Chapter 861: Embracing the Inevitable

Because he had enough resolve, making choices was simple.

Lu Xin made up his mind to face the Primordial without a second thought.

It wasn’t difficult.

It felt as though the answer wasn’t something he devised himself, but something life had already handed him.

Having witnessed so many beautiful things, he naturally grew to love that beauty.

Seeing so many hopeful souls, he fought tooth and nail to grasp hope.

He was nothing more than a mirror, reflecting the world’s visage into his heart.

……

……

“Humm…”

A massive surge of Mental Power seemed to materialize out of thin air, sweeping toward him.

At that moment, the Red Moon above appeared affected—growing larger and drawing ever closer.

The Primordial-induced hallucinations stretched and warped like a distorted, powerless tape.

Countless dark red flesh buds began to sprout from the earth at his feet, like a forest that threatened to engulf him.

Who would have thought?

Just a few days ago, someone claimed this method was the only way to kill Lu Xin.

Yet now, Lu Xin willingly immersed himself in that very environment.

As the surrounding flesh buds multiplied, they writhed and subtly morphed into human shapes, each bearing a striking resemblance to Lu Xin. An overwhelming familiarity swept over him, as if they were assimilating him.

It was that very sensation that had once made him doubt if he was someone else.

It was Lu Tianming.

But now he understood—it was merely a symptom of Primordial pollution.

If the entire world were tainted by the Primordial, perhaps everyone would be Lu Tianming.

A grotesque, distorted smile appeared beside him.

Face after face, bearing his own likeness, stared back at him—some smiling in bizarre amusement, others writhing in agonizing struggle.

Lu Xin stood silently at the center, feeling a tidal surge of emotions welling up inside.

Be it despair, indifference, or an overwhelming, inexplicable melancholy.

Without reason.

Normal people believe that sadness and heartbreak have causes, and that once you resolve them, things will get better.

But they don’t realize it’s all just a blissful illusion.

For some, sorrow strikes abruptly and intensely without warning, haunting them relentlessly.

At that moment, Lu Xin felt all joy and happiness receding from him.

Inside, he was gradually losing every trace of desire.

His body grew extremely weary; he no longer cared for the world—even the most beautiful girl or the hopes and rules he once clung to had lost all meaning.

Not even money…

…For now, money still held a shred of importance. Lu Xin knew one couldn’t do without it.

Few could withstand such an onslaught.

After all, a person is fundamentally supported by desire and emotional feedback.

But as all desire began to vanish, how could he possibly keep going amidst a tide of drab despair?

If every emotional response turned negative, where would he find the will to live?

For most, it would be hope.

Hope that when they woke up the next day, the sky would be clear, the breeze gentle, and something good would happen.

But what if everything he expected confirmed that joy was a thing of the past?

Could he endure that?

……

……

Countless times, Lu Xin began to take deep, deliberate breaths.

It seemed etched in human nature that inhaling more oxygen might somehow lift the spirits.

He silently endured the overwhelming emotional assault.

At that moment, he could hardly describe how intense the Mental Impact was.

Yet he managed to hold on.

After all, he had been living like this since leaving the Orphanage, immersed in these very emotions.

For years, he had reclaimed himself and rediscovered what happiness felt like.

Now, it was merely another bout to overcome.

Perhaps he should be grateful for his past life?

Grateful that it had given him experiences strong enough to endure today’s blows?

With that thought, Lu Xin raised his head with difficulty, as if the weight of the world pressed down on his shoulders.

He forced a smile, however strained it appeared.

In the distance, a worried little doll widened its eyes and stared at Lu Xin through a sea of fine mental ripples.

There he stood, surrounded by an overwhelming, fear-inducing pressure yet still determined to stand tall.

Even when that pressure seemed unbearable, he managed a strained smile.

For some unknown reason, she suddenly pouted, her eyes welling up with a hint of red.

……

……

“Is it starting?”

