Chapter 41: Infinite Flow

As soon as these words were spoken, You Yao was the first to raise his hand, interested. “Why is it assigned to Pan and not me? I’m also in the Exile Star System.”

“You’re not of much use,” the leader said bluntly and coldly.

You Yao shrugged. “Alright then.”

He spread his hands, giving Shang Jingyan a helpless gesture. His image shattered into shimmering light and disappeared along with the other attendees. The vast, empty space was left with only the leader and Shang Jingyan.

The leader’s code name was “Tail Feather.” Judging from her outline, she was a middle-aged woman.

She proactively approached Shang Jingyan and sat down beside her. “I’ll send you the mission information.”

Send? How?

Shang Jingyan remained calm. She saw Tail Feather gently take her hand, and immediately, a large amount of information was directly infused into her consciousness.

“Your spiritual level is high, so we’ll use this method directly,” Tail Feather said.

Shang Jingyan had only heard of this method when researching. It required a spiritual power level of 95 or higher to transmit information directly into someone else’s mental landscape.

And the recipient’s spiritual power also had to reach a certain level, otherwise they wouldn’t be able to receive the “signal.”

—However, there were also rumors that some high-level individuals could infuse a large amount of information into a lower-level person all at once, causing their spiritual power to overload and directly destroying their mental landscape.

These were all urban legends. Shang Jingyan didn’t know if they were true or not. Anyway, they were never mentioned in official materials.

During the previous meeting, many people had secretly assessed Shang Jingyan, with a probing attitude, which was more restrained than last time.

After her S-level spiritual power value was exposed, there were those who questioned it. Some of the original “Shang Jingyan’s” fair-weather friends, who knew her previous level, thought her rapid improvement was unreasonable.

However, a spiritual power value of 180 was unprecedented. Maybe she just had unusually slow development? —That’s what most people thought.

And the people in the Reality Matter Group definitely knew what level the original “Shang Jingyan” was at. Shang Jingyan had previously thought the Reality Matter Group would question her, but surprisingly, they didn’t.

She suspected that maybe the original’s true level wasn’t as low as it appeared.

Could parallel selves differ that much?

These scattered thoughts lingered for only a few seconds. Shang Jingyan focused her attention on the transmitted information.

Honestly, she really didn’t want to deepen her involvement with this suspected cult. But she hadn’t yet figured out the depths of it, so she couldn’t act rashly.

And after reading the mission, Shang Jingyan: “…”

Simply put, the mission content was this: The Reality Matter Group had received intel that two important figures from the Main Star System were about to come to the Exile Star System. They hoped to send a member to recruit the two.

These two big shots were Su Tong, the head of a large cultural tourism group in the Main Star System, and her father, Wei Wenbing.

Su’s Cultural Tourism Group had businesses spanning the two major mainstream star systems. Compared to their size, the largest cultural tourism group in the Exile Star System, the Xue family, was just a child.

Normally, a newly-minted Dreamweaver like Shang Jingyan, no matter how talented, shouldn’t even think about meeting with a high-level executive at the level of the Su Corporation’s CEO without three to five years of hard work.

So why did the Reality Matter Group have the confidence to believe that their side had a chance to make contact, and specifically named Shang Jingyan?

Because Su Tong and her father were coming specifically for Shang Jingyan and Xue’s haunted house project.

Su Tong’s father, Wei Wenbing, like Pei Yi, was an Externalization Syndrome patient, and in recent years, his Void Syndrome had worsened.

Externalization Syndrome was a type of Void Syndrome. Normal Externalization Syndrome patients were like Pei Yi. But Wei Wenbing also had symptoms of ordinary Void Syndrome, making it a rare and complex case.

Su Tong loved her father dearly and spent heavily every year searching for ways to cure Void Syndrome. The Su family even bought the twenty-year mining rights to a dream source crystal vein.

However, judging by the progression of Wei Wenbing’s illness, the effects of these efforts were very limited.

Recently, Su Tong heard about the Rose Heart Haunted House and decided to bring her father to try it out.

Shang Jingyan thought this could be considered “desperate measures.” Making a seventy-year-old man visit a haunted house, even if the average lifespan of interstellar people was one hundred and sixty, sounded too extreme…

The Reality Matter Group also wanted Shang Jingyan to make every effort to recruit Su Tong. If it worked, the rewards would be unimaginably rich.

