Chapter 128 Returning to the Original World
The fat monk, oblivious to her odd behavior, stared at her with wide eyes and pressed her for an answer:
"Sister Chu, can you share half with me?"
Shen Zaikun noticed that Chu Ci's face had turned pale and gestured to the fat monk not to speak.
"Aci, what's wrong?"
The fat monk glared at Shen Zaikun, his small eyes rolling back in a wide arc.
I hate people who have office romances, especially when there are only three people in their office!
Chu Ci gripped the small box in her hand and shook her head.
"I'm fine."
She turned around somewhat absentmindedly. "The last bus is almost here, I'm going home now."
The fat monk didn't realize that this was an excuse, and glanced at Shen Zaikun.
"Let Inspector Shen take you!"
Shen Zaikun nodded, "Aci, I'll take you and the handsome monk back."
"I don't need you to take me!" the fat monk turned his face away. "I can walk by myself!"
The black-clad messenger couldn't stand it any longer and poked the fat monk's flesh.
"When someone offers to take you along, you insist on going on your own and then accuse them of isolating you."
"They say a plump body makes one broad-minded, but you're so fat, how can you be so petty!"
The fat monk protested, "I'm not trying to fit in, I'm just being a third wheel!"
He turned around angrily and hooked his arm around the neck of the black-clad constable.
"Come on, brother, I'll take you to get something good to eat as a farewell gift."
"Once I get a permanent position, I'll isolate them both!"
Hearing that he was going to be treated to a good meal, the Black Shadow Chariot chuckled.
"Okay, I support you!"
The two of them left first, and Chu Ci shook her head at Shen Zaikun.
"No need, I have something to do and I want to go back by myself."
She glanced at the watch on her wrist.
"You should go back to work overtime too. We'll see you another day."
After saying that, she took the small box in her hand and turned to leave.
Once on the public bus, she looked down at the box in her hand and couldn't help but ask the system in her head.
"What's this about the opportunity to travel through time?"
System: [You can exchange merit points for a chance to travel through time, but you can only return to the host's previous world.]
In exchange, merits must be donated to the system as a round-trip ticket.
Upon hearing the words "round trip," Chu Ci's brow twitched.
"Go back and forth? You can wear it back and then come back?"
[If the host wishes to remain in the previous world, they may cancel their return ticket, but no refund will be given.]
In other words, even if Chu Ci travels back to the previous world and never returns, the system will not return the merits.
Thinking about her inexplicable time travel in the previous world, she rubbed her throbbing temples.
"If I travel through time, how long can I stay in the previous world?"
The system's message is concise: [Time is uncertain and can be chosen by the host.]
However, the time flow is the same in both worlds. Please consider this carefully.
Chu Ci: "..."
She clutched the box in her hand, turned her head to look at the scenery rushing past the window, and was torn between her inner turmoil and her own thoughts.
Back in the previous world, she could continue being a police detective and doing what she loves.
But if she went back, she would have no relatives left.
Moreover, without her to take care of her in her old age, what will happen to Grandma in her later years?
Whether the original owner of this body died or disappeared, she herself couldn't say for sure.
She remained in this world, but the fate of the informant who had helped her before her transmigration from the previous world was unknown.
Even if it's just for that informant, she has to go back.
But time flows at the same rate in both worlds, so how is she going to explain this to her grandmother?
"System, if I travel back in time, what will happen to my body?"
[Host, rest assured, this corpse will only fall into a deep coma, it will not die.]
He held the box between his fingers, and his fingertips gradually turned white.
Chu Ci pursed her lips, watching the scenery outside the window rushing past, and gripped the box tighter and tighter.
When I got home, I saw my grandmother sitting by the window in the distance.
She was talking to a well-dressed lady, and the two were chatting and laughing, seemingly having a very pleasant conversation.
As if sensing something, Grandma suddenly turned her head and saw Chu Ci standing outside the window, her eyes widening in surprise.
"Aci is back?"
Grandma stood up with a smile and pulled Chu Ci inside.
Why are you standing outside?
Noticing that she was a little down, Grandma's smile faded slightly, and she spoke with concern.
"What's wrong?"
Chu Ci glanced at his grandmother's concerned eyes and shook his head.
After a moment of silence, he replied, "I have some business to attend to; I might have to go abroad for a while."
"Going abroad?"
Grandma's grip on her wrist tightened slowly.
"Why are you suddenly going abroad? Is there something important?"
Chu Ci didn't look into Grandma's eyes, but nodded gently with her eyes lowered.
