Recap
Chu Shici unfolded all the paper balls and put them together, trying hard to identify the words on them.
[# Why haven’t you contacted me yet? #]
[# Chickens will not be taken to the monster room, but can be contacted in the public hall. Xiao Sun said you will be taken there next Wednesday and I will pick you up there. #]
[# Beware of Brother Liu, he was bribed by your adoptive father. #]
___
Looking at the pieced together pieces of paper in front of him, a trace of doubt flashed through Chu Shici’s mind.
“Zhe-ge, can you feel what’s written on it?”
The note was made up of several small fragments. Shen Xiuzhe tried to feel it with his fingertips, but the order of the pieces of paper would be messed up as soon as he stretched out his hand.
After trying a few times, he pulled back and said, “I can’t.”
Chu Shici was a little confused, “Is this passed to the wrong person?”
He read the contents of the note to Zhe-ge.
After hearing this, Shen Xiuzhe shook his head, “It mentioned my adoptive father, it should be for me.”
“Then what does he mean by this? Does he not know that you are blind, or is he testing you?”
Shen Xiuzhe tilted his head slightly and said, “Is there anything worth testing?”
“For example, to test whether you really are blind?”
After Chu Shici asked, he saw a self-deprecating curve on Zhe-ge’s lips.
He pressed the white cloth which covered his eyes with his palm and chuckled: “I am completely blind, there is no need to test.”
Chu Shici was stunned.
Seeing Zhe-ge’s reaction, he gradually realized something.
He stared straight at the white cloth on Shen Xiuzhe’s face.
Just as the system was thinking, it discovered that the host was crying.
It groaned, looking out in confusion.
Chu Shici wiped his tears and said, ‘Tong-ge, have you noticed that the material covering Zhe-ge’s eyes is not gauze or a bandage, but just an ordinary white cloth. He wears it all the time and doesn’t even take it off when he goes to bathe or sleep.’
[Ah?]
‘I don’t know if my guess is right, but…but Zhe-ge’s eyes…may be gone.’
[Ah?]
‘Literally gone.’
[Fuck…is this what I think it means?]
Chu Shici nodded.
The system gasped.
This was a scar that Zhe-ge didn’t want to bring up. Chu Shici swallowed back his tears and pretended that he didn’t know anything.
After he calmed down, he pretended to be calm and skipped the topic, continuing the discussion as if nothing had happened.
Those scumbags were so cruel to ensure that there was no chance of Zhe-ge’s eyes recovering.
His room has been closed for a long time, there is no place to hide anyone in it. But if there was even a chance that they would find that there was something wrong with the little speaker, they will not hesitate at all, they will come straight over and snatch the little speaker away for research.
Suppose the person who handed the note to the blind man was not a fool, then there are only two possibilities.
First, that person really is on their side.
But he only knew Shen Xiuzhe, and did not know their current situation. He can put these papers into the meals. He probably works in the kitchen, or has acquaintances there.
Even though Dr. Sun knew that Shen Xiuzhe was blind and specially formulated a secret code, the person who passed on this note did not know.
His position was low and he had little ability, thus he didn’t know much about the current situation.
Second, this is a trap.
The matter of the little speaker developing a spirit was not exposed.
They detected abnormalities through Shen Xiuzhe’s words, actions, emotional changes and other details, and suspected that someone was helping him secretly.
This note was used to catch that person.
Chu Shici thought for a while and felt that whether it was a trap or not, the problem was not big.
After all, it’s not up to Zhe-ge whether he can go to the public hall or not.
Once they get there and someone takes the initiative to contact him, he will try to find a way to get something out of them.
If no one takes the initiative to approach them, then there’s nothing they can do. After all, Zhe-ge doesn’t know anyone there.
Chu Shici had a headache when he thought of this.
He crossed his arms, frowned and muttered: “Brother Liu has not been in contact with you, you have no impression of what Dr. Sun said, and now he comes to hand you the paper. Zhe-ge, do you think they got the wrong person?”
Before Shen Xiuzhe could answer, Chu Shici denied this conjecture.
Based on their words, they must be looking for Shen Xiuzhe.
So how could such a situation arise?
Chu Shici thought for a long time and suddenly had a very ridiculous idea.
