Empty Valley
Shi Xizheng waited the whole night, until dawn, when he saw the black line in the sky.
Chu Mo blinked and stopped in front of him, glancing at the person behind him with an indifferent look.
"You're finally here." Shi Xizheng said, blinking.
Chu Mo grabbed his shoulders and flew high into the sky at lightning speed.
The two advanced players noticed something was wrong and hurried over, but they had no flying skills, so they could only lie on the window and look up.
A black light extended from the Youqi Sword, which was enough to allow Shi Xizheng to stand firm.
Shi Xizheng: "My hint to you is to ignore them."
"I didn't care." Chu Mo said.
Shi Xizheng smiled helplessly. He really didn't care, and he wasn't worried about the consequences of pulling him out alone.
Chu Mo looked at him quietly.
He knew Jie Mo well after all, so he raised his hand and said, "All my props have been confiscated. Don't worry, there's no summons card..."
"Cause of death." Chu Mo interrupted him.
Shi Xi was bracing himself: "Before I tell you this, I need to ask you some questions. Otherwise, I won't be able to explain myself after I log off the line."
He keenly caught the fleeting displeasure on Chumo's face and hurriedly said, "What I want to say is also very important to you! Do you know what's happening to you right now? Maybe you don't know, but a week ago, you were offline... for a whole day."
Chu Moyan said something irrelevant: "Shi Xizheng, I should have killed you long ago."
Shi Xizheng smiled bitterly.
But these words made him let go of all his restraints and simply sit down on the Youqi Sword.
"That's right. To you, I deserve to die." Shi Xizheng said, "First, I didn't think highly of An Rou, and second, I used her death to make a deal with you. Today, I'm using the same excuse to force you to show up..."
He glanced at Chu Mo and said, "But you should understand. You can go crazy for An Rou and go against everyone. I can do the same for my only brother.
"You, me, we are all inferior to those who died for the Ghost Ruins. We are all selfish.
"But selfishness is what makes one human, isn't it?"
Seeing Chu Mo's eyes, Shi Xizheng laughed at himself: "Why, are you disappointed after seeing my dark side? If you had known who I was earlier, you wouldn't have come to me five years ago, right?"
Chumo looked at him, and he also looked at Chumo quietly.
Five years ago, the eighteen-year-old boy who had followed him all the way from the holographic command center to his doorstep had nothing in common with Chu Mo.
Of course, the former Yan Shou and the Yan Shou who lay in the game cabin like a coffin had nothing in common.
Although he was aloof at the age of eighteen, he exuded the youthfulness of his age from head to toe.
He is quick-witted, energetic, and plays games like his life depends on it. In just one month, he climbed from Iron to God, shocking the entire Chinese top leadership.
Then Chu Mo put forward a condition: to use the policy of banning female players in exchange for his continued service in Long Yan.
At that time, Soul Song had been running for nearly twenty years, and the top management had reached a consensus: what matters is the quality of the players, not the quantity.
The problem is that only through extensive selection can the "elite" that the top management wants emerge.
But ink removal is a ready-made top player, a ready-made genius.
After heated debate, the top management finally agreed to the request to remove the ink.
Chu Mo lived up to everyone's expectations and single-handedly strangled three SSS-level ghouls in succession, opening the ghost ruins.
However, what puzzled everyone was that Chu Mo did not become a legend, and the Ghost Ruins was only half opened, and then quickly closed.
Chu Mo suddenly went offline while flying towards Guixu.
He fell into a coma in the game cabin for half a year.
During that six months, the command center dispatched wave after wave of the world's top medical experts, but no one could explain clearly what disease he had.
His brain nerves weren't completely damaged like the other players, but his organs throughout his body were failing.
After countless tests, the experts could only confirm one thing: based on a biopsy, it was clear that Qimo's internal organs had begun to deteriorate years ago. His heart, in particular, was soft and sluggish, even containing a few blood clots.
Shi Xizheng was unwilling to give up and persuaded the higher-ups to allocate more medical resources, barely keeping Chu Mo alive for half a year.
Just when the heartbeat completely stopped and the doctor was about to declare death, Chu Mo woke up.
He was as thin as a skeleton, and even with all his strength, he could only say three words: game cabin.
Shi Xi thought that dying in the game cabin was his last wish, but after he was transferred to the game cabin, a miracle happened.
Qimo was automatically logged into the game without even touching the biometric reader.
His vital signs also stabilized, and he was in a fragile but barely able to maintain balance.
