NFM Chapter 111

The pure white Gate of Light appeared as usual after the mission ended. One by one, the notorious villains stepped into that radiant portal.

Their destination lay at the end of the Gate, while the “Homeland” and “Greenhouse” existed on its opposite side. Separated by a layer of crust, they would continue to operate independently as underground and aboveground worlds. Lin Huai couldn’t predict what form this “Civilized World,” evolved from “Nuclear Winter,” would take years later.

He could foresee that the ‘Greenhouse’ would inevitably collapse in its madness, but would the reborn ‘Homeland’ truly secure a guaranteed future?

“Rebirth…”

He pondered these two words and suddenly laughed: “Come to think of it, I’ve been reborn too.”

This body, along with its fragmented memories, didn’t belong to his original self. The memories he once possessed were now nowhere to be found. Yet that memory awakened before the newspaper still lingered like a mosquito in a net—buzzing unpredictably, circling his wary mind.

‘That place must be the world behind the ‘Gate.’ That sense of certainty when inspiration struck… proves those memories originated from my soul itself,’ he thought. ‘And that icy voice that made a deal with me was undoubtedly the System’s.’

Why had he been so determined to enter the “Gate” in the past? What had he gained behind it? What were those colorful bubbles? And what kind of bet had he ultimately made with the System?

A dull ache pulsed in his forehead. The chubby man walked ahead, chatting with Lu Xiaotian: “…Wonder what score that old hag System will give me this time in the Personal Space…”

“After advancing to the Intermediate Level, Game Scores follow the Defense System. Before entering your spaces, you’ll face this game’s Examiner for a defense session,” Zhao Jingtian said as he stepped through the Gate. Turning back, he looked at Lin Huai: “Remember my name. We’ll meet again.”

With that, his long ponytail disappeared into the light.

Players vanished into the Gate one by one, until only Lin Huai and Chu Tianshu remained outside. Lin Huai looked at him: “Not planning to leave?”

“Still have some matters to handle.”

“I see.”

Lin Huai passed by him and merged into the Gate. The sensation of solid support beneath him signaled he now sat in an interrogation-room-like chamber.

The room’s white walls surrounded him, with a one-way mirror directly opposite—from his perspective, just an abyss of darkness.

He recalled Zhao Jingtian’s explanation about the defense process: The format varied according to each Examiner’s personality, but regardless of form, they would ultimately pose several Game-related questions.

These questions would be intimately connected to the player’s in-game performance.

“So what questions might he ask me?” Lin Huai had wondered then.

“Well…”

Zhao Jingtian hesitated, while Chu Tianshu leisurely scribbled equations with a pen, answering:

“Question one: Why are you so exceptional? Question two: Are you happy? Question three…”

Before Chu Tianshu could finish speaking, Lin Huai had already pressed his head onto the table.

Lin Huai waited in the interrogation room for a long time, but even after he melted into a liquid cat puddle, no Examiner appeared on the other side of the glass.

‘Was it because Lu Xiaotian talked too much? Or is Zhao Jingtian’s protagonist aura too strong, and I’ve already been written out of this novel because of him…’ Lying on the table, he thought idly, so bored he wanted to pluck out his eyeballs and use them as marbles. After countless successful attempts to restrain his playful impulses, the dark room next door finally faintly lit up.

He saw a shadow appear on the other side of the glass. Due to the glass barrier, he could only make out the figure’s silhouette and outline, judging that they appeared to be under thirty.

“Tsk, finally here. You’re so punctual… But if I may ask, who are you?” Lin Huai said bluntly. “I don’t recall that puppet being this tall…”

“Apologies for the wait,” the shadow replied. “I am your Examiner.”

The shadow’s voice wasn’t aged or cold—it was even youthful and gentle.

Yet Lin Huai faintly felt… this voice sounded somewhat familiar.

“First question: You’re a very special Game participant. While others chose to endure silently, you took an unconventional path,” the shadow said. “Why?”

Lin Huai raised his head to look at them, but the shadow remained unmoved.

