He looked up at the movie screen, which showed a vast, lifeless, white star. The young man sat alone on the Moon, idly playing with his fingernails.
At tis he tilted his head, drawing circles on the Moon’s surface with his hand. Sotis his gaze was empty, staring at the pockmarked Blue Planet, while other tis he sprawled on the ground in a big-letter pose, watching the stars shine and teors streak across the sky with their brilliant tails.
Everything was so beautiful, yet so illusory, it made one want to choke themselves out of confusion.
Finally, as if tired of this, the youth sat up straight. Facing the blue planet, he suddenly slowly raised his hand. Then he clenched his fist. In that mont, countless restraint belts flew out from his sleeves, wrapping around the entire planet.
In the theater, Ji Minghuan was too lazy to watch this scene, instead lowering his head, with his bangs falling over his eyes.
The Prophet quietly said, "After destroying the Earth, a long ti passed, and you began to create the fourth body. The version of you in that tiline chose a fourth body different from the one you chose now...you should rember."
The fourth body? Ji Minghuan lowered his head, suddenly raising an eyebrow.
He recalled the template he had encountered a few days ago while creating the fourth ga body. At that ti, the first character template available was called "Immortal," with the ability of "eternal youth and immortality."
Restricted-level 1001 glanced at him and continued, "As a Restricted-level Superpower User, if not for the influence of the restraining agent, you could decommission a body and consolidate the abilities of each ga body for personal use."
He paused, "And this...is what’s known as the ’Prototype Zero’—making the body of a Restricted-level Superpower User the final ga body, thereby reclaiming the abilities of the first four bodies."
Upon hearing this, a series of terrifying conjectures suddenly exploded in Ji Minghuan’s mind, like a flood that could not be stopped, almost overwhelming his thoughts.
The possibilities he had thought of long ago but desperately avoided, at this mont, beca reality. After a mont of silence, Ji Minghuan spoke, his voice almost hoarse:
"So... on the Moon, the future beca the Prototype Zero and absorbed the traits of the fourth body, ’Immortal.’ And then gained the right to eternal youth and immortality."
"Yes," the Prophet nodded, "and after that, many years passed. The you wandering aimlessly in the universe always maintained the appearance of a 13-year-old. One day, while trying to find Kong Youling, you suddenly thought of a thod."
"Go back to the past."
Ji Minghuan lowered his voice, his lips lightly moving.
The Prophet was silent for a mont.
"Indeed... go back to the past." He slowly said, "But it’s a feat that could almost alter the entire universe. Even for a Restricted-level, accomplishing this requires an imasurable price, and you still cannot decide at which point in the past you return."
"And the price you paid was nearly all your superpowers, Celestial Driver, and Anecdote Fragnts in your body, an entire planet’s worth," the Prophet said, "Finally, to protect yourself, you left two Mythical Level fragnts in your body, they were ’Great Sage Equal to Heaven’ and ’Zeus’... and also retained the ’eternal youth and immortality’ ability..."
Ji Minghuan curled his lips.
The Prophet continued, "Since you can’t determine the mont of return, it ans that even if you traveled back to the birth of the world, it wouldn’t be surprising."
"But I know I am an immortal being," Ji Minghuan said, "No matter which point in the past you travel back to, you can live until the year Kong Youling appears."
The Prophet silently nodded, lowering his eyes.
He said, "Finally, when you opened your eyes, you were already in 1910, and at the sa ti, you lost all your mories, forgetting your own na. That’s when the Salvation Society found you... and gave you a new na."
Ji Minghuan kept his head down, silent, with slight twitching of his face.
"Up to this point, can’t you understand... what that na is?" At this point, the Prophet slowly turned his head, expressionless, looking at his face.
"Restricted-level 1001, that is the na the Salvation Society gave ."
Ji Minghuan’s lips moved, speaking without raising his head, his gaze slightly shifting.
The Prophet was silent for a very long ti, then said, "Yes, that’s the correct answer."
"So, everything you just said wasn’t a prophecy, but sothing that actually happened, and your identity is..." Ji Minghuan paused, "Future , the Restricted-level Superpower User who once destroyed the world."
After speaking, he looked up at the Prophet, or perhaps it was more apt in this occasion to call the other party "Restricted-level 1001."
"Yes, that’s the truth," Restricted-level 1001 said, "In fact, we are already two separate individuals. Everything you’ve experienced has shaped you, and similarly, everything I’ve experienced has ford my current persona, so I believe there’s no need to equate us as one entity."
After this, he slowly stood up from the seat in the auditorium. At that mont, the surrounding scene suddenly changed, what spread before them was once again that bizarre corridor.
The corridor stretched endlessly, and the walls on either side showed scenes as if they were old film strips, though each seed to record the mories of Restricted-level 1001.
"I know you have many questions now," Restricted-level 1001 said leisurely, "I’ll tell you what I’ve been doing over these hundred plus years..."
After speaking, he turned to glance at Ji Minghuan who was still sitting in the original seat, "Not coming along?"
"Why did you send to the Salvation Society," Ji Minghuan said quietly, not even looking at him, "I hope your reason can convince ; otherwise, I’ll remain skeptical of your words, even if you drop dead right in front of , I won’t listen."
"Alright, I’ll try my best."
"Fine, I’ll be all ears."
With that, Ji Minghuan slowly stood up from the red seat and followed Restricted-level 1001 forward.
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