Chapter 82 A Man of Brown Clothes and a Man of Jade (8)
Even as the scene before her eyes vanished, she subconsciously withdrew some of her strength.
But the reaction time was too short, and her hand still landed solidly.
Shu Ningmiao could still hear the crisp sound echoing in the room.
There was no darkness in the room, and her chest was unharmed, without the puncture wound. She was leaning against the headboard, with Weston kneeling in front of her, trying to check on her.
Weston turned his face to the left, and suddenly a swollen finger mark appeared on his pale face, the red mark extending all the way to the corner of his mouth.
Perhaps because she had disliked him for a long time, Shu Ningmiao stared at Weston's face, which was trying to suppress his anger, and for a moment she couldn't make a more apologetic expression.
She raised the corner of her lips for a moment, then immediately pursed them to cover it up.
Before Weston could get angry, she quickly reached out and cupped his face, coughing lightly, "I'm sorry, teacher, I had a nightmare."
The red marks on Weston's face were long and thin, clearly indicating that she was the one who did it. Shu Ningmiao's fingers were icy cold, but when she pressed them, the heat penetrated his skin, causing a burning, itchy sensation, which he then grabbed.
“Then you had better be awake by now.” Weston grabbed her wrist and pressed it down.
Shu Ningmiao tentatively pulled her hand away from his restraints, examining the red mark on his face, already mentally prepared for his rage.
Unexpectedly, although Weston's gaze was gloomy, he did not immediately seize on the matter to attack her, who was still weak: "Do you know what you just did?"
Shu Ningmiao was stunned. The scene from just now was still flashing through her mind, and her head was so hard it felt like it was going to explode.
The piercing coldness and the powerlessness of blood draining from her body were not fake—it felt as if it were really happening to her.
Even now, as she clutches her chest, she can still feel her heart pounding.
Her heart and blood vessels pounded wildly from the fear of that moment; she was certain that what she felt was the scene of "dying" in the game.
She truly experienced what "death" meant.
Details she couldn't observe closely due to blood loss and oxygen deprivation are now gradually coming back to her: in the dimly lit room, she was standing in front of a table, someone had pierced her from behind with a sharp object, the point of penetration being her left rib—
The wounds shown in the death CG completely overlap with those in the CG.
With her long, dark red hair and intricate black markings on her arms, the person standing behind her was undoubtedly Achini.
He even called her "mother"—he's gone mad.
Why was she standing in that room, and why did she expose her back to Achini so unguarded?
—Unless Achini suddenly jumped out of thin air and stabbed her, how come she didn't even show any signs of struggling?
The more she thought about it, the stranger it seemed. Upon further reflection, she realized that even the initial state of using the save file felt off, as if she were possessed.
Weston was still watching her.
Shu Ningmiao remained silent, staring blankly into space, her fingertips unconsciously clenching and sinking into her palm.
He frowned, cupped her hand, and forcefully pried open each of her fingers: "Fine, where did you put the Crimson Palace Stone?"
Weston had already searched her pockets while she was unconscious, but found no trace of the Crimson Palace Stone, which is why he asked this question.
Even though he knew she was reckless and didn't know what was going on, and that her scheming to obtain the Crimson Palace Stone must have some grand ambition, he still couldn't bring himself to say anything harsh when he saw her weak expression.
In front of Shu Ningmiao, he seemed to be saying "never mind" for the rest of his life, always compromising step by step.
Shu Ningmiao snapped out of her daze, stared at him for a while, and then slowly unzipped the hem of her short-sleeved shirt, revealing a hidden pocket inside.
She took out an insulating crystal box from it.
Weston couldn't help but blurt out, "Are you an old lady who sews jewelry into her underwear? How stupid."
"Of course, I'm afraid someone will try to pick my pockets while I'm asleep." Shu Ningmiao tossed the box to him. Because of the strangeness just now, she had become suspicious of the Crimson Palace Stone, and her movements were not as careful as when she first got it: "Isn't it better to be cautious?"
Weston opened the box with one hand, his brow furrowing even deeper: "There's nothing inside."
"How could that be?" Shu Ningmiao said in disbelief, then suddenly leaned closer: "I put the stone back myself."
How could the Crimson Palace Stone have suddenly disappeared?
She was the only one who never took it out from beginning to end.
“Sit still.” Weston raised his hand to cover her face and pressed her back down. “Listen to me… there’s something wrong with this Crimson Palace Stone.”
"I know." Shu Ningmiao sat cross-legged on his bed, her expression suddenly becoming serious: "What did you feel when you were researching this thing before?"
"No."
Weston stared blankly at the box in his hand, his eyes, though a vibrant green, seemed to be filled with icy jade: "Do you know what a national resource is? Nobody would carry it around like an ordinary stone."
"You don't have to say anything."
Shu Ningmiao said calmly, "At least no one will suspect that I have a stolen stone in my pocket—I want to ask, you've been studying the Crimson Palace Stone for so long, hasn't anyone had any unusual reactions to it?"
“From its discovery to its transport to the National Research Center, the Crimson Palace Stone was handled by at least three-digit numbers of people.”
Weston understood what she meant, but didn't quite agree: "I'm more inclined to think that the problem lies with the missing Crimson Palace Stone, rather than with the Crimson Palace Stone itself."
“No… I don’t mean a reaction like mine.” Shu Ningmiao frowned, unable to accurately describe her feelings.
The scene she just witnessed before her death was definitely a side effect of "reloading the save file".
But the Crimson Palace Stone was different; it brought her a different kind of influence.
"I think the problem lies with the Jianggong Stone itself."
Shu Ningmiao came to her senses and reviewed the situation again, realizing that many things had gone wrong.
Reverting to a previous state at this time is completely unlike what she would normally do.
