novelraw Chapter 379: The entire world was an illusion
Chapter 379: The entire world was an illusion
Let’s rewind time a bit, to over two months ago.
Alexander stood on the raised platform of the research institute’s conference hall, with a massive screen behind him displaying the starry images of the Underworld River. He meticulously relayed the series of events, the military’s observations, and the research institute’s conjectures about the Underworld River.
The hall fell into a silence that lasted over ten minutes. After the silence, there was a wave of chaos and commotion; everyone seemed panicked.
"Is this for real? Is the end of the world coming? Are extraterrestrial beings attacking, and we’re all doomed?"
"Nonsense, this is the Federation’s premier military research institute, and that’s my idol, the Federation’s General, standing up there!"
"I don’t want to die! I’ve just become an official researcher, working on how to mitigate the negative impacts of the Metaverse on the Federation’s youth!"
The chatter was incessant. Those present, barring a few special cases, were the Federation’s top experts and scholars, leading figures in their respective fields.
Even these researchers, having stepped into the interstellar era, enjoyed significantly improved status and treatment in scientific research. Once they achieved results, the Federation guaranteed the distribution of benefits to the developers.
Therefore, apart from a few newbies in some teams, most were true super-rich. Such people naturally feared death more than others.
Moreover, the issue at hand was no longer just about life and death, but the survival of the entire Federation, the continuation of humanity.
Their family, friends, and children were all involved in this catastrophe, and these high-status individuals were keenly aware of the gravity of the situation.
"Shut up!" Suddenly, a loud shout came from the crowd. Ares, a sociological research expert, spoke up to quell the noise, his eyes fixed on Alexander:
"If Alexander has called us here, he must have a response strategy. But I really can’t fathom what role we, people from various industries, can play here. Please enlighten us."
In the room, Ares’ words brought clarity to almost everyone, as all eyes turned towards Alexander.
"I do have an idea in mind, but first, I need you all to answer a few questions. Mr. Miren, we’re old acquaintances. You’re a top expert in psychic energy research at the military research institute. If I want to collect all the psychic energy that the ten trillion military and civilian personnel of the Federation emit normally, what would need to be done? Is it difficult?"
"This is not difficult," Miren quickly stood up from his seat and responded, "The psychic energy collection device was developed during your time at the research institute. After several years of improvement, we’ve managed to store psychic energy for long periods and use it in basic applications.
It has been significantly beneficial in treating vegetative state patients and mental illnesses. Recently, we have been researching the enhancement of human psychic power, to increase the capacity for knowledge and consciousness transfer."
"The devices for collecting psychic energy have been miniaturized after several improvements. Everyone just needs to wear a helmet-like device, and it won’t interfere with normal life and work."
"Excellent!" Alexander praised, then turned his gaze to an elder in the room: "Can we manufacture enough psychic energy collection devices for all citizens of the Federation within ten days?"
After a brief discussion with Miren, the elder nodded, "If we modify some virtual helmet factories, it shouldn’t be difficult."
Alexander nodded and looked at a woman: "Professor Ruby, with the use of virtual reality technology, can we now create a world so realistic it’s indistinguishable from the real thing? I’m talking about a world, a real world, far larger than the Federation."
"It shouldn’t be a problem," Ruby nodded, "But achieving a level of realism that can deceive is challenging. The AI is limited and can’t completely mimic human behavior unless we remove the restrictions on AI, employing real AI. Otherwise, there will still be some flaws."
"That’s okay, we only need to deceive a few! Besides, ten trillion citizens of the Federation will also join in, acting as your NPCs," Alexander said.
"Then there’s no problem," Ruby agreed.
"Excellent!" Alexander nodded, his gaze sweeping over the crowd, finally revealing his purpose: "To everyone present, from various fields and industries, I need you to create a massive world in the coming period.
This world’s first requirement is to be enormous, larger than the entire Federation. Second, it needs to be incredibly realistic, so that ordinary people, even experts like yourselves, can’t tell the difference if unaware of the situation..."
Alexander laid out his requirements in one breath, then concluded: "We need to deceive the Underworld River, or rather, its symbiotic guardians, making them believe they’ve discovered a new world, one irresistibly tempting to them.
Not only do we need to buy enough time, but we also need to erode the forbidden gradually without raising their suspicion, to gain control over the forbidden."
As Alexander finished speaking, a discussion erupted below.
"What an ambitious plan! Creating such a world wouldn’t be too hard. The Metaverse is already humanity’s second world, and the realism in various virtual games is quite high. But how can we make the Underworld River unable to resist?"
"That’s easy. The Underworld River and the forbidden are symbiotic, but strictly speaking, the forbidden is just the indigestible waste of the Underworld River, even toxic. We can help it purify and make it believe it can obtain a continuous supply of psychic energy. I doubt it could refuse that."
"The more complex the method, the more likely flaws will appear. In my opinion, let’s create a hell where, after death, ghosts enter and cultivate. The process of cultivation and slaughter in hell would exude pure psychic energy."
"That won’t work! If the supply of psychic energy is too slow, it might as well digest on its own. I suggest we give it a complete system, like creating a system to purify psychic energy. We could hand the system over to the guardians, making them believe they are the invaders..."
Everyone pitched in with ideas, quickly constructing a framework.
...
