Chapter 62: Chengnan Bookstore 9
Yi Ke wrapped his arms around his almost completely limp body, his palm cupping the cold, damp nape of his neck, sheltering the man entirely in his embrace. Zhuang Ningyu’s brows were tightly furrowed, his hands gripping Yi Ke’s clothes so hard his knuckles turned white. He wanted to pull himself out of the sharp, piercing pain in his brain as quickly as possible. This was not a normal rule zone.
The surroundings were eerily quiet. The action team members also sensed that something was wrong and tightened their grip on their weapons. Dou Dekai and Tang Xiaoyuan, who had been roaring in anger just minutes before, were now completely silent. They stood frozen and rigid, their features becoming blurry and indistinct, like a glitching game image with afterimages. The thin white mist rolled along the ground, occasionally flaring up a little, as if trying with all its might to condense again, yet so fragile it couldn’t withstand the slightest breeze. If someone walked by, it would scatter on the spot like a dandelion.
The trapped crowd, who had evacuated to another ballroom, felt this silence and grew vaguely uneasy. Someone boldly asked the deputy captain, “Have new rules appeared?”
“No,” the deputy captain replied. He had a strange premonition that time in the Zeus Grand Hotel seemed to have stopped.
Fu Han glanced at his watch. The mechanical hands and gears were struggling, arduously swinging back and forth in small increments. Beside him, Ni Ruiling put her phone back into her crossbody bag, tidied her hair, and walked straight out. But before she could get close to the door, an elderly person in the crowd let out a cry of surprise: “The bookstore?”
It wasn’t just him; many others saw the same sight—Chengnan Bookstore seemed to have briefly manifested for a moment. It was definitely not a hallucination. Those with a keen sense of smell could even detect the lingering scent of creative cultural aromatherapy in the air.
Similarly, on Yi Ke and Zhuang Ningyu’s side, a fleeting crack in the rules also appeared. The real world seemed to be within reach. The action team members looked at each other and asked, “What’s going on? Is it because Captain Zhuang manually cleared the mental contamination?”
Yi Ke looked down at the person in his arms. Zhuang Ningyu’s breathing was faint, and he seemed to have said something. Zhang Hugang hurriedly leaned in. “What did you say has a problem?”
Zhuang Ningyu propped himself up on Yi Ke’s arm, stood straight, and repeated, “There’s a problem with this rule zone.”
The mental contamination of a rule zone does not deviate from its basic logic chain. For example, the source of mental contamination in the Doll Party was Tong Yishuai, and the polluted “players” would become fanatical worshippers of the party. In another instance, the “players” in Qingquan Mountain would only lose control after getting on a motorcycle, becoming addicted to the thrill of speeding, because Jiajia’s story itself was related to bikers.
The known sources of mental contamination in the Zeus Grand Hotel were currently only Dou Dekai and Tang Xiaoyuan. Therefore, the behavior of polluted “players” should also be related to these two people, such as becoming ardent supporters of the wedding, or becoming crazed killers hunting the groom. But none of that happened. There wasn’t even any emotion related to Bao Mingming. Zhuang Ningyu said, “The logic of the mental contamination that just occurred was extremely chaotic. It seems no particular emotion was especially prominent.” If the previous rule zones were sloppy AI products, then this one was an even cruder imitation of an AI product.
Zhuang Ningyu continued, “So I suspect this is an artificially created, unstable rule zone.”
As if to prove his words, Chengnan Bookstore appeared before everyone again through a layer of white mist. The colleagues stationed outside the bookstore also noticed the spatial anomaly. Huo Ting was on site, and Zhuang Ningyu had previously communicated his thoughts about the “AI model” to him. From a game perspective, this rule zone did indeed resemble a crude, half-finished product.
“If this happens, will the rule zone collapse on its own?” asked District Chief Yu.
“If you view it as a ‘game,’ it will,” Huo Ting replied. This is because in game logic, players who violate the rules or fail are punished. But if the game itself experiences a program crash, it’s the designer’s mistake and won’t trigger the punishment mechanism. The players will most likely just be kicked out of the game.
The Zeus Grand Hotel was continuously becoming blurry. Light pierced through from cracks in all directions. The Chengnan Bookstore appeared for longer periods each time, with shorter intervals in between, until finally, after appearing, it no longer vanished.
