Chapter Fourteen: The Quintupled Madness of Kurumi

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Sending red envelopes is one of the most basic functions in a chat group. It also serves as a way for group members to exchange items from their respective worlds, enhancing each other’s strength, resolving difficulties together, and advancing hand in hand.

As the chat group industry gradually grew, the simple act of sending red envelopes evolved into something more intricate. In some groups, red envelopes could even contain life forms—such as a zombie or a person—trapped inside, or one could send themselves into another person’s world via a red envelope.

However, Chen Mo’s chat group did not support this function—not because sending life was prohibited, but because to place a life form into a red envelope, that life had to be an “item belonging to oneself.”

Han Li once attempted to put a few of his gold-devouring insects into a red envelope but failed; however, he succeeded in placing a soul fragment into one. Yet Han Li was uncertain whether that soul fragment could fight properly once sent to another’s world, and there was the risk that his own soul fragment might suffer damage, so he never proposed this plan.

In other words, under the right conditions, life forms could still be sent through the chat group’s red envelopes, but certain criteria had to be met.

Standing beside Chen Mo were five copies of Tokisaki Kurumi, who explained this.

“Tokisaki Kurumi: So, I can use my Eighth Bullet to send a past version of myself here.”

Chen Mo looked at Kurumi standing nearby: her glossy black twin tails, stunning appearance, a dazzling red-and-black lace dress tinged with a hint of bitterness, and the clock eye imprinted in her left iris.

What a beautiful woman, Chen Mo thought involuntarily.

Noticing Chen Mo’s gaze, the Kurumis flashed charming smiles, as if seducing him with words: “Please, Mr. Chen Mo, make full use of me. It doesn’t matter what you want me to do~”

It was an irresistibly tempting offer. Coupled with Kurumi’s beautiful face and alluring figure, any passionate young man would likely lose his rationality upon hearing such words.

But Chen Mo merely pushed his glasses up and showed no sign of interest or reaction.

Zafkiel, the Eighth Bullet of Tokisaki Kurumi, allows her to recreate past versions of herself by slicing through different timelines, thus creating clones.

Each clone is equipped with corresponding spiritual gear and a flintlock pistol, and can use the City that Devours Time as well as traverse shadows. However, clones cannot use Zafkiel’s power or summon angels, and their activity time is limited—proportional to the time invested by the original version in creating them.

Tokisaki Kurumi had sent five such clones, each with seven days of activity. When the time expired, these clones would vanish completely from the world. Since they did not belong to Chen Mo’s possessions, they could not be placed back into red envelopes and sent again.

In other words, regardless of the outcome, they would all disappear in the end—they would all... die.

Chen Mo naturally considered this and shared his analysis with Kurumi. To avoid affecting the impressions of others in the group, Chen Mo communicated with Tokisaki Kurumi privately.

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“Tokisaki Kurumi: Oh my, Mr. Chen Mo, are you concerned about ‘me’?”

“Tokisaki Kurumi: Don’t worry. Even if ‘we’ eventually disappear, it’s ‘my’ choice. I want to help you, Mr. Chen Mo. Even if the cost is the disappearance of ‘my’ life, it doesn’t matter.”

“Tokisaki Kurumi: Those ‘selves’ are at your disposal... If you truly understand my future, you should know how I feel about ‘us’, right?”

“Chen Mo: Of course. They’re just expendable resources. But I haven’t paid much attention to that... Well, I’ll run an experiment first.”

Chen Mo turned his gaze to one of the five Kurumis in the room and extended his hand toward the one in the middle.

“Please, Kurumi, may I hold your hand?”

“Oh my, please do.”

Chen Mo’s fingers touched Kurumi’s hand, feeling cold yet delicate skin—like the first snow of early winter, cold and elegant but soft.

If Chen Mo were an ordinary office worker with similar impulses, he might have lost control by now.

Various thoughts flashed through his mind. Chen Mo grasped Kurumi’s hand and then used the red envelope function within the chat group. In the next moment, the Kurumi holding his hand vanished—she had been placed inside the red envelope and sent back to Kurumi.

“Tokisaki Kurumi: ? What is this...?”

“Chen Mo: So, this is how the judgment works.”

Ignoring the four pairs of surprised eyes around him, Chen Mo continued typing in the chat group.

“Chen Mo: Although your clones are not my items, your clones were sent to me through your red envelope, and I accepted the envelope. So by the chat group’s rules, the red envelope you sent, which contains your clones, actually becomes ‘my possession.’”

“Chen Mo: Of course, I don’t have control over the clones like you do, Miss Kurumi. But according to the chat group’s judgment, these items sent via red envelope belong to me, and thus can be sent back through the same method.”

This was a new discovery regarding the chat group’s functions!

Of course, in terms of practicality, it might not be very useful—just enough to satisfy Chen Mo’s curiosity.

But for certain individuals with special abilities, this could be extremely valuable... such as Tokisaki Kurumi.

“So that’s how it is?!”

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Looking at the clone sent back to her, Tokisaki Kurumi was momentarily speechless.

She had never imagined the red envelope function could be used this way.

For everyone else, this discovery was essentially useless. Since ownerless and unconscious items can be placed into red envelopes by anyone, this finding at best informs group members that items with owners and consciousness can also be sent and returned.

That’s all—no meaning, no practical use.

But for Kurumi, it was different.

Because of how her clones were created by the Eighth Bullet, although they cannot use any Zafkiel abilities, they still possess a time-related power—the City that Devours Time.

The City that Devours Time is a barrier constructed from shadows that absorbs “time” from all living beings within its range.

Time is the most crucial resource Kurumi needs.

To return to the past and kill the Origin Elf, Kurumi requires sufficient time. This is also why she earned the title of “most evil elf” after killing over ten thousand people.

In her world, due to interference from various factions, she cannot recklessly seize time.

But with this newly discovered function, she can send her clones to other worlds to gather and steal time from those worlds’ inhabitants.

For example, the world where Aqua currently resides—a fantasy adventure novel world; Han Li’s cultivation world; or even the legendary Penglai Mountain Kaguya, who is said to have infinite lifespan and cannot die—could they provide enough time?

Just thinking about this made Kurumi’s heart race and her breathing grow slightly rapid.

“Chen Mo: Looks like this function is very useful to you.”

“Chen Mo: As payment, please send me dozens or hundreds of clones, preferably strong ones, for fighting aliens.”

“Chen Mo: I’m not counting on modern firepower, so I have to rely on you, the elf! Kurumi!”

Tokisaki Kurumi: “…………”

Mr. Chen Mo is indeed... quite the character.