Chapter 278
In an indescribable silence, Xie Xubai closed his eyes and placed his palm on Theseus's disfigured head.
As the golden light invaded his consciousness, Theseus could feel his consciousness being dragged out of his body, slowly sinking into hell.
He succeeded.
Xie Xubai will fail, and will live the rest of his life in regret. He will carry out his revenge, branding himself in Xie Xubai's memory as a hideous scar that will not be forgotten until his death.
Thinking of this, Theseus had to exert all his strength to keep from letting a happy smile creep onto his face.
Unexpectedly, things took a turn for the better, and Xie Xubai said, "We found it."
These three short words were like a bolt from the blue, deafeningly powerful.
Theseus jolted and forcefully pulled Xie Xubai's hand away, only to see that Xie Xubai had something else in his other hand.
...That pair of scissors!
We've fallen for their trap!
Xie Xubai used his mental power to shield his senses, and covered his eyes with his hand to block his vision, so that he could not detect Xie Xubai's true actions.
“I should have realized it sooner,” Xie Xubai said. “The doll is a projection of your image, and its backstory overlaps with your experiences.”
"The boss who ordered the doll represents the system that created you. The key can win the game and destroy the system in one blow. What in the doll's story can do that?"
Xie Xubai took the scissors, snipped twice, and raised an eyebrow leisurely: "The answer is obvious."
Even without Theseus speaking, the sudden pause in breathing and the barely suppressed trembling in his pupils confirmed Xie Xubai's guess.
Several golden rays enveloped the scissors, quickly dismantling their disguise and deconstructing their original form.
Theseus had no time to stop it.
Xie Xubai's life was full of hardships and obstacles. The things he wanted to do were always accompanied by twists and turns. None of them were easy or smooth, and none of them were truly accomplished.
Like Sisyphus pushing a boulder uphill, whenever he sees hope of reaching the top, the boulder slips from his grasp and rolls all the way down the steep slope.
All efforts were in vain, all hopes were shattered, and it was time to start all over again, once, twice, three times, and countless times into a new cycle.
But this time, the goddess of fortune finally smiled upon him completely.
Xie Xubai thought the best-case scenario was finding a clue to the key, until he completely deconstructed the scissors and discovered that it was actually the key.
There's no need to search anymore; the key is in his hands!
At this moment, even the usually composed Xie Xubai was so excited that his heart was pounding, and he quickly took out the system's data core.
After he made this move, all the ornaments, floors, walls, and ceilings in the storeroom began to disintegrate, turning into tiny fragments of light and shadow that dissipated in mid-air.
Theseus, who was about to deliver the final blow, paused in his movements.
...After such a long time, he almost forgot that this was his world of consciousness, but it was also the interior of the [Messiah]'s body, a virtual cage created by the system.
It wasn't him who trapped Xie Xubai.
From the very beginning, it was Xie Xubai who trapped him.
Xie Xubai opened the cage and fell out of the Messiah's body along with Theseus, landing on the green grass.
The cold wind whistled across my cheeks, no longer confined by the ceiling, and my view became infinitely wide.
Looking out, the sky was overcast, the mountains rose and fell in layers, and the city buildings stood tall in the distance.
They returned to the real world, back to City H.
Without the slightest hesitation, Xie Xubai used his mental power to inject the key into the system core.
A beam of snow-white light suddenly burst forth from the core, shooting straight into the sky. Wind and clouds gathered, unleashing tangible ripples that then spread throughout the world in the form of radar waves in the next instant.
For a long time, a thick fog has shrouded the area outside H City. If you go in, you either get lost or wander back to where you started, as if you've been led astray.
Now, the thick fog has dissipated under the violent fluctuations, revealing the swallowed landscape.
It has high-rise buildings, crisscrossing roads, industrial parks, high-tech machinery factories, bustling commercial districts, abundant grain reserves, and tens of thousands of acres of fertile land.
Those are cities that have always existed in this world, civilizations built by humankind over thousands of years.
All players returned to the system space after the trial dungeon ended.
They waited and prayed with bated breath, their nerves taut and their hearts pounding in their throats.
The subtle change was immediately noticed by them, and their faces lit up with unprecedented joy.
