usenovelgroup Chapter 512, 493 Mental Confusion
Chapter 512, 493 Mental Confusion
Chapter 512, page 493: Mental Confusion
Jiang Jianxin recently discovered that his mind was becoming strange.
Before realizing that the world was superimposed, everything she knew was linear and coherent, like a one-way street that kept extending forward.
The people and events in her eyes all exist on the same time plane, connected by the same historical thread, constituting all her life experiences and ways of thinking.
It was clear and reassuring; even in the apocalypse, time still flowed along an understandable trajectory.
However, when she suddenly realized that the world was not singular, but composed of multiple superimposed realities, or even nailed together in the same spacetime framework by some kind of "reference point", a sense of stability rooted in the foundation of her cognition completely collapsed.
The first thing to change was her vision.
She began to see two or even more layers of visions at the same time. The outlines of monsters overlapped with human forms, and ferocious tentacles and smiling faces appeared in the same place at the same time. The sounds, light and shadow, temperature and smell of the two worlds flooded into her perception like a burst dam.
Information from different realities collided and intertwined, frantically eroding her already tense mind.
Under the constant onslaught of this information deluge, Jiang Jianxin felt his thought process beginning to become disordered.
The real change happened on a seemingly ordinary afternoon.
As usual, she curled up in the room, letting her mind wander, trying to grasp a bit of peace in her turbulent inner world.
However, a distant yet clear hawking cry suddenly entered my ears—
"Candied hawthorn berries—"
"Sharpening scissors—sharpening kitchen knives—"
The sound was vivid, carrying the warmth of everyday life, penetrating the walls and reaching the eardrums.
Jiang Jianxin froze abruptly.
This is a street scene that existed before the apocalypse.
Since pollution struck and order collapsed, street vendors have become faded illustrations in history textbooks; outside, there is only howling wind, wandering monsters, and deathly silence.
Her heart pounded like a drum, but she simply gripped the doorknob and slowly pushed open the door that separated the inside from the outside.
In an instant, a wave of sound and color crashed over us like a tsunami.
Outside the door is a bustling street with heavy traffic.
The sun shines brightly, the glass curtain walls of tall buildings reflect golden light, cars honk their horns as they drive by, pedestrians are dressed smartly and walk briskly, food stalls on the roadside emit steaming heat, and children run by laughing and holding balloons.
The air was filled with the aroma of food, car exhaust, and the hustle and bustle unique to the city.
There were no ruins, no mutated plants, and none of those twisted and terrifying figures.
This is the world she remembers from ten years ago.
Jiang Jianxin's breath caught in her throat. She staggered back half a step, instinctively reaching into her pocket and pulling out her cell phone, an old model that she had scrapped later when she ventured into the underwater contaminated area.
The screen lit up, displaying a date that was clearly ten years ago.
She pressed hard on her throbbing temples, her fingertips feeling icy cold.
Hallucinations must be severe hallucinations caused by information overload.
She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and tried to use her willpower to banish the absurd image from her mind.
However, when she opened her eyes again, ready to face the familiar apocalypse, her gaze was involuntarily drawn to the sky, and then froze completely—
In the sky, there stands a pure white staircase that stretches infinitely upwards.
"Twilight Stairs..."
She muttered to herself, her throat dry. She had already deduced that this staircase was a "reference point" to reality, a "nail" that held together all the overlapping layers.
Its existence proves that this place is indeed reality.
but……
Jiang Jianxin looked down at the glaring date from ten years ago on his phone screen, then looked up at the undeniable white staircase in the sky.
Two completely contradictory pieces of evidence are presented side by side in such an absurd way at this moment.
A violent wave of dizziness instantly gripped her; the world spun before her eyes.
Jiang Jianxin leaned against the door frame, almost vomiting.
This eerie sight did not last long.
Because she went back into the house, closed the door, and shut out the hustle and bustle of ten years ago.
Leaning against the cold door, Jiang Jianxin closed his eyes tightly, as if trying to sink himself back into the darkness of chaos.
I don't know how much time passed; maybe only a few seconds, maybe several centuries.
When she mustered enough courage and slowly opened her eyes again, what came from outside the door was no longer the hawking of vendors, but... a continuous, festive sound of fireworks exploding.
Bang! Crack! Crackle! Crackle—
Colorful light shimmered through the crack in the door.
Jiang Jianxin pushed the door open once again.
The scene before us changed drastically once again.
The streets still exist, but the architectural style has changed, with a near-futuristic simplicity and technological feel.
The sky was illuminated by dazzling electronic fireworks, and pink flags lined both sides of the street, fluttering in the wind.
People gathered in the street, their faces beaming with fervent smiles, waving the same pink flags, and raising their arms in unison, shouting in a deafening roar:
"Long live the God of Wealth! Long live the God of Wealth!"
The atmosphere was so enthusiastic it bordered on frenzy, like some kind of grand celebration.
Jiang Jianxin looked down at the phone she had somehow gotten into—it was the new model she had bought after her adventure in the underwater contaminated area.
The date on the screen shows three months from now.
She slowly raised her head, her gaze passing over the revelers, over the virtual ribbons fluttering in the air, and towards the higher, more distant sky.
That white staircase still stands there quietly and majestically, connecting heaven and earth, linking to unknowable heights.
It silently proclaims that this place is still reality.
The "reality" of ten years ago and the "reality" of three months later are both nailed to the same "moment" by the same "nail".
A chaotic timeline, overlapping realities, contradictory evidence, a reveling crowd, a silent staircase... all of this collided and exploded wildly in Jiang Jianxin's mind.
A conjecture slowly seeped into the cracks of her mind.
Jiang Jianxin retreated back into the house, locked the door, and temporarily isolated himself from the bizarre and distorted world outside.
Then, she walked to the bedside and took out the simple blue diary from her sword intent space.