Chapter 131.1

Xiao Tangqiu suddenly remembered the three questions that Meng Qingqiu asked him at Meng Xinghe’s grave, and couldn’t help but feel chills—

“Have you already walked out?”

“If time turns back and returns to seven years ago, would you be willing to save him?”

“Even if the cost is your life?”

“…All the living people she forcibly dragged into this experiment, after a period of time, showed a trend of weakened brain waves and weakened physiology. If it continues, it may cause these living people to die,” Meng Xinghe looked deeply at Xiao Tangqiu, “So after I first discovered that you were here, I tried to wake you up and let you get out of this so-called game and return to reality.”

Xiao Tangqiu reacted instantly, “You are also Yun Jizhou from the first instance?!”

“That’s right, Yun Jizhou was me,” Meng Xinghe continued calmly, “because the subject of this experiment is me, so the whole game actually revolves around my consciousness. In other words… I’m the master in this game, I can be whoever I want to be.”

After discovering that Xiao Tangqiu’s consciousness was also pulled into this “game”, Meng Xinghe separated a ray of consciousness and attached it to the instance NPC Yun Jizhou, trying to wake up Xiao Tangqiu by “killing” Xiao Tangqiu.

“If your consciousness ‘dies’ in the game, your consciousness will temporarily return to reality and the consciousness of all those players who ‘died’ in the game before will temporarily return to reality. But the memory gas will automatically be released and everyone returns to the game as a new player…” Meng Xinghe continued, “I was going to kill you and bring your consciousness back to reality, but…”

Meng Xinghe did not continue talking, but Xiao Tangqiu suddenly froze. Because he recalled that when he saw Yun Jizhou who looked exactly like Meng Xinghe, he kissed Yun Jizhou in a moment of excitement. Then he inexplicably revived… It turned out that from the very beginning in the first instance, Meng Xinghe had already wanted him out of this “game”, but he unknowingly missed this opportunity.

“Although I knew that death in the game only temporarily brings your consciousness back to reality, I thought if it were you, there must be a way to break free…” Meng Xinghe sighed, “Unfortunately I failed, when the machine sensed that I was thinking about abandoning the experiment, the memory gas was released at me and I lost my memory again.”

Xiao Tangqiu murmured, “Amnesia again?”

“Yes, I’ve wanted to end this experiment countless times,” Meng Xinghe said calmly, “Although I am the center of the world and the master of everything in this experiment, there is only a virtual artificial intelligence in this world. I feel like I’m in a single-player RPG with no one real, it’s omnipotent but tedious.”

Xiao Tangqiu fell into silence. If someone asked him why online games were more fun than single-player games, his answer would be that there were real people in online games.

“…But every time I have thoughts of leaving the experiment, this machine will release memory gas at me. I became amnesiac again and again, and I stopped daring to have this thought,” Meng Xinghe smiled bitterly, “I can set the background and plot of the game for this experiment. I set it according to the novel you wrote when you were in junior high school. After being a demon king for a while, I lost too much interest and split out the character Shen Yuan. In order to get rid of all these pains, Shen Yuan’s memory was deliberately emptied. But even in such a state of split consciousness, once Shen Yuan’s consciousness has the idea of escaping, it will release memory gas.”

Xiao Tangqiu asked dumbly, “The Shen Yuan I met at the beginning was completely a blank sheet of paper?”

“I emptied my memory and wanted to get rid of the depression that I couldn’t escape from here. I planned to experience a new life as Shen Yuan. When I first met you, I really didn’t remember anything,” Meng Xinghe sighed again, “But you have had too much influence on me, and soon I recovered a little memory, and at the same time had the idea of running away. As a result… you already know.”

Xiao Tangqiu understood in an instant, “…then you lost your memory.”

It turns out that Shen Yuan lost his memory because Meng Xinghe was automatically wiped by the machine. At that time, Shen Yuan was so attached to him, not because of the chick imprinting effect at all, it was clearly because Meng Xinghe’s body remembered Xiao Tangqiu.

