1.56 This storyline can only be remembered in hindsight

Accompanied by the tremor of the 0326 exclusive branch storyline, the shattered glass wall restored to its original state. Ripples of space-time emanated from beneath Wu Chen's feet, attempting to expand the internal space. However, seemingly blocked by the newly repaired glass wall, the ripples could only spread upward along the four corners. Soon, the entire phone booth was vibrating as if held tightly by an invisible hand, struggling hopelessly.

In other words, although the previous damage had been repaired, the internal space failed to expand once more.

A possibility occurred to Wu Chen. The AE86 needed a third gear upgrade to match the third transformation of the phone booth. This also corroborated that both the AE86 and the red phone booth were part of Wu Chen's 0326 exclusive sanctuary, echoing one another.

Wu Chen tried inserting his campus card again. After a brief card-reading sound, his sanctuary coin balance surged wildly from 1,078 coins, finally stabilizing at 11,077 coins—a massive surge of 9,999 coins.

This was the yield harvested from the five-star sanctuary card, Frigga, Queen of Asgard. Just as the tablet base consumed one coin per day, each harvest settlement perhaps symbolically deducted one coin, which was why it wasn't a neat integer of 10,000 coins. Of course, this was not the final settlement yet; after all, the Purge Night was not yet over.

Players remaining behind were still locked in fierce combat with the plot fragments crashing down into the city. Four-way spiral flames soared into the sky, without exception. One of the rules of the Shattered City: "Plot fragments must rely on a player's exclusive branch storyline to be driven forward before they can generate subsequent plots." This meant that once they successfully plunged into the Shattered City and invaded a player's exclusive sanctuary, the plot fragments would parasitize the player's exclusive branch storyline and expand on their own. Therefore, essentially, this was a plot invasion war.

It could also be regarded as the shattered plot's final counterattack against the players.

Once struck by fragments from the meteor shower, it was a battle to the death with no quarter given. There was no retreat whatsoever.

"Master." As Wu Chen stepped out of the phone booth, the female warriors tempered by the flames of war gathered around one another. Their delicate faces, each with their own unique charm, radiated an indescribable bond.

"I'm fine." Wu Chen returned their smiles with one of his own.

After all, these were merely the remaining players of the Traveler's Camp, and the attacks they suffered were nothing more than "fish that slipped through the net." The veteran players who flew out of the atmosphere with their respective exclusive sanctuaries to form a defensive perimeter were the main force resisting the purge. It was conceivable that heavy losses were inevitable. However, as long as one completed the fragment plot harvest just as Wu Chen had, the profits would undoubtedly be substantial. Moreover, as long as they were not completely purged, no matter how severe the damage sustained, once they weathered the Purge Day, they could upgrade and repair themselves in a matter of minutes. Then would come another 12 "peaceful days." Accumulating one gear upgrade per day until all 12 gear slots were filled, they would then experience the cycle of another Purge Day, repeating until the arrival of the "Grand Purge Day" after guarding through 12 Purge Days.

Rumors had it that this was the ultimate test for both veteran and novice players in the Shattered City.

According to the intelligence brain, this was actually the sanctuary's "scheduled garbage disposal system." During Purge Days, fragments originating from shattered plot worlds would be centrally cleared away.

Wu Chen approved of this analogy.

"Wu Chen, are you alright?" Baili Yan's voice sounded from the wrist-watch communicator.

"I'm fine. How are you all?" Many things went without saying.

"We're all fine. There were only some small debris fragments that couldn't even pierce the base's protective shield, so it was safe with a scare." Baili Yan could not conceal his excitement. "After all, we have veteran players up above shielding us from the wind and rain."

"It's good that you're okay. There's still the second half of the day left. Everyone, be extremely careful and don't let your guard down," Wu Chen cautioned.

"Understood, 0326," the player couple answered in unison.

On the holographic screens across the base were real-time footage selected by the intelligence brain. Meteor showers fell from the sky from time to time. Accompanied by expanding clusters of light, fragments from different plot worlds began to expand. Gods, ghosts, humans, beasts, along with the vehicles, buildings, city ruins, and even mountains, rivers, and shattered planets they carried... continuously expanded, standing out as they fought the players to the death.

Flames soared in the spiral zone, and the sounds of explosions echoed one after another. Gunfire roared, blood and flesh flew, accompanied by sorrowful wails that resounded throughout the four-way spiral.

