Chapter 290: Birthplace (Part 28)

Chapter 290: Birthplace (Part 28)

Ji Dai never anticipated that two players from "Three Thousand Worlds" would infiltrate "Do Not Answer." They not only accessed the game's data but also the information of the netherworld and the heavens.

That programmer initially intended to diligently serve the underworld's boss. But as one year passed, then two, and soon decades went by, he could take breaks in the human world, socializing, singing, and gaming.

In the underworld, given his significant task, Ji Dai preferred him not to interact too much with others, and ghosts don't require rest or sleep.

It was a real 24/7 job. No vacations, no salary, just the promise of a bright future: "Once the game is stable, and we find the right players to return to 'Three Thousand Worlds', I'll bestow upon you my merit, ensuring happiness for your next ten reincarnations."

Sounds tempting, right?

It's alright for a day or two, but what about after years, or decades?

It's like the proverbial carrot on a stick for the mule. But humans aren’t mules.

For Ji Dai, what's a few decades? Having journeyed from "Three Thousand Worlds" to the original land, he couldn't even recall the countless decades he had lived through.

His heart was full of passion, desiring to return to "Three Thousand Worlds" to exterminate the six pests for the great Dragon God. What's a bit of overtime? For the bridge between "Do Not Answer" and "Three Thousand Worlds", he had given more than just his life.

The programmer he had chosen indeed started off obedient and was a good person in the human realm.

But that was because he never held any power.

Here, however, one side offered endless promises, while on the other, he held dominion over an infinite game.

Real, genuine players in this game once lived ordinary lives like him. There were even top elites from various fields, famous in the human world, now struggling desperately in this game.

And he was the game’s administrator, an exalted being, holding power over their fate.

Due to altering his own nature, Ji Dai was repelled by the original land's cosmic laws. To avoid disrupting the game, he seldom oversaw the place where the game was managed.

Alone in the server room, he was the emperor of this game.

What choices would an ordinary, not inherently evil person make when given power far beyond his means and capabilities?

This very question had been answered ages ago in "Three Thousand Worlds".

When the Dragon God initially chose his successor, didn't he consider all angles?

He did.

He selected the six most formidable players at the time. Each had their distinct characteristics, but overall, they all possessed conscience and emotions.

The Dragon God once considered choosing only one, thinking that if that one went astray, the game would be doomed. Thus, he chose six. They came from different clans and, despite their camaraderie, their varied backgrounds and races meant differing interests, providing checks and balances.

Yet if his selection of six failed, how could Ji Dai’s choice of just one succeed?

This situation arose because whether it was Ji Dai, the Dragon God, or the Crown Prince, they all shared a natural flaw.

They were all too powerful.

So powerful that, even with genuine attempts, they struggled to truly empathize with the weaker beings.

They also couldn't fathom what a seemingly "good person" would do when granted power far beyond their capability.

While they couldn't understand, Ji Ge and Ji Chaoyang, both of whom had been orphans in the human realm for a long time, certainly could.

After the two later took control of the programmer, they gained numerous advantages through his identity and also learned about the existence of "the System."

Zhang Daoan.

Upon realizing that "the System" could potentially be this individual, Ji Chaoyang's fingers trembled uncontrollably.

Ji Chaoyang’s memories of him were profound.

A person whose grasp over human emotions and judgments of the current situation sent shivers down one’s spine.

To motivate players to [Rebirth Trial], encouraging more usage of this channel and thus collect more data linking to "Three Thousand Worlds," Ji Chaoyang amended the game's description for [Rebirth Trial]. It was set that at least one person would return to their former life after passing the trial.

The reason they didn’t allow more was that this person, who would "return," required reconstruction using data, which they manually collected.

This individual truly had to return, as player invitations to the game were random, beyond their control.

What if someone they drew into the game happened to know someone who had passed the [Rebirth Trial]?

One or two such occurrences can be explained away, suggesting the reborn individual chose a life of seclusion, avoiding past acquaintances.

But what if it happens more frequently? What if a game character, deeply in love with someone in the real world, undergoes the Rebirth Trial but doesn't seek their lover, only for the lover to eventually join the game?

Once a lie is spun, it must be maintained.

Only one in a hundred could truly return to the real world. The probability was low, preventing players from impulsively entering the [Rebirth Trial], yet the tantalizing prospect of "rebirth" remained – unlike the unattainable promise Ji Dai gave the programmer, many had witnessed individuals genuinely returning.

Hence, the frequency of the [Rebirth Trial] remained relatively stable, allowing the duo to gather sufficient data linking to "Three Thousand Worlds" without expending excessive energy and time.

For all these years, Ji Chaoyang was responsible for "recycling" those who "rebirthed". He would choose an appropriate identity, collecting them and also spending some time in the human realm, treating it as a vacation. When he had enough, he'd take action.

There was never a mistake.

Until that one time.

Ji Chaoyang was utterly bewildered as to how he was exposed. The man who revealed him was clearly just a mortal... or at least, he should have been!

