Lu Yuanming was now gripped by an intense sense of urgency.
Originally, he had been in a vegetative state. Then, by chance, he had crossed over to the Future 2028 Timeline, and later, after dying, he had ended up in this world of the dead.
Throughout all this, Lu Yuanming had felt a sense of urgency, but what he'd been eager for was to wake his Original Body. Once he'd secured a reliable source of White Light Particles, however, that urgency had faded considerably. He could now control his Original Body's arm, and as long as his soul continued to grow stronger, he would wake up eventually.
Meanwhile, here on This Side of the Dark Matter World, billions of people from the future were still falling down. He might become prey to various national powers because of his unusual nature, but they were all human, and he controlled the only source of crops. So as long as he had power of his own and was strong enough, he could expect to resolve his conflicts with those human factions.
It was like a country without nuclear weapons wanting to develop them: that would undermine world peace and disrupt the regional and global order. Yet countries that already had nuclear weapons were themselves pillars of world peace. It was the same principle.
So as his organization gradually grew—even if the influx of so many new recruits made it chaotic, and even if it differed greatly from the solidarity of working people he'd hoped for—it still greatly eased Lu Yuanming's urgency. Faced with the various problems within the organization, he had hoped to bring about change gradually, in a way that hurt as few people as possible, changing things by degrees. After all, there was still plenty of time.
But now, if humanity and human civilization had only three years left, everything was different.
He had to do something... and fast. Three years would pass in the blink of an eye.
But that brought another problem.
Lu Yuanming looked at the base, which was beginning to take shape, and at the many white and Black people wandering around inside it. For a while, he couldn't think of what to do next.
That was the most terrifying part.
He knew disaster was bound to strike and could see when it would arrive, yet he was helpless to do anything.
"...If all those scientists from the Material World came down, maybe I could discuss what to do next with them. But would it be rude to wish for other people to hurry up and die so they could come down?" Lu Yuanming fell into thought.
Meanwhile, in the Material World, someone really was considering how to die and descend.
A young man in his late twenties walked out of the workout area, drenched in sweat. He had just finished exercising, so his face was flushed. The red tinge also made his pallid skin, deprived of sunlight for so long, look a little better.
The New York Underground Secret Base, and Tang Zhean, who had died.
On the way from the workout area to the living quarters, Tang Zhean encountered at least ten patrol teams. Every patrol member was an armed soldier. Their purpose was less to protect the base than to monitor everyone inside it, including one another. If an order came down, they could kill anyone without hesitation—including each other...
Tang Zhean had known for years that he couldn't escape the base—not if he wanted to get out alive. From the moment he had been pronounced dead ten years ago, the US Government had never intended to let him appear in public again alive.
In the past, he would have been under the USA's control for the rest of his life. A lone individual was nothing compared to the might of the USA, as insignificant as an ant. They could make him live or die as they pleased. Once they had squeezed every last bit of value from him, letting him disappear without a trace would be the kindest thing they could do.
But things were different now. The Era of Great Change was about to begin, and he might have a chance to escape his confines. What's more, he had a head start!
When he returned to his dorm, Tang Zhean behaved exactly as he always had. After exercising, he went back to his room, put on his favorite music, drank a cup of strong tea, and rested for a while before taking a shower. Nothing about his routine seemed out of the ordinary.
Once inside the bathroom, Tang Zhean turned on the shower. Water roared through the room, but he didn't start washing. He stared at his reflection in the mirror. His expression was bizarre: one side of his face seemed to twist into a smile, while the other remained stern and expectant.
"Finally. After nearly a year and a half, I've finally managed to formally split my Mental Consciousness in two."
Tang Zhean murmured to his reflection, his voice drowned out by the shower.
He had half an hour. Ever since he'd begun planning his escape, he had deliberately lengthened his showers after every workout, gradually increasing them from less than ten minutes to a perfectly reasonable half hour.
"Making myself develop a split personality wasn't difficult. Being kept under house arrest for so long had left me in a poor mental state anyway. But an ordinary split personality wouldn't achieve what I wanted. I needed to split the 'me' called Tang Zhean completely into two people. Self-hypnosis alone couldn't do that. Fortunately, Dark Matter exists now—and my risky adventure back then wasn't for nothing."
