"Hm, so this is it? The place that the system holders get sent to? It doesn't look much different from an old office building... Am I in a storage closet or an unused office?"
Zhang Dong had just stepped through a large mirror, which was supposed to be a back entrance to the destination where cultivators ascended. The moment he passed through it, he felt the pulling at his soul had vanished, and he was truly in a higher realm that wasn't trying to reject him anymore.
His arrival here was met with silence, and after remaining in the room for a few minutes, it didn't seem like he had triggered any alarms. The mirror was just an advanced portal that quickly extinguished after he passed through it. He was now in uncharted territory, not found on the planet where he had previously lived. Perhaps soon he would be able to discover why these fake realms were created and what happened to people who completed their scenarios.
"Thanks to Bob, they should still think that a system holder is alive in that realm, but this place…"
One thing became clear almost instantly: the rules that governed this place were a bit different than what he was accustomed to. The laws he was familiar with were slightly altered, and time flowed in a strange way. It felt like sometimes it would move faster, then stop, and even revert back. Some strange forces were at play here, but luckily, the room he found himself in was nothing special.
The only thing that really worried him was the passage of time. It was possible that time was moving faster in the world he left behind, and when he tried to return, everything he had left behind would be gone. This was a fact he had come to terms with and had also informed his wife about. It wouldn't be strange if he never saw anyone he knew ever again, but he had made the decision to discover the truth behind his adventure and perhaps, through it, find a way to prolong the lives of his loved ones.
It was unnatural for them not to be able to ascend. If he could lift that barrier and change the laws that governed that realm, then perhaps they could reach higher realms, just like he was able to. If that was not possible, then maybe he could find a place to transfer them to, or even move them into the small universe that had been established within his very soul. He had become something close to an immortal being, so as long as he lived, so would they.
However, a significant amount of time would need to pass before any living being could move into the realm that was being created within his body. It was a slowly growing cosmos devoid of any life and would probably grow with him. One way to hasten the process would be to reach another higher cultivation realm, but at this point, he wasn't even sure if that would be possible.
'I shouldn't be getting ahead of myself, first I have to get more information…'
It didn't seem that anyone had visited this room in a while, which made it a good hiding place to take note of. There was a single lightbulb that could be turned on by pulling on the string attached to it, but for now, he left it be. Turning on the light could potentially give away his position, and thanks to his Dao's abilities, seeing inside dark places wasn't at all difficult.
There was a lone door at the other end, directly opposite to the mirror that he had used. Some light was shining through that door on the bottom and when he listened in he could hear some type of noise akin to clicking and tapping.
'Could I be in some arcade or internet cafe?'
While he couldn't hear any chatter, there were distinct clicks that sounded like people typing. He moved forward cautiously, and before stepping through the door, he also noticed something to the sides. There were other mirrors similar to the one he had stepped through. All of them were covered by cloth, and some were lying on the floor.
'Do all of these lead to other worlds? Some of them are broken…'
He mumbled to himself while examining the mirrors that weren't showing anything but his reflection. Even if they worked the same way as the one he had stepped through, they seemed to only activate from the other side. His own way back was still available, thanks to Bob taking over the Overseer. Their connection was still working through the system, which didn't seem to have been affected by the change of scenery.
"Whoever made this clearly doesn't care about these worlds…"
This revelation was a good one, as it meant that whoever he was facing didn't care enough about the intrusion. Underestimating one's capabilities often made it easier to confront others. However, upon examining the broken mirrors, concern crept in. The material from which these items were made was of immortal grade. The destruction of these mirrors suggested that the worlds they connected to might no longer exist. It was possible that all the mirrors in the room had been abandoned to some extent.
He moved cautiously toward the door from which light shone through the bottom. Uncertainty loomed, and he wasn't sure what to expect. His adventure could be short-lived, so he remained cautious. In the distance, he could hear something and sense the presence of strange beings. They were indeed peculiar; he couldn't accurately identify their power or cultivation level.
Encounters like this often occurred when a cultivator was weaker than the target they were trying to identify. His system wasn't providing him with any reliable readings either. Even though it was still operational, the numbers it displayed were corrupted. It was evident that the system hadn't been designed with this place in mind or that it had some form of programming preventing it from identifying the items he was looking at.
"Think this is a job for you Bahamut, come out."
Before him, a wisp of golden light materialized and transformed into a miniature version of his trusted dragon companion. Bahamuth's power had increased alongside his, and he had gained additional abilities, one of which allowed him to shrink to the size of a fly. Bahamut and Zhang Dong shared a profound connection with each other. They could both share their vision, and at this moment, he needed Bahamut to peer beyond the door before he opened it.
"Go and be careful."
The tiny dragon-fly squeezed through the crack under the door to venture outside, while Zhang Dong patiently waited. His mind remained connected to the diminutive Bahamut, who was greeted by a white corridor beyond. Just as he expected, it looked like they were in some kind of office building. As Bahamut continued to fly further, he even came across a copy machine that appeared to have been unused for a while.
'It looks like it's a real office building but it doesn't look like most of these rooms are being used by anyone?'
Finally, after a moment, they discovered living beings - or at least people who resembled them. There was something peculiar about these individuals; they all had identical appearances and were dressed in business attire. Each had the same face and wore matching glasses to complement their inexpensive work suits. Bahamut remained attached to the ceiling, observing as a few of them passed through the outside corridor.
'They don't seem to possess the capabilities to discover me at least… an expert would have probably noticed Bahamut by now.'
Initially, he thought that they might be patrolling the building, but he soon realized that these beings were more akin to the Overseer puppet he had taken over than actual living people. They moved like robots, devoid of conversation, and their behavior was peculiar. It was as if they had been programmed to act as if they were busy at work but were not actually engaged in anything meaningful. Additionally, they completely ignored one another, which gave him an idea of how to proceed.
'I guess it's now or never…'
He remained concealed in a single room for an entire day, observing the movement patterns of these office workers. It became evident that one of them consistently passed by the room he occupied every hour, almost like clockwork. This led him to suspect that they were following a peculiar pattern. Thanks to their predictable movements, he executed his next plan with ease.
With Bahamut stationed outside, he knew exactly when to strike. The door was unlocked and easy to open. In less than a second, he executed his attack by swiftly seizing one of the men and pulling him into a room filled with mirrors. After the initial contact, he became confident in his victory, as this individual proved to be significantly weaker than the Overseer he had confronted earlier. Subduing him with just a fraction of his true Qi proved quite straightforward.
He managed to instantaneously immobilize the puppet, reverting it to its original automaton form. The human-like facade dissolved, revealing a crude wooden doll resembling a crash test dummy, with a long wooden nose in place of a face.
"They appear relatively weak, but I mustn't underestimate them. There might be some defenses against intruders, and this individual could be just a worker."
Swiftly, he assumed the appearance of the puppet, transforming into a typical salaryman with slick hair and glasses. With this disguise, he aimed to move through the area unnoticed. He finally decided to step through the door, joining Bahamut outside. Despite his best efforts, a lingering chill ran down his spine.
The surroundings seemed ordinary, but he knew it was all an illusion. Multiple rooms, each filled with mirrors like the one he had entered, were spread throughout. In one room, the damage to the mirrors appeared particularly severe, with broken shards strewn about. He cautiously navigated the corridors, attempting to blend in. Thankfully, the other puppets he passed paid him no attention; his disguise had been successful.
"Good, everything is clear... now I need to head toward the source of all that noise. I might find some answers there."