The First Act

Chen Ling's gaze swept over the opening lines. As he turned the pages, he saw many familiar scenes and phrases, as if everything he had experienced over the past few days had been compiled into a script and recorded within.

["It's you." Behind the wooden table, a man in a white coat turned slightly. "Here to get medicine for your younger brother again? Didn't he transfer to a hospital in the Second District?"]

[...]

["A-Ling, you're already dead. You shouldn't be here." Chen Tan's eyes were bloodshot as he gripped his axe tightly and spoke in a hoarse voice. "Whatever has taken over your body... I'll set you free."]

Low thunder flashed across the dim sky...]

[...]

["Don't be afraid, brother." Chen Yan spoke softly. "I helped you bury him."]

[...]

["Hello, I'm Enforcer Chen Ling... Are you ready to answer my questions?"]

[...]

[Rather than spend his life as a puppet on strings, Chen Ling would rather choose death.]

[...]

["Monster... Monster!!" An Enforcer roared in terror. "He's not human! He's a monster!!"]

[...]

The final line was a descriptive passage:

[He stood alone in a sea of blood, his dagger slipping gently to the ground. As a cold breeze brushed past, his entire body toppled backward like withered grass.]

At this sight, Chen Ling felt his scalp tingle.

Although he had long realized that he was being watched, only now did he truly feel how eerie it was.

Most crucially, Chen Ling could see only his own scenes. Everything that happened when he was absent had been obscured by thick black lines... Even he, the "protagonist," did not have the right to review the entire script.

"A script written from my personal experiences..." Chen Ling murmured.

As the final line came to an end, the sheets automatically bound themselves into a book within the void and fell into Chen Ling's palm. Several lines on the cover were especially conspicuous.

[The First Act]

[Opening Chapter—"Heartless"]

[Lead Actor: Chen Ling]

[Other Cast: Chen Yan, Han Meng, Chu Muyun, Chen Tan, and others]

At the same time, a wooden bookshelf appeared out of thin air in the corner of the stage.

Chen Ling stared deeply at the script in his hands. After a long while, he walked toward the bookshelf... He placed the script at the far left of the first shelf, with the words "Heartless" on its spine facing outward, visible at a glance.

Just as Chen Ling was about to turn around and proceed with his second designated draw, a familiar voice rang out beside his ear:

[Intermission is over. Please continue your performance.]

The black curtain slowly drew open.

Chen Ling's consciousness left the Theater and drifted into the void...

"You're awake?"

As Chen Ling opened his eyes, Chu Muyun's voice drifted over from the side.

The heating was running in the room. Chu Muyun had long since taken off his wool coat and was dressed in a shirt and vest, sitting quietly in a chair by the window with a medical book in his hands.

Before he could say another word, a short blade flashed to his throat like lightning, and chilling killing intent instantly snuffed out the lamplight!

In the dim room, Chu Muyun's eyelids twitched. Looking at the red-clad figure before him, he slowly said:

"It seems that God Path really has affected your personality... Is your bloodlust really this heavy?"

"You knew A-Yan was fake, yet you pretended nothing was wrong and stayed with him for so many days... What was your purpose?" A vicious glint flickered in Chen Ling's eyes.

"I'm a doctor. I came to the Third District, of course, to treat you."

Chu Muyun closed his book. "If I meant you harm, you would have died countless times already."

Chen Ling stared at Chu Muyun.

"How much... do you know?"

"Unfortunately, I know everything."

"How much is everything?"

"What do you think?" A curve formed at the corner of Chu Muyun's lips as he turned slightly toward Chen Ling. "I'm very curious... How did you remain rational after fusing with a World-Ending Calamity? Or rather... how were the two of you balanced?"

Upon hearing this, Chen Ling's pupils suddenly contracted.

Ever since their first meeting, when Chu Muyun had tried every possible way to stay behind, he must have already noticed something was wrong.

Over the following days, Chu Muyun had been observing him, even taking the initiative to probe indirectly into Chen Yan's characteristics... This refined-looking man in silver-rimmed glasses was the one with the deepest schemes.

But Chen Ling had not expected him to expose his identity as a Fusionist the moment he spoke, even mentioning the Audience rank.

"So... what do you intend to do?" Chen Ling countered. "Split open my head and take a look? Hand me over to the Law Enforcer? Or use this to threaten me into doing something for you?"

"To be honest, I'm quite interested in the first option." Chu Muyun spread his hands helplessly. "Unfortunately, my superior won't allow it... As for the second, that's even more impossible. If I went with you to Enforcers Headquarters, I'd definitely be the first one arrested..."

"Your superior?"

Chen Ling keenly caught the important point. "Aren't you Aurora City's miracle doctor? Who is your superior? The hospital director?"

"Miracle doctor is merely an identity I fabricated in order to infiltrate Aurora City."

"Then what is your true identity?"

"...Have you ever heard of the Dusk Society?"

Chen Ling shook his head.

"The Dusk Society is a secret society established outside humanity's nine... no, now eight major Domains. Every member is assigned a designation based on playing cards, and we secretly infiltrate the major Human Domains to conduct covert operations."

"Doesn't sound like a righteous organization."

"No, we are a righteous organization." Chu Muyun adjusted his glasses and smiled. "It's just that in the eyes of the world, our justice represents absolute evil..."

"Sorry, but I have no interest in joining a cult."

In his previous life, Chen Ling had heard countless brainwashing tactics from cults and pyramid schemes like this. They were nothing more than twisted ideas used to control people's minds. Even in this life, burdened with a Calamity, he had no intention of willingly falling into depravity.

"That's why I said we aren't a cult... Our ideals merely conflict somewhat with this era." Chu Muyun explained patiently. "Besides, our pay is very high—roughly ten times what a Law Enforcer earns."

"Ten times?" Chen Ling gave him a surprised look, then shook his head. "But money doesn't mean much to me... Even if I had it, I'd need to be alive to spend it."

In his previous life, Chen Ling would certainly have been tempted upon hearing about ten times the pay. But things were different now. His greatest goal was to break free from the Audience's control; everything else was insignificant to him.

"We also have quite a few resource channels. If you encounter obstacles while climbing the God Path, you can seek help from other members."

"Do you have many members?"

"Those still alive number around twenty or so."

"..."

"Let's talk about our justice instead..."