There is no more offline process for ink removal, and all eating and excretion are done through the catheter.
Later, as his body deteriorated, the medical team had to take the risk of using extracorporeal circulation to save him from the threat of death from organ failure.
However, this also meant that Qimo could never leave the game cabin again. His body and all the medical equipment were only used to maintain his brain's activity.
There are many patients who are brain dead, but in his case, only the brain is alive.
Shi Xizheng asked him if he had noticed the abnormality in his body a long time ago.
Chu Mo did not answer or deny, and used a series of battle records to make a request to Shi Xizheng alone: An Rou.
Not protection, not wealth, just photos.
As long as he was given three photos of An Rou's recent situation every month, he would use his strength to help Shi Xizheng, who was still the minister at the time, become the chairman.
A trace of compassion appeared on Shi Xizheng's face.
"You should know that whether it's protection or money, as long as you ask, I will agree. An Rou may not have such a hard life, let alone die."
"You have no right to say such things!"
A strong murderous intent suddenly burst out from Chu Mo.
"Why not qualified?!" Shi Xizheng stood up and faced each other.
"Is it me, Shi Xizheng, who doesn't have the ability to protect her? If I didn't have you, would you come after me? Is it because I don't have the money to give her a rich life? You've been to my house, but you haven't seen my villa?"
He sneered and gritted his teeth, "Coward! You are too cowardly. After leaving An Rou, you dare not touch her in any way!
"Do you think I haven't checked? Do you think I'll agree to any of your conditions without knowing anything?!
"When did you move in across from An Rou? It was the day after her parents passed away unexpectedly! Is there such a coincidence?"
"Didn't you deliberately break into An Rou's life, then disappear without a word?
"You approached her because you felt indebted to her, but leaving her doesn't mean you're indebted anymore? Do you really think that relationships between people are like 1 plus 1 equals 2, and then minus 1 equals 1?!
"If you leave, An Rou will be able to return to a normal life. If you leave, everything you brought to her will disappear, and your influence on her will disappear without a trace?!
"You think this is responsible for her?!
"Let me tell you, Yan Shou! Being responsible for someone doesn't mean just walking away, disappearing in the blink of an eye, or not affecting her life! It means considering everything for her and protecting everything about her, no matter what the method or price!
"If you do this, how can An Rou die? With the entire country behind her, she won't die even if a nuclear missile comes!"
Shi Xi was cursing with great enthusiasm.
The effect was perfect—Zhu Mo was lost and bewildered. Shi Xizheng had never seen him show such an expression before.
"I just..." Chu Mo's hoarse voice trembled, "I'm afraid of bringing her the luck of the soul world..."
The word "luck" is elusive. From a secular perspective, money, material possessions, and interpersonal relationships are all considered "luck."
Shi Xi's indignant expression quickly subsided.
He adjusted his shirt cuffs and chuckled, "You really are from over there."
Chu Mo was stunned and looked at him in confusion.
Shi Xizheng smiled and said, "Don't look at me like that. I've said it before, I'm very selfish. I've only seen photos of An Rou, never in person. Expecting me to sympathize with someone I've never met is impossible."
"...Are you testing me?"
Shi Xizheng spread out his hands: "It's not entirely a test. Ever since you failed to enter the Ghost Ruins and couldn't find any reason, many people have kept this suspicion. But now I am the only one who is sure. Oh, sorry, I didn't say it right just now. Are you, not a human at all?"
Lightning patterns appeared on Chu Mo's body, and his short hair instantly turned silver.
Shi Xizheng shrugged nonchalantly and sat down on the Youqi Sword again.
"I know a lot of people have died at your hands these past few days, all of them suddenly dying offline. You should be thanking me for categorically denying the above speculation. Otherwise, you'd have dug out your brain and just smashed it to pieces. Is that that hard?
"Oh, you didn't know about this? They performed brain surgery on you a week ago, and now your brain is in a special container, which is immersed in a miniature game cabin...
"Oh, you haven't seen it. That's the smallest gaming cabin in the world. It's like the lunch box of an ordinary family in Lengbing City. Have you seen it? It's square and can be lifted with one hand.
"Of course, there are a lot of wires and tubes on the outside of the food box to maintain your brain activity. There are also many microelectrodes inside - you should know that the earliest holographic devices had many of these components to receive and send neural impulses."
Shi Xi was chattering away, and only faint thunder could be heard.
He glanced at Chu Mo and couldn't help laughing: "Do you think I'm threatening you?"
