Chapter 63: Death is Always Sudden
“His constitution was poor to begin with. Look at him; there’s barely any meat on his bones, and he has dark circles under his eyes. He definitely stays up late and never exercises.”
“He was full of energy before. That can’t be the reason.”
“He’s been lying on that bed all day. I’ve checked him from top to bottom, and there is absolutely nothing physically wrong with him. If you don’t believe me, take him to the hospital for a systematic checkup yourself.”
Wen Rong actually wanted to press for answers regarding the System’s death notification, but the current situation didn’t allow him the calm he needed to think. So, he suppressed the panic brought on by the System, silently raised his hand, and looked around. “Seniors, why are you here?”
Lin Qizheng spoke up. “We saw someone on the forum saying you fainted.”
Zhang Lin made a point to add, “Some guy took a great photo. The view of Shi Ye carrying you in a princess carry from behind… tsk tsk tsk.”
Shi Ye—
Wen Rong was stunned for a moment, lifting his eyes to look at Shi Ye, who was still arguing with the doctor.
Shi Ye sensed the gaze. His raised brow instantly lowered. “Wh-what?”
“Thank you for bringing me here.”
“No need for thanks. You fainted on my turf; I should be responsible.” Shi Ye turned his face away, a faint, barely-there blush appearing beneath the tips of his grey hair. “The doctor said your constitution is too poor. From now on, come to the tennis court next to my villa every morning to exercise. Understood?”
But you were just arguing with the doctor about that very diagnosis.
Wen Rong, having already learned how to handle Shi Ye, nodded in agreement. “Mm. I promised you, and I remember.”
“…” Shi Ye felt an inexplicable bloom of joy in his heart. He suppressed the corners of his mouth and asked, “What do you want to eat? I’ll have the butler send it over.”
“I—”
“No need, no need. We brought food for the Youngest.” Before Wen Rong could finish, Lin Qizheng beat him to it, fishing a lunchbox out of his bag and handing it to Wen Rong. He then looked at Shi Ye, revealing a rare display of assertive dignity. “We have matters we need to discuss with the Youngest alone. Could we trouble you to step out for a moment?”
“Me? Step out?” The expression on Shi Ye’s face turned instantly cold. He raked his fingers through his hair, pushing it back. His features turned sharp and aggressive as he glared down at Lin Qizheng from his imposing height.
Wen Rong knew Shi Ye was angry, and Lin Qizheng wasn’t the type to handle a direct confrontation with him. He hurriedly interjected, “Senior, how about we go outside to talk?”
Lin Qizheng steadied himself. “Going outside works too.”
Zhang Lin added, “Let’s go. Since the doctor said you’re fine, we can walk you back to the dorm.”
Wen Rong threw off the covers to get out of bed. At the foot of the bed, Shi Ye’s expression shifted slightly. He reached out and pressed down on the quilt. “I’m going back.”
Immediately after, he retracted his hand, shoved it into his pocket, and turned to walk out.
For the first time, his tall, towering back looked somewhat hunched, appearing a bit lonely. Wen Rong couldn’t help but open his mouth to speak, but Shi Ye suddenly whipped his head around, their gazes locking.
The anger had dissipated. There was no sadness or joy, just a stillness so profound he seemed to be zoning out.
He didn’t say a word. He simply extended a long arm, grabbed the doctor, and dragged him out.
Bang.
It was a very soft sound. But because it was so soft, it had the same impact as slamming the door with full force.
Wen Rong was startled and surprised. Shi Ye actually hadn’t lost his temper?
Before he could think too deeply, Lin Qizheng leaned in quickly. “Youngest, tell us the truth. Did Shi Ye torture you at the tennis court? You were perfectly fine, so how could you faint and stay unconscious for a whole day?”
“Huh?”
“Don’t be afraid. If you were really bullied, say it directly. You aren’t a ‘Red Card’ target anymore. Bullying you counts as a violation. We can send a report letter to the school together.”
Zhang Lin whispered, “If worse comes to worst, we can find a day to throw a sack over Shi Ye’s head and beat him up for you. He can’t fight four people alone.”
“Right. I’ve hacked into the security system. I know where the blind spots in the surveillance are. I guarantee we won’t be caught.”
Report letters? Sacks? Surveillance?
It took Wen Rong a few seconds to react. The seniors thought he had been bullied at the tennis court, which was why they wanted to send Shi Ye away to speak with him alone.
To think the seniors would dare to provoke Shi Ye for him!
A warm current flowed through his heart, and the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but lift. But then, the System’s “Death Notification” surfaced in his mind, and his smile turned bitter.
