This Is Real

"Back to reality?"

Because of the Suit Man's sudden remark, Xiao Xiao felt as if a powerful earthquake had struck his mind.

The desires he thought he had long forgotten suddenly returned at this moment.

I once despaired after discovering the truth of this world, and even thought about defeating this huge monster and taking back the life I deserved. But now I suddenly realize that this seemingly unattainable goal is actually only one step away.

"Yes, Mr. Xiao."

At this moment, the Suit Man looked particularly serious. "We can cure you."

"This vast and mysterious corrupting force is indeed terrifying, but we are constantly battling it. We have developed many medicines to treat this illusion, and you still have a chance to return..."

"In the past, once captured by the Mother, we were completely helpless."

"But now, we have a new type of medicine that can help you right now..."

"Really, it's not just you. There are already many people in Black Gate City who were captured by the Mother long ago and are willing to accept this medicine for treatment. Perhaps you've heard of the organization codenamed Red Eyes Club? And Old Zhou Under the Bridge ... They're even more deeply involved than you, and they're all willing to believe that we can cure them. And you, don't you really want to try to cure yourself?"

"You're still young. Do you really want to be trapped in this enormous illusion and suffering forever?"

"..."

"I..."

Xiao Xiao seemed to have a hint of panic.

He subconsciously agreed with some of it, but at the same time, he also became extremely nervous.

My heartbeat began to slow down, and I was plunged into a deep mental storm, as if everything around me had drifted away from time.

Countless bizarre ideas flooded his mind.

He sometimes seemed to see hope, the normal life he had been longing for and yearning for for the past four years.

At other times, I felt wary, thinking that all those experiences were so real, how could they possibly be fake?

His mind raced, recalling everything the Suit Man had told him after their encounter.

I must admit that what he was saying was incredibly tempting to me.

Because I had already endured four years of painful torment and the feeling of not being able to distinguish between reality and illusion.

During those four years, I had already begun to lose confidence in myself...

It wasn't until that class reunion that I rediscovered my ability to understand the world.

But now, the Suit Man has overturned everything he had come to know over this period of time.

So, did I actually spend four years healing myself, or did I go through four years of torment and completely break down?

Am I really going crazy?

Everything I felt—the illogical monster and its abilities—was actually fake?

I haven't become a normal person again; I'm still imprisoned in the bedroom...

No, I can't think like that!

Time seemed to stand still, with only Xiao Xiao standing silently in place, as if entangled in a huge mystery.

During this long silence, the surroundings were oppressive.

The four men, each carrying a strange black gun, were trembling slightly, whether from tension or from maintaining the same high alert posture for too long. Yet, they dared not relax their guard in the slightest. The Suit Man had already lowered his raised hands. He could see the young woman next to Xiao Xiao, holding a child, trembling and trying to escape.

But he cast a cold, ruthless glance at her, ordering her not to do anything unnecessary.

The atmosphere in the entire underground parking lot seemed to freeze, and for some reason, no one came down.

It was as if the entire world consisted of only a few people in the arena.

Only the Suit Man tentatively, slowly and cautiously, approached Xiao Xiao little by little.

"Mr. Xiao, we are the Guardians of Reality."

"The power of the Matrix is indeed very strong. Bizarre illusions shrouded everyone's heads, bringing endless illogical and bizarre phenomena. Almost anyone facing the Matrix would feel despair. But even if it is powerful, does that mean we should not fight against it?"

"We cannot stand by and watch the real world be swallowed up by this distorted illusion, so we have been fighting against it."

"We have also been working hard to find solutions to the problem..."

"Moreover, we believe that we will eventually succeed."

"After all, we have already developed many effective countermeasures, and even new drugs, haven't we?"

"We believe that we can cure everyone and help this world get rid of the distortion of the Matrix..."

"We will bring this world back to its original truth."

"..."

As he spoke, he slowly took a step forward and whispered, "Would you like to come back?"

"While the mother's control over you hasn't deepened yet..."

"Get away from that crazy and illusory world, and return to the normal world you know?"

"..."

His low, heavy voice carried a hint of pressure, as if he truly wanted to persuade the person in front of him.

He could sense Xiao Xiao's emotional fluctuations.