"It is quite important, and I may have to go on a business trip for ten days to half a month."
Grandma: "When are we leaving?"
"In the next couple of days, I guess."
"So fast?" Grandma exclaimed in surprise.
She looked at her granddaughter, who was standing with her head bowed, and, as if lost in thought, cautiously asked:
"Can't we stay for two more days?"
Chu Ci looked up and saw her grandmother's red eyes.
She paused for a moment, then smiled wryly.
He put his arm around Grandma's shoulder and said, "Why are you making it sound like we're parting forever? I'm just going on a business trip!"
"..."
Grandma looked at her, her lips moved, and she sighed silently.
He quietly took her hand and nodded vigorously.
"Yes, business trip, business trip is good."
That evening, Grandma unexpectedly didn't work overtime at the shop, but instead cooked a large table of dishes.
Since the incense shop became busy and started making money, Grandma has rarely cooked.
Firstly, the kitchen in the house is relatively small, so buying food outside is more cost-effective.
Secondly, Chu Ci's working hours are irregular, and meals often need to be reheated several times, so it's more convenient to buy food outside.
Looking at the table full of dishes, Chu Ci picked up a piece of sticky rice chicken.
The difference in taste was immediately apparent from the first bite.
"Grandma, did you modify this dish yourself?"
"Yes, it's different from what you eat outside, isn't it?"
Grandma picked up a piece of food for her, which turned out to be a heavily oiled and spicy dish that Hong Kong people don't usually like.
Looking at the vegetables in the bowl covered in chili oil, Chu Ci gripped her chopsticks tightly.
She smiled and said, "Grandma, I really am just going on a business trip."
She grasped her grandmother's hand, "I'll be back soon."
Grandma blinked quickly, hummed in agreement, and then put more food on her plate.
"You're about to get busy, so eat more."
Chu Ci ate most of the large table of food himself.
After dinner, Grandma was about to clean up, and Chu Ci took the initiative to help her, chatting with her while washing the dishes.
That evening, the two watched the latest episode of an entertainment program together, enjoying a rare and heartwarming moment.
The next morning, Chu Ci went to find Wu Jiangxue, hoping she could help her lie to Grandma.
"Business trip? And it's an overseas business trip?"
Wu Jiangxue didn't understand.
"Why? Is it because Grandma disagrees? Why keep it from her?"
Chu Ci rested her chin on her hand and sighed.
"It's a long story, please help me this once."
Wu Jiangxue frowned as she looked at her expression; for some reason, her heart was pounding wildly.
“I can help you,” she said, staring at Chu Ci, “but you have to tell me why.”
Chu Ci: "..."
She opened her mouth slightly, looked into Wu Jiangxue's eyes, and the words stuck in her throat, unable to come out.
How should I put it?
To say that you are not a living, breathing person in a certain sense.
Even the world you exist in might just be a fictional novel created by someone else in a few words.
You, who seem to possess independent consciousness, are merely a novel's female protagonist created by someone else?
Given Wu Jiangxue's temperament, perhaps she can accept it.
However, Chu Ci, a beneficiary of the system, could not accept exchanging these benefits for Wu Jiangxue's help.
Even if Wu Jiangxue accepts it now, she can't help but wonder if it will affect Wu Jiangxue's future.
When Wu Jiangxue faces an important decision, will the words "virtual world" and "novel heroine" suddenly pop up and influence her judgment?
Can she still maintain absolute clarity and rationality as before?
She originally wanted to find a harmless excuse to get by, but as soon as she opened her mouth, Wu Jiangxue shook her head to stop her.
I want to hear the truth.
Her dark eyes shone like obsidian.
"If that's all there is to it, then you don't need to come to me for help at all."
She looked at the conflicted expression on Chu Ci's face, and her worry deepened.
"Would it be dangerous for you to lie to your grandma?"
Chu Ci: "It's not dangerous..."
"If it wasn't dangerous, why didn't you tell me?"
Wu Jiangxue interrupted her.
"If it's dangerous, you should tell me, and I can work with you to figure out a solution."
Chu Ci: "..."
She met Wu Jiangxue's gaze, and while moved, she couldn't help but sigh.
"never mind."
She gave a helpless, bitter smile.
"It's neither dangerous nor urgent, I just can't tell you."
Wu Jiangxue stared at her, wanting to give this only person she could call a "friend" some space.
But it is precisely because this is her only "friend" that she is even more cautious.
“If it’s neither dangerous nor urgent, then you can definitely tell me.”
