Boom!
The thunder of the summer afternoon broke the stifling heat that pressed down on people's hearts. A large group of dark clouds gathered in the sky. Just a moment ago, the sky was clear and the sun was shining brightly. Now, the world suddenly darkened, as if there was a faint black veil in front of everyone's eyes.
Perhaps it was an illusion, or perhaps it was the light, but Li Yao suddenly felt that the color of the whole world was a little dimmer than before. It was so small that it was almost indiscernible.
This feeling had appeared once at the Comic Con that day. It was when he heard the news of the passing of a famous fantasy novelist and manga artist. But it was fleeting, and in the blink of an eye, he could no longer feel it. Humans' ability to get used to it, or rather, their ability to hypnotize themselves was very strong.
Li Yao held his phone and was stunned for a long time.
Dozens of posts were refreshed on the forum. Many "Starlink fans" confirmed the death of the "Father of Starlink" from different channels. Someone even left a comment in a very nauseating tone: "The youth of a generation is gone."
Li Yao took a deep breath, stood up, and walked to the window.
Outside the window, lightning flashed and thunder roared, like the roar of a beast from outer space. In an instant, a torrential rain poured down like a waterfall, and the world was flooded, turning into a boundless land of water.
Li Yao didn't bring an umbrella, so he couldn't go back.
He didn't want to go back, either.
Yesterday's incident, today's incident, and the incident at the Comic Con a few days ago. Perhaps there was also the dream from a long time ago … Bit by bit, they turned into a whistling meteor shower that fiercely bombarded the sealed place in the depths of his heart, blasting open irreparable cracks.
"Do you want to be muddle-headed and mediocre for the rest of your life, entering the next reincarnation in a vague and dim state, or do you want to pursue the trajectory of your dreams and find your true self — even if the price is destruction, even if it's only for one second?"
Deep in his brain, there seemed to be a voice asking him.
Countless thoughts gushed out of his mind like bubbles. Li Yao felt that he had become more and more "smart" and "clear-headed" to some extent. He could think of many things that he would never have thought of before, and he could calmly face the strangeness that absolutely incomprehensible to ordinary people.
He sat back in front of his beef noodles.
At first, he wanted to find a notebook to record the series of strange things and questions he had recently encountered.
But he instinctively rejected this idea in an instant. There was no need to leave any paper records. Even his dream notebook should be burned and the ashes flushed into the sewers.
In that case, he would meditate and record silently in his heart. After all, his memory was getting better and better.
First of all, regardless of whether there was a scientific and reasonable explanation for other things, at the very least, eating more than a hundred buns and a dozen bowls of noodles in one meal was definitely abnormal. It was beyond the explanation of all known laws. From this, it could be inferred that the so-called "superpower" was not a fantasy. It was real in this world, and he had … of course, it could not be said that it was the power of the "Glutton King". It was the power of "rapidly transforming matter into energy and storing it in some inconceivable way." Furthermore, his body seemed to be being efficiently transformed by the energy, becoming stronger and more agile. This was something that needed to be confirmed, so let's put it aside for now.
Secondly, was the "mysterious racing god" who had been racing at high speed on the Duga Ring Line last night really him?
Logically speaking, it was impossible for him to do such a thing. But if "superpowers" really existed in this world, then it was not surprising.
Considering that he really did retain a rather clear memory of racing in his mind, and that he was extremely hungry when he woke up today, it meant that he had consumed a lot of energy. For the time being, assuming that he was really the mysterious racing god, then it would be terrible.
Although Yu Xin, Zhao Kai, and the posts on the school's website all said that the mysterious racing god did not leave behind any clues that could prove his identity, Li Yao knew that it was impossible to be 100% hidden. Wherever one walked, there would be traces left behind. Any action of anyone would cause material exchange with the surrounding environment. Even the smallest material exchange could be found out. The key was how much effort, resources, price, and time would be spent to investigate.
So, would he be found out?
Li Yao estimated that on the official level, it was not very likely, because there were no major casualties.
But then there was the "third" question.
Third, assuming that "superpowers" really did exist in this world, and he wasn't the first superpower user, then would there be organizations for superpowers? Would a superpower user be considered "friendly" or "hostile" to other superpower users? And what kind of attitude would a superpower organization have towards a new superpower user? Would they be accepted as a member, or would they be used as a test subject to be dissected for research?
Once these superpower organizations found the video of the Duga Ring Line, would they be interested and start investigating?
Whether it was as a member or as an experimental subject, Li Yao did not like them.
He was free and did not want to be controlled in any form or by any force.
Moreover, he vaguely felt that there was a conspiracy more terrifying than "superpowers" and "superpower organizations." He once knew what this conspiracy was, but later forgot.
He had to find the answer and could not be disturbed too much.
Fourthly, now it seemed that no matter how many strange dreams he had before, the changes that had happened to him in the past few days were all triggered by the novel "40,000 Years of Cultivation."
