Eternal Night

Chapter 16: One Hundred and Seventy Days Countdown and Nightmare Omens

(PS: The protagonist's awakening time has been modified.)
While eating his food, Wu Xianxiao silently calculated the time he had left.

He was awake for one hundred and fifty-six days on the Gaia, and because of the unforgettable dream world experience, he remembered it very clearly.

But he was awake for more than one hundred and fifty-six days. Before that, he was rescued in the shattered solar system. After being rescued, there was a recovery period. Then the unified human government sent people to talk to him, introduce the situation, discuss the maintenance contract and so on. It took about twenty to thirty days in total. However, he was in a daze during that period and could not remember clearly, so he did not know the exact number of days.

If we calculate the severity of the situation, then he probably only has about 170 or 180 days left to live... Let's say about 170 days, because this kind of sudden madness and death definitely would not be a sudden death within 365 days of the countdown, he might have gone mad before that, so to be more precise, he only has about 170 days left to live.

(Yes, there were actually signs before. On weekends, my situation was obviously much more dangerous than the other seniors. Then, when I practiced the Magic Tiger Skill, sometimes I would feel a great terror in the void, which was indescribable...)
Wu Xianxiao's face became increasingly gloomy, but he still tried to eat as much as possible to fill his stomach first. In order to deal with any emergency in the best condition, this was an iron rule in the dream world.

(…I still have a chance!)
While eating, Wu Xianxiao was thinking about how to save himself.

He doesn't have the energy to care whether he is still the real Wu Xianxiao. Since he has all the memories of Wu Xianxiao's personality and has self-awareness, he is Wu Xianxiao himself.

There are still 170 days left in the countdown. If he survives before the dream world appears, there is nothing he can do and he will definitely die. Because according to the two men, no matter whether it is the humans during the Third World War or the Fourth World War, they must have done countless experiments and have long proved that future people like him are bound to die, which proves that technology cannot save him.

But the dream world can!

There are supernatural powers beyond technology in the dream world, such as his Chinese martial arts, and this is only the power of the baseline reality 0.9 world. If it is a deeper dream world, this power may be even more amazing.

This time he broke through from Ming Jin to An Jin, and comprehended the true meaning of Tiger Demon Art. As soon as his consciousness became awake, he felt as if his spirit had been reborn. Although there was still the problem of the horror of nothingness, it was no longer beyond his control.

(Now my proficiency in Tiger Magic is superb. The spiritual consciousness in my mind has grown tenfold. After that, there are two more levels: the pinnacle of perfection and the ultimate manifestation of holiness. Each level upgrade is a qualitative change for me. This spiritual consciousness is constantly expanding and can suppress many evil thoughts, demonic thoughts, and distracting thoughts. The negative energy accumulated in the void should also belong to this. This means that I have to build two level-two shelters within at least another 170 days.)
Wu Xianxiao bit a thigh bone and ate it until it was broken into pieces like tofu. Then he reached out and took another one. This scene made Yamadea and Xu Shilan's eyebrows twitch.

The kidnapped person sitting next to him… Xu Rongyu laughed and said, “You foreign devils are so shallow that you don’t know the magic of China. This is a master-level figure. Eating bones like chewing bread is nothing. It is said that Grandmaster Sun can chew fine iron like chewing wax. Only you foreign devils who rely on external tools are surprised.”

Wu Xianxiao was too lazy to pay attention, and the other two had no idea who the so-called Grandmaster Sun was, so naturally they would not pay attention either.

Wu Xianxiao continued to eat and think.

(Moreover, the reward given by the second-level shelter is an attribute improvement without breaking the limit, which proves that there is a high possibility of breaking the limit. If it is upgraded to the highest level of the Tiger Demon Art, the Supreme Manifestation of Sainthood, it will not be as simple as a simple qualitative change. It may even suppress the negativity of nothingness. What's more, this is only 0.9 of the baseline reality. If it is the power of the dream world of a lower baseline reality, it may not even need to break the limit to suppress or heal it.)
(The only problem is time. I only have about 170 days left. Maybe I will start to become a demon in about 100 days. Before that, I must build at least two level 2 shelters to improve the Tiger Demon Art to the limit.)
After thinking this through, Wu Xianxiao's depression faded a little. He asked Xu Rongyu while eating, "You mentioned the Red Lantern Society's senior sister before. Are you referring to Lin Heier?"

Xu Rongyu nodded and said, "It is Master Lin Heier. Hehe, you are so petty. You are obviously a master, but you don't even care about my meal at this time."

Wu Xianxiao actually laughed.

Although Xu Rongyu was dressed like a rich young man and was born a horse bandit, he actually had some chivalrous spirit. Even though his life was in someone else's hands, at least he didn't lose face and was still a man of character.

Wu Xianxiao smiled and said, "If you want to eat it, just eat it."

Xu Rongyu smiled happily, not shying away from anything, and directly reached out to tear off a large piece of meat and started eating. At this time, Xu Shilan suddenly smiled coquettishly, and her big breasts trembled. She smiled and said, "He is trying to please you."

Wu Xianxiao said nonchalantly, "That requires him to have the courage to do so. Just considering his courage, why not let him eat it?"

Xu Rongyu didn't care at all. He ate and muttered, "It doesn't matter if I'm trying to please you or if I'm brave, but my life is in your hands. Why be so stingy, right?" As he spoke, he reached out and took a jar of wine and drank it in big gulps.

