A Race to (Be) The Top

Ling Xiaolu's expression ranged from astonishment, to surprise, to excitement as if seeing a long-lost relative. Tears swirled in his eyes, almost bursting out.

He rushed over recklessly, his voice accompanied by tears: "Husband! I finally found you!"

Ji Meng:? ? ?

The students around all looked over.

"This year's freshmen are really unrestrained."

"Youth is passion."

Ji Meng hugged Ling Xiaolu in his arms awkwardly among the curious crowd, and nervously didn't know what expression to use to deal with the staring eyes around him, wishing to find a barrier to isolate this place from the world.

But even so, he didn't intend to push the opponent away, and let Ling Xiaolu bury his whole body in his chest, with his hands resting on the opponent's back in a daze.

It took a long time before Ling Xiaolu raised his head: "So I'm not dreaming! I almost wonder if I'm crazy!"

Five minutes later, the two sat face to face in the second cafeteria, and Ling Xiaolu wished he could tell Ji Meng his experiences during the past time.

"I woke up a week before the college entrance examination, I thought the game planner was joking with me, but I didn't expect it to be true!

"I just took the college entrance examination again like this! Again! Do you know the feeling of repeating the nightmare? Fortunately, I still remember how to answer the questions, otherwise I would really crash to death in the examination room!"

he said excitedly.

"After the college entrance examination, I immediately went to the game store where I bought peripherals, do you know what the clerk said to me?

"There is no such game as "Elf Contract" at all! Follow! Ben! No! Yes!

"So what have I been playing for the past few months? Am I schizophrenic?"

Ji Meng patted him: "Don't get excited, you stay calm."

Ling Xiaolu took a deep breath and continued: "Then I checked on the Internet, and guess what? There is no information about this game at all! Xinshan has never made "Elf Contract" at all, only various versions "Swordsman Love"!

"Then I looked up your name, Zha Xinshan's nephew, and my sister... In short, I checked everything I knew, but I found nothing! There is no evidence to prove that what I have experienced in the past few months is true. !"

In reality, Ji Meng pays more attention to privacy. Neither his name nor his photos have appeared in the media. It is normal that Ling Xiaolu cannot find out.

"Then something even weirder happened. It seemed like I had gone through a whole summer vacation, and it seemed like only one day had passed. I don't even know how long I have lived in this world. The point is, in my memory, For three whole months, I was doing math every day until yesterday!"

Ling Xiaolu grasped Ji Meng's hand incoherently: "My husband, if I hadn't seen you today, I would have thought I was crazy and made up a memory that didn't exist at all. No one would believe what I said!"

"Don't worry, don't worry," Ji Meng put his other hand on to comfort him, "Now I'm here, I can prove it."

After Ling Xiaolu told all this, he felt a sense of relief.

"Great, I can finally prove that I'm not schizophrenic. What kind of game is this? A holographic world in a holographic world, so which world are we in now? Is this world real? How do we go back?"

Ji Meng couldn't figure it out for a while.

"Are... are you hungry? Why don't you think about it while eating. It is said that this cafeteria is very famous in Yanda."

Ling Xiaolu nodded vigorously: "Yes, yes, I only feel that I am real when I eat."

They came to a window randomly, and the AI ​​staff greeted them warmly: "Student, what do you want to eat?"

Ling Xiaolu asked curiously, "The second canteen is so advanced that even the aunt who cooks is an AI?"

The reason why it can be distinguished at a glance is because the AI ​​here is economical. The upper body is a simulated human being, and the lower body is a machine crawler. Blocked by a window, there is no difference at all from a distance.

Aunt Dafan explained: "It was also done by ordinary humans before, but because they were often beaten by classmates, they were replaced by AI."

Ji Meng & Ling Xiaolu: "..."

Often being beaten by classmates, how bad is this cafeteria? !

They didn't have any hope, they just asked for something, and Ling Xiaolu bought an extra steamed stuffed bun recommended by his aunt.

Ji Meng looked at Ling Xiaolu, who was working hard, and was stunned for a while. He never dreamed that he and the non-existent Ling Xiaolu could get along in this way in reality.

How nice would it be if this wasn't an alternate world, but the real world?

He subconsciously stretched out his hand and wiped away the residue from the corner of Ling Xiaolu's mouth: "Eat slowly, don't choke."

Ling Xiaolu agreed very quickly, but the speed of eating did not slow down at all.