Shi Xizheng asked himself and answered, nodding: "Yes, judging from the current situation, this is the most powerful weapon to threaten you.
"You don't want An Rou to be dragged into the game. Just banning female players won't work. The only way is to end the game, so you'll find ways to enter the Ghost Ruins.
"But you have to go in as a human. I guess, no matter what your true form is, you can't kill the Ghost King if you enter the Ghost Ruins in your true form, right?
"So you have to put on a player's identity and use the attributes and skills of the game character to ensure that your damage is effective.
"Two years ago, you discovered someone had obtained the Ghost Abandoned Sword, and you were willing to provoke a diplomatic dispute to get it—it was the most effective way to kill the Ghost King?
"That's getting off topic. Anyway, you need a player identity, which means you have to keep your physical body alive, or at least your brain. In other words, your human brain is the anchor that holds your player identity together. Without it—"
"Shoo...you'll return to Soul Society, right?"
Shi Xizheng shook his head, looking helpless, like a teacher who saw his student making a childish mistake.
"So, you're killing without thinking about the consequences? Oh, you think I'll definitely keep you alive? Sorry, your An Rou has caused me such a big mess, I'm dismissed. It's hard for me to even protect myself, let alone you."
Chu Mo finally realized that Shi Xizheng had ulterior motives, and the lightning pattern penetrated his body.
He examined Shi Xizheng: "You are here."
"Yes, I entered the game, but it was temporary."
Shi Xizheng smiled, "So, I should thank you. If you hadn't scared the United Team, we might not have had the chance to meet, let alone trade."
"trade?"
"A deal, a deal that started a long time ago."
Recalling the past, Shi Xizheng put away his smile and thought for a while.
"As I just said, everyone has doubts about your identity. I've had the most contact with you, so naturally, my suspicions are the deepest. Consequently, the higher-ups have been deeply dissatisfied with me, because every time I submit an observation report, I deliberately omit the key points."
Observation report...
This was something Chu Mo had never heard of.
Shi Xizheng looked into the distance, seeming a little melancholy.
"As you may know, my parents also died suddenly. I was in my third year of high school that year, sitting at the dining table eating breakfast. One minute my dad was still asking about my studies, and the next minute, his head hit the table.
"I remember that breakfast very clearly. My brother was crying and clamoring for egg tarts, and my mom couldn't persuade him, so she ran to the kitchen to make him one. After my dad collapsed, I immediately heard some noise in the kitchen. I ran over to see that the baking tray had fallen, and the egg tart liquid had spilled all over the floor.
"My mom was slumped over the oven with her head hanging down, but she was still smiling... Anyway, I called an ambulance, and they came not only with a doctor but also a bunch of police officers who didn't look like police officers.
"A few days later, I received the death certificate, and the cause of death was actually myocardial infarction... Two healthy, living people died of myocardial infarction on the same day, at the same time, maybe even the same second. Ha, isn't that funny?
"During that time, I was alone in my room, looking at the death certificate, and I always laughed. It was too absurd, too funny, too... unreal. This must be a dream. When I wake up, my parents will come back and life will return to normal...
"Until I found a manuscript."
Shi Xizheng gritted his teeth and narrowed his eyes. "They took away a lot of my parents' things, but accidentally left out a manuscript. The manuscript was in my brother's room, and he read it like a comic book."
Chu Mo frowned slightly: "Game manuscript?"
Shi Xizheng: "You really know!"
Chu Mo didn't speak again.
Shi Xizheng looked at him for a moment, then looked away. "That was the manuscript for the Cold Soldier City dungeon. Until that moment, I didn't know my parents worked at the holographic command center. They graduated from the same art school and are likely game artists."
"I was completely bewildered at the time, and subconsciously concluded their deaths were related to the Soul-Calling Song. So I started looking for information, but I found nothing.
"I wasn't willing to give up. I started playing games, only at night, and studying during the day. I didn't want to be a gamer. I just wanted to get good enough grades and understand the Soul Song well enough to enter the holographic command center.
"This state lasted for four whole years. Finally, I achieved my dream and became the youngest branch leader of the Dragon Flame Guild in Lengbing City. During a top-level mission, I heard divine revelation for the first time!"
Shi Xi was getting excited: “Can you imagine how I felt at that time?
"Divine revelation, the copies developed by different people in different countries are actually granted by heaven. There is an invisible giant hand, or a higher-dimensional creature, controlling our human thinking!
