Chapter 220: The Balance on Both Sides 01
This night felt overly quiet.
Kui Xin gazed at the old tobacco factory, where there was silence and no xenomorphs emerged.
However, the shadow holding the balance encountered during the world traversal was highly unusual, a crisis she had never faced before. The situation seemed to be sliding down towards an abyss. Kui Xin felt out of control, as if she were driving a car on a winding mountain road, carefully navigating each curve, yet the vehicle had gone out of control, plummeting towards the cliff.
A dangerous and unknown obstacle lay ahead on Kui Xin’s path.
Close to the tobacco factory, Li Wanran and Song Tingshuan regained consciousness.
Li Wanran immediately rushed to the communicator to check the footage remotely recorded by the drones, but an unexpected situation arose.
23:59:59—the footage was present; the old tobacco factory lay beneath the cover of night, everything appeared eerie and silent.
00:00:00—the monitor blacked out for a moment, and the next second it jumped to 00:00:03.
Where did those three seconds go? Why did the video footage jump directly with nothing recorded?
Li Wanran contacted teammates stationed on the other side: “Did anything happen at midnight?”
“No, everything is normal, it passed smoothly.” the teammate replied.
“Were you timing? Watching the stopwatch?” Li Wanran pressed.
“No, I was just keeping an eye on the tobacco factory, afraid those monsters would come out…”
Li Wanran put down the communicator and looked at Song Tingshuan, “Did you feel something was off?”
Song Tingshuan looked at Li Wanran doubtfully and shook her head, “It felt like usual; I was back in a blink… What’s wrong?”
“Time flow theory…” Li Wanran took a deep breath, “No, maybe it’s not time flow… It’s as if something grabbed a pair of scissors and cut away three seconds from our time; that three seconds is missing, and the monitor footage is blank.”
Song Tingshuan paused, thinking seriously for a moment, “Could it be a malfunction of the monitor? The last time the Dark Gate opened, the monitor inexplicably malfunctioned too; maybe it was affected by some unknown force.”
“This time is different; last time the monitor short-circuited, but this time footage was recorded with three seconds missing.” Li Wanran said, “Something’s not right.”
She held her forehead, her face pale.
Listening to her, Song Tingshuan felt goosebumps rise on her arms, “Our time just… disappeared? Frozen for three seconds? How is that possible…”
“This world is becoming increasingly absurd; nothing is impossible.” Li Wanran looked towards the tobacco factory, contemplating deeply, “We must see what’s going on inside… Control the drone to go in.”
Among the black drones in the sky, one equipped with a camera was sent flying slowly through the broken window of the tobacco factory. However, as it passed through the window, it suddenly lost power and fell from the sky. It should have hit the window frame, but the drone went straight through the window frame and the wall below, crashing to the ground in a wreck.
The surrounding drones captured this scene, and Li Wanran, who had been watching the footage, broke into a cold sweat.
The sight of the drone falling through the structure was too bizarre… It was as if two objects in a game model were passing through each other, or like the drone passed through a tangible phantom.
Li Wanran immediately thought of the mirage that appeared in the sky every day, but now the real building in the First World was transformed into a mirage. The old tobacco factory clearly stood there, yet it seemed to vanish into thin air, leaving only the remnants of the building, suspended in the cracks of time and space.
“Must get closer to take a look…” Li Wanran opened the car door and got out.
Song Tingshuan quickly said, “It’s too dangerous! I’ll go with you!”
Li Wanran paused, thinking, “No need to get that close… We can use a flare to shoot into the building to see what’s going on.”
She soon called over a teammate nearby, instructing him to set up equipment and aim the flare at the factory wall.
“Whoosh—”
After the flare was launched, it ignited in the air, releasing beams of light. Normally, the flare should have struck the tobacco factory’s wall and then fallen, yet the same abnormal phenomenon repeated; the flare, radiating colors, passed through the wall and extinguished!
Now Song Tingshuan couldn’t stay calm; she exclaimed, “Does that tobacco factory really still exist in this world?”
“Perhaps it doesn’t quite exist.” Li Wanran murmured.
Song Tingshuan stiffly asked, “What… should we do nearby? To figure out what’s happening inside, it would be best to send a live specimen in…”
The people present had mentally prepared for sacrifice, but human resources were scarce, and it wasn’t yet time for sacrifices.
