Duosheng Danyuan

I turned on my computer, confirmed the network connection was successful, placed the alarm clock beside me, and made sure the time on the clock matched the time displayed in the lower right corner of the computer. Then, I opened my browser and immediately started searching.

As Zeng Yixi once said, no matter how meticulous, dramatic, or brilliant the reasoning is, if it lacks crucial evidence as the fulcrum of a skyscraper, it is just a story told over tea.

If I can't verify the credibility of the information I find through searching, what's the point of finding more information?

Therefore, the first thing I did after opening my browser was to immediately open the school's official website after connecting to the campus network.

Although I only attended an adult college, in this era of highly developed, even excessive, internet efficiency, almost anything can have a website address and forum. Due to work requirements, I frequently browse the campus forums to collect information on recent events or look for signs of potential incidents.

In other words, I know this school's campus forum inside and out. Only if the information on it matches my memory can I begin to trust the more important information I'm about to consult.

With practiced ease and eagerness, I began quickly browsing the website I used to spend ten minutes or so every morning and evening. Soon, lines of messages and news began flashing before my eyes.

A group of stray cats on campus have gone missing; the school beauty has dumped her boyfriend of ten years, a man from humble beginnings; the school heartthrob has publicly expressed his love for the counselor; more than ten students have been caught cheating on exams, and some will be severely punished, with the most serious offenders facing expulsion...

After quickly browsing through these old stories that were exactly like those in my memory, I started reading the comments under the posts. As a campus forum, traffic data doesn't change quickly; many trending news posts only have a few hundred or a thousand comments, and most of them will be ignored after three to five days.

After carefully checking the comments under these posts, I reluctantly changed the post browsing order from popularity to time.

If the reality simulated in the Quiet Lodge is continuous in time, then according to what my three roommates told me yesterday morning, it has been exactly sixteen days since I was hospitalized due to my injury.

Sixteen days is a significant period, especially in the information age. The news headlines that emerge during this sixteen-day gap are the key issues I'm really going to carefully examine when I turn on my computer this time.

With these feelings in mind, I nervously began to browse through the newly appeared posts one by one.

I don't know how to accept this fact. I'm both happy and unhappy. In the past sixteen days, none of the new posts on the campus forum have been fake or outrageous.

Just like the ray of sunlight that woke me up yesterday morning, even though I inherently believe these posts are fabricated information generated by Jingxilu, I still think Jingxilu did a perfect job.

Some of the posts that appeared over these sixteen days were connected to and echoed previous posts, while others were new complaints that arose out of nowhere. Most importantly, the posts that I focused on and was responsible for following up on were all progressing perfectly in the direction I had initially set.

Of course, if the appearance of these posts were as smooth as my wishes coming true, I could directly question the authenticity of the information on the website. The key point is that these posts are practically perfect... They cover all sorts of minor accidents and illogical elements that would only happen in reality. Their existence doesn't seem to be driven by my will—in other words, this isn't a dream as I wished at all; it's truly like reality evolving over time according to objective laws.

"Oh no, I'm starting to doubt my own existence at the Shengdan Academy... *slap!*" I slapped my cheeks hard with both hands, sweeping away the distracting thoughts that were beginning to form in my mind about accepting this world, and continued to carefully examine the authenticity of the information.

Unfortunately, with a touch of despair, I only received one answer—everything in this illusion was completely identical to reality. At least, I couldn't see any clue that this world wasn't real, except for the alarm clock still ticking softly beside my hand.

It's absurd to seek all evidence of a false proposition from the false proposition itself if it needs to be falsified. The only way I can falsify the authenticity of information in this illusory world is to compare my subjective thoughts with this objective illusory world, attempting to falsify the proposition through any possible deviations.

However, when my subjective thoughts begin to correspond completely with the world, my subjective thoughts also become part of this proposition, and naturally can no longer be used to disprove this proposition.

"Fine!" I muttered, giving up on discerning the reality of this illusory world. Further contemplation would only be a pointless exercise in layering things.

Believe or not believe, it's that simple. And right now, I don't have the option to choose not to believe.

Having figured this out, I began my formal information search.

The second step after opening the browser was logging into my underground accounts. These accounts were supposed to be logged into using a partner's military-standard computer to ensure everything went smoothly, but I couldn't care less at the moment. In this ghostly place where the living room of the Retreat House or a dreamlike simulation of reality were right outside my door, I couldn't possibly strive for perfection in everything.

Besides, this is just a simulation of reality. So what if I'm found out in this world?

However, even though I logged into my underground account with such a self-destructive attitude, I still instinctively turned off the campus network and local router when connecting to the website, cutting off the local cyber police's monitoring of the computer's IP signal.

