Chapter 30: The Hidden Mark

"What is your role at the base? Are you Valdene's mistress?"
Sofia hadn't expected Zhou Yi to be so blunt; she was momentarily stunned, then burst into laughter.
"Mistress? You have quite the imagination. I'm a semi-android, somewhere between human and machine, directly controlled by the central intelligence. I’m responsible for guiding the Chosen Ones into each world, verifying their marks, and, of course, assisting you in your cleansing missions.
But even someone like me needs energy, which isn't provided by the central intelligence. So, we have to attach ourselves to various bases and obey orders—an unavoidable choice."
Zhou Yi narrowed his eyes. Valdene had gone to upgrade, leaving Sofia in charge of the base. If they tried to awaken their marks now, it would hardly benefit Sofia.
Especially since they had a fat man with them; if he went back and worked for Valdene, that was one thing. But if he was under their own charge, things would hardly be as simple as Sofia made it sound.
"Tell me your plan. Just now, my mark burned here, but since we didn't leave, the central intelligence probably didn’t detect anything. However, the moment we step outside, we won’t be able to hide it. Will Valdene allow such a thing to happen?
I fear we’ll end up with half the base mobilized to eliminate us as newly awakened Chosen Ones, won’t we?"
Sofia's gaze toward Zhou Yi had changed; she knew he was smart, but hadn’t expected him to think this far ahead.
"You're right, but I have a way to conceal it temporarily. As long as we return to the base and you reveal your mark there, even if Valdene is present, he won’t be able to stop it."
Zhou Yi was tempted; this was the best option available.
Humanity had become livestock in the real world, bred by the central and main intelligences. It was hard to accept, but it was fact. With his current abilities, surviving in such cracks was already more than most could dream of.
He narrowed his eyes, recalling the white-robed figures when he left the base, his expression clouded with doubt.
"Those white-robed people—what were they? They seem to control the missions, or does Valdene, the man in the wheelchair, have other plans?"
Sofia shrugged gently.
"Most humans are locked in breeding centers, but some world rifts still have survivors. Those who are caught have no identity, no rank—not even slaves. Every base has these people serving; we call them drudges.
But there are exceptions. The current Lord of Time City raised a drudge who grew up by his side. Even Valdene greets her with respect, addressing her as Dr. Laura. She’s something of a prophet, skilled in ancient divination.
There’s another kind in the rifts—extremely dangerous. The Hunters, from the Hunter Clans, travel between worlds in their own way, specializing in killing Chosen Ones, especially high-level ones.
They claim to rebel against the central intelligence’s rule, controlling several territories. No one likes being assigned a mission world near their lands, big base or small. Several bases have been destroyed by them; countless second- and third-level Chosen Ones have died."
The fat man licked his lips and leaned in; much of the conversation was obscure to him, but he’d caught the gist.
"Miss Sofia, if we follow you back to the base and keep working, does that mean, as long as we’re not killed, we’re immortal?"
Sofia turned to him, eyeing him up and down, making him squirm as if stripped bare.
"Your name is He Yuntian? I advise you to put away those wild thoughts. You could say you age slower, your lifespan is increased fivefold, but most people trade much of their living time just to get a mark.
There’s a countdown clock on everyone’s wrist, showing how much time they have left in reality. Only by earning enough energy through missions and activating the mark does the timer disappear. Most people die watching their timer run out."
Zhou Yi narrowed his eyes.
"So, there are many ways to get a mark, and each mark’s quality, shape, and power are unique. But what is the true use?"
Sofia shook her head.
"I don’t know."
"You don’t know?"
She nodded, meeting Zhou Yi’s eyes with a sigh.
"Though I’m deputy lord at the base, I’m only half-machine. What the mark can really bring—power, intelligence, I don’t know. You were present when Valdene upgraded; you must have sensed that power, at least enough to make me want to submit."
Zhou Yi nodded; the sensation was unforgettable.
The fat man leaned over, his eyes wide with interest, poking Zhou Yi.
"You call that Valdene guy in the wheelchair—he’s disabled?"
Zhou Yi shook his head.
"I don’t know if he’s disabled, but his legs are metal. After upgrading, they were almost like 3D printed—muscle, veins, skin all reconstructed, indistinguishable from a normal person."
"Wow, that’s incredible! Isn’t that just like the bone-cleansing and marrow-washing from those cultivation novels?"
Sofia seemed puzzled—clearly unfamiliar with such references. The fat man, however, was eager to educate her on the tropes of cultivation novels, while Zhou Yi stayed silent.
He reached up and touched his chest. The hexagram mark no longer burned; it felt just like a tattoo, undetectable by touch. Since the mark had first burned, Zhou Yi hadn’t felt any changes except for a heightened clarity of mind. Thinking of the man in the wheelchair, he still felt a trace of unease.
Now that their discussion was over, Sofia looked at Zhou Yi and called out to him.
"Hey, get this tape off my feet. You need me now; isn’t this treatment a bit much?"
The fat man understood his place. No matter how amiable things were, he knew his fate was now tied to Zhou Yi. If Zhou Yi demanded Sofia’s death, he’d do it without question.
Zhou Yi adjusted his tattered clothes and nodded at the fat man.
He crouched down, carefully cutting the tape. With her pale legs right there, any slip could cause injury—this was no joke.
Once the tape was off, Zhou Yi stepped in front of Sofia.
"What’s next? Do we just leave?"
Sofia shook her head, took the 'lipstick' device from the fat man, and clasped her hands before her chest, signaling Zhou Yi to stand in front of her.
"Relax now. Close your eyes and don’t resist. It won’t hurt, I promise. I’m just using the staff’s power to hide your mark."
Zhou Yi lowered his hands and closed his eyes. The fat man hopped off a crate to watch.
Sofia began to recite something silently, lips moving without sound. Suddenly, the staff in her hands shone brightly. She opened her eyes, drew a few symbols in the air, and tapped with the staff.
In an instant, a brilliant light flared. The symbol seemed to come alive, spinning like a wheel, covered in strange script. As it rotated, the wheel sank into Zhou Yi’s chest, pushing him back two steps.
He opened his eyes at once.
He touched his chest; it felt no different than before. He looked at Sofia, who was now weak, her body sagging toward the ground. Zhou Yi caught her before she fell.
Clearly, the process had drained more than just her strength. She managed a weak smile and closed her eyes for a moment.
"I’m fine, just need to rest a bit. We have to leave quickly; this concealment won’t last long."
The fat man glanced at Zhou Yi, then at his backpack and computer, torn with regret—after all, those were his tools of the trade.
"Can I bring these things?"
Sofia lifted her eyelids and shook her head.
"Nothing from this world can be taken with you."
The fat man's jowls quivered as he hugged himself.
"What do you mean? We’re not going back naked, are we? Can’t I at least request a set of clothes?"