Artifact Report

Chapter 189: Hurricane Mai Ming River Lands in Florida

Isn't this really a dream?
I was lying on the road, with the Milky Way falling before my eyes.

Under the pitch-black night, amidst the empty streets and buildings resembling Blackmore City, a single car sat parked. Its engine was still running, its headlights illuminating half the road. The low rumble of its engine, accompanied by white exhaust fumes, drifted slowly up into the starry sky.

Next to Mai Minghe, there is a person who seems to have only voice but no shape.

"Have you made up your mind? Aren't you afraid? You heard it just now, right?" the man asked.

This is the nest...

She suddenly thought.

I used to feel that I was placed in the wrong position.

She spent her life just like everyone else, not knowing what other roads looked like, and no one ever showed her other roads - because it seemed like most people were also trying to hide the fact that they didn't know the way.

She was born with a pair of eyes, but could only see a corner; she wore ill-fitting shoes on her feet, and when she walked, she suspected that her feet were not well-shaped.

It seemed like she could still do something.

This feeling haunted her for decades, until she was eighty-six years old, when she realized that she could actually do something.

Such a long and wasted time, and now there is still a chance to make up for it, why would I back down at this time?

"I'm not afraid."

Mai Minghe whispered, "If I don't participate, will they let me go? I don't know why, but they've set their sights on me, and naturally they'll have to be eradicated. Since there's no way to change this, I might as well follow my heart and do whatever I want, don't you agree?"

If the man wanted to tell her why she was being targeted, now would be the perfect time. But he didn't. Instead, he asked, "What do you want to do?"

It seems he won't tell me even if I ask him, Mai Minghe thought. The other person's tone and attitude conveyed this in a subtle and polite manner.

She still couldn't sit up from the street, or even turn her head. Only her lips, teeth, throat and tongue had recovered.

"...I want to see things I haven't seen before," Mai Minghe said. "I want to pick more daisies."

The man hummed softly, not sure if he understood, but he didn't ask any further questions.

"Can I ask you a few questions?" Mai Minghe said, "I see you don't seem to have any ill will towards me."

"You're quite right," the man smiled.

"This domination game... is it you who organized it? Why would you let someone else rule you?"

"Me? Oh, you misunderstood. I'm a little stronger than the average resident, but I didn't create the power to dominate the game out of thin air."

The night was quiet for a few seconds. The man seemed to hear Mai Minghe's silent doubts and continued, "You know that everything in the nest originated from humans, right?"

"I know."

“The game of domination is no exception; it is also something born from within the human body.

"It's not that the Hive desires to be ruled, but rather that among the humans who gave birth to everything in the Hive, there will always be a portion who desperately seek to control the others. If everyone were equal, they would suffer worse than death. Those who die in the Hive, but their desires do not die with them, and this is how the 'Hive Domination Game' was born."

Mai Minghe was slightly stunned - so that's how it is, this makes sense.

"To put it in perspective, the 'Hive Domination Game' is to the Hive like a hurricane hitting Florida; it's an unavoidable natural disaster. The faction of residents who want to kill you is like saying, 'If the hurricane is going to come ashore, we'll tear down the shore first'—that's stupid. Without you, someone else will come sooner or later."

"Then what role did you play?" Mai Minghe asked directly.

"As for me... I'm probably thinking about post-disaster reconstruction."

What does this mean? It's a little hard to understand.

Before she could even think about how to ask, she suddenly noticed her fingers starting to move again. Mai Minghe's fingers twitched slightly, and the man seemed to notice. He immediately asked, "Any other questions? I can't stay here forever." Mai Minghe quickly asked, "Why did you ask me? Who asked me to join? The nest?"

"Do you know what kind of person is most suitable to lead mankind?" The man answered her question with a question.

“…I’ve never considered it.”

The man smiled.

"The person best suited to lead humanity never feels a strong desire to lead, and therefore never competes. This is the paradox of human destiny as a species. From my limited perspective, I see no way around it."

Was he hinting that he shouldn't win the game? Mai Minghe was a little confused.

She had no interest in ruling the hive in the first place—her own mind, thoughts, and intelligence were limited, as were everyone else's.

Mai Minghe could not think of anything more boring than arranging something as wonderful and beyond imagination as the nest according to his own limited mind.

"I can't believe you're a resident," she said sincerely. "You're so sensible... and you sound quite knowledgeable."

The man suddenly laughed - different from the polite, radio host-like laugh just now, this time, his laughter was almost cold and angry - it was obviously a sound no different from ordinary laughter, but it seemed to contain an indescribable hatred that made people's internal organs slowly tighten.

"Really? Then thank you so much for the compliment."

As he spoke, he stood up from beside Mai Minghe - he was very close, but he just couldn't see him.

"After all, I have a low level of education, having only attended elementary school. As for my rationality... perhaps it's because I'm still completely myself and have never dissolved."

What does he mean...?
Could it be that as a resident, he was not born from someone's body, but was transformed directly from a complete person into a resident?

It seems that this is not impossible. Didn’t that dream screenwriter almost turn himself into such a resident?
"Wait, I have another companion, you know him-"

Mai Minghe was interrupted before he could finish his question.

"When you recover and get back to your feet, you'll be able to find him."

The man returned to his usual gentle, low voice and said, "There's one more thing. As a Domination Game participant, you're at a significant disadvantage compared to the others... The 'Nest Domination Game' hopes to ensure everyone starts on the same level as much as possible. Upon your return, you'll receive an 'Artifact Report' to compensate for your disadvantage."

Mai Minghe wanted to ask what the "pseudo-image report" was, but the man had already turned and walked away. Although he seemed to have no form, each step he took still landed firmly on the ground. However, at some point, he suddenly disappeared, and never took the next step.

As the stars gradually faded and darkness covered the sky, Mai Minghe supported himself on the ground with one hand and was finally able to stand up freely.

The taxi and the host had long since disappeared, leaving only one car on the road - it looked like it was the car that had disappeared after driving over.

Because the headlights were still on, she could see at a glance that in the car that almost killed her, there was a figure lying limply on the steering wheel - it was Sea Reed.

Mai Minghe dragged his feet over and opened the car door.

The most important thing now is to leave the nest with Sea Reed; the part that the man just glossed over can be analyzed after returning home.

　(Yes, I am calling Ma Zhilong by name.)
　　Speaking of which, I have a feeling, I don't know if it's right, but after using Xiaohongshu for a long time, I feel that its content about life experience, food, drink, entertainment, and laughter is indeed unique in China; but after a long time, I vaguely feel that the temperament of this platform is a bit... selfish + misogynistic.

　　It may seem a bit offensive, but I'm not finished yet, don't get me wrong.

　　I also want to say that there is too much garbage on content farm accounts.

　　Posts promoting books for traffic often like to take a photo holding a book, but the book is turned sideways, only showing the pages, not the spine and title. The intention is obvious.

　　None of the recommended books are good, but the recommendations are so shocking, twisting, tear-jerking, and hair-raising that it feels like I'm sitting on an electric chair while reading.

　　That’s all, let’s not offend anyone.

(End of this chapter)