Wait, in a sense, should this count as the start of my life as a villain?
Yun Ruoxi suddenly thought of this and immediately felt that this moment was highly significant.
It is just a pity that the audience cannot see it.
I also cannot see the barrage from the top-right corner of the screen to peek at the audience’s reactions.
As the beginning of my villain career, this part will likely be added as a flashback, and even if the production team does not add it, I will make sure it is included.
But even if the audience only sees this experience through flashbacks later and sends barrage, in a sense, this might also be a limitation—that is something only the future me can see.
Peeking into the future ahead of time.
“However, the main show has limited time, so these flashback scenes probably won’t appear much. It would be a waste… when these scenes could be so good at harvesting the audience’s emotions. Wait!”
Yun Ruoxi narrowed her eyes, and a flash of light passed through them.
She had an idea—she thought of a way to utilize this entire experience!
A theatrical edition!
She was just worrying about how to film the theatrical edition and what to film.
Now it seems that she could completely film a theatrical edition about how she became a cold-blooded villain over the course of five years!
Just like “3D2Y” from “One Piece”!
Five years is too long for the main show, so it can be stuffed into a theatrical edition as a supplement to the plot.
“This way I don’t have to think about how to meet the requirement of giving the main cast 40% of the screen time, because I can film two separate lines—one line for my suffering and corruption, and one for Lin Zhen and the others’ happy, growth-filled, bright line.”
The contrast between the light and dark situations will make me look even more pitiful and tragic, and why wouldn’t I be able to harvest the audience’s emotions then!
“Furthermore, happiness is shown through contrast. With this light and dark, good and bad… when it comes time for promotion, I could even just promote the bright line of Lin Zhen and the others at first, making the audience think the protagonists are Lin Zhen and the others.”
“When they walk into the cinema and discover that I, who has been missing for so long, am the real protagonist, they will definitely be even more excited.”
“Although they are riding on the main cast’s success, sacrificing myself to achieve success for the sake of Xiao Xi, that is the true purpose of the Xiao Xi production team!”
“Hmm, if that happens, the production team’s Lao Feng will get scolded by the audience again…”
The more Yun Ruoxi thought about it, the more feasible she felt this theatrical edition was. Thinking about it made her so excited that she couldn’t help but let out a strange laugh.
“Hehehe!”
Even Dr. Forefinger and Instructor Behemoth, whom she originally hated, became bearable to her.
“Is the memory modification about to be completed? Behemoth has already gone out to meet the Shengcai.”
“Let me see… it really is, not bad, not bad. Dr. Forefinger is quite efficient; three years of memories are already mostly deleted.”
The corners of Yun Ruoxi’s mouth lifted slightly.
“Then… let it begin, my life as a villain!”
“It is time for the performance!”
tap, tap, tap… muffled footsteps sounded slowly.
A burly man wearing a snow-white hooded robe and a pure white mask on his face walked behind Behemoth and strode into the Laboratory.
As if unaffected, he looked directly at the culture tank. Even though there were no holes in that mask, the man seemed to be able to see everything.
“Is… that the traitor?” The man asked in a deep voice.
“Undoubtedly, her gifted talent is one that only appears in the battle camp once every few decades, she has the potential to walk that path.” Behemoth replied, “Lord Shengcai, it is her.”
“Is that so?”
“She will become the sharpest blade in our hands.” Shengcai’s voice was indifferent, and no emotion could be detected.
“We have ensured her loyalty through personality remodeling.” As Behemoth spoke, he signaled to Dr. Forefinger with his eyes.
The latter understood and nodded, pressing the virtual keyboard.
swish!
The culture tank opened automatically, and the mechanical arm lifted the girl out of the water and placed her gently on the floor. She knelt on the ground with her legs folded, extremely weak, her blue long hair dripping with water.
The mechanical arm removed the Brainwashing Mask from the girl’s face.
Having regained the ability to breathe on her own, Yun Ruoxi immediately began to cough urgently.
“Cough, cough, cough!”
“Lift your head,” Dr. Forefinger commanded.
The moment the words left his mouth, the girl, who had been coughing violently, lifted her head instantly.
Under the dim light.
Her eyes were incomparably empty, like an abyss; just looking at them felt like being swallowed into nothingness.
But gradually, a trace of reason and light appeared in those ruby-like pupils.
“Who am I? Am I… Yun Ruoxi? Am I Xinglan? Why am I here?”
The girl muttered to herself, her voice as faint as a mosquito, filled with deep confusion.
“That’s right, you are Xinglan.” Dr. Forefinger said casually, then looked at the Shengcai. “Her memories now have large gaps. As long as we fill in a segment of experience, she can become the perfect trainee.”
“Is that so? I have heard of this technology.” Shengcai’s tone finally changed.
“In that case, arrange for her to enter the abyss of death row!”
The girl lifted her head in confusion.
“The abyss of death row?!”
Hearing this name, the pupils of both Dr. Forefinger and Behemoth constricted.
The abyss of death row is another place where the Saints’ hand society selects members.
Criminals, Star Bandits, adventurers, and even Star Beasts; there are always people or beasts willing to join the Saints’ hand society for power or other reasons.
But generally, the Saints’ hand society prefers to cultivate their own members.
Therefore, for those who participate in this “social recruitment,” the Saints’ hand society crudely throws them together to kill each other, eventually recruiting the surviving Strong.
And this place of mutual slaughter is the abyss of death row.
“The last person to crawl out of the abyss of death row was you, right?” Dr. Forefinger looked at Instructor Behemoth.
“Yeah.” Behemoth nodded, his eyes solemn. Even he did not want to recall that experience.
If the battle camp is a hell for trainees, then the abyss of death row is a hell within hell.
“Personality remodeling will cause Xinglan’s strength to temporarily decline, and she might even be unable to use her supernatural power.”
Dr. Forefinger asked quietly, “If we throw her into the abyss of death row at this time, what if she dies directly? What if she can’t crawl out?”
“No abilities? Isn’t that just convenient for you to arrange a sufficiently cruel experience for her, thereby rebuilding her memories?” Shengcai said coldly, his voice laced with cruelty.
“As for not being able to crawl out? Then it just proves that her talent isn’t good enough for us to make an exception for her.”
“Those who violate the rules must be punished. The abyss of death row is Xinglan’s punishment. By the way, until she crawls out of the abyss of death row, she is not worthy of the name ‘Xinglan’.”
After finishing, the Shengcai turned and left the room, leaving behind two men with solemn faces.
After a moment of silence, the two exchanged glances.
Dr. Forefinger smiled and spoke first to break the silence: “Look at the bright side, at least didn’t we make it through this part?”
“Perhaps.” Mentioning the abyss of death row, Behemoth, whose past had been touched upon, was in a bad mood, so he replied casually before turning to leave.
Dr. Forefinger looked at the bewildered girl, shook his head slightly, and whispered in his heart:
Lin Zhen, oh Lin Zhen, I have fulfilled my promise. I did my best to save Yun Ruoxi, but the abyss of death row… I really have no way to handle that.