As If a Lifetime Had Passed (Part 1)

What Chu Xuan said was the third thing, and it was more shocking than the first two combined. Everyone stared at him in a daze, their eyes burning with unspoken eagerness. It made sense. After enduring such terrifying brushes with death, no matter how disappointed they were with the real world, everyone longed to return to it rather than keep suffering in this endless nightmare.

Zheng Zha looked at Chu Xuan in confusion. "You're always plotting something. I really have to wonder if you're up to another scheme... Tell us, then. How do we get back to the real world?"

Chu Xuan smiled faintly. "I'm not asking you to do anything. Whether you return to the real world is entirely up to you... Zhang Jie, you probably haven't taken a close look at the details of the life-span exchange. I checked yesterday and discovered that we can exchange not only for more days in the horror-movie worlds we've experienced, but also for time in the real world."

Zhang Jie snorted. "Do you really need to tell us that? Anyone can go back if they have fifty thousand Reward Points. Do you think we have fifty thousand Reward Points? You can't mess with people like that."

Chu Xuan glanced at him. "Did I say we could return permanently? When I checked the ordinary life-span exchange, I noticed a record function. It listed A Nightmare on Elm Street 1, Scream 2, Final Destination 1, Resident Evil 1, and Alien One. Besides those five horror-movie worlds, there was another one in the record: the real world!"

When Zhang Jie heard those titles, his face instantly turned deathly pale. "Damn, I've been through all of those horror movies. How could they be recorded? What about the earlier records?"

Chu Xuan shook his head. "There are no earlier records. They were probably deleted by the Main God. After all, you're the only one among us who survived five horror movies, so the records were probably yours. That's not the important part. The important thing is that we can unlock the horror-movie worlds in the record, as well as the real world. Once unlocked, we can enter any of those worlds at will, including the real world. That's the third thing I wanted to tell you!"

"One D-Class Side Story can unlock one previously recorded horror-movie world. But exchanging for days in an unlocked horror-movie world costs five times as many Reward Points: a staggering fifty Reward Points for one day. In other words, briefly returning to the real world requires two things: one D-Class Side Story and a large number of Reward Points. Neither is optional."

Everyone fell silent. Zhang Jie had already told them how precious Side Stories were. If Zheng Zha hadn't gained Internal Force and a mutated vampire bloodline, he wouldn't have survived Alien One. Side Stories were literally a matter of life and death. Who would dare use one carelessly? Besides, this required not only a D-Class Side Story but also a large number of Reward Points. For them, that was an extravagant price to pay just to spend a few days back in the real world. It hardly seemed worth it.

Seeing that everyone had fallen silent, Chu Xuan shook his head. "I'm not suggesting that you waste your Reward Points and Side Stories. In fact, it's extremely urgent that at least one of us return to the real world, even if only briefly. I don't know if any of you have considered what this space might be, but I have two theories. The first is that our minds entered this world while our bodies remained in front of our computers. The second is that both our minds and bodies entered this space. You've probably also heard from the women you know that no matter how much time passes in a horror movie, we return here after one day and one night... or die. In other words, the Main God can control the flow of time across different spaces. That's truly..."

"Truly godlike!" After thinking for a while, Chu Xuan settled on that description. He murmured, "Perhaps you don't think it matters, but the ability to control time and space, create independent worlds, and bring living creatures into existence... I can only describe that as godlike. That's the important thing I wanted to tell you. If only our minds entered this world, then all these enhancements would be illusions. This world would be like a virtual network, which would neatly explain why so many nearly impossible things can happen here. Our bodies might also be left in a vegetative state after we enter this world. If we don't return to the real world soon to check, someone who doesn't know what's happening could destroy them."

"Of course, if our bodies entered this world along with our minds... then this is truly the world of a god. I can imagine even the most absurd things. And if that's the case, those legendary physical enhancements... They're simply countless possibilities for human evolution—limitless possibilities! If we can just survive, then one day we might become real gods!"

Zheng Zha rubbed his head. "Becoming gods is getting a bit ahead of ourselves. I think I understand what you mean. If our bodies entered this world along with our minds, then we don't need to worry about anything on the other side before returning to the real world. We just need to focus on surviving here. But if only our minds entered this world, then nothing here can be brought back to the real world, and our bodies could be destroyed. Is that what you mean?"

Chu Xuan snapped his fingers. "Exactly. So my suggestion is that we choose one person to return to the real world, even if only for a single day. The key is to verify whether it's just our minds that enter this world, or whether our minds and bodies enter together. That's what matters most to our safety. What do you think?"

Zheng Zha exchanged glances with the others. They all agreed with Chu Xuan. Zheng Zha sighed. "I don't have any reason or proof, but I still feel like there's more to what you're saying. It's as if there's some scheme waiting for us to jump into... No, I guess it's an open scheme. You always lay everything out plainly, leaving us no choice but to go along with you. So you think I should return to the real world, then?"