She emphasized, "I can help you think of a solution."
Chu Ci: "..."
Looking at the concerned expression on Wu Jiangxue's face, Chu Ci was moved.
"Thank you, Xue, but... I can't say."
Wu Jiangxue couldn't understand why, if it wasn't urgent or dangerous, there was nothing she couldn't say.
She sighed. "Okay, then can you tell me what you're going abroad for?"
Chu Ci hesitated for a moment, "Actually, I don't need to go abroad."
She pursed her lips, organizing her thoughts.
"Simply put, I feel like I'm dead for a few days. I'm afraid my grandma will worry, so..."
Are you going downstairs to work overtime?
Before Chu Ci could finish speaking, he was interrupted by Wu Jiangxue's serious and tense voice.
Chu Ci: "..."
ah?
Wu Jiangxue, however, gave her an "I understand" look, her tense expression relaxing as she nodded solemnly to her.
He glanced at her helplessly.
"What's wrong with saying this? If you had just confessed earlier, I would have agreed to help you much sooner!"
A hint of caution and impatience appeared on her cool face.
"Tell me, when do you need my help?"
"Oh, right."
She gasped slightly, as if she had just thought of something.
"You said you would be like a dead person, so does the body need a place to be kept? What about my house?"
"Don't worry about it, leave it to me. I'll handle everything!"
Chu Ci: "..."
She blinked guiltily, never expecting Wu Jiangxue to connect it to the underworld.
But when this is mentioned, she can't help but slap her forehead.
What will happen to her nightly underworld missions while she's away for a few days?
As a part-time worker in the underworld, I can't skip work!
Should I ask for leave?
Meeting Wu Jiangxue's earnest gaze, she sighed.
"Let me think about it some more. I suddenly remembered that I still have a lot of work to do. Let me think about how to handle it."
As she and Wu Jiangxue left the coffee shop, Wu Jiangxue repeatedly reminded her.
"If you need any help, please remember to contact me."
Chu Ci felt a warm feeling in her heart.
"Thank you, Xue."
Wu Jiangxue patted her on the shoulder and rushed off to the police station to work overtime.
Chu Ci took out his phone book and flipped through it. He hesitated for a moment in front of the public phone booth before dialing the fat monk's number.
"Sister Chu?"
The fat monk's voice came through the receiver, with a messy background.
"Is there something you need on the phone?"
A faint sobbing could be heard from his end. "I'm entertaining clients."
Chu Ci said succinctly, "I have something to do in a couple of days. Could you help me complete half of the nightly work quota for the Underworld?"
The fat monk agreed without hesitation, "Sure, no problem at all!"
As his crying grew louder, the fat monk quickly said:
"Sister Chu, how about we meet and talk tonight? Let's go to the park near your house!"
After saying that, he quickly hung up the phone.
Chu Ci put the receiver back on the public phone and then found Shen Zaikun's phone number.
"Sir Shen, I have some things to do in a couple of days. Could you help me complete half of the nightly work quota for the Underworld?"
Shen Zaikun hesitated for a moment on the other end of the phone, "Shall we meet and talk?"
When they met, Chu Ci learned that the Shen family was going to Bai Shengtian's house to propose marriage.
As Shen Xiuhe's only brother, Shen Zaikun took leave from the police station.
"What are you doing in a couple of days? Is there anything else I can help you with?"
Chu Ci had just sat down when she heard Shen Zaikun ask her this question.
Seeing Chen Zaikun's concerned gaze, Chu Ci smiled and shook her head.
"I have something important to take care of, but I don't need any other help."
"Thank you, Ah Kun."
"It's nothing," Shen Zaikun shook his head.
His long, curled eyelashes trembled, and he suddenly asked, "Can you tell me what you're going to do during this time?"
Chu Ci was slightly taken aback and looked up: "Is there a problem?"
"No."
Shen Zaikun quickly shook his head, seemingly wanting to say something but then stopping himself.
"I just..."
He pursed his lips, blinked rapidly, and brought up a completely unrelated topic.
"Xiuhe and I decided to become police officers under the influence of our uncle."
Chu Ci: "..."
She hadn't expected Shen Zaikun to bring this up suddenly, and silently sat up straight.
"Hmm, and then what?"
Shen Zaikun lowered his eyes and looked at the coffee in front of him.
A khaki latte swirls gently in a white porcelain cup, with transparent ice cubes floating within.
"Then, my uncle disappeared."
Chu Ci: "..."
Her eyes widened, and she couldn't help but exclaim "Ah!"
