Chapter 813: Clones of Madness and the Abyss

“You all have truly lost your minds…”

The Orphanage Director of Moon Eclipse Research Institute looked at the faces—brutal yet uncannily similar to Lu Xin, or rather Lu Tianming.

Before Lu Xin had looked into that mirror and uncovered his origins, each one of these people was just another Lu Xin.

To onlookers, they were nothing more than perfect clones.

But after Lu Xin had seen his reflection, they suddenly seemed different.

These were not clones of Lu Xin—they were duplicates of Lu Tianming.

The resemblance between Lu Tianming and Lu Xin stemmed from a surface distortion triggered by Mental Pollution.

And once Lu Xin had looked in the mirror, that chain of corrupt logic was severed…

Yet that only made Xue Jia all the more astonished.

It was a replication of the original main body—a demonstration of unrestrained destructive power, a defiance of death itself.

What the Black-Clad Bishop said was indeed true.

This legion was terrifying; whether it was Moon Eclipse Research Institute’s Negative Zero Unit or any other ultimate force, none could match this brutal army—a force capable of delivering annihilative blows to any faction.

And that included the First Researcher.

Do they not even know what fear is?

Every individual among them was out of control and savage.

In the very instant they appeared, Xue Jia realized that the First Researcher had no real grasp over this tyrannical legion; they were merely harnessing the power of the Abyss to confine these ferocious beings, only releasing them when their force was needed.

If a commander must control at least 70% of his army to be deemed competent,

then the First Researcher’s hold over these tyrants was barely 30%…

Feeding the tyrants.

Forging a weapon from their devastating power…

What on earth are they doing?

……

……

In an instant, Xue Jia discerned a hidden logic—a chilling thought in the First Researcher’s mind: every weapon is created for a purpose.

The formation of the Tyrant Legion could only mean that the First Researcher already had a designated enemy in mind.

So, what kind of adversary would drive them to create such monsters?

Of course, it could only be this very world.

So, merely seizing the Genesis Hard Drive and the power of the Abyss Worm wasn’t enough—they had to forge such a terrifying weapon as well?

Was it so they could always wield the power to obliterate any force while advancing their own plans?

This behavior was sheer madness.

And the thought behind it was even crazier.

……

……

“Swish, swish, swish…”

The moment that terrifying thought flashed through Director Xue Jia’s mind, almost the entire Negative Zero Unit was knocked down.

The Cage of Truth, straining under the Abyss Worm’s power, was being gnawed away, piece by piece.

Even the Black-Clad Bishop, after unleashing these savage entities, clutched a playing card so tightly that intermittent dark red glows appeared around him, drawing everything near into the Abyss.

He wasn’t unafraid of these tyrants’ might.

He simply possessed the power to drag any approaching tyrant straight into the Abyss.

“This is too insane…”

At that moment, Xue Jia’s heart pounded wildly.

In an instant, he kicked aside an Undercover Unit that was preparing to charge, attempting to match the low-grade, brutal force head-on.

Loudly, he signaled for them to save themselves.

Clutching a Contract tightly, he dashed forward.

The contract was fading away in his hand, yet amidst its disappearance, strange changes began to swirl around him.

Layer upon layer of psychic energy enveloped his figure, as if he were hidden behind a shroud of mental power.

Moon Eclipse Research Institute’s Special Parasitic Item: Mental Contract.

By forging an agreement with his Mental Power, all psychic energy would temporarily ignore him until the contract vanished.

This method bought him a momentary safeguard.

However, such contracts faded quickly—especially in an environment teeming with mental entities.

Using this method, Director Xue rushed to Dr. An’s side and shielded her amidst the chaos.

“Idiot…”

At the very moment he grabbed her, Dr. An was about to unleash a string of curses, but mid-anger she abruptly shifted her tone:

“What are you doing here?”

“……”

“My student is here, so how could I not come?”

With a hearty laugh, Xue Jia pulled Dr. An down forcefully and dragged her out.

“Quit the sweet talk—I’ve already died more times than I can count…”

Dr. An’s voice trembled with both anger and despair: “At a time like this, what good is your arrival?”

Director Xue let out a low sigh and looked upward, beholding only an air of bleak despair.

Normally, the Negative Zero Unit easily outmaneuvered other anomalies.

Yet now, the entire Negative Zero Unit—which essentially was the entire reserve of Moon Eclipse Research Institute—had been utterly annihilated in an instant.

Elsewhere, the Abyss Worm, the eerie phenomena of the Sleeping Mountains, and the savage Tyrant Legion…

The First Researcher’s power was undeniably overwhelming.

