The feeling of merging with their clones is hard to describe.
It's like sinking straight to the bottom of the ocean. They could feel the coolness of the water enveloping them, then gradually being soaked by it.
Brain activity ceased, thoughts faltered, and they sank into a state of confusion, as if they could finally fall into a deep sleep...
...But just as they were about to truly merge with the sea, they were suddenly pulled up and out of the water.
The sudden feeling of being able to breathe again made everyone open their eyes and take a deep breath—
now they were once again in the silent cave.
Everyone breathed rapidly, their bodies frozen, staring at each other.
The branches in the fire crackled, and the branches piled up at the cave entrance, shielding them from the chill brought by the melting snow outside.
Outside, the sky was bright, peaceful and tranquil.
The cave had not collapsed, the volcano had not erupted.
They were all still alive.
Song Yang and Xia Jing sat wrapped in blankets in a corner. Li Mian, Fei Shengxiao, and Lu Chenfei sat closest to the fire. Sun Qian stood, tense, his muscles tense.
Jiang Shuye was there, as was Xi Nuanyang—her alter ego happened to be in this world.
Even Jin Yaya was there—she was still alive in this world, knees bent, leaning silently against the cliff.
The "1" on Song Yang's forehead had vanished, while Lu Chenfei himself had a crooked "2" on his forehead.
—This was already World 2!
Lu Chenfei, regaining consciousness, jumped up and blurted out, "My memories from both worlds have merged. What about you?!"
The others immediately stood up and nodded.
They were all the same: their memories from both worlds had merged!
In this world, they too had appeared on the beach upon logging into the dungeon.
The discovery of the helicopter debris, Sun Qian's use of his powers to observe the dungeon, the thunderstorm, and so on—the process was exactly the same.
The divergent developments began that same evening.
Everyone was chatting, and Song Yang was recounting his experiences participating in two previous four-star dungeons.
Luo Jiu listened, applying eye drops.
Then he closed his eyes and suddenly froze.
When everyone realized something was amiss and stopped talking, he suddenly opened them and pointed at a patch of darkness in the jungle diagonally across from Sun Qian. He breathed rapidly, "As soon as I closed my eyes, my perspective seemed to be in that direction!"
"I don't know what happened, it's like my soul left my body, but I didn't see you, I saw another group of strangers!"
Everyone was stunned by this.
At the same time, they noticed five empty five-pointed stars appear on their arms.
Luo Jiu's opening of his eyes seemed to symbolize the official start of some kind of game.
Xia Jing pondered for a moment and asked Luo Jiu if he had heard what the "strangers" were talking about.
Luo Jiu shook his head, saying he was too far away to hear clearly.
He couldn't see the scene when he closed his eyes again, perhaps because his eyes hadn't fully recovered yet.
After some discussion, he concluded that these "strangers" in the parallel world were monsters, targets they must kill.
Xia Jing, Song Yang, and the others sensed something was amiss.
Especially since the next day, one of the five-pointed stars on Jin Yaya's arm inexplicably disappeared—perhaps around the time Jin Yaya from another parallel world killed Jin Yaya from World 1.
Everything seemed even stranger.
But Luo Jiu had faith in his theory.
He felt they might still have many unresolved questions in this instance, but his general direction was correct.
He ignored the advice and observed the parallel world again.
This time, he wasn't so lucky—
as he let out a wail, his eyes were reduced to bloody holes. He collapsed to the ground, and all the five-pointed stars on his arms vanished.
...
It now seems that in every world, once a player opens their eyes, or their world is observed for the first time by a parallel world clone, a five-pointed star officially appears on the arm of that player.
The appearance of the "eye" heralds the official start of the killing game.
The gaze from the dark jungle that Sun Qian sensed on World 1's first night was the gaze of Luo Jiu from World 2.
The eyes Luo Jiu blinded the next day were also the eyes of Luo Jiu from World 2.
