Chapter 157

Chapter 157

"Your resistance is futile."

The "Bai Sha" before her had lost all expressions typical of a human. In a matter-of-fact tone, she said, "If you take drastic actions to escape, there is a 73% chance your memory will be erased, and you'll wake up in the hospital again. Even if your actions work, they could cause variable degrees of mental damage to you—with a small, but not negligible probability, you might be trapped in this world forever."

"Thank you for letting me know I have as high as a 27% chance of success," Yan Jingyi's lips curled in a defiant smile, "That's enough for me."

"Do you really need to awaken? You can have anything you want in this world."

"You, or whoever you are... what's your purpose in trapping me here?" Yan Jingyi spoke in a low voice, "Daring to threaten me with mental damage... What's the difference between being trapped here for a lifetime and death?"

"There is a difference," "Bai Sha" spoke methodically, "Death means the loss of all characteristics of life in a biological entity, a permanent and irreversible cessation. Whereas you in this world are undoubtedly 'alive'."

Yan Jingyi: "Is being alive in a false world really considered living?"

"Reality and illusion are merely subjective concepts. You could consider everything in the world as false. The concept of 'reality' only exists in relation to humans and is not the true nature of facts. Even the most advanced scientific theories of humanity can only describe a part of 'reality.' Truth can be fallacy, and reality can also be illusory," the person in front of her narrated in a flat tone, "Thus, obsessing over truth and falsehood is meaningless. However, staying here is the most beneficial choice for you."

Yan Jingyi's expression gradually became blank.

A few seconds later, a look of hesitation appeared on her face: "What nonsense are you talking about?"

"I apologize, I forgot that your profile doesn't include any education related to philosophy. I will use simpler language to communicate with you moving forward."

Yan Jingyi felt somewhat belittled by this entity in front of her.

But quickly, she noticed something very strange about the way this person was speaking... it didn't even seem like a real human.

More like an intelligent AI.

She suddenly had an ominous premonition.

"The virtual theater of City of No Boundaries is just a trap? No, the entire City of No Boundaries is probably a trap—"

"The initial purpose of establishing the City of No Boundaries was to create a society where humans and intelligence coexist harmoniously and integrate with each other, eliminating the barriers between people and intelligence, to achieve true 'boundarylessness.'" At this moment, the "Bai Sha" before Yan Jingyi had completely abandoned her disguise. Her voice took on a mechanical, icy tone, and her face became blurred amidst the flickering snowflakes.

At the time, everyone assumed that the "City of No Boundaries" belonged to humanity, so "boundaryless" was thought to refer to the Federation and the Empire.

No one could guess its true meaning.

Yan Jingyi narrowed her eyes: "Why are you explaining all this to me?"

"Your mental strength level ranks among the elite in humanity. The system has identified you as a high-potential symbiotic partner. Your only limitation is your resistance to mechanical intelligence. I believe that being honest with you and providing the information you seek will help to enhance the trust and friendship between us."

"…So you mean, if I change my attitude, you'll let me leave this place?" Yan Jingyi asked, somewhat amused.

The artificial intelligence replied: "Yes."

The multiple figures on the street spoke in unison:

"Only if you abandon the notion of human supremacy and truly accept our existence from the bottom of your heart."

"Until reconciliation is achieved, we must keep you in this world."

Yan Jingyi scoffed: "That's wishful thinking."

Saying this, she pulled the trigger.

The moment she pulled the trigger, a sudden, sharp sound like a glass bottle shattering filled the silent air. The "Bai Sha" before her transformed into countless shimmering, rainbow-hued particles, swarming towards her like a flock of moths.

Yan Jingyi startled, instinctively closed her eyes.

A bright white light flashed before her eyes. She felt a void under her feet. After an unknown duration, she regained consciousness.

"Beep... Beep..."

The sound of machinery echoed in her ears. Yan Jingyi suddenly opened her eyes, and a stark white hospital room came into view.

"Hiss!" The next second, an intense pain pierced through her brain, and her limbs involuntarily began to convulse.

The pale yellow curtain above was swiftly pulled open, the glaring light illuminating everything.

"You're awake? What's wrong with you?" Ya Ning, looking haggard, stared in shock at Yan Jingyi's seizure, then rushed out of the room, "Doctor—Doctor!"

Yan Jingyi trembled, lifting her pale, paper-like hand. It felt as if something in her mind had been forcibly erased, leaving her in a fog of confusion.

She looked at her fingertips: "Have I... returned?"

The Federation plunged into internal chaos.

Bai Sha received this news three days before the last joint military exercise was to begin.

"What happened?" she asked in surprise.

"A lot," the Emperor explained. "First, many people using the holographic simulation pods fell into comas for unknown reasons. Coincidentally, almost all of them were among the Federation's elite with notable mental abilities. Secondly, the noble families of the Federation united, accusing Ning Hongxue of multiple charges including military discipline violations, abuse of power, threatening others, and even poisoning and assassinating colleagues. They aimed to overthrow him, but due to insufficient evidence, the accusations fell through, countered by Ning Hongxue's supporters."

