The darkness didn’t hinder Xu Fang’s vision. He could easily make out his surroundings.
It was a spherical space that reminded Xu Fang of the “universe simulator” he’d once seen, only this place was much larger—big enough to fit an indoor basketball court.
Various odds and ends drifted through the weightless space. Shattered metal, scattered pages, shards of glass and concrete...
Xu Fang knew that he might be the one who’d caused all this.
Back when Xu Fang was still human, he’d written a theory about “multidimensional space” to deal with Ye Huai, and completely destroyed the lunar space... The cause-and-effect here was debatable, after all. The author was both the creator and the recorder.
In that case, multidimensional space could also be used to leave the lunar base.
What Xu Fang couldn’t figure out was how Luo Xiaoming had ended up at the lunar base. The entrance to the five-dimensional space was supposed to be in H City, while Luo Xiaoming had been on a plane at the time. Had Gussy’s use of a “travel voucher” somehow led Luo Xiaoming to that entrance by pure coincidence?
If something that coincidental really had happened, Xu Fang would rather believe that Boltzmann brains existed.
“Luo Xiaoming, I don’t have a phone with me.”
“You can borrow mine. What do you want to search for?” Luo Xiaoming answered at once.
“Horror Novel Web.”
Luo Xiaoming’s eyes widened slightly. Then she nodded and showed Xu Fang the search results.
Xu Fang couldn’t make heads or tails of it. He realized that a serious cognitive barrier still separated him from the world Luo Xiaoming lived in.
In Xu Fang’s imagination, Luo Xiaoming should’ve been holding up her phone and pointing it at him. But all he could see was a mess of distorted garbled text. Even Luo Xiaoming’s figure had disappeared into it.
“Put the phone down. I don’t need it anymore.”
There was no reply.
“Xiao Ming?”
“Answer me.”
Xu Fang had lost contact with Luo Xiaoming.
Through this eyeball, Xu Fang stared fixedly into the distorted abyss within it, but in the end, he still couldn’t understand.
The cognitive barrier kept Xu Fang from understanding that world.
Maybe some of that world’s rules were completely different from the ones here. Maybe an ordinary action could trigger something unthinkable. Or perhaps time there wasn’t linear, and Xu Fang would have to wait a long time before he could see Luo Xiaoming move again...
There was nothing he could do. Xu Fang could only wait.
Xu Fang stripped a white coat from a male corpse and draped it over himself. Then he pried a phone from the hand of a female corpse.
The phone was out of power and wouldn’t turn on.
Xu Fang tapped the screen lightly and wrote the five characters for “Horror Novel Web.” Then... nothing happened.
Fine. No matter how miraculous Horror Novel Web was, it couldn’t establish a connection through a device with no power.
Xu Fang kept searching the ruins for a power source. He made a full circuit and found no generator, only a few drained lithium batteries. The people who’d stayed here had died without ever solving the power outage.
Xu Fang had to try another approach. He put together a simple mechanical generator from a secondary coil removed from a transformer and alnico taken from a magnetic resonance switch. At last, he got the phone to light up.
A screen so familiar it couldn’t have been more familiar appeared in front of Xu Fang.
【Dear 7K author, welcome back to Horror Novel Web!】
Several notifications appeared in the notification bar. The one at the top was an update notice.
【Horror Novel Web has been updated to version v1.2.】
Version v1.2. The interface hadn’t changed much, except for the Author Consultation Center.
【The following changes have been made in version v1.2.
1. Authors can now communicate with the website’s customer service online. Authors will no longer enter the “Unrestricted Free Space.”
2. “Customer Service” has been removed.
3. The “Change Identity” service has been discontinued. Authors can only create new identities.】
After reading the notices, Xu Fang sighed inwardly. Every one of Horror Novel Web’s changes had something to do with him. The so-called “Unrestricted Free Space” was the Immortal World. Now that the Immortal World had fallen into reality, authors naturally couldn’t enter it anymore. So the website had put a temporary measure in place to keep the Author Consultation Center running.
