V3C1

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“It means that the world we are in now is fake.” Song Hanzhang’s words pierced through the illusion of peace like a final verdict, a flavor of cold cruelty rarely felt. “We never escaped from the game, and perhaps we never will. Should we continue to struggle and abide by the rules, there will come a day when we’ve used up all our strength and all our luck, and die here.”

Lin Jue’s throat trembled, a reptilian coldness climbing from the bottom of his feet, wrapping around his legs, biting into his brain with a slow, ever-increasing force, dragging him down into an abyss of death.

He had a thousand million reasons to reject such an absurd guess, but in the moment, his throat had constricted from fear and despair. Neither the warmest sun nor the loudest racket could save him from the fear which had sunk its teeth into his very bones. Because everything here was fake.

There couldn’t be a more terrifying speculation, nor a speculation that was closer to the truth.

Ever since Lin Jue had received that easter egg, his entire life had been completely derailed. The school-wide zombie apocalypse was just the start; in that night filled with ravaging zombies and cruel violence, he had experienced the pain of betrayal, tasted the price of weakness, brewed the courage to kill; the morals of the normal world quickly collapsed in the face of death. They had struggled hard to reach the dawn, for the school to return to its previous peace, only to be told that soon, the second round would begin. Then he was thrown into another apocalyptic version of the school, fighting off mutated insects, escaping spider traps, slaughtering paths through tidal waves of bees, battling endless army ants until dawn arrived…

He had thought that he could at least get some rest in the real world, yet even this peaceful scene was a lie.

“When did you… start doubting everything?” Lin Jue tried to maintain a steady voice, but he still heard it distort, tremble.

Song Hanzhang looked up at the clock tower standing tall and proud on the plaza and touched the mark he left behind. He said calmly, “From the first round, though it was only now that I managed to prove it.”

Song Hanzhang had left behind a total of two marks, and it was exactly these two marks which had proven his bold and terrifying speculation.

The first had been on the camphor tree beside the dormitory building. He had left a man-made mark there, which had disappeared when the first round had ended. This hinted that the campus in the first round and the normal campus from after its end weren’t the same. Aside from the mark, there were many other locations which could prove this, from the unmountable walls of the first round to the aftermaths of fighting which had all disappeared after the round ended. They all pointed at one thing: the campus of the first game wasn’t the campus after the first game had ended.

After the end of the first game, Song Hanzhang left behind a second mark on the school plaza. After the second game started, the mark didn’t disappear, proving that the campus was the same: the campus in the second game was the same as the campus from after the end of the first game.

Even though they weren’t equivalent, there was at least an obvious model: the campus’ scenery after the first game had ended became the campus in the second game.

But the mark on the clock tower was no longer there in the campus after the second game had finished.

This brought them back to the first theory: the campus of the second game wasn’t the campus after the second game had ended.

But at the same time, another new question arose.

In the campus after the first round ended, the mark on the clocktower which Song Hanzhang had carved on existed, but after the second game ended, the mark was gone.

The campus after the first game had ended wasn’t the campus after the second game had ended.

Assuming there was only one real world, then which one of the campuses was the real world? And why would only one be real and one be fake? The two games weren’t structured differently, so after their completions, the same result should occur- either both should be real, or both should be fake. And at least one of the worlds wasn’t real.

Then there could only be one possibility: that they had never returned to the real world.

It could also explain how the dead players were completely erased from the world: if it were the real world, then only someone with power akin to God would be able to achieve such extensive memory modification and erasure. If it wasn’t though, then changing the surrounding environment would be as simple as altering a computer program.

Now, they were like pieces of data being recorded into a computer. They could be easily placed into a world made up of data, with no regard for death and even less for dignity.

In the long silence, Lin Jue thought about many things. Those tumultuous thoughts made him tired, and even the joy of surviving couldn’t save him from his sorrow. Ahead of them, there was no more road left to walk.

He suddenly understood Song Hanzhang’s reaction after the end of the first round.

He was like a prophet, prematurely anticipating their crisis-ridden destiny in the dark. He was uneasy, even desperate because of this, but when his suspicion was truly verified, he was calmer than anyone else.

“What should we do?” Lin Jue asked Song Hanzhang hoarsely.

Song Hanzhang remained silent for a long, long time; long enough for Lin Jue to think that he couldn’t answer.

“Keep walking as expected until we arrive at the end of the road and die a tragic death, or gamble on an impossible chance. As always, you could also pray for the devil to let us go out of kindness. What will you choose, Lin Jue?” Song Hanzhang looked at him and asked.

Maybe I’ll die, Lin Jue thought. No, it would be blind optimism to even consider the chance of survival. They were ants trying to stand up against gods, completely overestimating their own power.

He was worried, scared, even despairing. It was different from his fear during the zombies and the insects; he could win against them, but he couldn’t even contend with such a chillingly powerful force. He didn’t even know how to begin fighting against this ‘enemy’.

Yet Song Hanzhang had said those words in such a light-hearted manner. Just like how he had always appeared, he had never been the type to adhere to the gravity of the situation. Even if he was to be thrown into hell, he would use his very last breath to climb back up.

If not for this person’s courage, Lin Jue would have died in the game long ago. The only thing he could pay Song Hanzhang back with was his life…

He was willing to become a weapon in this person’s hand, willing to be driven by him. He might not be the strongest or the brightest, but he could be the most loyal.

Lin Jue took a deep breath and looked at Song Hanzhang quietly and firmly. “I’ll be with you.”

Even if he had to kill his way through hell, he would let him see the light of day.

&&&

At breakfast half an hour later, Lin Jue had no appetite at all.

Song Hanzhang had brought Lin Jue’s share with him though, so the two sat in the bustling canteen, sharing a meal that couldn’t be called tasty, but was at least filling.

Song Hanzhang drank his porridge slowly and deliberately. His phone rang again and again but he pretended not to hear it.

Lin Jue was distracted, until his phone rang as well.

An unfamiliar number. Lin Jue pressed answer after some hesitation. Since the beginning of this nightmarish game, Lin Jue had grown to hold a trauma towards unknown numbers.

An untimely, cheerful voice came through the phone. “Yo big rabbit, good morning.”

It was Lu Ren. “Give the phone to Song Hanzhang.” With an unjustified confidence, he declared Lin Jue to be in the same place as Song Hanzhang.

Song Hanzhang finished the last of his porridge, placed down his spoon, and said, “Tell him to come to the canteen.”

Lin Jue repeated his words, hung up, and asked him curiously, “The call just then was from Lu Ren right? Why didn’t you pick it up yourself?”

“I don’t want to ruin my appetite.” Song Hanzhang’s reply made Lin Jue even more confused. “You should eat more as well.”

Song Hanzhang’s rare affection made Lin Jue feel a little embarrassed and he hurriedly stuffed the meat buns on his plate into his mouth.

“I’m full,” Lin Jue said after eating another three.

“Are you sure?” Song Hanzhang asked him.

Lin Jue felt more and more odd. “Of course. Xuezhang, you’ve been a bit strange for the whole day, is it from the stress?”

Song Hanzhang suddenly smiled, and somehow, Lin Jue saw a little bit of mischievous delight in it. He looked at the students and canteen workers walking around them before looking back at the confused Lin Jue and finally asked, “Have you never wondered? If we’re not in the real world, then these human-like beings, what are they?”

***

Vera: Final book! Also, I am not actually done editing. I am a terrible, procrastinating, piece of trash.

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