Void Jigsaw Puzzle

Faced with Fan Ting's request, Zhong Chenmu seemed to find no reason to refuse.

In terms of emotion, like Guo Ling, she was one of the first members of the puzzle team rescued by him using the system's power, so she can be said to have made great contributions; in terms of logic, the formation of the joint government is now led by Old Man Liu, and the daily management of the puzzle team is led by Pu Yue. It seems that the only contribution she can make is to follow him to find the whereabouts of Hydrogen Chen and help the Hydrogen Clan deal with the Turtle Clan.

But is it really better if more people participate in this matter?

Guo Ling's experience made Zhong Chenmu change his original view.

Obviously, the Turtle Clan had been prepared and adopted a smoother approach, sending Guo Lingzhi to the distant Pisces-Whale Supercluster and asking him to search for his missing wife in Kunlun City on Xumi Star.

Although the lesson of this incident is: it is best not to communicate outside Wuming City, otherwise you may be under the surveillance of the Turtle Clan at any time. In this way, it is almost equivalent to running naked, and they can know all the plans in advance.

But if Zhong Chenmu and the others were unable to communicate with each other outside of Wuming City, what difference would there be between bringing a group of people with him and going it alone? In a virtual form, the rules of the game had already changed, and success or failure was not determined by the number of people.

It didn't actually take Zhong Chenmu much time to figure all of this out.

He nodded to Fan Ting: "Sister Fan, no problem. In fact, you don't have to be so secretive. I thought something big had happened."

Fan Ting breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stated, "Don't worry, I won't hold you back! I can endure any hardship."

Zhong Chenmu smiled and said, "We've known each other for so long, there's no need for this. Back then, we worked together to find Pu Yue. This time, let's rush out of Wuming City together and solve a bigger problem."

"I'm just waiting for your words!"

After resolving Fan Ting's request, Zhong Chenmu felt that it was time to set out again for Taibai Star. However, after thinking about it all night, he decided to do one more thing before setting off.

The next morning, he found Pu Yue.

She was applying lipstick in front of a small mirror in her palm. When she saw Zhong Chenmu walk into her office, she pursed her lips and gave him a charming smile from the side. "Captain Zhong, what can I do for you? I thought you had already entered the void of space. Are you missing my gentle paradise and why are you still not leaving?"

Still with the same style. In this respect, only Huo Yue in private can rival her.

However, Zhong Chenmu felt that his skin seemed to be getting thicker, and he no longer felt as helpless as he did when facing Pu Yue in the City God Temple or Leyou Pavilion.

He responded to Pu Yue with a mysterious smile: "I really need to rely on you, Sister Pu Yue."

"Oh?" Pu Yue closed the small mirror and turned to face Zhong Chenmu. "Did I really hit the mark? You're a bit too impatient this early in the morning, aren't you? I understand, you're young after all. But could you please close and lock the office door?"

"..."

Seeing the familiar embarrassment finally appear on Zhong Chenmu's face, Pu Yue laughed: "Hahahaha, I won't tease you anymore. Tell me, what do you need me to do?"

Zhong Chenmu adjusted his expression and said, "I want to give a speech to the people of Wuming City."

Pu Yue was stunned: "To everyone?"

"Preferably everyone."

"This... is a bit difficult. After all, Wuming City has over a million people."

"It's not difficult. We can find the largest auditorium or conference venue, where I will give a speech, and then broadcast it live to those who couldn't make it in person."

Pu Yue was confused. "I don't understand. How can this be achieved?"

"Just arrange the venue and try to fill it up. Leave the rest to me."

"Well, since you put it that way, there must be a way."

Pu Yue didn't bother herself. She stood up, twisted her plump body and walked out of the office to explain the relevant matters. When she passed by Zhong Chenmu, she left a strong smell of perfume.

The efficiency of the Twelve Apostles was astonishing, and coupled with the influence of the Jigsaw Team itself in people's hearts, such activities were quickly organized. Once the announcements and notices were posted everywhere in Wuming City, people signed up in an endless stream and the registration was soon full.

The lecture took place in the large auditorium at the entrance of Cuiyun Corridor. It was a place that Pu Yue and Zhong Chenmu were extremely familiar with, and it was also the beginning of Pu Yue's madness.

In Zhong Chenmu's view, Pu Yue's choice of that place meant she was no longer afraid to face her bloody past. And only those who dared to face their unbearable past could truly move forward into the future with ease.

