Chapter 94
"Nightmare System's Words"
Feng Jihan didn't know how to explain: "It's all my guess. I think it should be a combination of part of Chaos's consciousness and some human consciousness."
Cen Xun folded his arms and leaned against the wall, narrowing his eyes: "What do you mean?"
"Human power alone certainly can't create this new world out of thin air," Feng Jihan said, "So, the nightmare world was built by humans using some kind of sacrificial method to forcibly gather Chaos's overflowing power."
"Those who were sacrificed were all high-level psychics in human society at the time. After their death, their bodies merged into the nightmare world and became its foundation."
Cen Xun understood: "So you think that their consciousness has also entered the nightmare world and mixed with Chaos's remaining consciousness to form the nightmare system?"
Feng Jihan nodded: "The Nightmare System can control players' logins and logouts and knows all the information about each player. It is the rule of this world and an extension of the power of the Nightmare World's founder."
Cen Xun: "That makes sense."
Why does the nightmare world both restrict monsters from entering the real world and actively select public beta players from the real world?
It protects humans and also covets their flesh and blood.
That would make sense if there were two different consciousnesses wrestling with each other within the system.
"Do you think my [Mind Reading] was given to me intentionally by one of the parties in the system?" Cen Xun asked Feng Jihan.
Why would they give him a reward like mind reading, which happened to allow him to see the truth of the world?
Feng Jihan shook his head, his silver hair swaying along with it: "I can't figure it out. Everyone seems suspicious."
Cen Xun picked up a strand of his hair, twisted it around his fingertips, and smiled slightly: "Then forget it. No matter who wants to plot against me, I will make him die miserably."
"Next, I'm going to deal with the Heresy Monitoring Bureau. Don't interfere." Cen Xun pulled his hair: "Do you understand?"
Feng Jihan held down Cen Xun's rebellious hand and said helplessly, "I don't intend to protect the Heresy Monitoring Bureau either."
"But I still have some things to do at the Heretic Monitoring Bureau, such as stealing some important secrets," Feng Jihan discussed with him, "so I need to stay there for a while."
"You want to be a traitor?" Cen Xun glanced at him with interest. "Fine, but I've got you covered. If I face you on the battlefield, I won't show mercy."
Feng Jihan couldn't help but say something mean: "Don't show mercy, my husband can handle the beating."
Then he got punched in the face.
Feng Jihan covered his face and left Nightmare University awkwardly under Cen Xun's deathly gaze.
Cen Xun watched him leave and returned to the principal's office.
The computer started up again, and Yaxu congratulated him in a steady electronic voice, "Congratulations, Principal, on finally getting a beautiful bird."
Cen Xun: “”
Cen Xun ignored Yaxu's outrageous words and said calmly, "Notify Secretary Wu and ask him to bring those people up to see me after he's done."
Yaxu: "I have informed Secretary Wu."
"And Tong Ming, ask him to come over. I need to ask him something." Cen Xun unfolded the map of the nightmare world, tapped his forehead with his pen, and squinted his eyes. "Some important things."
Yaxu: "The Peeping Tom has been notified."
Tong Ming arrived quickly and sat down at Cen Xun's desk. He seemed anxious and asked, "Brother, what's going on? I was busy taking secret photos. Hey, have you recovered your memory? Didn't you say you wanted to lose your memory and end things completely with someone?"
Cen Xun was not surprised that Tong Ming could discover these things. He said calmly, "Because this is the last chance I give him. If he chooses me, I will restore his memory. If he doesn't choose me, we will be completely over."
It's that simple.
He didn't want to continue to have any connection with Feng Jihan. If he loved her, he should love her completely. If he didn't love her, he should never love her again. Instead of suffering continuously, it is better to cut the Gordian knot.
So he took the memory USB drive and returned to his former "home".
This was undoubtedly a gamble, because Cen Xun was not sure how much weight he held in Feng Jihan's heart.
Maybe Feng Jihan would hug him tightly and not let him leave, or maybe Feng Jihan would stand there and watch him go away, and from then on they would go their separate ways and never meet again.
In the end, he won the bet. His weight in Feng Jihan's heart outweighed Feng Jihan's position.