So overwhelming that even Moon Eclipse Research Institute, regarded as godlike by mere mortals, seemed utterly powerless in comparison.

It was like mortals facing gods—utterly helpless.

In that moment of vulnerability, Xue Jia murmured quietly, “Until now, I had no idea the Unique Consciousness was here.”

Dr. An blinked in confusion, unsure why he had suddenly mentioned it.

But then, Director Xue clarified, “I am ready to face these teachers and seniors.”

Dr. An’s eyes widened, as if a realization had suddenly struck her.

Director Xue continued, “And it’s not just me who’s prepared…”

A surge of anticipation erupted from the depths of Dr. An’s heart.

……

……

“Hahahahaha…”

Suddenly, above the chaotic battlefield, an extremely distorted and eerie laugh echoed clearly into everyone’s ears—even managing to distract many of the anarchic anomalies.

Instinctively, even without looking up, every gaze was drawn to its source.

Thanks to the radiating psychic energy, they all beheld a vivid and astonishing scene.

From the direction of the Old Research Institute Site, a group dressed in vibrant, mismatched attire appeared.

It turned out to be a circus troupe.

They rode atop elephants; some were dressed as magicians, others as clowns; some even sported bizarre twin horns, while others were so burly they seemed to weigh down the elephants, struggling for breath…

Even stranger was what trailed behind them.

Suspended mid-air, as if emerging from another layer of space, a gigantic clown advanced with a sinister grin.

From afar, his body looked like a giant confined behind a glass barrier—over a hundred meters tall—with his face smeared in thick oil-paint and a manic grin stretched from ear to ear. He wore a comically tight suit, his unruly hair crowned with a regal crown.

In one hand, he clutched a bunch of red balloons.

In the other, he reached downward, tugging at invisible threads.

The ends of these filaments stretched into reality, pulling a host of bizarre toys along.

There were goats with twin horns, wolves with crooked hats, adorable bears, and pigs with eyes set to the side—each swaying slowly forward.

Innocent children’s songs echoed across the battlefield:

“Mother’s mother is called…”

“……”

Absurd, warped, utterly bizarre.

They ambled forward leisurely, yet that eerie laughter had already unsettled the entire field.

Nearly every anomaly—even the Tyrant Legion—fell under its influence.

In an instant, movements spiraled into chaos; battle lines blurred and frantic attacks erupted.

The already savage and frenzied Tyrant Legion teetered on the edge, as countless black particles burst forth, many detaching from their bodies and whirling like a raging storm.

Coronated Clown.

Chaos.

All it took was a laugh for the entire battlefield to spiral into uncontrollable mayhem.

……

……

“Hmm?”

After witnessing the clown’s appearance, the Black-Clad Bishop—making his way toward Lu Xin through the chaos—and the Red Moon Chief Researcher, puffing on his pipe beside a Jeep, furrowed their brows in apprehension, as if sensing an ominous premonition.

“Why would such lunacy show up here?”

“Shouldn’t it be skulking in the shadows, clutching its stolen crown and laughing in solitude day after day?”

“……”

Undeterred by his confusion, the Black-Clad Bishop immediately made a decision.

For the first time, he stopped in his tracks and turned to glance at the Old Researcher in the white coat.

The Old Researcher understood; he gently set down his pipe, then reached into the Jeep and produced a playing card.

It, too, bore eerie back designs, with the front showing nothing more than a red moon hovering over the city—a simple design that, upon a single glance, appeared unnervingly lifelike, neither filmed nor drawn.

This was a trump card.

After obtaining it, he fell silent for a moment before murmuring to himself:

“Rather than let these kids cling to unrealistic hopes and waste their precious lives opposing us…”

“Better to plunge them directly into despair!”

“……”

“……”

That thought eradicated his last hesitation as he gently slid the trump card between his fingers.

He exhaled softly and pressed the card to his lips.

It was as if he were whispering secrets to it.

The next moment, endless strands of psychic thread surged out from the card.

Or rather, they were drawn back in.

Within that trump card, a peculiar mental force instantly connected with reality, creating a marvelous resonance.

Then, in the next breath, an eerie silence fell over the area.

Even the savage, ruthless Tyrant Legion—all bent on erasing everything—abruptly halted.

Every mental entity sensed an uncanny crisis.

Without any special warning or signs, everything shifted in an instant.

The entire surrounding world—all that could be seen or sensed—lost every trace of color.

For people, the world is tangible.

It has hues, gentle breezes, a palpable touch and scent.

It offers that reassuring feeling that only a genuine reality can bring.

