Chapter 2. You Are -- The Shadow --
"You died."
"This simution has ended."
"Rating: None.
Commentary: You wasted your talent.
Reward: None."
"The following items can be brought out of the simution game. You can spend a certain amount of Yuan Jade to choose to bring out some of these items."
A watch face over two meters in diameter floated in the darkness. Around the watch face, various items appeared, such as moldy books, a grip strengthener, a water gss, and other objects. If Su Wu spent the money, he could bring them into reality.
But Su Wu had no time to pay attention to the watch face.
He gasped for breath, still shaken.
Even the green-quality Calm talent only gave him above-average discernment and thinking ability among ordinary people.
But what he had encountered in his future was beyond the comprehension of ordinary people!
"The killer!"
"The killer, the killer!"
Suddenly, Su Wu roared several times in a low voice.
His intuition told him that the 'thing' that had suddenly emerged from the ground and pierced his chest with one hand was very likely the killer in the murders mentioned in his future self's diary.
He recalled the st sentence in the notebook: So many people have died recently. Is the killer really human?
The killer was most likely not human!
Su Wu immediately looked at the calendar in the corner of the desk. A date had been crossed out with a red pen: 'April 8th, '30'.
Today was April 9th.
Tomorrow would be the first date recorded in the notebook.
Would his future really become like the simution game?
In at least nine days, the world would change, and 'things' that people couldn't imagine would appear in reality?!
Su Wu leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.
He still recalled the image of his chest being pierced by a dark arm in the game.
That thing had suddenly emerged from the ground, like a mass of bck slurry that instantly took on a humanoid form, killing him with a speed his mind couldn't keep up with!
What was it?
What were the signs of its appearance?
How could he avoid it? Could it be killed?
He remembered that his future self had mentioned smelling a faint dead rat smell in the notebook, and he had also smelled an extremely strong dead rat smell just before that thing killed him.
The former was faint, the tter was strong.
Did this mean that smelling a faint dead rat smell indicated that the thing was already close, or that it had targeted him?
When the dead rat smell became extremely strong, it would appear? Suddenly appear from the ground?!
Su Wu also thought of the mold in his future room and the window sealed with wooden boards, blocking out all light, and also the fact the lights weren't on.
He vaguely felt that these might also be reted to that thing.
But he had only participated in one simution and couldn't sort out all the clues.
After thinking for a while, he sat up straight.
He couldn't wait until it was too te to act, to learn from his mistakes only after suffering the consequences – since the simutor had already given him the test paper for the future, he would strive to get a high score on this test.
Who wasn't a test-taking expert? (This is a bit of self-deprecating humor common in Chinese web novels, referring to the intense pressure of the education system).
Su Wu calmed himself and looked at the items appearing on the watch face.
They were all things from his future room, but that didn't mean that all the items in his future room were listed on the watch face.
Things like the notebook and the computer weren't on the watch face.
This showed that the items that could be brought out of the simuted world after each simution were completely random, or were selected according to some rule.
Su Wu skipped this option and said directly: "I want to start the next simution."
The electronic voice quickly responded: "Your wallet Yuan Jade bance is 3. Simuting your personal life consumes 1 Yuan Jade."
"Do you want to consume Yuan Jade to bring real-world items into the simution game?"
"No."
"Loading talent…"
"Loading into the game…"
Su Wu's eyes again saw a screen. On the screen, he was sitting at his desk, frowning at his empty palm.
Suddenly, his consciousness was sucked into the screen.
The electronic voice sounded: "Your future life has been successfully loaded!"
It was still a dark room where he couldn't see his own hand.
Su Wu moved his body a few times in the chair, then got up. He still walked along the edge of the desk to the position against the wall and pressed the light switch.
The room was illuminated.
He quickly gnced at the furnishings in the room.
The familiar arrangements, the walls covered with faint yellow streaks and greenish mold, the books covered in mold, and the window covered by wooden boards all came into view.
The crossed-out date on the calendar at the corner of the desk was still April 17th.
Who knew that this seemingly normal room might already be occupied by 'that thing'?
Staring at the light green floor tiles beneath his feet, Su Wu took a deep breath. Just as he was about to take a step, a strong smell of dead rat suddenly rushed into his nose!
That thing was coming!
His pupils contracted. He stood still, his eyes darting around and down.
Seeing the window sealed with wooden boards again, he had a new guess.
The way that thing appeared might not be limited to popping out from under his feet – this thought arose in an instant – as his eyes darted around, he saw the shadows cast by the light on him, the desks, chairs, and other furnishings. From these shadows, a rge amount of asphalt-like liquid gushed out. It converged towards Su Wu in an instant!
It completely enveloped Su Wu!
The 'asphalt' stuck to Su Wu's skin, bones, and blood, then stretched out in all directions –
An intense pain, one that his brain couldn't even process, came from all parts of his body!
Su Wu's head was stretched towards the ceiling by a piece of asphalt. He stared with bloodshot eyes, frantically mobilizing every ounce of strength. He finally managed to lower his head slightly –
He saw that his neck was torn!
His limbs were torn off!
His internal organs were pulled out, and his bloody intestines dragged on the ground!
"You are -- the shadow --"
On his face, distorted by pain, the corners of his mouth suddenly curled up, revealing a terrifying smile.
He understood everything.
'That thing' didn't emerge from the ground. It was the shadows cast everywhere by the parts blocked by the light!
No wonder his future self had made the room completely dark and sealed the window with wooden boards.
As long as he was completely immersed in darkness, it wouldn't appear!
Where did his future self get this information?
The thought fshed through Su Wu's mind like a stream of data, actually allowing him to block out the severe pain in his body.
Vaguely, he seemed to hear the electronic voice prompt: "You have comprehended the temporary talent: Pain Diversion (White)."
"Pain Diversion (White): You have the ability to shift your pain by distracting yourself."
Su Wu's vision went bck.
The electronic voice became clearer: "You died."
"Temporary talent: Pain Diversion (White) has disappeared."
"This simution has ended."
"Rating: D-
Commentary: It seems you have a little bit of brains, although it's still useless. At least you comprehended a temporary talent and got a taste of something new.
Reward: 1 Yuan Jade."
"The following items can be brought out of the simution game…"
The watch face appeared. On Option 0, there was a triangur symbol that looked like a badge. Su Wu checked its details.
'Talent - Pain Diversion (White). Consume 50 Yuan Jade to bring it out and make it your permanent talent.'
"Comprehending a temporary talent in the simution game allows you to bring it into reality and make it your permanent talent in this way?"
Su Wu scanned the watch face and once again skipped this option.
50 Yuan Jade, he couldn't afford it.
Even with the one Yuan Jade reward he had just received, he only had three Yuan Jade in his wallet.
"Exit the simutor."
Su Wu said in his mind.
As the thought settled, the darkness surrounding him disappeared without a trace.
The clean and bright walls of the room, without a trace of mold, appeared in his eyes. He turned his head to look at the bookcase, and the books in the bookcase were also not covered in mold.
This was reality.
But the future in the simutor was about to happen soon!
He opened his computer and quickly entered a question into various search engines: "How to prevent an object from casting a shadow under light?"
