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While XĂź Beijin is watching Lin Qin walk, his eyes fall back onto the mysterious Update Log.
Technically, it isn’t actually a ‘book.’
It’s more an electronic document; data.
Well, so are all the other books in his bookstore for that matter. In a sense, this is the manifestation of the database of the artificial intelligence in the Tower, Iro. It has nothing to do with NE’s database.
When setting up Xü Beijin’s identity as a Tower resident, as he is unable to modify Xü Beijin’s information, he had to let the database of Iro end up as a bookstore like this.
If a Missiontaker happened to feel like wasting a rare variant of an Infocard to check on Xü Beijin’s information panel, they will realise that, underneath the surface of being a bookstore owner, Xü Beijin would also have a ‘Manager of the Tower’ hidden role to him.
A role without any actual authority.
However, the fact that he had the role was what forced NE to create this bookstore, which has countless clues pointing to other Nightmares, in the Tower when working out Xü Beijin’s details.
Really, XĂź Beijin thinks this is karma at work.
Of course, the ‘books’ in his bookstore are simple ‘read-only files’ that are already fixed when imported; only the Update Log does not fall under that umbrella.
NE is the one to maintain the Update Log. It belongs to the game’s Server, but not Iro, a character in the video game.
But, because Xü Beijin also technically shares that role, like some kind of messed up matryoshka doll, Xü Beijin can also have a glimpse into parts of the secrets buried within the game… For example, what are the updates that NE gave this game all these years?
There aren’t detailed descriptions, but there are always clues to be gleamed.
Xü Beijin hasn’t actually read it all that much, though, given his usual state of resignment and powerlessness these years. He was slightly more active in the early days, but that died down as time went on.
Of course, he never forgot the importance of this Update Log.
NE’s own records of the game’s updates, condensed into a book inside his bookstore.
Outside of the game, this is just a simple electronic file——One that is to be checked by the game developers.
Which means, this book also contains a bridge connecting reality to this game; it doesn’t just simply exist there on the shelf, but also exist on the server, wherever those game developers are hosting this.
Well, he doesn’t actually know if those beings and those at their equal standing would call them ‘servers’ or ‘computers.’
Maybe something like ‘terminal’ or ‘smart’ or whatever; times have changed. Speaking of which, even if humans do successfully escape from the Tower, it’ll be quite the hurdle just to adapt to the times, too.
They still have to leave though. XĂź Beijin is sure of that.
Meanwhile, Lin Qin asks, “so where is the second data port?”
Xü Beijin comes back to reality, and looks at the control panel, then tells him, “at the bottom floor, at a random empty residence.”
“Random?”
Xü Beijin answers, “yes. This port is restricted to the bottom floor, but it changes position every minute. If we can isolate it, I can temporarily stop it from moving around, so it will stay where it is for a while.
I can only tell you exactly where it is in real-time. The rest will depend on you. Now hurry.”
Lin Qin happily replies, “of course…”
He likes how it feels like working together with XĂź Beijin.
“Then let’s begin,” Xü Beijin says, “currently, the port is at…”
As XĂź Beijin and Lin Qin look for the data ports they needed on the bottom floor, the situation in the Ultimate Nightmare is worsening by the minute.
Inevitably.
The Apocalypse is playing out once again in this Nightmare, in a far shorter period of time than its gradual escalation.
Wu Jian is complaining, “this is almost like they’re going to play out everything in the Apocalypse in a single day…”
Ye Lan, standing next to him, appears stoic, merely nodding quietly.
They’re currently inside Cangcheng’s library——The one they encountered in the Nightmare with the Raining Hellfire.
When Wu Jian opens his eyes, he thinks he must have been dreaming – well, technically he is dreaming right now, but it’s almost like he’s back at the Nightmare from before.
Though seeing the book he has in his hands, and the laptop in front of him, and the silent but fully seated self-study room around him, and watching for a long time, he finally realises, that what he felt in the Nightmare from before was correct.
He really is someone from Cangcheng.
He felt really upset about all this.
The Ultimate Nightmare——This is the Ultimate Nightmare? To have them relive the Apocalypse once more?
What has already been lost is back in their hands, but, they, though amnesiac, will have to relive losing everyone once more?
Who the heck designed this damned twisted game?!
Gritting his teeth, barely holding back the tears welling up in his eyes, he is cussing and demeaning.
Then he quickly stands, and while the others look at him like he’s insane, quickly leaves the self-study room, but he does turn around just before grabbing the door, to grab his laptop with him.
He suddenly remembered that, seeing the computers, that in this Nightmare, they might possibly be able to contact each other with the Internet.
These tools have always been broken or just unusable in other Nightmares, possibly because, human society has already collapsed at that point, and also, because they can’t let these Missiontakers cheat.
But it seems the situation is different in the Ultimate Nightmare.
Using his laptop with slight unfamiliarity, he gets onto some websites, but doesn’t find any information that could be of use.
So he thinks a little, then decides to put messages looking for ‘missing persons’ online, and shuts down his laptop, disappointed.
It seems the shortcut remains difficult to use in the Ultimate Nightmare.
But then, by luck, he runs straight into Ye Lan outside the library.
Both are equally surprised to run into someone they know here, and they quickly exchange information. Before they can get a few sentences in, though, something suddenly changed.
It was a sudden argument erupting in the library.
To talk somewhere more convenient, and also possibly, because of the dangers they once met together in this setting…
After meeting, they decide to head back into the library to chat.
So they were able to bear witness to that unreasonable quarrel.
At first, it was simply a librarian refusing to help look up a book because he’s extremely busy at the moment, so the resident who was here to borrow a book was pissed. They argued.
Not exactly an uncommon scene in the busy everyday life of society.
But suddenly, it escalated out of nowhere.
The resident suddenly slapped and scratched the librarian’s face;
Then the librarian angrily held a book as thick as a dictionary up high, and smashes it right onto the resident’s head.
They are going at each other like they’re mortal enemies.
This attracts a crowd soon enough; the mood on the first floor of the library becomes rather strange.
People are just watching the fight quietly, but they almost look oddly excited at it all.
Someone even has a notebook out, writing furiously about god-knows-what.
Wu Jian and Ye Lan give each other a glance, and both immediately start walking outside. The moment they stepped out, a much bigger ruckus breaks out behind them accompanied by yells and screams.
Neither of them turned to look.
What happened? They don’t want to know.
Wu Jian, thinking that it’s been barely any time since they entered the Nightmare, and the madness shouldn’t have spread that quickly according to the information he’s already found out about it, wonders if the Nightmare has sped up the Apocalypse artificially.
He tells Ye Lan this, and it seems she also agrees.