Thinking that this might be Ling Xiaolu, who is an AI, eating food in "reality" for the first time, Ji Meng suddenly regretted why he didn't take him out to eat better, why made his first experience so simple.

Ling Xiaolu swallowed what was in his mouth: "What do you think?"

"I suspect that most of the people here are NPCs."

"But they are exactly the same as the people I know! I observed carefully, and even the mole on the corner of my high school class teacher's mouth is exactly the same. The technology of this built-in game is really terrible!"

"But since you and I are players, there must be others. You forgot that when we were in that game scene, we saw another NPC enter the game room with our own eyes, which means that in this world, he is the so-called player."

"But the real world is too big. If so few players dilute it, trying to find it is equivalent to finding a needle in a haystack."

"We don't need to find them out. We can also try to find clues, or key NPCs. Maybe there will be hints to guide us back."

"I can only think of one of the existing reminders," Ling Xiaolu recalled the same sentence that two different objects told him, "This game only has one life."

Since both of them have emphasized it, it means that this sentence is very important, otherwise why didn't Chu Ya reveal other information to him?

"I guess this sentence is to warn us not to treat this place like a game and casually seek death."

"Who would seek death in such a real world?" Humans have survival instincts, right?

"But what will happen if you die?" Ji Meng suddenly reacted, "It is impossible for the company to let players take dangerous paths, even if it is the most difficult level, the first thing to protect is the personal safety of the players."

Why did Ling Xiaolu forget, Prince Xinshan knows Xinshan best.

"Could it be that after dying in this world, it will automatically return to the game?"

This idea is bold and logical, but no one will try it lightly.

"Brother! Are you eating here too?"

Ling Xiaolu raised his head, with willow leaf eyebrows and peach blossom eyes, he was such a familiar stranger, even if it was the first time they met, he would recognize him immediately:

"Xi'er? Why are you!"

"Who is Xi'er?" Chang Huanxi pinched her chin, "But it's a good name, I'll call it this next time I play games. Oh, by the way, who are you? Why are you talking to my brother Ji Meng?" have a meal together?"

Ling Xiaolu:?

Ji Meng didn't lift his head: "He's an NPC."

"Damn! You haven't recovered from your illness yet!" Chang Huanxi yelled, "You still want to kill me, don't you?"

"You want to kill Xi'er?" Ling Xiaolu was startled.

"I just want to see if he can refresh."

"Tell me, is this person speaking human language?" Chang Huanxi pulled Ling Xiaolu to ask him to comment, "I have been his only brother for so many years in vain."

"I don't quite understand. If you just want to try to see if the NPC can refresh, why don't you kill an ant?"

Ji Meng: "..."

Chang Huanxi: "..."

"Why are you so smart?" Chang Huanxi hugged Ling Xiaolu's shoulder excitedly, "Are you a freshman too? From which college, I really hate seeing you!"

Ji Meng frowned: "Let go of him!"

"...You can't be my brother's fiancée?"

Ling Xiaolu denied it in a panic: "What did you say?"

Chang Huanxi lightly slapped herself on the forehead: "Why am I stupid again, I can't be called a fiancee when I'm married."

Ling Xiaolu:? ! !

Ji Meng stood up: "I don't think there is any need for ants, just this one."

Chang Huanxi jumped ten meters away like lightning: "You two eat slowly, don't disturb the two of you!"

"Leave him alone, Ji Meng pushed the opposite plate, "Continue to eat. "

There is only one bun left in Ling Xiaolu.

He took a bite: "I think..."

The voice stopped abruptly, Ji Meng was slightly surprised.

"what happened?"

Ling Xiaolu had a strange expression: "No, nothing."

He turned over the bag containing the buns and looked at the words written on it:

——Ercanteen Baozi, a century-old brand!

——Inherited for 500 years, the classic taste will never change!

There is also a line of fine print below:

——With this package, you can enjoy a [-]% discount at the big pharmacy next door.

Ling Xiaolu: "..."

Ji Meng saw that he was tangled in holding the steamed stuffed bun, so he hesitated to take another bite.

"are you full?"

"Uh... yes..."

Ji Meng leaned forward slightly, took the bun in his hand with a sweep of his long hand, and acted naturally as if the same thing had happened hundreds of times.

Ling Xiaolu hurriedly stopped and said, "I bitten it!"

Ji Meng returned him with a "so what" expression, and bit down on the part Ling Xiaolu had bitten... his movements froze.

