The Diary of a Renter
61. The slightest wave of mental images
It was an almost unnaturally peaceful afternoon. Shirin's dappled sunlight lazily spilled onto the endless corridor, the air filled with the enticing aroma of Uncle Bloodaxe's newly developed "Honey-Glazed Dragon Ribs." Zero, lollipop in hand, sat cross-legged on the railing by the plaza, watching Fox and Steel Godfather argue endlessly about optimizing a data model. In the distance, Rock practiced shield parries with several orcs, the rhythmic "bang bang" echoing through the building. Everything was the most ordinary scene imaginable in the building.
Jiang Yu sat by the window in the library, an ancient book about the evolution of runes, recommended by the librarian, open in front of him. His fingertips unconsciously traced patterns on the table, and the Source Key emitted an extremely soothing, peaceful ripple, like a spring stream.
Thanks to the success of the "Tear Drop Reappearance" project, the building's energy flow has gained a healthy and vibrant elasticity while remaining stable.
However, just as he was immersed in this sense of harmony, a very subtle and fleeting spasm suddenly came from the Source Key Core. It was like a perfectly taut string being gently plucked by an invisible pebble. It wasn't an alarm, but more like a... subtle warning before overload.
Jiang Yu frowned slightly, put down the book, and focused her consciousness more intently on the Source Key.
He "saw" that the energy curve representing the activity level of his mental imagery was showing a low-frequency, barely perceptible resonant wave on a previously very high but previously stable level. This resonance seemed to be resonating very faintly with some kind of... extremely distant "frequency" from outside the building's energy field.
"Is this a side effect of 'fragmentation of possibility'? Or is the activity level of my mental reality too high, causing it to begin perceiving a more macroscopic spacetime structure?" Jiang Yu pondered to himself, not too nervous, only thinking that it was a new phenomenon that appeared after the system reached a new level of operation, requiring continuous observation. He strengthened the stable output of the source key, and the resonant wave quickly subsided.
62. Uninvited Guest
A few days later, one evening, just after dinner, the corridor was filled with the warm scent of leftover food and the sounds of relaxed conversation. Jiang Yu was discussing with the doctor whether a unique herb from a certain plant civilization might be helpful for the Whisperers' constitution, which was prone to "energy intoxication."
Suddenly, the spatial beacon at the entrance of the corridor, used for stable transmission, emitted a rapid but not sharp alarm flash, the color of which was a rare, ever-changing rainbow.
"Huh?" Zero was the first to jump up, rushing to the beacon in a few strides. "What's going on? Are there guests? But this signal... I've never seen it before. It's not the merchant's ship, nor is it Stardust's starlight teleportation..."
Almost simultaneously, the Source Key in Jiang Yu's chest throbbed again, more noticeably than before. This time, he clearly felt that the energy field of the mental reality was fluctuating violently, like water with a stone thrown in, and the beacon's anomaly was a response to this fluctuation.
"Everyone be careful!" Jiang Yu immediately stood up and walked towards the entrance plaza with a serious expression. Pan Shi silently picked up his shield and followed, the doctor gathered a healing aura in his hand, and Fox quickly brought up the monitoring interface.
Under the wary gazes of the crowd, the entrance did not open into a stable passage as usual. Instead, like damp rice paper, several blurry, transparent ripples slowly spread out, their boundaries constantly twisting. At the center of each ripple, a distorted human figure could be vaguely seen struggling to coalesce.
“The spatial structure is being… assimilated? No, it’s resonating!” The fox stared at the data stream, its voice filled with disbelief. “Something is being ‘attracted’ to our hyperactive mental reality! Like…like a magnet attracting iron filings!”
Before the words were even finished, the first ripple suddenly stabilized, as if a water mirror had frozen. In the mirror, a figure stumbled and fell, landing on the smooth floor of the square.
He was a young man dressed in ordinary blue jeans and a white T-shirt, his face still bearing the fuzz of puberty. His eyes were filled with extreme terror and bewilderment. Looking at the fantastical scene and bizarre "people" around him, he trembled all over, his lips quivering: "W-where is this? Is this a movie set? I...I was just on my way home from school..."
Before everyone could recover from the shock of the first "visitor," the second ripple stabilized. This time, a figure clad in a tattered black robe appeared. He knelt on one knee, raised his head, and revealed a face as pale as paper, his eyes empty like two extinguished stars. His mere presence dimmed the surrounding light, caused the temperature to plummet, and a chilling sense of despair and death permeated the air.
Immediately following, a third ripple erupted violently, and a figure exuding an oppressive aura stepped forward! He wore magnificent armor forged from dark gold and obsidian, his cloak seemingly woven from darkness that devoured light. His gaze swept across the entire area, finally settling on Jiang Yu, a predatory and greedy smile curving his lips. A domineering and terrifying pressure instantly swept outwards.