"My parents are not just painters, they are the main creators of the Cold Soldier City dungeon. My villa, my family's property, everything that supports my brother and I in our comfortable lives, were all drawn by them one by one!
"...No, this isn't their work. They weren't the creators at all. They were simply the recipients of divine revelation. They paid no toil or sweat, only their lives...
"They died at the hands of God!"
There was no gratitude or yearning in Shi Xizheng's tone, only deep resentment.
He was silent for a while, his shoulders slumped and he smiled self-deprecatingly.
"What can I do? I'm just a minister. There are countless people in Longyan who are equal to me, not to mention that Longyan itself is just a tool. The person holding the tool is hiding behind the scenes, just like the soul world god who killed my parents..."
"Until I met you." Shi Xizheng's eyes lit up and he looked at Chu Mo, "You know, the first time I saw you, I had a feeling it was destiny. I felt like I'd been waiting for you, and you would definitely find me."
After hearing this, Chu Mo finally understood what he meant by the deal.
A deal that started a long time ago.
Shi Xizheng has been protecting him and indulging him all the time, because his goal is the same as his, which is to end the Soul-Guiding Song.
But Shi Xizheng couldn't show it, not even a little bit.
There are spies everywhere around him, and every move of the entire Dragon Flame Guild and the entire holographic command center is under the surveillance of the top leaders.
Since the purpose is the same, for Shi Xizheng, this is an extremely dangerous transaction without asking for any reward.
Shi Xi met Chu Mo's gaze.
He laughed again, a look of relief in his eyes.
Finally, in this hopeless journey, he can open his heart to his allies.
However, Chu Mo looked away, avoiding other people's gazes for the first time.
"You're wrong. I don't want to end the game right now," Chu Mo said in a low voice.
"I understand, because of Anrou."
Chu Mo looked at it in surprise.
Shi Xizheng's smile didn't change at all.
"At first I thought that An Rou in the game was just a coincidence, so you kept guiding the joint team to track Yong An. But judging from your behavior these past few days, even you don't know that An Rou is An Rou, right?"
Youqijian and Chumo were in sync with each other and began to tremble slightly.
That night, he almost killed her.
Shi Xizheng sighed: "I want to protect my brother and end the game. You want to protect An Rou, because she can't return to reality, so it changed from ending to protecting.
"Our goals are different, but our starting points are the same. I will not interfere with your choices, nor will I hinder your actions. On the contrary, I will do everything in my power to preserve your only organ in this world."
Chu Mo was puzzled: "Why?"
Shi Xizheng stepped forward and held his shoulders: "Gods may be very intelligent, but they don't understand human emotions, and you are the same."
He stepped outside the sword and suddenly remembered before jumping down: "Oh right, An Rou did die in an accident, but a family had imprisoned her in the basement before that. Kidnapping, intentional injury, attempted murder... whatever you want, the crime is not important."
Chu Mo's murderous intent spread again: "It's very important."
"It's not important." Shi Xizheng shook his head. "Kuang Dao and Cui Qing, as you should know, are already dead. His son Cui Gaoshan, whose ID is Ba Tu, is still insane. The confession was pieced together from his crazy ramblings. As for Kuang Dao's wife, she was a drug dealer and should be shot."
Chu Mo was stunned.
Shi Xizheng waved his hands: "Don't save me. I died too hastily last time. I want to experience death again."
He fell from a great height, rotated his body in the middle, adjusted his direction, and just happened to smash through the roof of Longyan's headquarters in the central city.
In the game cabin, Shi Xi suddenly opened his eyes.
The flickering screen blocked the view of those watching outside, and no one noticed the smile on his lips.
After a long talk with Chu Mo, everything he said was true.
Only the final words about not interfering with the ink removal operation are ambiguous.
Because he had an intuition.
The one who ends the game is not the ink removal.
But An Rou.
-
Shi Xi was in the office of the command center, which had changed its owner.
Similarly, in the office of the leader of the Dragon Breath Group, the name "Wei Gang" was removed. Although it was not replaced with a new name, the owner actually changed.
Yu Fengqiu, the leader of Dragon Breath Group 2, hurried out of the office and rushed to the second meeting.
Er Hui was furious and slammed the table. "What? The higher-ups are all senile?! How could they let Shi Xizheng enter the game?"
Yu Fengqiu remained silent. The leader dared to scold the leader above him, but he did not dare.
Second meeting: "Where is our application report?"
Yu Fengqiu: “…was rejected.”
"Stupid, stupid!" Erhui was so angry that his eyebrows trembled. "Konggu hasn't called back yet?"
