The System Arrived Four Years Early, but the Anomaly Is Still a Juvenile - Chapter 199

The Gatling gun spewed tongues of fire as dense as raindrops. Under this torrent of suppressing fire, the fleshy, bloated body of the Supervisor was riddled, sending splatters of blood and plasma flying.

“Gulp.”

“Gulp.”

With the appearance of that distinct, eerie swallowing sound, the Supervisor’s swollen belly erupted in a burst of blood plasma, instantly flooding the corridor like a tidal wave rushing toward Shen Ge.

“You dare to show off your petty skills before an expert! Great Heavenly Dragon! Great Luo Mantra, Prajna Buddhas, Prajna Mama Boom!” Shen Ge casually threw the Gatling gun he had conjured, and then pushed his hands forward with great force, displaying the momentum of unleashing the Eighteen Subduing Dragon Palms.

Next, accompanied by a series of crack crack shattering sounds, the floor, ceiling, and walls all fractured and then coalesced, turning into a mudslide that blocked the onrushing tide of plasma.

Just as Shen Ge was having fun with this, a sudden wave of dizziness assaulted him. This feeling was all too “familiar” to him—it was the same side effect he used to experience from mental energy depletion back when he didn’t have the Red Mist Armor.

“What’s going on?” Shen Ge was startled. According to his deduction, since he was currently within his own consciousness world, he should be the master of this realm. It shouldn’t be possible to have “mana depletion” issues.

“Infinite Mana.”

“Infinite Spirit.”

“Hold F8 to lock attributes!”

“…”

Shen Ge struggled to maintain the mudslide barrier blocking the plasma tide while simultaneously subjecting himself to deep hypnosis in his mind.

He tried every method he could think of, nearly resorting to outright joining the Fengling Yueying Sect (a gaming meme about trainers/cheats), but the dizziness not only didn’t subside, it grew increasingly intense.

“Coalesce!”

With his last ounce of consciousness, Shen Ge could only forcefully condense the pile of rubble that had turned into a mudslide into a single block, keeping the supervisors on the other side of the wall.

However, Shen Ge’s power was depleted to its limit. Darkness engulfed his vision as he lost consciousness, collapsing to the floor.

He didn’t know how much time passed. Shen Ge felt himself floating on a vast sea, bobbing up and down with the waves. The whole world seemed to spin and whirl, shaking him to the verge of mental collapse.

Struggling to focus, Shen Ge opened his eyes. He seemed to be sitting on a chair, surrounded by utter darkness. Yet, he could hear the voices of many people speaking in the shadows.

They were using professional medical and research terminology. From barely comprehensible terms like “dosage,” “pharmacological effect,” “function,” “tremor,” to completely unintelligible vocabulary, it reminded Shen Ge of those months when he was first captured for research upon entering the dream world.

In a daze, Shen Ge once again felt his consciousness gradually dissipating. That sensation akin to a person’s life flashing before their eyes replayed in his mind.

“Is this… the monster from outside trying to take advantage of my weakened will upon ‘death’ to devour my consciousness?”

Recognizing this familiar feeling, Shen Ge quickly realized that during his first “death” in this dream world—being devoured by the Director—the monster Shen Ge had created a dream-within-a-dream to restore him to his adult form, lowering his guard in an attempt to consume his consciousness.

With that first experience, Shen Ge found it much easier this time to resist the monster Shen Ge’s attempt to devour his consciousness, quickly suppressing the “flashback” in his mind.

Whoosh!

The next second, Shen Ge jolted awake from the dream. It was pitch black all around; he couldn’t see anything.

Shen Ge adjusted his breathing, gradually calming down. Then, focusing his attention, he began to hypnotize himself, just as he had done earlier when dealing with the Supervisor.

“Flashlight.”

Shen Ge repeatedly opened and closed his hand, all the while hypnotizing himself. Soon enough, a flashlight indeed materialized in his grasp.

Shen Ge switched on the flashlight and shone it around. This time, it was also a sinister, terrifying hospital room, though much smaller than the previous one. Aside from a bed and a shattered television, there was nothing else.

