Survival in an apartment, starting with a stroke of luck on a plane

The two stood in the center of the stone chamber, back to back, facing different directions.

The walls were shaking more and more violently.

Immediately afterwards, with a loud "bang," a large hole was smashed open in the left wall of the stone chamber. Amidst the flying debris, a figure rushed in.

It was a... humanoid creature.

It is about two people tall, made entirely of dark silver metal, with no patterns on its surface and no facial features. Its limbs are roughly human-sized, but its fingers are sharp, blade-like, and its feet are blunt, columnar.

It has no eyes, but Lin Yu can sense that it is "seeing" him.

Or rather, it's scanning him.

"One," Mo said. "There are two more behind."

The words had barely left his mouth when the wall on the right was smashed open, and another guardian rushed in. Immediately afterward, a third one leaped down from the ceiling, crashing heavily to the ground, shaking the entire stone chamber.

Three.

They all exude the aura of a beginner-level legendary being.

Lin Yu gripped the Demon-Slaying Sword tightly.

"Quickly resolve this," he said.

"good."

The next second, the two of them moved at the same time.

Lin Yu faced the guardian directly in front of him, his Demon-Slaying Sword unleashing a golden sword aura as it cleaved straight for the opponent's head.

The guardian raised his arm to block.

"clang!"

The sound of metal clashing was deafening.

The guardian's arm was slashed with a deep gash, but it wasn't severed—the dark silver metal was exceptionally hard, and the wound was healing at a visible speed.

"Regenerative ability." Lin Yu frowned.

"Attack the core!" Mo's voice came from the other side. "They have cores in their chests; destroy them and they'll die!"

Lin Yu's gaze shifted downwards.

Sure enough, there was a faint red light on the guardian's chest—very dim, almost invisible without close inspection. That was the core.

He shifted his feet, his body suddenly accelerating, circling around to the side of the guardian, and thrusting the Demon-Slaying Sword out with a backhand motion, aiming directly at the red light on the chest.

The guardian reacted extremely quickly, turning his body and sweeping his other arm across.

Lin Yu did not take the attack head-on. Instead, he swayed and used spatial teleportation to dodge it, appearing behind the guardian at the same time.

The Demon-Slaying Sword thrust out once more.

This time, it hit.

The sword tip pierced precisely into the guardian's back, corresponding to the position of his chest, and emerged from the other side—the red core was also picked out by the sword tip.

At its core is a fist-sized red crystal, pierced by the Demon-Slaying Sword at its tip, which is still pulsating slightly.

The guardian's body froze.

Then, it began to disintegrate. Starting from its limbs, the dark silver metal shattered and fell off piece by piece, turning into countless tiny silver specks of light that dissipated into the air.

The whole process took less than three seconds.

Lin Yu drew the Demon-Slaying Sword, and the red core at the tip of the sword shattered, turning into a cluster of red light spots that disappeared.

"Pretty fast," Mo's voice came again.

Lin Yu turned his head to look.

Mo has also taken care of one. His dagger is stained with some silvery liquid—likely a core fragment of another Guardian. The third Guardian lies on the ground, its body disintegrating.

It was a three-on-two situation, and it was resolved in less than ten seconds.

"Is there anything else?" Lin Yu asked.

"That's all." Mo flicked the silver liquid off his short sword. "Each node usually has three to five guardians. This batch is dead; the next batch won't respawn for a while."

Lin Yu nodded.

He walked to the spot where one of the guardians had collapsed and crouched down to observe. Some silver specks of light remained on the ground, slowly dissipating—these specks of light resembled the starlight on the pyramid dome, but were dimmer and less stable.

"Were they created by the system?" Lin Yu asked.

"Hmm." Mo walked over and squatted down as well. "It was made from the system's primordial matter. Look at these specks of light; they're pure system energy—without any attributes, without any outer shell, just the most primitive kind."

Lin Yu reached out and tried to touch the points of light.

The moment the fingertip touched it, the light scattered like startled fireflies, then gathered together again and continued to slowly dissipate.

"You can't touch them," Mo said. "They automatically avoid external energy. Unless you have access at the fourth level or higher, you can't directly contact the source matter."

Lin Yu withdrew his hand.

Fourth level of access control...

He increasingly felt that this access level was more than just a number. It was more like a ruler, measuring the distance between you and the system's core. The higher the access level, the closer you were to the core, and the more you could access.

However, the greater the risk, the higher the risk.

Just like Mo said, some people go up and never come down.

