Shadow in the Cave

Wu Hen did not know if this body still belonged to him. It could no longer be described by pain or madness; it was a fission and intensification that transcended human sensation. At the same time, only one thought remained in his mind—this was absolutely not a virtual world; his senses were transcending reality!!

"Ughhh!!!!!!"

Wu Hen let out a roar. He tried to regain control of this body. Since his stiff, clenched right hand would not open, he would try to lower it!!

But from the act of lifting to the process of lowering, Wu Hen felt as if he were overcoming an infinite celestial force!

"Ughhh!!!!!"

Wu Hen roared again; he would reclaim his right hand!!

As his right hand moved downward, dense black lightning erupted from his entire body. Finally, Wu Hen felt his arm move. Maintaining that posture of gripping the sky, it was slowly lowering!

At the same time, high above in the firmament, the Death Sword-like substance being pulled by the Crimson Umbilical Stamen actually loosened!

It was as if the Death Sword-like substance were being pulled out from the abyss of the firmament. The surrounding space shattered, and the resulting white and black lightning transformed into a thunderstorm tsunami, colliding violently!

"Boom, boom, boom!!!!!!!!"

It was as if the sky had collapsed. The boundless rainforest and the gloomy, long sky revealed countless patterns, as if a massive digital empire were being invaded. The underlying world produced colorful code within the Heaven and Earth Screen!

The distant Demon River, the Divine Kingdom at the border, the Mirage City above the fog layer, and the Mirage Pavilion reflecting the sky mirror... none could be spared.

The roar of collapse swept through. Thousands of demons and monsters appeared in this desolate dust, but they dared not fly or burrow; they all trembled in place, or even knelt to the sky in a bizarre manner, like ancient people!

As the person involved, Wu Hen had no idea what was happening.

He only felt that he was pulling something out!

Finally, that thing was pulled out by him!

The next moment, a giant Death Sword-like object appeared in the trembling world. It crushed all the "code" in this sector, turning the area within a hundred miles of Jue Town into the Black Void!

In the end, the giant Death Sword-like object struck the razed Jue Town like a celestial meteor!

It stood there, like a black miracle.

Wu Hen stood at the edge of the cliff, looking at this incredible scene before him. But with just that one glance, Wu Hen felt a strong sense of annihilation wash over him, giving rise to an urge for his consciousness to willingly self-destruct, and making his dazed self realize how insignificant he was to have profaned some grand, celestial wonder!

Finally, Wu Hen's consciousness shattered.

No matter how magnificent or miraculous the scene ahead was, it all turned into pitch black.

Wu Hen collapsed limply, sprawling beneath the black miracle.

Licheng.

The early morning sky finally revealed a hint of azure, and a long-lost, translucent ray of light spilled over the city.

The city had very distinct districts.

One end was Silver City, composed of disc-shaped buildings with perfect curves. The exterior walls were entirely pure silver; not only were they aesthetically pleasing, but they were clearly incredibly sturdy.

The other end was different: an old, dilapidated district, cluttered and chaotic. The colors were messy, and the structures were mostly made of aging reinforced concrete, appearing as though they might collapse at any moment under the brutal climate.

"Wooooooo!!!!!!!!"

Suddenly, an alarm siren rang out across both the new and old cities.

In the past, this was a warning for mega-disasters. Whenever torrential rain, prolonged cold snaps, deadly heatwaves, or endless pollution struck, this alarm would sound!

After the alarm, a middle-aged man with white hair would usually appear to tell the whole world what the next catastrophe would be, how to prevent it, and urge everyone to minimize going outside.

The last warning had been about thunderstorms.

I hope it's not a flood...

In the basement room, a semi-conscious Wu Hen could hear the alarm.

He knew he had already "exited" that damn virtual world.

It was just that his body felt limp and his consciousness was hazy; he couldn't get up immediately.

Fortunately, his consciousness was gradually clearing, and his physical sensations were returning.

"Wooooooo!!!"

This time, the alarm sounded particularly long, as if everyone in the world, no matter their state, was required to listen to this bell that warned all of humanity!

Inside and outside the city, many people stopped what they were doing, their gazes fixed on the sky.

Sure enough, a massive holographic image appeared in the sky, resembling a gigantic cloud, visible to anyone regardless of where they were.

It was still the same middle-aged man with white hair. His face was stern, his eyes cold.

"Citizens, I am Li Feng. My heart is heavy right now, because we are forced to announce something to the entire population..." the white-haired man, Li Feng, said.

"Compared to the global climate disasters of the past, this catastrophe will likely overturn your understanding of reality!"

The street vendor making breakfast, the workers heading to their morning shifts, the students just stepping into school, the white-collar workers in office buildings... they all wore expressions of confusion.

"It has been joked before that the probability of our world being real is less than one in ten thousand."

"Now, on behalf of the world's top scientific community, I announce to everyone: the world we live in is indeed virtual!"

As soon as these words were spoken, the entire world was in an uproar!!!

