The Script Changed by the Protagonists

The night was pitch black, thick enough to drip.

Chen Mo stood by the apartment window, his right eye throbbing faintly—a warning from his [True Sight Eye].

The [True Sight Eye] could pierce through illusions and disguises, perceive the fragile weaknesses of things, and even glimpse a few seconds into the future.

He had gained this ability half a year ago, after accidentally falling off a cliff.

In this era of spiritual resurgence, it was his greatest secret.

Outside the window, the streets were eerily silent, devoid of even the sound of wind. Only the occasional distant bark of a dog pierced the stillness, sharp and unsettling.

His fingers tapped unconsciously against the window frame, a growing unease settling in his chest.

"Chen Mo, why aren’t you asleep yet?"

Ye Qingmei, his beloved, emerged from the bedroom, rubbing her bleary eyes.

Her spiritual sensitivity made her acutely aware of energy fluctuations, and now, she too sensed something amiss.

"Something’s wrong. It’s too quiet."

Chen Mo’s voice was low, the burning pain in his right eye intensifying.

He pushed open the window, and a cold wind rushed in, carrying an indescribable metallic stench.

His True Sight Eye activated instantly, and the sight before him made his pupils constrict.

—The streetlights flickered out one by one, darkness oozing like viscous oil across the pavement, devouring every trace of light.

Drip—

A trail of bloody tears slid from his right eye.

A vision flashed in his mind.

[The building they were in would be reduced to rubble by an explosion.]

No... No!!!

"Qingmei, run!"

Chen Mo spun around, grabbing Ye Qingmei’s wrist and bolting for the door.

As they ran, his peripheral vision caught the convenience store sign at the end of the street twisting grotesquely, neon tubes writhing like twisted rope in an invisible hand.

A soda can rolled out of a vending machine, sprouting jagged teeth and emitting a creepy, giggling sound.

Ye Qingmei’s spiritual senses and the warning pocket watch on her wrist blared alarms. Her temples throbbed violently. "Chen Mo, this is weird—there are so many strange energy signatures around us!"

No time to think.

The two burst out of the apartment, descending the fire escape in a frantic rush.

The moment their feet hit the ground—

BOOM!

The sound of shattering glass erupted behind them. Chen Mo turned to see the entire apartment building collapsing, walls crumbling like chewed-up crackers.

Just as they thought they were safe—

Tap, tap, tap.

A group of drunkards staggered out of a nearby bar.

But when they spotted Chen Mo and Ye Qingmei, they froze.

Then—

Squelch!

Bloody holes split open in their necks, writhing vine-like tendrils slithering out.

Beneath their skin, shadowy worms squirmed and pulsed.

"What the hell... are these things?"

Blood trickled from Chen Mo’s right eye as his True Sight Eye pierced through the illusions, revealing the twisted energy cores within the shadows—monstrous masses of darkness.

"Don’t look, just run!"

Ye Qingmei, pale-faced, yanked him into a narrow alley as the screeches of the shadow creatures echoed behind them.

As they ran, Ye Qingmei gasped between breaths, "This doesn’t make sense—why hasn’t the Alliance sent anyone yet?"

"No idea... Wait—?!"

Chen Mo suddenly pulled Ye Qingmei to a stop, his expression horrified.

She followed his gaze and clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide with shock.

At the end of the alley, seven martial artists lay dead or dying.

The ground was littered with the remains of shadow creatures.

A Daoist-robed elder, fingertips crackling with lightning, had just reduced the last shadow to a charred husk.

But a gaping hole in his chest made it clear he wouldn’t survive.

"Elder... what happened here?"

Chen Mo approached hesitantly, pulling Ye Qingmei along.

"Cough!"

The elder spat blood, lifting his head weakly to look at Chen Mo. His voice was hoarse. "The Shadow Sovereign... and his faction have descended..."

"Our city... and the surrounding ones... all under attack..."

"I fought... but couldn’t protect my disciples..."

"Go..."