Three uninvited guests, each with a distinct temperament but strikingly similar facial features to Jiang Yu, arrived simultaneously in this bizarre manner.
The air seemed to freeze. Anne, terrified, hid behind the massive stone shield, only her wide, frightened eyes peeking out. Uncle Bloodaxe gripped his fork tightly, a low growl escaping his throat. Zero's nonchalant demeanor vanished completely, replaced by an unprecedented wariness.
Standing in the middle, Jiang Yu looked at the three "visitors" whose faces were familiar yet whose temperaments were extremely different. Feeling the completely different energy fluctuations emanating from them—some fragile, some lifeless, and some domineering—she was momentarily speechless. The entire endless corridor fell into an eerie, deathly silence, like the calm before a storm.
63. Probing and Confrontation
The air seemed to freeze. Anne, terrified, hid behind the massive stone shield, only her wide, frightened eyes peeking out. Uncle Bloodaxe gripped his fork tightly, a low growl escaping his throat. Zero's nonchalant demeanor vanished completely, replaced by an unprecedented wariness.
Standing in the middle, Jiang Yu (the main character) looked at the three "visitors" whose facial features were strikingly similar to hers, yet whose temperaments were drastically different. She felt the completely different energy fluctuations emanating from them—some fragile, some lifeless, and some domineering—and a chill rose up her spine. The resonance from the Source Key was not an illusion; it was an unsettling sense of familiarity that originated from the very source of her soul.
"Who...are you?" Jiang Yu (the main character) took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and stepped forward, asking in a deep voice. The light of the Source Key flowed around him, forming a stable barrier to resist the despairing and domineering pressure.
The youngest-looking man in the T-shirt (the ordinary person) was almost crying, stammering, "I... I don't know! I should be going home from school! Who are you? Where is this place? Let me go back!" His fear was pure and direct, completely out of place in this high-class environment.
The figure clad in black robes, exuding an aura of death (the Annihilator) slowly straightened up. His movements were as slow as a puppet's, and he raised his head, revealing a face as pale as paper. He didn't answer immediately; his empty gaze slowly swept over the vibrant building and the wary residents, finally settling on Jiang Yu (the main character). His eyes seemed to pierce through the skin, seeing into some essence. His voice was hoarse, like sandpaper scraping, carrying a deep-seated weariness and mockery: "The...ruler of order? Yet another... pathetic wretch trying to build a sandcastle in nothingness? This false vitality... is nauseating."
Finally, the figure clad in armor (the Devourer of All Things) let out a low, magnetic chuckle. He took a step forward, his boots striking the ground with a heavy thud.
His gaze swept over Jiang Yu (the main character) like a king surveying his territory, finally fixing intently on the Source Key on her chest, his greed undisguised: "An interesting plane... such a pure and powerful energy core... truly a coveted treasure. Submit to me, offer it up, and perhaps I can make your little nest a... scenic spot on the edge of my empire." His oppressive aura, like a tangible mountain, attempted to crush her.
Their answers not only failed to solve the mystery, but also made the atmosphere even more eerie and tense. Why did they have such a strange interest in Jiang Yu (the main character)? Why were their temperaments so different, yet they all carried an unsettling sense of "familiarity"?
“Brother…they, how could they…” Zero’s voice was filled with disbelief and surprise. His gaze swept back and forth between Jiang Yu and the three visitors. An absurd and terrifying thought rose in his mind.
The shield of the rock slammed heavily onto the ground with a dull thud, interrupting the Devourer's oppressive aura: "Insolence! This is a land of order. State your identities and purpose!" But the knuckles of his hand gripping the shield turned slightly white, clearly indicating that he too had felt that unusual resonance.
The doctor, however, was more concerned about the trembling young man and tried to soothe him with gentle words: "Child, don't be afraid, tell us how you got here? What's your name?"
Under the doctor's gentle and reassuring influence, the young man (an ordinary person) calmed down a little and said in a tearful voice, "I... my name is Jiang Yu... I'm just an ordinary student, I was just..."
"Jiang Yu?!"
The name struck like a thunderclap, resounding in everyone's ears.
Annie suddenly peeked out from behind the stone shield, pointing her little finger at the young man, then at the man in black robes and armored figures, and finally at her familiar brother Jiang Yu. Her voice was shrill and tearful: "Liar! You're all lying! There's only one brother Jiang Yu! Who are you?! Why are you impersonating brother Jiang Yu?!"
At that moment, all the clues—the striking resemblance in appearance, the eerie sense of resonance, and the name the young man blurted out—connected instantly! A chilling truth surfaced.
