Chapter 43
On a calm evening, the gently rocking boat makes one drowsy.
Players are going deeper into every cabin of the ship, communicating more with the crew, and trying to find clues.
Ling Xi was lying in a rocking chair on the top deck, holding Li Jue, staring at the setting sun gradually sinking over the sea, looking so leisurely that it seemed a little out of place.
Excluding the ignorant little Li Jue, Ling Xi may be the only sober person on the ship, who deeply understands that everyone and everything is a diligent little gear attached to the game turntable.
Players have to find a way to pass the level and survive.
NPCs must fulfill their roles diligently and fulfill their own lives.
Even Li Jue has a mission. He has to meet the big boss and arrange the KPIs.
Then...what about myself?
In one magnificent and majestic world after another, what else can he do besides taking care of his cubs?
The little jellyfish had fallen asleep in his arms, its bow-shaped tentacles flapping rhythmically, as if it was about to become a real butterfly and fly off to the clouds at any moment.
The colors of the sunset are evenly painted on his translucent body. Today's little jellyfish is an orange-flavored jellyfish.
"Boo..."
A small bubble burst silently in the water.
The baby is talking in his sleep.
Ling Xi temporarily came out of her confusion and leaned over to listen to what Li Jue was saying.
As he did this, the channel of spiritual connection was opened.
"dad……"
The sleeping cub murmured.
"I miss my dad."
The boy was stunned.
Whether it was the previous sub-world or the current one, Li Jue was always loved by many people.
The little guy always smiles sweetly in front of everyone, so much so that people ignore the unhealable pain in his heart.
How scared and sad would the little cub, who depends on his father for everything, be when he can’t find his father and has to sleep alone at night?
Ling Xi's mind moved.
Otherwise, I'll help Juejue find his father myself.
He had seen Chen Yan before Li Jue was born.
Li Jue was born in the spring when pear blossoms were in full bloom, but it was winter when "that person" sent him to protect the father and son.
Since Chen Yan became pregnant, she moved out of the Chen residence and rented a small house.
After get off work, he would feed the stray cats near his home and talk to them.
At that time, Ling Xi had not yet transformed, and could not rashly appear in the human world in her original form. After noticing this, she also turned into a little black cat.
This makes it convenient to get close to Chen Yan, and you won't be wary of him because of his other forms.
Xiao Lingxi's ability to transform is not yet proficient, and she did not turn completely black as hoped.
Not only is there a tuft of white hair from the center of the eyebrows to the bridge of the nose, but the tip of the tail and four paws are also white.
The humans quickly noticed it: "Hey, little guy, are you new here?"
When Chen Yan smiles, her eyes are curved like the moon.
Later, when Ling Xi recalled his smile, she couldn't help but sigh, and realized that they were indeed the father of Li Jue, and they were exactly the same.
It should be said that Li Jue is like Chen Yan.
"Dark clouds stepping on snow." Chen Yan nodded at the white spot on his little head and praised, "What a beautiful little kitten."
Ling Xi meowed at him.
Chen Yan continued, "You're still just a little one. This is your first winter, right? Fortunately, there's a place nearby that can take you in for the winter..."
As rumored, Chen Yan really likes talking to small animals. She is gentle and pure, like someone living in a fairy tale.
Ling Xi began to understand why "that person", who had seen all the beauties in the world, was only attracted to this person.
"When spring comes, my baby will be born." He smiled slightly and stroked his abdomen. The gentle bulge was not obvious under the layers of winter clothes. "I will introduce you to each other then. I don't know whether it will be a boy or a girl yet..."
Ling Xi Miao raised her little paws and touched the human's hand.
The back of her hand is connected to him, and the palm of her hand is connected to the fetus in her belly.
It's a boy.
He thought.
He smelled the scent of the baby that was not yet fully formed, and it seemed as if a rain of pear blossoms, a mixture of pink, white and light gold, was falling before his eyes.
That was the first time he and Li Jue met.
In order to protect the father and son, Ling Xi always stayed close to Shen Yan after entering the real world, hiding her breath so that the other party would not notice her.
Therefore, to humans, this new little kitty walking on the snow is just waiting for them on their way home from get off work on time every day.
Chen Yan became familiar with Ling Xi Miao and confided more of her thoughts to the little guy that she would never mention to other kittens.
"Do you think it's strange that a man is pregnant?"
One day, Chen Yan suddenly asked him this.
Or more like talking to myself.
"Well...you're just a little kitten. This world seems weird to you, right?"
Ling Xi blinked.
He was a black cat with brown eyes, which was unusual; he was also a strange little kitty.
Chen Yan didn't wait for his answer (of course), and continued speaking with a somewhat depressed look: "But they can't accept it..."
