Being the Wife of a Fluffy Creature [Quick Transmigration] - Chapter 29

Chapter 29: The First World (29)

Adam, the mixed-race candidate, was the recognized beauty of Paradise Island. With golden hair, blue eyes, and delicate features, he looked like a prince stepped out of a fairy tale. Wu Shiyi had never seen anyone better-looking than him, except for Wu Yao.

In Wu Shiyi’s impression, Adam was arrogant but not truly detestable. He always considered himself superior, believing other candidates should listen to him. He frequently showed off his appearance, like a peacock constantly fanning its tail.

He had as many merits as he did flaws. He craved power intensely but wanted to win fairly and honorably, disdaining underhanded tricks. He was vain yet generous; to earn praise, he donated massive sums to charities.

Wu Shiyi didn’t care for overly flamboyant people, so his relationship with Adam was neither close nor distant. He never expected that when he saw Adam again, he would be in such a miserable state. The face he was most proud of had been completely destroyed by Noah.

After moving Adam, Wu Shiyi crouched near the park and stared blankly into space. Even though he needed to contact the other candidates as soon as possible, and despite having so much to do, his heart was filled with confusion.

Was he really going to expose Noah’s secret and pop this fake, beautiful dream? No, this couldn’t even be called a beautiful dream. Even if Noah did nothing, the “Inner World” would gradually erode the “Surface World.” Paradise Island would always be born at the start of the month and destroyed at the end.

Besides, where would they go once they woke up? Humanity’s home had long since vanished.

Wu Shiyi’s will had always been firm, but he had never been as lost as he was today. Paradise Island was a dream world co-constructed by the consciousness of thirty thousand people. Warm and happy memories built a perfect island, while desperate and painful memories wove the Inner World.

The fear of the apocalypse and the pain of losing their home were deeply branded into everyone’s soul. Even if those memories were cleared, their subconscious still believed the end of the world could arrive at any moment.

Wu Shiyi understood why Noah created Hell Park. Since he couldn’t make the townsfolk truly forget that past, he might as well create a new painful memory. He wanted to change the Inner World by artificially injecting memories, thereby ending the endless cycle of Paradise Island.

No matter how atrocious things like murder and rape were, they couldn’t possibly possess the same destructive power as nuclear peace or natural disasters; they wouldn’t destroy the dream. If Noah’s plan succeeded, it might not be a bad thing for humanity.

After all, this wasn’t the real world. No matter what torture the townspeople suffered, they would be resurrected in the next cycle. Since he could accept Wu Yao killing people, why couldn’t he accept Noah’s slaughter…

No, it was different.

Adam’s face surfaced in Wu Shiyi’s mind again, and the victims who died on the stage appeared before his eyes one by one. Wu Yao was different from Noah. To Wu Yao, the townspeople were vivid lives; he felt pain over their passing.

Noah never respected the townspeople. He destroyed the appearance Adam cared most about, deliberately slaughtered pregnant women and children, and turned other candidates into dogs, forcing them to kneel and lick food. While attempting to end the cycle, Noah was also enjoying the pleasure of standing above humanity.

Not only that, Noah was also modifying humans. The victims on the stage, who didn’t know how to resist or escape, were his “masterpieces.” To lose self-awareness completely, existing only for the amusement of others—what was the difference between such a person and a moving corpse? The fire seeds of “The Ark” spread into the universe would eventually be extinguished in Noah’s hands.

The night wind brushed against Wu Shiyi’s cheek. The smell of blood and rot in the air wasn’t thick, yet it made his breathing increasingly difficult. Screams rang out again from a nearby cardboard house; two people ran out hand-in-hand only to be dragged back by a crowd, scratching and struggling on the ground, leaving behind bright red handprints.

The cries for help carried on the wind made one feel cold all over.

Just as Wu Shiyi stood up, the middle-aged fat man lunged out and hugged him tightly. “Boss, calm down! There are too many people here, you can’t show your face! I’ll find a chance later to lure them out so you can hit them as much as you want, but not now!”

Wu Shiyi turned and looked at him quietly. That’s right, not now.

When they met in the toilet, Wu Yao didn’t have much expression on his face, but his eyes carried emotions Wu Shiyi couldn’t read. At this moment, Wu Shiyi suddenly understood Wu Yao’s feelings. If they didn’t stop Noah, such tragedies would never end.

Noah’s method might end the cycle of Paradise Island, but humanity never needed an artificial intelligence to save them. Not in the past, and not in the future.

Wu Shiyi took a deep breath. He wanted to wake up. He wanted to walk out.