Shang Jingyan: I think you guys are dreaming too big.

“I can only say, I’ll try my best,” she said.

The Reality Matter Group had only received the news and didn’t know when exactly Su Tong and the others would arrive. They told Shang Jingyan to keep an eye out.

Their trip would likely be very low-key, but regardless, they would definitely make a reservation in advance.

Tail Feather: “The higher-ups are very serious about this mission. If you complete it well enough, you might even be promoted to my level.”

Shang Jingyan was noncommittal. Tail Feather finished her instructions and stood up, making that devout gesture. “Then, until next time, Pan. We will eventually find our wings.”

“…We will eventually find our wings,” Shang Jingyan echoed softly.

The void receded from her vision. Shang Jingyan opened her eyes, her consciousness returning to her residence in Blue River Moon. Looking out from this planet, you could see two natural satellites, slightly larger than the moon, a cold blue.

At moments like these, she clearly realized that this was not her Earth home. But somehow, she didn’t feel that homesickness. Instead, she felt a faint attachment to this scene.

X71 was a little worried: [Yanyan, are you really going to do this mission?]

It sounded so unreliable. Yanyan herself hadn’t even figured out how deep the water of the Reality Matter Group was, and she was already being assigned to recruit people?

Shang Jingyan wasn’t too worried, though: [I am, why not?]

X71: [Are you really going to let Wei Wenbing experience the haunted house…]

One slip of the tongue, and what if something went wrong instead of recruiting them?

Shang Jingyan stretched lazily and chuckled. [Who said I was going to use the haunted house method to help Su Tong’s father?]

She clearly had a better option – just like how she cured Tian Jiangli’s unicorn spirit body last time, she could sneak into Wei Wenbing’s mental landscape and take a look.

Moreover, the Reality Matter Group hadn’t specified how this “recruitment” was to be done.

Did a business collaboration count? If she won the favor of the Su Corporation, that connection would be hers. And because of her unique ability that couldn’t be delegated to others, the Reality Matter Group couldn’t control how she used it, could they?

Shang Jingyan had to thank the Reality Matter Group for helping her spot such a good business opportunity.

–

“Catch Me If You Can” was released for a week, and it reached the top of the best-selling multiplayer game charts in the Exile Star System. Clicking into the gaming section of various live-streaming platforms, half of the top streams were playing it.

Judging from its trajectory, its performance was even better than “Building 18.” The combined income from all of Shang Jingyan’s works was now enough for her to live comfortably for the rest of her life.

Who would have thought that half a year ago, when she first transmigrated, she was a penniless person in debt?

The Starlight Festival ended, and Shang Jingyan returned to V059 from Blue River Moon, feeling a vague, painful reluctance to go back to work.

She had previously thought it unnecessary, but now she was considering buying a property in the Exile Star System. Where though? V059? Blue River Moon? She liked both of these planets…

Shang Jingyan hadn’t played the game herself again, but was busy interviewing new actors for auditions. In her spare time, she would glance at her friend list in “Catch Me If You Can,” and every time, she would see someone online. Even Yun Yongxue was addicted to hide-and-seek.

That casual player named [NoSweets] was also there almost every time Shang Jingyan checked, showing how addicted they were. They had even sent Shang Jingyan two match invitations, with the message [Let’s compete again], seemingly still brooding over their previous defeat.

Unfortunately, Shang Jingyan didn’t respond, and they stopped sending them after that.

“The supporting characters for the beginning and the female supporting role in the protagonist team have been decided. Today, we’re still auditioning for the protagonist. If it goes well, we can start filming soon…”

Shang Jingyan lay on the sofa, tapping on her keyboard, talking to herself.

The comedic relief female supporting role was ultimately given to someone whose main profession wasn’t acting, but a stand-up comedian. She had a round face and naturally smiling lips. Her stage name was Sophia, and Shang Jingyan had even watched her stand-up;

The attack-type female supporting role was still Wu Rui, who had already started working out and shaping her body.

Wu Rui had become famous thanks to Shang Jingyan, directly entering the ranks of second-tier stars in the Exile Star System, and was even moving towards the first tier.

Her Void Syndrome was now greatly improved, almost like a normal person’s.

