How hard-hearted must one be to not feel sad when faced with something like this?

Shafla couldn't do it.

No matter what he said, he was indeed constantly making sacrifices.

Shafulai could only try his best to hide his reluctance and guilt, not letting Chen Ci feel it, and whispered, "Okay."

Chen Ci: "Where is the sample? Can you show it to me?"

"Most of it has been sent to the laboratory. Only a very small part is left in my room. For safety reasons, I will also hand it over to the laboratory for storage."

Chen Ci nodded and said, "Let's go."

The two men walked side by side. Shafley stretched out his arm for the still weak Chen Ci to support him. The place where their bodies touched was separated by thick clothing. He originally wanted to use a wheelchair to push the boy out, but was rejected by Chen Ci.

Chen Ci walked slowly, and finally took the elevator to the gate of the base and got on a special car to the palace.

Neither of them spoke any more along the way.

After returning to the palace, Shafley first settled Chen Ci in the bedroom, then went back to his own room and took out the small number of samples that he had carefully preserved.

He came to Chen Ci's bedroom and adjusted the room to night mode. Suddenly, the window glass became no longer transparent, and the midday sunlight was strictly blocked, and it was pitch dark in the room.

That faint purple light is so conspicuous, faintly reflected on the retina.

It reminded Chen Ci of a crystal flower growing from a rotten eyeball.

It is the same mysterious, beautiful, and bloody purple.

Chen Ci: "Was this found under the table in my father's former residence?"

Shafulai nodded: "Yes, Chen Nian rested in there for a night and found it when he turned off the lights and went to sleep."

"I checked the data. Marshal Chen Weiyuan last lived in the Veterans' Hospital 28 years ago. It doesn't match the time when Ashes appeared. He must have secretly returned to the Veterans' Hospital after that and hid the clues under the table. The secret compartment is very hidden, and the material used is special, which can block mental power. Otherwise, it would not have been discovered for more than ten years."

Chen Ci: "He smeared metabolites on the surface in order to let certain people see it."

Schaffray: "And in the era when the epidemic was under control, the only ones who could see this clue were you and Chen Nian."

Chen Ci: "Let me see that drawing."

Shafley opened the terminal and found the photo that he had set as private, which required a dynamic key to decrypt.

Chen Ci stared at the blueprint of "Shelter No. 41". Having studied mechanical engineering with Fu Tianhe for a period of time, he had learned a little bit about the blueprint, but he still couldn't make sense of it.

Shafley: "Chen Nian asked Gui Zhiqi, who studied architecture, and Gui Zhiqi said that this blueprint was more like a laboratory than a shelter."

Laboratory? Chen Ci noted that his father had secretly returned to the Veterans' Hospital and hid a blueprint of a laboratory under his desk. He also covered it with inactive metabolites, making it a symbol that only the two brothers could see.

Chen Wei did not put these things into the Chen family mansion. Was it because he had anticipated something?

Although he had no way of guessing the reason, Chen Ci's intuition told him that if he could get to the moonlight, perhaps everything would be solved.

Chen Ci raised his hand and gently picked up the purple powder through the sealed bag.

Shafley's heart instinctively rose, but soon returned to its original state.

If even Chen Ci could get into trouble, he would have collapsed to death shortly after he scraped the powder off with his bare hands.

Chen Ci took his hand back and said, "Send it to the laboratory and seal it up. Jiang Dai must know something. After you cure his eyes, don't let him leave or go to the dungeon. Chen Nian should be on the same side with you. You can knock on it from the side and try to get something out of him."

Shafulai nodded: "I know, but you shouldn't hold out too much hope. Jiang Dai has been the Chen family's housekeeper for decades and has seen too many ups and downs. Something very serious must have happened at that time, otherwise he wouldn't have taken Chen Nian with him, hiding his identity and wandering in the underground city for eighteen years without wanting to come back."

Chen Ci hummed, and after a moment of silence, he asked Shafley, "Can you help postpone my physical examination next month?"

"What's wrong?"

Chen Ci: "The next time I swap with Chen Nian, I want to travel to a farther place. If there are only 21 days, it may not be enough."

"A little further away?" Shaflay asked. "Are you leaving Cinnabar?"

"Well, I want to go to Sanshui."

Sanshui is located in the former Rocky Mountains, separated from Cinnabar by a vast ocean, and is almost on the other side of the earth.

Shafley was surprised that Chen Ci wanted to travel so far, but he said nothing: "I will try my best to discuss with the base to see if it can be postponed. If you want to go to Sanshui, I can send an aircraft to take you there, and it will save you time on the road."

"No, I want to go by boat myself."

"Take a boat?" Shafulai was startled, then frowned, "No, it's too dangerous."