The floor and the TV stand were covered in dust, and the TV model was an old one from over a decade ago.

Bzzt, bzzzt. At that moment, the flashlight beam flickered a few times, then gradually dimmed, as if on the verge of dying out.

Shen Ge looked down at the flashlight in his hand, his expression turning solemn. Logically, this was an object he had manifested through mental energy; it shouldn’t be affected by the environment.

However, the battle with the Supervisor had taught Shen Ge that he wasn’t “omnipotent” in this world. He didn’t know if this limitation was due to the “rules” of the dream or some other reason.

Dreams, though “created” false worlds based on human memory and imagination, don’t grant people complete “invincibility.” In fact, “accidents” often occur.

For instance, being chased by a horde of monsters and dreaming you can fly, yet no matter how hard you try, you can’t gain altitude, watching helplessly as the monsters close in.

Or dreaming you have all sorts of bizarre superpowers, but when facing an enemy, those powers often fail or can’t be used.

There were many such situations. It seemed you couldn’t even have a “smooth” experience in a dream.

Shen Ge didn’t know if his situation was influenced by the dream’s “rules,” but through several “deaths,” he had drawn two conclusions—

The good news was that in this “consciousness world,” he seemed capable of infinite resurrection. After dying, he would “respawn” somewhere, though there was a risk of being pulled into a dream-within-a-dream by the monster to have his consciousness devoured.

Currently, however, “respawn” points seemed limited to somewhere within Rongshan Mental Hospital, not outside it.

The bad news was that “death” no longer meant returning to reality.

During his first entry into the dream world, after being devoured by the flesh monster he released, he immediately returned to reality upon “dying.”

But during this second entry, not counting the dream-within-a-dream, he had died three times yet remained trapped in the dream world, unable to leave.

“How can I leave this dream?” Shen Ge sat on the bed, deep in thought. In reality, ways to wake from a dream include the most comfortable “waking up naturally,” or reasons like “being scared awake,” “waking up needing to pee,” etc., or being awakened by external forces.

Currently, “external awakening” seemed unlikely. When he fell into this slumber, Shen Ge was fully clad in Red Mist Armor, and he had put Little Seven on alert mode. If Little Seven detected he was unconscious, it should have attempted to wake him.

Alternatively, Little Seven might be controlling the Red Mist Armor to fight the monster. While the armor’s defensive capabilities were decent, it was still just armor. Impacts during combat could count as “external force” on his unconscious body. But since he remained trapped in the dream for so long, it proved that awakening through external force wasn’t viable.

If external forces didn’t work, “waking naturally” was unreliable… As for “being scared awake,” if he were still ten-year-old Shen Ge, there might be hope. But adult Shen Ge? Forget the Director’s “Neck Person”; even if Chu Beauty, Kayako, and Sadako all gathered together, Shen Ge would probably just invite them for a round of mahjong.

“…This dream world seems to have appeared after returning from the distorted space at East Ring Lake and seeing that ‘brain,’ which triggered some ‘fuzzy memories.'”

“If this is a distorted space or a Abnormal Domain, it should mean there’s an aberration or monster maintaining this space. Eliminate it, and this place would ‘collapse’ like an Abnormal Space?”

Shen Ge suddenly felt like he was in a game instance, needing to defeat the boss to clear it. And the boss of the “Rongshan Mental Hospital” instance was undoubtedly the “Director”!

Previously, Shen Ge only had the option to “flee” upon encountering the Director. Now, through consciousness awakening and manifesting mental energy into abilities or equipment within the dream, facing the Director wasn’t an impossible fight!

Thump.

Thump.

The dark hospital room was terrifyingly quiet. Shen Ge sat on the bed thinking, not making a sound, allowing him to clearly hear his own breathing and heartbeat.

Huu.

Huu.

Then, Shen Ge suddenly felt a cold draft blow from the direction of the room’s door, brushing against his face like icy knives.

“Oh?”

Customers arriving?