“Customer Service” was that classic little black figure. It had another identity too: “Number Two” from the Immortal World. Number Two might be dead, or might’ve gone somewhere else. Either way, after Number Two left, Horror Novel Web had temporarily removed the “Customer Service” character. But without “Customer Service,” the website might find some other way to pester authors for updates.
Originally, authors could pay a certain number of points to “Change Identity,” becoming someone else in the real world. But the ability to “Change Identity” didn’t come from Horror Novel Web. It came from Night Paper, a “false person.” Night Paper had disappeared along with the Immortal World, so Horror Novel Web could no longer offer that service.
What exactly was that website? The more closely you examined all the things that seemed unreasonable, the more reasonable they seemed.
...
There was no signal, but connecting to Horror Novel Web didn’t require an internet connection or an external control device. The phone only needed to be able to display things.
Xu Fang saw a second message in the notification bar.
【Congratulations, 7K! In recognition of your outstanding performance, you have been promoted from an E-rank author to a D-rank contracted author on Horror Novel Web. You will now enjoy D-rank author privileges. Click here for details.】
【1. You can enter and leave the Customer Service Center at will, without paying points or waiting. You are also authorized to learn more.
2. Your update deadline has been extended.
3. The point-trading system is now available. You can trade with other authors.
Note: Horror Novel Web guarantees the transaction and takes a 10% service fee. Whether the parties fail to reach an agreement or complete a transaction, they must wait 24 hours before initiating another one.】
A point-trading system? Xu Fang looked through Velley’s memories and immediately understood what it meant.
D-rank authors could initiate trades with other authors. One side of the trade had to be points—and could only be points—while the other side could be anything. Only spot trades were supported; forward contracts, futures, and all other forms of trade were off the table. To ensure a fair exchange, Horror Novel Web acted as guarantor and took a 10% cut. Once a trade was agreed upon, both parties had to fulfill it. The one who reneged would die in a bizarre manner.
The Destruction Association used the trading system to transfer points internally and pool funds to buy expensive items from the store. But the store from version v1.1 had been shut down, so the trading system had taken a hit too.
The range of trades authors could make was extremely broad. They could even hire other authors as labor. But some things couldn’t be traded: when a deal depended on someone’s subjective judgment, there was no way to guarantee its quality. For example, a trade offering a certain number of points in exchange for another person’s “eternal loyalty” was too vague. In practice, the website wouldn’t force the other party to actually be “loyal.”
“So I was already an E-rank author before?”
Previously, because The Horror System had received such a low rating, some of the permissions in the author backend had been disabled. It was as if Xu Fang had been reduced to an ordinary author again. But as time passed, The Horror System’s rating had gone from “low” to “below average,” and the permissions that had been disabled were restored. Xu Fang could finally see his true rank.
【Work: The Horror System
Points: 6642
Popularity: 352
Reputation: Medium
Rating: Below Average】
【Race: Demon
Level: LV7
Status: Normal
Good-Evil Value: 10 (Neutral)
Energy: 86% — (Click here to purchase energy)】
Xu Fang tapped the option to purchase energy, and, as expected, it was available.
【Spend 100 points to increase energy to 100%?】
Xu Fang tapped “No,” then looked at the descriptions of the other sections (skills).
【Thought Perception (E-rank) — Description:
- Heightened perception of the outside world.
- With eye contact, can destroy the minds of weak creatures without permissions. (Click here to spend 200 points to upgrade to D-rank.)
Energy Perception (D-rank) — Description:
- Demons can absorb various forms of energy and convert them into their own.
- Can generate an energy shield over the body to negate outside attacks.
- Can apply energy to the space around them. (Click here to spend 2000 points to upgrade to C-rank.)
**
sense of space
Sense of time
Probability perception.
Seeing the garbled text below brought back that familiar sense of absurdity. If Xu Fang remembered correctly, the entries that came after those should’ve been Spatial Perception, Temporal Perception, Probability Perception, and so on.