Shen Zaikun remained motionless in the same position, only his long, curled eyelashes trembling.
“Before my uncle went missing, he was in a similar situation to you.”
“I was still young then. He told me he was busy with something and would come back to play with me when he was done.”
“I believed him, but he just went to sleep and never woke up again.”
He looked at Chu Ci, his pupils appearing amber in the sunlight.
"From the moment I first heard about you, I felt that you looked a lot like my uncle."
"In my memory, my uncle was a rich second-generation who was idle and good-for-nothing. He was good at eating, drinking, gambling and whoring."
"But one day, he got into a car accident, and from that day on, he was like a different person."
"I stopped gambling, stopped having affairs with other women, and became serious and responsible towards my family."
“My parents and grandparents said that people have experienced life and death, so they know what they want, but I don’t think so.”
"My uncle used to be unable to eat any spicy food, but after the car accident, he almost can't live without spicy food."
Even when he was injured and hospitalized, and the doctor repeatedly emphasized that he couldn't eat spicy food, he would still hide and secretly eat it.
"He had been working at his own company, but suddenly he said he wanted to become a policeman."
"Being a policeman is one thing, but he seems to be possessed by a detective. No matter how difficult the case is, he can solve it in no more than three days."
After speaking, he looked at Chu Ci thoughtfully.
"Don't you think his situation is similar to yours?"
Chu Ci: "..."
In an instant, goosebumps rose all over my body.
She swallowed subconsciously. "You investigated me?"
"I'm sorry," Shen Zaikun said apologetically.
“After I encountered a ghost last time, I came to see you. You said that ghosts really exist in the world, and I immediately thought of my uncle.”
"I'm thinking that maybe the uncle who wanted to be a policeman wasn't my original uncle at all."
"He was just a wandering spirit who happened to possess my uncle's body and then became my uncle."
"Later, during the investigation, I also happened to meet a messenger from the underworld. He said that my uncle had worked part-time in the underworld for a period of time."
"The underworld is short-staffed right now, so they asked me if I wanted to do some part-time work."
Shen Zaikun gave a bitter smile, "Then you'll find out, I became part-time worker 001 in the underworld."
"But no matter how I searched, I couldn't find out where my uncle was. Even the underworld officials who used to work with my uncle said that my uncle disappeared suddenly."
“It wasn’t until you called me today and asked me to help complete half of the underworld’s mission that I remembered my uncle had said something similar.”
"He made an appointment with the other underworld officials to go for a few days, but he never came back."
After saying that, he took a deep breath and looked up at Chu Ci again.
"I don't know what my uncle is going to do, and I don't know what you are going to do."
"But if you're going to do the same thing as my uncle, I hope you'll seriously consider it."
He lowered his eyes to look at the latte in the white porcelain teacup, his lips pressed tightly together.
“My uncle is a really good person, and so are you. I don’t want you to disappear without a trace.”
...
Chu Ci felt goosebumps all over her body, and she didn't even know how she and Shen Zaikun finally separated.
She sat on a park bench, looked up at the crowds of people coming and going on the street, and asked the system:
What's the story with Shen Zaikun's uncle?
She thought the system wouldn't answer, but to her surprise, the system provided an answer as soon as she asked the question.
That was a time traveler who was before you, but he didn't disappear; he simply returned to his own world.
The system has no malicious intent towards the host; please rest assured.
Chu Ci: "..."
She closed her eyes, but the goosebumps on her body were still clearly visible.
Clenching his fist, he asked, "System, what exactly do you do?"
"What do you want from me that I came into this world?"
This time, the system remained silent for a long time.
After a long pause, he replied: "Host, you should be able to sense that the crime rate in this world is much higher than in your original world."
This is just a small place like Hong Kong, but even if you go to other places, you'll find that the crime rate there is only higher, not lower.
This is merely a derivative storyline of your original world, but even as a derivative storyline, it is still a real world for the people living here.
My ultimate goal in bringing time travelers to this world is to find someone who can truly change this place.
But I also know that not everyone wants to leave their home and go to a strange world.
Therefore, I gave everyone a choice: aside from the initial mission, each subsequent choice was left to the traveler to decide for themselves.
If the transmigrator has a dark past, I will find an excuse to eliminate them.
However, if the time travelers are inherently good, I will give them a chance to go back.
Whether the transmigrator ultimately chooses to return or remain in their original world is still up to them.
It's been so many years, and I still haven't found the right person.
After listening to its long speech, Chu Ci was puzzled.
