Yang Wenchao remained silent, not yet answering.

The rebellious punk Liu Re couldn't help but ask Lin Jing, "Back in the black ice domain, when Zhou Qiming threatened you with Lightburn, you weren't afraid. Was it because you were already wearing a prison watch at that time?"

"Because you wore a prison watch, you could be fearless of Lightburn?"

Liu Re clearly regarded the prison watch as a treasure, his gaze towards Lin Jing overflowing with poorly concealed envy and jealousy.

He even couldn't help but think—

If such prison watches could also be mass-produced in later eras...

Then what would dark-type creatures have to fear from the Light faction?

Lightburn and the like probably wouldn't pose any threat at all anymore, right?

How could such a good item disappear into the long river of history?

Could it be a conspiracy by the Light faction?

Liu Re's thoughts were practically written all over his face, seen through by Lin Jing at a glance.

Lin Jing couldn't help but inwardly sigh—

No matter what world's development, it truly couldn't escape the cyclical law of "the extreme of prosperity leads to decline," just like the rise and fall of dynasties.

In this era, this prison watch, which all sinners regarded as "shackles" and were desperate to get rid of...

In another era, could be treasured by all dark-type creatures.

Actually, you didn't even need such a vast span of time.

Even in the brief decades of an ordinary person's life, there were too many similar situations.

Like stock trading, like housing prices, like gold...

If you placed a tiny individual within the torrent of the times...

Then, like in an avalanche, not a single snowflake was innocent, yet not a single snowflake could escape unscathed.

The only question was, in this era, would the existence that was about to dominate that terrifying avalanche regret not leaving even a single prison watch for future generations?

Thinking this, Liu Re also remembered something and suddenly frowned, "Wait, that doesn't seem right... I remember at that time, your wrist didn't seem to be wearing any watch?"

"And if you were wearing a watch back then, Zhou Qiming shouldn't have failed to notice it..."

As he spoke, his gaze fell on Lin Jing's wrist again, "And the watch you're wearing now is that glasses-wearing youth's watch. That's why you appear as the glasses-wearing youth..."

"So you weren't wearing a prison watch before! So why weren't you afraid of Lightburn back then??"

Liu Re looked utterly puzzled.

However, privately, he vaguely attributed the answer to this question to that giant pot.

He and Wang Lingling, who was also infected with Lightburn, were also shielded from Lightburn inside the giant pot.

But this shielding felt different from wearing a prison watch.

The giant pot was like a massive shielding container. While it shielded them from the pain of Lightburn and the harm of the mist, it also trapped them inside the pot, restricting their freedom.

If Lin Jing hadn't sent the watch inside, they would never have been able to get out of the giant pot, let alone stand so openly in the mist like this.

If Liu Re could know about the "initial prison" experienced by other transmigrating players, he would probably instantly realize—

This giant pot was actually like an initial prison.

It shielded against all dangers but also restricted freedom.

Wearing a prison watch granted a certain degree of freedom but also bound you to danger.

As for these questions from Liu Re, Lin Jing didn't answer any of them.

His gaze remained fixed on Yang Wenchao.

Liu Re, after all, was once one of the cross-regional seniors.

He considered himself the strongest in Zone E.

Compared to Lin Jing, the strongest in Zone A... well, no, considering Zhou Qiming's existence, this Lin Jing might not even be the strongest in Zone A.

In fact, Zhou Qiming had even lost to Jiang Ye.

So Lin Jing could at most rank third in Zone A.

Yet now, with everything starting over, this Zone A third-place was showing so little respect to him, the Zone E first-place...

Liu Re felt a faint sense of displeasure deep down.

He even felt that the four Zone A players present were somewhat targeting him.

For example, Wang Lingling, who had turned into a boy, also asked Lin Jing, "Is that 'Personality Reconstruction School' information you got from this glasses-wearing youth?"

"So can you first share with us the information you obtained from this glasses-wearing youth?"

"Otherwise, we currently know nothing and are very likely to slip up, right?"

This doubt also gained Yang Wenchao's agreement.

He snapped out of his contemplation and nodded slightly, "Wang Lingling is right. What we need to share first right now should be the information you obtained from the glasses-wearing youth..."

"And I'm very curious, how did you manage to get the glasses-wearing youth's memories? Could it be related to those three stones on the giant pot?"

