Chapter 98 Who are you?
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Both Lin Yan and Lin Zhaohe reacted quickly. When the laser appeared, they immediately rushed to the server’s side and forcefully dismantled its casing. As long as they could remove the protective shell of the server, these people wouldn’t be able to harm them along with the server using the laser.
“Stop!” As expected, their plan was proven right. As the laser circle gradually shrank, trapping them and the server together, it seemed they were worried about harming the server and refrained from shrinking it further.
A person from the heavily armed crowd stepped forward, speaking with excitement as they warned Lin Zhaohe and Lin Yan, “If you damage the server, you’ll meet your end here too!”
Lin Yan: “Well, I wasn’t planning on getting out alive anyway, right, Lin Zhaohe?”
Lin Zhaohe: “?” But you didn’t say that earlier. Why are you suddenly ready to sacrifice ourselves here?
“Let’s hold off for now,” Lin Zhaohe quickly suggested. “There’s something we can discuss.”
“What benefit do you get from destroying the server?” the person said. “It’s one thing for Lin Yan, but why are you getting involved, Lin Zhaohe?”
Lin Zhaohe was still wearing the banana-print skirt. He was surprised that someone recognized him instantly. His first instinct was to glance at Lin Yan, wondering if it was you who betrayed me?
After being recognized, Lin Yan immediately clarified his stance, “This is my first time here, I am innocent.”
“Why do you know me?” Lin Zhaohe questioned. “Where have we met before?”
The person remained silent, picked up the walkie-talkie, and spoke a few words. Then they addressed Lin Zhaohe. “Lin Zhaohe, don’t get involved in Lin Yan’s recklessness.”
Upon hearing this, Lin Zhaohe furrowed his brows and said, “Reckless? Is this what you call reckless?” He angrily kicked the server in front of him, causing its already cracked casing to break open, revealing a tangled web of fragile circuits inside. He raised his wand and aimed it at the server’s interior. “You have to take responsibility for your words.”
“Stop it!” The person became anxious. “Do you even know what you’re doing?”
Lin Zhaohe: “Of course I know, and I also know that at this point, no one can stop me!” As he spoke, the wand began to emit flickering light, ready to strike the vulnerable server in the next moment.
“Lin Zhaohe.” Just then, someone softly called out his name. Although the tone was gentle, it froze Lin Zhaohe in his tracks. It felt like being struck by lightning. He couldn’t recover his senses for a while.
The voice was unmistakably familiar, belonging to Zhuang Lao.
Lin Zhaohe turned his head and saw Zhuang Lao, who shouldn’t have been here, standing at the back of the crowd. He walked towards them with measured steps, wearing the same uniform as everyone else. The prominent game logo on the shoulder of the uniform burned into Lin Zhaohe’s eyes.
It felt as if someone had struck Lin Zhaohe from behind with a heavy blow. He stood frozen in place, his mind blank. He opened his mouth, reflexively attempting to call out “Boss,” but the words came out dryly, “Who are you?”
Zhuang Lao: “I am, of course, your boss.”
Lin Zhaohe: “Why are you here?”
The words Lin Yan had said about Zhuang Lao and the memories seen with the witch Qi Mola all intertwined. The unfamiliar Zhuang Lao before his eyes, with the same face and voice, gave Lin Zhaohe a sense of meeting him for the first time.
“Xiao He,” Zhuang Lao didn’t answer his question. His deep, dark eyes resembled a deep lake, containing emotions that Lin Zhaohe couldn’t decipher. His voice was gentle, as if whispering sweet nothings, but the content sent chills down Lin Zhaohe’s spine. “Xiao He, be a good boy and come here. Don’t destroy the server.”
Lin Zhaohe: “Boss, are you deceiving me?”
Zhuang Lao fell silent for a moment. “I haven’t deceived you.”
Lin Zhaohe: “Is this game related to you? You’re not on the opposition’s side, and you never intended to destroy the server.”
Zhuang Lao remained silent for a moment. “Xiao H, come here first.”
