Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 40: Nightmare

Zhu Yanchen couldn’t quite describe his mood.

Shu Jun had better control over his emotions than he had imagined. Facing his old teammate, he didn’t lose his cool too much. But as soon as the conversation began, Zhu Yanchen was momentarily stunned when Hu Yan mentioned “honeymoon”.

If Shu Jun had a lover, he certainly would have mentioned it to ‘Smoke’.

Countless feelings instantly converged, and for a moment, Zhu Yanchen couldn’t tell if it was bitter or salty. But thinking about it, he and Shu Jun were originally separated by a huge gap, and text communication was only the result of his reluctant effort—the virtual city was heavily protected, and he had to carefully avoid those technicians to quietly tear a gap.

There were two main purposes for their communication.

Publicly, Shu Jun liked to share tactics with other captains, and he was very open about it. Zhu Yanchen could quietly pass on safer strategies, allowing players to live longer.

Privately, it was bitter to go it alone, and people always needed support.

He had exhausted all his efforts, thoroughly understood all the issues related to the Erosion Swamp and left behind a spark that was enough to ignite a wildfire before he died. As for the original agreement, this could be considered an explanation. Both of them didn’t have much time left, and Zhu Yanchen hoped that he could go ahead of Shu Jun. When he reached the underworld, he would be able to welcome Shu Jun in an upright manner.

He knew that Shu Jun couldn’t remember the past, and he also knew that he couldn’t get rid of the shock in his brain and wouldn’t be able to save his former friend. At least in the last few years of his life, Zhu Yanchen just wanted to chat a few words with that person.

However, Shu Jun was more enthusiastic than he had imagined. At first, the two of them talked smoothly about tactics, and later, this man even wanted to share the interesting things that happened in his life. Infected by the other person’s warmth, Zhu Yanchen couldn’t help but open up a bit and speak up from time to time.

After all, this was the moment when he needed the least consideration. In the end, it could be considered comfort during his final pain.

Now that he had survived, Zhu Yanchen couldn’t help but hope that he could be more special—at least not an ordinary acquaintance who couldn’t even get close. It seemed that even Hu Yan knew that Shu Jun had a lover.

Before Zhu Yanchen could react, Hu Yan dropped another bombshell: “Sister-in-law’s game ID is ‘Smoke’.”

Zhu Yanchen: “…”

He reacted quickly and instantly guessed that this was the system’s handling the aftermath. Despite this, he still had a hint of inexplicable joy. Seeing Shu Jun outside the tent, embarrassed and scratching his head, Marshal Zhu took the initiative to defuse the situation, which was rare.

Who would have thought that after a conversation, Shu Jun’s mood would darken again? That night, Zhu Yanchen turned over and saw that there was no one beside him. The sleeping bag was icy cold, and the only sound in his ears was the sound of Yu Jin’s snoring.

Even Monday, who was lying next to him, was gone.

Zhu Yanchen immediately sat up, hastily put on his protective suit, and left the tent.

He was a little worried—Shu Jun exceeded his expectations. After knowing the truth, he didn’t recklessly save people at all costs, nor did he spread his hatred to humans like himself, Ai Xiaoxiao, or Yu Jin. Just recently, the two of them had been running around trying to solve the problem of synths, and surprisingly, they were getting along quite well.

But even if things were gradually being resolved, that hatred still existed.

Shu Jun hadn’t gone far. To avoid the wind, the Blackbirds set up camp by a low cliff. Shu Jun was sitting on the cliff at the moment by himself. He pushed his gas mask aside, and his gray-white eyes sparkled in the night.

Monday was the first to notice Zhu Yanchen. It exhaled vigorously. “Zhu! Zhu—”

“That’s enough.” Shu Jun pressed his hand on the hilt of his sword. He didn’t turn around and just shifted his body a little to give Zhu Yanchen a place to sit.

“Don’t worry. I won’t have an emotional breakdown and just run away with Hu Yan and the others.” After Zhu Yanchen sat down, Shu Jun turned his head with a somewhat complicated expression. “After all, you are such a reliable partner. If I lose you*, I won’t dare mess around.”

*After passing this village, there’s no other shop like this (过了这村就没这店了) Idiom used to describe missed opportunities or regretting not taking action when the chance was available. || In this context, he’s saying there’s no one who can replace Zhu Yanchen (as a partner).

“I’m not worried about that.”

“Really?” Shu Jun laughed and moved his position again. The two of them were close enough, and the night was cold, making the warmth from his body even more evident.

Zhu Yanchen was silent for a few seconds and found that he didn’t know how to respond, so he just made a hum in agreement.

“A’Yan, you said a few days ago that I could talk to you like we used to.” Shu Jun’s voice was clear and powerful. “So I’ll tell you. I had a dream just now—a really strange one.”

This was indeed a topic they used to chat about online.

“I dreamed of myself, but it was the normal me from before—it was oozing erosion substance all over, bones were exposed, and its face had been eroded away. It stood in front of me and kept nagging, telling me to kill you and then kill Yu Jin, directly take Blackbirds to capture several strongholds, and seek revenge against humanity.”

Zhu Yanchen: “…” He really didn’t know how to respond to all this.

“I found it quite interesting. I dreamt about it last night, and it came again tonight. I rarely dream, so it’s definitely not a coincidence.” Shu Jun yawned and stroked Monday. “As soon as I fall asleep, it starts mumbling, like clocking in for work.”

At this point, Zhu Yanchen could hear the hidden meaning behind Shu Jun’s words. He held his breath and looked at Shu Jun.

“I’ve told you before, I hate humans. Y City is really lively, with groups of people trampling on our corpses to live their lives. Ignorance is not an excuse, in my opinion. However, personally speaking, those who knowingly promote the player system despite knowing the truth are the ones I want to kill.”

Shu Jun raised his hand and casually pointed upward with his sharp claws.

“But before that, I will do everything possible to ensure that my compatriots survive. Regardless of how the situation changes, this is definitely the top priority… So I think that nagging thing in my dream shouldn’t be my subconscious.”

“When did this dream start?” Zhu Yanchen asked seriously.

“Just these two days. The biggest recent event was probably infiltrating the command center to steal information. Tell me, Grand Marshal—”

Shu Jun propped himself up with one hand, leaned in close to Zhu Yanchen’s face, and the heat radiating from him made Zhu Yanchen purse his lips.

“—Is your command center really secure?”

“It’s hard to say.” When he spoke again, Zhu Yanchen noticed that his voice was a little hoarse. “The purification defense of the command center is relatively sound, so the formed Erosion Swamp can’t get in. But in order to ensure the coming and going of synths, it won’t completely exclude erosion substance.”

“Hmm…” Shu Jun hummed, wrinkling his brow.

“There are also loopholes.” Zhu Yanchen continued, “They rely too much on the purification system and only check it regularly according to regulations. Even if they find something wrong, it will take some time to go through the application process.”

He subconsciously thought of something, but when he went to investigate it further, that sense of inspiration disappeared.

“Well, it seems like I need to have more dreams and see what the purpose of that thing is.” Shu Jun smiled again, reached out, and pulled Zhu Yanchen’s coat off his shoulders. “I dreamt of something uncomfortable, so I was just trying to clear my mind. Let’s go back. Your body is still human, so be careful not to catch a cold.”

There was no vegetation in the erosion zone. The erosion substance liked water, so the entire zone was like a desolated swamp. The sky was always dark, and even though Shu Jun stopped the wind around him, the air was still uncomfortably damp and cold, as if every step could pass through a ghost.

