He Stopped Being Human

"You are the protagonists of the story."

When Gudu said this, he didn't show any boasting or pride; he simply stated it plainly.

"The main character needs to have a personality, which is why the three of you are so unique."

"You mean, you created us?"

Trist found it somewhat amusing. He might only be a few years younger than Gudu, but he remembered everything he had experienced from childhood to adulthood very clearly, and it couldn't possibly be fabricated.

"You could say it is, or you could say it isn't."

Gudu shook his head.

"You're just sitting here."

Lu Ban couldn't help but make a comment.

Have you ever written a novel?

Gudu asked in return, and before the three could answer, he spoke up again on his own.

"If a character in a novel only has a name, then he is just a nameless passerby. To truly create a character with flesh and blood, you need to start from his birth, or even from the birth of his ancestors, and build his life trajectory bit by bit in order to create a memorable character."

"Otherwise, characters are merely tools of the story, like the priest upstairs or the passerby outside. The only difference is whether the author spent a few seconds casually assigning him a name from a neighbor or something he saw in the newspaper."

Upon hearing Gudu's words, Lu Ban actually nodded slightly.

"Indeed, that's how creators are. So sometimes some authors suffer from delusions, unable to distinguish between reality and illusion, and even exhibit symptoms of schizophrenia."

Trist and Xiya glanced at Lu Ban and subconsciously took a half step back.

"But there are limits to human capabilities."

Gudu was taken aback, perhaps not expecting Lu Ban to be so supportive, and then he continued.

"No matter how rich a person's imagination is or how much knowledge and experience they have accumulated, there are still limits to human beings."

"What exactly are you trying to say?"

Trist asked, sounding slightly impatient.

"He might be thinking, 'I'm not human anymore?'"

Lu Ban guessed.

"."

Gudu remained silent for a moment before speaking as if he hadn't heard Lu Ban's words.

"What I want to say is that no author can actually do this, and readers don't need to care that much. Just use some contrasts, plot twists, and the like to make a character a little special."

"To be honest, that's true."

Lu Ban nodded as if he understood something.

Thud—

The bronze door slammed shut once more, drawing everyone's attention.

What's behind this door?

Xiya asked curiously.

"Some of the less-than-ideal things are also the reason I'm here."

After a moment of silence, Gudu continued.

"Let's get back to the previous topic. Because humans have limitations, there are no perfect stories in the world, but some beings do not agree with this."

"To give a simple example, a celebrity's biography may contain some fabrications, but the celebrity who is the main character is a real person. Do you think the biographer created that person?"

Upon hearing this, Lu Ban shook his head.

"Those people must have been real. The person in the book is just one of their images. After all, biographies don't usually reveal a person's innermost thoughts."

"That's exactly right."

Gudu tapped on the table.

"So, there are some beings, some beings we cannot understand, who, in order to obtain the perfect story, have distorted these stories. Well, you should understand this term."

He hesitated for a moment before opening the desk drawer and taking out a harmonica.

The harmonica had ten holes and looked ordinary, but Lu Ban could sense at first glance that it possessed a certain extraordinary aura.

This is one of the Melody Fragment by Du Danping!

Gudu picked up the harmonica, looked at it intently, and then put it aside.

"This was left to me by a former friend. Although we were only friends for a few days, I will never forget those days, and they changed my life."

He seemed to be reminiscing, his face showing a mixture of loneliness and relief.

"In short, during that experience, I heard certain voices, came into contact with certain beings, and ultimately, I chose my current career."

Gudu sighed and pointed to the bronze gate.

"My friend tricked Him into the door, and at the same time, the melody woven by the harmonica put Him into a deep sleep, but the sleep was not deep and He could be awakened at any time."

"If He were to awaken, even the one in the Ruined City might not be able to save the entire city."

"You mean, an evil god is trapped inside?"

Lu Ban pressed for an answer.

"An evil god? You could say that. He doesn't really distinguish between good and evil. To him, humans are insignificant, just like you wouldn't care how many ants you step on while walking down the street. His very existence is enough to destroy civilization."

The Gudu gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"For Him, there is no essential difference between sleeping and waking up, but for humanity, it is always better to let Him sleep than to wake Him up. I am the gatekeeper responsible for keeping Him asleep."

"So you're here, uh, singing lullabies?"

Trist seemed to calm down a bit. He put down the pistol in his hand, and the bronze door made another banging sound, but it was now as faint as a cat scratching at the door.

"As I said, what He seeks is stories, so all you need to do is read Him some bedtime stories and He will be able to sleep peacefully. I don't have any special talents, it's just that sometimes stories inexplicably pop into my head. There's no loss in sitting here."

Gudu spoke calmly, as if he were facing not some indescribable evil god, but a mischievous child who had finally decided to go to sleep.

"At first, one story was enough for Him to enjoy for a long time, but later, the intervals became shorter and shorter. Now, I have to sit here to satisfy Him, which is what you see here now."

"But these stories seem to have come true. We were attacked by a mercenary who had seen ' Shadows of Terror,' and we encountered the monster from ' The Dog in the Painting ' at your villa. There were also spiders at the hotel just now. Your stories have had an impact on reality and have hurt many people."

Trist calmed down completely and said.

"I am very sorry about this. I have tried to write some heartwarming stories, but obviously, beings like Him do not like human love. His food is fear, and only frightening stories can bring Him Pleasure."

Gudu thought for a moment, then spoke again.

"Moreover, as I mentioned to you before, He desires a perfect story, and sleep cannot take away His authority. Even in dreams, this pursuit remains unchanged. Therefore, everything you have seen and experienced has come to be, and this is what I told you at the beginning."

"It's not that you're acting according to the story's plot, but rather that the story is chasing after you."