Chapter 26
The special team searched the old building for too long. Yu Tu could not help but fall asleep while waiting. When he woke up, he saw the ceiling of the hospital.
Yu Tu looked around. This was a single ward with the window open and the curtain drawn to one side. Bright sunlight poured in, illuminating several pots of vibrant green plants in the corner.
The whole room was decorated in bright, warm colors. If it weren't for the IV tube hanging next to his bed, he might not have realized that he was in a hospital.
There was a small table next to the bed, on which was a light yellow incubator with a sticky note on it:
【After waking up, eat first. Be careful with the IV tube on the back of your hand. When the injection is almost finished, remember to press the bell next to it. The cell phone and spirit page are in the drawer. If anything happens, please contact me at any time.】
Yu Tu first took out his cell phone and Ling Ye from the drawer. When he turned on the phone, it was fully charged. Obviously someone had charged it in advance.
When I opened the Lianxin APP, several messages popped up in the chat box, all from Gu Hongying.
[The Crescent Moon Hangs on the Tree]: Tutu, I've charged your phone and put the food by your bed. We're finishing up our mission here and can't stay with you. If you wake up, send me a message to let everyone know you're safe.
[The Crescent Moon Hanging on the Shutong Tree]: Wow! I saw the baby spirits you told me about before! They are so cute! But why do I feel like they are using me as a scratching post? Is this an illusion?
[The crescent moon hangs on the sparse tong tree]: Help, help, help! I really don't understand, what are they saying? Help————
Gu Hongying himself is a bit of a chatterbox, and he sends a message every once in a while. Yu Tu can basically infer what stage of their mission they are at from his messages.
[Crescent Moon Hanging on a Shutong Tree]: Tutu, you are very mobile, you even took apart the [Shackles] of the baby spirits, but the talismans were too broken, so I had to pick them out and classify them into four categories... Ahem, Sister Lu is cursing right now Q^Q
【The Crescent Moon Hangs on the Shutong Tree】: An Jiajia is awake! I finally figured out the whole story! No, why would a scumbag live and waste food?
Can you please speed up a little? It's so annoying!
[The Crescent Moon Hangs on the Shutong Tree]: An Jiajia translated the baby spirit's words, Tutu, they are very worried about you—but this is not a reason for them to use me as a cat scratching post!
My hair is not a bird's nest, stop squatting on my head!!!
…
Yu Tu read through the lines one by one, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his face.
Gu Hongying is actually a very considerate person. He was afraid that Yu Tu would wake up alone and at a loss, so he kept leaving messages to let Yu Tu know the current situation.
After getting a general understanding of the progress over there, Yu Tu was no longer panicked. He sent a message to Gu Hongying saying that he was awake, and then turned off his phone.
As soon as he relaxed, the feeling of hunger quickly swept through his mind, and his stomach issued an arrogant warning—
"Gugugugugugugu~"
Yu Tu: “…”
I'm so hungry!
After he finished reading Gu Hongying's message, he logged out and checked the time, only to find that it was already past three in the afternoon, which meant that he hadn't eaten for almost a day and a night!
Yu Tu opened the light yellow thermal box beside the bed, and the aroma of millet porridge filled the air. Next to the porridge was a three-grid plate. One grid contained tender cabbage hearts, one contained steamed eggplants with chopped green onions, and one contained stir-fried shredded potatoes sprinkled with sesame seeds. Although they were all vegetarian dishes, they looked delicious.
After the food fell into his stomach, Yu Tu burst with satisfaction, feeling happy that he was finally alive.
On the phone, Gu Hongying's reply came, saying that they would be back around six in the afternoon. Since Yu Tu had already woken up, he would talk to him in detail about the follow-up matters after he came back.
Someone had taken care of the final details, and Yu Tu's tense mood relaxed, suddenly feeling free.
He took out his cell phone and clicked on the comic website X. He originally wanted to check out everyone's reactions to the appearance of the vest in the third episode, but he didn't expect that the comic had been updated.
Yu Tu: “……?”
Aren't comics updated every ten days?
It's not even ten days since the last time?
Comic readers are also very strange, but——
Who would complain that the author updates frequently and updates frequently? Readers will only shout "Modo Modo" and hope that the updates will be updated faster!