"Not to mention that ordinary shipping has the risk of being attacked by primitive creatures at any time, you also have a physique that attracts primitive creatures. I just took Chen Nian to the Huanhai Platform for a while, and the platform was constantly attacked, not to mention taking a ship. The journey from Cinnabar to Sanshui takes at least ten days. Once something goes wrong, there will be no way to rescue you."

Chen Ci: "I just want to take a boat ride."

"If you take an aircraft, you won't even spend half a day on the road, and you can spend more time traveling in Sanshui. You can never take a boat, it's too dangerous."

"You don't need to worry too much about safety issues." Chen Ci said calmly, "Before, the White Tower strictly protected me because my role is irreplaceable. Now we have confirmed that Chen Nian and I have the same talent. Even if something happens to me, Chen Nian can take my responsibility."

Shaflay frowned even more. "Why don't you understand? It's not a question of whether someone can replace you. Once the original creatures find you in the ocean, you will probably die."

Chen Ci: "Everyone will die one day. I would rather die outside early than live for a few more decades in the most boring place."

Shafulai: “…………”

Shafla was almost pissed off by him.

But Chen Ci still looked completely indifferent, and he didn't realize how excessive his words were.

Shafley could only grit his teeth and say something more serious: "If you attract the original creatures, everyone else on the ship will suffer with you."

Chen Ci looked at him intently for a few seconds: "You are morally kidnapping me."

"I'm just stating the facts."

Chen Ci turned his face away and stopped talking. His hair had grown a little long, and his soft hair brushed over his eyebrows. His temples were dark, making his face look even paler and revealing visible fatigue.

The Omega had just undergone hemodialysis and was still very weak, but there was not a trace of softness in those amber eyes.

Chen Ci had indeed changed. His ambitions and edges began to show. His journey in Cinnabar completely aroused his desire for freedom, which burst out so strongly from more than a decade of repression.

Shafla sighed and said in a lighter tone, "Rest well first. I will definitely mention it to the base. Whether you can go out or not, we will try to postpone the inspection. But we really can't take the boat to Sanshui."

Chen Ci said calmly: "I'm not asking for your consent, I just want to inform you."

"This is one of the few decisions I made according to my own wishes. I also have my dreams and things I want to accomplish, and I am willing to pay a price for it."

"Of course, I will put safety first. You said you were worried that I would be attacked by the Primordial Creatures, but have you ever thought that since I can communicate with them and Chen Nian can hear the call, it actually means that the Primordial Creatures have no intention of harming us. To some extent, they just want to take us away."

After he finished his speech, he coughed twice. His breathing became a little rapid, his brows furrowed slightly, and he seemed to be beginning to feel chest tightness.

Seeing this, Shafley immediately said, "Can we discuss this issue another day? You should have a good rest now and take good care of your health."

Chen Ci didn't say anything more. He was indeed tired.

Under Shafley's gaze, he lay down on the bed and whispered, "Go away."

Shafley did not leave immediately, but went to pour him a glass of warm water and placed it on the bedside.

"Have a good sleep. Tell the smart butler what you want for dinner."

"Um."

Shafla left and Chen Ci closed his eyes.

His body was very tired, but his consciousness was exceptionally active, and his soul was leaping within this body, seemingly trying to break free from its shackles.

He couldn't help but wonder how Alpha would react when he told Fu Tianhe the news that he was going to take a boat across the ocean to Sanshui.

After being surprised, Fu Tianhe would probably say excitedly: Let’s go.

Fu Tianhe knew nothing. He didn't know his identity, responsibilities, or even his name. He didn't say it was dangerous. What if something went wrong? Fu Tianhe would just put on his bag and asked, "Can I go with you?"

Instead, it makes Chen Ci feel particularly relaxed.

My chaotic thoughts gradually calmed down.

Chen Ci also knew that what Shafley said was right. This journey was indeed full of great unknown risks.

But if he doesn't even dare to take such a risk, how can he be qualified to go to the moonlight above the ice and snow?

Chen Ci lay in bed resting the whole day, and even dinner was brought to his room by the maid.

In the afternoon, Gui Zhiqi sent him a message, asking if he wanted to paint together. Chen Ci said that he was not feeling well today and let's do it another day.

He knew that Chen Nian had learned natural history painting and often practiced with Gui Zhiqi. Perhaps he should tell Gui Zhiqi now that he had undergone a personality switch again, so that she would not be troubled by his rejection.

Chen Ci looked out the window. The night was quiet. A tree blocked the direction of the White Pagoda, preventing him from seeing the tall cylindrical building.

In the deep blue night sky, the stars are shining and the crescent moon is half covered by passing clouds.

He suddenly wanted to go out for a walk.

Chen Ci left without hesitation, put on his coat, opened the bedroom window, and climbed out.

Just a wall away.

