Chapter 156: Trolley Problem She not only abides by the rules of the game, but also respects...
"Ugh, I told you not to... say such useless things at a time like this..."
"Haha, little Jie Xi... stop talking... be careful not to choke on the water..."
"Hmph, so long-winded..." Jessie breathed with difficulty.
At this moment, they were like two caged mice thrown into a water tank, struggling to breathe the last bit of air.
Jie Qian pulled Lin Xi hard and pulled her away from the water inlet of the glass device.
Lin Xi let her strength hold, and took a deep breath as she pulled him.
Then lower your lifted feet and let yourself sink into the water.
“…”
The water brushed against her face.
Her hair was loose and swaying in the water.
Lin Xi reached out to push away the troublesome hair and opened her eyes in the water.
“…”
She saw a deep blue.
Like the sea.
She was at the bottom of the ocean.
Above her head, Jessie was still jumping and struggling to breathe that little bit of air.
Lin Xi was very happy to see her so energetic.
Victims with a will to survive made things easier, and Lin Xi didn't need to spend too much time on them.
She stretched out her hand.
"Please hold on, Ms. Lin." Noah's voice rang out over the communicator. "Two and a half minutes left."
White fingers spread out and touched the glass.
For some reason, facing this scene, Lin Xi suddenly felt a strong sense of familiarity.
Fingers touched the glass.
Lin Xi saw his own face in the reflection of the glass mirror.
It's so strange, this perspective... looks like a frozen sea.
Why do I feel such a strong sense of familiarity with this scene?
…
That's really interesting.
Lin Xi now has two guesses.
One reason is that this sense of familiarity is related to "Lin Xi's" life experience.
Lin Xi originally thought that the system had directly pulled her body from her original world over here, and that it was her body, not her soul—
But later on, he discovered that this wasn't the case. This body's original physical qualities were excellent, and even before any skill upgrades, it was stronger than Lin Xi's original body.
Moreover, "Lin Xi" seems to have an identity in the world of science, and is not just an empty shell randomly issued by the system.
Lin Xi's body also has acquaintances, right? Kim Bonnar is one of them.
It makes perfect sense that the source of this sense of familiarity does not come from her, but from "Lin Xi" - her current body.
As for the second conjecture, it is related to the system.
To be precise, it has something to do with the system's ability to allow her to travel through timelines.
The last time when Lin Xi was trying to make Zhu Fu Jingguang fake his death and escape, he found out that the system's judgment of the plot was related to the character's *memory*.
She travels back to the previous timeline, completes the plot, and then returns to the main timeline. All the NPCs will complete their memories of what happened in that timeline.
Under this mechanism, things that have already happened in the main timeline cannot be changed, such as the death of Zhufu Jingguang.
In order for him to survive, he must lie to everyone's memory, including Zhu Fu Jingguang and Lin Xi himself.
The conjectures that arise from this are very interesting:
Memory can also be deceiving.
So, what about Lin Xi’s own memories?
She had done an experiment and successfully deceived her own memory; who could guarantee that this would only happen once?
What if she had done something to herself and then forgotten the memory?
This may also be a source of familiarity.
Noah faithfully counted down in her ear, as if hoping to give her some strength to hold on until the last moment.
Actually, there’s no need for that, Lin Xi thought.
She placed an oxygen tank in the system space.
There are even helicopters and submarines.
She'd already tested it, and all of these things could fit in. She'd even tried to throw an entire building into the system backpack—which, of course, didn't work. The system seemed to have some limitations on what it could hold; the largest object it could fit in was a submarine.
But this is already invincible.
Lin Xi calculated the time and felt that he could still stay in the water for a long time.
She is an expert in lung capacity.
When she accompanied Xiaoqin for a physical examination before, she even competed with Gin in lung capacity.
Of course she won.
Because Gin was still a teenager at that time.
Who knows now... They never competed again.
She glanced at Jess, who was still trying to jump high, reached out and grabbed her calves, lifting her up.
As a result, when she just touched her calf, Jie Qian was startled and thought Lin Xi wanted to pull her down, so she kicked her.
Lin Xi didn't dodge, and as a result, Jie Qian's heel bruised her arm.
Wordlessly, she grasped the girl's calves and lifted her up.
