Chapter 432: The Wasteland’s Whisper
by xennovel“Gludong…”
Suddenly, his heart began pounding heavily; Lu Xin felt an unbearable emptiness in his chest.
A sudden urge to return to that world, crafted by mental radiation, surged within him.
Missions, the Technology Church—none of it mattered anymore.
All he could feel was panic, as if a vast loneliness had seeped into every corner of the wasteland.
That sensation twisted into monstrous forms, ready at any moment to devour and drown him.
Where was the flaw in all of this?
To see through that museum, he needed to reach his clearest state of mind.
And achieving that clarity meant that everything he perceived would reveal the truth.
So, Mom, Father, Sister—did they all just vanish?
He had seen through the façade of the museum, the lie of these people’s idyllic lives.
And in doing so, had he exposed his own deception?
What does this even mean?
Am I just another person confined in a bottle?
……
An unimaginable feeling churned inside him, as if it were kneading his heart relentlessly.
His temples throbbed, as though streams of blood were forcing the truth into his mind.
He even felt his palms trembling, uncontrollably shuddering.
“Huh?”
At that very moment, a soft hand grasped his palm.
Turning slightly, he saw Doll quietly watching him, her expression mixing curiosity with concern.
He realized he wasn’t alone in this wasteland.
The overwhelming loneliness was slightly dispersed.
The rapid beating of Lu Xin’s heart finally began to ease a fraction.
……
“Mom first questioned me about this uncertain truth to be unveiled, then said I would face it sooner or later.”
“So this means that Mom knew that as I pierced through the illusory world, I would temporarily… lose sight of them?”
“Thus, this might only be a temporary change in my perception—as if altering my wavelength—so that while I see the essence of this world, I also lose the presence of my family…”
“Temporarily!”
“Then once the issue is resolved, everything will return to normal, right?”
……
Deep down, Lu Xin despised this feeling.
He even felt an urge to quit the field immediately, abandoning the mission altogether.
But with Doll by his side, the crushing solitude was at least somewhat alleviated.
That relief sparked enough energy for him to calmly ponder the situation.
He realized that, judging by Mom’s attitude, this might be part of his learning process.
Moreover, if he truly wanted to uncover the Technology Church’s intentions, he had to maintain his clear vision of the truth.
So for now, the investigation must continue.
Feeling a slight stiffness in his neck, Lu Xin turned and spotted a faint vortex on a nearby Field Row. In this world permeated by dark red mental radiation, that vortex looked like a portal to another realm.
An Undercover Unit wearing a black top hat stood half-outside the opening, watching him intently.
It was still there.
In other words, seeing his family and seeing them are not the same?
People are influenced in seven ways—perhaps each mental monster is a different facet of the truth he perceives?
Just as he could no longer see his family, that little monster showed no signs of abnormality.
Even Doll by his side appeared only curious at that moment.
She hadn’t realized that, at that instant, all her family had vanished.
It was all too chaotic.
A mild headache struck Lu Xin, and he sensed that he might have come into contact with some deeper truth.
Yet, deep within, he had no desire to unravel it completely.
……
A light shake on his palm caught his attention.
Lu Xin saw Doll, her gaze lowered, her smile replaced by an expression of worry.
She was gently urging him in her own way.
“It’s okay, let me take a moment,”
he murmured softly to Doll as he slowly crouched down, drawing a deep breath.
Doll held his hand tightly, unwilling to let go.
After a few minutes of calming down, Lu Xin’s mood finally settled a bit.
He exhaled slowly, straightened his back, and forced a tentative smile at Doll as he said, “Let’s continue the investigation.”
“We need to resolve all these issues as soon as possible…”
“And then everything will be okay…”
……
A small road meandering from outside still lay ahead—and it felt strangely familiar to Lu Xin.
He remembered that the first time he entered the S-level forbidden zone, he had taken this very path.
After walking a distance, he even spotted neatly arranged fields that he recognized.
Row after row, measured as if by a ruler.
These outer fields grew grain; in the midst of deep winter, with wheat seedlings showing a dark green hue, Lu Xin observed that many of the plants looked withered and feeble, lacking vitality.
And there were no farmers tending the crops.
“It’s clear that something’s wrong with Happy Town…”
“The last time I came here, the mental radiation was calm and barely noticeable.”
“But now, the mental radiation pulses with an abnormal liveliness…”
“I have a feeling that the Disaster Museum is still here, shrouding the entire wasteland—even though I can’t see it…”
……
In a low voice, Lu Xin recounted all the scenes he witnessed, ensuring the Somnambulist would record every detail.
Around him, sluggish figures moved like sleepwalkers. They weren’t dead, yet to Lu Xin they seemed even less lively than the corpses he had once cooperated with. Their stiff, measured motions within a few meters exuded an indescribable mystery.
