The Only Player in ‘Child of Stardust’
Chapter 109 - 86 The Truth

Chapter 109: Chapter 86 The Truth

One night many years ago.

Zhou Yuan was taken to an unfinished building by his parents after school.

When gamblers are desperate, they will resort to extreme measures.

For instance——turning on those closest to them.

Murder... insurance fraud.

The moment Zhou Yuan realized her biological parents intended to kill her, the anger that had built up over the years finally erupted.

As a boy experiencing a growth spurt during adolescence, in the face of imminent death, in the depths of endless rage and hatred, she unleashed an unprecedented strength.

She picked up a thermos cup.

Again and again...

And beat them both to death.

Looking at the warm blood on her hands and then at the lifeless bodies on the floor, Zhou Yuan laughed, a laughter filled with unprecedented joy, feeling the pain throughout her body lessen significantly.

She was not yet an adult, so even if she committed murder... it would not be a major issue, at most, she would be imprisoned for a few years.

And she could finally be rid of those two beasts!

Her remaining life would be full of freedom!

"Tsk tsk tsk, I arrive and see you killing your parents, what a deep grudge."

Suddenly, a mocking voice rang out, Zhou Yuan looked over sharply but saw no one, only a...

Red-eyed crow resting on the windowsill.

"Stop looking, it’s me."

The crow fluttered its wings and flew down.

Zhou Yuan looked blankly at the crow.

The crow stared directly at Zhou Yuan.

"Am I crazy?"

Zhou Yuan patted her head. How could a crow talk? It must be a hallucination brought on by extreme emotions.

Hmm... mental illness should cut another two years off the sentence, right?

No, that can’t be.

Zhou Yuan recalled some news she had seen, like... not being held accountable?

"A big mess happened tonight, I came out to see the commotion, and I stumbled upon this scene..."

The crow continued talking to itself, then tilted its head, "Mind explaining what’s going on?"

"..."

Zhou Yuan hesitated for a long time and then sat down in front of the crow, pouring out all her years of suffering.

"I see..."

The crow nodded knowingly, then asked, "I notice you have quite a bit of potential. Your emotional fluctuation was intense just now, you were on the brink of self-awakening. How about you join me?

I can help you erase the traces here, no one will know you killed them."

"Huh?"

Zhou Yuan was stunned for several seconds before coming to her senses. This didn’t seem to be a hallucination?

Vaguely, she felt that the door to a new world was opening before her.

"I don’t really care... so I’ll join you then."

"Great."

The crow smiled. With a sweep of its wings, Zhou Yuan’s vision plunged into darkness.

When her sight was restored, she found herself in a solemn, deep, and dark chapel.

There were no windows or electric lights, only silver candles engraved with patterns, burning and emitting a dim light, barely illuminating the surroundings, casting a veil of gloomy mystique over the space.

A tranquil, serene scent permeated the air, making one feel a deep sense of peace from within.

In the hall of the chapel, rows of seats were neatly arranged, and at the top was a massive sacred emblem of a crow, holy and solemn.

A woman with long black hair walked over, wearing a black clerical robe, with an ethereal and illusory demeanor. She spoke in a gentle tone,

"Welcome to the Holy Crow Church."

"My name is Ye Wan, I am the Acting Bishop of the Holy Crow Church in Xinhu City."

"I am aware of everything. Please come forward, and I will guide you through the initiation ceremony."

Zhou Yuan, somewhat dazed, followed Ye Wan’s instructions and completed the initiation ceremony in a state of confusion, officially becoming a member of the Holy Crow Church.

"Go back and rest. Every Friday night from now on, you will come here for training."

As Ye Wan finished speaking, Zhou Yuan’s vision went black again. When her sight was restored, she was surprised to find herself back home.

Everything afterwards went just as the red-eyed crow said. The police found no traces left by the murderer at the scene, and the case was eventually closed hastily, putting an end to the matter.

Zhou Yuan felt relieved. Given the choice, she certainly did not want to go to jail.

Once everything settled down, every Friday night, she would enter a peculiar dream where she trained at the Holy Crow Church’s training ground, designed specifically for new recruits.

Transcendent Studies, History, Mysticism... Combat, Fighting, Surveillance, and Counter-Surveillance...

Here, Zhou Yuan completely opened the door to a new world, learning numerous skills. However, she had not yet awakened Aoneng Power, so she remained an ordinary person.

After graduating from junior high school, she took on various jobs while secretly working for the Holy Crow Church, performing tasks that were not extremely dangerous and within her capability.

Tracking, Surveillance, Monitoring... even murder.

During a ceremony held within the church, she successfully awakened Aoneng Power, a shadow system ability, although her cultivation talent was average.

Life went on peacefully for over two years until one day, while patrolling as a security guard, she inadvertently saved a high-ranking member of Stars Network, earning her a position in the company.

The gears of fate began to turn.

One night, Ye Wan personally came to her,

"There is a task for you now. It’s suspected that a special abnormal item is hidden within Stars Network. The church hopes you can infiltrate Stars Network to investigate.

To play it safe, I will seal your Aoneng Power and relevant memories of the Extraordinary World, and set up a psychological suggestion that will restore your memory during your first patrol each day.

Outside of that time, you will be an ordinary person who has never been exposed to supernatural power."

With a mission from the organization, Zhou Yuan went undercover into Stars Network, staying for two and a half years.

During this time, she explored almost every corner of the company. She even infiltrated some classified areas using her security guard identity, but she never found any clues about the abnormal item Ye Wan mentioned.

Until that day, when the Red Robe Monks Association attacked Stars Network...

...

Zhou Yuan held her forehead, recalling all her memories. So this was how it was.

"So... Ye Wan really was playing me?"

"She just wanted to scare you a bit."

The crow laughed joyfully, "You were quite scared, weren’t you?"

That indeed made Zhou Yuan break out in cold sweat, making her paranoid for a while.

"We actually planned a few more good shows, but it’s a pity you know the truth now." The crow felt a bit regretful. If those shows could be staged, they would definitely be spectacular.

Zhou Yuan remained silent for a moment, "So why did you give me the Player System?"

"There’s no point in letting an outsider have something as powerful as the Player System, so I gave it to one of our own. You happened to need it at the time, so I gave it to you."

The crow said it as if it were the most natural thing, "Is it wrong for a deity to care about its followers?"

"I feel like you just wanted to see some fun." Zhou Yuan suspected this might be the real reason. Since then, she never regained her memory, clearly indicating someone’s interference from the shadows.

"That’s just secondary." The crow did not deny it.

"Is it actually the main reason?"

The crow glanced at her and said earnestly, "Didn’t the Control Bureau teach you that what the leader says, goes?"

"..."

The crow stretched its wings, "Anyway, I’m quite pleased with your performance during this period, keep up the good work. It’s very boring in the Spirit World, so create some excitement to keep me entertained."

"I have some more questions."

Zhou Yuan paused and asked, "What exactly is the Player System?"

"Calling it the Player System is not entirely accurate."

The crow lowered its voice, adopting a mysterious tone, "I prefer to call it the [Artifact of Myriad Changes]."