Chapter 882: Shattered Legacies
by xennovelHow did the First Researcher end up like this?
Sitting on the train, Lu Xin pondered in silence.
In the tale recounted by the Dark Queen, these individuals once possessed great courage – daring to confront the very first people amid overwhelming despair – only to gradually become the ones ushering in the third descent.
How did events unfold to lead here?
He suddenly felt a tinge of curiosity about what thoughts these two men harbored.
Surely, he would soon have the chance to ask them face to face.
That conversation turned out to be an unexpected boon, though Lu Xin trusted the information revealed by the Dark Queen.
After all, she was a proud woman at heart, yet deeply insecure.
Thus, when she held the upper hand, she grew bolder and her mind sharper, often employing ingenious tactics—such as being the first to establish an Illusory Land in reality, and the first to hatch her own plan to collect data on herself, even attempting to harness this anger-tainted child to recreate a version of herself.
But when her advantage waned, her inner strength collapsed in an instant.
Merely confining her instead of completely erasing her also played a part in that downfall.
Regardless, the First Researcher needed to be dealt with first.
Once a dragon slayer, now an ambitious schemer.
Lu Xin’s former self wanted to eliminate them out of personal vendetta; now, his motives merged public duty with personal grudge.
Does that make a difference?
Oh, it most certainly does.
At least now it could be considered an official mission – one that was reimbursable.
……
……
Wandering and snacking along the way……
How filthy…
Under the drive of an unstoppable will, the Ghost Train gradually accelerated.
Powered by an ever-surging reservoir of mental force, it raced across the land, its arrogance echoing with a filthy clamor.
Earlier, during the scattered operations of the Tyrant Squad, many powerful and bizarre creatures along with armed troops had been obliterated in what seemed like seconds; the shadow of the Tyrant had long since fallen upon these mental beings lurking in the darkness.
Like a land blanketed in black ice and snow, now torn asunder by a meteor crashing from the heavens.
Today, under the Red Moon, most of the world fell under Qinggang’s dominion.
Meanwhile, the North was defended by the Dracula Doomsday Legion and organized groups like Miss Rocket’s crew, safeguarding several High-wall Cities and settlements to form a second stable region. Then there was the so-called ‘Western Dark World’ and the southern realm under the radiation influence of the Technology Church – together forming four major sectors…
The region affected by Qinggang’s radiation was gradually stabilizing, establishing a new order.
And the alliance between Dracula and Miss Rocket held its ground at the border of the Dark World, locked in mutual resistance.
That struggle had begun after the third descent and continued ever since, exacting heavy casualties on both sides.
Before, when Qinggang’s Doll ascended to become the new ultimate, more uncanny beings were shoved into the Dark World and the South, placing immense pressure on their front – a situation serious enough that even the Dracula Doomsday Legion was prepping payroll.
“The Dark World is becoming terrifying. That region can no longer accommodate so many mental monsters, forcing some to seek survival elsewhere. But the only adjoining lands are our northern zone and the eastern outskirts tainted by Qinggang’s radiation. They want nothing more than to steer clear of Qinggang; the barren west is uninhabitable, so they have no choice but to move north…”
“……”
Even the renowned Dracula Doomsday Legion was in a state of nervous alert.
Someone proposed, “Should we call for reinforcements?”
“Call for help? I’ve already given the Tyrant a chance…”
Dracula lamented, his voice heavy with regret, “I even discounted his entry fee by thirty percent – 35 million to join our legion…”
“…Didn’t he get infuriated upon hearing that demand?”
“No. He simply hung up the phone.”
“What now?”
“Let’s wait and see. Once Qinggang’s request for aid comes through and we stabilize our position, we’ll switch from defense to offense. Together with other organizations, we’ll storm the Dark World and destroy Gaoshan Laboratory – the culprit behind the third descent – and become the saviors of this world.”
“And then… we get paid!”
“Hail to Sister Dracula!”
“……”
“Huh?”
The plan was crystal clear and the speech stirring, yet the incoming news caught everyone off guard:
“There’s no need to stabilize our position anymore. We just received word that the Tyrant Squad has already infiltrated the Dark World…”
“Damn, they went straight in?”
Clad in a red cloak, Dracula roared in fury, “Gaoshan Laboratory belonged to a mysterious organization that existed before the Red Moon incident. They were the ones who truly understood mental mutations – even holding the core to the third descent. Even if the combined might of the Research Institute and our Doomsday Legion were to unite, they might not stand a chance against them. And yet, he just marched right in…”
“Foolish Tyrant Squad – are they courting death?”
