Chapter 285: Chapter 285

Of course, as the Reincarnated Administrator 4444, Zhou Qiming’s miserable end was not without reason.

According to the memories awakened by the Life Stone—

The previous cycle’s Administrator 4444 was also attempting reincarnation for the first time.

Because of inexperience, that Administrator 4444 was uncertain whether his efforts and attempts would ultimately succeed.

As the saying goes, don’t put all your eggs in one basket.

To ensure a higher success rate, that Administrator 4444 forcibly split his soul into three parts...

In other words, he prepared three reincarnation paths for himself!

Zhou Qiming was only one of those paths.

Strictly speaking, Zhou Qiming’s reincarnation path was a failure...

Instead, that fragment of Administrator 4444’s soul would have possessed Zhou Qiming.

Afterwards, that soul would replace Zhou Qiming’s identity in reality and enter the Doomsday Apartment normally.

The sudden death incident of Zhou Qiming, which left players guessing, was essentially caused by Administrator 4444!

The goal was to seize Zhou Qiming’s identity and perform reincarnation!

If successful, Zhou Qiming would be alive but his soul replaced from within...

The outcome was failure, so Zhou Qiming died...

Zhou Qiming himself also mentioned a detail—

His real-world death time was not when he was killed by the "Kill Order".

It was when he killed Administrator 4444!

In other words, the "Server-wide Kill Order" was not the cause of death; the NPC possession after killing Administrator 4444 was the real cause!

So the question arises—

What exactly did Zhou Qiming experience after death?

In fact, his post-death experience aligns with the Doomsday Apartment’s hidden rules.

When a world is invaded by the Doomsday Apartment...

The living people of that world become new players of the Doomsday Apartment;

Those who died long ago in that world become the apartment’s monsters!

Like Wu Ying, like Jade Flask...

They were already dead in reality and exist in the apartment as monsters.

Zhou Qiming’s dead self was no exception.

However, he, like Jade Flask, was not an ordinary monster.

He became a symbiotic monster!

Jiang Ye had previously classified monsters simply into wild monsters and raised little monsters.

Wild monsters were further divided into resident monsters and non-resident monsters.

But he recently learned through memory acquisition that

The category of non-resident monsters also has subtypes.

For example, special monsters bred in extreme environments.

Like the Eternal Witch Gui and the monster that trapped the light clone, they belong to this category.

These special monsters rely heavily on their environment.

Many cultivate great strength by utilizing special environments.

Therefore, these special monsters’ abilities far surpass ordinary monsters.

Many even exploit environmental powers to massively ambush players! ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ꜰʀᴏᴍ N0v3l.Fiɾe.net

In summary, these special monsters can be understood as the ultimate bosses of various secret realms.

Besides that, there is another type of non-resident monster called a symbiotic monster.

Special monsters depend on environments, while symbiotic monsters depend on burial artifacts!

Burial artifacts are grave goods buried with the dead.

They are extremely high-grade dark-type items.

And most non-chest items are unique.

Their power naturally exceeds that of ordinary chest items.

Burial artifacts with symbiotic monsters are equivalent to having a “spirit vessel.”

With the symbiotic monster’s blessing, the burial artifact’s power is generally higher than burial artifacts without symbiotic monsters!

Of course, burial artifacts themselves are already extremely precious.

Burial artifacts with symbiotic monsters are even rarer.

That is why ordinary players have never encountered the concept of symbiotic monsters.

But judging by their characteristics, it’s not hard to see—

Lin Ling’s daughter, Jade Flask, is also a symbiotic monster.

According to Zhou Qiming’s memories, he was initially a symbiotic monster as well.

The burial artifact he was symbiotic with was a glass bead the size of an eyeball.

By coincidence, that glass bead fell into Administrator 0000’s hands.

Later, Administrator 0000 respectfully gave it to Duoe.

At first, Duoe only treated the glass bead as a tool.

His attitude toward Zhou Qiming was just like treating a "spirit vessel," only expecting him to enhance the artifact’s effect.

However, as Duoe’s strength grew.

Or rather, as the Divine Crow’s strength grew.

Duoe began frequently using the Divine Crow to attempt prophetic methods.

It was through the Divine Crow’s prophecy that he unexpectedly discovered—

The symbiotic monster he regarded as a spirit vessel had an extraordinary origin!

