America: I'm really not crazy

Chapter 101 Carousel

What does it feel like to be alive?

Is it breathing?

Is that a heartbeat?

Is it thinking?

This seems to be what life is all about, but it also seems to be more than just that.

I rode on the carousel, bathed in soft light, listening to cheerful music.

But as far as the eye could see, there was nothing but endless darkness and deathly silence, except for the carousel.

Until I heard a call.

"Li Wei!"

That's... my name.

Yes, I am Li Wei.

But... what does "Li Wei" represent?

A name, a past, a person.

But why can't I remember anything except this name?

"Li Wei! Wake up!"

The voice sounded somewhat familiar, like something called "friend".

But... what exactly is a "friend"?

I don't know, I just found that sound a bit annoying.

I still don't understand what "living" really means!

I want to punch that thing called "friend" in the face and shut him up.

In this way, I can quietly continue to think about the question of "living".

Hmm... why would I have this thought?

Yes, I am very strong.

I am stronger than most humans on this planet, so I can use "violence" to solve most problems in the simplest and most direct way.

No, I'm not strong enough.

Because it seems that there are more than just "humans" on this planet?

What is that silver-gray figure?

The ocean moved with his wave of the hand, and the starry sky blossomed because of him...

Oh, is that something called "God"?

Since there is a "god" in this world, can he send me home?

Back to... that apartment in Miami?

No, that's not my home, it's just my house.

I...I'm a time traveler! I remember now! I'm a time traveler!

Li Wei, the time traveler!

And that's not all!

I also have a "villain system"!

So, am I the villain of this world?

No wonder "God" wanted to kill me.

I guess I really should die, because "villains" are usually bad people.

But I don't want to die.

Because I haven't figured out... what truly constitutes "living".

"Thomas, this won't work. I've already asked Eliza."

"Given Li Wei's current condition, whether he can wake up is no longer a medical question, but rather whether 'God'... is willing to let him return."

Another somewhat familiar voice rang out.

But this time it was a woman's voice.

Her name is... what was her name again?

And then there's "Thomas," that name sounds familiar, but I can't quite put my finger on why.

Familiar, yet unfamiliar...

Is this what "friends" are?

It seems a bit off, but it also seems like there's nothing wrong with it.

I can't figure it out.

However, this doesn't seem to matter much.

The important thing is whether "wake up" and whether "God" is willing.

I'm sitting on the carousel, perfectly awake, so why do I need to "wake up"?

And is "God" willing to let me wake up?

He was planning to kill me with his own hands, how could he possibly want me to wake up?

Hmm... to be an enemy of "God"?

It seems like... quite an interesting thing.

Okay, it seems I really am a "villain".

But this feeling isn't so bad.

[Task Rating: A]

[Mission Evaluation: Although it wasn't what I expected, you at least held on until rescue arrived.]

[Reward: *Isaac Newton's Alchemy Notebooks*]

The system's voice suddenly sounded, and I found that my head was filled with a lot of seemingly "messy" knowledge.

This knowledge isn't very "scientific," but rather quite "mystical."

Green Lion, Philosopher's Mercury, Antimony of the Star, Philosopher's Stone, Theory of Matter Transformation...

The content comprises millions of words and includes a systematic and logically consistent theory of "mysticism".

However, before I could process all of this, the system's voice sounded again.

[Mission: Awaken.]

[Reward: Mystic Talent (Beginner)]

I feel like the system is mocking me for having no talent for mysticism.

But the system... seems to be correct.

I briefly recalled the contents of "Isaac Newton's Alchemy Notebooks," and I found that I recognized each letter and the words they formed, but I couldn't understand the words when they were put together...

"idiot."

But that doesn't stop me from hurling insults at the system.

After all, I'm the villain.

How could villains possibly reason? Of course, they'll do whatever makes them happy.

Thinking about it that way, being a villain doesn't seem so bad.

"You can go now. Although Danielle has been unhypnotized, she's not in good condition and needs to be taken care of."

"As for Li Wei... leave him to me, I'll take good care of him."

"I will let everyone know when he is better."

The woman's voice rang out again.

This time, I heard a new name.

Danielle.

Who is Danielle?

I still can't remember.

Moreover, why do they keep talking about "waking up"? Even the system thinks so.

Is the carousel and endless darkness before us not the true nature of the "world"?

I suddenly realized!

Yes! The world isn't like that!

The next moment, fragmented memories flooded into my mind.

Battlefield, terrorists, peacekeeping forces, abandonment.

Li Weibang, unifying Miami's underworld.

And... Lawrence Chambers!

That is... the name of "God".

However, this "god" does not seem to be the "benevolent" type, but rather an "evil god".

Am I fighting against an evil god?

A villain who opposes an evil god?

Are there no positive characters in this world?

It's not impossible, anyway, the subject matter itself is interesting enough.

Is my taste a bit too low?

Do I just want to be a gangster boss?

A gangster boss who fights against an evil god?

What kind of trash story is this?

However, running away from problems is not my style.

And I'm not just a gangster boss anymore.

Instead, he was a gangster boss with systematic knowledge of occultism.

Hmm... never mind, let's ignore the gangster boss identity and focus on the occult.

At least, the art style is still acceptable.

Speaking of which, where is this wretched place we're in?

Conventional knowledge seems unable to explain it.

How about trying the occult?

I began to recall the "Isaac Newton's Alchemy Notebooks" in my mind and tried to understand it.

I don't know how much time passed, and I even forgot to mention the most basic "". I finally figured out the basics.

In alchemy, circles, cycles, and rotations are the core symbols of the "Great Work".

The carousel is its own alchemy workshop, a place for the transformation of the soul.

The lights on the carousel are "the light of philosophers," a medium connecting the material and the spiritual.

It is neither sunlight (the completely material world) nor complete darkness (the chaos of the spiritual world), but rather a "transitional light" that lies between the two.

The music in question is "celestial music" produced by the movement of celestial bodies.

It is a harmonious frequency that cannot be heard by the human ear but can be perceived by the soul.

It symbolizes the guidance and order of the soul.

"In other words, I'm not sitting on the carousel 'waiting for death,' but 'receiving alchemical transformation.'"

"If the system corresponds to 'divine guidance' in alchemy, then that means..."

"When I step off the carousel, it means I will be reborn."

"This is the true meaning of 'awakening'."