Immortal I Speedrun Supernatural Game

Chapter 406 The Ship of Theseus

bang bang bang-

Three bullets with different attributes are fired in succession from the [Elemental Gun].

Whether it's the air element that can burst through limbs, the water element that can cut flesh by high-speed compression, or the fire element that can burn anyone who gets close.

These are all things that can easily cause physical pain.

However, when Wu Wang controlled the angle and aimed it at the two knives...

The other person's screams made him frown.

This wasn't a cry of pain; it was just an instinctive scream from being frightened.

"Stop howling, you're not hurt."

Walking up to Erbadao, Wu Wang reached out and carefully examined Erbadao's left arm.

The skin was only slightly red, as if a warm hand warmer had been applied and caused the pores to open; there was no sign of burning at all.

Upon hearing this, Erbadao immediately stopped wailing.

He kept touching his body with his hands.

He asked in confusion, "Hey, that seems to be the case. The bullets you fired from the gun felt like a gentle breeze, so refreshing. Wait, why is there a puddle of water on my elbow? And is the air conditioner in this room leaking?"

As expected, Jiang Rou and Shangguan He were both right—

On this island of happiness, nothing unexpected can happen.

Wu Wang had previously thought that only things on Happiness Island would be distorted, just like when he poked himself with a fork by the campfire.

Unexpectedly, even the players' own equipment and items were affected.

When looking at the Elemental Gun with the [Sight of Truth].

At the end of the equipment description, three large characters were prominently displayed—

[Already contaminated]

However, there is no similar wording for "Fashionable Skateboard Shoes".

It seems that only items with lethality will be specifically corrupted, rendering them completely unable to exert their intended power.

Air bullets became gentle breezes, high-speed water jets became water guns, and raging flames became hand warmers.

"Heh, they're really protecting it thoroughly, like they're treating a newborn cub, not daring to let it come into contact with any danger." Wu Wang chuckled.

He began to think about how to make others feel pain in this situation.

Erbadao, having wiped the water off his clothes, walked over.

He said with a grin, "Don't worry, Brother Yan'er, we've only just entered the dungeon, we have plenty of time to figure it out."

"Besides, this instance doesn't have a time limit. Losing a couple of teeth is no big deal. We're tough as nails; if we lose a head, the scar will be bigger than a bowl!"

His words made Bai Jun nod in agreement.

Of course, what White Falcon agrees with is not the latter part, but rather that there is no time limit and you can take your time to conquer it.

However, looking at the two of them...

Wu Wang smiled dismissively.

No time limit? He'd encountered this kind of instance before.

【Anecdotes of the Peking Opera】is like this.

It may seem like you're given unlimited time, but in reality, every price is secretly marked.

So he said coldly:
Have either of you heard of the Ship of Theseus?

"Legend has it that before becoming king, Theseus, the king of Athens, led his warriors to Crete, where they killed the Minotaur and rescued a group of young boys and girls who were offered as tribute. In commemoration, the ship on which Theseus performed his feat was named the 'Ship of Theseus'."

"As time went by, the ship's parts gradually decayed, and people kept replacing them with new parts until eventually all the parts were replaced."

"Then may I ask—is this still the same Ship of Theseus?"

"If it is, how do you prove it is? If it isn't, when did it start to be not?"

After saying that, Wu Wang pointed one finger at Erbadao's mouth and the other at Baijun's hair.

He said something that sent chills down the spines of both of them.

"You are now the Ship of Theseus."

"Everything about you will be constantly replaced, and eventually even your mind will be replaced. The sad thing is that you will be completely unaware of how far you have been replaced."

"Naturally, there's no way to realize—when you stop being yourself."

goo-dong-

Erbadao and Baijun swallowed hard.

But I still felt my mouth was very dry.

This argument is far more terrifying than boiling a frog in lukewarm water.

White Falcon tried his best to remain calm and muttered to himself, "Happiness... Should I hurry up and experience happiness to complete the main quest and get out?"

But when he said those words...

The olive wreath on her head suddenly emitted a foul odor.

Wu Wang and Erbadao looked up at the top of his head.

During the campfire activity, the white falcon sprouted a small flower bud.

And now—it has withered.

Perhaps it was because Wu Wang's words had instilled fear in him that he forgot the happiness he had felt during the day.

The pure white flower turned withered and shrunken, and even emitted a foul odor.

Finally, the root broke off and fell from the white falcon's head.

