After ????'s research, it was suspected that Containment Object 9999-2 was closely connected to Containment Object 0000. ???? speculated that its birth was likely caused by some trigger activating Containment Object 0000's self-protection mechanism. After extensive comparative testing, it was confirmed that Containment Object 9999-2 and Containment Object 9999-4 were actually the same entity. The difference in manifestation might merely be due to the ???? they occupied within dreams. 9999-2 always wore an eye mask. ??????????????????, and any attempt to remove it would provoke intense resistance. During communication experiments, 9999-2 claimed to be the younger sister of Containment Object 0000 ???????. However, whenever matters related to 0000 were mentioned, 9999-2 displayed unusual fear. After numerous attempts at communication, 9999-2 was considered one of the relatively gentle Alice Fragments, based on the fact that it had never subjectively killed or attempted to kill any researcher who communicated with it. 9999-2's personality was not fixed. At times it could communicate, while at other times it refused. This was presumed to be related to ?????????. 9999-2 appeared to feed on human dreams. No effects on humans whose dreams had been consumed had yet been discovered. It was strictly forbidden to contemplate or study the philosophical significance of 9999-2. Doing so might cause doubts about the authenticity of the real world, an inability to distinguish reality from dreams, or even lead to ??. All researchers unanimously agreed that 9999-2 was very cute. Special containment measures: 9999-2 had to be stored within a safe dream. Any stimulating or intense dream could cause it to undergo unpredictable mutations. It had been confirmed that 9999-2 could move freely through human dreams. According to ????'s estimates, its theoretical maximum range was 35.7 kilometers. Based on the above theory, the special containment measures for 9999-2 were as follows: Prepare ten to fifteen healthy, strong-willed volunteers for rotation at any time. During standby periods, volunteers had to maintain healthy lifestyles. Watching violence or ???? was strictly forbidden, as was the use of any psychoactive drugs or similar products. 9999-2 was to be kept within a volunteer's dream. The volunteer was to safely enter the dream with the aid of special instruments from the Guardian Abbey. The volunteer storing 9999-2 was required to have at least two substitutes on standby, with all physical data monitored at all times. Should any abnormality be detected, the handover procedure was to begin immediately. During the handover procedure, the substitute volunteer had to proceed near the current volunteer under close surveillance and fall asleep with the aid of the instruments. Only after the substitute volunteer had entered light sleep could the current volunteer be awakened, forcing 9999-2 to move into the substitute volunteer's dream. Throughout this process, there could be no sleeping humans other than the volunteers within a spherical radius of 37.21 kilometers around it. If, during the handover procedure, both individuals were awake at the same time, 9999-2 would automatically enter an unclaimed dream. In that event, the volunteers had to be forced to remain on standby where they were, and magical girls capable of entering dreams had to be summoned immediately to recapture 9999-2 within the unclaimed dream. Before the capture was complete, no one was permitted to enter or leave the 37.21-kilometer range. Under stimulation from certain dream scenarios, such as ????, 9999-2 might attack volunteers or magical girls entering dreams, preventing them from waking up and trapping them in endlessly repeating dreams. It might also attempt to interfere with the dream-entry process through its projection in reality. Should such a situation occur, ?????? was to be activated immediately for suppression. Magical girls immune to mental attacks—currently only ??, ??, and ?? had been found—could ignore any attack from 9999-2 and proceed directly into the dream to carry out the capture. According to ????'s instructions, the number of people aware of 9999-2's existence was to be kept as low as possible. Other than ????, Grade A authorization was required to access the relevant materials. Latest report on Containment Object 9999-2: Affected by Containment Object 9999-5 ??????????, Containment Object 9999-2 had now escaped. According to recent intelligence, 9999-2 was currently located in the Church's jurisdiction around Flower River City. To avoid letting it become known to the public, ???? suggested dispatching a small team for a covert capture. As the overwhelming majority of relevant researchers had been sent to ???? to capture 9999-5, only ????'s disciple ?? and field unit member ??, who possessed mental immunity, could be dispatched to carry out the capture operation. On the fifteenth day of the capture mission, ?? and ?? lost contact for unknown reasons. Negotiations with the Church were currently underway, aimed at properly resolving Alice's escape and rescuing the two field operatives. A complete report on the incident was still being compiled.
The document was not long. Li Xuan quickly read through it carefully, committing the key details firmly to memory.
What puzzled him, however, was that much of the important information in the file had been deliberately concealed. He did not know whether that was intentional or due to some other consideration.
