Artifact Report

Chapter 147: Fu Tailan: It would be nice to travel through time...?
"Look at you, you look so indifferent."

The woman on the TV in Room 201 stepped back and sat on the chair again, and the shadow no longer covered the screen.

She looked like she was being interviewed, facing the camera.

"From what I can see, it's not that you don't believe me, you're just being too cautious, right? Ever since you came upstairs, not only have you refused to talk to me or even look me in the eye, you've even refused to stand directly in front of any TVs, and you've been holding a gun in your hand the whole time... For a young person, you're quite thoughtful and meticulous."

This was not the compliment he wanted, Fu Tailan complained in his heart.

Besides, isn't this a matter of course?

He didn't know how the TV on the second floor operated or how it would attack people; who would be so reckless as to approach it?

"The woman who went upstairs before you saw the TV, immediately came over and touched me a few times."

...It was indeed Mai Minghe.

Only she, when seeing so many TV screens, would feel that she had a way out and would move forward with a sense of security.

When she became a resident, she said that a lot of information about the nest was instilled into her brain; now it seems that either the information disappeared after she returned to adulthood, or the apartment information was not included.

Either way, it was a good thing for him; after all, what hunter wanted his prey to know more than he did?
201 - let's call the woman on TV 201 for now, Fu Tailan didn't even intend to ask her name - turned her head and looked in the direction of the end of the corridor, as if she could see the stairs leading to the third floor from the TV.

"I'm not in the mood to hurt you, believe it or not. I'm just offering my advice... If I were you, I wouldn't rush down this corridor and up the stairs in one breath."

Fu Tailan still kept her eyes down and said nothing.

A common self-preservation strategy in the nest is to turn a blind eye to abnormalities - the safest way to proceed now is to remain silent while collecting information.

Although he had made up his mind, 201's next words made him tremble in his heart and he almost looked up at her.

"Because this place provides humans with an opportunity to re-choose their destiny."

……What's the meaning?
Fu Tailan glanced towards Room 202.

The door of Room 202 is a little far away, so I can't see clearly what's on the TV screen behind the door.

In other words, for people who have just gone up to the second floor, 201 serves as a guide and introduction - anyone will hear the explanation of 201 before seeing the next TV.

"As I just said, every world shown on television is real... They are all different 'realities'. That's right, there is not just one reality in the universe."

The woman in 201 calmly explained, “If it helps you understand, you can think of them as parallel worlds.

"Borrowing some concepts from novels and movies, you can 'travel' into these parallel worlds.

"In some parallel worlds, humans might use magic, and you might be a magician. In some parallel worlds, you might win the 1.3 billion lottery jackpot. Once you enter, your lottery win becomes your real life. Or maybe, you'll discover your soul mate on a TV... Well, it's a little early for your age, but such things have indeed happened.

"The life, or destiny, that is bound to you at this moment is not necessarily your only one. If you like, you can change this life, just like changing clothes."

Fu Tailan looked at his body in a daze.

The woman in Room 201 must have seen the reactions of many hunters before. Without needing him to speak, she smiled and said, "Of course, even if you enter another reality, you're still you. If you completely become someone else, then wouldn't 'you' be dead?"

She continued: "As for choosing reality on TV... you're right to be cautious about that, although it's unnecessary for me to be cautious because I would have warned you anyway.

"When you're watching TV, don't face the TV directly; stand sideways at the door. There are two ways to enter the TV reality: one is to rush into the screen, and the other is to face the TV for more than 30 seconds, and someone will come to take you in.

"If you don't want to go in, it's very simple. Just don't look directly at the TV for 30 seconds, or just walk over quickly."

...Such relaxed clearance conditions?

Fu Tailan felt that it was time to strike up a conversation.

"What if someone's path is a screen?" he asked. "After crashing into the screen, will that person return to Blackmore City?"

The woman in Room 201 looked at him for a few seconds, shook her head, and smiled.

"Is it that what I just said doesn't make any sense to you? Or do you think the TV on the second floor is just there to harm people? After listening to my explanation, the focus is still on the original purpose."

