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Xü Beijin finds Dai Wu at Dai Wu’s subordinate’s residence.
What is surprising is the fact that Dai Wu is actually wheelchair-bound.
“Surprised?” The casual, almost jumpy young man shrugs dismissively.
Then he says, “this is why I call it a Second Life, literally. I don’t like the Tower. I like being in Nightmares instead.”
Even with a disability, he might still be the only person in the world to say he enjoys Nightmares.
Xü Beijin asks, “why didn’t you try heading to higher floors?”
He is aware of some people who claim their myopia was partly alleviated by ascending floors.
Dai Wu shakes his head, though, saying, “I… My body is already like this. Even the information panel displays a physical disability.”
He says with a nonchalant tone of voice, “it’s going to be the same wherever in the game.”
XĂź Beijin is at a loss for words.
He didn’t know Dai Wu had such circumstances.
Now that he thinks about it, Dai Wu was always standing up in Nightmares, whether as a cashier, ticker sales reception, or more crucially, a survivor in the post-Apocalyptic ruins, he stood there, talking about a Second Life with a smile.
Missiontakers have a sense that Tower residents all have at least one debilitating ‘quirks,’ whether mental, or physical.
Dai Wu quickly skips over the topic on his physical form, and asks, “so what do you need?” Then he looks over at his subordinate, and adds, “or maybe you’re here for him?”
“I’m here for you,” replies Xü Beijin, and he gets straight to the point, “I’m planning to let others into my Nightmare.”
Dai Wu is completely shocked.
Xü Beijin then explains, “there will not be many people in my Nightmare, though.”
After the shock, Dai Wu smiles, and nods, saying, “I’m really curious what would be in your Nightmare…”
“You won’t be inside,” Xü Beijin immediately clarifies, and tells him what he’s here for, “I’m here for a related matter… preparations for the worst, say.”
Dai Wu wasn’t paying much attention to the last part, though, as he’s pretty fixated on the first part, wondering, “why are you so sure? Why would I not be inside of a Nightmare on the bottom floor? Is your Nightmare really that special?”
Then he immediately jumps to the most obvious conclusion.
Xü Beijin confirms what he’s thinking. He nods and tells him, “yes, there are no Actors in my Nightmare. Not a single one, save for myself.”
Dai Wu is now absolutely astonished. He says, “now I’m really starting to believe that there is some great secret in your Nightmare. But you’ve also told me, your Nightmare isn’t the Ultimate Nightmare… Then, what could that really be?”
XĂź Beijin remains silent.
Dai Wu then gives Xü Beijin a fierce stare, asking, “you know about it, don’t you? The Ultimate Nightmare.”
Xü Beijin wasn’t going to move at first, but then he slowly nods.
He recalled NE’s rather ambiguous stance on all this, so he doesn’t need to be so careful anymore. He is trying to work together with Dai Wu, so there is no need for subterfuge.
Dai Wu seems quite enthusiastic getting a positive response, and he asks, “what’s the Ultimate Nightmare like? Is there really an exit inside?”
And… How does Xü Beijin know?
Dai Wu doesn’t ask that last question out loud, of course. Pretending he wasn’t thinking about that last question, he simply looks eagerly at Xü Beijin.
Xü Beijin appears to fall into thought opposite Dai Wu, and finally, he says, “well, yes…”
Dai Wu appears stunned for a moment before immediately exclaiming, “there’s really an exit?! I really thought it was a rumour!”
Xü Beijin sighs inside, though. The ‘exit’ is probably not what they’re imagining the ‘exit’ to the Tower to look like.
At least, it is not one in the traditional sense.
XĂź Beijin would rather not give puzzles to Dai Wu, or give him false hope.
Whether or not the Ultimate Nightmare even will or can open up to the Missiontakers is for later, even if that is related to what he’s here for.
So he decides to use it to bait Dai Wu, “I’m here partly because of the Ultimate Nightmare.”
Dai Wu continues to listen, still visibly shocked and excited.
Xü Beijin says, “if you want the Ultimate Nightmare to open up, then I need you to get as many Actors as possible on your side. Prepare as many available men and women as you can.”
“On what grounds?” Dai Wu asks astutely.
