What Is the Subject Before "Outsider"?

Chen Anshun took off the connection helmet.

The pale blue glow inside the gaming pod gradually dimmed. With the faint contraction of mechanical components, the pod door slowly opened.

The air of the real world flowed back in.

He sat up, leaned against the edge of the gaming pod, and rubbed the space between his brows with his eyes closed.

"A little tired..."

His voice was soft. It was not exhaustion caused by the game, but more like fatigue that had built up over a long time.

A pair of slippers sat beside the gaming pod, neatly placed.

Chen Anshun put them on and walked out of the room. His home was not large.

There was no luxurious decor, nor were there any special collections—only the obvious traces of someone who had lived alone for a long time.

Several medical books lay on the living room table, along with some documents that had yet to be sorted out.

A few cardboard boxes sat in the corner, labeled with different years.

His parents occasionally sent things back, but because of work, they rarely stayed here in person.

Chen Anshun had long gotten used to it. He walked over to the water dispenser and poured himself a glass.

As he drank, his gaze inadvertently swept over the bookshelf.

There was a photo frame there. The girl in the photograph looked to be seven or eight years old, with two little braids and a bright smile. Beside her stood a slightly younger boy.

The two children stood in the sunlight, looking like an ordinary family portrait.

Chen Anshun paused for a while before walking over.

He lightly wiped the dust from the frame, then withdrew his hand.

"Ah... I should order some takeout." He murmured to himself, not lingering for long before turning back to the computer.

The computer screen lit up again. There was a folder on the desktop.

[Abyss Anomaly Records]

A large amount of information had already been compiled inside. None of it had been collected by the Platinum Guild—it was all gathered bit by bit by Chen Anshun himself.

Forum posts, player screenshots, quest logs, abnormal NPC dialogue.

There were even videos casually uploaded by players.

None of these things meant anything on their own, but Chen Anshun was used to piecing fragments together until he found the real answer.

Chen Anshun opened the newest folder, only to receive a message at that moment.

Sender:

[Platinum Courtyard · Archives Team]

[Radiant Law Temple peripheral missions reduced]

[Some NPCs experiencing recurring dreams]

[Black mist appearing in areas outside the city]

[Abyss-related monsters expanding their activity range]

Chen Anshun leaned back in his chair, lightly tapping his fingers against the desk. "Here again..."

He opened the map. One marker after another lit up, and then he connected every location.

Slowly, a line emerged.

They were all concentrated within human city-states—or, more accurately, within the sphere of Radiant Law's faith.

Chen Anshun frowned. "No... the Court wouldn't allow the Abyss to appear."

He spoke softly. He knew the Court's strength well enough. They had countless methods for driving back and resisting the Abyss. There was no way they could have made such a massive oversight.

Chen Anshun opened another document, which recorded all kinds of historical speculation about the Abyss.

Some believed the Abyss was merely a disaster that had befallen the world.

Some believed it was punishment delivered by an unknown civilization.

Others believed—

The Abyss might be a festering tumor left behind by some god.

Chen Anshun was silent for a long time. "Wolf Venerable once said [the Abyss is a cosmic disaster], but why would a cosmic disaster... be helped by an outside force?"

He wrote down his doubts.

The room was quiet, with only the sound of the computer fan.

Chen Anshun continued reasoning. "Wolf Venerable said before..."

He pulled up Silver Wolf's previous words.

[This world has been disguised]

[The Abyss theoretically should not have discovered it]

Chen Anshun stared at those words and slowly leaned back into his chair.

"If that outsider really is connected to the Abyss..."

"Then they will most likely appear near the Abyss's targets."

His gaze fell on the center of the map.

The main city of the human city-states—Ostorli.

"Then... there must be clues there. I need to take a look tonight."

Chen Anshun did not notice.

On the other side of the room, a stream of silver-blue data silently emerged.

Silver Wolf sat by the window, having appeared at some unknown point.

She did not interrupt him. She simply watched quietly.

Silver Wolf glanced at the medical books on the table, then at the old photo frame.

She was silent for a moment, muttering inwardly, Could the outside force mean [power from beyond the universe]?

Silver Wolf said softly, "This is getting more and more interesting." It was practically like playing a game that was easy to pick up but difficult to master.

Chen Anshun continued organizing the information, completely unaware that someone had appeared beside him.

"Ostorli..."

"If there really is an Abyss situation, the Court will contact the guild leader and the others too."

"And they should have warned the city-states already, right? So why are the city-states still..."

He stopped there. "No! What if they did warn them, but the city-states 'forgot'? Or the warning was intercepted?"

Silver Wolf rubbed her chin, thinking thoughtfully. Maybe their cognition was altered.

Silver Wolf knew far too many methods capable of doing that—Remembrance, Elation, Abundance, Propagation, and more.

Something even a memetic virus can accomplish.

Silver Wolf watched Chen Anshun's back as he sat in his chair, muttering to himself over the documents. He's really going all out. Then again, no one knows whether this fire will spread to their own home.

In the silence, Chen Anshun dealt with the documents while simultaneously putting together the clues.

And then—

"Your takeout is here."

Chen Anshun stood up and walked to the door.

He opened it, just about to take the delivery.

When a voice suddenly came from beside him.

"Your takeout. Don't forget to leave a good review."

Chen Anshun's body stiffened, and he slowly turned his head.

At some point, Silver Wolf was already standing beside him.

"..." Chen Anshun fell silent. "When did you get here?"

Silver Wolf looked at the takeout in her hand. "A while ago."

"..."

"Your ability really is convenient." Chen Anshun sounded helpless. "Wolf Venerable."

"Hm?"

"Could you not suddenly appear like that in the future?"

Silver Wolf shrugged. "That stingy? Relax, it's the real me, not a projection."

Chen Anshun: "..."

Silver Wolf lowered her head and glanced at the takeout in her hand.

"So eat first."

Chen Anshun took the takeout. "Mm."

Silver Wolf said matter-of-factly, "I've been watching you sort through clues for a while."

Chen Anshun fell silent.

Silver Wolf clapped her hands. "Remember, your body is your capital. Don't run yourself into the ground."

She carried the takeout back into the room. "Eat first. You need to be full before you have the strength to reason."

Looking at Silver Wolf, who was shorter than him, Chen Anshun suddenly felt that the image of Silver Wolf in his heart had grown taller.

"Wolf Venerable, you really are a good person."

"I'm not some ridiculously nice person." Silver Wolf shrugged, making her stance clear. "Let's make this clear first—order one for me too."

"Sure, no problem. A guest is a guest."