Chapter 104 Sinking, A High-Stakes Gamble, Encrypted Information: It's Time to Answer Those Three...
The moment Yuan Jianxing saw Fu Ze's figure disappear into the cave entrance, he felt as if his heart had stopped beating.
The hand that hadn't been able to grab the other person earlier remained frozen in mid-air, as if completely encased in ice, unable to move at all.
Although reason told him that the truth might not be so, Yuan Jianxing still dared not look down, for fear of seeing the crimson spreading everywhere again.
If he could, he would even want to shut out his hearing to avoid hearing that chilling "thump."
However, instead of the sound of something heavy falling to the ground, a chuckle rang out: "What are you daydreaming about?"
Only then did Yuan Jianxing feel his blood flowing again, and he seemed to have been thawed and regained his ability to move.
With great difficulty, he took two steps forward, his legs stiff, and slowly looked down into the pit.
Fu Ze, who had just fallen from its edge, was now suspended in mid-air, about one meter above the ground.
His body was surrounded by swirling, pulsating starlight, as if he had fallen into a shimmering, flowing galaxy.
Seeing that Yuan Jianxing was standing by the pit but hadn't moved, Fu Ze, who had been lying on his back as if on the surface of water, nimbly turned over and "swam" towards where Yuan Jianxing was.
Lying on the "shore," he reached out his hand to Yuan Jianxing and whispered, "Come here."
Beneath his feet lay a pit that resembled an abyss, and before him lay Fu Ze enveloped in wispy radiance. Yuan Jianxing's logic and reason were locked in a fierce struggle.
However, his body gave the answer first.
He grasped the hand Fu Ze extended to him, letting the other pull him down.
The imagined feeling of falling lasted only a moment, before being replaced by a solid yet gentle sense of support.
The feeling was like suddenly falling into a sea of extremely high density, with a calming ripple mixed with a slight resistance.
After Yuan Jianxing gradually mastered the skill of maintaining his balance, Fu Ze asked again, "Can you dive?"
Yuan Jianxing nodded.
“Great, then I’ll count down from three, and we’ll sink together.”
"Three—two—one!"
Although she knew she wasn't actually submerged in water, Yuan Jianxing instinctively held her breath and sank downwards under Fu Ze's pull.
Unlike real seawater, in this starry sea, the deeper a person sinks, the greater the resistance they experience.
It was as if an invisible hand was gently pushing away the arrival of the two uninvited guests.
Just when Yuan Jianxing felt he had reached his limit and could sink no further, Fu Ze, who was opposite him, suddenly spoke up: "Now, reach out."
Upon hearing that exceptionally clear sound, Yuan Jianxing realized once again that the two of them were not actually in the water.
After taking a deep breath, he followed Fu Ze's signal and peered directly below the two of them.
Immediately afterwards, he felt his fingertips touch something very solid and unusually smooth.
However, at this moment, Yuan Jianxing's field of vision was empty.
He could understand what he couldn't see but could touch, but the concept of something that could be touched but had no temperature was different.
Seeing that even the composed Yuan Jianxing showed the same expression as he had when he touched the edge of the world, Fu Ze smugly gestured upwards, indicating that the two should return to the top.
Having received instructions, Yuan Jianxing stopped resisting the repulsive force and naturally floated upwards with Fu Ze.
Although they already knew that the pit was not as dangerous as it seemed, after "getting ashore," Yuan Jianxing still forcibly pulled Fu Ze to another room in the library that was almost completed to continue their conversation.
Only a complete wall and a solid floor can now allow his heartbeat to return to a normal rhythm.
Fu Ze let him lead the way, his demeanor revealing complete indulgence and trust.
“There are many more ‘obstacles’ like the ones we just encountered.” He began to explain as they walked, “There are so many that they could circle the entire continent.”
"From the deserts of the north to the rainforests of the south, from the mountain ridges of the west to the deep sea of the east... their presence can be found everywhere."
“Of course, I certainly didn’t have time to personally verify and travel all over the place.” He paused for a moment. “It was ‘certain people’ who told me. And given the circumstances at the time, they had no reason to deceive me.”
"Who are 'them'?" Harami asked.
Fu Ze did not answer immediately. Instead, he turned around and held up three fingers to face Yuan Jianxing.
“Now that we’re in this ‘no man’s land,’ and I’ve taken you ahead to verify the evidence… it’s time to answer those three questions.” His emerald eyes gleamed clearly, a half-smile playing on his lips. “How did I disappear from the Kangming Building? Where did I go during this time? And—”
With each word he spoke, he bent a finger.
"—How did I become 'Sparrow Feather'?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly leaped lightly to the side, stepping on a spherical protrusion on a wooden railing near the bookshelf at the edge of the room.
