Meeting the authors of Reality is inevitably filled with small talk, even competitors greet each other with a smile and maximum friendliness. Because everyone in the industry knows each other, it's hard to avoid crossing paths, and there might be future collaboration. Unless two master authors have long-standing grudges, then offline, they simply ignore each other.

The authors in Horror Novel Web, however, have a different style. Even before meeting each other, they start figuring out how to kill each other. After all, in the horror web, the mechanism is to kill other authors to obtain their "all." Therefore, it's difficult for authors to trust each other, and someone needs to take the initiative to act as a go-between.

Xu Fang's job is to act as the go-between. He needs to wake up all the authors involved in the bizarre event and make them acquainted with each other.

...

On the afternoon of October 20th, all the authors were awakened and informed about the basic information of this world.

They easily understood their situation and most of them agreed with Xu Fang's plan. They also proposed several ideas to unravel the bizarre event, but of course, these ideas couldn't be directly implemented and needed to be verified.

The meeting was arranged in a city in Europe, and authors from all over the world rushed there. Some authors couldn't conveniently travel, so Xu Fang chose to transport them by helicopter.

As for the helicopter, it was sponsored by a wealthy businessman.

The authors' actions were covert. Xu Fang had told them that in the third round, Seoul had suffered a terrorist attack after the meeting was leaked online. If their meeting was known by someone, it would be very dangerous.

...

A spacious basement.

An old man wearing a Tai Chi mask manipulated an abacus in his hands and said after a while, "... There's no result, no result is the best result, hehehe..."

Next to him, a middle-aged man wearing a gas mask said, "I have a special monitoring method. If missiles come, I'll detect and intercept them. It relies on you guys to handle it."

"What did you say? I don't understand bird language!" the old man narrowed his eyebrows, pulling out two small devices from his bag that looked like "combat detectors" without glasses.

He put one device near his ear and handed the other to the Taoist.

The Taoist took the device and put it on his ear. Before he could ask about its functions, he heard the Google translation, "Can you understand what I'm saying? This is a translator."

Similarly, hearing the English outside the device, the old Taoist exclaimed, "Tsk tsk, technology, truly amazing."

"Do you need a translator? I made it." The man looked at the teenager sitting in the corner, lost in thought.

"No, I don't need it. No language poses any barriers for me. Please give it to someone who needs it," the young man said calmly, speaking fluent English.

The boy's right eye seemed blind, wrapped in gauze. His face was securely wrapped, and he wore a round hat, shading his remaining left eye, giving off an unwelcoming vibe.

"Why would a random passerby like me encounter this troublesome situation? Damn it! I shouldn't have gotten involved with the government's project! Now I'll die in this absurd bizarre event!" the bespectacled guy squatting in front of his notebook observed the online trends while sighing, "Can't I just have a relaxing vacation?"

The bespectacled guy wore a face mask, dressed ordinary, and didn't stand out.

"It doesn't matter, kid. Everyone dies eventually, just the location of death has changed," a girl who looked like a high school student lounged on the cold floor, lazily pouring beer down her throat, not caring even if her skirt flipped up, and there were already four or five empty cans around her.

JK did not wear any items to cover his face. His appearance was ordinary, but there was a deep silence in his eyes.

"Young man? I'm already 24 this year, a standard NEET." The bespectacled guy said, "You, are you not of legal age yet? Drink less alcohol."

"Hehe, such a pointless concern." JK showed a smile that didn't match his age.

"Why don't you wear a mask? Haven't the 'rules' told you?"

"What does it matter? Will it affect the outcome of our death?"

"..."

On the other side of the basement, there sat a blond man wearing a comical mask. He crossed his legs, relaxed his body, and had a mysterious smile in the corner of his eyes.

Lastly, there was the masked man sitting in the corner, who no one knew when he arrived.

At this moment, the door to the basement opened, and a person who can't be described... a human, entered. This person was pushing a wheelchair, and an old man wearing a monkey mask sat on the wheelchair.

Except for JK, who was lying down and drinking, and the man with the comical mask on the chair, all the authors stood up alertly.

"He is the author, not a monster." Xu Fang walked out from behind the black frame.

