Logging in Again

Before he knew it, afternoon had arrived.

The sun climbed overhead, its light scorching.

In the Metaverse, every natural phenomenon was indistinguishable from reality.

Qin Yiguan stood alone at the classroom window.

A white cloud slowly drifted across the sky, just blocking the sun and plunging the boy into shadow.

His thoughts churned.

Last night's dream?

According to Clam and Jiu Zhengxuan, what I actually entered was... the Experimental Zone?

Does that mean I broke free of the helmet's restrictions and gained extra time?

And that clear vision and hearing... did I also gain access to all the sensory data?

Dreams come from my consciousness, but the Metaverse is made of electronic data.

They actually connected seamlessly?

I logged in with my physical body?!

And into the Experimental Zone forty thousand kilometers away?!

This...

It's simply unbelievable.

The boy frowned slightly, shivering for no apparent reason.

His pupils dilated, then contracted.

"And... my [Gestalt Collapse] turned into a power worthy of a god inside the Experimental Zone?!"

"Terrifying... yet on par with the Creator!"

Just then, the white cloud drifted away. He stretched out a hand, casting a shadow on the floor, and opened and closed the gap between his thumb and forefinger, forming a monster with a gaping mouth.

The boy's chest rose and fell.

He couldn't make sense of it.

But he was utterly stunned.

[Login time remaining today: 00:04:23]

The notification that suddenly appeared in his field of view interrupted his thoughts.

As a Castoff, he had all but exhausted his login time for the day.

But at the same time...

A glimmer of anticipation appeared in Qin Yiguan's eyes. His gaze flickered. "Can I... go home and sleep now?"

Then...

The boy straightened the electronic textbook on his desk, laying it horizontally in the exact center.

The next moment...

His body dissolved into drifting blue code and vanished from the classroom of Class 11, senior year.

Inside an apartment in Rust City No. 03.

The boy removed his Neural Helmet and gently placed it on the sofa beside him.

He rubbed his stomach, feeling a little hungry.

This basic helmet had no nutritional supplementation function.

The boy glanced toward the Central District.

He abandoned the idea of borrowing food.

Instead, he went to the corner, grabbed an energy bar, opened the wrapper, and began chewing it.

Although the energy bar tasted as awful as ever, he immediately felt replenished after eating it.

Then the boy found a handful of treasured walnut kernels and tossed them all into his mouth.

A little brain food.

Help me log into the Experimental Zone again in my dreams!

Beep, beep, beep.

"Clam calling Yiguan! You're not that poor sucker without a Nutrient Pod anymore, so why didn't you come along? Where'd you go? The Snow City of Heavenly Light is fucking awesome!"

"My login method... still needs investigating. Anyway, don't tell anyone yet. As for now, I've used up my time and have to log off. Let Teacher Qing know for me."

"Haha, you can't even figure out a Nutrient Pod? We've been having fun for over five hours! No need to tell Teacher Qing. He's not coming back with us-he stayed in the Experimental Zone. Said something big was happening today!"

The boy nodded. Teacher Qing was as carefree as ever.

"Yiguan, don't get all sour grapes on me. Tomorrow, I'll tell you all about everything we saw today. But... I've gotta say, no matter how much I tell you, it won't compare to seeing it yourself!"

Seeing it myself?

It's not like I can't!

After finishing his call with Clam, the boy carefully filled the large hole in the wall, then made his bedroom completely black.

Then, wearing only his underwear, he lay spread-eagled on the bed.

He thought it through carefully. This setup should be no different from yesterday's.

"The Snow City of Heavenly Light..."

"Judging by the name, it should be a beautiful city."

"Coordinates: the Snow City of Heavenly Light..."

The boy closed his eyes and silently repeated, If possible, let me go to the Snow City of Heavenly Light and broaden my horizons!

He was too excited.

Two hours passed without him falling asleep.

Finally, during the third hour, the boy felt drowsiness wash over him with his eyes tightly closed. His consciousness blurred in waves, and a moment later, he fell asleep.

Inside the dream...

It was the same sensation again.

The boy felt himself getting up over and over, then walking into a pitch-black vortex, repeating the cycle.

Do I still have to wait in line?

He didn't know that as he slept soundly, the spiderweb scar on his right temple began flickering again, giving off a faint red glow as though it had come alive.

Whoosh.

The world in the boy's dream lit up, as though he were traveling through space and time.

He opened his eyes.

Around him was an azure sky, with wind howling in his ears.

The boy's heart jolted as he suddenly realized he was plummeting!

But his eyes lit up.

This is the scene!

This is the state!

This is the feeling!

I appear out of thin air in the sky, then fall!

The Metaverse's Experimental Zone should be below me!

The boy was secretly delighted.

This unique login method was like descending into the world. It was one of a kind!

I really am special.

"Hello."

A timid voice suddenly sounded beside the boy's ear.

"???"

The falling boy turned his head and saw a chubby boy in glasses whom he had never met tumbling down beside him, even giving him a greeting.

"???"

The boy froze.

I'm actually not the only one? Someone else can master this method?

"Ah!"

At that moment, a woman's startled cry came from overhead. A woman in a long dress was falling too, clutching her skirt with both hands to keep herself covered!

The boy was stunned again. "Another one?"

"No."

The boy scanned his surroundings, and his entire body went rigid.

In the space around him, people of every description, men and women, young and old, were tumbling through the air like rainfall, plummeting in panic.

At a rough count, there had to be several thousand.

"..."

"Is it really this common?"

The corner of the boy's eye twitched.

The next instant, he approached the ground.

He forcibly twisted his body, pointing his feet downward.

Boom!

He absorbed the impact in a half-crouch and landed firmly on the ground.

Splat.

Splat.

Figures rained down all around the boy.

Some landed flat on their backs, others face-first.

The beauty in the long dress plunged headfirst into the dirt, her skirt flipping up and exposing everything.

There was even an old man who looked nearly a hundred, his cane landing off to one side!

But some sort of protective shield seemed to cover their bodies, leaving them unharmed. Many got straight up, shook their heads, and stared blankly at the sky.

"What's going on?"

The boy hesitated for a moment, then slowly raised his head, following everyone's gaze toward the sky.

At that very moment, the sun was obscured, and an enormous shadow shrouded the earth.

Rumble.

A tremendous vibration came from the sky.

The boy looked up, his face filled with utter shock.

In the sky ahead, an enormous city floated in midair-and it was slowly rising!