Countless cities, countless citizens, countless organizations, and countless regions—including Licheng—fell into an unprecedented silence!

Fictional???

The world they lived in was fictional???

What an absolute joke!!

Such words were actually coming from the world's top scientific community!!!

"Absurd!! How absurd!! You scientists failed in your interstellar exploration, so you come up with such a ridiculous statement to cover it up!"

"It's not like this concept hasn't been proposed before, but the problem is, how do you prove it? Since there is no evidence, how can you release such a crazy statement and even announce it globally??"

"Hahahaha, it's too funny. They actually say we live in a virtual world, just like playing a game. If that's the case, why doesn't the player controlling me top up my account? I'm still just a corporate slave!"

"Exactly. Then what are our culture, our family bonds, our art, and our pursuit of fame and fortune even for???"

For a moment, every region was in a frenzy, and a massive wave of skepticism arose.

In the past, when global disasters were announced, everyone would listen carefully and follow the advice to take precautions.

But this time, it was too outrageous—so outrageous that more than half of the world's population found it too ridiculous and absurd!

"Since you say all of humanity lives in a virtual reality, then let me ask you, what is the real world like?" At this moment, some high-ranking national officials raised their questions.

In the sky, the projection of Li Feng, vast as a giant cloud, maintained his solemn expression.

Li Feng spoke:

"Based on our current limited exploration and understanding, over ninety percent of the global population would be completely unable to survive in the real world!"

"Apart from those who voluntarily commit themselves to real-world exploration, we have also used white lies to allow some quick-witted individuals to enter it. They are the ones who proactively applied to enter Otherworld Desolate Dust."

Otherworld Desolate Dust??

Otherworld Desolate Dust???

That Virtual Game????

This game had been on the market for some years now. Although it had always been mysterious, those who didn't participate had never paid it any mind.

"Chief Li, isn't Otherworld Desolate Dust a virtual game created by you all??" the national official asked.

"No, that is the real world."

"You mean to say that while you were exploring the virtual, you discovered this truth?" the national official said.

"Yes!" Li Feng said with absolute certainty.

"Can you elaborate?" the high-ranking government official asked.

"For a long time, we humans have acted as if we were the chosen race. We have never had natural predators, and we have long stood at the top of the food chain. However, I regret to inform you all..."

"When there is only one bird in a forest, it is safe to assume that the forest is fake and the bird was placed there by someone..."

"No matter how a fish swims, if it never encounters any of its own kind, it can only mean that this fish is being kept in a fishbowl..."

"Yes, we are the birds in the forest, the fish in the bowl."

"Originally, our World Organization did not want to shatter the collective dream of the global population. After all, why distinguish between virtual and reality when the soul can find peace? However, the Nuwa Divine Terminal that supports this collective dream is already scarred in reality. If we cannot find enough Yuan You to replenish it, our civilization will eventually collapse."

"Ladies and gentlemen, the day to face reality has finally come."

"We will be released back into the true wilderness, where the laws of survival are extremely cruel—the law of the jungle."

"We will be exiled into a surging, dark ocean, where we will witness a vast food chain that exists far above humanity!"

These words echoed over tens of thousands of cities across the globe!

Face reality!

What a way to face reality!

Never mind actually stepping into that grotesque and terrifying alternate dimension; just accepting this global catastrophe was enough to cause many people to have a mental breakdown!

How were they supposed to face this?

Unease, panic, despair, anger... these emotions permeated every major city, spreading throughout all of humanity!!

In the basement of a dilapidated public housing unit.

Wu Hen, who had already woken up, ripped off his alternate dimension helmet!

The global announcement coming from outside the building had reached Wu Hen's ears, every single word of it.

He rushed toward his home.

As soon as he arrived, a young girl with red, tear-filled eyes threw herself helplessly into Wu Hen's arms!

The girl could not speak; there was only the sound of her faint sobbing.

With trembling hands, she used sign language to communicate to Wu Hen: Brother, this isn't real, this isn't real. I must be dreaming!

Wu Hen stroked her small head, not knowing how to comfort her for a moment.

In fact, even without that global announcement just now, Wu Hen had already had a premonition.

Otherworld Desolate Dust—only by entering it would you understand that it was absolutely not virtual...

Yet, what Wu Hen had not expected was that the city he and his family lived in, the world they lived in, was actually virtual, simulated by something called the Nuwa Divine Terminal!

Humanity was nothing but fish in a tank!!

The moment he heard this news, Wu Hen did indeed feel a wave of intense dizziness and nausea; this shock had already triggered a strong physiological reaction!

However, as his younger sister Yu Yu threw herself into his arms, feeling her real warmth and real emotions, Wu Hen felt less stifled.

One had to know that when facing the desperate situation with the Symbiotic Ghost, it was precisely the belief in his family that had sustained his will to live.

Therefore, whether it was virtual or real, his most sincere emotions would always transcend all of this!

"No matter where our world is exiled to, brother will always be with you, and our family will always be together!" Wu Hen said earnestly.

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