Chapter 99 Those secrets
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The conversation with Zhuang Lao helped Lin Zhaohe understand why Zhuang Lao had acted that way.
Zhuang Lao initially sided with the opposition, but due to specific reasons, he firmly switched to the proponents’ side. After hearing his explanation, Lin Zhaohe felt something strange, as if Zhuang Lao wasn’t predicting but stating past events.
For instance, Zhuang Lao spoke about the experiences of a divinity who could fulfill people’s desires. It sounded like he was describing his own past experiences.
Lin Zhaohe felt confused for a while, unsure of what he should do to save the crumbling world.
The server sustained minor damage, but it wasn’t a significant problem. Zhuang Lao accompanied Lin Zhaohe back home. Lin Zhaohe asked him about Lin Yan’s fate. Zhuang Lao paused for a moment before saying, “He is now considered a criminal. If caught, he will undoubtedly face legal consequences.”
Regardless of why Lin Yan acted so radically, the situation became an undeniable fact. Countless lives were shattered due to the destruction of his home, and humanity’s fear of the two-dimensional world ran deep within them. It was as if his actions were a deliberate warning, cautioning people not to fantasize about the admirable qualities displayed by fictional characters from that world.
Lin Yan achieved great success. Without him, the situation would have been completely one-sided, and there wouldn’t have been any opposing forces.
When Lin Zhaohe arrived home, he sat in front of his computer, lost in thought. Zhuang Lao asked him what was wrong. Lin Zhaohe looked up and said, “Boss, shouldn’t you be busy with other things?”
Zhuang Lao: “There’s nothing urgent. The server had a few issues because of your accidental kick, but we’re fixing it.”
Lin Zhaohe: “Can it still be accessed?”
Zhuang Lao: “Some areas are experiencing connection problems.”
Lin Zhaohe opened the forum and casually scrolled through a few pages. As expected, people on the forum were complaining, wondering why they were the only ones experiencing disconnections while their friends were still leveling up, creating a significant gap…
The replies suggested that the user should try praying, as it might fix the issue. The original poster thought for a moment and actually took a picture of themselves with folded hands in prayer, expressing the hope for a quick recovery of the server. A few minutes later, the original poster happily announced that the server was indeed back online.
Lin Zhaohe felt a mix of emotions as he read those posts. Perhaps those who hadn’t reached level ten wouldn’t understand what these people were doing. But once someone reached level ten, they would clearly grasp the meaning behind their words and actions.
Unbeknownst to many, the game’s divinity had subtly merged into reality. While people remained unaware, they had already started praying to it.
However, everyone knew it wasn’t a good sign, so people acted cautiously without directly mentioning the existence of the divinity.
Nevertheless, it was sufficient.
Lin Zhaohe believed that when all the hardships piled up into an unsolvable predicament, people found it difficult not to place their final hopes on those elusive and intangible gods.
Lin Zhaohe deeply experienced this in the game.
Following the Min’an Street incident, fusion became an unstoppable trend. In a short span, regions worldwide succumbed. Lin Zhaohe saw some of the iconic buildings that were once a source of pride for certain countries being transformed into odd shapes. The towering iron tower that once reached the sky sprouted enormous wings resembling living creatures, obscuring almost half of the sky.
Below the iron tower, chaos prevailed. Vast emerald green meadows stretched endlessly, with gigantic whales gliding through the sky and humanoid creatures chasing prey across the grasslands, ready to capture their targets.
The scene was bizarre and fantastical, like a painting forcibly infused with countless elements. Lin Zhaohe saw this spectacle on the news. The reporter in the live broadcast was no longer a human but a tiger-headed robot wearing a wig. Its eyes emitted an orange glow as it happily frolicked, expressing its fondness for this untouched paradise.
Lin Zhaohe recalled that this channel used to feature interviews conducted by three-dimensional humans. He wasn’t sure when it had been replaced by this robot. Well, in such a perilous place, humans venturing in would likely be lost forever.
