A short sentence made the university student blush.
Just as he finished the last stroke, the moment Zhou Qi’an looked up, he happened to see the other’s blushing face.
“?”
What are you blushing about?
The university student was too nervous to speak.
It wasn’t his fault that he was a fast learner. Even watching Zhou Qi’an’s writing motion upside down, he knew what the other was writing.
He hadn’t officially started university yet, let alone seen people fall in love, especially people close to him.
He was a little nervous.
The university student’s face turned even redder.
But…
“That’s great.”
So Brother Zhou really has some memory problems, it seems to be amnesia. I also have amnesia.
Brother Zhou didn’t lie to him. It seems this problem is quite common among players who enter instances.
In a brief moment, Zhou Qi’an read multiple expressions on the other’s face and just found it inexplicable.
Coming back to his senses, he found that Shen Zhiyi’s expression towards the university student was also very strange, as if saying he wanted to beat the other back into his mother’s womb to be remade.
Zhou Qi’an couldn’t help but pat his own face. He must be too tired, even having hallucinations.
Even if Shen Zhiyi was dissatisfied, at most he would just kill and set fires. How could he suddenly have the strange interpretation of wanting someone to be remade?
…
In this round of the copper coin competition, the limited edition copper coin was easily pocketed by his superior, who had now been directly teleported back to the small town.
The sentence ‘I want to remember you’ was no less than the best encouragement. Now, all that was left was to ask the small town residents about the specific types of popular cultural and creative products. For the first time, Shen Zhiyi showed a very positive attitude towards a mission and also returned to Silent Town.
Around the same time, Zhou Qi’an found Ying Yu.
As the sun set, its light shone on the three buildings. Ying Yu’s original intention remained unchanged. He gently pushed his glasses, a hint of regret flashing in his eyes.
The relics here formed their own worlds. It was impossible to bring them back to the real world as materials.
Footsteps interrupted his thoughts.
Ying Yu turned slightly, his peripheral vision catching Zhou Qi’an’s figure. He seemed to know what he was about to say.
“There will be news about the substitute for the Health-Nurturing Pouch soon.”
Before entering the instance, the laboratory had already sent emails to the major associations.
The two had made an agreement on this before, so Zhou Qi’an didn’t thank him again with excessive politeness.
He looked at the university student standing in the distance, thought for a moment, and said, “His growth speed is very fast, but he is still far from having the strength to cope with instances.”
The university student would need to pass at least two or three more high-star instances to reach the new world. Luck alone is not enough to survive in instances.
“Sometimes, he’s more like…” Zhou Qi’an struggled to find a description: “a child who grew up in an ivory tower.”
A prospective university student, yet his understanding of the world was strangely superficial.
“If it’s convenient, you can team up with him in the next instance.”
Ying Yu understood. “You’re entrusting your ward.”
These words indirectly indicated a fact: the guardian was about to clear the game.
Zhou Qi’an’s eyelid twitched upon hearing this.
Big shot, you’re being humorous.
Whether it was his tomb-robbing mother or his superior, once they consumed a second item similar to the Health-Nurturing Pouch, they would regain most of their sanity and would surely be able to head to the new world soon.
As for Shen Zhiyi…
A being who didn’t need to restrain his appetite at all, whose age was beyond imagination, who could freely switch his appearance, and could even provide purified Taisui meat… was clearly not human.
Yet he could still live in the real world.
Zhou Qi’an had some guesses about Shen Zhiyi’s identity.
What was certain for now was that Shen Zhiyi would immediately follow him to the new world after he cleared the game, and would absolutely not stay behind for a period to look after the university student.
Thinking of this, Zhou Qi’an couldn’t help but ask the question that had been buried in his heart. He looked at Ying Yu: “You should have been able to go to the new world long ago.”
Ying Yu did not answer immediately. Zhou Qi’an: “If it’s not convenient to disclose, then…”
“It’s not a secret,” Ying Yu replied. “Every time the system asks whether to use experience for evolution, I choose no. The experience has just been piling up, unused.”
It had been like this since the first time he was selected by the game. Each time, he would only choose to fill in inconsequential parts like nails and hair.
An unevolved body was at a great disadvantage in clearing instances, so he usually carried various types of props.
For Ying Yu, as long as he wanted to, he could go to the new world at any time. It was only because the laboratory couldn’t frequently change its person-in-charge that it had been delayed until now.
Zhou Qi’an’s mouth opened upon hearing this.
