The purple light faded, and his consciousness returned.
Chen Fan felt his whole body sink, and the scene before his eyes had utterly changed.
What greeted him was neither the familiar cultivation chamber nor a battlefield, but a dark, oppressive mine filled with swirling dust!
Rough shouts rang out around him, and a whip cracked through the air:
"Newcomer, no slacking! Move faster!"
Then a sharp bellow pierced the din: "Gao Qiming, keep an eye on him!"
Not far away, a middle-aged man with a dust-covered face hurriedly bowed and nodded, smiling ingratiatingly as he agreed.
Taking advantage of this brief confusion, Chen Fan quickly pieced together his situation, but towering waves of shock surged through his heart.
What was going on?!
Was this the simulated world?!
The "Northern Land of Sin" from the ninth simulation? Had he actually become a mine slave here?!
He could hardly believe it.
He had clearly only selected [Option Two], intending to view the Simulated Clone's life experiences,
yet that mysterious purple light had enveloped him and brought him straight here?!
Was this an illusion of memories rendered with absolute realism, or...
Before that thought could finish, deep within his Sea of Consciousness,
the [I Am the Chess Player] talent suddenly resonated, as though responding to some rule of this world:
"This is a game yet to be witnessed. Whether in the [Past], [Present], or [Future], none has witnessed Chen Fan's fall. Therefore, Chen Fan—must live!"
Boom—!
As that profound voice faded, Chen Fan's originally insubstantial body abruptly solidified, as though this world had truly accepted him, allowing him to briefly merge into this sinful mine.
Crack—
A fracture appeared on the phantom image of [I Am the Chess Player].
But that was not the end. Immediately afterward, another ancient, cryptic utterance rang out,