Seepage

Seepage

Despite He Fei's nonstop threats, Mu Sichen still stayed in the hotel for the full three days.

He asked a friend from the same dorm building to make contact with He Fei and discovered that, aside from a sprained ankle, there was nothing unusual about him.

He Fei even went to his company internship according to the original plan, only using his lunch breaks and evenings to look for Mu Sichen.

If He Fei had truly been searching for Mu Sichen at all costs, he probably would have found him very quickly. There would have been no need to waste time.

He Fei's life continued in an orderly routine. Searching for the octopus plushie seemed to be only a hobby in his spare time. Judging from his schedule, He Fei was neither obsessed nor crazed.

He was even performing beyond his usual level.

Mu Sichen had worked part-time all these years, and he had once helped the employees at He Fei's internship company with odd jobs.

He asked someone he knew there, and that person told Mu Sichen that He Fei was ridiculously outstanding.

Never mind that He Fei came to work on crutches; it did not affect his performance in the slightest. He Fei's eyes were incredibly sharp. Whether it was documents or spreadsheets, as long as he looked them over carefully once, he could find the problems.

No matter how insignificant a typo, punctuation mark, or decimal point was, it could not escape his piercing eyes.

Although he had only been interning for a few days, He Fei had already become their company's reviewer. Everyone liked asking He Fei to help them look for typos.

But based on Mu Sichen's understanding of He Fei, He Fei was not remotely that meticulous.

He Fei was the kind of person who, when writing papers, would misspell "psychology" as "physiology"; normally, he was always forgetting things, and when he was in a hurry he might even go out wearing two different shoes. Asking him to do proofreading work was practically asking for his life.

The current He Fei was serious and rational. Aside from occasionally sending Mu Sichen threatening messages, he behaved exactly like a rational social elite.

This made Mu Sichen think of one of Qin Zhou's titles: "Absolute Rational One."

Shen Jiyue had told Mu Sichen that title.

He Fei's current performance at the company had not exceeded the scope of his knowledge. His entire person had simply become precise, serious, and error-free.

That happened to fit Qin Zhou's title exactly.

Through the messages, Mu Sichen could sense He Fei's desire for the octopus plushie. If not for the internship, He Fei would probably have searched for Mu Sichen day and night without stopping.

But because he had to work, He Fei actually forced that desire down. He would not even stay up late to search, because staying up late would drain his stamina and affect his work the next day.

Mu Sichen could not even say whether this was mental contamination or persona modification.

He had not entered the game immediately. First, because he did not know whether he would survive the next time he entered, and he wanted to live as many days as possible. During these three days, he ordered whatever takeout he wanted to eat and absolutely refused to shortchange himself.

Second, he wanted to observe He Fei.

The fact that the octopus plushie had followed Mu Sichen into the real world had filled him with deep unease.

His thoughts could not help branching out. Since Qin Zhou's power could invade the real world, was it possible for the powers of other god-class monsters to be brought back by players who had logged out?

This was not impossible. After all, Qin Zhou's matter had already happened right beside him.

Big Eye was only a Hidden Star-tier god-class monster. Above that were Sun-Eclipsing and even Sky-Shrouding.

Hidden Star was already an existence he could not gaze upon. How powerful were Sun-Eclipsing and Sky-Shrouding?

From Qin Zhou's and Big Eye's abilities, it was clear that every god-class monster had a different title, and their abilities varied greatly as well.

These abilities were not something Mu Sichen could imagine. No matter how careful he was, he might still unknowingly bring a god-class monster's power back with him.

Therefore, Mu Sichen wanted to observe just how great the octopus plushie's influence on He Fei was, and whether it would bring an even more terrifying impact to the real world.

Fortunately, aside from his personality leaning more toward Qin Zhou's title, He Fei showed nothing beyond an ordinary person.

But that was determined by Qin Zhou's ability. If it had been Big Eye's ability instead, it would definitely have been different.

Mu Sichen tried to imagine what would happen if He Fei saw a Big Eye plushie.

The desire to obtain the plushie definitely would not change. Maybe he would become even fonder of looking into other people's eyes, his eyesight would improve, and he would be able to notice details no one else could see.

For now, there was an effect, but it was still at an acceptable level.

But what if what had followed him back was not a power avatar, but the true self?

The impact would be far too terrifying.

Mu Sichen asked the octopus plushie, "If your true body came here, what would happen?"

To this, the octopus plushie replied, "Gods cannot stay away from their thrones for long."

Mu Sichen understood this to mean that god-class monsters could not leave their domains for too long, meaning the towns they ruled.

Mu Sichen relaxed slightly.

Judging from He Fei's current reaction, the plushie did not have much effect on his daily life.

Moreover, the octopus plushie told Mu Sichen that as long as He Fei stayed away from it, he would slowly return to normal.

In other words, even if Mu Sichen entered the game at once, fulfilled his agreement with Qin Zhou, and got rid of the octopus plushie's following, once he returned to the real world, he would still have to endure He Fei pestering him for a while.

