False evidence

Chapter 489 Experiences and Stories
Wang Ben paused, looked me up and down a few times, then turned and asked, "Is he a water ghost?"

The food stall owner looked disdainful, nodded slightly, released my hand, pointed to a pile of junk on the ground, and said to me, "Brother, the fact that I ran into you means we're the same kind of people. I have a feeling something big is going to happen tonight. If you're curious enough and not afraid of death, or if you want to pursue some 'truth' and seek true liberation, then I advise you to pick out some equipment that you think is suitable for self-defense."

After saying that, he picked up an extended flashlight, ignored his stall, and walked into the alley in the rain without looking back.

Seeing the extremely puzzled look on Wang Ben's face, I shrugged and, while rummaging through the 'garbage heap,' said dejectedly, "There are many hidden masters out there. Don't think you can fool people with a few lies."

I searched and searched but couldn't find anything useful. As the rain got heavier and I ran out of raincoats, I grabbed a khaki trench coat that looked like it could keep out the rain and threw it on haphazardly.

Wang Ben stared at me for a while, then suddenly let out a strange cry from his throat: "Uh..."

"I don't care what you're up to. Now, I'm fully cooperating with you, okay?" I patted his shoulder, thinking to myself, since I'm already on this mess, I might as well go all in. Didn't you say I couldn't leave your side for more than five meters? Fine, I'll do as you say!

My decision was made out of necessity. Everything right now feels so unreal.

Suddenly the rain stopped, and the ground was dry... Stepping outside, I saw a bald man who looked ten or twenty years younger, and Zhang Heizi's wife... Arriving at a street stall, a sudden downpour began again... The night stall owner was even possessed by a legendary evil spirit...

Okay, I admit, I absolutely do not believe that everything I see is real.

Since it's an illusion, and I can't escape it for the time being, I'll keep my eyes glued to what I consider to be real within the illusion—that is, Wang Ben, who brought me to this illusory world from what seems like reality!

Wang Ben stared at me for a moment, then turned to look at the kitchen knife on the cutting board. My heart skipped a beat, but he shook his head and muttered to himself, "Definitely not! They're all fake! To survive, we have to use the real thing!"

"The real thing?" I casually picked up the kitchen knife and weighed it in my hand. "It really is a good knife..."

Before I could finish speaking, Wang Ben suddenly snatched the knife away. I instinctively stepped back, only to see him reverse the blade and bring it down hard on his own head!

"Crack!"

The grease-covered steel knife shattered above his head.

"Hehehehe..." Wang Ben was also stunned for a moment, then grinned at me strangely, "See that? This is Iron Head Kung Fu! Invulnerable to swords and spears!" His expression changed rapidly. While I hesitated, I also regretted separating from Lao K. If Lao K or Tong Xiangnan were here, they would definitely have noticed the problem immediately.

This is too weird... The knife felt really heavy in my hand. It was clearly a real kitchen knife, so how come the head was fine but the knife was broken in two?

Wang Ben seemed to have seen through my thoughts completely, but he gave a bitter smile and said, "It seems that all your predictions about me have come true. As for your promises to me... I have followed your word all these years, will you keep your promises?"

"I don't know what you're talking about." I shouldn't have responded like that, because I was convinced that Wang Ben had mental problems.

However, when he faced me, the sorrow in his eyes was not only filled with despair, but also, more touchingly, a faint glimmer of hope remained.

"Are you sure you haven't mistaken me for someone else?" I asked, almost as if I were talking to a ghost. Wang Ben seemed to be suddenly awakened by my words, and said, "Oh, I remember now, you...you seemed to have said that this kind of thing could happen! You really don't remember who I am now?"

I observed his face, and surprisingly, he was another person whose true nature and true appearance were indistinguishable.

However, besides clairvoyance, I also learned from Tong Xiangnan's teaching how to get information from a person's eyes.

This Wang Ben, on the surface, seems like a lunatic, but his eyes are surprisingly clear. It's not the look a mental patient should have, but rather the look of someone on the verge of a mental breakdown... like the clarity that shines through the eyes of a dying person in their final moments.

Tong Xiangnan had such a profound influence on me that after Wang Ben and I stared at each other for a while, I couldn't help but ask, "Did you go mad because of despair...?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Ben's expression returned to normal after a moment, at least on the surface.

He took a deep breath, adjusted his raincoat, and waved to me, "Come on, follow me first, we'll talk as we walk!"

I followed him into the rain without asking any more questions. My intuition told me that I didn't need to ask anything more now; this Wang Ben would give me all the answers I wanted.

Wang Ben waded through the puddles, moving out of the light from the food stalls and into the alleyway, disappearing into the darkness. Suddenly, without turning back, he said:
"If I told you that the world you're in right now is a figment of my imagination, would you believe me?"

My mind raced, and even though he couldn't see behind him, I instinctively shook my head.

Before I could speak, he chuckled and said, "I know you don't believe me. But you have no choice but to believe me. In reality, I'm a mute who had my tongue cut out and my voice ruined. Only here can I speak. You can hear me, can't you?"

"Oh……"

"Don't speak! Listen to me!" Wang Ben suddenly turned around and glared at me fiercely, his eyes filled with hatred. "You could have saved me back then! You could have! But you didn't! If your hints had been clearer, even just half a sentence more, I wouldn't be in this state now!"

Seeing his agitation, I calmed down, pursed my lips, and gestured for him to continue.

Wang Ben stared at me for a long time, then suddenly tossed his head and said in a decisive tone:
"We'll talk about the past later. Right now, I'm telling you that the world you're in now is twenty-one years ago..."

"Ah……"

"Let me finish!" Wang Ben's eyes turned somewhat crazed. "It's really true! I've said it before, I write books and tell stories! You are right now, you're practically in one of my books! There are no night market stalls in reality, and there's no head chef at a five-star hotel who quits because of seeing a ghost! That guy is completely fictional!"

Do you know why I made him up? Because twenty-one years ago! It was terrifying… They kidnapped me, cut out my tongue, and forced me to drink drugs… It was horrific! I so desperately wanted someone to save me, to help me… I prayed to God, Guanyin, Buddha, I even wanted to kowtow to Ultraman! But nobody helped me!”

"And then?" Looking into Wang Ben's eyes, I gradually realized that what he said was not only not a joke, not the ravings of a madman, but also seemed to... reveal something chilling upon closer inspection...

(End of this chapter)