The armored figure (the Devourer of All Things) seemed to relish the shock. He chuckled deeply, his voice laced with cruel amusement: "Impersonation? No, little one. We are him, and he is us. It's just... a defective product or... a complete one, made through different choices?" His gaze returned to Jiang Yu (the main character), filled with a challenging intent.
The man in black robes (the Annihilation Walker) let out a hollow sigh, as if he had already seen through everything: "What is the meaning of a name... or identity? They are just different paths leading to the same end. Your current perseverance is just as laughable as my past obsession."
The identities of the three "mirror Jiang Yu" are cruelly and directly revealed in this shocking and chaotic dialogue.
A deathly silence fell over the square. Everyone was stunned by the truth. Three…Jiang Yus? Jiang Yus from different possibilities? One who failed and succumbed, one who succumbed to tyranny, and…one who had never even set foot in this world?
Jiang Yu (the main character) was struck dumb, standing there stunned, looking at the three "selves," her heart churning with turmoil.
A violent fluctuation emanated from the Source Key, not out of hostility, but from the immense resonance and tearing sensation that arose when confronting different facets of his "true self." He finally understood that the resonance of his mental reality had not attracted any external enemy, but rather... the ghost within himself lurking in countless possibilities.
The revelation of their identities did not ease tensions; instead, it escalated the conflict.
The Devourer of All Things stepped forward, its powerful aura distorting the surrounding air: "Since we share the same origin, then I should share in your comfortable 'fruit'! Hand over this Source Key, and I can make this edifice the cornerstone of ruling all worlds!" Energy surged around him, as if he were ready to seize it at any moment.
The Annihilator let out a hollow sigh: "Struggle... plunder... all are vanity. In the end, everything will return to the 'silence' where I reside. Perhaps... we should give up resistance now and merge into eternal peace." His deathly aura began to permeate, attempting to erode everyone's fighting spirit, dimming even the light of the Tree of Hope.
The ordinary person, terrified by the tense atmosphere, huddled together, his very existence like an unstable variable, as if he might collapse at any moment.
"Protect Little Brother!" Rock roared, slamming his giant shield into the ground, creating a solid barrier against the Devourer's oppressive aura and the Walker's deathly erosion. Zero vanished instantly, reappearing on the Devourer's flank, his spatial blade poised to strike. Blood Axe Uncle's battle axe blazed with flames, and gurgling smoke with a paralyzing effect billowed from the kitchen. Shirin's starlight sharpened, and the threads of Nightweaver's light silently coiled around her.
A major battle is imminent.
"Stop!" Jiang Yu (the main character) shouted suddenly, activating the Source Key with all her might! A brilliant yet peaceful light of order spread out like a tide, not as an attack, but as a forceful buffer zone between the two sides. The light carried the intention of soothing and understanding.
"Taking action here will only destroy our shared home!" Jiang Yu (main) looked at the three mirror images with a complicated expression. "I acknowledge your existence and the 'possibilities' you represent. But this is my present, the home that I and all my partners built together. I will not allow anyone to destroy it, not even... another version of myself."
He turned to the Devourer: "Your power is awe-inspiring, but is domination and devouring truly the end you desire? Look behind you, is there even one person who truly follows you?" He then looked at the Traveler: "I may not be able to fully comprehend your despair, but is giving up now and erasing all possibilities truly a sign of respect for what has passed?"
Finally, he looked at the ordinary people and softened his tone: "Fear is normal, but running away won't solve anything. This place may be dangerous, but it also contains a power and... responsibility that you can't imagine in your ordinary world."
Jiang Yu's (main) words, resonating with the power of the Source Key, were not preachy, but rather struck directly at the heart. The three mirror images fell into a brief silence. They could sense the unwavering faith and hope in Jiang Yu from the main world—a faith not born of naivety, but born from enduring hardship, and… the unconditional support of his companions. This feeling of "possession" was something neither the Devourer's Throne nor the Walker's Void possessed.
64. The Completion of the Soul
The intense conflict was temporarily suppressed, but a prolonged stalemate was not a good solution. Jiang Yu (the leader) realized that their obsession had to be fundamentally resolved. He made a bold decision.
After obtaining the consent of the administrator grandfather and all core members, he used the power of mental imagery reality and the source key to create a special area near the Sleeping Corridor - the "All-Seeing Mirror Corridor".
The Gallery of Mirrors is not a prison, but an immersive "exhibition of possibilities." Jiang Yu (the main character) says to the three mirror images: "I will not expel you, nor will I submit to you. But I invite you to see for yourselves the scenery behind every path."
