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After Saving The Universe A Thousand Times: Chapter 27
Chapter 27: Mirage 4
Kai’s voice flickered and disappeared.
Just based on the other party’s extravagant generosity in gifting godhood again and again, if not for his prior agreement with Lei Ming, Dong Jin felt he might have truly ended up establishing a mutual divine selection with this God of Revelry.
But judging from the personality he observed in Kai, it was clearly the kind of dog temperament that is extremely fanatical today and will abandon him like a shoe tomorrow. If it really came to that, Kai might even be the one to reject him first.
That’s why Dong Jin decided to stick to his original plan: accept the olive branches but never lift a finger.
Why not enjoy the money without doing any work? Why get tangled up in unnecessary emotions?
With a clear mind, Dong Jin noted the location of the Daytime Godhood fragment, then promptly brushed off this unexpected interlude. As he greeted the audience in the instance livestream with a casual “Morning,” he reached out and twisted open his room door.
The room next door, where Lei Ming stayed, remained silent. Throughout the night, there had been no sounds of screaming from elsewhere either.
It seemed last night was a peaceful one, but today? That might not be the case.
Dong Jin lowered his gaze to the golden envelope in his hand—he had discovered it on the floor when he opened the door earlier. There was an identical envelope in front of Lei Ming’s door, likely containing a similar invitation to the nighttime banquet.
The invitation read as follows:
“Dear streamer, welcome to Mirage Island.”
“Presumably, you all explored the island’s scenery yesterday? Were you able to find anything that made your heart skip a beat?”
“If not, there’s no need for regret. Tonight at 8:00 PM, we have prepared a banquet for you.”
“Perhaps at this banquet, even the coldest of hearts among you will feel a flutter.”
“And not just tonight. On the eve of the tsunami that will engulf everything, we will hold the same banquet every night at 8:00 PM.”
“We hope you will attend on time. If you fail to show up, the ‘No Heartbeat Challenge 1‘ will be an automatic fail.”
This was clearly a gimmick by the organizers to prevent streamers from slacking off while conveniently stirring up conflict.
Under such a “let’s watch the world burn” arrangement, even if the monsters restrained themselves from making a move after tonight’s banquet, the trial-takers—who by then would have mostly figured out the situation—would likely start eliminating competitors.
But the evening’s matters could wait until evening.
After leaving his room, Dong Jin had just started making breakfast in the kitchen when his dining companion hurriedly showed up.
Recalling how little fatty always generously provided meal money, Dong Jin didn’t bother with making a light breakfast. He directly swapped regular chili for ghost peppers, determined to make the monster feel truly at home.
“Making breakfast with ghost peppers first thing in the morning and not eating a single bite yourself? How can you be so wicked?!”
Amidst the chorus of angry complaints from streamers who couldn’t even open their eyes due to the spice, Dong Jin, who stuck to eating only porridge, successfully harvested a pile of emotional fluctuations.
Rounding up, the entire inn was pretty much smitten with him this morning.
Perhaps this was the correct way to approach the “No Heartbeat Challenge”?
When Dong Jin, amidst the angry glares of people, stepped out of the inn with his earnings, the rain started to fall again over Mirage Island.
On the way to the opera house by taxi, Dong Jin deliberately observed the water level by the seaside but ultimately couldn’t deduce anything substantial. Without using cheats, he really didn’t have the ability to calculate the timing of a tsunami by mere visual estimation.
But if he couldn’t solve natural disasters, could he not deal with people?
Dong Jin looked at Lei Ming, who was walking wearily into the opera house just ahead of the taxi, then at the heavily made-up actress who came out of the opera house, exchanged a few words with Lei Ming, and immediately looked furious. A plan instantly formed in his mind.
Before getting out of the car, he handed over a large denomination bill to the driver, signaling that no change was needed, and casually asked, “Who’s that beauty?”
The driver glanced at the red-haired, green-eyed actress Dong Jin was watching and replied, “You mean Xin Ge? She’s famous here on Mirage Island! She’s the leading soprano of the Water Opera House. They say the new opera being staged is starring and headlined by her. Funny enough, the CD I was playing earlier is her recent release.”
Having obtained the information he wanted, Dong Jin smiled, thanked the driver, and walked straight toward the actress.
At this moment, the “Eye of Truth” was also supplementing him with more specific details:
[Xin Ge: Female, actress and singer.]
[While her acting skills are average, her singing is unparalleled.] [Though she appears cold and temperamental, she’s actually warm and passionate inside.] [Her overly kind nature often leads to her being deceived by scumbags who drain her finances. She’s also frequently mocked by the opera house owner, Xite.]Often deceived by scumbags? As someone approaching her with less-than-noble intentions, Dong Jin felt as if an arrow had pierced his chest.
However, he had no plans to scam her out of money. The three alternate accounts he set up last night were already earning for him. Now, he only wanted to secure a ticket to the opera house from Xin Ge.
