Chapter 90 Jing Yuan

Chapter 90: Mirror Abyss

Wang Fu's so-called scientific research provided no help whatsoever.

After all, he wasn’t actually conducting research—he was just pushing boundaries at a mental institution.

Lin Jianyuan certainly wouldn't stoop to reporting him to the Administration.

So, when Shi Shaoning inquired, Lin Jianyuan simply replied, "It didn't help."

Shi Shaoning nodded. "Figured."

The Administration headquarters was also pursuing similar projects, though theirs leaned more toward basic theoretical research.

Lin Jianyuan visited the research department, providing blood and tissue samples and completing countless questionnaires. With nothing left to do, he could only await the department's findings.

And so.

In the deepest part of the inverted spire.

The S-class cell block.

Lin Jianyuan returned here alone once again.

His roommate had offered to accompany him, but Lin Jianyuan declined.

Delirium’s corrupting influence was too potent now—even his roommate would be affected.

Not to mention those WFH morale boosters.

If Lin Jianyuan wished to see Delirium, he truly had to go alone, and without any gadgets on him. It was simply too dangerous.

Lin Jianyuan promised his roommate that at the slightest sign of trouble, he would immediately flee and summon him, vowing never to take any reckless actions again.

Only then did his roommate reluctantly agree.

Rumbling—

The massive, reinforced concrete door groaned open.

The familiar, overpowering floral scent rushed out. But this time, Lin Jianyuan didn’t feel lightheaded.

He was wearing a specially made gas mask.

Normally, visitors were forbidden from wearing protective gear, as full saturation in the floral scent was considered a means of preventing mental contamination.

But for Lin Jianyuan, it was an exception.

Come to think of it, if they were to conduct research using unorthodox methods, they could always bring in a few heavily medicated patients from a mental institution and expose them to Delirium’s contamination…

But that would be too inhumane. The Administration definitely couldn’t do that.

The perfumed pool remained covered by heavy reinforced concrete.

Through the thick gray pool cover, no sound could be heard from below.

It was like being buried alive.

Lin Jianyuan couldn’t help but think.

Delirium, trapped beneath, was like being buried alive by the weight of reality.

Lin Jianyuan operated the controls to open the pool cover.

Amidst the rumbling, the concrete cover slowly receded.

Revealing the massive, pale green perfumed pool.

And floating in the center of the water was a body…

Huh??!!!!

Floating?!!!!

Lin Jianyuan panicked, nearly jumping into the pool to investigate.

He stepped onto the observation platform, straining his neck to see.

And still, his eyes widened in shock.

"Delirium?" Lin Jianyuan’s incredulous voice echoed through the massive containment chamber, "Delirium? Are you dead???"

The male body floating on the water showed no reaction.

Lin Jianyuan: "…"

Just great.

This idiot always managed to surprise him.

Lin Jianyuan looked around, hoping to find a bamboo pole to poke him with.

But there was none.

…Makes sense. This was an S-class cell block—how could there be anything like a bamboo pole?

The only thing usable was the observation platform by the pool, which was over a meter tall.

Lin Jianyuan could only stand on the observation platform, squinting to carefully examine the body in the center of the water.

…Not moving at all.

Neither the loud rumbling from opening the pool cover nor Lin Jianyuan’s calls elicited any reaction from Delirium.

It really seemed like he was dead.

Come to think of it, was he ever really "alive" to begin with?

For a moment, Lin Jianyuan felt a terrifying sense that Delirium had truly been "buried alive."

"Delirium." Lin Jianyuan frowned, and for some reason, an idea crossed his mind. "Come." Lin Jianyuan said, "Come to me."

Delirium: "…"

Delirium didn’t move.

He was still floating in the water like a corpse.

Lin Jianyuan: "..."

Alright.

Though he's full of himself, apparently he's not that full of himself after all.

Lin Jianyuan scratched his head embarrassedly.

Looks like he won't be getting any more useful clues from Delirium today.

He turned to leave.

But an indescribable feeling welled up inside him.

Lin Jianyuan turned back and shot a glance toward the center of the pool.

Delirium was floating on his back in the middle of the pool.

He was more like a piece of wood than a corpse. Or a stone. Some kind of white stone used for sculptures.

Something inorganic, anyway.

When Delirium had been splashing around earlier, it seemed creepy.

He had a weird vibe, somewhere between inorganic and living.

