Chapter Twenty-Six: An Obsession Unknown

He had no idea how much time had passed before his consciousness slowly returned. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Dr. Wang.

"I'm glad you're all right. Remember, in your normal state, don't let your mind wander needlessly—just let things take their course. There's no way for you, as you are now, to know the obsession that once gripped your heart, because that's the very thing your subconscious most desperately wants to avoid. If you could easily discover it, you wouldn't have an avoidant personality."

Dr. Wang's voice was both gentle and earnest. After hearing all that Chen Nian had said, she no longer had any doubts about this young man's psychological state. But that was perfectly normal. They said that, at the instant one entered the virtual realm, they would recall the memories they least wished to revisit—so it was no surprise that so many among the advance teams developed psychological issues. Chen Nian was already the fifth patient she had seen that day.

Chen Nian lifted his head, his gaze somewhat lost. "Dr. Wang, if I really am able to resolve that unknown obsession through the power of the virtual realm, then who will I be afterwards?"

"You'll still be who you are now—or rather, you'll be a truer version of yourself. Think of that middle-aged man who lost his wife and daughter. If he somehow brought them back, would he return to his old ways, throwing himself into work? Of course not. He would only become better, cherishing his family all the more. And that young woman—if she actually got into Capital University, would she lose her confidence again? No, she'd finally gain true self-assurance. Do you understand what I mean?"

Hearing these words, the clarity gradually returned to Chen Nian's eyes. "I understand. Thank you, Dr. Wang."

"No need to thank me… Just let me remind you of one last thing. Usually, the previous personalities in those with avoidant tendencies carry immense negative energy—pain, regret, or other emotions. If you ever get the chance to interact with him, remember to stay true to yourself. Don't let him influence you."

"All right."

"Then I'll leave you to rest. Calm yourself, and if anything comes up, you know where to find me."

"Thank you, truly, for your guidance."

She smiled softly. "It's my duty."

After Dr. Wang left, Chen Nian walked silently to the window. Outside, large transport aircraft were taking off and landing in great numbers—a rather impressive sight. But his attention couldn't linger on the planes. His mind was fixed on a single question.

"What am I really running from? I've already come to terms with my genetic illness and even death—so what could be worse than that?"

Recalling the memories that surged up the instant he entered the virtual world, Chen Nian began to sense a faint realization.

"Does it have something to do with my parents?"

At this thought, a headache crept in. "No more thinking for now. Maybe if I enter the virtual realm again, I'll remember. When that happens, I'll ask my other self—one day, I'll know."

He murmured to himself. In the twenty-odd years since he'd arrived in this world, he'd grown a lot. What he couldn't have borne at five, he now felt confident he could face—no matter what suffering had befallen him.

Once he'd calmed down a little, Chen Nian dialed a number. Whenever something troubled him, he would call this number and chat for a while—today was no exception.

"Hello, Yixiu, it's me."

"Chen Nian! I've called you so many times and couldn't get through. Is this a new number?" Lu Yixiu's shocked voice sounded from the other end.

He rarely swore, unless he was truly agitated.

"The Space Force gave it to me. There's some classified stuff, so I can't use my own phone."

"Then you better not tell me anything crazy—I can't bear that kind of responsibility."

"Don't worry. I called mainly to let you know I'm safe, and to ask you to tell the others so they don't worry about me."

"All right. What else?"

"Well… I've been feeling a bit troubled."

He said this as casually as always.

"Oh? What's bothering you? Tell me about it."

Chen Nian fell silent for a moment, uncertain how to begin. Was he supposed to say he was mentally ill? That he had a deep obsession in his heart, but didn't know what it was? After thinking it over, he could only feign lightness: "Eight or nine out of ten things in life don't go as one wishes, and not everything can be shared. Never mind—why don't you tell me what's going on outside?"

"Outside? Don't even get me started! Just now, the Space Force called me, saying they were transferring my parents, my girlfriend, and her parents to the capital for centralized protection. My parents are fine. But my girlfriend's family is a nightmare—especially her parents. They always think I'm doing something incredibly dangerous… Now that the family is involved, they've been scared out of their wits. It's only been half an hour and they've already called me four times, asking what exactly I'm involved in. What am I doing? I'm not doing anything!"

Hearing the frustration in Lu Yixiu's words, Chen Nian couldn't help but laugh. People are like this—when they're troubled, hearing about others' troubles makes them feel a little better. The reason he always sought out Lu Yixiu when in distress was because Lu Yixiu was so perceptive; he could read people, and always seemed to know what others wanted to hear without being told.

If he'd called Tang Ping, Tang would have pestered him endlessly until he confessed what was wrong, never letting up. If he'd called Zhou Zhirui, Zhou would probably have said, "Who upset you? Want me to go beat them up?" As for Xu Jing… she was considerate enough, but he didn't want to give her any false hope.

Of course, being able to see through others was Lu Yixiu's strength—and his weakness. Because he was so considerate of everyone else's feelings, everyone around him became dependent on him. His girlfriend, his parents, his friends—whenever something went wrong, they all turned to him. So he lived a rather exhausting life.

"Well, you can go on being exhausted. I really do need to hear about your misfortunes," Chen Nian thought to himself.

Just then, Lu Yixiu continued, "Did you hear? That streamer chairman overdosed on hallucinogens and died. And Yuan Zhendong suddenly disappeared. Even Xia Xiyun was in a car accident. The Space Force said someone is targeting us—those of us managing the Metaverse Guild. Damn! Who would've thought that being a guild manager in the metaverse would become a high-risk profession? It's just absurd!"

Hearing about the streamer's death, Chen Nian couldn't help but feel a little schadenfreude; that guy was always up to no good—he got what was coming to him. But as he listened on, his expression grew serious.

"So that's why the Space Force is protecting you… But who did we offend?"

"I heard the Space Force wants to use our influence to recruit troops from the metaverse player community on a large scale… and someone doesn't want that to happen."

Lu Yixiu's words were loaded with meaning.

So that's how it is, Chen Nian thought.

"What do you think about it? I mean, the Space Force recruiting from the metaverse player community."

Chen Nian didn't answer at once. After a moment's thought, he replied, "Our guild, Skydome, has one rule: we don't interfere with reality. I won't persuade anyone to join the Space Force, nor will I stop anyone. We're all adults—everyone is responsible for themselves. There are half a million of us in Skydome, and everyone's circumstances are different—we can't generalize. Tell them, if they want to use the virtual realm to make up for past regrets, or to pursue a higher ideal—and they're truly prepared for the possibility of not coming back—then they can join. If not, it's better to stay in reality and be with their families. As for the Daredevil Squad, they're an exception. With their habits, if they went to the virtual realm, they'd be lucky to last two days."

"Got it. By the way, there's something else—I don't know if you've heard."

"What is it?" Chen Nian asked curiously.

"The Space Force has decided to implement the power system from the metaverse game 'Galaxy' into the virtual realm."