In the underground facility of Anomalous Item-100, there had always been only two people—Jianjia and Aiolos.
Aiolos, as a believer of the Cult of the Divine Rod (recruited by Luoshu through his own divine-rod abilities), had long abandoned all other faiths.
But Jianjia had not. She still maintained a shallow belief.
Precisely because Aiolos had not been infected by the Meme-Longinus, Luoshu had overlooked the possibility that Jianjia might be.
At this moment, watching Jianjia collapse just a few steps away from him—missing his first-ever proactive embrace—Luoshu was filled with regret.
But now was not the time for regret. He had to use every means possible to stop her death!
The instant he sensed a Lance of Longinus hurtling toward him, Luoshu plunged into his mental world.
There, the Lance of Longinus—forged from Jianjia's entire spiritual energy—was already embedded in his consciousness, piercing straight through his heart…
For the first time, Luoshu understood what heartbreak truly felt like.
Compared to this agony, the pain in his soul was nothing.
Had he been too late after all?
He watched as the Lance rapidly dissipated from his chest.
Their spiritual energies collided, consumed one another…
Was there anything crueler than this?
No!
As long as this Lance hadn't vanished completely, there was still hope!
Luoshu had to prevent Jianjia's spirit from being exhausted!
Because Jianjia was a Reality Bender, her spiritual energy far surpassed that of an ordinary person. Thus, the Lance condensed from her soul was exceptionally massive. Even after impaling Luoshu's consciousness, though it rapidly shrank, it did not disappear immediately.
This gave Luoshu a chance to act.
Without hesitation, he flipped open the Anomalous Item Catalog.
Reverse-Meme Seal!
Just like the Meme Bomb permanently embedded in Luoshu's chest, the Lance formed from Jianjia's soul was now encased in a transparent membrane, its consumption halted.
Miraculously, Luoshu had sealed the Lance.
Unfortunately, the Meme-Longinus itself had not been recorded in the Catalog, meaning this seal had no effect on the meme itself.
What had been sealed was merely the remnants of Jianjia's soul.
Luoshu lingered in his mental world for a long while, confirming that the Lance lodged in his heart would not continue to dissipate, before finally withdrawing.
He approached Jianjia's body, gently lifting her to check for breath.
She was still breathing. Her heart still beat.
But no matter how Luoshu called to her, Jianjia would not wake.
Clearly, her mental world was now empty—her consciousness had become the Lance, sealed within Luoshu's own mind.
She was now in a vegetative state.
Unless Luoshu undid the Reverse-Meme Seal and returned her consciousness to her body, she would never wake.
But he couldn't do that.
Releasing the seal now would mean her certain death!
Only when he completely eradicated the Meme-Longinus would there be hope of reviving her.
Furious, Luoshu carried Jianjia into Anomalous Item-100's underground facility, carefully laying her on his own bed.
"Sleep well. I swear—no matter how long it takes, I will find a way to wake you."
"Unless I die first, you will not perish."
"Your soul is now with me, inseparable for even a second…"
"I will take you with me—and defeat the 'God'!"
At this moment, Jianjia lay there like the sleeping beauty from fairy tales, serene and still, silently waiting for the man of destiny to awaken her.
Luoshu lowered his head as if to kiss her—but stopped.
"Not yet. I don't deserve to kiss you now."
"On the day I gain the power to wake you, that kiss will be my gift."
Aiolos and Jeanne stood silently behind Luoshu, watching his back without a word.
They could feel it—the quiet fury and boundless killing intent brewing within his still frame.
Old grudges and new wounds had piled up to this moment.
Luoshu was finally about to explode.
From now on, he would abandon his past principles and restraints.
Victory would be his only goal.
After so much suffering, he had learned one truth—a sharp pain now was better than a lingering one later.
The more he hesitated over innocent lives, the more harm he would bring them.
First, it was the Text Meme.
Now, the Meme-Longinus.
What would come next?
No. If he didn't strike first, there might be no next time.
Hundreds of millions had died to the Text Meme.
Billions were now infected by the Meme-Longinus.
What more did he have to fear?
Even if he accidentally killed thousands, it would be better than billions living under the shadow of death.
The Trolley Problem was never about finding the correct answer—
It was a test of resolve, of the courage to choose.
And now, Luoshu had made his choice.
At all costs, he would declare war on "God."
He turned and left the room, standing before Anomalous Item-100-1.
"From this moment on, we are no longer on the defensive."
"Begin mass-producing armed Transformers. We will stockpile our forces for retaliation."
Anomalous Item-100-1 could not speak, only staring at Luoshu in confusion.
Aiolos, who had grown familiar with the robot, understood its thoughts and asked in its stead:
"But the base doesn't have enough space for so many Transformers."
Luoshu pointed downward.
"Dig deeper. Expand the underground facility."
Aiolos relayed the next concern:
"But beyond 100 meters—"
Luoshu waved his hand.
"Don't worry. I'll handle it."
With that, he approached the two tunnel-boring machines specifically designed for excavation and activated Mechanical Animation on them.
Now, they could operate normally even beyond the 100-meter limit.
Next, Luoshu walked up to two Transformers and cast Silicon-Based Intelligence on them.
Their IQs instantly skyrocketed, their headlight eyes gleaming with newfound awareness.
At the same time, they began absorbing surrounding silicon-based materials, reinforcing their bodies.
Satisfied, Luoshu declared:
"From today onward, I will animate four Transformers a day, granting them true autonomy!"
"We will build an army capable of standing against the Foundation!"
Aiolos' eyes lit up.
Mechanical Animation + Silicon-Based Intelligence.
With this, Luoshu could awaken four Transformers daily, enabling them to retain functionality even outside Anomalous Item-100.
This output surpassed the facility's current production capacity.
If they kept this up for a year, a thousand armed Transformers would be enough to flatten any Foundation Site—or even stand against the armies of the New Continent.
Jeanne, witnessing this for the first time, also brightened with excitement.
She stepped forward eagerly.
"Luoshu, let me command them!"
Luoshu looked her up and down skeptically.
The girl was delicate, bookish—nothing like a military leader.
Seeing his doubt, Jeanne quickly explained:
"You forgot my name, didn't you? I'm Jeanne! The historical Jeanne was a famous French military leader who crushed the English!"
That much was true.
But what does that have to do with you?
Don't tell me you're her reincarnation…
Luoshu still didn't believe her.