Chapter 285: Sunday: No More Pretending! I Am Creating "The Perfect Dream"!
"Tap, tap, tap…"
Rapid footsteps flashed through the corridor.
Some sensitive guests peered out through their windows to check the situation, but they only caught a glimpse of a purple figure darting past.
At the end of the hallway, the woman faced a bare wall, a helpless expression on her face.
"Why is it a dead end again?"
"Shouldn't this be the staircase leading to the upper floors?"
Acheron glanced at the time on a nearby billboard. The scheduled meeting time had already passed.
It wasn't that Acheron was intentionally late; it was just that every floor in this hotel looked exactly the same! She was lost.
Relying on her intuition, she headed toward the other end. After passing through a corridor, the space suddenly opened up.
In front of her was a lounge area. The end of it looked bustling and vibrant, appearing to be a bar.
"Have I already walked out of the guest room area? Where is this?"
To avoid unnecessary trouble, Acheron had tried her best to avoid crowds along the way. Now, she had the urge to ask someone for directions, even though her identity would likely terrify them…
Suddenly, a broadcast speaker on the wall emitted a sound.
"What I am about to say next may carry some significant weight for all of you…"
Acheron recognized the voice immediately. It was Sunday.
Deciding not to look for the way anymore, she sat down at a nearby tea table. It didn't matter; she could listen from here.
"As I just said, the other faction within The Family belongs to the Order…"
The Order, huh…
Acheron wasn't surprised, but for everyone else, this was undoubtedly explosive news!
Inside the bar, the originally lively atmosphere became so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Everyone wore subtle expressions, simultaneously wishing they could press their ears against the broadcast speaker.
Sunday paused slightly before continuing: "But has The Family truly turned away from The Harmony? I do not think so."
"Because… both I and the Dream Master are Pathstriders of the Order."
Once these words were spoken, the people on the scene were struck as if by lightning! Everyone seemed to have been frozen in place!
A bartender was pouring a drink, but the liquid had long since overflowed from the glass and dripped onto the floor, yet he remained completely unaware.
Boothill had planted a bug earlier, though few held any hope of hearing anything useful. Yet, after only a dozen minutes, such explosive news had come through the broadcast!
After a deathly silence, Aventurine's voice sounded: "Mr. Sunday, what did you just say? I don't think I heard you correctly."
"Do not doubt my words, Mr. Aventurine."
"I said, this is an open and honest conversation."
"If you need confirmation, I can repeat it."
"—Both I and the Dream Master are Pathstriders of the Order."
"What! The hell! So you were the mole all along?"
As Boothill finished speaking, the sound of a bullet being chambered echoed.
Welt's voice followed: "Apologies, this news is indeed a bit too… unexpected. We truly need a moment to process this."
Now it could be confirmed! Boothill had infiltrated the meeting hosted by Sunday. The content in this broadcast was real! It was a meeting currently taking place within The Family!
"Damn, this news is insane!"
"The Order! I never would've guessed in a million years it was the Order!"
"I've already recorded it; I'm posting it online in a second!"
"Has Sunday lost his mind? Why would he suddenly admit to something like this?"
"The Family is finished!"
Although they couldn't see it, only hear it, through the shift in tone, everyone in the bar could almost imagine the tense, confrontational atmosphere at the scene! Sunday had finally shown his hand!
However, there was no expected violent confrontation.
Sunday's tone remained calm and composed: "I believe you must all be confused—why would I voluntarily reveal this information that seems extremely disadvantageous to myself?"
"All of this is thanks to the game, Honkai: Star Rail."
"It allowed me to see another possibility."
"Even the ignorant and weak, the mundane masses…"
"Can still understand and identify with the meaning of happiness through the plot within the game."
"Therefore…"
"I will tell everyone in Penacony right now—"
At this moment, not just in the bar, but Sunday's voice rang out simultaneously across every major area of Penacony! Whether it was the hotel guest rooms or the facility areas… or the street corners of the various dreamscapes…
The power of The Harmony was manifested. Sunday's voice reached the ears of every single person in Penacony!
Many people thought they were experiencing an emergency, and they nervously froze in place, listening carefully to what Sunday would say next!
"Four system hours from now, I will open a paradise of my ideals in Penacony."
"Unlike the existing dreamscape of Penacony."
"In this ideal paradise, everyone will obtain the life they have always dreamed of."
"No more painful choices, no more pressure of living, no more lost futures…"
"Friends who are hearing this message, please judge carefully and seriously. Language is pale and weak, unable to describe the appearance of that ideal…"
"Those who wish to enter this paradise only need to stay in Penacony."
"As for those who do not wish to experience it, I will not force you. You have four system hours to leave."
In the meeting room, Sunday exhaled slightly. Even for him, after making this decision and actually executing it, he couldn't help but feel a sense of melancholy.
It had to be said, this decision was bold! Even the Dream Master had felt it was too crazy upon hearing it! If this step went wrong, it would be a catastrophe for The Family! It was no different from destroying one's own city.
But! Sunday still did it!
Because he knew that even if he continued to hide it, the upcoming plot would sooner or later expose his and the Dream Master's true identities and all their schemes!
Rather than waiting until then to be solidified as the villain, it was better to lay his cards on the table now!
This could be called a massive gamble!
Sunday believed that, according to the style of Feathered Spirit, the subsequent plot certainly wouldn't mindlessly label him as a villain. Instead, it would show his viewpoints and philosophy step by step within the narrative…
The choices he had experienced, the inner transformations… would likely also be performed in the form of a plot.
Just like Aventurine's storyline.
It would eventually present a proposition—
The sweet dream of Penacony could only be saved by the Order, which enforced the weak with the strong, and only by attributing the happiness of the masses under a single Order could injustice be avoided!
Sunday believed there was nothing wrong with this! This was a necessary process to walk the path of righteousness!
"Four system hours, enough time to finish the current main storyline."
"When the plot regarding [ me ] appears, how many people will truly identify with my philosophy, and how many will be willing to enter this paradise?"
"I shall wait and see."
A flash of light crossed Sunday's eyes. Based on his understanding of human nature, after his open and honest declaration, he believed the number of people who would support him would definitely not be small!