Chen Nian put down the stylus and stared quietly at the pattern on the canvas until the screen slowly went out due to long periods of unresponsiveness.

The canvas of the virtual screen was painted with a rough image of a certain creature. It had a silver-white body that was almost as huge as a steel fortress, with translucent gray pupils on both sides near the front of its body. The lower back of its fins was covered with powerful jets, and its back was bulging with gunboats that were more terrifying than spikes. Its tail gradually became scattered and finally turned into countless thumb-thick silver fish, like some kind of gorgeous trailing tail.

Next to the giant creature is a painting of a tiny silver fish.

It was the Poseidon Gale whom Chen Nian had seen in the game the night before.

That night, no player managed to break through the blockade of Poseidon Gale and successfully reach the Carpathians. The battle lasted for several hours, and the sea water was dyed red with blood.

Poseidon Gale is a terrifying creature formed by the aggregation of countless silver fish, each of which is the original body. The tiny swimming fish are only as thick as a thumb. It is easy to kill one, and a hundred may not be difficult either, but what about a thousand, ten thousand, or a hundred million?

They are scattered throughout the ocean, everywhere.

Chen Nian could not forget the gray eyes he saw in the sea that day. They were hollow and inorganic. It seemed that he could see through the illusory electronic data and see his real body under the neural adapter.

Even though he had told himself countless times in his mind that this was just a game, Chen Nian still couldn't help but wonder, is this really just a game?

So real, so real that it could easily arouse the fear deep in his heart.

Shafley said that this was because he arrived at the most dangerous new version of the front right away, and he would be fine after two days of adapting.

Maybe. Chen Nian played the game for a while this morning. After two days of hard fighting, some of Afanasy's guild members have reached the Carpathian Mountains across the ocean and established a temporary base.

Once the transmission station is built, we won't have to take the risk and cross the ocean every time.

Chen Nian remembered that Shaflay had told him that Chen Ci planned to take a boat to Sanshui.

He originally thought it was pretty cool, but after what happened, he couldn't help but feel worried.

The reason why Shaflai was so strongly opposed to Chen's words must be that he knew how dangerous it was. Chen Nian was terrified when he was attacked by the original creatures in the game. What would he do if he really encountered one in reality?

At that time, there was still a translucent UI interface in front of Chen Nian's eyes. He knew it was just a game. The countless tiny blood scratches on his body caused by silverfish stung in the sea water. In front of the huge primitive creature, he was as small as an ant and could be easily crushed to death and swallowed up.

In reality, when people die, they are dead. There is no resurrection point, and no pain is deliberately weakened.

Chen Nian sighed. Perhaps Shafley still wanted him to persuade Chen Ci?

He doesn't know.

Chen Nian clicked on the virtual screen and it lit up again. The draft on the canvas looked slightly familiar. Chen Nian seemed to have seen a similar image in Chen Wei's previous manuscripts.

Has my father ever met this Poseidon? What are the creatures in the fantasy kingdom modeled on? Is the Poseidon Gale in the game the same as the real Poseidon Gale?

If...if it is really something similar, can humans really have a chance of winning against it? You know, even in virtual games, people who have mastered various high-tech weapons still took a long time to break through the defense line.

Chen Nian had no idea. Sometimes he would have to pay extra attention to the distributor of Electric Fantasy Kingdom. Maybe he could get some clues from the relevant news of that company.

The alarm bell rang at this moment.

Chen Nian came back to his senses and turned off the alarm. He closed the canvas, stood up, took a deep breath, and sorted out his complicated feelings.

Today is the day he takes Jiang Dai to get treatment.

After several days of thinking, or perhaps under Chen Nian's persistent nagging, Jiang Dai finally agreed to go to the top floor for treatment.

Chen Nian didn't know how serious Jiang Dai's illness was, but if the black clinic's judgment was correct, it would take a long time to treat. After all, it was an eye disease, and it would take a long time to restore vision.