Why was he so familiar with the scenes and characters in "40,000 Years of Cultivation"? Li Yao was now certain that he had not read this novel before, absolutely not.
Who was the author of the novel, "Crouching Bull Spiritual Master," what did he know? What was his purpose in writing this novel?
It seemed that these questions could only be found in the novel world.
Fifthly, there was a question mark on this point.
Whether it was his intuition or an illusion, it seemed that every time there was a creator of a fantasy world, whether it was a novel, manga, or game designer, the world would suddenly become a little darker.
A master of fantasy novels, a manga artist who had a habit of procrastinating, and a gold-medal game designer. Right, perhaps I should add in a web novel author. These four authors should be completely unrelated to each other. In just a short week, was their deaths a coincidence, or was there a deeper reason behind it?
Following this, would there be more similar creators that met with misfortune? Or perhaps, these were only the more successful and well-known creators in the circle. Their deaths had only just become news. Outside of the public's eyes, there were countless unknown creators that had already died an unnatural death, yet no one cared about them.
Li Yao used the time it took to finish half a bowl of noodles to understand all of this. He was also a little surprised.
His train of thought was becoming clearer and more flexible. Moreover, when encountering such a confusing situation, not only was he no longer afraid or hesitant, he was instead eager to give it a try, feeling more and more excited.
He would give himself a month's time. If he still had no results after a month, it would not be too late to find a job and return to the right track of life.
Li Yao thought to himself. Speaking of which, what exactly was the "right track of life"?
The summer afternoon torrential rain came and went quickly.
Outside the window, the torrential rain turned into a patter of light rain. The sun tore through the dark clouds, and even a rare rainbow appeared.
Li Yao drank the boiling hot soup in one gulp, and strode into the drizzle and sunshine.
… …
Li Yao was once again immersed in the world of "40,000 Years of Cultivation."
However, this time he "came prepared." He did not simply read the novel to pass the time, but to do an experiment on himself.
He chose to use the computer to read the web version of the novel, and then put the phone aside to take a picture of himself reading the novel. His left hand was still tightly grasping a sharp pen. When he felt that he was about to completely lose himself, he fiercely pricked his thigh to wake himself up.
Fortunately, it was almost June, and most of the graduating students had found their next home, including Yu Xin and Zhao Kai. They were running around outside all day, and almost never returned to school unless there was something important. Only he was left in the dormitory. It was quiet and free, and he was not afraid of being disturbed.
Li Yao self-taught. He purchased a large amount of compressed biscuits, chocolate, and other high-calorie foods from the supermarket, locked the door, and set up a simple "alarm device" with a basin and a stool. He also drew the curtains tightly.
He carefully read chapter by chapter, and silently recorded his psychological and physiological reactions in his heart.
"It's really strange. It's not an illusion. My body has indeed become stronger, and I can do hundreds of push-ups in one breath.
"Just now, I continuously raised my legs and jumped for fifteen minutes, and I didn't even sweat. If I was outside on the playground, I would definitely be able to run with amazing results. What a terrifying physical fitness!
"My ability to draw buildings and street maps has also increased. I seem to be able to draw all the streets I have walked on in my life.
"I understand now. There is a pattern in this. It seems that the more chapters I read in '40,000 Years of Cultivation', as the 'Cultivator Li Yao' in the novel gradually becomes stronger, the strength of the 'Cultivator Li Yao' in reality also becomes stronger and stronger. Of course, the strength of the 'Cultivator Li Yao' in the novel is incomparable to that of the character in the novel, but the rate of improvement is the same. What is going on?
"I understand why Zhao Kai said to skip the first four or five hundred chapters. Indeed, the style of the first and second chapters of this work is very inconsistent, and there is a serious rupture. It's not that the writing style and character depiction have improved, but that what the author wanted to write is completely different. It's basically two novels using the same name, written by two completely different people. Is there a change of author? Or is it the studio, or is the author possessed by a ghost? Or … is it that the author himself is not aware of this?"
Three days passed, and Li Yao's mystery was not solved. Instead, it became bigger and bigger.
However, he had a faint feeling that as long as he could finish reading 《40,000 Years of Cultivation》, all his questions would be answered, and he would clearly understand who he was.
However …
Just when he was getting more and more excited, and when he was receiving countless' surprises' from the book and from himself, the whole story came to an abrupt end.
"That's it?"
Li Yao stared at Chapter 1548, 'Infuriating the Sun', in a daze.
It was the end of the fourth volume. The protagonist, 'Cultivator Li Yao', had just finished his adventure in the Ancient Sages Sector and was preparing to return with a bunch of experts from the Ancient Sages Sector to start the final confrontation between the Federation and the Imperium. It was the most exciting moment, and yet, it was gone?
He checked the author's last update time. It was seven days ago.
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