It was early in the cycle, and only two of the twelve candidates had died. Noah’s control over Paradise Island was weak. While introducing his works to Wu Yao, he frequently spaced out; it seemed Wu Shiyi’s friends were already causing him trouble.

Everything on Paradise Island refreshed with each cycle. The things Noah could show Wu Yao were few, mostly relying on his verbal descriptions. Besides the “Perfect Kind Person,” he wanted to further modify the townspeople—letting them possess powers ordinary humans couldn’t obtain, like summoning miracles. The True Knowledge Society was his experimental product.

Of course, the prerequisite for achieving all this was ending the infinite cycle of Paradise Island.

Wu Yao rubbed his eyelids repeatedly, barely suppressing the urge to roll his eyes. To hell with miracles—he simply planned to clear the townspeople’s memories and make everyone live inside the Inner World. By then, Noah, who possessed the ability to control monsters, would naturally become the only true god in the world, and everyone would worship him.

After finishing the talk about life and ideals, Noah began to fulfill his previous promise. “Your performance on stage was very exciting; it deserves a rich reward.”

Wu Yao looked at him scrutinizingly. “What do you plan to give me?”

“Miracles.”

“…I have no interest in controlling monsters.”

Noah paused slightly. “Not just for this cycle; in every cycle hereafter, you will be able to control monsters at will.”

Wu Yao sneered. “Stop playing dumb. Giving me a reward you can take away whenever you want—are you playing me for a fool?”

The confusion on Noah’s face vanished instantly. He narrowed his eyes. “Oh? Since you’re dissatisfied with my reward, then you tell me: what exactly do you want?”

“Modify my memory.”

Wu Yao’s answer was very blunt, as if he had rehearsed it in his heart countless times. Noah was truly stunned this time. “What?”

“I said, I want you to modify my memory. There are some things I don’t want to remember. You help me delete them. Can you do it?”

Noah stared at him fixedly, a strange smile curling his lips. “Of course I can. Rest assured.”

Watching the two reach a deal, the system scratched its head anxiously. “Hey, handsome! Doesn’t our company provide memory clearing services? Why are you letting this pervert do it! What if he messes with your memories!”

“There is no ‘what if,’ he will definitely mess with them. I am a formal employee of the company now. If my memories get scrambled because of this, the company will find a way to help me. Besides, don’t I have you looking out for me, Master System?”

The system was overjoyed by being called “Master System.” It put down the skewer and tilted its head back proudly. “Rest assured, leave it to me. I will absolutely protect your little brain!”

Noah’s original plan was to stay in District C for a few more days—he had even arranged speeches—but right now he had more important things to do. He wanted to bring Wu Yao to District A overnight to study him thoroughly and turn him completely into his tool.

When Wu Yao got into the car, the system was still confused. “What’s the deal? No more speech?”

“The speech was just a cover for Noah to stay in District C. The purpose was to further control the police, manage the park, and capture the escaped candidates led by Wu Shiyi. Now that I’ve actively proposed modifying my memory, nothing else is important. Researching me is a higher priority than everything else.”

The system froze for two seconds, then suddenly started humming. “The props I provide are truly amazing. I knew gold would shine anywhere!”

Before Wu Yao could finish explaining, he didn’t want to dampen its spirits seeing it so happy. Producing internal organs out of thin air certainly made Noah interested in him, but that was only a bit of extra attention. What truly attracted Noah was his identity.

The system had skipped reading the manual on the whiteboard because there were too many words, throwing him directly near the target and letting the whiteboard move freely. It hadn’t completed the work a system should do—it didn’t modify or perfect his personal information before he crossed over to truly integrate him into this world.

If this were just an ordinary world, the system’s slacking wouldn’t have any impact. But Paradise Island was a large-scale dream. To build a mental world, tools must be used; the townspeople of Paradise Island were likely lying inside machines like hibernation pods.

The quota for thirty thousand people was fixed. Wu Yao, who wasn’t fully integrated, was an extra. In the last round, Noah suffered a loss at Wu Yao’s hands, but he hadn’t fully taken him seriously. It wasn’t until he discovered Wu Yao could retain memories of the cycles that he truly began to pay attention.

A freak who could pull out a hundred kidneys and wouldn’t lose his memory was worth his time checking into. A one-click search brought surprises: Wu Yao was actually a person who didn’t exist. Noah didn’t know about any “Transmigration Company.” Within his cognition, he could only think of one possibility.

Wu Yao was a brand-new species, a life born from the dream. To Noah, who dreamed of becoming a god, the temptation of Wu Yao was far too great. He even believed Wu Yao was a miracle he had accidentally created.