Cheers erupted everywhere!
Solving the puzzle without following the rules and successfully leaving the rule zone was perhaps a world first! The freed crowd was jubilant. Some thought it was a precursor to the entire rule system collapsing, while others thought that regardless of whether it collapsed or not, as participants, they would surely leave their names in history… or at least in the literature.
The Order Maintenance Department arranged for four buses to take everyone for a medical examination.
“Keep an eye on her,” Zhuang Ningyu reminded.
Huo Ting understood and arranged for a female team member to get on the bus with Ni Ruiling.
Tang Xiaoyuan’s body was also carried away. Due to the drugs, her entire body had taken on a highly abnormal skin color. Zhang Hugang stepped aside to make way for his colleagues from the inspection team. Turning around, he saw Fu Han still standing nearby and reminded him, “Mr. Fu, everyone must undergo a medical examination. This is a regulation.”
Fu Han withdrew his gaze and boarded the bus with his bodyguards.
Not far away, Zhuang Ningyu was sitting on a sofa with a coat draped over him. Yi Ke was squatting in front of him. “The medical vehicle from the Evolver Research Institute will be here soon. They’ll give you a sedative shot first. Does it still hurt?”
Hurt or not, the work wasn’t finished. Zhuang Ningyu rubbed his temples, trying to keep his thoughts as clear as possible. “If this was an artificial experiment, then everyone related to the reading event—”
“Don’t worry,” Huo Ting interrupted, placing a hand on his shoulder. “The bookstore owner, the organizers, and participants of this event, we are monitoring them all. Don’t think about it. Get some good rest.”
Alright then. Zhuang Ningyu waved his hand weakly and buried his head deep in his knees. The dull ache from the mental contamination had not yet disappeared, and the throbbing blood vessels pulling on the nerves around his eye sockets also began to ache with a fine, dense pain. Cold sweat slid from the ends of his hair into his collar. Fortunately, the sound of an ambulance could already be heard at the entrance. Yi Ke scooped him up horizontally into his arms and strode downstairs.
The patient had arrived without being carried. The medical staff, who had just set up the stretcher, had to put it away again. According to regulations, unauthorized personnel were not allowed in the treatment cabin, but Huo Ting said, “Let Xiao Yi accompany him in the vehicle.”
“Yes, Director Huo.” Words from a leader were just that effective.
Yi Ke rolled up Zhuang Ningyu’s sleeve. After the nurse administered the sedative, he pressed a sterilized cotton ball onto the small needle mark. Under the effect of the medication, Zhuang Ningyu quickly fell into a deep sleep. The vehicle drove directly to the first inpatient department of the Evolver Research Institute. Zhuang Yan and Zhong Yu, who had heard the news, were already waiting in the ward. They were currently on the phone with their parents back home. “Xiao Yu is fine… a normal mission… hospitalized for a routine check-up… no need to buy him a plastic washbasin… no need for hand soap either… he doesn’t like high-calcium milk… he’ll be discharged after the check-up…”
They went through the rounds with both sets of grandparents.
As for Xiao Yi appearing together with their son, Zhuang Yan and Zhong Yu seemed completely unsurprised. A staff member accompanied Zhong Yu to handle the paperwork. Yi Ke found a dry towel, first wiped the cold sweat off Zhuang Ningyu, then quickly helped him change into soft hospital pajamas. Zhuang Yan patted his back. “You need to get a check-up too, right? Your aunt and I are here. Go get it done quickly and go home to rest.”
Yi Ke glanced at the sleeping Zhuang Ningyu on the hospital bed and nodded. “Okay, I’ll bring lunch over tomorrow at noon then.”
This was the most luxurious ward in the research institute. Although it couldn’t compare to Andao International, it still had two rooms and a living room. Zhuang Yan and Zhong Yu weren’t working recently, so it was a good time to stay at the hospital with their son. Zhuang Ningyu slept until eleven o’clock the next day before propping up his sore and weak body. He casually pulled off the oxygen tube from his nose, then pitched forward dizzily—
And was caught firmly!
