“Little system, what do you think is the power source for this meat grinder?” Li Yuheng suddenly asked.
0090, who was organizing data, was taken aback upon hearing this: "Huh? Didn't you say you were going to unplug the power?"
Li Yuheng scoffed: "That was a metaphor. Don't you know what a rhetorical device is?"
0090: [...]
It chose—Cambridge tonight.
"The core of this cyclical world is actually very simple. It is 'fear' itself."
0090: [Fear?]
"Yes, the fear of all players, the fear of all bosses, even the fear of that guy named Wind."
Fear of death, fear of oblivion, fear of endless cycles of reincarnation, fear of hope… these negative emotions are the very energy that sustains this world.
“So—” Li Yuheng’s lips curled into a carefree smile, “as long as we unplug the power source of ‘fear,’ the world will naturally collapse.”
So what do you plan to do?
Li Yuheng's gaze fell on Shu Bai's sleeping profile: "It's simple, just make them stop being afraid."
0090: [...]
Is this what you call "very simple"?
Fear is the most primal human instinct; how can it be eliminated so easily?
Li Yuheng seemed to sense 0090's confusion and chuckled, "Little system, you're too rigid. What's the opposite of fear?"
0090: [...Courage?]
“Wrong,” Li Yuheng corrected lazily. “It’s ‘habit’.”
"When a person gets used to fear, fear is no longer fear."
“Like Shu Bai, he was used to death, used to killing, even used to pain... so these were no longer a threat to him.”
Li Yuheng paused briefly before continuing, "What I really need to do is to gradually get them used to the existence of 'hope.' In a sense, this plan has already begun to show results."
0090: […Your Highness, where did you get the idea that they've gotten used to “hope”?]
Li Yuheng gently ran his fingers through his sparse white hair, and slowly replied in his mind, "Little system, your observation skills are lacking."
He squinted and recalled, "When Xifeng saw me, his pupils contracted. He was surprised. Surprised about what? Surprised by the appearance of me, this 'variable'."
"Madam Bai was even more obvious; she forgot to wave her fan. The way she looked at me was like a dog that hadn't eaten for three days seeing a bone—both wary and eager."
“As for the real mother-in-law and Boss Xiang…” Li Yuheng chuckled, “then it’s even more obvious.”
0090 paused for a moment: 【…Just based on this?】
"Tsk, what do you know?" Li Yuheng shook his head smugly. "The eyes are the windows to the soul."
0090 couldn't help but ask: "What about Shu Bai?"
Has he become accustomed to "hope"?
Li Yuheng chuckled to himself, "He's preparing to reopen the third instance."
0090 was taken aback: [What does this prove?]
Li Yuheng's fingertip stopped at the corner of Shu Bai's eye, where there were two small black moles, like tear stains.
"When I was reading Shu Bai's memories before, I saw that after he became the boss of the third dungeon, he discovered that even if players successfully passed the third dungeon, they would not really be reborn. The so-called 'rebirth qualification' was just a lie."
Realizing this, Shu Bai shut down the third instance. From then on, all players would die after completing the second instance, their memories would be wiped, and a new cycle would begin.
He paused, then added, "But now, he's preparing to reopen the third instance."
what does that mean?
Shubai is waiting.
Even if there's only a one in ten million chance, he'd still want to try.
Li Yuheng, this "variable," might actually be able to break this endless cycle.
After a long silence, 0090 cautiously asked, "Your Highness, what do you plan to do in the third instance?"
Li Yuheng curled his lips into a smile, a sly glint in his eyes: "Of course—"
He deliberately dragged out the word, "Get married."
0090: [? ? ?]
Li Yuheng said confidently, "In the original story, wasn't the protagonist chosen as Shu Bai's groom? How could such a good thing be given to someone else? Of course, it should be me!"
0090: [...]
This young master's thought process is always beyond its comprehension.
Li Yuheng looked down at Shu Bai and said softly, "Moreover, the setting of the third instance is 'wedding.' The opposite of fear is habit, and the end of habit—"
"It is love."
0090: [Your Highness, you're right. Shu Bai and the other bosses might be able to get used to 'hope,' but what about the players? Some of them are already dead, but some are still alive. How do you plan to deal with their fear?]
In this game, only when all players die will the game completely erase everyone's memories, restart the entire game, and return everyone to the initial moment of the plane crash.
The player who dies first will not restart the game separately, but will be "saved" at the time of death.
Their consciousness will fall into a state of chaos, as if frozen in a data stream, unable to act or perceive anything.
This state will continue until all players die, at which point the game will trigger a "rollback" mechanism, resetting all players to the beginning of the loop.
"Little System, have you ever heard of the 'collective unconscious'?"
0090: [Are you referring to the psychological concept proposed by Jung?]
"Pretty much. In this game, all the players' consciousnesses are actually connected, like a giant net."
Li Yuheng paused for a moment, then continued, "As long as one player breaks through the shackles of fear, this change will spread like ripples, affecting other players."
0090 seemed to understand but not quite: "So you mean...?"
“What I mean is—” Li Yuheng said mysteriously, “I’m already doing it.”
0090: [? ? ?]
Li Yuheng stopped explaining and just smiled smugly.
…
Li Qiyang followed the old man through the dark alley, the glow of the kerosene lamp casting swaying shadows on the stone pavement.
As he turned a corner, he suddenly saw the hunched figure of an old woman blocking his way.
"Outsider, who are you?" Granny Zhen's hoarse voice was particularly jarring in the night.
Li Qiyang's heart skipped a beat, and he subconsciously looked at the old man beside him, only to find that the old man was still walking forward on his own, as if he had not seen the old woman's presence at all.
He suddenly realized that the old man couldn't see the old woman!
Oh no, it looks like we've encountered another boss the master was talking about!
He absolutely cannot die now; he must complete the game alongside the protagonist.
Yes, be as calm as the protagonist...
He can definitely do it…
Okay... just like the protagonist said...
As a man... remain calm and composed in the face of adversity...
He can...
In a flash, Li Qiyang remembered the helpful reminder at the start of the game: "Please remember your identity."
Li Qiyang rushed to the old man's side, his voice, hidden behind a black mask, feigning composure: "I am Dr. You Fang. This old man is unwell, and I am about to examine him."
As he spoke, he deliberately raised his voice: "Grandma, do you need to see a doctor? You don't look too well."
Grandma Zhen narrowed her cloudy eyes slightly, sizing him up thoughtfully.
The night wind ruffled her gray hair, making her look particularly eerie in the light of the kerosene lamp.
A moment later, she said nothing, turned and disappeared into the shadows deep in the alley.
Li Qiyang breathed a sigh of relief, only then realizing that his back was completely soaked.
The old man looked at him strangely: "Young man, what are you talking to thin air? Have you gone mad too?"
"No, no! I... I'm a little nearsighted, and I mistook that telephone pole for a person." Li Qiyang wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "Grandpa, let's keep going."
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