Fortunately, Jess stopped struggling.
However, the water flow rate remained constant. With only one and a half minutes left, there was no oxygen left even in the tiny space at the water inlet.
Lin Xi loosened his grip, allowing Jie Qian, who took her last deep breath, to fall freely.
Now they were two mice trapped in a cage and completely immersed in water.
Lin Xi listened to Noah counting down in her ear with a bit of boredom, her hand reaching out and tapping lightly on the glass:
“rat.”
Morse code.
mouse.
I was just tapping for fun, but I didn't expect Jessie to close her eyes and tap the glass with her fingers: "rats."
Rats.
Lin Xi tilted her head and wanted to reply to Jie Qian: "Yup." (You're right), but she saw Jie Qian continue typing:
“jungle.”
jungle.
Although it was just one word, Lin Xi understood what Jie Qian meant by considering the surrounding environment:
the law of the jungle.
The law of the jungle, the strong prey on the weak.
They are the weak ones who can only be drowned in the pool by those who are stronger.
She turned her head to look at Jess.
The girl is closing her eyes at this moment.
In fact, she was crying silently while trying to control her breathing instinct.
In the water, no one could tell she was crying.
In the minute before drowning, Jessie also began to have a revolving lantern -
She thought of her mother.
"Jessie, you have to remember this." The figure in the memory reached out and gently stroked little Jessie's face, but spoke words that were not so gentle: "This world is cruel to us."
"If you want to survive, you have to work hard to become stronger, otherwise..."
"He will die soon."]
At that time, the ignorant Jess didn't understand.
But she soon understood.
After my mother died.
Her mother was the only protector in her life, and after her death, life became very difficult for Jessie.
She couldn't go to school anymore, so to survive, she had to work as a bar girl - all her higher education and knowledge above that was learned from the bar customers - including Morse code.
That was taught to her by a regular drinker.
Jessie White learned a lot of knowledge necessary for survival in the bar and also made some friends, the drinker being one of them.
He had long hair and always sat with his legs crossed in the corner of the bar with a smile on his face. He asked Jess to accompany him and never touched her. He also ordered a lot of drinks to increase her sales, but he never drank them.
However, he would sometimes disappear for a while. Jess didn't have his contact information, and didn't know where he was or how he was doing.
Jessie didn't know why, but in this situation, she thought of him again.
Maybe it was just because he was one of the few people Jess had ever met who showed kindness to her.
There was one more person today. Jess closed her eyes, feeling the hair of the person next to her brush against her shoulders.
Why are the people around me so nice to me when we only meet for the first time?
When she grabbed her calf just now, she thought she was going to pull her down.
I didn't expect that it would be to lift myself up...
...Huh?
The sound of knocking on glass rang out again. Jessie held her breath and tried to concentrate to understand what the girl meant.
“ridiculous.”
absurd.
The strong prey on the weak, survival of the fittest?
Who made the rule?
The girl seemed to be expressing pure doubt and disdain as she typed this sentence to Jessie.
While recognizing the girl's meaning, Jie Qian also felt the huge absurdity:
In this situation, would the girl still refute her? When they didn't have much time to live?
Humph, really...
…
Oops……
Jess felt like her oxygen supply was about to run out.
My vision went black. I couldn't help but breathe through my mouth.
Hang on a little longer, Jessie White...
How can you be willing to die here like this?
No, I can't breathe... But, but, I can't control it anymore...
Just as Jess was about to open her mouth, she felt her hand being grabbed.
bump!
A huge, dull sound startled Jessie. In a trance, she seemed to hear a "tsk" sound, followed by a louder and clearer sound.
This sound was followed by a loud splashing sound. Water rushed out from all around them, and Jie Qian staggered under the force. Fortunately, Lin Xi's hand on her wrist did not let go.
...The glass broke.
Jess realized belatedly.
She wiped her face with the hand that was not caught, and looked at the heels of the girl next to her in shock.
If I'm not mistaken, it was these shoes that broke the glass just now, right?!
How did you do that!
Jessie had thought about breaking the glass from the inside.
But people's strength in water is limited, and the glass material chosen by Jack the Ripper is extremely strong and cannot be broken by the strength of young girls like them.
Even if Lin Xi's heels are harder...
And, and!
