54: Chapter 54 The Data Torrent, Immersed in Reality

Seated at the very Origin of the Dream World, Zhou Meng's consciousness was like invisible cosmic background radiation, enveloping the boundless world he had created. But unlike before, where it was more about feeling, listening, and mental guidance, at this moment, a digitized interface—magnificent, complex, and beyond Mortal imagination—floated clearly "before his eyes," visible only to him.

[creator panel - Zhou Meng]

Dominator: Zhou Meng

Authorities: Dream Creation (LV3), Turning Falsehood into Reality (LV3)

Dream World Status: High-speed expansion phase (accelerated rule self-evolution, exponential growth in ecological diversity)

Current Dream Power Reserves: 412,855,119 points (continuing high-speed growth, growth rate +18.3%/hour)

Real-time Dream Power Inflow: 21,094 points/second (Main sources: Host emotional fluctuations, task settlements, Real World pan-consciousness stream)

Connected Active Hosts: 8,441,926 (↑ Exponential growth)

Total Dream Spirits Created: 9,128,355 (Including active and NPC-ified)

Spirits Manifested in Reality: 7,985,411 (↑ Explosive growth, approaching the number of active Hosts)

Real World Abnormal Fluctuation Index: High (Continuing to climb, extremely high intensity peaks appearing in local areas)

Dream World Influence: [World-Renowned]

Special Event Monitoring:

[Lord of the Deep Sea (Earthly Dao)] Activity: Medium (Continuous whispering, infiltrating...)

[Lord of Corruption (Earthly Dao)] Activity: Medium (Termite nest node damaged, infiltration mode adjusted, continuous spreading...)

[God of Life (Heavenly Dao)] Activity: Medium (Blessings spreading, balancing forces...)

[God of the Ocean (Heavenly Dao)] Activity: Low (Will condensing, Domain construction in progress...)

Reality Anchor (Dream Gate) Distribution:

Discovered and Bound: 14,772 gates (Teams account for 71%, Lone Wolves account for 29%)

Undiscovered/Unbound: 38,445 gates (Continuing to generate naturally...)

Gate Rank Distribution: E-Rank (81%), D-Rank (17%), C-Rank (2%), B-Rank and above (<0.1%)

Highest Rank Gates: C-Rank (5 gates, all team-bound)

Potential Risk Gates (Unbound, located in densely populated/environmentally fragile areas): 3,887 gates (Highlighted in red)

Looking at the explosive growth of data on the panel, a complex curve formed at the corners of Zhou Meng's mouth. All of this was largely due to the invisible [Network Concept Dream Spirit] he had manifested earlier using a massive amount of Dream Power.

It was like a viral invitation lurking in the global ocean of information, silently screening and connecting Souls in reality who possessed potential Mental Energy, were dissatisfied with the status quo, or yearned for miracles. This caused the growth curve of Host numbers to shift from a linear climb to a near-vertical explosion.

With the explosion of the Host base and the diversification of Dream Power acquisition methods, the number of Hosts able to accumulate enough Dream Power to manifest their own spirits into reality naturally experienced a massive surge. Nearly eight million manifested spirits! This number meant that almost every active Host was accompanied by a transcendent partner from the dream. Whether visible or hidden, they truly existed in the Real World, fundamentally changing the micro-structure of society.

His gaze focused on the [Reality Anchor (Dream Gate)] column.

Nearly fifteen thousand gates had been bound, which was within his expectations. But what truly concerned him were those thirty-eight thousand plus undiscovered and unbound Dream Gates, the vast majority of which (over 98%) were E-Rank and D-Rank portals.

These low-level portals were like tiny "pores" quietly appearing on the skin of the Real World, randomly distributed in every corner. Being unbound by a Host meant they were in an "undefended" state, operating according to their inherent rules: only allowing life forms with an energy level no higher than the portal itself to pass through, with a limited number of daily passages that refreshed at midnight.

[Real-Time Monitoring Log - Reality Infiltration (Summary)]

Timestamp [Real World 03:17, South America]: [E-734 Zone Gate (Unbound, Coordinates: 69°55' W, 4°27' S, deep within Manu National Park, Peru)] monitored 3 [Fluorescent Spore Mushrooms] (E-Rank, non-aggressive) passing through (Today's passages: 3/10). Currently moving randomly within 30 meters of the portal.

