Chapter 102

Xie Xubai suddenly stopped, his eyes darkening as he solemnly examined the gas station in front of him.

Since entering the Otherworld, both the impact of the pollution on the real world and the difference in the flow of time have given him a subtle and eerie sense of déjà vu.

—How similar is the bizarre space before him, which constantly blends various elements of the real world, to the world he will live in in the future?

The moment this notification sounded, all the thoughts and doubts I had accumulated over the past few days boiled over like cold water being poured into a pot of oil!

Is it possible that the future world, the world he lives in, has always been a copy of "Please Follow the Settings," and not the real world?

The more Xie Xubai thought about it, the more his heart was shaken, as if by a tremendous shock, with constant buzzing and reverberation.

A huge uproar erupted within the communicator.

Unlike Xie Xubai, other researchers could not hear the system's prompts, but they could see the scene in front of them through the drone's monitoring camera.

Less than a meter away, corpses littered the main road, the stench of decay overwhelming. A utility pole, snapped in half by something, crashed to the ground, cracks spreading like a spiderweb. In the distance, residential buildings lay dark and dilapidated; for a kilometer around, there was no sign of human habitation, a deathly silence reigning.

In contrast, the gas station was clean and tidy. The electrical box emitted the humming sound of the power system running, the convenience store and display screens were brightly lit, and people were chatting and laughing, their faces beaming with enthusiasm.

The orderly chaos made this small gas station seem like a deserted island in the apocalypse, which was somewhat comforting.

However, the next second, the security guard and another employee who was looking down at his phone and not watching where he was going accidentally bumped into each other, spilling hot tea all over themselves and getting their clothes soaked.

Instantly, the security guard's eyes widened, like an enraged bull, completely losing control of his emotions, and he roared, "Can't you watch where you're going?!" and slammed his fist down viciously!

Before the employee could react, his face was smashed to pieces, his skull shattered!

But he didn't fall. His shattered skull twitched and creaked, and his arms, like two flexible snakes, suddenly tightened around the security guard's neck! As he strangled him, he cursed, "Fuck you!"

The two monsters were locked in a fierce battle, baring their sharp fangs. Judging from their ferocious and savage expressions, there was no doubt that they wanted to kill each other! The scene was extremely gruesome, with blood and flesh splattered everywhere.

Throughout the entire process, the other "people" remained indifferent, not even bothering to glance at them.

Only when one side finally emerged victorious, and the other monster collapsed to the ground with a thud, its turbid, grayish-white eyeballs bulging out, reluctantly breathing its last breath, did the cleaner slowly move forward to drag its corpse away and throw it into the garbage truck behind, leaving a trail of bloodstains along the way.

Seconds later, something chilling happened!

Suddenly, the garbage truck's lid was violently flung open from the inside with a loud bang, and a corpse that should have been silent crawled out shakily.

It sat there dumbly on the blood-soaked ground, its broken bones piecing themselves back together, its torn body growing new blood vessels and flesh, its wounds closing up... Before long, its entire body was restored to its original state!

Then, like a computer that had crashed due to a virus and suddenly formatted and restarted, it jolted awake, its eyes regained their clarity, and it rubbed the back of its head blankly, muttering to itself, "What's wrong with me?" before getting up and leaving.

The noise from the communicator stopped without anyone noticing. Everyone's hands and feet were ice-cold, as if they were watching an absurd and bizarre drama, and their breathing became increasingly heavy.

After a long silence, someone finally couldn't help but speak, asking a soul-searching question with a trembling voice.

"Can they... still be considered human?"

After this incident, researchers began to fear becoming monsters, and even more so, they feared losing control of their instincts and basic humanity like monsters.

Pei Yuheng's "alienation" hypothesis was undoubtedly met with strong opposition from the crowd.

"Damn it! I'd rather die than become like this!"

"Look at them, they're no different from wild animals!"

"No, they're more like pre-programmed routines, like NPCs in a game being controlled! They can't think for themselves, so wouldn't we be forced to do whatever that mysterious force wants us to do? That's terrifying!"

"You say that becoming a monster can preserve your humanity, are you really sure you can do that!?"

That evening, Pei Yuheng, who had watched the surveillance footage, fell silent for a moment.

Seeing that his expression was not quite right, and that he seemed to be beginning to doubt the feasibility of the research, Xie Xubai frowned and stood in front of him.

Before he could even speak, Pei Yuheng, who had seen his actions, snapped back to reality, pulled him behind him, and stepped forward to face the crowd's questions and challenges. He said in a deep voice, "As I said, I have seen examples of people who remain rational. The research is still ongoing, and nothing is finalized until the results are in."

To appease everyone, he proposed that two research directions be pursued simultaneously: studying normal suppression methods as well as considering alienation, so as not to put all eggs in one basket, and that if one side goes wrong, the other can cover the fallback.

However, dividing the laboratory in two has a major drawback: insufficient manpower and lack of resources.

After seeing the anomalies at the gas station, 85 percent of people abandoned this research direction.

The remaining 15%, including Dr. Li, only stayed because of their trust in Pei Yuheng. In reality, they felt that the alienation research was not feasible and that even if they did their best in terms of technology, they could not find a real breakthrough.

With the situation at a standstill, the research came to a standstill.

As the number of victims on the streets increased and the pollution was about to spread explosively, the overwhelming burden was almost suffocating Pei Yuheng.

