Chapter 37: Gloomy Phantom City (Conclusion)
Chapter 37: Gloomy Phantom City (Conclusion)
Seconds later, a black humanoid figure slowly emerged from the shadows on the ground. It stood about two meters tall, its form shrouded in condensed darkness like a three-dimensional "shadow." But this was clearly no mere optical illusion caused by light obstruction—it was a tangible, physical entity existing in three-dimensional space.
Feng Bu Jue ignored Samo Di Er’s less-than-dramatic entrance and continued his earlier topic as if nothing had happened. "That metaphor about puddles outside the river? Let’s revise it to ‘vortex outside the river of time.’ More accurate.
"Sure, Einstein said time and space are illusions—parameters describing material motion—but in this magical world, we can treat them as tangible forces. This is something that must constantly flow, like river water. If it stagnates, it ceases to be a river.
"Based on this logic, Samo Di Er must have extracted a portion of time itself when he isolated this space. Otherwise, everything here—including himself—would freeze motionless. But the time he could extract was limited: thirty minutes. This time belongs solely to this city, cycling infinitely. Each cycle ends with a few seconds of void as a buffer. That darkness? It’s the junction where the timeline loops. Pass that buffer point, and a new cycle begins."
Samo Di Er’s shadowy form began moving, its humanoid body advancing with the black circles beneath its feet toward the five people.
"Brother Jue, any advice?" Wang Tan Zhi hesitated, unwilling to act rashly.
The others waited for Feng Bu Jue to speak.
"Nothing special needed", Feng said. "Judging from the current plot trajectory, the difficulty won’t exceed that door-choice scenario." He continued, "Don’t interrupt—my explanation isn’t done. To summarize, the darkness is merely a phenomenon at the timeline junction, not an active move by Samo Di Er.
"But why do monsters grow stronger after each darkness? Only one reason: that brief void period outside the time cycle is when Samo Di Er can fully exert his power. Those few seconds are when he acts—distributing strength to demons or devouring humans. Of course, he’d already consumed the city’s inhabitants before we arrived. We’re ‘otherworldly’ guests he can’t swallow."
"You mean… this Samo Di Er isn’t actually strong? Weaker than the boss we might face after the hellgate?" Long Ao Min asked.
"Think of it like this", Feng replied. "We’re like ants inside a balloon, while Samo Di Er stands outside as a human. The balloon’s interior and exterior are separate dimensions. He can’t pierce the balloon, only grope at it blindly. What we see is just the outline of his finger pressing against the surface." He stroked his chin. "But personally, even weakened, he’s still more than capable of killing us."
"Then why the relaxed speech? Run!" Gu Du grabbed Lonely Girl and turned to flee.
Before they could take a few steps, a system announcement blared: [Worldview analysis complete. Player: Mad Bu Jue awarded 240 skill points. Team may now view this scenario’s world rules via the task menu expansion.]
Feng Bu Jue shrugged. "If I didn’t ‘speak’ the analysis aloud, how would I get these skill points? The system only recognizes verbal explanations for worldview decryption."
Samo Di Er’s shadow had closed to within ten meters of Feng, who still showed no sign of fleeing. "Also, didn’t I say we don’t need special actions? Now that the hellgate is sealed…"
The black shadow suddenly accelerated, its humanoid form expanding several times into a colossal black hand slamming downward at Feng.
But at the last instant, the hand froze midair.
Feng lowered his head slightly and casually stepped out from beneath the suspended limb. "Judging by his title… the Master of Time should never be late."
The shadow convulsed violently, as if some immense force in a parallel dimension pulled it backward.
[One day… you… will… pay… not… long now…]
"Heh… This isn’t good", Feng mused. "Villains who deliver lines like that always return for an encore."
The black circular shadow on the ground shrank rapidly, vanishing completely after more than ten seconds.
[Otherworldly travelers, thank you. Once this place is purified, I shall return it to the river of time.]
A voice unlike Samo Di Er’s echoed in their minds—wise and aged, typical of sage characters in games.
[You have received the Master of Time’s reward. View details in the settlement screen.]
The system voice followed. [Current task complete. Main quest complete.]
[Scenario completed. Automatic teleportation in 180 seconds.]
Team mode’s teleportation delay was lengthy, likely accounting for players needing to communicate.
Wang Tan Zhi immediately collapsed onto the ground, his terror value finally dropping to zero.
Gu Du and Jimo exhaled deeply, savoring the rare joy of surviving a scenario.
Long Ao Min remained composed, sheathing his weapon and shield. With a minute remaining, he addressed Feng: "Feng Bu Jue." His tone shifted back to formal address. "One question remains."
"What is it?"
"A time-related issue", Long said. "As you said, we’ve seen no clocks or timekeeping devices since entering. How did you calculate the interval between darkness periods? You mentioned ‘about thirty minutes’ when reaching the hellgate."
"By timing it myself", Feng replied. "The moment we entered, I noticed an anomaly—why no electronic clocks in the subway station? Later aboveground, nothing measurable. After the first darkness, I began counting. By the time we reached the police station’s second darkness, it totaled roughly thirty minutes."
"Right! But without clocks, how did you count?"
"Simple arithmetic", Feng said. "Silent counting—310 counts equal five minutes. At rest, I use pulse beats instead. Didn’t you notice me holding my left wrist with my right hand most times? That’s a built-in timer. My resting pulse is 77 beats per minute." His hospitalization had subjected him to countless medical checks, making him intimately familiar with his body’s metrics. "Pulse timing is more precise than mental counting. No need to focus on rhythm, a lazy method. Alternate between both when concentration drops. Try it yourself—spend half an hour counting while distracted. It’s just a matter of patience."
"No thanks… I understand." Not just Long Ao Min, but Gu Du and Jimo stared at Feng as if he were a monster.
Wang Tan Zhi, long accustomed to Feng’s quirks, shrugged. After years of knowing him, he’d seen everything. If someone claimed aliens invaded Earth, he’d doubt it—but if told Feng was an alien, he might believe it.
"Time’s short. Let’s part ways before teleportation", Feng said.
Gu Du and Jimo exchanged thanks before departing with the others in flashes of light.
Long Ao Min lingered after their departure. "Feng Bu Jue, Wang Tan Zhi… Add me as a friend?"
His request wasn’t about clinging to strong players—too early for that. Today was only the first day of the closed beta. Level gaps between pros, casuals, and veterans wouldn’t be significant yet. Though Feng showed high-level potential, his future activity was uncertain.
Long wanted this connection because Feng had unhesitatingly handed him a fine-grade weapon. The item itself wasn’t valuable, but unconditional trust was rare. That alone justified the friend request.
Wang, clearly here with Feng, wouldn’t be excluded. Plus, Wang’s performance against the bloodless corpse proved his competence—cowardly but skilled. Even if not a high-level player, he wouldn’t drag the team down.
"Sure. Discuss details back in the login space", Feng agreed.
They exchanged nods before departing separately.
As the players vanished, the hellgate shuddered violently, as if some unknown entity on the other side had slammed against its magical barrier…
A flash of light, and Feng Bu Jue returned to the login space. System messages chimed:
[You have reached level 11. Stamina value increased. Current: 1100/1100]
[Title system unlocked. You obtained the title: Cold-Blooded Headshot Maniac.]
He turned to the wall display, where the scenario’s settlement screen already appeared.
(End of Chapter)
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