...Why was it garbled? And what was this meaningless “Good-Evil Value” supposed to be?
...
Xu Fang thought it over and decided he should strengthen himself a bit. But there were a few things he needed to clarify first.
The phone was running low on power, so Xu Fang sped up the hand-cranked generator a little.
Xu Fang opened the Author Consultation Center. Since he was now a D-rank author, he didn’t have to pay the 20-point “entry fee.” A page appeared with two options for the type of inquiry: “Open Question” and “Directed Question.” Directed Questions were further divided into “Yes-or-No Questions” and “Questions That Aren’t Yes-or-No.” A Yes-or-No Question required 5 points up front, and Customer Service would only answer “yes” or “no.” A Question That Wasn’t Yes-or-No required 30 points up front, and Customer Service would give a detailed answer within the limits of its authorization. If the question was too complicated, additional points would be deducted after Customer Service replied.
So that was it. Horror Novel Web had turned the Consultation Center into a search engine. Authors could ask questions without entering the “Unrestricted Free Space,” solving both the loss of the “Unrestricted Free Space” and the loss of “Customer Service.”
Xu Fang switched to Open Question mode. “Explain C-rank Energy Perception and D-rank Thought Perception separately. Deduct no more than 3 points.”
【A response to “Explain C-rank Energy Perception and D-rank Thought Perception separately” requires 30 points. Note: 1 point will be deducted for this response.】
Xu Fang was speechless. The Consultation Center was just as stingy as ever. Even asking a question was a pain, and the fees were ridiculously high.
Xu Fang paid 30 points and asked again.
【C-rank Energy Perception:
- Greater control over matter and oneself.
- The energy pool expands to 100 times its D-rank capacity.
- Energy absorption speed increases to 5 times its D-rank rate.
- The 3% near-death restraint is lifted.
- The vitality of split individuals increases by 30%.
D-rank Thought Perception:
- Perception of the outside world is further enhanced.
- With eye contact, can destroy the minds of ordinary creatures without permissions.
- With eye contact, can penetrate the cognition of weak creatures without permissions.
Note: Energy Perception and Thought Perception have conflicting evolutionary paths. Increasing the level of Energy Perception will lower the level of Thought Perception. Any level below E-rank will disappear forever.】
After reading the Consultation Center’s answer, Xu Fang lost interest in C-rank Energy Perception. At C-rank, his energy pool would expand a hundredfold, and even an ordinary squadron of fighter jets wouldn’t pose a threat to him. But there were no other functional upgrades, and the upgrade would sacrifice Thought Perception. Xu Fang didn’t think it was worth it.
As for Thought Perception, it might come in handy someday, but now wasn’t the right time to upgrade it either. If Xu Fang upgraded Thought Perception, Energy Perception would drop to E-rank, leaving him unable to use an energy shield. That would mean losing his most basic means of self-defense.
“Explain B-rank Energy Perception and C-rank Thought Perception. Deduct no more than 6 points.”
【Unable to extrapolate. Upgrading with points is not supported.】
For the first time, the website admitted to a D-rank author that there were things it didn’t know. Got it. Being a D-rank author really did come with a lot more privileges.
“...Tell me how to use five-dimensional space to return to Earth. Deduct no more than 10 points.”
【It is impossible to use five-dimensional space to return to Earth. Reason: The near-Earth endpoint coordinates have changed. The near-Earth endpoint has left Earth and is still moving. 10 points have been deducted for this answer. To find out its coordinates, you must submit another inquiry.】
Xu Fang thought it over. The changed coordinates had caused the destruction of Organization K’s lunar base. Perhaps that was also why Luo Xiaoming had appeared at the lunar base.
“Then how do I get back?”
Xu Fang got an ominous answer: 【Move to Earth on the three-dimensional plane.】
So much for taking a shortcut.
...