But now... you could practically call him "it."

As if...

As if he had completed some kind of mission, some kind of... purpose?

After fulfilling his purpose, he just went with the flow.

"...Hey."

Lin Jianyuan frowned and couldn't help but call out.

His annoyed tone echoed through the empty pool.

Lin Jianyuan didn't even know why, but he felt annoyed, inexplicably annoyed.

It was hard to describe exactly what this feeling was. Frustration, oppression, powerlessness, a lack of hope for the future...

Right.

No hope for the future.

Delirium's eyes were open. His eyelids weren't covering them, so his gaze was fixed directly on the ceiling.

But his silent stare at the ceiling made him look even deader.

It was worse than when he had been running around like an idiot.

Back then, his eyes had been wandering, empty and confused, but at least he had been searching.

And now?

He found what he was looking for.

And then he died?

What the hell.

A surge of intense irritation suddenly welled in Lin Jianyuan's heart. He took a step forward and roared into the pool:

"Get the fuck up!"

"Stop pretending to be dead! Dammit!"

"Weren't you always looking for me? What the hell's the point—you die as soon as you find me?"

"Did you finish your job before you died?! What the hell was your mission? Why the fuck were you even looking for me?!"

The calm water surface rippled with each of his furious shouts.

Lin Jianyuan clenched his fists, almost feeling the urge to jump in, drag him out, and beat the crap out of him.

But he couldn't. He had promised Xie Yu not to act recklessly when alone here.

Lin Jianyuan took a deep breath, threw his head back, closed his eyes, and tried to control his inexplicably raging emotions.

There was no waking him up.

Forget it.

That's enough. Let him be.

Lin Jianyuan shot one last glare at the pale male corpse floating on the water.

Then he turned and left the chamber.

Rumble—

The pool cover closed from both sides toward the center.

Rumble—

The heavy, thick reinforced concrete door also slowly shut once again.

As if burying everything.

As if burying life itself under the weight of reality.

Everything returned to silence.

But everything should have returned to silence.

However.

"Plink."

A faint sound of water.

Light ripples expanded.

"Plink."

Another faint drip of water.

Ripples spread outward in gentle rings.

Rippled softly under the pressure of reinforced concrete.

The deepest part of the inverted spire, the very first cell.

Shielded and entombed under layers of reinforced concrete.

The pale form floating on the water suddenly twitched a finger.

"Drip."

Ripple after ripple rippled silently beneath the grayish-white pool cover.

Delirium still lay floating on the water's surface.

Above him was still the ton-heavy gray concrete ceiling.

A droplet of water, however, suddenly fell into his eye.

"Drip."

...

Leaving Delirium's Cell 1, Lin Jianyuan passed by Cells 2 and 3.

Inside were "Regret" and "Hesitation," respectively.

"Regret" was an old friend, but he hadn't met "Hesitation" yet.

As Lin Jianyuan passed by Cell 3, he couldn't help but steal a glance inside.

From the outside, Cell 3 looked identical to Delirium's Cell 1: standard reinforced concrete door, thick, heavy, blocking all sight and sound.

Without going inside, there was no way to know what was happening.

Lin Jianyuan wasn't in the mood to explore right now.

Seeing Delirium like that had put him in a particularly foul mood. He urgently needed to return to his partner's side to absorb some positive energy.

Lin Jianyuan hurried back to the top floor of the inverted spire at the fastest speed. His roommate greeted him as soon as they saw him.

"Are you okay?" Several lengths of intestine reached out, gently touching and caressing his entire body.

The roommate asked, "Are you okay? Is there anywhere you feel unwell?"

Lin Jianyuan was like: "~~~"

Roommate: "Don't just smile. Solve a calculus problem to prove you're still lucid."

Lin Jianyuan: "???"

Grinning → not grinning.

Wait, since when did you learn to judge lucidity through calculus problems?!

"I'm an academic failure—even at my peak, I couldn't solve calculus problems!" Lin Jianyuan said despairingly.

The roommate chuckled, leaned in to kiss him, and said, "You pass. I knew you'd say that~"

If Lin Jianyuan had actually taken the problem and started doing calculus, that would've been a sign he wasn't in his right mind.

Lin Jianyuan: "?"

Still Lin Jianyuan: "~~"

Woo-hoo, as expected of my partner!

You really know me so well, darling!