He returned to a situation without flower buds.

"no no……"

The white falcon instinctively crouched down and held the rotten flower in its hands.

His eyes also became somewhat unfocused.

At this point, even the usually carefree Erbadao realized something was wrong.

This guy... wasn't that sensitive before, was he?

From the beginning, the white falcon acted rather unapproachable, and it remained relatively calm during the campfire activity. While seemingly chatting and laughing with the islanders, it was actually gathering intelligence and clues.

Even before Wu Wang came to the villa, he and his companion were analyzing their next course of action.

Now that one of the little flower buds has fallen off, it has turned into this state. It is clear that it has been changed a lot without being noticed.

"Cough cough cough... Don't go, Wen, don't go."

At that moment, the white falcon even coughed up two large mouthfuls of dark red blood.

His face turned pale, as if he was suffering some kind of injury.

“So that’s how it is.” Wu Wang said, squinting his eyes. “This flower is probably not just a happiness index, but also a concrete representation of the happiness you felt at that time.”

"When the flowers wither, it means that he has completely lost the ability to perceive that kind of happiness, which is equivalent to a small part of his soul being cut off."

This is also a deduction that Wu Wang made based on the fact that Shangguan He was able to directly perform surgery on his soul.

We only realize the value of something when we lose it.

Shangguan He, is this what you meant?

If a person grows a new bud of happiness after a flower has withered, they will cherish and love it even more.

As a result, they became increasingly accepting of the influence of Happiness Island.

That's quite a clever plan.

"What happens if too many are cut?"

The moment the idiot asked the question, he wanted to slap himself.

Isn't that obvious? Of course you'll die if your soul is cut too many times!

Didn't you see that Brother Bai is coughing up blood?

Wu Wang shook his head and said, "You will die, but I think only your souls will die, your bodies will not."

"Just like replaced organs, something new and unknown will most likely replace your souls and control your bodies to live forever on this island of happiness."

"Alright, that's the situation. I've said what I needed to say. As for whether you can withstand this happiness, that's up to you."

After saying that, he took two steps forward.

Suddenly, he raised his leg and kicked the rotten flower in Bai Jun's hand into the air.

In his haste, the young man pulled a crossbow from his backpack and pointed it at Wu Wang. Before Bai Jun could utter any threatening words...

Wu Wang then raised the [Elemental Gun] and channeled his Qi element to fire an invisible bullet.

Even if its destructive power is affected, it is still more than capable of carrying a rotting flower out of the window and into the endless darkness and sound of the waves on the island's night beach.

"you!"

Bai Jun, somewhat exasperated, fiercely pulled the trigger of his crossbow at Wu Wang.

shhhhh--

Three crossbow bolts, seemingly carrying an ominous aura, were fired.

Under normal circumstances, this is clearly a concealed weapon with some special effect and lethality.

But Wu Wang, without changing his expression, grabbed them one by one in mid-air.

It wasn't that his speed was fast enough to catch up with this kind of hidden weapon.

Rather, it's because the other party is too slow.

Its texture is also like a marshmallow, completely harmless.

Wu Wang casually tossed the crossbow bolt to the white falcon's feet and said coldly, "If your brain is replaced so quickly, then there's no need to continue the conquest. Just stay here and be an islander forever."

Perhaps it was because he carried too many traces of the laws of the Venerable Ones, or perhaps it was because Wu Wang had come into contact with various different Venerable Ones, coupled with the corruption of the Abyss God on him.

He can only clearly perceive this now from these ordinary players.

How powerless humanity is in the face of the Law of the Venerable Ones.

This instance is a creation of [Supreme Bliss].

Even if He has not yet been fully born, the laws within the instance are still irresistible.

This is a difference in the level of life, a gap in dimensions.

Keep in mind, this is only the first night!

After saying that, he pushed open the door of the seaside villa and left without looking back.

Only Bai Jun remained, his legs giving way, kneeling on the ground, cold sweat pouring down his face, muttering, "No... I need to get out... There are people waiting for me..."

And Erbadao was crying in the room, shouting, "Brother Yan'er, can we sleep at your house tonight? This guy's brain is about to break, I'm scared."

After communicating with other players.

Wu Wang also went to observe the islanders' dwellings.

Of course, if you ask why not go see Huo Mu...

Because she was no different from the islanders.

On his way to the seaside villa, Wu Wang actually passed by Huo Miao's residence.

