"What's going on here? She said she wanted to help, but ended up trying to kill me. This vicious woman, damn it!!" Owen angrily threw the gun on the ground, frustrated that someone had ruined his gaming experience and almost killed him.

"Owen, you didn't hesitate to shoot just now, even though you did the right thing... but..." Ji Shuyu said.

"She has two lives, there's nothing we can't hit her with. I thought I could stop her." Owen picked up the gun again, his tone returning to a joking one. "Don't be afraid, I won't harm my teammates easily, as long as they don't betray me."

"Why did Bernice turn out like that? I thought she was a good person."

"I also thought so, sigh!"

"Something's not right, her logic is completely contradictory." Old Mo analyzed. "From our perspective, Bernice wanted to kill us with the magic formation, but from her point of view, she seemed to really want to save all of us. I think she took the wrong path."

Everyone recalled Bernice's appearance before she died. There was no hatred, no insanity, no intention to kill in her eyes, only pain and regret.

"It must be the Eternal Life Church. Bernice must have come into contact with the Eternal Life Church and they assimilated her! I don't know how the Eternal Life Church influenced her, but her cognition seems to have been severely distorted."

"This is too much!"

"Can she be resurrected?"

"I think, she probably can't."

"Why... would they treat us like this?"

Moulin came to the place where Bernice disappeared, remembering her gentle appearance when they first met. She felt a wave of sadness, despite having experienced countless separations and reunions, there was always a vague longing for kindness.

"May she rest in eternal peace." She whispered in prayer.

Black Frame handed his long coat to Xu Fang and whispered, "и°ўи°ў." It knew that Xu Fang had just saved them with his actions.

Xu Fang nodded and took Black Frame's coat, putting it on. The tolerance rate for the duplicate mode had increased a lot, so this time he wouldn't casually touch the strange magic of the parallel world. If he didn't save them, most of the authors present would suffer here.

The possibility of the author's location being exposed is low. Xu Fang was initially cautious of Bernice and came directly by plane without informing her of the address of the author meeting. Therefore, the Eternal Life Church could not have known their current location through her, but it was still not advisable to stay here for long.

After saving the game, they should leave as soon as possible.

Ji Shuyu looked at Xu Fang and asked, "Which race are you?"

"Something like an energy life form."

"What sci-fi book setting is that? Pretty cool."

Apparently, the authors thought that Xu Fang had just acquired a new body.

Old Mo exclaimed, "Authors can also change to non-human bodies?"

Owen laughed, "You're just not well-informed."

Old Mo thought about it. It wasn't surprising for the long-lived elf species in different worlds to change, so it wasn't strange for them to become a superpower race. Although he had been an author for a long time, he rarely interacted with authors who frequently changed identities, as it required a price.

"I envy you. Unfortunately, I only know some harmless code magic."

Although loli looks cute, no one dares to treat it as an ordinary person after witnessing its ability to resist aging magic with rules.

"Rules, how strong is your current power? How does it convert to power level of Dragon Ball?" Ji Shuyu asked.

Yoriko: "Let's not put those ridiculous power settings in reality, okay?"

"Just give me a number so I can have a concept."

Xu Fang thought for a moment and said, "Less than fifty."

"What special ability do you have? Can you tell us?"

"My ability is very simple, I can heat objects." Xu Fang extended her hand, and everyone immediately felt their skin getting warm. "This ability is not suitable for warfare, and the Eternal Life Church has already taken control of the army."

Ji Shuyu did not inquire further as the author's personal information was sensitive. Xu Fang had already shown great trust by sharing this much, and Ji Shuyu wisely stopped probing.

Compared to Xu Fang's straightforward ability, Empty's mysterious power was more attractive.

"Sage, can you still use your 'deception' move in the second playthrough?"

Empty shook his head, "Perfect timing, advantageous position, and support from people are all necessary. It's difficult to reproduce."

"Sigh, if that website was still available, we could have directly attacked the Eternal Life Church!"

Ji Shuyu said, "According to the rules' requirements, I have created a new communication software, switched to a new server, and we can communicate here from now on."

The authors successively received Ji Shuyu's "Kchat" chat program.

"Completely two-way encryption, similar to the structure of a bat. During chatting, it generates an exclusive private key, and the private key is encrypted using ECC. When sending messages or transferring files to authors, the information will be encrypted and then transmitted. Upon reaching the terminal device, it will be decrypted using the matching key. Even if our information is intercepted by the Eternal Life Church, we don't have to worry because the key is created using code magic. Hehe, security is guaranteed."

"Code magic? Can you teach me?" Owen asked.

