BSI Chapter 60 The Way to Break the Deadlock: Zhuangzi
Chapter 60 The Way to Break the Deadlock: Zhuangzi
Even more unsettling was the invisible, suffocating sense of oppression emanating from the depths of the gray fog.
It was as if some indescribable entity was silently approaching the window, inch by inch.
The glass window began to make a faint "clicking" sound...
Lin Feng's heart pounded wildly in his chest, and cold sweat instantly soaked through his shirt.
He felt that the invisible force not only bound his body, but also tried to seep into his bones like ice water, freezing his will.
"Calm down! I must calm down!" Lin Feng took a deep breath. "The rules won't leave you in a hopeless situation; there must be a way out!"
"The core of ghost stories is rules and logic, not pure brute force. There must be some kind of 'key' that I've overlooked!"
【Mental Fortress】The talent is passively activated under high pressure, like an invisible barrier, stubbornly resisting the increasingly strong mental pressure outside the window and the terrifying beast growing in the heart.
His gaze, like a searchlight, swept across every corner of the cafeteria with unprecedented speed—
The expressionless woman behind the food serving window, the rigid propaganda posters on the walls, and the hundred or so students in the cafeteria eating with their heads down, occasionally exchanging a few words in hushed tones…
Suddenly, his gaze settled on a piece of art on the wall diagonally opposite, mixed in with a bunch of ordinary propaganda posters.
That painting was completely different from the others!
It lacks vibrant colors and slogans, instead employing a simple ink-brush technique to depict the image of an elderly man with flowing robes and a carefree demeanor.
It's Zhuangzi!
Below the portrait, a sentence is written in simple, ancient regular script:
[Its spirit flows in all directions, reaching everywhere: extending to the heavens above and coiling around the earth below, nurturing all things.]
"The spirit flows in all directions... reaching every corner..."
Lin Feng subconsciously pondered these words in his mind, initially just a dying instinctual grasping.
What does that mean?
The spirit reaches out in all directions, flowing freely and overflowing, reaching everywhere it cannot reach...
It can reach the sky above and cover the earth below, nurturing all things...
It nurtures all things?!
An extremely vague idea suddenly ignited, like the first spark in the darkness.
Restraint?
We are now bound to our seats by an invisible force, and physical movement is completely prohibited.
But what are these rules, this power, binding?
It is our body, this "form" defined by both the laws of physics and the strange laws of this place!
The rules restrict the movement of the "body," but they... don't seem to directly target "consciousness"!
My mind is still working, I can still think, and I can still "see" these words!
That phrase "nothing is beyond measure" was like a second, even stronger lightning bolt, cleaving through the chaos of thought!
The spirit is boundless... It can reach anywhere and transcend any boundary!
So, can it transcend the constraints imposed on my body right now?
A bold, almost insane idea suddenly took shape in a flash, becoming crystal clear:
Since the physical act of "getting up" is now impossible due to the rules, then perhaps the way out lies in—
Define "action" using "consciousness"?
How can we use the rise of the "spirit" to fight against the constraints of the "body"?
I declare to the underlying rules of this space that my "spirit has risen"!
As soon as the thought crossed his mind, Lin Feng suddenly stretched out his right index finger, which could still move a little, and dipped it into the slightly cooled porridge in the bowl in front of him without hesitation.
He ignored the invisible pressure that threatened to crush his shoulders, and with all his strength and willpower, quickly wrote two large characters on the table—
"Get up!"
This is not communication, nor is it asking for help; rather, it is the most resolute and direct declaration of his own "state of being" at this moment, and the ultimate focus of his thoughts!
He poured all his will to survive and all his spiritual strength into these two words written with porridge water!
He was not only writing, but also frantically "believing" and "confirming" in his heart—I have gotten up!
Just as he finished writing the last stroke, at the peak of his concentration—
"Buzz!"
He clearly felt the cold, sticky, invisible force that was binding his body suddenly tremble!
It was like a solid layer of ice being branded with a red-hot iron, groaning under the strain!
The restraints... have loosened!
Without hesitation, and without even trying, Lin Feng followed the thought of "I have stood up," and his body naturally and lightly broke free of its shackles as he stood up from his seat!
The invisible constraints vanished from him the moment he stood up, like the receding tide!
He dared not delay for a moment, and before he could even savor the joy of being free, he immediately took off his still somewhat weak legs and rushed to an empty table far from the window, almost collapsing down.
Write it down! Write "Get up" or "Change seats" on the table with something! Concentrate all your thoughts! Believe in the state you are in when you write it down!
As soon as Lin Feng sat down, he quickly spoke to the three people, including Wasim, who were still struggling.
Wasim was the first to react.
Without any questioning, he immediately stabbed his thick fingers into his porridge bowl and slashed the words "Change Seats" across the table!
At the same time, he clenched his teeth, all his beliefs and the indomitable will of the criminal police were concentrated on these two words—"I want to change seats!"
Next up is Ichiro Sato.
His fingers trembled as he dipped them in soy milk and wrote "Get up" on the table in a crooked but unusually forceful hand.
He immediately closed his eyes, screaming frantically in his mind, "Get up! Get up! Get up now!"
The most difficult one was Apule.
He was already on the verge of a mental breakdown because of Thomas, and now he was completely swallowed up by that invisible fear. His mind went blank, and his whole body was so stiff that even bending his fingers was extremely difficult.
Hearing Lin Feng's reminder and seeing Vassim and Sato's actions, his survival instinct made him start to struggle.
Without dipping his finger in anything, he simply used his trembling fingertips, relying on pure intention, to draw an invisible "walk" character on the table.
Immediately, he focused all his remaining mental energy on this thought—leave! He must leave!
He could feel that the invisible restraint seemed to loosen slightly, like a crack appearing in the ice, but the force still firmly pinned him to the spot.
Just as he was exhausted and in despair, a strong hand suddenly grabbed his arm—
It is Wasim who has successfully stood up!
A tremendous force came, and Apler felt his body lighten as he was forcibly pulled off the chair, staggering and falling into the aisle.
The three of them immediately grabbed their plates, dragged their weak legs, staggered to Lin Feng's table, and quickly sat down.
He slammed the plate down on the table, then lowered his head deeply, his gaze fixed on the plate in front of him, not daring to glance at the terrifying window again.
Almost at the same instant they sat down, the thick gray fog outside the window began to churn violently, like a creature that had been thoroughly enraged!
A cruel, mocking will, defied and tyrannical, pierced through the glass and permeated the air.
The surging fog slammed against the window frame with a dull thud, making the four people who had successfully switched seats feel a chill run down their spines.
However, the limitations of some rules seemed to have reached their limit, and the gray fog ultimately failed to break through that transparent barrier, slowly retreating unwillingly.
Soon, the light mist outside the window returned to its previous state, and the outline of the ginkgo tree reappeared, faintly visible...