Translator: CinderTL
The final outcome of the special training competition was never in doubt. Liu Yue ultimately secured a crushing victory.
After watching the competition, Feng Qi bid farewell to Lin Ran and returned to his dormitory.
Sitting at his desk, he opened a shopping website and immediately ordered a Dusk Wolf Rune Crystal.
After placing the order, he checked his bank balance.
His remaining funds were no longer sufficient to purchase another Dusk Wolf Rune Crystal.
But he wasn't worried.
The upcoming Tiger Soul Concept Competition would bring him eight million in earnings, enough to enter the Dream Realm eight times.
Closing the shopping website, he opened his notebook and began planning for the future.
With a detailed plan, he could avoid wandering aimlessly in the Dream Realm like a headless fly, wasting precious time.
This time, Wei Wei from the Scarlet Research Institute had invited him to join their ranks, adding another Future Line to his choices.
He was particularly interested in three potential paths:
The first Future Line involved joining the Scarlet Research Institute as an undercover agent to investigate their secrets and determine whether the organization was ultimately good or evil.
However, this choice came with potential risks.
The risks weren't related to personal safety, but rather to the potential for gains and benefits.
Once he entered the Dream Realm, his counterpart in that timeline would lose the ability to enter the Dream Realm again. Even if he joined the Scarlet Research Institute, achieving any groundbreaking research breakthroughs would become exceedingly difficult.
Without research achievements, promotion would be impossible, and his chances of accessing the Scarlet Research Institute's core secrets would diminish.
He might even end up with nothing to show for it.
The second path was to lie low and avoid taking risks, personally witnessing the future's many changes. For example, he could observe Mu Qing forming the dawn rebels and Lin Ran developing cultivation techniques, thereby uncovering historical truths that couldn't be found in the database.
But this Future Line also carried significant risks.
His future self would inevitably die for various reasons, making it impossible to predict whether he could survive long enough to gather meaningful information.
He might once again meet an untimely end, gaining no insights while wasting a precious opportunity to enter the Dream Realm.
The third Future Line involved continuing to build his shadow organization and searching for potential werewolves among the students.
This was also the most stable path. By providing different pieces of information and observing carefully, he could definitely uncover the werewolf hidden among the students and trace it back to the mysterious organization behind them.
The decision weighed heavily on him.
Ultimately, it all came down to money. If he had enough, he would naturally choose all options without hesitation, sparing himself this agonizing choice.
After a moment's deliberation, he resolved to select the third, most secure Future Line.
The undercover werewolf among the students was like a thorn in his throat. Exposing it sooner would benefit the Reality Line, and this timeline would also allow him to follow the trail back to the mysterious organization lurking in the shadows.
Next, he began planning his actions upon entering the Dream Realm.
First and foremost, he would access the database three times to review character profiles and understand their future trajectories.
After considering whom to investigate, he decided on himself, Mu Qing, and Liu Yue.
Finally, he couldn't afford to waste his Guest Privilege's single opportunity to access cultivation techniques.
As he pondered, more notes filled his notebook.
Research the Heaven-Reaching Road and gather detailed information about it. Locate Mu Qing's corpse, which is hidden within the Star City Shelter. (This information may be affected by the butterfly effect, causing its location to shift. Re-consult the database before proceeding.) Hunt domain creatures to obtain prefix title abilities and enhance personal strength. (Strength is always the best guarantee of safety.) Find the Suction Cup and equip weapons to gain self-defense capabilities. (The Suction Cup's location may have changed due to the butterfly effect, making it difficult to find. Adapt to the situation as needed.) If time permits, continue traveling east to investigate what lies in that direction within the Dream Realm. The Narrator will provide constant reminders to proceed. Query the database for information about little black to uncover the truth behind her persecution. (The butterfly effect might have resulted in a detailed description of little black now being available in the database, but don't get your hopes up.) Determine the earliest recorded discovery date of the Suction Cup to ascertain whether she is connected to Mu Qing. ...
Staring at the twenty-odd plans listed in his notebook, he felt a headache coming on.
He could have continued adding to the list: researching Domain Field-related materials, studying the theoretical foundations of cultivation arts, delving into the Domain Creature Compendium, and so on.
But his time in the Dream Realm was limited.
If he tried to execute all these plans, he might be killed by little black halfway through.
So he crossed out several items to shorten the overall timeline.
Lost in thought, he scribbled and revised the notebook, refining the plans further.
Finally, he confronted a crucial question:
If his early death was inevitable, who should he entrust with his private email account to continue gathering useful information for his investigation?
His first thought was Mu Qing.
If she could record her findings in the email, he could immediately learn the reasons behind her formation of the dawn rebels and her decision to massacre the city upon entering the Dream Realm.
But after careful consideration, he shook his head.
The Mu Qing who recruited countless scavengers and formed the dawn rebels had undergone a drastic personality change. There was a high probability she was being secretly controlled.
Revealing his personal email to Mu Qing carried the risk of exposing his secrets.
If the malevolent forces lurking within Human Civilization discovered his email, they would undoubtedly use it to feed him misleading information, leading him to make disastrous decisions.
Until he could confirm whether Mu Qing was under the control of these dark forces, he couldn't risk entrusting her with the email he used to communicate with the future.
As he pondered, the optimal choice crystallized in his mind:
Mo Fei, his former classmate, best friend, and roommate—his trusted brother.
After six years of living side-by-side, he knew Mo Fei's trustworthiness beyond any doubt.
Moreover, his research in the future database had revealed Mo Fei's remarkably long lifespan and his position as a senior researcher at the Viper Division of the Technology Research Institute.
This position granted Mo Fei access to a wealth of investigative tools and resources.
In one timeline, the invisible reconnaissance robot he had used to investigate the Scarlet Research Institute had been provided by Mo Fei.
With his plan refined, he closed his notebook.
He would wait for tomorrow's delivery before re-entering the Dream Realm.
(End of the Chapter)
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