On this day, seeing the failed experiment again, Pei Yuheng suddenly slammed his fist on the table without warning! The burette and glassware on the table shook violently.

Those around him had never seen him so distraught and were immediately startled. Dr. Li hesitated, then spoke with concern, "Director..."

"Sorry, I'm fine." Pei Yuheng let out a deep breath, looked around, and said casually, "Thank you all for your hard work tonight. Go back and rest now."

The group exchanged bewildered glances, and before they could speak again, they saw Pei Yuheng turn and leave with a stiff expression. They could only sigh, and in the oppressive atmosphere, gradually packed their belongings and left the laboratory.

When Xie Xubai found Pei Yuheng after hearing the news, the latter was in the materials storage room, wearing a lab coat and gloves, silently sorting and organizing the biological consumables on the shelves.

Hearing Xie Xubai's footsteps, he said in a hoarse voice without turning his head, "I know my research direction is correct."

Pei Yuheng knew very well that if the direction of the alienation was a waste of effort, Xie Xubai from the future would have stopped him long ago, instead of tacitly approving the whole thing.

He just felt useless, unable to find the right path immediately. During this back-and-forth verification process, he didn't know how far the contamination would spread, or how many people would lose their lives.

Pei Yuheng's voice trembled: "I'm sorry."

Standing at the door, Xie Xubai caught sight of Pei Yuheng's bloodshot eyes, which looked like those of a trapped beast, and his heart clenched instantly.

However, comforting words like "It's not your fault," "You've done a great job," and "There will be countless obstacles on the road to success" could not alleviate Pei Yuheng's inner turmoil.

Xie Xubai took a step back and retreated to the corner. After a long period of hesitation, he touched the gold-rimmed glasses on his nose and asked, "Can you make me turn into a child again?"

The gold-rimmed glasses moved slowly.

Relieved to receive an affirmative answer, Xie Xubai left a message on the wall with his mental power, saying to the glasses, "Then I'll leave it to you."

But the gold-rimmed glasses didn't exert any force immediately. Suddenly, the two temples of the glasses softened into rubber bands, like a man's outstretched arms, gripping Xie Xubai's thin shoulders.

Caught off guard, Xie Xubai's first reaction after being restrained was to reach out and grab the temple of his glasses. However, the temple wrapped around his wrist, forcefully pressing him against the wall. Thump! Xie Xubai's back was slightly numb from the impact, and he was held even tighter for a moment.

The gold-rimmed glasses hovered in mid-air, their transparent lenses reflecting a cool, deep light, silently asking with interest: What reward will I get for helping you?

The evil god's consciousness clone doesn't inherently possess the spirit of selfless dedication. However, compared to other clones, Glasses possesses Yan Shuo's rationality, thus understanding the importance of restraint and playing the long game.

But it was ultimately "insatiable," and as soon as it sensed Xie Xubai's softening attitude, it couldn't help but reveal its true nature and climb up the pole.

The slender temples of the glasses stretched out infinitely, like tentacles winding and wrapping around the skin, their tips reaching into Xie Xubai's soft palm, gently scratching and leaving a tingling, itchy sensation.

You can't just keep asking me for help and demanding things without giving me anything in return, right?

This was the second time the man with the gold-rimmed glasses had spoken with Xie Xubai, and his deep, magnetic tone was particularly captivating.

Xie Xubai felt an electric shock as the glasses' arms slid across his shoulders and palms, causing his skin to tremble, his toes to curl, and he almost slipped and fell to the ground.

The next instant, the golden light cable locked onto the glasses and violently yanked them away!

The glasses slammed heavily against the opposite wall, creating a large crack that sent dust and stone fragments raining down.

Xie Xubai hadn't expected to smash it so hard, and was immediately terrified. He got up and ran to check the condition of his glasses.

But then the small figure that had fallen to the ground sprang up in a flash. Even as it faced the golden light that could shatter it to pieces, it stretched out one of its glasses temples and hooked Xie Xubai's fingers firmly.

The moment their fingers touched, Xie Xubai recalled his earlier outburst, his heart skipped a beat, and his whole body stiffened.

【do not be afraid. 】

The man with the gold-rimmed glasses didn't show any anger at being pulled away and thrown against the wall; his voice remained deep and steady.

Its allure had no effect on the strong-willed Xie Xubai, but the longing seemed etched into his bones, flowing out naturally, tirelessly, and sweetly: "You can try kissing me."

Under the pale corridor light, another pair of glasses was extended in front of Xie Xubai, and in the young man's dazed gaze, it suddenly transformed into a small pink and white flower.

This is a flower that blooms in Yan Shuo's sea of ​​consciousness, and the most precious possession that the man with the gold-rimmed glasses considers his most precious possession.

It still doesn't understand human emotions, but instinctively offers its cherished little flower to Xie Xubai without reservation. Beneath its calm and cold exterior lies a pure and passionate heart.

Try it. I'll do anything you say, just give me a kiss.

...

Knock knock.

A soft knock came at the door. Pei Yuheng turned his head and saw a fluffy little head peeking out of the doorway. The little head was wearing a miniature white coat with a pink and white flower pinned to its chest. Its dark eyes were filled with a clean and bright smile: "Dear Daddy, I've been ordered to come and coax you!"