Could it be that there is more than one Shen Xiuzhe in this holographic world?
The one who is cooperating with Dr. Sun and the others was actually another Shen Xiuzhe.
The reason why the Zhe-ge in front of him knows nothing is not because he has lost his memory.
But…
Did they really get the wrong person?
___
Shen Xiuzhe pursed his lips, his expression as cold as ever.
He had no intention of discussing it with the little speaker, but picked up his brush and prepared to paint.
Chu Shici pulled out the system.
The system has been splashed by yellow paint by him for such a long time, its thinking was tainted by him, and now it is even more yellow than him.
It didn’t hear anything else and was only able to pull out the key words.
[Shit, there’s more than one Zhe-ge? Then you can NP, isn’t it cool?]
‘…I am no longer the young man I was before, I prefer 1v1. Moreover, Zhe-ge has such a temper that he can only eat alone. When his temper gets the better of him, regardless of how many Ps there are, he will get rid of them all.’
Chu Shici patted the little ball of light and said, “When you see the kitchen, you think of cucumber play, and when you think of multiple people, you think of NP. You can’t keep your mind clean, I’m seriously talking about business with you.’
The system gave an honest ‘oh’.
Chu Shici took out a pen and paper and explained to the system while jotting down the key points.
‘Now if we are to assume that due to some factors, there are currently two male protagonists in this building. One is Zhe-ge, whom we are familiar with, and the other we have never seen before.’
He drew two little people on the paper.
‘To make it easier to distinguish, the person we know is called Zhe-ge. For the other who we don’t know, let’s just call him Shen Xiuzhe.’
The system nodded in confusion.
‘If what I think is right, then our current contradiction can be explained.’
Chu Shici wrote down the words Sun, Liu, Paper and adoptive father.
‘Dr. Sun mistakenly thought that Zhe-ge was her partner, so in front of him, she used the secret code agreed on with another Shen Xiuzhe.’
‘Brother Liu, the fat man in charge, has been in contact with Zhe-ge for the longest time. He knows very well that Zhe-ge is not their partner, so he never gave Zhe-ge any indication or hints, because there was no need for it.’
‘The person who sent the note wanted to contact the other Shen Xiuzhe. The situation of that Shen Xiuzhe is different from Zhe-ge. He may only be temporarily blind, or he may be able to see.’
‘Whether it is Zhe-ge or Shen Xiuzhe, they are both imprisoned here, and the cause of this must be inseparable from their adoptive father. I suspect that the reason why there are multiple male protagonists may also be related to the adoptive father.’
There were too many people present, and the system was a little confused.
It pondered over it.
[Wait, according to what you said, since Brother Liu knew that Zhe-ge was not the person they were looking for, why did he take Zhe-ge to see Dr. Sun? This is meaningless.]
‘Exactly, this is meaningless! Look at what the note says, Brother Liu was bribed by his adoptive father. I think this sentence is true. Do you still remember the phone calls we eavesdropped on through a program some time ago?’
Chu Shici rummaged through the memo and found an audio clipping.
In the audio, the fat steward was talking to someone on the phone, and the person on the phone was a man in his fifties or sixties.
He called the man Mr. Shen.
If there are nothing that they missed, then Mr. Shen is Zhe-ge’s adoptive father.
On the phone, the adoptive father asked Brother Liu about his adopted son’s current situation. Brother Liu sent Shen Xiuzhe’s recent painting in the form of a picture.
When the call was about to end, the adoptive father reminded Brother Liu to be careful, as the police were already targeting them.
When Dr. Sun communicated with Shen Xiuzhe earlier, she asked him to find the evidence that could prove the guilt of these people.
Dr. Sun and the forces she is behind are obviously positive, since they do not seem to be afraid of the police.
After listening to his words, the system asked blankly: [Is it possible that Brother Liu just pretended to be on the enemy’s side?]
Chu Shici put away the recording.
‘The possibility is very small. He hid it from Dr. Sun, from the informant who handed the note, and secretly cooperated with the adoptive father, this caused an internal information gap.’
‘The government is about to wipe the data clean, and Dr. Sun is urging us urgently. How can the fat steward in charge have time to play double agent?’
