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Chapter 436 A Bizarre Cycle, Missing Memories [4000 words]

Changsheng County, Underground Treasury

The residual energy from the battle still trembled in the air, and rubble fell from the broken dome, hitting the ground with a crisp sound.

Caroline crouched down and gently touched the solidified energy film on the ground.

This is the star energy that overflowed during the battle between Tiandao and Enet. It has now turned into translucent crystals, and you can feel a slight elasticity when you step on them.

On the other side, Jing Liuli looked at the broken scales in the center of the vault with curiosity.

The tray that had been floating had crashed to the ground, and shattered glass fragments were scattered all over the place. Pale green life energy and golden memory spots moved among the fragments like fireflies.

Ultimately, they were all slowly sucked away by the subspace rift that suddenly appeared behind Libra.

The appearance of Ennet's memory clone was just a minor incident for Caroline and Jing Liuli.

Even though this incident caused quite a stir, they did not forget the purpose of their visit.

That is to find a way to break the cycle of longevity.

Although they hadn't been here long, they already had a general understanding of the situation and a rough idea of ​​what would happen next.

"So, Heaven's will, if we fail to leave this place within the allotted time, then we will become part of this 'cycle'?"

Jing Liuli gazed at the mysterious 'Scales' that had mostly collapsed not far away, and the subspace rift behind the scales, and asked curiously.

The camera in the anime followed her gaze.

In the scene, the scales that initially appeared in the center of the vault have been visibly damaged due to the great battle between the Heavenly Dao and Enet's memory clone.

At the same time, a huge subspace rift appeared behind the scales.

What appeared within that crack was a scene resembling ruins.

Jing Liuli's dream ability allowed her to vaguely sense that the energy fluctuations coming from the other side of the crack were completely different from all the areas she had encountered before.

It was an aura carrying the warmth of 'real', no longer a cold replica of a time loop.

Upon hearing Jing Liuli's question, Tiandao, who was resting against a broken steel bar and wiping the wound on his right arm, slowly raised his head.

The azure Star Eclipse Eye swept across the ever-expanding subspace rift, and the outline of the ruins that was faintly visible in the rift became clearer and clearer. You could even see the pale purple rose vines entwined on the broken walls.

"Yes, the essence of a cycle is the repetition of time and space anchor points. Midnight is the 'intersection' that can break the connection between reality and illusion."

Upon hearing this, Jing Liuli's doubts not only did not lessen, but actually increased.

"But Heaven, since the Grand Master and the others came here back then, why didn't they completely destroy this occupied area?"

As a living legend of the Star Envoy Association, Jing Liuli was naturally aware of President Ennet's achievements.

Besides being known as the 'Strongest Star Envoy of Our Time,' he also has another title: 'The Scavenger of the Fallen Zone.'

It means that any occupied area he set foot in was either completely purified or transformed into immigrant cities of the new federation.

Such a well-preserved situation as Changsheng Island is extremely rare and unheard of.

Although Changsheng Island is somewhat eerie, its overall exploration difficulty is not high.

The rotting vine corpses encountered in the forest were troublesome, but they were only elite-level monsters.

Although the mysterious old man who arrived on the island looked frightening, Heaven easily dealt with him.

Even the so-called 'loop' rule here can be broken as long as the key is found.

Overall, while the danger level of the occupied area of ​​Changsheng Island is not low, it is definitely not as high as the 'dead zones' recorded in the association's data.

It's even less likely that Ennett would be 'helpless' about this place.

unless
A similar question also arose in Caroline's mind.

She took out her tactical tablet and was rapidly scrolling through information about the various occupied territories.

"The common types of occupation are divided into 'fixed' and 'mobile' types."

"The fixed type is mostly formed after a special environment gives birth to a catastrophe-level star beast, such as 'Volcanic Hell'."

"The mobile type is the living space created by the calamity-level star beasts using their own power, and its position will change as the star beasts move."

At this point, Caroline looked up at the Heavenly Dao, her eyes filled with confirmation.

"So, the Changsheng Island we are currently on is a 'second rebirth' of a mobile occupied zone?"

"Yes."

Tendou stood up and dusted off his tactical uniform.

“What Ennet destroyed back then was the first island of immortality, which was the living space originally created by that cataclysmic star beast.”

"But due to certain special reasons, the destruction was not complete, which allowed the calamity-level star beast of that Longevity Island to survive by chance."

"After a period of recuperation, a new 'Island of Immortality' was eventually created within the new Federation."

After hearing Tiandao's explanation, not only Jing Liuli, but also the viewers on the 13th station realized what was going on.