Tang Zhean gazed at his reflection, focusing on the side with the twisted smile.
"Say something," Tang Zhean said quietly. "I know you can hear me. Today's the day I put my plan into action. You can have this body you've always wanted. Come on, say something."
Tang Zhean waited a few more seconds. Then his mouth spoke on its own.
"You're breaking my heart, Little Tang Tang. Are you really that eager to leave me?"
Tang Zhean's expression didn't change. "This is part of the plan, and it's the only way we can escape this cage. And lastly... that's right, you sick freak. I don't want to spend another second with you!"
"Little Tang Tang, that's a cruel thing to say. You know you created me. Besides, you'll still need me to anchor you to the Material World in the days ahead, won't you? So..." the other personality said.
"So what?!" Tang Zhean raised his voice, staring at the twisted expression in the mirror. "Don't give me that friendly act. You're not a split personality I created. You know damn well what you are. And giving you this body is your great opportunity. While people keep falling faster and faster, you'll have at least two years to make use of. Two years of time in the Material World should be enough for you to anchor yourself completely and recover from your madness, right? So cut the crap. You're probably ecstatic inside. Now answer my last question: how do I become a spirit?"
The other personality let out a sound that seemed at once tearful and delighted. "You're so heartless, Little Tang Tang. But that's all right. I'll forgive you. As for how to become a spirit... haven't you already figured it out?"
Tang Zhean considered this. "Climb the sequence step by step? Understood. I'll get ready to go down, then."
The other personality spoke again. "Little Tang Tang, since you've kept your promise, I'll give you one more piece of advice. The sequence you choose should align with your values and the path you want to follow. That's what people mean by compatibility. The better the match, the farther you can climb, and the greater your chance of becoming a spirit. Judging by the depth of human civilization, humanity should have room for five spirits. But the dimensional descent from top to bottom will cause enormous losses. By the end, there may be room for only four spirits—maybe three, or even two or one. Consider that my final gift to you, for what we've shared."
"...Thank you."
Tang Zhean pondered for several dozen seconds. At last, he made up his mind. "Then... I'm going down."
With that, Tang Zhean closed his eyes. A dozen seconds passed. When he opened them again, the reflection in the mirror was wearing a grotesque, feral grin.
The twisted grin held both pain and elation. He struggled to tone down the exaggerated expression, which looked less than human. Then he drew a deep breath and murmured, "How many years has it been? Tens of thousands? Hundreds of thousands? Millions? At last, at last, I can taste Order Matter again... About two years left? Let's see how much I can absorb. Ha, hahaha, hahahahaha..."
Meanwhile, Tang Zhean rolled to his feet. He looked around and realized he was lying in a dilapidated plaza, surrounded by shabby streets and buildings that resembled an abandoned battlefield.
"...I can still sense the Material World faintly. That'll keep me from going mad and losing my sense of order. Even if I do suffer a little madness and disorder, I can recover if I have enough time. It worked. Hahaha, it worked!!"
Tang Zhean laughed with delight. At last, he let himself relax completely. Still laughing, he fell back onto the ground and closed his eyes, taking it all in. Freedom. After ten years under house arrest, he had finally escaped his cage and won the freedom he'd wanted.
He closed his eyes and savored the moment, saying, "This is incredible. I've finally escaped the cage. USA... American Imperialism!! Just you wait. Once I become a spirit, I'll repay you for everything you've done to me over the past ten years!! Now, let me enjoy this free—"
Tang Zhean opened his eyes. Five white men stood nearby, watching him. All five wore matching military uniforms, and the man in front held a gun.
"?" Tang Zhean couldn't get another word out.
The five soldiers stared at him expressionlessly.
"...Let's go. Take me to the base." Tang Zhean sighed dejectedly. He stood up, lowered his head, and obediently followed them.
The soldiers, led by a man named Charlie Lucy, exchanged baffled looks with one another.
Why did this newcomer, who had just died in the Material World, already know they had a base?
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