78: Chapter 78 Fusion Choice

The pickup truck drove along the gray road.

Chen Mo gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead. Lin Wei sat in the passenger seat, glancing at him from time to time, but she didn't ask anything.

She knew he was thinking about something.

After driving for two hours, a familiar intersection appeared ahead.

Trading Post No. 1.

Chen Mo pulled the car into the parking lot and killed the engine.

"Rest for the night," he said.

Lin Wei nodded.

The two walked into the supermarket, and Old Zhou was still behind the cash register. Seeing Chen Mo, his eyes brightened for a moment, but quickly dimmed again.

"You... have you seen it?"

Chen Mo nodded.

Old Zhou was silent for a few seconds.

"And then?"

Chen Mo didn't speak.

He simply walked toward the back room, pushed open the door, and stepped into the space where the Apothecary had once stayed.

The shelves had fallen, the instruments were shattered; everything was still the same as that day.

Chen Mo sat down in the middle of the ruins and closed his eyes.

Lin Wei stood at the doorway, not disturbing him.

Those rules emerged in his mind—

The truth about the core of the sequence.

The memories of the previous Sequence Controller.

And that choice.

Complete Fusion, or partial Fusion?

If he chose complete Fusion, he would gain supreme power, but he would also lose a part of himself. Those emotions, those memories, those things that made him "Chen Mo," would all be devoured by the rules.

If he chose partial Fusion, he could retain his sense of self, but his power would be limited. Facing the will of the ghost realm, it might not be enough.

Chen Mo opened his eyes.

He raised his hand and looked at his palm.

Those golden lines flowed beneath his skin, as if they were alive.

He recalled Zhang Yuan's words.

"Everyone who obtains it will become a part of the rules."

"Seventeen Sequence Controllers, seventeen cycles."

"Every time, they thought they had broken the cycle."

"Every time, they failed."

Chen Mo was silent for a long time.

Then he spoke.

"I am not them."

He stood up and walked to the workbench.

The fluctuations of the core of the sequence were still within him, and the core itself was still in the Depths of the Strange Realm. But between him and it, some kind of connection had already been established.

He could "see" it.

He could "hear" it.

It was calling to him.

Urging him to fuse.

Chen Mo closed his eyes, letting his consciousness extend along those rules.

Passing through the Void Realm, through fragments of memories, through that immense dimension of memory.

Finally, he stood before that core.

It floated in mid-air, those points of light dancing within it, as if waiting for something.

Chen Mo reached out his hand.

His hand passed into the core.

Those points of light surged into his body.

Those rules, those sequences, the memories of the previous controllers.

All of it surged in.

Zhang Yuan.

Liu Tao.

Wang Jianguo.

Li Xiuying.

Name after name, face after face.

They were all looking at him.

All asking him the same question—

"Which path will you choose?"

Chen Mo didn't speak.

He was just watching.

Watching the endings of those people.

Zhang Yuan had chosen complete Fusion. He became a part of the rules, but he also lost himself. In the end, only a remnant of his consciousness remained, drifting in the Depths of the Strange Realm.

Liu Tao had chosen partial Fusion. He retained his sense of self, but his power was insufficient. In the battle against the will of the ghost realm, he was killed.

Wang Jianguo had no choice. He wanted to escape, but he couldn't. In the end, he was devoured by the core, leaving not even his consciousness behind.

Li Xiuying had chosen the third path.

Chen Mo was stunned for a moment.

The third path?

He carefully examined that memory.

Li Xiuying, the seventh Sequence Controller. She did not fuse with the core, nor did she flee. She used the Pupil of the Sequence to "analyze" the core and found a hidden path of ascension—

Using her own body as a vessel to forcibly accommodate A-rank rules.

Not relying on the core, not becoming a part of the rules.

Letting the rules become a part of herself.

She succeeded.

But she also paid the price.

Her body began to "sequence-ize." A part of her body was converted into an energy state.

In the end, she disappeared.