Mu Sichen had a headache over this, but this was a problem he had caused, and he had to face it.

Thinking this, Mu Sichen idly stroked the octopus plushie's head.

The main reason he dared to be this bold was that this was not Qin Zhou's true body. After three days of getting along, Mu Sichen had also discovered that the octopus plushie was genuinely easy to care for, and its temper was quite good.

As long as the octopus plushie was well-fed, slept well, and was kept clean and fragrant every day, this thing became very obedient. From time to time, it would sit by the window and look at the Sun with its big, watery eyes, looking as if it was enjoying itself.

It also felt extremely good to touch.

Its head was round, silky, and springy, with a temperature lower than body heat. In this hot summer, putting a hand on it was like poking a cool but not cloyingly sweet jelly.

If he had to make a comparison, it was a little like a balloon filled with ice water.

Of course, the octopus plushie's texture was far better than a water balloon's, and it would not burst if poked.

Mu Sichen would secretly pet the octopus head and squeeze its tentacles while sleeping at night.

At this moment, he also took advantage of the opportunity to communicate with Qin Zhou and sneakily petted the octopus head a few times.

Seeing his thoughtful expression, the octopus plushie hesitated, then extended a tentacle and tapped the spot between Mu Sichen's brows.

"That only applies below Sky-Shrouding." Qin Zhou's dignified voice echoed in Mu Sichen's mind.

"What? There are levels beyond Sky-Shrouding?" Mu Sichen asked.

He had only just received this information when Mu Sichen's brain went hazy. His entire mind became muddled, as if he had eaten poisonous mushrooms.

The things around him became distorted. The desk looked like a dog with wavy-line legs, the bed was a colorful swamp bubbling away, and the door had turned into a monster with a bloody maw.

He nervously took a deep breath, only to see countless tiny people rushing into his nose, as if they would invade his body through his respiratory tract and turn him into sludge like the bed.

Mu Sichen did not dare inhale. He held his breath, wanting to escape this bizarre, garish space, and suddenly saw a broad road behind him. There was only a glass door in front of the road.

Mu Sichen held his breath until he was almost suffocating. He wanted to flee this place where he could not breathe.

He ran toward the glass door, yanked it open with force, and rushed toward that broad road.

Just then, something cool pressed over his eyes, and his forehead became much clearer. Only then did Mu Sichen's movements stop.

He touched that icy thing. It was one of the octopus plushie's tentacles.

The springy texture made Mu Sichen feel inexplicably at ease. He let out a breath of relief and successfully breathed again.

Only after quite a while did the tentacle move away. Mu Sichen opened his eyes and discovered that he was standing in front of the window, with one leg already stepped outside.

His room was on the sixth floor. If he had run out like that, the result was easy to imagine.

Mu Sichen carefully pulled his leg back, closed the window properly, and looked around the room in lingering shock.

His state just now had been about the same as when he had looked directly at Big Eye. No, it had been even more severe than that time.

He had merely learned the information that there was still another level above Sky-Shrouding, and he had nearly gone mad enough to destroy himself.

If the octopus plushie had not stopped him in time, he would now have been running toward that bright road outside the window.

The plushie's tentacle pressed to the spot between Mu Sichen's brows. "I thought you could withstand it."

The voice was still just as dignified, but there seemed to be a trace of apology hidden in it.

Mu Sichen did not blame the plushie. In a certain sense, he had indeed withstood it.

Even when he was insane, he had still possessed a sense of self-preservation. He had not gone so mad that he lost all reason. And if the room had been on the first or second floor, jumping out like that actually would not have been a problem.

"When I ask you questions, you always answer so mysteriously. Is it because there are some pieces of information I cannot withstand?" Mu Sichen asked.

The plushie did not answer.

But tacit agreement was also an answer.

That answer plunged Mu Sichen into even deeper Fear. Why, when he had already returned to the real world, would he still go mad because of information from the game world?

All evidence seemed to point toward one fact Mu Sichen did not want to admit: the power of the game world could seep into the real world.

In truth, as early as when He Fei was bewitched by the plushie, Mu Sichen had faintly formed this thought.

But he did not dare face this fact.

The real world was the safe house in his heart. If even reality could not be preserved, then in all the vastness of the world, was there still any safe place?

"Neither you nor the System will tell me the situation clearly. Looking at it now, that is a kind of protection for me," Mu Sichen said bitterly. "I think knowing nothing would be happier."

Seeing that he was extremely depressed and seemed to have lost the will to keep fighting, the octopus plushie hesitated for a moment, then patted Mu Sichen's forehead with a tentacle.

"Be rational." The commanding voice echoed in his mind.

Mu Sichen did not know whether the octopus plushie had used an ability on him, or whether Qin Zhou's voice had a rousing effect, but his brief gloom gradually disappeared.

"You really know how to comfort people," Mu Sichen said with a smile. "But could you get off my head? Your body is freezing. My head feels like it's been dunked in ice water, and it hurts a little."

