Chapter 81 A Man of Brown Clothes and a Man of Jade (7)
Weston did not respond to her sarcasm.
She's probably angry; that's how petty people are.
Shu Ningmiao didn't care at all what he was thinking or whether he was angry; she focused on studying the Crimson Palace Stone in her hand.
This piece of crimson stone is longer and flatter than the one that Erice broke, and it is the same fine white color.
She wasn't afraid to bring it up in front of Weston.
Weston would not choose to clear his name now, when the National Research Center is under attack.
If their entry into the National Research Center is discovered, neither of them will escape punishment.
She and Weston were inextricably linked; neither could escape unscathed, making them undeniably accomplices.
Weston would only betray her if he wanted to die—but he's still thinking about returning to the research institute, so he probably won't do it for no reason.
Men clearly know and have studied the Crimson Palace Stone far more than she does.
She still has many questions about this stone, which is known as "Pandora's Heart".
Even after seeing it with her own eyes, she found it hard to believe that the Pandora contained within this stone could actually help her "save" her data.
She took out her terminal and successfully saved her game.
Destruction, accidents, risky actions—but actually using this stone takes only a few seconds.
A feeling of unreality suddenly arose in her heart.
It doesn't feel real.
If I select "Load Save," can I really go back in time?
Suddenly, some eager ideas popped into her head.
Weston leaned back against the window, arms crossed, and looked at her: "You seem to think my dorm is your home."
Shu Ningmiao raised her face, finally shifting her gaze from the crimson stone, and looked the room up and down.
A full half minute passed before she finally smiled and said, "I'm sorry, even the storage room in my house is more organized than this."
She was telling the truth.
The black-haired man lowered his eyes to look at her, gave a soft hum, raised his arm, and a faint light appeared on his slightly bent fingertips.
A book on the table suddenly flew up and rushed towards her, pressing firmly on her forehead. The door behind her opened automatically, and Shu Ningmiao staggered back a few steps as the book's back pressed against her.
The door slammed shut in front of her without any wind.
Weston's clear voice came from inside, tinged with a hint of cold annoyance: "Then I'll trouble you, young lady, to wait outside."
Shu Ningmiao grabbed the book on her head, which was covered with a completely pink cover.
Pink!? Shu Ningmiao's casual glance lingered on the book cover.
I never expected Weston, who looks so despicable, to have this side to him.
She randomly flipped to the first page and discovered that she had actually read this book before.
—When I bought a gift for Shu Changyan before, I saw the cartoon picture book "Superheroes" featuring the main characters of the action.
Because the story was so captivating, she bought a set for Arsia, who was confined to the medical center.
Weston secretly reads these kinds of picture books for children.
A subtle feeling suddenly arose in Shu Ningmiao's heart; it was quite terrifying.
The first page of the picture book had a piece of letter paper tucked inside, with large blank spaces and only a few sentences written on it, something like: "Utterly boring, full of holes."
"..." Shu Ningmiao looked at the comment, which was clearly in Weston's handwriting, but her attention was drawn away by the suddenly opened door.
Weston opened the door halfway, snatched the book from her hand with a clean, decisive motion, and quickly closed the door: "Take care."
The door closed in front of her once again.
Shu Ningmiao stared at the door for a while, and the idea that had just been brewing resurfaced.
Even with the screen darkened, the game's pop-up window was still clearly displayed—Do you want to load the 'save' file?
This statement lured her to open Pandora's box, filled with an indescribable allure.
It was as if something whispered in her ear, "Give it a try."
Shu Ningmiao was a cautious person and would not rashly try unfamiliar functions. Even with such a great temptation as saving files in front of her, she had never tried it.
But now, she was starting to waver.
The long-standing suspicions began to show some cracks.
Remembering the Crimson Palace Stone that Erici had broken before, and how she had risked her life to obtain Crimson Palace Stone No. 02, it would be a real shame if it lost its effect before it could be put to use, just like last time.
What's wrong with giving it a try?
If it really works, it won't cause much damage; it'll just give you a few more seconds of life.
Shu Ningmiao's fingertip hovered over the "Yes" option, and she hesitated for a long time before finally clicking it.
A loading progress bar pops up on the screen, just like a normal game.
Shu Ningmiao stared at the progress bar, her fingers gripping the terminal unconsciously tightening.
Perhaps she was too nervous, because the sound of the stones breaking and rolling at her feet was so clear.
50%……60%……
The progress bar finally stopped at 99%.
Shu Ningmiao took a deep breath, suddenly looked up, and saw not the tightly closed door, but Weston's black hair hanging down beside his face.
Sunlight streamed through the glass window, casting a halo of light on his shoulders, while half of his face was hidden in shadow against the light.
He slightly raised his chin and said coldly, "You seem to think my dorm is your home."
Time really has turned back.
No, it should be said that the save file was reloaded.
This realization surged through her brain like an electric current, exciting her. Shu Ningmiao moved directly towards Weston, glancing at him from side to side.
Weston held his breath, his face grim as he watched her circle around him without saying a word. Just as he was about to reprimand her, she suddenly stopped and stood in front of the desk.
She pulled out the bottom book from the mountain of books, the one with the pink cover.
Opening the book's title page, a piece of paper with only two short sentences written on it fell out.
Weston finally made a move, getting up and walking towards her, taking the book from her hand and tossing it casually on the table: "I thought it was basic etiquette not to rummage through things in the host's house."
Rather than scolding, his tone was more like he was teasing her for picking on her weaknesses.
Shu Ningmiao raised her head, about to say something, when her expression suddenly froze on her face.
Weston was about to tap her forehead with the book in his hand, but when he saw her eyes, he froze on the spot, just like her.
