I'm Trapped in the Block

If you divide an object infinitely, the smallest unit you’re left with is the fundamental particle.

This was what Martin called the "cornerstone."

When Mo Ling learned this, he could no longer suppress the shock he felt inside.

’Could our world have been created?’ Such a thought suddenly sprouted in Mo Ling’s mind.

"What is the cornerstone that makes up our world?" he asked impatiently.

Hearing this, the normally serious Martin suddenly burst out laughing. He raised a finger and wagged it, teasing, "Take a guess."

He walked on, still laughing, but his words pierced Mo Ling’s heart like a nail, forcing him to keep thinking.

’Could what he said be true?’

If sound could form a world, then other things certainly could too.

’What is the world I’m in now made of? And the world I was in before coming to the Abyss—was that made of something else, too?’

The more Mo Ling thought about it, the more unsettling it became, and the more suspicious he grew.

Just then, a shout from ahead interrupted Mo Ling’s thoughts. Martin was up ahead, urging him on, and Mo Ling quickly hurried to catch up.

Only after Mo Ling caught up did Martin say to him lightly, "I’ll tell you after we kill the core. But you must remain skeptical of everything."

His tone was very serious, yet also tinged with exhaustion.

Before Mo Ling could ask more, Martin raised a hand to cut him off and pointed ahead. "See that? That’s the core’s outer shell."

Mo Ling looked forward and saw a tower that reached the heavens standing before them.

The shape was familiar; even the smaller towers surrounding it were identical.

"That’s the Black Tower!" Mo Ling exclaimed in shock.

But this tower wasn’t black. It was a deep Purple, emitting a glaring Purple light.

Other than the color, this tower looked exactly like the Black Tower.

Not only that, but this Purple tower constantly emitted all sorts of sounds, like a towering pipe organ.

The surrounding smaller towers were like the different pipes of the organ, and the massive stones supporting the main structure resembled its case.

What surprised Mo Ling most of all was that this Purple tower was in motion!

The tower-shaped pipes vibrated slightly, and powerful air currents carried musical notes out from their openings, letting them drift into the distance.

The drifting notes landed all over the island’s jungle. Some turned into animals, some into trees, some into earth, and some into ponds...

It was a world-creating pipe organ!

A rune rode the sound, floated before the two of them, and spun as it landed on the ground.

Immediately, the rune expanded into a human being. But this person, like the animals they had seen earlier, was lifeless—like a doll.

"Do not advance. Leave," the strange human said.

It made a strange gesture, pointing behind the two of them before stiffly lowering its arm.

Then it began repeating this action, each movement exactly the same as the last.

"Are you the core?" Mo Ling asked.

"Yes." As before, it answered any question asked.

However, this seemed to be the first time it had initiated communication, with the goal of making Mo Ling and Martin leave.

"Stop the distortion, and we’ll leave." Although Mo Ling didn’t know how they would leave, he still intended to try and communicate.

"It is not distortion, it is correction. After the correction is complete, she will come back to me," the core repeated its answer once again.

It seemed they couldn’t reach an agreement.

"Enough wasting words on it. Hold on tight," Martin said, suddenly grabbing Mo Ling’s hand.

Immediately, Mo Ling found the surrounding scenery blurring. They passed straight through the body of the human and appeared in front of the tall tower.

"It might take a little time to find its true body. Don’t let go," Martin instructed, then continued to lead Mo Ling through the space.

Passing through an opening, the two entered the tower.

But the sight before him left Mo Ling even more astonished.

It was a monitoring station! The core had replicated a Black Tower Monitoring Station inside its own body.

The buildings and facilities were identical, down to the very layout.

Moreover, there were humans in combat uniforms living inside. These people were like puppets, moving back and forth within the monitoring station, but their actions were stiff and mechanical. Each one had a fixed route and set of motions.

There were also "people" who were stuck, wedged between buildings or half-submerged in sewer drains, still trying to walk against the edge of the gutter.

They were expressionless, but the texture of their flesh and blood was a constant reminder to Mo Ling that these "puppets" were structurally identical to living humans.

Upon spotting Mo Ling and Martin, these false humans walked rigidly toward them, cornering them.

Even their walking motions were identical. These humans, seemingly cast from the same mold, stared intently at the two of them and reached out to grab them.

"Give me a second. I’m looking for the location. If they get close, just kill them," Martin said calmly.

Mo Ling nodded, watching the approaching false humans warily.

"So disgusting." The bizarre movements of these "puppets" made Mo Ling’s stomach churn, and he couldn’t help but mutter his revulsion.

Unexpectedly, upon hearing Mo Ling’s words, all the surrounding false humans froze.

In perfect unison, they asked, "Disgusting? Why is it disgusting? Can you tell me?"

Mo Ling had no desire to explain. He just waited silently for Martin.

It was clearly the core controlling these humans. They spoke in unison again: "She said that about me, too. She said the world I created was disgusting, and the humans I created were disgusting."

"She said I... was also disgusting."

"..."

"Why?" 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

Without answering the core, Martin tightened his grip on Mo Ling and leaped upward. The scenery blurred again, and their position shifted, bringing them before a Purple structure that resembled a heart valve.

"It seems its location changes according to the same pattern as the Stone Gate," Martin commented calmly.

"This is the Stone Gate?"

"Yes. This is the entrance to the tower’s heart. In the Black Tower, its manifestation is the Stone Gate. Its location changes randomly as a protective measure."

So that was it.

There was a tray in front of this valve as well, but Martin had no intention of placing anything on it. Instead, he grabbed Mo Ling and phased through again, appearing directly on the other side of the valve.

The moment they landed, Mo Ling felt that the texture under his feet was wrong.

Looking closely, he saw that the ground was paved with countless relics, and a tall mountain of relics rose up before them.

This was the treasure vault!

So the vault had existed all along, just transferred into this world. The legends of the Stone Gate were real!

"Almost there."

Martin led Mo Ling in another jump, and they soon arrived inside a hidden cavern made of Purple crystals.

An ugly, black-and-gray stone, riddled with holes, was floating in the air.

Seeing them arrive, the stone slowly drifted in front of them.

The grating sound of rough stone scraping reached them.

"Why... did she say I was disgusting?"