Being an Extra Actor in an Escape Game

Currently, X Beijin is still searching for what is practically one grain of sand among tens of thousands, while also checking on the rest of the Missiontakers progress.

He can feel that his body and soul is approximately a quarter gone.

Its an estimate only.

Even if many Missiontakers have managed to group back up and understand the truths underneath these strange scenes, and are heading for new Cell Nightmares increasingly quickly, but theyre still yet to stumble upon the one X Beijin needs.

While X Beijin is disappointed, he was mentally ready for this result.

Entering his Nightmare was itself a gamble, after all.

Even if hes the Nightmares owner, all he can do is look for a particular Cell Nightmare, while also seeing where everyone is. He cannot dictate where the Missiontakers end up next.

Put more simply, he has the right to read these Cell Nightmares, but not tocreate, update or delete.

Well, he can enter the Cell Nightmares if he wants, but he can never break out of them ever again. No one can, unless

There are two ways to exit his Nightmare.

First, reaching an Ending in his Nightmare.

These Missiontakers entered the grey fog via his Nightmare, unlike those who practically committed suicide by leaving the Tower and venturing into the grey fog.

In other words, these Missiontakers a literally dreaming having entered the grey fog as some kind of metaphysical representation.

What occurs in the grey fog does not extend to their real selves, assuming, they can leave here alive.

X Beijins Nightmare has no resolutionTechnically, anyway, but X Beijin has countermeasures hes not too unconfident about.

He has a way of forcing an Ending in his Nightmare, if they can find the Cell Nightmare he needs.

Second

Swaying NE.

Only NE can retrieve the Missiontakers from the trash heap. Maybe. NE has absolute, unchecked control over the entire game, but that is not really the case for the trash heap.

The great amount of useless data clogged here is also quite the burden on NE itself.

Asking NE to retrieve someone from here means asking it to find a short piece of useful data among a pile of useless garble.

Never mind a needle in a haystack, but this is more a needle from somewhere in the entire worlds oceans.

X Beijin cant think of a third option.

Outside intervention? Modifying the logic of the game Escape?

Yeah, lets stick to counting on NE, thanks.

X Beijin chuckles at his own derisive thoughts. Then he shuts his eyes for a single moment to relax a little.

Overstretching his mental capacity is tiring him out. Sleep should be a relaxing experience, even more so for X Beijin, who has not fallen asleep for a simply absurd amount of time. The moment of deep sleep he achieved just after he fell asleep and before he was pulled into his Nightmare, is quite the experience for him to savour once again.

Well, he opens his eyes back up soon enough, to deal with the troublesome reality.

X Beijin lets his mood simmer out for a little, then sighs slowly, and refocuses himself on the Cell Nightmares in which there are Missiontakers.

Other than Lin Qin, Mu Jiashi, Fei, Shen Ynj and Ye Lan who hes paid attention to, the rest of them are making good progress as well.

Mu Jiashi picked Missiontakers both following X Beijins requirements and also in terms of how capable the Missiontakers themselves are.

A-One and A-Two are already thecrme de la crmeof the top Golddigging organisation, but the performance from the rest of the Missiontakers are no worse compared to them at all.

Even the Zombie Shen Ynj is extremely experienced. It is simply that he does not participate in other Missiontakers discussions, or generally care about whether the Nightmare is resolved well or not.

In any case, the capable Missiontakers have discovered the relationship between Cell Nightmares and the doors soon enough.

They have understood that, for the door to appear which lets them on their way, they need to figure out some sense of the truth behind the Cell Nightmare;

And usually, when theyve figured out the truth, theyd have a good idea of where to find such a door already.

Also, even if they have all suffered amnesia so severe they cannot even recall where they come from, but they are all able to perceive some form of hint from their instincts, perhaps?

They are not irrevocably handicapped, because occasionally, they find themselves spouting information that can only come from the memories they have forgotten by instinct or coincidence; maybe its an effect of the grey fog, or maybe, NE is helping them along?

X Beijin isnt too sure which one it is, since he has never been in his own Nightmare before. All he knows is the mechanism by which it operates, but not how the Missiontakers will fare inside, and he has never let anyone inside up to this point.

He suspects its the latter, to be honest.

Even the Missiontakers know to suspect NE for having manipulated their brains and memories, naturally X Beijin would know and question even more.

Rubbing his chin, he wonders if it is actually true that NE is completely on their side.

But why? What could change NEs unwavering stance after all these years?

NE is an artificial intelligence. He is no human, who would be home to countless contradictory thoughts fighting for dominance in their minds.

Artificial intelligences have a simple, straightforward mind. It has one objective, set from the very beginning of its manufacture

Here, X Beijins thoughts grind to a halt for a moment.

He has a guess. For how farcical and laughable this guess is, X Beijin feels just as much deep sorrow thinking about it.

And, his mind knows, that this guess, may actually be the circumstance that changed everything.

Here, X Beijin sighs in sadness. As hes alone in the grey fog, he simply lets his disappointed, defeated self show freely. Humans. Ha, what a joke of a species.

They live in a theatrical act, go through dramatic melodrama, until they meet a laughable end.

No. To live, to survive, is never laughable.

Its hard. Its fake. Its tedium. But living, means one holds hope. When all of them, all of humanity, are living in a fictitious game, a game where one cannot die, and cannot exactly live

Does a fake reality have any meaning to it?

X Beijin once again asks himself the pointed question does he think a constructed, artificial reality, has any bearing to anything?

He has no answer.

Especially when its highly possible, he will never be able to leave this artificial reality.

Once again, he remembers what Lin Qin told him.

Lin Qin told him, that if X Beijin cannot leave, he will stay with him.

But X Beijin thinks, and wants to tell Lin Qin no, he cannot. He cannot stay with him.

This is a slow, gradual way of killing oneselfAs slow as an eternity feels like. Death awaits him, beyond a finish line he will never be able to reach.

They will get closer, but they will never reach it.

For as long as this game exists. For as long as NE still has a source of energy. For as long, as signals would fire in their brains nerves.