The So-Called "Ordinary World"

Time passed silently, and it was already ten o'clock at night.

The rain outside was falling harder and harder, tapping against the window with a soft, pattering sound.

When Bai Zhi returned to room 8602, the air conditioner was turned on and the Curtain were drawn, shutting out the heavy rain outside.

"The world itself is polluted and is relentlessly sliding into the deepest darkness; the later it emerges, the more dangerous it becomes."

Her braids came undone, and her long, black Black Silk cascaded down her back. Facing Bai Zhi's question, the Girl spoke calmly.

"The outside world is deteriorating relentlessly; only here in the hotel can be considered a temporary safe haven."

"So that's why you went out of your way to leave the hotel and go remind them?"

Sitting on the bed, Fireworks of Romance curled her lip.

"If they believed us, they would have left already. Why are they still wandering around in there aimlessly?"

The Girl had absolutely no intention of paying him any attention.

"... Dorae-Black&White-mon, can you help us analyze the current situation?"

Her lips twitched slightly. Recalling the Fireworks of Romance the other person had created, she turned her head and saw Bai Zhi sitting on the bed on the other side.

"There's something wrong with the Panties."

After thinking for a moment, Bai Zhi replied.

Because he was covered in blood, the Panties went to take a shower. Considering that he might be carrying some kind of mutated element, he voluntarily moved to his room while holding onto the wall... Player attributes Superman generally have astonishing recovery abilities.

He had both Room Card for room 8601 in his hands, so he wasn't worried about some Old Otaku returning, or rather, Bai Zhi was hoping the other person would come back.

The four players, Fireworks of Romance and her companions, showed no intention of returning to their own rooms. Instead, they huddled together on another bed, bringing the four Player together in Room 8602.

"There is definitely a problem. After all, having so many eyes on its body is indeed a sign of being assimilated by this world."

With his arms folded, Fireworks of Romance nodded solemnly.

"It seems we need to be more careful from now on..."

"Didn't you notice? There was a loophole in what he said earlier."

Rolling his eyes, Bai Zhi interrupted the other person.

"I suspect that they have both been assimilated by this polluted world, but Li Changyu has been assimilated to a lesser degree... It's probably inevitable that as long as Player exist in this world, they will be assimilated."

"Vulnerability? What vulnerability?"

Chang Xi put down the Hotel Guide in her hand and asked with a hint of curiosity.

"It sounds like everything's fine to me?"

"He previously said that Li Changyu had basically never spoken a word to him, right?"

Bai Zhi glanced at the house next door and pursed his lips.

"Yes, is there a problem?"

Chang Xi looked completely bewildered.

"If that's the case, how did he know that the real dream world is a Closed Loop?"

"Well..."

"If we consider the degree of physical mutated as the degree of assimilation by the world, then it's clear that his degree of assimilation is significantly higher than Li Changyu's."

Lying on the folded blankets with one hand behind his head, Bai Zhi calmly spoke as he pondered in his mind.

"So far, I haven't figured out the exact scope of the world's influence on them, nor have I figured out their true purpose in being assimilated. I still need to get more information from him and the _book_... So be careful, don't give yourself away."

"That's right, so we should treat them as Fallen Player."

Fireworks of Romance nodded very seriously.

"I didn't expect you to see through the flaw so quickly. As expected... Why are you looking at me like that? Did I say something wrong?"

"... nothing."

With a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth, Bai Zhi sat up from the bed.

"Let me summarize. This world is on the verge of destruction, and the common sense and logic of the people living in it have been distorted, but they themselves are completely unaware... wait, maybe not completely unaware, but rather that the minds of the people in this world are actually living in True Dream World."

As if suddenly remembering something, Bai Zhi snapped his fingers.

"The humans in this world exist spiritually within True Dream World, but the physical bodies they control operate in the Real World... I probably don't need to elaborate on just how real this so-called True Dream World is, do I?"

"Hmm... the Brain in a Vat theory?"

After thinking for a moment, Chang Xi made a figure-eight gesture with her hands.

"The two are completely different... It's conceivable that this is a sudden catastrophe that has befallen the entire world. However, this catastrophe has little impact on the common of this world; they continue to live in their own Ordinary World. But for the Player of this world, the constantly declining Sanity Value remind them of the anomaly of the world, and at the same time, they are being brought to the brink of destruction."

Bai Zhi glanced at Chang Xi and continued speaking.

"Common in this world live in what they perceive as Ordinary World, but in reality, it has been mutated to a severe degree. A nameless terror is silently and gradually eroding this world..."

Thinking of Noah's Ark, from which they couldn't even escape, Bai Zhi narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Perhaps in the beginning, everyone in this world, along with the -book, was drawn into a real dream, and even the world itself was deceived. At first, the Player inside might not have lost their Sanity. The inner world, like the outer world, was slowly corrupted and eroded, like a frog being slowly boiled in water. By the time the Players realized what was happening, it was too late, and the world itself was on the verge of destruction... And just like that, the world was completely beyond saving."

"So you found out again...?"

With a deflated expression, hands on her hands on her lap and muttered a soft "Fireworks of Romance" to herself.

Comparing yourself to others will only make you miserable.

So, in such a short time... they've already deduced the causes and consequences of the World Destruction? They've even figured out why Player in this world were wiped out?

... It's only been three days, it's just the beginning!!

"To put it another way, the common in this world live their spiritual lives in a real dream world, but they are also unseen and manipulate their physical lives outside. Because the outside world itself is already quite polluted, with order and chaos intertwined, it has formed the absurd world we see now."

Ignoring the rambling of someone, Bai Zhi spread out his hands and the book, summarizing what he had said earlier.

"What we see as currency—eyeballs, fingers, teeth, and the like—is just normal currency to common living in the world of real dreams. Physical mutations? To common, there are no mutations at all. No matter how their external bodies change, it won't affect their lives in the real dream world... Do you understand now?"

"Hmm... I don't understand at all."

After thinking for a moment, Chang Xi shook her head decisively.

"What exactly were you talking about? The world context?"

"Is it not part of the global context, or what?"

Rolling his eyes, Bai Zhi lay back down on the bed.

"The two Player came out before us were physically mutated for some unknown reason, and their minds were probably also somewhat twisted and affected. We can't simply regard them as Fallen Player; it's more like they were under Curse."

"What about the others? How can one avoid the danger of their body being mutated in this world?"

With a hint of dissatisfaction at being ignored, Fireworks of Romance and Romance spoke up.

"And what about Panties and anime culture? Are we just going to leave them alone?"

"Without any clues, how am I supposed to deduce anything?"

With a slight pout, Bai Zhi placed the back of his hand on his forehead and gave a lazy reply.

"Just adapt to the situation. Anyway, it's only three days, and we haven't even finished the first day yet, so what's the rush?"

Fireworks of Romance: "..."

Depending on when they leave the Closed Loop, the tasks they receive will vary slightly, for example, the survival time option will differ.

--They survived for three days, while Panties, according to himself, survived for four days.