This villain is too popular.

Chapter 388 Fear from the Depths of the Soul

[Explorer Assessment, Rest Lobby]

"stern?"

Huan Qianying nudged Yagami Rin's arm, signaling her to get up.

Although the assessments for Chen Kong and the others are not yet over.

However, they are the only three remaining besides Tiandao and Caroline.

There is a high probability that they will become the next team.

After all, an assessment can take anywhere from five minutes to less than a minute.

Waking up Yagami Rin at this time isn't too early.

Right now, the holographic screen in the hall is playing footage of Chen Kong and the others taking their assessments.

In the abandoned factory, children mutated by the star energy radiation from the occupied area huddled behind the ruins. The cameraman's detector flashed red continuously, and the scene came to a brief standstill.

Faced with Huan Qianying's calls, Yagami Rin, sporting dark circles under her eyes resembling smoky makeup, leaned back on the sofa, nodding her head absently.

After an unknown amount of time, Yagami Rin slowly opened her eyes, her gaze still somewhat sleepy.

After glancing at the screen above her head, she casually uttered a sentence that stunned Huan Qianying.

"Qianying, whose memories are these? How can there be survivors from the occupied zone?"

"memory?"

Huan Qianying scratched her head, completely out of sync with her train of thought, and subconsciously said, "What memories? Isn't this the assessment site? Aren't those children NPCs?"

Rin Yagami didn't explain further, but simply turned to look in Caroline's direction.

Caroline, who is on good terms with her, gave a direct answer to this.

"Based on the existing data analysis, these scenes and characters should all come from the subconscious of the person named 'Anqin'. They are the product of her memory fragments being materialized in the dream illusion."

"I see."

Rin Yagami nodded, her head drooping again. A few seconds later, she closed her eyes again, her breathing becoming steady, as if she had instantly fallen into a dream.

Huan Qianying sighed helplessly as she looked at her listless appearance.

However, at this moment, the camera briefly focused on what was behind Rin Yagami.

Strangely, it was in a brightly lit hall.

However, Yagami Rin was nowhere to be seen.

Viewers who noticed this point then thought of Rin Yagami's Star Source: Shadow of the Past.

They understood perfectly well that this was a hint from the Stellaris production team.

'Strange, where did Rin Yagami's shadow go? Isn't her star source 'Past Shadows'? A shadow is a clone!'

'Her clone might have already infiltrated the assessment area!'

"None of the top ten ranked individuals are simple. Even Ruri, who seems the most laid-back, possesses extraordinary talent and comprehension. And Rin Yagami, ranked No. 5, certainly can't be that simple either."

'Could it be that Rin Yagami's shadow possesses special abilities in dreams? Like, the ability to see through illusions or something?'

'I'm not sure, but it's definitely foreshadowing.'

Just as the audience was discussing Yagami Rin, the camera focused on the raccoon manager in the assessment area.

It walked through the ruins of the dilapidated city, its short legs stepping over broken bricks as if taking a leisurely stroll down the street. Strangely, though each step was light, the surrounding air seemed to grow heavier with each step.

As it passed by a building ruin, the graffiti on the wall began to distort, black mist seeped from the cracks in the ground, and the distant howls of the shadow wolves became indistinct, as if shrouded in a thin veil.

Just as the viewers were looking on with confusion at this seemingly meaningless shot, the raccoon suddenly spoke up.

Its voice was no longer childish, but instead carried a slightly hoarse echo.

"Everyone harbors fear within their heart."

"Some are afraid of a person, some are afraid of a thing, and others are afraid of some small but possible 'terrible future'."

As they were talking, the raccoon keeper suddenly raised his little paw and gently waved it.

The next second, the scene around it suddenly changed.

The original city ruins have been transformed into a burning forest, and the cries of children can be faintly heard amidst the flames.

The raccoon keeper raised his paw again, and the surrounding flames transformed back into a cold, deep sea, with countless tentacles reaching out from the darkness and coiling around the void.

Looking at the endless tentacles that seemed to drag people into an 'abyss', he said in a playful tone, "Escape is a biological instinct, but the more you escape, the more fear will grow wildly in your memory."

"In the end, what you fear is no longer a specific thing, but 'fear' itself."

"Like an ant trapped in a glass window, after countless collisions, even if the cage that imprisoned it is removed, it will still bump into that non-existent 'wall'."

Just then, the viewers in the dimensional world suddenly witnessed a bizarre scene.

The raccoon's left side began to be enveloped in black mist, its once cute fur turned into scales resembling a 'nightmare,' and pale purple slime seeped from its paws. Only the golden bell remained bright, gleaming dazzlingly in the black mist.

At the same time, an ethereal, perhaps echoing, eerie voice came from the raccoon handler.

"This is my true power, Eternal Nightmare. Here, everyone's fear will be materialized, and you will never leave unless you dare to face it."

"The more you try to escape, the closer you get to me. Only those who truly overcome their fears can truly 'stay away' from me."

But there are always exceptions.

As they were talking, the raccoon keeper suddenly turned his head to look in a certain direction.

In its vision, the nightmare-like black mist, which had been like a black tide, began to recede.

Instead, there is an ordinary-looking old-fashioned residential building.

That building was completely different from the dilapidated surroundings. The walls were so clean that there wasn't a single crack, and warm yellow lights shone from the windows. You could even see white shirts drying on the balconies, as if time had frozen in the most peaceful moment.

Gazing at this uniquely preserved residential building, as if it had fallen into a time rift and remained forever unchanged, a golden light flashed in the raccoon's eyes, and its tone was filled with anticipation.

"But you are different, Heavenly Dao Master of Fate. What exactly is your fear? Or is it that you don't even have the concept of fear?"

"Otherwise, why haven't I been able to find that thing that makes you want to escape?"

"I hope you can give me an interesting answer soon."

"After all, the only person who has ever been in a similar situation is that old man who imprisoned me here."

Upon hearing these words, the comments on the dimensional screen started scrolling again.

'No way, this even leads to jail time? This is just forced drama! (doge)'

"Got it. Human = has fear, Prisoner = has no fear, therefore Prisoner = not human, damn it!"

'Is this the treatment given to the star's favorite son? Even a simple assessment requires them to create a persona for Lao Tian.'

(End of this chapter)