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Ping An Asylum
Chapter 187: Sound familiar?
Upon hearing this, Blond couldn’t help but feel a surge of excitement and responded:
“Ah, yes! I remember you mentioned before that whether we destroy the Ping An asylum constructed by 05’s mental world or help the asylum control other high-risk patients, we can complete the mission! So, we should continue with this plan, right?”
At first, Luce was taken aback, then he fell into contemplation.
After a few seconds, a look of sudden approval appeared on his face. He raised his head and said: “I see. I understand your line of thought now. By disrupting the dynamic balance between the two factions in this instance, we can prevent the God-making plan from being realized and thus complete the main mission, right?”
“Yes, the previous plan was indeed like this.”
Wen Jianyan nodded approvingly.
Wait, previous plan?
Sensing the keywords in the other’s words, Su Cheng couldn’t help but be stunned for two seconds. As the one who understood Wen Jianyan’s style of action the best, he suddenly had a vague, ominous feeling.
He has a feeling that this guy is up to something not quite good…
“Don’t worry, if my idea doesn’t succeed, I’ll still revert to the original plan,” Wen Jianyan noticed Su Cheng’s sudden change in expression and reassured him gently.
Su Cheng: “……”
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Lmao, he doesn’t feel comforted at all.]
[Hahaha, Su Xiaocheng: Life is hopeless. I knew you were going to stir up trouble.]
[Teammate, danger!]
“Huh? Have you changed your mind? Are you not planning to do it like this?”
Luce asked with confusion.
From his perspective, although the two options just proposed were both challenging, they seemed highly feasible and were in line with the logic chain of the entire instance.
Apart from that, were there any other options?
He couldn’t think of any.
Luce couldn’t help but ask, “So what’s your current idea?”
Wen Jianyan didn’t directly answer the question; he just casually changed the topic:
“After one completes the ultimate mainline task, they receive a platinum trophy, and at the same time, the instance is completely closed and cannot be reopened, right?”
The others nodded. Indeed, that’s how it is. This was common knowledge in the Nightmare live broadcast room; even newcomers who had only entered a few instances knew this.
Wen Jianyan: “Have you ever thought that this logic is actually the other way around?”
“? “
The crowd was momentarily stunned, not quite grasping the implications hidden within Wen Jianyan’s words.
Su Cheng frowned. “What do you mean?”
“It means that the instance wasn’t closed because an anchor achieved a platinum reward, but rather, it was closed, hence the platinum trophy was awarded to the anchor.”
In an instant, the air became silent for a moment.
Everyone wore expressions of astonishment; evidently, they had never considered this before.
As contracted anchors of the Nightmare Live Room, their main objective in entering instances was to complete tasks, earn points, and leave the instance to prolong their survival, perhaps one day accumulating enough points to buy their own soul-release vouchers.
Even many seasoned anchors had never achieved a platinum achievement after so many instances.
Most anchors tended to seek gains and avoid risks when entering instances, let alone actively triggering any ultimate mainline tasks—after all, they not only had higher difficulty but also, if failed, would result in immediate death even if the conditions to leave the instance were met.
So, in truth, most anchors had never attempted to ponder what “platinum achievement” really meant.
In contrast, Wen Jianyan was the opposite; he had perhaps achieved more platinum achievements than many seasoned anchors combined.
Because he had experienced more, this sensation became clearer and stronger with each passing instance.
In the “Decai Middle School” instance, returning the mirror fragments to their original place meant that the campus curse couldn’t be activated, and the instance was permanently closed. In the “Fukang Hospital” instance, the crucial Holy Infant remains were taken away, the hospital director died, and the instance was permanently closed. In the “Fantasy Amusement Park” instance, the disappearance of the energy source and the amusement park fire marked its end.
What confirmed Wen Jianyan’s speculation was in the “Antai Community” instance, where even though he never attempted to initiate the ultimate mainline task, he still received the platinum trophy—Nightmare’s explanation was that he had the highest exploration progress, so he received the platinum trophy.
But in reality, because Granny Wen died, the suppressed evil spirit fragments revived, making it impossible for the instance to be opened again.