Chu Xuan nodded faintly. Zhang Jie protested, "Hey, Chu Xuan, why should Zheng Zha have to pay for it? If it weren't for him, we'd all be dead. Zheng Zha, how many Reward Points did you spend repairing your body? We can't let you take the loss alone. How about we pool our points and exchange some equipment for you to make up for what you spent on the repairs?"

Zheng Zha smiled at Zhang Jie. "That won't be necessary. I got three thousand Reward Points for killing the Alien Queen, so I still have plenty left after paying for the repairs... As for why I should be the one to go back, I'm the only one among us who's enhanced with Internal Force and a mutated vampire bloodline. My return will also show whether the abilities we have here can be brought back. Besides, compared to the rest of you, I need Side Stories the least. I'm not as desperate to use one as you are, since you need them to enhance your attributes. So if someone really has to return to the real world, it should be me."

After that, things were fairly simple. Once they decided that someone really should return to the real world, Zhang Jie suggested that they pool their resources to equip Zheng Zha with a standard set of gear. He would have to pay for the more expensive items himself, but they still managed to get him a new Bulletproof vest, a pair of shoes that softened the impact of landing, a compact, modern Submachine gun, and a High-vibration particle cutting dagger.

Everyone exchanged one piece of equipment for him, but the dagger was the most expensive, costing more than six hundred Reward Points. It was a near-futuristic weapon, high-tech equipment that hadn't even been researched or manufactured in the real world yet. To Zheng Zha's surprise, Chu Xuan had exchanged for the most expensive weapon. That only deepened his suspicions. He became even more convinced that Chu Xuan had some scheme in mind, though he hadn't revealed it yet.

That evening, everyone gathered for dinner at Zhang Jie's house. They had all kinds of rare ingredients, and the classical beauty's cooking was even better than a professional chef's. Everyone ate like ravenous fools, even the usually aloof Chu Xuan. In fact, he was among the most ferocious eaters there.

After dinner, everyone suggested meeting in the plaza at ten the next morning to see Zheng Zha off on his return to the real world... Even a brief return was an almost unattainable hope for those living through horror. Compared to terror, an ordinary life was paradise.

The night passed without incident. The only sounds in the house were moans...

At ten the next morning, everyone stood silently in the plaza, facing one another. Zheng Zha had his eyes closed as he contacted the Main God about something. A moment later, he held up his left hand and looked at his Storage Ring. The others were puzzled, but Chu Xuan asked calmly, "Did you exchange for something to put in your Storage Ring?"

"Mm. I exchanged for one cubic meter of platinum." Zheng Zha smiled helplessly. "My family isn't wealthy. My parents live on their pensions, which are just enough to get by. I thought I might as well try. If I can bring these things back to the real world, at least I can leave my parents some money for their retirement. And Loli's parents spent a lot of money treating her illness. Their finances haven't been great ever since... Since I have to try anyway, if I can give our families some security, I'll be able to focus on struggling through the horror movies."

Loli stood obediently beside Zheng Zha. When she heard about her parents' situation, her eyes immediately reddened. Zhan Lan was quick to notice. She took out a handkerchief and gently offered it to Loli, who gave her a grateful smile.

Zheng Zha smiled bitterly and took Loli's hand. He carefully checked the things he needed to bring: the Submachine gun and ammunition, the dagger, the bulletproof vest, and some leftover blood-clotting medicine and bandages. He had put them all in his Storage Ring, along with one cubic meter of platinum. The ring was nearly full. He wore the cushioned shoes on his feet. He had brought pretty much everything he could. Now he only needed to find out whether the things here could be taken back to the real world... Loli included.

That was another important reason he had agreed to go back: to confirm whether Loli could return to the real world, or whether she was merely an illusion created by the Main God. Dreams were wonderful, but they always ended. Rather than grow attached only to be heartbroken later, he wanted to know the truth once and for all. He needed to know whether any of this was an illusion!

"Then... let's go!"

Zheng Zha exchanged for thirty days in the real world, which cost him 1,500 Reward Points. He'd had 4,170 Reward Points, so after spending those 1,500, he had 2,670 left. He'd previously spent 10 Reward Points on a cubic meter of platinum. Then he increased his Nerve Reaction Speed and Muscle Strength by one hundred points each, leaving him with 660 Reward Points.

Before that, his attributes had been: Intelligence 187, Mental Power 232, Cell Vitality 321, Nerve Reaction Speed 287, Muscle Strength 302, and Immune Strength 331. After the enhancements, his Nerve Reaction Speed and Muscle Strength had risen to 387 and 402. Put simply, those two attributes were now four times higher than an ordinary person's.

That aside, Zheng Zha held Loli's little hand tightly, almost unable to control his strength. He closed his eyes and contacted the Main God. After enhancing his physical abilities, he finally chose to return to the real world. The duration was thirty days!

Zheng Zha saw a flash before his eyes, and his whole body slipped into a half-awake state. He didn't know how long it lasted. Perhaps it was the blink of an eye; perhaps it was a long time. When he came to, he was standing in a modest-sized office. This was where he worked in the real world, and beside him...

Loli's eyes were misty with tears, but she was smiling brightly. Their hands were still clasped tightly together, never having parted for even an instant.