"Why must it be a time traveler? Can't people from this world be used?"
System: [I need energy to maintain my operation, and this energy can only come from the merits accumulated by transmigrators.]
Chu Ci said "Oh," but still couldn't believe it.
"Haven't you found a suitable candidate after all these years?"
The system responded with a disappointed "hmm".
Sitting on the bustling street, Chu Ci spotted two young men on a motorcycle committing robbery in the distance.
A middle-aged woman in her fifties, carrying a bag and groceries, was suddenly dragged along and stumbled.
Not only was her bag stolen, but her gold necklace was also grabbed, and she and the necklace were dragged along the ground for a long distance.
Fortunately, the necklace eventually broke, and the middle-aged woman only suffered minor injuries and was not seriously hurt.
Covering her injured ear from where her gold earring had been pulled away, she sat there and wailed.
But the people around seemed to have gotten used to this scene; after glancing at it twice, they returned to their calm.
Chu Ci sighed, walked over, and helped the person up.
"Are you alright? I'll take you to the hospital."
The middle-aged woman wiped away her tears and kept thanking Chu Ci.
After taking the person to the hospital, Chu Ci sat on a chair outside the hospital and couldn't help but sigh.
"System, I think it will probably take a long time to change the current situation. I wonder if it can be done before I die."
The system's excited voice asked, "Are you planning to stay?"
But its excited voice quickly subsided.
Let's think about it again after you return to your original world.
It had clearly experienced many hosts who changed their minds, and even its voice sounded weak and feeble.
Chu Ci rubbed his hands together, his gaze fixed on the distance, and made no further promises.
Instead, I made a promise to it: "I want to go back to my original world the day after tomorrow."
The system responded listlessly and then fell silent.
The next day, Chu Ci and Wu Jiangxue made an appointment, but Chu Ci did not choose to meet at Wu Jiangxue's house.
Instead, he used Shen Zaikun's connections to find a private room at T Hospital.
In this hospital, she also saw Shen Zaikun's uncle, who had been in a coma for more than ten years.
Shen Zaikun: "My grandparents are still alive, and neither of them is willing to give up on their comatose youngest son."
"So, my uncle has been lying here for many years."
He looked down at Chu Ci, "But I hope you can wake up."
Chu Ci looked at the clean but emaciated man lying on the bed and asked the system:
"He was one of the time travelers? What about the original soul of this body?"
This body should have died in the car accident; its survival is entirely due to the transmigrator's soul.
The transmigrator's soul has departed; the original soul of the body has long since been reincarnated. This body is merely a breathing, walking corpse.
Chu Ci remained silent.
But she doesn't want to become like this, and her grandmother certainly wouldn't be able to accept her like this either.
The next day, after saying goodbye to her grandmother, she carried her suitcase and went to the hospital with Wu Jiangxue.
"Have a meal to replenish your strength first," Wu Jiangxue reminded her. "If you still don't wake up in three days, we'll need to give you intravenous nutrition."
"Calculate the time yourself."
Chu Ci nodded, lay flat on the bed, and closed his eyes.
"System, begin."
The system responded.
Chu Ci felt his body become lighter, but after waiting for a long time, nothing changed.
"system?"
System: [Open your eyes, you're back.]
Chu Ci tentatively opened her eyes, only to be met with blinding light.
It took her a while to adjust to the brightness of the light, and when she opened her eyes, she heard the familiar cursing.
"Look at you, you've only experienced one setback! You're not missing any limbs, so why are you complaining like this every day?"
“Every time I try to comfort you, you give me this deadpan look!”
"Look at the instant noodle containers in your house, they're practically infested with bugs!"
"Even if you don't go to work or go out, you still have to treat yourself better! You have so much money, can't you just order takeout?"
"You stay home all day eating instant noodles. Look at yourself in the mirror, you're practically turning into an instant noodle!"
Chu Ci looked at the woman in police uniform who had kicked away a box of instant noodles on the ground, her voice hoarse:
"Sister Liu?"
Sister Liu was her senior at the police station. Although she was only responsible for clerical work, she was very kind to the young people in the station.
When Chu Ci first joined the company, she was taken care of by her alone for a long time because of her unsociable personality.
Hearing Chu Ci call her "Sister Liu" at this moment, Sister Liu laughed in exasperation.
With her hands on her hips and gritting her teeth, she said, "Now you know to call me Sister Liu? Didn't you just call me a damn old hag?"
"Get up right now and take a bath! Look at your hair, it's so greasy you could fry vegetables in it!"
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