As Lu Xin began to channel the Primordial Force, and with fierce determination to resist, anyone sensitive to Mental Power—regardless of what they were doing—suddenly experienced a subtle psychic echo.

Some had fallen asleep and then were jolted by a strange dream at that very moment.

Others, busy with their tasks, momentarily lost focus and caught a glimpse of an illusion.

Some who were staring at wall-mounted screens suddenly saw curves writhing like giant pythons.

Some witnessed a vast abyss where dark red tentacles soared upward, nearly touching the stars.

Beneath those terrifyingly colossal tentacles, a young man stood resolute, gritting his teeth as the tendrils closed in.

Others saw another young man in a damp, dim, crumbling palace, laboriously ascending shattered steps toward a distant throne. Every step was hard-fought, yet his gaze never faltered.

Still others saw that young man seize a sword and violently plunge it into his own body.

……

Responding most acutely to these events was an old man who, despite his lack of special abilities, felt it all deeply.

The Old Director—or rather, Wang Jingyun—sat atop a dilapidated building in the center of a ruined town. He silently gazed north, a half-burnt, cheap cigarette clutched between his fingers—the same brand Lu Xin usually smoked.

In stark contrast to his austere demeanor, a clown doll lay by his side.

Its exaggerated, rigid smile and spring-loaded head bobbed gently.

It looked as if it were laughing.

“This is hardly surprising. He was destined to take this path,”

the Old Director murmured softly. “I may not know exactly when or how he’ll do it, but ever since I learned he was tainted by the fury of the Primordial, I knew this day would come.”

“Pollution Sources and Contaminated Individuals are irresistibly drawn together—they’re bound to meet.”

“Thus, strictly speaking, the Seven Trials were never my design. They are the inevitable stages every polluted soul must endure on its journey to reclaim itself. I merely cared too much and laid out these seven stages, hoping he might work a miracle by overcoming them.”

“Heh, I’m not omnipotent enough to control every step he takes,”

the Old Director continued. “At most, I could only predict the predicaments he might face and observe.”

“Those so-called trial papers for the Seven Trials were nothing more than reminders.”

“……”

The Old Director sat on the rooftop, as if laughing and chatting with an unseen companion.

Soon, a spark of excitement lit up his face as his voice grew louder: “Of course I believe in him.”

“No one can truly resist the pollution of the Primordial.”

“But he has been countering the influence of God’s Particles from the very beginning…”

“The Primordial is only half a step above God’s Particles…”

“As the only one capable of resisting the destructive influence of God’s Particles, he stands a chance against the Primordial.”

“Yet, I still don’t understand how he manages it.”

“I’ve conducted countless assessments on him—even opened his skull—and found nothing amiss.”

“Believe the First Researcher; my mentors reached the same conclusion.”

“It wasn’t that they didn’t want to know how he contained God’s Particles; they simply couldn’t find the answer…”

“Only he could manage it— not even his clones can.”

“Or perhaps he represents a tiny statistical anomaly…”

“Because statistically, even if the Primordial’s pollution of the world can never be 100% effective, the data shows someone will always resist—and he just happens to be that rare exception.”

“No way, you really think this is my doing?”

“Is it because I gave him humanity, helping him endure his most volatile period?”

“I don’t know…”

“But if that’s the case, then he’s truly suffered a hard life.”

“That seems only natural.”

“While others, once polluted, gradually lose their normal emotional responses until their very being is destroyed…”

“He, however, under the influence of God’s Particles, painstakingly rebuilt himself—enduring an unimaginable burden. Surely that grants him a resilience far superior to others when facing the Primordial?”

“That is the basis of my faith in him.”

“His fate was sealed from the start—his resistance to the Primordial was inevitable.”

“The only difference is whether he is discovered by the Primordial or boldly meets it head-on.”

“If he had always hidden, eventually the Primordial would have found him, dooming him. But by confronting it directly as he does now, my confidence in him grows. Only those with truly strong hearts can face despair, right?”

“And only those daring enough to confront despair can find hope within it.”