Nightmare’s attitude toward this matter was very ambiguous.
It existed with the intimidating setting that after opening the “ultimate mainline task,” anchors would die if they didn’t complete it, while also increasing the difficulty of the next instance for anchors who achieve a platinum trophy, making their survival more difficult.
But at the same time, it also rewarded anchors who achieved a platinum trophy handsomely.
Naturally, these could all be explained as “enhancing the show” or “improving the audience experience.”
However… Wen Jianyan couldn’t shake the feeling that the “Nightmare” didn’t actually welcome this.
He realized this during the “Fantasy Amusement Park” instance.
Luck is naturally mysterious, but in the luck-based activity in the amusement park, consistently drawing the worst options… something was off.
It was almost like the drop rates were being secretly adjusted backstage.
Perhaps… his misfortune wasn’t some mystical occurrence but truly stemmed from malice within the Nightmare Live Room system.
“If we think along these lines, we should understand why the completion hints for the mainline tasks in this instance are so vague,” Wen Jianyan said.
Obviously, there were many ways to prevent the instance from reopening.
So, the instance hints only inform the anchors of the true structure of the instance, meaning how to use this information depends on them.
Since the ultimate mainline task equaled permanently closing the instance, their approach could be much broader.
“So, what you’re saying is… we shouldn’t be thinking about restoring balance or breaking it, but rather, how to destroy the entire instance?”
Luce’s mouth slowly fell open, and apart from dumbfounded, there were hardly better adjectives to describe his expression.
He was a seasoned anchor, having completed dozens of instances, or at least a dozen. While completing the ultimate mainline task was indeed exceedingly dangerous…
When this was equated to destroying the entire instance, it was a bit… too much for him.
It was simply an unforeseen path!
In the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Bah… I knew it!]
[Dang! Things are really getting interesting!]
[I’ve never seen an anchor diverge in this direction before, actually coming in prepared to bring down the entire instance!!! Impressive.]
“Bingo!”
Wen Jianyan snapped his fingers.
Unfortunately, his relaxed and playful attitude didn’t show any signs of easing the atmosphere on the scene.
“Ahem,” he straightened up his expression. “Anyway, although our progress has advanced to this point, how the God-making plan operates is still a mystery. Even for those external ‘creators,’ the completed “Ping An Asylum” has become a completely closed black box.”
The so-called black box was a theoretical term that refers to a black box that, after the construction was completed, its input and output results could only be observed, but its internal structure could not be ascertained.
In other words, the creators of the “Ping An Asylum” only know to throw the test subjects in and wait for the appearance of God; as for what exactly happens in between, they may not know.
This has already surpassed the realm of human knowledge.
“Just like this.”
With that, Wen Jianyan took out the black box from his pocket and showed it to Luce.
Luce was stunned. “This is…?”
“The reward for the legendary hidden item quest.” Wen Jianyan didn’t hide anything.
The other party was surprised. “Ah?”
This inconspicuous thing was a legendary item.
“More accurately, the legendary item is inside the box.” Wen Jianyan shook the box, and there was a faint sound inside. He sighed, “Unfortunately, I haven’t found a way to open it yet.”
“Speaking of which, as a seasoned anchor, you should know that instances and the real world have some sort of intricate connection, right?” Wen Jianyan suddenly changed the topic.
Luce was momentarily confused.
Although he couldn’t quite keep up with the other’s overly jumping thoughts, he still nodded solemnly, “I have indeed heard of this theory.”
Just like the name of the live room, the instances in “Nightmare” were like an endless nightmare; although terrifying, eerie, and filled with darkness and danger, they also resembled nightmares in that they cast shadows of the real world, as if they were constructed within this framework of reality.
“So, don’t you think this instance is a bit peculiar?” Wen Jianyan blinked and added, “In terms of technology and humanities.”
Luce was taken aback, “You mean… the sense of time?”
“Yes.”
Wen Jianyan nodded.