Based on his previous experience, after observing the environment while “remaining still,” Shen Ge would encounter a “sleep paralysis” situation where he couldn’t even move a finger. Then, monsters that froze when illuminated would appear under the bed.

So, the best course of action now would be to leave the bed immediately or take measures against the space underneath, like “sealing the bed with concrete.”

But Shen Ge wanted to verify if the “plot” would follow the same progression as last time. In the end, he chose to turn off the flashlight, lie back on the bed, and wait quietly.

One minute.
Five minutes.
Ten minutes.

The room remained eerily quiet. Apart from his heartbeat and faint, almost imperceptible “breathing” sounds, he could hear nothing. Shen Ge tried to move a finger and, unsurprisingly, found he couldn’t.

Shen Ge forced himself to stay calm, adjusted his breathing rhythm, and began “deep self-hypnosis.” Starting from moving a finger, to the wrist, then the entire arm—what had taken him considerable effort last time was now fully restored in less than half a minute.

Shen Ge continued lying quietly, listening for movement under the bed. Soon, a soft creak creak sound came from the right side of the pillow. A pair of hands emerged from under the bed, clawing at the bed frame.

Shen Ge immediately rolled over and sat up, switching on the flashlight and shining it toward the source of the noise. Sure enough, he saw a pair of pale, damp, cold… feet resting on the bedside.

Then a second pair, a third pair…

?
??
???

“…”

Well, well. “Jade feet,” is it? A spider monster, too?
As if sensing the light source on the bed, the monster under the bed crawled out completely. Its bizarre body sported six smooth “jade feet,” making it even more grotesque.

Its skeletal frame, with reverse-growing rib bones like thorns, looked very much like the product of a human body merging and mutating with an Aberration.

Its face was barely recognizable as a woman’s, and Shen Ge had a sense of déjà vu, as if it bore a striking resemblance to the strange woman he had “gave birth” to in his first dream.

Shen Ge noticed that even with the flashlight shining on it, the creature was still slowly crawling toward him. Clearly, the previous rule of freezing under light no longer applied.

“Good evening.” Shen Ge greeted it as he stood up on the bed. He tossed the flashlight onto the bed, aiming its beam at the monster’s face.

Meanwhile, Shen Ge raised both hands above his head, manifesting a massive two-handed hammer. Then, with a cry of “Eighty!” (a meme reference), he swung down with all his might.

Bang!
Don’t be fooled by Shen Ge’s slight build; he had already “hypnotized” himself into being able to wield this giant two-handed hammer.

The blow smashed the spider monster’s face out of shape.

Shen Ge didn’t stop. One blow followed another, striking repeatedly until the spider monster’s head was pulverized into a bloody pulp before he finally halted.

Huff.

Leaning on the two-handed hammer, Shen Ge stood on the bed, looking down at the motionless spider monster on the floor and letting out a sigh of relief. Through this battle, he had gained a bit more insight into using his “hypnosis” and “manifestation” abilities.

First, whether hypnotizing himself to gain certain abilities/enhancements or manifesting items, the stronger the ability obtained, the more mental energy—or rather, Aberration Energy—was consumed.

While there was no system to quantify this value, it was like running a 1000-meter race: you could clearly perceive your state at the 200m, 400m, 600m, and 800m marks. (Of course, situations where you feel “I can do it” the whole way and sprint madly from the start are excluded from this discussion.)

For example, when dealing with the Supervisor, Shen Ge used “hypnosis” to acquire superpowers, directly causing walls, ceiling, and floor to collapse and transform into a mudslide to block the plasma tide. That single moment nearly drained all his mental energy, instantly plunging him into a state of depletion and unconsciousness.

The sensation was like manifesting a rocket launcher and an infinite-ammo Vulcan Gatling gun being akin to a 50-meter sprint, while using superpowers was like instantly starting a 100-meter dash at full speed, exhausting his stamina in the blink of an eye.

Second, “Hypnosis” consumed more mental energy than “Manifestation.”

