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"..."

Chen Xuan opened his mouth, but his throat felt unbearably dry, rendering him unable to utter a complete sentence. He felt the fire of anger burning inside but had no idea how to release it.

Should he shout that it’s impossible or curse their relatives like a shrew?

He extended a hand towards the screen, imagining the two on the other side merging into a mass of flesh, but his abilities did not respond to his call.

It seemed he lost not only his physical body but also the Ability Store...and those abilities that originally belonged to him.

In the end, Chen Xuan stood up, grabbed the chair, and fiercely smashed it against the screen.

However, the chair felt like it hit a solid concrete wall, instantly breaking apart. Parts rolled everywhere, while the screen remained intact.

The scene within the picture-in-picture showed no change.

This place no longer existed in the real world.

"So...your way of dealing with heroes is to deceive them into coming to a deserted place and silently kill them?" Chen Xuan spewed fire with every word he said.

"No, child, the completion of the mission isn’t controlled by me." Liang Mingzhe regretfully shook his head, "In fact, whether you go to the fourth floor or not, the outcome won’t change. Compared to suddenly collapsing in front of guests or friends and family, I think a silent farewell might be more dignified."

Indeed, he didn’t want Lin Qing, Xu Xuanling, and others to witness this scene.

But that didn’t mean he had to accept such treatment!

Moreover, they were still in the shop...

"What about the shop!?"

"The first floor won’t change much...the elevator and floors above the second will disappear. If there are people in the guest rooms, they will be sent back to their original world lines, at the guest room’s exit," Zhao Qian replied, "Rest assured, your guests won’t be harmed; to them, you were always a mysterious passerby."

"Bullshit!" Chen Xuan nearly blurted out.

Zhao Qian frowned subtly, seemingly dissatisfied with his choice of words, "Mr. Chen, the emotional connection between shop owners and guests isn’t a priority of the Gate Opening Plan. Without the Ability Store, your fates wouldn’t have overlapped..."

"Alright, stop talking." Liang Mingzhe raised his hand to interrupt, "I know this isn’t an easy fact to accept, but I also believe, as the first LV7 store manager, your psychological adaptability is exceptional. Time will dilute everything; I hope you can live well on the Salvation Ark."

The screen abruptly vanished.

"Hey!" Chen Xuan shouted, "Wait—"

But no sound came from the other side.

Soon, the room transformed, expanding from a cramped space less than five square meters into a spacious, exquisitely decorated living room. Below was a warm wooden floor, with concealed light strips on the ceiling emitting soft light. The room had all the facilities, sofa, tea table, lounge chair, TV...even a gaming console.

The previously cold gray walls were replaced by floor-to-ceiling glass windows, through which he could see a vast garden and swimming pool outside, dispelling the previous sense of confinement. Clearly, this was a private mansion perched atop a hill, and below the hill lay a bustling metropolis, with countless buildings forming an intricate jungle, finally merging with the distant skyline.

Everything was so realistic, as if he’d entered a brand new world.

Yet, Chen Xuan knew that this was merely a virtual scene created by the other side.

"Doot doot doot."

The phone on the tea table suddenly rang.

He picked it up to see a message from Zhao Qian.

"Mr. Chen, this is your new home, hope you like it."

"The road down the hill isn’t restricted by air walls, and the city is as real as possible, though we can only allocate a small portion of computational power to this city, so the AI of residents will be relatively primitive. You can go shopping, have fun, or do anything you want. More information about it can be found on the phone."

"Teacher believes this move can help maintain a positive and full mental state for the suitable persons so that the calculation well can better carry out information analysis. It’s a win-win strategy; we don’t want a pool of stagnant data, and the suited person surely doesn’t want to lose themselves before dawn."

"I assure you, this isolation isn’t eternal. When we find the path to ascension and lead humanity to open the gate, there will be adequate technology to construct a real body for you. You’ll join us as a human hero, celebrated across civilizations. I look forward to that day."

"If you need anything, feel free to contact me."

Chen Xuan unhesitatingly typed, "I want to go back."

No answer.

"Someone’s waiting for me there, I must go back!"

"Don’t you believe I’ll kill you all!?"

"Let me out, now!"

"Say something, damn it!"

The other side remained silent as if cut off, ignoring his replies.

Clearly, this message was just pleasant-sounding talk; the so-called new home was essentially a cyber exile.

Chen Xuan harshly threw the phone to the ground.

It shattered into several pieces, sinking into the wooden floor. Turning around, the tea table had a new identical phone.

They didn’t care about the exiled one causing rampant destruction inside.

After all, this data could be restored in the blink of an eye.

For the first time, Chen Xuan felt a strong sense of powerlessness engulfing him...even when facing a colossal Dimensional Limit Mechanism, he’d never felt this way.

In the real world, he was already dead.

What about those still alive?

Honglian was helping in the shop on the first floor back then; would she see him mysteriously disappear after entering the elevator? How shocked would she be upon discovering the elevator doors and stairs leading to the second floor vanished?

Xu Xuanling and Liuli would probably be sent back to their worlds...in those worlds, there would be no branches leading to Jiang City, no matter how they searched for him, it would be in vain.

The branches in Hot Pepper Village and Wind Song would also disappear, Ji Lian would be trapped in the future Lotus Cloud Sect. Could Lin Qing and Elorie awaken now? They would never return to their world. Little Angel might be fine, but if Lin Qing couldn’t see him, what would she do?

Thinking about these things made Chen Xuan anxious.

How could he be trapped here?!

No matter how he acted, it was just a sequence running in the calculation well. Outside, people were probably ravenously analyzing the information he brought, but he feared nobody cared about his thoughts.

At this moment, Chen Xuan knew why he felt a strong discomfort upon meeting Liang Mingzhe and the researchers...

Because the way they looked at him...didn’t seem like they viewed a normal person.

Their applause wasn’t for any human hero but for the new intelligence flowing on the screen.

His personal identity had been completely stripped away.

Thus, Chen Xuan spent his first day in the "data cage." He didn’t consume anything, didn’t feel hunger, only unavoidable mental exhaustion. The next day, upon opening his eyes, his head felt muddled, as if it had been vigorously stirred with a stick.

No, this state wasn’t a good sign! Chen Xuan suddenly woke up, realizing that excessive anxiety might drive him mad before he devised a countermeasure. As Zhao Qian said on the phone, he needed to maintain a clear and stable will to retain his soul’s integrity amid external turmoil.

"Knock knock."

At this moment, Chen Xuan suddenly heard a knock on the door.