108 Desert: Travelers

115.

"Okay," Tim Drake clapped his hands after doing all this, "Now, let's turn around and have a big fight with these guys."

"...and put me down by the way."

"What if you get deleted?" Aria still had doubts: "I think you should be able to fight me."

As if remembering his own questionable reputation, the farmer added, "Although my body is as hard as diamond and can be used as a weapon, I would never do something like throwing you out."

Aria's description of something that was impossible immediately brought a vivid picture to Tim Drake's mind. He immediately imagined 'himself' swinging Aria like a meteor hammer. Although the killing range and attack power must be very impressive, Red Robin still felt that it was a bit too bizarre.

As we all know, when you try not to think about the elephant in the room, the elephant in the room has already appeared in your mind. Similarly, when the farmer solemnly promises you not to do something, at least the elephant in the room has already appeared in her mind.

And based on past experience, we also know that what is calculated in Aria's mind will not disappear with the passage of time, but will be stored and will pop up in an unexpected way in the future to severely damage people.

Tim Drake didn't dare bet on her cooling time, but he also knew that confronting the farmer head-on was absolutely impossible. So Red Robin thought and came up with a reason that was also a bit bizarre, but logical enough to convince Aria.

Red Robin: "The world is a mountain of code shit."

Aria:?

Red Robin: "We just swapped bodies, but the world didn't fall apart, did it?"

Seeing Aria about to nod, Red Robin continued his theoretical output: "So we are just two insignificant codes. No one would patrol 24 hours a day just to find two insignificant codes."

Listen...it sounds reasonable?

"...but I think I'm still a pretty important code." The farmer muttered, but he put Red Robin down with much more agility.

"Yes, you are important." Facing the enemy with no reinforcements, Tim Drake pulled out his weapon from his belt with even more momentum. "So, Miss Code, can we deal with these enemies first?"

…

Although the sky was still leaden gray after being washed by artillery shells, the armistice agreement was about to be signed, and people began to clear the ruins of collapsed buildings on the ground. The temporary dwellings built with cardboard and iron sheets would disappear, and the ownerless homes that no one would return to would become shelters for new families.

People will stop and mourn for the deceased, but no matter what, life must go on.

"Clark Kent?" Someone suddenly called his name while he was walking on the dilapidated street. This was a bit rare. After all, people he knew here always called him with joy in their tone - when you live in a place where survival is a problem, every meeting with friends is no less than winning the lottery.

The voice sounded a bit like that of a reporter from another newspaper... Clark found the corresponding voiceprint in his brain, and when he tilted his head slightly in confusion, the other party caught up with him.

"Mr. Clark Kent," the fellow traveler extended his hand to him excitedly, "I'm so lucky to meet you here."

He had some vague impression of this colleague, but not much - after all, after saving the man, he had to rush to the venue immediately, ask clever questions according to the preparations, and write a report to Perry after the meeting. In this busy situation, unless his colleague was extremely eccentric, he would probably not be impressed by the other party.

"Hello, Ross." He remembered more. This man was a reporter from a newspaper, but his appearance here still surprised Clark Kent. After all, as far as he knew, the newspaper mainly dealt in entertainment news, which did not seem to fit in with this place.

Before Clark could raise any questions, Ross began to chatter away, "You're incredibly famous now. Many of us in the industry have read your reports, which are quite detailed. With your patience, young man, it's only a matter of time before you achieve success..."

Ross seemed completely unaware of the man's increasingly embarrassed expression and he praised him relentlessly, praising him to the skies. It seemed as if he was about to pull out a business card to poach Perry any second.

Clark felt more and more uneasy, as if someone had locked him in a cage for people to see. It was not until Ross felt that he had laid the groundwork enough and got straight to the point that the burning sensation gradually disappeared from his face.

...He actually took out his business card.

"So, are you willing to work for our newspaper?" Ross handed him his business card with a smile on his face. "As you can see, our newspaper is much better than the Daily Planet in terms of scale and recent developments. I believe that excellent journalists like you must be looking forward to a larger platform."

To show his sincerity, Ross first revealed some inside information he knew: "From what I know, there is a high probability that Superman will appear at tomorrow's ceremony, so I suggest that your colleague bring an extra photographer."

One shoots the ceremony, and the other only shoots Superman, so that both authority and traffic can be ensured.

Clark Kent, who didn't even know he would be attending the ceremony, shook his head and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Ross. Thank you very much for your appreciation and that of your editor-in-chief, but I'm not considering changing jobs for the time being."

Although the Daily Planet has not had good revenue in recent years, it still adheres to the seriousness that a traditional newspaper should have - for this reason, even if Perry vents fire eight hundred times a day, young reporter Clark Kent is willing to work under Perry's roar.

