He is now standing at the intersection beside the road.
Even Coco, whom he had been holding in his arms, was gone.
"Lou Fei'er? Zeng Tao? Jin Yue? Are you there?"
Xu Xin subconsciously shouted to the people around him.
But the only responses he got were the honking of cars and the loud shouting of some drivers.
"Damn, newbies, don't drive a manual transmission during rush hour. It's fatal if the engine stalls at an intersection!"
"Just shut up! Aren't you ashamed? The more you urge, the harder it is to start the car in front!" The person sitting in the passenger seat couldn't stand the person next to him and cursed.
"Shit, I'm almost passing the traffic light! I'm going to be late! What the hell is wrong with practicing driving during rush hour!"
"What's going on in front?"
“Drip—Drip—”
"drop--"
The cars in the row behind were honking like crazy, and they watched helplessly as the car in the front started and stalled frantically, eventually missing the traffic light.
This scene looks really familiar.
If he had seen this kind of scene in the past, he would have just frowned, but now, he actually felt a sense of familiarity.
He stretched out his hand again, reaching out to the pedestrians around him.
Still can't touch the people around me.
The people around him were like phantoms. When his hand touched them, they would appear illusory for a moment and then be passed through.
He seemed to be in a virtual world, and everything he saw was an illusion.
But... is this really an illusion
Here, except for the inability to touch, everything else feels too real.
Not just what he saw and heard.
What made him feel most real was not the sound, but...
smell!
The air here is much more turbid than in the jungle, and there is also a faint smell of car exhaust...
He could even smell very clearly the perfume of the woman who had just bumped into him and passed through him!
Here, except for the fact that it cannot be touched, everything else is too real!
It was so real that it caused an inexplicable thought to arise in his heart.
The surroundings and the world he was in now were not an illusion.
This is his real world.
The Earth, his home.
And now he, himself, is the fake one.
Yes, this is exactly what he is thinking now.
What is going on
People continued to come and go around him, and behind him was the familiar subway station with people constantly pouring out.
Because of the red light, there were already many people standing around where he was.
The sun is shining.
It seemed to be rush hour, and everyone was in a hurry without stopping.
The traffic light turned green, and Xu Xin subconsciously followed the crowd around him and began to walk across the road.
But after taking only two steps, he stopped and let the person behind him pass through his body and move forward.
He was a little hesitant to leave.
He looked around again.
Now, what is the situation
If everything he was sensing now was truly an illusion, or in other words, a virtual world created based on the memories in his mind, then he should be on the second floor of the crystal palace now.
Considering the dangerous situation on the first floor, he didn't dare to walk around without seeing his surroundings!
If he stepped into the trap, with the strength of the first level of the trap, there would be no chance of him surviving!
but…
What if, as he just thought, the world around him was real, and he was virtual
How to verify...
That’s right!
He was in his current situation the moment he stepped into the second floor.
In other words, if he took a few steps back from where he was just now...
If this was still the second floor of the Crystal Palace, he should be able to directly retreat back to the stairs and exit the second floor!
He turned and walked back to where he appeared, took a deep breath, and stepped forward again.
As a result, there was no step and he did not escape from the predicament.
this…
He continued walking forward and stepped directly onto the subway steps.
"…?"
He immediately thought of something and reached out to touch the handrail of the stairs.
You can touch it!
He could actually touch the handrail of the stairs!
This really is the real world!
He even wiped the dust off the armrest with his hand.
Completely erasable!
He can even influence the world!
He walked up the escalator tentatively, and the escalator took him directly into the subway station.
Even until the elevator took him to the bottom floor, his expression was somewhat dazed.
He felt his heart pounding!
It seems like it's about to jump out of my throat!
He... is back
He is really back?!
but…
He subconsciously reached out his hand again to stop the people around him, but of course, it was of no use.
However, he seemed to come back in another way.
Although he and these people are in the same world, they cannot directly influence each other!
He can see other people, but other people can't see him!
He and these people seemed to be living in different dimensions of the same world!
Why
No matter why.
He didn't want to think about it so much now.
This place is not far from his home!
He wants to go home and see!
what to do
The subway... should be able to take him, right
This place is only a few subway stops away from his home. If he can take the subway, he can get home in about fifteen minutes!
He really can't wait!
He took a step forward and ran towards the subway station.
Hurry! Because he didn't know how long he could stay here!
Maybe I’ll go back soon!
He must go home before that!
His last memory in this world was sleeping at home.
At that time, he had been admitted to the postgraduate entrance examination, but the school had not yet started, so he basically stayed at home every day.
At that time, he was really annoyed by his parents' nagging.
