on Monday.
Yin Ren looked at Lu Xiaohe in shock. After not seeing her for a weekend, she had dark circles under her eyes from lack of rest, and she looked a bit like Minister Fu.
And for some reason, Professor Li Nian was sitting in their office.
Professor Li crossed his arms over his chest, his face expressionless. He spun the thermos cup in his hand, his eyes dropped to the ground, not even glancing at them.
Are all the top leaders in Shian so idle? After Fu Xingchuan tortured them physically yesterday, his partner is going to torture them mentally again, right? Compared with Fu Xingchuan, who is not a scientist, Yin Ren really doesn't know who is more difficult to deal with.
"You're here." Lu Xiaohe also had a can of energy drink in his hand. "Friends, I have good news and bad news. Which one do you want to hear first?"
Yin Ren: "Bad news."
Zhong Cheng said: "Good news."
The two looked at each other.
Yin Ren: "...Okay, let's talk good news first."
"When I came to work today, I had a comprehensive physical examination first, and the results were completely normal. These materials were also obtained from my home game, absolutely... huh... authentic."
Lu Xiaohe wiped his face and nodded at Li Nian.
Zhong Cheng's face froze for a few seconds: "Could it be that Wu Tao's death scene—"
"Yes, the game's reputation is average, and its sales are a complete failure. I know what you want to ask. There's nothing wrong with the game itself - its production team was disbanded a long time ago, and the producer at the time switched to selling barbecue and was even on the news."
In other words, if Wu Pengpeng had not run fast enough that day, they would have found more than just a pile of corpses.
"The good news is that I know what happened to Wu Tao and Wu Pengpeng."
On the screen, two female characters are chopping, mining, fighting, and killing monsters. Defeated or damaged items will turn into a small, neat pile of pixels, with drops scattered around.
Speaking of this bizarre speculation, Lu Xiaohe's tone was also very doubtful.
Zhong Cheng said, sitting up straight: "What about Wu Tao?"
"Look at this. My mom and I discussed this passionately yesterday. The way to die in this game is quite lazy." Lu Xiaohe switched the screen to a video.
“As for the mark on Wu Pengpeng’s body… Like other games, Resurrection Legend has a hatred system. The mark on his back is a sign of a ‘battleable enemy’.”
Professor Li cleared his throat and said, "Human cognitive abnormalities should not interfere with reality."
The graphics of this game are crude, with no modeling, and a pseudo-3D effect made of pixels. The art of the game is just okay, and it belongs to the classic style with no merits or faults.
The pile of corpses that morning was nothing more than a pool of blood.
Lu Xiaohe drank the remaining half can of drink, his eyes still looking a little straight.
A perfectly neat pile of particles, neatly arranged debris, and a skull on top of the minced meat.
Yin Ren nodded.
There was a huge amount of information on the screen, and there were many rules that needed to be verified one by one. It seemed that Lu Xiaohe had spent the whole night finishing the report.
Zhong Cheng said, pressing his knuckles to his lower lip: "I've heard of "Resurrection Legend" before, but not many people have played it."
The dead will at best become mindless corpses, or, more rarely, fierce ghosts. Afterwards, the corpses will decay and decay, and the fierce ghosts will weaken and disappear. After that, there will be no "afterwards".
Lu Xiaohe conveniently enlarged the NPC's face - due to the pixel-based 3D effect, there were no bumps on the NPC's face, only drawn facial features.
Lu Xiaohe checked the photos they took and found that the mark was exactly the same as the game mark.
The dead cannot be resurrected; even in the world of metaphysics, this is an unbreakable rule.
"I understand," Yin Ren replied enthusiastically, "Do you want to pass it on to a higher-level investigation team?"
"This is a non-plot NPC, set up as a gangster boss's henchman." Lu Xiaohe curled his lips, "I checked the code, and in the entire game, he only has this one line. Does it sound familiar?"
Lu Xiaohe's yawn was stuck in the middle of her yawn. She closed her mouth, wanting to say something but stopping herself, and looked at Professor Li who remained silent the entire time.
He slowly leaned towards Zhong Cheng and said, Zhong Cheng seemed to understand and added in a low voice: "Just like Gao Mengyu before, people with cognitive abnormalities only have problems with their own perceptions, and they will not change the real world."
"That is to say, some people are using the same methods as this game to influence others, and even kill people."
For thousands of years, people have been studying immortality and resurrection, but it is nothing more than chasing the moon in the water and the flower in the mirror.
