“Jingle Bell—”

In the painful aftermath of the onset, there was a vague voice that continued to echo.

Is this your phone ringtone? The alarm ringtone? still-

Xie Qing woke up in a conditioned reflex.

It seems to be the bell at school.

How come there is a class bell here?

Xie Qingcheng opened his eyes abruptly, he was lying on the bed, panting, the bedroom was very much like his own bedroom in the He family more than ten years ago.

For a while, he thought that he seemed to have returned to the past, and everything was just a dream.

If it wasn't for him, he still vaguely remembers what happened just now, if it wasn't for He Yu still in his body—

Xie Qingcheng's pupils shrank slightly.

He Yu was not by his side.

He was the only one sitting alone on the bed.

“Jingle Bell…”

The alarm outside the window was still ringing.

It was a very flat ringtone, very much like the sound coming from the speakers of a learning radio station.

The dream-like feeling became stronger, Xie Qingcheng once again felt as if he had been lying in the He family's villa all the time. The ups and downs of his life for more than ten years were just a dream for him.

He got out of bed and wanted to go to the bathroom to find a mirror, his heart was beating fast, was it really a dream? Is all this fake? Is it...

He stopped as he passed the window.

Xie Qing looked out the window with a face as white as paper.

He is not dreaming.

Or maybe he hasn't woken up from his dream.

He came to the window, clenching the window lattice with his fingers, overlooking the outside world.

That was not the Mandela Island he saw after landing. But it's not the spacious lawn outside He's house.

As far as he could see, it turned out to be a large area that resembled the "Fantasy Island" of Shanghai University!

Fantasy Island is a semi-abandoned artificial island in Shanghai University. Later, the school waste was used, and it was assigned to the outdoor sports club of Shanghai University for club activities. During the school fair, Xie Qingcheng once helped Xie Xue on behalf of the nine-tailed fox and was trapped on that deserted island with He Yu.

Can't go wrong...

Although the island outside is more than ten times larger than the Shanghai-big Neverland, but from the perspective of the landform structure and the distribution of buildings, this is the "Fantasy Island" of Shanghai University.

The creepy feeling climbed up the instep like a snake.

What's going on here? Was he dreaming or awake, was he in Mandela or somewhere else?

Xie Qingcheng tried his best to calm himself down, calmed his breath, and carefully observed the scene outside again.

My heart is beating.

So weird...

After he calmed down, he gradually realized that this is Mandela Island. However, just after a short sleep, it was completely different from what he had seen before.

The dark forest was gone, and the river of blood was gone. Those surreal future scenes disappeared overnight, and they were replaced by a scene like purgatory on earth.

The hordes running on the ground are not mechanical dogs, but real wolf dogs, and they all wear control chip rings on their heads.

The broken mecha warriors on the ground are no longer dead, but corpses with blood and flesh. But he was sure those were once living people, not so-called robots.

The Pegasus circling in the air also disappeared, replaced by scattered drones and small helicopters with strange structures.

And the river of blood…

Corpse!

What is in front of him now is a real crime base, a large illegal military clearing, a slaughterhouse, a biological laboratory, and a mass grave.

It turned out to be a heavy reinforced concrete building with a simple structure, but strong defenses. It looked like a fortress, a prison, or even a heavily guarded lunatic asylum.

In extreme shock, a young man's voice suddenly came from beside him.

"You...are you awake?"

Xie Qing turned his head suddenly.

It's He Yu.

He Yu was in the bathroom just now. After he comforted Xie Qingcheng to fall asleep, he was sweating. He was just taking a shower in the bathroom.

He Yu could see the shock of the other party from Xie Qingcheng's face, and he knew everything in an instant. He walked over and looked out the window, because He Yu was under surveillance, He Yu couldn't show too much concern, so he just wiped his wet hair while looking out the window with Xie Qingcheng.

"You... can see it too, don't you?"

They stood close, and the conversation was very soft, which could not be captured by the surveillance.

He Yu looked outside and said to Xie Qing: "Do you think I have hallucinations? The first time I encountered such a thing, I thought I was crazy."

"This is..."

"This is the real Mandela Island." He Yu looked at the drone circling outside and said softly, "It's what it looks like."