Uncle Jiang also had other injuries that he had suffered over the years, so he treated them all at once.

Chen Nian put on her clothes and opened the bedroom door, just in time Jiang Dai had also packed up and came out of the room.

With Shafulai's help, there is no need to bring any luggage, and everything will be arranged when the time comes.

Although the decision has been made, Jiang Dai is obviously not particularly positive.

Chen Nian pretended to be relaxed and raised the corners of his mouth, pulling out a natural smile. If life is a grand stage play, then he is the best actor on this stage.

"We will be able to see each other again in two days. When we get to the top floor, I will secretly visit you in the hospital."

Chen Nian smiled brightly, and even the people around him seemed to be infected by this warm smile and relaxed.

Jiang Dai hummed, and patted Chen Nian's hand: "Take good care of yourself from now on."

"Of course I will. I'm not a child anymore."

The two went out together, and Chen Nian and Jiang Dai came to the central elevator. He followed the address sent by Shafley and walked into a remote tea room. He pushed open the door of the private room and saw Alpha sitting on the sofa.

Chen Nian was stunned. He quickly pushed Jiang Dai inside and closed the door of the tea room behind him.

"Didn't you say you would send someone over? Why did you come in person?"

"It's most reassuring to do things by yourself." Shafulai stood up and looked at Jiang Dai. Even though he had heard the details from Chen Nian, he still couldn't help but sigh.

He had met Jiang Dai when he was a child. At that time, the butler's surname was still Chen. Chen Dai always seemed to be in a gentle manner. When the marshal was discussing matters with the emperor, he took him to look after the two babies in their cradles.

But now, the Chen family’s butler, who once had a handsome appearance, has dark red scars on most of his face, and his eyes are as cloudy as an old man. The burn marks spread from his neck to his collar and also appeared on the exposed backs of his hands.

He exchanged his injuries for Chen Nian's life.

"Sir," Shaflay said respectfully.

Jiang Dai waved his hands, his voice hoarse due to the damage to his vocal cords: "Your Highness, there is no need to call me Sir anymore. There is no need to mention the past. Just call me Jiang Dai."

Shafley: "Chen Nian should have explained the specific situation to you in detail. I will take you to the best hospital on the top floor for treatment. Of course, you don't have to worry about safety issues. Except for me, Chen Nian and Chen Ci, no one will know your true identity."

Jiang Dai nodded: "I believe Your Highness."

If nothing had happened back then, Jiang Dai would still be the respected steward of the Chen family, and Chen Nian would be enjoying the most comfortable life on the top floor. They wouldn't be meeting secretly in the teahouse in the dungeon like now.

But in the same way, Chen Nian will fall into a similar situation as Chen Ci. Perhaps due to Chen Nian's personality, the two brothers will not fall into such a rigid situation, but it will certainly be difficult for them to gain more freedom.

From this perspective, perhaps everything is the best arrangement.

Chen Nian was still comforting Jiang Dai, wanting him to go without worry: "I will switch with Chen Ci the day after tomorrow, and we will meet in the hospital then."

Shafley agreed, "Yes, I will bring Chen Nian to see you. Chen Ci is waiting upstairs now."

Even though they haven't seen each other for more than ten years, Jiang Dai still has clear memories of many things from those days. The boy has grown so tall and strong and has become a capable prince.

The two brothers, who were just born that year, were lying in the cradle, with Shafla lying beside them watching. Now, as time goes by, the three of them are tied together again by a miraculous fate.

After talking to Shaflay for a few words, Jiang Dai's last doubts were dispelled.

Since both Chen Nian and Chen Ci wanted him to recover from his illness, he had to go even for the sake of his children's expectations.

Seeing that Jiang Dai's resistance had almost disappeared, Chen Nian and Shafulai exchanged glances and felt relieved.

Chen Nian: "It's settled. Now that Shafulai is taking you up, I can rest assured."

Shaflay hummed. Originally, he didn't need to come in person.