Jessie looked up and saw the girl fixing her wet hair.
Besides, if you can break the glass, why wait until now! ! ! !
Can’t we break it sooner?
She almost suffocated to death just now!
She took a deep breath, her head still feeling a bit dizzy, which prevented her from speaking out the many questions in her mind.
Out of the corner of her eye, she seemed to see a flash of pink and blue fluorescence in Lin Xi's hand.
Before she could ask, Jie Qian heard Lin Xi say:
"Let's go, little Jessie."
The tone was relaxed, with no sign of holding his breath.
It was in stark contrast to her own rapid breathing.
"Where are you going?" Jessie was stunned.
Lin Xi turned her head and smiled.
That smile was exactly the same as the one on Jess's face when she first met Lin Xi in the basement not long ago.
Lin Xi pointed above his head.
"Go wherever you want," she said, grabbing Jessie's wrist and waving it. "Don't you want to see some sunshine?"
"The weather is very nice today, with no clouds in the sky."
Sunlight.
Jess's eyes widened slightly.
I haven't seen the sun for a long, long time.
Even when he wasn't caught, his job meant he could only catch the sun's tail when it was setting and rising.
But usually at that time, Jess was either very sleepy or absent-minded, and had no chance to appreciate it properly.
The sun is like a passing tourist to her, and so is she to the sun.
We pass each other every day, but never really pay attention.
Therefore, the phrase "seeing the sunshine" is a slightly novel concept for Jessie White.
She wiped the water off her face, her voice slightly hoarse: "...Okay."
Oh no, what should I do?
She wanted to cry again.
"Time is running out, follow me." Lin Xi pulled her hand slightly, pulling Jie Xi towards him and pulling down the glass device: "Be careful where you step. There are a lot of broken glass."
"good."
Jessie replied.
She felt very useless.
Because she has never received much kindness from others, once someone shows her the slightest bit of affection, she almost feels grateful and begs for mercy from that person in her heart.
For example, right now, Jie Qian really wants to say to the girl next to her:
Just tell her what to do, I can do anything you want for her.
Lead her, pull her, let her walk into the sunshine——
That would make her feel like a new person.
Lin Xi, who was walking in front, had no idea what Jie Qian was thinking.
She is now thinking about how to kill Jack the Ripper who is on the second floor.
It would be easy to kill him, but now the FBI and the American police are watching her, and there is an ordinary person next to her. If she doesn't want to leave any evidence and prevent the identity of "Lin Xi" from leaving any real evidence and being detained in the United States, she has to think of a way to make Jack's death a little less deliberate.
There will definitely be some sharp-eyed people who will suspect her, but so what?
I just like the way they doubt whether she has any solid evidence and can't confront her.
She pulled Jessie up and led her up the creaking iron stairs.
The iron staircase led to a secret door, which was opened horizontally on the floor and usually closed tightly with the floor, so that no trace of it could be seen on the ground.
Jie Qian followed Lin Xi's steps in fear: "Damn, this staircase is about to collapse!"
"Shh-"
Lin Xi turned around and made a gesture to her to keep quiet.
Seeing this, Jie Qian quickly covered her mouth and whispered, "Hey, can't we get out now?"
Even though she had the strength to kick the glass to pieces, Jess didn't believe she couldn't beat Mr. Jack.
Lin Xi moved his eyes and motioned her to look at the secret door.
Fortunately, when Jack left, the lights in the corridor were left on and not turned off.
So Jessie can now observe the shape of the secret door very carefully.
After a quick observation, she concluded:
This door can only be opened from the outside.
A sense of absurdity and helplessness arose in her heart:
After finally breaking the glass, I thought I could escape, but I encountered a new dilemma before I took a few steps.
Jack didn't have to do anything. He just had to lock them in the basement and not open the door, and they would starve to death due to lack of food.
Does God just dislike them and doesn't want them to live?
Lin Xi seemed to see her worry, raised the corner of his mouth, gave her a comforting look, and whispered:
"Don't worry, little Jessie..."
"I said I'd take you to see the sun, so I'm sure you won't get stuck at the door."
Jess settled down.
This man has a strange magic in his words.
Not only can it make people listen attentively, but it can also soothe people's emotions and calm them down.