In this fight against the spider monster, Shen Ge “hypnotized” himself for enhanced strength, which he could clearly feel consumed slightly more energy than manifesting the rocket launcher and infinite ammo.

He had considered manifesting something like a Gundam to stomp the entire hospital flat, but the moment that thought arose, a brief dizziness struck. This made him realize that the more complex the manifested object, the greater the mental energy consumption.

Finally, “rest” could recover mental energy to a certain extent. After killing the spider monster, the dizziness from attempting to manifest the Gundam subsided after about ten minutes of rest.

In summary, “Hypnosis” and “Manifestation” in the dream world were like Special Abilities in reality. Shen Ge controlled their usage and duration, leading to varying degrees of mental energy consumption.

Shen Ge decided to continue exploring Rongshan Mental Hospital, find a way to leave or wake himself up, and incidentally investigate the research reports on the monsters within.

Shen Ge opened the door and stepped into the corridor. This hallway was identical to the floor where his room was located during his first entry into the dream world. Following his memory with the flashlight, he eventually found the cramped room he had occupied for months in that first dream.

Shen Ge lay on the floor, shining the flashlight under the bed, locating the “dog hole” he had crawled through several times. After squeezing through, the adjacent room was empty, with no sign of “San Zai” (Third Kid).

Shen Ge made his way to the first-floor lobby. In a drawer at the reception desk, he found a “Building Layout.” It only marked some departments on the 2nd and 3rd floors, and… Basement Level 1, labeled “Dormitory.”

“Basement Level 1 is the dormitory?” Shen Ge couldn’t help but think of the room he woke up in after the dream-within-a-dream, which was on the same floor as a classroom and a specimen room.

If those “San Zais” were indeed “clone monsters” created by the Monster Association, constructing these areas wouldn’t be surprising.

“Each ‘death’ leads to resurrection in a different location. It doesn’t seem like a single timeline, more like a scrambled chronology.”

Shen Ge believed verifying his guess was simple: go to Basement Level 1 to confirm if there were “rooms” and a “classroom,” or go upstairs to check if the third floor had been devoured by the flesh monster.

Shen Ge chose to investigate Basement Level 1 first. On one hand, he could search for the suspected dream world boss, the “Director.” On the other, although the “Neck Person” Director was documented as a Tier 4 Monster, the abilities she displayed seemed easier to handle than the floor-devouring flesh monster.

Shen Ge descended to Basement Level 1 via a long corridor. According to memory, the room on the right was the “Children’s Room” he had stayed in. He pushed the door open and entered.

In the pitch-black room, the small round table, little stools, bookshelf, toys, and crayon drawings on the wall were identical to the room he woke up in last time.

Shen Ge walked directly to the bathroom door with his flashlight. With a creak of the rusty hinges, he pushed the door fully open. This time, however, the dim yellow light beside the bathroom mirror didn’t turn on. Both the bathroom and the children’s room outside remained shrouded in darkness.

Shen Ge first squatted down and used a flashlight to scan under the sink. After confirming that there was no Sanzai cosplaying “Saeki Toshio”, he walked to the mirror.

Shen Ge raised his hand and tapped the bathroom mirror. The reflection did the same. Then, in a calm tone, Shen Ge said, “Alright, enough pretending. Synchronizing movements is already your limit. But just now, when I curled my fingers to tap the mirror, my index finger retracted, and I ended up tapping with my middle finger. You didn’t catch that detail; you still tapped with your index finger.”

The reflection’s expression and movements remained unchanged, perfectly mimicking Shen Ge’s actions as if it were merely a mirror.

Unhurried, Shen Ge stood still, staring at his reflection for several minutes, then remarked, “Indeed, quite handsome.”

“…” Though the reflection maintained synchronization, Shen Ge caught the slight hesitation in its movement.

“Actually, I was bluffing just now. You can read my consciousness, but only the surface layer. For instance, when I think about raising my hand to tap the mirror and what to say, since it’s ‘think then act,’ you can replicate it precisely. But if I act or speak without forethought, doing first and thinking later, it becomes hard for you to keep up.”

