Probably meant to encourage and comfort
When Ji Yunding first came to school, she was alone, carrying all her luggage by herself; when she left, she was also alone, having prepared everything she needed without saying goodbye to anyone.
There are two kinds of people in this world. One is the person who procrastinates checking his or her results after taking an exam. The other is the person who thinks that nothing will change whether he or she checks their results or not, so the sooner you check, the sooner you’re done.
Obviously Ji Yunding is the latter. Even if the boat has reached the bridge, things may not go smoothly. But she needs to know what is going on.
After forgetting Ji Liuxing, continuing this noisy life and ignoring all abnormalities is certainly an option, but Ji Yun will definitely not choose this.
Although this choice is understandable and can even be said to be human nature, it is unfair to everyone and even more unfair to Ji Yunding himself.
Does it matter if it's fake? Does it matter who's on the other side? Does it matter if it can be smeared and changed at any time?
This is the way to truly deny all the feelings and values that Ji Yunding once had and throw them all into the trash can.
“…Even if there is nothing, at least there must be a real result.”
Ji Yunding stood in front of the crack. The river of light flowing around him was silent, and only Ji Yunding's voice fell lightly to the ground. She remembered that when she came here last time, Lin Shu also said that there might be someone she wanted to see in the crack.
I wonder if after all these changes, Sister Lin Shu still remembers the person she was thinking about at that time.
Passing through the crack, in the dark and damp crevice, Ji Yunding felt that there was an extremely steep slope under his feet, and it took a lot of effort to stand firm and not slip.
The process of walking down was like falling. Ji Yunding felt that there were countless pairs of eyes staring at her in the darkness, but she didn't care.
Just step over the obstacles, and ignore things that have not yet become obstacles.
Water drops fell from nowhere, hitting the ground and making the sound of stones melting. The air was filled with the mixed smell of dust and condensed water vapor.
If there was any blood clot in front of me, I would step over it. It was sticky under my feet and made a snapping sound. The rotten flesh stuck to the fascia and wires was dragged along the way, and occasionally there was a faint phosphorescent glow.
Nothing special, no need to worry about it.
Ji Yunding is such a person. She can perceive and remember the things that she values - even if they are just emotions or moments as small as dust. She really doesn’t care about the things that she doesn’t care about, as long as they don’t get in the way.
It was not until he saw a half-rotten head that Ji Yunding stopped and paid some attention.
Judging from the bones and the remaining facial features, he is a native of this country. He must have entered here before and died here. Something should be about to appear.
Ji Yunding remained silent all the way and did not talk to herself - she had nothing to say.
The strange thing was that the head seemed to be still at first. After Ji Yunding observed it, it immediately rolled down the slope and fell into the darkness that the flashlight could not penetrate.
But when Ji Yunding continued to move forward, he found that it had stopped again. And the moment Ji Yunding shone the light on it, the law of gravity seemed to take effect again.
Very close, the "observation" here has already had an extremely obvious impact on the real world. In the invisible corner, the world does not seem to be moving, and only outputs a result when it is seen.
The further down you go, the more you feel a sense of suffocation. Ji Yunding heard a rustling sound and shone his flashlight over there, but it was the rotting corpse opposite that was startled and huddled in a corner, not daring to make a sound, fearing that he would get in the way.
Ji Yunding didn’t know what she looked like in the eyes of these creatures, but in an environment where subjectivity could directly affect reality, she was probably similar to a monster.
She didn't know how long she had been walking, a few hours, a day, or even longer. Ji Yunding didn't care, so she could keep walking until the steep slope gradually became flat.
Because here the subjective can determine the objective, so only those who think they can get out should be able to get out.
After Ji Yunding realized this, he suddenly felt an extremely strong sense of familiarity - a train with a weird cartoon monkey decoration on the front, the first weird story that Ji Yunding had officially experienced.
"If this world is a dream, and everyone is dreaming, then based on the principle of mysterious power, everyone's subjectivity will have a little impact on the world..."