This was definitely not an act to scare him—Weston could tell.
Shu Ningmiao's pupils were gradually shrinking at the edges.
She was panicking.
He stared as the halo around the girl's pupils gradually blurred until it lost focus.
Weston frowned, gripped her shoulders, and his fingers tightened suddenly.
He himself could hardly detect the tension in his voice, but his calm tone suddenly turned hoarse at the end: "Shu Ningmiao."
His expression, which had been somewhat nonchalant a moment ago, was now completely frozen.
No one responded to him, and Shu Ningmiao did not suddenly raise her face and give him a silly and annoying prank smile like she did last time.
All her weight was on his hands, and her muscles were completely relaxed—this was not the state a person with self-awareness should be in.
Fearing she would fall, Weston caught her as she fell, hesitated for a moment, then placed his hand on her shoulder and gently patted her to help her catch her breath and prevent her from suddenly going into shock and suffocating.
A vibrant green light seeped into Shu Ningmiao's neck as he gently patted her fingers.
His superpowers were of no use.
She's perfectly healthy, so why would she faint for no reason? Even if she was just exhausted, there should have been some warning signs.
Weston held her tightly, patting her shoulders to comfort her.
Even after her spasming shoulder finally calmed down, he kept his arms tense, his mind racing, trying to figure out what had caused her to faint.
Aside from all physical factors, the only variable was the Crimson Palace Stone she took.
Weston didn't bring up the Crimson Palace Stone with her, not because he forgot she had it, but because he knew Shu Ningmiao needed it and was turning a blind eye to it.
Could the current situation be related to the Crimson Palace Stone?
Jianggong Stone is a national resource and an important research object. After each study, a report must be written, and the stone must be returned in a timely manner and placed in a proper place.
He would never have been in contact with Jiang Gongshi for more than four hours, and that would be through countless instruments. He really hadn't paid attention to how Jiang Gongshi would react if he spent a long time with an ordinary superhuman.
The source of superpowers for those with special abilities is Pandora, and the amount of Pandora in the Crimson Palace Stone is self-evident... It is entirely possible to experience abnormal reactions if one wears the Crimson Palace Stone close to the body for an extended period of time.
Because no one had ever possessed the Crimson Palace Stone by themselves before, he forgot to remind Shu Ningmiao of this.
His special ability, "healing," had no effect on Shu Ningmiao.
She cannot tell anyone about her current situation; if even the slightest clue is discovered, it could lead to their deaths.
Weston frowned, wanting to take the Crimson Palace Stone from her first, but his arm froze there and he found nothing.
She had nothing on her except the terminal.
——
Shu Ningmiao did not hear Weston call her name, nor could she see his expression, which was completely different from usual.
Darkness pressed down on her eyes, replaced by an inescapable feeling of suffocation.
She opened her mouth, but no sound came out.
Time seemed to stretch out infinitely, frozen in that instant. Countless images piled up before her eyes, as if she had suddenly risen from the darkness and fallen into a kaleidoscope.
The constantly changing and rotating scenery made her feel nauseous and vomit-inducing.
My heart was beating unusually fast.
The booming drum noise in my ears gradually turned into a sharp tinnitus.
It felt as if something cold had pierced through her chest.
She only felt cold, not in pain.
My body suddenly felt weak and I wanted to collapse.
Shu Ningmiao instinctively covered the cold spot on her chest, wanting to slowly squat down, only to find that she was standing in front of a table, leaning against the edge, with nowhere to rest.
The area she was covering with her hand was getting hotter and hotter, as if a ball of fire was rolling in her chest, swelling up, and gradually starting to feel a slight burning pain.
Because of blood loss, she was unable to lift her head and could only see a small area in front of her.
A pool of bright red blood smeared on the papers scattered haphazardly on the table. Shu Ningmiao was dizzy and could no longer make out what was written on them.
She looked down slightly and saw that the hand covering her chest was covered in blood, which was still seeping out.
Her hazy consciousness could still compel her to open her mouth, but she could no longer make a sound; only a faint breath escaped her throat.
It hurts so much.
My body feels both hot and cold.
She lowered her hand with trembling hands, leaning weakly against the edge of the table, her fingers shaking slightly.
Every drop of blood that trickled down her chest drained her strength.
Something very cold dripped onto the nape of her neck.
The liquid was cold, colder than her body temperature, so it was neither sweat nor blood.
They are human tears.
Someone leaned against her back, their arms wrapped tightly around her, refusing to let go, like an animal seeking warmth, cuddling with its mother.
But in the man's other hand, she saw the reflection of a sharp weapon.
Shu Ningmiao trembled all over, her eyes wide open, and she saw that the arm wrapped around her neck was covered with black lines.
The man's dark red hair fell down beside her, cascading over his hands. He took her soft, limp hand and placed it on his face, mimicking a gentle caress.
“Mother.” His voice sounded as if it were being sealed or squeezed out by something, and cold tears fell like rain onto her shoulder, accompanied by a faint, manic laugh: “Let’s be consumed by the flames together.”
What did he call her?!
Mother? !
Shu Ningmiao's head was about to explode. She tried her best to raise her hand, but could only move her fingers slightly, passing through his hair.
Her heart tightened, and she could barely suppress the coldness in her heart; violent emotions surged from her aching chest.
She's going to kill this man!
The dark scene before her was like a reflection in water, suddenly dispelled by her emotions, like a dream.
Shu Ningmiao reacted quickly and swung her hand away forcefully.
As her vision gradually cleared, Shu Ningmiao finally saw who the person she had slapped and turned away from was, and she was slightly taken aback.
She slapped Weston.
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