Chapter 42 The "Box" in the Box

"Heh... since I'm in the mood to probe and mock you..." Feng Bujue replied with a smile, "That indicates the problem at hand isn't that complex."

Actually, the instant Brother Jue touched the box, he received a system prompt: [Requires a Safe Key of ***-1998 to Open].

In a scenario, there’s a big difference between having a prompt when trying to open a box and not having one. If there is no prompt, or the prompt says [Cannot Open], then the item inside the box is likely set by the system as "unobtainable." But if it prompts "Requires a Key," then there's a 100% chance there's a way to open it.

"Oh?" Billy said upon hearing that, pausing for two seconds to think. "You got a system prompt?"

Although Billy couldn't hear the prompt, he could deduce that from Brother Jue's reaction.

"That's right," Feng Bujue replied. "According to the prompt... the key to this box should be found somewhere."

"Then doesn't the problem come full circle..." Billy interjected. "I already said, the key is undoubtedly in the hands of those two people, and those two are either..."

"Alright, alright, you don't have to repeat what you said, I don't have senile dementia yet," Brother Jue interrupted. "Let me ask first, who's in charge of this floor? After the power outage today, have you paid attention to his movements?"

"Hmm..." Billy pondered briefly and replied, "This floor is overseen by Dr. Jonathan, a Belgian in his fifties with considerable achievements in theoretical physics." He paused. "As for his movements after the power outage... I'm not too clear. Don't forget, B3 has its own independent power source, the power outage didn't affect anything here. But the broadcast at the time required everyone to evacuate to the emergency shelter, so the personnel on this floor also evacuated."

"Are you sure... everyone on this floor has been safely evacuated?" Feng Bujue pressed.

"At least when you and that group of security guards entered B3, there was no one else on this floor," Billy replied. "As for their fate after leaving B3, I don't know... both the stairwell and the freight通道 (tongdao, passage) are beyond my perception range."

"Hmm?" Feng Bujue still couldn't shake his habit of trying to pry information out of others. "'Perception range,' isn't that supposed to expand in a perfect circle?"

"That's under normal circumstances," Billy replied. "But this is ******'s dimdimensional_sector, their use of space technology is extremely skilled, you could even say... far beyond my imagination." He pointed to the ceiling. "How high do you think this floor is? Five meters? Eight meters?" Without waiting for Brother Jue to answer, he said directly, "Don't assume that the height you passed through in the stairwell is the actual height of each floor... I don't even know how high each floor is here. It wouldn't be surprising if there were abysses between the floors."

"Oh~ no wonder they don't have elevators," Feng Bujue replied thoughtfully.

"In short, I don't know where Dr. Jonathan went. The entire floor was full of people during the evacuation. I didn't have the spare capacity or reason to precisely pinpoint his movements in the crowd," Billy steered the topic back on course, then continued. "Also... even if we assume that Jonathan has successfully reached the emergency shelter, there are still two problems... First, that area is under tight security. Even if the security personnel there don't know what you look like, you're appearing so long after the alarm sounded... you'll inevitably be arrested or executed. Second... even if you really manage to sneak into the emergency shelter, and find Dr. Jonathan, the key might not be on him. And even if the key really is on him, what way do you have to get the key, escape the emergency shelter, and return to this B3?"

"That makes sense," Feng Bujue said. "Then let's put that assumption aside for now and talk about other possibilities, like..." He stroked his chin. "The doctor was killed during the retreat by a *** project that escaped from another floor, and his corpse, carrying the key, is now lying quietly somewhere in the stairwell or freight通道 (tongdao, passage)..."

"Relatively speaking, that scenario you described is the most optimistic," Billy said. "However, there's an even more pessimistic assumption..."

"You mean... the key is stored in the hands of the person in charge of this base?" Feng Bujue finished.

"That's right," Billy replied. "And that person in charge, Kozmo, is staying in a place with defenses even tighter than the shelter – the B9 command center."

"Which means... if the key is really in Kozmo's hands, then my chances of getting the key and returning to retrieve the gun are slim," Feng Bujue mused.

"Infinitesimally close to zero," Billy replied.

"Heh... very good," Feng Bujue chuckled. "Based on that line of thinking, that assumption can be directly eliminated."

As soon as he said that, Billy seemed to realize something too. "Because the system won't set up an impossible chain of actions, right..."

"Bingo~" Brother Jue snapped his fingers. "Since the system gave the prompt 'this box can be opened,' it will definitely set up a feasible unlocking action chain. If unlocking this box is more difficult than clearing the scenario, then this setting would be meaningless, wouldn't it?"

"According to what you're saying, there's a high chance that Jonathan, with the key, died outside the shelter?" Billy followed Brother Jue's train of thought.