“What now?”
“Immediately contact all ability users. We’ll assemble our own legion to storm the Dark World and mount a rescue for the Tyrant…”
“Also, make sure the letter to Qinggang clearly states: our services come at a fee!”
“……”
With righteous fervor, the Dracula Doomsday Legion began a rapid series of calls – contacting the Moon Eclipse Research Institute around Miss Rocket’s front, sending word to Qinggang, and arranging a daredevil team to rush into the Dark World to support the Tyrant inside.
But before the letter could be completed, fresh news arrived:
“At the fringes of the Dark World, mental monsters have suddenly shrunk in numbers – a drastic decline…”
“A mass exodus of these bizarre creatures, some even fleeing back into the abyss…”
“……”
“Huh?”
Dracula was momentarily stunned upon hearing the update, “The Tyrant Squad still packs a punch…”
The person beside him anxiously asked, “What now?”
Dracula’s eyes flickered like undulating waves. After a brief pause, he waved his small hand dismissively and declared, “Switch the rescue team to a regular ability user legion. Lower the entry standard – we need to muster an army as quickly as possible, even if it’s just to fill the ranks!”
“Then, we storm into the Dark World for free.”
“This will create a pincer movement against the beleaguered Tyrant Group struggling alone in the Dark World, pressing right up to Gaoshan Laboratory.”
“Finally, we save the world and collect our fees!”
“……”
“……”
Before the legion was fully formed, new news broke out:
“An earthquake has suddenly struck the Gaoshan Illusory Land; the entire region has plummeted into the abyss. Countless mental monsters and high-level psychic beings have vanished from the real world, their whereabouts unknown. Top brass at the Black Spade Office have collectively fled, and the order in the Dark World teeters on the brink of collapse…”
“Damn…”
Dracula was instantly dumbfounded, “Is the Tyrant that formidable?”
The person beside him, fired up, declared, “Our team is nearly assembled – we can storm in soon…”
“Storm? Not a chance…”
Dracula suddenly came to his senses, slapping his thigh forcefully, “Pull in as many people as you can – whoever’s available!”
“Hurry, take a quick lap inside; maybe even scribble a little ‘Been here, done that’ as a token of our presence…”
“……”
A group quickly sprang into action, prepping vehicles and fueling up to charge into the ‘Dark World’.
Yet at that moment, the latest update arrived:
“Order in the Dark World has truly collapsed. The Ghost Train is barreling straight for Gaoshan Laboratory at an inconceivable speed. All mental beings in its path have been eradicated. A mass of drifters is pouring out of the Dark World, signaling the absence of any mental pollution along the route. Moreover, among the fleeing crowds, many defectors from High-wall City can be seen.”
“Some have even come bearing gifts, asking us to plead on their behalf and arrange shelter in the city…”
“They’re all so terrified of the Tyrant that they only wish…”
“……”
Dracula paused in shock at the news, then suddenly roared, “What Tyrant?”
“That’s my dear friend Huanhuan!”
He shook his head animatedly, exclaiming, “I always believed in him from the start…”
“You just don’t understand our bond. Back in Flame City when we first met, I was broke as hell – yet I’d splash counterfeit cash if it meant getting him into the best hotel. How can one even describe that kind of loyalty?”
“After all, we once were chased by security guards together…”
“……”
Old Wang murmured in disbelief, “So now we’re expected to charge in and help him take on Gaoshan Laboratory?”
“Help? Why should we?”
Dracula waved his hand dismissively and said, “Just prepare the press release.”
He continued, “Our Dracula Doomsday Legion fought the true mastermind behind the third descent alongside our good friend in Qinggang codenamed Tyrant from Family Fun, charging into the Dark World with fearless, self-sacrificing spirit and eventually emerged victorious…”
He added, “As for those defectors…”
He sneered, “They are nothing but insignificant ants scattered by the mighty Tyrant’s presence – they have no standing to negotiate…”
He declared, “Seize all their resources and send them to Qinggang for trial!”
Proudly, she announced, “This is the proof of our participation in the Dark World crusade!”
“……”
“……”
Before Lu Xin could react, news of the Tyrant Squad’s incursion into the Western Dark World—and its clash with Gaoshan Laboratory, the trigger for the third descent—spread like wildfire. Everyone knew just how valiantly the Dracula Legion had fought, systematically eradicating the dreadful mental pollution.
Their bravery moved people; their strength inspired awe.
In less than three days, they had torn through the Dark World, wiping out monstrous contaminants unseen by most, and saved the world.
