Chapter 215: Transforming Community Experience (Twenty-Four)
If the universe has an end, then the end should be infinite silence.
But sometimes, silence is also an answer.
Tang Xinjue knew that most ghosts only cared about eating and not about fighting, and they had almost no fear of unfamiliar opponents.
Unless they knew her temperament very well and understood that once she said it, she would really do it.
"According to the rules of this illusion, it's likely that only you can control me, and I can't harm you. So, theoretically, as long as you're cautious, you shouldn't have anything to fear. There's probably only one core reason for your reluctance to act."
[……]
In theory, there's nothing to be afraid of? So how did the previous Li Xiaoyu get so angry and leave? Did a perverted workaholic suddenly become disillusioned with the world?
I don't believe you!
Before the private complaints were over, Tang Xinjue said to himself:
"—When you manipulate me, I will also feel your consciousness, your way of thinking and habits. But you dare not, because you are afraid that I know you too well, to the point that I can guess your name as soon as you think about it."
"I've made so many new friends in the university town, but I'm afraid the only one who could earn me this honor is..."
Tang Xinjue did not say the name behind it.
To be precise, the sudden change in the environment did not leave her time to continue speaking. The dark space that had originally stabilized suddenly began to roll and surge, and in the blink of an eye, it swallowed up everything in Guo Guo's astonished expression!
…
"...Xin Jue, Xin Jue, wake up a little."
When he woke up for the fourth time, he still saw the familiar expression on Guo Guo's face. Seeing Tang Xinjue open his eyes, Guo Guo breathed a sigh of relief, then continued:
"Look carefully at who I am. I am Guo Guo."
...I don't know if it's my illusion, but Tang Xinjue feels that compared to the initial fear and excitement, although it is the same conversation and plot, Guo Guo's tone fluctuations are gradually decreasing, and he even reveals a hint of fatigue.
That's right, four consecutive trips to the set, all while engaging in this kind of immersive and challenging work, all combined with a dreamlike experience. Under such brutal and inhumane pressure, not slacking off was a testament to my exceptional accomplishment.
But what interested her more at this moment was his calm inner state.
After she almost revealed his identity in the last cycle, the other party would rather give up and run away than stay and fight her.
This also directly led to the collapse of the third cycle at the beginning, forcing a jump to the fourth cycle.
She could feel that as the number of cycles increased, her consciousness's adaptation to the illusion was improving at a steady pace.
The most obvious thing is that she went from being in a daze and having her mind controlled at the beginning to being able to easily separate the "self" and the "other self" now, and even actively explore the existence of that external consciousness.
Now, she was certain that the "old acquaintance" who had just taken office in the previous cycle had packed up and disappeared. Now, it was another friend who occupied her sea of consciousness.
A somewhat special friend.
Tang Xinjue felt extremely peaceful in her heart, without finding any trace of the hostility and murderous intent of the ghost, as if it had been completely returned to her - but within it, there was also an indescribable sense of disharmony, constantly reminding her of the existence of outsiders.
Guo Guo also quickly noticed this change. She wiped her tears and approached Xin Jue cautiously: "Are you back to normal?"
Tang Xinjue looked at her, his brows slightly furrowed as he opened his mouth as if to ask something, but the moment his voice came out, it turned into gentle comfort: "Of course, it was just a little accident just now. I am no longer affected now, don't worry. How is it, I didn't hurt you just now?"
Guo Guo breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, that's good. Let's get out of here quickly. Sister You and Wanqing will be coming down soon. Actually, I just secretly sent a distress signal, and I need to explain it to them clearly..."
Tang Xinjue had a smile on his face: "Okay, I'll help you get the things."
Looking down, Guo Guo saw a red bell tied to each of his little fingers. It had been hidden in the darkness until now, and had only just come into view.
What are these two bells for? Tang Xinjue's mind moved slightly, but she couldn't make any sound.
The third external consciousness had gently taken over control, deliberately letting her see this scene, but not asking any questions or letting her hear any answers.
Guo Guo nodded obediently, took off the bell on her left hand, and placed it on Tang Xinjue's palm. The moment she did so, a pressure as heavy as a thousand pounds suddenly came down from her palm, almost making her kneel to the ground!
Despite the weight, Tang Xin Jue tied it to his little finger. Miraculously, the weight evaporated after it was attached to the little finger, as if it had transformed into an ordinary little bell.
"Did you successfully sense it, the heart secret?" Guo Guo looked back nervously in front.
Tang Xin Jue nodded and smiled, "Don't worry, I can sense it clearly."
Clear as a sh*t, except for the thick black fog gathering around her, her senses were completely unresponsive.
But Tang Xin Jue could only think, not speak. That consciousness controlled her all the way out, always following Guo Guo's buttocks at a close distance, causing the darkness around her to remain unchanged.
Compared to Li Xiaoyu, this ghost clearly had a different style of behavior. He appeared to have no intention of attacking, but upon closer inspection, one could still sense a lingering malice within him.
It makes her unable to understand the information of the present even if she is in the "future".