"If you want to exchange information about the ceremony," Clark smiled shyly, "My colleagues and I will leave here today. My colleague, Louise Lane, is in charge of following up on the ceremony. If you need to exchange information, I can give you her number after asking..."

Who wants to exchange information with Louise Lane? This woman, already a Pulitzer Prize winner, is like a lioness guarding her food in journalism. Not only does she eat her own food, but she also excels at finding new angles on what others have already written and then writing a new story. Ross still can't forget the time he ran into her at work. He immediately waved his hands frantically, "No, no, no, forget it."

Clark Kent looked dull and didn't seem like someone who could lie. Ross believed that he really didn't want to work for the newspaper rather than trying to increase his value - but he still couldn't understand why the boss specifically asked Clark Kent to join the newspaper and asked him to make a special trip just to poach him.

...Forget it, he doesn't understand the thoughts of rich people anyway.

Ross was a little annoyed that he had made a wasted trip, and was thinking about how to end the conversation in time to avoid wasting more time here.

Judging from the other party's behavior, it is impossible to poach them during this period.

"That's quite a shame. After all, you were the one who wrote this report. If you can witness the end of this war, it would be a complete beginning and end."

Clark Kent smiled, and Ross suddenly thought he looked much more handsome. But when Kent pushed his glasses up, Ross saw he looked dumb again. "Mr. Ross, everyone has their own areas of expertise, and journalists are no exception. I just write reports. Miss Lois entered the industry earlier than I did, so I'm afraid she's much better than me in this area."

In fact, if this was not a press conference after the agreement, Louise Lane's questions would have been even sharper. She asked as if she was not afraid of being put in a sack as soon as she walked out the door.

Clark Kent looked at him earnestly, looking like a corporate slave who had been severely oppressed by his editor-in-chief. "Mr. Ross, the Daily Planet still has some unfinished materials. If there's nothing else, I'm afraid I'll be leaving first."

"After all, I can't let my colleague do so much work alone."

Ross: ...What to do, he suddenly wants Clark Kent to become his colleague right now, instantly, instantly.

…

They are leaving tomorrow, and today, there is still a lot of information to be processed.

Clark Kent was somewhat thankful that his colleagues and he had each taken the tasks they needed to do back to their own rooms to sort them out - this way he could use his super speed without any worries.

These are the ones that need to be kept, and those are the ones that need to be taken back to the newspaper office. With the help of super speed, the young reporter finished handling these matters in just five minutes, and was even able to help colleagues who were stuck in the task.

"Can you finish so many?" His colleague assigned him more tasks with a little bit of guilt. His work experience during this period greatly changed his impression of Clark Kent - to be honest, if it weren't for this overseas assignment, he would hardly remember that there was such a person in the newspaper.

After all, Clark Kent's presence is quite low on weekdays. Apart from the colleagues around him who often benefit from his coffee, most of his colleagues' first impression of him is just "a good person."

Clark Kent pushed his glasses up, as if this was as trivial as bringing coffee. "It'll take a little overtime to get it done... or Perry's going to roar again."

Mentioning the devil editor's name made both of them shudder. The colleague shuddered, and the lingering uneasiness in his conscience instantly vanished. "Thank you for your hard work."

Whether to comfort Clark Kent or himself, the colleague, who had aged several years in the war zone over the past few months, patted his chest and said, "Be optimistic. Don't make things sound so scary. Perry might reward you when you get back. I heard from other colleagues that he threatened to give you a bonus in the office after reading the report."

Thinking about the bright future after returning home, my colleague felt as if he were alive again.

"By the way, have you decided how to spend your New Year's holiday? I happen to know a friend who has a discount for an island vacation."

"It's vacation..." The indoor lighting conditions were poor, and they could only do more work during the day when the light was good. This morning, dark clouds blocked the sun, but at this time, for some reason, the sun broke through the clouds again and shone with golden light, and half of the room was suddenly lit up.

The young reporter Clark Kent's red ears were clearly visible in such light. He held the information, and his head drooped down like a sunflower.

He was snickering.

"...Maybe I'll go back to my hometown and do farm work."

colleague:……

No, just do farm work, why are you so excited?

…

Clark checked his luggage - there wasn't much in it, actually. He even went for a walk outside after finishing work.

He actually wanted to bring something back for Aria, but this area had just been devastated by a war, and there didn't seem to be any special products that would impress the farmers far away in Smallville.

“…”

Several children were crowding towards him. His colleagues had reminded him to be careful of these children on the street - they were often pickpockets and thieves on the loose, but Clark unexpectedly got along well with the street children.