So he decisively helped Zhou Qiming become a monster player, changing his status from symbiotic monster to monster player.

After becoming a monster player, Duoe quickly soul-searched Zhou Qiming.

After all, prophecy only obtained scattered pieces of information.

Soul-searching allowed Duoe to obtain all of Zhou Qiming’s memories!

Duoe, having obtained Zhou Qiming’s memories, was as shocked as Jiang Ye is now!

Good heavens! After the Doomsday Apartment’s destruction, permission players can experience another round of the Doomsday Apartment’s game version!

And the opportunity for reincarnation these top experts have been desperately pursuing...

Was actually not in the current stage of the Doomsday Apartment, but in the game version of the Doomsday Apartment!

In other words, only permission players can get the “ticket” for reincarnation!

Of course, obtaining the “ticket” and entering the game version of the Doomsday Apartment does not guarantee reincarnation success for everyone.

Those permission players who become NPCs in the game are more enthusiastic about seeking reincarnation opportunities.

It’s not hard to imagine that their reincarnation method is to escape the NPC status, even escape the “game world,” to become real people in the real world!

Afterwards, they can enter the next round of the real-world Doomsday Apartment as real people...

This shocking information about reincarnation greatly stunned Duoe.

But what disappointed him—

Zhou Qiming himself only possessed one-third of the previous Administrator 4444’s soul.

So his memories were incomplete.

Of course, it’s also possible that due to rule restrictions, the method of how Administrator 4444 reincarnated did not transfer with the memories.

Although the method is still unknown, the direction is clear.

Therefore, Duoe’s organization’s attention focused on Administrator 4444.

Because Duoe also knew—

That Administrator 4444’s soul was split into three parts, following three reincarnation paths.

Although memories showed the chances of success for the three paths were extremely slim.

What if among the players in this world, one is the previous cycle’s reincarnated Administrator 4444?

In any case, after acquiring Zhou Qiming’s memories, Duoe’s organization locked their focus on Administrator 4444.

Previously, Jiang Ye wondered—

How long has Administrator 4444 existed?

Why did the Duoe organization and the apartment boss only recently start targeting 4444? What were they doing before?

With Zhou Qiming’s memories, this question was no longer mysterious.

Because Duoe started paying attention to Administrator 4444 only after soul-searching Zhou Qiming.

He most likely believed that Administrator 4444’s ability to reincarnate was very probably related to this permission identity and the Reincarnation Graveyard or the Reincarnation Key.

After all, both have the word “Reincarnation” in their names.

In short, how could Duoe not be moved by the secret of reincarnation?

Unfortunately, from Zhou Qiming’s perspective, he could not know Duoe’s full actions.

Because Zhou Qiming was indeed just a pawn.

From his perspective, he only knew being soul-searched by Duoe exposed the secret of reincarnation.

Then Duoe helped him with tattoo and bone purification, even removing his monster player identity!

Making him completely like a new player!

Then his memories were erased, and he woke up in a coffin.

Due to memory loss, Zhou Qiming thought he was just an ordinary new player...

After that, under the so-called “Mission Task” announcement, Duoe arranged everything clearly for him.

Not long ago, Jiang Ye witnessed—

Duoe can produce sounds identical to apartment announcements!

So fabricating the so-called “Mission Task” was naturally not difficult.

Jiang Ye also suspects that the secret of “reincarnation” was probably not directly told to the 26 apartment bosses by Duoe.

Instead, he found other excuses to cooperate with the 26 apartment bosses to target Administrator 4444.

But after losing the Divine Crow, can Duoe still keep this secret?

Then Jiang Ye’s Administrator 4444 clone will undoubtedly be targeted again.

Because who wouldn’t be tempted by the secret of reincarnation?

Besides this shocking news about reincarnation, Zhou Qiming’s memories also provided other information.

First, there is a chance for burial artifacts to produce symbiotic monsters.

These things exist in the Soul Resting Mound.

The full name is the Soul-Butterfly Resting Mound.

Previously, when Jiang Ye asked Lin Jing and Ouyang about the Soul Devouring Mound related to the Crow Egg, the two mentioned this place.

It is located in the Return Soul Abyss of the 0000 Apartment.

