The middle-aged man spoke with a solemn expression.
“You come from Containment Object 005, a novel world generated internally. In your perception, it was a real world, but here, it is classified as a fictional derivative secondary reality.”
“The essence of your existence is that of entities manifested from story characters. Where you are now is the Main Reality.”
Suppressed gasps echoed through the crowd.
The middle-aged man gave them a moment to process this.
The reason he was willing to tell them the truth was that these people in the book were the elite of the elite—their grit, luck, and brains were all top-tier.
Even if he didn't tell them, they would have eventually figured out most of it on their own.
The middle-aged man continued his calm statement.
“According to regulations, you are currently tentatively classified as controllable harmless abnormal entities and granted basic life rights. However, please note that this classification is not permanent; subsequent evaluations may adjust your hazard level.”
“Until the evaluation is complete, you will be centrally housed in a temporary containment area. Obeying the rules and cooperating with management is your only choice at this stage.”
After finishing, he made a gesture to the armed personnel beside him.
“Take them to the temporary containment area.”
The crowd was herded forward.
The Minister silently observed his surroundings.
The alloy doors on both sides of the corridor were all numbered; they likely contained other containment objects.
Their world was just one of many.
The Minister could more or less guess what the concept of a “containment object” entailed. After all, the Investigation Bureau had frequently contained abnormal items themselves.
“Minister,” a familiar voice whispered beside him.
It was one of the original headquarters executives, his face pale and forehead drenched in cold sweat.
“What should we do?”
The Minister was silent for a moment. “Wait and see how things develop. We need to understand what this so-called Main Reality is first, then wait for a chance to make a comeback.”
“But our power?”
“Power has never been just about fists. Intellect, memory, experience, and an understanding of human nature—these things don't vanish just because you've changed worlds,” the Minister said, his eyes deep.
The crowd continued forward, passing through three pressurized doors that required identity verification before finally arriving at the temporary containment area.
It was a massive circular space, at least two hundred meters in diameter, with a ceiling about thirty meters high.
Hundreds of simple beds were neatly arranged on the floor, each equipped with a storage locker.
There were bathrooms and shower areas in the corner, while long tables and chairs were set up on the other side, resembling a dining area.
The entire area was enveloped in a pale blue energy field, with armed personnel standing guard at the perimeter.
The middle-aged man stood at the entrance and announced the rules of the facility.
“You will be living here for the foreseeable future.”
“There will be three food rations daily, and medical needs can be requested. Fighting is forbidden, damaging the facilities is forbidden, and attempting to escape is forbidden. Violators will face the consequences.”
“When can we leave?” someone asked loudly.
The middle-aged man raised an eyebrow, a sneer forming in his heart. A bunch of people in the book actually wanted to leave?
But he simply said, “Once the evaluation is over and the Council makes a decision.”
“And how long will that take?”
“For you, it might be a long time. For us, it depends on the schedule.”
The contempt in his words stung many.
But no one dared to lash out.
The crowd was funneled into the temporary containment area, and the pale blue energy field closed behind them.
The Minister chose a bed near the edge and sat down, beginning a more careful observation of the space.
Multiple surveillance cameras were distributed across the ceiling. The walls were smooth and seamless, with no obvious exits other than the door they had entered through, which was now sealed.
“It's like a prison,” a voice said nearby.
The Minister turned his head. It was another headquarters executive, looking around with a bitter smile.
“Prisons don't have such good treatment; this place is more like a specimen gallery,” the Minister said flatly.
The middle-aged man’s words had sounded nice enough, but the Minister knew that people like them—those who had come out of a book—would never be allowed to leave.
He could understand this simply by putting himself in their shoes; it was easy for the Minister to adopt the perspective of this organization's high-level leadership.
Gradually, some people began to break down. Some hammered on the walls in anger, while others sat blankly on their beds, their eyes unfocused.
However, a few individuals looked excited.
The special headquarters executive combo, 【Meaningless Platitudes】, gathered together to hold a serious discussion:
“I believe we should first establish a temporary autonomous committee.”
“Agreed. We need to elect a leader and establish a code of conduct.”
“I suggest daily meetings to discuss the current situation and countermeasures.”
“Seconded. We should also set up an information collection group, an external affairs group, an internal consolation group...”
The Minister's lip twitched as he listened.
Even if their world collapsed and they were reduced to prisoners, this group's way of thinking hadn't changed at all.
Wait, that wasn't right!
The Minister's eyes widened slightly. Since their powers have vanished, why are they still talking all that nonsense?
Was it truly just a behavioral habit formed over many years?
Had their supernatural powers completely vanished? Or were they merely sealed, unable to be expressed?
The Minister looked toward another headquarters executive, Silent Silhouette.
Due to the influence of his power, Silent Silhouette could only ever appear at the edge of others' vision.
Now that Silent Silhouette had returned to being a normal person, he was admiring his own handsome face in a mirror.
He was one of the few excited people in the crowd, yet his presence remained remarkably low.
The Minister closed his eyes in thought.
He pondered for a while but couldn't make sense of anything, so he gave up on that line of reasoning and turned to more practical matters.
Where had Mr. A been taken?
If Mr. A had been a book-traveler all along, how much of his past memories were real?
And then there was Yue Shi—did that guy manage to escape the fishhooks in the end?
If Yue Shi were here, he might be able to do something unexpected.
And, Tang Zhuhe.
The Minister thought of the woman who had led the cities to fly out of the world. Those cities hadn't left through the vortex in the sky.
Where was she now?
If their original world was a book, was Tang Zhuhe's move a case of a character breaking free from the plot, or was it simply part of the plot all along?
The more he thought, the more terrifying it felt.
“It is now dinner time. Please enter the dining area in an orderly fashion.”
A voice interrupted the Minister's thoughts.
A window slid open on one side of the temporary containment area, and a conveyor belt sent out trays of food.
The food was simple: a mushy nutritional paste, a few slices of bread, and a cup of water.
The headquarters executives, who had once enjoyed every delicacy imaginable, could now only silently collect their portions.
The Minister took his tray and tasted the nutritional paste.
It was flavorless, with a texture like mashed potatoes.
He forced himself to swallow it.
He had to stay alive and healthy.
Night fell, and the light source at the top dimmed, simulating the effect of dusk.
The Minister lay on his bed, staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep.
Memories surged in like a tide.
The joy of awakening his supernatural power in his youth, the fear when facing the supernatural for the first time, the pain when a lapse in judgment led to casualties...
“Heh,” the Minister chuckled bitterly.
I'm being far too sentimental.
Rate on N.U.