Meanwhile, Lu Xin had just steeled himself as he arrived at the secluded base of Gaoshan Laboratory.
The lab, embedded halfway up the mountainside, was eerily silent.
The Ghost Train, wielding boundless mental power and warping the air as it approached, met no resistance.
Logically, the First Researcher’s technology and research achievements should have been more formidable.
Lu Xin prepared to face the confrontation head on.
Yet, clearly, this wasn’t some trap; only an overwhelming silence reigned, a pallid sense of bleakness filling the dark.
Around the lab, barren farmlands lay exposed, with only stubble from harvested wheat and torn plastic sheets remaining.
At the western foot of the mountain, hollow pits dotted the landscape, lined with tangled cables and the remnants of once massive petri dish halls and precariously leaning power stations. The once grand and orderly lab, noted for its strange beauty, now lay mostly shrouded in darkness with sporadic lamps flickering on.
Lu Xin had come with a resolve to engage in a formidable battle.
Yet what he encountered were only two solitary old men, standing atop the lab’s dome hundreds of meters above the ground.
One wore a neat black clerical robe clutching an envelope, while the other donned a white coat. The latter, with thinning hair meticulously combed, slowly removed his glasses, cleaned them, and then put them back on.
In the distance, they watched as the Ghost Train cut across the bizarre land to come right before the lab.
Unstoppable, as if by fate.
They exchanged a glance and sighed quietly.
Then, glancing at the dizzying height beneath them, a faint, resigned smile appeared on their faces.
“We should surrender.”
The Chief Researcher in the white coat murmured, his face showing a trace of relief.
“Yes.”
The Black-clad Bishop nodded, a cold sneer curling at the corner of his mouth, “But we will never admit fault!”
……
……
Before the Ghost Train reached Gaoshan Laboratory, it witnessed the two men leaping from the dome.
Regardless of the dome’s prior grandeur, as they jumped, their forms appeared monotonous and forlorn – lacking even the graceful flutter of falling leaves – resembling two tattered sacks hurtling down before landing with a soft thud.
It was as though they had timed it precisely, fearing intervention, and managed to land just before the Ghost Train’s radiation reached.
That slight sound upon landing made Lu Xin, who had just stood up, pause in stunned silence.
Suddenly, the entire train fell silent.
Everyone surged forward to the front, staring at the two splatters of deep red on the concrete.
Could it really be that simple?
Even the Tyrant Squad members, who had packed away their card games ten minutes early to prepare for the final confrontation, wore expressions of shocked bewilderment. According to intel from the undercover units, shouldn’t the First Researcher have at least four or five methods at his disposal to trouble or even threaten the Tyrant Squad? Methods like the Genesis Hard Drive or Ultimate Nothingness, perhaps?
Why did these two men do nothing at all and just jump from the dome?
Why has everything around Gaoshan Laboratory become so desolate and lonely?
……
……
“It shouldn’t be this way…”
In stunned disbelief, Lu Xin disembarked from the train and began walking forward.
His mental force started to radiate outward, creating an illusory world that enveloped an area of several hundred meters.
When this illusion engulfed the Black-clad Bishop and the Old Researcher who had leapt from Gaoshan Laboratory’s dome, they shattered into pieces – not leaving a single bone intact – only to suddenly stick together and reform. The mental force, drifting like the wind, reassembled their souls and consciousness.
“Why?”
Lu Xin frowned as he observed their reformed bodies, his expression complex as he inquired.
The question was simple, yet its answer carried so much weight.
Why forego a final confrontation and end one’s life in this manner?
Why had Gaoshan Laboratory suddenly become so desolate?
……
……
“We refuse to admit fault…”
The two reanimated men, under Lu Xin’s illusion, spoke without deceit. Their faces wore rigid smiles as they mechanically declared, “We know you won’t let us off. We also know that even if we engage you with our remaining strength, the outcome is already predetermined. We have no chance – at most, we’d only make things worse.”
In unison, they added, “So there’s no need.”
Listening to them, Lu Xin’s brow furrowed, “You care that the world doesn’t worsen?”
“Perhaps, in your eyes, we are nothing but selfish, foolish conspirators.”
The Old Researcher spoke blankly, “But things were never meant to be this way from the start.”
“We acted for our own sake, but also for civilization.”
“According to our plan, we were meant to implant our consciousness into the first beings, molding a god under our control.”
“Though the world would be engulfed, sparks would remain.”
“We would leave our mark in the primordial sea – an ark bearing the imprint of our era.”