“Most importantly, when I ‘hypnotize’ myself to completely empty my mind, you’re utterly powerless against me.”

“Now, you have two choices. One, we lay our cards on the table and have a proper chat. Two, I smash this mirror, severing your opportunity to interfere with my dream world for good.”

“Three!”

“Two!”

As Shen Ge counted down, he raised a hand, manifesting a small hammer, and made as if to strike his reflection in the mirror.

“Wait!” At that moment, the reflection’s eyes turned crimson, reverting to the monster’s appearance from before. Clearly, it had decided to drop the act.

The mirror monster glared viciously at Shen Ge, its voice low and deep: “You… actually mastered dream power in such a short time?”

Shen Ge smirked arrogantly. “What can I say? Talent speaks for itself. Handsome and clever—that’s me. You can’t envy that. Speaking of which, you wanted to control my consciousness to obtain this ability, right?”

“…” The mirror monster remained silent.

Unfazed, Shen Ge walked to the bedroom, brought over a chair, placed it in front of the sink, sat down as if it were a recliner, propped his feet on the counter, and looked at the mirror monster. “Looks like I guessed right. Since our stalemate is pointless, how about you answer a few questions for me?”

“Why should I help you?” the mirror monster retorted.

Shen Ge raised an eyebrow, smiling. “Because I can easily crush you. Is that enough?”

“With just…” The mirror monster’s eyes widened. The intended threat got stuck in its throat; not another word could come out.

To its horror, it discovered it couldn’t leave the mirror, couldn’t “retreat” from the dream world.

“So? Can’t get out?” Shen Ge closed his eyes, not even sparing the monster a glance. His tone dripped with disdain and scorn, as if looking at it would be granting it undue honor.

In truth, only Shen Ge knew he was currently suffering the backlash of overdrawn mental energy. The world-spinning sensation made it hard for him to stand steadily.

Shen Ge had pushed his “Hypnosis” power to the limit, forcibly trapping the mirror monster within the mirror. This had also drained a massive amount of his mental energy.

He had anticipated this depletion, hence fetching the chair beforehand to make his “posture” more convincing.

Tap!
Clang! The small hammer in Shen Ge’s hand struck the mirror, causing a crack. The mirror monster’s face changed dramatically with fright.

Then, it heard Shen Ge’s cold voice: “Last chance. Answer my questions truthfully, or should I drag you in here for some fun? I’m sure the ‘Director’ would love the toy I give her… Made your choice?”

Shen Ge opened his eyes, fixing a heavy gaze on the mirror monster. Upon hearing “Director,” the monster’s expression clearly shifted. Shen Ge knew his gamble had paid off.

Sure enough, after a moment of silence, the mirror monster, its expression twisted with rage, gritted its teeth and asked, “What do you want to know?”

“First, tell me who you really are. Why do you have a face identical to mine?” Shen Ge stared at the mirror monster.

The mirror monster snorted disdainfully. “So you don’t even know my origin. I thought you were so great… Aah!”

While taunting Shen Ge, the mirror monster suddenly felt the world within the mirror compressing, nearly crushing it into paste. Yet, it still couldn’t escape the mirror.

With closed eyes and gritted teeth, Shen Ge snorted coldly. “Given a chance… and you blow it. Since you’re unwilling to cooperate, come on in!”

Though Shen Ge’s voice sounded fierce, he was barely holding on by sheer willpower, nearly at his limit from the massive mental energy overdraft.

“Wait! Stop!” the mirror monster urgently pleaded.

Its slightly panicked tone indicated a strong aversion to entering the dream world, which surprised Shen Ge.

Shen Ge had thought the dream world was similar to an Abnormal Space or Domain. As a monster, it shouldn’t fear entering such a place. But the mirror monster’s reaction was too abnormal.

Moreover, its repeated attempts to devour Shen Ge’s consciousness suggested an intense desire to obtain something through him.

