Chapter 132: Completely Taking Over a Life

[The current body is about to begin destruction and reconstruction.]

Yan Jing remained calm as he listened to the countdown in his ears.

He had thought that after fulfilling the so-called final wish, he would first get to choose one of the Cameraman's abilities.

He hadn't expected the first reward to be a physical adjustment.

To keep the process from taking too long, he pressed the button on the Walkie-talkie at his waist and tapped the microphone: three long taps, one short.

This was the group's agreed-upon signal to retreat.

Soon, the green light on the Walkie-talkie flashed rapidly. Yan Jing pressed the button and heard a flurry of urgent tapping.

Yan Jing's expression abruptly shifted.

That was the signal for an emergency.

He lifted the Walkie-talkie and was just about to speak when he realized his body was dissolving into motes of starlight like drifting sand, starting from his fingertips.

Of all times for this to happen...

Yan Jing could only speak as fast as possible:

"I'm on my way—"

Before he could finish, his body completely dissolved into starlight and dissipated. His vision instantly went black.

When Yan Jing opened his eyes again, the scene before him was as dazzling as a nebula. In the next instant, it turned to pitch-black nothingness, followed by the vibrant colors of an aurora. His surroundings continued to shift.

He looked down at his body and quickly recognized it as his Surface World state, though it wasn't corporeal.

Right then, a system notification chimed in his ear.

[Commencing reconstruction of character body.]

[Selecting original essence.]

A single speck of starlight drifted down from his body and hovered before him.

Then, it abruptly erupted into blinding light.

Clusters of energy-like substance were drawn from the ever-shifting scenery around him and fused into that intense glow.

A silhouette gradually formed within the light, ultimately solidifying into the appearance of the Cameraman.

[Body reconstruction complete.]

Yan Jing looked at the Cameraman in front of him. With a mere thought, he immediately felt the difference from before.

Previously, using the Cameraman's body hadn't felt obstructive, but it had never truly felt like his own. Now, he could sense that the Cameraman before him was like a part of his own body.

A body that truly belonged to him.

Immediately after, the system notification chimed in his ear again.

[Memory editing will now commence.]

[You may perform a limited degree of memory editing regarding the important individuals this character interacted with prior to your role-play.]

[Note: The memories you can edit are those between the character's original self and said individuals—events occurring prior to your role-play. This editing has specific limits. The modification is designed to allow you to completely take over the character's interpersonal relationships.]

As the voice faded, several figures appeared before Yan Jing's eyes.

Mantou, the deceased A Si, and Mr. San.

Yan Jing looked at the figures. His eyes flashed, and he tested them one by one.

He quickly discovered where the so-called limits lay.

For instance, the editable memories were not the entirety of their shared past, but strictly the memories stored within the Cameraman's mind.

This meant there was very little he could edit regarding Mr. San; he could only alter that single scene at the main gate.

Furthermore, he couldn't fabricate things out of thin air; he could only make minor adjustments.

If A Si had approached the Cameraman while they were reading, Yan Jing could edit which specific book they read. He could even barely manage to change it so they did something else entirely. But he couldn't rewrite the memory to make them fight and slap each other, as that would severely disrupt the chain of subsequent memories.

All in all, there weren't many aspects he could change.

Thinking that the others outside might still be in danger, Yan Jing immediately selected a memory segment to alter.

It was the final meeting between Mantou and the Cameraman at the platform.

He changed the final scene in Mantou's mind—where she was scolded—into a mutual farewell.

"Don't ever appear in front of me again."

"You're really annoying. Get lost."

Cross the above out.

Change it to:

"I'm being watched very closely here, so I won't be able to see you for a while. If we have the chance, let's meet outside next time."

"It was nice meeting you."

Moreover, the expressions and gestures accompanying these lines were performed by Yan Jing himself.

This was the only small change.

Originally, Yan Jing wanted to change it to a simple "see you next time," but that would lead Mantou to keep coming to the platform to look for the Cameraman, resulting in countless subsequent meetings. Such a shift no longer qualified as a minor adjustment.

In the end, this was the best Yan Jing could do.

Mantou's reaction at the time also had to be edited. The system made this adjustment automatically, simulating it based on Mantou's state at that moment.

