2230 AD, Huaxia Region, in the deepest part of the Chaos Abyss.
The sky was no longer the blue of human memory, nor was it the ash-gray of war; in its place was a despair-inducing, sickly white. Countless streams of pitch-black data, like ruptured blood vessels, lashed out madly at this shattered world.
The earth was "pixelating."
Those magnificent ruined buildings, burning tanks, and even the corpses of soldiers lying in pools of blood, all disintegrated into countless glowing cubes the moment they touched the black data streams, subsequently vanishing into nothingness.
"Alert! Alert! origin law erosion at 99.9%... Human civilization database about to be formatted..."
The cold system prompt echoed between heaven and earth, devoid of any emotion, like a funeral bell pronouncing a death sentence.
Ye Yi stood atop the ruins of the collapsed "Temple of Apocalypse," the "Sword of Origin" in his hand already covered in cracks. His tactical goggles had long been shattered, and his exposed black pupil reflected the terrifying entity floating in mid-air—the origin law Mainframe.
It had no specific form, merely a constantly shifting, twisting collection of light and shadow, as if mocking humanity's laughable resistance over the past five years.
"Is it all over..."
Ye Yi gasped violently; with every breath, his lungs burned as if scorched by fire.
Behind him lay mountains of corpses.
Cold Sky Night Color, that assassin who always hid in the shadows with a sharp tongue but a soft heart, had detonated his origin core to buy Ye Yi three seconds of time to charge forward, leaving not even ashes behind.
Little Bing Xin, that genius girl with god-like computing power, had forcibly connected her consciousness to the Mainframe in an attempt to find a backdoor. Ultimately, her brain overloaded, and she died bleeding from her seven orifices, still clutching the data crystal he had given her before she passed.
There was also Wang Saoting, Iron Wall, Baicao...
Everyone was dead.
The entire world was left with only one "player": him.
"I am not reconciled."
Ye Yi looked down at his left hand, which was gradually becoming transparent. It was a sign that the data-fication was spreading to his entire body.
He had once been an e-sports champion in the old era and a resistance leader in the new era, but he had realized the truth too late. Five years ago, when the era of apocalypse first launched, he, like everyone else, had treated it as just an ordinary virtual online game, gloating over every gold coin and piece of equipment.
It wasn't until the game invaded reality, until monsters tore through the screens to rip apart living people, that he understood: this was never a game, but a cruel screening of a lower civilization by a higher one.
If only he could have known earlier... even just a little earlier...
"Humans, elimination."
The ball of light in the sky emitted ripples that shook the soul; a beam of destruction capable of erasing the entire continent was gathering.
Ye Yi suddenly lifted his head. In his one good eye, the original despair instantly ignited into insane fighting spirit.
"Screw your elimination!"
He roared, squeezing out the last bit of mental energy from his body, and kicked hard against the ground.
"Boom!"
The temple ruins beneath his feet collapsed completely. Ye Yi transformed into a blood-red meteor, charging against the overwhelming pressure toward the Mainframe high above.
The Sword of Origin in his hand seemed to sense its master's determination. The blade trembled violently, and the originally dim edge suddenly erupted with blinding light—it was the final strike he had exchanged his life to unleash.
"Slash—!!"
The sword edge and the beam of destruction collided fiercely in mid-air.
There was no loud explosion, only a teeth-aching "hissing" sound, as if the world were being torn apart.
Ye Yi felt his body melting and his consciousness peeling away. But in the second before his vision went completely dark, he saw a tiny, almost imperceptible crack split across the invincible Mainframe ball of light from this single sword strike.
Deep within that crack, a line of golden code he had never seen before flashed by.
That was not destruction; that was... a reset?
Agonizing pain instantly swallowed everything.
...
"Huff! Huff! Huff!"
Ye Yi bolted up from his bed, gasping for fresh air. Cold sweat instantly soaked his clothes. He clawed at his chest wildly, as if the burning sensation of being pierced by the beam still remained there.
"I'm not dead?"
He looked around in a daze.
It was not the gray and oppressive battlefield ruins, nor was it a field hospital filled with the smell of disinfectant.
Dim lighting, yellowed wallpaper, a computer desk piled with instant noodle cups, and the familiar scent in the air, a mixture of cheap nutrient solution and stale mold.
This was... the cheap apartment he had rented five years ago?
Ye Yi raised his trembling hand. There were no signs of data-fication transparency, nor were there any hideous scars. Only the surgical incision on his left wrist, left from a tendon injury caused by overtraining, was still clearly visible.
This injury had once been the end of his professional career, forcing him to retire from his peak.
He whipped his head around to look at the digital calendar on the wall.
[November 11, 2225, 19:00]
Ye Yi's pupils contracted violently.
2225.
This was the day of the global open beta for the era of apocalypse!
There were only three hours left until the game launched.
"I... have returned?"
Ye Yi sat blankly on the bed. It took a full five minutes for him to recover from the dizziness of that space-time disorientation.
He rushed into the cramped bathroom and splashed cold water hard onto his face. The cold sensation instantly cleared his chaotic mind. The gaunt young man in the mirror with dark circles under his eyes was his 25-year-old self.
"It's not a dream."
Ye Yi stared fixedly at himself in the mirror, his gaze gradually changing from confusion to sharpness, finally transforming into a chilling coldness.
Memories of his past life surged in like a tide.
Three hours later, the cross-era holographic online game named era of apocalypse would officially launch. The official statement claimed it was the starting point of humanity's second world, capable of achieving a 100% virtual reality experience.
The whole world was crazy about it; financial consortiums invested, and guilds sprang up everywhere.
But no one knew that this game was actually a "sandbox" left behind by a high-dimensional civilization.
Through quantum neural interfaces, it subtly strengthened the players' mental power. When players reached a certain height in the game, the data, abilities, and even monsters within the game would gradually map into reality.
In his past life, Ye Yi had retired due to his hand injury. Depressed, although he had entered the game, he started too late and chose the wrong class, spending the early stages lingering at the bottom. By the time he truly awakened his talent and began to catch up, the major financial consortiums and top guilds had already monopolized all resources.
Even though he later relied on his astonishing combat talent to force his way into the top ten of the entire server, he was still unable to turn the tide when the final world-ending catastrophe descended.
"Since heaven has let me live once more..."
Ye Yi clenched his fists, his fingernails digging deep into his palms; the stinging pain made him incredibly excited.
"In this life, I will absolutely not let the tragedy repeat itself."
"Little Bing Xin, Han Tian, Old Wang... this time, it's my turn to lead you."
"And that damned origin law..."
Ye Yi's gaze swept over the brand-new silver-gray game helmet beside the computer desk; it was the "deluxe edition" login device he had spent all his savings to buy.
He walked over and gently stroked the helmet's cold metal shell, the corners of his mouth curling into a chilling arc.
"This time, I will be faster than everyone else."
"I will take all the first kills, seize all the resources, and I will become that one and only... variable."