He led the three mirror images into the Hall of Mirrors:
The Annihilation Walker was led into a holographic corridor showcasing countless worlds from their birth to their prosperity, ultimately leading to heat death and disintegration into elementary particles due to entropy increase or external forces. He saw the ultimate destination of his own timeline, but he also saw that in a similar juncture in the main world of Jiang Yu, by accepting the "chaos" of zero rather than rejecting it, a delicate balance was found to maintain order in dire straits.
The Devourer of All Things experienced a path showcasing the pinnacle of power: he sat on a throne forged from countless world cores, with subservient beings at his feet. But when he turned back, behind the throne lay endless loneliness, with no one to call a "companion." Meanwhile, the Mirror Gallery also reflected that when Jiang Yu of the main world chose to share power and establish contracts, what he gained was not weakening, but a more stable and resilient support network.
What is presented to the ordinary man is the warm daily life of his ordinary world: sunshine, classrooms, and the smiles of his family. But the Hall of Mirrors also reveals the fragility of this world; a chance disaster or a cruel twist of fate could wipe it all out. At the same time, he also sees the growth, strength, and the meaning of protecting what is important to Jiang Yu in the main world after shouldering enormous responsibilities.
The Gallery of Mirrors doesn't judge right or wrong; it simply objectively displays the myriad possibilities of "choice" and "outcome." It allows the three mirror images to see not only the end of their own paths but also other possibilities, especially the scenery along the seemingly "difficult" yet "connected" path of the main world.
During the long "exhibition," the three mirror images were deeply shaken. In particular, the Devourer and the Walker saw for the first time so directly what the end of the power they pursued or the liberation they sought looked like, and realized that there were other possibilities that were not entirely dark or nothingness.
As the three mirror images emerged from the Hall of Mirrors, their auras subtly changed.
The deathly aura emanating from the Annihilator seemed to have subsided considerably, losing its aggressive edge. After a long silence, he said to Jiang Yu (the main character), "...I have witnessed too many endings. Your path...may have delayed that inevitable end. I...will no longer interfere." He chose to remain in the deepest part of the Mirror Gallery, becoming a warning monument, using his existence to remind everyone of the preciousness and fragility of peace and order.
The greed and tyranny in the eyes of the Devourer of All Things subsided somewhat, replaced by a complex contemplation. He looked at Jiang Yu (the main character) and his companions, then recalled the lonely throne in the Hall of Mirrors, and finally snorted coldly: "Ruling a bunch of ants is indeed boring... I'd like to see how long you can play this 'symbiotic' trick."
Instead of returning to tyranny, he asked Jiang Yu (the main character) for some knowledge about "rule forging and collaborative creation." With a mindset of scrutiny and challenge, his figure gradually faded away, seemingly searching for a new path between absolute rule and pure symbiosis.
After experiencing fear, confusion, and comparison, the ordinary man's emotions gradually calmed down. Looking at Jiang Yu from the main world, his eyes held less fear and more understanding and… a barely perceptible hint of envy. “I… I still want to go back. There, my ordinary heart is tied.”
Unable to adapt to this high-fidelity world, he found a faint path back to his original, ordinary world with the help of Jiang Yu (the main character) and Xingchen. Carrying this special memory and an understanding of "another possibility," he disappeared in the light.
The departure of the three "mirrors" was not marked by triumphant cheers, but by a profound tranquility. Jiang Yu (the main character) did not "defeat" them, but rather understood and accepted these "selves" existing within the realm of possibility. This process was like a tempering and completion of the soul. He gained a deeper understanding of the weight of every choice, and the preciousness of the present moment's "imperfect yet connected" harmony.
65. All things return to one
That night, Jiang Yu wrote down her final reflections in her diary:
On [Date], the starlight was cold and clear; my heart was calm.
Today, we saw off three special "guests".
They are me, and they are not me.
They are shadows leading to different ends amidst countless possibilities.
Having witnessed utter despair, one realizes that hope is like a firefly, faint yet essential to protect.
Having seen the coldness of a throne, one understands how precious the warmth of a lively celebration is.
Having witnessed the passing of the ordinary, I feel even more strongly the responsibility on my shoulders; though heavy, it is also an honor.
The Hall of Mirrors remains. It holds warnings and inspires reflection.
My mental image has never been as clear and firm as it is now.
I am not the only answer, but the path I have chosen with you all here is the best possibility I can think of.
Goodnight, to every "me" among countless possibilities.
Goodnight to all of you who made this "possibility" a reality.
Closing the diary, Jiang Yu felt an unprecedented harmony between the source key and the reality of her mind. Protecting this place was not just about protecting a location, but also about protecting a choice, a belief, and all the hopeful futures that had changed because of it.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