As the two chatted and laughed, they were about to head to the cafeteria when another frantic cry sounded behind them.

"Lin Jianyuan! Lin Jianyuan!"

It was the squeeze toy's voice.

Lin Jianyuan turned around and only then remembered that he had left the little toys at the toy check-in spot at the entrance of the inverted spire.

Lin Jianyuan coughed awkwardly and hurried back to retrieve them.

Little Stone: "It's okay, it's okay if you forgot to pick me up. I can take the bus home by myself QAQ"

Maw of the Abyss: "There's a bus here?"

Angel Eyeball: "I can fly."

Maw of the Abyss: "Then I'll hitch a ride on your wings. Senior Stone can take the bus. What about LEGO? Shy LEGO probably wouldn't dare to take the bus. Want to ride in my mouth?"

Little Stone: "?"

Shy LEGO: (shivering)

"Squeezy, why aren't you saying anything?" Lin Jianyuan tucked the little toys back into his pocket. All the other little toys had spoken, only the squeeze toy remained silent.

The squeeze toy hid in the deepest part of his pocket; it took Lin Jianyuan a while to find it.

He casually gave its soft, bouncy DUANG DUANG antennae a squeeze.

The squeeze toy still didn't speak.

Lin Jianyuan raised an eyebrow: "What? Giving me the silent treatment?"

Squeeze Toy: "."

Lin Jianyuan: "If you keep ignoring me, I won't coax you."

The roommate shot a look at him.

Lin Jianyuan quickly mouthed: Coaxing the little ones.

The roommate didn't say anything, just smiled knowingly.

"You, you..." Under Lin Jianyuan's teasing, the squeeze toy finally spoke, its tone frustrated and hurt, "How could you do this!"

Lin Jianyuan, puzzled: "Do what? Oh, you mean leaving you behind just now? Well, I was, ahem, in a hurry to eat..."

And also in a hurry to find a quiet, secluded place for the roommate to properly have their "meal."

"This isn't the first time!!!" The squeeze toy's frustration peaked. "So many times! You've been leaving us at home and going out alone a lot recently!"

Lin Jianyuan: "."

It was true.

Ever since they moved into the new rental, the little toys slept in the nursery at night, so Lin Jianyuan often forgot to take them with him when he went out in the morning.

"If I forget, I forget," Lin Jianyuan said. "Just think of it as a day off. Do you really like 'working' that much?"

The squeeze toy: "What if you get into danger when we're not with you!"

Lin Jianyuan scratched his head. "I have my wife."

The squeeze toy: "What if he's busy at that time? Just like last time with Regret!"

Lin Jianyuan was even more puzzled. "But last time with Regret, you guys didn’t help either, did you?"

The squeeze toy: "."

It was speechless.

True.

Thinking back carefully about their experiences so far, for A-class and lower-level heretics, Lin Jianyuan just went straight in with physical attacks and punched them to pieces.

As for those above A-class... the A-class little toys were no match for them anyway.

Not only could they not fight, but even getting close to an S-class would subject them to mental pollution.

At best, they served as a background noise of nonsensical chatter during Lin Jianyuan’s solo battles.

"Better to bring them along," his roommate said gently, shaking his hand.

Lin Jianyuan thought his roommate was going to say "just in case," but the next sentence was:

"If anything really happens to you, I’ll definitely take my anger out and go crazy. I might just end up killing all of them."

A very anti-heretic statement delivered in the softest tone.

Lin Jianyuan: "."

All the little toys collectively: "."

The squeeze toy said despairingly, "I knew it..."

It always knew Evil Domain was like this!!!

...Anyway, for the safety of the little toys and for world peace,

Lin Jianyuan decided to check every time before going out to make sure he had all the little toys with him.

In the afternoon, Lin Jianyuan had an appointment with a real estate agent to view a new property at XX Estate.

Lin Jianyuan and his roommate were currently renting. On one hand, they didn’t have enough savings to buy a house outright yet; on the other hand, he still wanted to take his time choosing.

Previously, when viewing properties, Lin Jianyuan had always brought his roommate along.

But after a few times, he noticed that his roommate seemed less than enthusiastic.

Makes sense.

After all, his roommate wasn’t human and definitely didn’t have the same obsession with "buying a house."

If it weren’t for being with Lin Jianyuan, he wouldn’t even have a need for "housing" at all.

He could just wander around and eat wherever he ended up.