The facilities at the lunar base had been thoroughly destroyed. Among heaps of metal wreckage, Xu Fang could barely find anything useful. Even the power supply had to be cranked by hand, let alone anything that could serve as a communications station to contact Earth.
However, Xu Fang possessed the perspectives of Destruction and Energy, allowing him to see things most people couldn’t.
He activated his Energy Sight and focused. At once, he spotted something unusual among the scattered debris: a stone sealed inside a glass container. The moment he saw it, Xu Fang thought of the object Li Xin had once given Luo Xiaoming.
Its energy was abundant and orderly, arranged in a wondrous pattern, as if it had been imbued with magic.
Everything about it matched the other object’s characteristics. Xu Fang realized they were made of the same material.
Compared to the crude machinery around it, the energy within this stone was incredibly intricate. Recalling that unfamiliar memory, Xu Fang guessed it was a highly sophisticated information storage device.
It didn’t seem to be a human creation.
Xu Fang opened the glass container and touched the stone. In an instant, he felt his consciousness being pulled into another space.
All sorts of strangely shaped creatures floated inside a spacious deck bay. A projection device glowed beside each one.
It was hard to describe what these creatures looked like. Each seemed like a mass of flames, and their appearance alone put them beyond the realm of carbon-based life.
Across from the flame-like creatures, specimens of crawling beings were immersed in liquid. They looked just like the dragon-men from movies.
This scene showed the inside of the lunar base, back before it was destroyed. Was this an image from the past?
“The parameters of the universe need further modification… The Curse of 432 will destroy us.”
They were communicating in a language Xu Fang had never heard before. Strangely, he could understand what they were saying.
“There are more and more variables. It’s already out of control.”
“There’s no going back…”
“One moment, extinction. The next, back to the beginning. We study quantum life, and quantum life studies us. We derive equations, and then the equations become black holes. The world becomes hell.”
“The moment we altered the formula of the universe, we set foot on a path with no way back. On the other side of the formula’s equals sign, we are utterly rejected.”
“This world isn’t that kind.”
“Initiate the final plan. At the very least, let’s not perish in silence.”
“Yes…”
Xu Fang’s heart stirred. The number 432 felt so familiar. Could it refer to the maximum lifespan of organisms in the universe—432 years? Were these creatures part of some civilization, trying to break through that limit? And what about the formula of the universe? The variables? He understood every word these “people” said, but put together, they were hard to make sense of.
“Doesn’t anything seem strange to you? It feels like something’s watching us.”
“Abnormal observation source detected…”
“A Void Fiend?!”
“It isn’t one of them. Fiends don’t ‘observe.’”
Xu Fang felt several sharp gazes turn toward him. Then a flame suddenly asked:
“…Who are you?”
Xu Fang blinked. The scene around him began to grow extremely unstable.
He was astonished. Had the “people” in this place actually become aware of him? Was this a memory or a live image?
When he opened his eyes, Xu Fang looked at the stone in his palm. It had developed many cracks, and the energy inside was no longer stable. Perhaps it could support just one more viewing before crumbling to ash.
Xu Fang put the black stone back in its glass container and stored it inside his body. He could study it if he got the chance later.
Once the phone’s battery had charged to 10%, Xu Fang unlocked it with the owner’s fingerprint, opened the camera, and started recording.
Xu Fang continued searching the ruins. Aside from fossils of ancient creatures, electronic debris, and human corpses, he found nothing else of value. None of it would help him get out of here.
Perhaps asking the Consultation Center for help could get him out of his predicament, but Xu Fang didn’t want to rely on it. Every consultation related to this cost a lot. Unless he had no other choice, he would try to find the answers himself first.
Finding no clues with Energy Sight, Xu Fang switched to Destruction Sight. In an instant, the world before him became chaotic, mottled, and wild in its primitive form. Blurred and distinct patches of color smeared across his vision.
If the world really looked like this, humans would surely go mad—or be transformed into something else, twisted beyond recognition.
But Xu Fang had used the Eye of Destruction many times already. He was used to it now, and remained calm.