Feng Jihan compromised, and the initiative fell into his hands.
Who says you can’t have your cake and eat it too?
Cen Xun insisted on having both.
Cen Xun lowered his eyes and opened the map. "Let's not talk about this anymore. Let me ask you, if we want to take down the entire H City Ghost Domain, how many missiles would it take?"
Tong Ming was listening attentively at first, but when he heard the latter part, he was so shocked that he almost slipped off the table: "Brother, how much range of the strange domain do you want to conquer?"
"The whole thing," Cen Xun said calmly, "Now our Nightmare University only occupies about one-fifth of H City. This area is too small. I want to take over the entire H City."
Tong Ming was in a complicated mood: "You've only been the principal for a short time, and you're already thinking about becoming the mayor. Brother, you really have the guts to think like that."
"To be ambitious, you have to be bold in your thinking," Cen Xun said, crossing his legs and leaning back in his chair. "So how many do you need?"
Tong Ming pondered for a few seconds and said, "I need to count all the Ghost Domains in H City and give you a list of Ghost Domains and the estimated number of missiles before midnight tonight at the latest. Is that okay with you?"
Cen Xun nodded slightly to show his agreement.
Not long after Tong Ming left, Wu Sa came back.
He knocked on the door and looked at Cen Xun with a pair of bright yellow eyes: "Principal, they are all outside. Can you come in now?"
Cen Xun put down the pen in his hand: "Come in."
0001 and others came in one after another. Cen Xun stood up and motioned them to sit on the sofa at the side.
As the secretary, Usa brought tea and snacks at the right time, creating a harmonious negotiation atmosphere for the principal. Everyone looked at the well-prepared snacks on the table and looked at each other in surprise.
The most innocent 0009 had already picked up a plate and started eating: "Brother, the snacks here are good, delicious!"
"If it's delicious, eat more." Cen Xun gave the silly child a kind look and turned to the others: "Secretary Wu should have given you a general introduction to Nightmare University. What do you think?"
0002 was the first to praise it: "It's very systematically run, the entire task process is closely linked, and the faculty and staff are well managed. If it were in the real world, it would definitely be a super awesome large-scale haunted house IP."
0003 frowned slightly. "I just want to ask, if a player dies in Nightmare University, will they actually die in reality?"
Cen Xun said calmly, "Don't worry, I won't devour their souls. I'll only absorb their negative emotions. After this is over, they will return to the real world. It won't affect their real lives, at most they'll just be a little depressed."
0096 also frowned: "So, other monsters will directly devour the player's soul?"
Cen Xun replied calmly, "The Nightmare World captures players in order to extract their flesh, blood, and souls. In the future, more humans will be captured and forced into the Ghost Realm."
0024 asked frankly: "We are all Territory Lords, why are you so kind?"
Of course, Cen Xun wouldn't tell them that he lowered the death rate in order to compete on price with other Ghost Realms. He said, "I'm not being kind, I just want to ensure sustainable development."
"Huh?" 0024 couldn't believe that the word "sustainable development" could actually come out of a weird mouth. It was really terrifying when he thought about it!
"Since players can provide enough points to support my followers, there's no need for me to kill them all." Cen Xun smiled. "After all, a significant decrease in the human population wouldn't be any good for the monsters, right?"
0001, who had been silent the entire time, finally spoke up after hearing this: "You called us here, so you must have more to say than just this."
Since 0001 had exposed him, Cen Xun got straight to the point: "Then I'll be frank. I want to invite you to join Nightmare University and work for me."
"In exchange, I can help you find your family and friends, as well as your past."
0001 opened his lips slightly, about to speak, but was interrupted by another excited voice: "That's great! I'll join! Bro, I'll join now!"
"0001 slowly turned his head and saw the silly kid 0009 raising his hand excitedly, and he agreed without hesitation.
Didn't you even think about it carefully? You just trust Cen Xun so much, aren't you afraid it's a scam or a pyramid scheme?
Cen Xun seemed unsurprised that 0009 was the first to defect. He calmly took out a pre-prepared contract, placed it in front of him, and said approvingly, "I knew Xiaojiu would be the first to support me."
