Chapter Sixty-One: Becoming a Leader

At that moment, Duan Rui stood in what seemed to be nothing more than an empty stretch of wall. It was covered in European-style wallpaper, its pale yellow vertical floral pattern striking to the eye, and in itself the scene seemed perfectly ordinary.

But in Brian and Xie Luo’s eyes, it became terrifying beyond measure, as though something unspeakably secret were hidden within that wall.

The once noisy carriage had fallen into an eerie silence. Every gaze was fixed on Duan Rui, yet no one dared break the stillness. They knew the farce had reached its ending here. What was hidden inside that wall? Why was Brian so afraid? Were Fang Nian’s words true or false? The answer was about to be revealed.

Duan Rui began to grope along the wall. Brian and Xie Luo tried to rush forward and stop her, but Xu Dong, Guo Ji, and Luo Li pinned them to the ground, leaving them unable to move.

About two minutes later, Duan Rui finally found what she had been searching for. She pressed her hand against it and turned to Fang Nian. Seeing this, Fang Nian drew a deep breath and nodded. Only then did Duan Rui press it down, her fingers moving through a strangely precise rhythm.

Then, with a series of mechanical sounds, the wall that had just been covered in European wallpaper suddenly turned transparent. At the same time, a luminous counter-like display appeared across its surface.

One percent transparency... ten percent transparency... fifty percent transparency...

By the time the transparency reached fifty percent, many people could already see the world beyond the wall. They stared in stunned silence, eyes wide. Though the view was still not entirely clear, anyone with normal eyesight could make out the vast green lawn behind it.

Sunlight poured in through the wall, bringing a warmth so familiar it almost hurt. After all, for how many years had they not seen green grass or a blue sky? Even sunlight had become a luxury, and the pores of their skin seemed to relax all at once.

Sixty percent transparency... eighty percent transparency...

The wall continued to fade. Everything beyond it grew clearer, as though a video had been switched from standard definition to ultra-high definition before their eyes.

In that instant, nearly everyone seemed to forget their hatred, forget the suffering of all those years, forget the fruit cakes, forget Brian’s tyrannical rule.

One by one, they closed their eyes and let their bodies feel the comfort of sunlight on their skin, let themselves feel nature again, feel everything they had once lost.

“Is this real? Am I really seeing sunlight again in my lifetime? This feels so wonderful, I can hardly believe it. I thought I would spend my whole life in this dark world, surviving in the darkness until the day I died.”

“Yes. I feel that burning heat too, and it feels so real. This is the same sunlight I felt years ago. It’s real. We really are still alive.”

“We’ve been in darkness for far too long. Who could have imagined that the most ordinary sunlight would one day stand before us like a luxury? I think even if someone asked for all my wealth in exchange for this sliver of light, I would do it without hesitation.”

“So would I. Money doesn’t seem nearly as important anymore. A plate of fresh vegetables, bathing in sunlight and feeling the tides of life—that seems far more valuable. We really ought to thank this brother. I think even if my life were taken from me now, it would still have been worth it.”

...

Soon, the transparency reached one hundred percent, and the entire outside world lay exposed before them.

At once, everyone looked as though they had secretly opened Pandora’s box, gazing at the scene before them with faces full of happiness, as if hatred itself had been forgotten.

Duan Rui, too, was deeply intoxicated by the scenery outside, which looked almost like a painted backdrop. She knew that even in the real world, such beauty no longer existed; the sun’s decay had already become an unchangeable fact.

“Human beings are always like this—only after losing something do they finally realize its worth. How sad.”

By now, Fang Nian had come to stand beside Duan Rui. Looking out at it all, he asked her,

“Don’t you think this feels a little too real?”

Duan Rui nodded.

“Yes. Right now I keep wondering: if I were to lose myself in this hunting ground too, would I feel the same way they do? But I know this is only an illusion within the hunting ground. None of it is real.”

“In our world, scenery like this can no longer exist. It lives only here. Perhaps that is the hunting ground’s charm.”

Hearing her words, Fang Nian thought that if this had been before he came here, he might have felt the same. But now he did not think so, because what that burly man had told him earlier made him feel that perhaps the world still had room to turn.

Fang Nian suddenly laughed softly and asked her,

“Have you ever thought that if the collapse of our real world were itself a lie, then maybe we still have a chance to see the sun again?”

Duan Rui’s heart stirred faintly. A new brilliance lit her eyes as she looked at Fang Nian, as though searching for an answer. For the first time, emotion rippled through them.

“You... are you joking with me?”

Fang Nian smiled and scratched his head, the image of a perfect hero instantly turning into that of a harmless fool.

“It’s just my hope. Nothing more.”

He still did not know whether what the burly man had said was true, and once he got out, he would verify it as quickly as possible.

Fang Nian was certain of one thing: that burly man was no ordinary person. Perhaps the one that often appeared in the hunting grounds he had been involved with was connected to him.

But for now, Fang Nian had no real leads, and his relationship with Duan Rui and the others was not especially close. So naturally, he would not tell them about it.

After a few more minutes, the crowd slowly recovered from the sorrow that had gripped them. They knew this was the closest they had ever come to victory, and the only chance they might ever have to return to the real world.

And the one who had given them that chance was the young man before them, Fang Nian, who did not look particularly strong. They understood now that Fang Nian was their leader. Returning to reality would not be easy; after all, only a glass wall stood between them and it.

So they had to protect their leader. Anyone who wanted to lay a hand on Fang Nian would have to step over their bodies first.

Brian and Xie Luo were no longer of any use to the one lurking behind the scenes, but Fang Nian knew that if they were to break out of this cage, those two were crucial pieces. They had to be brought into his own camp.

Thinking of that, Fang Nian did not hesitate. Though the threat of the Cold Ring was gone, every second delayed could mean they would never get out again.

So he walked toward Brian and Xie Luo.