Chapter 1611: The Return of the Death Tribulation

Wen Shilin's figure was shrouded in darkness bit by bit, sitting quietly in the audience like a statue. But he wasn't completely assimilated with the other audience members; the outline of this "shadow" still had some edges, and one could vaguely see the clothes he wore and the outline of the camera on his chest.

Wen Shilin hadn't disappeared, nor had he become part of Chao Zai, but had become a shadow... a special shadow.

To be honest, when Chen Ling first thought of this crazy plan, he didn't have much confidence in his heart. After all, this was his first time using [Sentient Play], and no one knew if this skill could really fly onto the stage and replace the original Chao Zai personality.

But now it seemed he had bet correctly.

In this audience filled with malice, a benevolent spectator had appeared.

Whether the Wen Shilin before him was the real Wen Shilin resurrected didn't matter to Chen Ling anymore... Up until now, the malicious audience had always been manipulating his life, and he had experienced too much pain and despair. Now that someone could support him, even if it was just one person, it could be considered salvation for him.

In the past, this would have seemed almost impossible to Chen Ling... but now, it had truly happened. Chen Ling couldn't help but think that although the process was still full of difficulties, and there were even some parts he couldn't replicate himself, what if...

What if he could really solve these problems?

If all the malicious audience members in this theater were turned into benevolent spectators like Wen Shilin, would that mean Chao Zai could become absolutely controllable?

This thought appeared in Chen Ling's mind and wouldn't go away... But he knew now wasn't the time to study this.

Chen Ling took a deep breath, his consciousness detached from the stage and returned to his body.

When he opened his eyes again,

a ruin as vast as a crater came into his view.

The beastly Chao Zai's painful struggle just now had shattered the surrounding earth into fragments. Chen Ling could only walk along the rugged ground while taking out his phone.

【00:00:29】

【00:00:28】

【00:00:27】……

Chen Ling's control over time was still very precise. Although the process of Si Zai throwing the script was a bit late, overall it was still within an acceptable range. There were less than thirty seconds left until this era archive ended.

These 24 hours of the era archive should have been the most thrilling one. If he hadn't temporarily acquired [Sentient Play] and set up this grand plan, he probably would have really died here. But the gains were also huge; not only did he learn Wu Tongyuan's weakness, but he also saved Chu Changqing.

One must know that Chu Changqing was a crucial character. Without Chu Changqing, the Nine Sovereigns couldn't even start the "Slumber Plan."

Without him, humanity couldn't have extended its life for three hundred years.

Chen Ling climbed from the deep pit to the surface, looked at the boundless gray earth around him, let out a long breath, and finally relaxed and sat down on the spot.

【00:00:15】

【00:00:14】

【00:00:13】……

Without the rift, he definitely couldn't go back to Earth. Chen Ling could only wait for the Gray Realm of this world to intersect with Earth. Fortunately, he could still return to the real world, so he wouldn't be trapped here for that long...

As long as no accidents happened in these last dozen seconds.

[Audience Expectation +3]

[Current Expectation: 23%]

Chen Ling: ?????

When these two lines of small text floated across the ground beside him, Chen Ling was stunned, and he scrambled up from the ground!

I saw that under the lead-gray clouds, a pitch-black figure stood in the air, looking down at this place with great interest... The scarlet eyes narrowed slightly, and the hideous mouth grinned to the roots of its ears.

"Hehehehehe—"

The moment this nightmarish laughter rang out, Chen Ling's heart fell into an ice cellar!

Damn it!!

It had been hiding nearby all along?!

Chen Ling had thought that the Chao Zai of this world should have been chased away by the beastly Chao Zai. He never expected that after it used the Ghost-Mocking Abyss to escape, it would actually circle back...

But Chen Ling had used up all his means. Facing a full-form Chao Zai again, what other way could he have?

【00:00:07】

【00:00:06】

【00:00:05】……

"What?"

"Defeated subordinate, still want to come and seek death??"

Although Chen Ling's heart was churning with stormy waves, he was extremely calm on the surface. He even leisurely put his hands behind his back, smiling at the Chao Zai in the distance, a hint of killing intent in his tone.

Five seconds left!

Even if it was just bluffing, if he could deter Chao Zai for a moment, that would be enough.

【00:00:03】

【00:00:02】

Chao Zai let out a hideous grin. Having observed from the side for a long time, it seemed to have seen through Chen Ling's bottom line and didn't waste a single word with him, its figure vanishing instantly!

Chen Ling's heart skipped a beat!

The world-destroying pressure erupted from behind him!

【00:00:01】

Bang—!!

A cloud of scarlet blood mist exploded from Chen Ling's body!!

【00:00:00】

……

Dim starlight flickered silently under the night sky.

Two figures in research coats walked silently on the dim street. The orange streetlights stretched their shadows continuously, appearing confused and lonely under the night.

I don't know how much time passed before Yang Xiao spoke hoarsely:

"Director Chen is gone. What should we do next...?"

"...Let's leave first." Lu Xun sighed lightly. "Don't get involved in the big whirlpool of war. Our enemy is not humanity, but the Gray Realm calamities that will descend in the future.

Although it's not certain how long it will take for them to descend, what we can do now is preserve our strength and improve our abilities... and strive to have the power to contend with it on the day the true cataclysm arrives."

"Leave... but where can we go?"

"I want to go back to Wushan."

Yang Xiao turned to look at Lu Xun, only then remembering that Wushan was Lu Xun's hometown... and there was an underground base there that could shelter a large population.

Hiding in the base would not only allow them to escape the whirlpool of international war and improve their strength with peace of mind, but they could also shelter those refugees along the way. It was indeed a good choice.

"Then I'll go with you."

"It's too wasteful for the two of us to only shelter one base." Lu Xun shook his head. "You are the strongest among us. Only by separating can we protect more people."

Yang Xiao thought for a moment. "Then I'll go to the northern base."

"You're not from the north, right? Why not go home? Dr. Su told me she seems to be planning to go to the base in her hometown too."

Yang Xiao smiled slightly:

"If everyone goes back to their hometowns, what will happen to the people in the far north? There are always people living in the coldest and bitterest places. I heard that their situation is the most difficult right now. I'll go see if there's anything I can help with."

Lu Xun stared blankly at Yang Xiao, a flash of complexity in his eyes. He patted Yang Xiao on the shoulder:

"...Thank you for your hard work."