Isn’t this equivalent to the experience bar overflowing, but never clicking to upgrade, forcibly maintaining a ‘level 1’ state?
What a ruthless person.
After discussing with Ying Yu, Zhou Qi’an waved to the university student, who came running over.
“Brother Zhou, you were looking for me?”
Zhou Qi’an nodded. “I just arranged your funeral affairs.”
“?”
“The company is conducting employee training. Take my neighbors with you too.”
Zhou Qi’an gave a few more specific instructions, and the university student nodded repeatedly.
There was still half an hour until closing time. As they spoke, the angle of the sun tilted more and more. On the small road in the distance, two familiar figures approached. It was his superior and Shen Zhiyi returning.
Confirming that this was in the bag, Zhou Qi’an strolled over to the vicinity of the sheep-headed man.
He raised an eyebrow, his slightly lifted chin carrying a hint of arrogance. “Shopkeeper, get ready.”
He was coming to buy the popular cultural and creative products in a moment.
The sheep-headed man’s horns hardened.
As Shen Zhiyi and his superior returned, the teammates who were resting nearby reassembled. After a brief and rapid exchange, Yuan looked at Zhou Qi’an. “Same as before, you buy first.”
The university student nodded. “Brother Zhou’s luck is bad. He has to go first.”
In Huagu City, he had been the last to get off the bus and could still be taken away. Who knew what would happen if he was late?
Zhou Qi’an smiled. Rebellious son.
His fate is in his own hands, not heaven’s.
“…Okay.”
In the sheep-headed man’s eyes, Zhou Qi’an was the real beast.
Although it wished it could pry open this bastard’s chest and take out the thing inside, it still had to follow the rules. The moment Zhou Qi’an said he wanted to buy the cultural and creative products, the sheep cart was covered with a red cloth as usual, forming a temporary enclosed space.
A few meters away, the university student looked at the scarlet curtain and said, not very confidently, “There won’t be any problems, right?”
They had come this far. There better not be any more screw-ups at this final juncture.
Shen Zhiyi said coldly, “Going first to buy the cultural products means he won’t face restocking issues. He has the most ghost money, so he can afford even the most expensive items. What problems could there be?”
As he spoke, he strangely lost some of his confidence.
The crowd fell silent for a moment, looking at each other. There should, probably, maybe… not be any problems.
·
The questioned party was currently paying.
There was still plenty of time, but Zhou Qi’an had no intention of teasing the sheep-headed man. Almost the moment he entered, he directly selected the carved bookmark and the musical crystal ball according to the reference answer.
From selection to payment, everything went smoothly. Zhou Qi’an observed the sheep-headed man’s emotional changes, and the cultural products were not the wrong choice. As he took the items, he let out a slight sigh of relief.
My luck has turned. I’m finally lucky!
The timely arrival of the system prompt further verified this view.
“Congratulations on successfully collecting all the popular cultural and creative products.”
[The unreleased beta instance, the Silent Museum, has been cleared.]
[A clearance reward of twenty-six thousand points has been deposited into your backpack.]
[You have gained 29,418 experience points in this game. Do you want to use them all for personal evolution?]
Everything was too smooth. Zhou Qi’an was even a little cautious. “Yes.”
[Strengthening and upgrading in progress, please do not close the panel.]
[Strengthening completed.]
[Brain (Advanced evolutionary state): Paralysis state is improving.]
[Detecting other primary organs…]
[Primary organs heart, lungs, and brain have all completed evolution.]
[Blood, waist, cerebellum, and stomach have completed evolution.]
[Bones, limbs, eyes, hair, and vocal cords have completed evolution.]
[The evolution degree of important organs has covered ninety percent. Primary organs are driving the evolution of other secondary and tertiary organs. Please do not close the panel.]
On the first day of entering the game, Han Li had explained that the complete evolution of something like the lungs could drive the evolution of the skin and other parts. To truly experience this process was quite satisfying.
Zhou Qi’an sincerely thanked the Whalers’ Association for their generous contribution of positive energy. Otherwise, he would have had to go through at least one more instance.
While waiting, he suddenly asked, “After leaving this instance, will I be unable to return to the real world?”
The position of the gatekeeper was gone now. There was no reason for a fully evolved player to linger in a instance.
The game’s answer was very official, only six characters: [The New World welcomes you].
Zhou Qi’an was not surprised by this result. He calmly brought up another matter first: “I still have the identity of the lord of Huagu City. Theoretically, I can be teleported back to Huagu City first this time.”
Besides Huagu City, Zhou Qi’an did not mention going anywhere else, including the real world.