His words were urgent. "Head to Binjiang Dock! The Alliance set up a barrier there!"

"Reinforcements... are waiting..."

Before he could finish, the elder’s breath stilled.

"How could this..."

Ye Qingmei’s eyes welled up, her voice trembling. "This is too cruel... too much..."

"What even is this Shadow Sovereign? How dare they slaughter people like this..."

Chen Mo stayed silent, fists clenched so tight his knuckles whitened.

Gritting his teeth, he tightened his grip on Ye Qingmei. "Let’s go. We need to get somewhere safe."

The Shadow Faction—what were they?

He led his girlfriend out of the alley.

But neither noticed—

The "dead" elder’s head tilted abruptly, his neck emitting a series of wooden clicks.

His lips moved faintly. "The True Sight Eye... yet blind to our Sovereign’s shadow disguise..."

"Heh heh heh... as expected of our Sovereign..."

As Chen Mo ran, his dread deepened.

It was horrifying.

The streets were a ghost town, devoid of life—even stray cats lay motionless on the roadside, eyes rolled back.

Dim lights flickered over convenience store clerks slumped over counters.

What... is happening?

Chen Mo’s mind reeled. Everything had spiraled out of control too fast.

The only lead they had was the elder’s dying words: make it to the dock.

Time crawled.

When they finally emerged from the last tunnel, the briny scent of the river hit them.

Searchlight beams cut through the night, revealing the silhouette of Alliance warships.

Ye Qingmei’s eyes lit up at the sight of orderly queues boarding the vessels. "Thank goodness—the Alliance!"

On the dock, a commander-like man lifted his blast visor, flashing them a bright smile. "Glad you made it. Please board—"

Before he could finish—

"Wait!"

Chen Mo jerked to a halt, another bloody tear streaking down his right eye.

His True Sight Eye saw through the man’s flesh—no bones, no organs, just dark threads winding around clockwork gears.

He grabbed Ye Qingmei, voice stiff. "It’s a puppet!!"

A puppet?!

Ye Qingmei froze.

Then—

A mocking voice rang out.

"Only figured it out now?"

"Too bad..."

The commander’s face melted like wax, revealing Ling Yu’s eerie, patchwork mask-like grin.

"It’s too late."

BOOM!

The entire dock collapsed, plunging them into a subterranean arena built from piled bones.

Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh!

Ling Yu’s figure flickered between twelve searchlights, each beam revealing a different version of him.

The girl in school uniform reached out tearfully: "Brother Chen Mo, save me..."

Chen Mo's eyes trembled.

She was the neighbor girl from the third floor of his apartment building—the one he'd sworn to protect.

A charred-black man roared, "Why didn't you answer my calls for help?!"

Ye Qingmei staggered back, her face pale.

This had once been her colleague from the civilian martial arts agency, left behind in the inferno during their raid on an enemy stronghold.

The Daoist-robed elder from the alley was here too, his seven orifices bleeding as he stared hollowly at Chen Mo. "Why... why are you the chosen ones... while the rest of us are doomed to be side characters in this world..."

"Pick an opponent you like~"

Ling Yu's true form hovered at the center of the arena, shadowy threads unfurling from his fingertips across the battleground.

"Or..."

His pupils fractured into a thousand prismatic facets. "Join us. Become our King's most loyal tool."

......

...

Drip. Drip.

High above.

Qin Luo studied the chessboard before him with amusement.

The white pieces—symbolizing the side characters—were vanishing one by one. Meanwhile, the white pieces representing the protagonists...

Were being herded.

Driven toward a single point.

He dropped a black stone, encircling them.

Come now, protagonists... your script is about to be rewritten.

Dr. Ya once warned that altering the script would bring unforeseen consequences.

But so what? Wasn’t this exactly what a Sweeper was meant to do?

Since I’ve been chosen as the Sweeper...

I’ll do things my way.

Whether evil lurks below or gods watch from above—

I’ll...

Qin Luo placed the final black stone.

Summon my young mistress to crush it all.