She showed a screenshot of two cute female characters doing a mission. They seemed to be facing a hideous NPC, and the dialogue box said, "Haha, bitch, you're here and you want to go back?"
Yin Ren: “?” It was too abstract, he couldn’t understand it.
Miscellaneous items will have a "Stone" mark, while materials will have a "Leaf" mark. As for defeated people and monsters... there will be a white skull drawn on the mark.
"Yes, that death scene wasn't some cult ritual. I guess Wu Tao was just, uh, defeated."
Professor Li and the other two finished talking, and then he continued calmly: "Even if we consider abnormal phenomena, there is no precedent of 'fantasy interfering with reality' before. Humans should not have this level of power. This opponent is very difficult."
"In the game world, defeated NPCs will reappear after a refresh... but there is no refresh in the real world."
"Look at this picture."
Yin Ren: "... What about the bad news?"
The four large characters in the title "Legend of Resurrection" exude a certain cuteness in their solemnity, and do not seem like some weird game.
Pixel piles are marked with item markers on top to indicate the nature of the pile.
"Cognitive abnormalities are very common and are mostly unrelated to 'evil spirits'. Many patients at the Sea Valley Psychiatric Hospital have this symptom."
Lu Xiaohe shook the remote control weakly, and the screen that was originally full of data was cut into a bunch of game screens.
Professor Li gave him a cold look and said, "These are just inferences. There is no clear evidence yet. The Level C investigation team needs to continue to follow up. We will transfer Level B personnel to assist."
Yin Ren's smile gradually disappeared: "Okay."
Since everything has to continue as normal, what are you doing here! Form a male and female host with Lu Xiaohe
As if he had heard his thoughts, Professor Li said, "Fu Xingchuan is busy and unable to come in person. I am here to help him confirm - Yin Ren, you came into contact with the ghost master outside Shi'an last night, why didn't you report it?"
Professor Li pulled up his sleeves, and the electronic dial was flashing with dense data in a conspicuous blood red color, like some kind of modified detector.
Zhong Cheng also looked at Yin Ren inquiringly: "Did you really eat the 1982-year-old evil stuff mixed with snail noodles?"
Yin Ren: "… I was indeed possessed by a demon. They forced me to change jobs, and I managed to escape with great difficulty."
Professor Li: "How did you escape?"
"I made a pact with a fierce ghost near my home two days ago, and she helped me."
Zhong Cheng was shocked: "Is there really a ghost in Ping An Manor?"
Yes, Miss Walnut was singing K-Pop in our living room two days ago. Yin Ren laughed dryly and continued to answer Li Nian's question: "Anyway, the powerful ghost I found ate all those ghosts, isn't that the end of the matter?"
"Don't judge whether the matter is over or not. Report any abnormality immediately."
Professor Li raised his eyes, as if trying to judge the truth of Yin Ren's words. After a while, he stood up and threw a copy of "Modern Unofficial Metaphysical Organization Yearbook" to each of them.
"Originally, there was going to be unified training later," he walked to the door and paused for a moment, "... Now it seems that some people are quite interested in you."
Yin Ren: "Oh my god, this is so scary."
Yin Ren dared to bet his lunch. Fu Xingchuan and Li Nian were always in front of him. It was estimated that they were not just concerned about their subordinates. It seemed that the label of "suspected of contact with evil spirits" would not disappear in just a few weeks.
But there is good news today - in order to make them more familiar with "Resurrection Legend", Li Nian ordered the two to complete it carefully, and overtime pay will be calculated according to the length of time played.
For the first time, Yin Ren felt that the word "overtime" was not so harsh.
As soon as the workday was over, Yin Ren took the initiative to carry the game console. He didn't even plan to eat dinner in the cafeteria, and was ready to rush home to play as much as he could. Who would have thought that this time the person who didn't cooperate with overtime would be Zhong Chengshuo.
"Can we start after 8 o'clock?" Zhong Cheng said apologetically.
"Ah?" The joy in Yin Ren's steps disappeared in an instant.
Zhong Cheng said he also looked unhappy: "It's a blind date, I can't turn it down."
Based on Yin Ren's experience of watching dramas with Hu Tao, he roughly knew what these two words meant.
In the mind of Lord Ghost King, blind date means parents' orders and matchmaker's words, and parents' orders and matchmaker's words means getting married soon, and marriage is a major event in life.
Yin Ren's words gradually became peaceful: "It's a major event in life, there's nothing we can do about it. I wish you a happy marriage and may you have a son and daughter soon..."
Zhong Cheng said: "It's a man."
Yin Ren: “?!”