"I'm leaving." Lin Yu stood up.

"Hmm." Mo also stood up. "By the way, let me remind you—don't go to nodes with numbers lower than 100. Those nodes are either on the fourth level or have stronger guardians. With your current strength, going there would be suicide."

"knew."

Lin Yu took out the Divine Token and randomly selected a coordinate he had previously noted down—#1842. The number wasn't too small, so it should be a node on the third layer.

The golden light shone again.

Distorted vision.

The next second, he appeared in a new place.

This time, it was a corridor.

It resembles the main corridor of the Rift Corridor, but is narrower and lower. Familiar geometric patterns are carved on the walls on both sides, emitting a faint silver light that illuminates the entire corridor.

There was no one in the corridor, nor was there any sign of the guardian.

Lin Yu breathed a sigh of relief.

He walked along the corridor, observing his surroundings as he went. This corridor was much quieter and cleaner than the main corridor—there were no pebbles on the floor, no cracks in the walls, and everything looked brand new.

After walking for about a few minutes, a door appeared at the end of the corridor.

Like the doors inside the pyramids—dark gold metal doors with no patterns on the surface and no handles.

He stepped forward and tried to push it.

The door opened.

Wasn't it because of insufficient permissions? How did it open directly?

Lin Yu paused for a moment, then went inside.

Behind the door was a small room. There was no stone platform or crystal panel in the room, only one wall—the entire wall was made of those translucent crystal panels, like a huge screen.

The screen displays... an image.

As Lin Yu approached, he realized it wasn't a single image, but countless images—a dense array of small windows, each displaying a different scene. Some were cities, some wilderness, some battlefields, and some… apartments.

His pupils suddenly contracted.

He saw his apartment.

In one of the small windows, the view faces the apartment's living room. Jin Ling is lying on the back of the sofa, and Tang Tang is sitting on the floor playing with her dolls; everything is just as it was when he left.

He immediately looked at the other windows.

Some of the windows led to places he recognized—the market town of Tianyuan Realm, the ruins of Block 337, the headquarters of the Balance Organization…

Some of the windows led to places he didn't recognize—a continent floating in the void, a city built on the back of a giant creature, a planet wrapped in purple vines…

In other windows were things he couldn't understand—a ball of light constantly changing shape, a void without up, down, left, or right, an eye so huge it seemed to have no end...

Lin Yu stood in front of the crystal panel wall, feeling a chill run through his body.

Are these images... real-time?

Is the system constantly monitoring the entire world? All people?

He tried placing his hand on the crystal plate and infusing it with his mental energy.

A message appears.

[Observation Recording Area.]

[Currently observable worlds: 1276.]

[Observation permissions: Level 3 (can view public records, cannot view private content).]

Public records?

Lin Yu frowned. Was the footage of his apartment that he had just seen considered public recording or private content?

He examined the window closely. The view was indeed directed at the living room, but the angle was fixed—it was a shot from above the ceiling, and there was no sound in the image.

More importantly, the gate to the Xuandu Purple Mansion was closed, and the interior was not visible. The entrance to the small world was also not visible.

"Can we only see the public areas?" Lin Yu said in a low voice.

If that's the case, then it's alright.

Even so, the feeling of being monitored is still very uncomfortable.

He looked away from his own apartment and instead browsed the other windows.

1276 worlds...

There are so many worlds connected to by the system?

He had previously thought that the system only covered a few worlds, but now it seems that what he knew was just the tip of the iceberg.

Lin Yu stood in front of the crystal panel wall for a long time.

He saw images of many parts of the world—some similar to Earth, some completely different; some technologically advanced, some still primitive societies; some peaceful and tranquil, some engulfed in war.

The system connects all these worlds.

Lin Yu withdrew his hand and took two steps back.

He felt he needed to rest.

There's so much information, my brain can't keep up.

He found a clean corner in the room, sat down, closed his eyes, and began to organize his findings for the day.

The system's origin, the structure of the fissure, the nine layers of access, observation records, 1276 worlds...

Each piece of information was enough to overturn one's understanding, and he received so much in just a few hours.

He needs time to process this.

But time is running out.

He opened the system panel and glanced at the countdown.

Forty-seven hours remain.

Less than two days.

Lin Yu opened his eyes and stood up.

He couldn't waste time here. He had to keep exploring and see if he could find more useful information—especially about privilege escalation.

He walked to the other side of the room. There was another door there, just like the one he had come in through.

