"Cheng Yiling is a crazy person. Let me tell you, if not for the high salary, I wouldn't follow him to do these things. The salary he offers is really too tempting. Originally my family circumstances weren't good, and I wasn't valued at home either. Ever since being selected by Cheng Yiling, my days have really been much better.
The only thing is, I must maintain good health. Under any circumstances, I can't fall into a coma. And also, I must occupy a very important part in Cheng Yiling's life. First, I became his woman. Then I became his only trusted assistant. Only this way am I safe, won't be pulled into the virtual world by his crazy ideas."
"Everything I could say, I've said. Can you let me go now?"
A-Xin smiled at He Xin, "Okay, I'll let you go."
He Xin felt the power binding her disappear and joyfully vanished on the spot.
Cheng Yiling stared with wide eyes, watching A-Xin and He Xin disappear together. Finally his lips curved. Since this was his world, of course he left a backup route.
Earlier when fighting with the other, he was just testing the other's capabilities. If he could capture the other, so much the better. If he couldn't beat her, he'd appear to show weakness. When the other wasn't here, he'd use his final backup route to escape.
He Xin betraying him in this situation was already within his expectations. He wasn't angry at all. That girl called Yu Xin definitely wouldn't completely believe He Xin's words. The other didn't seem like someone who would easily let He Xin go either. Why would she let He Xin leave and then disappear along with her? She must want to follow He Xin out to see the situation.
Once she left, then his opportunity would come.
As long as he left here, in reality, when his consciousness recovered, the other was merely a brainwave without a body—she couldn't do anything to him at all.
He was a cautious person. Earlier when his brainwaves were bound and couldn't move, it was because he felt the changes in this world. The sudden abnormality of the two experimental subjects made him feel there was a problem here. So he didn't choose to flee immediately, afraid of falling into the other's trap.
He confirmed again and again that A-Xin had indeed followed He Xin out. Breathing a sigh of relief, his body formed by brainwaves gradually disappeared.
After a long time, Cheng Yiling opened his eyes and quickly checked his surroundings, as well as a platinum ring on his finger. The ring's surface was smooth, the pattern on the inside. This was his method of distinguishing the real world from the virtual world.
That's right, he should have returned. This was the real world.
Now the place he lay was his laboratory's dedicated nutrition chamber, looking like a gaming pod. Actually it was about the same, only this place was just used to hold nutrient solution. Every time he entered the brainwave world, for safety, he would put nutrient solution in. Once the nutrient solution was almost consumed, his brainwaves would be stimulated to wake up.
He raised his arm, looking at the somewhat aged skin. He touched the pocket watch beside him and checked the time, finally laughing aloud.
He really came out.
After breathing a long sigh of relief, he indeed returned to reality. He took out a small mirror, looking at his increasingly aging appearance, his mood not too good.
This world's glory and wealth, all kinds of honors—he hadn't finished enjoying them yet. How could he grow old?
Thinking of the encounter in the brainwave world, his expression became even worse. But that place—for safety's sake, he didn't dare go back.
Fortunately, he didn't directly integrate this world into his brainwaves, but stored it in the computer. The two were usually isolated.
He looked at the computer beside him that still had countless screens—it was that city. Thinking of the hard work over dozens of years inside, and remembering he almost couldn't get out, his heart smoldered with anger. But the world had already been controlled by that powerful brainwave. These things were ruined.
He activated the reset program, but it was completely useless. Gritting his teeth, he directly destroyed this world.
Watching the brainwave world he had painstakingly constructed be destroyed before his eyes, he felt both exhilarated and heartbroken.
Over these years, he had long surpassed Jiang Bailei. That old man's brain was probably already rusty, already unable to keep up with this world's pace. So he didn't regret at all that destroying this world would lose Jiang Bailei as a helper.
The only pity was those few brainwaves inside were really delicious and tasty.
As long as he appeared in reality, most of the brainwave power he had integrated would be brought out. He looked at the mirror—that gradually aging man—his heart somewhat fearful.
He wanted to live, so he had always been strengthening his brainwaves.
He took out an experimental plan from a password box, silently flipping through it. Many years ago, he thought of a way to strengthen brainwave power without devouring brainwaves. Actually, it was to enhance mental power.
When human mental power erupted, mental power would increase. When he connected his brainwaves to the brainwave world, mental power would increase accordingly.
But human mental power eruptions weren't an everyday occurrence. Anger, sadness, terror—all kinds of explosive emotions would make mental power increase.
So he had Jiang Bailei do that kind of experiment. That experiment was ostensibly a human behavior experiment.