Lin Zhaohe turned his head and glanced at Zhuang Lao beside him. He wasn’t in a hurry to leave. He was currently playing a game on his computer, unable to use Xiao Xu’s secret leveling method. His character’s level was considerably lower than Lin Zhaohe’s. With a furrowed brow, he diligently worked, creating beautifully arranged bouquets for customers.
In the game, Zhuang Lao, a small figure, worked hard to arrange bouquets that customers would love. He skillfully combined various types of flowers and wrapped them in packaging paper.
Lin Zhaohe rested his chin on Zhuang Lao’s shoulder and changed the channel with the remote control. “Boss, your speed is not good enough.”
Zhuang Lao asked, “You’re already level ten. How did you level up?” Based on his calculations, Lin Zhaohe would need at least another week to reach level ten.
Lin Zhaohe replied, “Hey, you’re trying to trick me. I’m not going to tell you.”
Zhuang Lao smiled silently.
The TV played commercials featuring a group of little people promoting how fun the “Earth Online” game was. Lin Zhaohe stared at the screen, feeling a bit absent-minded, as many thoughts raced through his mind.
Although Lin Zhaohe understood Zhuang Lao’s reasoning, it didn’t mean he fully accepted it. In fact, he felt as if he had been caught in a huge whirlpool, being pulled down by the ongoing developments. His struggles resembled a helpless and pale insect trapped in a spider’s web.
Lin Zhaohe had no idea how the world would change and what role Zhuang Lao would play amidst those changes.
Lin Zhaohe turned his head and observed Zhuang Lao from the corner of his eye. As the light fell on Zhuang Lao’s handsome face, he felt a moment of disappointment. He had thought that he and Zhuang Lao shared a deep connection, but he didn’t expect Zhuang Lao to conceal something from him in this significant matter.
Lin Zhaohe knew he couldn’t go against Zhuang Lao head-on. He reluctantly suppressed the resentment in his heart. But these things were like a sharp fishbone that couldn’t be swallowed, getting stuck in his throat, making it difficult for him to rest and even preventing him from facing Zhuang Lao with his previous unguarded attitude.
It was almost dawn when Lin Zhaohe reluctantly woke up from his dream, opening his eyes only to find Zhuang Lao missing again. This wasn’t the first time he had disappeared. Besides feeling disappointed, Lin Zhaohe now had an additional feeling inside him.
He sat up from the bed, turned on the computer, and clicked on the game icon. He remembered Xiao Xu mentioning that after leveling up, the game’s background seemed strange, not entirely like before the fusion, with some peculiar settings mixed in.
Lin Zhaohe controlled his character and messaged Xiao Xu, asking if he had reached level one hundred and whether he could enter the library.
Xiao Xu replied, saying it would happen soon, possibly today.
Lin Zhaohe sighed, amazed at how quickly Xiao Xu leveled up.
Xiao Xu mentioned that it was the quality of a professional player. He said to wait a moment because someone was knocking on his door.
Lin Zhaohe waited for a while, but Xiao Xu didn’t return. After a few minutes, his character logged out directly. Lin Zhaohe waited for a long time but didn’t see him come back online. He called him, but the phone displayed it was switched off… Xiao Xu was gone.
A sudden sense of unease washed over Lin Zhaohe, prompting him to rush to Xiao Xu’s house.
The door to Xiao Xu’s house was tightly shut. Despite knocking for a long time, nobody responded to Lin Zhaohe.
The incident of Xiao Xu reaching level one hundred and suddenly disappearing terrified Lin Zhaohe. He couldn’t shake the faint feeling that it had something to do with Zhuang Lao. Standing in place, his mind raced. He remembered a habit he had noticed when he visited Xiao Xu’s house before. As a player with experience in various games, Xiao Xu had a document on his desktop specifically for recording account passwords. If Lin Zhaohe could get hold of Xiao Xu’s computer, maybe there would be a way.
Lin Zhaohe tried calling Mrs. Li again, but it still showed her phone was switched off. The bad feeling in his heart grew stronger. Gritting his teeth, he pulled out a gun and forcefully broke open the door.