Without opening his umbrella, Dong Jin kept it folded and used it as a walking stick, tapping it lightly against the ground. Timing it perfectly, he let the tip of the umbrella catch the underside of Xin Ge’s high heel, causing her to lose her balance and fall backward into him.
“Sss… What’s this? You’ve got a perfectly good umbrella, and you’re using it as a blind man’s cane? There’s a gorgeous lady right in front of you, and you still stumble forward like this? Are you blind or just begging to be scolded?”
Xin Ge first sucked in a sharp breath from the twist in her ankle. After checking her foot and finding no serious injury, she immediately stood up in a huff, propping herself up from the ground, and began scolding Dong Jin mercilessly.
After ranting for a while without any response, she frowned and took a closer look at Dong Jin.
At first, she watched coldly as Dong Jin awkwardly fumbled for his umbrella in the puddle, a bitter smile on his face. Then, as he lifted his half-wet hair, revealing a breathtakingly handsome face and a pair of unfocused black pupils, Xin Ge’s already furrowed brows knitted even tighter.
A while later, when Dong Jin finally grabbed his umbrella and used it to support himself as he stood up, Xin Ge’s expression shifted. As if she had confirmed something, her tightly furrowed brows remained, and she began to look visibly uneasy.
After taking a deep breath, Xin Ge hesitated before asking, “…Can you not see?”
Dong Jin, adept at feigning blindness, neither confirmed nor denied it. Instead, he offered an apologetic smile and said, “From your voice, are you Miss Xin Ge?”
“It’s such an honor to meet you! I’ve always admired you. I’ve bought many of your CDs, and they’ve helped me get through the hardest times. Whenever I was close to giving up in the darkness, the thought of one day being fortunate enough to hear your live performance kept me going.”
“Of course, I know that’s an unrealistic dream for someone like me. But when I heard that the opera house was staging a new opera these days, I couldn’t help but come here on the off chance that I might catch even a note or two of your voice outside the theater.”
“It so happened that Mr. Xite, who’s staying in the same inn as me, forgot something this morning. On an impulse, I volunteered to bring it to him. I didn’t expect to end up causing you trouble…”
“I’m truly sorry. Were you hurt? Please let me know if you were—I’m willing to compensate for any loss.”
By the time Dong Jin finished speaking, Xin Ge was completely convinced of his blindness.
Reflecting on her earlier hurtful remarks about “blind canes” and asking if he was blind, her discomfort evolved into deep regret, to the point that she might wake in the middle of the night to slap herself for treating such a devoted fan so cruelly.
To speak so harshly to such a wonderful admirer—she felt utterly ashamed of herself!
Her overwhelming sympathy quickly erased any lingering irritation about nearly falling. She rummaged through her elegant handbag, pulled out an opera CD, signed it, and said, “I’m not hurt. Thank you for your support. I happen to have an extra CD, so I’d like you to have it.”
After handing the CD to Dong Jin, she casually added, “By the way, do you have any plans next? During rehearsals for the new opera, I’ve felt that something seems a bit off. Before you deliver the item to Mr. Xite, would you like to come in and listen to my rehearsal? I’d appreciate any feedback you could give.”
Overwhelmed by the unexpected invitation, Dong Jin eagerly agreed and successfully followed Xin Ge into the theater. Out of sight from anyone, he let out a nearly inaudible sigh.
Originally, his mention of Xite was a backup plan in case Xin Ge exposed his feigned blindness or didn’t buy into his sob story. To his surprise, this approach worked far better than expected.
The “Eye of Truth” hadn’t lied—Miss Xin Ge truly was as beautiful and kind-hearted as described.
If he had a conscience, he might have felt pangs of guilt. But for now, all he could do was silently wish that the world would treat Xin Ge with more honesty and fewer deceivers.
Meanwhile, the audience outside the instance, though aware that Dong Jin entered the opera house to pursue clues for the storyline, couldn’t help but be amazed by his unconventional methods. As one viewer remarked in the live chat:
【 After seeing this performance that would make green teas and white lotuses feel inferior, who wouldn’t be muddleheaded ah?】
Inside the theater, Dong Jin finally received an updated task notification on his game interface.
[Side Quest 3: Enter the Water Opera House (Completed).]This side quest was triggered as soon as he stepped out of the car and approached the opera house. From triggering to completion, it took less than ten minutes, making it a unique achievement among the trial-takers.
At this moment, Xin Ge, busy with rehearsals, led him to a private box on the second floor, positioned at an ideal viewing point. She spoke rapidly, instructing him:
“You should be fine staying here alone for a while, right? I’ll come back to take you out as soon as the rehearsal is over.
If anything urgent comes up, the box next door belongs to Xite. He should show up there once the rehearsal starts. You can go find him then if needed. But, well, he’s still a monster… You understand, right? He’s dangerous. I don’t recommend meeting him alone. If you must deliver something to him, it’s best to wait for me.”