Yan Jing hadn't originally intended to alter Mantou's memories, but out of a touch of selfishness, he still made this tiny change.

He didn't want this silly girl to harbor any resentment toward him.

[Modification complete.]

[You may select one of this character's abilities to acquire.]

Here it was.

Yan Jing had worked so hard for so long just for this extra ability.

Without hesitation, he chose time freeze.

Although automatic recording was also tempting, his original body sorely lacked a hard crowd-control measure. Time freeze had already proven itself countless times as an ability capable of turning the tide of battle.

[You have successfully taken over everything belonging to this character.]

[From now on, they will fully become a part of you.]

[The next character is now available to be drawn.]

In the next instant, the entire world before him shattered. Yan Jing's vision went black once more. When he opened his eyes again, he found that he had returned to Solitude Lane.

He was standing in place, gripping the Walkie-talkie in his hand.

From this moment on, the Cameraman would cease to exist. From the past into the future, there would only be him—Yan Jing.

"Feels good."

He immediately raised the Walkie-talkie to ask for everyone's location. Upon receiving it, he rushed toward them.

A moment later.

Inside the Former Twenty-Second Village Head's House.

Yan Jing saw the group shrouded in heavy silence.

"What happened?"

Yan Jing asked immediately.

Chen Nian silently shook his head without speaking.

Mantou pursed her lips, looking dejected.

Tiger didn't even dare to speak, shrinking into a corner.

Thus, Yan Jing looked at Old Master Liu, who was wearing his sunglasses.

"Old Man, what's going on?"

"There was a bit of an accident..."

The old man spoke, his weathered face flushing red for no apparent reason.

"Huzi, you tell him!"

Tiger looked left and right before finally speaking with hesitation.

"Well... the old man and Brother Chen chased after the person halfway... only to realize that the person they were after wasn't the one you were looking for, Mr. Yi Ji..."

"She seemed... to be wearing a mask... Brother Chen only noticed after getting close."

"The person you wanted to kill, Mr. Yi Ji, might... might have already escaped..."

Tiger's voice grew quieter and quieter. After all, this was his first time participating in a group operation with everyone, and he hadn't expected it to end in failure.

At his words, everyone in the living room fell into a collective silence. The atmosphere grew increasingly stifling.

"It's fine."

Yan Jing's smiling voice broke the silence.

"Everyone went out of their way to help me, and I'm already very grateful for that. Besides... it might not be a total failure."

Hearing this, everyone raised their heads to look at Yan Jing.

Yan Jing smiled.

"I just so happened to run into her outside."

The death of the girl named A Si was bound to be exposed. There was no need to hide it from the group; on the contrary, telling them could liven up the atmosphere a bit.

Although Yan Jing couldn't tell if A Si's final words were true or false, he felt that one of her statements was likely true.

And that was that she had chosen wrong.

She had chosen the wrong place to go.

There were no girls with the 'Life' Pathway in the White House, so she felt that Dandelion Manor wouldn't be one of the masterminds behind the White House.

But she was ultimately too young at the time. She hadn't figured out where so many children had come from.

According to Yan Jing's prediction, those girls were likely children from Dandelion Manor who lacked talent in the 'Life' Pathway, which was why they had been sent to the White House.

So when A Si eventually went to Dandelion Manor, she was essentially walking right into a trap.

Perhaps the marriage alliance between Sleepland and Dandelion Manor had never been about bringing Meng Qianqiu and Yu Xiran together; perhaps it had been about Subject Number Zero all along.

Of course, these were just speculations.

But if they were true...

If the targets of those Third Tier figures were truly Subject Number Zero and himself...

It was entirely foreseeable that a violent storm aimed directly at him was approaching.

Yan Jing didn't want the group to board the same sinking ship as him.

If this body of his died, it just meant changing into a different guise. But if the rest of them died, they would truly be dead.

He looked at the group, whose faces finally revealed a hint of joy, and smiled.

"However, let's just pretend today's events never happened."

He was the one who killed someone, and he would be the one potentially caught.

This was the reason he had sent everyone away earlier.

Just as he had said, this was a massive karmic burden.

It was best for the others not to get involved.

If a torrential storm truly arrived, he would choose to stand in the rain alone.