"You died." "This simulation has ended." "Rating: none. Comments: you wasted your talent. Reward: none." "The following items can be taken out of this simulation. You may spend a certain amount of Origin Jade to select items to bring out."
A clock face over two meters in diameter floated in the darkness. Items appeared around it-moldy books, an arm exerciser, a drinking glass, and more. As long as Su Wu paid, he could bring any of them into reality.
But Su Wu had no time to spare for the clock face before him.
He gasped for breath, still reeling with shock.
Even his green-grade composure talent only gave him greater powers of discernment and reasoning than the average person.
What he had encountered in his own future, however, was beyond anything an ordinary person could comprehend!
"The killer!"
"The killer, the killer!"
Suddenly, Su Wu let out several low growls.
His intuition told him that the "thing" that had suddenly emerged from the floor and driven a hand through his chest was very likely the killer behind the murders his future self had mentioned in the diary.
He recalled the notebook's final sentence-so many people had died lately. Was the killer really human?
The killer very likely wasn't human!
Su Wu turned to look at the calendar at the corner of his desk. One date had been crossed out in red: April 8, 2030.
Today was April 9.
Tomorrow would bring him to the first date recorded in the notebook.
Would his future really turn out like the simulation?
In as few as nine days, would the world change, and would unimaginable "things" appear in reality?!
Su Wu leaned against the back of his chair and closed his eyes.
He kept recalling how a pitch-black arm had pierced his chest in the game.
That thing suddenly emerged from the floor, like a mass of black sludge instantly molded into a humanoid shape. It killed me faster than I could even think!
What was it?
What signs preceded its appearance?
How could I avoid it? Could it be killed?
He remembered his own mention of a faint dead-rat smell in the notebook. Just before that thing had killed him, he had also smelled an overpowering stench of dead rats.
The former had been faint; the latter, intense.
Did that mean a faint dead-rat smell indicated that the thing was approaching-or that it had set its sights on him?
When the stench grew overwhelmingly strong, would it appear? Erupt suddenly from the floor?!
Su Wu also thought of the mold in his future room, and the windows boarded up to block out all light, with the lights left off as well.
He had a vague feeling that these things might also be connected to that creature.
But he had only run one simulation, so he couldn't sort out all the clues.
After thinking for a while, he sat up straight.
He couldn't wait until disaster struck before regretting it, or keep charging ahead until he hit a dead end-since the simulator had already handed him the exam paper for his future, he would work hard to score high on it.
Who didn't know how to grind through exam questions?
Su Wu steadied himself and looked at the items appearing one by one on the clock face.
They all came from his future room, but that didn't mean every item in that room was listed on the clock face.
The notebook and computer, for instance, hadn't appeared.
That meant the items he could bring out of the simulated world after each simulation were either completely random or selected according to some rule.
Su Wu skipped this option and said directly, "I want to start the next simulation."
The electronic voice quickly responded, "Your wallet contains 3 Origin Jade. A personal life simulation costs 1 Origin Jade."
"Would you like to spend Origin Jade to bring real-world items into the simulation?"
"No."
"Loading talents..." "Loading game..."
A screen appeared before Su Wu again. On it, he sat at his desk, frowning at his empty palm.
In a dizzying instant, his consciousness was drawn into the screen.
The electronic voice sounded: "Your future life has been loaded successfully!"
Once again, the room was so dark he couldn't see his hand in front of his face.
Su Wu shifted in his chair a few times, then stood up. Keeping close to the edge of the desk as before, he reached the wall and pressed the light switch.
Light filled the room.
He quickly scanned its furnishings.
The familiar furnishings, the walls covered in pale yellow streaks and green mold, the mold-covered books, and the boarded-up windows all came into view.
The dates crossed out on the desk calendar still ended at April 17.
Who would have guessed that this seemingly unremarkable room was very likely already occupied by "that thing"?
Staring at the pale green floor tiles beneath his feet, Su Wu took a deep breath. Just as he was about to take a step, an overpowering stench of dead rats rushed into his nose!
That thing was coming!
His pupils contracted. He stood rooted to the spot, his gaze searching his surroundings and the floor beneath him.
When he saw the boarded-up windows again, a new possibility occurred to him.
That thing might not only emerge from beneath my feet-the thought flashed through his mind. As his eyes darted about, he saw vast quantities of asphalt-like liquid pouring out of his own shadow, cast by the light, and the shadows of the desk, chair, and other furnishings. In an instant, it all converged on Su Wu!
It enveloped him completely!
The "asphalt" adhered to Su Wu's skin, bones, and flesh, then stretched outward in every direction-
Agony erupted throughout his body, so intense that his brain could not bear it!
A mass of asphalt pulled Su Wu's head toward the ceiling. His eyes were bloodshot and wide as he desperately mustered every last shred of strength. Finally, he managed to lower his head a little-
He saw his neck being torn apart!
His limbs were torn off!
His internal organs were dragged out, and his bloody intestines trailed onto the floor!
"You are-a shadow-"
On his face, contorted with pain, the corners of his mouth suddenly lifted into a horrifying smile.
He understood everything.
"That thing" hadn't emerged from the floor at all. It was the shadows cast wherever objects blocked the light!
No wonder his future self had kept the room completely dark and boarded up the windows.
As long as he stayed in complete darkness, it wouldn't appear!
Where had his future self learned this?
Thoughts flashed through Su Wu's mind like a stream of data, pushing the searing pain in his body out of his awareness.
Dimly, he seemed to hear a notification from the electronic voice: "You have independently acquired a temporary talent: Pain Transfer (white)."
"Pain Transfer (white): you have the ability to divert your own pain by distracting yourself."
Su Wu's vision went black.
The electronic voice became clearer: "You died."
"Temporary talent: Pain Transfer (white) has disappeared." "This simulation has ended." "Rating: D-minus. Comments: it looks like you've developed a little sense. Although it still did you no good, at least you acquired a temporary talent and got a taste of it. Reward: 1 Origin Jade." "The following items can be taken out of this simulation..."
The clock face appeared. Under option 0 was a triangular object resembling a badge or emblem. Su Wu checked its details.
"Talent-Pain Transfer (white): spend 50 Origin Jade to bring it out and make it your permanent talent."
"A temporary talent acquired in the simulation can be brought into reality this way and become a permanent talent?"
Su Wu scanned the clock face and skipped this option once again.
He couldn't afford 50 Origin Jade.
Even with the one Origin Jade he had just earned as a reward, he only had three in his wallet.
Exit the simulator.
Su Wu said it silently to himself.
As the thought settled, the darkness surrounding him vanished without a trace.
The clean, bright walls of his room appeared before his eyes, without a single patch of mold. He turned to look at the bookcase. None of the books inside were covered in mold either.
This was reality.
But the future inside the simulator would unfold before long!
Turning on his computer, Su Wu quickly entered the same question into various search engines: "How can an object under illumination be prevented from casting a shadow?"
Before you continue