Chapter 32
Fang Xiaoyu found this person to be quiet and independent, making him very easy to manage.
After regaining consciousness, he treated his injuries himself, took his medication voluntarily, actively participated in rehabilitation, and even went to the toilet without assistance.
He also hand-washed his tattered flight suit, mended it, and carefully stored it away. He even washed his colorful parachute, which was in a state of disrepair with broken lines, and put it in a separate storage compartment.
They were roommates for a week and only exchanged a few words in their daily conversations.
"Dinner's ready."
"OK, thanks."
Are you thirsty?
"No, thank you."
"Do you need a convenience?"
"...Thank you, I can do it myself."
Fang Xiaoyu asked a few times and found that she really didn't need help, so she stopped caring and resumed her daily routine, going up to see the scenery.
Wang Le has difficulty walking and spends most of his time resting in bed. He also has trouble sleeping and is often plagued by nightmares. He has long since lost his cell phone and spends his time watching people and things around him, such as Fang Xiaoyu and the local dog named Big Princess.
Watching her drive, cook, organize, clean, and braid rope ladders.
Watch the eldest princess circle around her, bark warningly at unfamiliar cars, and entertain herself for a long time by playing with her own tail when bored.
He was bedridden for a full month, and he couldn't offer much help at the two service areas he passed along the way, which made him feel a little apologetic.
Once his legs were finally able to move freely, he saw people enjoying the scenery up there, so he limped after them.
Fang Xiaoyu didn't turn around when she heard the voice: "I thought you would be stressed and afraid to come to a high place."
Wang Le sat down next to him: "It seems I'm stronger than I thought."
Fang Xiaoyu chuckled softly but didn't say anything.
After a while, she asked, "If I skydive, can I get away from here?"
Wang Le wiggles his toes, which is his favorite movement since his leg recovered.
He said, "I don't know, I arrived here halfway."
Fang Xiaoyu: "...What did you see down there?"
Wang Le stared into the void, recalling the scenery from back then and comparing it to what he saw now: "It's pretty much the same as what I see now."
Fang Xiaoyu gazed into the distance, the wind blowing her hair back: "It's probably because the wind was off that day, otherwise you might be lying at home playing on your phone right now."
Wang Le realized he had made a mistake coming up there and should have gone back to lying down.
She knows how to pick on people's sore spots.
"...It's just my bad luck."
"I misspoke," Fang Xiaoyu apologized readily. "You should have seen those rope ladders. Did you think it was possible to succeed?"
Wang Le had met others who made the same choice as her, and while she wasn't optimistic about it, she gave a vague answer: "Anything is possible, as long as safety is guaranteed."
Fang Xiaoyu understood: "Yes, that's what I was thinking too, but I feel the progress is too slow. I can only go down 150 meters so far, 200 meters at most."
Wang Le understood: "You want to learn skydiving?"
Fang Xiaoyu turned to look at him: "Is it okay?"
Wang Le did not refuse, but only gave the objective facts: "It is possible, but there are no spare parachutes, and mine will need suitable materials to be repaired. More importantly, I only have some experience, and I am not qualified to be a teacher. Even if you are willing to take the risk, it is not possible without safe teaching conditions."
Fang Xiaoyu wasn't really going to risk her life; she was just curious: "Where did you find the parachute? At the service area?"
Wang Le denied it: "They brought it over from there. We were rushing to the event location, and all the equipment was there. Unfortunately, we don't know where the vehicle is now. There was a spare umbrella in the vehicle, though."
Fang Xiaoyu also expressed her regret: "Could we make a parachute based on this?"
Wang Le shook his head: "I only know how to use it, and at most I can repair it, but I can't guarantee that the repair will be the same as the original."
Fang Xiaoyu stopped pressuring him: "Thank you."
Wang Le sincerely suggested, "Let's take the highway; it's safer that way."
Fang Xiaoyu glanced at him, as if he were the one who dared to take even more risks than herself? But she accepted his suggestion: "Unless absolutely necessary, I won't choose this route. The rope ladder may be slower, but it's safer."
Wang Le nodded. As long as the other party gave up the idea of learning skydiving, everything was negotiable.