He pushed open the door and went out.

Outside the door was another corridor, similar to the one we came in through.

He continued walking down the corridor.

Over the next few hours, Lin Yu circled around this point.

This node isn't large, with only a dozen or so rooms in total. Most of them are various record areas—there are world observation records, player profile records, mission completion records, and some other record types that he doesn't understand.

However, only the "public" part of all the records is visible; the private parts are completely locked.

He also tried to view his own file—he could, but the content was very limited, containing only basic information such as his level, equipment, and completed quests. More in-depth details, such as the origin of his talents or his true identity, were unavailable.

"Insufficient permissions." Lin Yu sighed.

The third level of access is still too low.

He decided to leave this point and go to the next place.

But just as he was about to teleport, he suddenly stopped.

Because he saw a very special window in a corner of a recording area.

That window was larger than the others, and its location was the most conspicuous, as if it had been deliberately placed there.

The view through the window... was completely dark.

It wasn't the kind of darkness where there was no signal, but a pure darkness, as if something itself was black. In the darkness, you could vaguely see some darker outlines—like something huge, slowly moving.

Lin Yu walked to the window and looked carefully.

The darkness in the scene is moving.

It's not the camera moving; it's the darkness itself that's moving—like a black ocean, slowly rising and falling, churning. And those even darker outlines, are they…islands? Or creatures within that ocean?

He tried placing his hand on the corresponding crystal plate on the window and channeling his mental energy into it.

A message appears.

[High-dimensional fracture observation point #001.]

[Observation Status: Continuing to observe.]

[Object of observation: Existing in a higher dimension.]

[Warning: Direct observation of higher-dimensional existence may lead to mental pollution. Third-level access only allows viewing low-resolution grayscale images; high-resolution images and audio are not permitted.]

Higher dimensions exist.

Lin Yu's heart skipped a beat.

The system is a fragment that broke off from that higher-dimensional existence. And now, is he looking at that higher-dimensional existence itself through this observation window?

He stared at the screen for a long time.

The darkness continued to slowly churn. Occasionally, the darker outlines would shift, revealing more of themselves—but even then, he couldn't make out what they were.

It wasn't any shape he could comprehend. It wasn't a regular geometric figure, nor an irregular natural form, but something... somewhere in between, constantly changing, as if existing in multiple dimensions simultaneously.

After watching for a while, he felt dizzy.

It wasn't a psychological discomfort, but a physical one—my temples were throbbing, my eyes were sore, and I felt a little nauseous.

He quickly looked away.

"Mental pollution..." he said in a low voice.

This is no joke. Just a few minutes of low-resolution grayscale footage and they had this reaction. What if it were high-definition? What if they were facing it directly?

How did the first batch of contacts manage to be identified?

They not only faced it, but also put a shell on the system and adapted it to the rules... Just who are they?

Lin Yu shook his head, trying to shake off the uncomfortable feeling.

He dared not look at that window again.

He turned and left the recording area, returning to the central hall of the node—the room he had teleported into.

He leaned against the wall and rested for a while with his eyes closed.

Today's harvest is already more than enough. So much that it will take him a long time to digest it all.

But he still felt it wasn't enough.

Because the most crucial questions remain unanswered—why does the system exist? What is its purpose? Do higher-dimensional beings know it exists?

Also, where did the first batch of contacts go?

Were they dead? Or did they rise to a higher level of privilege? Or... did they become part of the system?

Lin Yu dared not think too deeply about it.

He feared the answer was far more terrifying than he imagined.

After resting for about ten minutes, he opened his eyes.

"Continue," he said softly.

He took out the Divine Token and selected a new coordinate—#0934. The number was smaller than the previous one, but still above three digits, so it should still be on the third level.

Golden light shone forth.

Distorted vision.

The next second, he appeared in a... forest.

It's not an ordinary forest.

The trees were silvery, the leaves were transparent, and the trunks glowed with a faint fluorescent light. The ground was covered with a thick layer of silvery moss, which felt soft underfoot, like walking on clouds.

The air was filled with a fresh scent, like a forest after the rain, but with a very faint... metallic smell.

Lin Yu stood under a large silver tree, looking around.

The forest was quiet. There were no birdsong, no insect chirping, not even the sound of the wind. Only the leaves rustled gently, making a soft, chiming sound like wind chimes.

"Where is this place?" he whispered.

node?

But this node is far too large. The previous nodes were all stone chambers and corridors, limited in size. But this forest... stretches as far as the eye can see.