Yamade ignored the NPC in this dream world. He put down a chicken bone and said, "What should we do next? Buy a building?"

Wu Xianxiao shook his head and said, "Purchasing a building-type shelter is the lowest level of shelter. Of course, it cannot be generalized. It depends on the situation of the world and time. I haven't thought about what to do next, but my request is very great, so I won't buy a building to build a shelter for the time being."

The two of them didn't care. It was their first time entering the dream world and they were unfamiliar with everything here. They only knew that there were all kinds of supernatural powers in the dream world. At this time, it was natural for them to listen to the advice of the seniors.

Xu Rongyu then said, "Are you... working for the foreign devils now?"

Wu Xianxiao asked while eating and drinking, "What do you mean?" Xu Rongyu pointed at Yamade and Xu Shilan and said, "Aren't these foreigners? And this physique is rare even among foreigners. And this woman, I'm afraid she is Japanese? With her appearance and figure, I suspect she is a spy who came here with a mission. Yes, she is a spy. Japanese people are not good people."

Wu Xianxiao also looked at Xu Shilan.

Her figure is really plump, but not fat, which is indeed rare in the Chinese mainland at this time.

He didn't say anything, just ate and drank with big mouthfuls.

After a while, everyone finished eating and drinking. The four of them rested for a while, paid the bill and left.

At this time, it was leisurely and there were no signs of danger. The four of them were walking to digest their food. Yamade stretched her waist and said, "What a wonderful world it is. There are no biochemical beasts that suddenly pop up, and there are no nuclear radiation dead zones everywhere. Seeing it so peaceful, it's really a bit hard to get used to it."

Xu Shilan also said: "Yes, there are no back alleys, no impurities, no quarrels among the Thirteen Singularity Technology Companies, and no terrorist attacks from the People's Revolutionary League and various time and space distortions. This world is really beautiful."

Xu Rongyu sneered and said, "Of course. China is a land of talented people and beautiful scenery. It is the center of the world. Isn't it because you barbarians live in a haze-filled land that you come to invade China?"

As Wu Xianxiao listened to the three people's words, the corners of his mouth twitched. It was really too weird that after all these incomprehensible conversations, the three people's conversations were connected together and even made sense.

"What to do next?" Yamade naturally would not pay attention to Xu Rongyu. He still regarded this dream world as a dream network of virtual reality and regarded it as an NPC, so he asked Wu Xianxiao directly.

Wu Xianxiao glanced around and said, "It's nothing important. We can return through the main brain in five days, and five days is the maximum time limit. Before that, it will be difficult for Nightmare to find us unless we meet face to face, so these five days are considered a safe period."

Xu Shilan asked, "Then how did you and your predecessors enter the dream world in the past?"

Wu Xianxiao recalled: "On the first day, I tried to find a way to get money, food, and accommodation. On the second day, I started to look for all kinds of information about this world and confirm the deviations between this world and the real world. Then on the fifth day, I was basically ready to return. I was not prepared to take risks unless there was a rare opportunity. Then I would set up a shelter. In the meantime, I also tried to avoid contact with places like urban legends or haunted places, so as to encounter as few nightmares as possible."

Originally, Yamadea and Xu Shilan both wanted to start exploring this world, but after hearing this, they gradually gave up the idea. At least before confirming what the nightmare was, neither of them was prepared to take the risk.

Xu Rongyu suddenly spoke up at this time: "Master, you are so petty. Let the two foreign devils enjoy the good things of our China. Although Xuanhua Prefecture is not as good as the capital, it also has many good places. In the Xiujin Courtyard in front, you can listen to music and books, and there are tea, fruit, and all kinds of entertainment. I guarantee that these foreign devils have never seen such a good place."

Forget about listening to music, as who can understand the babbling? But listening to books is nice, and you can also drink tea and eat snacks.

Wu Xianxiao was about to nod, but suddenly, a blood-red color appeared in front of his eyes. The blood-red color flashed by in a flash, but Wu Xianxiao suddenly stood up on the spot, and the blood in his body surged wildly.

The other three also stopped immediately, although they didn't know what was going on, Wu Xianxiao's power surged at this moment. Xu Rongyu was knowledgeable and knew that this was the state of martial artists before a battle. Although Yamade and Xu Shilan didn't know martial arts, they also knew that this was some kind of vigilance. It's just that the three of them didn't know what was going on. The surroundings were peaceful and the passers-by were all villagers and city dwellers. There was nothing happening in broad daylight.

But at this moment, Wu Xianxiao saw a completely different picture.

The people around all turned into various paper figures!

Moreover, they were the kind of paper figures used for offering sacrifices to the dead, some red, some white, with dull eyebrows and eyes drawn on them. Although they were moving around, their heads and eyes were all staring at the four people. Even the paper figure with its back to them turned its head to look at the four people.

At this time, a paper doll of a woman and a paper doll of a little girl happened to walk past the four people, and Xu Rongyu even stepped aside to make way.

Wu Xianxiao immediately pulled Xu Rongyu who was about to touch the paper man, and also pulled Yamadea and Xu Shilan over at the same time, avoiding the two paper men from a distance.

And the moment they came into contact with Wu Xianxiao, the world in the eyes of the three people changed drastically at the same time, and then their bodies became stiff, and they just stood there, not daring to move.

All life around, in the city...

They are all paper figures!

Everyone is looking at them!!
(End of this chapter)