Hu Jiu lingered for a long time in this fantastical place that resembled both a palace and a prison.
The palace was filled with chains, all of which faintly glowed red. These chains were there to seal the Brain in a Vat at the center of the palace.
In fact, it wasn't just the chains; the transparent glass tank itself, along with the fluid inside that was soaking the brain, were also binding that brain.
Together they weave beautiful dreams, plunging the consciousness in the brain into endless debauchery.
However, the power possessed by this brain was beyond imagination.
Finally, the boiling liquid in the transparent glass tank slowly subsided, and the red light of the chains binding the Brain in a Vat gradually faded.
The comfortable contractions of the frontal cortex of that brain seemed to stretch as if it had just woken up.
Hu Jiu finally heard the other person's voice again. "Are you there?"
Hu Jiu used Supernatural powers to draw an emoticon:( ´▽` )
Brain in a Vat: "???"
Hu Jiu complained, "We're communicating face-to-face, not chatting online. Is this kind of greeting appropriate?"
"I'm standing right here, and you ask me 'Are you there?' Why don't you just say 'How are you?' and I'll reply 'I'm fine, thank you'?"
Brain in a Vat: "I'm sorry, I haven't communicated with outsiders in a long time, and I don't have eyes, I can only perceive the outside world through Supernatural, your presence is too weak."
"I've always had a low profile," Hu Jiu casually lied.
This brain in front of me is really too bizarre. If he is the mysterious person hiding in the dark, he is in this immobile state, yet the power he leaks out makes the high-ranking officials of the Time Management Bureau play with him like dogs.
Such terror was overwhelming, Hu Jiu felt that no amount of caution was excessive; keeping a low profile was just a small tactic.
The Brain in a Vat seemed to sense Hu Jiu's thoughts and said bluntly, "You don't need to be so wary of me. Anyway, in my current state, I can't do anything to you."
"Really? I don't believe it." Hu Jiu retorted, "Weren't the higher-ups of the Time Management Bureau killed by you?"
Upon hearing the words "Time Management Bureau, "the Brain in a Vat seemed unable to control its emotions and immediately became agitated.
His excitement caused the liquid containing his brain in the transparent glass tank to boil again, and the chains binding the tank also lit up with a red light.
Countless dream bubbles enveloped his brain again, and he fell into a dream once more, remaining silent.
Hu Jiu stared intently at the Brain in a Vat, but couldn't tell whether it was deliberately feigning weakness to set a trap, or whether it was truly so unstable that it could be punished at the slightest mistake.
He waited a long time until the liquid in the transparent glass tank stopped boiling, the bubbles disappeared, and the chains stopped glowing.
The Brain in a Vat regained its ability to speak, and it communicated with Hu Jiu using its consciousness, its tone soft and gentle:
I'm so sorry...
He paused abruptly, remained silent for a moment, and then continued, "I have trouble distinguishing between reality and dreams. I've defeated the Time Management Bureau many times, only to be awakened by them again. They use my ability to restart time, and once they've used it up, they make me fall back into the beautiful dream of defeating them."
"Has the Time Management Bureau really lost? I'm so scared now. What if one day someone suddenly wakes me up again and tells me that all of this is just a dream?"
Perhaps because he hadn't spoken to outsiders for too long, his mind became a bit verbose and he had a strong urge to confide in others.
It's clear he's not in good mental health; he seems to have developed a mental illness due to a dream within a dream.
But then again, are any Ghost Tamers normal people?
"Don't worry, this time it's really different. The Time Management Bureau is truly finished," Hu Jiu said.
The Brain in a Vat gave a bitter smile, "I've heard that too many times. Maybe you're just a creation from my dream."
Hu Jiu bluntly retorted, "Proving the truth or falsehood of this world is the hardest and most boring thing."
Brain in a Vat: "You're right. When dreams combine with thoughts and cognition, what I think and feel becomes what I see and hear. Even the creations in my dreams have independent consciousness; they can think, and they can experience joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness. There won't be any loopholes at all."
"Even if I occasionally discover a loophole, the so-called 'loophole' I find is very likely just a part of a dream. I might think I've escaped the dream by exploiting the loophole, but in reality, I've entered a second dream."