Chu Shici clapped his hands and said, “If my guess is correct, the fat steward, Brother Liu, is probably using Zhe-ge to delay time while Dr. Sun and her companions were lurking in this building the entire time, ready to help Shen Xiuzhe at any time.’
‘Zhe-ge is a chess piece in the fat steward’s hand, a smoke bomb he released. Everyone regards Zhe-ge as their partner, but Zhe-ge knows nothing.’
‘Dr. Sun asked Zhe-ge why there had been no news, and the note also questioned why he had not been in contact with him. The Shen Xiuzhe who is their real partner is most likely controlled by the fat steward through some means.’
The system finally figured it out.
[Then, between the Shen Xiuzhe in front of us now and the other Shen Xiuzhe who is imprisoned, which one is your husband? Or does this world have multiple protagonists?]
‘It’s very simple. Aren’t all these tasks I did to save the male protagonist secretly released by your boss? It stuffed me here because it wanted me to help its friends survive the punishment world. It will definitely put me next to Zhe-ge.’
Chu Shici opened the backend and pointed at the data.
‘The vitality value will fluctuate according to his emotions, which also shows that he is indeed my husband.’
He thought for a moment and said, ‘As for whether it is multiple protagonists or not, I don’t know. You can check the integrity of his soul, or go back and ask your wife directly.’
The system is a CP fan, so when it comes to this kind of thing, its reaction is bigger than him.
It took a few days off and ran out to find its wife.
To be honest, Chu Shici has always been very open. He can accept multiple protagonists, but he knew that Zhe-ge would not agree.
Zhe-ge will not allow anyone to steal his Ah Ci away from him, not even his other selves.
Chu Shici thought for a moment.
If there are multiple versions of him in this world, he and a bunch of himself will need to share Zhe-ge…
After imagining that scene, Chu Shici instantly became enraged.
Zhe-ge belongs to him alone, and whoever robs him of his Zhe-ge will be killed!
___
The metal door was locked, and Shen Xiuzhe had no way to go out. He can only passively accept any information from the outside world.
Meal time and lights-out time are extremely random, his biological clock has been messed up by this.
Without the little speaker, Shen Xiuzhe couldn’t tell the time at all.
Chu Shici painted with Zhe-ge every day and found that his condition was worse than before.
It’s hard for him to concentrate, and his brush strokes are either crooked or his hands are shaking.
Zhe-ge has something on his mind, but he doesn’t want to let others know.
The communication between the two gradually became less and less.
Chu Shici still took the initiative to talk to him as usual, but Shen Xiuzhe was always absent-minded.
He spoke several sentences, only then will Shen Xiuzhe reply with a simple yes or no.
Chu Shici was not angry, he was just worried about Zhe-ge.
However, the vitality value has not dropped, so the problem should not be serious.
On Tuesday night, another person on this floor was taken to the monster room.
Listening to the commotion outside the corridor, Chu Shici was wondering if this unlucky person can come back alive.
Shen Xiuzhe, who had been silent all this time, suddenly said softly: “When we get to the public hall, I will find you a new master.”
The topic jumped so quickly that Chu Shici could not respond in time.
He let out a questioning ‘ah?’.
Shen Xiuzhe’s fingers stroked the casing of the little speaker, and there was no trace of emotion in his voice.
“If you follow me, you will die.”
Chu Shici looked at him in surprise, “Zhe-ge? What do you mean?”
The room was quiet and no one answered him.
After a while, Shen Xiuzhe turned over.
“Nothing.”
“You suddenly said you wanted to give me away. You made me panic. Zhe-ge, please don’t do this. I was almost scared to tears.”
Shen Xiuzhe was silent for a long time, “There are some things that I haven’t figured out yet, give me some time. I will tell you when I figure them out.”
Chu Shici sighed silently and rubbed Shen Xiuzhe’s fingertips comfortingly.
“It’s okay, Zhe-ge, I don’t know what you are thinking about, but I’m following you voluntarily. It doesn’t matter if I die. I would rather die with you than live alone.”
Shen Xiuzhe didn’t respond, as if he didn’t hear what he said.
But the vitality value, which was originally motionless, slowly increased by 3 points, jumping to 21.
___
On Wednesday, after Shen Xiuzhe had lunch, the fat steward led him out.