"Yes, but..." Yu Fengqiu replied stiffly, "Both countries said they were busy preparing for the Heavenly God Competition and had no time to attend."
Snap——
The second time, he slammed the table as loudly as possible, as if he didn't even need to use his hands.
"At this hour, you still have the mind to carry out their ridiculous competition?!"
-
Heng Bobao's face was covered in mud.
"An Rou, what's the point of making these things?"
An Rou was concentrating on kneading a ball of mud and didn't look up: "Of course they are useful. Whether we can successfully enter the hollow valley depends on them."
"Oh... then take a look at how I stacked it up, do I look like it?"
An Rou then looked up and was stunned.
In front of Heng Bobao was a half-human-high Buddha statue, made of soil dug from the farm. Although the surface was brown and black, the contours were neat and the lines were smooth.
Especially the face of the Buddha statue, which has achieved extreme delicacy even though the soil has not been treated.
It's even more realistic than the manuscript she drew after staying up late.
"You...can sculpt clay?"
"What is clay sculpture? Isn't it just making clay figures? It's very simple." Heng Bobao said as if it was a matter of course.
An Rou was stunned for a moment and then burst out laughing.
The game designer is quite interesting. When An Younian opened a bun shop, he was given the maximum chef skill. Heng Bobao is a rich girl who seems to know nothing, but in fact she has a lot of artistic talent.
Rich kids love to learn art—how realistic.
An Rou simply threw away the mud ball in her hand, and then stepped on the half-built Buddha statue in front of her.
Heng Bobao: "Hey, what are you doing? I haven't even seen what clay figurines you made yet!"
"Comparison is the key to success." An Rou said with a smile, "You are enough. Bo Bao, you have been a great help."
"Really?" Heng Bobao was genuinely happy for the first time in these days. "Then I'll make a few more. How many do you want?"
"Don't worry about the small Buddha statue, let's make a big one first."
"Okay, okay, how big do you want it?"
"It's...about the height of a three-story building."
Heng Bobao was stunned, his eyes full of disbelief: "Three floors?"
An Rou's gaze fell on a three-story business not far away. Without noticing Heng Bobao's expression, she nodded.
"Yes, the farm is not big, so a ten-meter-tall Buddha should be enough. We can build a scaffold and place the Buddha on it. We can paint it with golden brilliance, which should be enough to scare people. Hmm..."
An Rou frowned. "Everyone says Konggu is superstitious, but I don't know to what extent. Why not just build a 20-30 meter tall Buddha statue instead of putting up a scaffold? Bo Bao, what's wrong with you?"
She finally noticed that Heng Bobao looked unusual.
Heng Bobao had just been praised, and for a moment he couldn't let go of his pride and shook his head forcefully: "No, it's nothing, thirty meters is thirty meters..."
"She can't do it."
A familiar hoarse voice suddenly sounded.
Chu Mo arrived at some point and stood quietly behind the two of them. He suddenly spoke, which scared Heng Bobao.
"Is it you?"
The ink remover has the same bad intentions as the Ghost King!
Heng Bobao pinched his waist and said, "Who said I can't do it? I'm going to do it for you to see!"
Chu Mo looked at her calmly, "For a large statue, the base and skeleton must be made of clay, not coarse mud, otherwise it will collapse easily. You don't have the base color, pigment, or gold foil after drying..."
"What are you looking at her for?"
An Rou suddenly interrupted, causing Chu Mo's lips to tremble. He couldn't help but look at her, but then quickly looked away.
Not far away, Zhang Da and Meng Ziyou smelled the soul fragrance of Chu Mo and rushed over at high speed. Even now, the two ghouls still bear the scars left by the Youqi Sword.
Zhang Damu said nothing and stood in front of An Rou.
Meng Ziyu felt like he was facing a formidable enemy, and his nervousness did not stop him from cursing loudly.
Chu Mo lowered his eyes and said nothing.
An Rou's complicated gaze paused for a moment, then turned into a hint of sneer.
She patted Meng Ziyou's shoulder, walked around to him, and spat out one word to the silent number one on the list: "Get lost."
The short black hair trembled at the same time.
The air was almost stagnant, and Chu Mo could feel that every look cast upon him was filled with disgust.
He raised his eyes to meet An Rou's gaze.
"An... I just..." Chu Mo's voice was extremely difficult, like two pieces of sandpaper grinding together, "I just want to help..."
An Rou narrowed her eyes and still had only one word in her mind: "Get lost."
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