Chapter 273

When Xie Xubai died in his previous life, the system took the opportunity to extract complete personality data from his soul fragments and used it as a basis to create a brand new soul that possessed almost all of Xie Xubai's characteristics.

Without hesitation, the system used it as a test subject and put it into an inhumane scenario experiment in order to study a way to solve Xie Xubai's problem.

However, the soul maintained the original's tenacity and unyielding spirit, enduring all kinds of torment without making the slightest compromise.

Seeing no hope of subduing it, the system refused to give up and began to resort to all sorts of extreme measures.

Since the personality that has been tempered by the hardships of life is mature, stable, and indestructible, let's start with the vulnerable and helpless childhood!

Since his family and friends are the source of his faith, then erase his memories, let him suffer bullying and helplessness from childhood, and let him feel the malice of the whole world!

...

The system created a Truman Show-like world from which there is no escape, and Theseus is the lab rat thrown into it, to be molded and manipulated at will.

Age, background, social relationships, upbringing, and even genetic lineage.

After countless revisions, the original soul was finally altered beyond recognition.

He lacked Xie Xubai's unwavering will, let alone his love for the world. Cruel and vicious, filled with hatred, he ultimately succumbed to the system's tyranny amidst endless pain and torment, and acquired a new codename—Theseus.

Although Theseus and Xie Xubai were completely different people after his genes were altered, he was still recorded as a "successful case" of being subdued in the system's database.

Just as their eyes met, several streaks of blood-red light flashed across the dimly lit and silent room, moving from top to bottom and from left to right, close to the walls, without warning.

When they realized that Xie Xubai seemed unaware of what was happening here, the streaks of light instantly accelerated, increasing in number hundreds of times, stretching out in a continuous, interwoven pattern, like a blood-red meteor shower, completely surrounding the two of them.

The next second, with a sharp crack, like the sound of a chain being tightened, the streaks of light suddenly stopped, and the towering structure stood like a city wall.

It felt like a sealed layer, giving off a very ominous feeling. The emanating energy fluctuations startled the two of them.

But without giving Xie Xubai and the other two a chance to break through the barrier, the formed barrier retreated rapidly and disappeared into the boundless darkness in the blink of an eye.

It took only two seconds from start to finish.

The room fell silent again, the overhead lights casting a dim glow, and the glass curtain wall reflected the two figures indistinctly. It was quiet and empty, as if the scene just now was just an illusion.

However, the two could clearly feel that the "passage" in and out of this space had been cut off.

Clearly, they are trapped here—inside the shell of the "Messiah".

The system would take advantage of the situation, just as Theseus expected.

Whether it was to disgust Xie Xubai or simply because he was too lazy to deal with it, he still had that face that he had personally torn apart.

When he looked at Xie Xubai, he found that the other party's expression remained unchanged. His facial muscles twitched violently, and his bloodied face became even more ferocious under the influence of resentment, as if he wanted to eat someone alive.

"You're not surprised at all? Yes, you designed all of this, how could you be surprised?"

"You deliberately relaxed your mental defenses in your sea of ​​consciousness, guiding the system to deal with you only through mental attacks. That idiot system sees me as your success story and will inevitably be inclined to use methods that subdue me to deal with you."

“You know very well what kind of method that is, and you even guessed that it was a mental attack, and you also guessed that the system would set up corresponding restrictions within the body of [Messiah] to control me.”

"Are you still feeling lucky, thinking that you were worried about how to get the key to unlock the blockade from me? Now, things have turned out great! That idiot just handed you a ready-made trick!"

To prevent me from escaping midway, they even allowed the system to imprison us here. You are truly righteous and fearless, Xie Xubai! Who can compare to you?!

The moment Xie Xubai breached the system's core database while the system was still running normally, Theseus realized that Xie Xubai was damned to try and use the system against him!

He recalled how he had broken through the system's control before, feigning unconsciousness when he was exhausted. Xie Xubai had the opportunity to take advantage of the situation, but he didn't. He couldn't help but sarcastically call Xie Xubai a "saint."

Now it seems that it wasn't because this person was kind and upright, but simply because Xie Xubai didn't have the confidence to succeed in one strike, which is why he held back!

Just then, Xie Xubai caught a glimpse of a figure in the mirrored wall beside him out of the corner of his eye and reflexively took a step back.

There were no attacks or traps, only a blinding white light bursting from the mirrored wall. It was as if someone had suddenly turned on a 300-watt spotlight in the exhibition hall, the light refracting off the glass and becoming extremely glaring.