It wasn't death; it was becoming another kind of existence.

Chen Mo watched that memory.

Sequence-ization.

Body turning into energy.

Was that still human?

He didn't know.

But he knew that it was the only path that might possibly break the cycle.

Chen Mo withdrew his hand.

Those points of light withdrew from his body and returned to the core.

He opened his eyes.

He was still in that room, still in the middle of the ruins.

Lin Wei was still at the doorway, watching him.

"How was it?"

Chen Mo didn't speak.

He was just thinking.

Three paths.

Complete Fusion—unlimited power, but losing one's self.

Partial Fusion—retaining one's self, but insufficient power.

Independent Ascension—might succeed, might also turn into energy.

Which one to choose?

He closed his eyes.

The faces of those previous controllers emerged in his mind.

Zhang Yuan, Liu Tao, Wang Jianguo, Li Xiuying.

They were all looking at him.

Waiting for him to choose.

Chen Mo opened his eyes.

He stood up.

"I choose the third path."

Lin Wei was stunned for a moment.

"What?"

Chen Mo didn't explain.

He simply raised his hand, aiming it at his own chest.

Those golden lines surged out from within him, wrapping around his heart.

【Independent Ascension initiated】

【Using self as a vessel, forcibly accommodating A-rank rules】

【Estimated time: Unknown】

【Risk: Sequence-ization】

Chen Mo closed his eyes.

Those rules surged into his body.

Each one hurt like a knife cut.

But he didn't cry out.

He just endured it.

The memories of those previous controllers flashed in his mind—

Zhang Yuan was crying.

Liu Tao was laughing.

Wang Jianguo was running.

Li Xiuying was looking at him.

She was saying—

"You can do it."

Chen Mo gritted his teeth and continued to endure.

More and more rules surged in.

His body began to glow.

Starting from his chest, those golden rays pierced through his skin, illuminating the entire room.

Lin Wei stepped back, shielding her eyes with her hand.

It was too bright.

As bright as the sun.

It was unknown how much time had passed.

Perhaps a few minutes, perhaps a few hours.

The light finally dissipated.

Chen Mo stood where he was.

He looked down at his hands.

Still there.

Solid.

But he could feel that something was different.

Those rules, those sequences, the power that once belonged to the core.

Now, it belonged to him.

【Independent Ascension complete】

【Current Sequence: Sequence Controller (A-rank · Independent Ascension)】

【Core Ability: Sequence Manipulation → Rule Dominator (Can create, modify, delete temporary rules)】

【Pupil of the Sequence evolution: Ultimate Form】

【Prediction extended to 20 seconds】

【New Ability: Rule Immunity (Immune to all rule-type attacks within 10 seconds)】

Chen Mo looked at those words.

Rule Dominator.

Able to create, modify, and delete temporary rules.

This was not Sequence Manipulation; this was true rule mastery.

He looked up toward the doorway.

Lin Wei stood there, looking at him.

There was something indescribable in her eyes.

"You succeeded?"

Chen Mo nodded.

He took a step forward.

The ground beneath his feet instantly solidified into gold.

【Create Rule: Solidification】

【Duration: Permanent】

That patch of ground had truly become solid.

Lin Wei looked down at the golden ground, then looked back up at Chen Mo.

"You... have really changed."

Chen Mo didn't speak.

He just looked out the window.

In the distant night, that eye was still there.

The projection of the will of the ghost realm.

It was still watching him.

But this time, Chen Mo was not afraid.

Because he was the Rule Dominator.

He could create rules.

He could change everything.

He turned and walked toward the door.

"Let's go."

Lin Wei followed.

The two walked out of the room, out of the supermarket, and got into the pickup truck.

Starting the engine, he pressed the accelerator.

The pickup truck drove into the depths of the night.

In the rearview mirror, the lights of the Trading Post grew more and more distant.

Chen Mo gripped the steering wheel, his eyes fixed on the road ahead.

will of the ghost realm.

He is coming.