Those in World 2 opened their eyes much earlier than those in World 1, and they understood the "rules" of eye use more clearly than they did.
For example, they knew that newly opened players' observation abilities were highly unstable.
Even after their abilities stabilized, their eyes' placement in the parallel world was random.
While they mostly appeared around their corresponding avatars, they sometimes appeared in corners, making them less noticeable and more discreet.
Sometimes, they appeared directly in front of their avatars, making them instant targets.
Such were the risks.
But at the time, perhaps convinced that only by killing the "monsters" in the parallel world could they clear the level, or perhaps because they were desperate to understand what was happening in this dungeon, Jin Yaya, Xi Nuanyang, and the others were so anxious that they naturally ignored Song Yang and Xia Jing's advice and engaged in a chaotic fight after opening their eyes.
It wasn't until last night, when the five-pointed stars on their arms had shrunken to just two, each marked with a black "X," that they realized they might have fallen into a monster's trap.
The stories unfolding in other parallel worlds were likely similar.
At this moment, everyone looked at Jin Yaya in the corner.
In this world, her legs were also twig-like.
Perhaps she had realized there was no chance of her leaving the dungeon, so her mood was much lower than when she first entered.
She just sat in the corner silently, listening to them talk.
Meanwhile, the five-pointed stars on the arms of all the others had changed.
Xia Jing raised his arm.
Two of his five five-pointed stars had turned black.
He whispered, "When the clones merge, the five-pointed stars will turn black."
He lowered his arm again and looked at Song Yang: "The sense of transparency seems to have diminished somewhat."
Now everyone's eyes were open, their vision much clearer. If they looked closely, they could notice the change in the "transparency" Xia Jing mentioned.
Their bodies were becoming clearer and clearer. As long as they continued to merge, they would become complete.
Song Yang opened the holographic screen to check the time.
Li Mian stood up and walked to the cave entrance, parted the branches and looked out, saying, "The volcano in this world shows no signs of erupting yet."
Fei Shengxiao hurriedly said, "Should we quickly find clues to verify the authenticity of this world?"
At this moment, Jiang Shuye stepped forward and said, "Wait."
Everyone looked at him, and he said in a hoarse voice, "I want to ask, what will happen to Nuanyang and the others?"
Unlike Jin Yaya, who still had two empty stars, Xi Nuanyang now had two black five-pointed stars on his arms.
But it was no use. There was still a black X drawn on the far right of the two five-pointed stars.
She lowered her head and remained silent.
Song Yang paused and said, "There are no clones of her in the remaining three worlds. She can only-"
Stop there.
Although he had anticipated the answer, when he heard it with his own ears, Jiang Shuye still froze and his eyes reddened.
He raised his hands, clutching his hair, and said bitterly, "I don't understand—I don't understand! If three pentagrams disappear, players can't leave the dungeon anymore.
Why wasn't the limit set at three from the beginning? Why was there a two-pointed star limit?"
Those two pentagrams were like a straw hanging on the couple's back, giving them a glimmer of hope. But reality cruelly revealed that straw wasn't enough to help him pull Xi Nuanyang over the cliff!
Was he deliberately fooling them, wanting to see them struggle in agony?
Xia Jing calmly answered his question, "Because the dungeon is designed this way to encourage players to fight each other to the maximum extent possible, forcing more players to remain in the dungeon forever."
Jiang Shuye looked at him in astonishment.
Song Yang exhaled and said, "The player death line is set at three because it's actually easy to reach. Raising the player's expectation to five is to incentivize them to fight with all their might from the start."
Five kills per person, a total of 50 kills, but they were facing 40 "monsters." In this situation, a competitive atmosphere naturally formed among the players.
Trust in each other would vanish. Even in their desperate pursuit of survival, players would lose the luxury of calm reflection on the meaning behind these settings, relying solely on a relentless, impulsive killing spree.