He was never good at hiding his emotions, and Zhang Lin noticed immediately. “You really were bullied?”
Lin Qizheng said viciously, “I knew he was birds of a feather with Zhou Xie and Li Ao!”
“No, no.” Wen Rong knew he couldn’t stay immersed in his thoughts any longer. If he did, Shi Ye would become more wronged than Dou E.
“It has nothing to do with Shi Ye. It’s just that I haven’t exercised in too long. I fainted as soon as I started moving.”
“Really?”
“Mm-hm.”
“As long as that’s true.” Lin Qizheng muttered, heaving a sigh of relief.
The three members of the News Club waited for Wen Rong to finish eating before leaving.
Wen Rong walked to the window.
By the roadside, the poplar trees were as bare as skeleton fingers, clutching at the faint orange streetlights, shivering in the boundless darkness.
The three seniors walked out of the medical building. Lin Qizheng draped his arms around Zhang Lin and Zhang Jincheng’s shoulders. He seemed to tell a joke, causing them all to sway together.
Turning his head, Lin Qizheng saw Wen Rong. He waved his arm. Zhang Jincheng and Zhang Lin turned back as well.
Wen Rong waved his hand, keeping it up, waving until the figures of his seniors disappeared into the darkness.
【They have already gone very far.】
Wen Rong lowered his arm, only then feeling the blood flow return, a tingling numbness transmitting from his shoulder to his heart.
He took a deep breath. “Brother, today’s fainting spell was a bit sudden, I…”
【Death is always sudden. Just like how the Host encountered the earthquake in your past life.】
“…”
Wen Rong fell silent.
Yes, he had experienced death. It had been so fast there was no warning. In fact, it wasn’t until this very moment that he remembered he had already died once.
【This time is merely a warning. The Host still has a chance to change things.】
【Do you remember what happened during the time Zhao Zeyang dropped out? The Host incited public outrage and triggered two missions in a row.】
“…”
【Therefore, as long as the Host makes everyone hate you, you can continue to trigger missions and earn points.】
Wen Rong still didn’t answer. The System grew anxious. 【Host, just endure this period. Once the missions are complete, you can live a good life in this world.】
“Do I really have to choose between being bullied and dying?”
【…】
Wen Rong propped his hands against the window sill, his fingernails digging into the metal frame until his fingertips ached. Yet, he didn’t dare let go, because the ground was shaking. It was another earthquake.
When he sat down on the floor, the world went still.
Wen Rong, having experienced “death” once more, rested his forehead against his knees. The sharp pain forced his light-colored eyes to suddenly clear. “Brother, you’re right. Death does come suddenly. Even if I complete the missions, I will still die someday in the future.”
【…】
“So, while I am alive, I must do something meaningful. Even if these things attract hatred from others.”
“Perhaps for others, this hatred is an unbearable weight. But for me, this hatred has benefits. It can help me earn points.”
Having coaxed himself into acceptance, Wen Rong propped himself up and stood. He fumbled for his phone and sent a message to the News Club group chat:
[@Zhang Jincheng, President, I plan to create an alt account on the Science App to expose Wang Allen for stealing your design drafts. Can you help me?]
Zhang Jincheng: [What?]
Wen Rong: [I want to do this, but I don’t know the best way to expose his true colors. So I’m asking for your advice and if you have any methods.]
Wen Rong: [Don’t worry about exposing yourself. Just tell me the method. I will do it. If it gets investigated, it will only be me they investigate.]
Zhang Jincheng: [You don’t need to do this for me.]
Zhang Lin: [Every dress has a unique design concept. You can ask him what his inspiration was for designing those dresses.]
Two messages were sent simultaneously. Immediately after, Lin Qizheng chimed in: [I’ll do it too, I’ll do it too! I can use an alt account and hide my IP. Let’s increase the difficulty for Li Ao a little bit.]
Zhang Lin: [I’m joining too! @Zhang Jincheng This isn’t just your problem anymore; this is about our app. Wang Allen is currently a hot blogger on this Science App. The items he showcased at the Spring/Summer Fashion Week are trending. If someone asks a question, he is bound to answer. Once we find cracks in his answers, his reputation will suffer, and the app’s authority will be greatly discounted.]
Lin Qizheng: [Yes, yes, yes. I’d rather this software rot than see it flourish in the hands of Zhou Xie. Slithering_in_the_shadows.jpg]
Targeting Wang Allen was the first step.
