Wu Piwu never expected this, and if it weren't for Xu Shilan bringing it up, he wouldn't have even noticed the matter of the Huanglian "fragments" at all.
Right, since it is a fragment, it must have shattered into many pieces.
He obtained one piece... but what about the others!?
The mainframe has a judgment mechanism that can identify items obtained from the Dream World, whether they are ordinary items, extraordinary items, or bizarre items acquired after defeating Nightmares.
There is nothing the mainframe cannot identify.
The key point is that this identification, as described by the predecessors, is essentially a form of "virus scanning" and "anchoring."
Nightmares are extremely difficult to kill.
Biological Nightmares are somewhat easier, but when it comes to ghosts, spirits, and other Nightmares, there is a high probability of resurrection after being killed.
These still belong to tangible entities.
For example, the souls of the ghosts that Wu Piwu and his companions saw during the destruction of the Ghost Fan Tower are essentially conventional ghosts, which can still be attacked and defended against with powerful supernatural forces.
What is truly terrifying are certain bizarre entities, like the Curse that Wu Piwu had seen, which belong to this category.
These Nightmares are akin to rule-based horror stories or true curses, and are nearly impossible to kill.
Even if they are temporarily sealed using rules, they will inevitably revive over time.
At least...
Wu Piwu's predecessors had not mastered a method to destroy such rule-based horror stories.
However, the predecessors discovered that as long as the sealed object or core item was brought back to Gaia, and the mainframe conducted an informational assessment, then such rule-based horror stories would completely vanish.
Thus, after obtaining the Huanglian fragment and having it assessed by the mainframe, Wu Piwu felt very at ease using this item.
The advantage of the mainframe's assessment is that anything not mentioned in the assessment can essentially be treated as non-existent.
Since the mainframe's assessment did not indicate any hidden dangers regarding the Huanglian fragment, Wu Piwu treated it as an ordinary item.
If there were any hidden dangers, the mainframe would have eliminated them at the outset of the assessment.
But what about the other Huanglian fragments!?
As Wu Piwu thought of this, he felt a chill run down his spine.
Not only Wu Piwu thought of this, but Yamada also came to the same realization.
He said, "But considering our current strength, what threat could paper people and half-paper people pose? The thousands of extraordinary beings in the Ghost Fan Tower before, any one of them is likely stronger than a half-paper person, but for us, it's just like dealing with an N5 bomb."
Wu Piwu touched the more than two hundred N5 bombs left in his pocket, and his panic eased slightly.
However, he still felt something was off, as if there was something he hadn't considered clearly.
Xu Shilan's expression remained grim.
She immediately said, "No, N5 bombs are actually useless in two situations!"
"First, they are useless in Gaia."
"Because of Gaia's uniqueness as a mothership, at the time of its construction, seven Level 7 citizens, along with the then President of the unified human government, the only Level 8 citizen, issued the highest judgment logic to the mainframe. This means that no weapon with a destructive range exceeding five meters can be used within Gaia."
"Individual weapons, like firearms, are not a problem, as Gaia's internal structure is made of mixed steel with automatic repair components. However, area-effect weapons are absolutely prohibited. If any signs of area-effect weapon usage are detected, the mainframe has the authority to carry out a devastating strike against any non-Level 7 citizen."
Wu Piwu and Yamada's expressions changed instantly.
Wu Piwu immediately asked, "What about those Nightmares? Those Nightmares possess area-effect extraordinary abilities; will the mainframe also destroy them?"
Xu Shilan revealed a bitter smile and said, "Supernatural powers are not included... It's simply nonsense. When we built Gaia in the shattered solar system, there was no such thing as supernatural powers, alright? So the basis of the mainframe's judgment is any technological weapon."
Wu Piwu and Yamada fell silent.
