Chapter 137: The Time Envelope, Returned to Oneself

Chapter 137: The Time Envelope, Returned to Oneself

Gurgle.

The eerie sounds of squirming and chewing echoed through the empty room.

The heavily infected Dragon Player, having lost all autonomy, had his eyeballs illuminated by a dreamlike glow. Ahead seemed like paradise, and his feet carried him forward step by step, unbidden.

He yearned for that place, longed for it.

In the end, he was enveloped in warmth, entering what he believed to be heaven...

This was the hazy vision he saw.

But in reality, the Dragon Player was being devoured bit by bit by the [Tree of Creation]. What wrapped around him wasn’t warm sunlight but dense bone spikes and grotesquely squirming flesh.

Standing behind him, Ji Yan watched this scene calmly.

The delicate scalpel in his hand dripped with blood.

Before the Dragon Player "logged off," Ji Yan had performed a minor operation on him—removing the frontal lobe of his brain, accelerating the loss of his autonomy. In short, he turned him into an idiot.

The [Tree of Creation] only devours living food, including players—but only those who offer no resistance. This was why the Dragon Player had gone to such lengths to use [Dream Wander] to lure Ji Yan into the tiger’s mouth.

Except now, the roles of "food" and "feeder" had been reversed.

"Who says you can’t learn real skills in the Supernatural Game?"

"After spending so much time in the hospital, my medical expertise has improved, and my hands have grown steadier with a blade."

As Ji Yan wiped the blood off with a disinfectant cloth, muttering to himself, he soon received a notification from the game.

"Congratulations, Player! You have successfully 'sacrificed' the [Dragon] Zodiac Player. After consuming its core nutrients, the [Tree of Creation] is no longer withering and is slowly reviving."

"The garbage disposal station has been repaired. Instance Order is now functioning normally. You have completed the Main Storyline Task, and the Main Plot has officially concluded!"

"Congratulations, Player! You have received a special reward—[Hospital Gate Key]." (Proceed to the next Instance.)

"You have received a special reward—[Purple Treasure Chest]." (This chest guarantees at least three Supernatural Artifacts, with one being of [Legendary] quality.)

In the Toolbar, a purple chest appeared—similar to those cheap "Sand City Slash" loot boxes—alongside a long black key.

Gazing at the revitalizing [Tree of Creation], Ji Yan didn’t linger. He turned and left the Morgue.

Had the Dragon Player not delivered himself as a free kill, this Instance might have dragged on much longer...

Moreover, it was thanks to the Dragon Player that the [Undead Hospital] didn’t degrade into an [Abandoned Instance]. Otherwise, Ji Yan would have been implicated as well.

Truly, the Dragon Player was a good man, forcing warmth upon him...

It seemed that after completing the Main Plot, when Ji Yan returned to the ward building, all the Medical Staff ignored him with blank expressions, as if he had already severed all ties with this Instance.

Exiting the ward building and passing through the mist, he came upon two rusted iron gates, the ground littered with withered leaves.

As the key turned in the lock, the gates slowly creaked open.

The red "Forbidden" panel switched to a green "Passage Allowed."

Ji Yan didn’t look back at the [Undead Hospital]. To him, an Instance was nothing more than a cold cage, unworthy of nostalgia. His body passed through the iron gates.

"Congratulations on clearing the [Undead Hospital] Instance. You will now be matched to a 'Third Tier' level Instance. We wish you a pleasant journey in the game!"

The hospital's full stop was drawn.

Immediately after, the thick fog before him parted to reveal a narrow path, like an ellipsis left hanging after "to be continued"...

"Life is toil."

"The Supernatural Game is no different. One Instance ends, and before you can even catch your breath, the next one begins without pause."

Ji Yan shook his head with a sigh.

Players in the Supernatural Game were like oxen with a whip at their backs—the moment they slackened, they were mercilessly lashed forward...

All Players ceaselessly engaged in Instances, never dying, like machines running endlessly. What did this bring to the Supernatural Game?

Ji Yan wasn’t in a hurry to move on. Instead, he opened the game panel and retrieved the black box Xu Xin had given him.

Since the Instance had ended, the hidden lock inside had automatically disengaged.

With a soft click, he lifted the lid.

Inside, there was no dazzling treasure to marvel at.

Just...

An envelope??

Ji Yan held it in his hands, turning it over, but there were no game prompts—proof this wasn’t a product of the Supernatural Game.

He tried activating his Talent, [Omniscient Understanding], but it offered no hints either.

"A letter left for me by Xu Xin?"

"What else does she have to tell me? Something she couldn’t say to my face, something she had to hide in a letter?"

Ji Yan naturally didn’t entertain the clichéd notion of a love letter. Given Xu Xin’s personality, calling her a lesbian would’ve been more convincing!

He wanted to open the envelope and read its contents...

But at that very moment, Ji Yan’s pupils constricted sharply as he stared at the wax seal on the envelope.

A long-buried, nearly forgotten fragment of memory resurfaced in his mind...

This letter wasn’t from Xu Xin.

It was from... himself.

Children at the Jinzhou City Orphanage would write a letter on the day they stepped into society, addressed to themselves ten years later. They’d ask whether they were happy, whether they’d lived the life they wanted, or if they’d achieved their dreams...

Ji Yan, who had grown up in the orphanage since infancy, had also left such a letter behind when he left, letting time act as the courier to deliver it to his future self.

Unlike the others, Ji Yan had only one question for his future self:

"Are you disappointed with this world?"

But the letter—Ji Yan had left it in the real world.

And hidden it in a place only he knew!

Even he had nearly forgotten about it.

Why was it in Xu Xin’s hands?!

His breath hitched slightly as he examined the broken wax seal. He opened the envelope and pulled out the letter inside.

On it was still his own question.

The handwriting was unmistakably his.

But the question had already been answered.

"Are you disappointed with this world?"

[From] — Himself, ten years ago.

"I... am very disappointed. So, I abandoned that world and stayed in the Eerie World forever."

[Reply] — Himself, ten years later.

The hand holding the letter trembled faintly.

This wasn’t some prank by Xu Xin, answering on his behalf.

Ji Yan recognized it clearly—it was his own handwriting!

He himself had replied to his past self.

But... only five years had passed. The letter’s journey through time was only halfway complete.

What nonsense about a "future self ten years later"?!

But Ji Yan was absolutely certain about his own handwriting and writing habits.

It was indeed his own reply!

Rubbing his temples, Ji Yan's mind descended into chaos.

Countless questions forced their way into his thoughts, causing an intense headache.

Why would something from the real world end up in the hands of Xu Xin, an NPC or Supernatural Entity?

Why did a letter he sent five years ago receive a reply from his future self five years later?

Numerous unsettling suspicions surfaced in his mind.

In the end, they all pointed in one direction—what exactly was Xu Xin's identity?

A Player or a Supernatural Entity?

The answers to these questions lay only with Xu Xin herself.

Ji Yan knew he would definitely see Xu Xin again because the Blood-Stained Paper Figure was still with him.

And the way to meet her was to enter the next Instance!

Tucking away the letter and pushing these troubling questions aside, Ji Yan gazed at the path revealed by the dispersing fog beneath his feet.

With countless mysteries weighing on him, he took a step forward.

He understood that the upcoming Instance... was not just for survival—but also for seeking the truth.