Chapter 199 - 80: The First Person to Eat a Crab

Chapter 199: Chapter 80: The First Person to Eat a Crab

"What?" On their end of the line, Yu Xian and Wen Xiao were stunned.

’They don’t understand the principle?’

’How is that possible?’

’This experiment and technology clearly came from Professor Mo’s research group. How could they not understand the principle?’

"If they don’t even understand the principle, then how did they conduct the experiment? And where did the data come from?" Yu Xian asked urgently.

"That’s the strangest part," Yang Yiyi explained.

"In those early reports, they called this phenomenon the ’Synchronous Resonance Effect.’ The initial discovery appears to have been a complete accident. From the records, it looks like the research group was trying to use different audio frequencies to interfere with their subjects’ sleep cycles. Then, during a chance adjustment of the parameters and audio, two volunteers from what were supposed to be independent sleep monitoring sessions actually described extremely similar dream fragments upon waking."

"So, in other words, this is something they just accidentally ’stumbled upon’ during an experiment?" Yu Xian’s brow furrowed.

"You could say that. I saw in several consecutive experiment logs that the researchers initially thought it was a coincidence, or some kind of psychological suggestion. But as they continued to adjust the audio and repeat the experiment, the probability of this ’coincidence’ appearing grew higher and higher, until finally... it became one hundred percent reproducible." Senior Sister Yiyi’s voice trembled slightly.

"There was a note in the log that really stuck with me. It went something like this: ’We’re like people who have fumbled around in the dark and found a switch that was already there. We don’t know what circuit the switch is connected to, or where its generator is. We only know that when we flip this switch, the light comes on.’"

As Yu Xian listened to her words, a chill crawled up his spine.

’This... this isn’t just a "technological black box" issue anymore.’

’If this were a technology developed by Professor Mo’s team, then no matter how advanced, there would ultimately be a trail to follow. But if even they don’t know the principle, and merely "discovered" and "utilized" the phenomenon...’

’The feeling it gave Yu Xian was like when early humans discovered fire. Even though they didn’t know why it burned or understand the principle of oxidation, they still learned how to use it and preserve its embers.’

’Could it be that this "Dream Net" connection method, just like fire...’

’...is something that exists naturally, inherent to the world itself?’

’A fundamental, unrecognized law governing our world?’

’If that’s the case, then what exactly is hiding behind this "Dream Net"?’

’And what about that unseen "server"?’

’Is it a real, physical machine, or is it something... more indescribable?’

"It’s like gravity," Yu Xian said, voicing his hypothesis.

"Gravity has always existed. Newton just discovered it and came up with the formula. It wasn’t until Einstein’s theory of general relativity that we had an explanation that could be verified by modern science: ’Gravity is, in essence, the geometric curvature of spacetime caused by mass and energy.’ But..."

He felt a lump form in his throat.

"But as for *why* mass and energy curve spacetime, what the more fundamental mechanism is... modern physics still doesn’t have a final answer."

"So... should we still try it?" Wen Xiao asked, looking at Yu Xian hesitantly.

"If we don’t even understand how it works, what if flipping this ’switch’ opens something that shouldn’t be opened...?"

"You guys... you’re not actually thinking of trying to connect to the Dream Net, are you?" Hearing Wen Xiao, Senior Sister Yiyi couldn’t help but ask with concern.

"The experimental reports don’t mention any obvious side effects, but... you have to respect the unknown."

Yu Xian fell silent.

According to the discussion he and Wen Xiao had at the mall that afternoon, shared dreaming—or Dreamscape 2.0, as they called it—was a crucial step in capturing users’ time online within their dreams.

Although Rabbit Hole had already pulled many people off those mysterious "buses," the safe audio versions still couldn’t resolve the underlying risk of source memory confusion.

And if they wanted to roll out their "reality anchor" solution on a large scale, they would need to leverage the appeal of a shared connection.

But... if this was just an unknown natural phenomenon, that would be one thing. What if... what if there was some incomprehensible or even harmful power hiding behind it?

Yu Xian’s fingers tapped lightly against the sofa. This was truly a momentous decision—for himself, for Wen Xiao, and for their future users.

But...

’Didn’t the first person to use fire get burned?’

’Didn’t the first person to eat a crab get their fingers pinched?’

’It was practically inevitable.’

’In humanity’s long history of evolution, every encounter with the unknown has come at a price.’

’But it was fire that allowed humanity to drive away the darkness and the cold of night.’

’It was the courage to experiment that allowed them to find food in desperate situations.’

At this moment, they were like a blind man walking forward alone, not knowing if a bottomless cliff or a smooth, open road lay ahead.

"The way things are now, we don’t have any better options," Yu Xian said, his tone calm.

"The ’Midnight Bus’ is already running rampant. It’s a weapon in someone else’s hands, and the source memory confusion it causes is like a time bomb, set to go off at any moment."

He glanced at Wen Xiao beside him, then explained to Yang Yiyi over the phone what they had discussed at the mall that afternoon.