Reflection

Ren Yi leaned back against the headboard, his thoughts sinking as he began to seriously reflect on every move he had made since entering the Three Cities World.

There was no denying that the Three Cities World was a once-in-a-lifetime growth opportunity for Anomaly Cubs like them.

There were ample sources of energy, plenty of "hunting targets," and not even any Instance rules to restrict them.

The rewards were matched by the risks, even if the most severe price was nothing more than...

...death.

No, Ren Yi, when did you become so reckless?

Thinking that "since it won't truly end, death doesn't matter"?

Have you forgotten the most primal craving for "existence" from your previous life, when death truly loomed and that sense of nothingness, of your consciousness about to dissipate, enveloped your entire body?

"Death" might have become a price that could be paid, but it should never be a weight used freely in a trade-off.

He slowly closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and exhaled slowly, beginning to adjust his mindset.

In principle, as an Anomaly, he didn't need to breathe; his current breathing was merely a disguise for his human form.

Yet this simple action gave him a clear sense of reality—a feeling of "I am still here"—allowing his restless thoughts to gradually settle.

Ren Yi suddenly wondered: as Anomalies whose physical forms were distorted and unstable, with only rules as their core, how should they define their own existence?

Why did the Alliance require "children" to grow up in human forms and stable environments?

Besides making it easier to eventually invade human-dominated worlds, could there be a deeper reason?

For example... do Anomalies also need "existence anchors"?

This thought was like a pebble dropped into a calm lake, sending out a ripple. But he didn't rush to dwell on it.

After his reflection, he pulled his attention back to the Anomaly Web forum.

The updates on the forum were rapid. The Anomaly Cubs in Xin City had clearly recovered from their initial panic and were quickly exchanging intel and formulating strategies in the threads.

From the comments, it was clear they had given up on charging through the city center. Instead, they were moving toward the poorly guarded ruins outside the city and places like the sewers.

Ren Yi then clicked on the threads related to the Royal City and found that the situation in the "Rebellion Squad" thread was much the same as in Xin City.

The Anomalies in the Royal City had also been dealt a heavy blow by human weapons and Espers, suffering significant losses.

However, they soon discovered that the security in the Royal City's civilian areas was far weaker than in the core royal district. Consequently, they shifted their strategy, moving toward the civilian areas to find a breakthrough.

Then there was the Holy City's "Abolish Feudal Superstition Squad."

【LearningTurnedMeIntoAnAnomaly: What's going on? Why are the streets full of soldiers?】

【KeptByEnergyCrystals: No idea, I just entered the city. The other two cities are a bit scary, so I decided to observe the situation here for a couple of days first.】

【WhatAreYouLookingAt: The Holy City's Son of God has returned after clearing an Instance. Supposedly, he brought back a "method of salvation" and is going to lead the Holy City's armed forces to attack mutant beast nests.】

【LearningTurnedMeIntoAnAnomaly: What kind of nonsense is that? What do mutant beasts have to do with a "method of salvation"? They don't actually believe there's a way to survive the Calamity, do they?】

【SculptingHumanFormsIsHard: They might. The people in this city are all pretty crazy.】

【WhatAreYouLookingAt: This is a good thing for us. If they send out their main forces, the defensive strength within the city will definitely be spread thin. It'll be much easier to cause chaos then.】

【WhatAreYouLookingAt: I suggest everyone stay low and hibernate for the next two days. Once the Holy City's main army leaves, whether it's causing trouble in the city or following the army to hunt in the wild, it'll be much easier.】

【EarthboundSpiritsAreTheWorst: Are you kidding me? Every single person living in the area I chose took up weapons and left with the army! It'll take me three days to change locations!】

【EarthboundSpiritsAreTheWorst: Don't let me run into that damn Son of God!】

Ren Yi had been hesitating whether to mention his identity, but after reading the last message, he immediately withdrew the impulse.

Indeed, the changes he had caused were quite significant—beneficial to some Anomalies and detrimental to others.

Better to keep quiet and avoid looking for trouble.

Just then, Ren Yi suddenly sensed something. He lay flat as if nothing were wrong, closed his eyes, and before long, a steady, light snoring sound began to rise.

He was faking it, of course.

Just a moment ago, his perception had caught a hidden sense of surveillance.

This sense of being watched was much weaker than during the Instance broadcast.

If the surveillance during the broadcast felt like a damp, uncomfortable mist enveloping his entire body, then this current feeling was like a tiny tip of a feather poking out from a down jacket in winter.

It didn't hurt, but it was prickly and exceptionally annoying, making one want to frown.

Ren Yi quietly expanded his perception, trying to capture the source of that surveillance, but the result left him somewhat helpless.

It wasn't that there were no targets, but rather that space in the Holy City was at a premium. The aura of living people was everywhere; "targets" were everywhere.

It was like trying to find a specific grain of sand on a beach full of sand; it was impossible to determine exactly who the rude voyeur was.

But it didn't matter. This surveillance didn't feel malicious; it was more like pure monitoring.

It was likely just the Pope's eyes and ears. Exposing it would only create unpleasantness for both parties. There was no need to burn bridges over such a small matter.

What he needed to do now was to steadily play the role of a "exhausted Participant who just returned from an Instance."

Besides, pretending to sleep didn't mean he actually had nothing to do.

Ren Yi focused his mind on the points of light on his arm.

When he first entered the Holy City, he had absorbed a significant amount of positive emotion from the crowd surrounding him, in addition to planting the illusion seeds.

At the time, to avoid raising suspicion, he hadn't had the chance to process it, so he had temporarily stored those emotional light orbs in his arm.

The amount he had accumulated now was just about enough for him to try making some basic energy crystals.