"Haha, of course! I will support my brother all my life!" 0009 took the contract, glanced at the contents, and when he saw the first line, his eyes suddenly froze.
Cen Xun: "What's wrong?"
0009 tried to act nonchalant and said, "Nothing, I just don't recognize some of the words. Wait a minute, brother, I'll take a picture."
He took out his cell phone and took a picture of the contract. Listening to Yaxu's emotionless voice reciting the sentences, he felt relaxed all over.
Cen Xun: “”
Cen Xun asked slowly, "Have you never read before?"
0009 said honestly: "No."
Cen Xun: "So, you can't actually write your own name?"
0009: "Yeah, actually I don't remember what my name is."
Cen Xun: "Then press your fingerprints."
Wusa handed over the ink pad.
Hearing that he didn't need to write his name, 0009 breathed a sigh of relief and dipped his finger in ink, ready to press it onto the contract. 0001 wanted to persuade 0009 to reconsider, but the kid's hands were too quick, and in a flash, he pressed his fingerprint onto the contract. Afterwards, he held the contract in his hands and admired it again and again: "This fingerprint is perfect, just like mine!"
It's really a weird one.
"We can't keep being illiterate. We shouldn't have any illiterate people at Nightmare University." Cen Xun stared at 0009 for a moment, pondered for a moment, and made a decision: "I'll send you to the affiliated primary school. The requirements aren't too high, but at least you need to be able to recognize a few characters."
0009 looked at Cen Xun eagerly: "Brother, how long will elementary school take?"
Cen Xun: "Generally speaking, it's six years."
"Six years??" 0009 immediately quit: "I don't want to! I was only in prison for ten years, why do I have to study for another six years! I won't go! I don't want to study!"
He slid down from the sofa like a boneless person, and leaned against Cen Xun's legs, holding his legs and making a fuss: "Brother..."
Cen Xun's forehead throbbed. "With your current state, elementary school is definitely not suitable for you."
0009Look up with tears in her eyes.
Cen Xun turned to look at Wu Sa: "Secretary Wu, please arrange a kindergarten for him."
Upon hearing this, 0002 and others immediately burst out in laughter: "Puff!"
Ursa's expression was a little difficult to maintain, but he still maintained a professional smile: "Okay."
Cen Xun forcibly pulled his legs out of 0009's arms and said to him with a smile, "You only need to study in kindergarten for three years. If you study well, I will let you go straight to high school and skip the six years of elementary school."
Although 0009 was still very reluctant to go to school, he was very confident: "Okay, I also believe that with my extraordinary talent, I will be able to go straight from kindergarten to university within a week!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the principal's office fell into silence. Apart from Secretary Wu's polite applause, no one else showed their support.
0002 said dryly, "Should we get back to the topic of joining the company?"
Cen Xun regained his composure and said, "If you have any questions, you can ask them."
0003 fidgeted uncomfortably, leaning forward a bit, and said with embarrassment, "I do feel this is a bit bad. Players are all human. If we join Nightmare University, wouldn't that make us rapists?"
"You are all weird now."
"After all, they were once human," 0024 emphasized the word "before." "I don't think I could harm my former compatriots."
Although the players who died in Nightmare University were not truly dead, the pain was real. Just because the players could erase the wounds after waking up, could they pretend that the damage didn't exist?
"I kind of understand your concerns." Cen Xun crossed his legs, his posture relaxed. "First of all, you can completely treat this world as a holographic simulation game, and Nightmare University as the production company of this holographic game. When you humans make games, do you consider whether the game will scare the players or even cause them to die suddenly?"
He glanced at the stunned crowd, his expression suddenly cold: "Besides, it seems that you haven't figured out one thing yet."
"Monsters need to eat to survive."
"In Nightmare University, players won't die or get hurt. They just pay a little bit of negative emotions as food for the monsters. The price they pay is already small enough."
"If I wanted to, I could easily send my followers through the passage, into the human world, and start a massacre instead of painstakingly designing a copy to gain points from players," Cen Xun sneered and said coldly, "Do you think I'm doing charity?"
Cen Xun usually keeps a low profile, but when he got angry, his aura changed completely, pressing down on everyone like a mountain, making them turn pale and feel suffocated.