The restrictions have been lifted!
The real world.
After the beam of light emanated, Xie Xubai raised his head, held his breath, and stared intently without blinking.
The moment he realized the restrictions had been lifted, his eyes glazed over.
As if a massive boulder had been lifted from their shoulders, those stiff shoulders finally relaxed slowly, very slowly.
The pressure accumulated through countless cycles of reincarnation, the fervent expectations of countless people. The sacrifices of comrades, the blood-stained fates, the responsibilities shouldered... everything was finally brought to a conclusion at this moment.
After relaxing, Xie Xubai suddenly felt a violent dizziness and staggered uncontrollably, only managing to stay upright by bracing himself against the tree trunk.
Theseus was also in a daze and couldn't come to his senses for a long time.
At this moment, Xie Xubai called out to him weakly and hoarsely, "Theseus."
Theseus looked at him.
Just now, it all ended, with no room for reversal.
He and Xie Xubai honed their skills in the illusion for over a decade, exchanging blows and clashing countless times. Most of the time, their tension was palpable, but there were also a few moments of warmth and coexistence.
But unlike those monsters, he was not reformed, showed no remorse, disregarded life, and his hatred for Xie Xubai remained deep and unyielding.
He wasn't unaware that Xie Xubai was also a victim of the Infinite Game, nor was he unaware that the system was the real culprit.
But he couldn't do anything about the system. If he didn't transfer his hatred to Xie Xubai, how could he possibly keep going?
Yes, what can we do?
He's a hopeless piece of trash, and that's how his life will be forever. There's nothing that can be done about it.
Xie Xubai continued, "There are many people in this world I care about, and I don't want to die."
This outpouring of inner thoughts came out of nowhere. In the current situation, it's like a literary youth winning a major award and then pretentiously issuing an inspirational declaration.
Theseus's lips twitched, he clapped his hands, and said perfunctorily, "Yes, it's amazing that someone as afraid of death as you could so bravely sacrifice yourself to save the world. You are great, remarkable."
Xie Xubai ignored his sarcastic remarks, his voice hoarse as he spoke slowly and deliberately: "If I hadn't been desperate in my past life, I wouldn't have risked my life to fight the system head-on, nor would I have given the system the opportunity to extract my soul data."
Xie Xubai met the stunned Theseus's eyes: "You're right. If it weren't for my incompetence, you would never have been born."
"From this day forward, I will remember this mistake for the rest of my life, until I die."
Theseus's heart skipped a beat.
The doll should not have a heart, but he did feel a strong throbbing in the upper left part of his chest, like a volcanic eruption, scalding his soul and making him tremble. It was an emotion he had never experienced before, which made him feel novel and bewildered.
He moved his lips, but Xie Xubai simply raised his hand.
A golden light flashed past Theseus's eyes, and a feeling of weightlessness washed over him as he fell backward.
Time dragged on endlessly, and the flowers, plants, and trees receded in the corner of his eye.
He saw his severed neck, made of cheap plastic, smooth and flat, snow-white, without blood.
The cut was swift; Theseus didn't even have time to feel the pain.
The conversation from the chess game echoed in Theseus's ears once more, calm as a casual chat: "Once I get the key, I'll give you a quick death."
Xie Xubai faithfully fulfilled his promise, without hesitation or sympathy, treating him as a pure enemy.
Theseus's consciousness floated up so easily, like a balloon blown into the clouds by the wind.
Perhaps it was truly the end. All the pain, despair, love, hate, and grudges of a lifetime flashed before his eyes like a revolving lantern, only to plunge him into an endless abyss and vanish into nothingness in the blink of an eye.
There was no hatred, no torture, no repetitive experiments, and no manipulated lives.
Death ends everything.
Isn't this... just fine?
Theseus chuckled softly, his weary gaze turning to relief at the last moment as he closed his tired eyes.
Two seconds later.
Theseus, realizing something was wrong, opened his eyes in astonishment.
He looked around, and with only his head remaining, his vision was filled with the ground. He could clearly see the ants crawling in the grass and soil, but other than that, nothing had changed.
Why is he still alive?