Xie Qing's face was slightly blue: "What the **** is going on?"

He Yu glanced at his weak appearance, thought about it, and said, "Go back to bed and talk. It's cold here, and I can't tell you a word or two."

“…”

He Yu gently pulled him calmly: "Let's go."

After they got to the bed, He Yu didn't tell Xie Qing about the island right away. Xie Qingcheng's sudden illness really frightened him, and he couldn't hide his worries.

After he covered the quilt, he didn't need to pretend to be at a distance, he silently hugged Xie Qingcheng in his arms.

He could feel that Xie Qingcheng was trembling, not only because of what he saw just now, but also because of the pain after the attack-the mental Ebola attack is not so easy to calm down.

Xie Qingcheng: "The thing on the island..."

"I'll tell you about the island later. Take it easy first." He Yu said, "You just lost control. You're not an iron man. Okay? You've injected too much rn-13 and No. 2 serum, you can't handle it... Are you still in pain? Where does it hurt?"

What He Yu said was right, Xie Qing showed that it was actually very difficult to even say a word, and his mental pressure was indeed too great. So he did not resist.

Xie Qingcheng calmed his pounding heartbeat, and his breathing was still a little short and wet.

"Just now...I didn't say anything nonsense...?" Xie Qingcheng asked, "When I got sick, it was like a nightmare...I couldn't see anything...I can't remember it clearly... "

He Yu hugged him tighter: "No, you are sad, you have been shaking."

It's not much better now. The pain of mental Ebola was over, but the false reaction of case 2 came up again. Xie Qingcheng was in He Yu's arms and couldn't help the bouts of fever and nausea. He couldn't say this to He Yu. The pregnancy synaesthesia of No. 2 in the middle is absurd, and it's just a fake reaction, don't take it too seriously. So he tried his best to cheer up, regain some strength, and gently pushed He Yu away.

"I'm fine now..."

He Yu: "You are sweating all over your body, how can you be okay with such a big reaction, you..."

His hand touched Xie Qingcheng's hot skin again, this time Xie Qingcheng felt worse, some women's body will become more sensitive when pregnant, No. 2 is obviously this In the middle type, Xie Qingcheng was completely unable to mobilize his defense force when he was extremely tired. When he was touched by He Yu at this time, he couldn't help shaking.

He immediately pushed He Yu away again, and he almost retreated to the edge: "I don't want to lie on this bed."

A sentence without beginning or end.

He Yu didn't understand the embarrassment in his words.

He said: "There's only one bed here, you can't go anywhere else, I'm here to accompany you. You'll be fine if you don't lift the quilt, Duan Wen can't see it."

“…”

Xie Qingcheng did not remain silent this time.

But some scenes He Yu comforted him at that time, although not very smooth, just some broken words, he can still remember. He remembered that He Yu had been holding him tightly at that time, and these memories made him feel warm.

He could feel that those words came from the heart...

He Yu's anxiety at that time was also sincere...

Xie Qingcheng was lying on the bed and rested for a long time. Because of the sequelae of the mental Ebola attack, he sweated a lot and his body was wet and sticky, but He Yu hugged him again, and he never open.

Xie Qingcheng finally gave up the struggle and calmed down under such a hug.

He does need recovery.

Because this is the first time after more than two decades...

He is sick again.

…He thought he would never be like this again, he thought there was no one else in his life that could make him lose control of his emotions.

But...

He was drowsy in He Yu's arms for a while, allowing himself to recover from a disease he had not experienced in more than 20 years, regaining his reason, consciousness... and strength.

"How are you, do you feel better?" He Yu's voice was on the side of his ears.

At this time, Xie Qingcheng finally recovered completely. He nodded, hesitated, and let go of He Yu's hand, which he had been holding tightly just now.

He Yu suddenly grabbed him with his backhand.

Sweaty fingers and fingers interlaced, each other's palms are hot sweat.

He Yu said: "Don't let go. You need a little comfort. I used to be like this too."

"..." Xie Qingcheng took a deep breath, and in the only safe space created by the goose down quilt, he finally hesitated and said in a low voice, "It's okay, I'm much better. "

After a pause, he said, "Can we talk about... Mandela Island?"

