Yu Tang didn't move.
He grasped the small blanket, peeled off the remaining raindrops from Zhan Chen's body, and dispersed them out of the window.
The warning line set up by the burning particles was not triggered and remained hidden in the air. When it came into contact with water vapor, it emitted a sizzling sound and curled up into white smoke.
Yu Tang asked, "Has the communication been restored?"
"Not yet." Zhan Chen said, "I came in as a host... I am Zhong San's bodyguard."
Yu Tang frowned slightly.
Zhan Chen opened his suitcase, took out the milk he brought for him, placed it by the fireplace to warm it, and took out a box of freshly baked cookies.
Zhan Chen patiently explained to him the process of how he came to this book.
Only the host can own an asteroid, so Zhan Chen could only temporarily seal up his identity as the person in charge of the mall, borrow a work card from someone from the Almighty Butler Department, and temporarily take on a substitute job.
Zhan Chen acted as a bodyguard. He followed Zhong San into the game and went to the auction house in area G9.
Except for VIP users, no one else enters the game in the same attire. Zhan Chen sensed the changes in Yu Tang through the storm, secretly came to find him, gave him a blanket and was about to go back.
Yu Tang took the warmed milk and said, "Senior Zhan, what are your abilities?"
Zhan Chen said: "Datafication."
He can transform his body into data, travel through any network in this world, and then restore it to its original body.
Yu Tang: "Can the ability be retained?"
"Okay." Zhan Chen nodded, "As long as you don't reverse time."
…
In other words, as long as they can successfully pass the game and finish the book this time, without reversing time, Zhan Chen will be able to continue to retain this ability.
This ability may be able to turn Zhan Chen from data back into a human.
The system was a little surprised: "Host! That's all..."
Yu Tang returned to his consciousness and unblocked: "Who asked Shi Ji to make a card for me?"
The system was stunned.
It didn't expect that Yu Tang would still think of this problem at this time. The little red light flashed guiltily: "S7... Shi Ji wanted to do it himself, and he asked me to help with the Dolphin..."
Yu Tang: "He asked you to help, and you agreed?"
This was the first time the system saw the host in this state. Snowflakes appeared on the screen, but no sound was made.
… It knew why Yu Tang was angry.
Luo Ran didn't understand, the card that Shi Ji left for Yu Tang was an S-level fighting skill card. It was the instinct of self-preservation and killing that Shi Ji had honed after going back and forth on the line between life and death over the years.
Shi Ji is now the hope of the alliance, but also the target of public criticism.
The conservative Zerg regarded him as a thorn in the side and left the skill card to Yu Tang, which was almost equivalent to leaving Shi Ji completely defenseless and exposed to danger.
"No... Host, Shi Ji is not so willful."
The system quietly admitted its mistake: "When you were in charge of Shi Ji's body and Mr. Zhan was solving the problem outside, he asked me to keep watch and secretly returned to Storm Mountain."
…
In the middle of the exercise, in order to completely solve the hidden dangers of the program for Shi Ji, Yu Tang took over Shi Ji's body and forcibly raised the fatigue value of this body to more than 75%.
After arranging everything, Yu Tang slept for a day and a night, and completely removed the program that controlled Shi Ji.
But Shi Ji woke up a little earlier.
Yu Tang had stockpiled a warehouse full of fighting skill cards. Shi Ji asked the system to take him to check them out, but he was not satisfied at all.
These fighting cards are too low-level and too rigid. They are fine for sparring and fighting in the ring, but when it comes to a life-and-death crisis, it is difficult for them to give the proper response.
Yu Tang might not face any danger next, so Shi Ji quietly stripped away his fighting skills, hid them in the wind chime, and asked the system to help keep watch outside.
Shi Ji remembered all the terrain in the storm cave.
He put on a gaming helmet, determined the direction and route from his sea of consciousness, and quietly entered the storm.
Time in the storm is immobile, and it is widely used in making up for various homework, rushing to finish manuscripts before the deadline, and sprint review before exams.
It is also suitable for allowing a person to enter a large-scale insect swarm simulation game in a storm, turn on the stand-alone mode, and conduct several high-intensity training on himself in a space without a time dimension.
The system didn’t know how long Shi Ji had been in there.
When Shi Ji came out of the storm, the system retested his fighting skills and found that he had returned to the top S level.
"Shi Ji said that Xiao Hongka had complained to him."
The system whispered, "He knows that Mr. Yu is not a person who likes to say goodbye."