Upon seeing this mysterious person wearing a hood, the atmosphere among the authors returned to normal. Everyone was awakened by this self-proclaimed "Rules" author. Although they couldn't fully trust him, they found him more approachable than the creepy guy with the black frame.

Besides Xu Fang, the black frame, and the old man on the wheelchair, two women also entered.

The woman with curly hair walked in a stiff motion, her legs and even her hands were prosthetics, and she wore a clown mask on her face.

The other woman wore a gray nun outfit, with abnormally pale skin and a cardboard box placed over her head, leaving only two holes for her eyes.

Xu Fang scanned the number of authors in the room, confirmed that the count was correct, and then closed the door.

Thus, a total of twelve authors gathered for this bizarre event. The meeting was rushed, and Xu Fang didn't even have time to greet them one by one. He only assisted a few authors with mobility issues, while the others made their own way to the designated location.

The authors cooperated well, with no one late or absent, as they all knew that this gathering was crucial in unraveling the bizarre event.

There were no tables in the basement, only several chairs. The authors stood or sat, keeping their distance from each other, observing each other in the dim light.

"If there's difficulty in communication, that author can provide a translator." Xu Fang pointed to the man with the gas mask.

The man understood and pointed to the translator in his hand, then to his ear.

Only the bespectacled guy raised his hand to indicate that he couldn't speak English, while the others remained motionless in their original positions.

"Well, since that's the case, let's introduce ourselves and get to know each other..."

Xu Fang hadn't finished speaking when the man with the comical mask suddenly stood up, shouted weirdly, and lit a detonator among the crowd. "Here comes the big cake!"

"WTF?!"

"Explosives!!"

"!!!"

Some authors quickly lay down backwards, while others reflexively reached into their pockets. A few others stood still, unable to react in time.

Xu Fang remained indifferent, silently watching his performance.

He took note of everyone's reactions as the man with the comical mask laughed, "Relax, this is just an empty toy."

"Friend, don't make such cruel jokes. Such actions can easily lead to conflict." The old man on the wheelchair spoke, his voice hoarse and weak with age.

"The atmosphere needs to be more lively, otherwise everyone will be bored and cold. Let me introduce myself first. My name is Owen and I'm a pacifist!" Owen pointed to the silly mask on his face. "I am a clever and lucky person. You should consider yourselves fortunate to have encountered me in this bizarre event."

After speaking, Owen sat back in his chair, signaling for the others to continue.

"My name is Yuanyi, and I used to be interested in observing humans... Well, now I don't really care about anything. Maybe I'll just suddenly die at some point. Just pretend I don't exist." JK, who was lying on the ground drinking, said.

"When I threw the 'cake' just now, you didn't even dodge it, miss. Aren't you afraid of it exploding?" Owen whistled.

Yuanyi burped and smiled, "Whether it explodes or not, I don't care."

"Great, I like this attitude!" Owen whistled again.

"My name is Molton, you can call me Old Mo. I am interested in astronomy." The man wearing a gas mask said.

"The translator you made is very useful. Why haven't I seen a product like this before?" Four-eyed guy asked.

"It's for internal company use and has patent protection, so it's not available on the market." Old Mo asked, "How should I address you, this Chinese person?"

"Let me think... It's not appropriate to use my real name directly, and another alias doesn't quite fit either. Let's just go with Four-eyed. After all, I've heard that nickname a lot." Four-eyed guy looked at the old man wearing a Tai Chi mask and a Taoist robe. "Are you also an author from the Heavenly Kingdom?"

"I can't be considered a Taoist master. I am just an idle person. My Taoist name is Empty Void." Empty Void bowed politely and said, "I am open-minded and unrestrained. Welcome my colleagues to discuss together."

"My name is Simpson, I am a biologist and I also enjoy physics. But this body doesn't have much energy left. I and my colleagues have studied the existence of that website before, cough..." the old man in a wheelchair said.

It was evident that Simpson's condition was not good. Just after a few sentences, his breathing became noticeably heavier.

"Sorry, I can't catch my breath. Anyway, I am willing to collaborate with all of you to unravel this bizarre event and return to reality as soon as possible."

"Take it easy, old man. Don't suddenly drop dead on us." Owen chuckled. "Who knows, maybe you have the 'key' to unraveling this bizarre event hidden in your brain."

