Vol. 1 - Ch. 5 - Gray Realm

"The convergence of the Grey Realm?" Chen Ling did recall this term from his memory; the original owner must have encountered it somewhere."Don't tell me you've forgotten about the Grey Realm." Dr. Lin stood up, poured the fresh blood from the tea pot into the sink, and slowly began to explain, "Before the Great Cataclysm, there was a hypothesis proposed that in this universe, there are countless parallel dimensions."

"These dimensions were formed from the birth of the earliest universes, like rays of light emitted after a candle is lit, spreading in all directions. But because the light is infinite, these dimensions extend infinitely into all possibilities and never intersect."

"But everything went chaotic after the red comet streaked across."

"All the dimensions were stirred up, and an unknown and eerie Grey world began to overlap with the real world."

Dr. Lin finished washing the tea pot but didn't pour out the water. Instead, he set it down on the table. The water inside the pot rippled, stirred by the force exerted during the cleaning process.

Dr. Lin tore off a piece of paper and placed it above the rippling water. The rippling water began to soak the paper, gradually saturating the entire surface with uneven water stains.

"At first, only a small portion of convergence occurred, but as time passed, more and more areas converged. The substances and organisms from that world gradually began to appear in our world. Even most of the places originally inhabited by humans have been occupied by them. Only nine 'domains' shelter humans, preserving the flame."

"Since the sky in that world is grey, we call it the 'Grey Realm'."

"When the Grey Realm intersects with reality, a series of incomprehensible and bizarre events occur, and even monsters belonging to the Grey Realm may descend, which we call 'Calamity'."

"Generally speaking, among the survivors who encounter the convergence of the Grey Realm or are attacked by the Calamity, eighty percent experience mental disorders, and most of them are incurable for life..."

"I suspect that your current situation is related to the 'Grey Realm'."

"Think carefully, have you encountered the convergence of the Grey Realm and been involved in it?"

Facing Dr. Lin's question, Chen Ling tried hard to search the original owner's memories, but ultimately came up with nothing... No matter how hard he tried to remember, he couldn't recall any other memories from last night.

"I don't know." He said bitterly.

After pondering for a moment, Dr. Lin took out a piece of letterhead from the drawer and quickly wrote a letter.

"Your condition is no longer as simple as a mental illness... I'm just an ordinary person and can't cure you. However, I know someone who may be able to help with the aftermath of Grey Realm contamination. After all, he's a true '【Doctor】'."

Hearing this, a glimmer of hope lit up in Chen Ling's eyes. "Where can I find him?"

"He lives in Aurora City, but he usually travels around offering medical assistance. I've heard that wherever there are difficult cases, he'll go there. This is his path to enlightenment... Anyway, you can hand this letter to the enforcers at the entrance of Aurora City, leave your name and address, and they will deliver it for you."

"In no more than three days, that '【Doctor】' will come to find you on his own."

"Thank you!" Chen Ling graciously accepted the envelope and expressed his sincere gratitude.

In fact, when he saw the salt melting on the road, Chen Ling already felt that something was amiss. The things that were happening to him couldn't be explained by mere illness anymore. He came to this small clinic because he was already halfway there, and he had no idea where else he could possibly seek help from.

According to Dr. Lin's explanation, this '【Doctor】' seemed to be special, and there was even a path to enlightenment...

Could it be that this world also has a unique human cultivation system? Otherwise, according to Dr. Lin's words, all of humanity should have been extinct during the so-called Great Cataclysm and the convergence with the Grey Realm.

Chen Ling also felt that the distortion of scientific knowledge in this world might also be related to the Great Cataclysm.

"No need to thank me, say hello to your brother for me." Dr. Lin smiled faintly.

"He's still in the hospital in District Two... I'll bring your regards when I visit him next time."

Chen Ling bade farewell to Dr. Lin, pushed the door and left.

As his figure gradually disappeared under the flowing aurora sky, Dr. Lin's eyes narrowed slightly.

"A puppet, huh..."

...

"I saw the screen for the first time in my dream, and the audience anticipation was at 29%."

"When I tried to escape, it jumped to 30%."

"On the way here, it fell back to 27%..."

"Just now, Dr. Lin was pranked, and it went back up to 29%."

"If the 'audience' really existed in my mind, and these numbers aren't hallucinations, then what affects the rise and fall of audience anticipation?"

In the biting wind, Chen Ling, clad in a thick cotton robe, walked towards home deep in thought.

Stage, audience, anticipation... Every time the anticipation increased, it seemed to be accompanied by an event. Could these events be considered as "plots" on the stage?

The more interesting the events happening around him, the greater the attraction of the "plots" to the audience, thus increasing the anticipation?

On the screen, it said that when the audience anticipation drops below 20%, the actors' safety is not guaranteed...

Chen Ling didn't know the specific dangers, but judging from the fact that the "audience" could to some extent interfere with reality, he might end up being a tool for their venting, fatally pranked to death!

Chen Ling felt that his train of thought was correct, but to prove it, he needed to take practical action.

"Maybe I should try to design 'plots' actively."

Chen Ling muttered to himself.

"Ah Ling, have you had breakfast?"

Turning his head, Chen Ling saw a middle-aged man with a towel wrapped around his head, fanning the stove at the breakfast stall on the street, warmly calling out to him.

At that moment, a thought suddenly flashed through Chen Ling's mind.

"No, Uncle Zhao," Chen Ling's lips curled slightly, and he walked towards the stall.

"Come, let me get you some soy milk and fried dough sticks. It rained heavily last night, and it's chilly. You need to warm yourself up with some breakfast." Uncle Zhao brought over a bowl of steaming soy milk.

"Thank you, Uncle Zhao."

Chen Ling reached into his pocket, took out three copper coins, and handed them to Uncle Zhao, but the latter pushed them back.

"Uncle won't take your money. When you have time, help our Xiao Yi with his studies. Uncle will bring you breakfast every day."

"Isn't he already graduated? Why does he need tutoring?"

"With his scores, he can't even get a job. I'm thinking of letting him repeat a year. I can't have him doing odd jobs every day, can I?"

"Oh..."

"Still, Ah Ling is so good, smart and filial. If Xiao Yi could become a law enforcer like you one day, I'd laugh myself awake from dreaming."

Uncle Zhao sighed heavily. "Unfortunately, this kid is so disappointing."

Chen Ling's hand holding the chopsticks paused slightly. After hesitating for a moment, he still spoke up:

"Uncle Zhao... Do you know why Zhao Yi is doing so poorly in his studies?"

"Huh? Why?"

Chen Ling was about to say something, but he fell silent for a long time, then shook his head.

"Forget it, Uncle Zhao. Let's just pretend I didn't bring it up... I promised him to keep it confidential."

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Uncle Zhao's heart rate sped up. He absentmindedly added a braised egg for Chen Ling, scratching his head anxiously.

"Ah Ling, I know you're Xiao Yi's good friend, but some things... As his father, shouldn't I know a little? I've raised Xiao Yi all by myself, working hard day and night to earn money to send him to school, just to give him a better future... If you know anything, you must tell me! We're all doing it for his own good..."

Seeing Uncle Zhao so urgently asking, Chen Ling was slightly moved. After hesitating for a moment, as if he had made up his mind, he said,"Uncle Zhao, you're right. As a friend, I can't bear to see Zhao Yi go downhill like this..."

"Go, go downhill? What's wrong with him?"

"He's in love."

"Ah?" Uncle Zhao was stunned. "Does this kid still have that charm?"

Chen Ling, with a poker face, took a bite of the fried dough stick and casually uttered three words:

"With another man."