Chapter 132 Awakening, Fried Egg, A Bite in the Throat "Actually, I am N..."
A sharp, metallic clanging sound reached his ears, and Yuan Jianxing sat bolt upright in shock.
Because he got up so quickly, his vision became blurry and indistinct.
When his vision finally returned, he was astonished to find that what he saw before him was completely different from the scene in his memory.
At this moment, he was lying on his bed at home, wearing not the standard uniform of an executive officer but comfortable home clothes.
Morning light streamed in through the gaps in the sheer curtains of the French windows, casting soft dappled patterns on the bedside table and sheets.
The tranquil and peaceful atmosphere made Yuan Jianxing feel somewhat dazed.
He raised his hand to his throbbing forehead, trying to piece together the truth from memories that felt out of place in his current environment.
In my memory, I suddenly came face to face with a raven while I was in the adjudication chamber.
After firing at the raven and having it easily evaded by the opponent using the power of the [Key], he was captured and slammed against the wall.
The excruciating pain from the broken ribs still lingers deep within Yuan Jianxing's senses, a dull ache like a maggot crawling on his ribs.
Then, he was taken to the Rotten Violin Bar, where he listened to the conversation between Raven, Wells Lee, and Lilith Lee like a puppet.
Before he knew it, a semi-transparent thread, resembling a spider web, emerged from Wells Lee and draped over his forearm.
Upon contact with his skin, the thread seemed to suddenly come to life, beginning to divide and multiply until it completely enveloped his entire body, even suspending him in mid-air.
Yuan Jianxing tried several times to break free from this restraint, but the results were unsatisfactory.
He felt like a giant in the myth of Grace, constantly pushing a boulder up the mountain, only to helplessly watch it roll back down to the same spot.
Holding onto his last breath, Yuan Jianxing kept trying, until he was almost numb.
When his breathing and heartbeat had almost ceased to exist, he vaguely heard Fu Ze's voice.
Although he didn't know Fu Ze's specific situation, Yuan Jianxing guessed that Fu Ze had retrieved his [special key] after realizing that Raven was actually taking the initiative and speaking to the other party calmly.
His senses were almost completely blocked by the membrane made of silk threads, making it impossible for him to observe the outside world. He could only concentrate on capturing the conversation between the two.
“Design flaws”, “developer conference”, “company”...
Hearing these words, which were not unfamiliar but completely out of place with the Fu Ze he knew, Yuan Jianxing realized for the first time with such clarity that Fu Ze was truly a person from outside the world.
It was Fu Ze, the "letter writer" who was the architecture director of "Code: ULTIMATE".
Immediately afterwards, Fu Ze and Raven changed the subject, seemingly discussing the "Center of All Things".
Knowing that Fu Ze had already seen through the truth about the so-called "virus," Yuan Jianxing was genuinely happy for the other party's composure and complete control.
Further on, it seems Fu Ze... made a move?
Almost instantly, Yuan Jianxing felt the long-lost gravity suddenly return, and he plummeted downwards under the influence of gravity.
Just when he thought he was about to crash to the ground, a gentle force, as if protecting some precious treasure, lifted him up again.
Just as that force supported Yuan Jianxing, the thin film composed of "spider silk" that originally covered the surface of his body also disappeared.
Having regained his ability to move, Yuan Jianxing slightly opened his eyes.
In his almost upside-down vision, he saw Fu Ze rushing towards him and embracing him.
It's very warm.
It's very soft.
Before losing consciousness and plunging into darkness due to the excruciating pain in his chest and abdomen, he used his last bit of strength to apologize to Fu Ze:
I'm sorry... I've dragged you down.
That concludes the valid content in Yuan Jianxing's mind.
He then looked down at his body and found that there were no signs of injury on his chest, back, or throat.
Was all of this just my imagination?
Just as Yuan Jianxing was sinking into deep self-doubt, Fu Ze's voice drifted over softly.
"woke up?"
Yuan Jianxing looked up and saw Fu Ze, wearing an apron and with his hair tied up, leaning against the doorway.
"Do you want the fried egg fully cooked or runny?" The other person's tone was so casual, as if the two of them were just spending an ordinary morning.
It was only then that Yuan Jianxing realized that the strange metallic clanging sound he had just heard was the noise Fu Ze was making in the kitchen.
Staring blankly at the nonchalant Fu Ze, Yuan Jianxing hesitated for a moment before finally uttering, "I have a question..."
Before he could fully voice his doubts, Fu Ze answered first: "It's not a dream, it really happened."
Yuan Jianxing was taken aback.
If it's real, then why is Fu Ze acting so relaxed right now?
He immediately jumped out of bed and rushed to Fu Ze, grabbing the other's shoulder. "What about Raven?"
"Same as always, one question for one answer." Fu Ze said calmly, even poking Yuan Jianxing's chest. "I just answered your question, so you have to answer mine first."
"Anything is fine." Yuan Jianxing had no interest in ordering food and pressed on, "So where is he?"
Upon receiving a rather perfunctory answer, Fu Ze pursed his lips, turned around, and walked back towards the kitchen.
His calm voice came through the soft sound of the pot being placed on the stove:
"They ran away."
Just like the word "whatever," not a single word more was said, as if it were a spiteful act of retaliation.
