Weapon Systems 53. Journey to Another Dimension (2)

“Uh~!...No wonder you said it’s unimaginably far, yet impossibly close!” Zhang Mingjing complained, then suddenly exclaimed, “But does the plot really have to be this convoluted?”

“It’s not like I dug the pit myself, so why are you yelling at me? Besides, every universe is the same—just go with the flow!”

“Damn! Do you realize I haven’t even traveled around Earth yet, and now I’m about to tour another universe? This… this is insanely exciting!”

“Excitement aside, don’t you want to know how the coding of the Space Monster’s thinking model ended up in a different time-space?”

“I do! I was just about to ask you!”

“Because it’s called the Space Monster! It’s a professional time-space traveler, and its five-dimensional thinking model carries high-dimensional energy and information, so it can transcend the limits of your three-dimensional space and enter another three-dimensional space.”

Suddenly enlightened, Zhang Mingjing said, “So basically, this coding is not to be messed with. Our future doesn’t look too bright.”

“Exactly.”

A moment later, Zhang Mingjing emerged from the wormhole, not only arriving on a planet inhabited by giants but also discovering that he had a physical body.

“What’s going on here? Didn’t you say only my consciousness would traverse the wormhole? How do I have a body?” Zhang Mingjing asked in surprise.

“Idiot! This isn’t your physical body, it’s just a holographic projection your consciousness created for itself. Others can’t see it—only you can. Of course, since we’re in the entangled energy of the Space Monster’s code, the future enemy we’re looking for can also read you.”

“What?! How does that work?”

“You’re full of surprises today!”

“Shouldn’t I be surprised?”

“Alright, you should be!... Because we hacked into the entangled energy of the Space Monster’s thinking model code to get to this universe, right?”

“Right!”

“So your consciousness and the enemy’s are both compatible with this entangled energy—you and I can read their information, and they can naturally read yours.”

“So they know all my secrets?”

“Idiot! Your consciousness has its own encryption key, I have mine, and so does the enemy. So none of you can know each other’s secrets—you can only read each other’s location and external actions. Even our conversation is encrypted by our consciousness, so the enemy can’t eavesdrop.”

“That’s reassuring!… Uh, but how do you know my secrets?”

“Come on! Now you’re really showing a lack of intelligence! Aren’t I inside your consciousness? How could I not know? It’s impossible not to!”

“This is ridiculous!... Will that person come looking for us?”

“When they read you, we’ll simultaneously read them—so we’re both seeking each other!”

“Got it!... Speak of the devil, and the devil appears.”

Zhang Mingjing and the Five-Dimensional Thinking Model had already read the enemy’s information.

“That person is actually a woman, and by Earth standards, she’s quite beautiful—five meters tall, and a great figure!” the Five-Dimensional Thinking Model commented.

Zhang Mingjing added, “There’s also a dog, hacked by the Space Monster’s code. It’s enormous—could give our cattle a run for their money!”

“Why are the humans on this planet so huge?!” Zhang Mingjing asked.

“Evolutionary selection. This isn’t the first human civilization on this planet—it’s probably the third. The current civilization is only fifty years more advanced than yours. In the previous two civilizations, humans were about your height.”

“What happened to those earlier civilizations?”

“They ventured into space, then gradually went extinct.”

“Damn! Will Earth end up like that?”

“Who knows! But you really don’t need to worry about things so far in the future.”

“That’s true!... She’s decoding us too—am I considered handsome here?”

“With your height, you’d probably be seen as a genetic defect.”

“Pfft!”

At that moment, the alien enemy sent Zhang Mingjing an invitation. The message he received read, “Since you’ve come from afar, why not visit my home for a small gathering? It’ll make your trip worthwhile!”

“Why is she only inviting me and not you?” Zhang Mingjing asked the Five-Dimensional Thinking Model.

“Simpleton! Do you want her to know I exist?”

“Oh! She can’t read you.”

“Exactly… Besides, she might even like you.”

“Cut it out! Are we going or not?”

“With a beautiful woman extending a warm invitation, any gentleman would go—just as she said, it’s the only way to make the visit worthwhile!”

“Isn’t it risky?”

“With me here, what are you afraid of?”

“Are you sure you’re a brother and not a sister?”

“Pfft!”

Zhang Mingjing accepted the invitation and began walking toward the future enemy’s home, reading as she instructed her dog to greet him.

The dog’s fur was like porcupine quills, its outline wolf-like, but its expression wasn’t fierce—almost goofy.

“So welcoming, sending a dog to greet me—is this their custom?” Zhang Mingjing asked the Five-Dimensional Thinking Model.