The comic was updated in the early morning of last night. Yu Tu had already fallen asleep at that time and did not wake up even though he set a special reminder.
The cover of the fourth episode is a close-up of Gu Hongying with a brilliant smile, with several illusory silhouettes lined up behind him.
Yu Tu clicked on the first page. The story of this episode began when Gu Hongying arrived at the door of his home. He was faced with the first problem after returning home—he had no key.
He took the Sanqing off his head and held it in front of his eyes: "Sanqing, I don't have the key."
Sanqing: “……?”
A question mark appeared on its furry head: "You don't have a key, do I?"
Gu Hongying suggested sincerely: "Can't you go through the glass? Why don't you go in through the window of my room and open the door for me?"
There was a barely perceptible sense of guilt on Sanqing's furry face: "It's daytime, if we make too much noise we'll be discovered."
It whispered: "I don't want my wages to be deducted."
Gu Hongying sighed: "My parents are not at home all year round. They are like a dragon that can only be seen from the head but not the tail. Finding them is harder than seeing a ghost..."
"Tongzi, what are you talking about?"
Before Gu Hongying finished speaking, he heard a familiar and sinister voice. He turned his head stiffly, like a jerk whose acupoints had been pressed. The door of their house opened at some point. His mother, who had not been seen for many years, was leaning against the door frame with her arms folded, smiling dangerously. The comic drew a small annotation box next to her:
【Gu Hongying's mother Gu Xingzhu】
Next to the gentle-looking man standing behind Gu Xingzhu was a similar annotation box:
【Gu Hongying's father Huo Hanzhi】
Gu Hongying saw his father standing behind his mother and he stood with his hands up, helpless. His smile seemed to show a kind of schadenfreude as if he was enjoying the excitement.
Gu Hongying, who was called by a nickname, almost trembled and dropped Sanqing.
Ordinary people cannot see Sanqing. Gu Hongying was just trying to rack his brains to explain why he stretched out his arms like a fool when he heard his mother smiling and calling him, "Little Sanqing is here. Come in quickly. I have prepared a fruit plate for you."
Gu Hongying: “…”
Not only could his mother see Sanqing, she actually knew Sanqing!
Know... Sanqing?!
The amount of information contained in this sentence was so great that Gu Hongying's brain almost crashed. In the comic, a petrified man was drawn next to Gu Hongying, as if he would turn into powder if the wind blew.
"Xingzhu, Xingzhu!" Sanqing kicked her little claws on Gu Hongying's palm, flapped her wings and flew to Gu Xingzhu's shoulder and cuddled her, "Long time no see!"
"Long time no see." Gu Xingzhu stroked Sanqing's chin like a cat, "Thank you for bringing Tongzi back."
The man and the bird walked inside while chatting, completely forgetting about Gu Hongying who was petrified outside.
"Dad." Gu Hongying asked dazedly, "Am I dreaming?"
"Congratulations on opening the door to a new world after turning eighteen." His father Huo Hanzhi tried his best to control the corners of Shang Xuan's lips, "This secret has been kept from you for eighteen years. Your mother and I have been so hard! Why don't you come in and cook us a big meal to celebrate?"
Gu Hongying: “……?”
Dad, listen to yourself, is this human language? !
Unlike Gu Hongying's chaotic wind, the comic readers mercilessly laughed at today's comics.
[Yingying: I must be dreaming, and I haven't woken up yet. None of this is real!]
[Congratulations to Yingying for discovering the door to the new world: cooking a big meal for her parents to celebrate——hahahahahahaha I'll laugh for a while, the merit will be deducted from Yingying! ]
[I was worried about how Yingying would get back on track...
Good news: No more rounding.
Bad news: More people are aware of the embarrassing experience.]
In addition to the comments mocking Gu Hongying, there was another wave of comments that suddenly emerged:
[Mommy is so cool! I can do this, sister! ! ! ]
[Gu Hongying's parents look so compatible. I support this couple!]
