The Ben Longjun koi in the corridor

Xing Ye said, “For example, if I see Cao Qian as an ant, feel uncomfortable in the elevator due to lack of oxygen, and find the outside of the building unbearably hot, these are all collective imaginations. This collective imagination should be considered as world consciousness. As long as we fall into negative emotions, we will enter into collective imagination.”

“I haven’t…” Guan Ling said weakly, raising his hand. “Since I came into this world, I’ve been gambling.”

Guan Ling woke up at 17:20 and realized he was the CEO. When he didn’t understand what the secretary was saying, he asked the secretary to postpone all non-important matters for three days and then let the company employees leave.

He originally planned to find Xing Ye and Cao Qian, but upon seeing the luxurious CEO office, he couldn’t help but think, “If only I were really the CEO. I’d take my money and go gamble in Macau.”

As soon as this thought arose, a few people entered Guan Ling’s office to bet against him. Guan Ling, almost as if possessed, forgot everything and started gambling with them. If Xing Ye hadn’t arrived in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.

Xing Ye said, “That’s because you were lucky and at the top of the food chain. When you saw yourself as the CEO with money, you only thought that this time you were lucky, with a good identity, and could enjoy the life of a wealthy person. In this mindset, negative emotions won’t arise.

“And the people who bet against you were awakened by your individual imagination. You can think of individual imagination and collective imagination as two parallel but unrelated lines. I believe that when you were losing, you had already entered into collective imagination due to frustration and anger, but there was nothing around to confirm it.”

Guan Ling said, “Make it simpler.”

Xing Ye sighed, “The collective imagination we’ve discovered so far is that humans become animal-like, the elevator is unbearable, and the external environment is unbearable. This shared imagination leads us to think that this building is the safest.

“When you saw the secretary, you hadn’t yet experienced negative emotions and hadn’t been affected by collective imagination, so you didn’t see his animal-like traits. When you were gambling with individual imagination and were affected by collective imagination, there was no one around you, and you were always in the building, so you didn’t encounter the characteristics of collective imagination.

“When I entered your office, you should have seen me as an ant because you were already controlled by negative emotions. But since I spoke before you saw me, you had a moment of hope upon hearing my voice, which helped you escape negative emotions, so you saw me as a human.”

Cao Qian took out a notebook and started writing quickly. Xing Ye frowned and said, “Where did you get that notebook?”

“Imagined it,” Cao Qian said happily. “It’s individual imagination. I just thought about needing a pen and notebook, and they appeared. This world is really magical. Isn’t it true that as long as we maintain confidence and rich imagination, we can end things without needing QR codes and initial skills?”

She was unusually happy, laughing like a child, quite different from her usual reserved and calm self, likely influenced by the swan crystal.

Guan Ling also looked up and said, “Speaking of imagination, mine is unparalleled. I often dream of evil spirits demanding debts. Hahaha!”

Xing Ye sighed inwardly as he looked at his two obviously inflated teammates and said, “Then just imagine, imagine you have a rocket launcher in your hand, imagine demons from hell crawling out, imagine it!”

With the last word, Xing Ye's voice carried a hint of anger. Noticing that he was a bit irritated with his overly optimistic teammates, he quickly calmed himself, silently reciting Buddhist scriptures as a way to calm down his emotions.

When Xing Shuo passed away, Xing Ye had relied on this method to force himself to maintain about six hours of sleep each day, and over time, he had memorized the scriptures.

“Good!” Guan Ling and Cao Qian, completely unaware of Xing Ye's anger, began to imagine intensely.

But after thinking for a long time, they couldn’t come up with anything. Instead, Guan Ling let out a fart.

This fart made the three realize that they were currently in a women’s restroom. After exchanging glances, they quickly left the restroom and ran to the stairwell.

“Why can’t we transform?” Guan Ling asked. “I swear I was absolutely imagining it!”

Xing Ye replied, “From a logical perspective, it’s because the world consciousness doesn’t want us to imagine things beyond the world’s capabilities. For example, if I imagine myself turning into Optimus Prime from Transformers (NT: supreme commander of the Autobots and hero of the series) and blowing up this building, do you think the world consciousness would allow that?

“Although individual imagination and collective imagination are parallel lines and don’t interfere with each other, our ability to manifest imagination comes from this world. Imagining things beyond the world’s scope is like trying to generate a hundred thousand volts of electricity with just two AA batteries. Do you think that’s possible?”