Yu Tang doesn't like saying goodbye, so even if Shi Ji is reluctant to let him go, he will not go against Yu Tang's wishes.
He just finally gained freedom and could finally be nice to whoever he wanted.
No matter what, Shi Ji also wanted to give Yu Tang a gift in return.
…
Yu Tang: "Can you be absolutely sure that Shi Ji's current fighting level is still S-level?"
The system noticed the change in his tone and lit up a row of small red lights: "OK!"
In order to confirm his recovery, Shi Ji asked the captain to help him disguise himself and sneaked into Deputy Captain Nie's dormitory in the middle of the night.
Deputy Captain Nie acted as if he had seen a ghost. He sat up in shock in the middle of the night and burst out with his strongest fighting skills.
Zhuang Yu bit the whistle, raised a military telescope, and squatted on the roof to act as a referee.
Shi Ji not only successfully knocked down Deputy Captain Nie and escaped, but also successfully tripped Deputy Captain Nie before jumping out of the window to escape.
Yu Tang: “…”
System: "Captain Zhuang has also guaranteed that Shi Ji's fighting skills are absolutely fine!"
Yu Tang was often shocked by the way the special forces communicated with each other, and his mood was somewhat complicated. He rubbed his forehead and said, "... I know."
Yu Tang touched the system and apologized earnestly: "I'm sorry."
"Host, you don't need to apologize!" The system said quickly, "Host, you are thinking for Shi Ji. It is us who secretly hid it from the host, which made the host unhappy..."
Yu Tang shook his head: "It's not about this matter."
The system was slightly stunned.
They arrived at the safe point smoothly. The people there were very friendly and they also met Mr. Zhan who came to deliver a blanket.
Just now, they even found hope to turn Zhan Chen from data back into a human.
The system couldn't figure it out: "What is the host unhappy about?"
Yu Tang did not answer.
... So far, everything that has happened has been exactly as he expected.
Yu Tang has been thinking over and over again about what identity Senior Zhan will use to enter the game this time.
The most reasonable and optimistic guess he could make was that Zhan Chen would be able to obtain the host identity of the Almighty Butler Department and become Zhong San's assistant or bodyguard.
He had also thought about it several times. If there was a way to get the supernatural power related to the data, maybe he could find a way to restore Zhan Chen...
A hand gently covered his forehead.
Yu Tang was brought back to his senses by the familiar touch and looked towards Zhan Chen in front of him.
"Tired?" Zhan Chen said, "I'll keep watch for you, take a rest for a while."
Last night's rest was enough. Yu Tang raised his head under his palm and met Zhan Chen's gaze: "Senior Zhan, aren't you going back?"
Zhan Chen smiled and said, "It's not that urgent for now."
Yu Tang nodded without saying anything. He folded the thin blanket neatly and put it aside.
He wrapped himself in his coat, closed his eyes and lay down on the sofa.
Zhan Chen didn't say anything to disturb him. He sat down on the sofa and helped him organize his equipment.
There was a thunderstorm outside the villa, but the silence inside the house seemed like a different world.
The flow of time seemed to slow down quietly. The firewood in the fireplace burned, and tiny popping sounds occasionally could be heard in the dancing flames.
The light in the room was a little dim. Zhan Chen turned sideways and checked Yu Tang's equipment with the light coming in from the window.
Yu Tang rested his head on his arm, looking at his profile which was half hidden in the shadows.
The current Zhan Chen seemed much more real than that virtual image composed of data streams.
It was so true that it almost made him dazed for a moment, and he recalled the past long ago, when he was an undercover agent from the Security Department sitting on the floor of a cabin sorting out his equipment.
In that small house, he hid in a fort made of pillows, sneaked out, and waited to pounce on the other party when he wasn't paying attention, giving Zhan Chen a fright.
He could only move in the light, sometimes it was the headlights of a car passing by the window, sometimes it was the flickering flame of a candle, and sometimes it was the edge of the last bit of light from a desk lamp.
He played the hunting game with great interest, approaching cautiously and pouncing on Zhan Chen's shoulders or head.
Zhan Chen didn't need to move every time, he could just raise his hand and catch him firmly.
…
As if sensing Yu Tang's thoughts, Zhan Chen raised his head, his eyes revealing warm concern: "What are you thinking about?"
Yu Tang sat up: "Senior, don't you know?"
Zhan Chen was slightly surprised.
He saw Yu Tang standing up and subconsciously reached out to help him, but his hand was empty.
Yu Tang avoided his hand, stood up and walked to the window.
