Am I going to be controlled by the players too?

"Stop, stop, stop." Chu Youyou sighed with a headache, interrupting his wish list. "Do you think this is a wishing figurine? The materials are limited, only enough to make one statue. You choose one."

Cheng Cheng thought for two seconds and said, "Then let's go with Mi Shen."

"Alright... Done!"

Chu Youyou's fingers flew across the paper, and the clay sculpting took shape at an extremely fast speed. In a short while, a middle-aged man wearing a light gray casual suit and with a short, slicked-back hairstyle that exposed his forehead was steadily formed.

Cheng Cheng hesitated, his face full of doubt: "This is..."

"The God of Rice you wanted, the God of Millet," Chu Youyou snorted. "You also like General Thunder, right? I'll grant both wishes at once!"

"I believe in the god of MiHoYo, and besides, why doesn't your Thunder General have 'electricity' and 'general'?"

"Don't worry about all that, just take it!"

Chu Youyou tossed the clay sculpture to Cheng Cheng, who caught it. The corresponding information appeared out of thin air in his mind:

"Thunder General Statue: Blood is used to bind it to its master, and a unique title can be set by the holder. The holder gains the passive trait 'Whatever is said will be known': Anyone in the world who chants this title will be immediately perceived by the holder, and the holder can project their soul to the chanter across a single world."

"Now that the trial is over and the rewards have been given, I won't worry about your body in that world anymore. Remember to go back and check on it."

Before Cheng Cheng could ask any further questions, Chu Youyou turned and walked out of the palace as if she had finished her mission.

"Wait! Miss Witch!"

Freya quickly stepped forward and stopped her: "I have seen your records in the ancient books hidden in the royal palace. You are an ancient being who walked the earth a thousand years ago, and the founder of the necromancy faction, even before the invasion of the abyss... I would like to ask you, how exactly can we fight against the demon of death?"

Chu Youyou stopped in her tracks: "This is your own business, not my task. I don't want to get involved, and I really can't interfere too much."

Freya persisted, "But... the ancient texts mention that even 'death' is merely your child..."

"Burn it," Chu Youyou suddenly said.

"Burn that ancient book!" Chu Youyou trembled, gritting her teeth fiercely. "This is a lie! I have never had a child! I never have, and I never will!"

For some reason, I always felt that the witch was very resentful when she said those words.

Of course, the resentment is strong!

After finally transforming into a human and developing for several years before reverting back, she thought she would definitely be able to get pregnant this time. However, her master became completely sterilized because he was reproductively isolated from humans after the Nine Revolutions!

Unfortunately, apart from Xiao Ai, Xia Lenai, Gaia, and even Suzuki Yuki Sakura all won the lottery on their first try, while she herself lost her chance forever...

(PS: All of the above are female protagonists from the previous work)

The more she thought about the child, the angrier she became. A dense aura of death surged around Chu Youyou, and Freya quickly agreed to burn it. Only then did the witch calm down.

After a moment of silence, she finally left behind a prophetic statement, which drifted away on the wind:

"Let me give you a piece of advice—death is not scary; death is like a cool summer night, where one can sleep peacefully without worry."

As her voice faded, Chu Youyou's figure vanished like smoke and mist, disappearing without a trace, as if she had never appeared in this hall at all.

The royal palace returned to silence.

The unexpected arrival of a witch interrupted the tense standoff. The strained atmosphere dissipated completely. Sylvia and Freya exchanged a glance, about to speak to ease the tension, when Cheng Cheng, who was fiddling with the statue, suddenly looked up and spoke, his tone tinged with apology:

"I'm sorry, I have to leave for a while."

"Leave?" The two women immediately became anxious. "You just got back, and you're leaving again? Where are you going?"

“Let’s go back to my original world.” Cheng Cheng gave a bitter smile, a hint of seriousness in his eyes. “There’s a long-standing problem there that I was unable to handle before, but now that I’m capable enough, it’s time to put it to rest.”

Witch Night.

My physical body is still constantly regressing, but now the witch doesn't care anymore. My body will automatically refresh to 8 AM the next morning every night at 12 AM, which is really inconvenient.

"...So, the situation here is settled. Although the Demon of Death has descended, fortunately it is dead, so there shouldn't be any danger. With you all here, I feel at ease."

Sylvia and Freya exchanged a glance, both seeing deep worry in each other's eyes.

Now that things have come to this, both of them know that Cheng Cheng is from another world. Not only can he travel between two worlds, but he can also control them, and he possesses so many amazing abilities. He must be extraordinary in the other world...

Could something that troubles him be dangerous?

"Don't worry, I'll be back soon."

Cheng Cheng smiled gently, stepped forward, opened his arms, and embraced the two girls who were filled with longing, whispering a promise:

"Wait for me to come back, and we'll get married together."

"Huh? Together?!"

"Wait! Who agreed to be with you—"

The two women blushed deeply, feeling both ashamed and angry. Just as they were about to retort, Cheng Cheng's soul body transformed into countless tiny particles of light and vanished without a trace.

In the empty throne room, only two young girls remained, gazing at each other with mixed feelings of laughter and tears, their hearts filled with longing as they awaited the day of return.

…………

The imperial capital, the execution ground at the Meridian Gate.

With the flames of war extinguished, Ji Yushen ascended to her divine throne, taking charge of the remaining affairs and ruthlessly eliminating the corrupt elements who had contributed to the chaos of the world.