The top of the protrusion had been flattened by a small piece, just big enough to fit half a toe.
Having never received acrobatic training, Fu Ze obviously couldn't maintain his balance on it.
But it's okay, he didn't come alone.
Naturally, he reached out his hand to Yuan Jianxing, indicating that the other person should help him.
Although Yuan Jianxing did not approve of Fu Ze's dangerous behavior, he did not want to be a spoilsport.
“Let’s start from when we parted ways.” With Yuan Jianxing’s hand to steady himself, Fu Ze jumped over like a ballerina, one bulge after another.
Yuan Jianxing, like a most loyal backup dancer, always stayed close by his side, providing a steady and timely support for his every move.
"Because I didn't get a reply from you at the time... to be honest, I was a little disheartened."
Yuan Jianxing immediately said, "I'm sorry."
Although he had said the same thing once before in Shifengtun, since Fu Ze brought up the scene of the day of separation again, he didn't mind repeating it again.
You can do it as many times as you want.
“I already said, ‘He’ll forgive you,’” Fu Ze lightly scratched the other person’s wrist with his fingertips. “It’s okay, it’s all in the past.”
"After switching into Badger Tooth's body, I figured I wouldn't die anyway, so I decided to head straight for the Dragon Spine to get the [key]. It didn't matter if it was a mule or a horse, I just wanted to end this all quickly."
"According to Rhinoceros Horn, Dragon Spine suddenly returned to L City from V City that day. At that time, he was on the top floor of the Kangming Group, so I went there."
Fu Ze downplayed the word "gone," but Yuan Jianxing, who had repeatedly watched the Kangming Group's surveillance videos after learning that the other party possessed the ability to die and be reborn, knew the price the other party had paid on this path of "gone."
“But who would have thought that this news was a smokescreen put out by Deer Ear to prevent Rhinoceros Horn from attacking you.” Fu Ze’s tone was tinged with a hint of mockery. “So when I went through all that trouble to get to Dragon Spine’s office, I only found her.”
"As expected, Deer Ear is also a holder of the [Key] ability. The ability is unknown, but it can change the material of the object she chooses—for example, turning a marble floor and the cement underneath into a pool of water that makes people sink all the way down, or turning soft leather into an inflexible and extremely heavy metal."
Yuan Jianxing nodded, explaining why Fu Ze had vanished from the Kangming Group building.
"I was about to leave, but I was restrained by Deer Ear and given another injection, after which I fell into a coma."
"When I regained consciousness, I was already in a remote border town where I couldn't even speak the local language."
Leaping forward a short distance, Fu Ze landed precisely on the protrusion at the end of the fence and then stopped there.
"At that time, Lu Er was standing by my side. After I regained consciousness, he took me to see the border of the world."
“Besides showing you the world’s borders as I did today, she also showed me how solid and unbreakable they are.”
A gust of wind rushed in from the suddenly opened door on one side, ruffling the stray hairs on Fu Ze's forehead.
"And there, I met Que Ling."
Under the soft moonlight, a face was clearly reflected in the glass in front of Fu Ze—a face so exquisite it was impeccable, now ubiquitous on the streets, belonging to the star Que Ling.
“Of course.” Fu Ze shrugged slightly. “Personally, I prefer to call him Carp Tail.”
Further out in the reflection lies the expansive night view of V City University's main campus—stars hang low above the distant mountains, twinkling with lights, while people throng beneath the sky and fireworks illuminate the night.
The light and shadow in this deserted place gently embedded the figures of Fu Ze and Yuan Jianxing into the human world.
"We have limited time today, so let's put aside that cliché story of 'the real and fake young master' between Que Ling and Li Wei, which involves 'the real young master died in an accident, and in order to continue to cover up the truth, we have to bring back the fake young master to act as the real young master' for now."
As they spoke, Fu Ze spun around ninety degrees on the spot and extended his other hand—Yuan Jianxing caught it almost simultaneously, as if the two of them had practiced this move a thousand times.
“There, I made a deal with Koi Tail.” Fu Ze looked at his clear and new self reflected in Yuan Jianxing’s pupils. “He gave me the identity of ‘Sparrow Feather’ that he had cultivated for many years, along with this body. In this way, he helped me return to this human world.”
"And the price..."
Taking a deep breath, Fu Ze continued:
"Actually, rather than the 'cost,' I think it was a high-stakes gamble under the carp's tail."
"Although there is no conclusive evidence, Koi-o suggests that the world we live in may not be 'real' at all. It may just be an extremely realistic simulation from a higher dimension."
Fu Ze's clear voice sounded exceptionally calm and clear in the moonlight, as if he were narrating a grand research project.
"As you probably realize, the 'boundary' that I just led you to touch cannot be explained by the physical laws we know."
