C107 — Repentance Complex

“What will happen if Sister Ji just walks out of the restaurant like this?” Chi Lian asked.

Mu Sichen sighed. “According to the rules of the Shouwang Community that we currently know, she will likely be punished by being unable to ever leave the Community. When the neighborhood committee conducts its routine inspection tomorrow morning at 8 o’clock, she will certainly be judged as having harmed several neighbors, and her soul will be sacrificed to the ‘Dreamweaver.’

“Of course, that’s the relatively good outcome. It’s also possible that people from the Community are already hunting Ji Xian’an. Once she returns, she might be dealt with on the spot.”

“Then let’s quickly run through the procedure for Sister Ji to enter the Community,” He Fei said. “That way we can help her resolve this problem.”

Mu Sichen said, “We can try. But for now, Ji Xian’an, you mustn’t go out. Wait until we’ve entered the Community and are in a position to help you—then we’ll talk.”

“Oh… alright.” Ji Xian’an agreed, rubbing He Fei’s arm hard, making him yelp in pain.

When she heard Mu Sichen forbid her from leaving the Ideal Restaurant, the hopeful look in Ji Xian’an’s eyes gradually dimmed, and her movements became more mechanical.

Mu Sichen examined the verbal binding spell on Ji Xian’an. The glowing ring formed by the spell still held power, but her mental state was clearly deteriorating.

It was only now that Mu Sichen truly witnessed the power of a causal chain.

A causal chain was different from corruption.

Corruption—so long as it hadn’t reached the stage of mutation—could be cleansed and diminished simply by purification and staying away from the source. But with a causal chain, the farther you were from it, the worse your mental state became.

To use an imperfect analogy: Ji Xian’an was like someone who owed a bank loan. As long as she paid the interest on time, there was no problem. But if she hid away and stopped making payments, she could keep her money for a while, but once the deadline passed without repayment, she would face a credit crisis, be blacklisted as a defaulter, and the bank would have the right to auction off her collateral.

Mu Sichen had kept Ji Xian’an away from the community for seven days already. Judging from her current state, she was reaching her limit.

If she didn’t return to complete this causal chain soon, even if she stayed inside a “Pillar,” her mind would collapse entirely—she would either go mad or die of guilt.

That was the terrifying thing about a causal chain.

If they themselves became entangled in one, then even if they escaped back to the real world and swore never to enter the otherworld again, they might still be destroyed by the unbearable torment it brought.

This “Pillar” was going to be a tough one.

Mu Sichen told Ji Xian’an, “One hour. No matter whether we succeed or not after we leave, you must return to the Shouwang Community in exactly one hour.”

With Mu Sichen’s permission, Ji Xian’an’s eyes lit up slightly. She gave a relieved smile and said, “That’s great. I feel that the bloodstains in Room 5-5-302 weren’t completely cleaned; I want to go back and wipe them up again.”

After speaking, she also wiped He Fei’s face.

He Fei protested, “Sis, pick someone else to wipe! I could accept it if you were just wiping your hands on me. I’ve already sacrificed the skin on my arms to help you, but not my face. If you rub it raw, I’ll be disfigured!”

“Oh.” Ji Xian’an let go of He Fei gloomily, grabbed a passing waiter, and forced him to the ground to rub against him.

The waiter screamed miserably, “Stay away from me! You’ve already wiped me eight times—eight times! There’s not a single patch of good skin left on my back!”

The three of them lowered their heads simultaneously and observed three seconds of silence for the waiter.

“At this rate, Sister Ji’s going to lose it. Let’s move!” He Fei tugged at Mu Sichen’s clothes. “What are you still hesitating for?!”

 

“I’m a little worried,” Mu Sichen said.

“What’s there to worry about? With our strength, once we get into the Shouwang Community, we can have the rules wrapped around our fingers in minutes,” He Fei said confidently. “We won’t even need Chi Lian to make a move—just one ‘Expel’ from me and I can kick the corpse right out of the community!”

“Then go ahead and try it,” Mu Sichen said. “Follow Ji Xian’an’s method exactly and see what happens.”