“I understand a bit,” Cao Qian nodded. “But why didn’t my request for a bicycle appear just now?”

Xing Ye said, “I guess individual imagination isn’t something we can control. Our imagination only provides a concept to the world; whether it manifests or not is controlled by the world.”

Cao Qian said, “I get it. It’s like writing a novel. The novel itself is mine, the ideas are mine, but whether it gets adapted into a film isn’t up to me; it’s up to the investors. Without my novel, the investors can only look elsewhere; they can’t embody my imagination.”

“Yes, that’s the idea,” Xing Ye said. “Don’t think that individual imagination is a good thing. The essence of this world is to drive us insane. It absorbs our sanity and keeps us trapped here forever. Will it manifest things that are beneficial to us?”

Guan Ling was still confused: “Then why could you still win against those gamblers?”

Without needing to explain, Cao Qian clarified for Guan Ling: “Because after the world consciousness manifests our individual imagination, it can’t fully control it. The control still comes from the original creator, which is our own thinking ability. This is easy to understand; adaptations are based on the original work and can’t deviate completely. They still need to respect the original.”

Seeing that Xing Ye acknowledged his point, Guan Ling said, “Doesn’t that mean we’re like fish on the chopping block, where what we imagine will not come true, but bad things will? In the end, we might end up being harmed by what we imagine ourselves? Besides our own imagination, there’s also another collective imagination watching us. If we’re not careful, this place might turn into an animal kingdom!”

“That’s exactly right,” Xing Ye confirmed, “And because you’re still clear-headed from before, you haven’t yet seen the real dangers in collective imagination. I suspect they are not the obvious ones we see. For example, if I were to immediately attack with a QR code when I see our HR manager turning into a lizard person, collective imagination might delve into an even deeper level and become even more terrifying.”

“So what should we do?” Guan Ling looked somewhat anxious.

Cao Qian slapped him directly: “Don’t panic and don’t think too much.”

She was worried that Guan Ling might think of something bad that collective imagination could exploit.

“What should we do?” Cao Qian asked.

Xing Ye said, “For now, stay calm and don’t overthink. We need to search for clues.”

“Clues about what?”

Xing Ye shook his head: “I don’t know, but we have to find them. We need to find the source of this world or understand what kind of space we’re in that causes these supernatural phenomena. I’ve said before, no matter how terrifying the world is, there must be clues. The game has never left us completely hopeless.

“At the very least, after encountering Guan Ling, I suspected the existence of individual imagination, which is a clue. This world relies on us alone, but there are other players. I suspect they are also in this building. Try to find them and exchange our clues for theirs.”

Other players were not necessarily always enemies. In the campus world, Xing Ye was initially able to cooperate with Di Kuang. The chaotic world is ultimately a PvE mode (NT: Player vs environment, ie. emphasizing cooperative and story-driven experiences); the players’ enemies are not other players but the world itself, so there is still a possibility for cooperation.

“Should we split up?” Guan Ling looked very afraid of acting alone.

Xing Ye shook his head: “Not in this world. We need to remind each other. No matter who falls into negative emotions, it’s very hard to get out alone. It’s much easier with the help of teammates, so we must maintain collective action. During my journey from the 34th floor to the 27th floor, I was constantly looking for possible players. When I reached the 29th floor, I noticed something suspicious, but at that time, the priority was to find Cao Qian, so I didn’t investigate further. Now we can go check it out.”

“According to my speculation, the people in this world cannot see the world through the eyes of the players. They continue to live normally as before, and abnormalities only appear in the players’ eyes.”

Cao Qian understood: “So, if someone seems like a madman, shouting ‘Ants!’ or ‘Lions!’ when they see us, they’re probably a player. In that case, finding players should be relatively easier in this level.”

She lifted her head, feeling very clever, and thought her time with Xing Ye had paid off.

Xing Ye knocked on Guan Ling and Cao Qian’s heads: “I need to remind you two of something. Negative emotions aren’t limited to fear, anxiety, and inferiority. Pride and arrogance are also negative emotions! Have you heard of ‘Happiness can lead to sorrow’? Don’t think that remaining optimistic will help you combat this world. The key is to maintain a calm and balanced mind. Don’t be elated by external things or saddened by your own situation, understand? Cao Qian, you’ve been influenced by the swan’s sense of superiority, and you’re a bit too inflated.”