"Stop! Stop!" Hu Jiu interrupted the Brain in a Vat's nonsense.
"I'm not here for a philosophical discussion; let's get down to business. First, can you tell me what you really are...?"
Hu Jiu didn't utter the word "things," after all, he was always kind and gentle, how could he be so rude?
The Brain in a Vat slowly said, "I am like you, Ghost Tamer, but my situation is very special. I was betrayed and turned into something like a Supernatural Item."
Hu Jiu: "This is too brief. Please provide more details."
The Brain in a Vat made a request. "I can tell you everything I know, but can you find a way to get me out first?"
"No, you tell me first, then I'll consider whether or not to let you go." Hu Jiu refused decisively.
"Release me first!" the Brain in a Vat insisted.
"Alright then." Hu Jiu shrugged helplessly.
Just when the Brain in a Vat thought it was about to regain its freedom, Hu Jiu turned around and left decisively, not forgetting to wave and say "bye-bye".
"Wait! Where are you going? Come back, come back! I'll tell you first, okay...?"
The Brain in a Vat cried out urgently, but it did nothing to stop Hu Jiu from leaving.
At this moment, the Brain in a Vat suddenly felt an incredibly real sense of reality.
A beautiful dream is a beautiful dream because everything in the dream goes extremely smoothly, as if divinely aided, and you get whatever you want.
In his dreams, no one could ever refuse him, not one!
But Hu Jiu was different; he turned around and left without giving anyone a chance to negotiate.
He's so special, so pure and genuine, completely different from those flashy, pretentious types I've encountered in my dreams before...
As the Brain in a Vat gradually became more active, the chains binding him began to glow red again. But this time, he resisted fiercely, determined not to give in to the dream, fearing that if he fell asleep, he would be trapped in multiple dreams and miss this chance to regain his freedom.
Hu Jiu, who had long since walked away, paid no attention to the bizarre psychological state of the Brain in a Vat.
A mind with limited mobility is actually putting on airs?
Hu Jiu wasn't particularly curious about the secrets of the past. Since that brain of his couldn't function, as long as it didn't affect him, what did it matter what thrilling stories it had in the past?
To be honest, Hu Jiu did covet the ability to Rollback time, but even though his brain couldn't function, it wasn't something to be trifled with.
Hu Jiu may be greedy, but there's no need for him to take risks. After all, he's already reached a considerable height. In this situation, he should first consolidate his position and then proceed steadily and cautiously...
To prevent himself from being mentally challenged, Hu Jiu was constantly refreshing his status, remaining on high alert every minute of every second.
Although the high-ranking officials of the Time Management Bureau had suffered a mental breakdown, they were also killed by a proxy, with Hu Jiu Beauty Goddess taking their place.
If the Brain in a Vat could reduce the intelligence of the Administration's higher-ups to the point where they would either kill each other or deliberately expose their weaknesses to be killed by the weak, that brain would have done so long ago. Why wait until now?
There shouldn't be a more powerful Ghost Tamer in the world than Hu Jiu, so even if he were to be accidentally affected and his IQ were lowered, he would only become stupid.
His power and his malice remain; when the time comes, someone who is stupid, vicious, and capable will most likely be the one who suffers.
Even if his IQ drops to zero, he stands still, abandoning all defenses, and most people couldn't kill him.
Even after leaving the palace Brain in a Vat, the outside world remained terrible, and the survivors' living conditions had even worsened.
Occasionally, flocks of strange, pitch-black birds fly across the sky; seeing them will kill you, hearing their voices will kill you, and touching them will kill you.
However, some people will deliberately approach these strange birds, hoping for a quick and painless death rather than further suffering.
Hu Jiu checked the progress of the "Supernatural Game." The people inside were really going to great lengths to survive, just like ordinary people.
However, those who are still alive in the "Supernatural Game" seem to be gradually losing their vitality, giving them a sense of being a living but dying Kapibala.
Hu Jiu thought about it carefully, then slapped his thigh in realization. "I forgot to set up rewards for them!"
That won't do.
When dealing with the exploited, we cannot leave them in despair for too long, because people instinctively resist and give up. So we must give them hope, keep them busy so they don't have time to think about anything else, reduce their resources, and curb their excessive desires. They should only need to think about how to survive and how to make a living each day.