“If you can’t handle those negative emotions…” Zhu Yanchen stood up.

He wanted to say, “You can also talk to me about them”, but as a member of the human race, that sentence was a bit stinging. He threw out the first half of the sentence, but the second half died in his chest.

Shu Jun stopped laughing. He stared at Zhu Yanchen for a moment before blurting out, “You have an interesting perspective. I’m sure you’ve been through a lot and have rich experience.”

The sentence didn’t sound sarcastic but carried three parts anger and seven parts dissatisfaction. Before he finished speaking, Shu Jun reached out to button up Zhu Yanchen’s coat, exuding an air of wanting to strangle him.

“Let’s go back, quickly.” After buttoning up the coat, Shu Jun raised his claws threateningly. “If I can’t stand it, I won’t keep quiet, and I’ll howl in front of you for three days and nights. Not like someone who pretends to be an eighty-year-old man, planning to quietly disappear from the world.”

“…”

“Okay, don’t look like that. I understand your reasoning. Your choices were limited, but does that have anything to do with me not feeling good?”

This was the first time Zhu Yanchen had met such an unreasonable collaborator, leaving him speechless. Although there was nothing to refute, a sour feeling rose in his chest.

“We should go back. We have to get up early tomorrow.” After being scrutinized by Shu Jun’s gaze for a few minutes, Zhu Yanchen spoke in a dry voice. “Regarding the command center, I’ll contact Ai Xiaoxiao.”

“What else?”

“Afterwards, you… No, we can communicate about emotional issues, two-way.”

“That’s about right.”

In Y City, Ai Xiaoxiao wasn’t sleeping either.

Since obtaining that jar of brain matter, she had been studying it with fervor and enthusiasm. Unlike Zhu Yanchen, who was focused on studying the Erosion Swamps, she was more skilled in treating late-stage erosion with drugs. In terms of medication, she was confident.

She was waiting for the machine’s analysis results, crunching on her fifth coffee-flavored lollipop.

With no guests in the late night, time seemed to stand still, making it the perfect time for research. Unfortunately, her life had recently been disrupted by an unwelcome guest—Zhu Yanchen’s faked death had thrown off her original plans. In order to handle Zhu Yanchen’s orders, Dong Lao had begun coming over repeatedly, specifically choosing late night hours when there were few people around.

And today was no different.

If it weren’t for the fact that the old man liked to hide in corners where no one could find him and that he didn’t come here to mooch off food and drink, she would have kicked him out. Being called away to open or close the door when inspiration was surging was already at the limit of what she could bear.

Ai Xiaoxiao rolled her eyes, picked up the prepared solution from one side, and began carefully dripping the new drug into it. She had just dripped the third drop when the alarm on the workbench started blaring, and Ai Xiaoxiao’s hand shook, wasting the entire tube of solution.

“Fuck!” She squeezed out a curse through her teeth.

Today was her breaking point. She no longer planned to show any respect for the old man and was definitely going to beat him into a pulp. Ai Xiaoxiao grabbed her keychain from the hook, stormed down the corridor with an air of menace, and charged toward another underground passage.

When she reached her destination, Dong Lao’s expression was even uglier than hers.

“Explain.” His voice was hoarse.

“Excuse me? You’re messing around in my house, and you want me to explain?”

“The detector detected an abnormal signal, and I have to make sure that this place hasn’t been bugged or invaded.”

“So you fucking didn’t tell me beforehand and was just going to barged in yourself?!”

“How could I possibly dare? You said that if I disturbed you during the experiment, you’d pluck my bones out and use them as brooms to clean up the waste from the urology department.” Dong Lao was equally unceremonious. “Now, explain. This place has a very complex mixed lock, and no one should be able to get in except for you.”

Dong Lao stood in front of an old door. The door was made of metal, very thick, and covered with mottled rust. It was locked with various types of locks, from the oldest physical locks to the newest electronic ones.

Ai Xiaoxiao sneered. She saw a bulge under the sleeve of his shirt, which was probably a gun.

“If you weren’t one of Zhu Yanchen’s men, you would be dead by now.” Behind the large ring-shaped keychain, she was holding, a cold scalpel glinted. “It’s none of your business. Have you heard of Bluebeard’s room*?”

*Reference to Bluebeard. He has a room where he keeps all his murdered wives’ corpses. You can read the story in the Wikipedia.

“Have you heard of Bluebeard’s ending*?”

*Clarity:Bluebeard’s latest wife became curious and managed to open his locked door, finding all of his previous wives’ corpses. When Bluebeard was about to murder her, she asked for one last prayer, which he granted, allowing time for her family to show up and kill him. || In this context, Ai Xiaoxiao is saying “You don’t want to know what’s in that room” and Dong Lao is retorting “You know what happens to people who hide secrets, right?”. Think of it like that.

“If you don’t trust me, you can ask Zhu Yanchen.”

“But that will have to wait for a while, won’t it? I won’t give you time to prepare, and I’m not interested in your personal affairs. If our interests coincide, you can show me. Regardless of whether it’s a demon or something else inside, as long as there’s no abnormal signal, I won’t say a word.”

Ai Xiaoxiao stared at him for a moment.”Fine, for Zhu Yanchen’s sake,” she said. “As an exchange, if you say a single word, I will definitely skin you alive—literally. I mean what I say.”

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 39: Program Effect

The United Government was responsible for the transportation of materials. Yu Jin was quite pleased, as he didn’t have to worry about carrying large or small packages. He rented a trailer and leisurely made his way to Ai’s Clinic while humming a tune.

The world was still far from recovering. Except for those who had no worries about food and clothing, most people had no opinion on same-sex relationships. Bluntly put, it was good enough to be able to find pleasure in hardship. Since they neither stole nor robbed nor cheated, people didn’t care what other people’s fun was.

As someone who made a living in the border area, Yu Jin had a more open-minded view than most. Thinking that the two would be staying at the clinic and wouldn’t have time to go shopping, he brought some gifts.

“You’re taking that little?” Yu Jin was amazed at the two’s luggage. “The United Government will provide us with some basic supplies, but if you want to do this comfortably, you have to bring some of your own. Yours…”

The luggage of Gray Claw and Smoke wasn’t big; just two dusty handbags where the dust wasn’t even wiped clean. The zipper was broken at one corner, revealing a package of nutrients inside and a box of crumpled medicine.

It looked like these two were simply going on a spring outing.

Forget it. Although the people in the Old Fourth were shrewd, they still lacked experience. At critical moments, it was still necessary for their big brother to help out.

“Here, this is for you two.” Yu Jin generously threw a box over.

Shu Jun received it groggily and said, “Thanks.”

Half an hour ago, they had stolen a large brain sample and returned to Ai’s Clinic, but they couldn’t even get in the door. Ai Xiaoxiao had helped them pack their luggage and threw it out like garbage. Considering that one was immune to erosion substance and the other was an actual Erosion Swamp, Ai Xiaoxiao didn’t even bother to conceal how hastily she had packed their belongings—even if they were thrown directly into an erosion zone, they could still survive.

Monday was also thrown out with them. When it saw Shu Jun, it immediately let out a mournful cry like a dog being stepped on, struggling to climb onto Shu Jun’s back and refusing to let go.

At first, Shu Jun thought that if he wasn’t around, this thing might launch a surprise attack. Now, seeing its reaction, it was probably bullied badly.

Zhu Yanchen clearly knew the temper of his subordinate quite well. He took out the large brain sample and handed it to Ai Xiaoxiao with great seriousness. She nodded at him with an expression that had a hint of disdain. She thought for a moment, then threw a few pieces of candy on top of the luggage.