Fu Tailan indeed thought so - even if the world behind the TV was indeed real, it probably wasn't a good place; these TVs were probably like Venus flytraps, designed to pull people in by every possible means.

He couldn't choose any particular reality to enter anyway; all he had to do was get through the corridor as quickly as possible. "This once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, so coveted by humanity, will vanish when the repair period ends... Of course, whether you change your mind or regret it later is entirely up to you."

The woman in 201 paused and said, "Let me answer your question. Actually, your question was also asked by the woman who came upstairs before. This question is completely invalid."

"Not true?"

The time Fu Tailan took to repeat these three words gave him enough room to think; when he finished speaking, he vaguely understood the answer in his heart.

"Of course. Her 'passage' is still the 'screen', that hasn't changed. Only the 'destination' has changed. Who says that once you enter the passage, you can only return to Blackmoor City? That may have been the case in the past, but today is different. Today is a rare opportunity."

"I see," Fu Tailan exclaimed. "That woman from before shouldn't have chosen to appear on any TV shows, right?"

"Then I can't tell you."

At this moment, 201 squinted his eyes and smiled. "However, there is a real world that was shown to her where people don't age gradually..."

Fu Tailan glanced at her quickly - 201 but didn't say anything else.

"What about you? Is the place you're in also a reality?" he asked. "You seem to know a lot about the background and experience of the people who come here."

"No, I'm the only one who's different. I'm only on this TV to introduce people entering the second floor. I don't actually exist."

201 tilted his head as he spoke, and his entire neck and head suddenly melted away, losing their shape and shell. Like a sudden collapse and pouring of flesh-colored water, it merged into his shoulders and torso, but the sound remained.

"You see, I'm just an artificial image."

The melting of the image serves as an ending, bringing the explanation of 201 to an end.

Was it his problem that prompted the end of the commentary?
However, 201 had already told him all the important information, and it seemed that it was time to end it.

Fu Tailan walked a few steps past the door of Room 201, and stopped before reaching the main entrance of Room 202. In Room 202, the sound of the TV, which had been suppressed and was just background noise, suddenly became louder and occupied the center of attention.

Fu Tailan was mentally prepared to see himself in a parallel world; but he never expected that what was playing on the TV in Room 202 was... an animal documentary.

"This little fox, named 'Little Tai,' is seven months old and just left its mother this autumn. Born in Yellowstone Park, Little Tai saw the deep red autumn sun for the first time..."

On the TV screen, a red fox with fluffy fur and a beautiful appearance like a painting rolled over deep in the grass covered with colorful leaves. As it stretched lazily, its two small hind paws stepped high and long into the air.

The world of wild animals...is indeed a reality.

But... generally speaking, would anyone choose to be a wild animal instead of a human?

After all, wild animals live in the cruelty of nature——

Oh, no, it’s not Xiaotai.

Fu Tailan looked at the lower right corner of the TV screen in Room 202, and his mind went blank for a moment.

The second-floor apartment is quite thoughtful. As if to show the name of the documentary, it says "Little Tai: The Happiest Fox in North America" ​​in the lower right corner.

...Being the happiest fox in North America, Xiao Tai is much better off than me.

Fu Tailan felt that he should not even look at the TV and should cross the corridor and go up to the third floor as quickly as possible; however, there were two reasons why he still stood outside the door of Room 202 without moving.

First, if you can just walk across the corridor without watching TV, it seems too simple. It is hard to believe that there is such a kind place in the nest.

Second...

Fu Tailan stared at the little red fox on the screen, feeling sweet and distressed at the same time, and her chest was filled with warmth.

The second reason, of course, is that little Tai is just so adorable.

He even understood the way the residents spoke - Xiao Tai was so cute, so cute, so cute. It didn't seem so bad to be a fox like this?

　Speaking of which, everyone's love for small animals like cats and dogs is really strong. For example, in the chapter where Fu Tailan was feeding the cat, the cat clearly betrayed Mai Minghe's whereabouts, but when I looked at it, everyone was praising cats in unison, saying that cats are good and cats are cute...

　　Oh, it’s true that humans are not as good as cats. This theorem is applicable everywhere.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)