The oldest child walked forward and blinked twice at him with his eyes, which looked particularly big because of his thinness, but he did not speak for a long time. It seemed that he needed some time to gather up his courage.

The man half-crouched down and used his actions to boost his courage: "You are the kids who found the dog earlier, right?"

Seeing they were recognized, the group of children began to whisper among themselves, squirm and feel uneasy. This commotion lasted for more than ten seconds before the oldest child spoke up, "...I, we have something for you."

He took out a bowl. This bowl was obviously carved by hand. There were scratches on it from a knife. It felt uneven to the touch and did not look like it was meant for human use.

A child nearby chirped in the local dialect: "We've been looking for you for a long time. You're really busy."

"We found a piece of wood," someone pointed to the older child, "this is for the dog."

Clark understood what they meant, and a smile filled his blue eyes. "It's for the very white puppy, right?"

The children nodded.

The oldest child twisted the corner of his clothes and said, "I'm sorry I treated it badly before... I hope it doesn't hate us."

Clark reached out and took the bowl: "Did you carve this together?"

There was another round of nodding like a chicken pecking at rice, and Clark Kent realized belatedly that he was smiling. He touched his whole body... Fortunately, he still had some candy on him.

"I think this isn't an apology, but a gift." The young reporter continued squatting. He was so tall that even when he squatted, he was still much taller than the other children. "Since it's a gift, how about we exchange it?"

The children's eyes lit up when they heard there was candy. Clark Kent finished distributing the candies and took out a pen he had with him. "The puppy is living with a very good person in a place far away, so you may not be able to see it for a while. But if you have any words or any instructions you want to say to them, I can help write them down."

Kent could hold the crudely carved wooden bowl in one hand, but he held it firmly with both hands, as if afraid to break it. "How about writing it on this bowl?"

He had a feeling the farmer would like the gift.

…

In the dim light of his residence, Clark couldn't help laughing for ten minutes at the wooden bowl that had been scribbled all over it before he finally put it back into the suitcase.

The small bowl seemed to have scooped away half of his heart along with it. Clark Kent leaned on the table, his thoughts almost drifting back to Smallville.

The farmer said summer is the busiest time for the farm, so if he returns in time, he should be able to help out a lot. He can do a lot of things, and he's been helping out at home since he was in elementary school... Aria would probably appreciate the help and wouldn't think he was just talking to himself, right?

Of course, it doesn't matter if she prefers to do it herself. At least he can take her fishing when he has free time... Summer is a good time for fishing, and you can often catch a bucket full of fish in an afternoon.

But Aria seemed to have only said that she liked fishing, but never that she liked fishing with him...

As Clark Kent thought about it, his smile disappeared. He sat up with a look of shock, as if he had just made a new geographical discovery.

She never said she liked him.

Young reporter Clark Kent was picking at the bowl in front of him and felt that the food given by the farmer was too little, and Superman's bowl was even empty... But now, he was shocked to realize a very scary and even creepy fact.

——What if this meal isn't meant for him at all?!

…

Clark Kent is a law-abiding person. Even though he possesses various superpowers, he always strictly adheres to the bottom line and only uses them in combat... Well, he also uses his superpowers to add some small conveniences to his life, such as using his thermal vision to fry an egg for breakfast without turning on the stove, or flying to the newspaper office if he can't catch the subway to work.

…and monitoring the heartbeats of family and friends to make sure they’re not in danger.

"Big Blue, don't you think this sounds like a control freak's rhetoric?" The Flash once concluded after hearing this rhetoric. It was obvious that everyone wanted to laugh, but only Hal Jordan dared to openly focus his eyes on the biggest control freak in the room - Batman.

Okay, maybe these vigilantes all have some issues with social distancing, but Superman still insists he's holding the line—after all, he's only listening to their heartbeats.

He could interpret many things from his heartbeat: happiness and joy, sadness and anger. Even just buying something delicious on the street would cause subtle changes in his heartbeat rate...

But those were private moments that he shouldn't disturb.

The boundaries between people are as fragile as cell membranes when viewed from a superpower perspective. He lives in them, looking at humans across these membranes, so naturally he has to abide by the most basic rules.

——Don’t enter other people’s membranes unless invited.

Farmer…Aria seems to be at the other extreme.

In her eyes, everyone is like a harmless ocean ball. She accepts them all regardless of their color, and no matter how they rush into the pool, she firmly believes that there will be a group of crowded ocean balls waiting for a new adventure.

Someone must have thought that they might be the most special ocean ball, right? Clark Kent didn't know, he just... missed her heartbeat.

