Chapter 44 The Land of Freedom (XI) The ultimate boss is actually...
The four of them squeezed into the back seat, with Xia Zhu and Ji Yinxiu sitting in the middle separating the two families' genius girls. Even so, the tense atmosphere filled the entire carriage without any attempt to conceal it.
"I'm saying, do some people just have to sit with their legs spread apart? Four people are crammed here, there's not much room to begin with, look how they've squeezed our Ah Zhu!"
"If you think it's too crowded, you can get off the bus."
"Get out of the car? I think you're a bit out of touch! This is our car, if anyone should get out, it's you!"
"Fine! I'll get off then! I don't even want to ride in this beat-up car anyway, and it's good that I don't have to share any clues with you!"
Feng Feng and Ji Luochi started fighting between the two people in the middle. Xia Zhu originally wanted to close her eyes and rest like Ji Yinxiu, who was sitting upright next to her, and pretend not to see it. However, both of their fists hit her, so she had to quickly pull them apart.
"You've attacked my Ah Zhu!"
"You hit him! You're blind and acting like an ignorant official. I might not be able to tell friend from foe and might even kill your own teammates!"
"You can say whatever you want about me, but you can't question the bond of friendship between us!"
They started arguing again.
The two little birds chirped incessantly, giving everyone's ears no chance to catch their breath. Feng Mian had to drive and break up the fight at the same time, and his head was throbbing. He had no choice but to roll down the car window, letting the morning breeze, filled with the scent of snow and ice, into the car and also to let the two of them calm down.
"You mentioned having clues about the spirit before, and now that we're not far from Mount Kailash, can you tell us now?"
Feng Mian was speaking to Ji Yinxiu.
When they heard that they were talking about serious matters, the two stopped arguing and turned their heads to one side of the car window, their lips pouting so much they could hang a kettle on them.
Ji Yinxiu nodded vaguely and said, "This dream is a doomsday simulation game. Liang will definitely appear after the game is completed, and everyone should know the level: going to Mount Kailash."
"So we don't need to worry. As long as we enter Mount Kailash, we will definitely see Liang, right?" Fengmian chimed in.
"That's right."
Feng Mian hummed in agreement, resting his left hand on the car window. Since they had already formed an alliance, Ji Yinxiu had no reason to lie to him. Although he had guessed this outcome before, he couldn't be sure without verifiable clues, and for a long time he had been troubled by finding one person in the vast sea of people.
Now I can breathe a sigh of relief; at least I don't have to spend extra time and energy searching for them.
This was the first time they had set off facing the rising sun; before, they had always faced the blood-red sunset.
It's a good omen. The meaning of the rising sun is that even if the end of the world comes, even if everything is terrible, unless the earth explodes, a new day will still come. That is hope, a symbol of being able to start over.
Of course, it wouldn't matter if the Earth exploded, it would even be better.
Humanity worldwide will revert to being stardust floating in the universe. At that time, we will be intertwined, and all love, hate, and regret will be reduced to ashes in the explosion.
Humans, as stardust, will live forever in the vast ocean.
So even the worst outcome is this cool? Is there anything in life that can really defeat a person?
The car crawled across the wasteland like a heavy and weary beetle. Outside the window, the earth was a vast, iron-gray wave, surging endlessly toward the ends of the earth.
Until a chilling aura filled the desolate air, the oxygen became thin, sharp as a snow-covered blade, and white began to expand upwards on the horizon.
The low, withered meadows beside the road clung tightly to the ground, panting in the biting snow wind. Occasionally, a few solitary yak bones could be seen, with colorful flags fluttering among them.
Towering snow-capped mountains appeared one after another, watching the clumsy beetle intrude into their territory with a majestic and indifferent gaze, like the deities of Kunlun disguised as mountain peaks sitting here, observing the lives of all beings with their backs to the starry sky. The exposed rock layers on those snow-capped mountains were like a giant beast lurking beneath, inadvertently revealing its jet-black, gleaming scales.
The car windows had to be closed tightly, and inhaling the icy air would freeze your lungs.
Beneath the cobalt blue sky and the massive planet Saturn, a boundary marker bearing the inscription "Mount Kailash" appears in the distance.
They have arrived at their destination, and everything could be a sign from the spirit.
For example, a triangular stone that is hard to find by the roadside, a strangely shaped dead tree with a hidden meaning, or a string of Buddhist verses drifting down from the top of a snow-capped mountain.
But to their utter surprise, the signposts were two rows of large arrows flashing an undeniable green light, appearing abruptly on the snowfield.
Even every kilometer you walk, there's a sign that says "Keep going, don't give up" or "Victory is just ahead," like some kind of racing game.
"Why does this creature seem so afraid that we'll get lost and won't be able to find it?"
Following the arrow, the vehicle slowly drove along the road and eventually came to a stop.
In the middle of the road, where the two green arrows point, there is a door that appears out of nowhere.
Is this the place?
"It's obvious."
The group reluctantly got out of the car and exchanged glances as they faced the door that seemed to be a portal to another time and space.
Feng Feng walked behind the door, only to find that there was nothing there from this angle except for the air and Xia Zhu standing opposite him.
However, Xia Zhu, who was standing in front of the door, could not see Feng Feng, whose figure was being obscured by him.
Snow-capped mountains, barren plains, celestial bodies, the sky, and a strange door.
"Even if it's a trap, we have to jump in." Feng Feng shrugged, put her hand on the doorknob, glanced back at everyone, Xia Zhu nodded to her, then pressed down, and the door opened.
The group of people entered the room one after another.
A million scenarios flashed through my mind—terrifying, bizarre, shocking—but no one seemed to realize that behind the door was just an ordinary bedroom.
