Chapter 27: Yes, My God, You Must Flee Immediately

Pan Long sat obediently in his chair, not daring to even glance at the handgun resting on the coffee table. He understood clearly that if he feigned belief in Granny, he might still be able to rely on their old ties, but if he dared to harbor any ulterior motives, he would have absolutely no chance of survival.

Time ticked by second by second. Neither Roland nor Pan Long said another word; it was as if a subtle, unspoken understanding existed between them, each aware of the true thoughts hidden in the other's heart.

After about five minutes, Third Brother returned, drenched in sweat, carrying a large black bag. After setting it on the floor, he turned to close the door.

Opening the bag, which contained old bedding and clothes, Third Brother retrieved a full bundle of detonator explosives from among the rags and said ingratiatingly, "Granny, take a look. Is this enough?"

"Yes, that’s enough to scare people." Roland nodded with satisfaction. With forty-five or fifty minutes remaining, and the courthouse not being far from the city center, everything would be in time if nothing went wrong. She had not forgotten her ultimate goal; if she could make emotional progress after rescuing Tian Hu, that would be even better. She took a lipstick from her pocket and, applying it, asked, "These clothes of mine are dirty. Do you have anything here for a woman to wear?"

Just then, the earpiece in her other pocket vibrated violently. Roland put it on and pressed the answer button. "How is it? Has the probability increased again?"

But the voice in the earpiece was not that of the artificial intelligence. It was the voice of a little girl, sounding only five or six years old. The words she spoke next caused the confident expression on Roland's face to gradually vanish...

***

Also losing her confidence was Fang Xiaoling, who was trapped in her own world. She had assumed there was a traceable method to leave this place. Back in Li Mengling's room, she had been staring at a specific point of light in the air when some force dragged her in. Therefore, she reasoned, to get out, she should only need to repeat the same action.

She created air for the planet she occupied and tried to stare at a point of light within it, but no matter how hard she focused, she could see no such point. Frustrated, she used her divine power to create a speck of light as small as a grain of dust.

However, to her amazement, she discovered that when she stared fixedly at the light she had created, it vanished. When she looked away and then looked back, the light reappeared.

She used the same method to stare at other planets in the universe. Every planet she focused on eventually disappeared, only to reappear in its original place once her attention drifted.

A bold hypothesis formed in her mind. She returned to the planet she had created first. By now, the people on the surface had built skyscrapers. A passenger plane flew through Fang Xiaoling, who was floating in the air, and vanished into thin air. Fang Xiaoling descended to the surface, only to find that those people could no longer see her; even when she spoke, no one could hear her.

"What is happening?" Fang Xiaoling was puzzled. Deciding to use her divine power, she declared, "I wish for everyone to be able to see me and hear what I have to say!"

The people remained busy, passing through Fang Xiaoling’s body as if she were thin air. Just then, a beggar crawled to her feet. "My God, you have finally returned!"

"Are you that messenger?" Fang Xiaoling looked at the beggar, who held half a piece of rotten bread, and asked in surprise, "You are still alive?"

The beggar scratched his head, looking somewhat ashamed. "Have you forgotten? You once granted me eternal life."

"Fine... perhaps I did. But how did you end up in such a state?" Fang Xiaoling helped the beggar up; he smelled rancid and foul, and his matted hair was crawling with fleas.

"Because of the gift of immortality you gave me, they once worshipped me as their master. Even now, I still have followers." The beggar bit into the rotten bread, seemingly indifferent to its quality or taste. "But things are different now. There are more and more humans. They have inherited your wisdom and thoughts, and when all of these are combined, they can even surpass your power."

"Surpass my power? Don't be ridiculous." Fang Xiaoling refused to believe the messenger. "I created this world! I do whatever I want!"

"It was like that in the beginning, and even now, you can still do as you please in places outside the reach of their thoughts. How can I explain what has happened to you? After all, you have been gone for too long." The beggar rested his chin on his hands, thinking for a long time before suddenly looking up. "Do you know why I live as a beggar? Because beggars are the most inconspicuous. If they noticed me and realized that I could live for a very long time, I... I would die."

"Why? I don't understand. I have already granted you eternal life."

"Because it does not conform to their perception. The logic is actually very simple: if everyone believes you exist, you exist at every moment, even if you are gone. Conversely, if everyone believes you do not exist, they will not be able to see you, even if you are standing right in front of them!"

These words gave Fang Xiaoling the feeling of a cuckoo usurping a nest. Looking at her translucent hands, she muttered, "You mean to say that their collective will has gradually become the master of this world, even surpassing my own?"

"Yes, my God, you must flee. Flee to a place beyond their consciousness, to a distant planet where they cannot observe you. It would be even better if you could escape this universe entirely, for sooner or later, as technology advances, human will shall occupy the entire universe. By then, there will be no room left for you!"

"How absurd! What kind of world is this? Am I to be driven out of the world I created myself?" Fang Xiaoling was indignant. She was angry at Adam and Eve, and at that serpent of desire. But now, her rage could no longer manifest as lightning to destroy everything in this world. She even noticed that her translucent body was becoming even more transparent.

"I am sorry, but this world has been conquered by their will. Even if the will of all your believers were combined, it would not be enough to keep you on this planet anymore. And that includes all the other planets they can detect; you cannot stay there either."

Fang Xiaoling struggled to calm herself, telling herself that this was merely a false world, yet she felt a sadness she could not erase. "If they no longer believe in me, what do they believe in now?"

Before she could finish, a coin was tossed at the beggar's feet. It was a little boy who had thrown it; he walked past Fang Xiaoling after tossing the coin, and his mother, following behind him, passed straight through her body.