Ling Xi listened quietly, using her limited common sense of the human world to guess who this "they" were.
Considering the reason why Chen Yan moved, the answer is not difficult: Mr. Shen and other people in the Shen family.
The most important people in Chen Yan's life before Li Jue was born.
They could never accept that their most beloved, outstanding and well-behaved son, who had been hanging out with a man and was pregnant.
To rebel against Tian Gang is shameful and a disgrace to the family...
All kinds of nasty things were said.
He can't go back home.
Even the person who was supposed to always be by my side disappeared.
What made it even more unbearable for him was that the memories of being with that person were slowly fading, as if someone was forcibly erasing them, forcing him to forget that person and the past.
If a person has no memories, is he still himself?
Chen Yan fell into the most isolated and helpless situation.
However, he still has a child to protect and cannot be defeated by anyone or anything.
Ayaka doesn't really need to eat and isn't very interested in cat food.
But you still have to pretend that you like eating it.
"If one day I'm gone..." Chen Yan looked down at the little coal ball who was washing his face carefully after eating cat food, and paused, "Please protect my cub, okay?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he felt ridiculous.
What nonsense are you talking to a little kitten?
Ling Xi, however, made a solemn gesture as if nodding.
This is their agreement.
Whether Chen Yan is there or not, he will definitely protect the child.
That is a treasure for more than one person.
Chen Yan smiled, revealing her shallow dimples.
He patted the kitten's head one last time, wiped his hands and stood up: "See you tomorrow, little one."
"Meow."
Ling Xi watched him leave and disappear into the drifting snowflakes.
However, that night Ling Xi was urgently recalled for other tasks, and the task of protecting Chen Yan and his son was temporarily assigned to someone else.
The promise of "see you tomorrow" was never fulfilled.
Ling Xi ended her memories and looked at the little jellyfish who was already fast asleep and no longer talking in her sleep, wondering how she could find Chen Yan by her own strength.
In fact, he could guess who Chen Yan was with.
Apart from the omniscient and omnipotent "Him", there is no other power that can completely erase a living person from this world and infinite space without leaving any trace.
But "He" is "that person" and not "that person." Therefore, even a "confidant" like Ayaka cannot get close to him, even if it is just to contact him.
After Chen Yan disappeared, Ling Xi rushed to the real world as soon as possible, but Li Jue had already been sent to the police station by his neighbors.
He knew that the police would definitely send Li Jue to the Shen family, so before all parties contacted each other, he first implanted the concept of himself as "Ling Xi adopted by Mr. Shen" into the minds of the Shen family, naturally integrating into this family and waiting for Li Jue's arrival.
The Lord of Infinite Space has been missing for many days, and now Shen Yan is also missing.
These two are usually together.
Or rather, it was He who abducted him.
However, Ling Xi really couldn't guess where God would take humans.
However, there is another way.
From the moment the small seed in Chen Yan's belly took root and sprouted, the connection between Ling Xi and Li Jue was formed.
This is the most unbreakable and tenacious bond in the world.
As the existence most closely related to Li Jue, Chen Yan was also given a unique mark long before Li Jue was born, so that after Ling Xi entered the real world, she could identify the correct target to protect in the vast crowd.
However, after Li Jue was separated from the mother body, half of the mark was transferred to Li Jue to strengthen the connection, and the other half disappeared naturally, leaving only a small amount on Shen Yan.
In this case, it would be difficult for Ayaka to search with her own ability.
Unless, relying on Li Jue's characteristic of "having genes from two fathers in his body", they can achieve a resonance of kinship.
Especially since the two fathers are most likely to be in the same room now, it is easier to locate them.
Simply put, as long as Li Jue can resonate with one of them, he can sense the other.
Chen Yan is their primary target now and cannot be used as a means of searching.
Then the only option left is the other father.
It is very difficult to find where the Lord God is, but not impossible.
Each ultimate boss in the sub-world is an individual with independent consciousness and autonomous behavior, but their "core" is ultimately given by God.
It can be understood that each of them is a small part of the god.
If there is a way to collect the "cores" of all bosses and then condense them, it would be equivalent to creating a mirror image of God.
What you see in the mirror is naturally yourself.
The solution is in front of us, and what remains is the object of execution of the task.
If someone could get up close and personal with all the big bosses in every sub-world, without having to worry about their personal safety like the players...
Ling Xi's eyes lit up.
The Boss Communication Post System perfectly meets all requirements.
——Isn’t it the little cub himself who can help him find his father?
After sorting out this logical chain, Ling Xi suddenly became excited.
He rarely had the heart to wake Li Jue up, and said joyfully to the dazed little cub, "I have a solution!"
The little jellyfish rubbed itself with its tentacles and said sleepily, "Bo?"
