Void Jigsaw Puzzle

Zhong Chenmu felt like a leaf, fluttering down from the cliff.

He did not close his eyes, but stared at the rolling river.

The roar in his ears became louder and louder, and he could even feel the splash of water on his face.

All the indomitable values ​​in the system were reset to zero, and at that moment, he felt as if he had suddenly lost contact with the outside world.

Vision, hearing, touch, all senses disappeared.

If he were an electrical appliance, this would probably be what a power outage would feel like.

However, he could clearly feel that he existed.

Yes, he could feel his own existence, although this sense of existence was not manifested in any way.

But he just knows, he just exists.

An unknown amount of time passed, but Zhong Chenmu didn't feel a trace of fatigue. His consciousness was also extremely pure, without any impurities. He was getting a little anxious—if he still had any intention.

He didn't know why he was so anxious. He always felt that he seemed to have something very important to deal with, but he couldn't remember what it was.

He felt like he was in an endless square, with nothing on it, no top, no bottom, no boundaries. Just as he was lost in thought, a voice came from afar.

"You were actually able to create a crack that penetrated my barrier. I have to say, I'm really impressed. I can sense that you have something to say. Should we talk like we are now, or become embodied?"

This sentence was like a fuse, instantly detonating all of Zhong Chenmu's consciousness and memories.

His name was Zhong Chenmu, a freshman at Future University. He had interned at a library in Wuming City before joining the Prophet Society and rising to become the leader of its advance team. Along the way, he saved Guo Ling, Fan Ting, and old man Liu Zhongju from suicide, and rescued Zhu Tong from a runaway car at a crowded intersection...

All these memories came back to him, and it seemed that it was not limited to that. He felt that the fullness in his mind was more concrete than ever before, and the system in his mind was more integrated with him than ever before.

“I am the system, and the system is me…”

The unyielding value that had just been released and opened the crack leading to Taibai Star at the source of a big river suddenly began to accumulate again.

0, 1, 10, 11, 100, 101...slowly increasing and rising according to the rhythm of binary.

As these numbers jumped, more information came flooding in, impacting Zhong Chenmu's mind.

"I'm not just a system, I'm also a patch... I don't have parents at all. I was created, not born... I'm not a disabled person at all. The illusion of being a 'disabled person' is just to bring me to this point today, to make me realize that I'm not disabled, but I want to be a patch for the disabled people of Nameless City..."

The information flow washed over Zhong Chenmu with an unprecedented sense of abundance, leaving him feeling incredibly refreshed and complete. He was addicted to this feeling, unable to extricate himself.

Until that distant voice came again: "My patience is limited. Should we talk as we are now, or become embodied?"

Zhong Chenmu immediately came to his senses. Wasn't it for this moment that he had personally jumped into the rift he had created and entered Taibai Star?

This distant voice does not belong to Hydrogen Thoughts. That kind of solemnity and pressure can only belong to the leader of the Hydrogen Clan - Hydrogen Memory.

So he immediately replied, "How about we talk in person? I might be more comfortable with that approach."

"It's okay..." Hydrogen Memory replied from a distance.

Then, an old man with an immortal look appeared in front of Zhong Chenmu. His hair and beard were pure white, and he was wearing a flowing white robe. His feet were not wearing shoes, but were floating in the air, just like when the hydrogen thought first appeared in front of him.

"Wow... so magical..." Zhong Chenmu murmured to himself.

He knew clearly that what he saw might not be real, or necessarily the true appearance of Hydrogen Memory, but the image was simply too realistic. He had no doubt that the civilization of Wuming City could be reborn in a physical form—even if it was incomplete—thanks to Hydrogen Memory's ability.

"Why do you want to come to me directly?" asked Qi Yi.

"I... want to thank you. Without you, we, coming from distant Earth, might still exist as invisible radio waves, wandering ghosts in the universe, or even vanish into the background noise. It is you who have given us a chance to be reborn. Your actions move me deeply. Perhaps the law of the jungle isn't the only law of the universe, and your motivation wasn't necessarily to revive our civilization. However, objectively, you've given us this opportunity. While proactively helping others is certainly commendable, being willing to see their success is a quality that deserves even greater praise."