"That’s too difficult," Guan Ling said. "Boss, you know me. If three 6s showed up when I rolled dice in front of me, I might end up so ecstatic that I'd float up to the sky."

As soon as he finished speaking, three dice appeared on the ground and rolled three sixes.

Xing Ye: "……"

Cao Qian immediately stomped on the dice, and when she removed her foot, the “666” had turned into dust.

Guan Ling looked like he was about to cry, and Cao Qian gave him a light, yet firm, slap. Only then did Guan Ling return to normal.

“This won’t work,” Xing Ye, noticing that this world specifically targeted his two teammates, came up with a solution. “You need to silently recite English texts, multiplication tables, or famous ancient poetry—whatever you’re familiar with. Just keep reciting continuously, forcing yourselves to stay calm.”

This method was somewhat effective. Cao Qian and Guan Ling recited “one times one is one, one times two is two,” and after reciting it twice, they felt much better.

Only then did Xing Ye take them into the elevator. Just as Guan Ling was about to ask, “Is the elevator going to be okay?” Cao Qian stepped on his foot.

“Sister Cao, can we let the boss hit me next time?” Guan Ling complained, covering his foot. “My fragile body really can’t handle your punches!”

“Pain is better,” Cao Qian said.

Her demeanour was much livelier and more proactive than before. Xing Ye couldn’t tell if it was good or bad, so he decided to take things step by step.

“Remember, the world can’t hurt us because we are extremely powerful. We have our initial skills and special QR codes, so it’s impossible for us to lose. The only thing that can kill us is ourselves,” Xing Ye pointed to his own temple.

The two teammates nodded seriously, supervising each other, and recited the multiplication table together.

Xing Ye, meanwhile, touched his chest pocket. Where was the small mirror? Why wasn’t it here?

Could it be that the system sealed the mirror because it became a real magic mirror capable of seeing through the world’s disguise?

No, the system never intentionally sealed anything. If the mirror wasn’t here, there must be a reason or something he didn’t know about.

Suppressing his anxiety, Xing Ye watched as the elevator reached the 29th floor.

Earlier, when he passed by the 29th-floor restroom, he saw someone constantly drinking water at the water station, as if they were about to die of thirst. At that time, he just glanced and ignored it, focusing on finding Cao Qian.

Returning to the 29th floor now, hopefully that person hadn’t drowned.

As the elevator doors opened, they saw someone slide past quickly, legs pressed together and moving like a fish tail. The person was singing, “I am a fish…” while simultaneously spitting out water. His belly was swollen, evidently from drinking too much water, but at least he was able to vomit it out, so he wouldn’t drown.

Guan Ling and Cao Qian swallowed at the same time. Were they also like this earlier?

“Ah, there’s still too little water here,” the person said while spitting. “But it’s okay, I have the waters of the Four Seas within me. As long as I keep spitting, this place will eventually become an ocean.”

As soon as he finished speaking, the water he vomited began to increase, spreading from a small puddle to gradually more, and at this rate, in about an hour, the 29th-floor corridor would likely turn into a vast ocean.

The water quickly reached the feet of the three. Guan Ling said, “This must be his individual imagination. Why is his imagination affecting us?”

Xing Ye replied, “Whether it’s individual imagination or collective imagination, as long as it manifests, players can all see it, whether it’s someone else’s or their own. Earlier, on the 34th floor, I could also see the gamblers you imagined. If they had shot at me, I probably would have been finished too.”

“So this is what it means to be killed by your own imagination?” Cao Qian said. “If this goes on, he’ll drown.”

The fish… oh, no, the player who thought he was a fish was so happy to see the water increase that he buried his head in it, truly believing he was breathing through gills.

Cao Qian wanted to help, but Xing Ye stopped her, saying, “We don’t know if he’s aggressive. Let’s not act recklessly for now. I’ll test him with a QR code.”

This time, Xing Ye used the QR code “Bouncing Ping-Pong Balls.” This QR code didn’t cause much damage; it was mainly for assistance and disruption, but when used correctly, it could be very effective. Xing Ye didn’t want to harm the player, only to awaken him from his dream of being a fish.

The ping-pong balls quickly bounced to the person’s side, rolling underneath him and making him roll around on the floor.

“What is this?!” the person exclaimed. “How could there be ping-pong balls in my Ben Longjun’s sea domain!” (NT: Ben Longjun (本龙君) is a fictional character in xianxia litterature, it means original Dragon Lord)

“Because your sea domain has been taken over by us, and it has been reclaimed,” Xing Ye said. “We plan to convert this place into a ping-pong education centre, recruiting primary and secondary students to play, cultivating the next generation.”