Actually, it was just that he wanted to see after the identity swap, when they couldn't accept it, the two girls' brainwaves would erupt with mental power, thereby causing his mental power to increase.
As long as their brainwaves fluctuated intensely, then for him it was a good thing.
For example, Jiang Cancan—his expectation was that she would definitely crazily tell the whole world she was Jiang Cancan. Every day she would erupt with very considerable mental power for him to devour.
And Yu Xin—this child was naturally more repressed. Under long-term repression, when one day she suddenly erupted, the mental power increase would be even more terrifying than Jiang Cancan's.
And he only needed to repeat this experiment countless times. Each time they couldn't accept reality and chose suicide and extinction.
He could reset the experiment, repeat all this, until their brainwaves collapsed and their remaining value was drained dry. Then he could replace them with other brainwaves.
What especially surprised him was that these two brainwaves were quite stubborn. After resetting so many times, they still showed no signs of collapse.
Never expected a problem would occur this time.
However, the mental power these brainwaves produced for him was already about enough.
Cheng Yiling's eyes flashed. As long as he devoured some more brainwaves, he could realize his wish.
"So this was your purpose—using mental power to possess other people's bodies."
The sudden voice startled Cheng Yiling so much that the experimental plan in his hand fell to the ground, scattering into pieces. He stiffly turned around, then saw A-Xin standing in his laboratory. His eyes widened in terror as he asked, "You... how can you be here?"
"Aren't you... In the real world, how can you possibly form a solid body?"
He had already tested it. In the real world, mental power had no way to maintain a solid body identical to a human. Otherwise he wouldn't be trying to enhance mental power, preparing to select a body suitable for him and perform possession. Using a young body to continue surviving.
A-Xin's cold voice rang out, "You don't really think this is the real world, do you?"
"This is the real world."
Cheng Yiling didn't doubt it at all. He quickly looked at himself in the mirror—so aged, gray hair, heavy eye bags, sagging skin. And the surrounding things, as well as everything written in his experimental plan.
Finally, the ring on his finger, the pattern inside the ring—everything proved this was the real world.
The surrounding things could be the same, but his ring couldn't deceive him, right?
This was a secret only he knew.
These were all real. If it were an illusory world, the other wouldn't know these things. How could she possibly create such an illusory world?
So realistic!
A-Xin laughed lightly, "This isn't reality."
"No, this is reality. Although I don't know how you did it, this is reality." Cheng Yiling said excitedly. This couldn't be illusory.
The brainwave world he created also couldn't possibly be this vivid. It must be the other trying to disturb his thoughts, thereby breaking him down.
"I thought you were someone who believed in metaphysics. After all, you can even utilize mental power." A-Xin said lightly, "Do you know about illusions? When you walk into an illusion, everything you see is what you're thinking in your heart. This world in your view is incomparably real. In the illusion I created, what you think in your heart is what you see. What you want to see will all appear before you, everything—not a single error."
"Very surprised, right?"
"You want immortality," A-Xin's lips curved slightly, "There are indeed ways to achieve immortality in this world, but it's not through strengthening mental power. It's through strengthening soul power. When your soul is as robust as a deity's, you can achieve immortality. Mental power also has a day when it disperses. You can also call it brainwaves—it's merely a part of the soul."
Seeing Cheng Yiling still looking disbelieving, A-Xin remembered something and said, "I forgot to tell you one thing."
"What thing?"
Cheng Yiling's heart had a particularly bad premonition. Then he saw A-Xin wave her hand. Before him appeared a square thing, especially like a television. But this wasn't a television—there were people inside.
Seeing this, he already felt something was wrong.
If this was the real world, why could the other make items appear out of thin air?
He also tried using brainwaves to change the surrounding environment, but didn't succeed. He stared at the screen. When he saw that familiar place, his eyes widened. This... isn't this his laboratory?
Aren't those arrested people all from his laboratory?
Before he could see clearly, the scene changed, showing a scene he was incomparably familiar with. His tongue was somewhat tied as he said, "This... this is the vegetative patient nursing hospital?"
Over dozens of years of expansion, this vegetative patient nursing hospital had already become the nation's largest vegetative patient nursing hospital. Whether poor or wealthy, their first choice was his family's vegetative patient nursing hospital. This was also why his brainwave power increased so quickly.
To avoid suspicion, he didn't dare cause many vegetative patients to die at once.
Every vegetative patient sent in, he would look at their condition, then make a backup. The backup was how many years the other could live in the vegetative nursing hospital.
