Chapter 120 - 107: Memory Loop

Chapter 120: Chapter 107: Memory Loop

The only real limitation on a player was whether their consciousness could still control their abilities beyond a certain distance.

An ordinary LV3 player—or rather, the vast majority of LV3 players—couldn’t possibly fight by controlling their abilities from ten kilometers away.

But Trudeau, leveraging the unique properties of the Brain Worms, had done just that.

The Brain Worm was a miraculous insect Trudeau had discovered. Multiple Brain Worms could link up to create a consciousness network, enabling long-distance communication.

Trudeau used this very property, with the Brain Worms as stepping stones, to achieve long-distance transmission of his consciousness.

For this battle with Red Heart 7, he had deployed a total of ten Brain Worms, successfully keeping himself far from the mining area.

In Trudeau’s mind, the worst possible outcome of this battle was suffering an unexpected setback and losing a single Brain Worm.

Red Heart 7 was only an LV2. Even if he were an LV3, a venture with manageable risks and colossal rewards was well worth undertaking.

One could say Trudeau was being extremely cautious, leaving no room for carelessness.

Every action he took was the result of deep deliberation and careful calculation.

But he never imagined that the shameless Red Heart 7 had already laid a trap across the battlefield—one aimed specifically at his consciousness.

The moment the Brain Worm was exposed, Trudeau fell into Chen Qi’s trap before he could even comprehend what was happening.

By the time Trudeau came to his senses, he found himself already inside an illusory realm.

Although Red Heart 7 had disguised it to look identical to the real world, Trudeau could still tell the difference at the time.

A great battle ensued, and naturally, Trudeau was defeated and killed.

Trudeau had thought he was doomed to die—that this wisp of his consciousness would be extinguished.

But to his bewilderment, Red Heart 7 didn’t choose to annihilate his consciousness. Instead, he simply reset the illusion.

And so it went, round after round of being killed. Although Trudeau’s consciousness didn’t perish, it grew weaker.

The price was that he became completely lost in the illusion, no longer able to tell what was real.

······

"What exactly do you want?"

"You know full well you can’t kill me."

"I’m warning you, don’t take things too far!"

Trudeau continued trying to reason with Chen Qi. For some reason, a sense of panic was rising in his heart, as if disaster was imminent.

"Weren’t you curious about the method I used to trap your consciousness in this virtual world?"

"Before, it was a life-and-death struggle, so naturally, I couldn’t tell you."

"Now, though... it doesn’t matter."

Chen Qi paid no mind to Trudeau’s words. With a casual wave, time in this world began to rewind, finally stopping at the very moment their battle had begun.

"You, you..."

Trudeau realized in horror that the entire virtual world was under his opponent’s complete control.

’Of course,’ Trudeau thought. ’Since he’s the one who created this virtual world, it’s only natural he can control it.’

’No wonder I could never kill him.’

’But why did this guy bother fighting me round after round? What for?’

’Was it to understand my abilities? But that shouldn’t have required so many battles.’

The more Trudeau thought about it, the more terrified he became. Still, he clung to the belief that this was all just a bluff.

’I’m hiding so far away. There’s no way he can get to me. I’ll be fine.’

······

"See? This is the trap I laid for you during our fight."

"Even before the battle started, I knew you were hiding outside the mining area."

"That meant your only weakness was the consciousness you projected onto the battlefield."

"As it happens, I’ve learned a few techniques for targeting consciousness, so I figured I’d use you for some practice."

Chen Qi pointed, and a subtle change occurred at the center of the battlefield where they had been fighting.

Strange lines and patterns had, unbeknownst to him, already grown and spread across the battlefield.

To help Trudeau see more clearly, Chen Qi highlighted them in white.

Then Trudeau saw a horrifying sight: the strange lines and patterns were growing and spreading infinitely, eventually covering the entire mining area.

This... this was simply too incredible.

How could any ordinary player accomplish this? It was doubtful even an Apostle could do it.

"This is all less profound and incredible than you imagine."

"Once I gained control of the Source Ore, I could naturally manipulate all the metallic substances in the mining area. Making them change shape and form specific patterns was quite easy."

"As for these lines and patterns, they’re nothing more than code symbols. The framework is mostly based on a virtual game’s architecture, though I also referenced some of the design from the Dream Duel Arena in Chaotic City."

"In essence, I’m trying to simulate the Dream Duel Arena, but it’s a bit of an amateur attempt. You probably have no idea what the Dream Duel Arena is, so just think of it as a virtual game. And you’re trapped inside it."

Chen Qi seemed to be telling Trudeau everything, but what he revealed was merely the surface.

It would be a fool’s errand for Trudeau to try and find a flaw in these physical metal patterns.

Because the real game code was always hidden on the level of the Matter Field.

What mattered weren’t the patterns and lines, but the warped Matter Field they created once formed.

Within the ocean of magnetic light, above the seven-colored Immortal Lake, countless strands of light intertwined and collided, giving rise to clusters of Cloud Patterns and Sleep Texts. They gathered like a vibrant bouquet, merging rhythmically, as if a single cyan lotus were blooming upon the Immortal Lake.

The figures of Chen Qi and Trudeau flickered in and out of sight within the Cyan Lotus World.