Her portrayal of the terrifying beauty appeared in countless video edits, starting a trend in the makeup and fashion industries. Now, she was no longer the desperate little actress who had to personally plead for an opportunity. She received a constant stream of collaboration invitations.

But she remembered Shang Jingyan’s kindness and still reserved the first collaboration slot for her. As soon as Shang Jingyan mentioned it, she agreed.

The confirmation of the new roles gave Shang Jingyan some new inspiration. She jotted it down, checked that the audition time was approaching, and entered the star network space.

–

“Next.”

“Not the feeling I’m looking for. Next.”

“Next…”

Shang Jingyan was very familiar with casting actors from her previous life. Although the process and details were different here, the essence was the same.

She and her editor, Mu Xiu, watched the performances in the small room outside. Mu Xiu was a little surprised by her decisiveness and speed, asking, “Are you sure you don’t want to take it slower?”

Shang Jingyan shook her head, her gaze still focused on the room. Mu Xiu was seeing her in work mode for the first time. It was almost unfamiliar.

In her previous life, although Shang Jingyan wasn’t the kind of “tyrant on set,” she was a director known for her control and sense of direction. Her requirements were always clear and precise. She wouldn’t let actors repeatedly try without understanding, confused and bewildered. She preferred high-efficiency work and had a very good reputation among actors.

“…Hmm, this is very good. It’s the feeling I want. It should be her.”

Shang Jingyan suddenly spoke.

Sure enough, after the other people finished their auditions, Shang Jingyan didn’t change her choice. Mu Xiu looked down at the information. The young actress she had chosen was named Xia Nite, and in reality, she had also just graduated from high school, just like the female lead, Lan Qing.

The others left the star network with disappointment, their figures fading in the Dreamweaving space. Wu Rui, Tang Chuntao (the female lead from “Rouge Comb”), and others were watching the whole time. Seeing this, they all gathered around to congratulate the newcomer.

“Director Shang!” Xia Nite blushed as soon as she left the room and saw Shang Jingyan. “I, I really like your works. I’ve watched ‘Moebius Sea’ many times!”

—In the materials Xia Nite sent before the audition, there was a segment imitating the performance of the mermaid female lead in “Moebius Sea.”

Shang Jingyan had used AI parameters for this work, with only a few segments incorporating her own performance, including the most climactic highlight.

Xia Nite chose the part where the female lead kills someone. Shang Jingyan immediately liked the ruthlessness and calmness she displayed.

But in reality, she was indeed, as Shang Jingyan requested, just an “ordinary graduate young person.”

Shang Jingyan handed Xia Nite a script. “In the next few days, let’s film the trailer.”

The new actress seemed a little unaccustomed to Shang Jingyan’s swift and decisive style, but she still tried her best to start reading, as if she were answering questions on a college entrance exam.

And while they were doing this, Shang Jingyan snapped her fingers. At her gaze, buildings began to grow wildly, like weeds.

She stood at the center of the spiritual power storm, her spirit body’s hair fluttering. The whole scene was awe-inspiring and magnificent.

Xia Nite couldn’t help but widen her eyes slightly, letting out a “Wow…”

Tang Chuntao hooked her arm around Xia Nite’s neck and said with a smile, “Surprised, right? I was like that the first time I saw it too. You’ll get used to it later. Our Director Shang has a spiritual power of one hundred and eighty!”

Xia Nite looked reverent. Was this the Dreamweaver she was about to collaborate with? It was truly… legendary!

–

Three days later, on the star network.

Jingyan v: [Trailer. [Link]]

Just two words and a link set off countless fans.

[Front row! Is the new work coming?!]

[Wow, the cast list has also been updated. The protagonist team has all been chosen! Has filming already started?]

[Hurry, hurry, hurry, I’m going to watch it now!]

The first trailer for “Infinite Heartbeat” was released! —This news, spread by the fans, quickly climbed the trending hashtag list.

–

Rose Heart.

“Dad, are you adjusting to the climate here?”

A low-key private starship was docked at the port’s VIP channel, avoiding the eyes of tourists. A woman slowly pushed a wheelchair out of the cabin and asked the man in the wheelchair.

These two were the head of the Su Corporation, Su Tong, and her father, Wei Wenbing. A professional team followed behind them.