"But what if we are just people living in a pre-written, slightly imperfect 'simulated world'?"
Having not yet given Yuan Jianxing any opportunity to think independently, Fu Ze continued:
"Of course, he also proposed other possibilities, but all things considered, the simulation theory is the most compatible with the various anomalies observed."
"And I, who possess the ability to die and be reborn even without the [key], may be a overlooked exception."
"So that's what Koi-o said back then—"
Fu Ze closed his eyes slightly, devoutly copying down everything that the carp tail had said:
"I offer this body as your vessel in the mortal world;"
I offer you the name 'Sparrow Feather' as your guide for your journey through the mortal world;
I offer up all my knowledge, memories, and traces of my existence.
If this world is indeed a fictional poem...
So, please—
Create a world where the sparrow feathers still exist.
"It is neither a replacement nor a disguise."
Instead, it allowed that star that shouldn't have fallen to...
It lights up again.
"This is my all-or-nothing bet, and my only wish."
After replicating the performance, Fu Ze and Yuan Jianxing remained silent for a long time.
A long silence fell over the room.
Moonlight streamed into most of the room through the floor-to-ceiling windows, and dust motes swirled and floated in the beams of light.
After a long silence, Fu Ze suddenly let out a short hum and tilted his head back: "I know, this is really cringeworthy, like something a teenage literary youth who's obsessed with Shakespeare would write in their sleep. Anyway, it totally blew my mind when I heard it. You... just laugh if you want to, don't hold it in."
But Yuan Jianxing didn't laugh; his gaze even held a focus that Fu Ze had never seen before.
"Although I don't know what kind of past Que Ling and Li Wei have, I believe in his sincerity."
He took half a step forward, and the distance between them suddenly shortened to the point where they could feel each other's body temperature.
"If I had known back then that there was a possibility of you returning to the human world, I probably would have done the same."
Fu Ze sighed and pulled the other person's head, which was resting on his lower abdomen, into his arms, letting Yuan Jianxing lift him down from the railing. "Unfortunately, so far I haven't discovered anything special about myself that could 'rewrite the world'."
"This bet will probably disappoint him."
-
Meanwhile, at the main campus of V City University, the Institute of Mathematics and Cryptography.
"Your project is progressing very smoothly, and the results will certainly not disappoint you."
Having just completed his mission of leading a tour of the academy, the director of the research institute chatted with today's distinguished guest, Longji, who was also the largest donor in the institute's history, at the academy gate.
"I would like to thank Mr. Longji again. Your previous sponsorship really solved our research institute's urgent problem."
Unlike chemical engineering, engineering, biology, and pharmaceuticals, whose research outputs can be directly applied to practical applications, abstract subjects like mathematics and cryptography have always been neglected and relegated to the back of the donation queue.
A few days ago, Long Ji, the head of Kangming Group and a well-known successful entrepreneur whose businesses span almost every industry, donated 100 million yuan directly to the Institute of Mathematics and Cryptography.
A donation of 100 million is enough to cover the expenses of the Institute of Mathematics and Cryptography for the next twenty years, and if managed properly, it may even generate a surplus.
With this sponsorship, many researchers who had previously been itching to abandon mathematics and switch to algorithms to make money have all settled down and returned to doing the research they love most.
It is truly a blessing to be able to earn money decently and comfortably from one's hobbies.
"It's just a small amount of money, Dean, you don't need to mention it. On the contrary, I think I've actually made a profit by solving this problem with such a small amount of money." Longji laughed heartily, "Besides you, I really don't know anyone else who can solve this encrypted message."
The dean dared not respond to Longji's modesty, and instead brought up another matter: "Speaking of which, the lead researcher of the project told me that the content you gave them is indeed very interesting. At the same time, it is completely different from the existing cryptographic logic, and it is also very self-consistent."
"They want to know where it came from, which not only satisfies their curiosity but also helps advance the research itself."
The dean kept a close eye on Longji's changing expression. "Could you please tell me a thing or two?"
Dragon Spine said nonchalantly, "Oh, of course, this is a puzzle game that a friend of mine played with me."
The dean was somewhat taken aback: "...A game?"
Is it really possible that a mere "decryption game" between friends could cause such a huge fuss for Dragon Spine, even to the point of donating 100 million to have the Cryptography Research Institute of V City University set up a special project to crack it?
"You should be able to tell that I'm a very proud person." Dragon Spine nodded slightly. "So even in a game, I don't want to lose to anyone."
The dean smiled obsequiously and nodded, but inwardly he couldn't help but ponder:
Who exactly is this friend from Longji?
-----------------------
Author's Note: Some readers asked why Que Ling gave her body to Fu Ze. Well, it's because of a teenage incestuous romance [sigh].
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