Chapter 26: Trial of the Dream Day six of the lockdown. The system released a new announcement, calm and concise: [To assess the current stability of Class E3, a "Synchronization Observation Trial" will be conducted.]
[This simulation involves no combat and focuses solely on emotional resonance monitoring.]
[All students are required to participate. This trial will not be recorded in standard logs.] "…So we're getting dumped into a sealed dreamscape for… emotional testing?"
Su Xu frowned at the announcement panel, rolling her eyes for what must've been the hundredth time that week.
Lu Jingxing leaned against the wall, tone casual but sharp: "They say it's 'off-record,' but if the system's running, data's being stored. Don't kid yourselves."
"Exactly," Su Xu muttered. "They're treating us like lab rats."
Lin Kui silently turned her eyes toward Nie Shi, who stood at the window, unmoving.
Meng Yao gave a gentle smile. "Let's not get too worked up. I'm sure this is the system's way of confirming we're stable."
His voice was calm, his smile reassuring.
Only Luo Jia looked up, a flicker of cold light passing through her gaze. Inside the simulation, everything felt… normal. Too normal.
Soft light filtered through leafy branches. The artificial breeze carried the scent of fallen leaves. The scene resembled a peaceful college campus more than a combat trial—complete with red-brick buildings, stone pathways, a fountain, and the distant sound of birdsong.
"Is this really a trial? It looks more like a vacation map," Su Xu said, poking a bench with her toe.
A synthetic female voice echoed from above, soothing as a lullaby: [Welcome to the Synchronization Observation Trial. This test does not involve combat. Please explore freely.] Everyone exchanged looks.
Lu Jingxing snorted. "Wow. They're really committed to this aesthetic."
"Maybe it really is just a checkup." Meng Yao chuckled. "As long as we cooperate, they'll see there's nothing wrong."
For a while, the atmosphere lightened. Some students wandered the grounds. Others tested minor functions. Meng Yao even bought a coffee from a vending machine that produced steam and smell—surprisingly realistic.
But Lin Kui remained uneasy. I'll pause here to let you check the tone and structure.
As they followed the system's guide arrows, the five core students arrived at a courtyard near the central plaza. A virtual version of the department head stood by the fountain, scrolling through his phone—eerily realistic, down to his thinning hair and habit of checking market updates in the morning.
"Wait… that's our actual department head," Lu Jingxing murmured. "Even the NPC's posture is dead-on."
"System must've pulled real-world behavior data for immersion," Lin Kui said softly.
They kept walking. Leaves rustled underfoot. Simulated students strolled past with books or chatted under trees. Everything was calm—too calm.
That's when Lin Kui's terminal began pinging. She glanced down and frowned. Emotional Resonance Curve: Accelerating. Far too fast.
She rushed over to Nie Shi. "Something's off. The system's tracking our emotions at an unusually high frequency."
He looked at her screen. The resonance chart was spiking erratically—more like someone mid-battle than a group casually exploring.
"I feel calm, though…" Su Xu said, checking her own panel. "So why the spike?"
"No glitches reported," Meng Yao said cheerfully. "System says everything's running smooth."
Lu Jingxing narrowed his eyes. "Or it's covering something."
Void remained dormant in Nie Shi's spiritual domain—quiet, but… restless. Then came the shift.
It started with a jolt. A twitch in Nie Shi's hand.
Void didn't wait for a command.
The obsidian spear erupted from his palm in a flash of black-blue light, humming like it had tasted blood in the air. It wasn't a clean summon—it was a lunge. [Emotional Resonance Overflow Detected]
[Synchronization Ratio: 340% above average]
[Alert: Trial Zone Stability Degrading] "Void… isn't responding to me," Nie Shi whispered.
He wasn't panicking. But the spear was.
"Control it," Lin Kui said quickly, stepping closer.
"I'm trying."