“Pfft!” Guan Ling couldn’t help but laugh.

The boss is really a remarkable person—both authoritative and delicate, masculine and feminine. Just as he shattered a teenage heart in the last world, now he’s chatting with a semi-mad person in this world.

“Ridiculous!” the man, who claimed to be the Dragon Lord, said. “How can my sea domain be used for those human children to play with!”

Despite his words, the water on the ground really did disappear.

Xing Ye suppressed a laugh and said, “Dragon Lord, did you forget? In your previous life, because you caused a tsunami on your own, you drowned countless lives, especially many young ones. That’s why the Heavenly Emperor demoted you to be reincarnated as a human to make amends for those lives. You are a human, not a Dragon Lord, so you’re afraid of water. Of course, even if a Dragon Lord is drowned, they still have a dragon soul, but because you lacked virtue, you would be reborn as a human again and suffer the cycle of ten lifetimes. So, you should get up and focus on being human, to avoid extending your sentence.”

“Is that so?” The Dragon Lord was taken aback by Xing Ye’s words and slowly got up from the ground.

Seeing that the ping-pong balls were occasionally hitting his wrist, Xing Ye confirmed that this person was a fate-defying player. His imagination was indeed quite vivid; while Guan Ling only needed to find a gambling buddy, this guy didn’t want to be human at all.

“Am I a human?” The “Dragon Lord” still wasn’t convinced and asked Xing Ye for confirmation. “But I feel like I’m a fish. Why am I so thirsty? I need to drink water.”

He was about to drink water again despite his swollen belly. Fortunately, the ping-pong balls caused the “Dragon Lord” to fall, and Cao Qian stepped forward to pin his arm down and said, “Look, this is a human arm, not a fish fin. You don’t have scales. You are a human!”

“I’m a human, I’m a human…” The man mumbled to himself on the ground, and his gaze gradually became clearer. “How did I become like this? What am I doing?”

At least it was just drinking more water, much better than Cao Qian’s severed limbs.

Seeing that he finally came to his senses, Xing Ye asked, “What’s your name? How many worlds have you passed? Do you have any teammates? How many points do you have? How many QR codes do you have? What are your initial skills?”

The person, having just regained his senses and still a bit dazed, answered groggily, “My name is Wei Miao. I’m from the provincial swimming team. I have a teammate I met in the game. We’re two unlucky souls going through the levels together. We’ve passed 14 worlds so far, have 2300 points, and my initial skills are ‘White Stripe in the Waves’ and… Wait, who are you guys?”

After talking for a while, he finally realized he didn’t recognize the people in front of him!

From the one skill he mentioned, Xing Ye guessed why he ended up like this. Instead of answering his questions, he asked, “Since you got this skill that lets you dominate in water, have you never encountered a water world before? When you entered this world, did you feel disappointed and think how great it would be if it were an ocean?”

“Right, how did you know?” Wei Miao asked in confusion. Was this person a worm in his belly?

“Luckily we came early; otherwise, this place might really have turned into an ocean,” Guan Ling wiped his sweat, thinking imagination was really too frightening.

Xing Ye shook his head and said, “That won’t happen. I said before, the world consciousness won’t allow things beyond its capacity to appear. At most, there would be a small stream on the 29th floor, and after drowning him, the water would disappear.”

“What are you talking about?” Wei Miao asked with a confused look.

Cao Qian stepped forward and explained Xing Ye’s guess in her notebook. It took Wei Miao a while to understand, and once he did, he hurriedly said, “I need to find my teammate quickly. He must not be killed by his own imagination! Huh? Why did you all turn into ants, ants, and lions…”

Guan Ling rubbed his forehead, having just escaped from individual imagination and now falling into collective imagination.

Cao Qian dragged him to the bathroom mirror and asked, “What do you see yourself as?”

“A koi fish…” Wei Miao replied.

“Even as a koi fish, you’re like this!” Guan Ling kicked Wei Miao in the butt. “You haven’t used your initial skills in 14 worlds, and you’re still calling yourself a koi fish? Quickly recite the multiplication table to calm down and come with us to find people.”

Cao Qian agreed, “Yes, we need to find other players and tell them the truth about this world. Otherwise, their imagination might not only kill them but could also endanger us.”

 

Translator : DarNan