After he recovered, he planned to pull everything back from the out-of-control situation.

He shouldn't be so emotional, he shouldn't allow himself to get sick.

Dreambreaker and so many people are trapped on the island, their lives are hanging by a thread, Zheng Jingfeng, Chen Man... Those more than 2,000 soldiers and police... They are still waiting to be rescued.

How can I be at a loss at this time.

Xie Qingcheng calmed down and asked in a hoarse and outrageous voice: "What's going on with this island? Those robots...mechanical dogs, Pegasus...I have clearly been in contact with them, Have they fought, don't they exist?"

Although He Yu was still a little worried about Xie Qingcheng's reaction just now, he understood that he had to make it clear to Xie Qingcheng today, otherwise Xie Qingcheng would only be more restless. So he replied: "This matter... is actually a bit difficult to explain."

He thought about it and found an entry point: "You...remember the Mandela effect when I was a child? It's the reaction I thought of Xie Xue as my best friend. "

"Remember."

"Xie Xue is partially existing. She is indeed there, but part of her is virtual and I imagined it." He Yu said, "Mandela Island Actually the same."

"It's just." He Yu paused and continued, "Mine is a psychological projection, and Mandela Island was artificially created through the study of this psychological projection. As a result, it’s a space where the real world and the virtual world blend. You haven’t played VR, and Mandela is a lot like VR.”

"No." Xie Qingcheng frowned and thought for a moment, "...but I know the metaverse. Is this the concept."

"Yes." He Yu breathed a sigh of relief, he did not expect Xie Qingcheng's understanding to be more efficient than his explanation, "You are not fighting surreal mechanical dogs, nor robots, they are just genetically modified Modified hyenas and humans. Did you see the control rings they were wearing? That's what Zoya uses to control them."

"Then my parents—"

"You calm down first." He Yu immediately comforted him, "These people are all people who have been caught, tricked and transformed, their brains have been destroyed, and the control rings on their heads It's their only tool for thinking that gives them some of the consciousness and ability of someone else. That's not your parents."

After explaining this point, He Yu continued: "You know, the metaverse is talking about virtual projection based on reality. In the concept of metaverse, the Mandela organization has gone far Earlier and farther than normal society. The understanding of the metaverse in society is still very shallow, and the explosion of this concept is within a year or two. But the research on the metaverse by the Mandela Research Organization …”

He paused: "Forty or fifty years ago, when there was no Internet, a system was formed."

"Forty or fifty years ago? How old was Duan Wen at that time?"

"It's not him." He Yu said, "Duan Wen is the second-in-command of Mandela's organization. The first person is not him, but a boy who rarely shows up."

Xie Qingcheng frowned deeper: "...boy?"

"It can't be said to be a boy." He Yu said, "Let's talk about him later. Let me tell you about the metaverse ecology woven by this organization."

"Mandela's most fascination is in the field of human brain research. They are completely ahead of society in this area, you are a doctor, you know that the human body produces in certain situations' Visual deception'''memory deception'' these symptoms. And there is a jamming station on Mandela Island, which will induce the human brain to produce the Mandela effect through the smell, magnetic field, light, sound, etc. on the island - that is, group nature Cognitive and memory biases. . . Can you hear this bell ringing all the time now?"

"Hmm."

"That's one of the distractions, you can't hear the hertz when you're affected by it. It confuses your hearing, no matter how strong your hearing system is. Because it acts directly on the human brain, and through noise stimulation, it affects your judgment and makes you believe that this is a surreal island."

Xie Qingcheng: "That is to say, as long as you get close to this island, your brain will be disturbed and hallucinations will occur?"

"Almost." He Yu said, "but it can't be called an illusion, that is, what you see is different from the real thing. There are indeed sophisticated weapons, hyenas, combat power, and existence on this island. Blood River, there is a core fortress...so its satellite imagery and naked eye view are the same, but everything on this island is exaggerated.Like the scary markings on some butterflies, the enemy's heart is terrified. "

After a pause, he continued: "When outsiders land on the island, it is as if they suddenly came to a world that is completely detached from reality. , and in the end he was in disarray."

Xie Qingcheng pondered He Yu's words: "However, the data collected by the Fengbo system are also about those surreal weapons..."