Xu Shilan continued, "Second, changes in world rules can weaken the power of technological weapons, render them unusable, or cause various mutations. In Dream Worlds with lower baseline realities, the power of technological weapons will be weaker or unusable... By the way, this is not exclusive to Dream Worlds; Singularity Technology can also create similar situations. So I deeply understand the consequences of technological weapons being banned!"
Wu Piwu asked in a deep voice, "Are you saying that technological weapons may be useless in the Peace Hotel Dream World?"
Xu Shilan nodded, "Very likely. Recall that when we fought the half-paper people, a large number of threads fell from that void and inserted into the surrounding ground. At that time, didn't we feel a sense of impending doom? I suspect that was the main body of the Nightmare, that terrifying existence known as the Lifeless Old Mother, attempting to alter the world rules around us!"
If the N5 bombs are unusable...
Wu Piwu and Yamada both looked extremely grim.
Relying solely on their strength, they could probably handle the initial half-paper person quite easily, but if ten half-paper people, or even twenty, thirty, or fifty half-paper people attacked simultaneously, and they couldn't use N5 bombs, the only outcome awaiting them would be to be overwhelmed and killed!
Xu Shilan did not wait for Wu Piwu and Yamada to express any opinions; she immediately said, "Considering the time, it has been about half a month since we first encountered the half-paper people. If the Huanglian fragments can take effect, the Peace Hotel Dream World is now a Dragon Pool and Tiger Den for us. This also explains why everything was calm and quiet when we completed the guarding mission in the Peace Hotel Dream World, with no bizarre occurrences."
Wu Piwu asked, "Are you saying that the Lifeless Old Mother has used the Huanglian fragments to infect many areas and populations of that world, possibly surrounding the Peace Hotel so that other Nightmares cannot arrive, right?"
Xu Shilan nodded, "There is a high probability of that."
Just thinking about this scenario makes one feel that thousands of half-paper people are lurking, waiting for them to step out of the Peace Hotel, at which point they would immediately launch an attack...
Yamada pondered for a moment and said, "Then we won't go back! Since the Peace Hotel Dream World is so dangerous, let's not go to that Dream World!"
Xu Shilan immediately countered, "What about the shelters? All shelters can directly connect to Gaia, and right now we only have three areas: the maintenance base, the medical base, and the sleep chamber. We have no space to maneuver against Nightmares in Gaia. Once a Nightmare penetrates the shelter, we will have to confront that Nightmare directly."
Wu Piwu also disagreed with Yamada's suggestion, saying, "Moreover, if the Peace Hotel Dream World has indeed been infected, we must be prepared for a Level 3 or even Level 4 Nightmare to penetrate from that Dream World. That is the Lifeless Old Mother; the Vacuum Homeland is a baseline reality of 0.2 Dream World, where Nightmares above Level 5 are possible!"
"If a Nightmare penetrates the shelter, it will immediately shatter and disappear, and we will also lose the coordinates of that Dream World. But the premise is... it will only disappear if a Nightmare penetrates. If we do not go to the Peace Hotel Dream World, then the Lifeless Old Mother can slowly nurture her poison. Those paper people will evolve! By then, what we may face could very well be the Lifeless Old Mother's avatars!"
As the three of them thought about this situation, they felt their hearts tremble.
When they first faced the half-paper people, seeing that distorted giant figure in the air had shocked their minds.
That was a true divine and demonic level existence, far beyond what they could currently imagine.
The three fell silent.
Yamada, unable to bear the heavy atmosphere, stood up and paced around the hall, stomping his feet on the ground.
After a long while, he shouted softly, "What do we do now!? This won't work, that won't work. We can't just wait to die, right!?"
Wu Piwu looked at Xu Shilan, and Xu Shilan looked back at Wu Piwu.
Wu Piwu was the first to speak, "Let's go back to the Peace Hotel Dream World and search for the traces of the Huanglian fragments! Jiujiu seems to have a special ability to treasure hunt. I will go with her to search for the remaining Huanglian fragments!"
