Chapter Sixty-One: The Grand Finale

Roots and tendrils transported nourishment from beneath the earth to the branches above, causing the tree to flourish with dense foliage. Even though Rowan had read countless web novels, he still couldn't fathom what use this newfound ability could have. X-ray vision? Maybe he could try his hand at stone gambling or buying lottery scratch tickets...

Yet, from the conversation and fight between those two earlier, Rowan realized that cultivators truly existed in this world. Their battle must have triggered some restriction inside that bead, resulting in both being absorbed by it—ultimately benefiting him.

He grew furious when he recalled the driver who had hit him and then fled. The night was too dark, and his head had been muddled; all he’d seen was a black car, no clear view of the license plate. However, he had managed to catch a glimpse of the driver’s face.

He let it go for now—sooner or later, he’d find out who ran him down, Rowan told himself.

One thing puzzled him: his bones and flesh had been entirely restructured just moments ago, yet his clothes and pants weren't torn apart. Examining himself, he saw that except for a few bloodstains on his white shirt—likely from the accident—there were no other marks.

Feeling in his pocket for the twenty yuan he’d tucked in before leaving home, Rowan let out a sigh of relief. The money was still there.

Dawn was breaking. He brushed the dust from his clothes; exercise was out of the question now, it must be nearly six o’clock.

Suddenly, Rowan felt as if he were suffocating. The air pressed down on him like a physical weight, space itself twisted. In an instant, his clothes clung to his body, his limbs went rigid, and he was hoisted into the air, spinning counterclockwise like a second hand. Faster and faster he spun, the air swirling into a vortex around him.

He felt as if the world were spinning, like he was being drawn into a black hole, the vortex slowly devouring him.

Rowan cried out, and in a flash, opened his eyes to find himself in his familiar bedroom. How am I home?

“What?” he blurted.

Had it all just been a dream?

But how could a dream feel so real? Wasn’t it said that upon waking, dreams only leave vague impressions?

Why did everything feel so vivid? Rowan grabbed the watch from his nightstand.

4:59.

He checked carefully—it was not September 2nd, 4:59, but September 1st, 4:59.

Could it really have been a dream? he wondered. But it was just too real—getting hit by a car, two people flying through the air in battle, being absorbed by a crimson bead. Then he swallowed it himself, and now it was all just a dream? How frustrating!

He remembered having x-ray vision in the dream. He stretched out his right hand before him: just a normal, fleshy palm. So it was just a dream after all?

“System restart successful.”

“System integration complete.”

Two robotic voices echoed in his mind, reminiscent of that mechanical character’s voice from a popular mobile game. Still in disbelief, Rowan realized—it wasn’t a dream. He’d been chosen! Should he be overjoyed and give this system a sense of superiority? Better first see what this system could do.

“Activating the strongest device: Infinite Mode initiated,” the electronic voice continued.

What? Infinite Mode? What on earth was that? Rowan was utterly confused.

“Twenty-fourth host data:
Punch strength: 50 kilograms (+)”

After that peculiar broadcast of host data in his mind, Rowan heard another message.

“How can this host be so weak? Still, he’s managed to trigger the strongest device, something the previous twenty-three hosts failed to do. With Infinite Mode, even the weakest can become strong.”

“Hey, what should I call you? Are you inside my mind?” Rowan tossed out two questions.

“Of course. I am the universe's mightiest, most invincible, and undeniably most handsome system,” replied the voice, seemingly oblivious to Rowan’s questions as it began to praise itself.

“You call yourself the ‘most handsome system’? That’s a bit much. I’ll just call you Junior Handsome,” Rowan said, unbothered by the system’s lack of manners. After all, ‘handsome’ didn’t really apply to something inside his head.

“Junior Handsome? That’ll do. You’re really lucky, kid. You’re the weakest of the twenty-four hosts, but you managed to trigger the strongest device that every one of your predecessors failed to activate. With Infinite Mode, it seems fate is on your side.”

“Infinite Mode? What’s that? I’ve been wondering since just now,” Rowan asked in confusion.

“Have you seen ‘Edge of Tomorrow’? You’re just like Tom Cruise in the movie now—every time you die, you revive, but each time you start over at 4:59 a.m. on September 1st, 2019.”

Rowan was ecstatic. He had seen ‘Edge of Tomorrow’—in the film, humanity’s only chance of victory was for Tom Cruise’s character to die repeatedly and reset time.

But in the movie, Tom Cruise had a mission. Did he have a mission too? What if he didn’t want to sacrifice himself for all humanity? Still, if he could revive endlessly, perhaps it wouldn’t matter. But would he have to endure that excruciating, flesh-remaking pain every time he died?

Thus, he fell into deep torment—the protagonist of this novel had already been driven to the brink of madness.

To cross into another world would, of course, be another story altogether.

Shameful ending—55555!

(The End)