“Got it!” He Fei rolled up his sleeves.

The three of them walked out of the Ideal Restaurant and stepped onto the street across from it.

The moment they steadied themselves on the ground, they sensed something was wrong behind them. Turning back, they saw the Ideal Restaurant had vanished without a trace.

He Fei and Chi Lian: “…”

“The Ideal Restaurant is already our ‘Pillar.’ How could it disappear?” He Fei said in surprise.

Mu Sichen, however, had expected it. “Like I said before—Mengdie Town isn’t a real physical space. It can’t directly affect the Ideal Restaurant, but the moment we step into the territory of Mengdie Town, it can change our position, making it impossible for us to get close to the restaurant again.”

“So it’s not attacking the restaurant, and it’s not attacking us—it’s altering our location. Which means its real target is Mengdie Town itself. No wonder we didn’t feel any harm,” Chi Lian said.

“So unless we take another ‘Pillar,’ we can’t go home again?” He Fei asked.

Mu Sichen nodded.

He Fei scratched his head in frustration. “Why is it that every time it’s so dangerous? Can’t we have just once where we can come and go from our town freely—enter when I want, leave when I want?”

“If it were really that easy, so many players wouldn’t have died inexplicably,” Mu Sichen said with a small sigh.

“Forget it, there’s no point overthinking it. We’ve got one hour—I need to speed up and get to the Shouwang Community.” He Fei immediately started scanning the street for a good robbery target.

Even knowing these souls were fake, he still refused to rob the elderly, the sick, or the weak—he only picked strong, able-bodied men.

After some searching, he spotted a burly, broad-shouldered man. When he saw the man heading into a more secluded alley, He Fei quickly pulled a revolver from his weapon slot and followed with agile movements.

Seeing this, Mu Sichen took out a feather and stuck it onto He Fei.

Chi Lian wanted to follow to help, but Mu Sichen pressed a hand on her shoulder.

“No rush. This time, we’re not getting involved—we’ll just keep a close eye on He Fei. We absolutely can’t lose him this time,” Mu Sichen said.

“Why not get involved? Aren’t we going to the Shouwang Community together?” Chi Lian asked in confusion.

Mu Sichen’s expression was grave. “I suspect the Shouwang Community isn’t actually where the ‘Pillar’ is.”

“That’s impossible. Every ‘Pillar’ we’ve seen so far was tied to a specific location,” Chi Lian said.

“Let’s just watch for now. Right now, you and I are just He Fei’s innocent friends,” Mu Sichen said.

Chi Lian didn’t understand what Mu Sichen was getting at, but she stayed at the mouth of the alley, quietly watching He Fei’s robbery attempt with suspicion.

From inside the alley came the sounds of a struggle.

Mu Sichen sighed. “He Fei really knows how to pick them.”

As a Dependent of Hope Town, He Fei’s physical capabilities had been boosted by the system to special forces level—most ordinary people, even those in good shape, couldn’t beat him.

But this time, he had somehow chosen a fake soul that was even more agile and stronger than he was. His luck was almost absurd—he’d managed to pick the hardest possible target to rob.

Not only was the burly man powerfully built, but he was also incredibly quick, dodging He Fei’s attacks with ease and even making fearless grabs for He Fei’s g-un.

He Fei’s revolver was only for intimidation—there was no way he’d waste skill energy on a fake soul.

But he really couldn’t beat the burly man, so he had to put the weapon away and fight hand-to-hand.

Fortunately, choosing a pistol as his weapon increased a player’s speed and agility. Even though He Fei took a few punches, he managed to snatch the man’s wallet when the guy wasn’t paying attention.

The moment he had it, He Fei turned and bolted. But just as he reached the mouth of the alley, two police officers blocked his way.

His real goal had been to get caught, so he immediately dropped the wallet, raised his hands, and said, “I surrender.”

At that moment, the burly man came over, picked up his wallet, and told the officers, “Robbery, and assaulting an officer—take him away!”

“Assaulting an officer?” He Fei blurted out.

“Didn’t you see the ID in my wallet?” The man held up the open wallet. “You saw my credentials and still didn’t stop—that’s another charge. Take him away!”

