C104 — Hero

As soon as Mu Sichen finished speaking, Dan Qi immediately stood up and took a step back, eyeing everyone warily.

Lin Wei was more composed than Dan Qi, but even he couldn’t help but lean back in his chair, his back pressed against the backrest.

Lin Wei tried to calm Dan Qi, “Don’t worry—if Mu Sichen was still under the influence of corruption, he wouldn’t be talking about this.”

Once Dan Qi’s emotions settled, Lin Wei turned to Mu Sichen and asked for confirmation, “Right?”

Mu Sichen gave a slight nod, and only then did the others let out a small sigh of relief. Their eyes all turned to him, waiting for his explanation.

Mu Sichen looked first at He Fei and asked, “Do you remember? When you logged into the game, there were four login options.”

He Fei nodded emphatically. Back then, the system let him choose between Xiangping Town, Dream Butterfly Town, Hope Town, and the Border Realm. Luckily, he had chosen the Border Realm; otherwise, he’d probably have become a part of Dream Butterfly Town or Xiangping Town by now.

Mu Sichen said, “Those correspond exactly to the three types of powers within you.”

“But when we logged in, the system didn’t give us any options,” Cheng Xubo asked. “It just threw us under Big-Eye’s control. Does that mean I was corrupted by Big-Eye?”

Chi Lian added, “I was in contact with Yunyun for so long—if I were corrupted, it should be Origin’s influence. Why would I go to Tongzhi Town?”

Mu Sichen said, “I only said that reaching the corruption threshold a world can bear is the condition for entering another world. I never said it was the condition for getting a game system.”

That statement shocked everyone present.

Mu Sichen turned to Chi Lian. “Did Yang Yunyun seem like a player to you?”

Chi Lian furrowed her brows and eventually shook her head. Still, she continued, puzzled, “But she could return to the real world.”

Mu Sichen replied, “I used to think she was a player too, but I just contacted the game’s customer service. They told me, without a doubt, that there is no player named Yang Yunyun in their system.”

“That’s when I realized something—not everyone who’s corrupted and reaches a world’s threshold and gets sent to another world is given a system.”

“By comparing you, Chi Lian, and He Fei, I’m sure of this: the condition for getting a system is being able to stay mentally stable even after being corrupted. Only those with resistance to corruption can obtain the system.”

“Yang Yunyun was completely corrupted, so after leaving this world, she was sent straight to the source of corruption—Origin Town. You were exposed to her for a long time, Chi Lian, and though you were somewhat corrupted, your mind remained stable. That’s why the system chose you and sent you to Tongzhi Town.”

‘Resistance to corruption’ was the selection criteria.

Mu Sichen deliberately kept Chi Lian’s corruption vague—he made it sound like she was just tainted through her contact with Yang Yunyun, not that they were corrupted at the same time.

“Why is it the difference between me and Chi Lian?” He Fei pointed to himself in confusion. “What’s different about me?”

“There is a difference,” Mu Sichen said. “You have no resistance to corruption at all. The only reason you have a system is because of me.”

Mu Sichen had always felt guilty toward He Fei. He’d long suspected that it was because of him that He Fei ended up in the alternate world.

In reality, the moment He Fei chose his internship company, his fate had already been sealed.

He Fei had gone half-crazy and tried to murder his roommate in the middle of the night for a stuffed octopus toy—just one glance at it was enough to push him over the edge. With that level of resistance, being corrupted by a butterfly pillow and trapped in dreams at the company was practically inevitable.

In fact, it was precisely because He Fei encountered Mu Sichen and was consecutively exposed to the powers of Qin Zu, the Butterfly, and the Self that he earned the qualification to receive the system.

That was why he had so many login options—each one represented a type of pollution he had experienced.

He Fei recalled the beta test message he received, where it said he was “extremely lucky” to be selected as a tester. So that was what it meant.

Thinking of the miserable fates of Director Liu, Sister Su, the bartender, and Yang Yunyun, He Fei suddenly felt like his luck really had been incredible.

Mu Sichen then turned to Chi Lian and Cheng Xubo and said, “You two don’t need to worry. After I obtained the first ‘Pillar,’ I purified the corruption inside it—your corruption was already cleansed.”

The two finally let out a breath of relief.

Only Mu Sichen gave a bitter smile.

They had both forgotten—Chi Lian had not been purified back then.

After Mu Sichen acquired the Self Totem, Chi Lian had found the “Quit Game” button and, in her excitement, tapped it and returned to the real world.

It was only after that when Mu Sichen and Cheng Xubo experimented with the Self Totem’s function and used it to cleanse the corruption within the “Pillar.”

Everything had happened so coincidentally—so coincidentally, it felt orchestrated, as if someone had arranged it all on purpose.

Fortunately, Chi Lian’s hidden danger had been resolved by now.

Mu Sichen continued,

“Jin Xile and the bartender were never thrown into the alternate world because they spent most of their time inside the Bar. They never strayed too far. That place had already fallen—it was an unprotected zone without the world’s barrier, so of course it didn’t reject them.”

