I'm Trapped in the Block

"However, this is just the beginning. Even if I’m the only one left, I have to figure this out."

Cixing clenched his fists, and his previous fighting spirit returned.

He looked at Li Luo and said sheepishly, "Sorry, that was embarrassing. I often talk to myself when I’m doing research."

"It’s fine," Li Luo replied solemnly.

Cixing quickly waved his hand. "Thank you again for your help. Do you still want to look around Neon Village? I can show you, or would you like to head to the exit now?"

"Let’s wait a little longer. I’m waiting for our companion."

"A companion?" It seemed even Cixing, with his Mind Reading Skill, hadn’t figured it out. He asked, "Are they human, too? Neon Village is quite a maze. You don’t think they’ll get lost, do you?"

Li Luo thought for a moment before replying, "I don’t think so. He’s from the Mineral Race, so he should be pretty familiar with the area. He’s currently a guest in the village."

Li Luo’s words left Cixing frozen in place.

He seemed to realize something and muttered, "An ordinary member of the Mineral Race? No, why would an ordinary member of the Mineral Race dare to come here?"

He looked at Li Luo, his expression gradually shifting from surprise to excitement, apparently having guessed the answer.

"So it’s true?"

Cixing rushed right up to Li Luo and asked excitedly, "Where is he? When is he coming over? Did you tell him you were here? He’s in the village by himself?"

After firing off a string of questions, Cixing’s expression suddenly turned grave. "We can’t let him wander the village by himself! He’ll be terrified! Where is he? I’ll go and invite him over!"

Cixing’s reaction was unusually intense.

However, just as Cixing was about to eagerly rush out of the tower to find Shibeng, Shibeng had already arrived in front of it.

Seeing the ordinary member of the Mineral Race he had been so anxious to meet, Cixing blasted a large hole directly through the black stone pillar and went forward to greet him.

Perhaps due to his overwhelming excitement, Cixing, who had just been speaking so eloquently with Li Luo, was now somewhat reserved, his gaze darting between Li Luo and Shibeng.

He kept testing the distance between himself and Shibeng, as if worried he might scare him.

"How did you get here so quickly?" Li Luo asked, confused.

"I have conquered my fear," Shibeng said resolutely.

Li Luo responded with a meaningful gaze.

"How did you conquer it?"

"By experiencing it, I conquered it."

"..."

Shibeng’s words always sent Mo Ling’s mind wandering, nearly derailing his train of thought about the incentive signal.

Ever since he was inside the Stone Ball, Mo Ling had been listening intently to Cixing’s explanation, connecting it to his own experience.

He had summarized that there seemed to be three different outcomes for those who entered the Stone Ball.

The first was people like Li Luo and the animals captured by the Researchers. They didn’t feel anything after entering the Stone Ball; it was as if they had just taken a stroll inside and nothing had happened.

The second was the Abnormal Vein Patients. They would be in a daze for a while after the Stone Ball activated. Once the daze ended, they would be filled with a will to fight, though this battle lust would also disappear after some time.

And the third type was his own: being thrown directly into that simulated war, though he couldn’t be sure if he was the only one.

It was too strange. Mo Ling wondered if the Abnormal Vein Patients had also entered the simulated war, only to forget the event afterward.

Perhaps that intense battle lust was a result of experiencing the battlefield. After leaving, the will to fight would linger for a while before gradually disappearing.

This was Mo Ling’s theory on the difference between his experience and that of the Abnormal Vein Patients. As for Li Luo’s case, Mo Ling could only assume she was not the intended target of the signal.

’But Cixing never mentioned how an ordinary member of the Mineral Race would react after entering the Stone Ball. Is it possible he was so eager to find Shibeng because he wanted to test his reaction?’

Mo Ling looked at Cixing, who had lost all of his earlier talkativeness and was now stammering in front of Shibeng.

"My friend, you’re from the Basalt Race, right? May I ask your name?"

"Shibeng." 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Cixing introduced himself again, his tone exceptionally cautious, sizing up Shibeng’s armor as he spoke.

"Aren’t you afraid? How could you dare to wander the village by yourself?" Cixing also seemed unable to comprehend Shibeng’s actions.

His question was identical to the one from the small member of the Mineral Race earlier. It seemed Shibeng’s actions were truly incomprehensible to others of his kind.

"The more you fear, the more you must face. But the more you face, the less you will fear," Shibeng stated his view calmly, answering Cixing’s question.

Although Shibeng no longer switched between two personalities, this new, even stranger state of being often led him to utter such profound words.

It seemed he now possessed a unique insight into the nature of fear.

Cixing, who had clearly never encountered such an anomalous member of the Mineral Race, was completely baffled by Shibeng’s roundabout logic and stood frozen in a daze for a long time.

After a moment, he seemed to grasp a little of it and sighed, "If only all ordinary members of the Mineral Race were like you."

Then, he asked Shibeng cautiously, "Shibeng, my friend, would you be willing to help with an experiment? To try and receive a certain signal."

Likely worried about scaring Shibeng, Cixing took care to explain the matter of the incentive signal in detail. He was very tactful as he spoke, deliberately simplifying matters like the great earthquake and the cycle of war.

But even after understanding everything, Shibeng showed no significant reaction, his expression as resolute as ever.

"A cycle of destruction. That is a great fear," Shibeng said faintly.

Hearing Shibeng’s words, Cixing grew flustered and quickly tried to walk back his statements, explaining that it was all just his speculation.

"It’s just one experiment. It’s not that dangerous..."

But as he spoke, his voice trailed off, as if he wasn’t confident in his own words.

Then, Cixing fell silent, his face filled with dejection.

After a moment of silence, he said helplessly, "Because of the Abnormal Vein condition, no ordinary member of the Mineral Race would ever dare to come to our village, let alone participate in an experiment."

"But we suspect the incentive signal is definitely targeted at ordinary members of the Mineral Race. The experiment really could have a major impact on them. If you’re really worried, then just forget it."

Cixing lowered his head and stared silently at the ground, looking utterly dejected.

However, Shibeng suddenly answered him.

"You don’t have to worry. I’ll cooperate with the experiment."

Cixing almost thought he’d misheard. He looked up in disbelief, staring at Shibeng in astonishment.

"I don’t want to harm a fellow kinsman. This experiment is a true unknown, with no precedent. Are you really willing?"

Cixing looked at Shibeng, his face etched with worry, but his eyes held a faint glimmer of hope.

Shibeng just stood there in silence, his thick armor obscuring his expression from everyone’s view.

The hope in Cixing’s gaze slowly faded to disappointment. "My friend, I can feel the unparalleled fear within you. Your magnetic field can’t deceive anyone."

At that, Shibeng, who had been silent for a long time, finally spoke.

"So what?"