The silvery-white neural adapter was removed by the robotic arm. Shaflay opened his eyes and exhaled heavily.

After a few minutes, he used his fingers to move the mechanism under the armrest and retracted the dozen or so leather straps that firmly fixed his body.

Shaflay stood up and moved his stiff wrists and neck.

Today is the day he performs core program maintenance.

As usual, he entered the core program of Cinnabar and checked Cinnabar. Everything was normal, and the rain was still rising from the ground to the sky. This continuous rain had been falling since he first entered at the age of fifteen, and it had lasted for a full nine years.

Cinnabar remained silent. The six beacons communicated with each other through the cloud. Shafley was curious about what they usually talked about.

He has only ever served Cinnabar now, but according to his father, the remaining Beacons have different personalities.

After the examination, Shaflay said goodbye to her. The eye on Cinnabar's forehead opened at some point. It was a completely red eye, and the central pupil was as black as a black hole.

Shafley thought it was normal, but Cinnabar suddenly said, "Remember to take a look at the lake after you leave."

He was stunned for a moment, and although he didn't understand why, he still agreed.

Shaflay put on his shoes, still feeling a little dizzy.

He stood against the wall for a while, making sure that all his body indicators had returned to normal before going out to the lake.

The sound of water could be heard from a long distance away.

Shafley thought it was the Goose Prince playing with Afro's little white duck. He walked closer and realized that the sound of water seemed a little loud.

The originally calm lake surface was splashing with water, and a figure could be vaguely seen swimming far away from the shore.

It took Shafley two seconds to identify it.

Soon he recognized the figure, gasped, rushed to the shore, and shouted: "Chen Ci! What are you doing!"

Chen Ci should have heard his voice, because Shafulai saw the figure's swimming speed slow down for a moment, but he was still swimming in the original direction in the center of the lake.

Shaflay's head was buzzing. The deepest part of this artificial lake was nearly twenty meters. Although there were people who cleaned it regularly, it was hard to say whether aquatic plants or the like would grow there. If one got entangled, the consequences would be disastrous.

He didn't have time to think about why Chen Ci appeared in the lake. Shafley looked around and quickly ran towards the boat not far away.

He jumped onto the small wooden boat, held the oar with both hands, and quickly rowed towards the center of the lake where Chen Ci was.

Three minutes later, Shafley finally rowed to the center of the lake. He put down the oars panting and looked around for Omega.

Chen Ci, who was originally in this area, disappeared.

Shaflay was filled with anxiety. Where was Chen Ciren? Would he have exhausted all his energy and sunk into the lake?

Dozens of seconds passed, and there was still no sign of anyone. Shafulai was so anxious that sweat broke out on his head.

He stood up a little, and was about to take off his coat and go into the water to look for it, when he heard a loud rustling sound beside him, and the edge of the boat was immediately grabbed.

This was a small wooden boat used for leisurely boating. It was not heavy enough and it tilted to the side. Shaflay almost fell into the water. He quickly squatted down to lower his center of gravity and saw Chen Ci lying on the edge of the boat, gasping for breath.

Wet black hair stuck to Chen Ci's forehead. Water kept flowing down his face and into the lake, causing ripples. There was no light in the center of the lake, so he could only see with the help of the light from the shore. Compared to when they parted at noon, Chen Ci's face looked a little better, at least with a little color and a faint glow of water.

Just now Chen Ci dived into the lake and didn't surface until he could hold his breath any longer.

Shafulai quickly reached out and was about to pull Chen Ci onto the boat. He grabbed the Omega's forearm through his wet clothes, but unexpectedly found that Chen Ci was much stronger than he had imagined.

This time Chen Ci did not refuse and climbed onto the boat with the help of Shafla. He was tired.

A lot of lake water was also brought onto the boat, splashing onto the deck and wetting Shaflay's pants and shoes, but Alpha didn't care about that now.

Chen Ci sat at the stern, still breathing heavily, having not yet recovered from the intense exercise, but he was no longer gasping with his mouth open.

"Why are you in the lake?"

"Practice swimming."

"Isn't there a swimming pool in the palace?"

“The pool environment is different.”

Shafley was speechless. He probably understood Chen Ci's idea. Since he was going to travel across the ocean, in order to deal with any possible situations, Chen Ci decided to practice swimming.

The swimming pool is too cozy, and the huge artificial lake in the Royal Garden is even more complicated, making it the place that most resembles the sea.

After just two exchanges, Shafley fully realized that Chen Ci was a very active person. However, he did not expect him to be so strong. He told him in the morning that he wanted to take a boat to Sanshui, and started practicing swimming in the evening.

It seemed that there was no way he could persuade Chen Ci.

The legs are on Chen Ci himself. Unless he joins forces with the White Tower and the Imperial Palace to imprison the boy, Chen Ci will definitely carry out his plan.

