"Judgment Knight Jigsaw? Is it some kind of superhero that appears again? Gotham... seems to be where Batman hangs out, right?"
Varric came home exhausted. As soon as he lay down, he was interrupted by the beep of his cell phone before he could take a sip of water.
Nowadays, rogue GGs and promotional text messages have not become too common, so the people of United States are still very "simple" and are worried that friends or customers will contact them. Although Varric was very exhausted today, he still checked his mobile phone.
However, it was not the text message he had imagined, but a GG message that popped up from an unknown software, with some unfamiliar terms written on it.
Superhero... this word finally aroused his remaining curiosity.
"Let's take a look."
Going to work and resting on the front line at two o'clock every day made Varric feel that he was almost reduced to a machine or a walking zombie. It was rare that a ray of curiosity and expectation arose in his heart. Varric didn't want to miss it, so he followed the GG pop-up window and clicked in.
After clicking, it automatically jumps to a forum.
Different from those forums that are very simple when viewed on a mobile phone, with basically only white frames and blue and black text, this forum that automatically jumps to is obviously much more beautiful, with many more pictures and patterns, which makes Varric more interested.
There are many posts in the forum, and every time it is refreshed, a large number of posts pop up, basically all of them are discussing around a character named "Jigsaw".
But what attracted his attention the most was the post pinned to the highest position <Judgment Knight--Jigsaw; Author: Arthur Jack man>
This story is adapted from the author's real experience...
He ignored the small line of inconspicuous words, glanced at it twice, and realized that it seemed to be a novel. Then he was bored and started reading quietly.
Originally he was just preparing to spend his free time with a critical eye, but he never thought that he would be addicted to this reading. He couldn't stop reading the only five chapters before he came back to his senses and let out a long sigh of satisfaction and sadness.
This is a long-lost feeling.
At the moment when he was immersed in these words, the troubles of life, the numb and ordinary life seemed to have left him. He was no longer an ordinary Varric, but turned into a superhero Jigsaw, punishing criminals, guiding people to redemption, and fighting wits and courage with all kinds of people...
"What a magnificent life..."
With a sigh of envy, the text stopped abruptly, and the boundary between reality and illusion became clear again and became indestructible - he was still the ordinary Varric.
Click on the reply column, Varric is ready to give some encouragement and encouragement to this rare and good work.
Unfortunately, this post seems to have been set up with restrictions that do not allow others to reply or leave messages. The long series of texts he typed had to be deleted bit by bit.
After exiting this post, he planned to read other people's discussions and comments, and also create a new post like them, leaving some feedback and encouragement for the author.
"Huh? Jigsaw's new secret room? Why are these plots different from what I saw? Has the author updated it again?"
Clicking on a post posted by an unknown ID, Varric was stunned for a moment after taking a look at the content, and then found the post updating the novel again with some excitement and anticipation.
However, there was no update, and there was still only the content he just watched.
Unwilling to give up, he could only guess whether the author had created other posts, and he clicked on every post in the forum without letting go.
But every time he read a post, his doubts only increased.
"Why are these people's messages so strange? They make it sound like Jigsaw is real. Isn't it because these people are so addicted that they can't tell the difference between fantasy and reality?"
Thinking of the feeling he had when reading just now, Varric couldn't help but feel a little more doubtful in his heart.
Finally, after clicking on a post by <Jigsaw and Jigsaw>, his doubts instantly dissipated and his original doubts were cleared.
"Jigsaw is the real superhero that exists in Gotham City?"
"The author who wrote this novel is actually a scumbag who came to his senses after being punished by Jigsaw?"
Varric looked shocked. Is Jigsaw in that novel actually true? Or was it written by someone who experienced it personally?
Isn't this really a special promotion method for a certain movie?
In a mood that he didn't know whether to be excited or panicked, he hurriedly rushed to his desk, turned on the computer, and entered the URL left in the post with trembling hands.
The videos are all recorded about Jigsaw, and a large part of them are the experiences of Arthur Jack man, the author of the novel in the forum.
After hesitating for a moment, Varric temporarily gave up on the ones with Arthur Jack Mann in the title, and clicked on the latest one based on the video's publication date.
When the video opens, what comes into view is exactly the same Jigsaw as described in the novel.
Puppet masks, a dark background, dim lights in front of the camera, and a weird atmosphere... the real scene is even far more creepy than what the author of the novel describes.
"Welcome to...Jigsaw Theater, I am the host of this show, you can call me--Jigsaw."
"First of all, because the recent Lost Lamb is special, the subsequent scenes may be a bit cruel and bloody. Children under the age of 18 and viewers with weak psychological endurance are asked to leave the show voluntarily."
Jigsaw used a joking tone, but the hoarse and low sound, even faintly like wood chips rubbing against each other, really made people unhappy, and instead made people feel chills down their spines.
"As usual, we first introduce the special guest of this show... Sheldon Louise!"
"Sheldon Louise is a successful businessman... at least he once was, and now, he is a weakling, a weakling who chose to escape and commit suicide after going bankrupt and in debt."
"The blow of bankruptcy and debt overwhelmed him. He wanted to escape from it all, leaving his wife, children and parents behind and jumped from a tall building... However, unfortunately, he was picked up by me."
"Next, I need to make him realize the value of life again and usher in new life and redemption..."
After the opening introduction ended, the scene also switched to a metal chamber, with a middle-aged man who was slightly fat but looked haggard.
The whole video is not very long, but as Jigsaw said at the beginning, it is very bloody.
This middle-aged man was equipped with various death mechanisms by Jigsaw, and the keys to unlocking these mechanisms were hidden in strong acid, in a box mixed with various poisonous insects, and even surgically implanted into the middle-aged man's stomach.
