Chapter 51: “He Has Returned.”

Chapter 51: "He Is Back."

Chu Fu felt his soul being painfully dragged, slowly crossing into reality. When he finally reached his destination, the invisible force seemed to let go with relief before dissipating into the surroundings.

After escaping the advertisement world, the players finally set foot on real ground.

The true "Kaleidoscope Advertising Company" lay before them.

In stark contrast to the pristine scenes in the advertisements, the real company's white walls were smoke-stained and yellowed, the peeling paint revealing an uneven surface beneath. A naked lightbulb flickered overhead, occasionally fizzing out momentarily.

The receptionist at the front desk, though wearing makeup, failed to mask her exhaustion. Upon seeing the players, she merely lifted her eyes wearily for a brief glance before lowering her head indifferently, continuing to play on her phone as if they were someone else's problem.

It seemed that the dutiful, selfless, and enthusiastic front desk staff existed only in the fantasies of management... and in fake advertisements.

As for the receptionist in the red vest?

She had vanished to parts unknown, though her role in the instance was already complete, and the players had no intention of searching for her.

The players instinctively scanned the area, spotting the long corridor they remembered leading to the audiovisual room. Along its walls were piles of miscellaneous items, stacked cardboard boxes large and small leaving barely any walking space.

The players exchanged glances: "..."

Is this the difference between advertisements and reality? This dungeon's way too true to life!

The moment they found their footing, they heard the system's notification tone, followed by the appearance of the results screen.

Chu Fu glanced at it—

"Congratulations on completing the C+ level dungeon 'Kaleidoscope Advertising Company.' Evaluation in progress..."

"Exploration rate: 90%

Mission: As stand-in Ad Inspectors, five players must collaborate to inspect five advertisements. (5/5 · Completed)"

"Evaluation: Excellent teamwork. Given your average Ability level, getting through a C-rank dungeon unharmed was child's play."

"Congratulations on earning 800 points."

"Additional reward: Common title 'Ad Buster.' When equipped, this title grants a 10% increase to 'Mental Attack Immunity.' It has been stored in your item inventory."

"Finally, congratulations on returning to your world."

Meng Siyou hesitated, shot a glance at Chu Fu as if he had something to say—Chu Fu guessed it was likely related to his other identity as the "Narrator."

From Meng Siyou's perspective, the mysterious being called the Narrator seemed omnipresent—first turning His attention to the Anomalous Affairs Bureau, then having Ability users connected to Him appear in real-life dungeons, followed by the remnants of godlike battle in the Moth God instance...

Even his barely acquainted high school classmate, whom he hadn't seen in a while, had seemingly transformed into a suspected descendant of His, leaving the entire Anomalous Affairs Bureau walking on eggshells for a time to appease this Divine Son.

Had someone else been in Meng Siyou's position, the overwhelming mental strain and cautious speculation about the deity behind the curtain might have driven them to the brink of mental collapse.

Yet Meng Siyou himself tirelessly juggled between instances and Bureau work, maintaining a healthy and positive mindset all the while—earning Chu Fu's genuine admiration.

Out of respect, Chu Fu initially planned to wait and see what questions Meng Siyou had, then answer them as appropriate.

"...Hah."

Chu Fu sighed helplessly, standing alone.

But he wasn't in a hurry to leave. Driven by curiosity about the advertising company's surroundings, he casually wandered through the premises.

Additionally, Chu Fu was intrigued by the origins of these terror ads. The ability to suck victims into nightmares reminded him of the "Pandora's Heart."

The Pandora's Heart fragment he held was merely a fragment—did that mean the advertising company might hold other fragments as well?

And what kind of person—or non-human entity—would choose to run such an advertising company?

The receptionist, glued to her phone during work hours, made no move to stop Chu Fu, allowing him to move about freely into the company's interior.

Chu Fu navigated the junk-filled corridor, intending to visit the real-world audiovisual room to observe the actual working conditions of Advertising Inspectors.

Unexpectedly, the wall of fame along the corridor caught his attention.

Skimming past the company's accolades and hollow corporate slogans, Chu Fu's gaze settled on the "Legendary Partners" section.

These so-called partners were likely players as well, but unlike those assigned to this instance, they seemed to specialize in farming ad clears, each having resolved thousands of ad inspections.

Perhaps their Abilities were so formidable that Kaleidoscope Advertising Company dared not treat them as disposable testers, instead giving them the fancy title of "partners."

Listed in descending order by the number of advertisements inspected, the partners' names or aliases were neatly listed—the least having resolved over 900 ads, while the top-ranked had tackled an insane 3,000.

"Wu Suer..." Chu Fu read the name at the very top.

Names—especially those of High-level ability users—held power.

As the name left his lips, he clearly sensed something awaken in response. His phone buzzed with a notification:

[Congratulations on unlocking the true name of the White Sparrow Clan's High Priest—"Wu Suer." Your grasp over his past fate has deepened!]

[In subsequent dreams, you may catch glimpses of his history—perhaps aiding your performance as him, and...]

[Perhaps you may find traces of yourself in the long-forgotten past.]

...

