Chapter 2: Setan

At this moment, he was in an exceptionally wide underground tunnel, and there were as many as forty or fifty vehicles like the black sedan he had ridden in, lined up in a long black dragon in the tunnel.

On both sides of the tunnel stood two rows of armed soldiers holding cold submachine guns, each standing straight, expressionless, looking like well-trained special forces.

He noticed even more that it seemed one or two men and women of about his own age had gotten out of every sedan, all wearing casual clothes, their appearance and temperament also seeming to be university students. Under the guidance of several soldiers, they were walking toward several bright, circular passages beside the tunnel.

Under the signal of the square-faced man, Ding Yu followed several young men and women toward the nearest circular passage.

Except for a row of small white lights above, the entire circular passage was exceptionally smooth, as if it were made entirely of metal.

Ding Yu and the others disappeared into the passage not long after.

At this time, the square-faced man and the other men in suits turned around, got back into the sedan, and drove away from the entire tunnel one after another.

Two hours later.

Ding Yu and more than a hundred young men and women gathered in a huge hall, all looking at a man in his forties on the high platform directly in front.

This man was wearing loose casual clothes, had an ordinary appearance and messy hair, yet he was lecturing eloquently while pointing at a blurry photo on the huge screen behind him.

"……This huge celestial body, which we on Blue Star have named 'Setan,' is not a planet in the true sense, but a projection of a passage from another world. Everyone, look closely at these black spots on 'Setan.' After being magnified countless times, they are actually huge artificial structures. If placed on our Blue Star at the same scale, they should have a diameter of ten thousand li. In addition, 'Setan' is not the first time it has appeared on Blue Star. According to some secret records and verification, it has appeared in history as many as four times, each time lasting for more than a month, and the earliest time can even be traced back to the era when human civilization first originated."

As the middle-aged man spoke, he pointed at the screen, and the image on it changed to a primitive drawing on a white stone wall.

Even though this mural was very crude, one could still see that in the sky above where the numerous little black figures were, there were unexpectedly two suns, one big and one small, but the small sun was painted with yellow spots, while the big sun was painted with red spots.

"According to secret records, the interval between the appearances of 'Setan' is getting shorter and shorter, and it is getting more and more huge each time. The last time it appeared was only two hundred years ago, and at that time, Setan looked to be about the same size as the sun. Therefore, according to the research and inference of our scientists in recent years, it is very likely to appear again in a few decades or even a dozen years or so. And when it appears again, it is very likely that it will no longer be a projection, but will become a true cross-world passage, which may even lead to the two worlds gradually merging. Therefore, in order to deal with this matter, countries on Blue Star signed a secret agreement ten years ago to deal with this matter at all costs. This is also the reason why you are here." The middle-aged man said solemnly at the end.

"Chen Boshi, what could this kind of thing have to do with us? We are still in school." Although everyone was dumbfounded by what they heard, someone couldn't help but ask.

This question also asked the doubts in the hearts of most of the people present, and many people echoed it one after another.

"This student... no, it should be said that all the people invited here today have a common reason for being here, and that is that last night, when 'Setan' appeared, you all had a 'dream,' and the dreams you had were all related to people from another world." Chen Boshi on the stage replied with a smile.

"Dream? Dreams of people from another world?"

"How do you know?"

"What is going on here?"

The crowd off the stage was in an uproar, and Ding Yu was also speechless upon hearing this.

It turned out that he wasn't the only one who had that strange dream last night; so many other people had had it too.

"Students, please be quiet. The strange dreams you had last night are indeed related to the other world. I will explain this matter to everyone one by one. As a representative of the government's special affairs department, my only request to everyone is that I hope you students will use the assistance of instruments to have another dream of the other world. But this time, the dream time may be longer, but I guarantee that it will not cause any danger to the lives of the students. At the same time, the government will also provide generous rewards, such as monetary rewards or convenience in future employment. And what you students need to do is to try your best to understand everything in the other world in your dreams, and after waking up, tell us everything in the dream exactly as it was, so that we can have an accurate understanding of the other world. However, before that, we still need to do a simple test on everyone..." Chen Boshi ignored the chaos of the crowd off the stage and continued to lecture calmly on the stage.