This spirited young woman is now dressed just like the islanders, wearing the white Heaton robe, and three little flower buds have sprouted on her head.

It should be noted that Liu Qiang and Liu Yanfang became infected so quickly because they had been exposed to doctors beforehand and were subjected to forced treatment.

Huo Miao has already been assimilated to this extent simply through normal external processes.

This clearly shows how fragile her psychological defenses are.

Or rather... how unfortunate she was in reality.

That's why she longs for happiness so much right now.

"Well, the islanders didn't cause any trouble at night, which was a bit unexpected."

Wu Wang checked and found that every islander was sleeping peacefully in their own home.

Unlike other instances, where all sorts of monsters and demons start causing trouble late at night, this instance is completely different.

Using his leg strength and the shrinking effect of the [Seven Star Steps of Heaven], Wu Wang spent the entire night searching almost the entire island.

A rough map of the island was also taking shape in his mind.

"Sure enough, the biggest problem is still with Shangguan He's hospital," Wu Wang sighed.

Apart from the hospital, all the facilities on the island are designed to provide people with the ultimate service and entertainment experience.

Not for production, not for development.

Just to make people more comfortable.

Wu Wang felt that there must be similar places in reality, but most people could not enjoy them.

At least, ordinary people can't enjoy it.

In reality, it would definitely be manipulated by capital to serve a specific group of people.

But here, there are no social classes, no distinctions of rank or status.

Everyone who sets foot on this beach and comes to the island can enjoy it.

This is paradise, this is Shangri-La.

It was unrealistically beautiful, and its happiness was frightening.

I'm afraid that after enjoying it, I'll suddenly wake up from the dream and find that it was all a false delusion.

"It's dawn. The sunrise looks like it's being reflected from a computer screen with a filter. If my second sister were here, she would love it."

After wandering around all night, Wu Wang sat on the beach and took a sip of iced cola.

Watching a ray of dawn pierce the darkness and slowly rise from the horizon.

Many islanders then stretched and woke up from their sleep, and started jogging on the beach in the sea breeze.

Everyone who saw Wu Wang greeted him with a smile.

This naturally includes Jiang Rou.

Upon seeing the girl, Wu Wang put down his cola and went over to talk to her.

The focus, naturally, is on her father who underwent euthanasia.

If it were another instance, facing such a heavy topic, Wu Wang might have had to try to probe indirectly.

But Jiang Rou had no idea what sadness and pain were, and even when talking about her father's death, she still had a smile on her face.

This made Wu Wang's questioning process exceptionally easy.

"Would you like to see the place where my father lived when he was alive?"

"Perfect timing, he just had euthanasia, and his place hasn't been cleaned up yet. Why don't you come and help me tidy it up?"

"I enjoy organizing things. It's very pleasing to the eye to arrange everything in a neat and orderly manner. I hope you can also find a sense of peace in the process of tidying up your room."

Jiang Rou's gentle voice and her smile were both captivating.

Everything felt exceptionally comfortable, like warm sunshine on your skin.

After she finished her morning run, Wu Wang followed Jiang Rou to the place where her father had lived before his death.

The residence of Jiang Rou's father, Jiang Sze, is somewhat unexpected.

He lived on the very edge of the island, completely away from the area where most of the islanders lived.

It is a seemingly ordinary bungalow.

They give off the feeling of a hermit or a loner, living their own lives without allowing others to disturb them.

Perhaps because he had just passed away, the place where he lived still had a strong sense of life, and even the outside of the room still had traces of his footsteps.

The moment Wu Wang pushed open the door, he froze.

The room was practically piled high with books.

The key point is that all of these books are about medicine.

"Your father... is a doctor?"

Hearing his doubts.

Jiang Rou nodded and said, "To be precise, he used to be a doctor. After coming to the island, my father no longer needed to work. He just loves reading medical books."

Upon hearing this explanation, Wu Wang couldn't help but raise the corners of his mouth slightly.

Wrong, sister.

As someone who is born happy, you have absolutely no idea what this means.

Advising someone to study medicine is a sin that will be struck by lightning!
Nobody, absolutely nobody, is born liking to read medical books! This damn subject keeps countless students up at night!
Your father definitely has ulterior motives!
On the entire island of Happiness, there is only one official doctor, Shangguan He, and coincidentally, your father, who was euthanized, was secretly studying medical books while hiding from the islanders.

This could absolutely not be just a coincidence!

Looks like I've caught a big fish...

(End of this chapter)