So over dozens of years, no one discovered anything abnormal. Who could predict when a vegetative patient would die? This vegetative patient nursing hospital was also praised by countless people, with an excellent reputation.
Now the scene displayed was: all the vegetative patients inside were being transferred, and all the staff were being arrested. Surrounding this place weren't only police officers, but also these vegetative patients' families, their expressions all very agitated.
There were also people outside shouting and crying, weeping very indignantly.
His lips and teeth trembled. There was no need to guess—all his secrets had been exposed.
"What did you do?" When seeing himself also appear among them, Cheng Yiling finally couldn't help asking. He was clearly here. The one controlling his body could only be the girl before his eyes.
A-Xin answered, "Helping you turn yourself in. If you commit a crime, you must accept punishment. The net of heaven is wide-meshed but lets nothing through. Since you survive under these rules, you must follow the rules here."
"You..."
"Of course, most importantly, I especially dislike you. Whatever you want to accomplish, I want to destroy your hard work." A-Xin lowered her head and smiled, "This way Jiang Cancan should be a bit happier."
"So, just for one Jiang Cancan, you destroyed all my hard work???" Cheng Yiling thought of the two girls' affair in the bathroom, his eyes reddening, "What's wrong with me living? How many benefits have I brought to this world? I, Cheng Yiling, have always lived, which would only benefit this world's development. If I live, I'm contributing to all humanity!"
"What does that have to do with me?" A-Xin said indifferently, "Jiang Cancan doesn't live in that world."
"Jiang Cancan, again Jiang Cancan. You... you... just for one Jiang Cancan, you'd sacrifice me, someone who contributes to the world?"
"Right. However, you're not contributing to the world."
A-Xin's gaze turned to the screen. Cheng Yiling personally watched himself being sentenced to death, still with an expression of complete confession, almost vomiting blood in anger.
Among those also sentenced to death was He Xin, Cheng Yiling's excellent accomplice. Seeing those people's excited expressions clapping and celebrating, his eyes showed disbelief. A-Xin said at this time, "You see, they don't need you."
"They can't wait for you to die."
"Your repentance also can't dissipate their anger."
"There are many excellent people in the world. There are also many contributing to them. They don't need Cheng Yiling." A-Xin's voice was indifferent, "Your eternal life has no meaning. It only brings pain to people."
"No—"
A-Xin remembered something, her voice calm with a bit of eeriness, "I'll send you back to see your world."
Cheng Yiling was stunned, "Send me back?" He was somewhat excited in his heart. His mental power was already very strong. Perhaps after returning to the real world, he'd still have a chance to escape. Then maybe he could gain new life.
She was still too young, actually giving him such an opportunity. When he escaped and found a new body, what could she do to him?
Cheng Yiling thought this in his heart but didn't show it.
Seeing this, A-Xin paid no attention.
On Cheng Yiling's execution day, A-Xin sent him back.
Cheng Yiling opened his eyes to find himself with bound hands, head covered, eyes completely dark. Just as he wanted to use mental power to probe the surrounding situation, suddenly he felt pain from his nasal cavity to his brain. He wanted to control his mental power to escape, but didn't know why—he couldn't escape at all.
Especially since his brainwave power was strong, mental power was strong, the pain he felt was simply magnified a thousand times. That painful feeling didn't dissipate for a long time. He even felt his spirit was about to collapse.
When there was no more pain, he breathed a sigh of relief. He was free now, right?
But he felt so tired. Unknowingly he fell into exhausted sleep.
When he woke up, his eyes were completely dark. Before he could react, again that pain from nasal cavity to brain, hurting him to death... until he fell into exhausted unconsciousness. He woke up again to see his eyes still completely dark. Feeling his hands and feet bound, fear rose in his heart. Without thinking much, that painful feeling attacked again.
Countless repetitions, not knowing how many times he experienced it. The pain was more obvious each time. Clearly he knew this was illusory, yet he couldn't break free from this fate.
So, in reality, had he died or not?
He already couldn't tell clearly.
"Dead. The first time was real." A-Xin's voice rang out, "Next was all virtual world. But I set it quite realistically. With your powerful mental power, the sensations will be even more obvious. You can slowly play by yourself."
"No—"
"You're crazy, you've gone mad!!"
Cheng Yiling shouted loudly. He didn't want to repeatedly experience such pain. Thinking of such days, it would be better if his mental power just collapsed directly.
But A-Xin had already disappeared.
Next, he could only wake up again and again, endure that pain magnified a thousand times then fall unconscious, then continue waking, repeating everything before, over and over, cyclically, until mental power collapsed and brainwaves dissipated.