[嘤嘤媽妈: Looks like a very capable elite √
Yingying's father: He looks like a very evil elite√
Yingying: The future elite who owns a high-definition VCR (Black History Edition)√]
After reading the amount of information revealed in these few short pages, Yu Tu finally understood why Gu Hongying was as confused as he was at first, but knew so much about the inner world after returning home - because his parents had a very deep connection with the inner world.
Yu Tu turned another page, and the comic's perspective had shifted to Gu Hongying's home. Gu Xingzhu was feeding Sanqing with diced fruit poked with a toothpick. Sanqing was spread out on the dining table like a furry little ball: "Wow - Xingzhu, you're so nice!"
It was only when Sanqing, in a fit of resentment as a social animal, kicked Gu Hongying to the entrance test location with one claw that he felt a hint of familiarity from him.
Sanqing thought for a long time based on that breath, and finally it suddenly dawned on him something. It took out a special contactor, found Gu Xingzhu on the contact list, and sent him a message.
[Tuantuan Jiojiu]: Xingzhu, I'm sorry QAQ, I kicked your kid directly to the entrance test site in the middle of the night!
[Faintly seeing falling stars through the bamboos]:?
[Tuan Tuan Jiujiu]: Wuuuuuu, I'm sorry, I was too impulsive————
【Falling stars can be seen through the bamboo】: It's okay, just kick him, my Tongzi is tough. When you kicked him, he must have been carrying the spirit page, but he died suddenly, so according to the regulations, you have to accompany him to take care of him.
If you really feel sorry for me, remember to record a VCR of Tongzi for me~
[Tuan Tuan Chirp]:?
[Tuan Tuan Jiujiu]: This is not good... Most children's first entrance examination is... um... full of problems...
[Falling stars can be vaguely seen through the bamboos]: I have a file of more than ten GB of his dark history from the age of one to eighteen. One more or one more wouldn't be much, but without this one it would be incomplete!
【Tuan Tuan Chirp】: …
[Tuan Tuan Chirp]: OK.
This conversation between Gu Xingzhu and Sanqing was drawn in the form of a flashback, and Gu Hongying in the comic had no idea what kind of "torture" he would face next.
After Sanqing finished eating the fruit, he touched the red curved feathers on his head with the tip of his wings. A round transparent bead floated out of thin air. Sanqing used the tip of his wings to adjust the position of the bead. Seeing this, Gu Hongying came over curiously and asked, "What is this?"
———He had no idea of the tragedy that was about to happen.
Sanqing coughed lightly, his eyes wandering around with guilt: "Shadow Stone."
Gu Hongying suddenly had a bad premonition, and then he noticed a very familiar scene suddenly appeared in front of the big white wall next to their dining table—and it was a 3D version!
This photo stone records scenes of him climbing a barren mountain in shark-mouth slippers and pajamas, falling flat on his face, being poked in the back by a branch and screaming, spinning in circles thinking he had seen a ghost, and being scared by a stone in the grass and dictating a suicide note.
Gu Hongying: “!!!”
He reached for the bead in the air with a sullen look on his face: "Why did you record this? Don't play it!!!"
"Hahaha, I haven't seen you so funny in years!" Gu Hongying saw his mother leaning on the chair and laughing so hard that she was staggering. His father was laughing so hard that his shoulders were shaking, and he stretched out his arms to hold his mother to prevent her from laughing so hard that she fell off the chair.
His mother wiped away the tears of laughter and said, "Keep playing, I love watching it!"
Gu Hongying: “…”
He looked at the naked-eye 3D version of himself standing on the empty space next to the dining table, which had 100% restored the scene of that day, and felt genuine helplessness and despair. In the comic, Gu Hongying's background was completely black, and the Q version of Gu Hongying in the corner had already begun to vomit his soul.
[嘤嘤, this is so miserable, hahahahaha———]
[What is it like to have a pair of parents who love to see you having fun?]
[Naked eye 3D, and the execution in front of the black history person himself... Oh, too bad, too bad! ]
The joys of different people are not shared. Gu Hongying only regrets that there is no crack in the ground so that he cannot drill into it and escape from this world safely.
After the execution, Gu Hongying finally got out of the embarrassment of having to dig out of the three-bedroom, one-living-room house with his toes. After Sanqing left and they were the only three left at home, Gu Hongying suddenly realized a problem.
