In front of the Anshi International Hotel.
Lin Zhenzhen, fully equipped with sunglasses and a baseball cap, stepped out of the taxi.
On her way here, she had already spoken with her assistant by phone to inform her of her whereabouts.
"Sister Zhenzhen! Didn't Sister Zhang tell you not to run around everywhere?"
"It's so late at night, it's not safe at all, and at such a sensitive time, there are probably a lot of paparazzi waiting for you at the entrance of the community."
“That’s why I’m calling you,” Lin Zhenzhen said calmly. “You’re my assistant, and you have the right to know my entire schedule.”
The assistant was on the verge of tears: "Can I give up this right?" She was caught in the middle between her artist and the manager, and was in a real dilemma!
"I shouldn't be delayed for too long. Remember to call me in 30 minutes. If I don't answer, tell Sister Zhang about this."
"Huh? Why is that?"
"For insurance purposes."
Lin Zhenzhen didn't offer any further explanation; she simply hung up the phone and strode into the lobby.
A woman in uniform stepped forward: "Hello, are you Ms. Lin?"
"That's right, I'm here to collect something."
"Okay, please come this way with me." The woman smiled and gestured for him to enter, pointing to the reception room next to the lobby.
Lin Zhenzhen glanced in that direction, her brows furrowing slightly: "Could you please take the things out? I'm in a hurry."
The woman smiled apologetically: "I'm sorry, Ms. Lin, we need to leave an electronic signature in the computer to collect guests' items, so we can't collect them on their behalf."
The person in front of me was indeed wearing a hotel uniform, and had a name tag on his chest.
Moreover, this is a public place with a constant flow of people. There are cameras all around, so there shouldn't be any problems.
Lin Zhenzhen hesitated for two seconds, then nodded.
The woman led her through the corridor to a small reception room.
"Ms. Lin, please have a seat here for a while. My colleague is preparing some materials for you."
Lin Zhenzhen glanced down at her phone; only five minutes had passed since she called her assistant.
"Yes, thank you."
Would you like something to drink?
Perhaps it was because the heating was on too high, but Lin Zhenzhen felt a bit thirsty.
She looked at the small refrigerator placed not far away and said, "Mineral water is fine, please keep it chilled for me."
"Okay." The woman opened the refrigerator door in front of Lin Zhenzhen and took out a bottle of mineral water.
"I don't want this one." Lin Zhenzhen raised her hand as if she were being picky. "Change to the bottle on the far right of the second row."
"Okay." The woman's smile remained unchanged. She turned around and did as she was told.
"Miss Lin, here's your water."
This was a bottle of mineral water that she had randomly selected. All of the other person's actions were performed under her watchful eye, leaving them no opportunity to do anything underhanded.
It seems I was being too cautious.
Lin Zhenzhen breathed a sigh of relief. She unscrewed the bottle cap, tilted her head back, and drank most of the bottle.
The cool liquid slid down her throat, finally dispelling the gloom that had been lingering in her heart.
However, it wasn't long before Lin Zhenzhen realized that something was wrong.
The once straight edges of the wooden table began to twist, and the air in front of us seemed to be scorched by something, rippling with layers of wavy illusions.
Lin Zhenzhen's eyes widened as she tried to grab her phone from her bag, only to find to her surprise that her body was too weak to exert any strength.
The woman standing to the side was still smiling, but upon closer inspection, one would find that the curve of her lips was exactly the same as before.
Her originally delicate features now appeared so stiff under the interplay of light and shadow, resembling a horrifying human skin mask stitched on.
The woman slowly approached, her slender fingers gripping Lin Zhenzhen's shoulder so tightly they almost made her breathless.
Consciousness collapsed, and mind dissipated.
Lin Zhenzhen felt like a time bomb had been inserted into her mind, making her feel so uncomfortable that it seemed like it could explode at any moment.
"Miss Lin, you seem to be feeling unwell. Let me take you to rest."
As she finished speaking, the last bit of clarity in Lin Zhenzhen's mind was completely exhausted.
She closed her eyes and heard a surge of radio waves in her ears.
In her dazed state, she seemed to hear a familiar electronic voice.
When Lin Zhenzhen woke up again, she didn't know how much time had passed.
She tried to move her wrists and found herself as if she were tied to a chair, her limbs were fixed, and a black cloth covered her eyes, obscuring all her vision.
It was very quiet around, with the faint sound of the central air conditioning running.
A faint aromatherapy scent filled the air, just like the one I smelled in the hotel lobby before.
She was still at the Anshi International Hotel, but had been moved from the first-floor reception room to a room upstairs.
Lin Zhenzhen sensed that there might be danger involved, but she did not expect the other party to be so arrogant.
They actually dared to drug her and take her away in public.
What's even more terrifying is that more than half an hour must have passed since I was taken hostage.
The assistant wasn't unreliable. If she couldn't reach Zhang Fang by the appointed time, she would definitely inform Zhang Fang of her whereabouts, just as she had previously instructed.
At this moment, the words Gong Yao had said to her in the underground laboratory flashed through Lin Zhenzhen's mind again.
"Dreaming is a projection of consciousness. Dreams can only be experienced, not changed."
The so-called unchangeable...
No matter what efforts she makes, things will always eventually return to their original course.
Does that mean that Lin Zhenzhen also experienced all of this?
Just then, she suddenly heard a faint noise coming from not far away.
It was like a glass gently tapping against a table.
Lin Zhenzhen then realized that there was another person in the room.
"Tsk, alright, can you stop talking? You're so long-winded."
The man's voice carried a hint of impatience.
Is he making a phone call?
Lin Zhenzhen held her breath and listened intently.
"Huh? You mean him? I can kill him whenever I want, is it such a big deal?"
Lin Zhenzhen immediately realized that the "he" in those words most likely referred to herself.
"She's just an NPC in this small world, a string of data code. Even if she dies, it won't affect the stability of this small world at all. What's there to worry about?"
Small world? NPC?
The words that kept popping out of the man's mouth made Lin Zhenzhen temporarily lose her ability to think.
"Heh, get the facts straight. I've completed the main quest, and now it's my free time."
"I can do whatever I want; it's my host's perk."
"If you don't want to be replaced when you go back, you'd better shut your mouth now, you stupid system."
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