The doll is his true form; without any means to save his life or revive him, he will die as soon as his head hits the ground—this is an indisputable fact.
Theseus instinctively looked at Xie Xubai, whose face darkened, his brows furrowed, and he strode over and grabbed Xie Xubai's head.
To kill them cleanly and decisively, without causing them unnecessary suffering, was Xie Xubai's greatest mercy towards his enemies.
Theseus was supposed to die this way, so what unexpected thing happened?
Theseus couldn't help but question, "Can you really...?"
Before he could even utter the word "okay," Xie Xubai delivered a second blow, followed by a muffled groan of pain.
It was not a physical attack.
At this moment, Xie Xubai realized that the problem was not so simple, and directly poured his mental energy into Theseus's brain.
This time, Xie Xubai was not only serious, but he also went all out.
Golden light rolled in, like a fierce blizzard, sweeping across Theseus's consciousness.
The latter felt as if he had been caught in a high-speed spinning shredder, his spirit, thoughts, and personal will all being pulverized into dust in an instant!
Surprisingly, despite such a ruthless and deadly attack, the pain wasn't unbearable.
Without even guessing, it's clear what Xie Xubai did.
—A typical Xie Xubai-style gentleness.
He didn't have time to think too much.
My mind was filled with bursting golden light, like the blazing sun occupying my retina. My shattered consciousness lasted no more than a second before it was scattered by the wind and vanished in the apocalypse paved with golden light.
...
Then Theseus opened his eyes once more!
Opening his eyes was difficult this time; his mind was in a mess, throbbing with pain, and his ears were filled with a noisy buzzing.
Theseus shook his head violently.
The scene before me overlapped indistinctly; though blurry, I could still make out that it was the same grove of trees from before.
Xie Xubai stood right in front of him, his chest heaving uncontrollably. He hadn't had time to retract the hand that was using his spiritual power. His head was half-lowered, and his expression was hidden in the shadows, making it impossible to see clearly.
It's slightly different from before.
They didn't kill him before, but this time Theseus died, yet he was resurrected.
Because he found himself with hands, feet, and a body again.
As if a bucket of ice water had been poured over his head, Theseus felt a chill run through him. His face contorted in rage, and he cursed, "What does this mean? Huh?!"
Has he committed such heinous crimes that even death is a luxury for him?!
Theseus suddenly lowered his head and froze.
He stretched his hand out in front of him, trembling uncontrollably.
These hands, or rather this entire body, are not normal.
It is not human, not a plastic doll, and not some kind of eerie vengeful spirit.
It was almost a physical entity, with countless streams of scarlet data flashing by, constructing clear muscles, tendons, and internal organs, so red that it even looked somewhat black.
Theseus touched his face again, feeling the data characters slipping through his fingers; he had no facial features.
Data body...?
Data entities are not uncommon; every traitorous player signs a slave contract, selling their soul to the system and becoming a data entity.
But Theseus is clearly distinct from these data entities.
The system completely suppresses other data entities, but he, perhaps because Xie Xubai happened to clear away some hidden limitations when he cleansed his sea of consciousness, is now able to sense the existence of the system.
In other words...
He and the system have a symbiotic relationship.
Why? Is it simply because he was created by the system? Or is the system holding back a final trump card, intending to use this incident to coerce him into submission?!
Whatever the reason, Theseus realized that he had to destroy the system to truly find liberation.
It's nothing, it's nothing, it's all minor issues. The system's core data is in Xie Xubai's hands, so destroying the system is a consensus they all reached without prior agreement.
Theseus relaxed again.
Xie Xubai has not made any other moves for quite some time.
Theseus looked over and subconsciously raised the corners of his mouth, wanting to make a few sarcastic remarks about the other party's failure to kill him, but saw Xie Xubai's body sway and fall heavily to the ground.
The fall was so sudden that Theseus' eyes widened, and he instinctively grabbed the young man: "Xie Xubai?"
It feels icy cold to the touch.
The data simulates the ambient temperature. Today, the temperature in H City is around 13-15℃, but Xie Xubai's body temperature is even lower than that, to the point that Theseus felt his hands were ice cold when he held him!