Players watched out for one another, resisting the invasion of the plot fragments. The scene could no longer be described as tragic; it was simply a doomsday judgment. Yet this was merely the first Purge Day Wu Chen had experienced, and the Shattered Traveler's Camp gathered mostly junior players.

According to the simple principle of "likes repel, opposites attract," stronger players attracted stronger fragments. For only a sufficiently powerful branch storyline could sustain a plot fragment's life. This was the same logic Wu Chen understood that a small pony could not pull a heavy cart.

Perhaps precisely because Wu Chen possessed a stronger presence in the Shattered Traveler's Camp than Baili Yan and the others, he was struck by the fragment. Or perhaps, just like the flood of memories rushing overwhelmingly back into his mind, this fragment originating from the [Thor A-Grade Plot World] was deeply bound to Wu Chen's 0326 exclusive branch storyline. According to the intelligence brain, at a certain period in the sanctuary's past, Wu Chen had deeply intervened in the [Thor A-Grade Plot World], and that subsequent influence had persisted to this day. Even though the [Thor A-Grade Plot World] had shattered along with the sanctuary, it failed to erase the plot bond.

Thus, the intelligence brain suggested: "Master, find some time to sort through these memories."

"Agreed," Wu Chen thought the same.

"What should we do with this Asgardian ship?" The intelligence brain operated a drone swarm, conducting a deep scan of the dragon ship. Creations from the Immortal Realm were indeed extraordinary.

Yet previously, it was merely a spirit ship used for Asgardian cremations. When wrapped into the fragment and soaked in purplish-red energy, it became the vessel housing the immortal body of Frigga, Queen of Asgard. Coupled with the nourishment from the Queen's spiritual world, the dragon ship had acquired high-dimensional attributes—commonly known as a "horcrux." Much like a lich's phylactery, it was perhaps already inextricably linked to the Queen of Asgard.

"Don't touch it for now; wait until the Queen wakes up," Wu Chen replied for safety's sake.

"Master, have you examined the sanctuary card of the Queen of Asgard closely?" the intelligence brain suddenly asked.

"Mhm." Wu Chen had looked very carefully. "Confirmed as five frames. Frame 1: 'Sword Dancer', Frame 2: 'Illusionist', Frame 3: 'Skull Helmet', Frame 4: 'Grand Portrait', Frame 5: 'Asgard'."

"So a five-star character comes with her own territory," the intelligence brain said, puzzled. "However, what is the implication of Frame 3's skull helmet?"

"I'm not sure either." Wu Chen hadn't had the time to sort through this regained memory line brought by the Queen of Asgard—or more accurately, the "plot line within the memories."

"Master, searching the camp's talent pool reveals something similar to a skull helmet," the intelligence brain lived up to expectations. "Four-star Cursed Warrior Kurse. A capable subordinate of Malekith the Dark Elf, defeated by Bor the Allfather and the Asgardian warriors, awakened a millennium later, and in order to realize the Dark Elf's revenge plan, voluntarily became the final 'Cursed Warrior'—a powerful combatant whose strength is significantly enhanced through infection by Aether particles."

"So, the purplish-red energy is Aether particles," Wu Chen understood.

"Correct, Master. Aether is one of the six Infinity Stones—the Reality Stone. It has no fixed form and cannot be destroyed. It can turn imagination into reality or transform physical objects into dark matter. Furthermore, it can autonomously seek a host to parasitize, continuously growing stronger by feeding on the host's life force. It is likely the most powerful of the Infinity Stones."

"It can turn imagination into reality and feed on the host's life force," Wu Chen mused thoughtfully. "So the armored warriors previously manifested by the Aether particles all came from the imagination of the Queen of Asgard."

"Not only that," the intelligence brain calculated more deeply. "Master mentioned that the Queen of Asgard possesses the ability of an illusionist, capable of vividly conjuring various figures. And the Aether particles turned these incorporeal illusions into reality. This is why the manifested Aether female warriors are almost identical to Master's female warriors."

Wu Chen pondered thoughtfully: "Therefore, compared to the 'Cursed Warrior', the three-framed skull helmet displayed on the card of the Queen of Asgard is actually a 'Cursed Sorcerer'."

"Cursed Sorceress," the intelligence brain corrected.