“……”

After a brief silence, he seemed lost in thought over some unsettling question.

After a long while, he finally replied, “I won’t regret it.”

“Because I have my own goals and beliefs—I trust that I can accomplish it…”

“He…”

“I suppose I owe him one!”

“Saying all this now is pointless. Since he has taken that first step, my plan must now be set in motion.”

“I have waited thirty years, and at last, this moment has arrived…”

“Indeed, this is the Trial of the Divine.”

“……”

“……”

“He has begun assimilating the Unique Consciousness.”

At the same time, in a secret Lab to the west of the land, before a massive Underground Palace Power Matrix, those trapped in Petri dishes began to convulse—many bodies twitching and eyes widening to reveal stark whites. All the Staff felt an overwhelming surge of panic, rushing to the Pit, yet none knew how to stop it.

This unprecedented anomaly alerted the Chief Researcher and the Black-Clad Cardinal. After reviewing detailed reports on the Underground Palace Power Matrix and the unusual energy emanating from the Abyss, they were visibly shaken—even the wrinkles on their faces tensed in alarm.

“How could it evolve so fast?”

“It makes no sense. There’s no way he could have the technology to etch his consciousness into the Motherboard…”

“……”

The Black-Clad Cardinal, his knuckles straining with fury as blue veins emerged, gripped the Bars and shouted, “Is there no other way?”

The First Chief Researcher slowly shook his head, “There isn’t.”

“Some matters simply cannot be solved in haste.”

He murmured softly, his tone tinged with desolation: “Just like when we parted ways, he said that all we could do was wait for him to come find us. In a way, that was true. At this moment, if he has truly etched his consciousness into the Motherboard, then he has indeed mastered the Unique Consciousness and is about to become the sole candidate for our plan…”

“Just like Lu Tianming of old.”

“……”

“We cannot allow another uncontrollable variable to emerge!”

The Black-Clad Cardinal slammed his fist against the Bars, nearly drowning in his own rage.

“This is beyond our control now…”

The Chief Researcher sighed lowly, “Who would have thought?”

“After managing preparations for thirty or forty years, being as ready as possible—and even once having near-certain success—it all crumbled after that unexpected failure, and now nearly all hope seems lost in such a short time?”

“Could it be that we were wrong from the very start?”

“……”

“Don’t think like that.”

Seeing the desolation etched on the Old Researcher’s face, the Black-Clad Cardinal gritted his teeth and said,

“There must still be a solution. What options do we have now?”

“……”

Facing his desperate, oppressive gaze, the Old Researcher fell silent for a long moment before murmuring,

“We now have two choices.”

“First, to decide right now to give up—allowing this world a chance to take another path.”

He continued slowly, looking at the Black-Clad Cardinal, “Perhaps we should indeed trust those children; believe that they have found another way, and trust that when faced with this despairing world, they can do better than we ever could…”

“……”

Before he could finish, the Black-Clad Cardinal began shaking his head frantically.

Barely allowing him to complete his thought, he immediately asked, “What’s the other option then?”

The Old Researcher paused for a long moment before replying, “It’s all or nothing—open that door.”

“This world will plunge into chaos once more, but perhaps amid the chaos, we can find an opportunity…”

“……”

“……”

That sentence left the Black-Clad Cardinal momentarily silent.

It turned out that no choice was ever easy.

The blaring alarms, the frantic shouts of the Staff, and the terrified pounding on the glass chambers by those in the Petri dishes coalesced into a chaotic maelstrom. Amidst this pandemonium, the two men stood, silent and face-to-face, as if all the turmoil and danger had become nothing more than a backdrop stretching time itself.

“Then we choose the second option!”

After what seemed like an eternity in the chaos, the Black-Clad Cardinal made his decision.

“We’ve striven for so long—what does surrender mean now?”

“They are far too naive. Do you really believe these naive souls can solve such problems?”

“Then let them witness what true despair is…

“Go—kill the Tortured Mother and unleash the creatures from the Abyss so they may witness the foolishness of this world…”