From a humanities perspective, it was obvious that the “Ping An Asylum” instance should have been created a long time ago. Whether it was the categorization of “sexual deviance” or “intellectual disabilities,” including the dense and indissoluble religious atmosphere and the outdated, almost cruel treatment methods, one could sense its strong sense of time.
However, the experiments related to the brain in the laboratory, artificially created mental illnesses, and the so-called “matrix” all carried a sense of futuristic technology that surpassed the times, as if they were entities that could only be developed in the future of science fiction novels.
This contradiction permeated every corner of the instance.
Of course, other instances also had supernatural beings and things that didn’t exist in the real world, thanks to Nightmare’s processing. However, this instance was different from the others. The entire “Ping An Asylum” was established in the mental world of Subject 05, which was a true low-dimensional world—even with the artistic processing of Nightmare Live Room, it couldn’t change this fundamental framework of the instance.
“If, and only if, as speculated, each instance has its own real-world prototype and historical background,” Wen Jianyan squinted his eyes, slowly saying, “Then this instance also does.”
In other words, against a backdrop that was almost medieval, they had created a set of futuristic technologies—
Or rather, a higher-dimensional technological system.
“Who do you think they received help from?” Wen Jianyan looked at everyone, asking softly.
“…”
The room fell silent.
They understood what Wen Jianyan was saying because each of his theories started with the information they already knew about the Nightmare Live Room and the instances. Every logic was impeccable, but…
In a sense, they couldn’t completely grasp what he was saying.
This had completely surpassed the content of the “Ping An Asylum” instance and ascended to another angle they had never encountered before.
A more terrifying angle that was closely related to the “Nightmare Live Room.”
When everyone’s brains were freezing up, it was Blond who dryly broke the silence: “Uh… hold on, it can’t be what I’m thinking; are you saying that this instance also has something like those eyes?”
Wen Jianyan smiled, reached out to ruffle Blond’s hair, and praised him, “The young can be taught.”
Although he was terrified by his own imagination, after receiving the other’s praise, Blond’s face involuntarily turned red, showing a shy expression.
He stammered, “Th-thank you.”
In reality, the reason why Wen Jianyan came to this conclusion was because of his experience in the previous instance.
Unlike the other patients, the “Ping An Asylum” was not the embodiment of Subject 05’s mental world; it was just the source of energy supply. The architect of the instance existed outside the entire instance, in a higher-dimensional existence. It was like a carefully designed chessboard, with Subject 05 being just one of the pawns.
This modus operandi…
Doesn’t it sound familiar?
Meat grinders designed by higher-dimensional being, “fragment” regarded as energy supply, and reincarnation that could never end.
There was even that exact Ouroboros mark.
However, the only difference was that, compared to the “Fantasy Amusement Park,” the “Ping An Asylum” resembled more of an inferior and rough prototype.
Although it also had an inner and outer world, the alternating transitions were difficult to control. Although the high-risk patients inside were controlled most of the time, the possibility of derailment was also high, and the victims were far from being as obedient and loyal.
“Ping An Asylum” was about that “God” from a higher-dimensional world. However, unlike the “Fantasy Amusement Park,” which had already formed a complete system and operated independently, it was more like an experiment or an unfinished work, representing their failed attempt.
So, compared to the previous one, which showed no indication of any era background, like a completely independent amusement park outside the world, the asylum appears much rougher. In other words… more flaws were likely to be exposed.
Once this opportunity was missed, it would be difficult to reappear again.
Wen Jianyan was holding a square, pitch-black box in one hand. Looking at the distracted Luce beside him, he asked, “You mentioned before that you have some fragmented impressions of the time when you were unconscious, like being immersed in a cultivation pod, right?”
Luce nods subconsciously.
Wen Jianyan said, “Think carefully. During that time, did you see anything similar?”
“…”
Luce’s gaze fell on the black box in Wen Jianyan’s hand, his brow slightly furrowed, as if trying to organize his increasingly confused mind, searching for any useful information in those fragmented pieces.
Wen Jianyan watched Luce, patiently waiting.
If it was really as he suspected and they were all trapped in the mental world constructed by 05’s brain, then the “illusions” Luce saw during his near-death experience were likely to be closer to the truth of the entire instance than anyone else among them.