"My name is Bernice. As you can see, this is my original body. I don't have arms or legs anymore. Since I switched bodies, I haven't experienced the feeling of disability for a long time." The woman with wavy hair said.

"How did you type before?" Four-eyed guy curiously asked. "Can prosthetics be flexible enough for typing?"

"With my tongue."

Empty Void chuckled, "Your tongue skills must be excellent, right?"

"... " Bernice.

It was the nun's turn to introduce herself. Wearing a paper bag over her head, she looked at everyone, raised and dropped her hands, and finally said in a dull tone, "I don't know what to say, because all of you seem fake."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"You are all fake, so whatever I say or do is meaningless. Even if I kill you or get killed by you, my final state won't change."

Her words puzzled everyone.

Empty Void's voice sounded regretful, "What a lovely girl, how did she go mad?"

"I'm not mad. You all are mad. Haven't you realized that you are no longer yourselves?" The nun opened her arms and said, "Our personalities have been fragmented, we are no longer whole. From the moment we fell into this bizarre abyss, there is no way back, no way back, hahaha..."

Xu Fang felt that the nun's memory might have been traumatized. Before awakening her, she was able to communicate normally like a regular person. However, after her memory returned, she began speaking gibberish and behaving abnormally. Was she naturally like this, or did she experience something during the bizarre event?

"Yezhi," the bandaged boy said softly, referring to himself. "That's my name."

"What are your hobbies?"

"I don't have any," Yezhi clearly didn't want to engage in conversation.

Heibo also introduced himself. The translation device couldn't understand Heibo's words, and even Google Translator struggled to translate what he was saying. But as soon as the translator was removed, Heibo's words were immediately understood, as if he had created a language that could be understood by humans but not machines. It was a strange feeling.

Although other authors were curious about Heibo's condition, they didn't inquire further. Every author had their own secrets, whether it be about their works, pen names, identities, or undisclosed experiences. These were things that couldn't be divulged. Authors understood this among themselves.

Only the masked man hadn't introduced himself, and everyone's attention turned to him.

"I don't know who I am now," the masked man said.

"Don't you have any memories?" Four-eyed guy asked.

The masked man remained silent.

"I get it, his awakening wasn't complete. He needs to be awakened again," Owen said.

"He has been awakened before," Xu Fang hinted. "The original consciousness is in a state of amnesia."

"I suddenly feel like trying it again. What would happen if an author is awakened multiple times?" Owen appeared eager to try it out.

"They'll die for sure."

"Absolutely. They will definitely die."

"You'd better not try it lightly."

Everyone used their words to discourage him.

Xu Fang looked at the masked man. "What should I call you?"

"Call me whatever you want."

"Let's call you Nameless," Kongxu clapped his abacus with a void expression. "According to my calculations, this person is extraordinary, capable of defying fate."

"Are you still able to fortune-tell, Daoist? Can you tell me if I can survive the bizarre event?" Four-eyed guy asked in amazement.

"It's not fortune-telling, it's divination. It's easier to predict the fortunes of those with strong Qi luck. As for you... I can't see anything."

"I guess I'm just cannon fodder."

"Hey, don't feel down. Being a bystander doesn't mean you're cannon fodder. Those wealthy and successful individuals, aren't they also bystanders?"

"That makes sense."

"Alright, now that we're all introduced, how long have you all been in this profession?" Four-eyed guy said. "Time shouldn't be a secret. I'll go first—I've been an author for four years. Back in 2013, I was selected by that website, and I've been struggling ever since."

"Twenty-five years," the old man in the wheelchair said. "That website can be said to have changed my life. If it weren't for the terrible punishments and... ahem, damn bizarre events, I would probably be grateful for it because it allowed me to explore the limits of science."

Lao Mo showed great respect. "Are you a famous scientist in real life?"

"Ah, scholars aren't celebrities. We just silently research behind the scenes," Simpson waved his hand with difficulty. "I don't have much recognition, but I know many famous people."

Lao Mo nodded. "I thought my eight years of experience was already a long time, but compared to the seniors, I still have a long way to go."

The others, like Kongxu, Bernice, and the nun, had been in this profession for four or five years. But when it came to Yezhi's turn to introduce himself, he refused to disclose any information about himself.