With just one mouth to feed, the whole family would have nothing to worry about.

The thought of his roommate’s name eventually appearing on a property deed amused Lin Jianyuan.

His roommate would definitely be the first heretic to own property in human society!

Because he was also definitely the first and only heretic to have an ID card! Hahahaha.

Anyway, Lin Jianyuan went to view the property alone today.

He could just video call his roommate to show him the model apartment.

As for other aspects like location, greenery, supporting facilities, delivery standards, and all that miscellaneous stuff—Lin Jianyuan could handle researching those. No need to bother his wife with it.

The property he was viewing today was a very high-end estate. The greenery was impeccable, and the supporting facilities were also quite good.

The entire sales office was dazzlingly luxurious, like a massive high-end club.

On the way to the model apartment, they passed a swimming pool and some fitness facilities. There was even a dedicated luxury dining private room for entertaining.

The salesperson explained that once the estate was fully sold, this sales office would be retained as a leisure facility, exclusively for the use of internal residents to enjoy the luxury.

Wow, it really was a private club.

Lin Jianyuan, as a bit of a nouveau riche, was getting excited.

But he tried his best to act like he’d seen it all before and said calmly, "Hmm."

Accompanied and guided by three salespeople and one agent, Lin Jianyuan walked into the dazzlingly reflective elevator like a CEO.

The elevator doors closed.

At that very moment, by the staircase next to the elevator.

Salesperson A hurried down the steps, looking anxious, and asked, "Found him?"

Salesperson B: "No. Not upstairs either?"

A shook his head. Then asked: "What about the underground garage? None of the model apartments either?"

B: "No... we’ve checked the surveillance too. Mr. Lu never even left the sales office!"

Meanwhile, by the swimming pool.

"The restroom is right here, ma'am," the female salesperson said politely, leading Liu Jiajia to the door of the women’s restroom before leaving with a smile.

Liu Jiajia walked into the restroom and casually placed her half-finished milk tea cup on the sink.

She was about to continue forward when her eyes suddenly caught her reflection in the mirror.

Huh?

Liu Jiajia turned around and couldn't help but steal a few extra glances at herself in the mirror.

Why am I so pretty today?

The thought flashed through her mind.

Is it the lighting? Or is the mirror slimming?

Liu Jiajia looked up at the lights above the mirror and curiously stepped closer, wanting to get a better look at her face.

God, so pretty.

She was stunning even herself.

She studied her reflection for ages, unable to figure out why she looked so damn beautiful today.

Her makeup was the same as usual, her outfit was casual, and even her hair was just a quick ponytail she’d thrown together before leaving.

But still… she looked gorgeous.

I look so good today!

Liu Jiajia’s lips curled into a smile as she automatically reached for her phone to take a selfie with the mirror.

The sales office was designed luxuriously—even the bathroom mirror was one-of-a-kind.

Three mirrors were assembled at special angles, each reflecting the others, creating endless copies of herself.

Combined with the perfect lighting and the low-key luxe vibe in the background,

It looked so Instagrammable!

Liu Jiajia couldn’t resist firing off a few selfies with the mirror.

But for some reason, no matter how she adjusted the angle or even cranked the beauty filter to max, the photos on her phone never came out as flattering as the mirror.

Frowning, Liu Jiajia kept at it forever but still couldn’t capture a photo as beautiful as the reflection she saw.

As someone who always pursued the perfect pic, how could Liu Jiajia just quit!

She wondered if it was a wide-angle distortion issue—the phone was too close to capture the same effect as the mirror.

Good thing her bestie was outside. She could ask her to come in and take the photo together!

Liu Jiajia put away her phone and reached for the boba she had left on the counter earlier.

…Huh?

Where’s my boba?

Liu Jiajia stopped short.

The counter next to her was completely empty.

She looked up in confusion, only to see, in the mirror’s reflection, the half-finished boba clearly sitting right next to her hand.

Liu Jiajia whipped her head around in surprise.

In the countless reflections of the mirrors, a hundred duplicates of herself turned their heads at the same time.

Yet, no matter how many reflections there were, there was only one cup of boba on the sink.

—Only the one in the largest mirror, directly across from Liu Jiajia.

"Jiajia? Jiajia? You in here?"

A familiar figure suddenly appeared in the large mirror.

It was her best friend, Bai Zhihui.

Liu Jiajia’s eyes went wide as she darted frantic glances around.