But now, his mind is full of home.
His father, his mother, and his younger sister who is still in high school!
It was his first time to evade the subway fare and he simply stepped over the subway guardrail and entered the station.
There's no way. He doesn't have any card to use now.
…By the way, current cameras shouldn’t be able to capture him, right
As he rushed down, a train just arrived.
The car doors opened wide and countless office workers poured out.
Xu Xin simply ignored them, walked through their bodies and walked into the train.
Then he stood in the subway with ease.
Because this station is surrounded by office buildings, it is the station with the most passengers getting off during rush hour. At this time, the subway is empty and there are not many people.
He randomly picked a seat in the corner and sat down. The train started and headed towards his home.
A long fifteen minutes.
It really is like every second feels like an age.
Xu Xin was afraid that he would leave here the next second, and he was also afraid that when he returned home, he would see a gloomy house because of his disappearance.
But he has to go back!
He calmed his mind a little, and began to think about the current situation while he couldn't do anything.
Now, he was sure that he was really back.
The only difference in this world for him is that other people can neither see him nor touch him.
But he could touch the buildings and moving trains of this world.
This is really a strange phenomenon.
It seems that the problem is not with the world, but with himself.
It is definitely related to the crystal palace!
…
Soon, the subway arrived at the station, and he rushed out, ran out of the subway exit, and ran towards home.
Familiar streets, familiar community entrance, familiar security guard.
However, this time he couldn't say hello to the security guard.
Arriving at the door, Xu Xin tried to open it using facial recognition.
Unfortunately, his face did not appear in the facial recognition, so it could not be recognized at all and the door could not be opened.
Sure enough, the camera couldn't capture him.
To this world, he is a transparent existence!
Fortunately, many people came out of the community at this time, and when others opened the door, he took the opportunity to sneak in.
Familiar buildings, familiar greenery, and even familiar faces.
The neighbor across the street is getting ready for work.
He watched his neighbors walk past him and really felt like crying.
After experiencing so many life and death experiences in that world, everything here could touch him.
Even though he hadn’t spoken to his neighbor many times, at most he’d say hello in the elevator and was forced to chat about each other’s well-being in order to avoid embarrassment, but now seeing this face... it was so friendly!
If the neighbors haven't changed, then his home must not have changed either!
When he got downstairs, the unit door was still open, so he walked out directly and pressed the elevator button.
The elevator door opened, he walked in, and pressed the button for his floor.
This set of movements is smooth and there is no obstruction.
I just don't know if the property staff who sees the elevator surveillance camera think the elevator is broken when they see the elevator door open automatically and the floors light up automatically.
The elevator rises, stops, and opens its door.
Xu Xin walked out of the elevator and looked at the familiar door on his right. He was so excited that he couldn't speak.
He was even more excited than experiencing life and death in that world!
But then he discovered a problem.
"… I… "
Xu Xin helplessly discovered that he couldn't open the door.
Judging from the situation on the street, today must be a weekday, so his parents should have gone to work.
As for his sister, it was even more impossible for her to be at home.
She is a high school student. Although she is only in her second year, she is extremely busy with her studies and also lives on campus.
Even during the time when Xu Xin stayed at home, she could only be seen coming home on Sundays, and she was at school the rest of the time.
So, under normal circumstances, there would be no one at home at this time.
Judging from the time, he has been missing for some time. Even if his family is lost and anxious because of him, it is impossible that they have not yet resumed their normal life.
…So, he rushed back in a rush, but it seemed… useless
Waiting at the door? This is really...
At this moment, a familiar voice came from the door, which made him shudder.
"Xu Ying, open the door for me!"
Someone!
It was his mother's voice!
mom!
He immediately burst into tears.
At home! Someone is home!
“Is Yingying home too…” Although Xu Xin was a little surprised why the two were still at home, he was still very happy.
Xu Ying is his sister.
This girl became very rebellious and a little annoying when she was about to go to high school. During the time he was at home, she would argue with him every time she came home, and this situation continued until he left.
"I won't! I just won't!" Sure enough, a somewhat rebellious voice came through the door.
He was tired of hearing this voice before, but when he heard it now, he couldn't help but smile.
"... Yingying, I just want to take you to chat with an auntie. She is a very nice person. I took a leave of absence today just for this. You..."
"What auntie! Are you looking for another psychiatrist? I'm telling you, I don't have any mental problems, I'm fine! Don't keep looking for doctors for me!"
What
Xu Xin frowned suddenly.