"No. There are not so many surreal weapons on the island." He Yu said, "The rapid cold light that freezes the dream breakers is one, and that is only in the last few months. It was completed, so I don't even know about it. What Fengbo system collects is actually the data of those who transform people. What Mandela is best at is bioengineering. They search for excellent genes, carry out extreme transformations, and transform each living person. It has become a monster that is neither human nor ghost."

"The opponents we encountered are very powerful. Can they make the human body reach that limit?"

He Yu responded with a gloomy face: "After all, twenty years ago, they could have a face-changing full-body facelift on Wei Rong. Over the years, they have also tossed out obedient water, Spiritual Ebola and these things. Their ability to transform creatures now is very terrifying. Zoya has also added explosive systems and a lot of weapons to those transformed people, and the effect is more real. They have weapons experts who are responsible for the weapons. Specially designed to make them more suitable for the effect of virtual projection. In the end, human vision, hearing, smell, all will be deceived."

Xie Qingcheng suddenly realized a problem when he heard this. He asked He Yu: "These things... haven't you told the commander-in-chief? The Dream Breakers always thought that these were the weapons of the future invented by Zoya."

He Yu was quiet for a while, looking into Xie Qingcheng's eyes in the dark, he didn't answer directly, but said: "Xie Qingcheng, you know this place that is not covered by illusions Island, among these people, only you and I can see it."

“…” Xie Qingcheng opened his eyes slightly.

He Yu said: "No matter Lao Zheng or all the soldiers who went to the island before, what they see is always a surreal island. They can't see the truth. The truth is this island It's not as scary as that, it's still not that futuristic, it's just a crime syndicate venue in a virtual reality skin, and to put it more simply, it's like an upgraded version of a Disney 5D playground. It still depends on people, it depends on Medicines must be guarded by animals. But in the eyes of normal people, these are all machines, all future technologies. They were all deceived by Mandela, and I am convinced of this, except for you and me. "

Apricot eyes meet peach blossom eyes.

"Have you guessed why we are the only exception."

Xie Qingcheng pondered for a while, recalling what He Yu said about the hallucinogenic principle of Mandela Island.

A bright light suddenly flashed in his mind: "—Is it because of spiritual Ebola?"

He Yu smiled, and there was a bit of bitterness in that smile: "Yes."

"Mandela's hallucinatory distractions are designed for normal brains, we are 'extremely abnormal' and instead escape brainwashing and see better than anyone. Going to the island was not affected. In your case, because you have been controlling your disease very well, it seems that you are no different from ordinary people, so you were deceived at the beginning." He Yu said, "But you had an attack just now, and you also Struggling out of the hallucinations. That's why when you wake up, you can see the real Mandela Island."

"Now back to the question you asked me just now." He Yu said, "You ask me, did I tell the commander-in-chief all this."

He was silent for a while, and lowered his eyelashes.

"I said so."

"I have said it many times. They have confirmed it many times, but the people they sent out can't see it. Duan Wen and the others have been releasing the concept that they have absolute future technology. Like Qin Ciyan fabricating the first emperor as a set of data, they carefully fabricated lies and illusions, I saw the truth, but no one believed me."

Xie Qingcheng: "…"

"I've tried, tried my best, and even tried videotaping, but Mandela's virtual reality technology can fool the camera, and it failed. I slowly I fell into a situation where it was difficult to explain, and the Dreambreaker's suspicion of me became deeper and deeper... So later, I never said it again."

"People's cognition is determined by what they have seen, heard and experienced. When only I can see the truth, it is true and false." He Yu Said, "The only people who know my identity are the commander-in-chief, the top person in charge of Dreambreakers, and the deputy commander. All three of them and I have described the real situation on Mandela Island. The commander-in-chief is okay, he at least tries I have been investigating, but the deputy commander directly thinks that I have a madness attack, and the top person in charge even suspects that I am a two-way spy on Duan Wen's side."

"Actually, if they are willing to believe me, like the real terrifying weapon in the rapid cold light, Duan Wen and the others will not have time to invent it, because I have been asking them to attack early for the past three years, so don't get caught. The markings on the butterfly's wings were shocking. They didn't listen, and because of the first few battle losses, they became more and more convinced that Duan Wen's strength was far beyond reality, and instead gave Mandela time to develop a truly devastating self-defense weapon."