“When Jin Xile got into the car with us to go to the hotel, he immediately received the system text, didn’t he?”

“Yes, yes, yes!” Jin Xile nodded furiously. “The bartender and I have always lived in the basement dorm under the bar—right above us is the counter! Huh? That’s weird. I’ve never thought about going outside to buy anything. Even when I needed essentials, I always had coworkers run errands for me.”

“That’s because your subconscious was telling you not to stray too far from the Bar. You were being controlled subconsciously. As for the bartender—he was fully aware of what was happening, so he’d never leave on his own,” Mu Sichen said.

Jin Xile nodded, half-understanding:

“I get it. I’m like Brother He here—it’s because you, my benefactor, saved me that I qualified to go to your town, right?”

Mu Sichen didn’t deny it, but being the reserved type, he couldn’t just nod and accept credit openly. So, he kept quiet.

Then he turned to Lin Wei and said,

“My Self power only boosts defense for ordinary people; it doesn’t count as pollution. So you two don’t need to worry—you’re unlikely to be chosen by the system.”

Lin Wei was relieved, but also a little disappointed. He smiled and said,

“To be honest, I actually wanted to go. I’ve always been someone who works in the shadows to protect the safety of the nation and its people. But now, I can’t directly handle the culprits behind these mass incidents, and instead, all the responsibility falls on you—a student I was supposed to protect. It’s frustrating.”

“It’s better not to go,” Mu Sichen advised.

“If you went, you might not become a guardian. You might instead become a threat due to corruption. Don’t underestimate the power of psychological contamination. And don’t think you can resist it with willpower alone. Sometimes, the more you try to resist, the easier it is to be consumed.”

“Well, I don’t have a chance to go anyway. Let’s drop it.” Lin Wei said. “But we now understand the conditions for entering the alternate world. So what about Director Liu and Ms. Su? Shouldn’t they have qualified too?”

Mu Sichen sighed. “Because of the butterfly’s special nature, I’m not in a position to explain it here.”

The butterfly controlled the “Sea of Consciousness” in the alternate world, which allowed it to enter the collective subconscious at will. After Director Liu and Sister Su were corrupted by it, the butterfly used the Mental Sea to connect to the real world and helped Director Liu construct an incomplete “Pillar” and dream space.

It was precisely this incomplete Pillar that protected them from the world’s self-defense system.

If Mu Sichen hadn’t discovered their situation in time and intervened, the office building rented by their company would have sooner or later become a “Fallen Zone,” just like the Bar.

That matter came to an end, and Lin Wei requested five more Self Stickers from Mu Sichen. He needed them to report the case series to his superiors—but if the higher-ups couldn’t even hear the explanation, how could they be properly briefed?

Once Mu Sichen confirmed that the stickers wouldn’t drag people into the game, he calmly redownloaded five of them. This time, he used 2000 energy points per sticker to make them more effective—he didn’t want the truth to cause the superiors to overthink things and accidentally attract the source of pollution.

These enhanced Self Stickers had a key feature: if their power was ever triggered, Mu Sichen would instantly sense it and could intervene immediately—killing any danger in the cradle.

After Lin Wei left, everyone else returned to their rooms to rest.

Cheng Xubo called Mu Sichen aside privately and asked in a low voice,

“Xiao Mu, before I entered the game, what kind of pollution did I experience? I know it’s been purified already, but… I’ve never even been to that bar. Doesn’t that mean there’s some kind of similar pollution source near me?”

“Yes,” Mu Sichen said firmly. “That’s why we need to start investigating all over again—find the ‘Fallen Zones’ in the real world, starting from the players’ experiences. I’ve already asked Lin Wei to look into our movements right before and after we entered the game. Don’t worry.”

But Cheng Xubo was worried. His face turned even paler, and he said uneasily,

“Are we… also checking what websites we visited?”

Mu Sichen understood immediately, and nodded grimly.

Cheng Xubo instantly looked like the world was ending.

It wasn’t like he had visited anything too bizarre or illegal, but people… they always let their guard down in private. If all your browser history and chat logs were exposed, that would be social death.

Just like the recent internet joke: “If you’re about to die, make sure you delete your chat history first.”

Mu Sichen reassured him,

“Only Lin Wei and I will know. It won’t be shared with anyone else.”

“…Oh.” Cheng Xubo felt a little better at last and dragged himself back to his room.

To help them rest well, Lin Wei had arranged private rooms for everyone. After the others had left, Mu Sichen finally dropped his steady and reliable demeanor, revealing a serious and worried expression.

He messaged the game’s customer service:

[What was the source of my pollution before I entered the game?]

Customer service:

[We advise players not to look too deeply into matters concerning themselves. The more you understand, the harder it becomes to resist corruption.]

Mu Sichen:

[I had the crossaxe purify me multiple times. The corruption on me should be gone, right?]

Customer service:

[Player, try not to dwell on it. Get some rest.]