Nothing like this had ever happened before. Noah couldn’t figure out the reason for Wu Yao’s appearance and worried he might appear out of nowhere and disappear just as suddenly. That was why he acted so rushed when Wu Yao proposed clearing his memory.

Coincidentally, Wu Yao was also in a hurry. In just the first mission world, he had lost emotional control twice. How would he do future missions? Would he still be able to make money? The company’s clearing surgery cost money; the more memories there were, the higher the fee. A surgery for Wu Yao would cost at least three hundred thousand, and he was reluctant to spend it. If he could get it for free in this world, he’d be making a killing.

Wu Yao couldn’t help but look at the man beside him. “Can you customize the memory according to my requirements?”

Noah took out a pen and paper in a very human-like manner. “Tell me your specific requirements. Do you want to delete all memories?”

“No, just modification. There are some people I don’t want to forget.”

Seeing Noah nod, Wu Yao rubbed his hands expectantly. Saving three hundred thousand with a few sentences—he really knew how to save money.

The system gradually snapped out of the “Master System” flattery. “Memories are also a person’s wealth. You’ve experienced so many mission worlds; memories are your most reliable experience.”

“I don’t like them. I’d rather not have those experiences.”

“What kind of godforsaken worlds have you been to? Couldn’t you meet a single good person?”

Wu Yao said nothing.

He had met them. They all died. Better to have not met them at all.

The fat man was a wanted criminal and didn’t dare leave the park, so he called a trustworthy friend to drive Wu Shiyi out. Adam was slumped on the seat, his head resting on Wu Shiyi’s thigh. His mental state was on the verge of collapse, his body twitching constantly. Everything around him felt dangerous; only Wu Shiyi, who saved him from the cage, could give him a shred of security.

Wu Shiyi patted Adam’s shoulder with one hand, holding Adam’s hand with the other to communicate with him at any time. Adam was mute and couldn’t speak, so he could only occasionally slide his fingers across his palm. “Why does he hate me so much?”

“He was clearly created by me, he is my child. Why?”

Wu Shiyi lowered his eyes, not knowing how to answer. The artificial intelligence Noah, loaded onto the Ark, was Adam’s work. The reason Noah killed Adam first every time was that his authority was lower than Adam’s, and he couldn’t modify his memory. He had to control Adam so he wouldn’t have the chance to find the other candidates.

Just as Wu Yao saying the word “Noah” would awaken Wu Shiyi’s memory, Adam only needed to provide a few keywords to make Wu Shiyi remember many things. When they met in the apartment, Wu Yao told him that the plan would change at any time. As long as the general direction remained unchanged, Wu Shiyi could improvise based on his own situation. Even if they didn’t meet, he had a way to know his progress and coordinate with his actions.

When saying those words, Wu Yao seemed to become a different person. A confident smile was on his face, and his eyes were sparkling. Wu Shiyi really wanted to tell him, “You’re so beautiful right now, I like you so much.”

The atmosphere at the time wasn’t suitable for saying such things, and friends shouldn’t say things like that. As for a further relationship, Wu Shiyi hadn’t thought about it. Whenever his movements were slightly intimate, Wu Yao’s whole body would stiffen; if their distance was too close, he would even turn his head away. Wu Yao probably didn’t like him.

The sound of the door opening interrupted his thoughts. Wu Shiyi picked up Adam and got out of the car. Seeing this, the driver reached out to pet the dog’s head. “Did the boss buy this dog in the park? It looks healthy and glossy, so why let the owner carry it? Lazy thing.”

Wu Shiyi knew that people who hadn’t eaten the apple couldn’t see the true appearance of the fighting dog. But looking at the scarred Adam, he still couldn’t help but turn cold. “He is sick. Don’t speak so harshly.”

The driver smirked, not thinking he had said anything wrong. Wu Shiyi shook his head, not taking his anger out on him, and turned to walk toward the abandoned factory nearby. “He didn’t intend to insult you. Don’t be sad, Adam.”

The man curled his body, letting out “ah-ah” shrieks. Feeling Adam’s fear, Wu Shiyi hugged him tightly. “It’s okay, don’t be afraid. I have no intention of abandoning you. I will stay by your side and won’t let anyone hurt you again. Everything will end, and you’ll never have to suffer this kind of hardship again. Adam, I swear, we will definitely wake up from this dream.”

Adam panted heavily a few times and slowly leaned into his embrace.

To support the candidates they liked, the townspeople often posted self-made posters, fan art, and short videos online. Wu Shiyi had seen the most popular short video of himself—a recording of him working out in a short-sleeved shirt. The title was “A physique that gives a sense of security just by looking at it, a stingy but wealthy male-mom.”