The rain outside the window was so heavy that it was impossible to see clearly, but if he looked carefully, he would find that the "No. 39" who led him into the villa had disappeared in the rain.
"It's twelve o'clock now." said Yu Tang.
"We started playing the game at 9:30 last night, and at 8 this morning, the game announced the assimilation rules through the NPCs."
"At nine o'clock in the morning, players and their belongings began to be assimilated into the world for the first time."
Yu Tang said: "It started to rain at 9:17. This time the rain also had the power of assimilation, so at 10:17, No. 2 to No. 6 also assimilated into rain."
"I received the rules for the safety point at 10:13."
Yu Tang said: "After receiving the rules, I have been wondering why the disappearance interval of the safety point is set at 13 hours."
The system was already a little dizzy, and it flashed a small red light helpfully: "What?"
"The time when the safe point disappears is not calculated from the time when assimilation begins."
Yu Tang: "The rules that players receive are not the nodes at which the safe spots start to disappear, but the notifications that the safe spots are about to disappear."
"In this case, the game still did not violate the rules, and all players were notified before the safe point disappeared."
Yu Tang said: "The real countdown has already begun as soon as we enter the game."
system:"?!?"
Yu Tang casually analyzed the particles on the wall of the villa in front of him and walked out of the villa.
As he broke into the villa, it seemed as if some invisible field collapsed with it, extending outward and shattered with every step he took.
The surrounding scenery gradually faded into the rain and fog.
… Starting from 9:30 last night, in the past thirteen hours, one safe spot will disappear.
This villa was the safe spot where the first person disappeared.
Replacing this villa is the "domain" of a certain A-level psychic. The rule of this domain is "when you enter this door, you will see someone you know."
All the players who entered the villa saw the people they had been dreaming of seeing. They were finally able to relax and rest peacefully, and after the one-hour time limit was over, they felt themselves assimilated into the environment.
What everyone sees in the villa is his or her last beautiful dream.
Yu Tang fell into the rain.
The man who led him into the villa, "No. 39", did not take shelter from the rain this time, but stood not far away.
He and Yu Tang broke through the domain, and his own mental strength was also affected, and his face turned slightly pale.
Yu Tang closed the file in his sea of consciousness.
According to the information, the real No. 39 only has a very ordinary C-level psychology ability. It is impossible for him to jump two levels in the game and develop such a complex and stable field.
This is an imposter who has replaced the player's identity.
… Or, the real No. 39 is probably sleeping soundly in this villa and has become assimilated to it.
Yu Tang asked, "What is your special ability?"
"Dream creation." The other party said, "A-level, psychological ability."
—Take advantage of one's subconscious mind to create a beautiful dream that only one can see.
Only when Yu Tang first met Zhan Chen, the conversation they had with him, and the information he obtained would be exactly what he expected.
It was only because of the fighting skill card left by Shi Ji that he sensed the danger at that moment and forcibly took over Feng Qing's body.
"You stayed in there for fifty-eight minutes. I thought you wouldn't wake up." said fake No. 39.
He still used the appearance and voice of No. 39, making it difficult to determine his true identity: "You don't have to try to attack me."
"I'm not a player. The rules of this world have nothing to do with me. Even if you kill me, it will be meaningless."
"I can't read your dreams, I can only read the words of the person you know."
Fake No. 39 read out: "Zhan Chen."
Yu Tang raised his head and his eyes fell on him.
"When you are with Zhan Chen like others, the fluctuations of your mental power make you feel at ease and satisfied."
Fake No. 39 read out: "You obviously like this dream very much, what woke you up?"
"I didn't sleep." Yu Tang said.
Fake No. 39 was stunned for a moment, then looked at him carefully.
Yu Tang went over.
He knew from the beginning that this Zhan Chen was fake, but he couldn't tell for the time being whether the one trying to confuse him was a superpower disguised as Zhan Chen, or an illusion he most expected.
After confirming that it was an illusion, Yu Tang indulged himself for fifty-eight minutes.
In the remaining two minutes, he had one more thing to do.
"Indeed... You are awake. I was unable to take away any of your mental power."
Fake No. 39 also completed the confirmation. He nodded and walked towards Yu Tang: "Although I don't know the original, the forged Zhan Chen did not deceive you."
Fake No. 39 stretched out a hand: "I noticed your strength, you performed very well-"
Yu Tang grabbed his wrist like lightning.
The fake No. 39's expression changed slightly.
Where the two of them touched, the terrifying and strange force almost instantly crushed his skin.