For the second step, Wen Rong opened the Black Pigeon Forum. Skipping over the many notifications praising him in the backend, he posted a new thread:
Title: I Hate Gay Men
[????]
[Is the Goddess angry?]
Wen Rong: [Don’t call me Goddess. I am a man.]
[I never thought in this lifetime that the Goddess would turn out to be a straight man.]
[A straight man cosplaying Mi Lulu?]
Wen Rong clicked open the chat window with “Quantum Mechanics” (Liang Zilixue). After hesitating for a moment, he chose to close it directly. He then replied in the forum: [I hate cross-dressing the most. I was forced to wear women’s clothing.]
Night fell, and the sound of insects followed like a heartbeat.
The Federal Secret Research Base No. 6397 was built deep within the northern primeval forest. Towering trees blotted out the sun, allowing not even a sliver of moonlight to penetrate.
“Ah—I can’t stand these days without internet anymore.”
A boy wearing work overalls lay sprawled on a table. His skin was pale, his eyes lifeless. He flipped over, looking like a salted fish.
Two-thirds of this fifty-square-meter office was filled with the Federation’s secret equipment. The machines were massive, standing a head taller even than Leon, who was 1.9 meters tall.
When Leon recorded data, he had to crane his neck to see the numbers at the top.
“Leon. Leon, say something to me.”
“You can go out and play cards with them,” Leon finally responded.
“No more, no more. I feel like vomiting whenever I see rectangular cards now.”
“Then play Mahjong.”
“Mahjong tiles are rectangular too!”
“Those are cuboids.”
“It’s all the same.” The boy banged his forehead against the table with a series of dull thuds. “Leon, do you remember what it feels like to scroll through a phone? When Mi Lulu suddenly pops up while you’re scrolling videos… isn’t that just pure joy?”
Mi Lulu.
Leon couldn’t help but recall seeing Wen Rong in Liang Zilixue’s office that day. Under the bright white lights, his skin had looked even more snowy white. If one looked closely, it seemed as if butterflies were floating on his back.
“Leon—”
Leon was pulled back from his thoughts by the ghostly wailing. “I don’t play on my phone, and I don’t watch Mi Lulu.”
“Ah—when I get back, I’m going to watch every single one of Mi Lulu’s videos. I’m going to go to Mi Lulu’s concert, jump on stage, and dance passionately with her.”
“It’s a virtual idol. You can’t touch her even if you go up there.”
Unknown which word struck a nerve, but his friend wailed in grief. “Waaah, why am I separated from Mi Lulu by a screen? When will they invent a machine for dimension travel? I’m willing to go to the second dimension to love and grow old with Mi Lulu.”
Leon sneered.
The boy despaired completely, slapping the table with both palms. “Don’t look down on us 2D fans!”
Leon checked the watch on his wrist. “Don’t waste time. Hurry back and shower. The water cuts off in fifteen minutes.”
“Aaaah!”
The boy shrieked and rushed out of the small room. The sound of the machines whirring spun like a chant. Leon sat there like an ascetic monk, maintaining his meditation.
Because of his mother, he had known since childhood what it meant to be a researcher.
Failed experiments were merely the most trivial setbacks in a scientific career. The true hardship lay in possessing an intellect that placed one above the majority of people, yet having to live like a primitive man in solitude within a secret base where human tracks were rare.
Beep—
The communicator rang. Leon stopped recording and opened the channel. “No. 6397 online.”
“Looking for Leon von Lowenstein.”
“Leon von Lowenstein is online.”
“Connecting, please wait.”
After two short seconds, a voice rang out from the other end. “Cousin.”
It was Evelyn.
“Do you know that arbitrarily occupying the secret base’s internal line is punishable?”
“I’m not occupying it arbitrarily. I have a very important matter that needs your help.”
“What is it?”
“Zhiyue wants to use the military’s special medical equipment for a surgery. Could you arrange it for me?”
“I don’t have the authority for that. You should ask Shi Ye.”
“I don’t dare look for him right now.”
“Why?”
“Either his dad is causing trouble again, or his stepmother is acting up. Anyway, he’s in a very bad mood.”
“My communication line here is receive-only; I can’t call out. I can’t help you either.”
“…” The other end of the line was silent for a moment before saying, “Can’t you come back early?”
“Not for the time being.”
“Then what if I told you Shi Ye is passionately pursuing your sister-in-law?”
Leon answered with certainty, “He won’t succeed.”
“Just because he couldn’t before doesn’t mean he can’t now. Sister-in-law is very sick, you know. It’s exactly when his psychological defenses are weakest.”
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