And then they would realize—
they had easily secured three kills, but they had also easily lost their chance to leave the dungeon.
Jiang Shuye trembled.
Xi Nuanyang stirred.
She tugged at her husband's clothes and whispered, "Shuye, leave me alone. This is my own fault. And before we even decided to enter this dungeon, weren't we prepared for a near certainty of not being able to leave?"
A four-star dungeon wasn't easy, they all knew.
From the moment they entered, they were gripped by a constant sense of unease, vigilance, impatience, and anxiety.
In past games, these emotions had fueled their relentless drive.
They never gave up on the challenges of a dungeon; they pushed forward whenever necessary, persevering through even the most agonizing moments.
They firmly believed these emotions were the best medicine to propel them through the dungeon.
However, once they entered the four-star dungeon, they hadn't realized how their unease had doubled, their vigilance doubled, their eagerness doubled, their anxiety doubled.
And once these emotions doubled, they would become their fatal blow.
...
After a night, Xi Nuanyang had finally figured it out.
Smiley City was just that kind of place. How many players could achieve unwavering victory here?
Very few, truly too few.
She had already gone a long way beyond many players, and it was time for a break.
She said hoarsely, "Don't have any foolish ideas for me. Hurry and search for clues with Song Yang and the others, and get out of here."
Jiang Shuye's eyes were bloodshot, unwilling to respond.
The atmosphere in the cave suddenly grew heavy, and no one spoke.
Xia Jing silently observed the two for a moment, his eyes glancing at the black five-pointed star on Xi Nuanyang's arm. He suddenly said, "A player is marked dead by the dungeon, but they themselves are not yet dead. In this state, the player is both human and inhuman."
Everyone was stunned.
Xia Jing thoughtfully said, "If the space bag can still hold items, perhaps you could try to put her in it."
Everyone was shocked.
Put Xi Nuanyang in the dimensional bag?!
Song Yang reacted and pondered, "The player is both human and non-human. It's very likely that he's transformed into an NPC or a monster."
Both are possible.
In their living form, humans can't be put into the dimensional bag, nor can NPCs, but monsters can.
If the dimensional bag is still usable, then they can verify this!
Jiang Shuye's eyes lit up, and Xi Nuanyang and Jin Yaya sat up straight, but the next second, they froze again.
But in this dungeon world, the dimensional bag simply couldn't hold anything!
"Then there's only one way," Song Yang said to Jiang Shuye. "When you leave this world, have your avatar in the parallel world try to take Xi Nuanyang with you through your vision."
"If you can carry her all the way to the world of truth, then perhaps you can also take her out of the dungeon with you."
From now on, Xi Nuanyang could no longer survive as a human, unable to return to the real world, but she might still be with Jiang Shuye in Smiley City.
It was a method with an uncertain future, but it was the only one they could try.
Jiang Shuye was like a desperate traveler in the desert who finally saw an oasis. He nodded repeatedly, his eyes reddening as he said, "I understand. We'll give it a try. Thank you!"
Song Yang and Xia Jing's words finally lifted Jin Yaya's spirits.
Seeing that their situation had concluded, Lu Chenfei said, "Then let's quickly find some clues that can verify the authenticity of this world."
Sun Qian interrupted again, his voice hoarse, "Wait, I also want to ask. If a player is declared dead after clearing three five-pointed stars, how many stars do they need to clear to leave the dungeon?
"
Sun Qian spread his arms, and everyone looked over.
Although he had also cleared two five-pointed stars, he only had four in total, and it was impossible to achieve a perfect five.
Sun Qian had only just realized this.
Song Yang said, "My guess is that only three will be enough."
Sun Qian breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "Let's hurry."
World No. 2 was a sphere; Sun Qian in World No. 2 had already verified this.
So, what other clues could help them determine whether this world was real or fake?
It was nothing more than wishful thinking, and everyone racked their brains.
They decided to leave the cave and search the jungle for answers.