Ling Xi: "I'll help you find your father."
Li Jue regained consciousness after hearing this: "Bobo?"
Ling Xi: "Yeah, look for your dad."
"Bo! Bo!" Even the butterfly's tentacles flapped faster. After a moment, the cub slowly stopped and asked in confusion, "Bo?"
So Ling Xi explained to Li Jue the truth she had just figured out in the simplest way possible.
The little jellyfish listened in confusion and grasped the most crucial question: "Bo, Bo?"
——What is Zizi going to do?
Huh, Ling Xi hasn't considered this yet.
But this is not a complicated issue.
How to collect the "cores" of the sub-world bosses does not mean to really drain them dry.
Strictly speaking, the "core" does not belong only to the boss, but is used to stabilize and support the center point of the entire sub-world.
However, the power of the boss is the source of stability in the sub-world, and they themselves can also serve as representatives of the "core".
To be more specific, the "core" can be considered the most precious thing to the boss. It can be material or immaterial.
Maybe, it is "love".
As long as they are willing to give their love to Li Jue, it is equivalent to collecting a small piece of "core" for Li Jue.
If everyone loves him, then all the "cores" can be collected - all the scattered fragments of the main god.
Getting a bloodthirsty, cold-blooded and murderous boss to show you love sounds harder than climbing to the sky.
But judging from the Dragon World that just ended and the Ocean World that is currently going on, this is a piece of cake for the little cubs who are loved everywhere they go.
In short, as long as Li Jue can successfully defeat each boss, he will be able to find his father, reunite as father and son, and have a happy ending.
"...So, as long as they all like you, that's all that's fine." Ling Xi concluded her speech.
After hearing this, Li Jue clapped his hands happily with his little tentacles.
That doesn't sound difficult.
Brother Mimi likes me very much.
The same goes for Brother Yaoyao.
He firmly believed that when he went to another world to see his brothers and sisters, they would definitely like him very much.
This way, I will be closer to my father.
Ling Xi was also happy for him and held the little jellyfish high.
The little orange gummies made happy popping sounds as the sunset grew heavier and heavier, and the horizon was about to be broken.
Who doesn't like babies?
*
night.
Yuan Yingying lay on the bed somewhat dejectedly, trying to recall the clues she had found in the past two days, but she had no clue.
Not only her, but other players also got nothing.
Their current understanding of the ship still remains at the level of the first day they entered the copy. Apart from the small jellyfish they fished out, there was nothing unusual in other aspects.
The challenge to pass this dungeon is actually very simple: successfully return to land.
It sounds like a survival type, but all players have always agreed that when they saw this dungeon appear on the big screen in the player lobby, it was clearly marked as a decryption type.
If you can't find an important breakthrough, it means you haven't advanced to new scenes or unlocked new characters.
They worked together and questioned almost all the crew members, but couldn't find anything wrong with them.
Even the captain's child was questioned several times, and it turned out that he was indeed just a sensible and intelligent child who was not even six years old.
The only living things on this ship, besides humans, are fish.
...Should I ask that little jellyfish?
She mentioned this idea to Lu Ying, but it was just a joke.
However, when she couldn't make any progress, she began to seriously consider this method again.
When people lined up to interact with the baby jellyfish, it seemed as if the little guy could actually understand her language and that of other humans.
It's an infinite space, so it's normal for animals to talk... right?
However, rather than experimenting to see whether the little jellyfish has higher intelligence, it would be better to ask the little boy again.
Although I know that Xiaoxi is the adopted child of the captain and his wife, and that his genes and education are different, this quiet child is really different from other rough guys.
Could it be that he is the clue? It's just that I haven't found the right way to ask it yet -
The more she thought about it, the more she felt something was wrong. Since the little jellyfish looked very special, then Xiaoxi, who was able to raise the little jellyfish, must be the key person!
Yuan Yingying's tiredness was swept away and she jumped out of bed.
She was about to wake up Lu Ying next door, but she noticed a sneaky figure in the corridor.
The girl turned sideways warily, prepared for defense and watched.
She actually felt relieved when the figure approached.
It’s Li Ren.
People whose minds are filled with money and sex are the least to be feared during the escape.
Such people's fear of death determines that they dare not hurt others, and their greed for life often makes them the first scapegoat to lose their lives.
Li Ren looked flustered, as if he had done something wrong or had run into a ghost. This made Yuan Yingying curious.
She put away her guard and said, "Uncle, why are you not sleeping so late at night?"
The man was caught off guard by the ambush and nearly screamed. Fortunately, he covered his mouth immediately and said, "Oh, it's Xiao-Xiao Yuan."
Even after stopping, the violent and abnormal breathing was still there, which clearly showed that something was wrong.