Xie Xubai was pulled like that, and he raised his head, his unfocused pupils regaining some focus.
He took a deep breath, not bothering to shake off Theseus, and took out the system core again, saying slowly and deliberately, "Start the final trial."
[Only 6 hours have passed since the last trial ended. Are you sure you want to start a new trial?]
Xie Xubai: "Confirmed."
Please select a trial area.
"H City First People's Hospital"
This trial area has already been selected for this period and cannot be selected again.
"The Jiang family's original residence in H City".
This trial area has already been selected for this period and cannot be selected again.
"No. 56, Lane, Taiping Avenue, Zhengxin District, H City".
This trial area has already been selected for this period and cannot be selected again.
Theseus looked at Xie Xubai, who was speaking heavily, with suspicion, and discovered that he could see Xie Xubai's soul through his physical body.
The soul was unstable and was shaking too violently; under the sunlight, it was almost transparent.
Is it an illusion? Why does he see cracks on it?
Theseus's fingers trembled, his mind filled with an absurd and ominous premonition.
He was so shocked that he even forgot he could have taken the opportunity to launch a sneak attack.
Xie Xubai gripped the system core tightly, his fingertips turning white, and spoke very quickly, as if racing against time: "Shengtian Group in H City."
This trial area is not under the system's jurisdiction and cannot be selected.
"Hongyin Ancient Town, H City".
[This trial area has been damaged and cannot be selected.]
“XXXXX”.
[No rules have been generated in this trial area; therefore, it cannot be selected.]
...
The final trial is crucial; to ensure a 100% success rate, the easier and simpler it is, the better.
However, land without the scent of blood cannot give birth to rules, nor can it be chosen. Therefore, while ensuring that the trials are challenging, the difficulty must be kept to a minimum.
It cannot be a completely unfamiliar area, as the unknown will increase the risk.
It can't be random, otherwise encountering Theseus would cause a big problem.
Ideally, it should be a publicly accessible ghost realm, allowing other ghosts to intervene and increasing the survival rate and chances of winning.
Xie Xubai's mind raced. After all the pre-selected and alternative locations were rejected one by one, he let out a long breath, as if he had made up his mind.
"H City".
bite.
A green light on the system core indicates that the solution is feasible.
[The question was repeated: Has the entire city of H been selected as the trial area?]
Xie Xubai: "Confirmed."
Theseus admired Xie Xubai's boldness and whimsy.
If it had been a few months ago, expanding the trial grounds to the entire city of H would have been tantamount to suicide.
Just finding a key item could require traversing most of the city and encountering hundreds or even thousands of monsters.
But in the current context, it has cleverly become the safest option.
Monsters within the same trial area can move freely based on their strength.
And those monsters, no matter how strong, are no match for Xie Xubai's group of relatives and friends; no matter how large their sphere of influence, it is no match for the Shengtian Group, which controls the economic lifeline of the entire city.
In the player's space, a system notification sounded simultaneously:
[Ding! A player has already cleared 9 rounds. The final trial has been unlocked and will begin at 9:00 AM on the third day.]
[Ding! The A-level Ghost King "Ping An" has been detected in this area. The dungeon difficulty has been increased to A.]
[Ding! The A-level Ghost King "Xie Kaile" has been detected in this area. The dungeon difficulty has been increased to A+.]
[Ding! S-rank Ghost King "Pei Yuheng" detected in this area. Dungeon difficulty increased to: S.]
[Ding! S-rank Ghost King "Cen Xiangcai" detected in this area. Dungeon difficulty increased to: S+.]
Ding, ding, ding...
[Ding! A level ? ? Ghost King "■■" has been detected in this area, increasing the difficulty to SSS!]
The instance "H City" has been generated and will soon be available for trials!
In the real world, Xie Xubai meticulously set up the trial background as if fearing that delay might lead to unforeseen changes. He then used his mental power to seal the system core flawlessly before collapsing once again.
Theseus tried to pull Xie Xubai up several times, but to no avail. His reaction went from doubt to shock, and then to disbelief.
Xie Xubai forced his trembling eyelids open, his breathing so light it was almost imperceptible. His soul split apart bit by bit, like pale white willow catkins, slowly dispersing into the air with the gentle breeze.
