On the morning of April 16th, at 7 o’clock, Mo Yang finished breakfast and followed Wan Mei to the most confidential underground research facility of the Ninth Military District Research Institute.
Initially appointed as the chief researcher for this study in the red files, Wan Mei couldn’t leave until they produced research results. Even though Mo Yang was nominally Wan Mei’s family, he didn’t have the qualifications to enter.
However, Director Zhao soon received instructions from the top leader, allowing Mo Yang to enter the institute and participate. As long as it was something Wan Mei deemed necessary, the institute had to provide maximum support without obstruction. Initially troubled and worried, Director Zhao only understood the situation when he found out they were both players in a dream world, as did a few other senior researchers who were aware of the truth.
It made sense why such an important task was entrusted to them and why Wan Mei was given full authority. If Wan Mei had been a player in the dream world from the start, dedicated to finding its weaknesses, there couldn’t have been anyone more suitable or likely to decipher the dream world throughout the entire institute or even the nation.
Consequently, every scientist involved from the Ninth Research Institute was motivated to research diligently. They would encourage Wan Mei daily, despite his consistently expressionless face, finding joy in their efforts.
After a month of tireless research, the Ninth Military District Research Institute finally produced two things.
The first was a thin slice made from a special metal extracted by Wan Mei from a meteorite. After a month of purification research, it could now resist mental attacks of nearly three levels, whether from a player’s mental strength or that released by a guide.
The best use of this mental shielding metal was to distribute it among ordinary people who hadn’t entered the dream world, effectively blocking various temptations and mental communication from the initial guides.
Due to scarce raw materials and a few undiscovered alternative metals, mass production wasn’t feasible. Therefore, these leaf-shaped cosmic metal pieces were given to important researchers at the institute, while those currently being produced were reserved for key national leaders and military personnel.
The second creation was a small pill that resembled a candy bean.
Mo Yang looked at Wan Mei holding those pills, which looked like rainbow candies, and smirked, “You called me here early just to give me candy beans?”
Raising an eyebrow, Wan Mei looked at him, “You’re looking down on candy beans?”
Mo Yang chuckled, “Alright, these definitely aren’t normal candy beans. Tell me, do they have any special functions? Eat one and turn into something else instantly?”
Dr. Wan sighed, “I never understand these scenarios in novels, movies, or comics. Even if a drug has a terrifying effect, unless its function is destructive, causing an instant transformation or accelerating genetic breakdown, evolutionary drugs never turn someone into a superhuman or Super Saiyan. It’s just not rigorous enough.”
“This is a pill containing a bit of cosmic energy and enhancing brain activity. So far, in our experiments, it significantly increases mental strength. Brain development is almost doubled. It seems the freely floating energy in the universe has a marvelous impact on mental strength.”
“However, this pill hasn’t been tested on humans yet. If you’re willing, we’d be the first two to ‘eat the crab.’” Wan Mei finished speaking but suddenly furrowed his brow, looking at Mo Yang’s keen interest in the pills. He then clenched his hand and said, “Forget it, let’s have Song Kefeng and their team try it first. With more people involved, we’ll gather more comprehensive experimental data.”
At that moment, he suddenly didn’t want his “black dog” involved, even though he knew the pill’s effects wouldn’t harm the brain or have significant side effects. But… he just didn’t want him to participate.
However, Mo Yang grabbed his hand, saying, “You’ve already taken them out, why retract them?” Mo Yang looked at Wan Mei’s furrowed brow and suddenly smiled charmingly, “Are you reluctant to see me even slightly hurt?”
Dr. Wan: “…Who gave you such a good misconception and courage?”
Mo Yang laughed and hugged his “demon king,” taking a bite, “It’s you! Alright, tell me about the side effects of this rainbow candy. There must be side effects, right?”
Wan Mei, looking at Mo Yang’s smiling face, sighed lightly, “The increase in mental strength from this doesn’t last permanently. After the effects wear off, which is after six hours, the brain will be extremely fatigued, leaving the person very weak. It takes at least a day to recover.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
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“However, there’s a technical challenge in doing so.”
