Void Jigsaw Puzzle

Guo Ling slowly walked to the center of the suspended platform above People's Square and took a deep breath.

Ever since the Hydrogen Clan opened up Wuming City, it has become the gateway to Taibai Star. In the beginning, there were only a few people trying it for a day or two, but now, there are people coming in and out almost every few minutes.

When faced with the unknown, people are always initially filled with fear and dread, but curiosity soon overcomes these emotions, and there's always someone who jumps out and tries something new. Originally, there was no road, but as more people walked on it, it became a path. Therefore, the fundamental reason why the former Nameless City collapsed is the same as why the current Nameless City can definitely become better.

People's enduring curiosity about the open unknown is the only driving force behind the development of civilization. What's more, the disabled people in Nameless City, especially the members of the Jigsaw Team and the ordinary people who are deeply influenced by them, have a more personal purpose - to find their lost loved ones, no matter where they are in the universe.

Guo Ling felt as if he were leaving Wuming City, as his vision gradually blurred. The colorful scenery in his field of vision seemed to blend together, constantly merging, and finally becoming a void of white. But a moment later, this endless expanse of white immediately transformed into a completely new landscape: gurgling water, towering peaks, and wide, straight roads. Clearly, the pioneers from Wuming City who entered Taibai Star had further upgraded the scenery of Wuming City, giving them the appearance of Taibai Star.

During the entire process, Guo Ling did not feel any discomfort and switched to Taibai Star almost seamlessly.

At this moment, a voice rang out in his mind: "When you want to return to Wuming City, just recite it silently in your mind. After confirming it once, you can return to the People's Square in Wuming City."

Guo Ling was incredulous. "Direct message delivery? Isn't this Zhong Chenmu's ability? Could it be that I already possess it?"

He looked around, but found no relevant clues. The pedestrians coming and going were all moving along their own paths, and no one paid him any attention. And the clues in his mind had disappeared, as if they had never happened.

He calmed himself down, becoming more and more convinced that his earlier speculation was probably correct.

Everyone in Wuming City - including himself, is essentially the same as Zhong Chenmu, except that Zhong Chenmu possessed this ability earlier. But after Zhong Chenmu "restarted" them, it seemed that this characteristic in their bodies began to awaken, so that they can directly receive news from the Hydrogen Clan, and perhaps slowly achieve two-way communication.

"What kind of ability is this? And...where are you?"

Guo Ling asked aimlessly in his mind.

However, he actually heard a familiar voice: "Brother Guo, congratulations on finally obtaining this ability. I think I have understood what kind of ability this is. However, I don't know where I am..."

Guo Ling was trembling with excitement. He couldn't believe his ears, no, his brain. He waved his hands as if he could catch the boy and shouted, "You finally showed up! We missed you so much! Can you stop playing hide-and-seek? When can you show up?"

To the people around him, Guo Ling was just a madman who was talking to himself and shouting, but he didn't care about that.

Zhong Chenmu replied, "I miss you too, but I can't seem to find a way to regain my physical form. I can only wander around like a ghost. I've tried to communicate with you this way before, but I never succeeded. I didn't expect you to have mastered this ability today. I'm so happy!"

Guo Ling was unwilling to give up the opportunity at hand, and hurriedly asked, "What exactly is this ability of mine—the ability you already possess—and what does it mean?"

"Do you know the characteristics of light?" Zhong Chenmu asked.

"Of course I know. I'm a graduate student after all. Light has wave-particle duality, which means it's both a wave and a particle."

"Well, my observation is that we in Nameless City all possess 'duality of reality and virtuality.' That is, we can be both embodied physical bodies and digital virtual beings. It's just that I seem to have awakened to this duality earlier, but not fully until I interacted with the Hydrogen Clan and woke up amidst various contradictions and conflicts. Especially when I 'reset' Nameless City and resolved the issue of the Turtle Clan, which the Hydrogen Clan was concerned about, I finally allowed myself to fully possess 'duality of reality and virtuality' at the last moment... But now, for some reason, when I want to return to the 'real' side, I'm powerless."

"The duality of reality and illusion..." Guo Ling subconsciously repeated these five words in his mouth, feeling as if he had been enlightened.

There was no need for Zhong Chenmu to explain further; he already understood everything. The corners of his mouth unconsciously curled up.

"It seems that my speculation is quite reliable... When I return to Wuming City later, I must show it off to them."

That's right, Zhong Chenmu was the first to comprehend the essence of his own "duality of reality and illusion", and the other people in Wuming City, under his influence, especially under the final method of "resetting" to eliminate the Silicon Clan, sooner or later, more or less comprehended this essence, and Guo Ling was one of the first to realize this.

As for whether one must leave Wuming City and enter Taibai Star to comprehend this essence, Guo Ling did not dare to make a conclusion.

Moreover, even Zhong Chenmu couldn't freely switch between reality and illusion, so Guo Ling couldn't do it either. However, every inch of progress brought joy.

Seeing that Guo Ling hadn't responded for a long time, Zhong Chenmu asked, "Where are you now?"

"I'm on Taibai Star. To be honest, even after such a long time of opening up, this is the first time I've come out of Wuming City."

"I understand... When you return, tell everyone not to worry. I'm fine, but I'm temporarily unable to materialize."

"Don't worry! We will definitely think of various ways to make you reappear in front of us as soon as possible!"

"Brother Guo, what are you doing on Taibai Star? I want to chat with you for a while, but I'm afraid I'll delay your business."

Guo Ling waved his hand, as if Zhong Chenmu could see his expression. "What are you talking about? What urgent matter could there be? I'm just out looking for clues to find my wife and children. But these clues won't come overnight. I'm afraid it will take a lot of time and a lot of luck to find them."

"Well, since you mentioned that, I'd like to share a few thoughts. Unlike us, who possess a duality of reality and illusion, the Hydrogen Clan are detached from reality and embracing the virtual. You already know this, right? In other words, they lack physical form—of course, they have the ability to conjure up such a form, or rather, to create the illusion that they possess such a form, so that they can better communicate with us. Therefore, I believe they must have a very efficient method of transportation. After all, the universe is so vast that if they were still traveling from one place to another like we do—even the high-speed spacecraft we once possessed during our complete civilization—their speeds would be far from the speed of light, and even the speed of light would be insufficient in the universe."

Guo Ling danced with excitement again. "We're on the same page again! I also want to see how they achieve such efficient transportation. Otherwise, even if we find clues to our missing relatives, we'll be left with nothing but despair. By the way, have you asked the Hydrogen Clan about this? Logically, since they've opened up to us, they shouldn't be keeping this a secret."

Zhong Chenmu replied helplessly, "I did ask, and it's not that they don't want to tell me, but they said that when we reach a certain point, we will naturally know. It's useless to tell us now because we can't use it."

"Uh..." Guo Ling repeated these words unconsciously again, thinking in his mind.