"I was in a naval battle and was almost killed by the police. The Dream Breakers suspected that I was still hostile to the police, but in fact they never fully trusted me. They had a lot of information that they would not know Shared with me. They would rather believe in the robot than believe me when I said it was a semi-virtual projection of the modified helicopter. Because they saw the robot with their own eyes, so even if the helicopter was the truth, they would not think it was their fault already."

He Yu was very calm when he said these words, but under that calmness, it was all the sins and sufferings he had endured in the past three years.

"Also, I am still a mental patient, and the truth I see is often questioned again and again. So I can only submit to the majority of people, think about the problem from their perspective, and express the situation , so that I can achieve what I want. After all, it is difficult for people like me to even be trusted. If I tell the truth that shocks everyone, then my words can only be judged false."

"That's it, because I'm sick, because I've been accidentally injured, so no matter how much I do with them, I'll give them whatever they want, and I'll even give my own Blood samples have been studied for them... but changing one person's prejudice is harder than shaking a mountain. And changing the prejudice of a group of people is as impossible as getting the water spilled on the ground back into a glass ."

He Yu paused for a while and continued: "Xie Qingcheng, I'm actually glad you can see the same thing as me. It makes me less lonely."

Xie Qingcheng can fully appreciate He Yu's helplessness at this moment.

A person with a vague position, a mentally ill person, even if he contributes more to the dream breaker, will he really be regarded as the same kind?

He will always be that black sheep.

It's just a helicopter."

Although Xie Qingcheng knew that he had no position now, but looking at He Yu like this at this time, he couldn't help asking: "You...you...have been like this for the past three years..."

He Yu lowered his eyelids, perhaps in the past three years, no one has truly trusted him completely, they are too late to beware of him, how can they ask him whether he is suffering or not, so at this moment , Hearing such a sentence, He Yu's eyes suddenly turned red slowly.

"I've never told a lie..." He finally let out a sigh of relief and said hoarsely, "But no one believes me... Even if it is so disconnected from reality, they can believe it, but Don't believe what I'm saying..."

"I really hate Mandela, they killed my mother, they killed me for 20 years...I don't know why the police still don't believe me...because I was killed by them Is it just because I'm sick? I'm a patient and I've been victimized before, can't I yearn for a truth and justice...! While they said they believed me, they were suspicious of the information I provided... But these are all Is it my fault? Xie Qingcheng? Are these all my fault...!"

"Why...why would rather believe in these illusions than believe me...why no one really believes me no matter how hard I try..."

The more Xie Qingcheng listened, the more uncomfortable it became. Although he and He Yu still had many unresolved heartbreaks, just like He Yu, as long as he saw him collapsed, he would hug him conditionedly That way. He would still be worried about He Yu, who was so sad in front of him that his voice was slightly choked up. This cannot be changed.

So it is... It turns out that the dream breakers don't completely trust He Yu, they think he is a patient, and they will have two hearts when they panic. So He Yu didn't have a lot of information, so he could only wait for someone who could trust him in the enemy camp alone.

If he can't wait, he must have accepted his fate, and will continue to think of ways to cooperate with them while laughing.

He is a patient, but this patient is the only one who knows the truth. So he had to take care of normal people's way of understanding, to say white as black, just for the breath of his heart, and finally do the right thing. He has to endure others laughing at him, suspecting him, distrusting him, laughing at him...

He Yu suddenly felt his fingers move slightly during the silence.

He was stunned for a moment, and realized that Xie Qingcheng was holding his hand.

Xie Qingcheng said: "I know that you may not be willing to believe me a second time, but He Yu, I really have no doubt that you will go to Duan Wen's side by yourself. Just...I just thought about whether you have been brainwashed, whether you have been stenciled with some thought...Even if you did the most excessive, I thought so. I know you hate me, but I also know you It's not because of personal grudges that you lose yourself. So I will say, I knew from the beginning which side you chose, although I also tried and hesitated, but I really... never doubted your bottom line ."

