One Hundred Seventy Days on the Countdown and Signs of Nightmare

(PS: The protagonist's awakening time has been adjusted.)

Wu Pifu ate as he silently calculated how much time he had left.

He had awakened aboard the Gaia one hundred and fifty-six days ago. Because of his unforgettable experiences in the dream world, he remembered it very clearly.

But he had not only been awake for those one hundred and fifty-six days. Before that, he had been revived in the shattered Solar System. There had been a recovery period afterward, followed by people sent by the Unified Human Government to speak with him, explain the situation, and discuss the maintainer contract and such. Altogether, that had probably taken another twenty or thirty days. But he had been muddleheaded during that time and could not remember it clearly, so he did not know the exact number of days.

If he calculated more conservatively, he estimated that he had only around one hundred and seventy to one hundred and eighty days left to live... Let's call it one hundred and seventy days. This sudden madness and death surely would not wait until the three-hundred-and-sixty-fifth day before abruptly killing him. He might go mad before then. So, to be cautious, he had only around one hundred and seventy days left.

(That's right. There were signs before this. During the "weekend," my condition was obviously much more dangerous than the other seniors'. Then there was practicing the Tiger Demon Art. Sometimes, I felt a great terror in the void, something indescribable...)

Wu Pifu's expression grew increasingly grim, but he still kept eating as much as he could. He had to fill his stomach first. Meeting any sudden situation in the best possible condition was an ironclad rule in the dream world.

(...I still have a chance!)

Wu Pifu kept thinking of ways to save himself as he ate.

He had no energy to worry over whether he was truly Wu Pifu anymore. Since he possessed all the memories of Wu Pifu's personality and had his own self-awareness, then he was Wu Pifu himself.

With only one hundred and seventy days left on his life countdown, there would naturally have been no solution before the dream world appeared. He would definitely have died. According to what those two had said, whether humanity during the Third War or humanity during the Fourth War, they must have conducted countless experiments and long proven that future people like him were doomed to die. That proved technology could not save him.

But the dream world could!

The dream world possessed supernatural powers beyond technology, such as his martial arts. And this was only the power of a baseline reality 0.9 world. In deeper dream worlds, that power might be even more astonishing.

This time, he had broken through from Bright Force to Dark Force and comprehended the true meaning of the Tiger Demon Art. A spark of spiritual awareness within his consciousness remained sleepless, and it felt as though his mind had been reborn. Although the terror of the void remained, there was no longer nothing he could do about it.

(The Tiger Demon Art is now at the masterful level. That spark of sleepless spiritual awareness in my consciousness has grown tenfold. Beyond that are the peak level and the ultimate manifestation level. Every improvement will be a qualitative transformation for me. As that spark of spiritual awareness continues to expand, it can suppress all kinds of wicked thoughts, demonic thoughts, and stray thoughts. The accumulated negativity within that void should belong to the same category. That means I need to establish two Level Two shelters within at least one hundred and seventy days.)

Wu Pifu bit down on a thigh bone and crushed it like tofu before swallowing it. Then he reached for another one. The sight made Yamadai and Xu Shilan's eyelids twitch.

The kidnapped merchandise sitting beside them... Xu Rongyu, in other words, laughed heartily. "These foreign devils are ignorant and don't recognize our Huaxia divine arts. This is a master-level figure. What's so strange about eating bones like pancakes? They say Grandmaster Sun could chew refined iron as easily as wax. Only foreign devils like you, who rely on external tools, would find it remarkable."

Wu Pifu could not be bothered with him. The other two had no idea who this so-called Grandmaster Sun was, so naturally they ignored him as well.

Wu Pifu continued eating as he pondered.

(And the reward for a Level Two shelter is a non-limit-breaking attribute increase, which proves there may very well be limit-breaking increases too. If I gain another level beyond the ultimate manifestation realm of the Tiger Demon Art, it will not be merely a simple qualitative change. It might even suppress this void-born negativity. Besides, this is only baseline reality 0.9. In a dream world with an even lower baseline reality, its power might be enough to suppress or heal it without even needing a limit-breaking increase.)

(The only problem is time. I have only around one hundred and seventy days left. I might start falling into demonic madness in around a hundred days. Before then, I must establish at least two Level Two shelters and raise the Tiger Demon Art to its realm limit.)

Once he had thought it through, the oppression in Wu Pifu's heart eased slightly. Still eating, he asked Xu Rongyu, "You mentioned the senior sister of the Red Lantern Society earlier. Were you referring to Lin Heier?"

Xu Rongyu nodded. "That would be Master Lin Heier, indeed. Heh, you're rather petty, aren't you? You're clearly a master, yet you still won't even give me a meal."

Wu Pifu laughed instead.

Although Xu Rongyu dressed like some wealthy young master and had once been a bandit rider, he actually possessed a bit of chivalrous spirit. Even with his life in another's hands, he had not lost face. He was a man with guts.

Wu Pifu smiled. "If you want to eat, then eat."

Xu Rongyu chuckled merrily. Without any hesitation, he tore off a huge chunk of meat and stuffed it into his mouth. At that moment, Xu Shilan suddenly gave a seductive smile, her ample chest swaying as she laughed. "He's playing to your tastes."

Wu Pifu replied indifferently, "He has to have the nerve first. For the sake of that courage alone, what does it matter if I let him eat?"

Xu Rongyu did not care in the slightest. As he ate, he muttered, "Whether I'm playing to your tastes or have guts, my life is in your hands. Why be so stingy, right?" As he spoke, he grabbed a jar of wine and began guzzling it down.