“I’m not going over there, damn it!” Anger from being deceived flooded his mind, causing his furry ears to stand upright. He swung his wand forcefully, intending to blow up the server in front of him. But as soon as his hand was raised, his body froze. It was as if he had been embedded in hardened cement, completely immobilized.
Lin Yan was in an even worse condition than Lin Zhaohe, with a cyanotic hue on his face, showing signs of oxygen deprivation. He was on the verge of suffocation.
It was only now that Lin Zhaohe realized the disparity between himself and Zhuang Lao. He helplessly watched Zhuang Lao approach, who lifted him up and bypassed the crowd without expression, giving an emotionless instruction, “Take Lin Yan out. And don’t kill him.”
Others obeyed Zhuang Lao’s command, their attitudes filled with awe mixed with fear, leaving Lin Zhaohe bewildered.
Zhuang Lao carried Lin Zhaohe forward until they reached a closed room at a corner, where he finally set him down.
“Xiao He,” Zhuang Lao sighed with a hint of helplessness, as if Lin Zhaohe had become the unreasonable one at that moment. Zhuang Lao reached out and scratched Lin Zhaohe’s tall, upright white ears, which were raised due to anger. “Don’t be angry.”
“You deceived me,” Lin Zhaohe gritted his teeth and opened his hand, “You filthy spy, don’t touch me with your dirty hands!”
Zhuang Lao: “……”
“Tell me, are you the mastermind from the 2D world?” Lin Zhaohe angrily questioned, “I knew it. Who would start an insurance company in a situation like this, and be so powerful? Come on, which work’s character are you?”
Zhuang Lao blinked but didn’t say a word.
Lin Zhaohe continued venting his anger, “If you want to be a fictional character, be one. But you had to infiltrate the real world as a spy. No wonder we couldn’t find a server no matter how hard we searched. It was you, betraying us.”
Zhuang Lao said slowly, “Xiao He, I think you resemble a 2D character a bit more than I do.”
Lin Zhaohe, still wearing the Yellow Banana Girl dress, looked disheveled from head to toe. His pair of furry little ears were trembling vigorously, most likely due to anger.
With his naturally delicate features and warm temperament, the trembling did not make him appear intimidating. Instead, Zhuang Lao sensed a touch of pitifulness. He was like a small dog baring its teeth and trying its best to scare others away, unaware of his own cuteness, making Zhuang Lao yearn to hold him tightly and ruffle his head.
“How am I more like a 2D character!” Lin Zhaohe couldn’t contain his anger. His outburst towards Zhuang Lao felt like punching cotton, as he received no direct response. He demanded, “Don’t change the subject. Answer me, why did you do this?!”
Zhuang Lao pondered for a moment and said, “Xiao He, I didn’t deceive you. Initially, I stood with the opposition.”
Lin Zhaohe asked, “What’s the situation now, then?”
“But later, I realized,” Zhuang Lao continued, “the opposition cannot save humanity.”
Lin Zhaohe: “So, is it the side in favor that can?”
Zhuang Lao: “These are two choices: one is to wait for death slowly in search of a solution, the other is to take a desperate gamble.”
Lin Zhaohe: “You chose the second option.”
Zhuang Lao shook his head. “I didn’t want to choose, but there was no other way.”
Lin Zhaohe remained silent for a moment and looked up at Zhuang Lao.
Meanwhile, his mind recalled the descriptions of the divinity in the game’s quests… They were nearly identical. When not connected, it was bearable, but once connected, Zhuang Lao seemed to have taken the form of those words. He was the benevolent divinity who could fulfill everyone’s wishes. All they had to do was believe in him, and everything would turn out fine.
Lin Zhaohe: “Is there something I don’t know?”
Zhuang Lao: “Yes.”
“Then why didn’t you tell me?” Lin Zhaohe straightened his posture. He realized that his previous efforts to shut down the server seemed somewhat ridiculous now. His most trusted ally had betrayed him. Just a few days ago, they were affectionate in bed, and today they almost drew swords against each other.
Zhuang Lao furrowed his brow. “I didn’t know how to approach it.”