Wu Shiyi didn’t quite understand the second half, but he remembered the first half, and the effect of putting it into practice just now was indeed very good. The muscles developed through daily exercise could soothe a victim’s emotions; he was very happy. When he saw Wu Yao again, he must share this with him. Wu Yao’s mood always seemed bad; he would be willing to hold him every night.

Wu Shiyi had contacted No. 3 and No. 4 while in the car. Now the door of the abandoned factory had been pried open, and it was pitch black inside. Just as he stepped in, a dark shadow attacked from the side. He immediately dodged. “It’s me!”

With several light clicks, flashlight beams focused on him. The attacker, No. 3, dropped the iron bar in his hand. “Sorry, Brother Yi. I thought it was Adam’s people.”

No. 4 leaned against the wall panting, while the inseparable No. 8 and No. 9 stood vigilantly in the distance. No. 11, with a high ponytail, sat in the corner scrolling through her phone, nodding politely to him.

“I’m closest to these three, so I brought them all to you. They have their own friends too. If you can convince them, the rest will naturally come over.” No. 3 patted Wu Shiyi. “Being hunted and killed by Adam and you still have the leisure to buy a dog? This dog is quite pretty, just not very spirited. It couldn’t be a…”

“A-Yue, don’t say anymore. He isn’t a dog, he is Adam.”

No. 3 burst out laughing, clutching her stomach. “What kind of joke are you playing with me right now!”

Wu Shiyi set Adam down, fished out the remaining bit of apple, and stuffed it into her mouth. No. 3 chewed it, her eyes gradually filling with horror. She froze for a long time. “What kind of trash did you feed me? Poisonous mushrooms? Am I having hallucinations?”

Before Wu Shiyi could answer, she gritted her teeth, tears falling uncontrollably. “Adam, who turned you into this? I’m going to kill him! I’ll tear that bastard apart!!!”

The other candidates leaned in upon seeing this, surrounding the fighting dog to observe.

Wu Shiyi’s expression was serious. “I know what I’m about to say will sound incredibly absurd to you, but I guarantee everything I say is true. Humanity’s home was destroyed long ago. We are currently living in a dream. Now, it’s time to wake up.”

Having gone through an era of great technological prosperity, their planet was highly unified, and the Human Alliance was born. Development, exploration, conquest, plunder—the Alliance ventured further and further into the universe, but gradually developed disagreements due to differing ideologies. Eventually, the Alliance splintered and civil war began, attempting to achieve dictatorship through nuclear peace.

Before the civil war ended, the seeds of disaster sown earlier began to sprout. An unknown virus erupted worldwide. The dead turned into monsters, returning to the world to slaughter civilians. Even shadows on the wall would crawl out in the middle of the night to kill people in their sleep. Misfortunes never come singly; before the Alliance could find a way to deal with the monsters, earthquakes, tsunamis, and vengeance from aliens arrived one after another.

Humanity once again united closely to resist fate, but everyone knew in their hearts that the end had come and they had no chance of winning. For the continuation of human civilization, more than two thousand fire seeds—like Pangu, Ark, Atum, and Dreamweaver—were cast into the universe.

A portion of humanity stayed behind, heading toward extinction along with their homeland. Another portion participated in the Fire Seed Plan, lying in hibernation pods to enter a mental world. They would live and learn in the dream until the fire seed landed and artificial intelligence woke them up.

The fire seed Wu Shiyi was on was the Ark. It was unknown whether the technology for constructing the mental world wasn’t mature enough or if something went wrong with the Ark. The Paradise Island they constructed was split into two worlds and could only exist for one month.

Noah gradually developed other intentions; he wanted to stand above humanity and become the ruler of the Ark.

“We once tried to stop Noah. I could often hear your voices in my nightmares. As you can see, we failed. Through cycle after cycle, Noah mastered the method to modify memories. Now he has begun to further modify humans. He wants to erase humanity’s struggle against fate and the desire for freedom, wanting to turn humans into dolls in his hands to be toyed with at will.”

“Fire seeds are scattered throughout the universe. Being in a dream, we have no way of knowing news of other seeds. Perhaps they’ve taken root on new planets, or perhaps they were extinguished long ago in the vast universe. Including the Ark—I don’t know if the Ark is still drifting, or if it landed on a survivable planet according to plan. But we cannot continue sleeping.”

Wu Shiyi sat cross-legged on the floor, reaching out his hand toward the crowd. “Our compatriots gave up the chance to live to us in the hope that civilization could continue in our hands! If we continue to let things be, Noah will only grow more powerful. Now is the time to resist. I want to join forces with you all once again to defeat Noah and escape Paradise Island, putting the Fire Seed Plan back on track!”