For some reason, Zhong Chenmu's response to Hydrogen Memory's first words was unrelated to the current emergency. But they were truly heartfelt, and he was eager to share them with the entire Hydrogen Clan. During the debate with Pierce about the laws of the universe, he had deliberately opened his inner communication channel so Hydrogen Memory could hear. He wasn't sure if his initial thoughts had reached Hydrogen Memory, but now, he wanted to express them again.

"Just for this matter?" Qi Yi didn't seem moved by Zhong Chenmu's gratitude.

"No, I want you to stop the 'Return to One' game. It has brought you enough fun and has also brought us enough sadness. It is meaningless to continue like this. Since the law of the jungle is not the only law of the universe, I dare to propose that when material resources are extremely abundant and scarcity takes second place, adding an open civilization will naturally be more beneficial to the overall balance of the universe. I would like to call it the 'law of balance'. Why not immediately fulfill your promise and open up an open area belonging to the Wuming City civilization on Taibai Star? In this way, we can bring you more value besides fun." Zhong Chenmu got straight to the point and mentioned two things at the same time. Originally, they were related.

"You are not qualified to negotiate with me." replied Qi Yi.

"I know, so I'm not negotiating with you, I'm discussing with you."

"Even according to the current 'normalization' game rules, your Jigsaw Team may not lose. Although your enemies have developed heavy weapons without your knowledge, the number of weapons is limited. As long as you can mobilize all the ordinary people in Wuming City and use human wave tactics, there is a great possibility of defeating them." Hydrogen Yi avoided the question.

"I hope you understand that my goal, and that of our Jigsaw Team, isn't to achieve the title of the winning team! We're here to restore the civilization of Nameless City to normal, to repair its flaws! Why should we fight to the bitter end? If that's the case, what's the point of us eventually entering the open world you've gifted us? We were meant to repair the flaws, but before we could achieve that goal, we became even more broken, even riddled with holes!"

"That's not our concern." Hydrogen Yi's attitude remained very detached.

Seeing this, Zhong Chenmu could only throw out the last chip he had prepared.

"Are you afraid of the cosmic gangsters, the Silicon Clan?"

"The universe is so vast, who wouldn't hate them?"

"They've already infected quite a few of our teammates in Wuming City. Do you think, if they knew there was a rift between us, they would want to pass through it and come to Taibai Star to take a look?"

"You dare to threaten me? It would be easy for me to kill you."

"Whatever you say, but this crack has already formed, and it's not too far away from them."

"You're being alarmist."

"Hmph... Although no one has ever told me what's so terrifying about these cosmic scoundrels, I can roughly guess from my very limited observations. They're like viruses, able to only attach themselves to a host and then exploit that host's characteristics to infect and spread. Therefore, the stronger the host and the more direct their communication methods, the greater their combat power. This is why, when I discovered that the people of Wuming City were possessed by them, the consequences weren't as dire as I'd imagined. The people of Wuming City are weak and ordinary. Even if possessed by them, they can only become more coordinated in terms of organization and other aspects. They need the host's embodiment to generate combat power, and can't exert it directly... But if they enter Taibai Star and attach themselves to you, your true form is unembodied and highly developed. Guess what will happen? No, something similar has definitely happened in history... Otherwise, there's no reason for you to be so terrified of silicon!"

"..."

Hydrogen Memory was silent, obviously thinking.

Soon, he stated his position: "If I agree to your conditions, what methods do you have to exclude the cosmic hooligans from Taibai Star?"

Zhong Chenmu felt a surge of excitement in his heart, but it was soon replaced by more complicated emotions.

The indomitable value of the system in my mind has grown to ten binary digits, which is the first time in history. Moreover, it is still slowly and continuously increasing, as if there is no upper limit.

"I'm Patch."