Chapter 168 Today is the day I am freed.
The city has lost its day and night.
This half of the city has been reduced to ruins, with only lifeless, dilapidated buildings and a lifeless gray sky overhead.
The bustling activity of the past is gone forever.
There was no sun, no moon, and no clouds, only endless gray.
After a long while, a snowflake with a broken shape landed on Xin Que's hand.
These are fragments that will not melt or dissipate.
Xin Que stared at the data snowflakes on the back of his hand for a long time before turning around and leaving the scorched pit. "My deal with Xin Xin is complete."
Luo Huayi followed behind her, walking unsteadily through the messy street.
The two eventually entered the Xin family villa.
Place Sun Xinyue, who was still in the space, on the sofa that had not yet been damaged. She was already in a daze, as if her signal had been forcibly cut off and she had crashed.
Xin Que placed the broken snowflake and a small data link into Sun Xinyue's hand, saying, "These are the things your [daughter] asked me to pass on to you."
Sun Xinyue remains a lifeless puppet.
When the data chain landed in Sun Xinyue's cold palm, it emitted a faint light. Then, like a stranded fish returning to water, the small data chain quickly disappeared into Sun Xinyue's skin.
Luo Huayi and Xin Que left the Xin family villa without looking back.
But from the corner of the villa that had not yet been damaged, a faint sound of a girl's voice could be heard.
"Mom, if you could hear my voice, then my revenge would definitely be a success."
My mental state is getting worse and worse... I'm finding it increasingly difficult to distinguish who I am... I even subconsciously believe that I really am just Xin Xin.
"[Maybe it's because she can't figure out who she really is that she dared to kill Qu Huan... But letting her die at the hands of her own people is already too good for her!!!" The girl's voice suddenly rose, sharp and filled with anger, "[I've worked for her for so long, and she just kills me whenever she wants... She's a beast... She deserves it!!!]"
[Sorry, I lost control of my emotions again.] The girl's numb voice calmed down, devoid of emotion. [Getting off-topic, what I wanted to tell you is that our relationship was just a facade between employees. I've never truly considered you my mother.]
[I didn't save you because I have any feelings for you, my fake mother... it's purely because you lost control and saved me once under Xin Que's control, purely because you're the only one in the whole family who's good to me, compared to that scoundrel Xin Fengcheng.]
[Returning the favor.]
[...]
After a brief silence, the girl's voice lightened considerably. "We're even now. You're alive, and I'm finally free. I don't have to keep working for that damn prison anymore... I don't want to be reborn in Uptown in my next life!!!"
【besides……】
The snowflakes in the woman's palm gradually dissipated.
[Mom, I'm not Xinxin, I'm number 56.]
The snow, which had only fallen one snowflake, stopped.
...
Luo Huayi's tense state gradually relaxed.
Those statues never appeared again.
Qu Huan also disappeared completely from this city.
But... in this city that has come to a standstill, it seems that only Xin Que and he remain.
“I remember…” Luo Huayi’s eyes lit up as she looked toward the wealthy neighborhood, “I own a property here.”
"Fortunately, the damage to this community wasn't too severe," Luo Huayi said, leading Xin Que into the community. "We have enough to rest in."
After settling the unconscious Cheng Zheng into a guest room, Luo Huayi looked at the woman standing calmly at the door.
"Are you hungry?" Luo Huayi asked her while checking the appliances. "There's a backup generator here, so we can cook with electricity. The water tank is also full... enough to sustain our daily lives."
Xin Que glanced at the refrigerator, which was already plugged in, and asked, "Are you still hungry?"
"The entire city is currently in a state of stagnation, so logically we shouldn't have a normal appetite or desire to rest."
Luo Huayi was rummaging through the storage room for gifts from clients that had been kept in the villa. "Just to keep myself occupied, otherwise, with this city in such a mess, standing here doing nothing will drive me crazy..."
Xin Que leaned back on the sofa, her eyelashes drooping as if she were lost in thought, but in reality she was communicating with Cheng Zheng in an encrypted manner.
After Qu Huan cropped the map in half, my efficiency in searching the entire map improved significantly. I've already found the only exit route by following Xin Xin's movement trail.
[Just as you predicted, Xin Xin's information, parasitizing Qu Huan's mind, successfully led the prison staff to identify her as an inmate and kill her instantly.]
The available intelligence is that the prison is heavily guarding the only exit, making escape extremely unlikely.
[However, the scale of your outburst this time has successfully made the prison higher-ups quite wary of you... Using the AI in charge of arrests and interrogations might get out of control due to the virus, potentially leading to the reintroduction of higher-ups... Qu Huan's self-incriminating act is a prime example.]
Currently, the prison has completely cut off the global signal of the virtual city, so we are essentially isolated on an island. But the good news is that it's relatively safe now, and you have enough time to think about what to do next.
Xin Que crossed her arms, her right fingers tapping idly on her left arm. [Hmm, and the data on the City King's authority, did you find it?]
Cheng Zheng's voice echoed in his mind again: "Sorry, there are no clues. Qu Huan was extremely cautious when he self-destructed. He didn't return the authority to the administrator, but instead completely destroyed all the data related to that authority. He was probably trying to prevent you from interfering."
Xin Que thought of this formidable enemy who had repeatedly driven her to the brink of death, and finally opened her eyes. [I can't blame you. Qu Huan is incredibly strong and cunning, both in terms of battle strategy and mental fortitude. Even I almost fell for her tricks, let alone you who had to protect yourself.]
Let me think of other ways.
Despite saying that, neither of them was in a good mood.
One of the City King's powers is the ability to create clones, which is almost a powerful tool for testing the prison's actions. Without such a powerful aid, Xin Que's escape from prison becomes even more difficult.
"Xin Que?" Luo Huayi successfully found a gift box of braised food in the cold storage. "Is this for dinner?"
Xin Que was abruptly interrupted from her mental communication. She snapped back to reality and looked in Luo Huayi's direction. "What?"
Luo Huayi came out carrying large and small bags and walked towards the refrigerator. She quickly filled the pre-cooled refrigerator with her movements. "I found a lot of good things, but if you want to eat vegetables, we have to go to the supermarket on the street and do a sweep."
It wasn't until her hand felt a weight on it, and a can of beer appeared in Xin Que's hand, that she realized Luo Huayi's requirements for daily life... seemed a little too refined.
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