As soon as the door swung open, Lin Zhaohe knew something was wrong. Xiao Xu’s house was in disarray, clearly showing signs of a struggle. The shattered pieces of the ceiling lights lay scattered on the floor, stained with blood.
Lin Zhaohe rushed into the bedroom and quickly spotted Xiao Xu’s computer. It had been smashed, the screen shattered into pieces. One could imagine the brutal scene when Xiao Xu and his mother were taken away.
Looking at the broken and scattered computer, Lin Zhaohe sensed trouble. There was no way this machine could be restored after being smashed like this. However, he suddenly remembered the spare laptop Xiao Xu had given him to use. He frantically searched and, to his surprise, found it in a drawer beneath the bookshelf.
Fearful that those people might return, Lin Zhaohe grabbed the machine and turned to run. While descending the stairs, he encountered a group of people who seemed somewhat strange in the lobby.
In this world that blended the second dimension, there were very few people who could be called strange. However, these dozen or so individuals behaved as if they were copy-pasted. When one person looked in a certain direction, the others would simultaneously turn their heads and look with the same angle and expression, all in unison. It sent shivers down Lin Zhaohe’s spine.
Pretending not to have noticed them, Lin Zhaohe turned and ran without hesitation. It was only when he got into a taxi outside that he finally breathed a sigh of relief. Originally intending to return to his own home, he became apprehensive about Zhuang Lao seeing the computer in his possession. While Lin Zhaohe instinctively trusted Zhuang Lao and knew he wouldn’t harm him, he couldn’t shake the feeling that Zhuang Lao was keeping many things hidden from him. It made Lin Zhaohe uneasy.
So Lin Zhaohe found a random hotel and nervously opened the game. He searched the desktop and found Xiao Xu’s account password. Since there were many of them, he had to try them one by one. On the third attempt, a prompt sounded, indicating that Xiao Xu’s character had successfully entered the game.
As Lin Zhaohe let out a sigh of relief, he inexplicably became tense. As soon as he logged in, numerous people contacted Xiao Xu, and the messages kept coming, densely packed and incessant.
Lin Zhaohe didn’t have time to pay attention to them. He quickly controlled his character to level up. The experience bar was just a little bit away from reaching level one hundred, which would surely have significant benefits. Otherwise, Xiao Xu wouldn’t have encountered an unexpected situation.
Lin Zhaohe found the old bookstore and successfully entered after using the secret code. He selected a movie and waited for the level-up process to begin.
The waiting time was long and excruciating. Amidst the countless messages, a string of red text suddenly popped up: “Who are you? How did you obtain Xiao Xu’s account password?”
This message made Lin Zhaohe’s scalp tingle, but he didn’t reply. He simply deleted it.
The message continued: “Stop, you’re doing something very dangerous.”
Lin Zhaohe ignored it.
The message said: “I’m coming to find you.”
This was the last message. Lin Zhaohe was startled. It was unquestionable that this person would be able to find him—it was just a matter of time. Lin Zhaohe felt anxious and uneasy.
Time seemed to stretch endlessly, and every minute and second felt like it could bring unexpected events. Suddenly, Lin Zhaohe was startled by the sound of his communicator. He picked up his phone and saw that it was Zhuang Lao calling.
“Xiao He,” Zhuang Lao asked, “where are you?”
Lin Zhaohe certainly couldn’t answer truthfully and instead mumbled that he was sleeping.
“Not obedient,” Zhuang Lao sighed. “Did you take it?”
Lin Zhaohe: “……”
“Engaging in such dangerous matters, don’t do it again next time,” Zhuang Lao said. “Just go home and behave.” He paused. “I know you’re angry that I deceived you, but there are things I’ve only recently come to know… Besides, have you ever considered why, if I really didn’t want you to reach level ten, would I inexplicably ask you to help Xiao Xu?”
Lin Zhaohe was taken aback.
Zhuang Lao continued, “Xiao He, I love you, and I’m sorry for deceiving you. I only want you to live a happier life.”
If the end of the world is approaching, would you prefer to know the truth and spend each day in despair, or would you rather blissfully drift through life and die?
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