But sometimes human curiosity is so strong that it canât easily be suppressed by reason, especially when this person believes theyâve already secured everything.
"I possess the Master of the Universe Badgeâs power of time and space, the Perfect Being Abilityâs immunity to death and infinite regeneration. Even if I encounter something special and die, I still have the Immortal Deceit Ring to fall back on for rebirth. Thereâs no reason why I canât enter... Right, I can send the Dream Me Avatar in first to explore."
He quickly made a decision, summoning an avatar that looked almost identical to him from the dream to descend into reality, stepping on air and rushing into the peculiar portal suspended in mid-air.
As it turned out, it was indeed a portal. Wang Zhifan immediately sensed the situation inside through the avatar that entered the portal.
The avatar seemed to have entered a special space, a unique space somewhat similar to the reality his true self was in.
Through the perspective relayed by the avatar, he saw a massive city, with the avatar standing on a bustling street lined with skyscrapers, and a metallic structure over a dozen stories high operating with a low, steady hum.
All the buildings in sight displayed a brilliant array of lights, as if celebrating a festival with every light turned on. The only discordant aspect was that there was still not a single person or living creature to be seen.
"Is the inside a mirror image of the outer world before it was destroyed? But why canât I see any indigenous residents yet?"
Wang Zhifan immediately had this speculation in his heart, feeling that he was gradually approaching the truth of this world, yet part of the truth remained shrouded in mist.
Driven by curiosity, he began controlling his avatar to wander around this world.
With the avatar launching the Lightweight Skill, it rose into the air, jumping onto rooftops, stepping across balconies, observing the situation inside buildings, and diligently searching for any unusual activity.
But at first, Wang Zhifan didnât find anything noteworthy. He only felt that this strange space was like a flashy but hollow shell, looking glamorous but lacking the residents who truly defined its vitality, as if it were a recently abandoned prosperous city.
It wasnât until his avatar reached the core area in the center of the city that he suddenly saw a figure, one that looked very much like a young human female, walking slowly across the deserted street.
The person appeared to be about twenty-four or twenty-five years old, of East Asian descent, medium height, with a dignified and beautiful appearance but somewhat poor complexion, dressed in a neat white uniform and wearing womenâs leather shoes, looking like either a white-collar worker or a researcher.
When Wang Zhifanâs avatar descended from the sky to land in front of her, she immediately stopped, staring at him with eyes filled with surprise and a dazed look, not shifting her gaze for several seconds.
"Who are you? Where is this place?"
Wang Zhifan had a hunch that this woman could understand him, so he controlled the avatar to ask.
But upon hearing this, the woman immediately parted her lips to speak, but she couldnât produce complete coherent words, as if she were unfamiliar with speaking.
"Do you live here alone? Has it been a long time since anyone talked to you?"
Wang Zhifan couldnât help but speculate, showing patience and intending to say more to awaken the womanâs sense of language.
About a minute later, the young woman finally managed to form two complete sentences, and Wang Zhifan found himself able to understand her. He didnât know if the Master of the Universe Badgeâs language decoding ability had improved or if the language she spoke was very similar to one he was familiar with.
"How did you get in here? Whatâs the situation outside?"
The woman asked Wang Zhifan eagerly, as if she had been waiting for a long time.
"Outside is destroyed, not a single living person seen, I came in through a portal."
Wang Zhifan controlled the avatar to speak to her, guessing at the situation this person was in.
"Take me to the portal quickly! This is important!"
The woman urged with a somewhat tense expression, making Wang Zhifan slightly displeased.
"Answer my previous questions first! Then Iâll take you there!"
He raised his voice to emphasize, staring intently at the woman in front of him.
The womanâs eyes flashed with some impatience, but Wang Zhifanâs tall and majestic appearance was very imposing, leaving her no choice but to reply:
"My name is Ying, and Iâm the maintainer of this Quantum Dream Realm. Itâs been a long time since anyone came here. Please, take me to the portal!"
"Quantum Dream Realm? Maintainer?"
Wang Zhifan felt an immediate understanding, yet not a complete one. But he chose not to press further, reaching out to lift the woman in front of him, activating the Lightweight Skill to fly her towards the portal he had entered from.
In understanding the essence of this space, his control over the avatar seemed to deepen, almost unleashing the highest speed of the Lightweight Skill, reaching the destination with the woman in hand within two to three seconds.
As he predicted, despite withstanding the enormous acceleration, the woman showed no signs of injury. Even her clothing wasnât significantly affected by the oncoming strong wind.
"As expected, this woman and the surroundings arenât very real either."
Wang Zhifan instantly judged inwardly.
At the same time, the young woman he had set down was walking towards the abruptly hovering door in mid-air.
This door remained unchanged from when Wang Zhifan had sent the avatar in. It was simply shaped, emitting a dull, broken light, starkly contrasting with the vibrant and seemingly radiant surroundings.
"Why would the door appear here... No, this doesnât align with the Quantum Dream Realmâs construction principle..."
The woman murmured to herself, apparently puzzled by the door in front of her, unable to comprehend why it existed here.
Then Wang Zhifan saw the woman suddenly pull a small device from her pocket, pressing a few buttons on it before lightly leaping towards the dull, suspended door.
"Another controller? It seems she truly is this so-called maintainer."
Wang Zhifan didnât prevent the woman from leaving this space because he was curious about what such an entity would become if it exited.
But contrary to his expectations, the woman named Ying stopped at the edge of the door. More precisely, she tried to exit the door but couldnât; she was blocked inside.
This encounter didnât seem to surprise the woman too much. She stood silently on the inside, trying to peer through the dim and broken glow outside.
"No need to look. The outside world is already destroyed."
Wang Zhifan was now standing beside the portal in reality, unable to directly see inside. Feeling that the woman was deluding herself, he controlled the Dream Me Avatar to remind her.
His words plunged the woman glaring outward into a momentary silence. She then tried several more times to force her way through the door, even pressing the small device in her hand several times, but couldnât change the fact that she couldnât leave.
"Enough, donât waste your energy. You canât get out that way. Iâve already told you the situation outside. Now itâs your turn to explain this place to me."
Seeing signs of emotional breakdown in the woman, Wang Zhifan controlled the avatar to question her, forcefully redirecting her attention.
Soon, probably defeated by the harsh reality, the woman slowly turned around, descending from the air to the ground.
She didnât immediately explain, instead looking up at Wang Zhifanâs avatar, inquiring about his origin and why he could pass through the door when she couldnât.
"I am a traveler, a traveler from the Otherworld. You should understand if I put it that way, right?"
Wang Zhifan didnât elaborate, only indicating that he was very different from her. Despite appearing similar now, their fundamental differences were vast.
The woman, having received an explanation, subsequently began telling Wang Zhifan about their situation here:
"Mr. Traveler, this is the Quantum Dream Realm, a sub-world our world specially created to avoid a terrifying disaster and continue to exist long-term. Originally, all survivors were supposed to be transferred here, but clearly, we failed..."