The shopkeeper stroked his mustache: "Not yet. It's just that those people are being protected by your red cloak. The red cloak only obeys your orders, so you need to help take them back."
"No problem, I'll go back as soon as I get it." She had already checked it, and I blocked Xie Yuancheng behind me: "Forget it, I won't take him with me since you're giving me a ride."
"You're smart to know what's good for you." I held Xie Yuancheng's hand tightly. She was of average appearance, so I was completely at ease with her.
Xie Yuancheng pinched my cheek: "Ying'er is worried about me, what a good wife."
"Anyone who tries to steal your people, just make them all disappear."
Xie Yuancheng and the shopkeeper were laughing on the side. I followed them inside, while the little girl shook her head on the side.
The little girl's name is Number Nine. When I asked her her surname, she said that over there were only numbers, no surnames. Chip people are created using chips and light, so they are independent individuals.
They have no emotions or desires, only likes. If they don't even have likes, they will choose to hibernate and recharge when they want to come back to life.
"Yuancheng, let me rub it for you." I saw Xie Yuancheng doing lateral acupuncture for them for several hours, and his back hadn't been straightened at all.
"Ying'er has been so well-behaved lately, don't work so hard, go play over there."
No, I want you to massage it.
Number Nine, looking at him sideways, said, "You're too good to him. What if he abandons you?"
Xie Yuancheng withdrew his hand: "Don't try to sow discord. Ying'er and I have long been one. If I were to abandon her, I would be abandoning myself."
"Yes, you're a chip engineer, you don't understand this kind of feeling."
"So what if you're a chip person? You're still a person. Isn't this just the legendary love? That kind of thing is the most unreliable."
Before I could speak, Xie Yuancheng chimed in: "Whether someone is reliable or not isn't determined by words. As long as Ying'er thinks I'm reliable, that's enough."
I nodded hastily. If Xie Yuancheng can't be trusted, then all men in the world are liars.
"Tch, you two are always so lovey-dovey, what a waste of time."
“We haven’t wasted any time. Yuancheng and I are having a great time every day. You’re such an emotionless machine, you wouldn’t understand.”
"I don't want to understand. Why don't you two come back with me and experience our life? Maybe you'll understand later."
"No need, I'd rather help you find the red cloak. Ying'er and I are waiting to go back and see our son."
"How old are you to have a son?"
I was both amused and exasperated; of course, 2020 was different from ours.
"That's enough, come and help with the data," the shopkeeper urged from the side.
Xie Yuancheng and I exchanged a smile, and I sat beside him watching him work. His hands were now moving incredibly fast on the keyboard. Number Nine glanced at us every now and then, but I pretended not to notice.
I don't understand their way of life, so it's understandable that I don't know. She doesn't know our way of life either, which is also understandable.
Soon, the shopkeeper located the red cloak's position, not far from the base.
When Number Nine saw that the red cloak was all dirty, he said disdainfully, "I'll take it back for you, but it's too dirty for me to take."
I think it's such a waste: "It would be clean if you just washed it."
"No, I don't want things that have been washed."
The shopkeeper shook his head: "Let's go. My dear apprentices, you stay here. If red dots flash around us, remember to warn us."
Xie Yuancheng nodded. He left several dots on the screen, and soon, the shopkeeper and Number Nine appeared on the screen.
Those strange people have begun to mutate; their hands and feet have turned into soft bodies, much like fish fins, but not as soft.
I stood beside the tablet and looked at it; it was even clearer when zoomed in. "Yuancheng, why does everything look different here?"
“The places Master went to are visible to the naked eye, but what is displayed on the tablet is something that cannot be seen.”
"I understand. I'll keep watch here and let you know immediately if anything seems amiss."
"Ying'er, don't cause trouble, just watch carefully."
I pouted and said, "It wasn't causing trouble at all."
"Okay, you didn't cause any trouble."
Those strange people's hands could actually extend, which was horrifying to watch. However, their outstretched hands were all scared back by the saw that Number Nine had transformed into.
Soon, the shopkeeper and his companions arrived at a maze-like place, where the same things were everywhere.
I zoomed in on the map and quickly figured out the exit of the maze. Just as I was about to give the shopkeeper a hint, I glanced at Xie Yuancheng, who was intently watching the screen.
I tapped the tablet, and Number Nine, who was looking around, quickly spotted my indicator light.
She led the shopkeeper following the light. At first, I thought I could lead them out, but I discovered that someone was monitoring us from behind.
I changed my direction of movement, and now my every move affects the shopkeeper and Number Nine. No wonder Xie Yuancheng told me not to cause trouble; now that things have come to this, I guess I'll just have to bite the bullet and go for it.
Since I can see Number Nine while the other two can't, it means I should be able to do something for her.
I carefully considered the exit, thinking that I could see everything, but when I put the indicator lights on for them, I found that it wasn't that simple.
I understand. I was monitored inside when I first put the lights on them. Now I'm one with them, and I feel like the exit is there, but it's just an illusion.
I tried to stay awake and follow their steps. I could hear laughter in my ears, the same kind of laughter that came from standing on the metal bucket.
I quickly swiped the screen to warn them of an attack. The shopkeeper and Number Nine immediately crouched down, narrowly avoiding the boulder rolling over them.
Fortunately, my judgment was correct. Seeing that they had escaped a disaster, my interest was immediately piqued.
The shopkeeper and Number Nine continued walking in one direction. I looked around the maze myself; the patterns and directions were all the same. However, some of the maze walls seemed to be moving.
I zoomed out and saw the shopkeeper and Number Nine walking towards a giant, gaping maw. This route hadn't appeared before; how did it suddenly appear?
I can see the whole picture when I zoom out, but I can't see anything when I zoom in. I tried it twice and found that the surrounding image is different when zoomed in and out.
Although one is a darker shade and the other a lighter shade, I still managed to spot it.
It's this margin of error that led them astray, following the eccentric thinking of those maze-builders. In reality, the enlarged and reduced-down images cover different areas.
I examined the moving walls more closely. They were moving in unison, so I decided to narrow down my observation area to get a full view.
Luckily, I have slender fingers, so swiping on the screen is effortless.
I timed it and found that every three minutes, each wall block would move once.
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