This way, they can endure the pain for longer, experience more suffering, and bring Hu Jiu countless joys.
After figuring out the reward mechanism in the "Supernatural Game," Hu Jiu set off for the Capital, where he remembered digging a hole.
On the ruins left by the nuclear explosion, twisted steel bars and charred buildings were everywhere.
The heavy haze in the sky obscured the sun's rays, and the temperature dropped every day.
However, in this land near the Capital, a place that should be a no-man's-land, many small flowers have mysteriously grown.
Those flowers can not only take root in the soil, but also quietly bloom on carbonized corpses, in radiation-filled ruins, and even on deformed steel.
Each flower's petals shimmered with ominous seven colors, swaying gently in the breeze, their delicate beauty contrasting starkly with the surrounding ruins, as if drawing power from the depths of Hell.
Late that night, a small desk lamp emitted a faint light, illuminating Fu Youhua's pale and rough face, which was etched with exhaustion.
Although it was night and he hadn't rested all day, he still tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
Just then, he suddenly had a feeling that he was being watched!
Fu Youhua immediately stood up and looked around nervously. His current place was very small, and he could see the whole place at a glance.
Nothing unusual was found in the room, but a shadow seemed to flash past the window.
He strode to the window, only to see gusts of night wind blowing up a black garbage bag on the ground, its shadow falling perfectly onto the window.
It was a false alarm.
Fu Youhua smiled wryly, rubbed his forehead, and breathed a sigh of relief, "I scared myself..."
But when he sat back on the bed, the unease in his heart did not disappear; instead, it grew stronger.
He nervously looked around the room again, but everything seemed normal.
Fu Youhua closed his eyes, followed his intuition, and sensed the direction of the spying sensation, slowly moving in that direction.
A bead of cold sweat appeared on his forehead. One step, two steps, three steps... Finally, he stopped in front of the desk.
Besides important documents, there was a water glass, a pen holder, and a covered mirror on the desk.
Fu Youhua mustered his courage and reached out to turn over the mirror that was most likely to malfunction...
Then, he saw a sinister and terrifying face.
"Good evening," Hu Jiu greeted politely in the mirror.
"Ah!!" Fu Youhua screamed in shock, pointing at Hu Jiu and stammering incoherently.
Hu Jiu remained remarkably calm. "Vice Minister, if I say 'Good evening' to you, the only response you need to give me is to say 'Good evening' back to me as well. There's no need to shout things like 'Why did you come back again?' or 'Why are you in my mirror?'—those are all meaningless things."
Fu Youhua clutched his chest tightly, his expression indescribable, like Daiyu crying after taking medicine.
"You want to cause trouble for us again? Haven't you caused us enough trouble already? Do you have to kill all the survivors before you'll stop!"
"How could you so maliciously speculate about my motives? That's truly disheartening!" Hu Jiu feigned concern for a moment before getting straight to the point:
"How could the Capital have recovered? Did you do it with the 'Seven-Colored Flower'? Doesn't making a wish with this have any side effects?"
When it comes to the "Seven-Colored Flower," Fu Youhua has mixed feelings of love and hate. Back then, Hu Jiu didn't say that the "Seven-Colored Flower" would multiply on its own, which almost led to the complete annihilation of their group of survivors.
Fortunately, Fu Youhua reacted quickly and managed to exploit a minor bug.
Once the first wish takes effect, side effects follow. When these side effects accumulate to a certain extent, a second wish is made, and all the distortions, negative effects, and adverse influences brought about by the first wish are discarded from the outside world, leaving only the factors that are beneficial to humanity.
When the second wisher accumulates too many side effects, a third person takes over, and so on...
The so-called "outside world" refers to the ruins outside the Capital. Currently, the entire Capital is shrouded in Ghost Domain, which relies on the power of the "Seven-Colored Flower" to maintain its various operations. During the day, a false sun will rise, and at night there will be stars and a moon.
Now, Capital seems to have become a secret realm, completely isolated from the outside world of the nuclear war ruins.
Hu Jiu listened attentively to Fu Youhua's words, admiring his quick wit, while at the same time having a strange, inexplicable feeling—
This world died, and from its corpse a new little life rose, a new world in its embryonic form, only the size of a city...