"That is so," Feng Bujue nodded. "Of course, based on my thorough understanding of nightmare difficulty scenarios and my own personal luck... I believe... there's also a high probability that Dr. Jonathan is currently in the emergency shelter."

Bang bang bang--

Just as the two were analyzing and discussing, suddenly, a burst of intense explosions came from afar.

In this base with sturdy walls, for the sound to travel so far, something very serious must have happened.

"What's going on?" Feng Bujue said. "Could some project have escaped nearby?"

"Unlikely," Billy replied. "I said, the power outage didn't affect anything on this floor." He paused for half a second, adding, "You heard the 513 ringtone earlier, that was caused by my manipulation. At that time, the other projects were still in containment measures, there were no out-of-control situations."

"Then what is this..." Feng Bujue wondered.

"Hmm..." Billy deliberated slightly, muttering, "Starting a dozen minutes ago, I locked my perception ability onto those seven security squad members, basically ceasing perception of other areas." He continued, "Presumably... someone or 'something' has snuck in."

"Then cancel the monitoring," Feng Bujue said. "Change to a global perception."

"Ah... I'm doing it now," Billy said. He had already canceled the monitoring of Gore and the others, and changed the method of perception to a broad, wide-ranging form.

But...

"Ugh—" Two seconds later, Billy suddenly groaned, his whole body violently shaking.

He seemed to have been struck by some invisible force, falling from Feng Bujue's shoulder towards the ground.

Fortunately, Brother Jue reacted quickly, grabbing Billy and preventing him from falling to the ground.

"Hey!" Feng Bujue stared at the hideous-looking puppet in his hand, but there was no change in expression on the latter's face. "What's wrong?" He shook Billy. "Speak!"

At this moment, Billy seemed to have "passed out"... motionless, like a real puppet.

"What's the situation..." Feng Bujue's mind raced. "Hit by some kind of mental shock?" He tucked Billy under his arm and turned to walk out the door. "Something actually used mental power to take Billy down?"

He thought to himself, running as he moved.

"This is troublesome... if this guy passes out, the video and audio surveillance on this floor will resume, and the security squad can contact their superiors," Feng Bujue thought, his feet not stopping. "If nothing else, I'm now under someone else's surveillance again... If I stop and hesitate, I'll be caught again soon..."

Bang bang bang--

As he approached the corridor corner, the sounds ahead grew louder, sounding like powerful physical blows hitting the metal walls.

"Humph... doesn't sound good..." Even so, Feng Bujue had no intention of stopping.

He knew very well that in this nightmare scenario, surviving through danger was the norm. Anyway, as it stands... whether in terms of time or space, he had no room for maneuvering.

Bang--chichi... Boom--

Before long, the corridor corner was close at hand. The closer he got, the more certain Brother Jue became that the sounds ahead were of battle.

And it wasn't just a battle on the level of ordinary humans, but a contest between creatures far stronger than ordinary people.

For Thriller Paradise players, this kind of sound was not unfamiliar. Scenario Bosses, high-level players, powerful NPCs, etc... the commotion caused by super-powered combat was generally like this.

"What could it be..." Finally, with a trace of curiosity, Feng Bujue dashed out of the corner.

But saw...

"This... where is this..."

Blank... strange blankness.

The sounds and images stopped abruptly, and the memory was inexplicably interrupted.

One second, Feng Bujue was running with Billy, the next, he was sitting alone in a small room of a dozen square meters, with handcuffs on his wrists and ankles.

"What happened?" Brother Jue suddenly felt a headache. He was experiencing the bizarre feeling of memory skipping for the first time. "What did I see just now..." he muttered to himself. "No... not just now, from the time I entered that corridor until now, forty... no, fifty minutes have passed..."

He seemed to "remember" something, but at the same time as remembering, he "forgot" it. This process was like a self-visible psychological loss, causing him considerable discomfort and mental pain.

Buzz--

Just as Brother Jue was pondering with this bizarre feeling, the electronic door of the room opened.

A woman in a white coat walked in.

She was a white woman, around forty years old, wearing black-rimmed glasses, her long curly hair tied back.

"Hello, Mr. Austin." After entering the room, she sat down in the seat opposite Feng Bujue and greeted him. "I'm Dr. Mara, I have a few questions to ask you." As she spoke, she inadvertently glanced at the camera probe in the corner of the ceiling.

Seeing this, Feng Bujue also looked up. In this small room that could only accommodate a table and two chairs, there were actually two probes, probably with audio collection functions.

"First, please describe the project you saw earlier," Dr. Mara asked directly, seeing that Brother Jue did not object.

"What project?" Feng Bujue replied. "Billy?"

"No," Mara said. "The one you saw when you entered the corridor with Billy." She paused. "'It' was fighting with our agents at the time."

"I don't know what you're talking about," Feng Bujue replied. "I don't seem to have witnessed any fighting in my memory, although I seem to have heard the sounds of fighting..."

