Chapter 128: A Bold Idea
Xu Zhi’s mind went blank for a moment. She remembered who she was, where she was, and what she was doing. But it felt like soaking in a warm hot spring after a long, exhausting day—or curling up under a cozy blanket on a winter night. She simply couldn’t summon the will to move. The gentle, comforting light surrounded her, and even though she clearly knew what she should be doing, she couldn’t so much as lift a finger.
Why is it so comfortable inside this moonlight?
In her mind, Xu Zhi kept urging herself to act—to at least take a few steps forward and search for treasure. She couldn’t just stay in one place. But the truth was, she couldn’t move a single finger.
It felt like she was meant to stay here. And so what if she didn’t move?
Even merging completely with this light didn’t seem like a bad outcome.
In fact, if she could truly become one with it, it might actually feel… wonderful?
Yes… why not choose to merge with the light?
The moment this thought emerged in Xu Zhi’s mind, her fingertips suddenly turned translucent, as if she really were merging with the light just as she wished.
But in the next second, black-and-white static—like the kind you’d see on a malfunctioning arcade screen—flashed before her eyes. A harsh electric screech rang in her ears.
In an instant, the overwhelming comfort vanished, and Xu Zhi snapped out of it.
She was suddenly much more alert, though she didn’t feel like she’d been bewitched. Unlike the last time she’d lost consciousness at midnight, this time, she had sunk in willingly, while fully awake. It wasn’t seduction—it was the sheer allure of the light that had pulled her in.
Like a moth to a flame.
It was only natural for her to be drawn in.
But now that she had “woken up,” it felt like she had passed some kind of test—she now had the ability to resist that pull.
Xu Zhi’s expression turned a bit strange. She pulled out the game console and looked at it. Still the same [Under Maintenance] screen. But during that last moment, she felt as if the game console had helped her.
She just had no proof.
“What exactly are you trying to do?”
Xu Zhi murmured, confused. But now wasn’t the time to dwell on it. She set the console aside and began walking toward the center of the light.
To be honest, Xu Zhi didn’t know what she was supposed to do next. But ever since she entered this luminous space, she’d felt drawn to something. Now that her mind was clear, the pull remained—only it no longer clouded her reason.
And now that she could feel it clearly, she could roughly sense the direction of this attraction. She didn’t know whether it was good or bad, but it was exactly what she had come for. So she didn’t hesitate and headed straight toward the source.
Strangely, she hadn’t encountered any of the exotic beasts that had chased the light into this place.
Thinking back, the only reason she’d been able to break free just now was because of those bizarre glitches and static—probably something like a cheat-code reminder. The other beasts likely wouldn’t have anything like that.
Chances were, they’d already been lulled into merging with this warm, comfortable glow.
It was terrifying.
The shattered hordes of beasts and their chaotic infighting back when the rift first opened—those had just been the prelude. This place was the true trap: a silent, invisible kill zone.
Xu Zhi didn’t let her guard down just because she’d snapped out of the trance. She had expected more danger ahead. But surprisingly, she walked straight into the very center—and saw the thing that had been attracting her… and every exotic beast in Cloud City.
It was a fragment of light.
That’s the best way she could describe it—it sounded abstract, but she couldn’t put it any better. It looked like a piece of something that had been ripped off a larger body. The edges were ragged, almost like tiny tendrils gently floating in the air, glowing softly.
The shard was small—about a centimeter long and wide—and hovered in mid-air like a feather caught on a breeze.
“…What am I supposed to do with this?”
Xu Zhi, for once, looked a little troubled.
She tentatively reached out and touched the shard. Her fingertip felt warmth, but there was no texture—as if she were touching empty air.
Still, the shard did move slightly, nudged forward by her finger.
Other than that, nothing changed.
The strange energy she’d felt over the past few nights also seemed to have vanished. But somehow, she just knew—that mystical energy had come from this shard of light.
She didn’t plan to linger here long. Yi and the little exotic beast were still waiting outside—she didn’t want to return only to find both of them dead.
Besides, whoever had sent her in had probably noticed by now. If she wanted to get out, she’d be a target again. If her bonded beasts were still around, they might help her—but either way, she needed to be quick and decisive.
Xu Zhi tried to grasp the shard.
It worked—she could hold it.
She just… couldn’t feel a thing.
But—What now?
She couldn’t take it with her. This space had no exit. It reminded her of that white forest from her dream—except this place lacked trees and paths. Just a void.
How was she supposed to get out?
As she pondered that, she noticed the shard slowly slipping through her fingers.
“Light” had no real form. It couldn’t be held for long.
Xu Zhi tried releasing her transcendental power to interact with the shard. Maybe it would trigger some kind of reaction?
Unfortunately, her moth simply passed through the light like it was air—not even a ripple.
So now, on top of figuring out how to take the shard with her, she also needed to figure out how to leave this place.
If this space was designed to house the “light,” then maybe the way out was tied to it?
Staring at the shard again, a bold idea suddenly popped into Xu Zhi’s mind.
She thought—if the game console weren’t down for maintenance, and if the narrator had seen what she was thinking—it would definitely be screaming right now.
But unfortunately, no one was around to stop her increasingly insane idea.
So, Xu Zhi once again picked up the shard, gently holding it in her hand. Then she brought it to her mouth.
As it neared her lips, she opened her mouth and lightly tossed the shard in.
Then she closed her mouth and made a swallowing motion—gulping down the faintly warm “light.”
To be honest, Xu Zhi had no idea what consequences this would bring.
But she thought back to eating the black fruit and the core—if she could eat those things, then…
Maybe this could be eaten too?