Then, I connected my phone to the chairman's computer with a data cable, and after about five or six minutes, I successfully entered the underground forum through the backup channel.

This forum is a virtual space, shunned by domestic internet police. It's a decent place to have basic conversations with people you can't easily meet in person. However, since the police can also buy access to such forums, there's naturally not much information related to organized crime, pornography, drugs, or gambling. The few pieces of information that occasionally surface about crime usually disappear quickly, either due to unsubstantiated rumors, short-lived developments, or police raids.

This forum is essentially no different from QQ or WeChat; it's just a chat website used by gangsters for their daily lives.

Although I've only been at Shengdan Academy for two days, it feels like I've been away from this forum for ages. As soon as I logged back in, I immediately contacted the brothers from the same faction on this forum.

——The following is the chat log——

Ruoshui (Gu Changfeng): Are you there?

Fifteen seconds later

I sell betel nuts in another world (friend from the gang): Yes.

Ruoshui: What are you doing?

I sell betel nuts in another world: Time to get some fresh air. Nothing to do, so I came out with my boss for some fresh air and also helped him look after the police.

Ruoshui: Your boss isn't swiping again, is he?

I'm selling betel nuts in another world: What the hell?! What kind of ladle is that?! I advise you to watch your mouth, my boss is studying Chinese, okay? You can say that online, but please don't say it to me in real life, okay? I'm afraid your blood will splatter in my eyes!

Ruoshui: Haha.

Silence for about fifteen seconds

Ruoshui: You're really free. Why don't you just let the new guy handle this? The boss is having fun inside, don't you want to join in?

Selling betel nuts in another world: What the heck? This is great! Two hundred dollars, just the time it takes to smoke a pack of cigarettes outside a hotel. Wouldn't it be stupid not to make money? Besides, I love Lili very much right now, okay? Please respect my efforts to maintain my chastity.

Weak Water: ......

Silence for about half a minute

I Sell Betel Nuts in Another World: I Heard You Were Discharged from the Hospital?

Ruoshui: Hmm.

I Sell Betel Nuts in Another World: Wow, that was fast! When you were first hospitalized, a few days ago, when we went to visit you, we almost thought a pharaoh mummy had been unearthed from some pyramid.

Ruoshui: Can you wait until I'm really dead before you tell such a ridiculous joke?

I sell betel nuts in another world: Hehe.

Ruoshui: Has anything new happened lately?

Silence for about three minutes

I sell betel nuts in another world: Yes, but don't ask.

Ruoshui: Why?

I Sell Betel Nuts in Another World: Recently, the gang lost some money, coinciding with the time you lost contact with them. Although these two things are currently unrelated, Boss Chen has already started using your hospitalization as leverage to make trouble for you.

Ruoshui: In other words, I'm being suspected?

I'm selling betel nuts in another world: There's no need to be suspicious; anyone with eyes can see that Boss Chen is just venting his emotions. However, you know how it is—gangsters aren't afraid of coincidences, they're afraid of coincidences piling up.

Ruoshui: Understood. How's the batch of goods from half a month ago? Are there any problems?

I'm selling betel nuts in another world: No problem, I've received the final payment.

Ruoshui: That's fine then.

Selling betel nuts in another world: That won't work either, it's just a small business with a six-figure income. This matter was originally assigned to you, but then you went to the hospital, and news about this new batch of goods disappeared.

Ruoshui: Just look again.

Silence for about half a minute

Ruoshui: Boss Chen is pinning this on me too?

I sell betel nuts in another world: ...um

Ruoshui: Hehe...

Silence for about fifteen seconds

I Sell Betel Nuts in Another World: When are you going back to the gang? The school is a sensitive area; it's not convenient for the boss's men to go in and meet you.

Ruoshui: I can't go back now.

I'm selling betel nuts in another world: Why?

Ruoshui: Working on my graduation project.

I sell betel nuts in another world: ...

I'm offline now, selling betel nuts in another world.

——Divider——

After chatting with my friends from the gang, I only felt more melancholy. This tingling feeling of being repeatedly rubbed by the stench of reality while in a dream world was so real that it sent chills down my spine.

However, my current problems are much more serious, and I have no time to deal with the gangster chase scenario that might occur in a future simulation of a fantasy world.

So, after browsing through some of the new posts that had appeared on the underground forum over the past sixteen days, I logged off the website, used the USB drive program I was carrying to scan out that part of the system logs, and started searching for other information online again.

Information concerning strange tales about rules, the Shengdan Academy, and some cultivation practices.