He looked a little stunned: "When I was little, I asked you what you were busy with every day... and you didn't lie to me?"
"Of course I didn't lie to you." Gu Xingzhu and Huo Hanzhi looked at each other and put away the improper smiles on their faces.
"Tongzi." Gu Xingzhu tapped his head gently and said softly, "We really are going to maintain world peace."
…
After the warm daily life of the family of three ended, it was evening. Gu Hongying lay on the bed with a blank expression, but in the frame next to him, there was a message box filled with densely packed small characters:
[What is the inner world? What is the barrier? What is the Mirekel University? What is the freshman group? What is the spiritual power attribute? What is the mission? Why do I still feel unreal? My parents are actually members of the world peace maintenance team. There are strange things in the country. Such unscientific bureaus exist. This is unreasonable. This is feudal superstition. It is not right. After the country recognizes it, it is not feudal superstition, but it is still unscientific. —]
[Help! I’m dizzy! ! ! ]
[I am confused by Yingying's mental activities. Why does he talk so much?]
[Oh oh, stop thinking about this, the number of words is increasing and I am about to vomit, help———]
What saved the comic readers who were almost dizzy with words was the ringing of Gu Hongying's cell phone.
Gu Hongying's mental activities came to an abrupt halt. He picked up the mobile phone from beside the pillow and saw a notification from a friend. Gu Hongying's first reaction was to pay back the money he had borrowed before, and then added Yu Tu to the freshman group.
The comic briefly mentions everything that happened afterwards, only emphasizing the contrast.
There are more than 20 to 30 tasks densely packed in Gu Hongying's task list, including one E-level, two F-level, and the rest are all G-level.
On the other side of Gu Hongying's screen, on the task list belonging to Yu Tu, the comic gave a close-up—
One E grade, one D grade, one C grade, one B grade, the lowest starting level is E.
[Huh??? What kind of luck is this, Bunny?]
[Starting from E... Is it really necessary to be so exaggerated?]
[I don’t know if it’s my imagination, but I always feel that Tutu is particularly unlucky… It was like that when he was fighting for the Emperor’s Lava…]
[Indeed, Yingying's Emperor's Lava did hit him directly on the head, but if my wife hadn't come to his rescue, Bunny would have died because of Black Panther!]
[I don’t understand——this kind of crisis should be faced by the protagonist, why did it fall on Usagi?]
The comic did not respond to the readers’ doubts. The scene changed and turned into Gu Hongying’s daily life. His parents took him and opened the door to a new world little by little. The rhythm of the comic was silly but cheerful until here, until a prompt popped up on the new student group in Gu Hongying’s phone—
[The new student Yu Tu has triggered the D-level mission [Blood Wedding Dress]. ]
[He wants to say something but stops, stops talking but still wants to…]
[I really feel pity for the rabbit...]
In the comic, Gu Hongying’s eyebrows were wrinkled to the point of being knotted. Looking at the reply from Yu Tu on the other end of the phone, his expression was like a world-famous painting called “The Scream”: “…What kind of luck is this?”
Although he muttered this, Gu Hongying did not give up on saving his new friend. He reported the occurrence of the D-level mission to the special task force through his parents, and then immediately suggested that Yu Tu run away, but Yu Tu did not run away.
Gu Hongying: “…”
He was restless at home for a long time, and finally found his father Huo Hanzhi: "Dad, I want to go to Huailin Town with the special team."
His father was typing away on his computer at the time. He didn't even raise his head when he heard this and said, "Go ahead."
Gu Hongying, who had prepared a lot of reasons to convince his father, said: "...Ah? You won't stop me?"
"It's not necessary." Huo Hanzhi said, "Do you not want to go if I stop you?"
"The depth of friendship is not determined by the length of time you have known each other. You are willing to go through fire and water and into dangerous places for your friends. This is also your sincerity. I think -" Huo Hanzhi smiled and said, "You are willing to give your heart to it, which proves that your friends are worth it."
The friendship of young people is sincere and passionate, the trust in the fearless youth is precious, and the courage to move forward is even more worthy of cherishing. When time has smoothed out the edges and there are many considerations and trade-offs, perhaps it will never be the same as before, only considering friendship and not caring about gains and losses.
