Chapter 2

【Do you feel that in this world, fate is too unfair? Some people indulge in debauchery and live a life of luxury, doing whatever they want, yet they remain wealthy all their lives. Some people work hard and honestly, toiling their entire lives, yet end up with nothing. Some people work for decades and can't even afford a toilet; some people do nothing and earn enough every day to buy an aircraft carrier...】

【Fate seems so unfair, yet it is the fairest of all.】

【Because you are not just one person, but many people scattered across different times and spaces.】

【According to the Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics, some scientists boldly speculate that the universe is not singular but has split into an infinite number of parallel timelines. When a coin lands, heads up is one timeline; tails up is another.】

【All probabilities are not probabilities; all possibilities have actually occurred, just in different forms in the space you can observe. But other possibilities are happening in places you cannot observe...】

【The above is a fact. Simply put, in different timelines, there are many versions of you. In some spaces, you are wealthy; in others, you are destitute. In this space, you work hard and change your fate, while in another, you suffer misfortune and setbacks... The total sum of everyone's fate in all spaces is always equal. This is the fairness of the universe.】

【To live a better life, you must overcome yourself. This is the truth!】

【I am the ruler of time and space, responsible for distributing the energy of the universe and managing the rise and fall of timelines since the creation of the world.】

【Now, the chosen one, you have been given a chance to change yourself and possibly the world. Are you willing to participate in this game of the extraordinary?】

…………

This setup seems a bit like a certain movie by the Kung Fu Emperor... And the requirement for the chosen ones to join a game and complete tasks according to system prompts is similar to a type of web novel I've read.

What a lack of creativity from this ruler of time and space. Did they buy the copyright? Xiao Ling instinctively commented.

He reached for his phone to check for a signal but remembered his Nokia was broken.

Xiao Ling instinctively pressed his brow, trying to digest the extremely unreasonable situation.

The most unreasonable part, however, was the final question. It clearly asked for a choice, but only provided an option to agree, with a large pop-up window dominating his mind. It was quite like Guo Degang's style of bullying.

As he was inwardly criticizing, a curious voice came from behind: "Another person? Or a monster? Didn't they say everyone was here?"

Xiao Ling turned to look in the direction of the voice.

A group of people came down the corridor, led by a man who looked very out of place. He wore a hemp robe with Eight Trigram patterns on the chest and cuffs, his long hair tied in a bun, a sword on his back, and a yellow tassel hanging from the hilt, blending with his waterfall of black hair. If not for his flat face, he would have looked quite dashing and elegant.

Behind him, a large group followed, including some that Xiao Ling recognized, more than one.

A fair-skinned, tender-looking young nurse with a rabbit-like appearance, her lips pressed together, tears welling up but not falling. She was an intern nurse on the fifth floor, the assistant to the menopausal head nurse.

No wonder she wasn't there when the head nurse was scolding another version of himself...

Another was a man in a red T-shirt, wearing a thick gold chain, a diamond-studded watch, and a bandage around his head, leering at the young nurse. He was a thug who had been in a fight and was admitted for treatment, and Xiao Ling had seen him during the admission process.

There was also a slightly dark, 1.76-meter-tall fat man in a police uniform with two stripes, carrying a large bag of fruit... He had a familiar, pig-like appearance.

Xiao Ling knew this man well. However... the situation was unclear, so he winked at him.

The fat man, originally surprised, was about to greet him but stopped when he saw Xiao Ling's signal.

Are all the participants chosen from the hospital? If so, these so-called lucky ones don't seem very lucky... Xiao Ling thought.

However, the one speaking was not the three he recognized, but a couple in angel-wing couple shirts, the woman.

The woman was young and fashionable, dressed in an OL style, with a good figure and a face that could score 8 out of 10. In comparison, the man was a bit creepy, despite wearing the same clothes. He had a pale brow and a crooked mouth, and his character seemed to have lost 70% of its value.

The two were holding hands, the woman's face not looking good, while the man kept smiling, as if they had just had an argument.

Hearing the woman in the angel-wing shirt ask, the thug raised his eyebrows, swaggering and pointing at Xiao Ling: "Who cares if he's a person or a monster? Just cut him down. This isn't like Infinite Horror, where killing a teammate results in a penalty, right?" Everyone's faces changed at this.

"Thud!" The thug was suddenly thrown back, crashing into the corridor wall, causing it to dent.

"Damn, don't you see the police officer? Still talking about killing? Are you blind?" The fat man with the fruit bag kicked out.

However, he missed, as the thug had already been flown away by the flat-faced man in the hemp robe.

The thug slowly slid down the wall, looking at the fat man and the flat-faced man, who looked displeased: "That's right, this isn't Infinite Horror. Killing your own people doesn't result in a penalty... and you won't even die. Because everyone here is a mental entity. When you 'die,' you just wake up, as if from a dream, but you won't remember anything."