Shafley frowned, "You just had a checkup this morning, and you're already weak. Now you come here to swim in the middle of the night without saying a word. What if you run out of energy, get cramps, or get tangled up in some water plants? What will we do if something happens?"

Chen Ci: "Didn't you come here? Nothing's wrong now."

Shaflay is a language barrier.

He found that no matter what Chen Nian said, there was always something to criticize him. To some extent, the two brothers were exactly the same, except that Chen Nian was smiling but had a dagger hidden in his heart, and his words were straightforward.

A breeze blew, and the evaporation of water quickly took away the body temperature. Shafley clearly saw Chen Ci shiver, so he immediately took off his coat and put it on Chen Ci.

The expansion of the ocean has placed Beacon in a marine climate. The hottest months are August and September. The lake water is still quite cool in June. Fortunately, it absorbs some of the sun's heat during the day, so it's not freezing cold. But it's better to go back quickly.

Shafley said no more: "Let's talk about it when we get back."

He rowed the boat and brought Chen Ci to the lake.

Shafley was the first to get off the boat. He secured the boat and, regardless of whether Chen Ci needed it or not, he stretched out his hand to serve as a railing.

Chen Ci jumped off the boat swiftly.

His bare feet were still wet as he stepped on the soft grass.

Shafley: "Where are your shoes?"

Chen Ci: “Nothing.”

Shafley was shocked. Did Chen Ci walk all the way here barefoot?

Shafley was thinking whether to find a pair of shoes for Chen Ci first, or just carry him back. Would Chen Ci agree?

Before he could figure out what was going on, Chen Ci had already started walking towards the palace.

"Oh!" Shafulai could only hurry to catch up. Fortunately, the grass was trimmed every day, so it was soft and smooth, and there would be no accidental cuts on his feet.

Shafla adjusted his position and stood at the upper hand over Chen Ci, using his body to block as much wind as possible.

It was obvious that Chen Ci wanted to go back, but he did not go to the side door, but went straight to the window.

Then, something even more shocking happened to Shaflay.

The window of Chen Ci's bedroom was open, so he climbed up by holding on to the windowsill with his hands and then entered the house through the window.

Shaflaye clearly saw his muddy soles and his wet pants sticking to his body.

Chen Ci turned over and walked into the house, leaving a wet mark on the windowsill. He turned to face Shafley and nodded, "Good night."

Just close the window.

"Hey wait!"

Shaflay quickly reached out and stopped him.

"Hurry up and take a hot bath. Be careful not to catch a cold. I'll have someone make you some ginger soup. Next time if you want to practice swimming in the lake, remember to call me in advance so you don't go alone."

Chen Ci hummed and closed the window in front of Shafla. The glass in all the rooms in the palace was one-way visible, and it was impossible to see what was going on inside from the outside.

Shafla stood on the grass, feeling mixed emotions.

Is this still the same Chen Ci he has known for the past decade? The Chen Ci who lived quietly in the White Tower, who had no sense of existence despite being the Elector of Cinnabar, and who was criticized even for climbing a tree house when he was a child?

He was so decisive and efficient in his actions, and Shafley couldn't even find anyone with more personality than him.

Shafley walked to the side and wanted to imitate Chen Ci and climb into the house directly through the window. After all, it was still a bit troublesome to go around and enter through the front door.

He pushed hard twice but the window didn't open. Then he realized that the security system in his room was activated and the window could not be opened from the outside.

Shafley had no choice but to walk back to his room and asked his maid to cook a bowl of ginger soup for Chen Ci on the way.

Chen Ci quickly went into the bathroom and took a hot shower. It was still quite cold to swim in that day. After getting ashore, he was shivering all over. Fortunately, Shafley provided him with a piece of clothing.

Going swimming in the lake was a spur of the moment decision.

The biggest realization that Chen Ci gained from the 21-day journey was: if you want to do something, just do it.

Chen Ci was not persuaded by Shafla, but he certainly understood that traveling across the ocean meant many dangers. The original creatures might discover his whereabouts and attack him at any time. Although he had worked hard to buy himself a strong insurance during the last journey, it was still not enough.

Chen Ci can swim, and his technique is pretty good.

But he wasn't sure whether the swimming skills he had developed in a safe swimming pool would be transferable to a more complex environment.

For example, swimming in dirtier waters without any equipment like goggles or nose plugs.

Sea water is salty, and opening your eyes in it will cause negative pressure. Microorganisms in the ocean may also infect the cornea. But if an unexpected situation really happens, why would he have the time to wear goggles?

Chen Ci tried it in an artificial lake and it seems to be working well.

Maybe because he had just finished a physical examination this morning, his physical strength is a little lacking. He should be fine in two days.

Chen Ci dried his hair and lay on the bed.

He will continue training tomorrow.