As Ji Yunding spoke, his eyes lit up slightly, and he took a deep breath before calming down.
"If we can prove this, it will prove that we all exist, but we are all trapped in a dream together."
In that case, Ji Liuxing is... awake? But why is the spiritual weirdness called "scary"? And why is Ji Yunding said to be special?
What exactly are special individuals, why does this world exist like this, and what happened to the humans in the material world that Zero mentioned?
But no matter what, Ji Yunding was finally a little more excited, at least she was in the mood to talk to herself. When she stood in front of a simple and abrupt stone sculpture of a human face, she was not surprised at all.
Mouth of truth.
The Rise and Fall Cemetery has been a special place since the beginning. The real world has exchanged or obtained many advanced technologies that are beyond the times from there. Ji Yunding didn't know the details. Her academic performance was no different from that of high school. She only knew that it was very powerful.
Most importantly, it jumps out of this cycle, like a bystander.
Ji Yunding had never been there many times, but he knew that the humans and monsters in the Rongku Cemetery always looked lifeless and almost impossible to communicate with.
"Oh, I should have a badge." Ji Yunding remembered this when he was standing in front of the stone man's face, but he couldn't find it when he searched his bag.
Ji Liuxing disappeared, and in order to fix the loophole, the badge he gave seemed to have been taken away. Or maybe it was quietly taken away a long time ago, but Ji Yunding didn't notice it.
Now, Ji Yunding looked at the two new puppy erasers in his bag, was silent for a while, and wanted to throw them away, but in the end he just zipped up the bag.
I'm tired of this feeling of being disgusted from time to time.
It was like telling Ji Yunding all the time - look, the things you cherish can disappear at any time, and can be put back into your hands at any time, even without anything having happened.
Ji Yunding put his hand into the Mouth of Truth, waiting for its question, and the statue's eyes suddenly closed. Then a sound came from deep in the stone. If you listened carefully, there was a slight sound of metal friction.
"Kill the real humans, and the truth you want will come to you."
Ji Yunding was stunned for a moment. Before he could ask anything, he saw the stone face slowly merge into the wall.
The surroundings were filled with tall buildings, like the city center of a bustling city, but the road was dead silent. The wind blew a few leaves down and they landed quietly on the ground.
Ji Yunding rubbed his eyes, which were feeling uncomfortable because he suddenly returned to the light, and squinted to observe his surroundings.
Can I just find a human? Break into someone's house... No, I need to take emergency shelter.
Ji Yunding had already taken the teachings of the Ministry of Justice to heart, and with this in mind, he broke into the house after knocking on doors along the way to no avail.
The room is very clean, the overall tone is white, and the decoration is extremely monotonous.
As soon as he entered the door, Ji Yunding saw three people sitting on the sofa in the living room. They just sat there, not talking or moving. Even when Ji Yunding broke in, they didn't react at all, as if they were waiting for something.
Then, Ji Yunding noticed a strange bottle on the table. She picked it up, shook it, and looked at the logo on it.
I don’t recognize it. I don’t recognize the pattern or the words.
"Hello, may I take this?" Ji Yunding took out his investigator ID from his bag and showed it to the three people. "I'm sorry to bother you, but please cooperate with my work."
No response. Ji Yunding almost thought he was talking to a stone.
Afterwards, Ji Yunding used all the knowledge he had learned in the first aid class and the equipment he carried with him to conduct a comprehensive examination of the three people, but he did not find any abnormalities.
There was nothing wrong with the pulse, heartbeat, blood pressure, or even knee-jerk reflex. It was as if they just didn't want to bother with Ji Yunding.
"What will happen if I kill him?" Ji Yunding stretched out his hand, then retracted it and hesitated.
No, it's not right to do this. Although Ji Yunding doesn't have to bear any consequences for this behavior, what if they can still survive?