In the dim room, Lin Xi and Jie Qian waited quietly.
After a while, a sound was heard and the secret door was opened.
The curve of Lin Xi's mouth widened a little.
In order to complete his ritual, Jack would definitely come down to check after the water was full.
The sound of shattering glass and creaking stairs might give him pause, but with no other options left, he would always open the door and look inside—he didn't have much time left.
The moment the light shone in from the secret door, Jessie closed her eyes involuntarily.
For someone who had spent three days in darkness, the light was a bit too bright.
So she didn't see the moment Lin Xi made his move.
Lin Xi did not hesitate and was not affected by the changing light at all. He propped up the secret door and forced it open, then grabbed Jack's arm and pulled the man down.
Jack's expression was one of astonishment, as if he was stunned by the sudden turn of events.
Before he could do anything, his body was pulled down by Lin Xi's great force.
He almost fell sideways onto the iron stairs, causing the already fragile stairs to make a loud noise as they could not bear the weight.
It was a damp, rotten, and dilapidated staircase that could not bear the weight of three people.
The iron piece connecting it to the secret door made a clicking sound, and the nail popped out and was about to break.
At this critical moment, Jessie felt her arms being pulled up by a strong force and her body being carried on his shoulders.
This caused Jess to let out a small yelp.
Lin Xi lifted her up, grabbed the edge of the floor with one hand, pushed hard on the stairs, and leaped onto the ground with a strength that no one could achieve.
Jack fell into the basement along with the broken stairs that could not bear the weight.
He roared like a wounded beast.
He struggled to stand again amid the creaking iron sheets, having fallen so hard that his left shoulder and back were covered in bruises.
"Damn it..." he cursed.
At this moment, he was filled with anger, but more of it was disbelief.
How did that girl do it?
He had built the cage himself and tested it many times. The glass device must be stronger than an ordinary water tank.
He was upstairs and first heard the sound of breaking glass. He was startled and then heard the sound of someone walking on the stairs.
But the sound only lasted for a moment, and then it was quiet.
He walked over in confusion, and just as he opened the secret door leading to the basement, he was pulled down by a huge force.
Before he fell, he saw the girl's eyes flashing with playful laughter.
The light just happened to hit the secret door, and the girl's eyes were bright and shining, with red bloodshot eyes from being soaked in water.
That expression, movement, and eyes were completely declaring to him:
No one could hold her captive unless she voluntarily wore shackles.
She was no one's prey.
Meeting that look, Jack's breathing hitched for a moment.
At this moment, the girl's appearance instantly awakened the impression implanted in his mind.
The image suddenly became vivid, as if it was about to burst out of his mind and fly into the sky, towards freedom.
Did that image really belong to him? Was it really...his late wife?
At this moment, even Jack began to doubt.
How could I have the honor to meet such a person?
The time of falling seemed to be stretched to infinity, and Jack couldn't help but think of his last conversation with the girl.
——Cats have nine lives.
—Mr. Jack, you owe me.
Yes… Because of that sentence, he indulged her and let the girl ask him a request and eight questions.
Now counting, there are exactly eight problems, no more, no less, just right.
...To some extent, that guy is quite following the rules of the game.
The scene just now flashed through my mind like a movie.
Jack clutched his left shoulder.
There was a scratch there from a piece of iron, not only was it bruised, but the back was also scratched and blood was constantly oozing out.
Jack struggled to stand up from the pile of rotten iron and slowly raised his head.
The cellar's secret door was closed.
This was a door he designed and made himself, and he knew that it was impossible to open it from the inside.
He coughed a few times and tasted a little blood from his throat.
For some reason, the last words the girl had said to him came to his mind again.
——Mr. Jack.
- Would you rather be blown to ashes or spend a few months in an American prison and then be executed?
"...Haha." Jack bent down and laughed crazily.
Even though the "sacrifice" ran away from under his nose, Jack's answer remained unchanged.
"Bombed to death? Maybe." He muttered.
The basement was empty and no one answered him.
He staggered around the iron sheet and headed towards the "kitchen".
Before he even reached the kitchen, his shoes were soaked.
But Jack didn't care.
He stepped into the kitchen.
He saw broken glass all over the floor.
After a while, he lowered his eyelids.