Theseus watched, his pupils trembling wildly, and his head exploded with a loud bang!
"Are you kidding me? Are you made of Doritos? In your past life, you forced yourself to become a god under the pressure of the system and your soul exploded. In this life, you're not even a god, and you just collapsed like that?"
"Didn't you promise to give me a quick death? I'm not dead yet, why should you die first?"
"Get up, Xie Xubai!"
"Get up—!"
Overgrown weeds, remote deep forests, no one to turn to for help, not even a ghost to be seen within ten miles, let alone a soul restorer to be found in a short time.
A jumble of shadows loomed overhead, and black pieces floated out of Theseus's body, hovering in mid-air.
Theseus cannot let Xie Xubai die at this time. If Xie Xubai dies, who will get rid of the system?
He doesn't trust any of those players!
No one had taught Theseus how to save someone, and in his desperation, he looked up at the sky full of black chess pieces and asked, "Can you save him?"
"Don't you hate me? If you save him, he'll kill me!"
Countless black pieces looked down at him with pity.
Theseus gritted his teeth and roared in Xie Xubai's ear, "Don't expect me to tell anyone where you are. If you die in a place like this, there won't even be anyone to collect your body!"
Perhaps Theseus's roar was too loud, because a vigorous shaking managed to wake Xie Xubai up a bit.
His eyes were unfocused as he looked at Theseus, seemingly trying to make out who he was. He opened his mouth, his voice barely audible: "...H City...where is it?"
They were currently in H City, in an undeveloped suburb, but Xie Xubai was clearly not looking for a broad area.
Before Theseus could speak, Xie Xubai had already withdrawn his hand, stood up, and staggered forward, stepping on the withered branches and fallen leaves scattered on the ground.
Birds circled in the gloomy sky, the trees and bushes grew thickly, and all was silent.
Human vision is limited, so Xie Xubai usually relies on mental strength to determine his location.
Now his power slowly crumbled along with his soul, and the shadow of that city gradually blurred, faded, and disappeared from his vision.
Fortunately, Xie Xubai wouldn't get lost.
There was always a direction etched in his heart.
H City... that's where his home is.
In the old, dilapidated bungalow, Xie Yuchun mischievously tickled his armpits, making him laugh out loud on the bed: "Who is the cutest baby in the world? It's Xie Xubai!"
In the cramped rented room, he wrote Ping An's name on a piece of paper.
The big white dog tilted its head and used the ballpoint pen to write the name "Xie Xubai" crookedly next to the two characters "Ping An".
[Thank you, Xubai, for your safety.]
In the stillness of the night, a small tentacle whispered close to his ear, mysteriously saying, "I'll tell Xie Xubai a secret: I love Bai Bai the most, and I want to be with Bai Bai forever!"
In the amusement park filled with laughter, Xie Kaile was carried on his back. He blushed and remained reserved for a while, but finally couldn't help but hug him tightly and chuckled, "When I grow up a little more, I want to carry the teacher on my back too."
On the way to view the house together, Pei Yuheng hung a safety lock around his neck, gently pulled his collar tighter, and stroked his head with his broad hand. With kind eyes, he said earnestly, "My Ayu, may you have abundance every year, live a long life, and live happily."
The moment the car burst out of the deep mountain tunnel of Hongyin Ancient Town, Cen Xiangcai in the passenger seat suddenly said, "For a period of time, my body was severely depleted. I couldn't lift anything, and I was like a useless piece of trash. Plus, everyone disliked me, and I once felt that living in this world was meaningless."
Cen Xiangcai opened his eyes, smiled at him, and blinked: "Until I met you, I never thought that way again. Isn't that amazing?"
“I don’t mean anything by saying this, I just want to tell you,” Cen Xiangcai said earnestly, “Xie Xubai, you are my best friend for life.”
[White.] The little lamb's worried voice rang in Xie Xubai's ear, [Do you know what the consequences would be if your soul shattered a second time?]
With a thud, Xie Xubai's legs went weak, and he fell heavily to the ground.
My vision went black for a moment, and I couldn't even see the nearest trees.