These people are most likely not the answers Ji Yunding needs. Of course, the fastest way to verify is to strangle one to death, but there must be other more laborious ways to test.
The reasonable choice is incorrect, and the correct choice is unreasonable. Sometimes people give up the correct for the reasonable, and sometimes they give up the reasonable for the correct.
Ji Yunding just thought that she shouldn't do this for the sake of efficiency - this idea was entirely given to her by the ideological education in college and the words and deeds of the people around her. Ji Yunding, who had just entered school, didn't care so much.
Those who do not understand the weight of life are not worthy of this job. This kind of thing can only be done when it is necessary and when you have to do it.
"Sorry, I went a little too far just now." Ji Yunding finally took two steps back, lowered his head slightly, and expressed his apologies softly.
From the beginning to now, Ji Yunding seemed to have not changed at all, and yet everything seemed to have changed. She couldn't explain it, but she didn't reject it.
At this moment, one of the three people suddenly raised his hand and pointed at the floor tiles in the corner, motionless.
Ji Yunding was stunned for a moment, then immediately walked over and took out a military shovel to pry open the slightly loose floor tiles. Under the floor tiles was a diary that was pressed very flat. Perhaps it had been pressed for a long time, and when it was opened, several pages were stuck together.
————————
New calendar year 3994
I have nothing to do this year, but I always feel that the past ten years have been a blur, so I'd like to write something to record it.
I remember when I was a kid there seemed to be things like "months" and "days," but they were abolished not long after.
People in the past could only live for a few decades, which is scary to think about. They even celebrated their birth every year, every year!
My God, their time is so tight that they can’t even take a year to relax. How pitiful.
4000 in the New Calendar
Six years have passed. Will I be able to find a job next year?
I really want to do something, but I haven't been accepted for a job after applying four or five times. I can't compete with people who use "that" in their titles.
How is it possible to work every year? Of course people need to take a break for a year or two occasionally.
New calendar year 4010
It’s nice to have friends come and hang out with me for a few years, luckily I was born early enough to have a few friends.
Now more and more people are using "that". I always feel that after using it, they are like a different person and no longer talk to me.
Especially Ann, I always felt that she seemed to have unlimited energy. If we count the past time, she was very happy every month, and it seemed that there was not a single unhappy month.
Now she has become very good, but she is always expressionless. Sometimes when I look at her, I can't help but have a strange thought - is An really still here?
New calendar year 4025
In five years, it will be mandatory to use "that". What is this feeling? Why is my body so cold, why are my hands shaking?
I looked at the electronic clock on the wall - this antique was no longer used and I couldn't remember when I hung it up.
The longest needle moved little by little, and it had been moving for a long, long time, but it had not yet gone through a year. At this moment, I suddenly realized the existence of time.
What would it be like if you could only live for a few decades?
If I were compressed into a few decades, what an intense and rich life that would be... I'm so envious.
New calendar year 4030
I feel the world come to a standstill, and the war continues in the tallest building. The war will never end, but I will end it.
So that's how it is. Ann is really dead. I should have felt sad for her five years ago, but I am also disappearing, and it seems that I will fall into the sewer.
Is mankind doomed, or will it never perish?
Before it disappears, perhaps my body can still remember something. I wonder if half a year is enough...
If it's Ann, I'll have to fill at least two bottles. I miss her so much.
————————
The diary ended here, and Ji Yunding looked at the man.
There was no change in his expression, demeanor or movements. He just kept pointing at the corner, then slowly lowered his arm, and after a long while, he raised his arm again and pointed at the corner.
Ji Yunding turned off the lights in the room and tiptoed out of the door. Darkness enveloped the three people, and one of them continued to point to the corner.
"The tallest building, right?" After walking out of the door and onto the sunny street, Ji Yunding began to talk to himself, "Let's go over there and take a look. If all else fails, I can jump off the 28th floor to relieve some stress."
Although the diary—or perhaps the “annual diary” would be more appropriate—wrote about the war, the streets looked nothing like any signs of fighting.