“Very well. I see that Exile Star isn’t as bad as others say.”

Wei Wenbing was a gentle and refined man. Well-maintained, he looked only in his 50s.

“A frail, snow-white lamb huddled on his lap. Sensing a change in its surroundings, it also lifted its head to glance at the distant sea of roses, rolling like waves.”

This was Wei Wenbing’s core spirit body. Due to Externalization Syndrome, it had directly manifested in reality. Half of the lamb’s fur was dry and dull, with some patches missing, revealing the pink skin underneath.

“That’s good.”

Su Tong’s temperament was very similar to Xue Jiang’s, both with the image of an elite, a leader. But she was 38 years old this year, having been in power longer than Xue Jiang, and was more established, with a more stable and imposing aura.

Su Tong’s father was her mother’s second husband. Her mother was already advanced in years when she married, while her father was only in his 20s.

Like her mother’s previous two children, she was born through an artificial womb, and she was her mother’s youngest child.

When she was 16, her mother passed away, and power was transferred to her eldest brother. In such a large family, she had to put in ten times the effort to fight for her current position.

Her father raised her single-handedly, and Su Tong had a deep affection for him.

Su Tong had booked the most luxurious hotel in advance and directly took her father there. The assistant observed her expression and could tell that she wasn’t particularly satisfied with the trip so far.

The suggestion to come to Rose Heart actually came from Elder Wei himself. Based on Su Tong’s thoughts, she probably wouldn’t have even considered the Exile Star System.

Wei Wenbing loved to travel and enjoy life when he was young, and Su’s mother liked this about him. In his middle and old age, he showed even more of a childlike disposition. After Su Tong found out what the haunted house was, she didn’t approve of her father going to experience it. However, Wei Wenbing insisted, and she had to compromise and accompany him.

In the hotel room, Su Tong opened the information about Shang Jingyan’s works and materials that her assistant had sent. She was used to being far removed from entertainment. Works by small Dreamweavers like this wouldn’t normally make it to her desk.

But as someone who valued family, Su Tong decided to personally review it. She had been busy before and didn’t have time. Now, she finally had some leisure time to open her light brain with her father.

“Dad, which one do you want to watch?”

“Let’s watch this one, the trailer for the new show that young person just released.”

Why start with the trailer? Su Tong raised an eyebrow.

Wei Wenbing coughed lightly, a little embarrassed. “Taking it step by step.”

He didn’t dare tell his daughter that he had already secretly watched Shang Jingyan’s other works. He even bought “Building 18” and “Catch Me If You Can.” If it weren’t for his Externalization Syndrome, he would have already played them.

It was precisely because he couldn’t experience holographic games that he thought of coming offline to experience the haunted house.

The video opened, and the four large characters “Infinite Heartbeat” appeared on the screen. The font was sharp like a knife. The first two characters were iron gray, and the words “heartbeat” were bright red.

The beginning was a somewhat shaky shot. A young girl appeared in the audience’s view. She had black hair and black eyes, tied in a ponytail. She wasn’t tall, perhaps only just reaching 1.6 meters

She was wearing a faded old T-shirt and thick gloves, and was taking a freshly baked chicken cutlet out of the oven.

Red banner-like text displayed the protagonist’s name: [Lan Qing].

Wei Wenbing noticed that this actress’s eyes had a very special shape. When downcast, they didn’t stand out, even looking round and well-behaved. But when raised, they had a stubborn, fierce look, and her eyebrows also slanted upwards, like an unweaned wolf cub.

“Xiao Tong, her eyes resemble yours when you were young,” Wei Wenbing joked.

“Waiter!…”

“Check over here…”

“Table three wants a refill of lemon tea, Xiao Qing, go pour it!…”

“Coming!”

Lan Qing took off her gloves, wiped the sweat from her forehead, and hurriedly picked up the lemon juice and ran over.

In the entire scene, the color tone inside the small restaurant was warm, but not very clear. Except for Lan Qing, everyone else was blurred and hazy. The scene outside the window was cold-toned, but conversely, it was clear.

From the traffic outside the restaurant, it could be seen that this planet had not yet entered the space age. The humans living on it still walked on the land of their mother planet.