Just as He Fei was about to be taken off, Mu Sichen and Chi Lian rushed in from the other end of the alley, putting on innocent expressions.

“What are you doing? Why are you taking my friend?” Mu Sichen asked.

“He’s your friend? He broke the law,” the man said. “Mengdie Town is a very safe place—everyone works hard for a happy life. You’d better not learn from him. Take him away.”

“Wait,” Mu Sichen said, following after them. “Can we go with our friend to the station? We could help talk some sense into him.”

“Fine. You can learn about Mengdie Town’s rules while you’re there so you don’t make mistakes,” the officer agreed.

So the three of them got into a seven-seat police van and headed for the station.

Not long after they boarded, the feather Mu Sichen had stuck to He Fei lost its visual link—proof that He Fei was now inside a “Pillar.” The alien-town power in him had been cleansed, making it impossible to track him with the feather.

Luckily, Mu Sichen and Chi Lian were right beside him this time, so even without the feather’s view, they could keep an eye on him directly.

At the station, the police lectured He Fei and asked his name, identity, and whether he was a local or an outsider.

The real moment of truth arrived.

He Fei’s eyes lit up, and imitating Ji Xian’an’s earlier tactic, he said, “I’m a local so poor I can’t even afford to eat.”

The words had barely left his mouth when someone suddenly rushed forward, saying, “He’s lying! Officer, a few days ago when I was picking up passengers, I gave him money and a free coupon to the Ideal Restaurant. There’s no way he has no money. And he’s not a local—he’s an outsider!”

He Fei froze. Where had this guy suddenly come from? Who was he?

Mu Sichen, watching from the side, recognized him instantly—it was the taxi driver who had given them a ride eight days ago.

But why was the driver suddenly here at the station?

The burly man He Fei had tried to rob was now in uniform, holding a pair of handcuffs. “On my way back to the station, I sent out an alert across town for anyone who’d seen you to come identify you. Luckily someone recognized you—otherwise you, a cunning outsider, might have gotten away with it.”

He cuffed He Fei and handed him to another officer with instructions: “Take him to the Repentance Complex. Fifteen days in detention. He’s not allowed to leave during that time.”

“The Repentance Complex?” This time, He Fei was genuinely shocked. He asked urgently, “Why the Repentance Complex? Shouldn’t it be the Shouwang Community?”

The burly officer shoved him away. “The Shouwang Community is for locals who’ve committed minor offenses. You assaulted an officer, used a restricted weapon, committed robbery, lied, and you’re an outsider—how could we possibly put you in the Shouwang Community? Take him away!”

“No, wait, I can’t go to the Repentance Complex! Take me to the Shouwang Community!” He Fei shouted, hopping in place.

As he yelled, he glanced desperately at Mu Sichen, silently asking for help.

Mu Sichen stopped the officer and said sincerely, “My friend did wrong, and it’s right for you to punish him. Before he leaves, may I say a few words to him?”

The officer agreed.

Mu Sichen told He Fei, “When you get to the Repentance Complex, follow the rules. Be careful, stay alert, observe and learn, and figure out the rules. When you have the chance, tell me the rules so I don’t make mistakes myself, alright? As for other matters, don’t worry about them—I’ll handle it.”

He Fei understood—Mu Sichen wanted him to gather information inside the Repentance Complex and not worry about Ji Xian’an for now; he just had to protect himself.

Seeing his roommate still fairly calm, He Fei recalled that Mu Sichen had never been optimistic about his “commit robbery, then get sent to the Shouwang Community” plan. He realized Mu Sichen had probably guessed from the start that things wouldn’t go that smoothly.

But precisely because Mu Sichen had been doubtful, He Fei knew that meant he had some idea about this “Pillar.” It wasn’t that he’d figured it out completely—rather, he had several possible scenarios in mind. With so many possibilities, he couldn’t be certain, and it wasn’t convenient to share them with the team.

Now that He Fei was headed to the Repentance Complex, it actually helped Mu Sichen rule out quite a few possibilities.

“Alright,” He Fei nodded. “I’ll keep myself safe and learn as many rules as I can for you.”

