tolerate this? With a grand wave of his hand—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! Slander the Emperor? Very well, all of you shall die! ... The False Prince: "Although I am not the biological son, Father and Mother love me more. The throne should be mine!" The Female Lead: "Qin Xiao, you are the Emperor, and I am a commoner. If you wish to marry me, you must abdicate. Otherwise, you will never have me!" The Empress: "After we divorce, you must give me half the empire!" The Transmigrator Consort: "You worthless Emperor, why should I kneel to you? All men are equal—I advise you to be kind!" The Great General: "The enemy general is my childhood sweetheart. For her sake, I willingly abandon the frontier defenses!" The Retired Emperor: "Although Yu'er was adopted, I prefer him. Qin Xiao, you should abdicate and let him become Emperor!" ... Very well! So this is how you want to play? Facing this twisted world of female-oriented tropes, Qin Xiao grins and raises his hand to unleash—the Nine Clan Extraction Technique! I am the Emperor. Why would I bother reasoning with you? Seal the gates! Leave none alive!