This level of light would be difficult for ordinary people to adapt to for a while, but it was not harmful to Xie Xubai, who had a near-divine physique.

He squinted briefly, then his eyes adjusted.

Xie Xubai's pupils narrowed slightly when he finally saw the scene on the other side of the mirror wall.

Xie Xubai used to frequently visit the laboratory, assisting Xie and Pei. Due to the confidentiality agreement of the plan and his own responsibilities, he also had to be present to supervise certain important experiments.

Therefore, he was familiar with the layout of the room.

A single-view mirror, a completely enclosed space inside the mirror, and reinforced protective devices.

—This is an observation room.

Theseus could tear off his own face without batting an eye, and he would rather destroy most of his consciousness than give up the control mark left by the system. Xie Xubai did not believe that Theseus would give in because of physical pain.

Recalling that Theseus became so emotionally agitated when he mentioned the experiment that the system had "corrected," Xie Xubai deduced that this was Theseus's Achilles' heel.

Xie Xubai was a reincarnator, and he knew perfectly well that after so many experiments, Theseus's memories should be in a very chaotic state.

Insignificant memories will be washed away and filtered out, but what can be clearly revealed immediately must be a very deep pain.

At first, the system copied your data exactly, hoping you would fight yourself. But it didn't work! You were too headstrong, preferring self-destruction to becoming the system's pawn, so the system could only make minor changes to the original data...

[It's really just a small thing! It's just locking you in a virtual reality room, immobilizing you, and making you witness your former friends and family being tortured. You wish those red-hot irons, steel needles, and buzzing hacksaws could all be used on you. Several times you almost broke down, but for some reason you persevered—why did you persevere? Huh?!]

Therefore, Xie Xubai had prepared himself mentally in advance.

But when he saw what was inside, his heart still couldn't help but clench.

The observation room was splattered with blood everywhere.

On the ground were spiked clubs and bloodstained stones. The steel instruments of torture reflected a chilling light, and the spikes and blades were covered with scraped bits of flesh, still dripping blood.

The victim's back looked familiar; it was someone he knew.

Just as he was about to recognize who the person was, Xie Xubai's eyelids twitched, and he subconsciously avoided looking at them.

Theseus, whose expression had been gloomy, suddenly became cheerful and shouted excitedly, "You're scared! You can't bear to look! Xie Xubai, Xie Xubai, so even you can't stand it!"

Like a frustrated rat, huddled in a dark ditch, envying all those who live brilliantly and outstandingly under the sun.

Until they discover that those seemingly great figures are not as happy and perfect as they imagined; they also suffer, are vulnerable, and are easily defeated.

The mice were absolutely ecstatic.

Theseus immediately got up from the ground, stretched his neck and rushed towards Xie Xubai.

Xie Xubai was startled and quickly retreated. The man followed closely, staring intently, almost greedily, at every detail of Xie Xubai's expression, not wanting to miss a single thing. He was so excited that his breathing became heavy: "Look! Why aren't you looking? Aren't you looking for the key? Aren't you afraid of missing some details or clues? They're suffering terribly over there, how can you run away! How can you face them?"

"Look, Xie Xubai! Look!"

It's unclear what words touched Xie Xubai, but he suddenly stopped and threw out a golden light rope with lightning speed.

Theseus was caught off guard and bound to the spot, suddenly frozen in place.

Looking up again, he saw Xie Xubai standing in the same spot, his eyes not lingering on him, but looking back towards the observation room.

Theseus clamored for Xie Xubai to go see it, mainly to provoke him.

Even without looking, one can tell what the situation is like inside the observation room.

Because the noise can't be stopped.

The dull thuds of clubs pounding flesh, the sounds of bones breaking, accompanied by the piercing screams of relatives and friends, came crashing down on Xie Xubai like a deadly storm.

Witnessing your loved one struggle in agony, face death, and breathe their last in despair—this process is so long it's suffocating, and it has no end; the person inside will be resurrected.

Xie Xubai saw [Xie Yuchun].

Before experiencing the experiment Theseus described firsthand, he thought the system had created an illusion that was realistic enough to fool people.

But after seeing it, I realized it was different.

Since the system can extract his soul data, it can naturally extract other players' data as well.

Even if the copied soul is not the original, it still possesses the same characteristics as the original.

Xie Xubai continued to look at Xie Yuchun in the observation room.

His hair was neatly tied up, his pristine white lab coat was stained with mud and blood, he wore a name tag on his chest with a black pen hanging from it, and fine lines were deeply etched around his eyes...

Through these details, Xie Xubai could even roughly estimate that what was being copied was the earlier version of Xie Yuchun.