“Thanks for your hard work. I’ll study it as soon as possible.” Without the arrogance and sarcasm on her face, Ai Xiaoxiao leaned against the door, sounding a bit like a soldier.

As soon as she returned to her clinic, Yu Jin arrived.

From entering the city to leaving, the two of them had been working continuously for twelve hours. Shu Jun was a little sleepy, so he instinctively opened Yu Jin’s gift and was then blown wide awake.

Yu Jin had bought them a bottle of lubricant.

Seeing that Shu Jun was stiff on the spot, Yu Jin quickly explained, “After all, it’s for humans to use, and the anti-erosion effect is quite good. Doesn’t Brother Smoke use a gun? We all use this brand to maintain parts, so our weapons wear out slowly… And in the erosion zone, you have to wear old and heavy equipment, which can easily wear out your skin. Applying this solution is quite effective. It may be a bit expensive, but those who work in this field usually keep a bottle with them.”

He gave an ambiguous chuckle. “I guess you two probably brought some, but the brand may not be right. Just in case, brother will give you a bottle that’s more versatile.”

Shu Jun stuttered a few times and quickly stuffed the bottle into his bag. Zhu Yanchen didn’t look over here, as he was probably lost in thought.

Fortunately, Marshal Zhu was in a daze. Shu Jun let out a sigh of relief and then scolded himself for being so jumpy—he didn’t care about making racy jokes with friends before, even about sensitive topics. When he was with his Vice Captain Hu Yan, they could laugh wildly for thirty seconds and then use it as a joke to tease each other.

But now, with Zhu Yanchen still not saying anything, his own state of mind was driving him crazy, taking him back to his adolescence.

He hoped that this mission would be over soon and that the strange atmosphere between the two of them would improve.

And speaking of Hu Yan, the man himself had appeared…

As an “NPC” guide, the three of them spent half a day in Y City, which could be considered a benefit from their superiors. After signing a confidentiality agreement and completing all the formalities, they were taken to the core team of the Blackbirds at the city gate.

Hu Yan had been promoted from vice captain to captain, but he didn’t seem to be in a good mood, looking a little downcast.

Shu Jun thought he could control his emotions. However, when he saw those familiar numbers, he still clenched his fists, and his throat felt bitter. Zhu Yanchen reached out and gently patted the back of his hand.

The two of them didn’t move, so Yu Jin thought they were just inexperienced on their first mission. He cleared his throat and greeted Hu Yan with a steady voice, shaking hands with him.

Hu Yan’s gaze swept over the three of them and then returned.

Shu Jun could guess what Hu Yan was thinking. When he was still a player, he only cared about the mission. Even if an NPC was guiding him, NPCs were mostly silent and wouldn’t eat or live with them. They were more like tour guides for a day trip, where they would pay and receive goods. There was no need to build special relationships with them.

But this time, with Hu Yan present, he didn’t have a choice and had to interact with them.

Although they had lost their old captain, they had just won a major competition, so the Blackbirds were still in good spirits. Reconnaissance missions were never difficult, and there wasn’t much pressure within the team. On the first day, they didn’t leave the safety zone, and Shu Jun performed adequately. On the second night, when Yu Jin went out to command the team to set up camp, they finally had a chance to act.

Zhu Yanchen was more skilled in theoretical research on Erosion Swamps, but not as good as Ai Xiaoxiao in treatment, so he naturally acted with Shu Jun. However, since Ai Xiaoxiao just got the brain sample, the rejection drug hadn’t been developed yet, so the two of them had to rely on their mouths to deal with Hu Yan.

When they entered, Hu Yan had just turned on the indoor purifiers to the highest setting and was eating soup in his pajamas. Seeing two NPCs enter by themselves and lock the tent zipper, his suspicious eyes followed the two of them, and he almost got scalded by the hot soup.

“Lao Hu.” Shu Jun took off his mask directly, not intending to give his vice captain time to catch his breath.

Hu Yan had just scalded his tongue with a mouthful of hot soup, and now he had even knocked over the lid of his thermos cup, causing soup to splash on his socks. He let out a groan with his tongue out, and a little tear pooled at the corner of his eye. Shu Jun casually waved his hand, and a breeze spun around the wet socks twice. Finally, Hu Yan’s scream changed to panting instead.

It was just now the tent was filled with an indescribable smell of soup mixed with the scent of socks.

“Captain Shu?!” Hu Yan gasped for a while, finally coming around. “Aren’t you on your honeymoon with sister-in-law?”

Shu Jun had been brewing his emotions for a long time, but before he could speak, he was stunned by this bolt from the blue, and his speaking style began to resemble Monday’s. “Ah? What?”

“No, you just sent us a sweet group photo of you and sister-in-law a while ago, didn’t you? Like I guessed, sister-in-law is a true beauty. How can you enter the game when you have someone like sister-in-law?

Zhu Yanchen had to conceal his identity, so he didn’t take off his mask, but Shu Jun could feel the intense gaze of the other party.

“Uh…”

“Ah, the bros were jealous of you for a while. And to let you have fun in peace, we haven’t bothered you for a while. Aren’t you supposed to be on vacation? How did you become an NPC?”

After being bombarded with three questions from Hu Yan, Shu Jun finally realized what was going on.

To tease him, Hu Yan always liked to call Smoke “sister-in-law”. Now the real Smoke was sitting behind him, so the one in the “real world” must be a fake. It wasn’t surprising to think about it. If Smoke’s identity didn’t match the Blackbirds’ expectations, then the AI pretending to be him would inevitably be contacted repeatedly and consoled.

Thus, it was better to make a pair of counterfeit immortal lovers to show players a beautiful future after retiring and kill two birds with one stone—it would reduce the contact between the team members and the fake Shu Jun, and also show off the beautiful future awaiting retired players.

“I had a little conflict with your sister-in-law, and the atmosphere was a bit tense.” Shu Jun decided to play along. “The <Erosion> official found me and talked about making this program. In any case, I am a part-time NPC, and according to the rules, I can only tell you that if everyone knows, the program’s effect will be ruined.”

Seeing the old captain return, Hu Yan suddenly felt much better. “Of course, that’s great.”

“This mission is actually quite difficult, so you need to be mentally prepared. Me and your sister-in-law… Ahem, me and my friend will help develop tactics for you. ‘One Eye’ is a real NPC, so don’t bother him.” Shu Jun almost slipped up.

“In the future, can you play like this too?” Hu Yan looked at Shu Jun eagerly. “To be honest, Captain Shu, I really can’t adapt to leading this team without you.”

This was exactly the effect they wanted.

“Of course. Originally <Erosion> asked me to come back as an NPC, probably for external guidance. Do you still have the contact information of those captains? Remember to pass on the message for me when the time comes.”

“Hey, a dog can’t stop eating shit*.” Hu Yan laughed while teasing him, gradually letting go of his emotions.

*(狗改不了吃屎) Idiom referring to it’s difficult for someone to change their innate or habitual behavior, even if they are aware that it’s wrong or undesirable (AKA a leopard can’t change its spots/old habits die hard). 

Even though they fought fiercely on the battlefield, Shu Jun wasn’t the type to actively suppress his opponents. In fact, it was quite the opposite—he was willing to maintain contact with all the captains and even give tactical advice. Since the game didn’t have a PvP setting, rather than secretly making enemies, Shu Jun hoped that his worthy opponents would retain their strength and become as strong as possible, so that winning would be even more enjoyable.

