I'm Trapped in the Block

Chapter 527: Chapter 524: The Non-existent Cup

”Imagine this: if the act of drinking water never happened, would there be any way to prove this cup exists?”

”If the Abyss were a book, anything that doesn’t appear in the book cannot be proven to exist.”

”It’s like a story where a cup never appears. In that case, you can’t prove the cup exists.”

”And we... we are that cup that doesn’t exist.”

”After a successful synchronization, we arrived at the fourth level of the Abyss. But right now, we aren’t part of the Abyss. We can only be considered a sort of illusion, drifting outside of it.”

”And to turn illusion into reality, to turn non-existence into existence, requires a ’drinking water’ event.”

”We have to do everything we can to become a part of the Abyss, to get this cup that doesn’t exist to be ’picked up.’”

”Once the cup interacts with the outside world, we will be acknowledged by the Abyss, no longer just an illusion.”

”To get to the fifth level, we must prove the cup’s existence. When we become associated with various events within the Abyss, the ’cup’s’ existence will be completely solidified.”

”These events are the cup’s anchor points...”

...

Reading this, Li Luo now understood why Zhou Dynasty had said that going to the fifth level required ”time.”

Experiencing various events on the fourth level of the Abyss was the process of ”anchoring” oneself. The more time passed, the more stable the anchoring would become.

However, the author of this informational article provided a more precise explanation.

”The ’drinking water’ event can only simply prove the cup exists.”

”But what if it were the cup from a historic banquet? If that cup didn’t exist, what would be smashed to give the signal to attack?”

”Therefore, different events have different anchoring strengths.”

”The more impactful the event, the greater the anchoring strength, and the more it proves the cup’s existence.”

”To gain the qualification to go to the fifth level of the Abyss, in addition to letting time do the work, you can also participate in several major, impactful events to have your existence thoroughly anchored. This way, you can save time...”

The end of the article also listed a lot of data, comparing the number of events different subjects needed to go from the fourth to the fifth level of the Abyss and listing the events they experienced.

After finishing the article, Li Luo noticed the author’s pen name.

”Zeus...”

She was very familiar with this pen name.

’The last informational article I read about synchronization was also written by this author.’ Li Luo immediately recalled the article she had seen earlier in Mirror Square.

She hadn’t expected such a coincidence, to run into this author’s work again.

Li Luo looked at the data in the article again, then fell into deep thought.

’How can I get involved in a major, impactful event?’

Just as she was thinking, a message suddenly appeared on her datapad.

”Zhou Dynasty?”

Seeing the familiar name, Li Luo curiously opened the dialogue box. There was only a single sentence:

”I’m waiting for you in the cafeteria.”

...

After updating her database, Li Luo followed the map and found the cafeteria’s location within the twisting and turning Pipe Fortress.

Compared to the other facilities, the cafeteria was considerably more normal. As long as you ignored the tables and chairs formed from interwoven bundles of small pipes, the place looked pretty good.

Zhou Dynasty had already taken off his mask and was sitting at a table, looking dejected.

”What’s wrong?” Li Luo sat down across from him.

”I have to go on another mission. I was hoping to show you around the Pipe Fortress, but it looks like there’s no time now,” Zhou Dynasty said, crestfallen. ”My teammates are staying in the fortress for a while for physical exams, but I’ve been directly transferred to another investigation team. We’re leaving right away.”

”Exploitation! This is blatant exploitation! They must be doing this because they think I’m a relic with no human rights. Who does that? I haven’t even had a good night’s sleep...”

Zhou Dynasty spared no effort in complaining about the higher-ups in the Pipe Fortress.

Only after he finished venting did he look at Li Luo again.

”Were you just at the data center?”

”That’s right.” Li Luo nodded. ”How did you find me?”

Zhou Dynasty smiled sheepishly. ”I pulled a few strings. I’m a special operative on loan to the fortress right now, so I can use some of its functions.”

”I even get a discount eating here!”

As he spoke, several pipes extended over the table, then spat out several steaming hot dishes from their openings.

Although the serving method was a bit unusual, the dishes all smelled delicious.

”Go on, eat. Try the synchronized cuisine of the Abyss’s fourth level.”

”Some of these ingredients were blasted out of rifts with Rift Bombs, and others are unique species from the Sky Islands. They’re pretty distinctive.”

Zhou Dynasty pointed to the dishes on the table, introducing them one by one.

”Tenderloin from a Rift Bear.”

”Dip it in this. It’s honey from a Sky Sea Bee.”

”And this. It’s a Magnetic Shell Monster from an Anti-Magnetic Island. When you bite into it, it’s like roast duck. The shell is super crispy.”

As he spoke, Zhou Dynasty picked one up and took a huge bite.

”Go on, eat... It’s really good...” Zhou Dynasty’s mouth was stuffed full, and his words were muffled.

Li Luo’s gaze shifted back and forth between Zhou Dynasty’s puffed-up cheeks and the rather unusual food. She tentatively picked up a crispy, roasted Magnetic Shell Monster and took a careful bite.

”Not bad.” Li Luo’s eyes lit up. She began to try the other dishes and was surprised to find they were all delicious. It seemed the Pipe Fortress’s chefs had done their best to make the food suit human tastes.

But as Zhou Dynasty ate, he started to look dejected again.

”I wish I could stay in the fortress a little longer. After this meal, I have to leave. I won’t even have a chance to use my discount again.”

”Once your mission is complete, you can come back and have another big meal,” Li Luo comforted him.

”What about you? Where are you planning to go?” Zhou Dynasty asked in return.

Hearing his question, Li Luo felt a little lost herself. So, she told him about the information she’d found in the data center...

”A major, impactful event, huh?”

Zhou Dynasty thought for a moment, and a place suddenly came to mind.

”You could go to a Danger Island!”

”A Danger Island? What kind of place is that?”

Zhou Dynasty took out his new datapad, swiped through it, and then handed it to Li Luo.

”It’s a Sky Island whose beacon is transmitting an extremely dangerous signal. They usually have some kind of spreading disaster or an ongoing war. Nearby monitoring stations will mark the Sky Island in red, warning people not to approach.”

”That should count as a major event, right?”

Li Luo looked at the information on the datapad and nodded.

”But, if you go to a Danger Island, coming back isn’t so simple...” Zhou Dynasty said with some concern. ”You have to enter the heart of the perilous Sky Island, find the beacon, and activate the emergency escape function to leave. There’s no telling what might happen in the meantime.”

”Besides, to participate in a major event, you have to throw yourself into that danger. If you want a strong anchor, you have to get deeply involved. It’s not a simple matter.”

”You’d better forget it...”

Thinking of this, Zhou Dynasty shook his head.

However, Li Luo was still staring at the datapad, completely absorbed. She had already started using the database to search for nearby Danger Islands.

Conditions on these extremely hazardous Sky Islands were changing by the moment, and beacon signals could be delayed due to interference. No one knew the true situation on those Danger Islands.

But Li Luo didn’t want to give up these opportunities.

She raised her head, her gaze firm as she looked at Zhou Dynasty.

”How do I get to a Danger Island?”