The apocalypse begins with a dungeon game.

Chapter 122 Severe Traumatic Brain Injury

[Change the future? But Xiao Guai is just an ordinary person now, what can he do... You mean, just tell him the ending and let him go through it in different ways...] Yang Mo hesitated.

Li Can confirmed his guess with satisfaction, "That's right, the four of us are humans from the future, possessing prophecies. Trading this information with him to have the little monster lead us to the end of the eerie labyrinth city isn't unreasonable, is it?"

Rather than saying we were passively drawn into the mirror for an adventure, it's more accurate to say we all came with a purpose: to break the upper city's barrier and see what lay beyond.

We exist within his body in a symbiotic relationship; he serves as our legs for walking and measuring, and we, as his shared brain, think together.

Shen Yuan: [But why should he believe us? The cards we can offer don't seem very enticing.]

Li Can then added: "You might not be familiar with this."

An orphan, rejected by all races from a young age, is able to survive in the city only after disguising his features.

What is his deepest desire, what does he most want to possess?

Shen Yuan: [I don't know, but no matter how I think about it, I don't think it's some kind of prophecy that's hard to verify, unless he's a persecution complex sufferer who would be curious about such things.]

Li Lan: [Perhaps it's a sense of belonging? Or maybe it's a feeling of being like-minded; after all, he's so lonely.]

After experiencing the flashback in the first act, everyone understands how painful and struggling Xiao Guai's childhood was.

Through Li Lan's words and Li Can's guidance, everyone naturally recalled the scenes of Xiao Guai being bullied and prejudiced.

Seeing his usually silent sister suddenly interact with him, Li Can felt a sense of relief. [That's right, the four of us were born from his body, sharing a symbiotic relationship. Aren't we also monsters in every way?]

Others might be suspicious and distrustful, and given his extreme insecurity, he would find it difficult to accept.

But the five of us together are simply a match made in heaven—no, I mean a perfect couple.

No one is more suitable to be his family, friends, and beloved siblings than us.

Therefore, whether or not one can predict the future, or possess any other bargaining chip, is actually irrelevant; this alone is sufficient.

Li Can became increasingly frantic as he spoke, completely understanding Xiao Guai's predicament.

He lived alone on the wasteland planet Blue Star. If it weren't for the fact that he could enter these instances and interact with humans, he probably wouldn't have lived much longer before going completely insane.

Who says there's no such thing as true empathy in the world?

"Brother Xing, you're truly amazing! I've never thought about Xiao Guai from this perspective before. I never knew it was like this." Shen Yuan was deeply shocked.

She was completely convinced.

Li Lan: [So you've had the same feeling?]

Li Can, on the other hand, seemed indifferent, focusing more on the outcome of the discussion. "That's not important. What's important is whether you're willing to try this plan with me?"

It's called a plan, but there's really no plan at all.

Most of them are Li Can's personal opinions.

He was speaking to three other people.

He was also saying it to the little monster on the other side of the camera.

It's equivalent to a form of brainwashing.

Even if he personally believes he is strong and doesn't need any perfect family members, his feelings will be shaken by what he heard today.

Moreover, Li Can had contact with the old city lord when he was demolishing the underground casino in the lower city.

The final conversation when they moved to the main hall of the upper city further confirmed his confidence that even the old city lord, at that age, was still troubled by his status as an orphan.

He was always alone.

Even though he had already reached the top position.

Otherwise, why would they have stayed in the lower town?

There, besides a group of perfect people whose memories he had erased and who had been assimilated, there were also old people who had lived for a long time, just like him.

What else could there be?

He was just searching for a pathetic sense of belonging.

Yang Mo: [You've already said it, do we still have a chance to refuse? The machine is recording right now.]

[However, the part that interests me most is actually what you mentioned: having the little monster lead us to the outermost edge of the eerie labyrinth.]

This is also the secret I want to figure out before I die. At least for now, it seems that this barrier didn't exist in the past world. Perhaps we really can succeed.

We don't have much time. If we can take the initiative to find clues, it will save us a lot of time and effort.

Shen Yuan: [But I'm still a little worried, what if he rejects us?]

Li Lan: [No, the fact that he excitedly set up the camera to record already shows his sincerity. He's even more eager for us to do something than we are for him.]

In other words, we were hoping for someone to appear, since the three of us were all fast asleep at the time.

The topic has come to this point, and Li Can no longer needs to explain.

Everything proceeded naturally.

[Yes, and when he wakes up and sees the video, he'll probably be totally confused, hahaha, so many men and women's voices were recorded on the camera, chattering away so noisily.] Li Can thought about the expression that would appear on his face immediately and felt a little emotional.

Shen Yuan: [That's terrifying. If it were me, I'd probably jump up in fright and cover the camera. What's the difference between that and a horror movie?]

[No, no, no, our old city lord's mental fortitude is still quite impressive; he's already developed it. Just look at how calmly he performed surgery on Xiaoqi—he didn't even blush or skip a beat.] Yang Mo seemed to be in a much better mood, and the comments section even had a bit of a gossipy feel to it.

The four of them chatted briefly, and their current plan was settled.

unanimously.

This was also the best time the atmosphere became lively after they were captured by the [Mirror of Past Lives].

Everyone seemed to have relaxed a lot.

However, as the time passed by while everyone waited for the monster to wake up, they became increasingly anxious.

Shen Yuan: [Oh no, I was so excited that I opened the champagne too early halfway through the event. Can anyone tell me how long it takes for someone to wake up after hitting themselves on the head with a hammer?]

Li Lan: [I once read in a book that it's divided into several degrees. If it's just a concussion with scalp bleeding, the coma usually lasts from a few minutes to about half an hour.]

We've talked for about half an hour, though not quite, so we can rule out mild cases...

Moderate traumatic brain injury can take longer, ranging from more than half an hour to several hours.

In severe cases, if intracranial hemorrhage or fractures occur, surgery may be necessary. The patient may remain in a coma for several days or even months.

However, if the monster is a perfect being, it wouldn't be so fragile and should recover faster.

Shen Yuan: [Let me correct you, it's half-perfect, with half flawed bloodline, but judging from that, it shouldn't be severely...]

Yang Mo: [How much time do we have left until the end of Act Two?]

Li Can: [Friends, I have good news and bad news. Which would you like to hear first?]