Thinking this, Shen Ge raised an eyebrow, adopting an enigmatic tone. “After the Yuzhou Incident, I experienced ‘massive blood loss’ with my blood disappearing. But neither the Minister nor I could find out who was behind it. Later, in Korea, I saw Do Yu-seong, a clone monster created via ‘Clone Parasitic Aberration.’ Then, in the dream world, I saw San Zai… Asking you this question was just to see if you’d cooperate. Didn’t expect you’d still play petty tricks at a time like this.”

The mirror monster gritted its teeth. “You guessed right. I am a ‘clone’ created using your blood combined with Progenitor Aberration cells. Who wants to be someone else’s substitute? After seeing your appearance in Korea and Do Yu-seong’s fate, I knew the only way to completely shed this ‘substitute’ identity was to kill you and completely replace you.”

Hearing this, Shen Ge actually felt relieved. The monster said, “a clone created using your blood combined with Progenitor Aberration cells,” not “a clone like you” or “the mother parasite of a parasitic aberration.” This meant Shen Ge’s earlier speculation was correct: he wasn’t a clone or some aberration’s “mother parasite,” but the “original.”

Back when he returned unconscious from the Yuzhou Incident, a mole within the Ministry must have obtained his blood and created this mirror monster.

Shen Ge sighed helplessly. “Seriously? When Heavenly Stems created you, didn’t they think to install some control restrictions, like the Three Laws of Robotics or something?”

The mirror monster sneered. “I didn’t expect you to even know I was created by Heavenly Stems. I thought, using my guise of working with Shi Er Zhi, you’d assume I was one of theirs.”

Shen Ge replied, “Come on, I’m not stupid. First, the parasitic aberration stuff is Heavenly Stems’s doing. Second, Heavenly Stems collaborated with the Monster Association to set up Rongshan Mental Hospital, producing a bunch of monsters. What I don’t get is, as a newly created monster, why are you afraid of the Director? Could it be… she isn’t dead?”

Shen Ge mixed truth with lies, deliberately stating uncertain information to mask what he didn’t know, using it to judge the veracity of the mirror monster’s “answers.”

Without tools like a lie detector, he couldn’t guarantee the monster’s truthfulness and had to resort to this method for screening.

Just like the information obtained from dealing with Heavenly Stems’s Ye Jingwen and Xin Pangzi earlier. Even though Shen Ge didn’t fully trust them, considering subsequent events, if even half of their intel was true, it’d be a miracle.

So, to avoid trouble, Shen Ge had to be cautious, using the dream world’s unique nature to “threaten” the mirror monster, attempting to verify the truthfulness of the information previously obtained from Ye Jingwen and Xin Pangzi.

The mirror monster raised an eyebrow, its tone sarcastic. “Seems you don’t know everything. But, telling you won’t hurt. The ‘Director’ is indeed dead. From what I know, you killed her. How you did it, the exact circumstances of her death, I don’t know the details. But one thing’s certain: you had the ability to kill a Tier 4 Monster back in your teens.”

Shen Ge listened half-believing, half-doubting. If he truly possessed the ability to kill a Tier 4 Monster in his teens, it strongly suggested his identity was anything but ordinary.

Could someone with such an “extraordinary” identity escape Rongshan Mental Hospital and live an ordinary life for over a decade before being discovered by the Special Response Department?
That left only two possibilities—

Either his “life” was manipulated by Heavenly Stems/Shi Er Zhi, or by the Special Response Department. His world would be a “Truman Show.”

But Shen Ge had already dismissed this speculation earlier. If Deng Yuqi could “act” to that extent, whether Shen Ge was being manipulated or not became irrelevant.

It was like thinking you, a “high school student,” joined an “elementary school class,” only to find yourself in a “Ph.D. program” where everyone was acting along. Then, your own acting skills didn’t matter, because the whole world was creating a false world for you.

“Continue. Tell me something I don’t know.” Seeing the mirror monster looking at him, Shen Ge motioned for it to proceed.