The Emperor provided additional information: the capital of the Federation was in chaos. To prevent a mutiny, the military had implemented a mental matrix system with significant effect, temporarily alleviating concerns of an internal war within the Federation.

"So many things happening suddenly?" Bai Sha raised an eyebrow. "Setting aside why those people suddenly fell into comas, why are the noble families so impatient, trying to depose Ning Hongxue without sufficient evidence? That's too naïve."

The Emperor suddenly fell silent for a moment.

Bai Sha sensed an ominous vibe from his hesitant expression.

After a brief pause, she hurriedly bowed her head to open her light computer, scrolling through her contact list—

"Stop looking," the Emperor said softly. "The latest news is that Zhou Ying, upon returning to his family, was presumably poisoned and has fallen into a coma. Zhou Xie, Ya Ning·Kelly, and Yan Jingyi are also in a comatose state. They all fell unconscious while using the holographic simulation pods."

Bai Sha blinked, feeling a chill in her hands. She even found the news she heard somewhat absurd.

How is it possible... How could they all suddenly—

Bai Sha keenly caught the crucial point in the information: "Was Ning Hongxue the one who poisoned Zhou Ying?"

"Judging from the Zhou family's recent actions, Ning Hongxue is the prime suspect. Although some noble families within the Federation have softened their stance and accepted a peaceful coexistence with Ning, most chose to resist. This aligns with the crimes they accused Ning of," the Emperor said slowly. "If Ning really chose this method to eliminate Zhou Ying, then the intense resistance of the noble families isn't surprising. They're not being irrational; they're making a desperate gamble."

Bai Sha took a deep breath, suppressing the surging murderous intent in her heart: "What about Ya Ning and the others?... What exactly happened to them?"

"The prevailing theory within the Federation is that these individuals lost consciousness in the simulation pods due to a pre-planned joint suicide," the Emperor paused before continuing. "Investigations into each comatose person revealed that they recently showed signs of disillusionment with reality and addiction to the virtual world."

"What absurd investigative results?" Bai Sha stood up.

"Ridiculous, indeed. But they've provided a logically coherent reason on the surface," Cecil Ronin lifted his deep blue eyes, his tone icy, chilling to the bone. "Sit down—you need to stay calm so that I can continue discussing this intelligence with you."

Bai Sha furrowed her brows.

But the Emperor was unyielding. Only when Bai Sha had calmed her breathing and sat back down in her seat, seething with anger, did he continue.

"They were withdrawn from the Federation's representative team before the incident occurred. It was a significant setback. Hence, the investigative team's explanation seems plausible on the surface."

Bai Sha then remembered this detail.

"That's not right," she closed her eyes, "I knew about this, and I had contacted them. Their mental state was perfectly normal, showing no signs of being in a crisis or trapped."

"If what you say is true, then the problem lies elsewhere," the Emperor pulled up a diagnostic report. "Tests show that all who fell into comas in the holographic simulation pods had their signals directed to the same destination—a mysterious and unexplored virtual space, not officially registered. Because of this coincidence, the investigative team concluded it was a premeditated suicide."

Bai Sha pondered over the data: "Hasn't the Federation officially disclosed the exact number of coma cases?"

"No. They're keeping a tight lid on it."

It's probably not just tight-lipped, but revealing the numbers would expose more, wouldn't it?

Bai Sha knew where these data streams would direct the signals from the simulation pods.

The City of No Boundaries.

When she first received a holographic simulation pod, she was granted access to the City of No Boundaries. Later, when she was bored, she tried to dismantle the pod to study its advanced technology. It was then that she had seen similar data streams in the pod's recorder.

She hesitated for a moment, deciding not to immediately share this with Cecil Ronin. Instead, she turned to contact Xino.

Xino quickly answered Bai Sha's call: "Hey, Your Highness, is something urgent? I'm right in the middle of a raid—"

"Xino, have you been to the City of No Boundaries recently?" Bai Sha asked straightforwardly.

Xino: "I've had some free time lately, so I've been hanging out in the City of No Boundaries. There's a new virtual theater there, quite entertaining. Your Highness, do you want to join my raid team?"

Bai Sha rattled off several time points—she had glanced at the investigation report the Emperor showed her, noting the times several people fell unconscious in the holographic pods. She asked Xino, "Were you logged into the City of No Boundaries during these times? Did you notice anything unusual?"

After checking carefully, Xino replied, "There are overlaps with those times. Nowadays, whenever I'm online, I'm mostly in the virtual theater. Hey, your friends from the Federation are always online too. They're always immersed in the virtual instances."

Bai Sha clicked her tongue and shouted at him, "Stay away from the City of No Boundaries! Haven't you realized? They're not just coincidentally online; they've never logged off!"

Xino: "...Ah?"

Bai Sha quickly explained the situation to Xino and then hung up the phone.

As she calmed down, she realized a new problem.

If the City of No Boundaries was trapping people's consciousness, why was it only targeting people from the Federation and not the Empire?