My Dream Connects to 3000 Years in the Future

Before stepping into the Extraordinary World, Chu Bamboo had always found the mask to be something of a mystery. He’d assumed it was just one of the All-Powerful’s unwritten rules, perhaps with a bit of theatrical mystique thrown in... But after learning about the Extraordinary World...?

But now, having swapped identities with Number Three and taken off his mask... Chu Bamboo had confirmed his previous suspicions!

To be honest, if he hadn’t been able to remove the mask, Chu Bamboo had even considered just taking out the squirrel mask he carried and putting it on. But then Number Three would have also been wearing a mask. Chu Bamboo had been a bit worried that if it really wouldn’t come off, that lunatic Eleven might be influenced by the Destiny Divine Techniques to selectively ignore the squirrel mask on Number Three’s face...

When the thought had crossed his mind, he had already prepared for the worst—if the power had no effect, he would just reset and start over!

Thankfully, everything went smoothly.

Chu Bamboo smiled, took out a tissue to wipe down the mask, and slowly placed it over his face.

Afterward, he bent down and used the Power of Overwriting to alter the dead Number Three’s facial features. Then he changed his own face to look like Number Three!

...

In the distance.

Captain Yang, who had been observing in silence, suddenly went rigid. He almost acted on instinct, but he immediately sensed something was off. Frowning, he studied the masked Chu Bamboo and the man lying on the ground, a pensive look on his face.

Meanwhile.

Panic appeared on Wall Announcements’ face. ”Wait, why did Ah Zhu suddenly fall to the ground? And why did that guy from the All-Powerful suddenly get up... Is Ah Zhu in danger? This can’t be... I have to...”

Wall Announcements had just gotten to her feet when Huo Qiming pushed her back down. Huo Qiming stared at Chu Bamboo in the distance, his expression unreadable. ”This Divine Technique... it’s terrifying!”

Huo Qiming already understood what had happened. He glanced at the panicked and bewildered Wall Announcements. Based on what she had just said and recalling his own initial reaction, he realized she was under the power’s influence. He couldn’t help but click his tongue in amazement.

After saying a few words to calm Wall Announcements, Huo Qiming rubbed the bridge of his nose and muttered, ”It’s a strange feeling... I feel like I’ve heard of a similar Divine Power before... But where?”

Huo Qiming racked his brain but couldn’t place it. Then, the slow-dawning realization hit him, and his heart skipped a beat. ’Could it be related to forbidden knowledge? Is that why, even if I learned about it in the past, the memory was sealed? But how could Ah Zhu have gotten involved with something like that...’

Meanwhile.

Chu Bamboo turned and glanced around. Seeing that Captain Yang and Huo Qiming hadn’t emerged to attack him, he nodded slightly. ’Just as I thought, it didn’t work on them!’

Or rather, they weren’t affected because they were stronger than him, and they had witnessed the entire identity swap from beginning to end. That’s why they sensed something was wrong.

’So, the question is, will this be enough to fool... Eleven?’ Chu Bamboo sighed inwardly. He was inclined to believe it would work. Otherwise, Lao Hu, whose strength was definitely less than the Pope’s, wouldn’t have been able to keep up his own deception without the Pope noticing.

According to the feedback he’d gotten when analyzing the Destiny Divine Techniques, a person could only break free of the illusion if they noticed a blatant flaw in his performance or saw the truth in writing.

But Chu Bamboo only needed to borrow this guy’s identity for a few hours anyway.

’And on top of that, the Destiny Divine Techniques only last for ten minutes.’ Chu Bamboo sighed. That was both a good thing and a bad thing.

The good news was that he only needed to trick Eleven at the start. That would be enough to get him inside the nuclear facility without any issues.

Chu Bamboo took out the phone he’d acquired from Number Three. He dialed a number, and when the call connected, his voice shifted to match Number Three’s tone—respectful and uneasy. ”Lord Eleven! I... I killed the leader of the shantytown union! It’s...”

After a brief silence, Eleven’s cold voice came through the phone. ”...Where are you?”

Chu Bamboo’s heart thumped. He knew Eleven already suspected the shantytown union leader was the Saint. It was only natural for him to have an emotional reaction upon hearing of the man’s death.

”I’m... right outside that forbidden place where you are,” Chu Bamboo said, enunciating each word clearly. This was, of course, a gamble—he was betting that Number Three knew Eleven’s location.

’If I bet wrong, Eleven will probably attack me on sight when he comes out...’

’If that happens, there’s nothing for it! I’ll have to tank a hit with this t-shirt... if I live, I live. Then I’ll wait for Huo Qiming and the others to make their move. If I die, I’ll just reset and be done with it. I’ll learn my lesson for the next life.’

The silence on the line stretched for several breaths.

”...I’m coming out now.” Eleven’s voice was utterly flat.

Chu Bamboo waited in silence. Less than a minute later, the large doors boomed open.

Eleven emerged and landed with a heavy thud in front of Chu Bamboo, his androgynous face devoid of all warmth.

He stared at Chu Bamboo, then his gaze shifted to the body of Number Three on the ground. He remained silent for a long moment, the emotions in his eyes a maelstrom of complexity... a mix of relief, anger, and confusion...

”Your Eminence... I!” Chu Bamboo bowed his head, his voice full of apology.

”Hmph!” Eleven snorted coldly and waved his hand. Number Three’s body began to tremble violently, then slowly rose to its feet.

Chu Bamboo’s expression remained neutral, but inwardly he knew. ’This must be Eleven’s Divine Technique—Soul Manipulation!’

”Oh? He actually had the strength of the Third Realm... Impressive!” A flicker of surprise crossed Eleven’s face. He looked the reanimated Number Three up and down, a satisfied expression growing on his features. He then glanced at Chu Bamboo and offered a rare word of comfort. ”This isn’t your fault.”

Clearly, the corpse of a Third Realm Powerhouse was not something he came across every day.

After a moment’s thought, Eleven directed Number Three’s corpse to float into the nuclear facility.

”Your Eminence, what should I do now? Should I... head back?” Chu Bamboo asked, his legs trembling, putting on the appearance of someone desperate to flee.

”Go back for what?” Eleven stopped in his tracks and turned to study Chu Bamboo for a moment before sneering. ”There are others to deal with the union. Since he’s dead, that means he wasn’t the one... so his death doesn’t matter. It would take you two or three hours to get back, wouldn’t it? What would be the point? ...Wait, did you walk here?”

Eleven paused, as if he’d noticed something amiss, but he didn’t dwell on it. He turned and entered the nuclear facility. ”Keep up!”

Chu Bamboo narrowed his eyes and immediately followed. His heart had been in his throat just a moment ago. ’To get through that so easily,’ he thought, ’it can’t just be the identity swap. It must be that Destiny also maxed out my luck, and that’s what made the difference...’

They were only halfway through the winding corridors of the nuclear facility when the Destiny Divine Techniques naturally faded.

Chu Bamboo felt a strange sensation on his face and realized he could probably take this bizarre mask off now.

’Didn’t think I’d be able to exploit a bug like this,’ Chu Bamboo mused internally. He didn’t touch the mask, though. He had already rigged it earlier; as long as he didn’t pull at it intentionally, it wouldn’t fall off.

And losing the power of the Destiny Divine Techniques after getting inside the nuclear facility... this was naturally all within Chu Bamboo’s calculations.

After all, Chu Bamboo had no idea if the Fifth Apostle could sense other Destiny Divine Power Users.

If it was possible... then using the power right under the nose of another user... well, that would have been far too risky.