“First, let’s conduct an animal live specimen test, like with lab monkeys, equip them with ropes and collars for retrieval, and observe their reactions upon entering the tobacco factory.” Li Wanran said.
“I’ll contact people to prepare right away.” Song Tingshuan took out her walkie-talkie.
Li Wanran glanced again at the night sky and told Song Tingshuan, “I’ll go check the perimeter.”
Immediately, a fully equipped group followed her, wanting to protect her, but Li Wanran refused: “No need to follow me, I’ll go alone. Don’t worry; I’ll be fine; I have it under control.”
Li Wanran detached from the group and headed straight toward the edge of the old industrial zone.
After walking for more than ten minutes, Song Tingshuan and the others had already distanced themselves from her significantly. She arrived at a relatively open area and began to wait in silence.
After less than three minutes, there came the sound of branches and dry leaves being crunched underfoot a few meters ahead; someone was approaching.
“Sure enough, just as I thought, you’d come to find me.” Li Wanran relaxed slightly from her serious expression. “At that moment, I saw you; it must’ve been you.”
She referred to the image seen during the scene retrospection of the Popov Clan investigation in the Second World.
“Yeah, I knew you were in that group.” Kui Xin said, “Thank you for covering for me.”
“Of course.” Li Wanran replied, “You seem to have a lot of information; whether about me or the two worlds, you seem to understand it well.”
After a moment of contemplation, Kui Xin volunteered some information, “I’m not alone; I have companions and teammates around me. We have different roles and responsibilities. One of my teammates is very skilled at collecting and processing information; it was them who discovered you.”
“When we last met, I heard your codename was Maotoufu.” Li Wanran said.
“Yes.” Kui Xin replied.
Li Wanran straightforwardly asked, “Is Black Snake you?”
“Not me; Black Snake is the leader; I’m the one who gets things done.” Kui Xin said calmly.
A thoughtful expression emerged on Li Wanran’s face, “I understand now.”
“You covered for me and told a lie, which puts you at risk. The abilities of the Second World are bizarre; if someone has the ability to discern lies, you’d be in danger.” Kui Xin warned.
“I’ve considered that.” Li Wanran replied, “Thanks for the reminder; I’ll be careful.”
Kui Xin asked, “Did you encounter anything strange during your traversal?”
“Did you notice the time issue? Those three seconds were cut away.” Li Wanran’s brows were filled with concern.
What Kui Xin really wanted to ask was whether Li Wanran had seen the shadow holding the balance in the time-space traversal. From Li Wanran’s response, it was clear she hadn’t.
Currently, only Kui Xin saw the balance.
Being special was not necessarily a good thing. Kui Xin had become a game player, distinguishing her from ordinary people in the First World—she was part of a special group. She had become a remover, a distinct anomaly compared to regular players. Now, she had seen the red and blue gem balance that no one else had, once again marking her as special.
Special might mean having greater abilities than others, but it might also mean that the special ones must face more arduous challenges and bear more responsibilities, making their path a thousand times more difficult than others.
It was hard to say whether this was luck; in a sense, it was misfortune.
Kui Xin steadied her emotions, asking her, “Is it not time flow, but time being cut away?”
“Yes.” Li Wanran confirmed, “That’s my personal hypothesis; there’s currently not enough evidence to support this, and it may also be that time has paused…”
“Impossible, it’s either time flow or time reduction, it’s not paused.” Kui Xin stated, “I set an alarm; if our world’s time was completely frozen, then the alarm shouldn’t play the remaining lyrics.”
Li Wanran cautiously added, “This time we weren’t prepared adequately; next time we can implement multiple methods for time verification. We have consistently underestimated the Second World’s influence on reality, and we didn’t anticipate how rapidly this influence would spread; we need to stay vigilant.”
Kui Xin nodded towards the tobacco factory, “Over there…”
“Not good,” Li Wanran replied succinctly, “We’ll expedite the animal live tests. We must quickly understand the real meaning of the Dark Realm’s arrival.”
Kui Xin fell silent; she had been keeping an eye on the situation at the tobacco factory. What Li Wanran saw, she saw too.
