Chapter 53.1 – It’s a lotus flower, not a water lily! (1)
Bitterly blacklisted, Citizen Jiang, in complete anger, put down his phone.
Unfazed, later that night, Citizen Jiang, lay alone in bed, heartbroken.
Chen Jing’s injuries were severe, requiring an additional two weeks of observation at the hospital before being transferred to another hospital in A City for further recovery.
By the second week, as there were no relatives or friends to claim the deceased man’s body, local officials, after contacting the man’s hometown, ultimately decided to send the man’s body to the funeral home for cremation.
On the day the body was transported from the hospital to the funeral home for cremation, Chen Jing stood by the window upstairs, watching the transport vehicle depart.
Down below, Jiang Yujin’s entire figure was blocked by the hospital door. As the vehicle carrying the body left, he withdrew his gaze and glanced upward.
His first encounter with the high schooler was on the snowy mountain. The weather was decent that day, without a cloud in sight. Before his conversation with Badans atop the snowy peak, he saw someone standing at the center of the snowfield, not looking too old and not particularly tall.
A woman in the distance ran towards him, a sharp knife glinting in her hand, flashing briefly.
There were young individuals in the game, but this was his first time seeing someone so young and fierce.
The woman fell to the ground, her blood staining the white snow. The child had blood on their face, looking down at their hands before staggering away.
As the child moved along a snow slope, a figure appeared on the other side. It was a man’s figure, swiftly running toward the fallen body.
The slender figure half-hidden behind the snow slope observed as the man picked up the woman’s body and wept bitterly, then slowly departed. With deep black eyes, the frail figure seemed as if it could be swallowed by the vast snowfield at any moment.
Taking back his gaze, Jiang Yujin turned and left the hospital through another exit.
…
Calculating the time, Chen Jing hadn’t seen Jiang Yujin for a long while.
This person had been relatively diligent in appearing at the hospital in the days leading up to the hospitalization, frequently chatting with doctors, nurses, and the cleaning staff responsible for maintenance. However, eventually, he seemed to have heard enough of the hospital gossip and sharply reduced his visits, sometimes not showing up for two days straight.
In summary, he was quite conscientious.
Jiang Yujin hadn’t been to the hospital for two days mainly to return to greet the owner of the barber shop, deepening their already strong friendship.
Quietly, he made a trip to A City and returned, sporting a normal haircut, engaging in conversations throughout the hospital.
Two weeks later, the high schooler was transferred back to the hospital in A City, accompanied by Jiang Yujin in a car.
The day they returned to the A City hospital happened to be a Saturday. The high schooler’s friend sent a message, preparing to visit, prompting the adult man to willingly step aside and take a stroll outside, waiting for his drained Xiaoxiaole energy to recover.
*
In the past, he had experienced this exact injury, just not in this specific spot on the shoulder. Chen Jing adapted well, and going by previous habits, he was already fit to be discharged for free movement. However, with Jiang Yujin involved this time, he refrained from making any extra movements, following the doctor’s judgments precisely.
When Zhang Xin and Xiao Pang entered, the person sitting on the hospital bed was still bent over working on some papers.
Xiao Pang, holding fruits, was instantly drawn into conversation, exclaiming, “You’re still working on homework like this?”
Chen Jing jotted down a formula and then looked up, saying, “There’s nothing else to do around here.”
If he didn’t study, this family would likely fall apart. Considering the current sole adult’s reliance on luck for work and his highly unreliable nature, he would undoubtedly become the economic pillar of the family in the future. If he didn’t study, this family would probably struggle financially.
Zhang Xin and Xiao Pang pondered for a moment, then suddenly thought of someone, understanding something. Xiao Pang sympathetically patted Chen Jing’s shoulder, earning an emotionless look from Chen Jing.
He had just patted the wound with his hand; fortunately, the high schooler had good self-control, so he didn’t make a sound.
Zhang Xin placed a thermos on the table and said, “This is chicken soup my mom made. I tasted it, and it’s quite good.”
Xiao Pang’s fruits were freshly picked from their family’s orchard.
After they came out of the Game, they were taken to a shelter, where they spent some time. Later, upon receiving information, their families traveled across half the city to bring them back, and since then, they had been living with their families.
They all had happy families, and their continued investigation of strange species was for the sake of their families. The Game collapsed, strange species appeared in the real world incessantly, and although their families might not have been affected by the strange species yet, life is long, and if the strange species persisted, there would always be risks.
There had to be a reason behind the continuous emergence of strange species in the Game. To thoroughly resolve the strange species issue, merely dealing with the existing strange species wouldn’t suffice. The root cause behind them needed to be identified and resolved.
They spent a considerable time in the Game and encountered those at the top of the leaderboard. Though their time together was brief, they had a clear understanding of these top players. These individuals had transcended the realm of ordinary people.
In the Game, they were more like real players than survivors, a likeness that extended to real life. Their focus was predominantly on absolute self-interest. Most strange species didn’t disrupt their lives. They didn’t engage in thankless tasks for others or show interest beyond themselves. Those individuals had lost the curiosity and interest in investigating what lay behind the Game.
Before being taken away by their families, they spent a period of time in the shelter. During this time at the shelter, they became acutely aware that organizations like the Special Investigations Unit, driven by their own agendas, various considerations, and entangled interests, were inclined to eliminate strange species after their appearance and sweep anti-social organizations after their emergence. They were not inclined to invest significant manpower, resources, and finances in possibly futile pursuits of an elusive cause—one that might not have a feasible solution even if found. Instead, such pursuits tended to create internal panic, disrupting the relatively stable atmosphere painstakingly established after the emergence of strange species.
After they started taking action, as far as they knew, there were already many top-secret files in the SIU, which had not been opened since they were archived. This strongly indicated their stance.
But someone had to seek the reason. The top players in the Game didn’t, nor did the SIU. So, it was up to them. Just like the top players, they didn’t have some grand idea of protecting the world. They wanted to solve the problem at its root because their families lacked the ability to protect themselves from the strange species.
Xiao Pang and Zhang Xin were driven by their families’ safety. Chen Jing had been working alongside them but had never disclosed his reasons for doing so.
Everyone had their thoughts, and if the other party didn’t say anything, they wouldn’t ask.
Xiao Pang consciously grabbed a chair and sat down, observing the ward for a week before asking, “How’s Uncle doing?”
Chen Jing paused his writing and replied, “He’s out for a walk. His energy in the game ran out.”
Zhang Xin took a bite of the fruit Xiao Pang brought and nodded in agreement.
It was safe to say it aligned with the other person’s character.
Xiao Pang helped to open the thermal bucket brought by Zhang Xin. Underneath, there were exactly three bowls for the chicken soup. He poured out the chicken soup while saying, “In E City, someone claimed to have seen a person with markings on their face again. It’s a one-eyed man.”
The SIU couldn’t retrieve any information. Maybe even 001, who might have known something, couldn’t be found. Their only current lead is an organization called Zero.
Zero used to hide well. At least, their previous search efforts failed to find any news about Zero. But recently, it seemed like they suddenly became more noticeable. Several incidents related to them emerged instantly, one after another. Starting from the previous person with a marked face, this was the second person walking the streets without concealing the markings on their face.
There must be a reason behind this abnormal behavior. Perhaps the other party had something new or obtained something, giving them the audacity to flaunt. What they needed to understand was whether the things the other party obtained had any connection to what they were investigating.