Timestamp [Real World 08:02, Asia]: [D-112 Zone Gate (Unbound, Coordinates: 121°31' E, 25°02' N, underground in an abandoned factory in Taipei City)] monitored 1 group (approx. 15) of [Shadow Bats] (E+ Rank) passing through (Today's passages: 15/15, limit reached). Have spread to the alleys around the factory, active at night and hiding by day.

Timestamp [Real World 11:45, Europe]: [D-009 Zone Gate (Unbound, Coordinates: 12°29' E, 55°40' N, a forest on the Jutland Peninsula, Denmark)] monitored 1 [Ice Wight] (C-Rank) attempting to pass... Warning: Target energy level (C) is higher than portal energy level (D), passage rule rejected! Target is pacing restlessly inside the portal; the emitted cold air has caused frost to form on a small area of vegetation on the reality side.

Timestamp [Real World 14:20, Africa]: [E-889 Zone Gate (Unbound, Coordinates: 33°54' E, 18°25' S, a coastal cave in Cape Town, South Africa)] monitored 1 [Corrupted Vine (Juvenile)] (D-Rank) attempting to pass... Warning: Target energy level (D) is higher than portal energy level (E), passage rule rejected! The vine is repeatedly lashing the rock walls inside the portal, unable to cross.

Timestamp [Real World 19:55, North America]: [D-451 Zone Gate (Unbound, Coordinates: 118°14' W, 34°06' N, deep within a drainage System in Los Angeles)] monitored a small number of [Sand-Walking Ants] (E-Rank) periodically passing through (8 passages today, 2 remaining). Attempting to construct an unstable nest within the damp pipes.

Timestamp [Real World 22:40, Oceania]: [E-1209 Zone Gate (Unbound, Coordinates: 146°25' E, 41°12' S, Tasmania Wilderness)] monitored 1 [Stray Light Spirit] (E-Rank) passing through (Today's passages: 1/10). Drifting aimlessly among the eucalyptus trees under the moonlight.

The log scrolled rapidly, displaying scenes of reality being slowly "infiltrated" by the dream. Rules were operating strictly, and higher-order creatures were restricted, but low-level creatures still followed their instincts, using the limited passage counts to try and establish bridgeheads on the reality side. From the South American rainforests to the North European forests, from Asian metropolises to African coasts, the sparks of the dream were quietly scattering through these unattended doorways.

Their existence began to trigger a series of chain reactions. Urban legend sections on the internet became increasingly active, some blurred video clips quietly circulated on social media before quickly disappearing, and local news began reporting on "unidentified luminous objects" or "abnormal mass lethargy." The cordons of official agencies grew longer and longer, and the wording of announcements became more rigorous and elusive, but faced with the vast number of low-level portals appearing randomly across the globe and the "small troubles" they brought, they showed signs of exhaustion and inadequacy.

Zhou Meng watched all of this quietly.

The overture of chaos had already begun. The physical rules of the Real World were being continuously and steadily infiltrated and modified by the idealistic power from the dream through these tens of thousands of low-level doorways.

The world he created was no longer satisfied with existing only in dreams. Its tentacles and its whispers were pouring into the "ordinary" world he was once familiar with, with unprecedented breadth and patience.

"The accumulation of quantity will eventually trigger a qualitative change..." Zhou Meng whispered to himself, his eyes showing no worry, but instead flashing with a strange light of witnessing history and driving the tide. He knew that as these tiny connection points spread across the globe continued to operate, and as more Hosts grew up to discover and bind higher-level portals, the Real World would undergo even more earth-shattering changes.

And all he had to do was sit at the source of it all, looking down at this grand wave he had personally set off, sweeping through two worlds. The torrent of data surged in his eyes, and the canvas of reality was being rendered anew by countless fine dream brushstrokes. A brand-new era was unstoppably descending, accompanied by more than thirty-eight thousand doorways that quietly opened and closed according to the rules.