The unchanging heartbeat, beating at a single frequency, is as reassuring as the public radio station you hear in a fortress of doom.

He knew it was beyond the capabilities of a normal human being—especially so that even if she left Smallville, Kal-El would be able to retrieve the heartbeat and its owner instantly across the globe. But he couldn't help but listen to it over and over again, when he was upset, when Perry was scolding him, even in a war zone, on nights when air raid sirens were often sounded, he would listen to that heartbeat.

The first time he had super hearing was quite painful, as if the whole world was almost pressing into his brain, but Martha arrived and taught him to focus on the waves and the sound of the wind blowing through the treetops.

Now Kal-El can accurately hear the sound of tides and waves anywhere in the world, and can distinguish the sound of wind blowing through the leaves of different tree species, but most of the time he wants to hear Aria's heartbeat more.

Eavesdropping on conversations was too presumptuous, determining her location seemed like a perversion, and it seemed that only listening to her heartbeat conveyed no information, a right he could enjoy without guilt when she was not around.

Where are you from? Where is your original home? Is Old John really your grandfather? Why did you leave before? Why are you back now? Do you like Smallville?

……do you like me?

So listen to your heartbeat again. No matter what, we will meet again tomorrow.

Thinking of this, Clark Kent's mouth curled up slightly. He let his consciousness float on this blue planet.

So, as if drawn by fate, Clark once again found this specific landing point and signal.

Boom, boom, boom.

The river composed of the drumbeats of life also supports his life. Clark Kent indulges in his free will and sinks.

Dongdong——

However, however,

The next moment, he heard the interruption of life.

…

"So you mean, as we deduced before, this world is a..."

"It's a mountain of code." Aria nodded and added considerately.

"I'm the player, you're the game NPC." The farmer drew circles with his hand, somewhat bored. "...Do you know why I held back until now? They said it's against the rules to reveal anything beyond the game content to the NPC. If I don't want to get a warning, I'd better just play the game honestly."

Aria glanced at Red Robin, a little worried: "Will you be unable to accept it?"

Tim Drake calmly shook his head: "No."

Derek: "Because I don't believe it."

This world is already bizarre enough, with magic, mutant superpowers, myths and legends. Even these systems have contradictions. Believing in everything will only make you lose your anchor.

He just needs to believe what he wants to believe and explain everything in his own way.

"So the plan you're involved in is to play the same game over and over again and then beat it?"

There was no confrontation, no fighting. It was hard to imagine that the truth was finally revealed in the form of talk therapy. Tim Drake even felt that if they had some more nuts, they could chat all night long.

Reason told him that this might be the result of brainwashing. Some evil organizations would train children from a young age, brainwash and discipline them with anti-human doctrines in order to achieve their purpose of exploitation.

...But Red Robin couldn't see what benefit the organization behind the farmer had gained from this. If it was just for entertainment purposes, it was indeed quite profitable.

Therefore, he is currently more inclined to believe that this is also a group of superpowers. They rely on games as a carrier of education and operate in some currently unknown way... and the method of "quitting the game" proposed by Aria is exactly a way for them to return to the group.

Aria: "We can report this error this way. Maybe they can find a way to get us back. After all, this world was previously contaminated by NPC reverse engineering. It's only right that they fix it, right?"

"I think we should discuss it again..." Tim Drake was very skeptical.

It's no wonder that he was cautious. After all, he was the one who would undergo shock therapy, and he was the one who would enter the world mentioned by Aria. If he made any mistake, he might not come back.

According to his previous flashbacks, Aria seemed to be having a… bad time there. Compared to her now completely inconsistent description, Tim Drake didn't think she was lying. It's just… people might even tamper with their own memories out of self-protection.

"Is it okay if I don't go back?" The farmer seemed quite open-minded, perhaps even too open-minded, which made Tim Drake wonder if he was just giving up. "I still have to write an accident report when I get back anyway."

"Then let's think of a countermeasure now."

"Do you have any idea to capture Lei Xiaogu alive, and then torture him severely to force him to tell the truth?"

Aria stroked her chin, recalling the previous scene: "But I feel that even if we catch him, Lei Xiaogu might refuse to surrender."

Tim Drake was keenly aware that something must have happened before he woke up, and he heard the farmer continue, "I guessed that the Galaxy Sword might be the opportunity for us to change back, so in order to grab it before you woke up, Mr. Qi and I had another fight."

Pretty smart, at least the sword helped later. Red Robin breathed a sigh of relief: "How did you get it?"

After all, the two had just exchanged bodies, so it was understandable that the farmer was not familiar with the things he brought.