There are always one or two people who don't fit in.

"It seems that I have the least experience here, I've only been here for two years... so, what about you, Rule?" Owen looked at Xu Fang.

"Two months."

The atmosphere became quiet, and everyone looked over.

"Are you sure?" Owen said, "So you're just a newcomer?"

"Yes, that's why we need everyone's help to solve this bizarre event," Xu Fang said, "I still have many things I don't understand about that website, so I need to consult with all of you."

Xu Fang was humble, he never underestimated any of the authors present. From the beginning, he had no intention of leading the authors, so during the author exchanges, Xu Fang rarely spoke, intentionally reducing his presence. This was Xu Fang's style, to stay behind the scenes.

"It's okay, ask me if you don't understand anything," the bespectacled young man said warmly, "I always welcome newcomers."

"An author's experience doesn't represent their abilities," Lao Mo said, "Newcomers may have just entered the field later, but it doesn't mean they are weak. If the Rule can awaken us, he must have some skills."

"I was also awakened by someone, but the author who awakened me didn't come because he's still busy solving the bizarre event," Xu Fang said.

"What's the author's name?"

"Singularity."

"Singularity Individual, not bad," the bespectacled young man said, "So who awakened Singularity?"

"He doesn't need awakening because his memories won't be altered. You can understand it as a 'setting'."

"Alright, understood. I understand why Singularity didn't join this meeting," Owen laughed, "Someone as important as him must be protected. If something happens to him, we're all done for. After all, we still need to be awakened for the next cycle, if there is one."

The Nameless didn't have any memories, and the others didn't ask, so they all looked at Yuan Yizi.

"Girl, your underwear is showing," Void reminded.

"Huh? What are you doing?" Yuan Yizi noticed that the old man was lying on the ground next to her.

"Of course, to see more clearly."

"..."

The authors finally understood why Void referred to himself as a "man of temperament," he was simply a dirty old man.

"Yuan Yizi, how long have you been an author?" the bespectacled young man said, "You seem older than your appearance."

"...300 years? Or maybe 400 years? I can't remember."

"Hehe, why don't you say 3,000 years? That's just too absurd."

"I'm not lying to you, and there's no meaning in lying."

"Burnice said, "But computers only emerged in the mid-20th century, there were no websites before that, right?"

"That's right, you're older than...that website, is that reasonable?"

"In the world line I'm from, humans went extinct, so Horror Novel Web shifted to a different world line. You probably all have a history of World War II, right?" Yuan Yizi glanced at the authors, "In the world I come from, there was no World War II. In fact, there wasn't even World War I. The world unified early on, and when you started researching computers, we were already researching antimatter, although the outcome wasn't great."

"Why... do you directly mention the name of that website? That's prohibit--" Lao Mo exclaimed.

Yuan Yizi yawned, "Prohibited items, so what?"

"It will be given special attention!"

"Oh, I'm looking forward to it."

"Three to four hundred years, how can humans possibly live that long?" Sige asked, "Could it be..."

"It's all about constantly changing bodies. After a few hundred years, I feel so bored I could die," Yuan Yizi looked at Xu Fang and smiled, "I'm grateful for the rules, they allow me to experience the starting point again. After changing identities so many times, I almost forget who I am."

Suddenly, Xu Fang remembered something. Although he had thought about it before, he now had to reconsider this question.

Given:

1. Xu Fang woke up other authors.

2. Each author has changed bodies once or even multiple times.

3. Authors were in their final form before being awakened.

4. Regardless of how many times they changed bodies, they would return to their initial form after being awakened.

So here comes the contradiction, why is Xu Fang different from the other authors? Is he special? Or maybe there is a problem with his memory?

Is there a possibility that humans are Xu Fang's final form? A certain antagonist believed that humans had limits and became a vampire; whereas a certain little demon chose to become a human... erasing memories in the process.

Xu Fang didn't question his existence due to this setup. When Ye Huai, the "creator," came over, his existence had already been questioned.

There's nothing to be surprised about. The alter personality has also stated that Xu Fang's past is full of mysteries, and his life is not as simple as it seems.

I wonder if I offended any big shot in my "past life"? Xu Fang thought to himself.