But now, that sensation was rapidly fading.

Like old photographs weathered by time, the whole world began to lose its vibrancy.

Soon, an all-pervasive dark red glow emanated from every crevice of the air.

A wind redolent with rust invaded his nostrils.

Sparse, withered hands emerged from underground, their gnarled fingertips seeming to grab at everything.

Buildings and silhouettes nearby began to flicker, transitioning from solid reality to ghostly shadows.

Mad psychic power completely engulfed everyone.

The Abyss!

In an instant, the entire area was dragged into the Abyss…

Or rather, the Abyss had swallowed reality.

“What… what is this…”

Dr. An was stunned by the sudden change, her heart nearly stopping.

She cried out in near despair.

“Not bad.”

Amidst her terror, Director Xue murmured quietly, “This is the strongest power our teachers wield.”

“And it is the power of the Genesis Hard Drive.”

Hearing Director Xue’s words, Dr. An instantly connected two previously separate events.

A wave of true despair crashed over her.

At that moment, Director Xue remained eerily composed and said, “The Genesis Hard Drive harbors the most formidable power of illusion.”

“The Abyss is born of the Genesis Hard Drive’s imagination.”

“This is the First Researcher’s greatest secret—the entire Abyss stems from their failed experiment…”

“……”

In that moment, Dr. An finally understood the source of the First Researcher’s pride and arrogance.

They weren’t even arrogant; they simply had the means to disregard the entire world.

……

……

……

“Hahahahahaha…”

“Hahaha, haha…”

“Ha?”

“……”

When the entire area sank into a dark red abyss, the Coronated Clown still laughed maniacally.

His laughter echoed throughout the region. But as the abyssal world emerged, his laughter gradually shortened, becoming awkward until it was stripped of any mirth, leaving only a vacant stare.

He could no longer laugh.

Facing the power of the Abyss, he suddenly felt an overwhelming terror as he stood dumbfounded.

He realized his psychic energy had barely begun to disperse before his opponent revealed its trump card.

The First Researcher was clearly not a fair card player.

They didn’t allow any give and take—only trump cards were dealt.

Worse yet, every one of them was a trump card…

……

……

“If you don’t want to be trapped at the bottom of the Abyss with that thing for company, then leave now!”

The Black-Clad Bishop’s voice rang out coldly.

He stood in the midst of the Abyss, surrounded by red light.

Unknown tentacles whipped beneath his black robe, carving terrifying arcs.

At times, they stretched upward like enormous octopuses, nearly touching the Red Moon.

At other moments, they swept down gently, shattering the dark red tapestry around him into fragments.

His gaze was fixed intently on the Coronated Clown as he coldly ordered,

Simultaneously, he picked up the playing card engraved with a sealed eye and commanded, “Bring forth the Unique Consciousness.”

Initially, he would not have issued this command.

He had wanted to reclaim the Unique Consciousness himself.

Even if the Keeper of Fate’s Mind Palace were under his complete control,

he refused to allow the Keeper of Fate to retrieve the Unique Consciousness.

Whether the Keeper of Fate could oppose the tyrants was secondary.

The critical point was that he did not want any ultimate being to come into contact with the Unique Consciousness.

Not even the Keeper of Fate, who he had placed beside the tyrants and who had performed admirably.

Because at that level of existence, even the slightest misstep could derail his plans.

Only then did he decide…

……

……

“Sigh…”

Beside Lu Xin, a soft sigh from his Mom echoed.

Now, he was being watched from all sides by countless blood-red eyes.

Each of those eyes held mysterious power, fixated on him from different angles.

Moreover, one after another, the eyes seemed to split—some sinking into the ground, others soaring into the sky.

Lu Xin stood amidst them, as if undergoing a profound spiritual cleansing.

The black particles in his eyes throbbed in manic tremors, and then suddenly dwindled, as if his vision had been completely emptied.

The information streams he had previously obtained from the Old Research Institute Site swirled rapidly in his mind, being absorbed.

Mental energies, emotions, power—various forces battered his mind.

Lu Xin’s thoughts were nearly overwhelmed, his will and reasoning on the brink of collapse.

Thus, he could barely manage to do anything…

Amid a sea of blood-red eyes, her figure gradually emerged.

With graceful poise, she carried a pair of silver scissors and slowly treaded along a pebble-strewn road toward Lu Xin.

Then, in his vacant gaze, she leaned close to his ear.

In a low whisper, she said, “Sister is alright. She’s with Little Nineteen…”

“But I’m sorry…”

“……”

Lu Xin’s eyes flew open in shock as he saw Mom’s face.