Volume 4 - CH 58.3

Speaking of being mistaken for an antagonist, Xü Beijin is actually more curious about his current role as an extra now. The fact remains that he did not receive information from the Server NE, which means he is an extra.

Yet, just as Dai Wu once said, in some media production, an extra is not necessarily unimportant either——Instead, in fact, he is more like some kind of friendly cameo who is actually someone important in the plot?

Look, while the rest of the Actors are struggling for survival in this apocalypse, but he’s still his settled down bookstore owner. Never mind hunger, but he at least has a shelter above him.

But… Why?

Why would the survivors allow him to stay in this bookstore in the first place? Why do they not occupy the building themselves?

True, the building does not look like it will be standing for long, but at least it must be better than staying in open air? They could just leave as soon as there are signs it is going to tumble.

Looking at the downcast weather outside, it would not be odd for raindrops to fall at any moment, yet all the survivors are still entirely ignoring this perfect building for shelter from the rain… This makes no sense.

Xü Beijin is furrowing his brows, murmuring, “the building… what is this representing?”

Looking at the streaming system, he can see only three locations for viewing under the heading of ‘Building,’ there is the ‘Bookstore,’ ‘Stairwell’ and ‘Rooftop.’

This means the rest of the building must have been deserted. Those abandoned office cubicles must be decorative only. It would suggest that the Missiontakers are expected to explore the bookstore, and then walk straight through the stairs to the rooftop.

… That’s it.

This is what the role of the building is here.

Then what does it represent? Is there something on the rooftop?

A few minutes later, Xü Beijin is now on the rooftop of the building, which itself is thirteen storeys high, and because all the buildings visible nearby have all collapsed, so on the rooftop, he is able to get a good view of the entire ruined area.

In fact, this is a good place to install a monitor to understand the big picture.

Here, he can easily spot the rickety shell of a Ferris wheel in the amusement park, and…

Xü Beijin narrows his eyes in an attempt to let himself see more clearly.

He can see many assembled in the amusement park. The congregation of heads look almost like ants gathering by an anthill.

What are they doing there? Xü Beijin can’t help but wonder.

Curious, he turns his attention to his stream, and then opens up a window specifically for the amusement park.

According to the stream, just the amusement park itself occupies five whole ‘areas,’ from ‘Area 21’ to ‘Area 26.’ It certainly is notably bigger than other areas.

Xü Beijin fiddles with the camera position until it is pointed right where the people are, and then switches the audio over.

“Impurities! Impurities! Impurities!!!”

The crowd is yelling. Just a single word.

Xü Beijin listens for a short while, but all the crowd is doing is continuing the meaningless chant.

Almost 20 seconds later, the chanting finally dies down. Xü Beijin is looking more closely at the surroundings, and sees that this is taking place in what must have been the central plaza of the amusement park. It is vast and empty.

If this was on Earth, and without some sort of apocalypse, then this might have been where a family would decide to spend some quality time on. Doves might fly overhead. There might be an elegant fountain in the middle of the plaza, surrounded by a ring of restaurants and souvenir shops.

However, the statue in the middle of the fountain has already collapsed. This, is the ruins post-apocalypse.

Xü Beijin almost couldn’t distinguish whether he is still in a Nightmare, or… if he was back on Earth.

When he gathers his wits about him once more, the impromptu crowd is already quiet, and are casting their fanatical gazes towards a man in the very front. A man who is slowly, resolutely walking onto where the fountain was.

They have built some stage there. He is walking up there.

He appears to be a man in his 40s. He has long hair and a long, black robe. His nose is prominent like an eagle, and there is always the hint of shadows between his brows and in his eyes.

He gestures for the crowd to settle down, and then clears his throat to begin his speech.

“When man act overtly decadent, that is when the Lord punishes. The Lord sends His messengers. The Lord destroys all.”

He is speaking with a mysterious tone.

Xü Beijin is creasing his brows deeply.

This cultish occurrence is making Xü Beijin both unsettled and amused. Like, this is the Tower, this is a Nightmare——This is just a fucking game!

And they are all Actors!

The Tower has very, very few true NPCs, so few that, some Actors suspect they are only Actors who have lost their sense of self. In this game, perhaps no real NPCs exist.

So, this group of fanatics, they are really just Acting in accordance with the scripts assigned by the Server, right? But they look so utterly serious, devoted, pious, even.

Their eyes, their expressions, that passion, that impregnability, seem to show that they really do take what the man is saying as the gospel. They really do seem to believe the fact that this scene of ruins straight out of a post-apocalyptic movie is punishment from that ‘Lord.’

The farcical scene merely makes Xü Beijin disgusted inside. He is gripping his palm, and regretting how he forgot to take a glass of water with him.

In the stream, the viewers are all laughing loudly at the man——A fake apostle.

He said a whole bunch of things, and the people beneath him, like the devoted followers that they are, are still watching him piously, maniacally.

Finally, the man ends his speech with, “humans are the Impurities of Earth!”

The people are once again chanting, “impurities! Impurities!!!”

The volume of the shouts is carrying it all the way to the Missiontakers far away, even.

The male-female pair who walked south from Area 1 seem to hear something. They immediately stop and take a quick look around. They seem terribly agitated and paranoid.

Their gazes are jumpy, suggesting they think something is staring at them, or there might be some monsters lurking in the void, waiting for the perfect opportunity to kill them.

They seem to be living in a world even more irrational than others.

“… Did you hear something?”

The woman is biting her lips, leaving a deep red bite mark on her pale lips. It is habitual for her. Sometimes, she even bites so hard that it would bleed.

The man is also looking about warily, and a while later, he answers, “it seems safe for now.”

But the woman seems even more distressed.

Not that the man is doing any better, with his back drenched in cold sweat. He tries to cheer himself up with deliberate words, “don’t worry. It could be… nothing, at all.”

The woman is staring at him.

The man is finally unable to maintain the expression he has been holding. So he just quickly blurts out, asking the woman, “do you think, this Nightmare…” He gulps, and continues, “could be the one we have always been looking for?”