The spear vibrated more violently. It jolted upward and slashed into the ground, tearing open a glowing fissure. [System Internal Sync Chain Interrupted]
[Emotional Cascade Building]
[Dreamspace Integrity—CRITICAL] The world fractured. The sky shattered into red shards.
The peaceful campus twisted—walls cracked, NPCs flickered and vanished. Black shadows oozed from beneath the ground, forming distorted humanoid figures with blurred, shifting faces.
"Hell no—here we go!" Su Xu summoned her softblade in a flash of green light.
"Formation!" Nie Shi barked. "Back-to-back!"
Lu Jingxing cursed, fists igniting with silver light. "Finally something to hit!"
The shadows screeched and surged forward—hundreds of them. Meanwhile, in the system control room— Zhong Lan stood in front of a locked observation screen, eyes burning with fury as she watched the chaos unfold.
"They're inducing synchronized breakdown on purpose," she growled. "This isn't testing. It's entrapment." [Control Override: DENIED]
[Faculty Access Level Insufficient] "Bullshit," she spat.
In one motion, she yanked off her terminal, slammed it onto the desk, and crushed it under her palm. The device sparked and shattered.
She turned, eyes blazing.
"I want to speak to the Committee. Now."
"Ma'am, calm down—"
"You calm down when your students are being baited into system failure by a test you weren't even briefed on!"
Silence followed.
Zhong Lan exhaled through gritted teeth. "You think you can control every Memory Armament.
Then you better be ready when one of them turns around and controls you .
Back in the collapsing simulation— The shadow creatures lunged.
Lu Jingxing was already moving, fists like twin hammers of light. He punched a wolf-shaped phantom mid-pounce, shattering it into mist.
"Let's see how long you last," he growled, turning to face the next.
Su Xu spun gracefully, her softblade flowing like a green ribbon. Each sweep sliced through distorted limbs and gaping mouths.
Behind her, Meng Yao activated a mindwave pulse—faint pink ripples disrupted the weaker phantoms, slowing them for a precious heartbeat.
"Don't let them surround us!" Lin Kui warned, short blade flashing as she cut down a crawling wraith from behind.
Nie Shi's grip on Void trembled. The spear was resonating too strongly—too fast.
"Not yet," he whispered. "You don't get to move on your own."
A shadow crashed toward Lin Kui.
Void struck.
One arc of obsidian light split the creature in half.
The others were stunned—so was Lin Kui.
"Thanks," she breathed.
"Don't thank me." Nie Shi's voice was tight. "It wasn't me." There was no time to dwell.
The world was breaking down.
The ground splintered. A deep crack opened ahead, leaking brilliant white light—the edge of the simulation.
"That's our exit!" Nie Shi shouted. "All power—now!"
"Say less!" Lu Jingxing yelled, slamming both fists into the ground, sending a shockwave forward.
Su Xu unleashed a whip of green energy. Lin Kui hurled her blade like a comet. Meng Yao summoned every last drop of focus to widen the psychic gap.
Nie Shi gripped Void and poured his will into it.
The spear screamed.
A final thrust tore the barrier apart—
And the world imploded into light. They landed hard, coughing and gasping on the real-world floor of the training chamber.
The simulation dome above them flickered red. [System Failure Detected]
[External Input Logged]
[Source Tag: MirrorSource]
[Core Stability: Compromised] Lin Kui squinted at the terminal. "Mirror… Source? What is that?"
"External input?" Su Xu echoed. "Who the hell's plugging into our system?"
No one answered.
Nie Shi said nothing—but he memorized the tag. Elsewhere, in a hidden access node— Meng Yao stood alone, illuminated by red system glow.
He closed a floating projection, then slid his hand across a biometric pad. A new interface opened—classified, untraceable. [MirrorSource Node-04 Active]
[Data Injection: Complete]
[System Fracture: Auto-Expanded]
[Next Directive: Await Conditions] He gave a small, satisfied smile.
"Faster than expected," he murmured.
"This system… it's more broken than we thought." To be continued.