Because they needed to move, they told the people from the other three worlds to hold off until they had a definitive answer.
The snow outside was very deep, and the coldest weather was when it melted. Fei Shengxiao shivered as soon as he stepped outside.
Song Yang wrapped a blanket tightly around Xia Jing, and the group hurried through the jungle, carefully observing their surroundings.
After walking for a while, Lu Chenfei frowned and said, "No, I don't think we'll find anything at this rate."
Jin Yaya said, "The first clue you found was the shape of the replica world. Could the other clues be of the same kind?"
"What other shapes can we use to determine the cause? The shape of a snowflake? The shape of a water droplet?"
Everyone frowned and pondered again.
After walking for a while, Jin Yaya looked uncomfortable and stopped, holding onto a tree.
Panting, she raised her legs, and the cross-section of her branch-like legs was once again rubbed with blood. Her face was pale.
Sun Qian was silent for a moment, then walked over and said, "How about I carry you on my back?"
Jin Yaya was a little surprised, as if she hadn't expected Sun Qian to help at this time.
Sun Qian was a little embarrassed.
He had been momentarily carried away in this dungeon, distrusting and questioning his companions.
Had the situation deteriorated further, a clash of swords wouldn't have been out of the question.
However, reality struck him, and he finally calmed down.
There was something ironic about this.
Smiley City constantly incited players to slaughter each other, no matter which dungeon it was.
This haunted place sanctimoniously claimed that killing each other was forbidden, but the existence of head points, like a piece of meat dangling before a dog's eye, tantalized all players.
They coveted and feared each other.
Yet, time and again, countless experiences have proven that distrust, recklessness, hostility, and greed—all these thoughts and actions—will ultimately backfire on the players themselves.
Working together to clear the dungeon is the only correct answer.
Granted, without head points, earning 10,000 points seems a distant prospect.
But if one takes the wrong path, "leaving Smiley City" isn't just a distant prospect; it's an impossibility.
Think about it: if the players ever finally gain the power to fight Smiley City, they'll need to work together to successfully destroy it, won't they?
Even twenty-somethings like Song Yang understand this, yet he, a man in his thirties, can't comprehend it.
Sun Qian felt ashamed of himself.
But since the incident had already happened and couldn't be reversed, he could only do his best to help his companions and contribute his own efforts to atone for his mistakes.
Jin Yaya bit her lip and said, "This is too much of a burden on you, and I've already been presumed dead..."
Sun Qian said, "Didn't Song Yang say we could try to get you out of the dungeon together? If that's possible, then at least you can still survive in Smiley City."
"You're coming with us to search for clues, because you don't want to give up, right?"
"Come on up. I'm strong enough to carry you."
Everyone watched.
Sun Qian squatted down in front of Jin Yaya.
He was actually a very tall and strong man, and when he calmed down, he could give others a sense of security.
Jin Yaya hesitated for a moment and whispered, "Thank you."
But just as she straightened, the snow covering the grass pile beside her suddenly slid down.
Fei Shengxiao's sharp eyes caught sight of something, her scalp tingling. She shrieked, "Look out!"
Everyone turned and followed her gaze—there wasn't a grass pile at all, but a nest made of mud, teeming with moths!
Everyone's expression changed!
Perhaps smelling blood, the moths suddenly came to life.
As Sun Qian and Jin Yaya's pupils constricted and they pulled out their props, the moths swooped down, engulfing them in an instant!
It happened so quickly that Fei Shengxiao and Xi Nuanyang let out a short cry of surprise. Song Yang, Lu Chenfei, and the others quickly retrieved their props, but before they could act, Sun Qian, buried beneath the moth pile, roared in anger!
With a "bang," the moth pile exploded, sending a burst of water billowing upward like a fountain!
At the same time, the snowdrifts surrounding Sun Qian and Jin Yaya were completely blown apart.
However, beneath the hillock of snow to the right, a larger nest was revealed.
