132. The Fourth Calamity

"Hahaha! Done! Repaired exactly as it was! I truly am the best!"

Waking up on the operating table in the dim room, Chen Shang noticed a small string of scars on his chest and a warm sensation around his heart. After over an hour of surgery, Black Alice had successfully patched up his Collapse Core, temporarily suppressing the leakage of malicious emotions.

He opened his status panel to check a few key details:
[Anomaly 1: Psychic Delusion (Temporarily Suppressed)]
[Anomaly 2: Corrupted Memory (Temporarily Suppressed)]
[Sanity: 10]

Both of Chen Shang’s anomalies were under control, and his sanity showed a slight upward trend. Aside from a lingering lightheadedness and the occasional glimpse of strange, ghostly phantoms, he was essentially in the clear. Given the current situation, he didn't seem to need to rush to that psychiatrist anymore.

The only downside was that the systems related to the Collapse Core remained in a state of malfunction, making the mall exchange temporarily unavailable. However, he couldn't rush it, so he had no choice but to wait.

Chen Shang took a deep breath of the cold winter air, feeling a sense of refreshment as if he had been reborn.

On his way home, Chen Shang briefly organized the information he had gathered so far.

First, the "Abyss" was an existence akin to an alternate dimension, governed by world laws similar to a tabletop RPG, where every action required a dice roll to execute.

Second, according to information collected by Black Alice, the Abyss was considered a realm akin to a demon-sealing ground in ancient times. While the authenticity of these legends remained to be verified, the Abyss was indeed home to many monsters that defied human understanding and were absurd enough to drive a person to insanity.

Most importantly, once someone from the real world entered the Abyss, there was no way to return to their original world unless they plunged themselves into death.

Although Chen Shang had little desire to investigate the Abyss further, the origin of these events was indeed his own meddling with a cursed book, which had drawn the attention of the Goddess of the Abyss.

The Goddess of the Abyss's favorability toward him remained a series of question marks. However, it now seemed she held no great malice toward him and was even unusually attentive; otherwise, she wouldn't have bestowed this blessing upon him.

In the short term, Chen Shang had no plans to explore the Abyss again. After all, that place was too dangerous, and with his current strength, he would only be walking to his death.

But the Abyss was calling to Chen Shang; he could not escape this destiny forever. Perhaps, however, he could use the "Abyss" to organize an interesting plan.

With this in mind, Chen Shang whistled, walking home with an arrogant, swaggering gait.

"Big brother! Where did you go?"

As soon as he stepped into the entryway, Chen Shang heard his sister’s voice. Nayuta, dressed in her school uniform, ran up to him, her eyes filled with anxiety.

"You were so sick this morning, why didn't you just stay home and rest? I’ve been looking for you for ages; I was almost ready to call the police!"

"Huh?" Chen Shang looked at his sister in her uniform, confused. "Little sister, didn't you go to school?"

"Didn't I tell you? I said I’d come back to check on you during my lunch break..." Nayuta asked helplessly, "Where on earth did you go, brother?"

—Did she say that? I must have forgotten.

"I just went out for a walk," Chen Shang said, brushing her off with a casual excuse.

"You’re sick like this and you still went out? It’s winter, for heaven's sake!" Nayuta, heart aching, helped her brother into the house and led him to the dining table. "I’ll make you some lunch. You didn't even eat breakfast!"

Saying this, Nayuta tied an apron over her uniform and trotted into the kitchen to prepare a meal.

—Sigh, I’ve made her worry again.

Chen Shang sat at the table, helplessly holding his forehead. His condition was much better than it had been in the morning. Although thoughts of wanting to kill something still flickered in his mind, they were quickly dismissed; at the very least, he no longer needed sedatives.

As Chen Shang sat lost in thought, Nayuta returned with a steaming meal and urged him gently, "Brother, eat up and then go get some rest!"

"Thanks. You should hurry back to school; don't let me ruin your studies." Chen Shang took the chopsticks and began to eat, his mind elsewhere.

"But you always make me worry, brother..." Nayuta sat beside him, sounding slightly resentful. "You’re so sick, yet you keep trying to run off... your body will collapse sooner or later if this keeps up..."

"That won't happen. After walking around, I feel much better." Chen Shang pointed to his face and said, "Don't believe me?"

"Eh? You’re right..." Nayuta observed her brother’s face and noticed his complexion had recovered significantly, and his eyes had regained their spirit.

"I’ll take another nap this afternoon and I’ll be fine to go to school tomorrow." Chen Shang finished his meal in a few quick bites and urged her, "Hurry to school, don't be late."

"Then... take care of yourself, brother." Seeing that his health was not in serious trouble, Nayuta breathed a sigh of relief, shouldered her bag, and left.

After Nayuta left, Chen Shang’s expression returned to calm. Although his mental state was now stable, the questions surrounding him were only growing. Whether it was the existence of the Abyss or the identity of the Goddess of the Abyss, Chen Shang needed to investigate them clearly, or he would never know a moment of peace.

The existence of the Abyss was like a Sword of Damocles, constantly hanging over his head. But Chen Shang was no longer prepared to be a blockhead and explore it personally. He had a plan—a very interesting plan.

With that thought, Chen Shang dialed Black Alice’s number.

"Hello? Are you feeling better?" Black Alice asked on the other end.

"Not bad, I feel much better now," Chen Shang said, brushing his hair back with a smile. "I suddenly have a plan, and I wanted to see if you were interested."

"Don't tell me—you just got fixed, and you're already looking for trouble?" Black Alice muttered, though curiosity peeked through. "Tell me about this plan."

"It’s about the Abyss," Chen Shang said, crisp and clear.

"You want to go exploring again?" Black Alice asked. "Your scars haven't even healed, and you're already trying to get yourself killed?"

"No, no, no. I’m certainly not going back to a place like that." Chen Shang shook his head and countered, "But have you ever heard of a creature known as the 'Fourth Calamity'?"

"I’ve heard of it. That’s just a synonym for game players, right?" Black Alice yawned. "Come to think of it, I used to love playing games, too."

"Then let’s assume that if I were to create a game with an incredibly realistic world-view, and then introduce a group of players..." Chen Shang asked thoughtfully, "Do you think most players would integrate into the world and live a stable life as part of society, or would they seek thrills everywhere, and even do things with absolutely no bottom line?"

Black Alice chuckled, finding the question silly. "Well, it’s a game, after all. Most people would definitely choose the latter. Because they know they’re in a game, they know they won't die no matter how extreme their actions are. Or, even if they do die, they can find a way to respawn and try again."

"Then what if I told everyone in Night-Pivot City..." Chen Shang suddenly wore a mysterious smile, "...that the Abyss is a game?"

Black Alice understood Chen Shang’s implication and couldn't help but exclaim:

"Damn!"