Yamadai ignored this dream world NPC as well. He set down a chicken bone and asked, "What do we do next? Go buy a building?"

Wu Pifu shook his head. "Buying a building-type shelter is the lowest-tier kind of shelter. Of course, that cannot be generalized. It depends on the world and the timing. I haven't decided what to do next, but my ambitions are great, so I won't buy a building and establish a shelter just yet."

The two naturally had no objections. It was also their first time entering the dream world, and they were unfamiliar with everything here. They only knew that the dream world contained all kinds of supernatural powers. At a time like this, it was best to listen to an experienced person.

Xu Rongyu suddenly said, "So you're... working for foreign devils now?"

Wu Pifu asked as he ate and drank, "What makes you say that?"

Xu Rongyu pointed at Yamadai and Xu Shilan. "Aren't they foreign devils? And look at that build—rare even among foreign devils. And this woman, she's probably from Dongyang, right? That face, that figure... I suspect she's a spy sent here with some kind of mission. Yes, spy—that's what they call them. Dongyang people are no good."

Wu Pifu also looked at Xu Shilan.

Her figure was truly voluptuous, but not flabby. On the Huaxia Continent in this era, it was indeed rare.

He said nothing, merely continuing to eat and drink in great mouthfuls.

A while later, everyone had finished eating and drinking. The four rested for a moment longer, paid the bill, and left.

Things were leisurely now, with no signs of danger. The four strolled to digest their meal, and Yamadai stretched his back. "What a wonderful world. No mutated beasts suddenly jumping out, no nuclear-radiated dead zones everywhere. It looks so peaceful that it really feels a little strange."

Xu Shilan said as well, "Exactly. No back alleys, no impurities, no Thirteen Singularity Technology Corporation bickering, and no Human Revolutionary Union terrorist attacks or spacetime distortions popping up every so often. This world is truly wonderful."

Xu Rongyu sneered beside them. "Naturally. Our Huaxia is a land of outstanding people and spiritual abundance, the very center of heaven and earth. Isn't it because you barbarians live in miasmic wastelands that you came to invade our Huaxia?"

As Wu Pifu listened to the three of them, the corner of his mouth twitched. It was like chickens and ducks talking past one another, yet their conversation had somehow connected—and even made sense. It was just too bizarre.

"What do we do next?" Yamadai naturally did not bother responding to Xu Rongyu. He still regarded this dream world as a virtual-reality Dream Network and everyone within it as NPCs, so he asked Wu Pifu directly.

Wu Pifu looked around and said, "Nothing important. We can return through the Main Brain after staying five days, and five days is the maximum limit. Before then, unless we come face-to-face with them, nightmares will have difficulty discovering us. So these five days count as a safe period."

Xu Shilan asked, "Then how did you and the seniors handle things when entering dream worlds before?"

Wu Pifu recalled, "On the first day, we found a way to get money, eat, and find lodging. Starting on the second day, we investigated all kinds of intelligence about the world and confirmed the differences between that world and the real world. By the fifth day, we were basically preparing to return and did not plan to take risks. Only when an opportunity was too rare to pass up would we establish a shelter. In the meantime, we tried to avoid places involving urban legends or hauntings as much as possible, so we would encounter nightmares as little as possible."

Yamadai and Xu Shilan had both been inclined to start exploring the world, but after hearing that, the idea gradually faded. At least before confirming what nightmares actually were, neither of them intended to take risks.

Xu Rongyu suddenly spoke again. "I say, Master, you really are petty. Let these two foreign devils enjoy some of our Huaxia's fine things too. Though Xuanhua Prefecture cannot compare to the capital, it still has plenty of good places. Up ahead is Xiujin Courtyard, where you can listen to music and storytelling. They have tea, fruit, pastries, and all sorts of entertainments. I guarantee these foreign devils have never seen such a fine place."

Listening to music was one thing—who could understand all that warbling? But storytelling sounded good, and there would be tea and snacks too.

Wu Pifu was about to nod when, suddenly, his vision turned blood-red.

The blood-red flash passed in an instant, but Wu Pifu abruptly froze in place, his blood and qi surging wildly throughout his body.

The other three immediately stopped as well. Though they did not know what had happened, Wu Pifu's imposing presence had surged in that instant. Xu Rongyu knew his trade and understood that this was the state of a martial artist about to fight. Yamadai and Xu Shilan did not understand martial arts, but they knew this was some form of alertness. Yet none of them knew what was happening. Everything around them was peaceful, and the passersby were all villagers and townsfolk. It was broad daylight, and there was nothing in sight.

But what Wu Pifu saw at that moment was an entirely different scene.

Everyone around them had turned into paper effigies!

They were the kind of paper effigies used in funeral rites, some red, some white, with stiffly painted features. Though each moved about on its own, every head and pair of eyes stared fixedly at the four of them. Even the paper effigies facing away had twisted their heads around to look at them.

Just then, a female paper effigy led a young girl paper effigy past the four of them. Xu Rongyu even shifted aside to let them pass.

Wu Pifu immediately yanked Xu Rongyu away just as he was about to touch the paper effigies, pulling Yamadai and Xu Shilan over at the same time and keeping far away from the two paper figures.

The instant the three touched Wu Pifu, the world before their eyes underwent a dramatic change as well. Their entire bodies stiffened, and they stood where they were, not daring to move.

All around them, within the prefectural city, every living thing...

Was a paper effigy!

And all of them were watching them!!