The entire environment of the Soul Resting Mound is somewhat like the scene described in "Withered Vines, Old Trees, and Dark Crows."

On the surface, it looks desolate.

But beneath this barren land, ancient tombs are hidden!

Ancient tombs are different from the mounds and tombstones of cemeteries.

Mounds and tombstones bury ordinary people, generally without burial goods.

Hidden underground tombs mostly hold ancient royalty or nobles!

Those with high status and power had too many possessions while alive and wanted to take them after death.

So they prepared abundant burial goods before death.

Worried about the precious burial goods being coveted, they hid their tombs underground, which led to the rise of tomb robbers...

The Soul Resting Mound, with many hidden ancient tombs, naturally became a favored exploration site for many players.

Of course, only for powerful veteran players.

After all, the risk of exploring ancient tombs is very high; otherwise, burial artifacts wouldn’t be so precious.

Oh yes, only after acquiring Zhou Qiming’s complete memories did Jiang Ye piece together the previous conversation between Chubby Guy and Lin Ling.

Chubby Guy probably obtained Jade Flask and a protective talisman, two burial artifacts, from the ancient tombs in the Soul Resting Mound.

He didn’t know Jade Flask’s origin and only treated it as a burial artifact with a symbiotic monster to trade to the apartment boss.

Later, the apartment boss, likely using Duoe’s prophecy ability, learned that the symbiotic monster was exactly Jade Flask, whom Lin Ling cherished deeply.

Then the apartment boss used special means to place Jade Flask in a hidden housing and later lured Zhou Qiming to acquire Jade Flask’s glyph pattern ability.

But the apartment boss’s motive for handling Jade Flask was honestly a bit strange.

After all, if Jade Flask had been given directly to Lin Ling, they should have gained huge benefits from her.

But the apartment boss did not; they deliberately killed Jade Flask...

What was the purpose of offending Lin Ling ?

To set up an ambush in the hidden housing to kill Lin Ling?

But if so, not killing Jade Flask would better lure Lin Ling into the hidden housing with 100% certainty, right?

So, more likely, their real goal was to make Lin Ling take the “Resurrect Jade Flask” path!

To walk that path, Lin Ling must explore the Abyss Restricted Zone.

So is Lin Ling’s exploration of the Abyss Restricted Zone a design by the apartment boss and Duoe?

Then the main plot they set for Lin Ling should be over there in the Abyss Restricted Zone?

Is it a “mantis stalking the cicada” scheme to trap Lin Ling?

Or do they want to use Lin Ling to explore the forbidden zone and then reap the benefits?

If so, is Chubby Guy, also targeting the Abyss Restricted Zone, working with the apartment boss?

This is probably what Lin Ling is currently pondering.

With her insight, it’s unlikely she doesn’t realize exploring the Abyss Restricted Zone is the apartment boss’s conspiracy.

But to resurrect Jade Flask, she has no choice but to go.

So this is actually an open conspiracy!

The relationships between the dark forces and the Defenders’ Alliance are obviously not as harmonious as they appear.

In Zhou Qiming’s memories, the tattoo and bone purification arranged by Duoe for him was done by the Guiwen Master who also purified tattoos for Wu Ying and both tattoo and bone purification for Zhang Minghan.

After that, Zhou Qiming also underwent the process of removing his monster player identity.

He was unconscious during that process and did not know what happened.

But Jiang Ye speculates that the one who removed Zhou Qiming’s monster player identity was probably someone from the Defenders’ Alliance.

That means the dark forces and the Defenders’ Alliance have some entangled interests.

Including this time, for Lin Ling to break the Abyss Restricted Zone’s seals, she probably got the method from the dark forces.

After all, those seals were set up by the dark forces.

Jiang Ye digested the information while thinking.

Administrator 4444 swiftly moved northward in the Reincarnation Graveyard.

At the same time, he sent the news about entering the hidden housing to Lin Ling.

4444: “Just interrogated from Zhou Qiming’s mouth, his way into the hidden housing is through the red-lit elevator of the 9999 Apartment.”

“In the red-lit elevator, press floors 3, 6, 7, 9, 23, 26, 50, then a hidden button appears, labeled ‘Safe Exit.’”

“When the elevator floor display shows 49, press ‘Safe Exit’ to enter the hidden space.”