Two and a half months later, as the doors of the research institute opened, all the Federation’s resources started to flow towards the Styx Project. The psychic energy collection devices for all citizens of the Federation were rapidly produced, and everyone donned the oddly shaped helmets.
Vast amounts of psychic energy were drawn and stored in temporary storage devices at the institute. Nine colossal metal devices were slowly constructed in space, while experts from various industries built a complete virtual world based on a supernatural game.
Horror World shimmered with water-like light and ripples, the scenes transitioned, returning to the previous starry sky scenario.
Alexander slightly lifted his hand, and the second chess piece slowly fell into place. With ripples spreading, Alexander, dressed in a military uniform, stood inside a space station and gently waved his hand, ordering, "Depart!"
Instantly, the massive gravity drive engines activated, and nine planetary-sized metal towers slowly moved towards space.
In the distant darkness of space, the vast Underworld River, like a sword, tore through the bright galaxy, surging from an unknown place.
Directly in front of the Underworld River, the nine towers halted at a crucial point along its path.
A faint white mist, seemingly originating from the same source as the forbidden surrounding the Underworld River, rose and intertwined, covering millions of miles.
This was the culmination of the Federation’s efforts, utilizing all resources and the collective will of ten trillion citizens over several years, representing the pinnacle of the Federation’s technology. It was capable of instantly pulling any consciousness that entered its vicinity into a virtual world.
The nine towers were strategically placed to ensnare the mindless beetles of the Underworld River directly into Horror World. The intention was to make the Underworld River, and more importantly, its guardians, believe they had entered a special psychic civilization.
"Alexander, all the preliminary preparations are complete. Now we only wait for..."
On a spaceship, Sofia hesitated before speaking up, "Master, let me go! According to our plan, the strength of everyone in the virtual world is artificial, but the most crucial chess piece must possess real, substantial psychic power to bear the forbidden and steal its authority.
Ordinary people cannot withstand such immense psychic and forbidden energy, which means once they enter Horror World, they can never leave. Moreover, our plan might not succeed, and in case of failure, the consequences are soul-shattering."
"Don’t be ridiculous! Although abandoning the physical body, this is an opportunity to become eternal, to possess endless life. You can’t compete with me for that," Alexander said with a laugh.
Sofia was at a loss for words. Indeed, entering Horror World meant a form of immortality in some sense. But if they could succeed once, they could do it again and again. Opportunities like this would not be scarce for them.
Furthermore, to construct a more realistic world, this so-called Horror World wasn’t created overnight but evolved on its own.
By accelerating thought processes, they achieved an effect where a day in the real world equaled a year in Horror World.
As the first to enter and initiate this world, Alexander had to endure the solitude of endless time.
"Enough of the long faces, we’ll see each other again! Besides, in the entire Federation, my mental endurance is the strongest, making me the most likely to succeed," Alexander said, ruffling Sofia’s hair. He stood up straight and gave his order, "From today, I enter Horror World. Sofia, you will command the Styx Project, and the Horror World team will be named Chess Players, assisting me in stealing the authority of the forbidden."
As he spoke, Alexander donned his flight suit and walked towards the launch window. Suddenly, a choked female voice called from behind, "My dear!"
"Isabella, how did you get here?" Alexander’s frame stiffened as he turned around, incredulous at the sight of her. He shot Sofia a fierce glare.
"Don’t look at me like that. Isabella knows you best, so we called her as a member of the auxiliary plan. She’s now one of the Chess Players too!" Sofia said, sticking out her tongue and quickly explaining.
"Don’t blame Sofia. I asked her to bring me here! What you’re doing is important, and I won’t stop you. I just want to know... can we still see each other afterward?" Isabella’s eyes were brimming with tears as she looked earnestly at Alexander.
"Of course. I’m just entering a virtual game, and it’s not like you can’t come in," Alexander reassured her with a forced smile.
"I will come to find you! We will meet again!" Isabella nodded firmly, her voice resolute.
"To prevent any accidents, everyone entering Horror World will have most of their memories temporarily sealed until the final battle. As the last hope, all my memories will be sealed, and some will even be fabricated!
So, the next time you see me there, I won’t remember you! Just don’t bully me then," Alexander joked, trying to lighten the mood.
Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, he gave Isabella and Sofia a peculiar look, "You two won’t get up to any mischief there, right?"
"Of course not!"
"Ha, you’re overthinking it!" they both responded.
...
The two women immediately started to laugh it off, with Sofia’s face turning red in embarrassment and Isabella winking at her, smiling.
Clearly, they had some sort of agreement, definitely related to Alexander, and it was something he wasn’t supposed to know about.
Alexander was curious about their plot, but he no longer had the time to inquire. Assuming they meant no harm, he decided to let it go. He stepped forward, kissed Isabella gently through the visor, and without looking back, entered the launch chamber.
Propelled by a powerful force, Alexander was catapulted into the mist formed by the nine towering structures.
The moment he entered the Mist World’s domain, his consciousness plunged into darkness. His body closed its eyes and began to float gently under the watch of the nine towers.
...
Outside the water curtain, White Clothes was utterly stunned. The scenes reflected in the water curtain were all imprinted in her eyes. Even though she couldn’t hear everyone’s words and only knew the outline of the plan, the truth dawned on her.
She finally understood why everyone acted as if they knew everything all along, why Lucy, the guardian she had chosen to transform, had inexplicably betrayed her.
The entire world was an illusion, all staged for her - a grand spectacle prepared just for her.