He initiated a conversation: "How long have you been here?"
Fang Xiaoyu: "403 days."
Wang Le: "We're about the same."
"Hmm." Fang Xiaoyu politely curled the corners of her lips, showing that she was not sensitive to this topic.
Looking back, she only regrets choosing to take the highway.
If I had known this would happen, what would have mattered if I had been late? At most, I would have been scolded and had some wages deducted.
Wang Le changed the subject: "Were you traveling in a motorhome back then? The vehicle looks nice."
"No, it came from the service area."
Wang Le raised an eyebrow: "You went to the special service area?"
Fang Xiaoyu was surprised, but then she remembered that most of the exhibition hall was empty: "You've been there too?"
Wang Le admitted, "I went there with friends. Did you see the biggest RV? It's 20 meters long, weighs 19 tons, and the rooms inside are about the size of a small apartment. It even has its own coupe garage. I don't know if it's still there."
Fang Xiaoyu recalled the exhibition hall, remembering the joy, melancholy, and shock of that day, and tugged at the corner of her mouth: "Yes, the silver car body is indeed beautiful."
Wang Le asked curiously, "Why didn't you drive that one?"
Fang Xiaoyu: "...You can drive it next time you have the chance."
Wang Le shook his head: "Never mind."
Hearing the unexpected answer, Fang Xiaoyu couldn't help but glance at him again: "Not because you like me?"
Wang Le sighed, "I have a bunch of licenses, but I don't have an A1 license, so I can't drive."
Fang Xiaoyu chuckled softly without saying a word.
She was initially envious, but after much consideration, she gave up.
The main problem is that the target is too big, and we're worried that we won't be able to hold it with just a few people. A small RV is already quite good.
However, after staying here for so long, the first thing this person thought of was obeying the law, which made her look at him with higher regard, and the boredom from lack of sleep dissipated a bit.
Thinking that everyone had the same experience, she asked, "Is that service area marked 'Special' only accessible to certain car owners? Is it like a dungeon where you have to meet certain conditions to enter?"
Wang Le: "My friend and I had the same guess before. He was upgraded to twelve lanes and took us in with him. Later, another friend was also lucky enough to be upgraded and was taken in twice more. Afterwards, we analyzed that meeting this condition was necessary, but not sufficient, because we might have been downgraded before we even found the way there."
Upon hearing this, Fang Xiaoyu realized that the person knew so much and was undoubtedly an expert. She continued to ask, "What's the use of this upgrade? Have you figured out the pattern?"
Wang Le didn't hold back: "I can't be sure of the specific standards, but what is certain is that mastering professional knowledge that you've never been involved in before, saving people, changing the trajectory of other people's lives, and for every full year, you will be promoted at least one level and at most two levels. You will reach the maximum level at twelve and will not be promoted any further."
Similar to what she had observed, Fang Xiaoyu's eyes lit up: "Anything else?"
Wang Le smiled wryly: "These are patterns that were hard to find; there are no more subtle ones."
It's a gain that different people arrive at the same conclusion. Fang Xiaoyu then extended this idea to other situations: "Then, conversely, would it result in demotion? Are there any cases where demotion is fixed after a full year?"
Wang Le nodded: "You've already noticed? It's indeed hard not to notice. Once it's been more than a year, not only will you be promoted, but you'll also be demoted randomly. Some get demoted by one level, some by two levels, and I've seen the highest demotion be six levels."
Fang Xiaoyu, who dropped six levels in one go: "...Why is there such a difference? It affects others and brings a very bad negative impact."
Wang Le shook his head: "I've seen people who did great things get demoted six levels back to six lanes, and I've also seen people who like to harm others without benefiting themselves only get demoted one level. So I haven't really figured out this pattern yet."
Fang Xiaoyu breathed a sigh of relief.
It seems she didn't accidentally harm anyone without realizing it; it was probably just random. Didn't she get a free bottle of water before when she bought one?
Just then, the eldest princess climbed up and nudged her with her head, and she realized how quickly time had passed: "Go down, the food should be ready."
Wang Le gave a soft "hmm" and followed along, limping.
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