Chapter 6: The Shadows in the Cave
Wu Hen didn't know if this body still belonged to him. It couldn't be described with pain and madness; it was a split and intensification beyond human sensation. Meanwhile, he had only one thought in his mind—this was definitely not a virtual world; his senses surpassed reality!
"Ugh ahhhhh!!!!!!!"
Wu Hen let out a roar. He attempted to regain control of this body. Since his stiff right hand couldn't open, he tried to let go!
But from the process of lifting to letting go, Wu Hen felt like he was overcoming an infinite heavenly force!
"Ugh ahhhhhh!!!"
Wu Hen roared again. He had to take back his right hand!
As his right hand moved downward, his entire body erupted with dense black lightning. Finally, Wu Hen felt his arm move, and it slowly lowered while maintaining the gesture of grasping the sky!
At the same time, in the sky above, the Death Sword material driven by the pale-red navel bud also loosened!
The Death Sword material seemed to be plucked from the abyss of the sky. The surrounding space shattered, and the resulting white and black lightning turned into a thunderstorm tsunami, fiercely colliding!
"Boom boom boom!!!!!!"
The sky collapsed as if an endless rainforest and a dark long sky churned out countless patterns, like a vast digital empire under invasion, with colorful codes appearing on the screen of heaven and earth below the surface world!
The distant Demon River, the border Divine Country, the Sea City above the mist layer, the Mirage reflecting the sky... none were spared.
The wailing of the collapse swept through, and thousands of demons were revealed in this Desert Dust. They dared not fly or escape, all trembling in place, some even kneeling and praying to the sky like ancient people!
As the person involved, Wu Hen had no idea what was happening.
He only felt like he was pulling something out!
Finally, he pulled that thing out!
In the next moment, a death sword-shaped giant object appeared in the trembling heavens, crushing all the "codes" in this area and turning the hundred-mile radius of Jueyin Town into a black void!
In the end, the death sword-shaped giant object fell like a heavenly meteoroid, crashing into the flattened Juezhen!
It stood there like a black divine miracle.
Wu Hen stood on the edge of a cliff, gazing at this incredible scene. But just a glance, and Wu Hen felt a strong sense of annihilation come over him, causing him to have an impulse of willing self-destruction. It made him realize how insignificant he was in desecrating such a grand celestial miracle!
Finally, Wu Hen's consciousness shattered.
No matter how magnificent the front seemed, it all turned pitch black.
Wu Hen fell softly, collapsing beneath the black divine miracle.
...
...
Li City,
The morning sky finally revealed a touch of azure, a long-lost ray of bright light sprinkled down into the city.
The city had very distinct zones.
On one end, Silver City was made up of perfectly arched disc-shaped buildings, with silver exterior walls that were both aesthetically pleasing and evidently very sturdy.
On the other end was a different scene—a dilapidated, chaotic old city district, with cluttered colors and mostly old reinforced concrete structures that seemed ready to collapse under extreme weather conditions.
"Woo woo woo!!!!!!!!"
Suddenly, alarms blared throughout both the New City and the Old City.
In the past, these alarms were warnings of massive disasters. Whenever torrential rain, prolonged cold waves, deadly heat, or endless pollution loomed, such alarms would sound!
After the alarm, a middle-aged man with white hair would often appear, explaining the coming disaster to the world, what to do to prevent it, and advising everyone to minimize outings!
The last warning was about a thunderstorm.
"Hopefully it's not a flood..."
In the basement, the half-awake Wu Hen could hear the alarm.
He knew he had "exited" that damned virtual world.
But his body felt weak, and his consciousness was semi-awake, unable to get up immediately.
Fortunately, his consciousness was gradually clearing, and his physical senses were returning.
"Woo woo woo woo woo!!!"
This time, the alarm sounded exceptionally long, as if everyone in the world had to hear this awakening bell no matter what state they were in!
Inside and outside the city, many people stopped what they were doing and looked up at the sky.
Sure enough, a giant holographic image appeared in the sky, like a colossal cloud that everyone could see regardless of where they were.
It was still that middle-aged man with white hair, his expression stern, his eyes cold.
"Hello, citizens, I am Li Feng. Now, I am heavy-hearted because we have to announce something to all citizens..." said the white-haired man, Li Feng.
"Compared to past global climate disasters, this disaster will likely overturn your understanding!"
The snack vendors, early shift workers, students entering school, office workers in high-rise buildings... all showed looks of confusion.
"Some have joked that the probability of our world being real is less than one in ten thousand."