Mo Yang nodded. “How to briefly leave the game world for the dream world, then return from the dream world to the real world, control the body to bite the pill, and quickly reconnect the dream world and the game world.”
“If it were at night during sleep, a brief departure wouldn’t be an issue. But if it’s during the day or in a highly critical situation in the game, it’s easy to mess up.”
Wan Mei nodded. “This isn’t very difficult; it just requires a brief period of intense mental focus to actively break through the world’s barrier.” He placed a yellow pill in Mo Yang’s palm. “For now, keep it in your mouth. Even if there’s no immediate breakthrough in mental energy barriers, there’s no rush. This is just an initial research result.”
Mo Yang looked at Wan Mei’s usually charming eyes now slightly bruised, sighed softly, and said, “Although I want to tell you to rest and take care of yourself, right now, all I can say is well done; you’ve done exceptionally well.”
Wan Mei lightly curved his lips, reached out, and touched Mo Yang’s face. “Don’t worry. I can be even more exceptional.”
At 7:50, Mo Yang and Wan Mei, with the pill in their mouths, lay in bed. They were surrounded by the most outstanding warriors guarding their room during the game. At this time, dream world players were at their most vulnerable. If someone found their location and destroyed their physical bodies while their minds were in the dream world, they’d likely die no matter how strong they were.
Previously, dream-world players would hide in secure locations. However, in the second stage, if the physical body encountered danger, the guides would give a warning and offer protection, allowing the player to temporarily leave the game until it was safe to return.
In the Manor of the dream world, Mo Yang, Wan Mei, Zhou Api, Qi Hong, Qi Fu, Xiao Junshi, Rose, Zhou Luoluo, and the 108 most outstanding special forces led by Song Kefeng gathered.
Zhou Luoluo saw such an orderly and impressive team for the first time. When she heard Zhou Api say that the team had collectively ascended to Level 3 in just a month, she was astounded and didn’t know how to react, quietly staying close to Rose, stealing glances now and then.
Song Kefeng and Mo Yang exchanged glances without speaking.
Soon, the guide balls on their heads emitted light.
006 and 009 hovered in the air, looking at 110, which had grown visibly larger in just a month, radiating a faint dual-colored light of gold and silver.
They chuckled, [Wow, 110, you’ve really upgraded! You’ve clearly gained a lot of benefits. By now, among all the guides in the dream world, your accumulated energy should rank in the top thirty. Impressive, very impressive.]
110 was on the verge of tears upon hearing this, feeling utterly panicked. Even though it had guided 108 people at once, it still worried about its host causing trouble, fearing its mother star would find out and destroy it.
009 seemed to sense 110’s worries and swayed a bit, [What’s there to worry about? Without thinking, I know Emperor Qin has recruited far more followers than you guys in the past month. 001 loves recruiting juniors the most. And, 002, 004, 005 are enthusiasts for collective power; supposedly, their hosts are thriving outside, leading hundreds or even thousands of people without any issue.]
003 chimed in, [That’s right, I recall 004 saying its host is with the largest armed resistance force in the Middle East. I’ve seen it before, and it’s now two sizes larger than me.]-
003, 006, and 009 exchanged glances and collectively sighed, [This batch of hosts isn’t up to par.]
110: […] Come on, guys, can you stop pretending? Do you think I don’t know that the Subverters are definitely among your hosts?!
Suddenly, a voice echoed in the sky of the dream world. Along with this voice, a massive gate slowly descended from the sky.
[Welcome to the dream world. The Gate of Heaven descending into the game world is now open. Players, please enter quickly.]
Mo Yang and the others looked at the enormous gate emitting golden light, resembling the gates of heaven. They narrowed their eyes and, with a scoff, walked forward with their backpacks.
As the dream world had abolished item cards, Zhou Api and Xiao Junshi suggested that everyone should carry a backpack to prepare for various situations in the game. They packed basic necessities like food, water, clothing, medicine, and weapons to increase their survival rate.
Previously, such actions were prohibited, but in the second stage of the game, the guides didn’t prevent it. It indicated that the game difficulty had certainly increased significantly.