But as he explained to Chen Nian, the fewer people who knew about this, the better. Although Shafley was confident that his confidants could keep the matter strictly confidential, his visit would also show his sincerity to Jiang Dai.

There was another more important reason. Shafla could not resist the temptation to meet Chen Nian, so he put aside the matter at hand without hesitation and rushed to the dungeon in person.

After not seeing him for a few days, the boy still looked familiar, his every smile and frown so lively. But maybe it was because he had been addicted to games for a few days, but from that smile that was no different from usual, Shafley seemed to glimpse some barely perceptible fatigue.

Shafulai was busy with work during the day and only had time to play games at night, but he heard from other people in the guild that Chen Nian spent a lot of time online during the day, often hanging out in the newly established temporary base in the Carpathian Mountains, helping to clean up nearby marine relics and deal with the lost small primitive creatures. Otherwise, he would not have reached level 80 in just two days.

Perhaps he was inspired by the fierce naval battle that day. The absurd situations that attract primordial creatures in the real world would not happen in the game. The first time Chen Nian approached the front line, he encountered the Sea Emperor and died directly at its hands. Shafulai didn't know whether to say that Chen Nian was lucky or unlucky.

Fortunately, Chen Nian was not frightened by the scene.

In front of the elders, Shafulai didn't know how to say anything more to Chen Nian. Just seeing the young man made him very satisfied.

It was getting late, so Chen Nian urged softly, "Hurry up and leave. It would be terrible if we get discovered."

Shafley nodded, walked to the door of the tea room, and whispered to Chen Nian, "Then we'll go. Don't worry. Leave everything to me."

"Yes." Chen Nian agreed, stepped forward and gave Jiang Dai a big hug, "You must treat your illness well."

As Jiang Dai looked back reluctantly, Shafulai took him away.

Chen Nian sat alone in the tea room for a while. By now, he had finished all the tasks at hand, but he did not feel relaxed at all.

He didn't know what he was thinking about. According to the current situation, even if his and Chen Ci's identities were exposed one day, it would not have any substantial impact. At most, he would continue to live at the top as another child of the Chen family.

But Chen Nian didn't know if there were other shady plots behind this. What happened to the fire in the Chen family? Why did he and Chen Ci have a thousand connections with the original creatures? Did Chen Wei expect to be in danger and leave the manuscript of Shelter No. 41 in the Veterans' Hospital?

No one can tell.

Chen Nian sighed. With his father's death, perhaps the only people who truly knew the truth were Uncle Jiang and the emperor himself.

Chen Nian was very sure that Uncle Jiang had no intention of harming himself and Chen Ci, so it seemed that the only one left was the emperor.

But he was Shafley's father, and he didn't want to assume the worst of Shafley's relatives.

Chen Nian decided not to make things difficult for himself. He wouldn't be able to come up with any results just by sitting here and thinking.

He put on a cap and a mask, left alone and returned home.

He was the only one left at home. Jiang Dai seldom went out. Even his work was done in the study, doing some translation. Most of the time, Jiang Dai stayed at home, waiting for Chen Nian to come back.

Chen Nian looked around the quiet house and breathed a sigh of relief.

There was no need to be sad, since he would be able to see Uncle Jiang again soon anyway.

Shafley took Jiang Dai directly to the nearest outer wall and drove the private aircraft back to the top floor. Although the central elevator had a private dedicated passage, it also had a monitoring system, so it was safer to take the air route.

The aircraft landed directly on the helipad on the roof of the hospital. Jiang Dai staggered down holding the railing. He raised his head. He hadn't set foot on the top floor for nearly eighteen years. The bright sunlight made him squint subconsciously.

Jiang Dai looked at the unobstructed blue sky. Everything seemed the most vast and free. Birds flew over his head. The breeze blew his clothes, bringing the fragrance of plants. He had lived on the top floor for the first half of his life.

Now, after eighteen years of wandering, he has returned to the sunshine again.