Kidnapping! Forcing others to harm themselves!
If it had been any other time, this heinous behavior would have horrified Varric, but when he thought that Jigsaw's true purpose was to guide people to achieve salvation, he still continued to read on his own with numbness and obsessive-compulsive disorder.
The middle-aged man has been begging, roaring, and hysterical. Faced with the keys that must be tortured and mutilated before he can obtain them, this man is so frightened that he dare not move at all, and he bursts into tears.
However, as the various mechanisms on his body approached the countdown to death little by little, and faced with the choice of death or injury, he finally moved.
My hand was put into the strong acid, and it was corroded in pain and pitted with pits. It was put into the box of poisonous insects, and my whole body was swollen after being bitten. I resisted the fear and pulled open the sutures on my stomach, and put my hand into my stomach...
This scene was simply shocking to everyone. In addition to nausea and fear, there was also endless despair as if facing an abyss.
"Wait a minute, didn't he... want to die? He obviously jumped from the roof..."
Varric couldn't bear to watch it anymore and was about to turn off the video, but a thought suddenly flashed through his mind and he was stunned.
This choice between death and self-torture is cruel, and the picture is very bloody, but why does Sheldon want to get the key?
He couldn't wait to die and had already jumped off the roof of the building. If he wanted to die, he could just lie on the ground and wait for Jigsaw's mechanism to kill him. Why did he have to suffer torture?
Sheldon seems to have completely forgotten this. Now he is only subconsciously working hard for the "living" that he had originally given up. He is even actively experiencing very painful torture just to stay alive.
"The desire to survive! Jigsaw is stimulating and strengthening his desire to survive in this way!"
Suddenly realizing this, Varric's eyes flashed with a bright color.
Although these punishments for obtaining the key are painful, they will not cause death, and the chance of even being disabled is not very high, but Sheldon's desire to survive has been completely aroused.
Would a person who could endure so much pain just to live easily commit suicide? In other words, would he still want to die?
Most people who commit suicide by jumping off a building are just impulsive. Once you close your eyes, there is no room for pain and regret.
But after experiencing the fear of being near death for a long time and the experience of enduring all kinds of difficulties and torture to survive, I'm afraid no one would be willing to commit suicide, right?
After that, as long as Sheldon survives, what will usher in is true redemption and rebirth!
"That's true."
With the excitement of "solving the puzzle", Varric skipped various torture processes and fast-forwarded the video to the end.
Sheldon's body was covered in scars, but the fatal mechanism on his body had been taken off. He was facing a door with bright sunshine, and his eyes were filled with the luck and ecstasy of surviving a life-and-death crisis.
"Congratulations, you successfully cleared Jigsaw Chamber. It seems that you are not as eager to die as you thought."
"You are not even afraid of death. Why should you be afraid of poverty and debt? The worst outcome is death..."
"I hope you can remember today's experience and welcome your new life."
Jigsaw concluded in a low and hoarse voice.
Sheldon, who was still immersed in the joy and excitement of successfully escaping, was startled when he heard this, and stood sluggishly at the door of the secret room, without moving for a long time.
"I thank you for your salvation, but I also curse you, the devil!"
Sheldon grinned with difficulty, turned his back to the secret room door, raised his middle finger to the sky, and then burst out of the secret room door laughing.
The laughter was loud and contained very complex emotions.
Even Varric, who is not good at observing words and expressions, could hear in it the joy of surviving a disaster, the determination and courage to face any difficulties, and the indifference and revenge-like pleasure of experiencing life and death.
The picture also freezes, and the video, which is not too long, ends completely.
"I wonder if Jigsaw accepts independent registration?"
Varric stared at the computer for a long time, and an idea came to his mind that even he felt like he was going crazy.
But since the thought came out, I couldn't control it at all.
He is a Office Worker, an extremely ordinary Office Worker.
Since childhood, I have lived my life obediently according to the trajectory planned by my parents and teachers, and been a nerd.
After graduation, I will live according to the fate of "most" people and become a screw in the big machine of human society.
Going to work and going home are always two points and one line, there are no entertainment activities, and dreams and edges have long been completely obliterated by reality.
From some unknown time, he felt that he was dead and had become a cold robot. He lived numbly every day, like a zombie, with no goals, no passion, no expectations, and was tightly tied to the machine of human society day after day.
This is the normal life for most people now, but... this is not the life he wants.
Everyone wants to live a colorful life, but reality doesn't have as many ups and downs as in movies. Removing various invisible shackles from the body can only be imagined in the mind.
Maybe when you are awake late at night, you will feel lost and make up your mind again and again, but the next day you still have to act as that numb screw in order to survive, for your wife, children, and parents.
Jigsaw might be able to change that!
Not to help him make up his mind to break free from his shackles, but to help him regain his passion for this numb life.
To put it bluntly, the so-called boring and numbness nowadays is actually just because of being too idle. Those ancestors who lived in the ancient society would have tried their best to have a full meal. A piece of white bread would be happy and satisfied for a long time.
He understands these principles very well, and has read countless books on Mind Stone Chicken Soup, but no matter how simple and straightforward the principles are, the words and understanding are completely different.
Just like reading an autobiography of a person's tragic experience and becoming that person in person, the former is just a worthless story, and may even be viewed with contempt and gloating from a God's perspective. Only the latter can personally experience the suffering and changes in mentality and belief.
And Jigsaw... can make him realize the value of life.
What is the meaning of living?
No, there is no need for meaning in life. Being able to survive is the greatest meaning.
"Damn it, I must be crazy. If I survive, I will definitely curse you, the devil."