He skirted all matters that pushed the game’s boundaries.
Choosing each word carefully, ensuring that every word was from the game’s perspective of benefit, he said slowly, “The ghost money in the black card cannot be used in the new world. I need to first use this remaining balance for urban construction and planning.”
“Without a city lord, and no one to provide scripts, how can more residents of the ancient city be helped to step onto the broader world stage?”
Zhou Qi’an had originally prepared a few more arguments, but unexpectedly, the system prompt responded very quickly, as if it had skipped the calculation phase and had been prepared all along:
[Detected that after the player succeeded the city lord, a revenue of over thirty million was achieved.]
[Detected that in the satisfaction survey of Huagu City residents, the player’s approval rating is as high as ninety percent.]
[Meets the re-employment requirements.]
[Re-employment contract has been issued.]
Zhou Qi’an quickly scanned it: a zero-salary, black-hearted contract.
It included, but was not limited to, long-term voluntary provision of scripts for the ancient city.
“…”
He practically suspected the game was his superior’s illegitimate child.
But this played right into Zhou Qi’an’s hands.
He timely said, “Some of the ancient city’s residents are now doing business in the Ghost Market, and the ancient city is short-staffed. The souls sealed in the relics that do not belong to this instance world can become residents of Huagu City. Especially the ghost baby… is a scarce actor.”
He had been particularly clean-handed in this instance, precisely to make it easier to negotiate terms.
In fact, this couldn’t even be considered a negotiation.
Interpreted from any angle, the above requests were in line with the game’s interests, and he had not violated any rules.
Retaining the identity of the lord of Huagu City had no meaning for Zhou Qi’an himself. Currently, it seemed the city lord was just a tool to provide scripts for the game for free.
But Zhou Qi’an desperately needed this identity. By using some relatively gentle creations, there was a chance to help the ancient city’s residents gradually recover more of their self-awareness.
The large revenue earned by the poor ghosts like Miss Qi had helped him purchase the nursing qualification for the special inpatient department in the Cyclamen instance. The souls like Jin Zhi and Yu Wan, trapped in the relics, had only a few remaining obsessions. They had to rely on a large number of script-playing roles to have a chance of recovery.
As for the newspaper zombie… go be fertilizer in his back garden!
The game did not explicitly deny it, so Zhou Qi’an took it as a tacit agreement.
Soon, the prompt sounded again, returning to the evolution itself—
[Detection complete.]
[Evolution degree 100%.]
[Please note, your memory paralysis state will be lifted within three days.]
After a few prompts, a faint luster instantly enveloped his skin, making his whole body translucent like amber… Zhou Qi’an was startled. This isn’t underwater, why am I suddenly shining?
In an instant, this light became even more exaggerated. The tips of his toes began to uncontrollably leave the ground, and his arms spread out against his will.
“?”
Magnetic levitation?
The unusual light attracted the players in the courtyard. It just so happened that it was almost closing time. More and more players noticed this scene, and a large crowd came out at once.
Crossing the threshold, when they saw a person floating in mid-air, they were all dumbfounded.
The young man’s eyes were tightly closed, his thin lips pursed. His well-proportioned, slender body was fully stretched out. The superior blue tone of his long hair became even more crystalline, and the strands were still growing further.
In the light, Zhou Qi’an’s entire aura gradually shifted towards a cold and mysterious one.
From the color of his hair and eyes to the color of his lips… even his nails were changing bit by bit, becoming thin and translucent.
The sun cast a black sunlight that did not match the sunset.
The color of the sunlight was exactly the same as the sunlight projected by the Taisui in Cyclamen Hospital. This strange sunlight was supplying energy to the new player who had cleared the game.
When it shone on people, it presented a completely different, soft and smooth crimson color.
The crowd of onlookers grew larger and larger, almost forming a circle, curiously studying the transforming body in the air.
“Holy crap!”
“What’s going on? Can someone in the know explain?”
Below, Zhou Qi’an’s teammates’ expressions were all frozen, all of them silent.
After a long while, Yuan managed to squeeze out a sentence: “Has he completely evolved? Is… is he okay?”
Floating and transforming in mid-air in public. He dared to transform, but she didn’t dare to watch.
Every time the light passed over a part of his body, that part would undergo subtle and wonderful changes, like a throwback to a childhood cartoon.
“Good light,” someone among the players said. “He’s getting brighter and brighter.”
Shen Zhiyi’s gaze turned cold.
That’s called shining.