"Now, I represent the world's top scientific community to inform you that the world we live in is indeed virtual!"
With these words, the world erupted!!!
Countless cities, countless citizens, countless institutions, countless regions, including Li City, fell into unprecedented silence!
Virtual???
The world they lived in was virtual???
It was the biggest joke in the world!
Such words actually came from the world's top scientific community!!!
"Absurd! Too absurd! You scientists failed at space exploration and came up with such an absurd assertion!"
"This concept has been proposed before, but how do you prove it? Without evidence, how can you make such a crazy statement and announce it to the world??"
"Hahaha, this is too funny! They say we live in a virtual world, like a game. Then why doesn't my player top up my account? I'm still a corporate slave!"
"Yeah, then what about our culture, our family bonds, our art? What are we pursuing fame and fortune for???"
For a time, all regions erupted, and there was a loud questioning voice.
In the past, when global disasters were announced, everyone listened carefully and took the suggested precautions.
But this time, it was too outrageous, so outrageous that more than half of the world found it laughable and absurd!
"Since you say our entire human race lives in a virtual world, then what is the real world like?" Some national leaders questioned.
In the sky, the giant cloud-hologram of Li Feng maintained his stern demeanor.
Li Feng said:
"With our current limited exploration and understanding, more than ninety percent of the world's population cannot survive in the real world!"
"Besides those voluntarily engaging in reality exploration, we also use benevolent lies to send some quick-thinking individuals there. They are the ones who actively applied to enter the 'Otherworldly Dust'."
Otherworldly Dust??
Otherworldly Dust???
That virtual game????
This game has been around for some years. Although it's always been mysterious, those who didn't participate never paid it much attention.
"Chief Li, isn't Otherworldly Dust a virtual game you created???" that national leader asked.
"No, that is the real world."
"You mean you discovered this truth when exploring the virtual reality?" the national leader asked.
"Yes!" Li Feng confirmed.
"Can you explain in more detail?" the national leader asked.
"For a long time, humans have seemingly been the chosen race, never having natural enemies, and standing at the top of the food chain for an extended period. But I'm sorry to inform you all..."
"When there's only one bird in a forest, it can be said the forest is artificial, the bird was placed there..."
"When no other fish are encountered no matter how far it swims, it can only mean that the fish is kept in a fish tank..."
"Yes, we are the birds in the forest, the fish in the tank."
"Initially, our world organization didn't want to shatter the global dream. After all, why distinguish between virtual and real, if the soul can find peace? Unfortunately, the Nuwa God End that supports our common dream is already scarred in reality. If we cannot find enough Yuan You to supplement it, our civilization will eventually fall."
"Ladies and gentlemen, the day to face reality has come."
"We will be released back into the true forest, where survival laws are extremely cruel, where the weak are prey to the strong."
"We will be cast into the dark, turbulent ocean, where we will witness a vast food chain above humanity!"
These words echoed over thousands of cities worldwide!
Face reality!
A call to face reality!
Not to mention entering that bizarre and terrifying otherworldly realm, just accepting this global disaster was enough to break many people mentally!
How were they to face it??
Unease, fear, despair, anger... emotions spread through the major cities and among all humanity!!
...
An old public rental apartment basement
Wu Hen, now awake, suddenly took off the Otherworld Helmet!
He heard every word of the global announcement from outside his room.
He rushed to his home.
As soon as he got home, a teenage girl with tear-reddened eyes helplessly threw herself into Wu Hen's arms!
The girl couldn't speak, only letting out soft cries.
She signed with trembling hands to Wu Hen, "Brother, this isn't real! This isn't real! I must be dreaming!"
Wu Hen stroked her small head. For a moment, he didn't know how to console her.
In fact, even without that global announcement, Wu Hen had already sensed it.
Otherworldly Dust, you would understand upon entering, was definitely not virtual...
But Wu Hen didn't expect that the city and world he and his family lived in were virtual, created by something called the Nuwa God End!
Humans were fish in a tank!!
Upon hearing this news, Wu Hen indeed felt a strong sense of vertigo and nausea. The shock created an intense physiological reaction!
However, with his sister Yu Yu in his arms, feeling her real warmth and genuine emotions, Wu Hen felt less oppressed.
He knew that when facing the hopeless situation of the Symbiotic Evil Ghost, it was the thought of his family that kept him alive.
So, whether it was virtual or real, his truest feelings would always transcend these!
"No matter where our world is exiled to, brother will always be with you, and our family will always be together!" Wu Hen said earnestly.