Entering someone else's conscious world was a sensation Lin was very familiar with. It was exactly like the dizzying, semi-conscious feeling he experienced every time his consciousness traveled to a parallel world.
The distorted, rainbow-braided world before his eyes reassembled into shapes a normal brain could comprehend. He didn't know how much time had passed.
However, the moment he fully regained clarity and saw the person standing before him, he instinctively reached for his weapon.
It was only after his hand brushed against his empty waist, finding nothing, that he remembered weapons could not be brought into the world of consciousness.
"Welcome to my world." The girl stood before him, greeting him with a smile. "I know why you've come, but before we get to that, would you be interested in hearing what I have to say?"
...
"You are... the Eighth Herrscher!"
The moment Su saw the young girl before him, his heart tightened. She was currently using Qianqi's appearance, making her easy to recognize.
He never expected to encounter her the very second he entered this fellow's conscious world. Her smiling face, looking as though she had been waiting for him for a long time, made him even more wary. He immediately called upon his still-unfamiliar abilities, preparing to attack.
But the Eighth Herrscher merely raised both hands, revealing a very innocent smile. "Wait a moment. Is it really necessary to start fighting right away?"
Su froze. He hadn't expected the Eighth Herrscher to refrain from attacking him; instead, she was trying to communicate.
He had leafed through past records of Herrschers. Most of them possessed an instinctive hostility toward humanity, their consciousness as hollow and machine-like as a device, making communication impossible. However, there were others who possessed a rich sense of self—appearing even more emotionally expressive than humans—though they remained natural enemies of humanity, devoid of true human nature.
It seemed the Eighth Herrscher belonged to the latter category.
"I know, I know." Using Qianqi's appearance, she affected a cutesy, hypocritical manner, wagging an upright finger. "You're definitely thinking that because I'm a Herrscher, I must be an enemy of humanity. Sigh, human prejudice really is the greatest obstacle to communication."
"Is it not?" Su glared at her sternly, his fists clenched so hard they creaked. His chest overflowed with rage toward her. "Do you still intend to make excuses at this stage? You've cast so many humans into a deep sleep and destroyed the inherent order of human society. What could you possibly have to say for the harm you've caused so many people?"
His words did not make the Eighth Herrscher feel uncomfortable in the slightest; on the contrary, she covered her mouth and laughed heartily.
"Mm-hmm... destroying the inherent order of human society... is that not allowed?"
"What?"
"Could it be you think the current inherent order of humanity is correct?"
Within her slightly narrowed eyes, a sharp light flickered. She smiled at Su, speaking in soft, gentle tones: "Your name is Su, right? Do you think everyone is like you—full of passion and capable of noble self-sacrifice?"
"But the reality is quite different. Human society is rife with fat-headed, incompetent scum who occupy high positions just to exploit and suck the lifeblood of those beneath them, preventing ambitious youths like you from climbing up, or simply assimilating them."
"Enough nonsense. I didn't come here to argue about human class issues with you!" Su snorted coldly, unwilling to listen to these bewitching delusions.
"Of course you wouldn't want to argue about it."
The Eighth Herrscher extended her index finger, pointing it toward Su's heart. "Because you... essentially live in a different world from those people. What reason do you have to consider their feelings?"
"..."
Su stared blankly at the Eighth Herrscher's mocking face. With her hands behind her back, she paced slowly beside him, speaking leisurely. "Think about it carefully. You had a complete childhood, a healthy adolescence, and an outstanding youth. You have superior academic grades, brilliant talent, and friends you can share your heart with..."
"But do you know how many people die of malaria in this world every year?"
Su spoke subconsciously: "Two million..."
"Yes, two million. Is that just a number to you? Do you feel great pity for them? Do you want to save them so badly? How touching—a person who far exceeds them in status, position, and physical health actually thinks about saving those miserable souls..."
As soon as she finished, the Eighth Herrscher's smile widened to her ears, her eyes bulging in a sneer like a rag doll with its cheeks slashed open.
"Hehehehe... Tell me, have you ever had malaria?"
"..." Su fell silent.
"See? You are a doctor. In truth, you rarely fall ill yourself. To you, those patients are objects to whom you must extend a helping hand. But in their eyes? Those who receive treatment will naturally be grateful, but what about the countless people you can't save? What will they think?"
"'Why am I the one who got sick? Why must I live so miserably? Why do you get to live so well?'"
"'Eating well, dressing warmly, sitting in an air-conditioned room chatting with friends, even going out to a hotel on Valentine's Day.'"
"Of course..." The Eighth Herrscher's tone shifted. She turned her back to Su and said with a smile, "As you said, I don't want to discuss these matters with you. Whether it's the limitations of intelligent life or the peculiarities of humanity, I don't think it matters."
"Don't those high-ranking scumbags have their own unspeakable troubles? Is there nothing about them worth pitying? Perhaps they had grand ideals when they were young, too. So, here is the question: whose fault is it?"
"The answer is... nobody is at fault."
She spread her arms. Behind her, beams of light ignited. At the center of each light was a door.
"What's wrong is this world. It forces people to prey on one another; it drives good people to become bad; it is so cruel it makes people want to escape."
"Rather than talking so much, why not see for yourself?"
The Eighth Herrscher stood before one of the doors, making a "please" gesture.
...
Lin looked at the Eighth Herrscher in silence. Her smile was radiant, more movingly sincere than any actor in a commercial.
He raised his hand, pressed the handle of one of the doors, and stepped inside—
Whoosh!
The surrounding space shifted once more. The environment rapidly switched to a school campus.
"Um... I... I like you!"
He was drawn by a shy yet excited voice nearby. Turning his head, he saw a youth confessing his love to a bewildered girl.
"That person is the master of this conscious world. In reality, he is already a jobless vagrant in his thirties with flies living in his hair."
The Eighth Herrscher walked to his side, explaining with great interest.
"But here, he is still young and handsome, able to confess to the girl he once loved and lost."