His gaze swept around. Which uncultured thing was spouting nonsense?
In mid-air, Zhou Qi’an kept his eyes tightly closed from beginning to end, not knowing if it was because he didn’t dare to look down, or if he had already been gone for a while.
At this moment, even Ying Yu had a flash of gratitude in his eyes. It was a good thing someone had set an example. In the future, he would try to choose a less crowded instance for his final game and find a place to hide early before completing the mission.
Red Hood took a deep breath. “I’d rather hide in the toilet.”
Ascending to heaven in a toilet wouldn’t get you very high, but it was better than undergoing a grand transformation under everyone’s watchful eyes.
As the light flowed, after an unknown amount of time, Zhou Qi’an finally began to slowly descend.
“Quick, quick, he’s coming down!” The people surrounding him hurriedly backed away, all curious and surprised gazes focused here.
At this moment, Zhou Qi’an’s perception was clearer than ever before, and he could fully feel the gazes from his surroundings.
His eyelids were trembling. Damn game, what are you doing?
The longer he floated, the longer he was watched. He had to find a way down quickly.
Taking a deep breath, after countless mental preparations, Zhou Qi’an finally mustered up the courage to reopen his big blue eyes.
Just then, a player who had just finished viewing a relic at the last minute walked out of the courtyard. Seeing many people gathered together, he quickly squeezed to the front to check the situation.
Without any warning, the beautiful and otherworldly glowing figure came into view.
He subconsciously went, “Waaah—”
A high-end natural color scheme between Klein blue and Avatar blue.
Zhou Qi’an, who had finally mustered up his courage: “…”
Waaah your grandpa.
Forced to listen to a chorus of “waaah,” the bit of courage Zhou Qi’an had to open his eyes vanished.
He would now rather have a chase with a ghost.
Among the onlookers, some had already guessed that this was a state of complete evolution. It was an indescribable feeling. Although the appearance was the same, the coldness that emanated from him, if looked at for a long time, would easily breed a deep-sea fear from the bottom of one’s heart.
It was as if the two sides were no longer in the same dimension.
Their breathing became a little rapid one by one, and they stared intently with gazes of pilgrimage, not at Zhou Qi’an himself, but at the possibility of that evolution.
At this moment, Zhou Qi’an was like a game business card. His existence was the best proof…
After evolving to a certain extent, one could achieve—
Super evolution!
Zhou Qi’an felt that his face must have evolved, because being viewed like an exhibit by so many people, his face didn’t blush at all.
“The last one to evolve like this was a Digimon.”
Where’s Shen Zhiyi?
Come clear the area, take me away!
In fact, it wasn’t that Shen Zhiyi was letting him float. It was just that the rules around him hadn’t disappeared yet.
The Silent Museum originally had a setting where whoever completed the mission first left first. Players who couldn’t complete the mission might be permanently stuck until death. At this moment, another kind of light had appeared around Zhou Qi’an, a sign of impending teleportation.
“Light, it’s glowing again!” someone whispered.
Shen Zhiyi’s gaze turned cold. Who was it? There were too many people; he couldn’t pinpoint which uncultured thing it was for a moment.
Besides him, everyone else was staring intently.
The shock brought by Zhou Qi’an’s ‘second ascension’ was indeed not small.
In extreme situations, people are easily manipulated.
For example, Zhou Qi’an suddenly and strangely felt that the game was quite benevolent. At least it didn’t film every clearing player’s ascension scene into a promotional video to attract more players to fight for it.
This time, it was a milky white light that rose up.
His body and consciousness became light and airy. The sounds of discussion and all sorts of gazes all disappeared in an instant. Teammates, ancient buildings, the angry sheep-headed man… everything around him became blurry.
There was no bus to pick him up. The dizziness from the game’s fixed-point teleportation was even stronger.
Before completely losing his mobility, Zhou Qi’an’s fingers managed to move slightly:
“Relics… residents…”
He hoped the game wouldn’t forget one of the premises for the black-hearted contract to be established: he wanted to take away some of the souls sealed in the relics that did not belong to this world.
Not long after his voice fell, in the darkness, he seemed to feel a chill approaching.
Zhou Qi’an managed to lift his eyes and vaguely saw a few clusters of light wrapped in yin energy approaching.
The next second, a strong sense of weightlessness came.
[Teleporting in progress…]
[Teleportation destination: Huagu City]
[Please note, players are prohibited from leaving the scope of the Huagu City instance without permission.]
[Please note, the player can only travel back and forth between Huagu City and the New World at fixed points.]