Everyone in Blackbirds knew about his habit. Although there were people who objected to it, they couldn’t argue with the comfortable environment in Blackbirds, and the matter eventually died down. Although Hu Yan wasn’t old, he would occasionally make fun of Shu Jun, but he never did anything underhanded behind his back and was quite forthright.

It was precisely because Shu Jun appreciated Hu Yan’s frankness and integrity that he promoted him to the position of vice captain.

Seeing Hu Yan regain his mood, Shu Jun couldn’t help but feel bitterness surge in his heart at having to lie to his comrade-in-arms, who had fought alongside him for years.

Until they got results from Ai Xiaoxiao, they couldn’t dispel the impact of the shock in their brains. Since they couldn’t convey the truth, they could only use this emergency measure to minimize the sacrifices of each team.

Seeing Hu Yan’s happy expression, Shu Jun suppressed his feelings of being pricked by a needle and couldn’t help but speak again. “Lao Hu, be serious and don’t take it lightly—”

“Speaking of which,” Hu Yan rudely interrupted, turning his gaze to the silent Zhu Yanchen. “This person’s nickname is also ‘Smoke’. How come? Did sister-in-law send him to supervise you?”

“Also?” Zhu Yanchen politely asked.

Shu Jun: “…” His emotions hadn’t even settled yet, and this beast Hu Yan had already trampled on them.

“Ah, you don’t know? My sister-in-law’s game ID is ‘Smoke’. Captain Shu is quite—”

“We suddenly got a notification. Gotta go.” Shu Jun tightened his jaw and rudely interrupted. “Remember what I said. Don’t take it lightly. I’ll keep an eye on you all. If the Blackbirds is short even a single person, I’ll twist your head off.”

Hu Yan hissed a few times. “I’ll handle it. Don’t worry.”

Shu Jun put on his mask and dragged Zhu Yanchen out of the tent, taking several deep breaths at the entrance of the tent.

Before the mission started, he had hoped that the atmosphere between the two of them would improve naturally. But now, that stiffness had not only not improved, but it seemed to be turning into amber, freezing him in place.

“I encrypted our conversation.” Zhu Yanchen considerately broke the silence. “The system can only see the altered content, and it’s not surprising that it classified ‘Smoke’ as an NPC. As for the NPC’s appearance…”

“I can guess. It’s just to silence the other Blackbirds.” Shu Jun didn’t dare to turn around and spoke to the empty space in front of him. “What did you make of our conversation?”

“To the system, the main content of our communication is about flower gardening techniques, and tactics are just an add-on.”

Shu Jun had nothing to say. He did indeed have two pots of bellflowers on his balcony, barely enough to make up the numbers.

After a moment of silence, he asked, “People in the ‘other side’ city can’t all be players. Did you prepare an NPC for our meeting as well?”

In the “real world” where the players resided, NPCs were real NPCs.

“Yes,” Zhu Yanchen answered honestly. “An elderly man in his eighties.”

…In a way, they had a strange understanding of each other in this regard. Shu Jun laughed dryly.

Zhu Yanchen’s intention was quite clear. If he hadn’t carried out that suicide operation himself, and they had really met in person, their relationship would only have been limited to text communication. He couldn’t possibly keep dragging an eighty-year-old man around to eat and drink with him.

Moreover, if he hadn’t intervened halfway, Zhu Yanchen had planned to conduct his own investigation into the erosion zone and wait for death.

Marshal Zhu had indeed played a good game—after he died silently, Shu Jun wouldn’t be too surprised by the death of an “elderly” friend in that fictional city.

Thinking of this, Shu Jun’s stomach suddenly twisted into a knot.

…After this mission was over, they would have a serious talk.

The author has something to say:

Poor Shu Ge, being executed publicly (?)

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 38: A Missed Encounter

Shu Jun had been to the command center before. The assistants would lead him there, but this was the first time he explored downward. Zhu Yanchen was walking in front. Obviously, the two were sneaking around like thieves, but that man didn’t look guilty at all. He simply strolled through the corridor as if he were taking a walk in his own backyard.

Zhu Yanchen remained silent the entire time. Feeling heavily pressed by the purifiers, Shu Jun got lost in his thoughts in order to divert his attention.

After hearing many things from Ai Xiaoxiao, Shu Jun didn’t know how to deal with Zhu Yanchen. He could understand why the other party didn’t explain things to him—Zhu Yanchen originally planned to try his best to help him, and he had succeeded. Bringing it up again later would reveal a hint of deliberation.

However, as a partner, bringing it up could still earn some goodwill, but Zhu Yanchen remained silent.

It seemed Marshal Zhu preferred to remain silent on many issues. Although they were old friends in name, Shu Jun always had an inexplicable sense of guilt—despite the favor of saving each other’s lives were fairly equal, Zhu Yanchen’s obvious and hidden care wasn’t lacking. Shu Jun considered himself quite thick-skinned, but it wasn’t to the point where he would brazenly think it was “reasonable” and take it for granted.

If Zhu Yanchen was an extrovert, Shu Jun would have confidence in getting along with him even if he didn’t recover his memories. Unfortunately, Marshal Zhu was like a steel walnut. He couldn’t even creak open that three-foot iron gate, making it difficult for him to get close.

“Is your heart okay?” The endless white corridor in front of them prompted Shu Jun to start a conversation. After his complete physical examination, Ai Xiaoxiao had called Zhu Yanchen back for a follow-up heart check, and he didn’t know what the result was.

“Very healthy.” Zhu Yanchen slowed down by half a beat.

“That’s good.”

After that, there was another long silence. Shu Jun had thought of several topics in his mind, but he found himself having some hesitation, unable to chat freely.

“…What about you?” After a long silence, Zhu Yanchen probably felt that the atmosphere had become a bit awkward, so he took the initiative to say something.

Shu Jun could tell that Marshal Zhu was struggling to find a topic. Ai Xiaoxiao had shown the examination report to Zhu Yanchen—if he really had a problem, Zhu Yanchen would know before even he did.

“I’m fine too.” Despite Shu Jun’s sincere tone, the conversation was still unproductive.

Zhu Yanchen seemed to have realized this, and his footsteps quickened. Shu Jun quickly changed the topic. “Speaking of medical treatment, Luo Duan seems to be recuperating here. If there is time, I want to go and see him. Even if I can’t remove the brain fragments immediately, I can suppress the erosion in his body.”

“…Mm.” For some reason, Zhu Yanchen’s tone was stiff, and he sounded a bit sullen.

“I understand your concerns.” Shu Jun quickly added, “Although I don’t have much private contact with Luo Duan, he is indeed reliable, and there’s no harm in communicating with him beforehand.”

After all, the current situation was really awkward.

Even if they succeeded in obtaining a sample of the brain fragment and Ai Xiaoxiao developed a drug to counteract rejection, it wouldn’t be wise to “awaken” too many players at once—there was still no solution to the problem of a player’s lifespan, and players who had been deceived might not be willing to believe in Zhu Yanchen. In the event of a large-scale conflict, it would only benefit the Erosion Swamp fisherman* in the end.

*Referring to the idiom (鹬蚌相争，渔翁得利) wherein two parties quarrel while a third party profits from it.

They had to be careful and take it one step at a time, because if they made a mistake, it could result in a complete wipeout.

In terms of tactics, Luo Duan wasn’t as good as Shu Jun, but when it came to scheming, Shu Jun knew he was far behind Luo Duan. Luo Duan wasn’t the impulsive type either. If he could win him over successfully, it would be advantageous for the plan no matter how he looked at it.