"Unfortunately, it's like a superpower of the rules. It requires a specific body and specific knowledge. Even if you learn it, you won't be able to do it."

Ji Shuyu continued, "As you may have guessed, like Bernice, I am also from another world. Although my abilities are not as amazing as hers, I can still contribute in the field of programming. Since the Eternal Life Church has torn our faces, we don't need to be polite with them. I need your help. I want to capture a living monster from the Eternal Life Church, and I have a way to write a magic program specifically for the monsters."

"I'll take this task." Owen eagerly said, "I've always wanted to dissect those monsters."

Xu Fang said, "Later, I will synchronize the memories of everyone present. This will be our only time to preserve memories. From now on, memory updates will need to be done through text. Are you all okay with this?"

"No problem, as long as I know I'm the author, other memories are easy to handle."

No one expressed opposition.

Xu Fang then looked at Old Mo, "When everyone's memories are synchronized, please launch it into orbit for us."

Old Mo: "No problem. I still have the raw materials at home, and making a mini rocket is not difficult as long as you provide me with the coordinates."

"What's the matter?"

"Black Frame, your constitution is not suitable for appearing in public places. You need to stay in a hidden place and be able to contact us at any time."

"..."

Ji Shuyu noticed that Moulin was still kneeling at the place where Bernice disappeared, praying with a sad expression. She couldn't help but recall the memories of the previous round. Bernice at that time may not have been brainwashed. She appeared gentle and intellectual, showing care to the confused Moulin. What exactly did such a person think before deciding to kill the authors?

She walked over intending to comfort Moulin, but suddenly realized that there was someone next to Moulin.

That person was... unnamed.

No name, hardly spoke, with a presence even thinner than the air, a very mysterious person.

Ji Shuyu had ignored the existence of this person countless times, she didn't even know when the unnamed person had come here.

The unnamed person was half kneeling on the ground, their black robe hanging down, bowing their head to the magic circle left by Bernice.

The pattern made of blood did not disappear with the impact just now.

"What is this?..."

"This is a teleportation magic circle," the unnamed person suddenly said.

"You can understand it?"

The unnamed person remained silent.

"Can a teleportation magic circle have such high destructive power?" Ji Shuyu muttered to herself.

"Maybe that woman used a teleportation circle to bring some kind of 'aging' substance and tried to kill us through this method. I have to say, it's quite creative." Owen pulled out a strand of hair and dipped it in the blood.

The hair visibly lost its luster and became withered, eventually turning into a pile of dust.

"Tsk tsk." Owen raised an eyebrow, took some liquid with a syringe, and put it into a small glass bottle.

"What are you doing? That thing is dangerous!"

"Of course, I'm studying it." Owen observed whether the glass bottle had changed and said, "This thing is related to the Eternal Life Church. What if we encounter it again without understanding it?"

Although the syringe rusted quickly, the glass bottle remained unchanged for a long time.

"I'll collect some too." After confirming that the inorganic mineral component of silicon dioxide could stabilize the stored blood, Lao Mo also took out a glass bottle.

"Haha, two weirdos, carrying syringes and glass bottles with you. You guys are so strange!" Yoriko mocked.

"I didn't expect the girl to have so much potential, she has a bright future." Empty's gaze had long been attracted by Yoriko's towering chest.

Aging had stripped away the youthfulness of the underage girl, making her mature and charming.

"Hehehe." Yoriko chuckled, teasingly squeezed a few times, then lightly exhaled near Empty's ear and smirked, "Does the Master want to touch?"

"I want to, I really want to!" Empty was delighted and reached out his hand.

"You old pervert, you act without thinking, taking liberties!" Yoriko's attitude changed, opening Empty's hand.

"You..."

"Hehe...just kidding, Master, you're not going to be mad, are you? Hehe."

"I, as a humble monk, have an open mind and will not hold grudges." Empty stammered.

The gloomy, negative-energy-filled Yoriko just now had clearly become a different person.

A few authors noticed this change and, associating it with Bernice's twisted behavior, they secretly became vigilant.

The communication program created by Ji Shuyu was very simple, with no other functions except for a more discreet chat. The authors created a group called "Disaster Strategy Team", a name chosen randomly without any special meaning. Later, under the guidance of Xu Fang, everyone made a "backup" of their memories. With Ji Shuyu as a successful case, memory extraction seemed to be highly feasible.

Although Bernice's incident seemed to have a close call, it left a thorn in everyone's hearts. The brainwashing methods of the Eternal Life Church were too bizarre. No one knew for certain if there was a second Bernice among the authors. The threshold of trust was raised once again.

