Chapter 184 Gu Lei's True Identity
"Professor Gu Lei, Qianqian, she..."
When Ning Shuyin met Gu Lei, her first thought was to tell him about Du Xing.
She was currently on Planet A and had just survived a life-or-death escape. Logically, she shouldn't have known what had happened on the distant alien planet. But since her friend's lifelong happiness was at stake, she disregarded the logical inconsistencies and only wanted to warn Gu Lei.
Gu Lei smiled reassuringly at her and raised his hand to stop her from speaking: "I already know about Olma's situation. Don't worry, Qianqian and I have a very strong relationship, and no one can break it."
After he finished speaking, he glanced at Loran with a gentle and harmless look.
Loran naturally noticed the look that Gure was giving him.
That glance held a meaning that only men could understand.
Loran's expression darkened, and she coldly returned the gaze.
Gu Lei led Ning Shuyin out without explaining how he ended up there.
"Miss Ning, I know you have just lost a good friend."
Ning Shuyin almost tripped over her own foot.
Others might not understand and might think she was referring to the loss of a comrade-in-arms during the crisis.
But Ning Shuyin understood the implication in Gu Lei's words—he was referring to the system as his recently lost good friend.
No one else in this world knew of her existence except herself, but Gure knew.
“You…” Ning Shuyin looked at him with surprise and doubt.
“You probably have a lot of questions to ask.” Gu Lei turned around. “We’re going to the Ancient Civilization Research Institute now, and we’ll talk about it there.”
The four walked along the passage in an eerie silence.
Loran seemed to have something to say, but with Guree present, he was unwilling to say another word.
The security gate slowly opened, and the four people returned to the ground, seemingly several kilometers away from the Alliance Conference Center.
The outside world is like the end of the world.
The once bustling parliament building had vanished completely. In the sky, a massive black sphere hung directly above, like a cold, indifferent eye, silently devouring the surrounding light and matter.
The strange energy field it emitted distorted one's vision. The surrounding skyscrapers looked like shattered building blocks.
In the distance, countless streaks of light wove together to form a large net, separating the black sphere from the city.
Those light beams originated from the Alliance fleet's launchers. The Starship and its escort squadron were hovering nearby.
As Ning Shuyin gazed at the devastating scene, a sense of emptiness washed over her once more.
In the past, she would have definitely discussed countermeasures with the system.
But now, no matter what she says in her mind, she is met with a long silence.
"Let's hurry up and go." Gu Lei rarely showed any anxiety and urged her on.
A silver aircraft without any markings was hovering at the exit.
Ning Shuyin boarded the aircraft. Luo Lan, with a gloomy face, followed.
The aircraft weaved through a distorted chaos, yet miraculously remained unaffected, as if an invisible barrier separated it from this chaotic world.
A moment later, the iconic black spire of the Ancient Civilization Research Institute came into view.
It's eerily quiet here.
The group quickly walked through the corridor and arrived at Gu Lei's office.
Gu Lei reached out and pushed open the door that displayed his nameplate and title, then stepped aside to let Ning Shuyin in, and Kross followed him in.
But as Lorraine prepared to take a step, a hand blocked his way.
“Dr. Loran, please wait a moment.” Gu Lei said calmly, “The following conversation involves some confidential research and is not suitable for outsiders to overhear.”
Loran's eyebrows twitched. Instead of forcing his way in, he leaned against the corridor wall, hugged his arms, and closed his eyes.
The office door closed.
The interior remains a mysterious world.
The white candles floated in mid-air, their flickering light casting shadows throughout the room.
In the center of the room, a star chart on a brass stand is slowly rotating.
"Sit down," Gu Lei's voice came from behind.
He went straight to the center of the room and gently touched the brass planetarium.
“Clatter.”
The planetarium suddenly started spinning faster and emitted a buzzing sound.
The ancient constellation charts that were originally projected onto the four walls suddenly changed. The points of light transformed into a series of flowing images.
It looked just like the slides she had seen in class when she was a child.
Ning Shuyin looked at the wall in surprise.
She's all over the screen. She's the one following Situ Linchen into the military restricted area from the Alice Space Station.
She and Loren walked toward the gangway of the Panacea.
She met Zhou Zhiheng at the Time and Space Heart Private Museum.
She was led into Cupid's labyrinth by Caesar, half-heartedly.
Her encounters with the four men along the way flashed back on the wall like a revolving lantern.
"You... have been spying on me all this time?" Ning Shuyin felt a chill.
“It’s not surveillance.” Gu Lei adjusted the planetarium again.
The images on the wall receded rapidly, passing through nebulae and through long, dark passages, finally settling on a photograph.
It was a blue planet.
The planet floats silently against the dark backdrop of space, its surface covered by vast blue oceans and white clouds.
Ning Shuyin's breathing stopped completely, and her eyes instantly stung with tears.
That's Earth.
“I’m not spying on you,” said Gure, his blue hair gleaming in the candlelight. “I’m observing external variables.”
He pointed to the blue planet on the wall: "I know where you come from, Ning Shuyin."
Ning Shuyin's fingertips trembled.
That was her hometown, but it was a place she could never return to.
"How did you get this photo? Who are you?" Ning Shuyin asked nervously.
With a light tap of his fingertip, Gu Lei caused the images on the wall to vanish, leaving only the blue planet slowly rotating.
"I am an observer of this world."
"This world? You know this is a novel?" Ning Shuyin looked at Gu Lei.
How can someone remain so calm knowing that the world they live in is just a fictional story written by someone else?
Gu Lei smiled mysteriously: "I also know that you secretly call me 'the male protagonist of a novel'."
He didn't shy away from discussing these things with Clos.
“You should have heard the story of Zhuangzi dreaming of becoming a butterfly. Did Zhuangzi dream of becoming a butterfly, or did the butterfly dream of becoming Zhuangzi? The boundaries of the world are perhaps far more blurred than you and I can imagine,” Gu Lei said.
Ning Shuyin had always thought her secret was something she could only keep hidden forever. She never imagined that in this world, there would exist someone with whom she could discuss such a topic.
"Gu Lei, you mentioned my companion, is it possible for it to come back?" Ning Shuyin asked with a glimmer of hope.
She wanted to know if she could get the system back.
Gu Lei shook his head: "As far as I know, it shouldn't be possible."
Ning Shuyin looked disappointed.
Gu Lei twirled his hair with his index finger for a long while before saying, "It disappeared not because you chose a different path, so you don't need to blame yourself."
"You can think of it as you now being qualified to explore the real world on your own. You are no longer bound by the main quest; in other words, you are free."
"Freedom?" Ning Shuyin looked up, stunned for a moment. "So you knew I'd been trying to set you up with Qianqian?"
Gu Lei noticed her emotions and nodded, saying, "I've seen it all. Including your responsibility to go on dates with the Marshal and the others to maintain the plot. Essentially, all of this is to increase the stability of this world. Thank you for your hard work, Miss Ning."
Gu Lei looked into the distance, as if gazing at a distant vacation star.
"Even without the mission, you don't need to worry about Qianqian and my relationship. We will have a happy ending."
Ning Shuyin felt a sense of relief.
As someone who was suddenly thrown into the story, Su Qianqian was initially just a "heroine" to her.
However, as they spent more time together, their relationship grew stronger, and they became true friends.
Hearing Gu Lei's promise now, she was overjoyed, and her eyes welled up with tears.
Gu Lei seemed to understand her feelings and smiled gently at her: "Ning Shuyin, actually... it's not that you can't go home."
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