The reply filled Mu Sichen with unease.

That kind of evasive, noncommittal answer made it clear: his original corruption likely hadn’t been cleansed.

But the crossaxe—now renamed “Shattered Moon, Dream ripper, Bud-Cleaver”—had managed to purify even the subtle traces of corruption that Shen Jiyue had left on him. So why hadn’t it removed his?

Could it be that the source of his contamination was even stronger than Shen Jiyue’s?

However, according to what Mu Sichen knew, in the alternate world, the only being more powerful than “遮蔽阳光” (the Shading Sun) was Qin Zu.

From what the system told him in the Sea of Consciousness, among the three great forces—sky, earth, and sea—only one “MiTian” could exist per force.

To become a Mi Tian, one must devour all power of the same kind.

In other words, if three Mi Tian level gods appeared in the world, there would only be three towns left. These three would inevitably clash to become the one “beyond the Mythic Sky,” ultimately leading to the destruction of the entire world.

But right now, with Qin Zu still alive, there couldn’t be another Mi Tian—because Qin Zu had already devoured many sky and sea powers single-handedly.

Could it really be Him?

Mu Sichen subconsciously touched his right shoulder—there was a small, faint tentacle there.

He knew Qin Zu couldn’t be trusted. Qin Zu clearly had ulterior motives.

But… would those motives go so far?

Could even his affection for the little octopus… be a form of pollution?

Mu Sichen sank into deep doubt.

He soaked in the hotel bathtub, trying to relieve the stress of the past few days while sorting through his thoughts.

No matter how he looked at it, Mu Sichen didn’t think it was Qin Zu.

Because Qin Zhou was the “Ultimate Rationalist,” the “Guardian god of Humanity.” Even if he knew about the existence of Fallen Zones, He wouldn’t actively attack humans in the alternate world or spread His own corruption.

That was Qin Zu’s obsession.

It was something Mu Sichen had learned from the book Embrace. He trusted his own judgment.

But if it wasn’t Qin Zu… then the truth might be even more frightening.

In fact, if his corruption had come from Qin Zu, that might have been easier to deal with.

Mu Sichen recalled the system’s warnings and didn’t dare think further. After his bath, he resumed his usual routine—taking some game orders to make money.

Even though Lin Wei had promised him a salary, insurance, and to cover his tuition, Mu Sichen knew that didn’t guarantee he’d end up working with Lin Wei after graduation. He still had choices.

Until then, he wanted to save as much as possible.

Work couldn’t stop.

And so, after a day of eating, drinking, and casual gaming, night came. But once again, he didn’t dream of Qin Zu or the little octopus.

That was just as he expected.

If Qin Zu had polluted him, He wouldn’t show up to explain.

If it wasn’t Qin Zu, then He also had no reason to appear.

That night, just like before, a hand gently rested on Mu Sichen’s forehead, smoothing out his furrowed brow.

When morning came, Mu Sichen felt inexplicably happy again.

He thought these past few nights of sleep were almost magical—no matter how tired, upset, or emotionally drained he was the night before, once he woke up from a dreamless sleep, it was like something had sucked all the negativity out of him, leaving him refreshed and light.

The group spent two days recuperating at the hotel, then went their separate ways.

Though Lin Wei told Chi Lian and Cheng Xubo they could quit their jobs—he’d arrange better roles for them related to the mission—they both decided to stay until the handover was complete. Especially Cheng Xubo: his current project came with a hefty bonus, and after putting in so much effort and sweat, he wasn’t going to quit until he received it.

They were adults. After resigning, they could find new jobs.

But Mu Sichen and He Fei were different—they were still students. Even with job guarantees in the future, they had to finish school.

So, the two of them returned to campus to continue their lives.

 

However, Lin Wei promised to provide them with an internship report, resolving their internship issues; it was at least a small way to help.

Jin Xile dropped out of middle school and started working. Although he’d been struggling in society for five or six years, he was still only in his early twenties—a rather young person.

When Lin Wei thought about how he himself couldn’t enter the Otherworld while Jin Xile could, he began to place high expectations on him, dragging him away for training and requiring that Jin Xile at least possess basic combat skills.

Back in the dormitory, Mu Sichen welcomed the seventh day at exactly 3:00 PM. Five minutes before the agreed time, he and He Fei simultaneously opened the game pod app, counting the seconds as they waited.

Suddenly, He Fei tapped Mu Sichen on the shoulder, winked, and said, “Think about it—this system is screening for people to save the world, right?”

Mu Sichen looked at him.

He Fei continued, “We’re all people who’ve been polluted by the Otherworld, but only those with resistance to that pollution—and lucky stars like me—get chosen by the system. Doesn’t that mean we’re the chosen heroes? Cool, right?!”

“You really can turn any crisis into a cartoon,” Mu Sichen chuckled, unsure whether he was laughing at He Fei’s childishness or because he was genuinely happy to be a “chosen hero.”

When the time arrived, the two heroes pressed the button and entered the game.

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