No one brought up the idea of forming teams anymore. After confirming each other's contact information, everyone dispersed on their own.

…

A vast white space.

Bernice woke up from a nightmare, looking at her own hands in horror. The pain before death still lingered in her mind. The physical pains of aging were secondary; what saddened her more were the incomprehension, indifference, or even anger in the eyes of the other authors.

She closed her eyes, feeling tears running down her cheeks. Her chest was still rising and falling, she was still breathing.

"Child, you have suffered..." a familiar elderly voice sounded in her ear.

Bernice opened her eyes and saw an old man with white hair sitting in front of her. Although she had never seen the real face of this old man, she recognized him as Simpson.

"Professor, you're still alive?"

"Yes, I joined the Eternal Life Church," Simpson laughed. "Looking back now, our actions were meaningless. Eternal life doesn't require suffering."

"Professor, you've been brainwashed," Bernice said. "Being in the hands of the Eternal Life Church, your thoughts are no longer free, and your personality is no longer pure."

"Perhaps, but I don't want to struggle anymore," Simpson said. "You see, besides bringing more pain to yourself, what meaning does your actions have?"

"It has meaning. As long as all the authors die by my hands, the Eternal Life Church won't succeed."

"But what about you?"

"I can't escape, of course, but when my thoughts are tormented, if I can remember what I've done, I..."

Bernice's words stopped as she saw a person standing beside the professor, completely black from head to toe.

"Mr. Simpson, please go back and reunite with your wife and daughter. I'll talk to the author," the person patted Simpson's shoulder.

With a simple gesture, Simpson visibly became younger. Gratitude and joy appeared in his eyes as he got up and left without looking back.

Bernice just stared at it, feeling that her soul no longer belonged to her. She almost wanted to kneel down in submission, to offer everything she had to this person.

Her whole body trembled, her scalp tingled. It was such a terrifying oppressive feeling!

"Eternal Life Church followers..." Bernice put her finger in her mouth, intending to use her blood to cast a spell. But her teeth bit onto something cold and hard. When she lowered her head to see, she realized that her hand had become a prosthetic limb without her realizing it.

Her legs were the same.

She felt as if all her strength had been drained away, falling to the ground.

"Poor author, why have you ended up in such a miserable state?" The person stood beside Bernice, looking down at her with pity in his eyes. "I am Number 5, a core member of the Eternal Life Church and also your comrade."

"If you really think I'm pitiful, can you just kill me?"

"We don't kill anyone, we make them immortal."

"Is brainwashing starting now?" Bernice said sadly. "And then I'll end up like Professor Simpson, lost in myself?"

"Not lost, but finding your true self." Number 5 squatted down, staring at her with black eyes. "Let me repeat it again, Miss Bernice, you are already our comrade."

"What did you say?"

"Think carefully, why did you try to murder authors?"

"To crush your conspiracy!"

"But, after you 'kill' those authors, won't they immediately gain immortality?"

"Not if they are killed by authors!"

"Think again, won't they?"

Bernice felt her head buzzing and her expression froze.

Yes, why did she frame those authors?

Who told her that "authors can help other authors out of the abyss"?

She couldn't remember. What terrified her even more was this unfounded obsession.

"Although you failed, you did well. Because of your actions, there is no longer true trust among authors. Soon, they will all return to the embrace of immortality. Hmm, that look? You remember, don't you?"

Bernice glanced at her prosthetic limb, trembling as she asked, "When did it all start?"

To an outsider, it was an inexplicable question, but Number 5 knew what Bernice wanted to ask.

"In such a remote place, how could you survive after having all four limbs amputated? Do those inhumane thugs really know first aid? Of course not, so what are they? Hehe..."

"I knew it... I knew it... Everything was orchestrated by you... It's all fake, it's all fake... Hahaha, hahahaha... The mysterious organization, Horror Novel Web, the orphanage... It's all planned... Hahahaha..."

The woman on the ground had gone mad, her frenzy surpassing that of Moulin.

"Just a reminder, that website is not fake," Number 5 said calmly.

The madwoman couldn't hear anymore.

Number 5 patted Bernice's body, her uncontrollable expression gradually subsiding, and then becoming blank.

"Realign your thoughts, time will heal all wounds. Go back to your orphanage."

...

After entering the underworld, Number 5 felt that the lingering "gaze" around him had not disappeared. Following the gaze, it looked back.

It was staring at you.

"Observer, or should I say, dear reader, why are you still fixated on me?"

(You silently lock eyes with Number 5.)

Number 5 didn't say much, the members of the Eternal Life Church were not accustomed to communicating with "readers." Most of the time, it would be better if they didn't exist.