"The redacted parts weren't my doing. The original document was already like this. It's the Guardian Abbey's confidentiality measure; only people with the relevant clearance or the Abbey's higher-ups can access the complete materials."
Li Sijie noticed Li Xuan's confusion and took the initiative to explain.
"Didn't you even kidnap the Church's president? How come you can't mess with the Guardian Abbey's higher-ups?" Li Xuan teased.
"Don't try to provoke me. I really can't afford to offend that one from the Guardian Abbey. She's nothing like the Church president, who was so gentle that even while tied up, she was still trying to persuade me to return from the wrong path and even wanted to hear my confession." Li Sijie smiled.
"I never thought there was someone in this world you couldn't afford to offend." Li Xuan chuckled and handed the phone back to Li Sijie. "I have a question: what does the Containment Object mentioned in this document mean? I heard the Guardian Abbey specializes in sealing monsters. What's the relationship between the two?"
"They overlap quite a lot. Most Containment Objects are actually monsters, but compared with ordinary monsters, they often possess unbelievable properties and require unique measures to control them until the Guardian Abbey finds a way to destroy or make use of them. But judging from this file, they don't seem to consider Mian Yin a monster," Li Sijie said.
"Right. I can't sense a monster's aura from her either. But they seem to have already concluded that Mian Yin isn't very dangerous, so it should be fine for me to let her live in my dreams, right?" Li Xuan asked.
"I think it's safe. The Guardian Abbey's people are very meticulous. If there were real danger, they would definitely emphasize it repeatedly." Halfway through speaking, Li Sijie suddenly heard a rumbling sound.
"Sorry. I've been busy this whole time, and it seems I haven't eaten." Li Xuan patted his stomach and smiled awkwardly.
"Perfect, then. I bought discounted beef this morning, and there are still noodles left from yesterday. I'll make you a bowl of noodles." Without waiting for Li Xuan to agree, Li Sijie tied on an apron and ran into the kitchen to boil water and cook noodles.
My Home Is Pretty Big
After eating the noodles Li Sijie had made, Li Xuan immediately felt much better. He had been busy with his grand undertaking of conquering magical girls lately and had not eaten a proper meal like this in a long time.
"What are you planning to do next?" Li Sijie asked as she cleared away the bowls and chopsticks.
"From your file, it seems the Guardian Abbey still doesn't know where Bing Rui and Tang Xi are. But if they connect this matter with the magical girl disappearances in Clear Lotus City, I'll be in big trouble." Li Xuan rested his chin on his interlocked hands.
"You will indeed have trouble, but the Church and the Guardian Abbey don't have such a good relationship. I think they'll probably spend quite a while bickering first." Li Sijie smiled.
"No matter how much they bicker, it will eventually end. I can see they take Alice's matter very seriously, so they definitely won't drag it out. And if they're in their right minds, whoever they send over absolutely won't be weaker than the Bing Rui and Tang Xi combination—no, it would only make sense if they're far stronger." Li Xuan spoke while admiring Li Sijie's busy figure.
"Your judgment is correct. The Guardian Abbey is much more efficient than the Church. If this hadn't happened on Church territory, they probably would have sent people to kill you already." Li Sijie washed the dishes, pulled over a kitchen towel to dry her hands, then returned and sat before Li Xuan.
"So—Dorasmon~ can you pull out some more magical gadgets from between your legs and help me out? You saw it too: after I became stronger, the Fallen Blood's effects improved. Sooner or later, I'll be able to fulfill your wish of becoming a monster." Li Xuan took Li Sijie's icy hands, still cold from the water.
"There aren't any convenient things like that." Li Sijie pulled her hands free, took off her apron, hung it on the wall, and walked toward the door.
"Since you've already returned home, this maid who broke in without permission should be leaving. If you need anything, you can find me at the café, but you can't do those excessive things to me in the shop." Li Sijie winked at Li Xuan, then opened the door a crack and prepared to slip away.
"Wait!"
Looking at the neatly arranged room, Li Xuan suddenly thought of something and called out to stop her.
"No. Last time, you also told me to wait, and I almost got..." Li Sijie's face reddened. Though she said she was leaving, she only stepped out with one foot and remained where she was.
"Believe me, this time it's definitely a good thing." Li Xuan hurried to the door and pulled Li Sijie back inside.
"Boss Li, what are you doing? You can't just pull girls around like that~" Li Sijie said, casually shutting the door behind her.
