Chapter 166

Chapter 166: Boundless Dark Realm Part 21

Tang Guan hesitated for a moment, but finally put down his luggage, deciding to leave it until morning to say goodbye to his parents and sister.

In the weeks since he returned from the Second World, his mental state had been very poor. The first week after he returned, he fell into a long coma, sleeping for five days straight. During those five days, he constantly struggled with the monster’s consciousness.

After graduating from university, he had left home to work in another city, where he rented an apartment. In this unfamiliar city, he had no friends or family, and his interactions with colleagues were superficial. He had fallen into a deep sleep several days in his rented home and could not be reached by others, who did not check up on him either. Eventually, his family called repeatedly and, realizing they could not reach him, rushed by high-speed train to find him.

His parents didn’t have the landlord’s phone number, so they called in a locksmith company. Only then did they forcibly enter the house.

Tang Guan, whose awareness was muddled, heard his parents calling him. He struggled fiercely, finally awakening from the pain of tearing apart his soul.

Tang Guan rejected his parents’ suggestion that he see a doctor, comforting them that he was just extremely tired from overwork, and that he was in perfect physical health except for his poor mental state. They believed him reluctantly, accepting his lie.

After sleeping for five days and losing his job, he paid his rent with his savings and then returned home with his parents. There, he finally saw his younger sister who was still in elementary school.

His parents told Tang Guan: “As long as you are safe, we are happy. Job and money are not important.”

His sister was elated at his return, but then anxiously asked, “Are you going to go elsewhere to work? When will you come back next time?”

Tang Guan didn’t know how to respond.

He was filled with fear that made him reluctant to confront monsters. He couldn’t understand why the creature would follow him back to the First World, and feared he might wake up and find out his family were in danger because of the monster possessing him.

He made an excuse to search for a job, trying to stay out of the house as much as possible.

Over time, he discovered that the influence of the monster in the First World was weaker than in the Second World. The monster resented this and questioned: “My spirit was diminished by half, but yours remains intact. Why?”

During their conversations between the First World and Second World, Tang Guan learned that the monster had a name – “Face Demon.” It was an intelligent xenomorph, with intelligence comparable to humans.

Upon learning this, Tang Guan was shocked. The Face Demon sneered, saying, “There are many xenomorphs like me with intelligence. Some skilled in disguise even live among humans.”

Even if people were limited in understanding xenomorphs, Tang Guan realized that xenomorphs could blend in with human society.

“Shall I write about my findings on your amazing forum?” the Face Demon whispered, “Players with courage often share their experiences. Right? Unity, strength in numbers. Don’t players believe this?”

Tang Guan remained silent, but the Face Demon understood, saying, “I see… You are afraid. You don’t want to expose yourself and endanger your family. I understand. That is selfish and weak.”

The Face Demon and Tang Guan were mentally intertwined; the Face Demon could read Tang Guan’s thoughts. This symbiotic relationship was imbalanced, as the Face Demon was far more powerful than Tang Guan. However, the transition back to the First World delayed the Face Demon’s assimilation.

Back in the First World, it could no longer control Tang Guan freely, even during his sleep.

Tang Guan admitted he was selfish and weak. He had experienced many things: imprisonment for experimentation, mental indoctrination, and witnessing the inner secrets of the Kraken. Yet, he lacked the courage to speak out. As the Face Demon said, he feared exposure.

These thoughts weighed heavily on him. While he wanted to spend more time with his family, he had to distance himself. He wanted to do more but was hindered by his inner weakness.

Then, he received a task, “Dark Domain Descends,” and reviewed the analysis and warning threads on the forum. Finally, he felt compelled to act.

If the rumors of the “Seven Days of Blood” were true, his hometown would be at risk. Hiding would be futile. Everyone had to face the mountain’s fall together; otherwise, everyone below would perish, including his family.

Wounded in the Second World and treated cruelly, he found warmth and strength at home in the First World. But when disaster struck here too, he had nowhere to run.

The next morning, Tang Guan had breakfast with his family, sent his sister to her class, and gave an appropriate excuse: he got a job and needed to go to work right away. His parents were slightly puzzled but agreed.

The morning sun was a bit bright in August.

Carrying his luggage, Tang Guan looked at the old residential buildings behind him and silently departed.

…

“Xin Xin Sister, you seem distracted,” Su Rong commented. “This is the first time I’ve seen you distracted while teaching.”

Gui Xin was taken aback and apologetic, “I’m sorry, I must have disturbed you.”

“I can understand. What happened last night was really significant,” Su Rong replied, her face showing concern. “I constantly monitor the forum. If tomorrow morning I wake up to news about the end of the world, I won’t be surprised at all.”

“It hasn’t reached such a dire situation,” Gui Xin reassured.

“But it seems close,” Su Rong lowered her head and said, “I’m considering whether to advise my parents to move away from Tonglin City, but I don’t have a good reason to convince them. I’m just a young child in this family. If I tell them about the game and show them my superpowers, they might believe me.”

The Shadow Double silently rose from beneath Su Rong’s feet, serving Gui Xin a glass of water.

“Telling them wouldn’t help since they can’t assist us,” Su Rong continued, “but I feel like telling them. I am so helpless. I wish I could cry on their shoulders. Sometimes, even after experiencing something terrible, I can remain calm, but seeing my parents makes me feel overwhelmed with sorrow. Fortunately, there’s someone like Sister Xin Xin… it’s like some of the burden is shared.”

Gui Xin thought for a moment, “You have seen the recent posts on the forum, haven’t you?”

“Yes,” Su Rong said, “That’s why I feel so useless… The event is happening in Tonglin City, and I just want to stay away. But on the forum, many players have decided to investigate here. Compared to them, I feel insignificant.”

Gui Xin quietly watched her, withholding any comment about her feelings.

“But then, I recalled what you said, that I should be a valuable person.” Su Rong covered her face, “I made a decision that day to become a valuable person. But after what happened last night, I started thinking about escaping. That would mean falling back into old patterns, and I cannot do that.”

“If you have thoughts, just stick with your choices,” Gui Xin said.

“Gui Xin Sister,” Su Rong said seriously, “this is the last time I’ll talk to you about this. I won’t bring it up again… but I’ll do it.”

Gui Xin smiled, “Let’s see it, then.”

The lesson ended early today, and Gui Xin left at 5:30 PM. She stayed outside for a while longer, observing the phantom appearing in the sky. She recorded the scene with a video before heading into the subway home.

At Gui Xin’s work that morning, many players expressed interest in investigating the ‘Dark Domain Descends’ event in Tonglin City. She quickly used data manipulation to connect to the city’s facial recognition system, gathering information on newcomers to screen for players.

Players might arrive by plane, high-speed rail, train, or bus. Even if they avoided these modes of transport, they would pass surveillance cameras on highways and rural roads, making it impossible to avoid being tracked. In cities, every purchase and residence requires interaction with surveillance networks.

Gui Xin believed that the bold enough to come to Tonglin City likely had confidence in their abilities, possibly already awakened as superhumans. With her Investigative Eye, she could easily spot these individuals.

As she rode home on the subway, Gui Xin considered the best places to install CCTV cameras effectively.

It was peak hour, so the subway was crowded.

When the subway reached the Train Station, a stylish young girl with headphones entered, carrying a suitcase. She was just a little shorter than Gui Xin and seemed only a few years older.

When Xin Xin glanced up, she noticed the girl displayed a line of text above her.

“Superpower…” Xin Xin’s heart raced slightly, “Incantation?!”