Clean, tidy, peaceful and deserted.
But it seems that the people here have an even more serious time perception disorder. I wonder how they will wage war if it develops to this point and human lifespans are extended to this extent?
"Or is this the result of the war? But the diary says that the war is still going on..."
Ji Yunding was muttering to himself as he looked around, but he couldn't see anything unusual.
“The architectural styles are all very ordinary. Is it because of my subjective influence?”
The tallest building was not far away. Ji Yunding looked up and counted, and just counted out the 28th floor, confirming that this world was definitely influenced by her. Although there were many taller buildings in the city where the school was located, the floor that Ji Yunding was most impressed with was the 28th floor.
Without locking the door and without making any sound, Ji Yunding just walked in, searching the entire house, and greeting and apologizing to everyone who stood still and did not speak.
Poke them at the same time to confirm that they are all alive.
"I always feel that..." After meeting many people, Ji Yunding finally felt that something was wrong. He put two people together and compared their facial features, "Do these people look the same?"
Ji Yunding is a person who is very good at recognizing people - by combining personality, tone, behavioral habits and obvious physical features, she can ensure that she will never recognize the wrong person.
But you can also say that she is very bad at recognizing people, because she doesn't care much about what others look like. The difference between faces is like this thigh bone and that thigh bone to her. She knows there is a difference, but to be honest, except for medical students, who cares about the difference between two thigh bones.
In other words, Ji Yunding is truly face-blind; she is better at recognizing skulls than faces.
"You can't tell the gender, the height is the same, and the racial difference obviously disappears, so what are they fighting for?"
Ji Yunding withdrew his hand and continued to walk upstairs, leaving behind a living person who silently watched in front of him.
Continuing up the stairs and turning a few corners, Ji Yunding pushed aside the people crowded on the stairs. Some people still kept their feet raised, looking very unstable, so Ji Yunding helped them sit on the steps.
"By the way, Sister Tang also asked me to learn a little bit about how to comfort people..." Ji Yunding paused, facing the person he had just helped to sit on the ground, and then said, "You sit down, don't stand up."
Well, probably trying to express encouragement and comfort. Just treat it as a spur of the moment practice with the dummy, anyway, they don't seem to refute Ji Yunding.
Ji Yunding's way of comforting people is to propose solutions, and it has always been like this. People who need a lot of emotional comfort are unlikely to get along with Ji Yunding, unless they can see Ji Yunding's concerns and care put into action.
"After making someone cry, why can't I comfort them by saying that they lost? The problem I mentioned can be corrected in the short term. If they become stronger, they won't have to cry anymore, right? Even if I comfort them, they will still cry if they lose next time, right?"
Ji Yunding looked at the person in front of him, who he didn't know, and began to complain in a bland tone. The voice echoed in the narrow stairwell, but no one responded.
"As long as the problem is solved, there is no reason to be sad, right? Why do I really want someone to talk nonsense to me now?
Those words that have nothing to do with the problem and tell me without any basis that things will get better... I really want to hear such words.
Someone please lie to me, tell me it's okay, tell me everything will be fine. Although I won't believe it, I need this kind of words now. "
After a moment of silence, Ji Yunding stood up, sighed, and continued walking forward as if he had not said anything just now.
I just wanted to say something stupid, I didn't really intend to do anything stupid. After saying it, I did feel better - even though Ji Yunding didn't understand the logic at all.
The staircase on the top floor led directly to a door. Ji Yunding turned the doorknob and found it was not locked, so he pushed the door open and walked in. What caught his eye was a huge screen, on which was playing an animation of blood and flesh flying everywhere, and under the screen stood two people, also motionless.
Apologize, then rummage through the drawers.
Ji Yunding rubbed his ears, feeling physically uncomfortable because of the piercing screams, but the two people did not react at all. A number appeared in the lower left corner of the screen - 45dB.