He began to perceive.

The area within my perception range was entirely trees. There was no sign of life, no guardians, and no trace of any human presence.

But it has energy.

Extremely faint silver specks of light floated in the air—similar to those when the Guardians collapsed, but more stable and denser.

The system's fundamental energy.

Lin Yu's heart skipped a beat.

If this place is filled with the system's primordial energy, does that mean... we're very close to the system's origin?

He tried to reach out and grab the silver specks of light in the air.

As before, the light spot automatically avoided his finger.

"Third-level access cannot be directly accessed." He remembered what Mo had said.

However, the inability to directly access the product does not mean that it cannot be used indirectly.

He took out a blank crystal from his storage space and held it in the air.

The surface of the crystal glowed slightly—as if attracted, the silver specks slowly moved toward the crystal, then passed through its surface and merged into it.

In less than a minute, the crystal changed from transparent to pale silver.

Lin Yu held the crystal up to his eyes and examined it.

The silver energy within the crystal is very stable, without any attributes or fluctuations. It is the purest form of energy—without positive or negative, without attributes, and without form.

"This is the system's original energy," Lin Yu said in a low voice.

He tried to inject a trace of source energy into it.

The moment the two energies came into contact, the source force was... devoured.

It wasn't confrontation, it wasn't fusion, it was devouring. The silver energy was like a bottomless pit, sucking up the trace of source power he had injected, and then... it increased a little bit.

"It can absorb other forms of energy?" Lin Yu frowned.

No. It's not absorption, it's... transformation?

He tried again, infusing a trace of magic power.

The same result—the magic was absorbed, and the silver energy increased slightly.

Let's test our mental strength again.

It's still the same.

"Any energy that comes into contact with it will be converted into its original energy?" Lin Yu murmured.

This explains why the system can connect so many worlds—it can convert any form of energy into its own primordial energy, and then use this energy to expand, record, and maintain the operation of the entire fissure network.

It's like a...cosmic-level recycler.

Collect all the energy scattered across various worlds, transform it into pure primordial energy, and then use this energy to... what?

record?

Does it really require that much energy just for recording?

Lin Yu couldn't understand it.

He put the silver crystal into his storage space, intending to take it back for research.

Then he began to explore the forest.

The forest was vast and quiet. He walked for about half an hour without encountering any danger or finding any buildings. There were only endless silver trees and silver moss.

But he did not give up.

Since this is a node, it must have a core—every node has a core, and the guardians revolve around that core.

He needs to find the core.

After walking for about ten more minutes, he finally saw something different.

In the middle of the forest, there was a clearing.

In the very center of the open space, there is a tree.

A tree much larger than all the surrounding trees—its trunk was so thick that it would take dozens of people to encircle it, its height was so great that the top could not be seen, and its canopy blocked out the entire sky.

This tree is also silver, but unlike the other trees—its surface doesn't have flowing fluorescence, but rather some more complex, vein-like patterns.

Silver liquid flows within the patterns, moving from the roots to the crown and back again, forming a complete cycle.

"Is this the core?" Lin Yu said in a low voice.

He slowly approached the tree.

The closer you get, the denser the silvery specks of light in the air become. By the time you reach the base of the tree, the specks are so thick they resemble mist, visibly floating and moving in the air.

Lin Yu stopped in front of the tree.

He reached out and gently touched the tree trunk.

This time, the light spot did not avoid it.

Or rather, the entire tree is made of primordial energy, and his hand passed directly through it—not actually through, but rather his hand and the tree trunk were on different "levels," so they did not interfere with each other.

"An energy body." Lin Yu understood.

This tree is not a real plant, but a form formed from the pure, primordial energy of the system. It looks like a tree, but you can't feel anything in it—because it's not matter at all.

He withdrew his hand and walked around the tree.

There is something on the back of the tree.

It was a stone tablet.

The stone tablet is real—made of real stone, with real weight, standing right next to the tree roots.

There are words engraved on the stone tablet.

It's not a geometric pattern, it's real writing—the same font as the writing on the stone slabs of ruins and the stone platforms of pyramids.

Lin Yu walked up to the stone tablet and carefully looked at the inscription.

The text is short, only a few lines:

I was one of the first people to come into contact with the virus.

I reached the ninth floor.

I saw the origin.

Then I came back.

If you're reading this, it means you're also on an upward trajectory.

Stop.

There was nothing on it.

Only nothingness.

Lin Yu stared at those lines of text for a long time.