Lin Zhaohe: “We have plenty of time. You can slowly explain it to me… By the way, your character reached level ten, right? Have you encountered that main quest?”
Zhuang Lao nodded.
“What do you think of that main quest?” Lin Zhaohe asked.
“It’s good,” Zhuang Lao said, “The description is vivid and detailed. I really like it.”
Zhuang Lao’s response was ambiguous.
Lin Zhaohe decided to be direct, “What do you think would happen if the divinity in the game merged with reality?”
Zhuang Lao laughed. “Well, it definitely wouldn’t be like me.”
Lin Zhaohe: “……”
“The opposing faction isn’t entirely wrong,” Zhuang Lao said. “Nor is the supporting faction. It’s just that some minor flaws appeared along the way. Humans are too greedy.” He tentatively reached out to touch Lin Zhaohe’s head, wanting to comfort him, but fearing that his little dog was still angry, he approached with caution. “Xiao He, do you think such a divinity, one that could fulfill all of humanity’s wishes, would truly satisfy them?”
Lin Zhaohe didn’t dodge and allowed Zhuang Lao’s hand to rest on his head.
This interaction relieved both of them. At least Lin Zhaohe confirmed that the person in front of him was still his boss from his memory. Otherwise, Zhuang Lao’s petting gesture wouldn’t be so familiar. Zhuang Lao was pleased that Lin Zhaohe was willing to listen to his explanation. There was no irreconcilable conflict between them.
“No, it wouldn’t satisfy them,” Lin Zhaohe said. “How could human desires ever be fulfilled?”
The sick yearned for health, the poor yearned for wealth, but when they attained what they desired, it didn’t end there.
Even healthy individuals became greedy, and the wealthy desired more wealth. Desires were like black holes, unfillable abysses. Even emperors who possessed the world seek the path to immortality, let alone ordinary mortals like them.
At first glance, having a divinity who could fulfill all wishes in the world seemed wonderful. But wishes that came without a cost carried a disturbing absurdity.
Lin Zhaohe looked at Zhuang Lao and felt that he saw a sorrowful soul inside him. It seemed to be another side of Zhuang Lao, filled with compassion and yet extremely disappointed.
Lin Zhaohe said, “You…” but hesitated.
Zhuang Lao: “Xiao He, don’t think too much. Even if it’s for you, I will strive to protect this world.”
Lin Zhaohe: “But you should at least… at least discuss it with me.”
Zhuang Lao: “I’m afraid.” His eyes overflowed with melancholy, like flowing water seeping into Lin Zhaohe’s heart, causing him to couldn’t help but feel the same pain. He reached out and held Zhuang Lao’s fingers, intertwining their hands, feeling the warmth in each other’s palms.
“Afraid of what?” Lin Zhaohe asked.
“I’m afraid that our thoughts might differ,” Zhuang Lao said. “That there will be disagreements, and then you’ll…”
Lin Zhaohe: “Hmm?”
Zhuang Lao: “Then you’ll dump me.”
Lin Zhaohe: “……”
“But if you really do leave me,” Zhuang Lao reached out and embraced Lin Zhaohe’s waist, rubbing his chin against the top of Lin Zhaohe’s head. He murmured softly, “I won’t let you go. I’ll lock you up in a small room and come to you every day…” He lowered his head and whispered a few words into Lin Zhaohe’s ear.
Lin Zhaohe’s face instantly turned red, and he said, “What nonsense are you talking about!”
Zhuang Lao: “I don’t care. After all, this is my first time being in love, and I plan for it to be the last. I even want to hang Xiao He up and try that thing…”
This guy, he can say such things without blushing. Lin Zhaohe became furious and asked, “Where did you learn all this?”
Zhuang Lao shrugged and said, “There are many things online. Xiao He must have come across them, right?”
Lin Zhaohe felt exasperated and said, “You’re not allowed to look at those anymore!”
[A/N]:
Zhuang Lao: It’s such a waste to have so many books…
Lin Zhaohe: ??? You shouldn’t have read those books either!
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