“I understand. There should be enough time.” Zhu Yanchen didn’t refuse, and the hint of stiffness in his tone disappeared.

It was understandable. After all, Luo Duan wasn’t under Zhu Yanchen’s command. At present, he only had one side of the story, so it was normal for Zhu Yanchen to be cautious. Shu Jun patted Zhu Yanchen’s shoulder understandingly, and the latter looked at him with a complicated expression.

Finally, the corridor came to an end, and they no longer had to struggle to find a topic.

There was a hall hidden in the deepest part of the command center.

Shu Jun had seen many monsters before and had prepared himself mentally. But when he saw what was in front of him, he almost retched—

In the center of the hall stood a cylindrical glass jar with a radius of about six meters from the floor to the ceiling, filled with something. Because its shape was too regular, Shu Jun had to approach it before he could discern what it was.

It was a jar full of brain tissue.

It even had several hoses, slowly floating in the liquid, occasionally emitting small bubbles. Shu Jun was a little dazed and didn’t react until Zhu Yanchen had finished the invasion.

“I have temporarily deactivated the alarm and purification systems. We only have five minutes.” Zhu Yanchen set the timer. “Be careful. If we exceed the time limit or if the concentration of the erosion substance fluctuates too much, they will find evidence.”

Shu Jun collected himself and put the cold jar in his palm. The erosion substance penetrated the almost non-existent seams, turning into flexible little hooks, manipulating the internal mechanical password lock little by little. Three minutes later, there was a crisp sound from the base of the jar, and the external interface slowly opened.

Then the erosion substance solidified into a sturdy spoon and Shu Jun carefully took out a small sample of tissue from inside. The black erosion substance hooked onto the pink-white brain, making Shu Jun’s stomach churn.

Unfortunately, this was necessary.

According to Zhu Yanchen, in order to break the control of the brain fragment, they must first obtain a healthy sample. Once this was made into an implantable fragment, the storage and logistics management were strict to the point of being outrageous. Zhu Yanchen had tried secretly but was unable to obtain the finished product.

As for those that had already been implanted, most of them dissipated together with the synths inside the Erosion Swamp or had been damaged by erosion. Zhu Yanchen couldn’t carry out craniotomy experiments with healthy synths before, but with Shu Jun’s help, they could start from the source without anyone noticing.

After Shu Jun removed the brain, Zhu Yanchen injected an equal amount of nutrient solution into the tank. As soon as they restored the mechanical lock, the countdown reached the last second.

Everything went smoothly without any surprises.

Zhu Yanchen carefully put the sample bottle into his pocket and nodded to Shu Jun. However, Shu Jun didn’t show a relieved expression. He frowned and looked around.

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” Shu Jun muttered. “It’s just… It seems like someone is watching me. Forget it. Let’s go see Luo Duan first.”

With information from Ai Xiaoxiao, Luo Duan’s room was easy to find. Shu Jun looked through the crack of the viewing window and saw that the room was dark, with a black figure leaning against the windowsill.

It seemed that Luo Duan hadn’t slept yet.

There was no other way. Shu Jun shook his head and gave the “Suppression” command through the door. He hoped that this old opponent could suffer less. Then, with a sigh, he left this floor with Zhu Yanchen.

As soon as the two of them left, the figure next to the bed collapsed slowly—if viewed from another angle, it looked more like a black paper-cut figure, with a thickness that was almost negligible.

The suppressed erosion substance remained motionless for a while and then slowly crawled and seeped back into the wall like liquid.

The real Luo Duan still remained in the deepest layer.

With two intruders present, he didn’t dare venture too deep. The two people were wearing very common masks, and Luo Duan couldn’t tell who they were. He also didn’t want to use Yi Ning’s access card—God knew what these two guys had done. If he left traces now, he might end up taking the blame for something he didn’t do.

It was better to stop here tonight. Yi Ning had no defense against him, and he could always try again another day.

He was farther away from the entrance to the main hall as he thought this and was about to turn around to go back. However, the strange voice behind him appeared again—it was like something was roaming on his spine, like a cold hand slowly rubbing his neck.

“To the right… To the right… the third door.” It whispered. “The answer… The answer…”

Luo Duan angrily pressed his temple, intending to ignore its existence as usual.

The thing was silent for a while, and when it spoke again, its voice changed, becoming sweet and familiar.

“The answer… you want… The answer.”

“Xiao Yuan?” Luo Duan stopped in horror.

It was the voice of his fiancée.

Pei Shuyuan was originally the deputy captain of Groundwater and a highly skilled warrior. A year ago, her character was swallowed by an Erosion Swamp. According to the rules of <Erosion>, she had to leave the team.

[I’m going on a trip,] she said at the time. [Anyway, you’re about to retire, so you might as well focus on leading the team. I’ll go around and find a suitable city for us to get married in.]

Afterwards, she would occasionally video call him, and their photo and text communication never stopped. It was just Luo Duan was busy and Pei Shuyuan was out traveling, so their communication times didn’t match, thus communication between the two became less frequent.

However, they had been together for almost ten years, and their relationship had long passed the stage of passionate romance, so Luo Duan didn’t have a hard time adapting.

Why did this thing know Pei Shuyuan’s voice?

“The answer…” the originally strange voice became intimate, like a whisper.

Luo Duan stood still for five minutes before finally taking a deep exhalation. He stood in front of the door indicated by that thing. The water mirror skill could project images showing there was no one in the room. He just wanted to take a look… Just a look…

If there was an answer, he would consider continuing. If there was no information, he would report to the NPC and deal with the strange thing behind him formally.

The door led to a warehouse with tightly arranged small jars full of meat chunks and a lot of dust. Luo Duan looked around but didn’t find any special clues. He breathed a sigh of relief and was about to leave when something fell to the ground with a clatter.

It was an electronic tablet with no dust on it. It must have been forgotten by someone.

Luo Duan hesitated for a few seconds before walking over. Many black threads were wrapped around the old tablet, and it started up on its own, illuminating the dim room.

He picked it up, and the screen was still on the “recent modifications” page. The first file name was quite eye-catching.

[List of Synthetic Human Tissue Retained Samples and Precautions for Preservation]

Luo Duan took a deep breath and carefully opened it.

The next morning, a staff member rushed into the basement room. The electronic tablet was lying quietly on a small table. He put it in his backpack and breathed a sigh of relief—personal items shouldn’t be left in the workplace, let alone the fact that he hadn’t set a password. If it were discovered, he might lose his job.

Luckily, it was just one night, and no one, not even the synths, usually came to this place. There shouldn’t be any leaks.

…Speaking of which, there was indeed a synth in the command center now.

He was in a hurry to get the tablet back, so he came to work early. According to regulations, they had to go to the higher floors to refresh his access card passwords before taking another elevator to go underground. It was a troublesome process—a synth saw him rushing towards the door and helped him keep the elevator door open.

The synth had a visitor name tag with the name “Bitter Rain” on his chest and had a pleasant and handsome appearance. So far, his impression of the person was quite good.

“Are you going to see Marshal Yi Ning?” Seeing that the other party pressed the high floor where Yi Ning was located, he couldn’t help interjecting.

“Yeah.” Bitter Rain smiled at him.

After that, he didn’t dare talk to the synth again—they weren’t humans but weapons, just like the propaganda said.

But he had never seen such a creepy smile.

Author’s Note:

Erosion Swamp: The air… smells of… vinegar*.

*Jealousy.