Yamada immediately asked, "But what if the Huanglian fragments have already infected a large number of paper people and half-paper people, and the N5 bombs are ineffective!?"
Wu Piwu was at a loss for words; he had no ideas left.
At this moment, Xu Shilan said, "There is a method, though I don't know if it will work."
Both of them looked at her, and Xu Shilan paused for a moment before saying, "We capture a weaker paper person or half-paper person and take it through the Peace Hotel! We bring the Nightmare to Gaia ourselves, and then shatter the shelter of the Peace Hotel Dream World. This is the only method I can think of."
Wu Piwu and Yamada were stunned.
Yamada immediately clapped his hands and said, "Alright, let's do it!"
Wu Piwu, however, had a face full of hesitation.
He thought of Xu Rongyu, of Lin Heier, of the ordinary villagers who helped build the Peace Hotel in that world...
I'm sorry, I can't do it.
I can't.
I'm just struggling to survive...
After a long time, Wu Piwu nodded and said, "Alright, let's do it! Let's go back to the Peace Hotel Dream World!"
Xu Shilan immediately said, "No rush. It has already been half a month. There is no need to hurry now. What we need to do is to prepare as much as possible. Now, we need to immediately use the rewards from the Level 4 shelter to enhance our strength, in case the N5 bombs become ineffective!"
"Right, Level 4 shelter!"
This time, after eliminating the Ghost Fan Tower and driving away the Wuyou Cave, they fortuitously upgraded their Level 3 shelter to Level 4. The reward for the Level 4 shelter is to choose any item from the sample world, and all designated items can be obtained.
The three were excited, but then fell silent again.
Yamada was the first to say, "What... should we choose?"
Yes, the biggest question is, what should we choose?
The mainframe did not provide a complete list of items from this world, so they naturally could not know what precious items or various fantastical items existed.
After all, they had only recently arrived in this world and had a very shallow understanding of it.
The three looked at each other, and Wu Piwu tentatively said, "How about I inquire with the officials, like asking Wang Kang about the precious items in this world?"
Xu Shilan said helplessly, "That's also a method... It seems that to fully unleash the potential of the Level 4 shelter reward, the prerequisite is to be familiar with and knowledgeable about this world."
Wu Piwu was about to call the officials to send a message to Wang Kang, when Xu Shilan suddenly said, "Although I don't know what the specific items are, I have some plans I can share first."
"If there are very powerful fantastical items, then we designate this. If not, or if we are unsure of their power, then I and Wu Xiaodi will designate those top-tier treasures, two recorded top-tier treasures for Wu Xiaodi to use, and Yamada, you designate the original method of the Iron Refining Record."
Seeing the two look at her, Xu Shilan immediately explained, "To obtain good items, as long as we survive this time, there will be plenty of opportunities and hope in the future. But right now, we must face the threat of the Lifeless Old Mother, so it is crucial to enhance Wu Xiaodi's combat power to the greatest extent. Two top-tier treasures can significantly boost your progress in the Human Immortal Martial Dao, while the Iron Refining Record can enhance your defense."
Yamada asked in confusion, "But I can teach the method to Brother Wu. Why waste a designated slot for a treasure?"
Xu Shilan shook her head and said, "No, this kind of teaching could lead to problems. I also have methods, so I know that this method is directly implanted into our minds by the mainframe. It is a method that has been specialized based on our own understanding and personal characteristics.
If you teach it to Wu Xiaodi, it might not be a problem, but if something goes wrong, he could die instantly due to backlash from the method. So the safest option is to designate the original method. This way, at least Wu Xiaodi can learn it himself and practice the method based on what he learns.
The effect may not be as good as direct implantation by the mainframe, but at least it is safer."
Yamada naturally nodded.
Wu Piwu looked at the two, feeling moved, but he also knew the urgency of the situation.
This was not the time for pleasantries, so he said, "Alright, then I will go find Wang Kang, and then..."
"We designate the items we need!"
(End of Chapter)