—No one.

There was no one beside her.

Bai Zhihui was in the mirror, but she wasn’t actually there with her!

Ice shot down Liu Jiajia’s spine. She took two steps back, turning to flee the creepy bathroom—

Where’d the door go?!

Liu Jiajia panicked.

Standing right in front of her was another panicked version of herself!

No, it wasn’t "another herself." It was just a mirror.

It was another mirror!

She was surrounded by countless mirrors!

Her heart raced wildly. Liu Jiajia was almost scared half to death.

She hurried back to the largest mirror, leaning forward and desperately banging on the glass.

"Zhihui! Zhihui! Bai Zhihui!" Liu Jiajia was almost crying, her perfectly manicured hands hammering against the mirror. "Bai Zhihui! I’m here! I’m right here! Help me! Get someone to help me!"

But on the other side of the mirror, Bai Zhihui didn’t seem to hear a thing.

No sound passed through the glass.

Bai Zhihui walked into the bathroom and spotted right away the cup of boba on the sink—identical to the one she was holding.

"Weird. Where’d she go?"

Bai Zhihui called out a few more times into the bathroom.

But the big, fancy bathroom gave no answer.

"Where could she have gone…" Bai Zhihui muttered. She set down her own cup of boba on the sink.

Eh, might as well.

Just as Bai Zhihui was about to go herself, she spotted her reflection in the mirror out of the corner of her eye.

Wait.

Bai Zhihui turned around and found herself staring at the mirror.

"Why do I look so good today?" she thought.

Without hesitation, Bai Zhihui whipped out her phone and took a selfie with her reflection in the mirror.

Half a minute later.

Liu Jiajia: "..."

Bai Zhihui: "..."

The besties had managed to meet up—inside the mirror, of all places.

Liu Jiajia was freaking out: "Ahhh! How'd you end up in here too?! I was counting on you to go out and get help to save me!!"

Bai Zhihui scratched her head: "What's going on?" She looked around, surprised. "What is this creepy place?"

"Ahhh, help! Let me out—" Liu Jiajia climbed onto the sink, scratching desperately at the mirror with her freshly manicured nails. "Let me out, I need to pee—ahhh—"

"Stop saying that!" Bai Zhihui shivered, fighting back tears. "I wasn’t even thinking about it until you mentioned it…"

On the sink, two identical half-finished milk teas sat side by side next to the basin.

In the mirror, countless reflections overlapped and reflected infinitely.

Like infinite, parallel abysses.

Ding!

The elevator doors opened.

"Mr. Lin, you should really consider our property…"

The salesperson followed him out of the elevator.

Lin Jianyuan said, exasperated, "No, the natural light is a major issue. Plus, so many homeowners from your first phase are filing complaints—if you search on Xiaohongshu (a social media app), the first result is about the discrepancies between the actual delivery and the contract. How am I supposed to consider it? Consider what? Buddy, this isn’t how you do business. If you don’t put effort into building good homes, what’s the point of making the sales office so luxurious? Isn’t this just luring people in just to screw them over?"

The salesperson tried to persuade him further, but the real estate agent who had accompanied Lin Jianyuan quickly intervened, "Alright, alright. I’ve seen the remaining units, and the lighting really is problematic. How about you let our client go back and think it over?"

With things having reached this point, it’d be pushy to keep insisting.

The salesperson had no choice but to say, "Okay."

But then Lin Jianyuan suddenly stopped.

Both the salesperson and the agent were taken aback.

Hoping to salvage the deal, the salesperson stepped forward, ready to make one last attempt.

But Lin Jianyuan rubbed his ears, looked around, and asked doubtfully, "Did you guys hear something?"

Salesperson & Agent: "Huh?"

Lin Jianyuan: "Like nails scratching on a blackboard…"

Before he could finish, he shuddered. He turned and walked back.

Seeing this, the salesperson was overjoyed and quickly said, "Mr. Lin, I know you have high standards. Would you like to take another look at our flagship unit…"

Before the salesperson could elaborate on his grand vision, Lin Jianyuan raised his hand to stop him.

"I need to pee," Lin Jianyuan said.

Salesperson: "."

Ugh, so annoying.

But he had to keep smiling.

God, earning a living is brutal.

The salesperson put on a fake smile while cursing under his breath.

He politely escorted the client to the luxurious restroom in their sales office.