Chapter 120: Crimson, Dawn, and Corruption

Opening his eyes, Feng Qi found himself back in the real world.

Against Little Black's relentless pursuit, his desperate resistance was like an ant trying to shake a tree—futile. In the end, he still perished at Little Black's hands.

Rising from his bed, Feng Qi walked over to his desk and sat down. Opening his notebook, he began recording the harvest of his latest foray into the future dream realm.

This habit allowed him to organize his actions methodically after every trip to the future, ensuring efficient use of his time.

The ancients had a saying: "Plan in the command tent to win a thousand miles away." Without plans in his downtime, the precious time spent in the future would be wasted. Thus, integrating information and making plans was crucial.

With a thought, he activated his telekinesis, lifting a pen and setting it to write on the notebook's pages.

First, he recorded the improvements in his abilities:

Ability Enhancement 1: Gained the prefix title and talent "Steel Fang," which greatly strengthens his teeth, allowing for effective melee attacks in specific circumstances.

Remark: This ability has limited utility in regular combat but may provide unexpected advantages in unconventional situations.

Ability Enhancement 2: Acquired the talent " Crescent Curse Mark," granting a small, comprehensive enhancement to his physical attributes.

Remark: This ability has the potential to evolve into a prefix title, possibly unlocking unique, unexpected powers—something to anticipate.

Ability Enhancement 3: Increased bloodline evolution points to 536, though his current status remains "Primary Human."

Remark: Focusing on increasing bloodline evolution points will be a priority in the future.

While the list of enhancements from this dream realm journey was brief, Feng Qi could see how significantly his strength had grown compared to his first foray.

Next, he moved on to record the intelligence he had gathered.

This trip had provided abundant information, answering several long-standing mysteries.

With telekinetic precision, he guided the pen to write down the details:

Intelligence Harvest from the Future Dream Realm

Confirmation of the Crimson Research Institute's Allegiance: Verified that the Crimson Research Institute consistently stands on humanity's side and is a trustworthy protective force.

Derived Information 1: The genius roster maintained by the Crimson Research Institute is intended to protect humanity's new generation of talent, serving as a countermeasure against the dark forces that hunt such individuals.

Derived Information 2: The humanoid domain creatures in the core underground area of the Crimson Research Institute's headquarters were originally Crimson researchers who volunteered to become experimental subjects as part of the Anti-Infiltration Plan.

Derived Information 3: The Anti-Infiltration Plan has no connection to the Path of Ascension. Its ultimate goal is to transform human warriors into half-domain creatures and send them into the Dark World to disrupt the links between the Dark World and reality.

Remarks: Future collaborations with the Crimson Research Institute could be highly beneficial, including access to the Brain-in-a-Vat program or future database permissions.

Insights into Mu Yan: Using the Nightmare ability to decode memory fragments, he discovered that Mu Yan has always sought miracles to help humanity resist domain fields. She is likely the "human miracle" Lü Yue referred to.

Derived Information: Many significant figures and forces in history, such as Ye Huang, Mu Qing, the founders of the Crimson Research Institute, and Wei Wei, owe their growth and formation to Mu Yan's influence. Her ultimate goal is to empower humanity to rise and triumph over domain invasions.

Remarks: While there's no concrete evidence of Mu Yan's origins, the Path of Ascension is suspected to be linked to her. It is speculated that the mysterious powerhouses who vanished may have been sent to the Path of Ascension by her, which could be humanity's front line against domain invasions.

Little Black's New Trait: Discovered that Little Black possesses the ability to rapidly absorb energy, indicating that its strength far exceeds prior estimations.

Remarks: This may explain the narrator's insistence on pursuing extreme physical growth, as Little Black appears to counter magic-based entities more effectively than physically-oriented ones.

Unresolved Mystery: Little Black's persistent pursuit remains unexplained, as does its ability to precisely locate Feng Qi 1,500 years in the future.

Remarks 2: Data from the Crimson Research Institute suggests that Little Black is likely an artificial creation, similar to Suction Cup, though specifics remain unknown.

After meticulously documenting the gathered intelligence, Feng Qi sat at his desk, lost in thought.

The next step was to determine the direction for his future dream realm explorations.

After a while, he began jotting down his ideas, and soon three options were laid out in his notebook:

Future Path Options

1. Collaborate with the Crimson Research Institute: Share the gathered intelligence with them, particularly the discovery of werewolves among his students, and use this as leverage to uncover the dark forces behind the werewolves.

Remarks: Successfully exposing the dark forces could have far-reaching impacts on future timelines, potentially altering the broader context of subsequent dream realms. Additionally, the Crimson Research Institute's resources could be leveraged to investigate Little Black's origins and ensure they leave future data for him.

2. Join Mu Qing in Forming the Dawn Army: Stay close to Mu Yan when she appears and directly inquire about her secrets. This timeline might unveil significant historical truths and the mysteries of the Path of Ascension.