When Wang Zhiming's army approached the capital and the court and the country were in turmoil, a group of civil officials, bandits, and unruly commoners took advantage of the chaos to cause trouble: some secretly hoarded confidential documents and prepared to defect to the enemy for personal gain; some took the opportunity to rob and extort money and disrupt people's livelihoods; some spread rumors and stirred up public sentiment, causing panic in the capital.

After the war, countless ordinary people filed reports under their real names. The government conducted thorough investigations and collected evidence at each level, and those with conclusive evidence of guilt were not spared.

At this moment, all 1,500 serious criminals were escorted to the Meridian Gate and publicly executed as a warning to others.

On the vast execution ground, a dense mass of prisoners knelt on the ground, all bound in shackles, their faces ashen. This was only the first batch of prisoners to be executed; the rest were already lined up for several days to come—the execution ground had limited space, so the executions had to be carried out in batches.

People lined the streets, creating a massive, impassable crowd.

Among the crowd, some cursed, some cheered, and some sighed. The people, who had experienced the chaos of war, hated these parasites who took advantage of the chaos to the core.

"Serves them right! Instead of serving their country in times of national crisis, they take advantage of the chaos and loot. They deserve to die!"

"In times of chaos, severe punishments are necessary to quell disorder! Your Majesty's move to purge the rebellion is truly gratifying!"

"Only by eliminating these parasites can the world truly achieve peace!"

Cheers and curses echoed across the execution ground.

Among the kneeling prisoners, a myriad of emotions were on display: some were filled with remorse and wept bitterly; some clung to hope and repeatedly cried out for justice; some roared wildly and denounced the injustice of the world; some collapsed to the ground, trembling, waiting in despair for the end.

"I've been framed! I didn't betray my country! Spare my life!"

"What's wrong with trying to survive in chaotic times! Ji Yushen, you are blind and immoral, you are not fit to be emperor! Eighteen years from now, I will still be a hero!"

"Nonsense! His Majesty is a hero of a thousand years, a true god, how dare you slander him like this!?"

"You little brat, you only got killed yourself, but I exterminated my entire clan! You shamelessly continue to fawn over Ji Yushen, I don't care anymore!"

A cacophony of wails, pleas for mercy, and desperate roars pierced the air, yet garnered no pity. The executioner, clad in a scarlet robe, his face grim, raised his hand and proclaimed the verdict in a loud voice:

"It's noon—execution!"

The executioner strode forward, raised his hand and gulped down a mouthful of strong liquor, then bent down and spat it onto the gleaming longsword to disinfect it and prevent the wound from becoming infected when he beheaded someone.

Then, with a swift and decisive stroke, the knife fell cleanly!

"Pfft—!"

A flash of cold light, and blood gushed out.

Some onlookers couldn't bear to watch and closed their eyes, turning their heads away; many others clutched steamed buns and desperately pushed forward. The executioner, accustomed to bloodshed, turned a blind eye, reaching out to pick up the fallen heads, intending to put the old heads on the rotating platform for collection later...

But at that moment, a series of extremely shrill screams exploded from the heads that were rolling on the ground, heart-wrenching and devastating!

"Aaaaaaah!!! It hurts! It hurts so much!!!"

"It hurts! Kill me! Ahhh! Please, just kill me!"

"Oh my god...why am I still alive! Ahhhhh! Please let me go!"

One by one, human heads detached from bodies, eyes wide open, howling and struggling wildly, their eyes filled with extreme pain and fear!

The once noisy execution ground fell into a deathly silence for a moment, and then completely collapsed.

"It's haunted!!"

"Run! Get out of here!"

The people were terrified, screaming and fleeing in all directions. Even the guards and seasoned executioners were so frightened that their legs went weak, their faces turned pale, and their butcher knives clattered to the ground as they trembled uncontrollably.

The headless corpses on the ground were still twitching, and the heads on the ground were still howling for death. The shrill screams lingered, like a living hell.

"Please...kill me! Kill me now!!"

A civil official's head rolled to the executioner's feet, crawling on the ground with its lips and teeth, its eyes bloodshot, pleading hoarsely, in agony on the verge of collapse.

Overwhelmed by extreme fear, the executioner mustered his remaining courage and, like a madman, picked up his longsword and slashed down!

"Crack!"

The head was forcibly split in two.

They are all alive.

"Death is not scary; death is like a cool summer night, allowing one to sleep peacefully without worry."

Now, the demon of death has descended upon the world. Even though He is dead and will not attack on His own initiative, all the "concepts of death" in the world are uncontrollably converging on Him and gathering around Him.

As a result, humans, elves, beastmen, and even plants, insects, fish, birds, beasts, and countless microorganisms all lost the right to sleep peacefully.

Even if they are chopped into mud or burned to ashes, every cell and every speck of dust is still alive. Everyone is trapped in broken shells, shattered flesh and blood, and flying ashes, consciously enduring endless pain, yearning for the tranquility of death day and night, but never getting it.

after all--

Death, vanished.

Chapter 133, The Never-Ending Witch's Night

Cheng Cheng opened his eyes.

The ceiling was a familiar white, sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, the computer screen was still lit, and the crown icon lay quietly in the lower right corner of the desktop.

There are three messages on my phone:

"Mu Yuan: Call me back when you wake up."

"Mu Yuan: Before 10 o'clock"

Mu Yuan: Never mind, just come straight to the lab when you wake up.