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Modern people...They can’t be wrong!

Only in modern research labs are high-fiber isolation suits like these found, along with that...authentic Federal language!

During my time at work, the Federation had already celebrated its twentieth anniversary.

Official workplaces all required the use of the unified federal language, and the game they designed was targeted only at the East Asia market, with the initial version in the Chinese language.

When I traveled here, ancient Chinese was also in use.

The mission in Federal language...where does it come from?

Zi Yue felt a tremendous unease rising within her because those visions seemed oddly familiar. King of Qin had said that their group’s memories were incomplete, but as for what exactly was missing, King of Qin had also said it was perhaps better not to remember, that it was a good thing.

It was clear that King of Qin was hiding something from them back then, but that passionate young man who would fight for the NPC human race at the drop of a hat didn’t seem like someone who would harm his own people.

But is that really the case?

Perhaps...the King of Qin from back then wasn’t as passionate as he seemed?

Tianji obviously knew something...Why would he keep it from his crew?

Even though he had already decided to change sides, even though he had already joined Chen Qing...why...

Zi Yue shook her head; time was of the essence, and now was not the time to force Tianji to reveal the truth.

Besides, it would be futile to coerce him.

To uncover the truth, she had to wait until she returned from the North.

For now, the priority was to ensure Jiangnan’s survival, to obtain the means to confront the ancient players.

Only then would she have the right to seek out the truth.

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"Is it necessary?"

Meanwhile, far away in Southeast Baiyun City, Jiang Xiaoling looked at a red mark in his hand, uncertain.

At the moment, his parents were still sighing in the great hall; he didn’t bother with them. His mere mortal parents had limited abilities and expecting them to help him escape this crisis was unrealistic.

Now, the only thing he could rely on was this mark...

He recalled the instructions given to him before; before him, there was a group of predecessors who had come here. Their task was to correct this world, hence they were called correction officers. This mark was for communicating with them and informing them of the latest updates.

But before contacting them, he had to clarify one thing: whether that group of correction officers had betrayed the human race or not.

Now, with what could he possibly uncover all of this?

As a newcomer, with complete memory and intelligence, his advantage was initially quite evident. He had the latest analytical data and information about this world that the unruly old players lacked. This was the basis for the correction officers to turn the tables.

But all of this was predicated on the ability to grow.

Before that, he had been optimistic, because according to the intelligence officer, this world was currently in a peaceful phase.

All the old players were still dormant, the ancients had not yet descended, the human race was rising, and the demons were driven out; it was the most stable and safe period in the countless ages of this world.

After his birth, his initial feeling was indeed that of peace. In the first two years, he heard nothing about any demon incidents; it seemed that to ordinary people, demons...existed only in stories, far distant from them.

Those first two years, he almost wondered if he had been sent to the wrong place. Was this really that so-called most dangerous number one world in the system?

This doubt continued until the third year when news of the Jiangnan living corpse incident broke out, with hundreds of millions claimed by the disaster. When he heard this figure, he immediately realized he didn’t have much time left...

So he began to show his mathematical talent, planning to have his cheap dad send him to Jiangnan. He also wanted to see for himself what this rising Jiangnan was like, what sort of person was that Chen Qing who controlled the methods of divine paths from the latest analysis data?

Who exactly was he? Could it be that apart from himself, another person had been sent by the higher-ups?

That shouldn’t be the case...this world had been highly sealed off.

Now, every time the higher-ups sent someone, the cost was immense.

He was considered a person of extraordinary talent, able to retain memories despite various compressed resolutions, and his performance was ranked first in the Federation.

Due to his exceptional performance in all aspects, the higher-ups valued him enough to use substantial resources to help him break through the blockade and come to this world.

As far as he understood the current situation of the Federation, they were almost about to give up on this world.

It was unlikely they would pay a huge price to bring in a second person.

He was originally planning to go undercover in Jiangnan to understand the situation better, but he didn’t expect that there would be no chance for that. He was soon to be taken to be made into liquor.

As for the new patch with all sorts of intelligence and shortcuts to enhance strength, it appeared he might have no opportunity to use it...

Activate the seal, summon those Correctors?

Jiang Xiaoling’s young face twisted with conflict, knowing that once initiated, there would be no turning back.

He had no idea what those Correctors had become.

According to the system operator’s intelligence, that batch of Correctors hadn’t sent out any new information in twenty years.

The higher-ups speculated they had either all rebelled or.

.. all failed and entered the cycle of reincarnation, losing their memories!

If it were the latter, it would be easier to manage; he would first summon them, save himself, and then gradually restore their memories before organizing new missions from above.

But if it were the former... summoning them now would be like serving himself up on a platter!

He’d seen samples during training of what corrupted players became here—how utterly deranged they were, having lost themselves to power and strength, no different from the demons of this world.

Yet, if he didn’t summon them and just let himself be taken to be made into wine, dying and entering the next cycle, would he still be able to retain his current memories?

Once the memories were lost, the intelligence lost, wouldn’t all the resources invested by those above to send him here have been wasted?

Others might not know, but he knew... time was running out for those above!

Nightfall... was approaching fast, and all his family could do was cry and cry...

His father, dispirited and dazed, came up to him, holding him silently in an embrace.

In that moment, Jiang Xiaoling knew that his family had given up on him.

He didn’t blame them. After all, besides himself, there was a whole family to consider: two older sisters and a sister who was not yet four months old.

His father could still have more children; the Jiang family... always had a chance to cling to survival.

It couldn’t possibly be worth sacrificing everyone just for one person, could it?

It was already good enough...

Jiang Xiaoling smiled as he looked up at the sky. Compared to his real parents, who had sold him to the Federation Research Base for a mere few points, these two were infinitely better.

Forget it... let’s just take the gamble.

Looking at the dawn’s faintly luminous sky, Jiang Xiaoling knew he could no longer wait for a miracle. The seal wasn’t a pet Pokéball; activating it didn’t mean someone would immediately pop out to save you. Instead, it exposed one’s coordinates for nearby Correctors to find you.

So it had to be done in advance, not when you’re about to get stabbed—it would be utterly useless by then. You couldn’t possibly be that lucky to have a Corrector nearby, right?

He sighed, closed his eyes, bit his teeth, and, taking advantage of his elders’ lack of attention, secretly slipped out of the mansion and ran to a remote, dark alley to activate the seal.

The reason for running out was simple; he was quite grateful to these foster parents.

They had treated him exceptionally well since he was young, allowing him to live a relatively peaceful five years.

Thus, he didn’t want to risk them. If the Correctors who responded to the signal were already corrupted, they might threaten him with his relatives’ lives for information.

Hopefully, it was just him being overly worried...

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"Hm?"

All of Baiyun City was at peace at this time, for dawn had not yet arrived. Even without any hope for a bleak future, one had to sleep well the night before, didn’t they?

But at that moment, a group of people suddenly turned their eyes southeast toward the sky!

"What is this..." Zi Yue, already prepared to depart, sharply turned her gaze toward the southeast, her heart pounding as she also looked toward Ali. Ali at that moment was also clutching her chest and looking southeastward.

"You felt it too?" The two asked almost simultaneously.