A Perfect World / A Happy World

He raised his hand, pressed the doorknob of one of the doors, and then pushed the door open and went inside.

"Whoosh!"

The surrounding space changed again, and the environment quickly switched to a campus.

"Um... I... I like you!"

He was drawn by a shy yet excited voice beside him, and turned around to see a boy confessing his love to a bewildered girl.

"That person is the master of this world of consciousness. In reality, he is an unemployed man in his thirties with flies growing in his hair."

The Eighth Herrscher walked to his side and explained with great interest.

"But here, he still looks young and handsome, and he's able to confess to the girl he liked but missed out on before."

Chapter 120 A Perfect World

"I have, I have already..."

The boy wanted to confide in the girl in front of him, and all his sincerity would be responded to by her shy smile.

A life without setbacks, achieving the happiness one desires—it's practically like—

"Smack."

But a hand was placed on his shoulder and pulled him back, making him turn around in confusion to see a person wearing a helmet.

"That's enough," the helmeted man said coldly. "You should go to the real world and find the person you want."

Who... who are you?

The boy hurriedly shook off the stranger's hand and shielded the frightened girl behind him.

The helmeted man raised his finger, pointing it sharply at him. "This is nothing but your dream. This world, the girl behind you, and even yourself, are all just a dream you've created."

"My... dream?"

The boy looked at him in confusion, something in his mind was loosening, and he covered his head in discomfort, feeling that some memories were about to break free from the seal.

"Hmm—"

"Ah Song! Are you alright?" The girl anxiously helped him up.

The boy gritted his teeth, looked at the girl beside him, and tried to give her a reassuring smile, but his eyes widened in horror.

The girl's fair face flickered and distorted, unable to maintain its shape, and as the memories he had deliberately ignored returned to her mind, she became increasingly unstable.

"No... no..." He hurriedly reached out, but his hand passed right through the girl's body, and she vanished right before his eyes.

The helmeted man watched all this calmly. Waking someone from a dream is simple; just tell them it's all an illusion.

"Bang!"

His helmet was punched.

Lin stood there, watching the monitor show the boy's appearance rapidly changing. Ugliness, old age, and anger replaced his once handsome face, and the boy roared angrily as he slammed his fist into Lin's body.

"Bang!"

"Why did you wake me up! You scum! You shameless scoundrel!"

He screamed hoarsely as if he wanted to tear his throat out, his eyes bloodshot and red. He no longer looked like the shy and gentle young man from before, but a middle-aged man who was so decadent that he couldn't even be bothered to take care of his hair.

"Are you jealous that I'm doing better than you?! You bunch of scum are all the same!"

"... What you're pursuing here is just illusion, why don't you go into reality..."

"Fart!"

He roared with all his might.

This made Lin, who was calmly explaining, shut up, while the Eighth Herrscher, who was covering her mouth, giggled.

"I have nothing in reality! Everything I have has been taken away by people like you who spout lies and high-sounding principles! Can I have anything back in reality? My time, my wealth, and my lover!" The man grabbed Lin by the collar, lifted him up like a madman, and slammed him to the ground. "The real her loves me! That bitch who left me in reality is the fake one! That world is fake!"

"Tell me! Which world is real, the one where I wouldn't be surprised if I died any day, or this world where I can have anything? Which one is fake?!"

"..."

Lin didn't know, and he didn't understand either.

Seemingly having vented his anger, the man stood up from Lin and immediately smiled when he saw the Eighth Herrscher beside him, his aged face contorted into a grimace.

"I... I want to keep dreaming! Is that okay?"

"Of course." The Eighth Herrscher smiled tolerantly at him, her every gesture radiating warmth and kindness. "I promised you that I would let you live forever and allow you to freely construct your dreams in this world, and all you need to do is promise me that I will control your body in reality..."

"Whatever! As long as I can keep dreaming, nothing else matters!"

Lin lay on the ground, like a lifeless corpse, looking up at the hypocritical blue sky.

The man never looked at him again, and reverted to being that innocent, youthful, and passionate boy.

They exited through the door at some point and returned to the world of consciousness they had started in. The Eighth Herrscher patiently sat beside Lin, waiting for him to stand up again.

"You see, I didn't force them. It was their own choice." She leaned down and whispered in Lin's ear, "In reality, I've never killed anyone, right? Those people just came here and made a deal with me. If you hadn't tried to stop me, I wouldn't have fought back."

"Of course, I know that individual cases don't prove anything, so shall we continue?"

"This person's life may have surpassed that of 99% of the world's population. She was born beautiful, no less so than a big star. Born into a wealthy family, her privileged background and her ambition enabled her to earn six doctoral degrees. She was polite, dignified, and elegant. She was truly a 'pearl among rubble, a beauty with clear water in a silver basin.'"

The Eighth Herrscher led Su to a person's consciousness world. After her brief introduction, Su roughly knew what kind of being the master of this consciousness world was.

She has no shortage of money, power, or beauty; she is also knowledgeable and upright.

Such a person is the kind of person that others can only dream of. Logically speaking, she doesn't need to dream at all; she is the so-called "successful person."

But the truth, when presented to Su, took him by surprise.