"I don't want to get married. My parents have too many plans. Last time I was a little anxious, so I told them that I like men." Zhong Cheng said with a hint of despair on his face, "I didn't expect them..."
Yin Ren was speechless. No wonder the two elders treated him so strangely the last time he went to Zhong Cheng's parents' house.
Yin Ren rubbed his forehead and said, "So you actually don't want to go at all?"
"Um."
"That's easy. When the time comes, you can send me a WeChat message and I'll call you and tell them that there's something going on at the company."
Yin Ren's understanding of vocabulary was not perfect, but he had seen this kind of routine too many times and was familiar with it. If the conditions did not allow it, he would prefer the plan of "finding a child to rush in and hug Zhong Cheng and call him daddy".
Zhong Cheng let out a long sigh, his expression extremely serious: "Please. If it's just a meal, maybe I can go home at seven."
"Where are you eating?" Yin Ren asked casually.
"Luofanglou in Xizhao District."
Yin Ren quickly searched and saw the per capita consumption of 3,000 to 4,000 yuan and the super high ratings. His hand swiping the screen trembled slightly.
Drunken crab in Huadiao wine, braised deer tendon in abalone sauce... they all look delicious.
"Why don't I go along, just in case Shi An suddenly needs to find us for something. Don't worry, I'll sit farther away." Yin Ren looked at the pictures of the dishes and suggested sincerely, "That way, if the other party becomes troublesome, I can rush over and express the urgency of the situation."
Zhong Cheng said: “…” If he hadn’t heard the faint sound of the man swallowing his saliva, he would have almost believed it.
In the evening, Luofang Tower.
This place is more of a private restaurant. The restaurant is not too big, and the decoration is antique. You can tell at a glance that it cost a lot of money. The restaurant owner seems to have some relationship with the Shih-an Group. Shih-an employees do not need to make an appointment, which is very convenient.
Yin Ren tied up his hair and walked to a corner of the restaurant. From this angle, he could vaguely see the table that Zhong Cheng mentioned.
The blind date Zhong Cheng mentioned was about 30 years old, with average looks, and could be considered decent. He was wearing a suit, and the cut and material were obviously not cheap. The leather shoes on his feet were shiny, without even a speck of dust. At a glance, he was clearly a successful person.
Yin Ren suddenly felt that it looked familiar. Isn't this the standard CEO look in movies and TV shows
In contrast, the shirt and sneakers mentioned by Zhong Cheng are quite casual. Fortunately, Comrade Zhong has a young face. Compared with the President, he looks more like a college student who has just graduated.
Zhong Cheng said he had given up on "The Art of Communication" and got straight to the point: "Sorry, sir, I don't have any plans to fall in love for the time being. I really can't refuse this time and I'm sorry to waste your time... Let's just treat this as a meal and I'll pay the bill."
The "President" smiled, not seeming to be offended: "Isn't it usually said to make friends? Why don't you even want to be friends?"
Zhong Cheng said: "We are not from the same circle, so we probably won't have anything in common."
"How would you know if we don't talk? Although this was arranged by my parents, I do have some interest in you."
The “President” rolled up his sleeves slightly, and the watch on his wrist was obviously very valuable.
"PhD in Finance from University B, graduated in x8."
"Master's degree in Biology from University A, graduated in 2009." Zhong Cheng said, staring at the menu.
"University A, I wanted to get in, but I was just one or two points short."
The man didn't take it seriously, his eyes lingered on Zhong Chengshuo's facial features for a moment, then fell on the overly long cuffs of Zhong Chengshuo's sleeves. "... Speaking of the Department of Biology at University A, did anything happen when you were undergraduates? There was a lot of noise online about a dormitory being closed down in the Department of Biology."
"That's true."
"They said they were caught soliciting prostitution. Except for one person, the whole dormitory was busted. It was said that the only one left was the one who reported it. Hey, I don't know what that person was thinking. I guess he was jealous because he was not good enough... Have you heard what happened to the informant later?"
"I heard that I was the informant." Zhong Cheng said calmly, "What's the matter?"
Mr. President: “…”
The man drank a few sips of tea and laughed, "That's exactly what you did wrong. It's not easy for someone to get into University A. It's just a small matter, but you ruined their future. Even if you have a hobby of rescuing dust, at least choose a time when your classmates are not around..."
"The women who were victims were deprived of their personal freedom, and the youngest was still a minor. My roommates knew about this, but they used it as a point of bragging."
Zhong Cheng said his tone remained calm.
"I urged them to explain the situation to the police and surrender as soon as possible, but they did not listen."