This question made Wang Lingling suddenly realize something and exclaim, "Is it the Life Stone?"

"I remember back in 4444's underground burial ground, when Jiang Ye made that trade with the madwoman, he obtained 5 fragmented versions of the [Life Stone]!"

"It's said that using the [Life Stone], you can obtain the memories of a person's entire life!"

Wang Lingling knew that the three stones on the giant pot seemed to be the [Previous Life Stone], [Life Stone], and [Next Life Stone] respectively.

So Lin Jing obtaining the glasses-wearing youth's memories must be related to those Three Life Stones?

In fact, did he perhaps obtain even more information from the Three Life Stones?

Only, considering Lin Jing's current strength, Wang Lingling didn't dare voice this speculation.

And Lin Jing, as expected, didn't explain those unnecessary questions.

He simply briefly introduced some information he obtained from the glasses-wearing youth.

Including why the five of them entered that "Juvenile Personality Reconstruction" school.

Speaking of this, they had to thank "Zhou Qiming" for hosting that "let's have a small meeting" in the auditorium.

The five youths introduced themselves at that time, so Lin Jing not only knew the glasses-wearing youth's information but also the other four youths'.

He pondered slightly in his mind, then organized his words and narrated, "Our five current identities are all newbies who just arrived at the school. It's perfectly normal for us to know nothing."

"As for our information before coming to the school, clearly, within the context of this world, it's no longer important."

"And I don't know that information either. So what I'll mainly talk about is the information after entering the school."

"After enrolling yesterday at noon, the five of us, under the reception of different veteran players, went to the school cafeteria and witnessed players of this era eating human flesh raw."

"The food in this era seems to be human flesh. Of course, there are also some very strange plants."

"However, the five of us, due to psychological discomfort, neither ate human flesh nor those bizarre plants."

"After that, we experienced operating sewing machines and mining in the mineshaft."

"The process of operating sewing machines required us to provide flesh and blood to draw a specific pattern on a giant turtle's shell."

"The process of mining in the mineshaft required us to dig mist-infused ice ore from an area where the mist had condensed into ore."

"However, this type of ice ore couldn't be held by us. The moment it fell into our hands, it would be detected by the prison watch and then transmitted to an unknown space."

"Correspondingly, the transmitted ice ore would be recorded by the prison watch, becoming our achievement in mining."

"Based on our 'performance' in mining, the execution time displayed on our watches would be extended."

"After that, we accidentally witnessed a scene where a newcomer claimed to be 'comrades' and clung to a powerful ally."

"So we also joined in, claimed to be 'comrades,' and forcibly clung to that powerful ally."

At this point, Liu Re's expression showed a hint of speechlessness, and he inwardly looked down on these youths.

However, immediately after...

He noticed that Lin Jing's expression was odd.

His gaze through the glasses swept meaningfully over the other four.

After thoroughly building suspense, he slowly said, "The target they chose to cling to was also a newcomer who had just enrolled."

"That person's name was—Zhou Qiming."

??!

Sure enough, under Lin Jing's calm gaze, the expressions on the four youths' faces rapidly fluctuated.

Especially the silly Wan Xin, who directly performed a jaw-dropping, stunned act, "Zhou Qiming... he, he actually transmigrated too? He wasn't in the giant pot, so how did he transmigrate? Or... is the giant pot not the only criterion for transmigration?"

This time, Lin Jing generously responded, "Clearly not."

"Without a doubt, all players within the entire black ice domain at that time transmigrated."

In fact, Lin Jing speculated it was probably even more than that.

Although he didn't know about the Forbidden Zone transformation rapidly spreading throughout the Doomsday Apartment while he was in the black ice domain, even before that, he had vaguely sensed from the mysterious senior at the burial ground that a major change was coming.

And the so-called major change, of course, couldn't only affect one or two people.

It would affect an entire era!

Beneath Lin Jing's seemingly cold exterior, turbulent emotions surged.

In this brand-new era...

He too must seize the opportunity and strive to rise! 𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

"But Zhou Qiming is also a newcomer, right? Why is he worth other newcomers clinging to?!" Liu Re's tone revealed hatred when mentioning Zhou Qiming.

But beneath the surface hatred lay deeply buried fear and apprehension.

After all, the Lightburn infection he suffered was thanks to "Zhou Qiming"!