"You always seem to be thinking about how humans can survive, but monsters are also part of this world. We share a planet, so shouldn't we also consider how monsters can survive?"
Cen Xun said in a deep voice, "Or perhaps you think that the monsters have taken over the human living space, so they should be exterminated to make room for humans?"
These words were like a wake-up call, leaving them all stunned.
These are things they have never thought of.
For humans, monsters are indeed terrifying predators, and it would be best if they completely disappeared from the planet.
But for monsters, they hunt humans just to survive.
It’s just that monsters have surpassed humans’ position in the food chain and become top predators at a higher level than humans. Humans have experienced the fear of losing power and have developed a panic of falling from the top of the pyramid.
But in the final analysis, is there any difference between monsters preying on humans and humans preying on pigs and sheep?
Yes, the difference is that humans are intelligent and think they are the only masters of this planet, so they try their best to get the monsters out of this planet.
If you think about it carefully, and not from a human perspective, monsters do have the right to exist in this world.
Yes, you can't let the monsters not eat people and starve themselves to death, right? Then, like Nightmare University, just taking a little bit of negative emotions as food is indeed the optimal solution for humans.
The five monsters who were once human beings all fell silent.
Cen Xun took a sip of tea and said in a calmer tone, "I've already told you about the way to balance. Of course, it doesn't matter if you don't join. It won't be a loss to me."
"The reason I'm still willing to maintain operations and haven't gone on a killing spree in the real world for now is simply because I want to make my little bird happy." Cen Xun put down his cup and smiled slightly. "But if Nightmare University ever runs into losses, I won't be so kind."
"So, if you don't want me to lead my followers into the real world to massacre, the only thing you can do is work overtime for me and ensure that the finances are always profitable. Do you understand?"
After a series of magic punches, the five people who had just been released from prison after ten years were all knocked dizzy.
It seems that this is indeed the case
0096 gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, I can join, but I have one request."
Cen Xun lowered his eyes calmly: "Go ahead."
"I understand the logic, but I really can't kill humans," 0096 said helplessly, "I can only help you bombard the monsters."
0002, 0003, 0024 nodded like a chick pecking at rice.
Cen Xun looked at 0001: "Is this your request as well?"
0001 raised his face, his eyes calm: "Yes."
Cen Xun said, "Deal."
Of course, Cen Xun did not expect these people to completely switch to his camp. After all, they were people with special abilities who had once sacrificed themselves for humanity. If they switched sides too quickly, Cen Xun would become suspicious of their intentions.
As for those who are unwilling to attack humans, humans are divided into good and evil people. If they really encounter evil people who persecute good people, can they still maintain the so-called bottom line?
Cen Xun is looking forward to it.
As they wished, Cen Xun added a new clause to the contract: the principal shall not force the employee to kill or harm any human being in any way.
The five people looked over the contract carefully to make sure there were no wording traps before solemnly signing their names on it.
Being a traitor is certainly shameful, but if the negative emotions generated by the players can be used to feed the monsters, it is undoubtedly a way out of the dead end.
Dying in the holographic game is better than dying for real.
After signing the contract, 0002 and others left, but 0001 said he wanted to stay alone because he had something to say to the principal.
Cen Xun agreed. When they were the only two left in the principal's office, Cen Xun said slowly, "We're the only ones left now. Just say whatever you want to say."
0001's face was heavy, and he said something shocking: "You actually know who we are, right?"
Cen Xun raised his eyebrows slightly and began to admire this person.
Quick thinking and clear mind.
He is indeed his former rival.
Cen Xun was not afraid of him and admitted frankly: "I guessed a little bit."
0001 placed his hands on his knees and whispered, "I'd like to hear more."
Cen Xun said, "Ten years ago, several high-level human psychics sacrificed themselves, giving rise to the nightmare world. The five of you must be among those psychics who participated in the sacrifice."
"It was the Heresy Monitoring Bureau that proposed this plan."
0001 was stunned and said, "But why didn't we die but turned into monsters?"
"I'm not sure about that," Cen Xun said calmly, "but besides you, there are also many humans who have transformed into monsters, such as some students at Nightmare University."