The legendary-level hidden items within the instances were often closely related to their key secrets.
In other words… if the item inside this box truly came from the “outside world,” then only Luce might have seen its true form.
Luce hesitated before speaking:
“It seems… I do have some impression?”
Wen Jianyan instinctively straightened his back and leaned in slightly: “Tell me.”
“My impression isn’t very clear…” Luce raised his hand, pinching the creased center of his forehead, showing a look of intense concentration. “Through the liquid and glass, I seem to have seen, in a distant place, this black box being kept very securely, almost like it was placed in the center of the entire room… with the lid open.”
Wen Jianyan squinted.
“Did you see what was inside the lid?” he asked.
Luce shook his head: “Unfortunately… no.”
During that time, he was basically in a state of half-dreaming and half-awake haze. Everything around him felt like a shattered dream, making it difficult to recall, let alone see clearly, or remember the content of a specific box.
Wen Jianyan nodded with a thoughtful expression.
So, it meant that even without using a lock-picking prop, there was indeed a key to open it. What could it be?
“…”
Wen Jianyan suddenly froze.
He stood in place, his eyelids drooping to cover his slightly dazed eyes, appearing as if he had been frozen in time. After a few seconds, as if suddenly ignited by a flame, he jumped up.
The people around him were startled by his sudden movement:
“Wh-what’s wrong?”
Wen Jianyan didn’t answer. He simply quickly opened his backpack and took something out.
It was completely black, made of an unknown metal, and small enough to fit in the palm of his hand.
It was a snake with its head and tail connected.
He took a deep breath, slowly adjusted the angle of the snake in his hand to match the shallow marks on the box, then gently pressed it.
A perfect fit.
The next moment, with a soft click, the lid of the box popped open.
Inside the “Integrity First” live broadcast room:
[Oh my God!]
[Oh my God!]
[Oh my God!!!!]
[!!!]
Everyone around couldn’t help but inhale sharply, staring in shock at the scene that defied logic, almost unable to believe their own eyes.
This…
Generally speaking, except for completing legendry-level hidden item tasks, legendry items were directly rewarded in the backpack. Other items could only be collected into the system’s backpack after the instance was completed. In other words…
Wen Jianyan was now using items from other instances.
Yet he managed to open a box within this instance…
How was that possible?!
Wen Jianyan completely ignored the attention of the people around him.
He leaned over, slowly opened the box lid, took a deep breath, and then looked inside the box.
To his surprise, inside the box was a small stack of yellowed, brittle papers, looking old and worn, covered in densely written text.
Wen Jianyan held his breath slightly as he began to read the recognizable words.
The language on it was English, mixed with some Latin. He could only roughly understand the gist of it and barely piece together its content.
“…Thank you, God, for communicating with someone like me…”
Next was a series of praises to God and grand descriptions of one’s own humility. Roughly summarizing, it seemed that someone suddenly found a way to communicate with the “God” one day and received their own mission and tasks from the “God,” thus beginning to kill people for this purpose.
Just from these contents, it was easy to mistake the writer for a delusional, psychotic murderer.
After all, in human history, there have been many schizophrenic patients who claimed to have received a “mission from God” and then committed various crazy acts.
“…Oh Lord, I have fulfilled your teachings. Those impious and heathens will eventually go to hell. Oh God, they are knocking on the door; they will not get anything from my mouth. Yes, it’s my will; no one can change it. It’s my mission to be born into this…”
The last word was written deeply, almost tearing the paper apart.
Next was a large, irregular, dried-brown imprint.
The yellowed, brittle old paper ended there.
The papers below looked much newer and neater, seemingly a medical case from a psychiatric hospital with handwriting resembling that of a doctor.
“…The patient was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia and violent tendencies. He was arrested after killing more than ten people. He was detained, and he attempted suicide. After a failed suicide, he was transferred to our hospital.”
“…”
“Electric shock therapy and hydrotherapy were administered; there was no improvement.”
“Acupuncture therapy; no improvement.”
“Drug therapy; no improvement.”