“Seems that way!”

“Oh my!”

Fifteen minutes later, Zhang Mingjing met the dog. Even though he was just a holographic projection, the dog sniffed him seriously, actually reading his information.

“That nose is bigger than my head, circling in front of me—unbearable!” Zhang Mingjing grumbled.

Suddenly, the dog happily started licking him, making him feel drenched, as if covered in smelly dog saliva.

The moment he thought it, he saw himself indeed soaked, his whole body reeking, sticky drool pooling at his feet, as if he’d just been spat out by the dog—disgusting beyond words.

He complained to the Five-Dimensional Thinking Model, “This is disgusting! How can this happen?”

“Appearance follows the mind—not only is your current body a projection in your consciousness, but whatever you imagine gets projected. So the moment you thought of dog slobber, it manifested.”

“I see!”

“And since your consciousness is within this entangled energy, both the dog and the beautiful enemy can read your projected information. I advise you to avoid any stray thoughts—otherwise you’ll embarrass yourself in front of the lady.”

Reminded by the Five-Dimensional Thinking Model, Zhang Mingjing immediately cleared his mind. Miraculously, the filthy saliva vanished, and his body was fresh again.

The Five-Dimensional Thinking Model explained, “Once an illusion is exposed, it loses its effect on your vision and disappears.”

“So that’s how it is!... But if a real dog did this, I’d smack it hard enough to burst its head.”

“Enough! Stop complaining—they’re being hospitable, licking you because they like you. Besides, with such a massive dog, you wouldn’t want it to hate you, right?”

“That’s true.”

Regarding illusions, Zhang Mingjing didn’t know the Five-Dimensional Thinking Model had only told him half the truth—the other half was that knowing it’s an illusion is only part of letting go; you must truly release it, or it won’t disappear.

Soon, he would suffer for this.

Now the dog lay down, meaning for Zhang Mingjing to ride on its back.

“My body is just a holographic projection—why ride the dog?” Zhang Mingjing complained to the Five-Dimensional Thinking Model.

“Right now, your consciousness and the dog’s share the Space Monster’s entangled energy, so it can read your projection body. In its vision, you’re tangible—a little person. It probably thinks you’d get tired or waste time walking, so it wants to carry you.”

“Damn! This dog is pretty dumb, can’t tell real from illusory.”

“If I hadn’t pointed out these illusions, you’d believe you’re tangible, and that big dog would have scared you out of your wits.”

“I’m not that weak!”

“That’s not necessarily true! In the end… humans are creatures led by their feelings.”

...

Zhang Mingjing still climbed onto the dog’s back, but the coarse, stiff fur pricked him painfully.

“What’s happening?” Zhang Mingjing asked, grimacing. “Is this pain another projection of my consciousness?”

“Yes! You had thoughts about the dog’s fur, so your consciousness reflected them. Like I said, humans follow their feelings.”

“Damn!”

This time, Zhang Mingjing exposed the illusion, but the pain didn’t disappear—it only grew worse.

Perplexed, he asked the Five-Dimensional Thinking Model, “Didn’t you say that once an illusion is exposed, it vanishes? Why does the dog’s fur still prick my butt?”

“That’s because, first, you may have exposed the illusion, but you’re still attached; second, you’re still riding the dog, which makes it even harder to let go of the illusion, so you keep getting pricked!”

“Damn! Why did the saliva vanish instantly when exposed?”

“That’s because the dog stopped licking you. If it kept licking, you’d still be trapped in the illusion—humans follow their feelings!”

“My God! So what’s the difference from the real world?”

“No difference! The virtual world can kill just as easily—blame yourself for not practicing enough to break free from appearances.”

Suddenly, the dog leaped, jostling Zhang Mingjing violently. He cried out, “Ow~!”

“That was impressive—was it you or the dog who howled?” the Five-Dimensional Thinking Model teased.

“Stop joking! The fur pricked somewhere it shouldn’t—will this affect my future lineage?”

“If you stay attached to that feeling and worry, it probably will.”

“Damn! Why am I so unlucky?!”

...

This giant planet was called Rainbow Star, about the same size as Earth, sparsely populated, lushly forested, and followed a dual-track civilization balancing external technology and internal potential cultivation.

“Isn’t it a cool planet?” the Five-Dimensional Thinking Model asked Zhang Mingjing.

But Zhang Mingjing, his butt still aching, ignored the question. After ten agonizing minutes on the dog’s back, he finally arrived at the beautiful enemy’s home nestled deep in the forest.