Along the way, the hand flew upwards rapidly, and he seemed to be cut and shattered by countless extremely small and sharp blades at the same time, and annihilated into scattered particles.
No. 39 screamed and retreated in embarrassment.
His decomposed right hand was instantly reassembled under the system's repair. Its color was much lighter than before and it was almost translucent.
Yu Tang raised his knee and charged at him, hitting him hard in the chest. Without waiting for his response, he lowered his shoulders, spun around, and threw him to the ground.
Feng Qing's ability is upgraded according to the number of times it is reorganized. Up to now, Feng Qing has not reorganized yet and can only decompose the particles that come into contact with his body.
Yu Tang grabbed the fake No. 39 by the throat.
The system just discovered that Yu Tang had used a card to adjust its strength. It became nervous and hastily deployed an anti-electric shield: "Host—"
"That's the real purpose of VIP privileges, right?"
Yu Tang stared at him: "Are you different from those customers who go shopping in the vegetable market? Are you here to enjoy the thrill of 'hunting' and hunt for cards yourself?"
system:"??!"
The fake No. 39's pupils shrank slightly, and he looked towards Yu Tang.
When he saw the electric shock handcuffs Yu Tang was wearing, his face turned pale: "I'm here to pick someone! Are you from Zhong San's company? How much did he pay to buy you? I can pay five times, ten times..."
He paused suddenly.
He looked at Yu Tang's eyes - he had never seen such eyes before, they were like a bottomless black hole, and anything that entered his field of vision would be instantly swallowed up by the black hole.
Yu Tang asked him: "How many superpowers have you absorbed?"
The fake No. 39's chest heaved, and there was a hint of fear in his eyes.
… “VIP” is a privilege given by the game to powerful financial backers.
When you enter the game as a VIP, no matter how serious the damage is, it will be repaired in an instant.
This is their hunting ground where they enjoy the thrill of hunting.
Yu Tang didn't even need to use his strength, a faint light appeared on his palm, and a group of particles of different colors were peeled off from his body.
The scream of fake No. 39 became hoarse in his throat.
In order to let them enjoy the most authentic and exciting experience, the game will only repair the damage but not block the pain.
He was sweating profusely from the pain, and he lost his previous calmness and confidence. He begged in a hoarse voice: "Stop! Stop..."
Yu Tang seemed not to hear it, and continued to peel off the second ball of aurora in his palm meticulously.
The essence of hunting people with special abilities and improving one's own special abilities is to seize and assimilate particles.
Each particle is a mutant that was devoured in his sleep.
The fake No. 39 wanted to faint immediately, but because of the game settings, he had to stay awake all the time, and the damage to his body would be repaired instantly.
He panted, clenched his teeth, and the fluctuations deep in his pupils quietly dissipated.
This time the area was much smaller than before. Zhan Chen's image shook and then condensed again.
This time, Yu Tang didn't even look up.
Yu Tang stripped away all the psychics that he had devoured in their sleep and had not had time to completely assimilate, and he still did not stop.
He lowered his eyes meticulously, as if he was performing the most delicate surgery, and a group of special white particles slowly emerged from the chest of fake No. 39.
Fake No. 39 was terrified: "My superpower! Give it back to me, who are you..."
"You shouldn't have used Zhan Chen to deceive me."
Yu Tang said: "After losing him, I have cheated him forty-three times using different methods."
He had experienced this kind of expectation, effort and joy being dashed forty-three times.
He has become smart enough to easily spot all scams.
Yu Tang: "The last person who deceived me, I used 0.75 seconds to completely annihilate him in my domain."
The fake No. 39's eyes widened.
He had read the information of No. 13. It was obvious that the other party only had a B-level physical ability. How could he have a domain, or even such a weird and terrifying ability—
He didn't have a chance to think further.
The game detected that the VIP's life was in danger, activated emergency measures, and forcibly transferred the specially protected VIP player out of the game.
Fake No. 39, whose supernatural powers were completely stripped away, turned pale and slapped the protective shield made up of data.
In the gradually blurred picture, Yu Tang stretched out his hand and gathered the cluster of particles in his palm.
…
He did not devour this group of A-level dream-making particles.
Yu Tang was very patient and adjusted the shape of the particles bit by bit, and finally got the most satisfactory result.
These grains turned into a light and thin blanket, falling into his arms like a dream and hanging down softly.
… This is a dream in which Zhan Chen is present.
Yu Tang raised his hand, touched his hair, held the small blanket in his arms, and walked into the rain and fog.