Kinky Thoughts:

Note: The title of the chapter is an idiom: To brush past someone’s shoulder and then go separate ways (擦肩而过). It describes a missed opportunity or a chance encounter that didn’t lead to anything significant.

Given the chapter’s content, it’s pretty obvious what the missed encounter was.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 37: Midnight Visit

After the official announcement of Zhu Yanchen’s death, Yi Ning’s work increased several folds.

He simply set up a bunk bed in his office and lived there. Zhu Yanchen’s death completely disrupted his campaign rhythm—his supporters thought he was sure to win, so the momentum plummeted. However, Zhu Yanchen’s father, Zhu Sheng, had been making constant moves recently, which showed that the Zhu family clearly had no intention of giving up the leadership position.

The Tang family worked behind the scenes to manage their connections, while the Xia family watched from the sidelines. With all this going on, Marshal Yi Ning simply felt exhausted.

Initially, he just wanted everyone to have a better life, but now, having seen many dirty things, the only thing that could sustain him was this belief. Yi Ning made himself a cup of coffee and continued to work on the towering stacks of documents.

It had to be said that Dong Lao and Ai Xiaoxiao, who were arranged by Zhu Yanchen, were indeed useful and saved him a lot of trouble. However, those two people inherited Zhu Yanchen’s will and tended to keep the synths in a defensive position, unwilling to advance the purification process quickly. Even when he assigned a reconnaissance mission to the Blackbirds, Ai Xiaoxiao looked at him with raised eyebrows for a long time.

The daily maintenance cost of the synths remained unchanged, but since their focus right now was more defensive, the purification efficiency was much lower. However, compared to other urgent problems, Yi Ning could bear this loss.

The burden on the medical system was increasing, and the social security issue had yet to be resolved. In order to stimulate the economy and turn the tide, he had to launch the production plan for the synths as soon as possible.

Where was the research report from the research institute? Oh, right, to prevent players from seeing them, confidential documents were only sent through light screens…

Yi Ning was so tired that his limbs felt like lead. He struggled to go through the pile of documents, considering whether to go get a glass of iced water.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Yi Ning frowned. It was now after three in the morning, and he couldn’t think of anyone who would come to visit. However, since the bodyguards had let them in, there shouldn’t be any problems—he just hoped it wasn’t someone from the Tang family. He really didn’t want to talk about those messy issues.

However, once he saw who the unexpected guest was, Yi Ning suddenly became three times more alert.

Luo Duan was standing outside the door with several drink cans in his hand. Though he had wrapped many bandages around his body, he still had a gentle and polite demeanor.

“Bitter Rain?” Yi Ning asked uncertainly.

In principle, “players” and “NPCs” weren’t prohibited from engaging in private interactions in <Erosion>. After all, this was the real world, and a complete ban wasn’t realistic. They couldn’t keep it airtight, so they quietly separated the two groups and tried to ensure that players’ communication was only through people from the United Government.

Luo Duan smiled at him. “I have insomnia, so I’m just out for a stroll. Can I come in, sir? I brought some ice soda.”

“Sorry, I still have work to do.” Yi Ning took a deep breath and didn’t invite him in.

“Ah.” Luo Duan didn’t seem very surprised. “I just wanted to talk about the recent task arrangements for Groundwater. That’s a legitimate issue, right?”

Yi Ning pondered for a moment, then stepped aside, letting Luo Duan pass. Since it was related to work, he could change his mindset, and that could wake him up a bit.

However, as Luo Duan passed him, Yi Ning felt a certain coldness. It was a fleeting feeling. As Marshal Yi wiped his face, he thought it probably came from the drinks.

The drinks were refreshing, and Luo Duan did indeed just talk about work. It was clear that he had put a lot of thought into it and his ideas were quite reasonable. Yi Ning gradually lost his drowsiness, and the topic gradually shifted from Groundwater to all players’ views regarding the recent “plot”.

“Zhu Sheng would choose someone from the Xia family. With the death of Zhu Yanchen, the Xia family’s position is uncertain. Zhu Sheng isn’t someone who’s obsessed with bloodlines. Besides, there aren’t many outstanding people in the Zhu family currently. If he chooses a godson from the Xia family to support, he… Well, given Zhu Sheng’s personality, even if he does something more excessive, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Unlike Shu Jun from the Blackbirds, Luo Duan was clearly interested in the “game plot”. It was obvious that he had done a lot of research. The two of them chatted smoothly, and when Yi Ning came back to his senses, it was nearly 5 in the morning.

“…Since you’ve been promoted to this position, you shouldn’t be easily abandoned. Zhu Sheng hasn’t decided on a new candidate yet, so this period of time is the most precious for you. But I think you also know that. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be awake at this hour.”

Luo Duan’s voice was very gentle and soothing to the ear. He walked to the pile of documents, bent over, and picked up a few that had fallen to the ground.

“Marshal Yi, as a subordinate, I still have to remind you…”

Luo Duan paused. There was a little more subtle emotion in his voice.

“…to take care of yourself.”

After speaking, his severely injured body wobbled, but Luo Duan reacted quickly and immediately reached out to the edge of the table for support—although this action caused the mountain of documents on the table to scatter all over the floor by the impact.

“Ah, I’m sorry.” Luo Duan smiled and began to bend over to pick them up again. “It seems that I’m also tired. Let’s stop here for today. The topic of medical care was quite interesting. I’ll come again tomorrow.”

A water column full of tranquilizer quietly rose up and entered Yi Ning’s drink can.

“You should go back first. When the sun rises, I’ll ask my assistant to help me tidy up.” Yi Ning looked at the bandages on Luo Duan’s body, drank the last bit of his drink, and helped him up.

Luo Duan hooked his lips. “Good night, Marshal Yi.”

Yi Ning thought he really should take a rest. Once he relaxed, drowsiness quickly hit him. He still had four hours of sleep before work officially started at 9.

The heavy door closed behind Luo Duan.

He reached out his hand, and another water column retracted into his palm. Its end hooked onto Yi Ning’s access card, then retracted. A matchbox-sized card lay quietly in his hand.

The hallway was filled with thick darkness, and something cold and eerie crept out of his pores and coiled around his neck, vibrating at an ominous frequency.

“Let me… help you…” The voice pressed against his neck. Its tone was strange, as if mixed with male and female, young and old voices, randomly spliced together.

“No.” Luo Duan didn’t turn back.

He still had four hours before Yi Ning woke up. He had acquired many keys, and if possible, he hoped he wouldn’t have to use the Marshal-level authority.

However, things didn’t go as smoothly as he had hoped.

Using his water skills to remain hidden, Luo Duan easily evaded the cameras and snuck into the lower levels of the command center. He had just planned to continue his infiltration when the cold sensation around his neck started again.

“Someone’s coming,” it emphasized in that strange voice. “Someone’s coming.”

Although he didn’t want to engage with this thing, Luo Duan quietly hid himself.

Two figures appeared at the end of the hallway, heading underground before he did. Luo Duan frowned—judging from their movements, those two were definitely not staff members here.

…Who?

At this moment, Shu Jun was feeling uncomfortable all over.

In order to let his large Erosion Swamp enter the command center, Zhu Yanchen managed to turn off the purification defenses for a few seconds with the assistance of Dong Lao. However, military-grade purifiers had tremendous power, and even if the defenses were only set up on the outside of the building, Shu Jun still felt uncomfortable.

Fortunately, he didn’t bring Monday with him. Otherwise, he didn’t know what kind of miserable howl it would make. But now it was in the hands of Ai Xiaoxiao, so the situation was probably not much better.