“We’ve previously deduced that the Technology Church took a vast number of residents from Water Bay City. Compared to that number, the forest of the dead in the outskirts was sparse. But now, I think I’ve located the remaining residents…”
“They are now wandering around the periphery of Happy Town, sleepwalking across the wasteland…”
“Or perhaps they live in a world unseen by us—in our eyes, they only seem to be sleepwalking, yet in a realm formed by mental radiation, each one lives in an oddly blissful state…”
……
Lu Xin paused and glanced at the Undercover Unit by his side.
It scribbled rapidly with its small claws—a speed that belied its size.
“I should be able to shatter their illusion…”
Lu Xin reached out, his fingers gently skimming the dark red mental radiation interweaving around him.
In a soft tone, he said, “Their world is an illusion. As long as I disrupt the mental radiation in the real world, I can completely break their dream. But if I do that, it will feel…”
“Cruel!”
……
Lu Xin paused, choosing his words carefully.
Indeed, disrupting the mental radiation was simple—a mere wave of his hand would do it.
Yet, these people were in the midst of their greatest happiness; rousing them felt disturbingly callous.
He scrutinized his inner feelings, searching for the reason behind his sense of cruelty.
Then he sighed softly, “After all, isn’t life fragile by nature?”
……
As he finished observing the sleepwalking crowd, an Undercover Unit timidly approached him.
In its small claws was a response from outside.
“All messages have been recorded. Captain, keep your inner calm and swiftly uncover the true purpose of the Technology Church.”
“Besides, our lives are tough as nails!”
“B2.”
……
Seeing that message, Lu Xin almost envisioned Gecko’s resilient, smiling face.
A smile suddenly broke out on his face.
Yes, life is tough and real—Gecko, Chen Jing, and of course Doll beside him, are all undeniably real.
The fear from not seeing his family, for the time being, gradually subsided.
……
After a deep breath, Lu Xin pressed forward.
He meticulously observed the shapes formed by the interwoven mental radiation, careful not to collide with those lost in the illusion.
He couldn’t explain why—a scene that should have been frightening turned less so when he noticed the joyful expressions on the faces of those living in this mental tapestry.
In fact, their blissful smiles now appeared pitiful.
Step by step, he ventured deeper into the boundless crowd of sleepwalkers.
The fine strands of mental radiation brushing against his skin made it tingle.
Yet, Lu Xin never let down his guard.
According to the information Chen Jing had provided earlier, there were at least four individuals from the Technology Church who hadn’t revealed themselves yet.
A Cardinal, a Priest, a Knight, and an unidentified retainer.
They were surely somewhere in this forbidden zone.
Maybe in the next moment, one of them would suddenly appear and attack him with a bizarre power.
But oddly enough, despite his careful steps, he hadn’t seen a single one.
Strange.
As he neared Happy Town, Lu Xin started noticing discrepancies.
He had been to Happy Town once before; he knew that after passing the fields, it should take about ten minutes to reach the town. Yet now, he felt he’d been walking for over twenty minutes, with people still densely surrounding him.
He had become lost amidst the crowd.
Moreover, the dim light, already scarce, was further obscured by the mass of people blocking the path.
“Am I lost again?”
Lu Xin paused, surveying his surroundings until he quickly pinpointed the problem.
All along, he had been sidestepping these people to avoid disturbing their happiness.
In a way, by not interfering with the flow of mental radiation, he had inadvertently trapped himself as well.
He was still inside the museum’s confines…
……
“Then I’ll have to shatter your beautiful dreams…”
Lu Xin thought as he raised his hand, feeling the shift in the surrounding mental radiation. Suddenly, he strode forward. This time, a skinny young man stood before him, yet instead of dodging, Lu Xin walked straight past him.
His movement disrupted the mental radiation around the young man.
It was as if some change had been set in motion.
“Zzzt…”
A sparking sound, reminiscent of a short-circuited wire, filled the silence.
In the extreme stillness, Lu Xin’s mind felt slightly overwhelmed by an unseen force, and his vision blurred momentarily.
At that very moment, a faint, ethereal voice suddenly echoed in his ear.
“I… I’m in so much pain…”
“Can someone please help me… help me…”
……
Startled, Lu Xin turned sharply, instinctively looking in one direction.
But the voice had faded, leaving nothing but profound silence—as if it were all an illusion.
He then glanced at Doll, who had raised her head in curiosity; it was evident that she, too, had heard it.
……
It wasn’t an illusion—a cry for help was real!
Lu Xin pondered deeply, his heart pounding fiercely as a wave of goosebumps ran over his scalp.
The one calling for help was none other than the Queen of Happy Town!