"There's a nice place I want to take you to see," Li Xuan said.
"Is it really a nice place?" Li Sijie looked at Li Xuan skeptically.
"Really. If I'm lying, may my dick grow barbs," Li Xuan swore.
"That wouldn't be a good thing for me... But since you've put it that way, I'll believe you one more time." Li Sijie covered her mouth and laughed.
"Then follow me." Li Xuan stretched out his hand and opened a portal to the Delusive Badlands before them.
Originally, he had not intended to bring anyone he could not control into this secret place. But Li Sijie had worked with him several times already. Though each had taken what they needed from the other, he had undeniably gotten quite a lot of benefits.
After spending time together several times, Li Xuan's trust in her had gradually deepened. As long as she still needed his Fallen Blood, then she would not easily...
This time, inviting Li Sijie into the Delusive Badlands naturally came with his own considerations.
"Is this the ability that lets you suddenly appear inside a room? It looks like some kind of spatial manipulation magic..." Li Sijie thoughtfully extended half a hand through the portal, then immediately pulled it back.
"There isn't some bug wall, electric chair, iron maiden, wooden horse, sensation-deprivation trap, time-stop barrier, or anything like that waiting for me on the other side, is there? And after my upper body goes in, you won't close the entrance and trap my lower half, then come around and do strange things, will you?" Li Sijie asked warily.
"??? That's a great idea! How didn't I think of that?" Li Xuan's eyes lit up, as though he regretted not actually preparing some little surprises like traps.
"You really are thinking bad things. I'm not going in." Li Sijie retreated several steps, only to be tripped by Li Xuan's tentacle and swept into his arms.
"Don't worry. I invited you in because I value your ability to organize rooms. The space inside is a complete mess. I'm planning to build it up properly and want to hear your opinion." After saying that, Li Xuan ignored whether Li Sijie agreed and jumped through the portal while carrying her.
At that moment, the magical girls had all gone home to rest. The blonde mother and daughter were still enjoying their brief happy time inside the Stone Tower, while Tang Xi and Bing Rui, the pair of unfortunate sisters, remained helplessly bound by mana-draining tentacles. In the enormous Delusive Badlands, there was not a single living person in sight outside.
"How does it feel? This is my world." Li Xuan spread his arms as though he wanted to embrace everything.
Li Sijie did not answer immediately. Standing on the stone platform of the Delusive Badlands, she gazed up at the endless void. Her pupils shrank to tiny points and trembled violently.
After a long while, she exclaimed in a deeply shocked tone, "Unimaginable. My connection to the world has been cut off... No, it hasn't been cut off. It simply doesn't exist at all. Did you not isolate the space, but bring me to another world?"
Li Xuan sincerely gave her a thumbs-up. "That's fucking impressive. You're the first one to notice."
"It's nothing. Sealing Type users simply have especially sharp senses." Li Sijie touched the stocking on her leg, then continued, "Fortunately, the power I received from the world is still here. Otherwise, this would be dangerous!"
"Don't worry. As long as I'm here, there won't be any danger." Seeing her look as though she faced a formidable enemy, Li Xuan burst out laughing.
"It's dangerous precisely because you're here. If I couldn't use my powers in this world, you'd probably violate me in an instant, wouldn't you?" Li Sijie said disdainfully.
"Not that fast. It would take at least a few seconds to tear off your clothes..." Li Xuan defended himself solemnly.
"Alright, alright. Didn't you want me to advise you on planning this place? We should at least find somewhere to sit and talk—we can't just stand here, can we?" Li Sijie said helplessly.
"This place is pretty basic, so just make do." Li Xuan used his authority to move over the two stone pillars Tang Xi had used for rope-walking that day, laid them horizontally, and sat opposite Li Sijie.
"So they really were for that game. I understood the moment I heard your request." Seeing the hemp rope on the stone pillars, Li Sijie immediately grew excited.
"Only you could understand it instantly—let me explain what I'm thinking first. Since I'll probably capture many more magical girls in the future, I plan to expand this place first. Build a dormitory to solve the sleeping problem, a cafeteria to solve the food problem, a large prison for disobedient magical girls, and a wall around the whole place to stop the people inside from escaping," Li Xuan described.
"Hmm... Why does that sound like our school?" Li Sijie rested her chin on her hand.