A glimmer of hope arose in his heart. After all, this was just a newcomer. He had stayed indoors for four years after that incident. His experience was still shallow, and he hadn't been deeply influenced by those people. So, the explanation given to him now should be enough. As long as he could be persuaded and taken back, the situation in Black Gate City wouldn't deteriorate to an irreparable degree...

He calculated all these subtle emotional traces, and was only half a meter away from Xiao Xiao.

However, he didn't notice that Xiao Xiao's eyes were slightly unfocused at that moment, as if he had only paused for a few seconds.

Then he raised his head.

Then he saw the Suit Man, and silently took a step back.

This step indicates a refusal.

Dame.

The Suit Man was stunned and stared blankly at Xiao Xiao, wondering what he had done wrong.

This person was clearly on the verge of being convinced, and I could even sense his growing interest. But unexpectedly, just as I was about to press my advantage and persuade him, his expression suddenly changed, and he seemed to have instantly become calm...

"You..."

Xiao Xiao looked at the Suit Man and slowly said, "You said everything I experienced was just an illusion, all fake..."

"But..."

As he uttered those words, images of twisted and terrifying Rat-Man, suffocating Suffocation Puppet, and agonizing tendrils flashed through his mind. Then, he slowly uttered the most crucial question from the depths of his heart:

"But why is it that I can only feel reality within these illusions?"

"..."

"This..."

The Suit Man suddenly fell silent; he didn't understand what Xiao Xiao was talking about.

But when Xiao Xiao looked into his eyes, he suddenly felt a great sense of loss and desolation.

He didn't know why the Pain Hound hadn't been summoned, but the keenness brought by the Insightful Path remained.

He saw many things he disliked in the man's expression in the suit.

So he pondered for a moment, and slowly voiced his thoughts. "Why did you come to me?"

The Suit Man pursed his lips, momentarily stunned and unable to answer.

"You suddenly told me so much, it's making me start to doubt everything I've been through..."

Xiao Xiao spoke slowly, as if he were still pondering something as he spoke:

"Is it because for the past four years, I've been acting like I'm sick, constantly questioning the reality of this world?"

"You've seen my medical records, so you suddenly appeared in front of me and started saying all this nonsense?"

"You've said all this just so I'll admit I'm sick?"

"Making it hard for me to distinguish between truth and falsehood again?"

"..."

The Suit Man suddenly became wary and slowly took a step back. Xiao Xiao's reaction was different from what he had expected.

Moreover, the change was too sudden.

How can a person's emotions change so drastically in such a short period of time?

Or is his actual situation worse than everyone, including himself, imagined?

Seeing his astonishment, Xiao Xiao suddenly smiled and said, "I don't know how to refute you..."

"But I believe everything I perceive..."

"You've said all this just to prove that I was already sick, which is why Yang Jia targeted me..."

"But..."

His pupils seemed to contract slightly as he stared intently at the Suit Man: "I've always been normal..."

"I had a checkup four years ago, and the doctor told me that himself..."

"..."

"You..."

The Suit Man suddenly panicked, completely unprepared for Xiao Xiao's words, realizing that his efforts had been in vain.

Xiao Xiao narrowed his eyes and slowly retreated, but then suddenly remembered something.

He suddenly pointed the gun at the mother and child and pulled the trigger.

"Bang!" "Bang!" "Bang!"

A violent gunshot suddenly reverberated through the underground parking lot, sparks flew around the woman and child, and their screams of terror vibrated in our ears.

"You..."

The Suit Man was clearly startled by the way Xiao Xiao fired the gun.

At that moment, he didn't even dare to look at the woman and the child, fearing that he would see them riddled with bullets by Xiao Xiao. If that happened, it would mean that he would probably never come back. The four white-suited team members who were kneeling and holding their guns attentively watching Xiao Xiao also felt as if they were facing a formidable enemy when the gunshot rang out, and they held their guns tightly in their arms.

But they didn't fire. A faint blue light kept flashing from their earpieces, as if stern instructions were coming in.

Xiao Xiao carefully sensed their panic and screams, then closed his eyes as if savoring the taste of fine wine.

Then he opened his eyes, and a slight smile even appeared on his lips:

"Look..."

"I have felt the pain of those Aberrant Creature, so I know it is real."

"And now I feel joy..."

"This is also true..."