“I’ve long wanted to get out of here and end this, especially since more and more people are getting involved with my mother,” Meng Xinghe deeply looked at Xiao Tangqiu before continuing with a firm tone, ” Especially after you got involved. If you continue to stay here, it is very likely that you will follow in the footsteps of my brain death…”

Xiao Tangqiu finally understood everything. Understood why “Shen Yuan”‘s previous attitude was so strange, understood what the two previous “Tests of the Light God’s Sword” were implying, and understood why “Shen Yuan” didn’t kill him…

He finally understood why “Shen Yuan” brought him back to the palace, why he reminded him of the room at the end of the corridor, why he showed him the key around his neck…

It turned out that from beginning to end, Meng Xinghe was alluding to one thing: “Wake up! Get out of here!”

“So that’s it…” Xiao Tangqiu looked dazed, “That’s why you kept hinting at me?”

“I had already forgotten everything after the last memory gas release, but because I have been with you, I gradually remembered everything including this experiment. But I could only try my best to suppress the idea of running away, let alone tell you directly. I know very well that once I say everything, this machine will immediately release memory gas on me and you. Everything will end halfway, and everything will have to start all over again…”

Meng Xinghe stared at Xiao Tangqiu, “But I’m running out of time, you’re running out of time, we’re all out of time. I can only take the risk and remind you in this way…”

Xiao Tangqiu fell silent. After a moment he gritted his teeth and asked, “What do you mean you’ve run out of time?”

Meng Xinghe said calmly, “This room is called the Real Room, it is the most critical hub of this experiment. This world is a virtual world, everything is just a program, only here is not… Only here is real. The me on the hospital bed you see here is the real me.”

Xiao Tangqiu frowned and asked again, “What do you mean you’ve run out of time?”

Meng Xinghe glanced at Xiao Tangqiu and sighed, “Although my brain wave activity has reached its peak after meeting you, all physiological functions have been greatly weakened. And those of you who were forcibly dragged into the experiment also aren’t in good states. If it continues like this, I am afraid it will cause very serious consequences.”

Xiao Tangqiu asked incredulously, “It’s already like this, your mother still refuses to stop the experiment?”

Meng Xinghe smiled bitterly, “She’s getting crazier and crazier now, sometimes I don’t even know her… For her, I’m not only her only son but also her most successful experiment so far. Once this experiment is stopped, it will not only mean the death of her only son but also the complete failure of her experiment.”

Xiao Tangqiu was shocked and couldn’t speak for a long time.

“She went out temporarily for something today. I took the opportunity to grab the permission of this room and stopped the machine temporarily, but she will come back soon. Once she finds out that I have ended the experiment, even if the machine can’t determine that I have thoughts of escape, she can also control the machine to release memory gas, so hurry up! It’s up to you to end it all.”

“Me?” Xiao Tangqiu asked blankly, “Why me?”

“Because you are the most suitable person. I just want you to end it all, and only you can end it all…” Meng Xinghe’s tone was firm.

Instead of asking Meng Xinghe how to end this, Xiao Tangqiu asked softly, “What will happen to you if I end this experiment?”

Meng Xinghe was originally brain-dead seven years ago and it was only through this crazy experiment that he could barely regain some consciousness. But this experiment could only barely help Meng Xinghe regain consciousness, it could not make him truly wake up.

For the past seven years, Meng Xinghe had been relying on this experiment, relying on these machines to barely maintain brain activities. Once this experiment stopped, what would happen to Meng Xinghe?

Meng Xinghe smiled, “…Might die.”

“Are you going to die?” Xiao Tangqiu murmured.

“I was already brain dead…” Meng Xinghe sighed softly, “I died seven years ago. And for the past seven years, I have relied on this experiment to maintain my conscious activities, stealing seven years from the hands of death and living a wonderful life that ordinary people might never live… But it’s all based on this crazy experiment and the innocent people who were forcibly dragged into it, especially you.”