Chapter Eight: Reality and Unreality

The mist before his eyes gradually faded away.

That familiar figure—the one who always made him feel safe—appeared once more in Chen Nian’s line of sight.

“Wait!”

This time, Chen Nian resolutely gave chase.

The figure did not, as before, drift further and further away; the mist did not thicken.

For the first time, Chen Nian reached out and touched that person.

“You are…”

Before he could utter his question, the man turned around abruptly.

“What’s wrong, my good boy?”

In a daze, Chen Nian felt himself being lifted into an embrace.

At the same time, the surrounding scenery shifted and became clear.

It seemed to be a garden.

He himself had transformed into a small child, cradled indulgently in the arms of a young man.

The young man was strikingly handsome, no more than thirty at most, his face radiant with a smile.

Chen Nian gazed at that face, transfixed, an inexplicable sorrow blooming within him, so overpowering that tears streamed uncontrollably from his eyes.

“Daddy, I… today… it’s my birthday, what present did you… get me?”

Chen Nian himself said nothing, but a child’s crisp, slightly faltering voice rang in his ears.

“Heh, didn’t you tell me you wanted the latest model of robotic pet? I bought you three!”

“Daddy, you’re the best!”

“Chen—”

…

“Chen Nian!”

“Chen Nian! Wake up!”

“Chen Nian! Hurry, wake up!”

Slowly, Chen Nian opened his eyes, but everything was blurred by the tears clouding his vision.

…

“Chen Nian!”

That call so close to him finally brought Chen Nian back to himself.

The Alien Metaverse!

He seemed to have entered the Alien Metaverse now!

He wasn’t dead!

Nor had he lost his memory or gone mad!

Realizing his situation, Chen Nian instantly pulled himself together and hastily wiped away his tears.

What he saw first was a blue sky with white clouds, and an enormous—but not blinding—sun.

Towering trees, dozens of meters high and of unknown species, surrounded him.

It felt as though he had slept in a primeval forest and suddenly awakened.

“He’s awake.”

“He’s up!”

There was a commotion nearby as Chen Nian struggled to sit up.

By his side were two young men, all in green short-sleeved shirts, green shorts, and green shoes.

He himself seemed to be dressed in the same outfit.

No surprise—this must be the standard newcomer’s attire.

It also bore mentioning that not just him, but the other two young men nearby had tears in their eyes, as if they too had just been crying.

Looking further, he realized almost everyone around had tear-filled eyes.

Some were still sitting blankly on the ground, dazed and unresponsive.

“This Alien Metaverse is too freaky. We all just had a dream—damn, dreamed of the most painful thing in our lives,” explained one of the young men beside him.

Chen Nian nodded slightly, though his gaze was still somewhat unfocused.

Just then, a commanding voice rang out from not far away—Wang Yinlong giving orders.

“I know everyone’s a little shaken right now—I am too—but don’t forget why we’re here.

“So, I ask everyone to pull yourselves together.

“For now, observe this world from the perspective of your own expertise. Remember: observe, but do not stray from the main group.

“In half an hour, everyone will report their findings to me.

“Those who hear my orders, pass them along quietly—don’t make a commotion.”

…

The Huaxia Space Corps was an elite force, renowned for their discipline.

At Wang Yinlong’s command, seven thousand space soldiers immediately sprang into action.

With their lead, the remaining three thousand quickly overcame their emotions and began to study the world around them.

…

Chen Nian took a deep breath, banishing all stray thoughts, and began to observe his surroundings.

First, he noticed there were no options, not even an exit.

It felt exactly like being in a real world.

No, wait…

Chen Nian widened his eyes and finally saw, in the air before his left, two numbers that looked like coordinates.

“952.35, 635.52”

…

“Everyone, look closely—do you see two numbers floating in the air to your left?” Chen Nian called out softly, quickly drawing responses from others.

“Yes, but you have to really open your eyes to see them!”

“Looks like 952.35, 635.52.”

“That’s right, those are the numbers!”

…

Hearing that everyone saw the same numbers, Chen Nian was fairly certain these were coordinates.

Wang Yinlong was not far from him; after glancing in that direction himself, he signaled to a young soldier at his side.

The young man caught on instantly and led a small group in a set direction, seemingly trying to estimate the size of the Alien Metaverse by tracking the changing coordinates.

…

Chen Nian tried a few more actions, but saw nothing else like the coordinates.

He picked up a fallen leaf, tore it apart, and stared at the fibers and the faint, dried sap along the break. He was deeply shaken.

This Alien Metaverse was too real.

In Earth’s virtual worlds, a tree was just a tree—many couldn’t even be damaged.

Even if you could break something, you wouldn’t see the intricate pattern of torn leaf veins so clearly.

A dozen meters away, an elderly bald man was being even more dramatic—tasting soil, then the traces of tears still on his cheeks.

“Real! It’s too real! This virtual world is real down to the elemental level! Even the composition of human tears is spot on…”

After announcing this, he bit down hard on his lip.

“The taste of blood is exactly the same!”

“Damn! My high blood pressure’s come with me too!”

…

Hearing this, Chen Nian pinched his own hand.

It hurt—exactly as it would in reality.

“It’s true… this is too real.”

He could not imagine—a virtual world where everything, down to the smallest detail, was rendered at the elemental level, with bodily sensations identical to real life…

How much data would it take to construct such a world?

What kind of civilization could create such a masterpiece?

“This is too real! Even the scar I got last week is still here!”

“It’s so real I’m starting to doubt if the world we lived in was virtual too!”

…

Exclamations rang out everywhere, as everyone marveled at the authenticity of this virtual world.

…

Chen Nian stood up and looked around.

Perhaps because he had been sitting too long, he felt a wave of dizziness as he stood.

He instinctively steadied himself.

But in that instant, he sensed something was off.

He shifted his right foot—immediately, a footprint two centimeters deep appeared in the ground.

The fallen leaves beneath his foot were pressed deeply into the impression.

And the ground, after all, was not soft.

“Am I really this strong? Is this a supernatural world?”

He tried stamping the ground with his other foot, but no matter how he tried, he couldn’t make a print so deep.

When he stomped as hard as he could, the dizziness returned, and under his left foot, another two-centimeter-deep print appeared.

Staring at the two abnormal footprints, Chen Nian quickly called to those around him:

“Everyone, try moving around, see if anything feels off with your body.”

At his words, several young space soldiers immediately began jumping, stretching, even dropping down for push-ups.

Before long, they reported back.

“Nothing unusual—feels just like real life!”

“Yes, even the feeling of exhaustion is exactly the same.”

…