A voice seemed to be telling her, "Give it a try"—to press the save/load option.
This slight, unsettling "desire," though small, directly changed her mind.
Think of Erice... think of Gawande, whom I've met before.
If this is the influence of the Crimson Palace Stone, then Erice's sudden madness and Gawande's unusually irritable behavior can be explained.
Both of them had prolonged contact with the unisolated Crimson Palace Stone.
Shu Ningmiao truthfully told Weston her deductions.
“His neck was very red, and his emotions were very unstable.” Shu Ningmiao pressed her temples as she described, “Everyone who had close contact with the Crimson Palace Stone had this strange, bewitching state, including the Prometheus members who broke the Crimson Palace Stone before.”
The Crimson Palace Stone acts like a radiation source, subtly amplifying certain "desires" based on the deepest weaknesses in everyone's heart.
Because it was so faint, no one has noticed it to this day.
Shu Ningmiao happens to be very sensitive to "desire".
Any thought that is beyond her control is not called a desire. She does not think that it is her own emotion, and only then does she realize that something is affecting her.
“I understand.” Weston pondered for a moment. “Keep the box with me for now, I’ll figure something out.”
Before Shu Ningmiao could finish speaking, he suddenly said coldly, "During this period, you are not allowed to go to Jiang Gongshi on your own, nor are you allowed to inquire about any related information."
Now that all of Pinnie's existing Crimson Palace Stones have been stolen, the level of vigilance will be raised to an unprecedented level. If Shu Ningmiao is allowed to act rashly, she will be targeted by others.
After hearing this, Weston had completely forgotten Shu Ningmiao's recent act of insubordination.
He has more important things to study.
In Weston's world, the exploration of the Crimson Palace Stone was far more important than clearing his name.
Pandora is far more important than any human being on this planet.
Humans have been studying Pandora for five hundred years. At first glance, these five hundred years are just the lifetimes of five centenarians, but the researchers, soldiers, and operatives who have sacrificed their lives for it constitute a monument with an endless list of names.
The Jianggong Stone first appeared 300 years ago, and only three have been discovered since then.
The question raised by Shu Ningmiao may be related to the origin of Pandora.
The exploration of the unknown is one of the meanings of human existence; there will always be people who want to figure out these questions.
Weston disapproved of Pines' use of Pandora as fuel for war and equally scoffed at Prometheus's goals.
Even if Pandora is not pure hope, humanity has long been unable to leave Pandora, and that is the significance of technology.
Shu Ningmiao hugged her knees and leaned against the bed, while Weston turned around and sat at the desk, spreading out the documents and scraps.
The man's profile, which usually appeared aloof, was now soft, and he showed no impatience as he stared intently at the fragments and the potion.
A few strands of black hair fell casually down, obscuring his cheeks. His pale face had faint red marks and light dark circles under his eyes.
Perhaps only in this way can Weston inspire a sense of trust.
When Weston gets serious, he doesn't pay any attention to his surroundings. He didn't even notice when Shu Ningmiao left. He only paused for a moment when he looked up and saw the bed that Yeping had arranged to look like a brand new one.
A crease flashed through his mind; he remembered that when Shu Ningmiao wore her uniform skirt, she would sometimes subconsciously smooth out every wrinkle.
His mind went blank, and a sense of unease began to stir within him.
The door was knocked on again, and Weston instinctively turned his head to look.
Shu Ningmiao stood at the door, carrying two bags in her hands. She had gone to the infirmary to buy anti-inflammatory gel.
It was ultimately her fault for hitting Weston, and besides, she couldn't let others see the finger marks on Weston's face.
Weston frowned, and Shu Ningmiao already knew what he was going to say, so she cut him off: "Teacher, you have to teach tomorrow, it won't be good for you—this is my apology, okay?"
Weston pretended not to hear.
She pulled out the chair she had moved earlier and sat down next to Weston, reaching out to take off his monocle. Weston remained quiet, but didn't turn his head to look at her.
Shu Ningmiao took a cotton swab, dipped it in gel, and carefully applied it to the red marks. Upon closer inspection, Weston's skin had a lifeless, cold white color due to his long-term stay in the research center, making the burn-like red marks even more noticeable, with some areas even showing traces of bluish-purple blood vessels.
The more she looked, the more guilty she felt—Shu Ningmiao never expected that she would have such great strength even when she wasn't in her superpowered state.
She thought her private training wasn't very effective because she had nothing to compare it to.
He was probably still in some pain. Shu Ningmiao gently wiped his eyelashes and could feel the trembling of Weston's eyelashes.
After applying the ointment, she placed the contents of another bag next to Weston: a box of smoked salmon and asparagus rolls, which she had bought on her way to the infirmary from the cafeteria.
She stood up, turned to look at him, and said, "See you tomorrow, teacher."
Weston's hand, resting on the edge of the armrest, subtly traced the warmth she had left behind, and he suddenly recalled his previous impression of Shu Ningmiao—
He was just an ordinary person.
Since being slandered, Weston has never wanted to leave Cornunos.
After a moment, he moved his lips but made no sound.
Shu Ningmiao was nowhere to be seen at the door.
Confirming that Weston wouldn't retaliate because of her accidental injury, Shu Ningmiao carelessly slammed the door shut and quickly ran back to her dormitory.
The door to Erice's dormitory across the hall was closed. Shu Ningmiao confirmed that Erice was still inside the Cornunos School, so she left it alone.
Back in her dorm, she finally opened the terminal with a tense heart.
There was one more thing she was hiding from Weston.
Upon opening the game interface, a new pop-up window suddenly appears, and the text inside is no longer the previous typos or omissions.
"You shouldn't have reloaded the save file so casually—"
The game system's font featured flamboyant borders, yet its tone was unusually serious.
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