Everyone froze in their tracks.
This place was the home base of the vampire moths.
The moths had been gathered and motionless in the nest.
After the nest was blown apart, the violent shock and the stench of blood in the air revived them all, and they began to crawl and fly.
With a rustling flutter of their wings, they followed the scent and surged towards them like a wave!
This volume was too much for ordinary weapons to handle!
In a flash, Sun Qian and Jin Yaya's eyes raged. They turned to flee, but were buried again. They screamed, but their cries were quickly drowned out.
Everyone drew their weapons and began to respond!
Song Yang gritted his teeth and fought the insects for a moment, finally finding an opening and unleashing a fire bomb in Sun Qian and Jin Yaya's direction!
The fire bombs instantly cleared away a large number of moths, but in just a short while,
the two people exposed under the insect pile were already motionless.
Their eyes were wide open, maintaining a ferocious expression, insects flying in and out of their mouths, and their exposed skin was covered with dense insect bite holes!
The five-pointed stars on their arms had also disappeared.
"No, they're dead!" Lu Chenfei frowned and cursed softly.
Fei Shengxiao muttered with red eyes: "How could this happen..."
They began to move, but these moths were almost entangled, and they soon lost their direction in the heavy encirclement and had to stop again.
Lu Chenfei turned and shouted, "Do you have any protective gear left?"
Jiang Shuye and Xi Nuanyang, back to back, hacked at moths and shouted, "We only have two gear left. It's a bit risky, but we can use it!"
Li Mian shouted, "We only have one gear left. Using it is risky!"
Lu Chenfei brandished a torch, killing scores of moths. "So, what do we say? Use it or leave?"
Fei Shengxiao sniffed, perking up. "We don't even know if this is the world of truth. How do we leave?"
Xia Jing calmly dispelled the approaching moths. Amid the chorus of shouts from the others, his eyes darting around, taking in everything around him. His mind raced.
What else could help them verify the truth of this world?
A terrifying rustling sound echoed in their ears, and a dense swarm of moths enveloped them, blinding them.
For a moment, it seemed as if even their vision had distorted.
Vision…
space.
Xia Jing had a thought. He stepped back, leaning against Song Yang's back, and asked, "Song Yang, do you have any extra dimensional bags?"
Song Yang, panting, quickly replied, "Yes."
Ever since he began collecting monster parts for Xia Jing, he always carried at least three dimensional bags.
Song Yang's thoughts quickly grasped Xia Jing's meaning. He said, "I'll have my avatars from the other three worlds verify this with me!"
He closed his eyes.
The next second, three pairs of peach-colored eyes appeared around them.
Song Yang said solemnly to them, "Take out one of the spare dimensional bags and explode!"
The three pairs of eyes instantly vanished.
Song Yang had already taken out a spare dimensional bag and tossed it far away, then unleashed a fire bomb and hurled it in the air!
With a bang, the fire bomb collided with the space bag, sending raging flames soaring into the air, and the space bag was reduced to ash.
At that moment, everyone saw clearly—
the moment the space bag disappeared, the space around it distorted. Within the distorted image, a black and white mosaic flashed with strings of code-like characters!
Lu Chenfei was shocked: "What the hell did that explosion reveal?!"
Fei Shengxiao's eyes widened. "I've seen this in movies. This means our world is a virtual world created by code, right?!"
Soon, three pairs of eyes appeared again.
The people from the other three worlds had also completed the verification and returned to their side. However, this time, they sent someone other than Song Yang—to ensure everyone had another chance to observe, they had to rotate "observations."
Song Yang spoke quickly: "Those who didn't find the code, tug at the corner of your clothes!"
Jiang Shuye: "I got tugged twice!"
Li Mian: "I got tugged too!"
Only their world had found the code when the space bag exploded; the others didn't!
The answer was clear.
Xia Jing threw down a sentence: "Let's go to World 3!"