"This... Hey, everyone must think you're joking, don't take it seriously. It's not uncommon for young people to have hot tempers and play outside."
He had heard at University B that the "whistleblower" was severely isolated at University A. But after he had been talking for a long time, Zhong Cheng looked calm, obviously not listening. So he changed his angle -
"What didn't your parents say to you?"
"They told me I did a 'good job' and treated me to a nice dinner."
"My judgment was correct," Zhong Cheng said, raising his eyes. "It seems that we really don't have a common language."
“… What do you mean?”
"Your suit is expensive, but the details are badly worn. You are not as well off as you appear. You started by talking about your academic qualifications, and after not putting me down, you went straight to the scandal of University A and lectured me. You don't really want to communicate with me... Well, it seems more like you are eager to prove your own excellence."
Zhong Cheng said, crossing his fingers and placing them on the edge of the table.
"You have a fresh hickey on the lower part of your neck, which proves that you have had intimate behavior or sexual intercourse within the past day; but you still claim to be 'interested in me' and come to meet me. There are only two possibilities, either your view of love is very open, or you just want to 'play' with me."
"Are you sick?!"
The man's face quickly turned red and he tried to keep his voice down.
"You are so shameless. You are so arrogant. I—"
"By the way, your watch is a fake. You can seek legal redress from the seller." Zhong Cheng pretended not to hear him. "Please order. I'm in a hurry."
Veins popped out on the man's forehead.
"In a hurry? Oh, what's the big deal? To be honest with you, an idiot like you is only worthy of spending the rest of your life with your right hand—"
"You are here."
One hand pressed on the table.
They both looked up at the same time. Yin Ren smiled, his smile as warm as a spring breeze blowing petals.
The man's eyes were a little straight for a moment: "You are...?"
"I heard you were going on a blind date, so I rushed over to find you." Yin Ren grabbed Zhong Chengshuo's hand and said in a very gentle voice, "It took me so long to find you."
Zhong Cheng said his hair was all blown up: ""
"I've thought about it for a long time, and finally figured it out." Lord Ghost King tried hard to recall the romance drama he had just watched, and tried to squeeze out tears, but unfortunately he failed. "Cheng Shuo, I don't want to see you being taken away by someone else. I like you, come with me."
Zhong Cheng said that he felt numb on the spot and for a moment he seemed to want to shout for help.
"I..." He uttered the words with difficulty and tried to pull his hand away, but failed.
"I'm leaving, I'm leaving! What the hell is this?" His blind date was so embarrassed that she cursed, "What a fucking bad luck... I'm superfluous, you two, enjoy your meal."
The man groaned several times and quickly disappeared from the restaurant door. As he left, he was still mumbling something like "We'll see what happens next."
Zhong Cheng said: "..."
Yin Ren: “…”
Zhong Cheng said: "It's an 'urgent work matter'..."
Yin Ren let go without hesitation: "Hey, I was just looking at that kid. Besides, if you two really quarrel, it will be troublesome for the store owner - what are you standing there for? Are you going to order food? You finally came here."
"oh."
"And I think you did the right thing. Don't listen to that asshole."
Yin Ren hummed a song while looking at the menu - this restaurant made the set menu into a scroll, which had a bit of ancient style.
"Um."
"If it's hard to tell your parents, just tell me you're in love. I don't mind."
"It's not very good." Zhong Cheng said after thinking for a moment, seeming a little shaken.
Yin Ren didn't care: "What's wrong with that? You don't plan to talk about it anyway. The old people are worried that you don't have enough love. They are afraid that you will have no one to take care of you. We may have to be partners for ten or eight years. If we don't have to deal with these troubles, we can have more fun."
Zhong Cheng's home was so comfortable that Lord Ghost King didn't want to move out at all.
"Oh, if you really fall in love one day, just say hello to me." Taking into account that other people's important life events cannot be delayed, Yin Ren added reluctantly.
Zhong Cheng looked at him with a complicated look for a while: "...Okay."
Ten minutes later, the table returned to silence.
Yin Ren chewed the food slowly, enjoying it and sighing from time to time. Zhong Cheng seemed a little uneasy, staring at his chopsticks from time to time.
"Why, are you afraid your parents will find out? As long as we don't stay overnight at the old man's house—"
"It's not about that. I was thinking about Resurrection Legend. Judging from Ge Tingting's resume, she has no exposure to this game. The person who uses cognition to affect reality is the 'Slicer'."
Zhong Cheng said with a frown.
"Yin Ren, if one day you suddenly have the ability to decide the life and death of others, what will you do?"
