It didn't take long for information about Qi Yuan to surface. Those who had gathered turned grim.

"Even if he does reincarnate, he'll only retain one year of memories," said a tall woman with elaborate, almost theatrical makeup. It looked as if she had just come from a banquet and hadn't had time to change.

Her words left the group in silence. If the mysterious voice was to be believed, everyone except the rebooters would return to ten years ago with no memory of it. The man buried before them was one of the lucky few rebooters, and one assigned to the Gongyi family of the Seven Martial Stars.

A man who was obviously drunk sneered. "Hmph. If the Su family hadn’t meddled behind the scenes, we wouldn't have been stuck with this one."

The Su family, another of the Seven Martial Stars, had always kept the Gongyi family in check. This time, they had joined forces with others to shove a dead man into Gongyi's hands. If not for the fact that Gongyi still shared a living rebooter with the other families, they would never have let this slide!

Gongqi Qing said calmly, his refined tone carrying a quiet authority, "Uncle has already met the other one. As for this one... Let’s complete our task."

Gongyi Cai nodded, his clouded eyes steady. "Give the order. Open the grave."

No matter what, they had to see the body.

Hearing Li Shenkong's command, soldiers stepped forward and began digging. Though it was late at night, blazing floodlights lit the graveyard as bright as day. Nearby, cushy leather chairs were set up, and the Gongyi family members took their seats. Food was brought out, and they began eating leisurely. The day's chaos had left them no time for a proper meal.

The hollowed-out man scrolled through his phone, a smirk tugging at his lips. "This rebooter was mentally ill and terminally sick. Even if he comes back, he probably won't last long. Not much use."

He had scanned the QR code on Qi Yuan's tombstone, pulling up the records.

Type-A3 psychiatric disorder. Severe delusions. Difficult to communicate.

The others nodded in agreement.

It was unfortunate and yet fortunate for Qi Yuan. Even if he went back ten years, he would die within a year. After all, his death had come nine years ago. Still, it counted as a second chance at life.

The refined man said, "One year isn't enough for him to witness the age of flourishing families. And for us, it means waiting another ten years."

Everyone’s expressions shifted subtly, anticipation flickering in their eyes.

Gongyi Cai’s gaze sharpened. "Which is why we must seize every opportunity this time."

Over the past decade, countless opportunities had emerged, but most had fallen into the hands of the other Seven Martial Star families. If they wanted to shift the power dynamic, they had to make full use of this restart.

Gongyi Jing sighed. "Too bad he's dead. Otherwise, we could have struck a deal."

The plan had been simple. Provide encrypted information to the rebooter and have him deliver it to the Gongyi family upon returning to the past. In exchange, they would grant him wealth, power, status, and anything he desired.

Of course, it wasn't foolproof. Rebooters held the initiative. If they refused to cooperate, nothing could be done. That was why the great families spared nothing, offering anything to secure loyalty.

Unfortunately, a dead man couldn’t negotiate. Which was why most of the Gongyi family had gone to deal with the living rebooter, leaving this less-favored group here. No matter how they looked at it, it felt like a wasted trip.

Soon, the grave was opened and the coffin emerged. Everyone stared at it, unease creeping into their hearts.

Gongyi Jing stepped closer, frowning. "There's nothing left but bones."

The others exchanged glances.

"Proceed as planned," Gongyi Cai said.

After all, what if Qi Yuan's soul lingered? If a world reset could happen, what was impossible at this point?

The group hesitated. Talking to a skeleton in the middle of the night wasn't exactly appealing.

The drunk man yawned. "Uncle, I haven't slept all night."

Clearly, he was opting out.

Gongyi Jing hesitated but before she could speak, Gongyi Qing stepped forward. "I'll do it."

Gongyi Cai nodded. Though Gongyi Qing came from a distant branch, his capabilities had earned him recognition.

He approached the coffin with documents in hand. "Qi Yuan. I am Gongyi Qing of the Gongyi family. We apologize for disturbing your rest. I don't know if you can hear me, but we come in good faith. Nine years ago, you died from a brain hemorrhage. Even emergency treatment at the hospital couldn't save you.

"Our family has the most cutting edge medical facilities and even rare, life-saving elixirs. If you cooperate with us and pass along the encrypted message I’m about to share, treating you free of charge will only be the beginning of our payment. Opportunities, power, status, wealth—everything can be yours. The contents of the code are as follows..."

He delivered a long, complex encrypted message with utmost seriousness. This encryption strategy existed ten years ago. As long as Qi Yuan delivered the message, they would be able to decrypt the actual message. Divided into three parts, it consisted of the reset, the locations of opportunities, and a record of major future events.

"I don't know if you can hear me or remember this, so I'll go over it again," Gongyi Qing said, repeating it carefully.

Under the eerie silence of Lost Path Mountain, his voice echoed on, unsettling those who heard it.

The drunk man yawned again, sipping his drink. He glanced at Gongqi Qing, his eyes tinged with arrogance. Unlike Gongyi Qing, who came from a much more distant branch, the drunk man’s father held real power in the family.

"He's been repeating that for an hour. Doesn't he get tired? If it were me, I'd just record it and play it on loop," he said.

Gongyi Jing replied helplessly, "That would be disrespectful. We're trying to cooperate. We have to show sincerity." 𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞

The drunk man scoffed. "To a skeleton?"

There was a trace of mockery in his gaze. Showing respect to a corpse? That’s the funniest joke I'd heard all day!

Gongyi Cai shot him a glare, and he fell silent.

Time slipped by quickly, and less than a quarter hour remained before the reset.

Gongyi Qing braced one hand against the coffin lid, continuing his recitation without pause.

The drunk middle-aged man yawned again, his eyes half-lidded. "Still going on about it?"

Shooting another sharp look at the man, Gongyi Cai walked over to Gongyi Qing, saying gently, "Why don’t you take a break? The other group has already reached a result. The rebooter there has agreed to cooperate."

Naturally, these great families wouldn't put all their eggs in one basket. The encrypted messages they prepared also overlapped in parts to minimize the risk of error.

"It's fine, Second Uncle. There are only a dozen minutes left, I'll keep going a bit longer," Gongyi Qing replied.

Gongyi Jing picked up a cup of water and handed it to him.

Gongyi Qing took it, about to drink. "Thanks—"

Just then, there was an earthquake. The earth beneath their feet churned, trees swayed violently, and even distant buildings shook. The cup slipped from Gongyi Qing's hand and fell straight into the coffin. The tremor lasted only three breaths before subsiding.

Some stood stunned, others visibly shaken.

Gongyi Cai's gaze deepened. "An omen before the reset, it seems it's real."

A complicated look flickered in Gongyi Jing's eyes. "After the world resets, will I still be me?"

Truthfully, she didn't want this reset at all.