Simply put, the occupied zone is like a 'dungeon'.

The formation of these 'dungeons' is almost always related to the final boss within that 'dungeon'.

Ennett did complete the dungeon back then, but he didn't completely kill the final boss in the Longevity Island dungeon.

This led to the eventual resurgence of Changsheng Island.

As for who the final boss is, Heaven already knows the answer.

And that guy is indeed very special in a certain sense.

Because it is a truly immortal being.

Even Ennet couldn't completely kill 'it'.

Through the crack, the Heavenly Dao's Star Eclipse Eye saw a huge, half-withered rose tree deep in the ruins, with a faintly visible, pulsating red core at the center of its trunk.

The life form of that tree has surpassed that of ordinary calamity-level star beasts. It no longer relies on a physical body, but exists in the form of 'rules'.

As long as the rule of 'equivalent exchange' exists, it will never truly die.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Midnight is almost over, and we should get going."

"Once we get through there, we'll reach the real Island of Immortality."

"it is good."

Under the guidance of the Heavenly Dao, the three of them quickly passed through the massive subspace rift.

The moment their figures completely entered the crack, the underground vault behind them began to collapse, and the remains of Libra were completely buried by rubble. On the other side of the crack, a ruined city covered with rose vines slowly unveiled its mysterious veil.

[Early morning of the fourth day, Changsheng County Guesthouse]

Jingle Bell!
The bicycle bell rang precisely at the alley entrance, its crisp sound like a pre-set alarm clock.

Chen Kong leaned against the mottled wooden door of the guesthouse, his gaze deep and thoughtful.

This was the third time. The worker in blue overalls, with an aluminum lunchbox in his basket, rode past the alleyway with the exact same trajectory as the previous two days, even the way his handlebars swayed was exactly the same.

“It seems you’ve noticed too.” Mi Yao walked out from behind the host and came to Chen Kong’s side.

He shook the machine in his hand; the screen of the game console was still lit up, displaying a list of 'abnormal events' he had recorded last night.

The timestamps on the screen show that at 7:12 a.m. on three consecutive days, the same woman in a floral dress would 'accidentally' spill soy milk in front of the breakfast stall across the street, and even the shapes of the milk stains on the ground were exactly the same.

Chen Kong's gaze remained fixed on the worker until his figure disappeared at the end of the street.

Last night, in an attempt to test whether this was a 'cycle,' he deliberately placed a warning sign at the alley entrance, but this morning the sign disappeared without a trace as if it had never existed. The workers' bicycles continued to travel along the same route, as if his intervention was just an illusion.

When Chen Kong first arrived in Changsheng County, he focused his attention mainly on the 'citizens'.

In the vast majority of cases, these 'citizens' are no different from normal people.

But once certain conditions are triggered, these guys will immediately tear off their disguises and turn into terrifying monsters.

For example, when he tried to ask for directions a couple of days ago, the grocery store owner, who had been smiling at him, suddenly rolled his eyes back and his fingers turned into rotten vines that reached out to grab him. If Mi Yao hadn't used his game star energy to create a barrier in time, his arm would have been pierced through.

But after observing them for the past few days, Chen Kong discovered other strange things about these guys.
It's a cycle.

Vivian came to their side, her gaze fixed on the crossroads not far away.

A pedestrian wearing a baseball cap slipped on a banana peel and fell, his posture as stiff as a puppet. The 'thud' he made when he fell was much more muffled than a normal fall.

Looking at that person, Vivian said in a deep voice, "I helped that person up on the first day, but he fell in the same spot on the second and third days, and the words he said and the way he fell were exactly the same as the previous two days."

Hearing Vivian's words, Mi Yao narrowed his eyes slightly and replied, "They're like NPCs, constantly looping certain pre-set actions..."

Mi Yao spoke with great certainty, because just as Chen Kong and Vivian would deliberately trigger specific events, he had done something similar.

It's one thing if something like this happens once or twice, but it's a bit much if it happens three or four times in a row.

It is obvious that the 'people' on Changsheng Island are repeating certain things.

Only when an 'accident' occurs will these 'people' break free from their original 'cycle' and enter a new 'event'.

As for what the so-called 'accident' is, it naturally refers to these 'outsiders'.

However, in addition to the situation of 'monsters disguised as humans' and 'repeatedly looping yesterday's scenes', Chen Kong also discovered other strange things.

For example, he seems to have forgotten something.

Although there are many similar situations, the fact that he can notice something but can't remember it suggests that what he forgot must be very important.