Good question, Yin Ren thought.
He lazily took a piece of deer tendon and said, "Let's just hide and do nothing. It's good to live like this."
"Well, you are more of a 'pacifist' type. People like the one just now would probably use this ability to show off or make a profit... If it were me, I would probably contact the relevant people and report the situation." Zhong Cheng said, pushing up his glasses, "When suddenly encountering such a situation, the action pattern of adults will be more clear."
"You mean..."
"With such power, the Slayer's purpose is very vague. And Risen Legend focuses on cooperative exploration, not the kind of game for adults."
Zhong Cheng put down his chopsticks and there was a rare hint of worry in his tone.
"It's not normal that there's been no clues from Uncle Sun for so long... I have a not-so-good guess."
"Let me guess."
Yin Ren swallowed the food in his mouth and stopped smiling.
"Are you trying to say that the 'Slicer' could be a child?"
The boy sat by the window, looking at the sunset in the sky.
He rested his arms on the windowsill of the cabin. Outside the window were rolling hills, with strange and bright plants illuminated by the sunset. The river flowed slowly, the torchlight on the street lamps flickered, and cute little plush balls bounced in the grass.
Around him, the country tavern was bustling with people, and strange square flowers were placed on the tables. The guests who came and went had different hair colors, dressed in a Western medieval style, and spoke an obscure language. People held small magic tools in their hands, and the light of magic flashed from time to time.
Next to him, sat a black-haired girl.
They came from the same "hometown", and since he "incorporated her into the team", he could understand her words. Although the girl could not communicate directly with the people in the other world, she knew how to use their language, which was very powerful.
She said her name was Ge Tingting, and judging by her skills, she was a very powerful necromancer.
With this fellow countryman, his adventure will surely be more successful. But at the moment, the boy has a little trouble -
"We have no money," he whispered.
Ge Tingting: "It's okay, I can go to the restaurant and do some odd jobs."
"But those bad guys are looking for you..."
Ibi told him that the knights guarding the city were searching everywhere for Ge Tingting, the "evil necromancer".
"I can say that I lost my ID." Ge Tingting whispered, "We don't eat much, so we are not helpless. The problem is on your side. Are you sure the information is correct?"
"No, Ibby never makes mistakes. It's the official game guide."
The boy stroked the baby dragon on his shoulder. The baby dragon chirped softly and rubbed the boy's face. It had big eyes and a round body, and looked very cute.
"Ibi said today that the next clue is still in the Shangguang District. After completing the next task, I can level up again."
"… Um."
"It's great to meet my sister after traveling through time. Don't worry, we will definitely be able to return to our original world."
In the hazy sunset light, the boy's eyes were wide open, reflecting the red glow outside the window.
"This is definitely the world of "Resurrection Legend". I am very familiar with this game and I can definitely help you pass it. After we pass it, we can also make a wish to the court magician. When the time comes, sister, you make a wish to let us go back, and I will..."
He didn't continue speaking, but looked out the window again.
"The other world is so beautiful."
The boy looked at the dreamlike scene and sighed repeatedly.
"Don't worry, sister. You didn't like animation and novels before, right? There are many works of this kind. We are the protagonists of this world, and we will be fine."
Ge Tingting nodded silently.
"Great adventurer, another day has come to an end." The young dragon on the boy's shoulder spoke in a clear and lovely voice, "Have a good rest, and have a sweet dream."
The boy smiled at the dragon, shrank back, and spread out his clothes.
After the baby dragon curled up beside him, the boy hugged it tightly and curled up as well: "Good night, Ibi. Sister, I'm going to sleep first."
Ge Tingting sat cross-legged on the side, looking worried.
The boy fell asleep quickly. Ge Tingting stood up and looked out the window as well.
In her eyes, this is a black Internet cafe in the suburbs.
An old-fashioned computer illuminated a small area. The walls inside the room were peeling, full of water marks, and covered with many outdated posters from the last century.
Outside the window were piles of garbage and weeds, and a river of stinking sewage. The street lights were mostly broken, and rats occasionally passed through the shadows.
Around them, there was a constant stream of snoring, shouting and swearing. The smell of cigarettes and foot odor mixed together and made people nauseated.
Ge Tingting took a bite of the expired rice ball and looked at the boy silently.
The boy said that this was a "different world". The boy said that they were on a magical adventure. The boy also said that he would hold "Ibby" to sleep every day, and today was no exception. However, at this moment, there was nothing between his empty arms.
She was not sure now whether it was the boy who was crazy or she herself.
(End of this chapter)