But suddenly, the man emanated a ghostly aura unique to malevolent spirits, coupled with some other mysterious elements.

Ji Chaoyang nearly lost his life. Thankfully, Lang Gu was nearby, enabling his smooth return to the game.

Ji Chaoyang then ordered Lang Gu to kill him, but Lang Gu returned with rather disheartening news.

"It's impossible. He's protected by the aura of merit. I think..." Lang Gu hesitated before adding, "In short, harming him might alert someone even we can't handle to the existence of this game."

Lang Gu was their chosen collaborator, an inconspicuous reaper from the netherworld with moderate powers.

But just the identity of a reaper itself granted them numerous advantages.

When Lang Gu voiced his concerns, Ji Chaoyang couldn’t force him to take a life, and the matter was dropped.

Upon learning that the individual might be the System's representation in the original land, Ji Chaoyang decided they needed to expedite their plan.

He was well aware of the System's capabilities, and since he and Ji Ge were gradually regaining their memories in "Do Not Answer," there was no telling if the System would regain its memories as well.

If it did, even though it now took human form and was no longer a digital entity, that would be even more terrifying.

The duo immediately began tampering with the Book of Life and Death.

Their actions did not go unnoticed by Ji Dai outside.

Ji Dai's initial plan was to let Jie Fangcheng enter the game and destroy it from within.

But such a task required time.

He hadn't expected the current game administrators, seemingly having discovered something, to decisively wield the power of the Book of Life and Death.

If they genuinely tapped into that power, and say, they fully opened [Rebirth Trial], dispatching all current players to "Three Thousand Worlds," what would happen to all those souls?

Moreover, creating "Do Not Answer" using the Ghost Eye had already pushed Ji Dai to his limits.

His deteriorating health meant he couldn't withstand the creation of a second "Do Not Answer."

He was the one who assigned tasks to the five-man squad.

Ji Dai's original plan was to utilize the unique properties of the Ghost Eye, transforming himself into data and embedding it within the Ghost Eye, entering "Three Thousand Worlds" via the five-man squad.

But he could never have anticipated that while he was planning his exit from the original land, someone else was scheming as well.

"Do Not Answer" was crafted through the Ghost Eye. While game administrators couldn't control the Ghost Eye directly, they could access operation logs via the admin panel.

Watching Ji Dai upload his personal data into the Ghost Eye, Ji Chaoyang realized Ji Dai was planning an exit.

And so, the two of them prepared to depart.

How do they leave?

The data from "Do Not Respond" was copied into Zhang Daoan's cognitive realm, creating an instance of the "Three Thousand Worlds" initial system. Through this instance, a connection was made with "Three Thousand Worlds."

As for a human, suddenly receiving a massive influx of data within their cognitive space might kill them... but wouldn't death be preferable?

The two left "Do Not Respond" in the blink of an eye, and during the transmission, they utilized the admin panel to swap their locations with Ji Dai.

The duo followed a team of five back to Zone B, while Ji Dai, devoid of the protection of the Ghost Eye, was sent to Zone F, becoming a suspended node.

In Ji Ge's mind, this was a flawless operation.

Yet he could never grasp what Ji Chaoyang was truly thinking.

At that moment, seeing him use the "Madame's" admin panel to kill the ambushing Devourer, Ji Chaoyang gently caressed the control panel before him.

Even without seeing his expression, Ji Ge understood something from his movements.

"Is it... because of Madame that you treat me so well?"

Ji Chaoyang remained silent, continuing to tap on the screen.

Was he loyal to the "Chairman"?

No, he had always been devoted to "Madame."

Now, with the Chairman and other admins detained by the original system, he finally had the chance to log into Madame's admin account without alarming the five.

Soon, he found the data he sought in the backend.

A pulsating, blood-red piece of data hung in the console, much like a beating heart.

After regaining his memories, Ji Chaoyang often wondered why Madame was so benevolent, yet Ji Ge, formed from her blood, was so tainted?

He couldn't find the answer.

Perhaps it was due to their shared past. They grew up in an orphanage where the headmaster was a wicked man who saw the orphans as mere resources.

Ji Ge was especially affected.

The red birthmark on his face was seen as ugly to most but was strangely attractive to certain fetishists.

Being constantly exposed to such individuals would inevitably leave scars on a child's psyche.

But it's okay. With the complete memory data of Madame, he would revert.

Ji Chaoyang's eyes sparkled.

Ji Ge felt an inexplicable sense of panic.

"Hey! What are you trying to do? Do you remember what you promised me?! You've always been kind to me... Aren't you my brother? Do you remember our time in the orphanage? It was just the two of us, depending on each other. You'd apply medicine for me, and when I got punished, you'd plead for me... Ji Chaoyang... Brother! Look at me! I am Ji Ge! I am not Madame!"

"You are not Madame." Ji Chaoyang heavily repeated.

He seemed to chuckle, pocketing the admin panel in his hand.

"I remember, I promised you, to find you a new body." He said, "Now, let's go see this new body."