"According to my guess, these students were once students at H University in reality. On the day you sacrificed yourself, not only the monsters were drawn into the nightmare world, but also these students."
"You must be wondering why no one rescued them," Cen Xun said with a hint of malice, "Because on the day you sacrificed, monsters broke into H City and slaughtered them. The Heretic Monitoring Bureau felt that no more psychics should be sacrificed, so they withdrew from H City and gave up on the rescue."
"How could that be?" 0001 muttered, his pupils trembling as if struck by a blow. "Shouldn't we sacrifice ourselves to better protect humanity?"
Why give up on rescue?
It is obvious that if the Heretic Monitoring Bureau holds on for a while longer, the people in H City will be saved when all the monsters are sucked into the nightmare world.
0001 felt a throbbing pain in his head. He put his hand on his forehead and his eyes turned slightly red.
"Qin Xiu and Wu Sa were both eyewitnesses that day. You can ask them." Cen Xun showed a few photos. "Also, the world has changed. It's not just monsters that eat people, but humans themselves as well."
The first photo is a screenshot of a chat in the "City Volunteer Recruitment Group 1". The screenshot shows a long list of chat records. People in the group have signed up to be volunteers for a certain experimental project with a prize of 20,000 yuan.
The second photo is a photo of the laboratory environment taken by the researcher. The high-tech capsule looks very safe and completely formal.
"This is a project developed by the research institute. It extracts energy from ordinary people and infuses it into people with special abilities. This way, they can quickly upgrade." Cen Xun sighed, "A mere twenty thousand yuan could take a person's life. You see, in the eyes of some humans, life is so cheap."
0001 picked up the photos and held them tightly in his palms: "I must find out the truth about this."
Whether it is the truth back then or the gray transactions today.
Cen Xun stood up and patted 0001 on the shoulder as he passed by him. “Instead of focusing on the weird things, why not take a look at human society?”
"Ten years have passed. I believe that world will give you more new surprises."
0001 pursed his lips and looked at the wrinkled photo in his hand, his eyes filled with cold anger.
A helicopter flew over the vast ocean, landed on a small island, and finally landed on the helipad of the base above.
Feng Jihan walked down from the helicopter and shook hands with the psychic he met.
This psychic, code-named [Mad Python], is one of the guards of the heretic shelter.
Although it is called the Heretic Internment Center, in fact, this place is almost abandoned. When all the monsters were returned to the nightmare world ten years ago, the Heretic Internment Center was already dead in name only.
The only reason why there are still guards here is to guard the only prisoner in the heretic internment center.
And now, even that prisoner is about to be released from prison.
Feng Jihan came to pick him up.
After shaking hands, [Mad Python] felt like he had closed a little distance between himself and Feng Jihan, so he said to Feng Jihan with a gloomy face, "You've come at the perfect time. Captain Su still refuses to cooperate. How about you go and try to persuade him? We finally have the chance to go out, we must seize the opportunity."
Feng Jihan nodded and smiled, "Don't worry, leave it to me. I'll go check on the team, you can go do your thing."
[Mad Python] heaved a sigh of relief.
As for the skill of the host team, under normal circumstances, he would not dare to get close to it. Only the atheist could suppress the skill of the host team.
After watching the [Mad Python] leave, Feng Jihan's expression suddenly faded. He quickly walked into the former heretic shelter, used the authority card given by the Heretic Monitoring Bureau to swipe open the layers of metal doors, took the elevator to the basement, and came to the cell where Su Mingqi was imprisoned.
After stepping out of the elevator, Feng Jihan's steps suddenly became less urgent. He moved in small steps towards cell number 0001 and heard the occasional mumbling coming from the visiting window.
"Shi Qing, Shi Qing, why are you unhappy again? Who made you angry?"
"Is it me? It's not me, it must be Shi Yue. Yes, yes, I know. I shouldn't say that. Actually, I was wrong."
"Don't ignore me, okay? Shi Qing, smile."
Feng Jihan came to the viewing window and called out softly, "Deputy Captain."
The crazy mumbling in the cell suddenly stopped.
After a long while, an uncertain voice came from inside: "Xiao Feng?"