A small bed sits beside the bed, floral curtains flutter gently in the breeze, sunlight streams through the window and casts golden dappled patterns on the floor, a half-read comic book sits on the desk, and the opposite wall is covered with all sorts of posters: Griffith, Pinker Freud, in short, a wide variety of interests.
The group stood blocking the doorway, none daring to take a step forward, afraid that their outdoor shoes would dirty the clean floor.
This is indeed just an ordinary bedroom.
"Bang--!"
A loud noise came from overhead. Some drew their swords, others drew their bows, all on edge as they watched the colorful ribbons and glittering paper pieces slowly drifting down from the sky.
Surprise!
A short-haired girl jumped out from behind the door, still holding the party cannon she had just used.
"Hmm? Why does it seem like everyone's not so much surprised, but rather a little frightened?"
silence.
The six men stood there helplessly, the arrow nocked, the sword drawn, the vine that had just emerged from their palms hanging limply in the air.
"Phew—" Xia Zhu couldn't help but blow away the gold sequins stuck to her eyebrows.
"It's a little itchy." She pointed to her eyebrows.
Then everyone started cleaning up the confetti and ribbons that covered their heads and bodies.
"Hello, is anyone there? At least pay attention to me!"
The short-haired girl watched as the group of people in front of her shook their clothes and pants, helping each other remove the debris from their heads, like a group of gorillas getting along very harmoniously, and felt ignored.
"Okay." Feng Mian removed the last ribbon from Feng Feng's head, clapped his hands, and said to the short-haired girl, "So you are..."
"That's right! I am the one you've been looking for, the master of this dream, the final boss of the game!" The girl stood with her hands on her hips, jumping around excitedly in the room.
It was the first time everyone had seen a Ryou reveal his identity right away, and they were still a little unaccustomed to it.
"You mean, you know you're trapped in a dream, and you know that... a group of people will enter your dream?"
Feng Mian was the first to speak.
"Yes, yes, when I first woke up in this world, a voice was in my ear saying things like 'You created this world,' 'Stop them,' it was kind of cringeworthy, but it was also quite interesting." The girl stopped and sat down in the chair in front of the desk in the room. "Although all of this will probably disappear when I wake up, and I won't remember anything anymore, like a real dream."
It seems she even knew she would lose this memory after waking up.
"So, you also know that our mission is to kill Liang." Xia Zhu suddenly spoke up. The lively and sunny girl in front of them was the target they were going to kill. These seemingly ordinary conversations seemed a bit strange and incongruous.
"Of course I know, but don't worry, once I take you to a place, I'll obediently go and die." She even spoke of her own "death" in a lighthearted and cheerful manner.
"This way, this way, everyone..." The girl stood up from the chair and walked to the other door of the room. Just as her hand was on the doorknob, Ji Luochi interrupted her.
"I have a question that you need to answer before you come with me."
The girl released the doorknob and spread her hands.
"Speak freely about anything you know."
"So what caused you to have this dream? I mean, what are your obsessions and desires?" Ji Luochi took a step forward, a position that was visually oppressive. The girl was leaning against the wall, facing six people who looked more like villains than she did.
"Obsessions and desires? Is that how you describe them? Okay, actually it's not that serious. It's just that one day I was leaving a convenience store..." She looked up at everyone, "You know convenience stores, right? They have lots of items to choose from, you pick what you like and then pay..."
Feng Mian stated, "We are modern people."
The girl chuckled twice. "Okay, it was one afternoon when I had just gotten off work and walked out of the convenience store. Suddenly, it started pouring rain. If you ask me, that rain was definitely the biggest downpour in the city in ten years! The rain curtain covered the whole world, and you couldn't see anything but yourself in it."
"The sky was a hazy yellow, like some kind of nostalgic filter, which reminded me of summer vacations I spent in the countryside when I was a child. The wind was very strong that day; it even blew down our convenience store sign, thankfully no one was hurt! The air was full of the smell of earth, and the raindrops felt icy cold on my face. Some drains were clogged, so the rainwater couldn't drain away, and the streets quickly flooded..."
"That sounds terrible, right? Like a disaster, it'll cause trouble for a lot of people..."
"But why do I feel happy?"
"I was so happy that my hands went numb, I wanted to scream, I wanted to run wildly in the rain, I was so happy that when I came to my senses I found that I had actually cried."
"I haven't shed a tear in a long time."
The girl leaned against the door, looking down at the tips of her shoes rubbing against the floor.
“You probably think I’m stalling for time or deliberately not explaining the reason, but that’s the truth. Who would have thought that a sudden downpour would cause me to develop this so-called obsession?”
"In the midst of the raging storm, I seemed to become aware of my own existence once again, a very strange feeling... Ignoring my colleagues' attempts to stop me, I rushed into the rain. The water was already up to my ankles. I ran wildly in the rain towards home, as if I was no longer in the city, but in some ancient wasteland, facing the twilight and dodging the sudden rain and gale chasing after me."
"For a moment, I felt that the world was different, and I liked this difference. It was like I had turned back into a primitive man, only needing to fight against nature to survive, instead of... instead of..." She thought for a moment, but ultimately didn't say it.
"And then?" Ji Luochi asked.
"And then? Then the drenched chicken safely returned home, watched several disaster movies in one go, watched until he was completely exhausted and lost track of day and night, and then fell asleep while watching. When he woke up, he was here."
"It's that simple?" Ji Luochi couldn't believe it. Aren't all dreams of demons and monsters usually heavy or serious?
"It's that simple, what more do you want! So, are you coming with me or not? If you don't, I won't die so easily."
The girl gripped the doorknob again, waiting for a response from the crowd.
"Let's go," Feng Mian said.
The girl grinned, pressed down on the handle, and pulled open the door, letting in a blinding white light.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