The arrival of the Dark Realm, named so, began with the opening of the Dark Gate. The changes in the tobacco factory could be considered the true arrival of the Dark Realm. The intangible field consumed it, causing it to appear suspended in the First World while seemingly no longer existing in this world.
If the Dark Realm’s arrival was the work of a deity, could the Dark Realm be a domain of the gods?
After a while, Kui Xin said, “Just like the time flow theory on the forum, we also have a purely speculative theory here.”
Li Wanran responded, “Can you share it? I believe any speculation or theory at this stage is valuable; even if it’s incorrect, it can offer a perspective.”
“Anchor Point Docking Theory.” Kui Xin explained, “We hypothesize that players are anchor points, the Second World is a vast ship drifting in endless darkness, and the First World is a port where the ship can dock. The ship wants to approach the shore using anchor points; thus, it drops the anchor point—players. With the help of anchor points, the ship can dock successfully.”
Li Wanran stood frozen, feeling as if struck by something terrifying; a chill raced from her heels to the crown of her head as a sense of horror and absurdity spread.
She struggled to say, “Players are anchor points?”
“We truly resemble anchor points, don’t we? The anchor roots in the port—our world—but the chains extending from the anchor point connect to the Second World’s ship.” Kui Xin continued, “We carry both the traits of the First World and those of the Second World; we are the starting point of fusion, the beginning of mutation; we are the most abnormal entities in the First World. Our world was originally ordinary, without gods, xenomorphs, or bizarre abilities, but with the emergence of players, the world began to change. Our bodies are assimilating with the Second World, and our world is also assimilating with the Second World.”
For a moment, Li Wanran couldn’t find a way to respond, as she was immersed in Kui Xin’s hypothesis, and then eagerly asked, “Is it because of us that the trend of fusion between the two worlds cannot be reversed?”
“Perhaps.” Kui Xin said, “But we are not the culprits; we are just unlucky—selected.”
She thought of Fang Zhi, of herself, and of the balance held high by the shadow: “Red gem or blue gem, which one will you choose?”
“If we assume your theory holds true,” Li Wanran restrained herself, “then can anchor points be removed? If the anchor point is removed, can it stop world fusion?”
“Hard to say; this is still in the hypothetical stage.” Kui Xin replied.
“But in proposing this theory, you… or your organization has some basis for it, right?” Li Wanran inquired, “What is your basis? Besides the changes in players and the changes in the world, is there any other evidence?”
“There is.” Kui Xin pointed towards the ominous tobacco factory in the distance, “That’s it.”
Li Wanran instinctively looked at the factory, her expression complicated.
“A special heterogeneous blooded individual died there, and it became the location of the Dark Realm’s arrival.” Kui Xin explained, “We can understand that individual as the anchor point, and the Dark Realm wrapped around the tobacco factory is like a small ship split off from the Second World’s ship, an advance team.”
“A special heterogeneous blooded individual?” Li Wanran turned to Kui Xin and asked, “What was special about them?”
“They were a bit absurdly strong.” Kui Xin stated simply, “In the Second World, a heterogeneous blooded individual who survives after consuming divine blood is considered chosen by the gods; ancient gods grant them power, endowing them with extraordinary abilities beyond mere regeneration. The followers of the secret cult claim they can communicate with the gods, and in the Second World, gods do indeed exist; they might not be lying.”
“So, based on this, you believe the deceased heterogeneous blooded individual Fang Zhi is the anchor point? He was chosen by the gods?” Li Wanran queried.
Kui Xin nodded.
There was also another basis, a lingering concern in her heart—Death Rebirth.
This ability was incompatible with the other abilities she had acquired, possessing super specifications. Each time she used Death Rebirth, the shadow would come closer to her, and her condition would worsen.
From this, it was inferred that this ability was highly likely connected to the divine.
The six warnings given after entering the game resurfaced in her mind—everything has a price.
“Is it possible that only heterogeneous blooded individuals among players possess anchor points?” Li Wanran suggested.
Kui Xin briefly mentioned, “Railways.”
Li Wanran suddenly realized; a heterogeneous blooded individual had also died on the railways, but no changes had occurred at that death site… Not every heterogeneous blooded individual could become an anchor point.
“Then, could it be that only certain special players are anchor points?” Li Wanran added.
Li Wanran voiced the speculation that Kui Xin was most worried about.
Kui Xin paused, “It’s very likely.”