That's true, before he arrived at He Yu's house, he had always guessed about He Yu's identity, it was a test, it was out of trust in He Yu - he didn't believe that He Yu would really join The organization that killed Vivian, but he has no bottom. He Yu's performance was too tough. In the process, he was not without anxiety.

He even wondered if He Yu was brainwashed by Duan Wen. He knew that He Yu would not fall so far, but he couldn't find any evidence that would make him feel at ease.

It was not until he was trapped in He Yu's house that he took the opportunity to get the information, and after he came out, he finally had the opportunity to confirm his thoughts.

Just when he handed the information to the commander who was anxiously waiting for the last bit of map supplement, he had confirmed with the commander-in-chief whether Geng Heyu was an undercover agent. And Xie Qingcheng had guessed to such a point, and insisted very much on knowing the truth, the commander had no need to hide at that time, he took a deep breath: "...Yes, he is."

This sentence is in my ears.

Xie Qingcheng felt that his heart had finally landed. He couldn't tell how he felt at that moment.

He finally confirmed that He Yu was the informant.

He's been guessing right now...

But in the same way, he also knew that He Yu was simply hating him. Those hatreds were not because of his position, but because of their personal injustice. He Yu still complained that he had cheated myself...

Commander: "Do you have any thoughts on this matter?"

Xie Qingcheng was silent for a long time, and his heart was full of mixed feelings, and finally he opened his mouth—

"I think it's up to me to keep him safe."

Xie Qing pushed the hard drive to the commander with a long finger: "Please confirm - I stole the information at his house, not he provided it to you."

“…”

Said, "This kid can't die for us a second time. I can't watch him die a second time. . . . Promise me. Let me protect him."

"This is my only request."

At this moment, Xie Qingcheng looked into He Yu's eyes and said, "I am, I believe in you. Because I believe in you, I finally waited for this confirmation. I know you hate me, But you are willing to believe that I am different from others, I know that no matter how much you resent it, it will only be directed at me, you will not want to harm everyone, will you not become evil?"

"Do you want to believe that this time even if I can't see Mandela as it is, as long as you tell me, I will believe you..."

Xie Qingcheng said at the end, perhaps because of the vulnerability after the onset, he was a little choked up: "If I say...I will not treat you as a patient, a betrayal... Are you still willing to believe me...for the last time?"

He Yu looked at him for a while, and his voice finally revealed the collapse and grievance that could not be concealed.

"Xie Qingcheng... Xie Qingcheng..." The last snowflake fell, and the snow-capped mountains finally cracked. He Yu had just experienced Xie Qingcheng's illness that he had never seen in his life, and after hearing what Xie Qingcheng said to him, he couldn't bear it any longer, and he finally wept like before. , he cried, crying so sadly, with helplessness, grievance, and pain, "I...I treated you like that...I treated you like that at that time...I really hate you for leaving me...I want to take revenge on you, but me…"

He couldn't go on, he hugged Xie Qingcheng hard again.

"I'm sorry... I'm sorry...! I don't want to see you again, I really don't want to see you again... Let's stop arguing, okay? I don't want to talk about it anymore Those things of the past...I don't want to fight anymore...I don't want to fight anymore..."

"Xie Qingcheng..." He said, "It's all over... I don't hate you anymore... I don't hate you... Don't be sad, okay? Don't be sad anymore..."

Xie Qingcheng trembled in his heart.

He didn't expect that he could finally be here with He Yu and hear the word "no hate".

He Yu held his hand in the dark blanket, drew his hand over and put it on his face.

"Xie Qingcheng...Can you see my face now..." He choked and asked softly, "Can you see?"

Like a phantom crossing Mandela Island, seeing the real.

Can you see my face.

Xie Qingcheng's fingers hesitated, and finally stroked He Yu's face: "...I see."

He Yu's tears rolled between his fingers.

Xie Qing's fingers trembled and said hoarsely, "I see your face."

Three years, never seen again, removed the face of hatred.

At this moment, he finally saw...

In the face of this hard-won tenderness, their hearts are full of pain and anxiety, and those scars, they will never mention them again, and dare not touch them again.

"Don't cry." Xie Qingcheng said, "Don't cry... I'll listen to you, don't mention it, don't make noise."

"Stop crying... He Yu. We'll stop arguing. You... stop crying."