The Golden Path

"Gentlemen, I will lead the way."

This way, please.

The vice president sat in a wheelchair. This wheelchair was strange; it wasn't some kind of high-tech device, but just a very simple, ordinary wheelchair. It had no power source or drive mechanism, yet it could move forward slowly without being pushed.

Before me lay a dark space, with a narrow, golden path, about a meter wide, running across the ground. It was dark and mysterious, and I had no idea where it led.

The vice president had previously made it clear that he would be taking several people to the location of the ' Qin Variants ' Association.

"Gentlemen, we need to turn right ahead."

The vice president's voice was gentle, always so humble and polite. He sat in his wheelchair, extending his right hand in a gesture of 'please'.

But then the golden path ahead suddenly turned a right at a 90-degree angle.

The group continued walking.

Qin Yiguan silently observed the vice president. His face was almost identical to his own, with neat and clean short hair and a gentle smile. He seemed to be a little older than him, around 20 years old.

Qin Yiguan thought to himself.

--The vice president said that none of the Qin Yiguan counterparts in the Metaverse are normal. So why does this vice president look so normal? This is not normal. There must be something abnormal about him.

At this moment, Underworld Qin Yiguan, kept staring at the vice president's empty trouser leg.

--Who the hell cut off my counterpart's legs? If I find out, I'll chop off their entire family.

As the Caregiver Qin Yiguan walked, she quietly looked ahead.

--I just want to be Caregiver quietly.

"Gentlemen."

"Regarding the Ao Council."

The wheelchair moved slowly, the vice president's hands resting on his knees, his voice still calm, "In terms of combat strength, it wouldn't be difficult for us Qin Variants to eliminate it, but there's one problem."

"That's where the main power of the Ao Council is located."

"We searched the Metaverse, to no avail."

"We speculate that it does not exist in the Metaverse."

"Even if they randomly end up in some Metaverse, they will immediately evacuate at the slightest sign of trouble."

"Just like a vigilant fox."

Underworld Qin Yiguan, frowned, somewhat irritated, and said, "So, you haven't found the headquarters of the Ao Council yet."

The vice president bowed slightly. "I'm very ashamed; it is indeed as you said."

Qin Yiguan frowned slightly. "If it's not in the Metaverse, then where would it be? Could it be in the physical world?"

The vice president shook his head slightly, "In the physical world... that's not possible."

Qin Yiguan's doubts deepened. "If it's not in the Metaverse, and not in the physical world, then where else could it be?"

at the same time.

Regarding the question of 'location', Qin Yiguan still had a huge question in his mind: compared to the Ao Council, where exactly was this ' Qin Variants ' located?

It's not far.

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared beside the golden path.

The light and shadow were initially hazy, but then became increasingly realistic.

Qin Yiguan glanced sideways, then his expression froze.

But one of them was 'himself', dressed in a black priest's robe, holding a silver cross in his hands. He stood in a small Church, facing a group of devout listeners.

"This is Father Qin Yiguan."

"He has 220 million followers."

The vice president spoke calmly, leading the group forward along the golden path.

Father Qin Yiguan, on the other hand, was like a passing scene, slowly disappearing from view.

Ahead, a new burst of light and shadow appeared.

Inside, there was a dark, towering mountain, and dozens of meters below it, a heavily fortified prison had been built.

In one of the special cells marked '001', a figure was bound with heavy tarpaulins, his body stretched to its limit and completely unable to move, while being injected with anesthetics 24 hours a day.

Qin Yiguan was somewhat taken aback. "That's me? I mean, that's my counterpart?"

The vice president nodded slowly. "Don't worry, he hasn't been captured, and no one can restrain him. He's using other people's power to limit himself."

A moment later, the second beam of light also retreated and disappeared.

Qin Yiguan gradually understood the essence of these images. "For some reason, we saw ourselves in the Metaverse?"

The vice president nodded slowly, "Yes."

Another cluster of lights appeared ahead, its interior vibrant with colors and beautiful scenery, resembling a Child's amusement park.

A seven or eight-year-old Qin Yiguan ran out from the crowd, holding a four-colored windmill in his hand. He seemed to have broken through the dimensional barrier and ran to the side of several other Qin Yiguan -like figures, excitedly.

"Hello, Qin Yiguan, I'm also Qin Yiguan, hehe."

The little guy touched the exposed abs of Underworld Qin Yiguan with his finger. "Hey there, Qin Yiguan, I'm Qin Yiguan too. I wonder if I'll ever grow abs like yours, haha."

Qin Yiguan stared at the child, "He's so young, yet he can already fully grasp the truth of the Metaverse?"

The vice president said, "The younger the child, the more receptive they are to new things."

The Underworld Qin Yiguan patted the child's head and said, "You need to work hard. When I was your age, I was already capable of killing people."

Qin Yiguan shook his head and sighed, then asked the vice president, "Of all my many counterparts, is it really true that not a single one of them died at the hands of the Ao Council?"

Before the vice president could answer, another ball of light appeared ahead.

It was a desolate cemetery.

A tree, struck by lightning and now withered and dead, lies askew on the gray earth.

A rectangular tomb is clearly visible on the ground, and behind the tomb stands a rough stone tablet—Tomb of Qin Yiguan.

Moreover, this cemetery looks quite old.

Qin Yiguan paused slightly. "There is a dead brother here."

But then they saw Young Qin Yiguan, holding a windmill, skipping and hopping to the tombstone, "Hello, Qin Yiguan, I'm also Qin Yiguan."

It was at this time.

The clods of earth on the grave trembled, and a mud-covered hand suddenly emerged from the ground.

The soil then churned, and a figure dressed in pajamas, dressed in Qin Yiguan, suddenly sat up from the grave, still sleepy-eyed.

The vice president chuckled, "He just likes sleeping in graves."

Qin Yiguan was speechless.

The group continued onward.

Grave Qin Yiguan lay back down in the grave, and used his hands to build up his mound high, pounding it firmly before pulling his hands back into the ground and falling peacefully asleep.

As they walked, Qin Yiguan grew increasingly puzzled. "What exactly is this path? Where exactly is the Qin Variant Association located?"

Please be patient.

The vice president's wheelchair continued to move slowly forward.

"Your position is vice president, so who is the president?"

Qin Yiguan raised a second question.

The vice president turned around, smiled, and said nothing.

"Could he be a version of me carrying a lantern?"

Qin Yiguan's eyes flickered. "From a certain perspective, he is also one of my counterparts. If a certain number of my counterparts die, then all of ' Qin Yiguan ' will disappear, including Lantern Bearer. This is also related to his safety, so he ordered Qin Variants to intervene in this incident?"

The vice president pondered for a moment, "What you say is both right and wrong. The entire Qin Variants has always acted as a unified force; there is no such thing as the will of any one individual."

"Careful!"

The Caregiver Qin Yiguan, who had been silent all along, seemed to possess some kind of keen intuition. Suddenly, he reached out and blocked the chest of the Underworld Qin Yiguan.

But then, a thin thread, finer than a human hair, shimmered in the darkness around the neck of the Underworld Qin Yiguan.

Qin Yiguan squinted as well. The thin line felt extremely sharp; if touched, it would instantly sever the skin and flesh!