After her instructions, Xin Ge hurriedly left, spurred on by repeated calls from others.
Naturally, Dong Jin had no intention of waiting for Xin Ge to return and accompany him to visit Xite. If he did, the lies he’d made up earlier would completely fall apart. From the start, he had planned to leave as soon as the performance ended.
As the lights in the opera house dimmed suddenly, an intense piano melody stole the spotlight. Gradually, cellos, violins, and other instruments joined in, weaving together in an orderly rhythm. Finally, the mysterious opera began to unfold amidst the music.
The opera opened with a declaration of the god’s decision to drown the world in a tsunami.
On stage, an unknown male vocalist sang in a deep and majestic voice, taking on the persona of the god:
“Ten days are given. Your joy, anger, sorrow, and happiness shall be the source.”
“It will descend from the heavens, rise from the earth, endless and unrelenting, engulfing the world.”
With just a few lines, the unique and masterful singing style vividly conveyed the god’s cold arrogance.
Following a segment of gradual-to-rapid transitional music came the opera’s middle act.
The middle act depicted the chaos of humanity, caught between fear and self-destruction, as they scrambled to save themselves from the approaching tsunami. This segment was performed by Xin Ge. Her trembling tones echoed across the stage as she sang:
“Who is weeping? Who is wailing?”
“Who, amidst the roaring tsunami, builds their vessel and celebrates the end of days?”
Amidst complex and intricate lyrics, the opera reached its conclusion.
The finale was a duet, alternating between male and female voices, each sung with profound emotion.
At the very end, Dong Jin heard the two sing together for the first and only time:
“When I rejoice, it arrives. When I fear, it arrives.”
“The moment it engulfs everything, I pray devoutly to the god,”
“Yet the god never descends, from beginning to end…”
Having listened quietly to the high-caliber performance, Dong Jin began analyzing its plot.
Overall, the opera’s story resembled Earth’s tale of Noah’s Ark①.
However, unlike Noah, who built an ark and survived the divine punishment of the flood, the opera’s ending depicted the tsunami wiping out the world, with no survivors.
Recalling the lyrics he had heard earlier, Dong Jin continuously pieced together the series of clues he had discovered.
From the instance name, “Mirage”, to the inexplicably motivated “Don’t Get Emotional Challenge”, the tsunami warnings buried in obscure corners of local news, the sharks that surfaced last night instead of fleeing from the supposed tsunami and attacked Lei Ming, and the rule that required sufficient emotional fluctuation to trigger attacks between humans and monsters…
Suddenly, Dong Jin arrived at a hypothesis.
If this tsunami didn’t truly exist yet, but was instead born from human emotions as suggested in the opera, then everything would make sense.
The so-called “Don’t Get Emotional Challenge” was just a guise to draw attention. In reality, it was a way to subtly condition the streamers into fixating on the idea of a “massive tsunami about to hit.”
As time passed, once their fear reached a critical level and influenced the viewers in the livestream to panic collectively, that illusory tsunami would become real, ultimately submerging the entire island.
But there was still one part of the theory that didn’t add up—why weren’t the monsters on the island fleeing?
After some thought, Dong Jin revised his hypothesis: perhaps it was because the tsunami wasn’t entirely transitioning from illusion to reality.
The tsunami might still remain an illusion, capable of submerging only those who truly believed in its existence.
If this were true, then even if the trial-takers redeemed tickets for boats or planes, as long as they failed to realize that the tsunami was nothing more than a mirage, they would still be engulfed by the illusory ocean that extended across the world, no matter how far they fled.
—Could this be the true reason why the instance was called “Mirage”?
—Because everything in the instance was merely a mirage-like illusion.
Having figured it all out, Dong Jin glanced again at his game interface.
Back when the opera began, two advanced quests had appeared on his game panel:
[Advanced Quest 1: Discover the truth about the “tsunami.”][Advanced Quest 2: Expose the truth about the “tsunami.”]
It seemed that merely listening to the opera wasn’t enough to complete Advanced Quest 1; he needed to articulate his reasoning explicitly to fulfill it.
But now wasn’t the time to leisurely discuss his deductions.
Dong Jin cast a glance at Xin Ge below, who was impatiently conversing with the male lead singer. He prepared to slip out of the opera house before she noticed. However, just as he was about to push open the door to his private box, his hand froze.
There was no need for “Eyes of Truth” to tell him who was behind the door, because the man had already opened it first.
Lei Ming, impeccably dressed in a suit today, was a far cry from his disheveled state after being torn at by sharks last night.
Leaning casually against the doorframe, his dark golden eyes gleaming with a faint smirk, he spoke:
“Xin Ge said I left something with you? What might that be?”
“Ah… I understand. It’s your life, right?”
In that instant, Dong Jin finally understood the meaning of crushing one’s foot while maneuvering a rock(to a cliff edge, to drop on one’s enemy) 2 .
He really shouldn’t have lied to someone kind. Now, wasn’t his karma standing right before him?
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