1.0 All that has come before is but a prologue.

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The Tenth Book of Incense and Wind.
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Dormitory 208, 11:05 p.m.
Return to the Sanctuary, Day 0.

Bang—
A flash of blue light.

Casually placing a memory eraser from the “Men in Black” story world beside her, the woman clad in leather sitting on the opposite bed lit a cigarette.

Taking a slow drag, she exhaled with a voice full of meaning, “The Sanctuary’s sole Purple-Gold VIP, Player Wu Chen 20150326-Y, ignites the flame for the tenth time.”

With that, another blue flash flickered.

The first flash erased memories; the second implanted memories. This is what the leather-clad woman called “passing the flame”: crafting a meticulously designed persona to open a new chapter, entering the Sanctuary world anew as a fresh player. In simple terms, it’s like creating a new character in an old game.

In this room, with no one else around, the woman narrated softly: “Tomorrow marks your eighteenth birthday—the rite of passage into adulthood. You and your rowdy friends have arranged a ‘birthday quest’ to bid farewell to boyhood. As a ‘tech geek’ obsessed with computers all day, you’ve never had a natural, blossoming romance with a girl. So, you’re planning to try your luck at the bar street...”

Her voice abruptly stopped.

Gazing at the boy sitting opposite her on the bed, his eyes glazed and posture withdrawn, she murmured to herself, “Zero, since you’ve already failed nine times, maybe this time... try a different approach...”

She spoke as if to no one in particular, her expression growing increasingly resolute.

Bang—

Three blue flashes.

The leather-clad woman erased all the memories she had just implanted. As she had said, nine previous restarts had all ended in failure. So, on this tenth attempt, she wanted a new method.

Exhaling a ring of smoke, she gathered her thoughts and said, “0326? You’ve never seen the shattered starry sky. After the failed ascension, the Sanctuary shattered. Players scrambled to save themselves. Since then, the shattered Sanctuary world has become the Salvation Stage for the ‘Sanctuary Brotherhood.’ Originally, the Brotherhood was a loosely organized group formed spontaneously by the top-tier players, serving only lord-level players. Utilizing the Brotherhood’s three main features—the ‘Goddess Playground,’ the ‘Card Storm Association,’ and the ‘World Championship’—the lord-level players transformed decay into miracles, successfully giving the broken Sanctuary a renewed lease on life.”

Pausing briefly, she continued, “Previously, ‘Architect Zero’ believed that returning to a critical plot point in the past to choose a different story path might prevent the collapse. But after nine restarts, all ended in failure. So this time, I want to change the approach. Instead of sending you back to a critical plot point to restart the Sanctuary’s storyline, I’m sending you to the present moment—the already shattered Sanctuary world. Maybe there’s a chance for a breakthrough. Who knows?”

“What’s the Sanctuary like now?” Wu Chen, sitting across from her, asked instinctively. The shattered Sanctuary was an adventure he had never experienced—perhaps a completely rebuilt new world.

“Fragmented and in desperate need of rescue,” she replied casually. “But don’t worry. The Brotherhood’s top players continue sustaining the Sanctuary in their own ways. As for the rules, they revolve around the ‘Goddess Playground,’ the ‘Card Storm Association,’ and the ‘World Championship.’”

“What should I do?” Wu Chen pressed.

“First enter the ‘Goddess Playground,’ then play the ‘Card Storm Association,’ and finally the ‘World Championship.’ After defeating all the top players, your choice might be ‘Even the Villain Has Their Springtime’—an S-rank exclusive Sanctuary quest and its final ending.” She clearly knew his history well.

“Alright.” The boy, still bearing a hint of youthfulness, nodded gently.

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“Before you start, Zero asked me to give you the ‘Purple-Gold VIP Salvation Gift Pack.’” Saying this, the leather-clad woman reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out the so-called salvation gift pack one item at a time.

A campus card, a 2B pencil, and a car key.

If anything stood out, it was the campus card—a universal pass for the cafeteria, showers, supermarket, ATM, laundry room, and computer lab. The 2B pencil came with an eraser, thoughtfully designed. The car key had a small red phone booth charm dangling from it. Beyond that, there was nothing extraordinary.

The dumbfounded boy smiled charmingly. The leather-clad woman explained, “Because it’s Purple-Gold, it has three items. Ordinary VIPs only get one.”

“Thank you, Die Wu.” Wu Chen returned her smile.

“Wait.” Just as she was about to leave, the woman recalled something important. “As a crucial part of passing the flame, some ‘limited personas’ require your personal recognition of certain images.”

“Okay.” Wu Chen trusted her implicitly.

She took out her phone, opened the gallery, and swiped through it in front of him.

“Nokia N9.”

“Toyota AE86.”

“Chun-Li.”

“Tu-160 White Swan.”

“Su Yueming.”

“Flash.”

“The Alcy Sisters.”

“Bayonetta.”

“City Hunter Meng Bo.”

“City Hunter? Not quite,” she said meaningfully. “Remember, the version you’re looking at is from ‘Detective Han Yuliang.’”

“Got it.” Wu Chen committed it to memory.

Passing the flame was about reshaping one’s persona. It’s well-known that a persona is essential for the characters in the story and serves as the foundation for plot development, subtly influencing the storyline’s direction. Hence, persona is of utmost importance.

Handing over the campus card, 2B pencil, and car key, she reminded him one last time, “0326. Remember, all that came before is just the prologue.”

“Understood, Die Wu.” Wu Chen’s eyes sparkled, as if harboring the stars and the sea within.

“Farewell, Wu Chen.” The female player who completed the flame-passing smiled and said goodbye.

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“Goodbye, Die Wu.”

Watching the leather-clad woman rise and leave, the dormitory door closed behind her. In Room 208, time and space began to twist.

Return to the Sanctuary, Day 1.

The sun shone brightly, the sea breeze was crisp, and the scent of saltwater filled the air.

Wu Chen slowly opened his eyes. Before him stretched an endless expanse of blue sea and sky. Looking down, there was the AE86, in the front driver’s seat.

The campus card, 2B pencil, and car key were all intact in his pocket.

Seeing the key fit into the ignition eased Wu Chen’s tension slightly.

However, three attempts to start the car all failed. A car that wouldn’t start—what use was it?

Ensuring no one was around, Wu Chen carefully opened the door and stepped out.

The place before him appeared to be a coastal highway viewing platform. The scene was both familiar and strange. Because of the recent memory implantation, all previous memories had been wiped. Wu Chen had no idea which story world he was actually in.

His past memories, like the Sanctuary itself, were fragmented.

“Where should I begin...” Wu Chen murmured, gazing at the horizon where sea and sky merged.

At that moment, the roar of an engine shattered the silence. A racing car sped past. The player inside cast a fleeting glance, saw Wu Chen idly standing there, and instinctively slammed on the brakes. Circling back around the roundabout, the driver shouted to him, “Get out of here, fast!”

“What?” Wu Chen had no recollection of who the female driver was.

“Annihilation countdown!” The words echoed in his ears as the driver sped away.

His vision suddenly blurred. Wu Chen thought it was sand in his eyes but, raising his hand, he saw dust rising from his fingertips. He waved again, scattering the dust, confirming something was wrong with his own hands. Looking around, he saw his body, the car, the viewing platform, even the entire world were rapidly disintegrating.

“It’s over!” Wu Chen finally understood the meaning of “annihilation countdown.” Just like the shattered Sanctuary, the world before him was crumbling.

Panicked, he scrambled back into the driver’s seat and tried to start the car again—but failed.

As the world dissolved further, a dense fog enveloped everything. Gritting his teeth, Wu Chen got out and popped the hood.

“This is...”