But this is very strange.

How could he possibly forget something that can be called 'important'?
"Vivian, are there any problems with your memories?"

Vivian nodded, her silver-gray mechanical hair ornament flashing a faint red malfunction light, a signal that her memory module was malfunctioning.

"I also have this feeling."

She raised her hand to touch her temple, and the circuitry beneath the AI's skin glowed with a faint blue light.

"My quantum memory bank automatically backed up the island landing record, but there was a ten-minute gap in the middle, and the system prompted 'tampered with by unknown energy'."

Chen Kong and Mi Yao exchanged a glance, both seeing seriousness in each other's eyes.

It's important to know that Vivian is a Mech Envoy, and the memory modules of Mech Envoys are even stronger than titanium alloy.

Even Vivian experienced memory gaps, indicating that the 'rules' of the Longevity Island can affect not only physical Star Envoys but also mechanical beings.

Not to mention that similar situations occurred to all three of them at the same time.

"We can't afford to waste any more time."

Mi Yao put away the game console, his eyes hardening.

"If we wait any longer, we might even forget who we are."

"Split up."

Chen Kong quickly devised a plan and pulled out three simple maps from his backpack—the layout of Changsheng County, which he had hand-drawn with a star energy pen.

"Mi Yao, you go to the residential area on the east side, Vivian, check the commercial street on the south side, and I'll go to the industrial area on the west side."

"Focus on finding a way out, and... unusually concentrated energy points."

Without further ado, the three of them put away their maps and dispersed.

As Chen Kong walked along the gravel road in the industrial zone, his star energy perception quietly unfolded, only to find that the energy here was like a tangled ball of yarn. He could clearly sense the boundary, but he couldn't find the exit no matter what he did.

He tried to walk in the direction he had come from when he landed on the island, but he hadn't gone far when he encountered a thick white fog. He heard the familiar sound of a bicycle bell coming from the fog, and he circled back to the entrance of the guesthouse.

As dusk fell, the three met under the old locust tree in the backyard of the guesthouse, each of them looking exhausted.

“I tried climbing a tree to look around, but the fog was so thick that I couldn’t even see the sun.”

Mi Yao placed the dew-covered game console on the stone table.

"No matter which direction you go, you will eventually return to the main street of the county town, as if you are blocked by an invisible wall."

Vivian brought up the holographic projection of the intelligent machine scanner, with red prohibition symbols marked in two positions.

“I hacked into the county’s public system and found two areas that were ‘access blind spots’: the county hospital’s and the bank’s back-end systems.”

“The hospital was marked as ‘under repair,’ but the scan detected life energy fluctuations inside; the bank’s back-end firewall is military-grade, and my intrusion program was bounced back as soon as it touched it.”

“I asked some veteran workers in the industrial area.”

Chen Kong added that he took out a crumpled candy from his pocket, which a worker had given him.

“They said that crying could be heard from the hospital at night, and that golden light would appear from the back door of the bank in the middle of the night. These are ‘forbidden places’ that you can’t ask about.”

The holographic projection on the stone table flickered, and two red symbols stood out starkly on the map. Chen Kong pointed his finger at the symbols: "Before Tiandao and the others went missing, the last thing they said was that 'there was something unusual at the bank.' Now it seems that these two places are the key to the loop."

"Tonight's operation?"

Mi Yao immediately responded, and the game console screen switched to the night vision mode parameter interface.

"Those 'citizens' may seem apathetic during the day, but there are many of them and they are easy to spot. Once a fight breaks out, it will be difficult to escape."

"Ah."

A torrent of data flashed in Vivian's eyes, clearly indicating that she was calculating something.

"I checked the weather forecast. It's going to be cloudy tonight with no moonlight, which is perfect for diving."

“There was a gap in the construction fence at the hospital, and the diameter of the ventilation duct in the bank’s back office was large enough for us to crawl through.”

Chen Kong looked up at the darkening sky. The shadow of the old locust tree stretched long, overlapping with that of the 'citizens' on the distant street who were beginning to repeat their homeward journey.

He took a deep breath, then his eyes hardened: "Then tonight, Mi Yao will be in charge of using star energy to interfere with the surveillance, Vivian will crack the electronic lock, and I will infiltrate to check for any emergencies."

The three exchanged a glance, and each saw a resolute determination in the other's eyes.

Outside the guesthouse, the pedestrian who had fallen three days earlier slipped on a banana peel and fell again, the dull thud sounding particularly clear in the twilight.

This cycle needs to be broken.

(End of this chapter)