I’m Trapped in a Cube - Chapter 148

At the research institute, Martin chatted with Zhou Ming, the discoverer of Dream, while organizing materials.

“Mr. Martin, I’ve said everything I know. Can I go back now?” Zhou Ming was still somewhat frightened.

“Of course. As the discoverer, we won’t erase your memories, but you’ll need to sign a confidentiality agreement and will be under our surveillance for your protection,” Martin replied calmly.

Zhou Ming nodded repeatedly. “Of course, I’ll definitely follow the rules.”

Just as he was about to leave, he fidgeted in his chair, hesitated for a moment, then asked quietly, “Mr. Martin, does the dream world really exist? Many things appeared in the dream that I’d never learned about before.”

Seeing Zhou Ming’s intense curiosity, Martin sternly advised, “Don’t try to recall that forbidden knowledge, and don’t keep immersing yourself in fantasies about the dream world. What you need to do now is return to daily life.”

Zhou Ming quickly waved his hands. “It’s not forbidden knowledge, just the score of a ball game. I’m certain I didn’t know it originally, but I watched that game in the dream, and when I came out, the score was exactly the same.”

“Also, I got a girl’s phone number at a bar in the dream. When I returned to reality, I tried calling it, and it actually went through, it was really her.”

“And also…”

Martin quickly interrupted him. “Stop talking. No matter how real the dream is, you still belong to this world. Those things have nothing to do with you.”

If they had to investigate every Relic thoroughly, the research institute would have run out of personnel long ago. Those crises that could truly threaten the world were what should be addressed first.

“But those people were all so real.”

“During my awakening process, I encountered someone whose appearance I couldn’t see clearly. I told him I was awakening, and he asked me which layer I wanted to awaken to. I told him.”

“Then…”

Slap!

Martin slammed the materials heavily on the table and said sternly to Zhou Ming, “If you continue, I can determine you’ve been distorted by the Relic and apply for memory erasure.”

Hearing Martin’s righteous warning, Zhou Ming finally stood up in fear, apologizing to Martin while pushing the door open to leave.

Zhou Ming’s words echoed in Martin’s mind, unable to calm down for a long time.

Long afterward, Martin was still thinking about this Relic.

Although he spoke of not believing the worldviews presented by Relics, Martin still couldn’t control his thoughts.

Since learning about his own abilities, he had begun to doubt the world.

Martin, a graduate of a prestigious university, had firm scientific beliefs, but the existence of Relics was constantly shaking his view of the world.

Why did things like Relics exist?

Where did their energy come from?

What was the formula for converting costs into abilities?

Martin felt Relics were like abrupt nails driven into this world, completely incompatible with the existing worldview.

As if these things had been deliberately placed there.

Like adding a setting to an ordinary world, then using that setting to derive a new world.

Martin had only seen such things in one place before—

Novels.

The more Martin thought about it, the more fascinated he became. He saw kimchi confiscated from Dream Cult members’ homes piled on a nearby table.

The research institute was empty. Martin, as if possessed, walked into the medical room, picked up a small knife, and cut a small opening in his finger.

Then he lay on a chair, placed a jar of kimchi behind his head, and recalled the black hole from the flyers…

When he awakened again, Martin found himself still in the research institute, his finger bleeding. Seeing the dripping blood, he suddenly realized he was dreaming.

Walking to a nearby computer, Martin looked up information he didn’t know, discovering that the dream world was indeed exactly as Zhou Ming had said, completely identical to the real world, with even knowledge being completely shared.

He then looked up the cost of the Dream Relic he had just organized, which accurately read “501 grams of Korean kimchi in a glass jar.”

And the discoverer was listed as “Zhou Ming.”

Martin quickly discovered the problem. If Zhou Ming in the real world discovered Dream by returning to the 500-gram layer, why was there another Zhou Ming who discovered Dream on this layer?

Were there two Zhou Mings?

Then on the next layer, there would be another Zhou Ming?

“That means there’s another me here right now?” Martin was instantly horrified.

Martin suddenly realized his understanding of dreams was still too simplistic. If every layer was the same, then there should be the same “Martin” and “Zhou Ming” on every layer. Where had these people gone?

“What about the ‘Cult Leaders’ from other layers?” Martin couldn’t help but ask aloud.

Just then, a familiar voice beside him answered.

“Dead.”

Hearing this suddenly appearing voice, Martin quickly retreated, vigilantly watching the figure that had suddenly appeared.

His head was a kimchi jar, he wore a white lab coat, and his height and build were exactly the same as Martin’s. This person was watching him from nearby.

“The Cult Leader died. Once one layer dies, all layers die.”

Looking at this suddenly appearing kimchi jar person, just as Martin was about to ask a question, the kimchi jar person had already provided an answer:

“I’m Martin from layer 532. It’s been three minutes since you arrived here, but three years have passed for us. I’ve now completely mastered dream traversal abilities and have come to pass on the flame according to our agreement.”

“Please memorize the blood replacement formula I’m about to tell you.”

“Please prepare the number of grams of kimchi needed to enter what you perceive as the ‘real world,’ place it in an ‘appropriate’ glass jar, add cool water at 17 degrees Celsius, then pour this cool water into a serving cup.”

“Then extract your own blood, obtain the serum, and add it.”

“Ten strands of your own hair, cut into pieces, add them.”

“Your right thumb nail, ground to powder, add it.”

“Fuzz from your earlobe, three strands, left or right as you wish, add them.”

“The blistered skin flakes from your left heel that are forming now, cut in a cross pattern, add them.”

“The Dream Cult’s black hole propaganda flyers, cut off the four corners, add them.”

“…”

“The amount of all the above materials should be ‘appropriate,’ and the processing methods should follow the most familiar techniques in your heart. After preparation is complete, stir the cool water in the cup evenly, then heat it to 25 degrees Celsius.”

“Then inject this cool water into your body to complete the blood replacement.”

The kimchi jar person finished the formula while looking at his watch, but didn’t give Martin a chance to ask questions. Instead, he meaningfully instructed Martin:

“Please traverse to the research institute on layer 470 three years from now, at the moment you feel is ‘appropriate,’ to continue passing on the flame.”

“This is our promise…”