Phase One Project of the Delusive Badlands
"Exactly! We'll build a school!" Li Xuan slapped his thigh. "Magical girls are basically all school age. A school environment is the environment they're most familiar with, and school facilities can meet a lot of people's needs too!"
"I was only joking that going to school feels like prison, but you took it seriously. Still, thinking about it carefully, it does make some sense. But who would teach at your school?" Li Sijie asked curiously.
"Who cares! Let's build it first! I hereby appoint you principal's secretary, effective immediately, to assist me in constructing Phase One Project of the Delusive Badlands!" Li Xuan said excitedly.
"Principal's secretary? Then who's the principal?"
"Obviously me! When there's work, the secretary does it; when there's no work, I do the secretary." Li Xuan smiled wickedly.
"You really do use this secretary for both public and private matters. Pretty efficient, aren't you?" Li Sijie teased.
"Of course! Enough idle chatter, let's quickly figure out how to build this school! What a great undertaking this is!" Li Xuan said excitedly.
"I don't see what's great about it. Isn't it just to satisfy your personal desires? And what benefit would I get from being your secretary? Are you trying to trick me into working for free again?" Li Sijie said contemptuously.
"No, think carefully. This is a school built by us, which means we can define the school rules ourselves! For example, we can completely ban safety shorts, offer physiology classes with live demonstrations, choose one day each week as Naked School Day, and give students who violate the rules all kinds of interesting punishments—the specific implementation can be left to Secretary Li."
The more Li Xuan thought about it, the more excited he became. Even his camping tent had gone up.
"I take back what I said. You really are great!" When Li Sijie heard that she would get a share too, she immediately became excited. The two accomplices hit it off at once and drew up a sketch on the spot.
Li Xuan found the original platform too small, so he transported more matter from the void and created a larger platform above it. Then he went outside, gathered a huge batch of discarded construction materials, and dumped them on top. The two got to work on the new platform with great enthusiasm.
Before crossing over, Li Xuan had been a construction worker just scraping by. He had worked for several years without achieving anything, only to be prosecuted because of a safety accident. He had fast-forwarded straight to the ending of a civil engineering major, skipping decades of detours—even though he had not participated in that project at all and had merely been tricked into signing his name.
At that moment, he truly understood something his teacher had once said: "No matter how advanced AI becomes, it can never replace us civil engineering majors."
Indeed. AI couldn't go to prison.
After that, he had crossed over into this world.
Even though many years had passed, Li Xuan's skills had not completely rusted away. Under his control, the discarded materials were broken down, recombined, and transformed into the buildings shown in the drawings.
The Delusive Badlands' authority allowed Li Xuan to manipulate objects within it however he wished, like Minecraft's Creative Mode, while Li Sijie handled the details and provided him with an endless supply of energy. This made Li Xuan's construction progress incredibly fast, and before long, the dormitory building's basic framework was complete.
"Let's stop here for today. Phase One Project is to build a campus capable of accommodating two hundred people. Even with cheats, a project of this scale can't be completed overnight." Li Xuan looked at the mountain of construction materials before him.
"Then I'll come again tomorrow. But please don't let the others know my identity for now. It could bring me trouble," Li Sijie reminded him.
"Don't worry. I'll forbid them from coming onto the new platform. The magical girls here all see me as their master, and they definitely won't disobey me," Li Xuan promised.
"Not necessarily." Li Sijie narrowed her eyes and looked around. Without warning, she reached out and grabbed a black figure behind her.
"Mian Yin? Ah, I forgot you were here." Li Xuan looked at the black-dressed girl caught in Li Sijie's hand.
"Huh? I was supposed to be spying from inside a dream. Why can I still get caught like this?" Mian Yin looked at Li Sijie in terror.
"It's simple. Observation itself is a form of contact. When you can see someone else, you need to be prepared to be discovered by them." Li Sijie smiled. "You're an Alice Fragment, right? You look very cute. You heard our conversation just now, didn't you? You can't tell anyone about me, or else..."
Halfway through speaking, Li Sijie turned to Li Xuan. Only after he nodded did she turn back and continue, "Or else, I'll seal you inside my stocking. That's the Dreamless Land. You can only sleep forever in darkness there. Do you understand?"
"Mian Yin... understands... Big-breasted sister is not someone to mess with. Mian Yin will be obedient," Mian Yin said fearfully.
"Go on, cute little sister. Remember to come play in my dream sometime." Li Sijie smiled and released her hand. Mian Yin immediately vanished from where she stood, as though she had never existed at all.
Before you continue