Psychiatrist
What happened to Yingying
Psychiatry
"… This time it's not a psychiatrist, it's just a psychologist… um, a counselor. I'm just taking you to talk. Come out quickly. I promise to be back before noon, okay?"
"I won't! Go back to work! You don't care about your own patients, but you still care about me, who is not sick!"
Xu Xin's mother is a doctor herself, but she is an internist, so if Yingying really has any mental illness, her mother really can't tell.
Of course, it should not be a problem to find someone through your network.
"I've asked for leave today and don't have to go to work." Xu Xin's mother persuaded earnestly, "Yingying, just listen to me this time and go with me. Your condition is really getting worse!"
"I'm not! I'm not sick! You are the ones who are sick! You forgot about your brother!" Xu Ying's voice rose again, and she almost cried in the end.
What
Xu Xin's eyes slowly widened.
… Forgot? Forgot what
"Xu Ying! I'll say it again, you don't have any brother at all! You are an only child!" The mother's voice rose several degrees again, and she was finally annoyed by Xu Ying's stubborn attitude and what she just said. "I only gave birth to you, a daughter, how can you have a brother! No one around you remembers that you have a brother! Now you can't even go to school because of your imaginary brother! You must come with me to see a doctor today!"
Xu Xin was hit hard by his mother's words.
It made him feel a little dizzy.
… What's the meaning…
His mouth opened slightly.
A possibility emerged in his mind.
A possibility he had heard before.
"I knew it was a doctor! I won't go!
"How many times have you taken me to see doctors? All those doctors said that I was mentally healthy, and I am healthy! I am fine!"
"You...!" Xu Xin's mother was so angry that she couldn't say a word.
At this moment, there was a sound of a door opening upstairs, and then an elderly couple came down and walked to the door.
Xu Xin subconsciously made way for them, then realized that he couldn't touch them.
The old man in the couple knocked on the door and said, "Mother, don't be anxious. Shouting is useless..."
At this time, the door was opened, and what came into view was the face of Xu Xin's mother, who even though she was over fifty years old, still looked young because she was well maintained. However, now there was a sad look on her face, and her eyes were a little red.
Seeing this face, Xu Xin's eyes instantly turned red.
"I'm sorry to bother you." The mother said to the two elderly people in front of the door with an apologetic look on her face.
"Hey, it's okay for us." The old man waved his hand, "You can't treat children like that. Mental illness can't be forced, otherwise the child will go to extremes and regret it!"
"Yes," the old lady at the side also advised, "The child also came to us to ask about her 'brother'. Although I don't know what her 'brother' is like, I think she is in good condition. There is no need to be so anxious."
"How can I not be anxious..." Xu Xin's mother couldn't help crying, "I tried everything, but she just... This is clearly a symptom of schizophrenia... But I took her to see so many psychiatrists, but they all said there was nothing wrong with her..."
"As long as it doesn't affect your life, it's fine." The old man advised.
"How can it not affect her life? She doesn't even go to school now. She is obsessed with proving her non-existent 'brother'. I don't know what she is doing when we are not at home. How can I feel at ease... She used to be such a cheerful child, but now..."
Xu Xin had roughly understood the situation.
He wanted to tell his mother that he was here, but his words could not reach his mother's ears.
He thought of what Lou Feier said to him when she first entered the red fog, and suddenly he felt a chill all over.
"I feel like what I'm seeing is an illusion, but it doesn't look like an illusion."
"This illusion is so real..."
"Everything at home, my parents..."
"In that illusory home, it seems... I have never been there..."
"Anything related to me in my memory, in this illusion, there is nothing at all!"
"In that house, all traces of me disappeared, including my room, the marks I carved on the table with a knife, and..."
Damn it… !
The hallucination that Lou Feier saw was real!
Now, he also saw that illusion!
Moreover, it was more real than what Lou Feier saw!
This is not an illusion at all, but the real world!
His existence was erased
But it seems...his biological sister, Xu Ying, still remembers him
So could she...
At this time, the door of the house was suddenly pushed open. Xu Ying's hair was disheveled, and her pretty face was covered with red eyes. She shouted to the people at the door: "I am not schizophrenic! You don't believe me! Brother absolutely..."
Her words suddenly stopped.
Then, her eyes slowly opened wide and she pointed at the door with a trembling hand.
"… Forehead… "
She opened and closed her mouth, but was unable to speak.
"Yingying! What happened to you?!" Her mother immediately ran into the house, grabbed her hand, hugged her, and looked panicked. "What happened? Why did you suddenly..."
Xu Ying looked at Xu Xin, her almond-shaped eyes trembling wildly.
Her lips trembled slightly as she uttered two words.
"… elder brother… ?"