The mirror monster said, “From this, it’s clear you don’t even know the origin of ‘San Zai.’ Actually, I am ‘San Zai,’ and so are you. Over a decade ago, the Monster Association, seeking development, had to accept ‘rehabilitation’ and collaborate with the Special Response Department on monster research. However, the failure of the Dajing human experiments led to the Monster Association being abandoned again. This time, they didn’t wait passively. Using the authority they still held, they established Rongshan Mental Hospital in Rong City within a limited timeframe.”

“On the surface, it was a mental hospital. In reality, it was a research institute controlled by the Monster Association, continuing their monster research. Several years later, people from ‘Heavenly Stems’ delivered the ‘mother parasite’ of the Clone Parasitic Aberration and a young boy.”

Shen Ge frowned upon hearing this. Though the mirror monster didn’t explicitly state it, Shen Ge had already guessed this boy was either him or closely related to him.

“‘Heavenly Stems’ didn’t explain the boy’s origin, only telling the Monster Association that the boy could perfectly fuse with Progenitor Aberration cells. To cultivate large quantities of Progenitor Aberration cells, they should use the boy’s genes as a base, combined with Progenitor Aberration cells and the Clone Parasitic Aberration, to mass-produce clones. This way, the Monster Association and Heavenly Stems would have an endless supply of experimental material and… Progenitor Aberration cells.”

“That’s right. That boy was you. You are our ‘ original host,’ and we ‘San Zais’ are clones created using your cells combined with the Clone Parasitic Aberration.”

“Pathetic, isn’t it?”

The mirror monster revealed a ferocious smile, self-mocking and sarcastic. But Shen Ge could see it refused to accept this fate; its crimson pupils burned with resentment and hatred.

“We were like products on an assembly line, created, subjected to monster modifications, brainwashed with organizational doctrines, tortured and researched by the Director like mindless puppets. Then, one day, a great fire engulfed Rongshan Mental Hospital. The Director disappeared. Just as we thought we’d perish in the flames, people from ‘Heavenly Stems’ rescued us.”

“Although Heavenly Stems wasn’t much different from the Monster Association, at least there was no pervert like the Director. Our living conditions improved somewhat. Gradually, we developed independent consciousness and began to ‘rebel.’ However, rebels ultimately met gruesome ends. I eventually chose to submit, becoming a monster cultivated by ‘Heavenly Stems.'”

“It wasn’t until the Korea mission that I learned the ‘truth.’ According to ‘Heavenly Stems,’ the Director’s disappearance and the Rongshan Mental Hospital fire were your doing. But after that incident, you vanished without a trace. Despite Heavenly Stems mobilizing nationwide resources, they couldn’t find you.”

“Until you became an Aberration Investigator and appeared at the Special Response Department.”

Shen Ge looked at the mirror monster, remained silent for a few seconds, then said solemnly, “So… you want to kill me, devour my consciousness, and replace me as the ‘original body’?”

“Although we were created from your cells, aside from having a higher success rate fusing with Progenitor Aberration cells compared to ordinary test subjects, we aren’t much different from regular monsters. Out of dozens of clones initially, less than ten were rescued by Heavenly Stems. Many died in subsequent research, others rebelled. Only three remained.”

“Research on you never progressed, so the organization gradually gave up. Then, after the Yuzhou Incident, someone tracked you down and successfully obtained a sample of your blood.”

“Although ‘Heavenly Stems’ had blood samples from your childhood, comparing them with your adult blood revealed you had ‘evolved’ further. The organization labeled you the ‘Most Perfect Monster,’ attempting to transform everyone to be like you, to survive the ‘Reset’ and become gods of the next civilization!”

“So, the organization initiated two plans. On one hand, they sent people to make contact with you, ostensibly seeking cooperation, since you and the organization didn’t have conflicting values. On the other hand, they secretly researched your blood, trying to have us, the three remaining clones, absorb it.”

“Influenced by the Monster Association earlier, we lacked independent consciousness, only known by serial numbers. After gaining consciousness, who would willingly be a substitute? Who wouldn’t want to be the ‘original body’?”