At that moment, 140 million dream world players each stepped through the Gate of Heaven into the world of the Falling Flames. In the next moment, the world underwent a dramatic transformation.
[Here are the requirements to clear the ‘Falling Flames’ game world.]
[1. Survive for ten days.]
[2. Obtain at least one ‘Tree of Man’ fruit.]
[Wishing players an early completion.]
As Mo Yang tried to maintain balance amidst the earth’s tremors, he listened to the requirements to clear the game. Although it didn’t sound difficult, when he looked up at the flaming meteor descending almost toward their direction, his face turned extremely miserable in an instant.
“Oh, damn it!”
Mo Yang turned and sprinted. Only then did he realize he seemed to be in a vast city predominantly built of wood and stone? If it weren’t for the raging flames, the city would have exuded an ancient and fresh vibe. But now, it was about to vanish.
“Oh, my God! Although I expected a catastrophic world, meteor showers, and all that, this is too much! We might just be wiped out in an instant!” Mo Yang ran while hearing Zhou Api’s voice coming from the side.
Mo Yang turned to look and was surprised to see Zhou Api, who was of a completely different physique from him, running at an incredible speed. When Zhou Api saw him, his squinty eyes widened instantly, “Aiya! Brother Hei! Finally, I see a familiar face!”
Mo Yang ran alongside Zhou Api and noticed everyone in the city was in a panic, screaming and running around. In this situation, it was challenging to distinguish between players and NPCs. But if Zhou Api was here, then Wan Mei should be nearby, right? After all…
Mo Yang felt a slight vibration from the Phoenix Ring and then chose the left street, running straight ahead.
Zhou Api exclaimed, “What the heck, Brother Hei? Why are you running there? That entire street is almost burnt down!”
Mo Yang replied, ‘Perfect!’
Zhou Apu hesitated for a moment, then gritted his teeth and followed suit.
When Wan Mei appeared in the gaming world, he was right in the middle of the street. Although there wasn’t a meteorite falling from the sky in his direction, he was surrounded by burning stones on all sides.
These buildings engulfed in flames, enclosed him without any escape routes, making it nearly impossible to break free from the sea of fire. This made Wan Mei suspect whether 009, Mother Star, or 001 had done something, perhaps to trap him in the gaming world, preferably causing him some mental harm.
Wan Mei’s life points were rapidly decreasing, and then he felt the frequent vibrations of the Phoenix Ring on his wrist.
The next moment, a familiar voice echoed.
“Mei BaiWan?! Mei BaiWan, where are you? Make a sound if you’re not dead!”
Wan Mei raised an eyebrow and spoke louder, “I’m within the flames.”
Mo Yang, panting as he ran over, paused for a moment, then roared, “Damn, at this time, you’re still in the mood for poetry?! I might as well burn you alive!!”
However, while Mo Yang was yelling, he ran to the huge burning stone at the center of the street, and after circling it, he was equally frustrated. This situation was truly dire.
But Mo Yang thought quickly, and swiftly took off the proverb around his neck, transforming its shape into a long and tough rope. Enduring the scorching heat, he rapidly threw the rope to the other side of the stone, shouting, “Did you catch it?!”
By now, Wan Mei had already grabbed the tip of the rope, wound it around his hand, and, taking a deep breath, swiftly rushed toward the flaming stone.
“Alright.”
Simultaneously, Mo Yang outside also held onto the rope and sprinted out.
When Zhou Apu arrived, he saw his image of the physically weak but intellectually high-powered Doctor Wan, like a white, robust antelope, jumping directly from within the huge burning stone, onto the top, and then out from the blind spot of the flames.
Such incredibly swift and decisive movements were not at all the style of someone weak and feeble!
Even more astonishingly, after passing through the flames, his very prestigious white coat remained completely unburnt?!
Zhou Apu: “…” Suddenly regretting having rushed to do all the physically demanding and dangerous tasks earlier.
Author’s Note –
Wan Mei: Everyone thinks I’m intellectually high-powered but physically weak, yet they lack even basic intelligence. [Pity.jpg]
Muah!
they’re really experts at destroying atmosphere tsk
i love it(◠‿・)—☆