He stood at the kitchen doorway, just like the person he used to be.
What do you mean by "ran away"?
!
Could it be because of me...?
Seeing Yuan Jianxing standing dejectedly at the door like a drenched animal, Fu Ze's heart softened first.
He sighed and continued, "The 'run away' I'm talking about is different from the 'run away' you understand."
"With the help of the [special key], Raven has created many copies of itself in advance."
With his sleeves rolled up, Fu Ze sprayed olive oil evenly onto the bottom of the pan.
"In other words, even though I killed... eliminated many ravens at the scene in the Rotten Violin Bar, many ravens are still alive in this world."
He cracked the eggshell with one hand and then poured the yolk into the center of the pan.
“In this situation, simply chasing and killing is useless; it’s a waste of effort.”
Fu Ze held the pot by the handle and shook it from side to side to spread the egg mixture that had piled up evenly.
So don't blame yourself, it's not your fault.
Although there was an element of comfort in it, Hara Mihoshi's guilt was indeed lessened considerably.
"Besides, if we're being serious, I bear more responsibility."
Fu Ze took the salt shaker in his hand and shook it gently twice.
"I only wanted to take advantage of the opportunity to meet Raven in Dragonspine today to make my presence known. I never expected that I would be able to retrieve the [Special Key] right in front of Raven."
Staring at the edge of the bubbling fried egg, he said softly, "So much so that we didn't prepare any contingency plans, which has dragged you down with us."
Yuan Jianxing took the initiative to walk over and tighten Fu Ze's slightly loose apron.
He whispered in the other person's ear and asked, "So what are your plans after this?"
"No rush." Fu Ze flipped his arm and turned the half-cooked fried egg inside over completely. "At this point, he has lost all his advantages and doesn't have the ability to confront me head-on. He can't cause any trouble."
“However, to prevent him from making another backup, I have modified the instructions for the ‘Center of All Things’.” He put the pot back on the stove, and with the renewed sizzling of frying, he continued to explain, “From now on, every raven I eliminate will be one less raven.”
With a slipknot tied in her hand, Yuan Jianxing thought: Since he was able to do this, it means that Fu Ze has indeed retrieved his [Special Key] and become a GM again.
Suddenly, Fu Ze, who had been behaving himself, started to wriggle. "Hey, hey, that's enough, that's enough. If you keep squeezing me, I'm going to suffocate."
Yuan Jianxing then realized that she had unconsciously tightened the slipknot of her apron so much that it was almost embedded in Fu Ze's waistline.
He said "sorry" and immediately pulled the rope out a little further.
"Since you're already here, lend a hand before you go." Fu Ze didn't pay attention to this detail and simply beckoned to a certain direction in the kitchen, "Help me get that plate."
Following the other person's finger, Yuan Jianxing quickly locked onto his target.
It was a rectangular ceramic plate.
Given its flashy, difficult-to-store, and dishwasher-incompatible appearance, it was clearly bought by Fu Ze.
Two slices of whole wheat bread are laid out in the center of the plate. One slice is neatly stacked with lettuce leaves and tomato slices that are still wet with water droplets, while the other slice is evenly spread with sauce.
It looks like everything is ready except for frying the eggs.
Following Yuan Jianxing's movements, Fu Ze carefully scooped up the fried egg and placed it on the bread slices that were already piled with lettuce and tomatoes.
After flipping the other slice of bread over to form a complete sandwich, he couldn't wait to push Yuan Jianxing, who was carrying a plate, into the dining room and shoved him into a chair.
"Come, please appreciate my craftsmanship."
Although she didn't know what kind of "skill" this kind of simple meal, which had almost nothing to do with cooking, Harami Hoshi still very cooperatively put the sandwich into her mouth.
The lettuce was very fresh and had a crisp texture.
The tomatoes have a rich aroma and are bursting with juice when you bite into them.
Because Yuan Jianxing answered "anything is fine," Fu Ze chose the more challenging method of making a soft-boiled egg, and skillfully fried the edges of the egg until they were golden brown while maintaining the soft-boiled state.
And then paired with Harami Hoshi's personal favorite basil garlic sauce...
In conclusion, in every sense, this can be described as a rather excellent, even perfect, sandwich.
But it was precisely this perfection that made Hara Mihoshi feel very awkward.
But he couldn't quite put his finger on what was wrong with him.
This ambiguity made Yuan Jianxing feel like he had a fishbone stuck in his throat, making the sandwich difficult to swallow.
Just then, a conjecture that had once flashed through Yuan Jianxing's mind as a possibility, gradually took root in his interactions with Fu Ze, and was forcibly shelved by him, broke through the ground and instantly invaded all of Yuan Jianxing's thoughts.
Seeing Yuan Jianxing's movements slowly come to a halt, Fu Ze, sitting in the seat opposite him, asked with some confusion, "What? Not to your liking?"
He rested his chin on one hand, looking somewhat troubled.
"That shouldn't be the case. I remember you ordering it almost every time you go to that restaurant..."
At this moment, in Yuan Jianxing's eyes, Fu Ze's playful distress seemed so deliberate and standard.
Unable to bear the eerie atmosphere any longer, he finally blurted out the words that had been stuck in his throat:
"Actually, I'm an NPC, right?"
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