Chereads / human sunset / Chapter 53 - Chapter 53: The Battle of Wits

Chapter 53 - Chapter 53: The Battle of Wits

If this world is fake, then what is real? What is the real world like for the true Zhang Chenyang?

He looked out the window. Facing the warm sunlight, the lush trees, and listening to the birds chirping, Zhang Chenyang felt that this world was incredibly beautiful. Everything was just as he had originally hoped, a perfect one-to-one replica.

Originally hoped for? Why would he use that phrase? Perhaps it was because Zhang Chenyang couldn't think of anything more he would want beyond this. Not long ago, he might have thought that it would be nice if his father could be with him. Now that this wish had come true, asking for more felt less like a hope and more like a luxury—a bit greedy, even. And he didn't like greedy people, even if that person was himself.

This is just right.

Not too much, not too little—just within the range that makes him feel comfortable.

Perhaps because of his calm demeanor, Zhang Chenyang didn't experience the sudden sleep that had happened before. But even if it did happen again, he wouldn't be afraid, as he had already made the necessary preparations.

That evening, Zhang Chenyang joyfully had dinner with his parents and discussed many future plans with his father, such as fulfilling the promises made before—visiting the Aerospace Museum was just one of them. They had many, many plans. His father had been away working for many years, missing out on much of the time he should have spent with them. Now they would plan to make up for it little by little.

His father listened quietly, occasionally nodding and responding. Xie Han also occasionally made jokes, making the atmosphere even more lively.

Everything was so warm and beautiful, just like a complete family should be.

It was late at night when Xie Han urged him to go to bed, and only then did Zhang Chenyang reluctantly return to his room. The moment he closed the door, his expression turned cold again. He quickly went over to check the notes he had hidden and found that they hadn't disappeared, and his memory hadn't changed this time.

Of course, the voice in his head didn't appear either.

Zhang Chenyang initially wanted to try communicating with the voice in his head, but after careful consideration, he realized that his memory might have been altered because of some unusual behavior that was detected. To be safe, he didn't talk to the air but instead meditated, trying to mentally signal the voice to reach out to him.

However, this time, no matter what he did, there was only silence.

Could it be that the entity had invaded his body and was then detected by the system, triggering a memory alteration?

Though he wasn't sure what had triggered the memory alteration, from the moment he suspected something, Zhang Chenyang had become much more cautious in all his actions and behavior.

He needed to remain calm, allowing this false reality to continue smoothly. Even though he had prepared for the worst, that was only a last resort. If possible, no one wants their memory to be casually altered. After all, each adjustment takes time to accept, and the more often it happens, the greater the chance of something going wrong.

To be honest, Zhang Chenyang didn't know what other "surprises" this false world might have in store for him, or if he could continue to hold on to his current resolve.

With various worries and concerns, Zhang Chenyang didn't sleep well that night. In his dreams, he saw many things he had never seen before.

Darkness, endless darkness.

The houses were still there, the streets were still there, everything he saw now seemed to be there… but they all existed in darkness.

Accompanying the darkness was a sense of coldness and dampness. The walls he touched were slimy, and even the air carried a discomforting chill.

Zhang Chenyang walked through the narrow alleyway, which was so cramped that only one person could pass through at a time. He saw a faint light at the end of the alley. Even though he knew it was an artificial light source, Zhang Chenyang couldn't help but want to get closer.

Would it feel warm? Zhang Chenyang knew clearly that it wouldn't; that light wouldn't make him feel warm, but he still couldn't help quickening his pace. Even if he couldn't escape the current cold and dampness, getting out of the darkness, even briefly, would be good.

Zhang Chenyang walked faster and faster, eventually stumbling into a run. He wanted to see what was glowing ahead.

However, the alley seemed to stretch endlessly. There was an insurmountable chasm between him and that light. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get closer. All he managed to do was exhaust himself.

"You can't catch it. It's just an illusion, a trick to toy with humans."

A girl's voice reached Zhang Chenyang's ears. He wanted to find the source of the voice, but the space was too narrow to turn around, and the towering buildings around him made it impossible to tell where the sound was coming from.

"Who are you? What's the deal with that light?" Zhang Chenyang shouted, but the other person remained silent after that one sentence, not making another sound.

The girl disappeared, as if erased from this world.

Zhang Chenyang stared at the illusory light in the distance, thinking about what the girl had said, and suddenly felt very tired.

He didn't want to chase it anymore. Maybe staying here, as uncomfortable as it was, was still okay?

Zhang Chenyang leaned against the wall and slowly crouched down, squeezing himself into the alleyway as tightly as possible, hugging himself as he felt the cold seep into every part of his body.

He felt like he was about to merge with the darkness. His body temperature was gradually dropping, and his breathing was slowing down…

Zhang Chenyang didn't want to move, knowing there was no way out. He understood that he was trapped here and that all his struggling was futile.

He didn't know how much time had passed, but just as Zhang Chenyang felt like he was about to lose his heartbeat, a mist suddenly appeared before him.

Yes, a mist. Logically, in such darkness, he shouldn't be able to see anything, but he could see this mist very clearly. It defied logic, yet he couldn't deny it.

"In a world of my creation, I am, of course, all-powerful."

"Is there anything else you desire? I can give it to you."

The first sentence seemed to be a response to Zhang Chenyang's doubts, and the second was a promise of fulfilling his dreams.

