Ancient Encroachment

Perhaps it was because it was the first time I had slept on a bed with my head on it.

A bed with a certain level of awareness can adapt to the sleeper's state. It's not just about temperature and softness; it can also have a brain-nourishing effect.

Luo Di's brain has merged with his spine to form the "Old Spine".

The bed surface is completely flush with the spine, allowing you to feel the ancestral substances within, creating a sleeping environment reminiscent of an ancient hell.

Luo Di even had a dream in which he was sleeping in a dense, hellish forest, with a group of ancestors who had no facial structure.

And beside him seemed to be a large ancestor, emanating a feminine scent.

After all, in such an ancient forest, all creatures reproduce without restraint. The more they reproduce, the stronger their power becomes.

Perhaps some desires were suppressed before falling asleep, and now they begin to overflow in dreams, driven by the Old Spine to carry out the most basic life activities.

Suddenly,

An unusual tremor came from the ancient forest.

Forced to cease all life activities, Luo Di rose to observe his surroundings, only to discover that the ancestral settlement that had inhabited this place had been Slaughter to Depletion, with everyone's heads severed and hung on tree branches.

An unknown, terrifying presence is emerging from the depths of the dark forest.

Primitive desires vanish instantly in the face of life and death.

Spinal drive, ready for battle.

As the opponent's silhouette appeared, Luo Di suddenly charged forward.

To his surprise, this step forward caused Luo Di to suddenly sit up in bed. The scene before him shifted from the ancient forest back to the Actor Dormitory.

The dark forest in the dream corresponds to the curtain separating the bedroom.

Unfortunately, the curtain was just lifted.

The class monitor was smiling as he looked at Luo Di and Agatha, who was lying next to him, wearing monk's clothes but breathing heavily through a metal tube around her neck.

"Your boss just sent someone to urge us to go over... But there's no need to rush. Luo Di, get it done in ten minutes, I still need to get ready, after all, I'm meeting your boss as your girlfriend."

Just as Luo Di was about to say something, the curtain was pulled back up.

However, looking at the scene before me, there really wasn't much to say.

Helplessly, he punched the surface of his Old Spine, roughly knowing that this was the effect of his ancestral composition. The primal desires originating from his bone marrow were stronger than his own as a human being; they were the primal desires of the True Hell, the powerful instincts that urge life to multiply on a large scale.

After all, in the early stages of a civilization, reproduction is one of the most important things.

Moreover, at Luo Di's age, if he wakes up in the morning after a full night's sleep and happens to have a female who is excellent in every way lying next to him, and he doesn't have any mental impulses, then he can basically be on the must-eat list.

Just as Luo Di was about to say something to Agatha beside him,

The metallic flush on the other person's face had faded... and they were staring at Luo Di with a serious expression.

Did you dream about ancient times last night?

"Yes." Luo Di frowned slightly. "Could it be that you also..."

"Yes, in an ancient jungle, and we stayed in a treehouse."

As she spoke of this, Agatha's body twitched slightly, and the clanging of metal could even be heard.

Luo Di posed the question, "The influence of ancestors?"

"It is very likely that... after experiencing what my Gate Ancestor went through, some of the metal in my body underwent a change in properties and became tainted with ancestral attributes."

"But Luo Di, you seem to have changed even more; the very essence of your spine has changed."

"The Gate Ancestor..."

"Yes, I must say we are really lucky! The [Gate Ancestor] is the most special existence among the ancestors. Among the countless ancestors, he was the first ancestor to complete enlightenment and study the gate."

Compared to other ancestors, they did not have such a strong urge to kill; instead, they showed more love for their neighbors.

The development of the Gate of Demon Ascension is directly related to this ancestor.

The metallic parts inside my body have aged, and I don't know if this will directly affect my future development. I'll have my teacher take a look when I return to the monastery."

"Hmm... it should be a good thing. At least my spine is better than before, and even my brain has been integrated."

Agatha froze upon hearing this, shifting her strong, massive body on the bed to cradle Luo Di's head, carefully sensing the metal between her fingers.

"Trinity! My God!"

I read about the concept of 'two beings' in the Grand Monastery library, which is similar to your previous integration of the spine and metal.

After all, different Hell Object share a certain common origin.

But I've never even seen the Trinity in books, and you're truly and completely integrated, with the brain becoming the top part of the spine.

It's just that the current version isn't complete yet... So this is the real purpose of your journey.