Returning to this auditorium again, Zhong Chenmu was filled with emotion. The seats were already packed, a sea of ​​black, just like they had been before.

"But the tragedy will not happen again..."

He cleared his throat and began his speech.

"Dear fellow citizens of Wuming City, you may not know me, but many of you may have heard of my name. My name is Zhong Chenmu. In that absurd game that forced us to kill each other, I was a member of the Jigsaw Team. Many of you also joined our Jigsaw Team or bravely supported us in the final stages. For this, I am deeply grateful. Fortunately, that period has passed. Although the Jigsaw Team still exists, its scale has been greatly reduced, and what we do is completely different from when we were fighting for victory in the game..."

"...However, our purpose and original intention have never changed, that is: to let the civilization of Wuming City find its kind in the universe, to make our civilization complete, and at the same time, to reunite every 'incomplete person' who has lost contact with their loved ones. Now, Wuming City, Taibai Star, and the entire universe have achieved an open border. We are no longer a closed world as before, no longer just bonsai placed in a closed container by other cosmic races..."

"...Faced with new and infinite possibilities, we also need to make some changes, both for each of us as individuals and for Wuming City as a whole. To this end, I am announcing two things. They are the result of my thinking and practice over the past period of time. I believe you will be interested in understanding and trying them..."

"...The first thing is: in what form do each of us exist? Maybe everyone thinks this question is ridiculous: isn't it obvious? No, it's not. We have real bodies, so we think we exist in physical form. This understanding is right and wrong. Because we don't exist only in physical form. Our ancestors did not grow up in Nameless City for generations, and we did not evolve here from the most basic single-cell molecules. We are reproduced in a virtual form, a digital form. Because we once lived in another place far away in the universe, this place is located in the solar system in our galaxy, the Milky Way, it is called Earth. For various reasons, it is no longer suitable for habitation, and we have to digitize our civilization and broadcast it into the universe. By chance, it was reproduced here by the Hydrogen Clan as the civilization of Nameless City, and once again possessed a physical body or embodied form..."

"...If I were to use an analogy, a long time ago, we had a landmark animated film on Earth called 'Nezha 2,' in which the souls of the protagonists Nezha and Ao Bing were re-embodied. We are like Nezha and Ao Bing, and the Hydrogen Clan is like our Taiyi Zhenren..."

At this point, many people in the audience laughed knowingly.

Zhong Chenmu smiled and said, "It seems I'm not the only one who has memories or impressions of this old animated film. Good works are enough to be preserved even through time and space."

After the interlude, he continued, "What does this mean? It means that each of us can actually have both physical and virtual forms of existence. In Wuming City, within our own civilization, we exist in physical form. However, once we leave Wuming City, leave our civilization, we can switch to virtual form. This is the form in which the more advanced civilizations in the universe exist, such as the hydrogen clan and the helium clan. The universe is so vast, there must be more such clans. I call this form of existence 'virtual-real duality'..."

The audience was completely silent, everyone listening intently. The small excitement caused by Nezha 2 had faded into silence.

"...Currently, only a few of us, myself included, have truly grasped the 'dual nature of reality and illusion' and are able to freely switch between the two forms. However, today, from now on, I will ensure that all of us master it. You will be no different from me. You are me!"

At this point, Zhong Chenmu's emotions grew intense. He closed his eyes, his body trembling slightly, his deep breaths making the rise and fall of his chest particularly noticeable. For days, he had been waiting for just such an opportunity. Although the system in his mind was fully operational, it hadn't given him a clue as to when he could complete this task. He had tried before, but it didn't seem to work. He could only "guide" each person individually, helping Guo Ling, Fan Ting, and others to master the "dual nature of reality and illusion." However, this approach might work for one or two people, even eight or ten, but trying to get everyone in Wuming City to master it would be exhausting. Yet, he didn't want to give up on anyone.

There were successful precedents before. At the most critical moment of the "Return to One" game, when he was negotiating with Hydrogen Memory, he "reset" everyone in Wuming City through a one-time reset.

Therefore, he concluded that to do something like this, one needed an opportunity. If one couldn't wait for it, then one had to create one.

Today's conference attended by everyone in Wuming City is this opportunity.

Although there are only a few thousand people sitting in the auditorium at present, he believes that soon everyone in the entire Wuming City will be able to feel everything that happens here.

Because, “You are me.”