“Or perhaps I should phrase it differently,” the shadow continued. “Do you consider yourself to be on the side of justice?”

Lin Huai laughed.

“If I say yes, you’ll argue that I massacred the studio, killed many people, and trapped the Greenhouse residents underground to fight like insects—making me a textbook villain. If I say no, you’ll still find ways to justify me. I never bothered with such convoluted reasoning,” he said. “I did all this simply because… you wanted to watch a play.”

“Every good play needs intense conflict. There are heroes and villains, protagonists and supporting roles. Hmm… that’s what I’ve learned from binge-watching dramas recently.” Lin Huai blinked. Interlacing his fingers, he propped his chin and gazed at the shadow. “But I don’t want to be the hero or the villain.”

“I just want to be the chaotic, joyful, mad jester. Tossing roses to the audience, smashing the sanctimonious protagonist’s head with a prop gun. Carrying lost little girls home when the curtain falls. Protagonists follow morals, villains follow scripts—only the capricious jester is truly free and happy.” He spread his hands. “Satisfied with that answer?”

The shadow politely remarked, “I didn’t expect you to be so poetic.”

“Second question: Do you believe you brought them happiness? From Nuclear Winter to the Civilized World—are you satisfied with the outcome you created after leaving?”

“Of course I’m satisfied, because I had fun…”

“Third question…”

Dozens of operational questions were fired at Lin Huai, even including the scoring System’s calculations. By the end, Lin Huai had slumped onto the table again. Staring at the ceiling, he sighed: “…How many more tedious questions? I want to go watch TV…”

“The last one, please bear with me. Now, let’s move on to the final question,” the shadow said gently. “—What did you recall in front of the newspaper wall?”

Zzzz—

Crrr—

A prolonged and continuous electric current sound accompanied by static noise echoed through the room. The lamp cover on the ceiling began to sway and flicker intermittently.

In that instant, all of Lin Huai’s clothing was dyed a deep crimson. The frosted glass started to move, and in the next moment, it pressed right up against him.

The dark silhouette on the glass stretched and widened until it occupied the entire pane, turning it back to its original pitch-black color.

“So… you remembered… the wager…” The pitch-black window gazed at Lin Huai, who was on high alert, and spoke. “Lin Huai.”

“Or should I call you by your true name? Huai Xu.”

“Fulfill… our… wager… or… become… one of… us…”

“A part.”

The darkness coiled around Lin Huai’s hands, creeping up the red robes as if trying to pull him into the shadow. Yet, just as he was about to be submerged—

He couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

“Haha… hahaha…”

Bright red blood streamed from the corners of his eyes. Wherever the blood flowed, the darkness dissipated. Amidst that black void, he glanced at his own blood and, in that single glance, seemed to see countless densely packed, chaotic numbers shimmering with an eerie white light.

Lin Huai found himself standing in a white Personal Space, the prize wheel before him still spinning slowly.

As if everything he had witnessed in the interrogation room had been nothing but an illusion.

“This is…”

He stood up from the sofa, warily surveying his surroundings. But when he looked behind him, he saw that the black Gate had reappeared in the wall!

The Gate was still bound by layers of chains, with a massive lock standing out prominently among them. It stood there silently, yet even without close inspection, one could sense the cold, voyeuristic aura emanating from within.

…What caught his attention most, however, was that the thickest of the chains had snapped, hanging limply on either side of the Gate.

He stared at the Gate for a long time before finally saying to the System, “Pull up the character panel.”

Name: Lin Huai (Temporary)

Gender: A form incapable of pregnancy

Age: 20

Alignment Evaluation: Joyful

Lin Huai: “…”

Current Status: Intermediate Level Player

Experience Points: 0/10,000

Distance to Next Level: 10,000

Number of Instances Cleared: 4

Instance 4 (Promotion Field): Civilized World, Evaluation: SSS

Honorary Title “Joyful Jester” obtained. Would you like to view the title description and its skills now?

“Yes,” Lin Huai replied without even lifting his eyelids.