What's happening here?

"Boom!"

Amidst the roar of cannons, the smoke of battle, and the flying of blood and flesh, what he saw was a shattered world filled with death.

"Here it is..."

"Wuhu~"

A man excitedly cheered as he drove a military off-road vehicle out of control past them, the swirling wind and pebbles hitting Sue's cheeks, leaving him staring blankly at the departing vehicle.

Above, there is a woman with a sweet appearance, but she is holding guns and rocket launchers, laughing wildly as she slaughters others.

"That is the master of this world of consciousness. Isn't that amazing? Even I would be surprised." The Eighth Herrscher pinched her chin with one hand, revealing a sinister smile. "The only dream she had after arriving here was to keep starting wars and then massacring people until she died."

A person with a happy life might dream of something so bloody and cruel... a bloody massacre.

"Bang!"

A splatter of hot blood landed on Su's face, causing his face to twitch.

"What's wrong with that? Her wish can't be fulfilled in reality, and you certainly don't want her to do such a thing, so why can't we just enjoy our dreams here without disturbing each other? For them, this is already real, and they will only wake up when the conditions they set for 'waking up' are met."

"It's so wonderful, a perfect world, a world that won't hurt anyone, a world where everyone can be happy."

"This kind of world..."

"Isn't this the happy ending you've been searching for?"

The Eighth Herrscher gently stroked Lin's cheek and said this.

Chapter 121 A Happy World

The girl who lost her loved ones sat in a warm and happy family home, eating a hot lunch and chatting about everyday life.

Lin stood by the window, silently watching all of this.

A middle-aged man, impoverished and whose company went bankrupt, sat in his former company, enjoying his daily cigar and casually stamping documents.

Lin sat on the sofa, listening silently to his conversation with his secretary.

The elderly man, now in his seventies, has regained his youthful vigor and travels everywhere with great agility. He looks forward to the journey ahead and the mountains he will soon climb.

Lin sat in her airplane seat, silently watching the smile on his face.

Why must we return to reality?

"Do you really have to ruin our happiness?"

"You scum of humanity! You only want humanity to continue to suffer!"

"You're the hypocrite!"

Accusations and insults were the things Lin received most when he tried to awaken these people.

Everyone was outraged by his actions. Some people even kindly helped wake the Eighth Herrscher they couldn't wake up, and then let them insult Lin at will.

Those words hit him like bullets in the shoulder, and he could only listen silently to their outburst.

"Splash!"

"Do you understand? Not everyone has the courage to face reality and the future like you. You are the anomaly among humans." The Eighth Herrscher walked to Lin, who had his head down. His helmet had disappeared at some point, revealing his handsome face underneath. His slightly long black hair clung to his face like stubborn mud.

"For those people, this is reality. The world revolves around them, and they are the protagonists of the world. All setbacks, hardships, and torments are just seasonings on the road to success."

"They don't even know that suffering is just suffering, and for them it is even more so, like a group of children who never grow up and can't recognize themselves."

"So for a group of children, isn't the best way to live their lives to give them a warm bed, interesting storybooks, and a sense of self that is never lacking in novelty?"

"This is a world where everyone is happy."

"Isn't this the happy ending you've been searching for?"

The Eighth Herrscher's fingers gently traced across Lin's face, as if afraid of damaging her work of art, and pity welled up in her eyes.

"But you're not wrong either, are you? You're such a gentle, kind, and compassionate person. Unlike them, they don't need to blame themselves for stopping, and you don't need to reflect on yourself for being braver than them."

"I have seen your memories. You have suffered more than those people, yet you still want to create a world where everyone can live and be happy."

"Hasn't this already happened in the world? I didn't force anyone; this was their will, this is..."

"The will of humanity."

Like a bullet, the Eighth Herrscher pierced through Lin's reasoning.

He fought for humanity, but since humanity chose this world, what reason does he have left to fight?

"Come on in too. Don't force yourself. I know you can't handle falsehoods, so I'll give you the 'truth,' how about that?"

"... What, is it true?" Lin croaked, feeling his throat burning.

"I will place the consciousness of your good friends into your world of consciousness, and that will be the reality for each other."

"Then let me take you to the next place."

"That is, the consciousness world of your friend, Hua."

Lin didn't know how he was led through another door by the Eighth Herrscher. He stared blankly at everything in front of him, this world... and these people.

"Captain Himiko, you can't drink anymore! You've been drinking since this morning!"

"You're so nagging, Hua! How will you ever get married with such a rigid personality!"

"I... I... what do you mean I can't get married...?"

A head of fiery red hair danced like flames as the mature woman, looking drunk, hooked her arm around the gray-haired girl's neck and forced her to drink despite the girl's objections.

"Captain, that's enough," another girl with long, inwardly dyed hair advised. "Besides, Captain, you don't seem to have the right to talk about Hua. Aren't you getting on in years..."

"What do you mean by 'getting old'!"

The sound was so loud it almost shattered my eardrums; this ancient sound seemed to have never left.

"Soul, of course you don't need to worry. Anyway, Lin won't run away, and no one will take her from you."

"W-what is it..." She lowered her head shyly. "Captain, don't talk nonsense."