At that time, several factions were vying for power, traitors were frequently emerging, and infighting was constant, causing great turmoil. Even Xie Yuchun, whose physique had been strengthened, was exhausted and developed dark circles under his eyes and gray hair.

Anxiety is like a scar, etched on the faces of those at the top.

It wasn't until later, when life and death were at stake, that the leaders put aside their differences, reached an agreement, and used forceful means to suppress those restless voices, and the situation gradually improved.

Can the details he saw be simply called illusions?

Just then, the ceiling above Xie Yuchun's head suddenly opened, and a buzzing sound came from inside. Huge gears were exposed, sizzling sparks as they scraped against the steel plate.

That was a high-speed chainsaw, and directly below it was Xie Yuchun, lying face up and unable to move.

Xie Xubai realized something and quickly looked towards Xie Yuchun, trying to find a way to save her.

To his surprise, Xie Yuchun was also looking at him. Xie Xubai lowered his head and their eyes met.

The mirror is one-way, so as not to encourage relatives and friends to cheer for Xie Xubai.

But Xie Yuchun seemed to be able to see him.

The chainsaw continued to move downwards, making a great noise that filled the room like a buzzing machine, and the entire ceiling was shaking.

It moves slowly, as if to allow the condemned to slowly experience the fear of impending death.

The woman suddenly opened her mouth and said, "Xie Xubai, turn around and use your mental power to block your sight and hearing."

In that instant, Xie Xubai seemed to hear a heart-wrenching roar resounding from his chest, bursting out of his mouth, his mouth filled with the taste of blood.

He could almost feel himself bound to the frame, struggling desperately, kicking the ground, the chains rattling and tearing his skin.

In a split second, seemingly due to a system glitch, the chains loosened, and he broke free! The hacksaw was still some distance from Xie Yuchun!

Ignoring the chains that tripped him, he lunged forward, pounding his fists against the most vulnerable corner of the mirror wall.

One! Two! Three! ...

Until both hands were torn and bleeding, with a loud bang, the mirror finally shattered!

He had no time to be happy, and continued to smash the broken glass. The shards of glass pierced his flesh, causing his fingers to spasm in pain, but he dared not stop.

With each hard blow, the crack grew larger and larger... larger and larger!

But why, why won't it break?!

The most painful thing is to give someone hope and then shatter it.

By the time he realized this was a torturous trap set by the system, he had already smashed most of the glass wall open, leaving it riddled with cracks like a spiderweb. He pounded on the glass wall with both hands, blood dripping onto his tear-streaked face.

The shattered glass blurred his vision, but thanks to the system's arrangement, he was still able to "see" the details inside clearly.

They were separated only by a mirrored wall, a distance of only three meters.

He could see that Xie Yuchun had closed her eyes and remained silent so as not to upset him, and even her breathing was steady.

As the hacksaw buzzed closer, its sound deafening, Xie Yuchun finally seemed unable to ignore it, her fingers gripping the floor tightly for a moment.

He saw it.

Then, with a whoosh, the hacksaw fell.

"Xie Xubai—"

Xie Xubai suddenly came to his senses, drenched in sweat, his clothes completely soaked without him even realizing it.

There was only a lifeless corpse left in the observation room. He suddenly lifted his leg to check the situation, but Theseus grabbed his wrist forcefully.

"You saw it, didn't you? Huh? You saw it, didn't you! Isn't it painful? Isn't it agonizing?"

A sharp pain shot through his arm as Theseus's fingernails dug into his flesh.

The light rope Xie Xubai used to bind Theseus was still there, leaving bloody marks on the latter's body.

Theseus seemed oblivious, his pupils widening, the whites of his eyes bloodshot.

As if he couldn't wait to see Xie Xubai suffer unbearable pain, his eyes were even more terrifying than before, and he grinned broadly.

Xie Xubai paused.

As Theseus had wished, he painfully exhaled and swallowed the acid that churned in his stomach and rose to his throat.

Then close your eyes and adjust your breathing.

Theseus's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and his grin widened, but then he suddenly noticed that Xie Xubai's breathing had gradually calmed down.

When Xie Xubai opened his eyes again, he had regained his calm and indifferent demeanor.

He looked at the corpse opposite him, his face showing sorrow and anger, but not despair or collapse.

Theseus froze.

Why?

He couldn't understand it.

In his memory, even if Xie Xubai finally withstood the pressure, it was only after several rounds of near-madness.

Could it be that Xie Xubai can withstand it now...? Impossible, impossible!

