Myriad Realms Gatekeeper-Chapter 1026 - 477 "Material"_3

Everything I’ve experienced is because of this experiment.

This experiment happened to seize that fleeting opportunity, projecting my consciousness onto the body of a young man in a multilayer universe.

If my physical body is destroyed, will this consciousness projection dissipate alongside it?

——I must save my body!

Shen Ye finished freshening up, walked to the door, grabbed his briefcase, and slipped on his shoes.

He placed his hand on the doorknob.

Morning was tight on time, there wasn’t even enough to sit down for breakfast; he needed to rush to catch the subway to work!

...Work my ass!

A line of faint glowing text suddenly appeared:

"Encounter at the Jade Terrace Under the Moon."

Bang.

The real world.

Before a massive cultivation tank, an animal suddenly leapt out of the void.

——It looked like a kangaroo at first glance.

But it was undoubtedly an Earth Demon Beast!

The Earth Demon Beast let out a sharp, shrill cry and slammed its head hard against the ground.

In an instant.

Frost rapidly spread from the floor, crawling over the entire laboratory and expanding outward at breakneck speed.

The void stirred again.

The Four Kings appeared, each brandishing their weapon, smashing open the cultivation tank.

The cultivation fluid promptly spilled across the floor.

The Four Kings rushed into the cultivation tank, pulled out all the tubes that were connected to Shen Ye, and hoisted him up.

The Earth Demon Beast blasted the doors open.

The Four Kings carried the unconscious Shen Ye and followed behind it, charging outward together.

At that moment.

Inside the hypnotic illusion, Shen Ye wasn’t heading to work.

He sat quietly in his rented room, calmly waiting for escape.

A faint line of glowing text silently materialized:

"You are exiting the Full Hypnotic Illusion Technique."

Shen Ye’s face took on a contemplative expression.

Full hypnosis?

Which implied that, besides himself, there were others also under hypnosis?

Ding-dong!

The doorbell rang.

Shen Ye asked aloud: "Who?"

"Landlord!"

"Come on in."

An elderly man, dressed in a tank top and large shorts, wearing slide sandals, stepped inside. He threw the cigarette from his mouth into the trash can before speaking:

"Kid, you’re two months behind on rent; you know that, right?"

Shen Ye exasperatedly said: "Uncle, you’re so wealthy, just give me a few days. As soon as I get my paycheck, I’ll pay you."

"When’s payday?" the old man asked.

"This month, the 27th—tomorrow. Just cut me some slack; as soon as the money lands, I’ll transfer it to you." Shen Ye replied.

"That sounds reasonable... Oh, by the way, aren’t you going to work today?" the old man asked again.

"Of course I’m going," Shen Ye smiled wryly. "Was just about to leave."

"No time for breakfast at this rate." The old man shook his head and remarked.

Shen Ye stood up and walked to the refrigerator.

Thinking carefully, he remembered he had bought plenty of food the day before the incident.

Durian, chocolate, beef jerky, pistachios, and some fresh bread with a three-day shelf life.

He opened the refrigerator.

The food was indeed still there.

If it exists in reality, does it exist in the dream too?

...No.

This isn’t simply a hypnosis technique.

Perhaps through the concept of the Nightmare World, one might interpret it as hypnosis.

Which is why it’s been indicated as such.

But in reality, there’s never been a "Full Hypnosis" of this scale!

That old man’s appearance also seems oddly coincidental.

As soon as something happened outside.

He appeared immediately inside my dreamscape.

"One packet of bread and chocolate, that’ll do; grab a bottle of milk too."

Shen Ye grew increasingly vigilant but showed no signs outwardly, quickly packing the food before grabbing his bag, throwing on his shoes, and leaving the room.

"Landlord, aren’t you leaving?"

He turned back in surprise.

Only to see the old man standing up with a grin and saying:

"Youngsters these days sure have ambition. Alright, I’ll come collect rent tomorrow."

He left the room together with Shen Ye.

Both waited for the elevator.

Outside the dream.

The Earth Demon Beast rampaged left and right, unleashing spells on anyone it encountered.

Frost and flames spread uncontrollably through the corridors, blasting away the approaching guards.

The Four Kings carrying Shen Ye remained close behind.

The din grew louder and louder.

Heavy footsteps echoed from afar.

Ding—

Inside the dream, the elevator door opened.

Shen Ye entered the elevator, held the door open, and waited for the old man to step in.

The elevator jolted slightly.

The lights went out.

Two faint lines of glowing text suddenly emerged:

"The power of the Hypnotic Illusion Technique has fully faded from your body."

"But it has been reactivated."

The lights flickered back on.

The elevator began descending.

"What just happened with the lights?" Shen Ye asked, surprised.