There was no BGM in this segment, only the lively and noisy sounds inside the restaurant. But in the noisy background, there was always an electronic “beep beep” sound, urgent and mechanical.

[Director Shang is finally filming something close to the current stellar calendar era.]

[Wow, I saw a lot of familiar scenes. They’re based on our Exile Star System, right…]

[Is it more terrifying because it’s closer to reality? Should I be scared or happy QAQ]

Comments scrolled across the screen, many from loyal fans of the Exile Star System. Su Tong couldn’t understand their inside jokes, but it didn’t prevent her from following the plot.

“Is today the day Little Qing gets her results?”

“Aiyo, I’m nervous…”

“How is it?”

“Wow! So high!”

“She can apply to the best universities!”

“All drinks in the store are free today!”

It was easy to see that the protagonist, Lan Qing, had just graduated from high school. Her family owned a small restaurant, and she had just achieved good grades, a bright future ahead, full of promise.

But from the shaky shots and fragmented, intercutting dialogue, it could be seen that this segment was actually the protagonist’s dream memory.

In the memory, all the scenes were filled with a warm color, but everyone’s faces were shrouded in a hazy light, impossible to see clearly.

The background “beep beep” sound became increasingly urgent. The dream gradually rippled like water, becoming more and more violent, indicating its owner’s emotional fluctuations and imminent awakening.

A blizzard and screams covered the dream, and then the next second, it shattered!

“Ah!” Wei Wenbing let out a low exclamation, breaking out in a cold sweat.

—Because at the moment the screen shattered and the dream’s owner opened her eyes to return to reality, a wooden mask covered in blood rushed into view!

The chat didn’t hold back like he did, with a flood of screams.

[Ahhhh, I was so scared!]

[The same old formula, the same old monster face. This time, Director Shang has set her sights on Nuo opera masks!]

[My god! It’s the first time I’ve felt that wooden masks are so terrifying!!]

With a scrape, the wooden mask was knocked back by a wooden stick. Lan Qing, holding the wooden stick, appeared in the shot. She was no longer wearing an ordinary T-shirt, but a black windbreaker.

The camera pulled back to a bird’s-eye view, revealing the full appearance of the masked creature—it only had a head like a human, but its body was that of a giant spider!

The spider’s fur was pure white. The wooden hut Lan Qing was in was also wrapped in many pure white spiderwebs, densely packed like snow, covering the furniture and items. There were also several raised human shapes within the webs.

Su Tong frowned, but she couldn’t quite look away. As the two fought, the BGM became intense and tragic. Blood, whether human or monster, stained the snow-white spiderwebs.

Blood splattered, flying towards the camera. For a moment, it switched to slow motion. Each blood drop reflected a scene—

There was a mountain villa trapped on a cliff in a blizzard, dismembered corpses buried in the snow, with muddy eyeballs still looking up at the sky;

There were paper figures with bright red blush in a Chinese-style mansion, their faces stiff, with a pair of dangling embroidered shoes swaying behind them;

There was a huge tomb in a deep mountain forest, a monster with a human head and a snake body looking down from the top of the tomb chamber, gazing faintly at the people who had entered;

There was a white statue of the Virgin Mary in a European-style church. When the camera turned to Her face, red flesh tentacles were revealed beneath the plaster…

Each drop of blood contained a Lan Qing. She was injured, fighting, crying, screaming—

[Holy crap, it’s giving me goosebumps. Are these all the worlds Lan Qing will go through later??]

[There’s Chinese, European, and I also saw modern and future settings?]

[Ahhhh, so exciting! When can I see it! I’m going to watch this part ten times later!]

This segment had extremely fast cuts. The blood drops were scattered with the fight in reality, providing a huge amount of information, overwhelming to the eye. Even Su Tong had a little trouble keeping up.

Finally, the real-world Lan Qing used a sharp dagger to fiercely stab the masked spider’s head, causing it to explode like a cracked watermelon.

All the scenes in the blood drops fell silent. All the Lan Qings in all the scenes looked up into the void, converging into one, the light and shadow returning to the small, noisy restaurant from the beginning.

The BGM stopped. Everything became extremely quiet in that instant, and in the endless darkness, a pair of wolf cub-like eyes opened.

” I’m Lan Qing, Challenger A0059.”

“My wish is to go home, and—to survive.”