However, such days would probably last a very long time.
He had devoured too many brainwaves, also devoured countless mental power, causing his brainwaves to be extremely strong. Who knew how many cycles it would take before they dissipated?
...
"Do you know why you were brought here?"
"Don't know." Jiang Bailei looked like a dead pig not afraid of boiling water, "I haven't killed anyone or broken the law."
He had been here several days. These police officers really had nothing to do. He indeed hadn't done anything illegal. If they wanted to ask about Jiang Cancan and Yu Xin's matters, he could also answer. It was just a small game. What could they do to him?
"Feeling bored? How about we show you a movie?"
Jiang Bailei was puzzled. Were these police officers sick? No evidence, wouldn't release him, also wouldn't allow bail, and now wanted to show him a movie. He was probably taken by fake police officers to toy with him, right?
"Welcome to watch the movie 'Your Life.'"
A movie screen appeared. When seeing the face inside, he was stunned for a moment, "How does this person look so much like me?" In his memory, there was no such actor.
No one answered him. When he reacted, no one was around.
He felt somewhat fearful in his heart, but because there was sound, that fear dissipated quite a bit.
Next, he stared at the movie. The more he watched, the more wrong it felt.
This movie started from the laboratory. Basically only two scenes—the laboratory and the protagonist's home. When Jiang Cancan also appeared in the screen and called him dad, his heart felt even more ominous.
But he couldn't escape here. No one was around, no light—only sound emitted from the movie.
To keep himself from being afraid, he clasped his hands together, staring unblinkingly at the movie screen.
The Jiang Cancan in the screen had a similar personality to his daughter Jiang Cancan. The father-daughter pair looked very harmonious. You could see this father and daughter's relationship was quite good. The only bad thing was Jiang Cancan would often complain her dad was busy with experiments and unwilling to accompany her.
The progression showed Jiang Cancan's eighteenth birthday. On her birthday, the young girl waited by the cake for dad to come home to celebrate her birthday. It passed midnight, and she finally went to sleep disappointed.
The next day, not having rested well and mentally scattered, Jiang Cancan was hit by a car.
That father engaged in experiments only rushed to the hospital half a day later, learning his daughter had become a vegetative patient. However, the doctor told him there was a high probability she would wake up.
The scene came to one night. This man sat in the laboratory, taking out an experimental proposal about brainwaves and mental power, staring at it for a long time. On the other side was his daughter Jiang Cancan's photo.
Finally, he set the photo on fire.
Before long, he announced Jiang Cancan had no chance of waking. He also acquired a vegetative patient nursing hospital. Actually, underneath the vegetative patient nursing hospital, a secret laboratory was being built.
In the laboratory, Jiang Cancan became his first experimental subject. One day, when he wanted to extract Jiang Cancan's brainwaves, Jiang Cancan unexpectedly woke. His heart hardened—he directly gave Jiang Cancan medicine to make her continue being unconscious. When Jiang Cancan still had some consciousness, he still extracted the other's brainwaves.
Later, to do experiments, he specifically offered free entry to vegetative patients from poor families. Actually, these vegetative patients all became his experimental subjects.
The construction of the brainwave world was a very huge breakthrough. However, one of their members had an accident and was pronounced dead. But in the movie, he saw that person called Cheng Yiling was especially off.
Finally hearing Cheng Yiling's monologue, he was stunned on the spot. So that member's brainwaves were devoured by Cheng Yiling, which was why they died.
Next, he saw Cheng Yiling would use experiments to occasionally devour a brainwave. The Jiang Bailei inside was very trusting of this student, handing over all the brainwave world construction experiments to the other.
In the end, because of overwork plus reaching a certain age, he inadvertently fell into a coma. He personally watched Cheng Yiling extract his brainwaves into the brainwave virtual world.
At this time, Jiang Bailei watching the movie suddenly stood up, his eyes widening. Vaguely, countless memories revived, exploding in his mind.
"How is this possible?"
Jiang Bailei forcefully slapped his head, "It can't be real."
How could it be?
Especially seeing later, Cheng Yiling using the experimental results from his laboratory in the brainwave world to win awards, taking his achievements as his own—he was simply furious.
From this day on, he would forever be in this dark little space, only able to watch this movie. Everything his life had experienced would be repeatedly played here.
A-Xin returned to that city full of flowers. Pushing open the door, Jiang Cancan was sitting in the living room peeling an apple. Seeing her, she showed a brilliant smile, "Any results?"
"They've all paid the price."