The door opened without a sound.
No creaking hinges. No rush of wind. No sign that anything had physically pushed it.
It was as if the door simply "yielded" to something invisible.
And behind it, several figures stood silently.
They did not enter all at once. There was no hurry. They didn't move like ordinary people arriving with a clear purpose.
Their movements were too measured.
Too synchronized.
Too… uniform.
Lin Xuan stared at them without blinking.
For the first time since all this began, he didn't feel like he was facing a single entity.
But something worse:
A system taking human form just to be able to stand in this space.
Long Yuer stepped slightly forward, blocking the direct line of sight between Lin Xuan and them.
The movement was small, but incredibly firm.
"…Don't respond to anything," she said quietly.
Lin Xuan gave a small nod.
"…Who are they?"
Long Yuer didn't answer immediately.
Her eyes remained fixed on the figures at the door.
"…Field-level Observer Units," she finally said.
"…Not the primary ones. But enough for immediate execution."
One of them stepped inside.
One step.
Just one.
But the atmosphere of the room shifted instantly.
It felt as if the air had lost its balance.
Lin Xuan's phone vibrated.
📡 DIRECT GRID ACCESS CONFIRMED
📡 LOCAL PHYSICS STABILITY: FLUCTUATING
"…What does 'physics stability' mean?" Lin Xuan muttered.
Long Yuer answered softly.
"…They are beginning to adjust the parameters of the space here."
Lin Xuan looked at her quickly.
"…Adjusting space?"
"Yes."
"…To make it compatible with their system."
A second figure entered.
Then a third.
All stopped at the exact same distance.
No one stood closer or further away.
It was as if those distances had been predetermined from the start.
And then—
One of them spoke.
"Subject Lin Xuan."
His name was spoken without error.
Without human intonation.
It was merely data being voiced.
Lin Xuan did not answer.
Long Yuer remained still in front of him.
The figure continued.
"Phase one field verification initiated."
Lin Xuan frowned slightly.
"…Verification again…"
Long Yuer whispered without turning around.
"…This isn't like before."
"…What's the difference?"
"Earlier, they were observing."
"…Now, they are testing your direct response."
Lin Xuan's phone changed again.
📡 TEST ENVIRONMENT INITIALIZED
📡 SUBJECT RESPONSE REQUIRED
"…Response?" Lin Xuan murmured.
"…What response?"
Suddenly—
One of the Observers raised a hand slightly.
And in that same second—
The room lights flickered.
Once.
Twice.
Then stopped.
The air grew heavier.
Not from ordinary pressure.
But as if the "rules of the world" were being shifted slightly.
Lin Xuan felt something in his head.
As if his thoughts were being pulled to the surface.
"…This is like before…" he muttered.
Long Yuer immediately raised her hand.
Faint energy appeared again, but this time it was more stable and dense.
"…He is attempting a forced synchronization," she said.
"…Synchronization with what?"
"Your response with their system."
Lin Xuan tensed up.
"…And if I don't go along with it?"
Long Yuer answered shortly.
"…They will escalate the test level."
The Observer spoke again.
"Subject shows initial resistance."
Lin Xuan stared at them.
"…They can even judge that?"
Long Yuer nodded.
"…All your responses have become data."
Suddenly—
The room felt as if it were "divided."
Not physically.
But perceptually.
Lin Xuan felt as if he were in two spaces at once.
One small bedroom.
One infinite void.
"…What is this…" he whispered.
Long Yuer turned her head sharply.
"…Don't focus on it."
"…Why?"
"Because that is the first effect of their test."
The Observer standing at the front took a step.
Just a small one.
But enough to make "normal space" grow even blurrier.
Lin Xuan's phone changed again.
📡 COGNITIVE SPLIT DETECTED
"…Cognitive split?" Lin Xuan repeated.
"…What is that?"
Long Yuer answered quietly.
"…They are trying to fracture your focus of consciousness."
"…For what?"
"To see if you remain stable as a single entity."
Lin Xuan stared blankly for a moment.
"…And if I'm not stable?"
Long Yuer didn't answer directly.
But her silence was clear enough.
The Observer spoke again.
"Commencing stimulus test 1."
And in an instant—
The sound in the room changed.
It wasn't a loud noise.
But like reality was "re-echoing."
Lin Xuan heard things that weren't there before.
The sound of footsteps.
The sound of distant conversations.
The sounds of normal life.
"…What is this?" he muttered.
Long Yuer immediately held a hand out into the air.
A wave of energy held back something invisible.
"…Environmental data illusion," she said quickly.
"…What are they putting in here?"
"Fragments of another world."
"…To test whether you can distinguish reality."
Lin Xuan winced.
"…Is this like a simulation?"
"…More like a perceptual replacement."
Lin Xuan's phone changed again.
📡 REALITY CONSISTENCY TEST: ACTIVE
Lin Xuan took a slow breath.
"…So I have to tell which one is real?"
Long Yuer nodded.
"…And stay stable."
The Observer spoke again.
"Subject is requested to maintain identity."
Lin Xuan looked at them.
"…Identity?"
Long Yuer replied softly.
"…Yourself."
The sounds around them grew stronger.
As if another world were trying to stack itself on top of this one.
But Lin Xuan remained standing.
His hands trembled slightly.
But his eyes did not turn away.
"…I'm still here," he muttered quietly.
Long Yuer glanced at him briefly.
"…Good."
The Observers paused for a moment.
Then a single voice emerged.
Different from before.
More… "measured."
"Subject stability: 83%."
Lin Xuan frowned.
"…Did the number go down?"
Long Yuer answered quickly.
"…Because you are being tested."
Suddenly—
All the illusions around them vanished.
In an instant.
As if forcibly disconnected.
Silence returned.
The Observers did not speak immediately.
They stood in silence for a moment.
As if their internal systems were recalculating.
And then—
The voice returned.
"Subject shows adaptation to the reality test."
Lin Xuan drew a slow breath.
"…So, did I pass?"
Long Yuer didn't answer immediately.
Her eyes remained fixed on them.
"…For the first stage, yes."
Lin Xuan's phone changed again.
📡 TEST PHASE 1: PASSED
📡 UPGRADE OBSERVATION PRIORITY
Lin Xuan stared at the screen for a long time.
"…And if I had failed?"
Long Yuer answered quietly.
"…You would not remain an active subject."
Silence.
The Observers began to take a step back.
They didn't leave.
But it was as if they were "finalizing initial data."
And before they truly stopped—
A final voice was heard.
"Subject Lin Xuan: initial compatibility confirmed."
Lin Xuan looked at them.
"…Compatibility?"
Long Yuer answered softly.
"…It means you can continue to be processed."
The Observers slowly faded from the doorway.
They didn't walk out like humans.
They were "retracted by the system."
The door closed on its own.
Silence.
And for several seconds—
There was no sound at all.
Lin Xuan's phone changed one last time that night.
📡 SUBJECT STATUS: ACTIVE NODE CONFIRMED
Lin Xuan stared at the screen for a long time.
"…I'm not a normal person anymore."
Long Yuer answered softly.
"…Now, you are part of something much larger."
And outside the window—
The city lights remained lit as usual.
As if nothing had changed.
But inside that room—
Something had just decided that Lin Xuan was worthy to proceed.
🔥 END CHAPTER 17