To be precise, it wasn't a real fight - Lei Xiaogu became quite cautious when he saw 'him' wake up, as if he was on guard against Red Robin taking out some strange equipment from his universal belt.

The farmer didn't know how to use this equipment, and he was a little worried that he might touch something extraordinary and send all the remaining NPCs present to the sky.

So she adopted the simplest and most effective solution.

…

Thinking of what Aria said before, he felt that his mind had wandered off to somewhere else: "You won't throw Kara out, will you?"

After all, when it comes to the physical toughness of everyone present, who can compare to a real Kryptonian?

The farmer's eyes widened when she heard this, as if she had heard some terrible slander: "How is it possible, how could I throw the lovely Kara out!" She didn't even have time to protect Kara, so how could she use her as a weapon?

So throwing Kara isn't an option, but throwing myself is, right? Tim Drake had lost all energy to complain, and just hoped this guy with a particularly strange way of thinking could quickly finish explaining the whole story that led to Lei Xiaogu's "deadly refusal."

"At that time, I had already seen Lei Xiaogu moving towards the Sword of Galaxy..." Aria continued vividly: "I looked all over my body, but I couldn't find any weapons that I could use." In her belt were either darts or disc-shaped objects with a black bird logo on them. If she had brought a slingshot, it would be fine, but without a slingshot, it would be difficult for her to guarantee the accuracy of these small things.

"But I saw your universal belt, I know how to untie it!"

Drake was struck by a sense of unease. If he were to develop any equipment in the future, he was even considering using magic to create a bat sensor - if for no other reason than to sound the alarm loudly before the farmer did anything wrong to warn future generations.

——So Aria untied the universal belt, used it as an ordinary belt, and whipped Lei Xiaogu hard.

"Lei Xiaogu didn't expect me to do this at all. Before he could react, I rolled up the Galaxy Sword and ran towards you!"

"If it were my original body, I would have been able to whip him like a spinning top. I've never beaten Mr. Qi before—although this isn't 100% Mr. Qi, but I'm quite satisfied with the results of this operation." Aria gave herself a thumbs up. "How clever! If it weren't for my sudden inspiration, we might still have to steal the Galaxy Sword back now."

No wonder he was so excited when he got up and ran... It turned out he was afraid of being caught and retaliated by Lei Xiaogu. Tim Drake wiped the nonexistent sweat from her face and soothed the farmer's head with words under her expectant gaze: "You're quite good at adapting to circumstances, but next time don't use my belt to hit anyone... You got lucky this time, but it would be bad if it explodes next time."

"I'll be careful when I use your body."

Does that mean it doesn't matter if it blows up on me? Drake felt a little powerless. He finally understood why B sometimes seemed angry but wasn't. When he met someone who didn't take his life seriously, he was shocked and had an indescribable feeling stuck in his heart.

He held out Aria's hand. It had no scars, but Red Robin could imagine how many wounds had opened and healed on it.

"Your body will bleed and be injured."

Red Robin's seriousness somewhat infected her. Aria noticed his change and became a little more serious: "But it won't hurt me, so it's okay."

"But your friend will be sad." It's hard to imagine that he would say such words one day. Tim Drake has always believed that people should be responsible for their own choices. Even if he also finds it difficult to accept the fact that Bruce was injured in the fight against crime, he will still stand by Batman on the next night patrol.

Aria frowned slightly, her dark pupils reflecting the shadow of another young man. "So next time, don't say that in such a nonchalant tone."

"...Okay, alright." He seemed to be taught a lesson.

Red Robin's soul, residing within the farmer's body, calmed her demeanor. "I had originally planned to consult with some magicians before making any further decisions... but perhaps foolhardiness can be contagious."

Aria rubbed her wrist, her brows slightly furrowed, her face gloomy enough to squeeze out water:

"I want to ask them how they taught you to be like this."

The NPC angrily scolded the system staff...why did I have such a dream.

The farmer felt that he still had to restore his hometown's reputation a little: "But..."

Red Robin laughed. He even deliberately imitated Aria, showing a sunny smile: "Like you said, don't worry about me."

"After all, I'm the best Robin Batman has ever had."

This chapter contains a lot of information, I am worried that I haven't explained it clearly, if there are any little angels who don't understand it, please let me know orz

It can only be said that both of them know part of the truth, and Aria knows a little more.

This chapter has minor spoilers and music recommendations: Travelers

P.S. Also, I want to ask x about the ending. I don't know how other teachers divide the ending, but since the stupid author is a bit emotional, it feels like it's a bit too sudden to divide the ending directly after the finale.

I don't know which method everyone accepts more, the split ending or the final ending orz