Ding Yu in the crowd had already fallen into deep thought.

……

Not long after, hundreds of meters deep underground.

In a heavily guarded white hall, there were metal sleeping pods, each one silver-white.

Ding Yu and the others were lying in these sleeping pods, their eyes closed, their expressions serene.

Beside each sleeping pod, a staff member in white clothes was holding a mobile phone-sized instrument, constantly recording something on it.

On a high platform outside the hall, Chen Boshi and several people who looked like leaders were observing the crowd in the sleeping pods through a transparent glass window, occasionally whispering to each other, their expressions very solemn.

……

The next morning, in a room similar to a classroom, a silver-white sleeping pod was placed at the front desk.

Ding Yu and other young people were sitting behind desks, listening intently to what a white-haired old man beside the sleeping pod was saying, but the number of people was only one-third of the previous one, probably only about thirty people.

"……After investigations by countries around the world, we were surprised to find that the people who were able to communicate with 'Setan' and enter dreams this time were all within the Kyoto area of our country. Although the governments of other countries also took corresponding screening measures early on, they did not find any other people who could enter dreams of the other world. In addition, everyone may not know that your birthdays are actually on the same day. More accurately, even the time of your birth is consistent. This may be the reason why only your brain waves can communicate with 'Setan.' Our scientists will conduct more in-depth research on this in the future……"

"Summarizing the dreams of the other world that everyone had last night and the previous records of 'Setan,' our rough inference about the other world is as follows: It is a world with lower productivity than ours, with different countries and very vast regions. The known people of the other world, regardless of appearance or physiological structure, have no obvious differences from us yellow-skinned people. And the food, clothing, housing, transportation, and even the writing and calendar of most people there are somewhat similar to those of ancient China. Therefore, the possibility that the people of the other world and us have the same racial origin cannot be ruled out. But this world seems to have supernatural mysterious powers. Last night, a student who possessed a person of the other world witnessed a 'human-faced fish' that could speak human language. Searching for supernatural mysterious powers in the other world will be your primary task……"

"You are the final candidates who passed the test. Your brain waves after entering the dream can not only communicate with 'Setan' but are also stable enough to be determined to be able to use this 'Zero' type sleeping pod. The 'Zero' type is one of the greatest inventions of this century. Its key components are made of a certain new material that is very rare on Blue Star. There are only a few hundred in the world, and those allocated to our country are all in this base. The 'Zero' type can allow people to sleep in it for years without incident just by relying on nutrient solution. Each one is equipped with a subsystem of 'Taiyuan,' the most cutting-edge artificial intelligence on Blue Star, which can monitor your physical health at any time, maximize the amplification of your brain waves, allow you to stay in the other world for a longer time after entering the dream, and can even assist everyone in influencing the behavior of the possessed person of the other world at critical moments. As for how much it can influence, this depends on various factors and varies from person to person. Below, I will teach everyone step by step the method of calling and using 'Taiyuan' assistance in the dream……"

"The identities of the people of the other world you enter in your dreams are different. Most of them are ordinary people, but there are also individuals with special identities. So please remember that the specific identities of the people of the other world you enter in your dreams are strictly confidential, and you are not allowed to share each other's information in private……"

The third night, in the white hall.

The silver-white sleeping pods that were originally full were now only thirty or so left.

Ding Yu stood beside a sleeping pod, staring blankly at several staff members in uniforms doing final adjustments around the sleeping pod. After his gaze shifted, it happened to bump into the nervous gaze of a young girl beside the adjacent sleeping pod.

This girl had fair skin and a delicate appearance. After meeting Ding Yu's gaze, a hint of shyness appeared on her face, and she nodded slightly at him.