Mu Sichen looked at his unlucky roommate and said gravely, “Protecting yourself is more important than anything.”

“No problem!” He Fei flashed him an “OK” sign.

Mu Sichen: “…”

Did He Fei actually understand what he’d just been told?

The car took He Fei away. Mu Sichen and Chi Lian had no reason to stay at the station, so they walked out to the street, watching the exhaust fumes from the car carrying He Fei with worried hearts.

“What’s going on? Didn’t He Fei already enter a ‘Pillar’? Why wasn’t he sent to the Shouwang Community?” Chi Lian asked.

Mu Sichen explained, “From the very start, I suspected that the real location of the ‘Pillar’ isn’t the Shouwang Community. The Community is just one link in the ‘Pillar’s’ logical chain.”

He had once released over a thousand feathers to observe the real and fake souls in Mengdie Town. If the Shouwang Community were truly the ‘Pillar,’ then some of those feather perspectives would have vanished the moment the souls entered it.

But that wasn’t what happened.

Roughly a third of the disappearing perspectives had vanished suddenly, without being concentrated in a specific place. Even Ji Xian’an’s feather didn’t vanish when she reached the Shouwang Community—it disappeared while she was still in the police car.

This proved that entering the “Pillar” depended on doing certain things, not on arriving at a certain location.

If they didn’t meet the conditions for entry, then even if they found the Shouwang Community, what they saw would be completely different from what Ji Xian’an saw.

“What do we do now?” Chi Lian asked.

Mu Sichen quickly responded, “I’ll take you to the Shouwang Community first. You help Ji Xian’an deal with the murder cases, and I’ll keep observing. During this time, you two must be careful—don’t let the ‘Pillar’ swallow you. I’ll come get you as soon as I can.”

“But He Fei did the exact same thing as Sister Ji and still didn’t get sent to the Shouwang Community. How am I supposed to make it there safely?” Chi Lian asked.

Mu Sichen said, “What He Fei did wasn’t the same as what Sister Ji did. Sister Ji only committed robbery—he assaulted an officer, carried a gu-n, and lied about being an outsider. His crimes are far more serious than hers. Didn’t the police say earlier? The Community is for locals who’ve committed minor offenses, not for outsiders with serious crimes.”

“I get it. I’ll go find a local and swap faces,” Chi Lian said.

But Mu Sichen replied, “Don’t swap faces with a local. They’ll look for people to identify you, and if the local you impersonate happens to be wealthy and has a home, you might end up with other punishments—and you still might not get sent to the Community.”

“Use a face you’ve never worn before, one that no one here can recognize. If they can’t identify you, they won’t be able to verify your identity or judge the truth of your words—that’s when they’ll assign you to the Shouwang Community.”

Shǒu (守) meant guard; wàng (望) meant watch. The name “Shouwang Community” likely meant placing a group of people with unconfirmed identities together under observation.

The Repentance Complex was different—from the start, those sent there were already determined to be guilty and had to repent.

Which meant He Fei’s situation was completely different from Ji Xian’an’s—and far more difficult. Mu Sichen couldn’t help worrying for him.

Chi Lian pulled up a photo of a delicate, pretty woman from his phone, swapped to that face, and also gave Mu Sichen Lin Wei’s face. Then she stood on the street to borrow money.

The people of Mengdie Town were very kind. A mature man in a suit stopped, took out his wallet, and was about to lend Chi Lian some cash.

But Chi Lian immediately snatched the wallet and ran, and sure enough, police officers appeared out of nowhere to arrest her.

As usual, Mu Sichen followed under the pretense of being a friend. He watched as Chi Lian registered her information, claimed to be a poor local, and was assigned by the police to the Shouwang Community. Only then did Mu Sichen breathe a sigh of relief.

There were still 20 minutes left before the one-hour mark agreed with Ji Xian’an—enough time for Chi Lian to help her hide the evidence.

Now that his companions had all entered the “Pillar” and been scattered to different areas, Mu Sichen was the only one left outside.

Next, he would have to carefully analyze this unusually peculiar Pillar.

 

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