Chapter 40: The Truman Show

Page 40: The Truman Show

Looking into the distance, a transparent substance, much like glass, connected the sea and the sky. It stretched endlessly, with no visible boundaries above, below, or to the sides. Jiang Ren observed it closely and noticed that the transparent material had an extremely slight inward curvature. Although he could not see the entirety of it, these details alone suggested that the substance acted like a colossal glass dome, enclosing this continent and the more than four hundred million people who lived within it.

"What on earth is this..."

Jiang Ren stepped out of the car, closed the door behind him, and fixed his gaze once more upon the space between the sea and the sky.

*Puff!*

Instantly, a scorching, ghostly blue flame erupted from Jiang Ren's right eye. Under the heat of this intangible fire, the skin and flesh on the right side of his face melted away, revealing raw, crimson muscle and pure white bone beneath. Only that pulsating, blood-red eye remained completely unscathed. It was hideous, eerie, and terrifying.

"Why has it suddenly become so hot?"

Richard and Henry, who had been sitting beside him acting like mere shadows, suddenly noticed the temperature inside the car rising rapidly. In just a few seconds, the interior felt like a steamer. Both men, along with the driver in the front, felt an unbearable heat, sweat pouring from their bodies. Even turning down the car's climate control did nothing to help.

The rising temperature was linked to Jiang Ren's right eye—a special ability he had gained after consuming the blood-colored eyeball. He had initially assumed that his enhanced right eye merely granted him significantly improved vision and the ability to detect the faint presence of dangerous species. However, as he pushed the eye to its full potential, Jiang Ren realized he could see much further and perceive much more.

On the distant horizon, a massive "dome" stretched from the seabed to the celestial vault, enclosing the continent—a landmass of over twenty million square kilometers with a population of more than five hundred million. And he, himself, was a part of it.

Near the edge of the "dome," cargo ships and cruise liners, seemingly intent on leaving the country, were lined up in neat queues, slowly circling along the perimeter. The people on board, whether staff or tourists, showed no reaction to the bizarre phenomenon around them. They went about their business, their every movement entirely devoid of anything unusual. Occasionally, one or two ships would break away from the formation and slowly head toward a nearby port.

The people on those ships seemed somewhat lethargic, yet their faces held expressions of joy and reluctance, as if they were returning from a long vacation that had finally come to an end. The scene before him felt as though it were being manipulated by invisible hands from behind the scenes.

"So, this is the truth of this world!"

Jiang Ren muttered to himself, recalling the narration he had heard when he was born into this world:

[The twentieth century is a century of great achievements!]
[The rapid development of science and technology has brought humanity a convenient life and ever-changing transformations.]
[But at the end of the twentieth century, just as people were intoxicated by superficial prosperity under the control of capital, certain unknown entities—known only from legends—mysteriously appeared on this continent...]

It was not "appeared in this world." It was "appeared on this continent!"

Those dangerous species, harboring immense malice toward humanity, had not appeared in this world or on this planet, but specifically on this continent—a land where the Federation occupied nearly half the territory.

"Logically, I should have seen through such an obvious implication."

"And once I realized it, I would have used various means to verify it, such as traveling to other continents."

The left side of Jiang Ren's face, still intact, darkened. Having lived two lifetimes totaling forty years in this world, he realized he had never once doubted it, nor had he even stopped to think it through. This was no mere carelessness. He—or rather, everyone on this continent—had been influenced, their subconscious minds actively avoiding any contemplation of these glaring anomalies.

"To create a massive dome covering over twenty million square kilometers, imprisoning more than five hundred million people, and even manipulating the thoughts of everyone to make them believe they are living in a normal world..."

"How powerful must this entity be? And what is its purpose?"

As he thought this, a notion surfaced in his mind: "If I unleash my full power, could I destroy this dome?"

Looking at the massive structure, Jiang Ren’s expression grew increasingly grave. Before today, with his demonic left hand and beastly intuition, he had not believed anyone in this world could truly threaten him. But now, as he entertained the thought of destroying the dome, an icy chill surged through his heart. It was as if something were telling him not to do it—that if he did, he would surely die!

"If I cannot destroy it, then I will see what lies beyond!"

Jiang Ren did not want to test the validity of that feeling, but even if he could not attempt to destroy the "dome," he could still find a way to see more. After all, the blue ocean and sky outside the "dome" were not real.

Jiang Ren suppressed his restless heart and, pushing his right eye to its absolute limit, focused his vision onto the "dome." The ghostly blue flames expanded instantly, burning away the remaining skin and hair on his head, exposing the flesh and bone beneath.

"It's too hot! I can't take it anymore!"

Henry screamed, threw open the door, and scrambled out. Richard and the driver followed suit. If it had felt like a steamer before, it was now like a furnace. The three of them ran dozens of meters away, and only when they reached a bearable temperature did they look back with lingering fear, their eyes widening in shock. Beside the car, Jiang Ren’s head was like a torch, burning with ghostly blue fire.

Finally, Jiang Ren’s gaze pierced through the "dome," revealing the truth of what lay beyond.

Several luxury cruise liners, packed with tourists, were anchored on the sea just outside the "dome." The people on board held binoculars, excitedly watching the cargo ships and cruise liners circling in place inside, occasionally pointing at them with their fingers. Their smiling faces were filled with a sense of superiority, as if they were observing animals kept in a cage.

In that moment, Jiang Ren was reminded of a film: *The Truman Show*.

The protagonist of the film was the star of a popular soap opera, having lived his entire life in a vast, artificial set. He believed everything around him was real, never suspecting that his friends and family were all actors, or that the scenery in the distance was merely a backdrop. The setting of the movie seemed remarkably similar to what he saw before him. Inside were people blinded to the truth, unable to see the outside, believing they lived in a normal world. Yet, they were unaware that outside, countless people were watching their every move like a stage play.

"It wasn't them who did this!"

However, Jiang Ren did not believe the people outside were capable of such a feat. Although there were only a few cruise ships, he could see that the level of technology outside the "dome" appeared to be on par with that of the Federation. Furthermore, he realized that outside the "dome," there was no soil for supernatural powers to take root. Even a dangerous species that fed on humans to strengthen itself would find its power gradually dissipating until it died, as if cut off from its source.