“At the right moment, we would await the primordial slumber and then build a new civilization.”
“We could even harness primordial strength to forge an even mightier, unending civilization – one that truly experiments with understanding all things, that reaches back into the past and future, and realizes eternal equality.”
“This is our heaven – and the next level of our civilization, a Higher-Dimensional Life Civilization.”
“……”
Even in this state of post-mortem reawakening, although their responses were numb, a trace of pride still lingered whenever they spoke of their plans.
“It’s just a pity that our grand plan was foiled by a few madmen.”
They added, their faces marked with a tinge of regret, “One of them, when on the verge of unprecedented success in our experiments and about to become a god, harbored only resentment and hatred…”
“He should have ascended to divinity, but became the greatest monster instead…”
“And another – that’s you…”
“…”
The Old Researcher said, “You were created by us to keep uncontrollable forces at bay.”
“Just like the ultimate, fashioned to emerge when a civilization is devoured…”
“But you, who were meant to resolve uncertainties, have become our greatest uncertainty.”
“You sided with us without even knowing our plan, and yet turned against us.”
“Because of you, our plan failed, and all we can do is admit defeat.”
“But we still will not admit fault…”
“Who’s to say that if events had played out as planned, a greater civilization wouldn’t have emerged?”
“……”
Lu Xin’s lips twitched slightly.
Though he had suspected it, hearing their words finally revealed the true meaning behind ‘rebooting the world.’
These two men had been revived from death by his own illusory power. Through that power, he could unearth their deepest thoughts. Yet, because they had died and been resurrected by his illusion, they remained under his influence – he could bring them back authentically, but even then, their true personalities would be lost.
Thus, he could not see the real expressions they would have had while speaking these words.
“I actually find what you’re saying rather convincing…”
After a moment of silence, Lu Xin earnestly addressed the two who, even in death, refused to accept fault.
“But…”
He paused before lowering his voice, “You, so clever as you are – did you never consider how ordinary people would react?”
“You sacrificed them, yet now you claim they should not resist?”
“Is it that they weren’t stupid enough, or that you weren’t smart enough?”
“……”
The Black-clad Bishop and the Old Researcher remained silent, their expressions blank, offering no answer.
That silence spoke volumes – they simply had no answer for that.
After a moment, Lu Xin let out a humorless chuckle. Here he was, trying to reason with the dead…
Shaking his head, he prepared to retract his illusory power.
But then, suddenly, the Black-clad Bishop’s voice rang out. His face, at that moment, seemed to spring to life as he coldly stated, “If our experiment demands it, we would unhesitatingly step into the petri dish ourselves.”
“……”
“Huh?”
Lu Xin was caught off guard by his words.
They were dead – even if revived, they would only utter words stemming from instinct and deep-seated memory.
Could it be that he had hidden these words before dying, waiting to reveal them to himself in the afterlife?
After a moment of silence, Lu Xin sighed softly and, with a slight nod that resembled a courtesy not just to the schemer but to the once dragon-slaying youth,
prepared to retract his illusory power.
Then, as if on cue, the revived images of the two vanished like a switched-off TV screen, leaving Lu Xin staring at two broken clumps of flesh – and in one of them, a stiff hand tightly clutching a corner of an envelope, as if desperately trying to pass it on.
Lu Xin bent down, took the letter from the hand, and fell silent for a moment.
A wave of dizziness swept over him, leaving him unsure whether to feel expectant or relieved.
At last, it had arrived.
He didn’t need to read its contents; he already knew what it said, and why Gaoshan Laboratory had become this way. He saw a familiar face – he had come to Gaoshan Laboratory not by force, but simply by persuading those who once stood atop the world to hand everything over, and then leaving their realm behind.
In that moment, as he received the letter, Lu Xin even saw a smiling visage as if speaking:
“I’m here to secure an investment.”
“My dear teachers, what I seek in return for your investment are your remaining research achievements and your trump card.”
“And to use your deaths to help me send a message.”
“……”
“……”
“What is this?”
Behind him, Number Two, Number Five, Number Three, Number Eight, Little Nineteen, and the others gathered, watching with concern.
Lu Xin fell silent for a while before handing the letter over to them for inspection.
But when they opened the envelope, they too were momentarily stunned – it contained nothing.
Not even a blank sheet of paper.
“This is an invitation from the Orphanage Director,” Lu Xin explained calmly, though his voice trembled slightly,
“He knew that I wouldn’t need him to write anything to understand his intent. He said he wanted to invite us all to gather at his home…”