Chapter 45: Conversing with Reality

“As long as there is no perfect completion, it is a failure.

And I…
don't like to fail.”

Gu Yi said emphatically.

There were still many mysteries in Chongshan Hospital left unsolved.

For example, the password to the dean's computer, the dean's weakness, and how to eliminate the Unspeakable.

Gu Yi would never be satisfied if he didn't solve these difficult puzzles.

More importantly, Gu Yi felt that the door left by Toto might not be the correct path to completion; it could very well be a trap.

After all the effort and risks he took to reach the third underground floor, he would only receive a normal level of completion evaluation?

No matter how much he thinks, something felt wrong about that!

Toto tilted her head, and only the color red remained on her palette-like face.

“I can assure you that there is nothing wrong with this door.
Once you leave this place, there won't be another opportunity like this.
It might be your last chance to leave Chongshan Hospital.

No one has successfully cleared Chongshan Hospital, neither in your world nor in any other world.
Do you really believe that you can make it through?”

Gu Yi furrowed his brows.

Toto's words contained significant information, and he came up with some bold conjectures.

Gu Yi firmly shook his head and said, “Either way, I won't choose to go through that door.
I must achieve a perfect custom clearance.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, I'm sure.”

“Hmph, fine.”

Toto wore an unwilling expression and snapped her fingers.

The small wooden door in front of Gu Yi disappeared into thin air, and immediately, the entire movie theater shattered into pieces.
Gu Yi was suspended in the void, feeling like he was drowning.

“It's over…”

Gu Yi's heart raced, and he couldn't even make a sound.

The anomaly continued for a full minute, and Gu Yi finally landed on the ground.

Toto was gone.

It was pitch black here, and he couldn't see anything.

Gu Yi took out a flashlight from his kangaroo pants and turned it on.
There were only three black brick walls around him, and behind him was the long corridor he had come through.

As expected, everything was just as he had guessed.

The so-called “Toto” was the host of the “Weird World,” and she wasn't the real “I” at all.

If he had really agreed to her request, it would have undoubtedly triggered an instant death flag.

Everything he had just seen was an illusion.

Gu Yi searched the ground and finally found a small coffin.

The coffin was square, only about half the size of a person, seemingly prepared for a fright.
Gu Yi took out a pry bar and forcefully opened the coffin lid, revealing a lifelike female corpse inside.

The female corpse had her hands placed on her chest, in a peaceful posture.
Her facial skin had been torn off, making it impossible to discern her appearance.

Gu Yi didn't dare to act recklessly and once again activated his deduction ability, but found that he still couldn't deduce anything.

“Well, I can only give it a try.”

Gu Yi took out Toto's handmade mask and placed it on the face of the female corpse.

The mask perfectly fits the female corpse.

Her hands, which were placed on her chest, suddenly dropped, and her head tilted to the side.

Gu Yi forced himself to remain calm and looked at the chest of the female corpse.
Hanging from it was a silver whistle.

He reached out and took the whistle, and the female corpse turned into ashes, leaving only the pig-head mask.

“You have obtained a special plot item in the dungeon: Dog Whistle.”

“Your plot exploration progress has increased.”

“Current exploration progress is 74%.”

“You have obtained the opportunity to communicate with the real world.
You can have a face-to-face video conversation with anyone in the world for three minutes.”

“Would you like to initiate a conversation?”

Gu Yi put away the dog whistle and the mask, squatting by the side of the coffin, silently contemplating.

In Chongshan Hospital, Gu Yi felt unprecedented pressure.
This opportunity to communicate with the real world was rare, but unfortunately, he only had three minutes for this conversation.

Of course, Gu Yi couldn't afford to waste these precious three minutes.
He wanted to contact the Dragon Country's Strategy Group and share some of his speculations about the “Weird World” with them.

Gu Yi took out a pen and paper and recorded everything he needed to say, reading it repeatedly to make sure he wouldn't go over the time limit.

“Requesting a conversation.
I want to connect with the leader of the Dragon Country's Strategy Group.”

“Please wait a moment, adventurer.
The connection will begin shortly.”

A white light flashed before Gu Yi's eyes.

He found himself back in the movie theater, but this time, the movie screen displayed the experts from the Dragon Country Strategy Group.

Upon seeing Gu Yi, the leader of the group immediately showed a shocked expression.

“Hello, leader.
I'm Gu Yi.”

“Gu Yi, are you alright? Did you clear the level? Why can't we see you on the live stream? How are you communicating with us?”

“No time for small talk.
I only have three minutes for this call.
I obtained a lot of information in this dungeon.
You need to find a way to record what I'm saying.”

“Quick, stop dawdling!” The leader turned around and shouted at his subordinates, “I've called for someone to record.
Keep talking.”

Gu Yi nodded, took out the piece of paper in his hand, and rapidly read the contents.

“1.
I can confirm that all the dungeons in the Weird World have references to the real world.
However, the prototype of each dungeon may not necessarily be our own reality or world; it could be from another parallel timeline.
In addition to us, adventurers from other parallel worlds also exist in the Weird World.”

“2.
I can confirm that people in the Weird World can communicate with people in the real world, but the conditions for communication are extremely strict.
You must have a sufficiently high plot completion rate to have the opportunity to communicate with the real world.”

“3.
This is my speculation.
Each dungeon has an inner world where we can encounter NPCs belonging to the Weird World.
I remember you once mentioned that there is a director behind 'Weird World,' and today, I might have met that director.”

“4.
This is another speculation.
Every adventurer who dies in a dungeon doesn't truly disappear into nothingness.
They are likely to reappear in the dungeon world in some form and become NPCs.
Perhaps the director and NPCs in the Weird World are former adventurers.”

Gu Yi finished reading the note in his hand, his eyes fixed on the screen.

The members of the strategy group noted down everything Gu Yi said.
This was their first time communicating with an adventurer in the Weird World, and excitement filled their faces.

“We have noted everything, Gu Yi,” the leader said, adjusting the camera.
“We still have one minute left.
Is there anything else you want to say?”

“That's all.”

“Don't you want to connect with your family?”

Gu Yi clenched his fist and earnestly replied, “No need.
It's not necessary.”

Gu Yi didn't dare to see his own family.

He was afraid that after seeing them, he would lose the courage to face the numerous dangers of the Weird World.

“How many surviving challengers are there in Chongshan Hospital now?”

“Only you.”