He gritted his teeth, mustered all his strength, and reached out to support himself on the ground, trying to stand up again. His hands slipped five times, and he lost his strength five times. He strained so hard that the veins in his neck bulged, and finally collapsed to the ground in despair.
He didn't fall into the mud, but instead fell into a solid, warm embrace.
Yan Shuo, holding Xie Xubai's battered body, was practically going mad. He couldn't even speak. His seven tentacles surged out like a tidal wave, grabbing Xie Xubai's scattered soul fragments at top speed. The powerful aftershocks spread out, enveloping the sky above H City and stirring up a sky full of thunder.
Xie Xubai was already out of his mind. It took him more than ten seconds to recognize Yan Shuo's appearance, and he struggled to take out the system core.
"The trial requires...it needs..."
Yan Shuo barely needed to listen to guess what Xie Xubai meant: the trial needs a clear-headed controller, otherwise the system will take advantage of the situation.
At this moment, he absolutely hated Xie Xubai and angrily shouted, "You're half-dead, when will you ever think about yourself?!"
Seeing that he didn't respond, Xie Xubai thought he hadn't expressed himself clearly, so he tried to open his mouth and said anxiously, "Please..."
Yan Shuo stared at him coldly. Both the surge of power and the trembling muscles he was tense showed that he had suppressed his emotions to the limit.
Finally, Yan Shuo took a deep breath and resignedly accepted the system core.
Xie Xubai gave a weak laugh, straightened up, and brought his lips close to Yan Shuo's ear.
Yan Shuo thought he wanted to say something more, to say some damn comforting words, but Xie Xubai didn't move or make a sound.
Yan Shuo couldn't care less about paying attention anymore; he was completely focused on how to retrieve those soul fragments intact.
Even broken porcelain suffers loss, let alone a soul? What about a second shattering?
He couldn't help but immerse himself in the fear of possibly losing Xie Xubai. His palms, which were gripping the young man tightly, were covered in cold sweat, and the slightest sound would startle him so much that he would turn around quickly.
Not long after, a warm liquid soaked Yan Shuo's shoulder.
Xie Xubai cried.
Yan Shuo's hand trembled, and his body pulled Xie Xubai into a tighter embrace faster than his mind could process it.
Xie Xubai was meticulous and thorough in his actions. He was accustomed to and skilled at communication, clarifying misunderstandings before they deepened, resolving conflicts proactively before they escalated, and making proper arrangements for his affairs before his death, calmly comforting the living to continue living.
He restrained himself to the limit, and when he was on the verge of death, his emotions erupted, but he simply stopped talking and silently shed tears.
Yan Shuo cupped Xie Xubai's cheeks and saw the other's long eyelashes tremble, and a tear fell down from the corner of his red eye.
Just a second ago, Yan Shuo was holding his breath, the words of curse swirling around his lips. Now, he wiped Xie Xubai's eye with his fingertip and said in a low voice, "I won't let you die."
"If I can save you once, I can save you a second time. Don't be afraid, trust me."
Xie Xubai looked at Yan Shuo with red eyes, and after a long while, slowly buried her head in the man's shoulder.
Yan Shuo placed the system core in Xie Xubai's palm: "Gods cannot directly interfere with the Infinite Game. You need to take the lead. Leave the rest to me."
Xie Xubai nodded with his eyes closed.
Black mist rolled in, and the power of the evil god invaded the core of the system, unleashing a brutal battle.
The system's permissions were gradually taken away and transferred to Xie Xubai through the bonds formed by the black mist.
At the same time, all the players were in an uproar, arguing endlessly about the content of the final trial.
Suddenly, they heard a sharp alarm, and the system broadcast emitted a loud crackling sound: [Reporting an anomaly! Anomaly! *Sizzle...!*]
But the broadcast quickly returned to normal, with a cold, mechanical voice clearly playing: [Updated final trial content.]
[Ding! A level ?? Ghost King has been detected in this area. The instance "H City" has been changed to "Perfect World". Instance difficulty: Unknown. Trial will begin soon!]
…
...
………
Xie Xubai felt as if he had been having a long dream.