Remarks: By the time Mu Qing establishes the Dawn Army, Feng Qi would be nearing 50 years old. There's a high probability that he may perish from unknown causes before achieving substantial results, risking a fruitless endeavor.

3. Fully Embrace Darkness and Attempt to Join the Mysterious Dark Organization

During this path, Feng Qi would deliberately express his rebellious tendencies to attract the attention and eventual invitation from the mysterious dark organization.

Remarks: This path is overwhelmingly dark and fraught with uncertainties. The chances are high that before the organization even makes contact, Feng Qi could be executed by law enforcement.

After writing down the three possible future paths, Feng Qi found himself hesitating.

The third path, in particular, weighed heavily on his mind.

If the earlier paths represented a struggle to seek light while trapped in darkness, this one was about willingly diving into the abyss.

Choosing this future would demand immense psychological resilience. Fully embracing darkness would mean committing acts that violated his moral compass and personal principles.

It would be akin to a devout believer shattering their faith with their own hands—a painful, soul-crushing ordeal.

Once integrated into the dark organization, he might even be required to massacre humans, bearing witness to the slow extinction of human civilization at his own hands.

The mental anguish would be unimaginable.

"It's like being forced to murder your own family, obliterate your nation, and ultimately destroy the civilization of your species. This process would inevitably plunge you into a torment worse than death, especially since all of it would be real—this is no game."

The narrator's words struck a chord with Feng Qi.

The futures he witnessed were real.

Every message in the mailbox represented a genuine timeline, a piece of history that truly existed.

Even contemplating such an ordeal was excruciating; to have his future self endure it would be unbearable.

With a sigh, Feng Qi decisively crossed out the third option.

Aside from its numerous uncertainties, the cruelty it inflicted on his future self was beyond what he could accept. Unless there were absolutely no other alternatives, he would not choose this path.

This left him with two options: join the Crimson Research Institute or the Dawn Army.

After a moment of consideration, Feng Qi asked aloud:

"What do you think, Narrator? Which timeline should I choose?"

"Joining the Dawn Army carries a high risk of an untimely death. You might not even survive long enough to see the formation of the army, let alone meet Mu Yan."

"I'd recommend the Crimson Research Institute. It's the more stable choice. Slow and steady wins the race. Trying to make great leaps forward could leave you with nothing in the end."

Feng Qi nodded thoughtfully.

"Honestly, I was leaning toward the Crimson Research Institute as well."

Having made up his mind, he marked a large check next to the Crimson Research Institute path.

Closing the notebook, he stretched his arms above his head.

The road ahead was still shrouded in fog, but Feng Qi firmly believed that his efforts would eventually bring about monumental changes. Humanity would rise and achieve ultimate victory under his influence.

"The journey is long, and the path arduous. I will seek the truth above and below."

"I have a feeling that once you root out the dark forces lurking within human civilization, the future dream realms will undergo dramatic changes."

"Why do you say that?"

"The dark forces are like a virus, preventing human civilization from growing healthily. They assassinate geniuses, sabotage the Crimson Research Institute, and engage in other forms of destruction that we may not even know about. These actions consistently stymie humanity's progress. Eliminating them would remove this burden."

"At that point, humanity's only challenge would be the direct invasion of domain creatures. Purely frontal battles can be addressed by leveraging the cultivation techniques you've carried back from the future databases."

Feng Qi nodded in agreement. He had considered this before.

If the dark forces weren't eradicated, humanity would never be able to flourish, no matter how many cultivation techniques he brought back.

The dark forces would always find ways to remove advantageous factors, just as they assassinated humanity's prodigies. Any condition conducive to humanity's rise would be systematically eliminated.

Thus, without addressing the root problem, humanity's future would remain grim.

As for strengthening his personal power—it was important, but not a solution in itself.

Even if he were granted a billion dollars and 100 dream realm opportunities, Little Black's relentless pursuit would likely prevent him from developing enough strength to change history.

Even legends like Mu Qing had perished. The mysterious powerhouse Mu Yan, possibly even stronger, had also fallen.

Unless 100 dream realm journeys allowed him to ascend to a god-like level, capable of reshaping humanity's fate with a single gesture, focusing solely on personal growth would be inefficient.

And he didn't have a billion dollars to begin with.

With limited resources, pursuing personal strength alone was a foolish choice.

Driving humanity's progress and leading its collective rise was the optimal strategy.

Feng Qi chuckled and asked:

"Narrator, do you think my plan makes sense?"

"Your subscription to the Narrator System has expired. Renew to continue receiving insights."

"Renewal Options:

Daily: One 'Daddy'

Monthly: 25 'Daddies'

Annually: 100 'Daddies'

Please select your payment method."

Feng Qi scowled.

"Damn system! Who needs you anyway!"

That evening, Feng Qi updated one chapter in his records. As the reality timeline began influencing the future, new plotlines were gradually taking shape.