Going Home

At that very moment.

Suddenly, a line of text appeared in Qin Yiguan's view.

The lettering, radiating a blue light, floated silently in the void, against the backdrop of the real, Rust City.

If this were the Metaverse, then this scene would be all too commonplace.

But unfortunately...

This is not it.

In Qin Yiguan's eyes, there was no implanted projection chip, nor was he carrying any communication equipment. In front of him was just an empty road, and there was no virtual projection screen.

Those words appeared without any medium.

"Hehe..."

Qin Yiguan suddenly laughed somewhat maniacally; his guess was now self-evident.

damn it...

Qin Yiguan felt his worldview, which he had firmly believed in for the past 18 years, collapse in an instant.

He didn't even know what he was.

What is the meaning of its existence?

What is the meaning of striving?

Looking back now, I realize that this fabricated world has given me false hope more than once.

For example, why can one remain 'invisible' within the Central District?

Why don't I need Nutrient Pod? I can log into the Metaverse simply by sleeping.

And why did the hundreds of employees in those Gemini Tower disappear overnight, as if they had vanished into thin air?

The reason for this is now easy to explain.

Because there's no need to follow the laws of the physical world here.

As for the line of text seen from Qin Yiguan's perspective.

--'ATO: Qin Yiguan, don't panic.'

Qin Yiguan's expression was calm. "ATO... the being that Falusi and Banana mentioned, the 'divine mind' that guided their actions?"

ATO: Yes.

Qin Yiguan shook his head. "Why shouldn't I be alarmed? Do you know what discovering all this means for a mortal like me?"

'ATO: I will always protect you and guide you.'

Qin Yiguan chuckled, "You must be some kind of advanced program, controlling the entire electronic world. We mortals are nothing more than pieces of code, used by you and controlled by you."

ATO: No, you're my brother.

"Brother?"

Qin Yiguan's laughter grew louder. "I have no brothers! I'm just a string of code. Could it be that our filenames are adjacent? Heh."

'ATO: I am Meng Jihe.'

Qin Yiguan's body suddenly froze.

This incredibly familiar name, yet one that had long since faded from my memory, exploded in my mind like a muffled thunderclap.

Meng Jihe was the eldest brother in that orphanage. He protected and cared for me, and was willing to Sacrifice himself for me.

Qin Yiguan clearly remembered that after his death, his body in the physical world grew white down and emitted evaporating spores; the scene was very sacred.

Qin Yiguan once wishfully believed that he had "ascended" to heaven and gone to a wonderful paradise.

now.

The text message for ATO will no longer appear.

Instead, Qin Yiguan heard the voices of real people talking in his ears.

"I am Boss Meng, Yiguan."

Qin Yiguan's Pupil trembled.

This sound is definitely accurate.

No matter how many years pass, Qin Yiguan will never forget that voice. The moment Qin Yiguan heard that voice, the image of that spirited, gentle-smiling man appeared in his mind.

"Boss Meng, I've had a very difficult time."

"I'm fighting this all alone, it's been really tough."

Qin Yiguan suddenly teared up, "Boss Meng, where are you?"

"I am in the real world."

"For real."

"The real world."

Boss Meng's voice was also very moved, "Not only am I here, Jiao Shensan is here too, as are your father and your mother. She's here too, we're all here."

Qin Yiguan's body froze completely. His eyes widened, tears welling up. "You're all here..."

Boss Meng: "We've always been here."

Tears welled up in Qin Yiguan's eyes. "My family is all here."

Boss Meng's voice carried that familiar gentleness and concern, "Yiguan, I'll take you home now."

Now?

Tears still lingered in Qin Yiguan's eyes. He glanced back at Xiao Ning's apartment, then at Rust City, where many things remained unfinished.

But Qin Yiguan hesitated for a moment, then slowly raised his head, "Boss Meng, I want to go home."

Time and space.

Something inexplicable happened.

Qin Yiguan felt a gentle suction from the sky and a gentle pushing force from the ground.

This force carried Qin Yiguan slowly into the air, soaring higher and higher.

The Rust City beneath my feet grew smaller and smaller until it became a tiny black dot, and then that dot gradually disappeared.

"I'm finally going home."

Immediately afterwards, Qin Yiguan's perspective shifted to complete darkness.

He didn't know how long the darkness lasted.

Suddenly, flickering lines appeared in my field of vision. These lines flashed intermittently, like a display screen that was being turned on.

After flickering for a while, the 'display screen' finally lit up completely.

Qin Yiguan's perspective was then restored.

He found himself in a huge room, illuminated by blue, futuristic fluorescent light that seemed to stretch endlessly.

On either side were two rows of Infinity 'shelves'. These shelves were exceptionally intricate, constructed from some unknown silver metal, with blue, fluorescent lines running through them. Blue light flowed continuously within these lines, as if transmitting something.

On these shelves are countless human brains placed inside transparent boxes, stretching endlessly.

Qin Yiguan was startled. "Where is this?"

It was at this time.

Qin Yiguan's perspective shifted slightly downwards, and he discovered that he didn't have a body at all; he was merely a brain placed inside a transparent box!

Through reflection from the box.

Qin Yiguan clearly saw that the so-called 'eyes' that provided him with the perspective were actually a camera emitting blue light. At the end of this camera was a blue fluorescent line that extended all the way to the brain inside the box.

"What's this?!"

"Am I a brain?!"

Qin Yiguan's heart would still feel the same emotions as before—a shock and an inability to accept it.

The sound of machinery could be heard coming from the distance.

A metal mechanical skeleton, with a pink brain atop its head, slowly walked towards them.

then.

The speaker on the mechanical skeleton's chest flashed blue light, "Yiguan, you're finally awake."

Qin Yiguan was horrified. "What are you?!"

"I?"

"I'm Boss Meng."

The pink brain, controlling the mechanical skeleton, raised its mechanical arm and pointed to several brains not far away. "That's Dr. Jiao Shensan over there. The third brain next to him is your father, Qin Shenhu, and then your mother."

The mechanical skeleton slowly turned around. "Yiguan, this is the real world!"