The octopus plushie maintained its image. Every tentacle was attached to Mu Sichen's hair with great elegance as it slowly crawled down.

"One day at a time." Mu Sichen rubbed his temples. "I have to enter the game tomorrow. Before worrying about the world, I should worry about myself first."

He opened his phone and checked the group messages.

Chi Lian had not been idle these past few days. She had collected a great deal of information about the game, had even contacted Cheng Xubo through the forum, and had set up a small group chat where she shared new intelligence every day.

Chi Lian found that the people who had entered the game with them that day were not limited to eight. Aside from the four dead players, the three of them, and the player who had used a Self Sticker but had not regrouped with Mu Sichen, Chi Lian had also found three players who claimed to have received closed beta invitations.

They had died too.

Unlike the player who had died suddenly, among these three, one had choked to death while eating; one had been walking down the road, tripped by themself, and accidentally hit the back of their head on a sharp stone; and one had stood under a utility pole on a rainy day and been struck by lightning.

The reason Chi Lian had been able to find these three was that she had searched all kinds of forums, message boards, and other websites for people who had died suddenly after exiting the game.

Because the deaths of these three were so unusual, people had posted about them online. After Chi Lian confirmed their times of death, she contacted their friends and family, asked whether the deceased had liked playing games, and even managed to ask out the name My Ideal Town.

Among these three, one was even a foreigner. Chi Lian had found that person on a foreign site.

In addition, Chi Lian had also found several people through the game forum who claimed to have received closed beta invitations and sent them private messages. Unfortunately, just like on the forum, every warning sentence she sent turned into praise for the game.

Chi Lian was not discouraged. She was extremely action-oriented. She sent these people's information to Cheng Xubo, who found their IP addresses. Chi Lian chose the location nearest to her and took a high-speed train there that very day.

After meticulous investigation and analysis, Chi Lian found one player and wanted to warn them face-to-face.

But every time she tried to speak the truth, her throat felt blocked and she could not make a sound. She could not even write it on paper.

The three of them could discuss game-related matters in their own group chat, but when Chi Lian sent screenshots of the group chat to other people, the chat history would automatically turn into praise for the game too.

Over these three days, Chi Lian tried countless methods, but she still could not transmit the information.

However, her intelligence-gathering ability was extremely strong. In just a few days, she had investigated a great deal of information.

Chi Lian: [I even used Morse code, but as long as I wrote it down, the content of the code would change. I've tried every method I could try. I'm powerless.]

Cheng Xubo: [It feels like the three of us are trapped on an isolated island, and tomorrow we have to enter the game again. This is so despairing.]

Mu Sichen: [Maybe there are some things people are better off not knowing.]

Chi Lian: [Don't be afraid. There will be a way when the time comes. We have to keep Hope in our hearts. Maybe one day we'll clear the game. Hope may not guarantee victory, but without hope you will definitely lose!]

Chi Lian's words encouraged Mu Sichen, but the word "Hope" also gave Mu Sichen a very subtle feeling.

The spiritual anchor he had found for the Pillar was Hope, and the System had also told him to establish Hope Town.

Chi Lian's words were very normal, the kind of thing ordinary people often said when encouraging companions. But when connected to Mu Sichen's town, it became somewhat terrifying the more he thought about it.

Mu Sichen suspected these two were still being influenced by the System. The emotions they held toward him carried the feeling of faith, not simple teammate friendship.

After thinking for a moment, Mu Sichen turned around, took a photo of the octopus plushie, sent it to the group, and asked: [What do you feel when you see this plushie?]

Chi Lian: [So ugly. Not as good-looking as you.]

Cheng Xubo: [It rubs me the wrong way. Not as comforting as you.]

Mu Sichen: "..."

It was very pleasing that these two had not had their minds affected by the octopus plushie, but why had they both, without prior agreement, compared the octopus plushie to him?

Could a person and an octopus plushie be compared?

And the octopus plushie was good-looking and cute. Mu Sichen turned back to glance at the octopus plushie again. It was secretly dipping a tentacle into the coconut he had newly bought to drink coconut juice, spitting out white bubbles, and the room was filled with the sweet fragrance of coconut.

Mu Sichen looked back at his phone.

Chi Lian: [I deleted the picture. Oh my god, that felt awful. Looking at the picture felt like I was going to betray our team.]

Cheng Xubo: [Captain Mu, send more photos of yourself. Otherwise my heart keeps feeling awful.]

Mu Sichen: "..."

These two could not have felt their faith waver because the octopus plushie's photo had attracted them, then developed resistance and started hating the octopus plushie because of that, could they?

"I'll send you back tomorrow," Mu Sichen said firmly.

The octopus plushie, which was drinking juice, stiffened. It looked rather reluctant.

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Author's Note:

Qin Zhou: Didn't you already decide I was cute? Why are you still sending me back? I can cool your bed for you!

Mu Sichen: Summer is fine. Winter is unnecessary. Tossing you away once I'm done with you - that's right, I'm that much of a jerk.