Hundreds of military-grade purifiers were crazily running that it made Shu Jun want to vomit.

“Endure a little longer,” Zhu Yanchen said in a low voice as he placed a hand on his back.

With the alarm system’s access, their path was unimpeded. Their destination was clear—the bottom level of the command center was usually the synthetic human production workshop, while the very bottom controlled the system that managed “the truth”.

Given that Zhu Yanchen wasn’t a boss with any human touch, the atmosphere of the four-person meeting was as it was. The other two were obviously more interested in Shu Jun than Zhu Yanchen, making Shu Jun feel a little uneasy. However, the situation was made clear enough.

Originally, Zhu Yanchen’s plan was simple—Dong Lao and Ai Xiaoxiao would ask the synths to focus on defense, and at the same time, the Old Fourth would spread the news of Erosion Swamps with sentiency. When public opinion was riled up, records from the ruins of X City would be released. No matter what, ripples would certainly be created.

Even if people couldn’t immediately stop using the player system, synthetic human production would inevitably be affected. Zhu Yanchen had already foreseen his own death, and he had only wanted to be a fuse, blowing the problem to the surface.

But he didn’t die.

The situation was a bit awkward now—Marshal Zhu had planned every step, even calculated his death date. He never wanted to be the leader in the first place, so he never managed his image. His reputation among the people was terrible. Even if he stood on top of the command center and performed a public resurrection from the void, he probably wouldn’t win the election that followed.

Not to mention that Zhu Sheng was still in power. Even if Zhu Yanchen managed to win the position of leader by sheer luck, Zhu Sheng could still sideline him.

During the discussion, Dong Lao rolled his eyes, while Ai Xiaoxiao looked at Zhu Yanchen with a smile that could be interpreted as “he” on the left side of her face and “deserves it” on the right side.

“What if we give the evidence directly to Zhu Sheng?” Shu Jun didn’t know much about politics, so he could only ask questions based on intuition.

“It won’t work,” Dong Lao said in a hoarse voice. “X City’s intelligence only proves the existence of an ‘Erosion Swamp affected by synths’. This system has been running for two hundred years, and there’s only been one case discovered. Zhu Yanchen’s judgment is correct. At most, this evidence can only serve as a spark to ignite public opinion and make some people take notice of this matter.”

“If you were Zhu Sheng, and you had a plan that had a 95% chance of greatly advancing society and benefiting yourself, and a 5% chance of causing a major disaster, of which there’s only been one in two hundred years, what would you choose? This is why Zhu Yanchen initially focused on public opinion, which would force the United Government to investigate.”

“This old man is just being long-winded,” Ai Xiaoxiao said as she took a sip of tea. “In short, if you want to liberate synthetic humans and investigate the Erosion Swamp to your heart’s content, you must quickly control the United Government. And to obtain the United Government, both Yi Ning and Zhu Sheng are unavoidable enemies.”

Dong Lao gave Ai Xiaoxiao a sideways glance, who glanced back contemptuously, emitting a faint scent of gunpowder in the air.

Haa…

Shu Jun didn’t want to recall any more. Thinking about all these political problems made his stomach twitch again. He didn’t know if it was the discomfort of his body, but he sensed a faint trace of the same kind—that breath was faintly discernible, far away, and disappeared like smoke as they went deeper.

How strange.

However, since they had all arrived here, it wouldn’t be appropriate to suddenly change their goal. Regardless, the focus was on preparing for the NPC mission that was about to come. Shu Jun withdrew his suspicious gaze and followed Zhu Yanchen deeper underground.

In a dark corner, a strand of erosion dripped slowly. It pulled itself thin and followed the two of them quietly.

“Soon…”

It murmured to Shu Jun back.

“It’s almost… mature… How great.”

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

Chapter 36: Hole in the Brain

Shu Jun looked at Monday and suddenly thought of a dog wailing at the entrance of the pet hospital.

With him watching, Monday didn’t dare attack Ai Xiaoxiao. It tried to move in the opposite direction, sucked up more water, and wriggled out of the cloth strip, coiling into a slippery lump on the ground and clinging to the floor.

Throughout the whole process, it kept screaming miserably, but Ai Xiaoxiao wasn’t scared by the noise. Instead, she hummed and took a shovel from the tool cabinet and skillfully shoveled up Monday.

“Your sword has quite the personality,” she commented nonchalantly while putting Monday into an isolation bucket.

Monday, seeing that throwing a tantrum was ineffective, trembled inside the bucket, causing it to rattle on the floor.

Shu Jun: “……” Why is there a shovel in the consultation room? But looking at how skillfully Ai Xiaoxiao handled it, he didn’t dare ask.

The underground space was much larger than the one above ground, but the lighting was bluish and a bit creepy. Ai Xiaoxiao filled three liquid tanks and turned to Shu Jun and Zhu Yanchen. “Take your clothes off.”

Shu Jun: “?!”

“You can leave your underwear on. The inside is an isolation fluid that won’t mix with the erosion substance allowing me to facilitate a full body scan.” Ai Xiaoxiao glanced at Shu Jun and lifted the isolation bucket, pouring Monday into one of the tanks. Monday tried to coil up into a ball, but the inside of the isolation bucket was extremely smooth, so it could only sulkily fall into the liquid.

As soon as Monday fell into the tank, several metal arms stretched out, forcibly twisting it back into the shape of a sword and wedging it at the bottom of the tank. Monday looked like it wanted to curse but only sprayed out a string of fine bubbles. Ai Xiaoxiao put the lid on the tank, letting Monday squirm around inside.

“Uh…” Shu Jun was a bit flustered. Whether in the so-called “real world” or on this side, they only had same-sex doctors.

Standing in front of him was a person of similar age who was of the opposite sex, so he couldn’t help but be a bit shy and somewhat embarrassed.

“Don’t mind me. After all, I am a doctor—I’ve seen everything from eight-year-olds to eighty-year-olds.” Ai Xiaoxiao seemed to sense his concerns and waved her hand casually, then looked at Zhu Yanchen. “And you, surnamed Zhu, what’s the matter? I’ve dissected your organs a hundred and eighty times. Hurry up and take your clothes off.”

Yes, there was an experienced person here too. Desperate times call for desperate measures*. Shu Jun quickly shifted his gaze and stayed still, pretending to be a serious student.

*While dead companions will not perish, it’s impossible to maintain poverty forever (死道友不死贫道，能拖一时是一时) Idiom referring to when one’s situation is difficult it’s still possible to survive and overcome challengers for a short time, but having trustworthy companions can be helpful in tough times. || In this context, he’s basically saying, the challenge is tough, but at least there’s an experienced person here with him (Zhu Yanchen) which could allow him to delay a bit more.

Zhu Yanchen glanced at Shu Jun, walked to the edge of the liquid tank, and began to take off his clothes one by one.

As expected of a marshal, even taking off his clothes had a sense of formality. Most of the time, this man kept himself tightly wrapped up, even buttoning up the top button of his pajamas. Shu Jun had only seen him naked once before, but at that time he had just rescued him and was in a daze, unable to even count how many heads this man had.

Without the dense scars covering him, his well-built physique was fully exposed. Zhu Yanchen had the advantage of size and a slightly more muscular waistline than Shu Jun. He was originally pale-skinned, with sharp eyebrows and eyes, and now looked like a warm marble statue.

Good physique. Shu Jun occupational disease came out—after all these matters were resolved, perhaps the two of them could spar in close combat.

His heartbeat seemed a little fast, probably due to the excitement brought on by said occupational disease. Shu Jun withdrew his gaze and looked at Ai Xiaoxiao again.