"Then do you remember what you did during this time?" Mara asked again.

"I..." Feng Bujue also wanted to know the answer to this question. That memory was clearly in his mind, but it seemed to be shielded, untouchable, and every time he tried to recall it, he would have an indescribable feeling of discomfort. "...Don't know." He simply gave such an answer, and asked in return, "You have surveillance, right? You should be the ones telling me."

Mara stared at Brother Jue for a few seconds, not responding to his question, but changing the subject and continuing to ask: "Do you remember how you got here?"

"I was..." Feng Bujue did remember something about this question. "Arrested and brought in by the Nine-Tailed Fox squad."

Mara's expression changed slightly: "Where did you hear the name Nine-Tailed Fox?"

Feng Bujue sneered, not answering.

"And where did you... obtain the information about projects 106 and 513?" Mara asked again.

"Madam," At this moment, Feng Bujue had regained his usual composure. "Let's make a deal..." The corners of his mouth rose slightly, and he cast a psychopathic gaze at the middle-aged woman in front of him. "You answer one of my questions, and I'll answer one of yours."

"Heh..." Dr. Mara chuckled, a forced, mirthless laugh. "Even if I were Jodie Foster, you're not Anthony Hopkins, Mr. Austin." She paused. "Please answer my questions seriously, otherwise... you will be sent to a more severe interrogation system."

"Whatever," Feng Bujue leaned back in his chair, replying in a nonchalant tone.

"Alright then," Dr. Mara sighed, leaving her seat.

"Oh... right, Doctor." Just as the other party reached the door, Brother Jue suddenly spoke again. "Do you remember the first question you asked me?"

"What question?" Mara replied.

"That project's number... is it fifty-five?" After these few minutes of conversation, Feng Bujue had already cleared his mind and found a *** project in his mental palace that could explain his memory loss.

…………

[Item #: ***-055]

[Object Class: Keter]

[Special Containment Procedures: The object is kept within a 5 m x 5 m x 2.5 m square room constructed from solid concrete (walls approximately 50 cm thick), with a Faraday cage surrounding it. Entrance is via a heavy-duty airlock-style door 2 m x 2.5 m. The door is to remain locked and closed at all times unless active research is being conducted.

A security contingent is to be stationed within ***-055's room at all times. Personnel in this contingent must have a minimum security clearance of 3. It is strongly recommended that all personnel who have worked with other *** objects in the past be restricted from entering ***-055's room. The validity of this recommendation is to be questioned by no one. ]

[Description: ***-055 is a "self-secret" or "anti-meme." Information about ***-055's physical appearance, such as its nature, behavior, and origin is indecipherable. This is independent of the following:

How ***-055 was collected is unknown.

When ***-055 was collected is unknown.

Who collected ***-055 is unknown.

The physical properties of ***-055 are not directly discernible. It is not invisible, but it is not perceivable. Individuals can enter ***-055's containment chamber and directly observe it, take notes, make sketches, take photographs, and even make audio/video recordings. Extensive records of such observations exist. However, personnel are unable to recall this information upon leaving ***-055's containment chamber.

Personnel given the task of describing ***-055 will find themselves diverted, and rapidly lose interest in the task. Personnel tasked with sketching photographs of ***-055 are unable to remember what the photograph contains, and observers of closed-circuit television footage invariably drift off and forget what they were watching after approximately one hour.

Who authorized ***-055 to be contained in this fashion, why this room was constructed in the first place, and the function of this facility are unknown.

Despite the ease with which individuals can enter ***-055's containment chamber, no one can retain any knowledge of ***-055.

All of these facts are periodically rediscovered by random personnel who come across ***-055's file, causing a minor flurry of activity as everyone questions everything, before the matter is once again forgotten after a few minutes.

A great deal of scientific literature exists regarding ***-055, but no means of researching it are available. The Foundation has been forced to abandon several projects regarding the termination of ***-055, or moving it to another location, as it is seemingly impossible to keep the relevant details in mind for long enough to complete these tasks.

***-055 may pose a grave threat and may have already been the cause of thousands of deaths, but we won't know it. Obviously, it poses a terrible meme-level influence, so we define it as Keter level.]

[Document #055-1: Thoughts Regarding ***-055 –

The author believes that ***-055 has never actually been contained, and is either willingly remaining in captivity, or is actually a telepathically-controlled agent. It is being maintained by an outside party for one or more of the following purposes:

I. Quietly observe and interfere with Foundation activities.

II. Quietly observe or interfere with other *** sites.

III. Quietly observe or interfere with humanity.

IV. Quietly observe or interfere with other *** objects.

V. Quietly observe or interfere with [DATA EXPUNGED].

Any action taken regarding this potential threat is likely to be ineffectual, if not theoretically impossible.]