Xü Beijin simply replies, “I cannot tell you at this moment.”
Dai Wu then furrows his brows, “that doesn’t sound a lot like an equivalent exchange.”
Xü Beijin goes speechless. Why would he hear ‘equivalent exchange’ even here?
But that’s beside the point. He tells Dai Wu, “this is the condition for the Ultimate Nightmare to open. If you cannot do it, then the Ultimate Nightmare will never open up.”
XĂź Beijin is asking Dai Wu to do this largely because Dai Wu must have an enormous web of connections in the Tower. At least, when it comes to Actors.
His suggestion to treat all of this as a Second Life has likely helped many an Actor to stay sane and lucid.
After this, Xü Beijin is planning to visit Su Enya, but he doesn’t need to hurry exactly; he’s sure Mu Jiashi would have headed for her right after him.
Perhaps it would be better, too, that Mu Jiashi would talk about XĂź Beijin opening his Nightmare up with her. He can expect her to be primed and ready mentally.
And then there are… the Missiontakers.
XĂź Beijin is quietly thinking about it.
Shortly thereafter, he continues telling Dai Wu, “remember. Gather up the Actors, as many as you can, and for the rest, you should try to figure out the movement patterns and, better yet, where they are at all times.”
Dai Wu’s face is turning pretty serious, even if his tone is still quite light.
He’s clearly still trying to take in the stringent and all-encompassing nature of this condition to open the Ultimate Nightmare. He asks, “I won’t say I can’t do it… but, what are you trying to achieve with all the Actors?”
“A successful exit from the Tower.”
“Bold words, but talking will get us nowhere.”
Xü Beijin shrugs, and nonchalantly tells him, “that’s why I’m trying to convince you to act.”
It almost sounds like something Dai Wu would say to people; the latter looks speechless.
He gives the gloomy young man a glare, and asks with a threatening tone, “can you even call this ‘convincing’?”
XĂź Beijin raises his brow.
Then Dai Wu simply breaks into a smile, and says, “it’s a friend’s request, so I’ll do it. No convincing needed.”
He pauses, but still cautions Xü Beijin, “of course, while I’ll do as you ask, but for the truth behind the Tower… it’s at least time to let me in on what I can know?”
So then he turns to his subordinate nearby, and has him leave the room for now. Then he smiles as he looks back at Xü Beijin, asking, “will that do?”
Xü Beijin “…”
Well, yes. He thinks about it, and says, “so, I’m planning to open up my Nightmare…”
“And?”
“My Nightmare, is some sort of prerequisite for the Ultimate Nightmare to open up,” Xü Beijin then tries to word it as carefully safe as possible to get what he needs across, “therefore, it is important for me that everything is arranged properly before I enter my Nightmare. When it starts, everything must already be in place, because there is only one possible chance. I can only have one go.”
Dai Wu quietly listens.
Xü Beijin gives him the sternest expression he has ever put up so far, “this one chance, is all or nothing.”
Dai Wu is holding his breath at this point at the seriousness of it all, until finally, he exhales slowly.
He says, “I see,” then he pauses, and adds, “not that we’d have had a chance for a redo even if there could be a second go.”
Then he looks down, at the stumps where his legs end, and then, looks outside the window, where the fog continues forming and dissipating.
Finally, he turns to Xü Beijin, and says, “I, would definitely, never be complacent, just having some ‘Second Life’ in this fake, videogame-land.
Even if my legs are completely healed within Nightmares, even if I can once again walk freely, even if I can be rid of this cursed, weak form…
A fictitious reality, holds no meaning to me.”
XĂź Beijin watches him quietly.
Dai Wu concludes, “even if only death awaits, I will have my final moments, on Earth.”
A short while afterwards, Xü Beijin nods firmly, and tells him, “you will… We will succeed.”
For the first time ever in Xü Beijin’s memories, the giddy smile is wiped from Dai Wu’s face. He nods heavily, solemnly.
While Xü Beijin walk talking with Dai Wu, just as Xü Beijin thought, Mu Jiashi went straight for the residence of Xie Ji──Of the residence of the purported Tower resident from a higher floor.
He’s going to look for Su Enya.