"What a shame, I couldn't...finish it..."
Failed to achieve the most important goal.
He took a deep breath, his eyes scanning the debris.
He remembered there was a decoration there—a pale blue one, which he had put there on purpose.
Because I feel that this color suits my late wife very well.
Unfortunately, he was disappointed. He searched the wreckage of the glass device but could not find the ornament.
Instead, in the darkness, a flickering red light attracted his attention.
Jack slowly moved closer.
What?
There was a dripping sound in the air.
By the time Jack's dulled senses registered the sound and danger alarms rang in his head, it was too late.
The heat wave from the explosion swept over him, causing him to lose consciousness instantly.
In the last moment before his death, he remembered the girl's meaningful look after hearing his answer.
——I would rather be blown to death.
……ah.
In every sense...
She not only abides by the rules of the game, but also respects personal choices.
Under the huge explosion, his body was blown into meat paste, and the basement he built with his own hands was also destroyed into a mess.
.
at the same time.
Feeling the vibration from the ground, Jessie looked at the girl beside her in surprise and doubt.
The girl returned the reassuring smile.
They were now walking down the block where Jack lived.
"Welcome back to the human world."
Lin Xi's heels stepped lightly over a shadow, exposing herself, who was soaked all over, to the sunlight.
Seeing that Jessie was still hesitantly standing in the shadows, she exerted a little force with her hand and pulled Jessie out of the shadows.
The afternoon sun suddenly shone directly on Jessie's face.
The warm heat enveloped her all of a sudden.
Jesse White was a little embarrassed when she was suddenly pulled into the sunlight.
The sunlight was too bright and too warm, causing the photophobic nocturnal creatures to retract their tentacles.
Add to that the girl's gaze, which was warmer and brighter than the sun, and Jessie felt even more embarrassed. She secretly thanked herself for the water that had washed away much of the odor and stains on her skin.
Otherwise she would be even more embarrassed.
"Thank you." She said, pursing her lips.
Lin Xi did not respond, nor did he let go of the hand holding her wrist. He just turned his head, squinted his eyes, looked into the distance, and took out his cell phone from his pocket.
Jess didn't even notice where she pulled it out from.
The phone is vibrating at this moment.
She saw the girl casually pick up the phone:
"Hello? I'm fine."
"...Yeah, it exploded. I was lucky, though, because it went off right after we escaped—'The Ripper,' you say? Oh, what a shame, I didn't notice him, but he seemed to be in the house when the explosion happened."
"It's okay. I've taken photos. There's enough evidence to bring charges."
"You mean the girl I was stuck in the basement with? Haha, she's right next to me."
"The hostages were safely rescued, the evidence was fully collected, and there were no casualties—except for those who died accidentally and couldn't accompany you to the execution ground. How's that? Doesn't that give me a five for this operation?"
"Hahahahahaha... I was just kidding. I don't really want to work for your FBI."
"The rest of the matter should have nothing to do with me, right? Jess and I need to take a shower. Oh, by the way—"
The girl paused, raised her head, and the sunlight shone on her profile, and she smiled inexplicably.
"—Well, it's not nice to say this... but your sniper's skills are terrible. Do you know how the Ripper discovered you?"
"The reflection from the sniper lens keeps flashing."
Lin Xi was so dizzy that he felt a little dizzy.
No wonder Jack the Ripper suddenly became so anxious.
I guess he also saw the constantly shaking reflection.
Soon after she said this, the reflection shook violently and then disappeared.
The young FBI agent holding a gun in the distance inexplicably received an order from his superior to put down the gun and a scolding, and put away the gun in grievance.
"Thank you." Lin Xi said happily to the phone, "It's quite unpleasant to be pointed at with a gun."
For someone with keen senses like her, being targeted by a sniper rifle felt like having a sharp sword hanging between her eyebrows, and it was difficult to pretend nothing happened and ignore it.
There seemed to be a response from the other side, mixed with an embarrassed apology from a female voice.
"It's okay, Miss Judy." The girl said, "Actually, what I said just now was not a joke."
"That part-time FBI job you were talking about."
The curve on Lin Xi's face widened a little.
A gust of wind blew by, and the coolness it brought made Jessie shiver.