Just because the volume is set within the acceptable range for the human body, can we ignore these bloody and cruel sound effects?
"De-differentiation agreement... so these people all look the same. Then what are you fighting about? The allocation of new population quotas and socialization work... I don't understand." Ji Yunding flipped through it and gave a simple summary, "In short, the fight is still over interests."
There is no problem with this understanding. Ji Yunding nodded and then continued to flip through other documents.
Human body modification, life extension, social isolation and social order, changing time units to accelerate the time concept transformation agreement, multiple experiments based on consciousness segmentation simulation technology...
"They are all useless things." Ji Yunding knew that the things in her hand were all horrible documents, but she didn't care. She just wanted to solve her problem now.
Finally, Ji Yunding's finger stopped on a document called "War Virtualization".
In order to protect human rights and reduce the overall loss of humanity caused by war, it has been decided to apply artificial intelligence technology to the field of warfare and use electronic sandboxes for confrontations.
"Well, isn't this great?" So far, Ji Yunding still couldn't see any problem.
Although it sounded a bit funny that two people playing games in front of the computer to decide the outcome of the war, Ji Yunding looked at the thick stack of attachments, which detailed how to enter soldiers, how to calculate the benefits and consequences of execution methods, as well as emergency settings, and even an emotional simulation system, and felt that it was still reasonable.
"Compared to that, what I can't understand the most is what made you split into two factions... Never mind, if I think about it carefully, I can't understand the current human beings either."
Coincidentally, Ji Yunding turned to the next page and immediately found the answer - even though the appearance was the same, people were still fighting against each other. In fact, because most of the other contradictions disappeared, all the anger was vented on the conflict of opinions.
As a result, everyone argued over how humanity should develop. The more unconventional and extreme the viewpoints, the easier it is to be seen, the more people can gather, and the more advantage one has in the struggle against dissidents - after all, people's views are always in a state of assimilation and being assimilated at the same time.
"This is coded text. Let me take a look." Ji Yunding took out the bottle he had looted from someone else's house and read it carefully while comparing it with the document, just like learning pinyin in elementary school.
The documents that were probably once confidential were spread out on the ground by Ji Yunding like garbage, looking meaningless.
"Inhalation type, rationalization with collection bottle...what is this?"
Ji Yunding didn't understand at all, but at this moment she suddenly remembered something in her mind, and remembered what Zero had said before, the definition of perfection.
——“The closer to the concept of ‘rules’, the more perfect it is. Stable, certain, and objective things will not produce ‘errors’.”
"So that's how it is. You threw the humans away."
Ji Yunding spoke in a low voice, flipped through the documents, then stood up and ran downstairs. When he reached the third floor, he became impatient, opened the window, found a tree to lean on, and landed on the ground in no time.
In such a clean city, the river is black, and the water drops are all dark black. Ji Yunding looked at this scene and suddenly remembered the scene she saw on her first tombstone.
A dark tsunami surged up and was hundreds of meters high.
Following the river downstream, Ji Yunding finally arrived at the sewage dump. He stood in front of the sign at the entrance and took a closer look.
【Code of Conduct for Sewage Drainage Sites
1. Please clean the sewage site regularly every year to ensure that there are no non-human beings in the site.
2. The definition of humans in Rule 1 is the primates, the family Hominidae, the genus Homo, the species Homo sapiens. Please do not refer to any other philosophical standards.
3. Please do not leave the sewage site before completing the cleanup to avoid bringing out pollutants. 】
Ji Yunding smashed the lock on the iron gate with a military shovel, shook his hands which were numb from the shock, then pulled the lock off and kicked the door open.
A pair of rotten hands grabbed her neck. Ji Yunding squatted down, kicked the person opposite him to the ground, and walked straight in.
It was a rotten corpse squatting at the door. Ji Yunding just sighed and took out his dagger.
"I didn't take the knife, trouble. It would be better if Sister Qianqiu was here."
"...Chiaki?"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
