Deviant: No Longer Human

Chapter 357: Graveyard of Gods (8)

"???????."

The manuscript detailed the use of dreams as weapons, the ability to peer into people's minds, influence their perceptions of reality, or even trap them in illusions indefinitely.

Initially, Wang Xiao was thrilled by the notion that he might also be trapped in a dream.

If he could only awaken himself, he reasoned, he would escape this surreal existence.

However, his excitement quickly faded as attempt after attempt failed.

Through repeated tests and verifications, he confronted the reality: he was not in a dream.

Nor was he truly alive...

Indeed, this realm was profoundly bizarre...

Having dismissed the idea of being in a dream, Wang Xiao shifted his focus to the glowing orbs scattered around him.

Methodically, he approached each luminous point, gathering them one after another...

Until none remained...

"..."

Still, nothing changed.

The radiant light in his abdomen intensified, yet the pervasive darkness remained unaltered.

Eventually, Wang Xiao resigned himself to waiting.

Strangely, he felt no thirst or hunger.

This would have made sense if he were deriving sustenance through some alternative means, but at that moment, he was utterly inactive.

He couldn't even discern if he possessed a physical body.

It was surreal...

But he continued to sit...

For an infinite period...

An eternity, it seemed...

Nothing occurred...

Absolutely nothing...

Periodically, his eyes would snap open, sparked by the fleeting hope of a breakthrough...

Yet, nothing ever happened...

"Ahhh..."

In the end, overcome with frustration, Wang Xiao sprang to his feet and started running across the strange expanse.

He hadn't even realized before that this place had zero gravity when he attempted to fly.

But when he tried to run, surprisingly, he found he could.

It was an odd, disorienting experience.

He ran without destination, his strides unending.

Until, exhausted and disheartened, he collapsed again.

And he sat down, overwhelmed by frustration...

Once again, for a seemingly eternal stretch...

Yet, soon after, a stark realization dawned on him—nothing was going to change...

And he needed to take matters into his own hands!

With a newfound resolve, he stood up, drawing a deep, yet unfeeling, breath.

It was strange—he could take in air, but couldn't feel the breath filling his lungs.

This time, he walked with deliberate normalcy.

He soared upward...

To the very top...

Finding nothing, he chose a direction and propelled himself forward...

He continued flying...

For so long that time lost all meaning...

But he held onto the belief that there must be an end...

As long as he persisted in one direction...

Surely, it would eventually lead to an end...

And indeed, it finally did come to an end...

"!!!"

In front of Wang Xiao, there finally materialized what seemed unmistakably to be a portal!

'Yes,' he thought, feeling an instinctual recognition. 'It's definitely a portal!'

"Huh!?"

However, without warning, his body began to be irresistibly sucked toward it.

As he was drawn in, he glanced to his left and right and spotted additional portals, though they were spaced far apart.

Yet, they were definitely there!

He strained his eyes to see through the portal he was hurtling towards.

"!!!"

His eyes quivered as he glimpsed the scene that lay beyond the portal.

There was life there!

But it was far from the kind he had been seeking.

Red-skinned creatures, burdened with colossal stones on their backs, trudged along like weary slaves, their expressions one of eternal torment.

"!!!"

Realizing this grim scene was not his intended destination, Wang Xiao felt a surge of desperation.

But no matter how fiercely he fought against the pull, the portal's suction was too powerful.

It was inescapable!

He didn't want this!

He yearned to explore and inspect the other portals!

But it was impossible!

In the end, he clenched his teeth, closed his eyes tight, and—

Boom!

It exploded!

There was an explosion!

He self-destructed!

He killed himself!

Yet this wasn't the end!

Snap!

"Haaaaaa!" Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Wang Xiao woke up once more.

Darkness enveloped everything again!

He recognized his surroundings instantly.

He scanned the area.

The familiar small glowing dots were still present!

Relief washed over him, bringing a smile to his face.

He roamed around, gathering all the dots once again; nestled among them was the book.

For now, he dismissed it, casting it aside.

Then, having collected every last dot, he embarked on an endless flight.

Why didn't he simply fly away without collecting the glowing lights?

Instinctively!

An inner voice urged that he needed them.

Once again, Wang Xiao found himself before a portal, its force pulling him in.

But this time, what awaited him on the other side was a barren wasteland!

Wang Xiao's heart raced with panic.

Boom!

Without a moment's hesitation, he detonated himself.

Snap!

Once again, his eyes flickered open, and the familiar glowing dots hovered in the darkness.

Without delay, Wang Xiao gathered them and moved toward the portal.

Upon seeing that the other side of the portal was not his desired destination...

Boom!

He obliterated himself once more.

There was no body or blood, but he was capable of self-destructing.

And he repeated this cycle.

The routine persisted endlessly...

Until a startling anomaly emerged.

The number of glowing lights began to multiply!

Undeterred, Wang Xiao scooped up every last one, maintaining the relentless cycle.

However, as the glowing lights continued to proliferate, and he faced death repeatedly...

He unearthed a bizarre discovery!

There were two of him!

Yes, one of the glowing lights now showed two of him!

He couldn't comprehend how, but he suddenly realized that one of the glowing lights pulsated with an intensity mirroring the luminescence within his abdomen, and astonishingly, he could see from both locations simultaneously.

It was as if his presence was bifurcated, existing here and elsewhere at once.

The complexity was dizzying.

This wasn't a duplicate of himself...

But another fiercely glowing orb.

It was him, and shockingly, he could see his own form from that distant perspective.

Despite the surreal nature of this discovery, he continued the cycle of gathering all the glowing dots.

And dying repeatedly.

This peculiar orb, like a second consciousness, behaved not as an outsider but seamlessly integrated with him, like the other collected dots.

Yet, its influence only intensified.

The anomaly continued.

What began as an additional consciousness within a single dot expanded exponentially.

Until—

"!!"

Each and every glowing dot!

He felt a profound connection with all of them!

They were all extensions of himself!

He experienced the sensation of being omnipresent, stationed at thousands of points simultaneously, each viewpoint gazing back at him through countless eyes.

Over time—