She saw the girl who had just turned away to make a phone call turn back around. The sunlight shone from behind her, casting a large shadow on her face. Her black, wet hair stuck to her cheeks, but it didn't make her look awkward. Instead, she looked like a water fairy, with a sly and joyful smile on her face.
Jie Qian was holding her hand, and she saw that she was holding the phone in her other hand and winked at her:
"I'm happy to have a side job... or rather, with the employment rate for my major so low these days, I feel very honored to have found a side job that can earn me some money," the girl continued. "But I have one small condition."
"My new friend today, Jessie White, I think she needs a medal of bravery and a stable job."
"This, the FBI should be able to do it?"
…
What does it mean to repay evil with kindness?
Before her slow brain could react to what Lin Xi was saying, Jie Qian blinked slowly.
Now, she finally has a deep understanding of this term.
Why on earth...how on earth could she meet such a person?
No, it's not about repaying evil with kindness...
Jessie White looked at the girl.
She really just doesn't care.
That kind of indifference was as if all the malice he had shown towards her before was just like a kitten stretching out its claws and hissing a few times in the girl's eyes.
It is a kind of powerful restraint. No matter how the wind blows or the water flows, I remain unmoved and don't care.
An indescribable emotion welled up in Jess's heart.
What's this called? She thought. Mu Qiang... That's it.
Jessie White knew that she was a person who admired the strong.
It was the first time she had seen someone like the girl in front of her, who was so strong in all aspects, from appearance, body to heart, that she could directly crush her.
This person... is simply too perfect.
Lin Xi continued to talk to the person on the other end of the phone. After hanging up, she saw Jessie White staring at her.
"What's wrong, little Jessie?"
She raised her eyebrows.
Unexpectedly, Jie Qian's cheeks turned red: "Well, that..."
"What's your name? You haven't told me yet."
Lin Xi: "Lin Xi. Ah, Japanese is a bit difficult for you, right? Call me Eleven."
As soon as she said this, Jie Qian was stunned.
"Your name is Eleven too?" She covered her mouth in surprise. "You have the same nickname as someone I know."
"What a coincidence?" Lin Xi asked with interest, "Could that person look like me?"
"No, no, no..." Jessie quickly shook her head, "The Eleven I'm talking about is a man."
That Eleven was the drunkard who used to take care of Jessie White and then suddenly disappeared.
"But he's just as mysterious as you."
Mysterious, yet revealing a certain unfathomable power and confidence that no one can imitate.
"What a coincidence." Lin Xi shrugged, "But I just came up with this name."
This is based on the pronunciation of her Chinese name.
Lin Xi, XI as a Roman numeral stands for eleven.
Eleven means eleven.
"Okay, Jessie White." Lin Xi looked at the sky. "Since it's still lunchtime, I suggest you take a shower and go have lunch quickly."
"Just stay here and bask in the sun. The FBI will be here soon."
"What about you?" Feeling the grip on her wrist loosen, Jie Qian reached out and grabbed Lin Xi's hand, her mouth faster than her brain said: "Are you going to go find your 'friend in the ear'?"
Lin Xi was stunned by her pulling, and seeing her nervous look, he laughed and said, "It's not 'friend', it's 'friends'."
"Don't worry, we'll see each other again later, little Jessie."
She accepted the FBI's offer—to be their external consultant, which was somewhat similar to King's position—and Judy Stelling agreed to her request:
There will be no honors, but Jessie White will get a stable job.
Lin Xi guessed that Judy would arrange a sinecure for Jess that was related to the FBI but did not allow her to access confidential information.
This female FBI team leader has always been smart and knows how to make reasonable investments at the right time.
In this way, at least during the time Lin Xi stays in the United States, Jie Qian and she will have the opportunity to meet.
"and……"
Lin Xi put her index finger to her lips.
"Regarding my 'friend in the ear', I hope this is just our little secret."
"See what I mean, little Jessie?"
Jessie nodded blankly.
The vague thoughts in her heart were confirmed:
This Miss Eleven and her "friends" are really not the same group as the police and the FBI mentioned in the previous conversation.
So, she let the impulse in her heart run wild, opened her mouth, and asked boldly:
"Since we share a secret, can I also become one of your 'friends'?"
"I mean, like... your 'friends in your ears', no, 'friends'."
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