Chapter 37 Projection

"You can understand it as a projection of the real world formed under certain conditions," Jiang Cheng said, gesturing towards the shadow beside the fat man on the beach. After a moment of contemplation, he continued, "It's like you represent the real world, and this is your shadow."

The fat man's lips moved for a while before he stammered, "So… so this isn't our world, but the two worlds have a symbiotic relationship."

"Symbiotic relationship…" Jiang Cheng thought for a moment, then shook his head, denying it. "A symbiotic relationship is when two things mutually benefit from living together, and neither can survive without the other, but…"

He looked up at the fat man and continued, "If I shoot your shadow, will you die?"

His example was simple and easy to understand.

What happened in this world would not affect the real world.

"Doctor," after a moment, the fat man had digested the information Jiang Cheng had given him. He frowned and asked, "But… how is this any different from what you said before?"

"Even if you're right, and this is indeed a projection of the real world, so what?"

The fat man blinked, as if worried that the doctor would misunderstand him. He added, "What I mean is, can we get any different information from it?"

"Since it's a projection, then it will most likely follow the inherent laws of our world," Jiang Cheng said, gazing out at the vast sea. After a long while, he replied, "That's very important."

"Let's go," Jiang Cheng said, retracting his gaze and walking in a different direction. "Let's go take a look over there."

.......

According to the division of labor before the action, Jiang Cheng and the fat man were responsible for the vicinity of the coast, and Su Xiaoxiao and her sister and brother, Su An, were responsible for the forest.

The main purpose of their trip was to find food, especially water.

Having not had a drop of water for a day and a night, their throats were dry and painful. If it weren't for exchanging clues, almost no one would want to speak.

Of course, necessary camouflage was an exception.

Jiang Cheng and the two first walked around the cliff. The fat man gently tapped the rock wall with a stone he picked up and found that the seemingly solid rock wall had long been severely eroded by the sea breeze.

With a little force, flakes of rock would peel off.

It seemed Liang Long was right, wanting to climb up along the cliff from here, especially without professional tools, was almost impossible.

"Doctor," the fat man, afraid of the sun, squatted in the shade and looked up to ask, "Could this be an isolated island?"

Except for that endless forest, nowhere else seemed passable.

He didn't see Su Xiaoxiao and her siblings near the forest, and he didn't know if they had run off to hide somewhere, or if they had really stepped into this unusually quiet forest.

Not hearing Jiang Cheng's answer, the fat man followed his line of sight, licked his lips, and said in a low voice, unwilling to give up, "Doctor, do you think there's something wrong with this forest?"

"Yeah."

"Then Su Xiaoxiao and them…"

"Fat man," Jiang Cheng said, squinting at the forest, "Do you remember the road that old woman took you on?"

The fat man was stunned for a moment, blinked, and said, "You mean before finding you and that Chen Ran?"

"Yeah."

"We met her on the coast. At that time, the old woman was in the water," the fat man recalled. "Later, we walked around the coast, and then she took us to the cliff and said to try…"

"In other words, she would rather risk climbing the cliff than approach that forest," Jiang Cheng exhaled. Compared to a questioning tone, it was more like some kind of speculation had been confirmed.

The look in his eyes towards the forest became more and more intriguing.

The fat man lowered his voice and asked, as if confirming, "So, there's something strange in the forest?"

"There's something strange everywhere here, the lighthouse, the ocean, the buildings… it's just that the strangeness in the forest is greater, and the danger is also higher," Jiang Cheng replied. "That's why the old woman, who came here a second time, chose to avoid it directly. I think the group of people who were stranded here back then must have encountered something in the forest."

Hearing this, the fat man's expression gradually changed. The doctor's speculation was reasonable.

But there was one point he didn't make clear. The group of people back then must have encountered something incomprehensible in the forest, resulting in heavy losses, and perhaps only the old woman survived.

This encounter was unforgettable for the old woman, so she directly gave up exploring.

"Doctor," as if thinking of something, the fat man's face was very ugly. His lips trembled, and it took a long time before he squeezed out, "Then Su Xiaoxiao and them… wouldn't they all die inside?"

"I don't know." Jiang Cheng's profile showed no emotion. "But I think even if they can come out, they'll probably be about the same as us."

"About the same…" the fat man repeated the doctor's words in a low voice, then seemed to come back to his senses and looked up to say, "Doctor, do you mean that even if they can come back, they won't find food and water?"

"Yeah."

"But… why?" The fat man couldn't help but ask, "Could it be that the purpose of this instance is to trap us to death?"

Since coming into contact with the bizarre nightmare missions, the fat man had imagined countless times how he would die, such as being decapitated by a ghost, or having his neck broken, or being hung up to bleed…

But he never imagined that there would be a way to die from starvation and thirst in a nightmare.

Well… he thought it was most likely to die of thirst.

Because people can last for a while without food, but without water, a few days is the limit.

He was already seriously considering the feasibility of gnawing on tree bark if there was really no other way.

After a long silence, Jiang Cheng's body was hidden in the shadows.

He didn't know why, but no matter what kind of desperate situation he encountered, it seemed that as long as the doctor was by his side, he felt that he could get through it.

Just when the fat man thought that the doctor was silent because he was discouraged, he suddenly heard a slightly hoarse voice.

"Fat man," the doctor spoke again, but this time the latter's voice made him feel strange, even chilling. He once thought it was an auditory hallucination caused by mental tension.

"Do… Doctor… I'm here."

"Do you still remember what that old woman… said?" Jiang Cheng paused and reminded, "Last night?"

After thinking for a while, the fat man recalled and hesitated to speak. The scene at that time was very strange, so the fat man remembered it fairly clearly, "She said it's coming, she heard the sound, and then she said everyone is going to die!"

The fat man carefully swallowed a mouthful of precious saliva, his throat dry and uncomfortable. "She also said that something was calling her, that she should have died here back then, and died here with them!"

The scenes of last night flashed in the fat man's mind. The woman's hideous face and sharp, eerie voice were like a short knife with serrated edges, repeatedly cutting his nerves.

The severe pain stimulated his head. Recalling the woman's state at the time, the fat man also seemed to be disturbed by some inexplicable thing, completely entering the woman's role.