Jiang Dai took a deep breath and said to Shafulai, "Let's go, Your Highness."

Jiang Dai wore a hat and a mask, covering his entire face, leaving only his eyes exposed. However, traces of burns could still be seen. No one recognized that this frail, middle-aged man was actually the once handsome butler of the Chen family.

Shafley led Jiang Dai to a special ward on the top floor of the hospital. He opened the door and saw Chen Ci sitting in a nursing chair waiting.

Seeing the two people coming in, Chen Ci stood up, nodded to Jiang Dai behind Shafulai, and called out calmly, "Uncle Jiang."

"Hey." At this moment, they no longer had to maintain that tacit understanding. Jiang Dai's voice was a little trembling, and he said to Chen Ci: "Young Master."

This was the first time Chen Ci had been addressed in this way as far as he could remember.

She is not the princess, nor the so-called highness, nor the elector who is barely remembered by many people.

He is the eldest son of the Chen family.

Chen Ci: "During this period of time, you should take good care of your illness. Shafulai will arrange everything. After a while, Chen Nian will come over. No matter what happens, one of us brothers will always be at the top."

Jiang Dai: "Okay."

Shafley: "I have found an expert for you. Let's go and have a look now."

Jiang Dai met with an ophthalmologist and explained her situation in detail and needed to go for a check-up.

While waiting outside, Shafley said to Chen Ci, "I have already applied to the White Tower and the base for the physical examination and have discussed it. The base has agreed to postpone the physical examination. The major quarantine stations still have a considerable amount of medicines in reserve, so you don't need to continue to provide them so frequently for the time being."

Chen Ci was stunned for a moment. He didn't expect that Shaflay could actually do it.

He had needed to have a physical examination every month since he was a child, but it was postponed just like that. For a moment, Chen Ci felt a strong sense of unreality.

After a few seconds, Chen Ci said slowly, "Thank you."

It didn't seem particularly difficult. If...if he had proposed it earlier, would he have gotten a good result? His habitual silence was actually the worst way to deal with it.

"But this does not mean that I support you taking a boat to Sanshui." Shafulai changed the subject and said, "Although I know that my opinion will fall on deaf ears, I still want to say it."

Chen Ci: “I will go.”

As expected. Shafley sighed. He had been trying to persuade Chen for several days, but to no avail. He could only give in helplessly: "If you really want to leave, you must ensure that you can send me the exact location at any time. If an accident occurs, I will immediately send someone to rescue.

”

This was not an unacceptable reason, he just needed some protection. It was good that Chen Ci wanted to go to Moonlight no matter what, but it didn't mean that he had to die for it.

Chen Ci replied, "Okay."

After Jiang Dai's examination, several experts held a joint consultation. The doctor in the black clinic was right. Surgery was necessary in this case. The latest technology could indeed prevent Jiang Dai from continuing to go blind.

Jiang Dai stayed in the hospital. It was not suitable for Shafulai and Chen Ci to stay there any longer, so they returned to the palace.

Chen Ci went for today's physical training. In addition to swimming in the artificial lake every night, he also added quite rigorous indoor training to himself to improve his physical fitness.

Faced with this determination to leave, Shaflay couldn't say anything and could only let him go.

After finishing all the tasks at hand and finally being able to take a break, Shafulai lay down on the bed and sent a message to Chen Nian: [I have taken Uncle Jiang to see a specialist. The specialist will decide on the surgical plan based on the examination results. Perform the surgery on him as soon as possible.]

[That’s great.] Chen Nian quickly replied, [Thank you so much.]

[Is this just a verbal thank you? ]

Shafla hesitated for a moment, but still sent the message.

He was engaged in a fierce struggle in his mind every day. His mind told him to maintain the status quo and not go any further than that. However, the increasingly strong emotions in his heart wanted him to get more.

Greed is the original sin of mankind.

Looking at the chat box with no new replies for a long time, Shafulai closed his eyes and pinched his eyebrows hard.

