I'm not sure if I had a dream.
When Carlos woke up, the room was dark, as if the entire system had been switched to night mode.
He got up and checked the time: 2:45 a.m. The altered notes were beside him, and no one else was there. The charlatan had probably gone off somewhere.
832 is indeed not in the room.
The previously layered and bound manuscripts were compressed into a palm-sized piece, hanging to Carlos's right, gleaming softly.
He thought for a moment, unsure if he was going crazy—and then opened it.
He discovered he could read the words inside—'Records of Fate'. The strange name was still a bit of a mouthful, but under the guise of a forbidden object, the term became a symbol, representing reincarnation, suffering, inescapable truth, and the end from a parallel world—a room number left on it, demanding that he go there once he woke up.
After reading the remaining clues, Carlos, as if possessed, first changed his clothes. Then, he chose a suitable weapon from the notebook—an exquisitely crafted dagger with an agate gemstone inlaid at the hilt. He pushed open the door and headed to where he was supposed to go.
The corridor was back to normal, without any trace of explosion or gunpowder. Outside, the rain was still falling, as if someone had climbed to the top of the clouds and was vomiting endlessly.
Let's just die in the rain, hand in hand, committing suicide together—that would be so atmospheric.
Carlos took the elevator according to the information left in the 'Rules'. As he entered, the lights began to flicker, a bunch of gibberish appeared on the display screen on the left wall, the prompt tone started and then ended erratically, followed by a series of howling noises.
He searched the ground for a while, then raised his gun and fired a burst of bullets, finally bringing some peace.
The elevator started running, but the light was still unstable, and all the stabilization programs were fluctuating. Occasionally, a woman's screams and laughter came from the ceiling, as if someone was peeping at the dome.
He simply stood there expressionless, the records in the manuscript and the 832 plan were exceptionally clear, leaving no room for maneuver.
For a few seconds, the elevator display screen screamed and retracted inside, allowing people to see the scene outside.
—A city ravaged by artillery fire, or rather, a film set, where a group of not-so-skilled actors are playing victims of a massacre. Suddenly, someone looks up at the elevator, eyes wide, face full of confusion, as if they've seen some creature that shouldn't exist in the world.
"Warning! Passing through wave layer number 2."
The scene quickly moves away, and a replacement appears randomly—a person stands against the light, looking at first glance like a dark shadow. He spontaneously combusts under the strange lights of the Dolphin Hotel and then disappears in the blink of an eye.
A minute passed.
The elevator doors opened, and there was only one door directly opposite. Without thinking, Carlos kicked it open.
Before we'd even finished two drinks, the atmosphere had shifted again. Wooden furnishings were everywhere, and the decor was vintage European, but the entryway was completely dark, with no lights on. Only the fireplace inside was still burning, and the walls were adorned with various oil paintings, their subjects distinctly religious.
He paused for a moment, but still chose to walk down that road, and as soon as he stepped out, he saw Adam.
The calamity's prized student emerged from the corner, holding a freshly opened glass of wine, and flashed Carlos a wide smile.
He suddenly thought about where he was, what he could do, how many people he could kill, what his bottom line was, and what things he could absolutely abandon.
He knew what awaited him—knives, guns, taboos, hatred, despair, or life and death—all would be swallowed up together.
Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, a bolt of lightning tore through the sky, revealing the heavy, oppressive clouds overhead. Inside, the interplay of light and shadow made the clouds appear like a frozen tsunami, a scene reminiscent of the apocalypse.
"Come on, have a drink with us. Your friend has been waiting for a long time," Adam said with a smile.
Carlos saw himself reflected in the man's eyes; the man was laughing, both overjoyed and extremely dangerous, but he couldn't stop.
'Fate,' damn fate.
The virtual world here is incredibly beautiful, like paradise. But only when you finally see it for yourself will you realize that this place is far colder and more disgusting than reality. They live in a hell floating in fantasy, and when the time comes, someone will come to wake them up.
Seeing that he didn't move, Adam had no choice but to walk over, saying, "Don't just stand there. We're all dogs working for Eoubs, so it's rare for us to relax. Enjoy it! But I don't have any women here. If you want something R-rated, I do have a few movies in my library that can satisfy you."
Carlos ignored him, walked through the living room, and saw Merlink in a bar-like area.
He wasn't injured, probably not even a single hair was missing, and he was still drinking cocktails, but his face was full of displeasure.
Behind him, the man whom Eoubs had unconditionally given to Joseph as a student walked towards them. His steps were elegant and light, and his eyes were full of unrestrained and leisurely ease.
"Why are you so unhappy? I put a lot of thought into decorating this place; it's full of sacred aesthetics." Adam said to them, "Don't be so serious. No matter how good you two are at fighting, it's useless in this space. All your abilities are suppressed to the limit. Even if you fill your notebook with rules, they're just waste paper."
He was referring to the "interlayer," a forbidden substance discovered five years ago by the Americas branch. It had served as the blueprint for nationwide security surveillance procedures, capable of precisely calculating and preventing any threatening characteristics.
As a coercive means of imprisoning unstable groups, the powerful elites at the top are absolutely fond of it. They enjoy this convenient and quick capability, like having a heavily spiked alcoholic beverage served to them, where they can simply take a sip and start enjoying it.
This chapter is not finished yet. Please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