"As long as you can ensure you don't die and continue to grow like this, the seat at the top of the spine, which hasn't changed for hundreds of years, might change."

"I haven't even opened the door yet, so there's no need to think about such things."

"Indeed. By the way, Luo Di, what are your thoughts on this? This experience should have given you some deeper insights, right?"

"I plan to... wait a while before opening."

Agatha tilted her head slightly. "You're in excellent condition right now. You can use your relationship with the Play Director to fill in the gaps in your brain here. Why not strike while the iron is hot and ascend to the next level in one go?"

"No, the materials I need for the door are not in the True Hell. I will come back once I have collected the materials."

Agatha's pupils dilated slightly, as if she understood the meaning of those words. "Then remember to call me at the Grand Monastery."

"Okay... right! Since your metallic properties have undergone an ancient change, could it be that Karlien's nodular crystals have also changed?"

"Yes."

"It seems that what we encountered was not a shipwreck, but more like an opportunity. Haven't the Devil met the Gate Ancestor at sea before?"

Agatha shook her head. "I don't know. The Gate Ancestor rarely appears on the surface of the sea, and rarely attacks ships. Even when it did, the tourists were swallowed whole by the Gate Ancestor's enormous corpse, and all the tourists disappeared without a trace."

After all, no one would be so idle as to actively search for their ancestors on the high seas, and the Gate Ancestor are the most mysterious and the hardest to encounter.

Our encounter may be a coincidence, or it may be related to you, Luo Di, an outsider.

"Um."

Just as the two were getting close and talking,

The bedroom curtains were pulled back open.

The class monitor had already finished her light makeup, her apricot-pink eyeshadow accentuating her dewy eyes as she stared at the two of them. "Ten minutes are up, let's hurry up and go. Anyway, we still have time tonight, there's no need for you to rush now."

The class monitor didn't make any special selections in terms of clothing, but kept the gray bodysuit that had been transformed from the egg the night before, and even kept the conspicuous corner mark on the back.

Luo Di has not yet responded.

Agatha, who was sitting up straight, said, "Yes, class monitor!"

Meanwhile, in the living room, Karlien seemed to have been waiting for a long time, tossing a coin-shaped nodule with one hand. It was a faint gray color, not the green of his true form.

Play Director's office.

Passing through rows of display Brain Exhibit Cabinet,

Walk through a long red carpet corridor set up inside the office,

We arrived at a room that had just been completed last night, and even the nameplate had just been hung up – the [Movie Art Experience Room].

The interior is a huge indoor space, as big as a stadium.

Dozens of employees with hollow eye sockets, resembling pure white zombies, are working efficiently here.

They have already set up a huge neural network photography studio.

Various lighting devices are connected via nerves that descend from the top, and there are even light-emitting devices with an eyeball structure.

As for the boss, David, he was making a neural connection with a movie camera.

The nerves that grow from his Curtain Eye Sockets can connect to the huge camera to adjust various parameters and control the camera to shoot from any angle, eliminating the need for stabilizers, jib arms, sliders, and so on.

As for the post-processing equipment, it has also been assembled and is being debugged by a group of technicians with brains in their eyes.

The four people stepped forward.

Boss David temporarily disconnected from the camera, extended his own arm, and was about to shake hands with Luo Di... but his hands crossed and instead grasped the hand of the Girl next to Luo Di.

"Is this the 'class monitor'?"

I glimpsed your presence in Luo Di's memories. Indeed, you're even better in person than in the memories... a natural actor indeed. Welcome to the team! I've got all the equipment set up and ready for filming, just like in the behind-the-scenes footage."

Boss David's gaze also fell on the paper in Luo Di's hand, and he glanced at it and scanned the entire contents.

"Is the script finished? It's about a the Devil who was abused as a child and grew up deformed, slaughtering Hell Town. It fits the hellish theme perfectly... However, I have a suggestion."

"What?"

"This class monitor should have some ideas for the script, right?" David's eyes seemed to grow a peculiar pupil as he gave Wu Wen a meaningful look. "After all, she seemed to have been preparing for it last night."

"Last night?"

Luo Di's memories of last night consisted only of writing the script and sleeping.

When he glanced at the squad leader, he saw that the other man was forcing a stiff, unnatural smile, and his voice came from deep within his mouth without the smile moving:

"So I was discovered after all? I was being careful enough... It seems there's someone here with a level of perception beyond my wildest imagination."

Indeed, I have special ideas about making this film.