Not long after, they ran into Zhang You and Zheng Wanqing, who had hurried down. Seeing Guo Guo, who was unharmed, and Tang Xinjue, who had a friendly aura, the two exchanged slightly suspicious glances.
Tang Xinjue, watching quietly from within her body, noticed that both of them subconsciously stood at a distance from her. This was especially true when Zheng Wanqing pulled Guo Guo over, her indifference and wariness towards her being undisguised.
So in this [future], what did she do to cause the dormitory relations in 606 to break down to this extent?
"Okay, the best-case scenario is that nothing happens. Our top priority now is to get back to the dormitory as soon as possible. The longer we delay, the greater the danger outside."
Zhang You made the final decision, Zheng Wanqing slightly restrained her hostility, and Guo Guo naturally nodded repeatedly.
Tang Xinjue shrugged: "It's up to you to decide. I have no objection."
She still had the bell hanging on her little finger, which jingled as she walked, sounding particularly bright and piercing in the silent air.
Zheng Wanqing noticed this and immediately frowned: "Why did you take Guo Guo's bell?"
Guo Guo quickly explained, "Xin Jue took one away because she was afraid I couldn't afford it. She must be under a lot of pressure right now. Please don't be mean to her."
Guo Guo was right. The feeling wasn't obvious in the bathroom downstairs, but as I followed the other three up the stairs, the heaviness of my little finger grew heavier, stretching the entire finger with excruciating pain.
Tang Xin Jue only heard himself working tirelessly and saying, "It's okay. I can handle it."
——I doubt you can bear it.
Before he had even reached the first floor, a piercing pain shot up from his fingertips. The next moment, he loosened his grip and the weight of the bell tore his little finger off and it fell to the ground with a thud.
Zheng Wanqing turned around and immediately flew into a rage, rushing forward to attack: "I knew you had bad intentions, aren't you deliberately trying to ruin our business?!"
Guo Guo stopped him: "Don't be angry, it was just an accident. The Heart Technique definitely wasn't intentional..."
There was still some pain in his brain, and his hearing and vision were noisy and chaotic, but Tang Xinjue still stood upright in the same place. The two consciousnesses in his body watched the scene silently, and his main consciousness was even more calm, like a heartless spectator.
[Tsk, what a shame. Is this the friend, roommate, and comrade you truly cared about? And after all this time, this is what you get. How do you feel?]
The consciousness finally spoke, and it was still the same voice as Tang Xin Jue's. It sounded like a thought that came , asking her indifferently whether she was unwilling to give up.
“It’s really hard to accept.”
To the other party's surprise, Tang Xinjue admitted it very calmly.
"If I had known you guys were so capable of such a stunt, I would have bought a few pounds of jerky from the food court and brought it in to eat while I watched the show."
[…Those things cannot be brought in.]
"It seems you know your play is terrible, but you don't allow others to eat snacks to relieve their stress. Is this a new mental pollution course in the university?"
If his body wasn't in a state of disarray, Tang Xinjue would have really had the urge to yawn.
It would have been a good idea to rationally utilize the information gap and attack people's spirit from within, but if the plot is adapted into this way, it would have been a bit outrageous.
The other party thought for a moment, still firmly believing in his own logic: "Humans only verbally attack others when they are emotionally unstable. If I'm not mistaken, you must be defensive, right?"
Tang Xin Jue: "...Confidence is an excellent quality, but overconfidence can be a personality flaw."
But unfortunately, most ghosts seem to have this incurable disease. It can be judged that the capitalists in the university town have not yet extended their hands to the psychological industry.
The other party thought for a moment and said seriously: "You may have a point, but I'm not a human being. What does it matter to me whether my personality is flawed or not?"
Unconsciously, this internal battle within the team gradually turned into a conversation between Tang Xinjue and "himself". While chatting, Tang Xinjue was also multitasking. He continued to watch Zheng Wanqing scold her for a while, and suddenly said in his heart:
"But if I'm not mistaken, when you were rehearsing them, you probably just did a rough run through and didn't strictly control the quality of the performance, right?"
The consciousness was stunned: "What do you mean?"
At this moment, Zhang You seemed to have been unable to tolerate their quarrel any longer and dragged Guo Guo, who had been blocking Zheng Wanqing, out directly: "If you want to fight, go to the bathroom. You won't kill anyone like this."
Zheng Wanqing, who suddenly lost her ability to stop him, said: "???"
She rushed forward due to inertia, but subconsciously braked suddenly. After instinctively hesitating for a second, her face showed indignation and hostility again, and she continued to rush towards Tang Xinjue:
"Anyway, our friendship is over, so let's just end it here!"
Tang Xin Jue: "Look at how hard they've forced you to do it."
It's bad enough that he has to die over and over again, but he also has to recite such stiff lines. Don't university towns have labor laws?
[……]
The voice suddenly laughed: "Li Xiaoyu, you're so stupid. You already knew everything, right?"
After saying that, it controlled Tang Xinjue's body and attacked suddenly, but the direction of the attack was not towards Zheng Wanqing, but towards Zhang You who was standing at the farthest distance and did nothing throughout the whole process!