The tip of his nose touched a familiar rough texture. He lifted his eyelids in confusion, glanced at the pilling sweater, and squeezed out a single word from his throat: “Dad.”
Zhuang Yan helped him sit up properly. “The doctor just came by. He said you can be discharged the day after tomorrow.”
Zhong Yu poured him a glass of warm water. “Are you hungry? Xiao Yi bought you Buddha Jumps Over the Wall. He’s parking the car now, will be here in five minutes.”
Zhuang Ningyu leaned back on the soft pillow, feeling that this sick person’s meal was a bit too grand.
But it turned out that Buddha Jumps Over the Wall was merely the chef’s limit, not Yi Ke’s. He even brought two assistants specifically to carry the food containers, setting up a lavish family feast on the small dining table in the ward. He said very politely, “Uncle, Auntie, please sit here and eat slowly.”
Zhuang Ningyu also tried to wander over, but he was too dizzy and had to give up. Yi Ke set up a small separate table, sat by the hospital bed to feed him, and managed to eat a few bites himself. Zhuang Ningyu held the bowl and took a few sips of soup, then asked, “Is there any progress with the investigation team?”
“Liu Qijing and the owner of Chengnan Bookstore both claim they knew nothing,” Yi Ke said. “Sister Liu’s event procedure this time was basically the same as the previous ones, nothing seemed out of place.” She was a professional reading club planner with rich event experience and was also quite familiar with Zhuang Ningyu; they were considered friends. The bookstore owner also stated that he had generously lent the venue purely out of his personal friendship with Liu Qijing and because he “knew Captain Zhuang would be attending this event and wanted to use it to build some fame for his new store.” At first glance, both explanations sounded quite reasonable.
“What about Ni Ruiling?” Zhuang Ningyu continued to ask.
“She said the reason she signed up at the last minute was because she admires Fu Han.” Yi Ke stuffed a large abalone into his mouth. “Chew on it for a while.”
The meat was firm and chewy. Zhuang Ningyu had to exert quite a bit of effort to swallow it. “Why has she switched to admiring Fu Han now? Does her powerful boyfriend know about this?”
“You won’t believe it, Hou Junye actually came to Jincheng,” Yi Ke said. “He didn’t take a plane, he drove here and moved directly into their secret love nest. He’s more than just a little invested in this mistress.”
It wasn’t necessarily out of love. After all, based on Ni Ruiling’s statements in the rule zone, she likely wasn’t the type to be lovesick. Zhuang Ningyu picked out some taro to eat. “If it’s related to the rule zone, remember to tell the investigation team.”
“I’ve already reported it to them,” Yi Ke handed him the bowl. “Let’s not talk about work. Hold it yourself. I’m going to get you some ribs from Uncle and Auntie’s side.”
With a full stomach, Zhuang Ningyu moved off the bed with weak knees, hanging onto Yi Ke as he wandered around the room to aid digestion. Zhuang Yan, on one hand, felt sorry for his son who couldn’t even walk steadily, but on the other hand, he wondered why he even needed someone to help him put on his slippers. Just as he was about to lecture him, the nursing assistant knocked on the door. “Teacher Zhuang, someone sent you flowers.”
Zhuang Ningyu said without thinking, “Send them back.”
Fortunately, Yi Ke had sharp eyes and promptly saw the tacky bouquet on the cart behind him. He asked, “Who sent them?”
The nursing assistant held up a card. “It’s from Teacher Zhuang’s colleagues.”
Ninety-nine pink carnations wrapped in pink plastic paper, the same style as for Mother’s Day. Zhuang Ningyu was utterly shocked. Why would they send me this kind of thing?
“Because everyone thinks sending flowers is more romantic than sending fruit and milk,” Zhang Hugang explained over the phone. “Actually, we were originally planning to visit the hospital, but Director Huo wouldn’t let us.”
Zhuang Ningyu felt that Huo Ting had finally done something right.
But the action team members clearly didn’t think so. They were currently in a period of blind worship for Zhuang Ningyu and were extremely eager for close contact. They thus engaged in a heated discussion with their captain: Why can Xiao Yi go, but we can’t? Can we discuss with Captain Zhuang about letting us enjoy the same treatment as Xiao Yi?
Zhang Hugang: “…” What a bunch of idiots.