Theseus's hideous facial muscles twitched violently, as if affected, and the scene in the observation room changed rapidly.

Countless chilling noises came from the distance, and countless familiar voices screamed in agony.

Xie Xubai still did not react much.

Theseus suspected that he had blocked his sight and hearing, but he could not sense the corresponding mental fluctuations.

As time passed, Theseus could no longer contain himself. His expression shifted from anticipation to bewilderment, then to disbelief, and finally to hysteria.

"Don't you recognize them? They're not fake!"

"Why aren't you reacting? Can't you feel their pain and fear? Is your love for them fake?"

"If it weren't for you, they wouldn't have had to suffer like this. You are the root of all evil!"

"Xie Xubai!!"

Xie Xubai finally shifted his gaze from the mirror wall to the roaring Theseus.

Unlike the hunched Theseus, he stood straight, but not because he was emotionless. Rather, it was the years of trials and tribulations that had made him stand tall even in the most desperate situations.

The light was dim on one side, while the execution chamber on the other side was brightly lit.

Light streamed through the glass, illuminating Xie Xubai's gaunt face, which appeared so pale that no color could be seen.

A pool of blood splattered on the glass, corresponding to the corner of Xie Xubai's eye. His eyelashes drooped, blurry, as if the blood hadn't completely drained from the wound and had fallen from his eye.

For a moment, Theseus was stunned.

He suddenly realized that he was in a sorry state, like a stray dog, but Xie Xubai was no better off.

High-intensity challenges, tearing apart souls to refine chess pieces, and risking death to invade the system's core database.

In order to break through the system's defenses, Xie Xubai even sacrificed his split soul without hesitation, which caused real damage to his soul.

After taking control of the system, Xie Xubai didn't even have time to catch his breath before pulling him into the interior of "Messiah".

Even when forced into this situation, he remained upright and indestructible.

"...Can't you see the horror? Aren't you tired of holding on until now? You're clearly in pain too, so why don't you break down?"

Theseus looked at Xie Xubai's face, his pupils trembling, his expression gradually turning ashen.

"Aaaaaaaaahhhhhh!"

Another scream erupted from the observation room, like a thunderclap in broad daylight.

Xie Xubai immediately looked over, and the next second he felt Theseus's hand tremble as it gripped him, and then it loosened.

Theseus, like a limp noodle, slumped to his knees.

He could feel Xie Xubai looking at him; that gaze was venomous and stinging, as if it had a substantial weight pressing down on him.

As if his spine had been removed, Theseus's back bent completely, his forehead pressed against the floor, and he curled up into a ball.

Finally, slowly, very slowly, he covered his ears with trembling hands.

A dimly lit, cramped observation room, eerie lights, the sounds of various instruments of torture being used, endless screams, people who cannot be saved even with desperate efforts, lives controlled like puppets.

Do you know where this place is?

This is his inner world, a hell from which he can never escape.

If Theseus were a system, he would not hesitate to drag 7.7 billion people down to hell with him.

Aside from wanting to get revenge on Xie Xubai and make him live the rest of his life in regret for not being able to save people, the experiment also showed that Xie Xubai was simply invincible, and no matter how much effort was put into it, it would be in vain.

But the system isn't him; even if he has thoughts of revenge, survival comes first.

When exactly did Xie Xubai plan all of this?

Was it when he met the Second Apostle and learned that the Messiah was a body arranged by the system?

Or was it when the Fifth Apostle, in order to gain the system's trust, tricked the system into believing that Xie Xubai possessed the artifact [The Heart That Never Collapses Against Fate]?

Regardless of the type, he lost miserably.

Theseus could almost foresee that he would be tormented to the point of madness and rot in the dust in the nightmares that followed.

Xie Xubai will break through his psychological defenses without any difficulty, successfully obtain the key, and finally return home in triumph, receiving countless flowers and applause.

The executions in the observation room are still taking place.

Covering his ears was futile; it couldn't stop the screams at all, because he remembered them all, even in death.

Theseus opened his mouth and laughed, the movement so large that it seemed to tear open the wound on his face, and hot liquid slid down the corner of his eye and splashed onto the ground.

If Xie Xubai were careful enough, he could completely shatter his soul after death, leaving not a trace.

If only Xie Xubai hadn't been so resilient, he would have succumbed and given in the very first experiment.

Then he would never have been "born".

He hated Xie Xubai.

Author's Note:

This chapter is too long, I've decided to split it into another chapter [please].

Thank you for waiting. Apologies for the late update. There are red envelopes (cash gifts) being given out in the comments section of this chapter. The event ends with the next update. [Please!]