Is this still too strange? What would Chen Nian think? They should be close friends on the same front now. If it's just a joke, the other party won't be suspicious, right?

After waiting anxiously for a few minutes, Chen Nian finally replied: [How do you want me to thank you? How about showing you the painting I just drew today? ]

Shafley was shocked. Just as he was about to say "OK", the picture was sent to him.

The typing hands froze in mid-air.

In the first picture, the person is in a kneeling position, with the lines of the hips, legs and waist plump and smooth, a little exaggerated yet extremely beautiful. The head is turned away, as if looking behind.

In another picture, the figure is lying on its back with one leg bent and the other foot resting on the knee. With just a few strokes, the lazy posture is brought to life.

The character was just a simple model outline, without facial features or hair, but it instantly reminded Shafley of Chen Nian.

On the first day they met, the boy was in the reception room, kneeling in the same position, looking for tableware that had fallen under the sofa. Even the angles were so similar.

When the two of them were training their mental strength in private, Chen Nian always liked to lie on his bed, holding his head with his hands in a relaxed manner, with one leg raised and swinging leisurely.

What does it mean that Chen Nian sent these to him now?

Shafley's mind was in a mess. He stared at the two paintings and recalled more and more uncontrollably. The blank faces of the characters in the paintings gradually turned into Chen Nian's appearance, with soft black hair, cunning amber eyes, and a faint smile on his lips. The static movements became more vivid.

Like some kind of silent temptation.

The fragrance of sherry wafted quietly again, and Shaflay's breathing became a little unstable. Since it was a human body exercise, of course she was not wearing any clothes. If... if Chen Nian also posed in the same posture, would it be an even more erotic scene?

Chen Nian: [I have been practicing the human body recently. I wonder how I am doing, but it should be pretty good, right?]

Chen Nian's news was like a bucket of cold water, extinguishing the growing flame in Shafulai's heart.

It turned out that his thoughts were too dirty. Chen Nian just wanted to share his latest painting achievements with him. Shafley smiled self-deprecatingly. The seductive posture was probably just his wishful thinking.

He is really hopeless because he understands art as eroticism.

I just can't control my fantasies at all.

Shafulai was spitting at himself in pain and confusion, but he didn't know that in the information processing area No. 13 a thousand meters below, Chen Nian couldn't help laughing out loud with a schadenfreude when he saw him reply after a long time, "Great, you've made great progress."

Well... I wonder what kind of troubles the Crown Prince had to go through, and how he felt when he saw those two paintings?

It must be complicated, or it wouldn't have taken Shaflay several minutes to send the message.

Chen Nian has indeed started practicing the human body recently. His painting skills have improved rapidly and he can always grasp the form and structure immediately. He did not have the required human models, so he simply used himself as the model, posed, took a selfie, and then painted according to the photo.

He practiced a few movements that he thought had the most beautiful and smooth lines, but who would have thought that he would use them exactly.

Bah, what's the use of that? He was just sharing his painting results with Shaflay normally, he wasn't teasing her on purpose.

As for the situation over there, it is none of your business.

Who made Shafulai have such inappropriate thoughts?

Chen Nian suppressed the slight guilt in his heart. Perhaps because he was not with Shaflay, he felt more inclined to have fun. He wondered if his mentality would change when he returned to the top and met Alpha again.

At the same time, in information processing area No. 13, another person was staring at the photo in a daze.

Fu Tianhe sat in the dim tent, caressing Da Congming who was lying on top of him from time to time. The light from the virtual screen dimly illuminated Alpha's face.

The moment when night falls is forever frozen in the photo, with the vast sky and the endless deep sea spreading out. The sky gradually changes from pink and purple at the horizon to deep blue. A bright full moon hangs high in the sky, and the bright light shines on the sea, creating sparkling waves.

The buildings that once belonged to humans on the shallow beach have become ruins. The boy sits on a low wall with his back to the camera, holding the blue off-road bag in his hand.