“After being admitted to the hospital, the patient showed no therapeutic progress; violent incidents led to multiple conflicts, and he was confined to solitary confinement.”
“…”
“The patient died.”
Wen Jianyan skimmed through the cause of death.
…Nail scratching at the throat bit by bit, leading to death from blood loss.
His scalp tingled as he skipped over a section and continued reading.
The next document was an autopsy report.
“Undigested content is found in the patient’s stomach.”
“Resembling a piece of blank parchment, without any date or handwriting.”
“That’s wrong…”
Following that, the content on the paper was abruptly cut off.
“…”
Wen Jianyan’s gaze turned heavy.
Obviously, this “patient” got in touch with the high-dimensional “God” in some way, so he started a perverted killing. He was arrested for his crime and sent to prison. After arriving at a certain psychiatric hospital, the method of contacting the “God” was also found in the psychiatric hospital.
From here on, the degree of emotion was connected to his guess.
The top management of the psychiatric hospital was deceived, thinking that they were completing the mission of God and that the impact they could have was much greater than that of an ordinary person with a mental disorder. Therefore, with the help of “God,” the “Ping An Asylum” was born little by little.
While he was deep in thought, Wen Jianyan suddenly realized that something seemed to be falling from his fingers, silently grazing his fingertips, causing an almost itching feeling.
He was startled slightly and looked down.
It was a worn-out piece of kraft paper. The leather-tanned paper was yellowed and old and looked extremely soft. It fell silently into the center of the black box.
At that moment, what he had just seen in the autopsy report flashed through Wen Jianyan’s mind.
[A blank piece of blank parchment, without any date or handwriting.]
Wrong.
No.
Before him, words slowly emerged on the parchment.
Clear, distinct, and orderly.
“!”
Wen Jianyan’s fingers trembled, and he almost knocked the box away.
He sucked in a breath.
Damn…
So, the legendary item in this box was actually the contents found in the patient’s stomach?
The parchment that drove the entire Ping An Asylum insane?
“To the esteemed Wen Jianyan, you,” the parchment was written in standard Chinese, “you may ask me three questions.”
…Can he ask any question?
Including those related to the mysterious eyes of unknown origin, or even related to the Nightmare Live Room?
A dangerous idea flashed through his mind.
Seeing Wen Jianyan’s complexion change, the people nearby asked, “What’s wrong?”
“…Nothing.”
Wen Jianyan shook his head.
A prop that could answer any question, with no restrictions on content… Until he fully understood its function, no one should know about its existence.
More importantly…
Wen Jianyan remained vigilant about the source of the item.
He had previously obtained “living” items, such as the Holy Infant’s remains. After it was activated, Wen Jianyan could clearly sense the emotions emanating from the item.
Love, dependency, and protectiveness.
Although the parchment didn’t have an undeniable humanoid form like the Holy Infant, being able to converse with humans and even knowing his name was enough to make Wen Jianyan feel threatened.
Especially since the appearance of the instance of “Ping An Asylum” had a direct impact and was likely a product created by “God” to manipulate humans.
And Wen Jianyan hadn’t forgotten what he did in the previous instance—the backstab.
He didn’t believe things would act without malice.
Suddenly, Su Cheng, who had been standing silently to the side, raised his head, as if suddenly realizing something amidst his confusion:
“Wait…”
He looked at Wen Jianyan, his expression somewhat strange.
“You just said you were planning to permanently prevent this instance from reopening, right?”
Wen Jianyan said, “Yes.”
“But you’re not planning to use the two methods you just mentioned…” Su Cheng’s expression became even more uneasy.
The purpose of this instance was to create.
To permanently prevent it from reopening, either it needs to be destroyed, or…
“Tell me the truth, are you really planning to complete the ritual and create the so-called God?”
When talking about the latter part, Su Cheng stuttered.
Wen Jianyan paused and blinked innocently.
He wanted to deny it, but…
Suddenly, he caught something in his peripheral vision.
Wen Jianyan was startled and looked down.
He didn’t know when the previous words on the piece of parchment disappeared, and more words emerged.
“Complete the ritual of creating God.”
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