“Well, the recovery is very good. The blood indicators are also fine. I’ll take a look at the bones and internal organs later.” Ai Xiaoxiao’s response was calm, as if the person in front of her was just a bag of meat.

With someone taking the lead, Shu Jun relaxed a bit. He quickly stripped himself naked and plopped into the liquid tank, splashing a considerable amount of water.

The liquid in the tank was cold and sticky, like frozen oil, though his treatment was much better than Monday’s. He could at least expose half of his head so he could hear and speak. The two of them lay side by side, like two human specimens.

“It’s not just about immunity to erosion.” Ai Xiaoxiao looked at the real-time scan of Zhu Yanchen, speaking in a tone so low that it sounded like she was talking to herself. “Last month, I just cut out a lesion in your liver. You should have only a quarter of your liver left, but it’s all grown back now.”

She pondered for a moment, her eyes flashing.

“The internal organs and bones are normal, and there are no surgical scars. Good, remember to give me some tissue samples later… Wait, your heart rate is a bit fast. Are you nervous? It’s okay if Mr. Shu’s heart rate is fast, but it’s not your first time.”

Shu Jun unconsciously turned his head and glanced at his friend, surnamed Zhu, who was close at hand.

“Why is it even faster now? Alright then. Mr. Zhu, you can come out now. I’ll check your heart later when I’m done with Mr. Shu.”

“So fast?” Shu Jun asked hopefully, feeling cold all over from being soaked in the liquid.

“He’s a human, and you’re not. You’ll need at least two hours. Go and take a look at the other side first.” Ai Xiaoxiao threw a large towel to Zhu Yanchen. “Wipe yourself and go outside to wait. You’re just getting in the way here.”

After speaking, she glanced meaningfully at the old man beside her.

The old man coughed. Zhu Yanchen changed his clothes and walked to Shu Jun’s liquid tank, speaking very seriously, “I’ll wait for you outside. Don’t worry.”

“I’ll try my best.” Shu Jun responded dryly, while Ai Xiaoxiao was enthusiastically wiping a pair of large pliers, seemingly quite impatient.

“Dong Lao, let’s go.” As the conversation partner changed, Zhu Yanchen’s tone became noticeably more mechanical.

“Finally it’s quiet.” After the two left the room, Ai Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief. “Next, I need to ask you some questions. You must answer me truthfully, understand?”

It seemed that this woman deliberately sent those two away. Indeed, one-on-one questioning was the least likely to be interfered with.

“Your physical condition is similar to what I expected—the situation with the Erosion Swamp is stable, the fusion degree is high, and there are no adverse reactions. You don’t need to worry about health problems. However, there is one thing that I am concerned about.”

She tapped the device next to her, and a screen showing Shu Jun’s face appeared. “This is your brain.”

Shu Jun looked at the scan image in confusion.

“Before introducing you to other Erosion Swamps, did Zhu Yanchen do anything to you?”

There were many things. Shu Jun reminisced about the oral examination, intimidation, and handcuffs when they first met. But since the doctor had displayed his brain scan, Shu Jun could guess what she wanted to hear. “Brain shock?”

“Tell me about it.”

“He told me the truth, and I forgot it all, like I was drunk or on sedatives. Then he gave me a few shots, we went to the body processing center, and then he did it again…”

“What else? Any details you remember.”

“It’s hard to describe. When I’m with him, I feel like a lot of things are familiar to me—I can’t help but trust him and want to protect him.” Since Zhu Yanchen wasn’t present, Shu Jun spoke freely, saying whatever came to mind. “I also remember some things from the ‘past’, but I didn’t have any impressions of those things before, and I’m not sure how I remember them now.”

Ai Xiaoxiao stood up and walked around the liquid tank, occasionally glancing at the scan results of Shu Jun’s brain.

“In your memory, what kind of relationship do you have with him?”

“…Friends?” It probably counted, as his memory in this regard had not yet been restored.

“It seems like you’re more than just friends.” Ai Xiaoxiao stopped walking and leaned her hands against the edge of the tank. “I’ve been wondering why he gave you two brain shocks before introducing you to the other Erosion Swamps, but now I understand.”

Shu Jun perked up. “What do you mean?”

Zhu Yanchen never explained these things to him. Later, when they were both in good health and their relationship had improved, he didn’t ask again.

“See, there’s a hole in your brain that’s slowly healing.” Ai Xiaoxiao pointed to the image on the screen.

“I’m trying to figure out how to explain this. When faced with unbearable pain, the brain will choose to close off certain memories. Do you know this?”

“Yeah.”

“In order to prevent you from realizing the truth, foreign brain fragments were implanted into your brain… Once these fragments recognize specific information, they immediately stimulate the defense mechanism and force you to forget. That’s the basic principle.”

“So?” Shu Jun was getting confused.

“If it were me, I would have taken you directly to the body processing center and not said a word about the truth of the world. If I did that, the Erosion Swamp inside you would treat that foreign brain fragment as part of ‘you’ and solidify and protect it.”

“It would exist forever, and you would never know the truth. For Zhu Yanchen, that would have been more efficient and convenient for controlling you. But he still induced a brain shock.”

Shu Jun looked at Ai Xiaoxiao blankly.

Ai Xiaoxiao narrowed her eyes. “In other words, he gave you a vaccine in advance—a brain shock that would cause you pain, and the Erosion Swamp would recognize that piece of brain tissue as ‘harmful’. They wouldn’t protect it anymore and would instead erode it. Doing it again during the fusion process would be even more effective… Your situation is special—just surviving is pretty good, yet he was quite thoughtful.”

Shu Jun’s emotions became complicated, and he didn’t know what to say for a moment.

“Anyway, without the influence of that foreign brain fragment, your brain will gradually return to its natural state. In this process, occasional headaches or remembering repressed memories are normal phenomena.”

Ai Xiaoxiao continued, in a good mood. “Interesting. He mentioned this before, and I was always considering surgical methods, but I never thought about it from the perspective of erosion. Hmm, it’s a brilliant approach.”

“Is there a way to remember faster?”

“What?”

“A way to remember the past faster?” Shu Jun stared at the dim ceiling.

“I don’t know. In this regard, Zhu Yanchen is better than me. I’ll give him the test results later.” After getting the answer she wanted, Ai Xiaoxiao became nonchalant again. “Turn over first and let me check your spine.”

Outside the door.

“So, that’s Shu Jun?” Xia Liang’s clear voice emerged from the old man’s mouth, no longer disguising her voice, which made the scene quite weird.

“Yes.”

Xia Liang let out a meaningful “Hmm” and changed the subject. “I have seen the chip you asked Ai Xiaoxiao to give me. The program inside has been installed in the command center. As long as I cooperate from the outside, you have the authority to control the alarm system for three hours.”

“Mm.”

“However, during this operation, I discovered an interesting thing. Do you remember Luo Duan, the captain of Groundwater? He is now recovering in the command center. According to Ai Xiaoxiao’s report, he applied for the indoor training room that hasn’t been used for thousands of years and injured himself.”

Zhu Yanchen frowned but didn’t respond this time.

“No matter what you want to do by infiltrating the command center, be careful. You two aren’t the only ones who want to ‘do something’.”

The author has something to say:

The Marshal wanted to save Shu Ge from the beginning, no doubt about it √

Shu Ge, you will have the opportunity to engage in ♂ melee ♂ combat! Believe me!

Kinky Thoughts:

Trust and believe that we get ♂ x ♂ action.

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