Shen Ge asked, “Of the three clones who absorbed the blood, only you succeeded?”

“Don’t know. Shortly after the experiment, I went to Korea to lie low. Then your appearance triggered Korea’s Aberration Disaster. After learning the truth, I defected from Heavenly Stems. To deal with you, I initiated contact with Shi Er Zhi, attempting to use their identity for cover, secretly planning to replace you.”

“A pity.”

The mirror monster let out a long sigh. “Now, I finally understand why you are the ‘original body’ and we are just clones.”

Ignoring the mirror monster’s sarcastic tone, Shen Ge asked another question: “I suppose after learning the truth, you investigated my identity. Find anything?”

“Information about you is scarce, as if deliberately erased. Otherwise, Heavenly Stems wouldn’t have found nothing for over a decade. But the most可笑 (ridiculous) part is, they probably never dreamed that after escaping Rongshan Mental Hospital, you didn’t move to another city but openly settled in Rong City. Is that… ‘the most dangerous place is the safest’?” the mirror monster mocked.

Shen Ge thought for a moment, then continued, “Did you find out why I can perfectly fuse with Progenitor Aberration cells, or why Heavenly Stems sent me to Rongshan Mental Hospital?”

“Don’t know.”

The mirror monster, seeing Shen Ge’s expression darken, thought he was about to use his power to drag it into the dream world, hurriedly added, “I’m not lying, I truly don’t know. But… I suspect it has something to do with the ‘dream world.'”

“Dream world?” Shen Ge narrowed his eyes.

The mirror monster explained, “Organizational reports note that during the Dajing Aberration Disaster, you took the opportunity to steal a Progenitor Aberration eyeball from the Special Response Department headquarters. Through that eyeball, you can see a miraculous scene: three identical planets, endlessly repeating ‘cycles,’ correct?”

“Both the Heavenly Stems and the Special Affairs Department have studied that strange eyeball from the progenitor, but their ‘conclusions’ are completely different.”

“The Special Response Department believes Planet 3 repeats Planet 2’s evolution, Planet 2 repeats Planet 1’s evolution… So after Planet 1’s destruction, Planet 2 learns from experience, avoiding some causes of demise, then evolves again. Planet 3 learns from Planets 1 and 2, taking the essence, discarding the dregs. If it fails, Planet 3 undergoes a Reset.”

Shen Ge nodded. “Right. Later, our Ministry also researched and verified the Special Response Department’s conclusion, finding it consistent with observational inference… But from what you’re saying, I’m curious about Heavenly Stems’s different take on this conclusion.”

The mirror monster said solemnly, “Do you know why ‘Heavenly Stems’ is determined to become gods in the next civilization rather than staying in the current world to save Earth?”

“Why?” Shen Ge instinctively asked.

“Because… Earth is already beyond cure. The coming apocalypse is inevitable. All efforts can only barely delay its arrival but cannot change the outcome. Through observation, ‘Heavenly Stems’ discovered that Planet 1 is completely withered, a dead world. Planet 2 appears to repeat Planet 1’s evolution until withering… but in reality, Planet 2 is still ‘alive.'”

“Its surface seems withered, but ‘Heavenly Stems’ used special methods for magnification and found lifeforms still exist on Planet 2.”

“Comparing Planet 3 with Planet 2, Heavenly Stems found Planet 3 already shows signs of inevitable destruction. In other words, the ‘Reset’ countdown has begun.”

“This conclusion stems from Heavenly Stems’s research finding that Planets 2 and 3 are like you and me: the original and its mirror reflection. Therefore, while the evolution processes of Planets 1 and 2 might differ greatly, the differences between Planets 2 and 3 are extremely minimal.”

“After years of observation, combined with research on you and the Rongshan Mental Hospital incident, Heavenly Stems concluded—”

“Planet 2… is very likely your ‘dream world’!”

Hearing this, Shen Ge was utterly stunned. He and Li Xiang had considered countless possibilities regarding the three Earths, but never this one proposed by the mirror monster.