Ling Xiaolu said embarrassedly: "This traditional flavor seems to be a bit, unique."

Not only is it unique, Ji Meng began to wonder, if he didn't take it, would Ling Xiaolu plan to eat it like this?

Why should AI have such a big misunderstanding about human food?

Ji Meng frowned, and wiped out Ling Xiaolu's leftover steamed stuffed buns. He felt that the eyes from the other side were almost adored.

Not only on the opposite side, but also someone on the right seemed to be staring at him.Ji Meng turned his head, and a couple at the next table cast envious glances.

"newborn?"

"... Hmm." Ji Meng replied not very happy.

"Did you know that the couple's challenge circulated on the campus of Yanda University, the second most difficult level is to help the other half solve the buns in the second canteen that they can't eat."

Ji Meng: "..."

"Then what is the most difficult level?" Ling Xiaolu asked curiously.

"Jump to Mount Luo Mountain."

Menluo Mountain, a famous scenic spot in the suburbs of Hushuo, is also a popular holy place for couples to worship because of many legends.

Ling Xiaolu and Ji Meng both went to Menluo Mountain. Ji Meng went there with his family when he was about ten years old. Ling Xiaolu Junior High School organized a summer camp and stayed in the mountain for two days and one night.

At that time, they were young and did not leave a deep impression on them. Now the two of them projected the holographic model of Mt. Menluo, only to find that there are many scenic spots that they had never noticed before.

This model is made by the tourism department, and the corresponding introduction will pop up when the finger touches the scenic spot.

"Hundred birds facing the phoenix—a resting place for birds during the bird migration season, it seems to have nothing to do with games."

"The clouds are steaming and the clouds are shining -- the best spot to observe the sunset. I seem to have been here before and took photos."

……

"Huh?" Ling Xiaolu clicked a spot, "Look here."

"Put it to death... and then live?" Ji Meng read out the name of the scenic spot, "The name is very strange."

Ling Xiaolu went on to read the following explanation: "According to legend, in ancient times, a couple was opposed by their family members and eloped into the mountains -- such an ancient story -- unfortunately, they had no vision at night, and unfortunately both fell into the cliff. .

"A year later, the two of them showed up unharmed and claimed that they accidentally fell into the gate of another world. Everyone was amazed."

"The gate of another world!" The two said in unison.

Ling Xiaolu immediately connected to the Internet, and brought up all the news related to the keyword "Menluo Mountain was put to death and then reborn".

"Look, it's said here that this attraction is a challenge spot for couples!"

"There have been as many as 63 missing tourists in the past year. It is unreasonable that the accident rate is so high and it has not been controlled."

"It is also said here that there are about a hundred similar scenic spots across the country, and the common point is that the rate of missing tourists is extremely high!"

"So these tourists are not missing, but players who have found a way to go back."

Ling Xiaolu clapped his hands excitedly: "It's here, that's right!"

The transportation in this era is extremely convenient. At any nearby traffic point, you can take a high-speed flight to Menluo Mountain. Not only can you choose the foot of the mountain as your destination, but you can even go directly to the top of the mountain.

The scenic spot is closer to the top of the mountain, and the two set the mountain top route on the driving panel.

In the holographic game of the holographic game, Ling Xiaolu felt a little novelty riding the aircraft, and kept looking down through the glass.

Ji Meng looked at the back of his golden head, and couldn't help but want to touch it, it was soft, just like in the game.

Ling Xiaolu turned his head: "What?"

Ji Meng lied without changing his face: "You had something in your hair just now."

Ling Xiaolu believed it was true, so he pawed it casually a couple of times, and a bunch of dull hairs raised playfully on the top of his head.

This is the first time they have been in the same small closed space in "reality".

Although the temperature is suitable, Ji Meng still feels hot.

The navigation showed that they had already driven half of the journey, Ji Meng suddenly didn't like this mode of transportation, why did it drive so fast?

This may even be the only chance for him to contact Ling Xiaolu in "reality".

Why not take the three-and-a-half-hour sightseeing bus?

Why not take a donkey cart?

Once again he regretted today's decision.

When he thought that Ling Xiaolu would be bound to Li Zheng when he went back, he became even more irritable.

If possible, he really wants to stay here forever, in this world where Ling Xiaolu, in the form of a human, is within his reach.

Ling Xiaolu yawned, and his little head nodded.

Taking advantage of his dozing off, Ji Meng secretly slowed down the speed of the aircraft.