Ding Yu smiled reluctantly and responded with a nod. Then, he subconsciously looked at the new silver nameplate posted on the other party's sleeping pod, on which the two black characters "Xu Ting" were clearly written. It should be this girl's name.

After a while, with the assistance of the staff, everyone lay into the sleeping pods one after another.

After the transparent glass covers of Ding Yu and the others closed, he took a deep breath, feeling a bit uneasy, but Chen Boshi's clear voice still came from the sleeping pod:

"In another minute, the hypnotic gas will be activated. Before that, I will repeat the three most important points to the students. First, after entering the dream, everyone must protect the safety of their own consciousness. If the possessed person of the other world loses their life, although your main body on Blue Star will not die, there is a possibility of mental damage due to consciousness synchronization. Second, during the duration of Setan, everyone will stay in the sleeping pod. According to past data, this time will be about a month or so. But there is a possibility that the time flow in the dream and the time flow in reality are inconsistent and change. If someone stays in the dream for more than a month, don't panic. When the real time arrives, we will take the initiative to wake everyone up. Third, in this dream trip, everyone should focus on understanding and inquiring about the existence of mysterious powers in the other world. The more detailed the information, the better. It is best to be able to directly learn how to control this power with the help of the possessed person of the other world. Alright, finally, I wish everyone a smooth trip to the other world. I will be here waiting for everyone to wake up again."

"Hypnotic gas activated, 10, 9, 8, 7……"

With the end of the countdown, white mist sprayed out from all the sleeping pods. After Ding Yu felt a sweet scent rushing toward his nose and mouth, he quickly lost consciousness.

Ten minutes later, pale green liquid filled the entire sleeping pod.

On a high platform separated by a wall from the white hall, Chen Boshi and a dignified man in a crisp military uniform stood together, observing the situation in the white hall through a huge glass window, while talking to each other.

"Chen Boshi, can we really avoid that Blue Star catastrophe in the future by doing this?"

"General Xu, I don't know either. This is the only result calculated by 'Taiyuan.' You also know how 'Taiyuan' was born, so we can only believe in it." Chen Boshi replied solemnly.

The military man nodded silently upon hearing this.

Just at this moment, a mechanical voice suddenly sounded in the hall:

"Unknown energy has descended, is affecting the entire base, the base's three-layer protective shield has been penetrated, and the electromagnetic field in the nearby area is being affected……"

"Oh no! Taiyuan, activate the base's emergency protection system immediately!" Chen Boshi's face changed drastically, and he immediately grabbed a microphone and shouted.

But at this moment, the sleeping pods in the white hall began to tremble, followed by electric light lingering, sparks flying, and some even burst open directly……

Half an hour later, Chen Boshi and the man in military uniform appeared in the white hall, looking at the terrible situation in front of them with ashen faces, while listening to the staff's report.

Eight or nine out of ten sleeping pods in the hall were emitting black smoke, and some people who had just fallen asleep in them were being helped up from inside in a daze.

"Report, only three Zero-type sleeping pods are still operating normally. Other sleeping pods have had various problems to varying degrees and must be taken for repairs before they can be reused."

"Go get other intact sleeping pods immediately and let the people who woke up enter the dream again." Chen Boshi ordered anxiously.

But before the staff below could take orders to do so, a pleasant female voice sounded in the hall again:

"Doctor, it has just been verified that the unknown energy came from outer space, and now this energy and 'Setan' have disappeared at the same time."

"Outer space? Setan has disappeared now?"

"This is impossible!"

This time, Chen Boshi and General Xu shouted at the same time. After looking at each other, they both showed expressions of disbelief.

At the same time, in the deepest part of the underground base, in a giant unmanned machine room strictly protected by more than a dozen layers of thick armor, a cold mechanical voice echoed:

"Base database data is being lost... being lost... subsystem sequence is missing... start copying and remaking immediately... remaking... remaking... missing subsystem copy completed... self-check again... problem solved……"