"But do you know what the most painful thing in the world is? It's not death, but when your fate is exhausted, and you can't achieve what you want to achieve, can't obtain what you want to obtain—wealth, fame, status, relationships... all of it disappears, until you become a beggar on the street, with no one caring or remembering... You're still alive, but in this world, you're like a dead person."

"Do you think anyone can participate in this game? It's a bet with your fate. If you fail... your fate will be exhausted, and your life will be worse than death!"

The flat-faced man snorted, and the thug, whose face was now purple, shivered. The others reacted similarly.

The flat-faced man's words naturally had a penetrating force, making everyone involuntarily imagine the scene and feel a chill.

Such an outcome would indeed be worse than death!

"Then... can we quit?" The woman in the angel-wing shirt raised her hand, trembling.

"You can."

Everyone's faces brightened.

"But the outcome will be the same as failing the task."

"..." Silence.

The flat-faced man sighed: "Since you've been given this opportunity, cherish it."

"Can't tell from his appearance, but he has quite a temper." The fat man muttered, still a bit shaken.

Xiao Ling knew the fat man was feeling guilty and found it amusing, nudging him and giving him a "Why did you come so late?" look, gesturing in the air.

The fat man, Peng Shuai, was his childhood friend, from elementary school to junior high, high school, and even police academy, they had never been apart.

Until one day, some events made him realize that attending the police academy would never turn him into a Conan or Sherlock Holmes. Plus, other events happened, and he dropped out to start a detective agency, ending their long-standing relationship. However... they still had a connection.

He had clearly come to see Xiao Ling, but didn't expect to be pulled into this.

No, upon closer thought, Peng Shuai had come first, and Xiao Ling had arrived later.

Peng Shuai rolled his eyes, clearly saying: "I'm a working man now, brother, do you think I can just come whenever I want?" Understanding Xiao Ling's meaning, he rummaged through his pocket and handed him a police report with a pen attached.

These two had reached a level where they could communicate without words.

Taking the report, Xiao Ling bent his head and started writing. The fat man leaned over to look, his eyes widening after reading a few lines.

The flat-faced man clapped his hands: "Alright, alright, I was interrupted. Let me repeat. I am your new trainer, Lin Zihan. This is a temporal bubble, a temporary parallel space. Everything that happens here is just a dream, and no memories will be brought back to reality except for those who complete the task."

"The temporal bubble appears randomly in the world, covering a certain area. You must be in the right place at the right time and meet the selection criteria to enter here."

"So this opportunity is very precious. Many people never get a chance in their entire lives... Of course, some might have had a chance but failed and forgot. In any case, everyone should cherish this opportunity. Now, let's all focus on our attribute panels..."

Indeed, it was as he thought. Xiao Ling nodded as he wrote.

He had already noticed that although they were still in the hospital, the surrounding light had subtly changed...

A more direct piece of evidence was that no one came out to check despite all the commotion.

When the other version of himself appeared, it seemed to still be in reality. Once the so-called destiny program was installed, he was transported to a parallel space—according to the ruler's explanation.

Focusing on the attribute panel, a game-like interface suddenly appeared in his mind, clear and visible without obstructing his vision.

The first attribute: Strength, a pitiful 4.5 points. [This is not physical strength but mental strength, emotional strength, and the power of desire... Unfortunately, you are emotionally detached and lack explosive willpower, severely failing. PS: All base attributes have a maximum of 10 points, with 6 being the passing score.]

The second attribute: Reflexes, 7.5 points. [Reflexes affect the sharpness of your thinking, the efficiency of your attacks, and the precision of your mental control. Your reflexes are not outstanding, but they are quite good.]

The third attribute: Endurance, 8.2 points. [Endurance determines your ability to withstand pain, resist attacks, and sustain combat. It is the health and stamina in the game. Congratulations, you have more endurance than most humans.]

The fourth attribute: Intelligence, 8.9 + 0.4 points. [Intelligence is a complex attribute, including language, long-term and short-term memory, mathematical logic, and various natural intelligences. Congratulations, you have a higher overall intelligence than most humans, which we typically call genius. However, it seems you have been trained?]

The fifth attribute: Sensitivity, 5.9 points. [This is your sensitivity to visual space, color, music, etc. People who are easily emotionally moved lack patience; highly intelligent people often lack artistic appreciation and are out of step with fashion. Unfortunately, you fail in this attribute.]

The sixth attribute: Perception, 8 + 0.5 points. [This is your ability to detect abnormalities and sense danger. You are very good at detecting abnormalities, but your ability to sense danger is average, no, rather poor... It seems you have been trained? Your overall score is higher than most humans, but you have a flaw.]

The ruler, being the ruler, saw through Xiao Ling's true nature at a glance.

Since childhood, Xiao Ling's idol had been Conan, and later, as he grew up, he changed to Sherlock Holmes, Poirot, and others, but his direction never changed. He had always been working towards this goal, and the ruler had seen through it all.

"Alright, now let me explain the significance of these attributes. Pay attention."