Feng Jihan lowered his eyelashes and forced a smile: "It's me, deputy captain."
The clanking sound of chains clashing suddenly rang out, and the person inside rushed over, his hair disheveled, his eyes bloodshot, and his expression almost ferocious: "Where's Shi Qing? Where is Shi Qing? Why didn't he come with you!"
Feng Jihan said hoarsely, "The captain died in the line of duty ten years ago."
"Impossible, impossible!" The person inside laughed like a madman. "I used my skills on him. He must still be alive, somewhere in the world, waiting for us to find him."
"Go find him!" Su Mingqi yelled at Feng Jihan, "Don't leave him waiting alone!"
Then, he seemed to fall into some kind of hallucination again, and said foolishly: "Shi Qing, now that you are here, I know you are okay. Don't cry. Is there any pain in your body?"
Feng Jihan sat down with his back against the metal door, tilting his head slightly, and said to himself, "Deputy Captain, I saw the warden in the nightmare world yesterday. He's the one who gave us candy when we were little."
"He also spent ten years in the Heretic Internment Center in the Nightmare World. When I treated him, I found traces of Shen Yaoshan's treatment on his body."
"Perhaps you are right. If Chen Yaoshan is still alive, then the captain might also be alive, waiting for us to find him in the nightmare world."
At some point, the mumbling in the cell disappeared.
Feng Jihan leaned against the metal door and closed his eyes: "But Deputy Captain, you must at least leave here before you can go to the nightmare world."
Su Mingqi still listened, and after a moment, he asked in a hoarse voice, "How do you leave?"
"The Heretic Monitoring Bureau was devastated a while ago and is very short of manpower. I submitted your name." Feng Jihan explained to him patiently and carefully: "You just need to act and pretend to be normal. I can forge the test report and get you out."
Su Mingqi inside suddenly erupted when he heard the words "Heretic Monitoring Bureau." Filled with hatred, he roared viciously, "I'm going to kill them. I'm going to kill all of them!! They're the ones who killed Shi Qing. I want them dead!!!"
Feng Jihan didn't say anything. He waited until Su Mingqi calmed down from his heavy breathing before asking, "Deputy Captain, do you want to go to the nightmare world to find the captain?"
Su Mingqi was like a switch was triggered: "I want to! I want to!"
Feng Jihan pretended to be serious and said, "Then can you cooperate with me? If you don't, you won't be able to go to the nightmare world."
Su Mingqi gritted his teeth and said, "I'll cooperate! I'll cooperate wholeheartedly!"
Feng Jihan: "So I'm going to go in and forge the test report now? Deputy Captain, can you stay quiet for one minute?!"
Su Mingqi: “Yes!”
Feng Jihan went in with the equipment.
One minute later, the test report came out.
Su Mingqi looked at Xuwu's side and asked with a hint of wanting credit: "Shi Qing, look at me, am I doing well?"
"If it's good, just smile and don't be sad anymore."
Feng Jihan looked at this scene and didn't know what to feel.
Su Mingqi's skill is [Born Towards Death], which can bring any living being infinitely close to the state of death, forcing the enemy to become weak and easy to kill.
On the day of the melee, Yun Shiqing also participated in the sacrifice. When he was about to die, Su Mingqi suddenly rushed out, shouting that everything was a scam of the Heresy Monitoring Bureau, and asked everyone to stop the sacrifice immediately.
But it was too late.
Before being dragged away, Su Mingqi desperately used his skill [Rebirth of Death] on Yun Shiqing.
Every day after human beings are born, they are getting closer to death.
If death is inevitable, let the day of separation be postponed indefinitely.
Thus, Yun Shiqing's life was suspended by Su Mingqi at the moment when he was infinitely close to death.
Su Mingqi didn't close his eyes until he watched Yun Shiqing's figure disappear into the vast void.
After the floating clouds parted, ten years passed.
Will there be a day when we will meet again?
Ten years ago, Su Mingqi was imprisoned in a heretic internment camp for illegally using his skills, which indirectly caused the disappearance of millions of humans.
Ten years later, Su Mingqi was finally able to step out of the shelter and go to the nightmare world that he had been dreaming about.
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