Rain began to fall outside. On the cold, damp night, it gathered into puddles on the ground, reflecting the red and blue lights of police cars like an Impressionist painting.
Xie De switched on the lights at home. A ghastly white glow instantly flooded the room, bringing an inexplicable chill.
455 said disdainfully, "Why did you install such an ugly light?"
"Cut the crap. Let's figure out how to get out of here. Were you saying I'm currently inside a corner of my own impressions?"
455 nodded emphatically. "Exactly. Mirage built an entirely new world based on your memories. Because you and Wei Yanchi watched several Batman movies before coming here, Mirage constructed a city based on Gotham and trapped you inside it."
455 added, "Su Qian doesn't actually belong here either. She might be here for the same reason as you-she also read superhero comics or watched superhero movies before coming here."
Xie De felt a headache coming on. "If I'd known this would happen, I'd have watched BabyBus instead."
455 said hesitantly, "Superhero movies aren't so bad, actually. At least we know roughly where the plot is headed. Huang Zhuowang read Li Yu's Collection of Lyrics before coming here. Beiwei and Yue Xiamo watched the horror movie The Shining, Juelu watched a magic talent show from M Country, and Zuo Shenghang really went all out-he was scrolling through TikTok..."
Xie De asked, "The others are easy enough to understand, but Huang Zhuowang's Li Yu's Collection of Lyrics? How does that form a mental world based on impressions?"
455 answered professionally, "Host, Li Yu was the ruler of a fallen kingdom. The impression world it formed could be the final days of a dynasty, with the people suffering devastation."
"Then Huang Zhuowang has it pretty rough." Xie De lit