"This elevator’s old and poorly maintained; sometimes it acts up. Quite normal." The old man casually replied, cigarette back in his mouth.

"Can’t you guys just spend some money to replace the elevator for this floor?" Shen Ye asked.

"Too expensive." The old man waved his hand repeatedly.

Rolling his eyes, Shen Ye decided not to waste his time arguing.

——Something still feels off.

I’ve clearly left the cultivation tank, and all the tubes connected to me have been removed.

Why is my consciousness still trapped within this hypnotic dreamscape?

This dream—

"Hey."

The old man spoke.

"What?" Shen Ye responded.

"Do you think extraterrestrials exist?" the old man asked.

"Hard to say. Rumor has it that governments worldwide have had contact, but they won’t disclose it—who knows if it’s true or not." Shen Ye replied.

"Always keeping us ordinary folks in the dark, it’s so dull." The old man sighed.

Shen Ye shrugged, shot him a curious glance, then returned his gaze forward.

Ding.

Elevator arrived.

"Bye now. I’ll pay your rent tomorrow!"

Shen Ye spoke quickly, exiting the elevator in haste and rushing toward the building’s exit.

The old man didn’t respond, simply standing still and silently watching Shen Ye’s receding figure.

Shen Ye followed the tide of people into the subway station.

It was rush hour; the station was packed with commuters.

Standing amid the crowd, Shen Ye chomped down on bread, chugged his milk in one go, and wiped his mouth clean.

Something wasn’t right.

Why am I still in the hypnotic dreamscape and unable to break free?

This was unheard of!

"Four Kings, scan my body thoroughly."

He silently issued a command.

The Four Kings promptly began examining him as they ran.

Suddenly, one King pressed on Shen Ye’s head and communicated telepathically:

"There’s something on the top of your head."

"What is it?" Shen Ye asked.

"A square metal chip, emitting energy—it’s functioning."

Shen Ye felt a moment of epiphany, akin to enlightenment; the true nature of this "hypnosis" became clear in an instant.

——This was a virtual scene tailored for human consciousness!

A chip had been implanted into his head!

The chip presumably contained energy to sustain the continuation of the virtual scene.

Now, the bigger concern was another matter entirely——

——Would the chip self-destruct?

If it detonates, wouldn’t I be killed in the explosion?

After all, my body is still that of a normal human!

Everything happening in the Nightmare World was due to my soul traversing there!

My soul has a powerful body in the Nightmare World——

That is Shen Ye’s original body!

Yet on this side of the barrier——

My body in the real world remains my original one, still at a normal human level.

My soul exists here, my body exists here.

If the chip explodes——

Boom!

My brain would become an empty shell, and I’d die!

Shen Ye suddenly felt a wave of panic.

The old man showing up earlier was definitely to test me.

Luckily, I didn’t know anything.

Therefore, he let me go.

——They probably suspected the experiment had caused abnormal disruptions, drawing in monstrous anomalies.

But that has nothing to do with this "material" Shen Ye!

The "material" Shen Ye is still dreaming, oblivious to everything!

Because the "material" hasn’t gone out of control, it’s proving the experiment might have succeeded after all.

Thus, I wasn’t immediately disposed of!

Tch.

The priority now——

Find a way to deal with that chip.

...A frail body can do nothing.

However.

I have other methods.

"Encounter at the Jade Terrace Under the Moon" has already activated.

Therefore——

Other entries can also be used!

With Shen Ye’s intent, new prompts soon appeared:

"You have activated ’Blind Eye’s Arrogance’ and ’Wardrobe Change BGM’ entries."

"Be advised."

"Under the power of such strong entries, your brain is fortified, rendering your five servants incapable of extracting that chip from your brain."

One of the Four Kings drew a dagger and used it as a lever, twisting it against Shen Ye’s head.

It didn’t work!

Not even a faint mark was left!

This approach was futile.

——Time is pressing; I must quickly come up with a new solution.

"Summon Norton."

Shen Ye murmured inwardly.

A faint glowing prompt instantly popped up:

"Nothing within the Nightmare can cross the ’barrier’ to respond to your summoning."

Shen Ye froze for a moment.

Norton couldn’t come, his Human Race army couldn’t come.

In other words——

Only the things hidden within my Dharma Aspect, always accompanying my soul, had returned to "reality."

What’s still in the Dharma Aspect?

Shen Ye immediately examined the Dharma Aspect.

——The Dharma Aspect had just exited the realm of "Yin Yang Liangyi Salvation Mountain," progressing toward a higher evolution.

Besides the Earth Demon Beast and the King of the Four Kings, there was nothing else.

No——

There was still a tombstone.

The Big Skeleton’s grave!

Shen Ye’s gaze lightly fell upon that tombstone.

At some point.

The dragon meat placed upon the tombstone had vanished.