Yuan Yingying didn't say anything else. She knew that with Li Ren's personality, he would definitely speak out or ask for help.
Sure enough, the middle-aged man looked around and, after confirming that there was no third person around, lowered his voice and said, "Xiao Yuan, let me ask you, you are human—from the player camp, right? Not one of those monsters, right?"
Yuan Yingying frowned, sensing something from his incoherent speech.
This person must have encountered something unusual, otherwise he would not ask such a strange question.
"I am." She turned her wrist, and a black mark like a barcode appeared near her pulse, then disappeared. "It's a player's mark, it can't be fake."
Li Ren breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good, that's good."
Yuan Yingying crossed her arms: "What happened?"
Li Ren's face turned pale when he mentioned this. "Yes, it's like this. I was just thinking of going to Xiaoxi and asking him if he could give me another chance to touch the jellyfish... Then, I heard him talking to the jellyfish."
Yuan Yingying: "As a kid, isn't this normal?"
"It's not that simple." Li Ren waved his hands repeatedly, his expression a mixture of laughter and tears. "You know what I heard him say? He said he wanted to chop everyone into pieces, slice them, and cut them into pieces...!!"
He took a breath. "—and then, feed it all to the jellyfish."
By the end of his speech, his voice was trembling and he looked like he was about to wet his pants out of fear.
Yuan Yingying's pupils shrank.
However, she maintained a calm exterior. "Are you sure you heard correctly? He's not even six years old. And jellyfish are plankton and small fish and shrimp. A baby is so tiny, how could it possibly eat human flesh?"
Li Ren raised his hand and put his fingers together. "I swear on my father-in-law's wealth! This is absolutely true! The stories of dismemberment and feeding meat... I heard them all with my own ears!"
There was a deep furrow between the girl's eyebrows.
Li Ren is a 100% newcomer, so there is no need for him to deceive his experienced companions with false information.
If what he said was true, and this copy really had a seemingly innocent and harmless little boss, it would not be just a simple puzzle game.
While she was thinking, Li Ren revealed another shocking secret: "I asked that kid, and he clearly told me that he was neither an NPC nor a boss. How could he lie to me..."
Yuan Yingying's eyes nearly popped out of her head. "—Wait, what did you say? You asked him directly if he was an NPC?"
Li Ren saw her expression was so horrified that he also started to shudder: "Yes, yes, what's wrong?"
The girl wanted to knock him and herself unconscious together: "This is a big taboo in the dungeon - you must never let the NPCs know that you are an NPC, and you must never let them know that you are a player!!"
Li Ren was stunned: "Why...why?"
"Hasn't anyone told you?"
Yuan Yingying had a bad feeling that this stupid newcomer's thoughtless actions would probably drag everyone down.
"For us, it's a game with a beginning, an end, and a verdict, but for the NPCs, it's real life, the real world. If they suddenly learn they're fake data, and their minds break down, they could turn evil—a rampaging NPC can be as powerful as a boss! And because these are unexpected events not part of the original plot, if a blackened NPC goes out of control to a certain point, even the Central can't remedy it!"
Li Ren was confused by the series of explanations.
He opened his mouth, unable to find his vocal cords, and after a long pause he stuttered, "Then...what will happen?"
Yuan Yingying forced a smile, her voice bleak, "I guess, from the moment you told him that, this book has changed from a decryption type to... an escape type."
Li Ren felt like he was struck by lightning and couldn't utter a word.
"But I'm just guessing. Maybe I'm not that unlucky." Yuan Yingying murmured, "Let's go back to the room first. If you really are a survivalist, night is the most dangerous time."
Back to the room...
Li Ren's whole body trembled, and his tone became desperate and sharp: "No, no! My room is next to that child——"
A series of hurried and chaotic footsteps interrupted his words.
The two of them froze at the same time, afraid that if they turned their heads they would meet Ling Xi's seemingly gentle brown eyes and the little jellyfish in his arms that would turn light blue at night.
A few minutes ago, the two little ones were still cute creatures that they could only encounter in the dungeon if they were lucky enough. One minute of closeness satisfied them for five hours.
After a few minutes, it had become a demon that gnashed its teeth and sucked blood, and was to be avoided.
Fortunately, the ones who came were not the two cubs they were talking about.
Five or six crew members banged, or rather, pounded, on every door in the corridor: "Wake up! Everyone, get up! Don't sleep any more, gather outside!"
The players who were woken up and some crew members who did not need to keep watch walked out of the room rubbing their eyes.
Yuan Yingying was experienced after all, so she calmed down first and stopped the one closest to them: "Excuse me, what happened?"
The young crew member looked terrified: "Something happened - we were intercepted by a pirate ship."
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