Chapter 1291 Brainwashing

The sky was no longer the familiar azure or night, but rather like an overturned palette, a mixture of ominous dark red, murky eerie green, and glaring pale white. A massive meteorite, burning with eerie flames, tore through the distorted atmosphere, leaving a long trail of black smoke, like the knocking stone of death, crashing down on the densely populated city.

A third such meteorite is hurtling down over Tokyo with an apocalyptic roar. Below, crowds flee in despair and anti-aircraft fire fires futilely.

Just as the meteorite was about to hit the spire of the skyscraper—

A tiny figure wreathed in flames roared up from the ground like an inverted tornado and slammed into the base of the meteorite!

Boom——! ! !

The meteorite exploded into countless burning fragments in mid-air. The smaller parts were reduced to dust in the subsequent energy impact, while the larger debris was also altered in trajectory and fell into the distant bay, stirring up towering waves.

The figure was sent flying backward at an even greater speed, crashing to the ground. Qian Jie spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva, which seemed to contain fragments of internal organs. "Pah! This is never going to end!"

Similar scenes are playing out all over the world.

A superstorm sweeping across the North American plains, carrying ice blades and acid rain, was cleaved in two by a crimson sword aura that stretched across the sky.

The strange plants that grew and spread along the coastline were shattered and scattered by a storm composed of countless icy blue sword energies.

Earth is becoming a vast and cruel inferno. Those who are barely maintaining the flame of civilization and going against the tide of this apocalyptic scenario are all scarred and on the verge of collapse.

The atmosphere was somber in the temporary medical area set up in an underground base somewhere in Anti-Entropy. A strong smell of medicine and a faint stench of blood permeated the air.

Qianjie's arms and upper body were almost wrapped like a mummy in special bio-gel and bandages, but he still refused to lie still. He grimaced and tried to sit up, but the movement aggravated his wounds, causing him to gasp in pain and break out in a cold sweat.

"Tsk... those bastards... the stuff they're throwing down is getting harder and harder..." he muttered, his voice a little hoarse.

In the next bed, Kosmo was in slightly better condition, but he still suffered multiple fractures and internal organ concussions. The battle wounds required a long and painful treatment. His eyes were closed, his brow furrowed, clearly enduring discomfort.

Fu Hua and Sakura sat facing each other, undergoing a joint mental cleansing session with Su and Aponia. Fu Hua had overused Feather Dust to deeply interfere with anomalous rule nodes worldwide, resulting in an immense mental burden; Sakura, on the other hand, was suffering from depleted life force. Both of their faces were deathly pale.

Walter and Einstein stood in front of the monitoring station, their faces extremely solemn as they looked at the distribution map on the screen showing the new disaster sites that were still breaking out all over the world and the increasingly strained combat capabilities of their own forces.

“Even with Mr. Zijing’s powers to specifically enhance and adapt them, their bodies and souls still have a limit to what they can withstand.” Einstein’s voice carried a hint of weariness. “The essence of these ‘disasters’ is the leakage and distortion of high-level energy. Fighting against them consumes not only energy but also wears down our own concept of existence. If this continues, our people will collapse before those ‘gods’ even have a chance to intervene.”

Kevin leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. He was relatively unharmed, but the coldness in his eyes was even more intense. As the strongest fusion warrior of the previous civilization, he understood better the horror of this kind of "wear and tear"—the slow erosion of one's "self."

"Where's Li?" he suddenly asked.

Deep within the base, in a quiet room entirely constructed from the power of the amethyst itself, isolated from all internal and external detection.

Zijing sat cross-legged, with two things floating in front of her: a hazy ball of light that kept changing colors, and a crystal-clear purple crystal.

His face was calm to the point of indifference, but his eyes burned with a resolute flame.

“Time…is running out,” he muttered to himself. The sight of his wounded companions, the ever-worsening apocalyptic global landscape, and the increasingly clear gazes from the depths of space weighed heavily on his heart like heavy shackles.

Conventional training, skill enhancement, and even teamwork among partners all seem pale and powerless before beings of "god-like" caliber. These beings don't even need to attack directly; the mere "approach" and "gaze" of their presence are enough to cause the world to collapse.

He needs a "qualitative change." A "qualitative change" that can, in a short period of time, enable him to confront those "views" and at least protect the planet beneath his feet from being arbitrarily ravaged.

“Pure ‘divinity’… perhaps requires pure ‘obsession’ or ‘goal’ as fuel.” Zijing pondered. “In a short time, I cannot comprehend and reach that realm through normal means. So… is it possible to forcibly gather and fuse all will, emotions, and possibilities onto a single ‘goal’ through self-brainwashing and self-purification? Using this as a foundation and catalyst to catalyze the ascension of power?”

This is an extremely dangerous, even insane, conjecture. It means that he would temporarily "kill" most of his present self—those complex emotions, tangled thoughts, expectations for the many possibilities of the future, and even a part of his cognition and entanglements as a "human being"—leaving only the most core and obsessive "instruction" and "goal".

Is the brainwashed "Amethyst" still "Amethyst"? Perhaps it will become something that exists solely to achieve its goals, closer to an "embodiment of rules" or a "divine weapon." It will lose a lot, and may never be able to return to its current form.

But... this is the only way he can think of right now that could potentially create a "miracle" in this desperate situation. At least, it's theoretically possible.

There was little time to hesitate. He reached out and lightly touched the hazy sphere of light that represented the "memory backup." He carefully peeled away a portion of its most essential core, containing all his "original self-awareness" and "complex emotional entanglements," and compressed and sealed it into a specially made purple crystal pendant that could only be unlocked under specific conditions.

Then, he took the pendant and left the meditation room.

Alicia seemed to sense something and was already waiting outside the door. Her usual sweet smile was gone, replaced by eyes filled with worry, heartache, and a hint of understanding.

“Li…” she called softly.

Zijing gently placed the crystal pendant in her palm and held her hand tightly. His eyes remained calm, but deep within them surged an almost tragic determination she had witnessed long ago.

“Alishia, this is me… ‘originally.’” His voice was deep and clear. “If my next attempt fails, or… if the ‘me’ that succeeds becomes unlike ‘me,’ becomes dangerous, or is unable to turn back… use this to ‘find’ me. You know how.”

He paused, looking into Alicia's glistening eyes, and gave a faint, yet incredibly gentle, smile: "Don't worry, it's just... an insurance policy. There's nothing to lose, is there?"

Alicia clutched the crystal pendant, still warm from the amethyst crystal, as if holding the last warmth of the world. She wanted to say something, to stop her, but seeing the unwavering conviction in the amethyst's eyes, all her words ultimately turned into a heavy nod and a choked sob: "You must... come back. I'll wait for you."

Zijing looked at her intently, wanting to apologize. He had promised her not long ago that he wouldn't put too much pressure on himself, but... the tide was pushing him forward.

This gaze lasted for a long time, as if trying to etch Alicia's image into the deepest part of her soul. Finally, Amethyst resolutely turned around and returned to the quiet room.