"But—" Huo Hanzhi stretched out his voice, "If you want to join the special group as a temporary non-staff member, I won't help you. You have to convince Meng Ziqiu yourself."
He smiled like a cunning fox: "It all depends on your ability, Tongzi~"
Yu Tu was suddenly stunned. He knew that Gu Hongying came with the special group, but he thought Gu Hongying came to broaden his horizons. He didn't expect... that he came specifically for him.
If it weren't for reading the comics, he might never have known about this.
...friend?
Yu Tu held the phone tightly, and suddenly felt that this was a distant and unfamiliar word.
He was stunned for nearly a minute before he lowered his head and continued to read the rest of the story.
Later in the comic, Gu Hongying first went to the special group, so three new characters appeared in the comic—
【Meng Ziqiu】【Lu Yayin】【Qin Fei】
These three people have their own characteristics, and they all look mature, stable and reliable adults.
Gu Hongying used all his martial arts skills in the special group, and finally passed the test they set. He became a temporary non-staff member and got on the bus to Huailin Town as he wished.
During the drive, the comic picked out several key points, such as applying for permission to intervene in Yu Tu's task list, such as Gu Hongying's recollection of the mysterious man and the white mist on the barren mountain, such as the disappearance of Huailin Town on the map and the triggering of a suspected C-level or higher task...
These fragmentary but important pieces of information constitute the last part of this chapter. In the last few pages of the comic, the special team's car rushed to the outside of Huailin Town, but saw a sky full of white fog. The three members of the special team took turns trying to walk into the fog, but finally returned the same way.
The white mist was thick and seemed endless, covering everything. Gu Hongying was the last one to try. At the end of the comic, his back became farther and farther away in the white mist, and smaller and smaller, and finally, was swallowed up by the thick mist.
The fourth episode ends here.
Yu Tu looked at the last page filled with white mist, and felt more and more mysteries in his heart.
His hand unconsciously pressed to his chest, his heart was beating vigorously. After the beads repaired his heart, when Yu Tu began to actively control the green vines, he could sense the disappearance of the fog outside Huailin Town.
It was as if... I was suppressed by him.
Or to be more precise, only after he merged with the bead could he suppress the mist.
Yu Tu had a firm understanding in his mind that the B-level mission [Barren Mountain] would not be opened again in the short term. As for the C-level mission [Sophora japonica forest], Yu Tu had a vague feeling that it was not yet time for it to be officially opened.
But what was that mist? Why was he able to suppress it after merging with the bead? Before Yu Tu could figure out what the bead was, he had already become one with it.
As for comics, they were updated every ten days before, so why were they updated two or three days earlier this time? Is the update schedule for comics irregular, or does it mean that they will only continue when there is enough material?
Is it because it is best to end the story at this point, or is it because the story has already been included in the material for the next chapter of the manga from the moment the special forces arrive?
There were so many questions in Yu Tu's mind that as he thought about them, he felt his head begin to itch. The itchness seemed to start from his bones and was accompanied by a little bit of pain.
Yu Tu hugged his head uncomfortably. After a while, he felt that all his feelings gradually gathered on the top of his head, and the itching reached its peak at this moment.
Yu Tu's eyes turned red with discomfort. Then, he felt as if something had broken through his scalp and was expanding wildly.
Yu Tu: “???”
He reached out and touched it, and felt... a thin young sprout.
Yu Tu: “!!!”
He stretched out his hand again to confirm, and it seemed to be a bud.
He hurriedly unlocked his phone and brought up the front camera. On the screen, he saw a small green plant above his head.
A green sprout, about as long as his little finger, was perking up and swaying slightly above his head.
Yu Tu widened his eyes.
Could this be an illusion caused by looking at his phone too much?
Yu Tu didn't believe it, so he reached out and pulled it.
"ah---"
The next moment, Yu Tu let out a loud scream. The pain from that pinch almost made him lose his soul. He wanted to roll all over the bed.
Yu Tu: TAT
This sprout is not fake! It is really growing out of his head! It even moves around by itself!
Yu Tu's face was full of disbelief.
He actually...sprouted? !
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