Before her eyes, a crimson giant tree hung inverted from the sky.

The tree seemed to take the entire firmament and the starry expanse beyond as its soil, its sprawling roots densely weaving outward, enveloping the visible sky as they vanished into the horizon.

Its colossal canopy stretched all the way to the ground, the slenderest of its branches thicker than a man's arm, robust boughs laden with scarlet leaves like a soundless ocean of flame.

This place should have been bathed in pure moonlight like fresh snow, but by the time the light pierced through the dense crimson foliage, it had already turned blood-red.

The tree truly connected heaven and earth, the kind of thing that might appear in the delirious visions of a lunatic.

Yet Yu Yin felt no fear.

For the crimson giant tree was her beloved mentor—the Founder and leader of "Spiritual Flesh Banquet," one of the Apostles of the Tree of Life—the Red Tree Apostle, Selina.

The scarlet leaves rustled in the wind, carrying Selina's gentle whisper: "My child, welcome back... Come to me."

Yu Yin immediately stepped forward, striding without hesitation toward the tree that seemed vast enough to rend the heavens at any moment. She pressed her face against a branch in quiet reliance. "Yes, I've returned, Mentor."

She could feel the leaves beside her cheek pulsing rhythmically—thump, thump—like the beat of a heart.

Upon closer inspection, one could see that the veins of these leaves were actual blood vessels, intricately woven within the delicate foliage, pumping fresh blood to maintain their vivid crimson beauty.

After nestling against the tree for a moment, Yu Yin casually sat beneath the lush leaves and recounted her experiences in the instance to her mentor.

"Oh, right," Yu Yin suddenly remembered, adding offhandedly, "This time, I also met a strange player in the instance. He seemed to be a High-level ability user from the Fate Domain, though for some reason, he's currently using the body of a low-level Ability user..."

Selina fell silent for a moment, her tone unusually surprised: "A high-ranking figure from the Fate Domain? That's quite rare."

"As far as I know, no newcomers meeting this criterion have emerged in the past century, and all those from before have—"

Mid-sentence, she abruptly stopped and said no more.

"Teacher?" Yu Yin looked up curiously, only to be gently patted on the head by an extending branch.

"There are things I cannot tell you. Knowing too many forbidden secrets will only bring you danger," Selina explained before asking, "What distinguishing features does that being have?"

"His current body has black hair and blue eyes, with mixed Eastern and Western features. His demeanor is casual, always seeming indifferent..."

After racking her brain to describe him, Yu Yin added, "But when he gets serious, he feels somewhat... sharp? Occasionally, his words strike true like a sage, much like you, Teacher."

Selina lapsed into thought.

Yu Yin continued, "He appears not to care about anything, but at his core, he seems to value cleanliness and dignity... Like some nobles from the Middle Ages, no matter how destitute—even reduced to inhabiting a second-tier Ability vessel—he still exudes refinement in his marrow."

"He once criticized me for being 'too crude in my methods.'"

Yu Yin shrugged helplessly.

After a long silence, Selina sighed softly: "At our level of existence, appearances are merely disposable shells that can be changed at will. Only temperament and essence remain immutable."

"It sounds like he might be someone I once knew..." Hesitating briefly, She said, "A friend, I suppose."

For a moment, Yu Yin grew even more curious about the true identity hidden within Chu Fu's shell. But after years of maneuvering through corporate and social spheres, she clearly understood what she shouldn't recklessly pry into.

So she changed the subject, making small talk with her mentor for a while longer before rising to take her leave: "It's getting late. Time to clock in back home."

Selina sounded surprised: "You still haven't resigned from that position? You must realize that, for someone like you now, the mortal trappings of money and status that job represents hold little meaning."

"I know, Teacher," Yu Yin smiled faintly, her gaze misted with nostalgia. "But it's a tether to who I was..."

"At least for now, I haven't worked up the nerve to bid farewell to that ordinary life."

Selina's leaves rustled, creating a whispery lull, as if offering comfort.

She said, "As long as you know what you're doing. Existence flows inexorably toward the direction it should, like fallen leaves returning to their roots."

"I look forward to seeing more of your thoughts and growth the next time we meet."

With these words, Yu Yin rose on her toes, waved at the giant tree, and disappeared beneath its vermilion-leafed canopy.

The world fell silent once more, with only the wind's hushed passage through dense foliage.

After an indeterminate time, several vines descended from the tree, weaving into a sphere large enough to hold a person.

Like a ripened fruit, the sphere's thin skin soon split open, spilling primordial sap. A crimson figure emerged—Selina's ephemeral manifestation, allowing Her to leave the land where Her true form was deeply rooted and travel to other worlds.

Clad in the tree's own scarlet, Her entire form was crimson, with skin bearing the grain of ancient bark. Vibrant red leaves formed Her hair, cascading like living embers that rustled with each step.

Selina tore through the barriers of space to visit an old friend—Lorgar, the Fool's Apostle under the throne of Truth's Fallacy.

Before Lorgar could greet Her, Selina cut straight to the point, intoned:

"Wu Suer, the 'Doomsday Prophet' who once competed for godhood... He may have returned."