That bone-deep pain made it so that even now, though he shielded himself from Lightburn through the prison watch, when Zhou Qiming was mentioned again, the pain once brought by Lightburn seemed to surge back into his heart...

Lin Jing gave him a faint glance, then continued narrating what the five youths saw and heard after clinging to that powerful ally.

For example, exchanging some information in the grand auditorium;

For example, that newcomer Du Yuheng, who actively clung to Zhou Qiming's powerful ally, actually possessed an SSS-grade [Mind Reading] talent!

For example, "Zhou Qiming" discovered anomalies in the relief;

For example, Du Yuheng was actually a Reincarnator!

For example, Du Yuheng's reincarnation was only within dreams;

For example, the sudden intrusion of robots, and the mechanical eyeballs that flew out from the mechanical bodies, which made the seniors feel like they had seen the god of death;

For example, under the effect of the mechanical eyeballs, the relief fish turned black;

For example, Zhou Qiming asked He Yuliang to use [Reroll Life], and the moment He Yuliang used this skill, he became the He Yuliang who had returned from rebirth...

For example, the reborn He Yuliang revealed even more information—

For example, the auditorium explosion and Zhou Qiming's death;

For example, the school being flooded with large numbers of robots, and shortly after, living players being slaughtered;

For example, He Yuliang's emphasis on the 「solar eclipse」 after entering Exile City...

When Lin Jing mentioned "solar eclipse," his gaze seemed to intentionally or unintentionally fall on Yang Wenchao.

Even though Wan Xin, Liu Re, and Wang Lingling were all greatly shocked by the explosive amount of information Lin Jing revealed, Yang Wenchao's expression remained restrained and reserved.

Including the first time hearing "solar eclipse," the other three showed confusion.

Yang Wenchao's expression showed no fluctuation either.

But Lin Jing still vaguely guessed from his seemingly unfluctuating exterior—

The mission this guy carried on his shoulders should also be related to the "solar eclipse transformation" of this era.

After a moment of silence, Lin Jing didn't wait for them to digest the information and emotions, continuing from He Yuliang's previous life back to reality.

Namely, the intrusion of Student Council President Lin Dong, and Zhou Qiming proposing to introduce large numbers of robots in advance.

And this idea was implemented on the second day, which was today.

However, from last night until this morning, Zhou Qiming had been trapped in the ideological reform session in the grand auditorium and hadn't woken up.

So Zhou Qiming didn't participate in this morning's Forest of Oddities work trip either, but remained in the auditorium, still unconscious.

Lin Jing calmly stated all this and was about to drop another bombshell.

Wang Lingling then asked doubtfully, "Didn't you say school rules strictly regulate students' schedules during 'non-free time'... so how did Zhou Qiming violate the school rules without any consequences?"

Lin Jing gave her a faint glance and said expressionlessly, "This question is clearly not something we five newbies can answer."

He paused, then continued, "However, because we clung to a powerful ally, we had another experience this morning, from the conversation between Du Yuheng and He Yuliang—"

"First, according to He Yuliang's previous life, two rather special newcomers will come to our school."

"One is named Chen Cang. He is also a transmigrator, but clearly not through the black ice domain."

"The other is named Cheng Lin... this person, He Yuliang doesn't know, but I do."

"He was a player in the black ice domain, called by Zhou Qiming to be responsible for monitoring cross-regional seniors in other chess grids."

"That is to say, this Cheng Lin, he knows Zhou Qiming. In fact, from the very beginning, he was called to the black ice domain by Zhou Qiming."

"And Du Yuheng from He Yuliang's previous life seemed particularly interested in this player named Cheng Lin."

These few words clearly deliberately outlined some information.

Zhou Qiming knew Cheng Lin...

And Du Yuheng was particularly interested in Zhou Qiming and Cheng Lin.

Zhou Qiming himself was also very special.

As the relationships between these characters were forming a picture in the minds of the four, Lin Jing immediately followed up, finally dropping the bombshell he had been holding back the most.

In an extremely understated tone:

"Oh, by the way..."

"Before mentioning Cheng Lin, Du Yuheng also revealed another piece of information..."

"He detected through his [Mind Reading] talent that—"

"Zhou Qiming's inner essence is another person."

"And that person is... Jiang Ye."