If Zhang Chenyang hadn't read the notes left by his "former self," he might have dismissed this as just an ordinary dream. He might even have made a wish, thinking that whatever he said in a dream wouldn't count anyway.

But now, things were different. Zhang Chenyang had a strong premonition that what was in front of him was the very thing mentioned in the notes—Fanglong.

He believed this wasn't Fanglong's true form, but as Fanglong had said, in a world of its creation, it could appear in any form it wished.

"It's beautiful," Zhang Chenyang replied, aware that Fanglong was waiting for his response. He didn't want to say anything at all, but doing so would seem too suspicious.

He still didn't fully understand the situation, but he had a feeling that he had lost some important memories. However, what exactly those memories were was something only his past self and Fanglong could know for sure.

"Beautiful?" The black mist paused for a moment before asking, "Do you like it here? This place you're standing on?"

Zhang Chenyang instinctively shook his head. He was practically freezing to death in this thin clothing—how could he possibly like it?

"Is this a world you created?" Zhang Chenyang asked.

To his surprise, Fanglong didn't directly answer his question. Instead, it seemed to have noticed something else and asked Zhang Chenyang a question of its own: "Aren't you afraid, seeing me?"

"What's there to be afraid of? Isn't this my dream?" Zhang Chenyang replied naturally. "In my dream, I'm the one in control. I have no reason to be afraid. Even you are just something I imagined—a wish-granting genie."

Fanglong seemed to like Zhang Chenyang's response. It then answered his previous question: "This is not a world I created. It's a place where some poor souls are clinging to life. I don't like it here, and I have no reason to create such a terrible place. I like beautiful things, just as you said."

Zhang Chenyang buried his head in his arms. His thoughts were sharp—he didn't believe for a second that Fanglong would bring him to a place that had nothing to do with him. If Fanglong had brought him here, there must be a reason.

"Have I been here before? Or will I come here again in the future?" Zhang Chenyang asked cautiously, shrinking his shoulders. "I really hate it here—I hate the cold and damp feeling. Even in a dream, it's painful."

In a daze, Zhang Chenyang thought he heard Fanglong chuckle. "As long as you don't want to, I won't bring you here again. I'll bring you beauty because… my child likes you very much."

"Your child?" Zhang Chenyang didn't understand. "Do genies have children?"

"He was an accident. You created him, but he's also the child I'm most proud of. He looks a lot like you—very much like you." When Fanglong spoke, it sounded full of affection. If it weren't for the misty figure standing in front of Zhang Chenyang, he might have thought it was just a normal person—a living, breathing person.

Though, what it was saying was incredibly hard to understand.

Its child was created by him, yet it was Fanglong's most beloved child, and this child looked just like him?

If the atmosphere wasn't so eerie, Zhang Chenyang would find it hard not to wonder what kind of family drama this was.

Zhang Chenyang asked himself—he was only in his teens, had never wronged anyone, and had never left any "seeds of life" behind. Even though he didn't know what his real self was like, Zhang Chenyang had faith in his character. He believed that, at any time, he would be a responsible and accountable person. A plot like this, which only appears in overdramatic soap operas, wouldn't happen to him.

What's more, he was now facing Fanglong, which sounded like a male, or maybe a machine.

Does such a reproductive method really exist?

Zhang Chenyang's thoughts were veering off course, and just as he was about to correct his thinking and try to extract more information, Fanglong suddenly said, "Do you really have no more wishes? Or is there anything you need help with? I may have to send you back now. Just like you said, you don't like it here, and staying too long is a torment for you."

So should I be grateful to you?

Zhang Chenyang almost let out a sarcastic remark, but he stopped himself just in time and instead asked a different question that he was curious to see how Fanglong would answer: "Why can't I remember anything about school? My classmates, my teachers… I only have vague impressions. I can't remember their names, and I can't picture what they look like."

This time, Fanglong didn't immediately respond. The silence was starkly different from the back-and-forth they had been having. Zhang Chenyang had never heard Fanglong be this quiet for so long; it was clearly considering how to answer.

A fake is still a fake. No matter how well it's disguised, there will always be flaws.

If he had never been suspicious from the start, Zhang Chenyang might not have thought about this. But once suspicion crept in, everything became questionable.

"Why did you suddenly think of this?" Fanglong asked cautiously. After a long silence, instead of answering Zhang Chenyang's question, it began probing why he had asked it.

"I was doing homework today and got stuck on a problem, so I thought about contacting a classmate to ask for the answer. But then my mind went blank—I couldn't remember a single classmate's name. Do I really not have any friends at school?" Zhang Chenyang's explanation was reasonable—this was something every student would experience. He even sounded a bit hurt at the end. "I don't think I'm that bad with people. How could I not make any friends?"

"You have friends. Maybe you just couldn't remember them at the moment," Fanglong comforted Zhang Chenyang, almost like a gentle teacher. "After a good night's sleep, you'll remember them by tomorrow morning."

Now, Zhang Chenyang was on high alert at the mention of sleep. When Fanglong said this, Zhang Chenyang knew it was likely planning to tamper with his memory again. Fanglong was probably preparing to personally patch up the previous flaws. By the time he woke up tomorrow, his mind would likely be filled with newly fabricated memories of school.

However, this didn't concern him as much as the possibility that Fanglong might alter his previous memories again.

"I love it here, really love it. All my memories are precious to me," Zhang Chenyang suddenly said. "I still remember how excited I was when my father told me he wasn't leaving anymore. I need to remember my classmates and friends so I can share my happiness with them."