As before, he put the handcuffs and anklets on him and took him out of the room.
Chu Shici lay in Zhe-ge’s arms and looked around secretly.
The sticker on Room 3 opposite had changed from a dog to a monkey.
Officer Li is a dog, the new woman is a monkey, and Zhe-ge is a chicken.
Chicken, dog, monkey and mouse, Chu Shici still has not figured out what these four animals represent.
The man who captured Officer Li said he couldn’t be a chicken after looking at his face in the van. A body full of tendon meat, suitable for being a dog.
Chu Shici observed the surrounding environment and frowned in thought.
Therefore, appearance is a necessary prerequisite to be a chicken.
But people here can’t sleep with chickens. Chickens are not for sexual services. In the holographic world, they also cannot generate money.
Not the little yellow chicken, nor the chicken that lays golden eggs.
Chu Shici thought for a long time and almost forgot the real meaning of the word ‘chicken’.
Dogs are easy to guess, strong and resistant to torment. A lot will be put down and are easily disposable. Either they are used as living punching bags, or they are put into bloody and violent performances.
While Chu Shici was thinking, the fat steward had already led Shen Xiuzhe into the elevator.
Just as the elevator door was about to close, Chu Shici saw several men walking out of Room 3.
With smiles on their faces and cigarettes in their mouths, they walked and chatted.
The distance was a bit far, and Chu Shici could only hear a few words clearly.
“That girl is so playful, she didn’t even die after being played like this.”
“Fuck, I have a girl to sleep with while making money. This job is so damn comfortable.”
One of them blew out smoke and said, “Thanks to those moral bastards, I praise those idiots, haha!”
The other men burst into laughter, “Yes! Kudos to you idiots!”
As the elevator moved down, the voice full of ridicule and malice gradually faded away.
Shen Xiuzhe was still standing in the elevator with a calm expression, as if he hadn’t heard anything. The hand holding the little speaker tightened subconsciously.
Chu Shici knew that Zhe-ge was sympathizing with the woman who lived across from them.
He felt extremely angry after listening to it too.
When the elevator descended to the tenth floor, the elevator doors opened again.
Noises streamed in, and Shen Xiuzhe felt that the little speaker in his arms seemed to freeze for a moment.
Ah Ci must have seen something.
Shen Xiuzhe’s ears twitched. The sound was too noisy and chaotic, affecting his judgment.
He remembered that when Officer Li was taken to the tenth floor last time, the floor in front of the elevator was obviously very quiet.
As there were surveillance cameras in the elevator, as well as the fat steward and his men. Shen Xiuzhe could only wait until later to ask the little speaker.
The fat steward took them to the first floor and stopped in front of a security door.
Chu Shici recovered from the shock and looked up.
There is no live broadcast room number marked on this door, and there are no signs indicating what room it is.
The fat steward pushed Shen Xiuzhe into the room, took off his handcuffs and anklets, and allowed him to move freely.
Chu Shici was about to look around to see who was in the room when the system, who had requested for personal leave suddenly returned home.
It came bounding over.
[Ah Ci! I brought back some good news from your sister-in-law!]
Chu Shici thought for two seconds before he figured out who his sister-in-law was.
‘Tong-ge, I haven’t seen you for a few days and you’ve finally accepted the reality of your 1 position.’
[Hey, hey! I ran to ask, and it said that your husband was fine. There’s no multiple protagonists, this is still a pure 1×1.]
Chu Shici breathed a sigh of relief when he was sure that there was no Shura field and there would be no murderous case of Zhe-ge competing with his other selves.
Shen Xiuzhe was not familiar with the layout of the public hall.
He held the little speaker and walked forward, trying to find a place to sit.
Just then, he heard footsteps approaching him.
The next second, someone took his arm and whispered, “Where do you want to go? I will take you there.”
___
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Update: Tomorrow~
- After becoming enemies with the lord god
- Blog
- Completed
- Don't talk to me!
- Dropped
- Ghost Marriage
- Hunger Academy
- I opened a safe house in the Infinite Stream
- Notices
- Ongoing
- The Dragon Lord is Weak and Helpless but Has a Big Appetite [Interstellar]
- Want to ascend? Then fall in love.
- What can I do, I'm not human.
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