In his dream, he was submerged in a dark seabed, surrounded by darkness, unable to see anything. Cold water flowed over his skin, and several thick, slippery tentacles wrapped around him.
He felt no fear, and naturally stretched his body, his consciousness seemingly transforming into a light, floating cloud, drifting freely with the ocean current.
Until one moment, the sea gently lifted him to the surface.
Splash—
Xie Xubai woke up in a daze.
My head is spinning, like I drank too much last night, but my body feels great. My muscles aren't sore or painful, and I have inexplicable energy.
Xie Xubai looked up, instantly becoming alert, and jumped out of bed like lightning.
This is a room. He is lying on the bed. Next to the bed is a computer desk, and next to the desk is a cabinet with various science fiction novels and game discs.
This wasn't Yan Shuo's room, nor did it resemble the room of any acquaintance he remembered.
What happened after he fainted? And where is this place?
Suddenly, footsteps sounded outside the room, and someone knocked on the door. It was a middle-aged woman's voice: "Are you awake?"
Xie Xubai's eyes sharpened, and he quickly picked up the craft knife from the pen holder.
The man knocked on the door twice more.
Xie Xubai was unaware of the situation and dared not make a sound, lurking behind the door with the agility of a cheetah.
After receiving no response for a long time, the person outside finally couldn't help but open the door.
Xie Xubai's eyes were sharp. His upper body moved slowly forward, following the shadow of the door, his muscles tense and ready to be released, like a fully drawn bowstring.
The door opened completely, and sure enough, it was a woman.
She was surprised to see that the bed was empty. Then she turned her head and met Xie Xubai's eyes, whose pupils trembled slightly. She said in an annoyed tone, "Are you playing hide-and-seek with your mother?"
She then noticed Xie Xubai standing barefoot on the floor, his toes white with cold, and slapped him on the head: "Put your shoes on!"
After the woman finished speaking, she walked out, leaving Xie Xubai standing there, his face blank.
After a short while, he stiffly moved his legs and walked out of the room.
The woman placed the large meat buns on a plate on the table and noticed that Xie Xubai was still barefoot. Her eyes instantly turned dangerous as she glared at the middle-aged man watching the news on the sofa and said, "Old Xie, your son is going through a rebellious phase. You need to discipline him."
The man glanced at Xie Xubai and said with a wry smile, "He's over twenty years old; his rebellious phase is long over."
"Then tell him to put on his shoes! He's only had a cold for a few days, doesn't he want to go through all that trouble?"
The man shuddered, shrugged, and gave Xie Xubai a helpless look: "Silly boy, still standing there like a dummy, if your mother wants to beat you up, I can't stop her."
Xie Xubai recognized his face, and he also recognized the woman busy in the kitchen.
He opened his mouth, but it felt like something was stuck in his throat, and his nose stung. Suddenly, he didn't know how to call out to anyone.
Should we call him by his name, Xie Huaizhang, or call him Dad?
Should we call her by her name, Zhao Fang, or "Mom"?
The woman came out of the kitchen carrying a cup of soy milk, staring at Xie Xubai's bare feet, looking menacing as if she were about to punch him twice.
But they didn't continue.
Because she noticed Xie Xubai's unusual expression.
The woman's anger turned to worry, and she asked softly and carefully, "Hey, what's wrong?"
Xie Xubai pursed his lips and turned his head to look at the room behind him.
Certificates of merit hanging on the wall, a worn-out soccer ball in a junk box, a cabinet full of game consoles...
These decorations truthfully record the details of a boy from an ordinary family growing up smoothly into adulthood.
On television, the news anchor, speaking in a standard broadcasting tone, his face flushed with excitement, announced with intonation: "...Just now, the thirteenth-generation manned space rocket, jointly developed by Dr. Xie Yuchun and Dr. Pei Yuheng, was successfully launched, signifying that human spaceflight is about to embark on a brand new journey!"
"This is a thriving era, a perfect and happy world. May everyone's wishes come true!"
Author's Note:
This dungeon is finally over! There are probably two or three more chapters left in the main story. [Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers][Sprinkling flowers] Thank you for your support! There are small red envelopes for commenting on this chapter.
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