The Fourth Quadrant of Online Games

Not long after getting dressed, Pu Yiyang received a message.

He opened it and saw that it was a photo.The man in the photo was tall and big, wearing a black down jacket, holding a little girl who looked like a junior high school student.Two people, one big and one small, were standing on the curb and licking popsicles. It could be seen that it was very cold, and the two of them grinned from eating, but there was a happy smile on their faces.

"Isn't this the old cat?" It took Pu Yiyang two seconds to recognize who the man was. He and the old cat met only once in Jiangcheng. This square face with Chinese characters is not like the short tree stump in the game. Hobbits are familiar.Thinking about it this way, the girl with the ponytail should be the precious daughter his brother always talked about.

It's just that why did the old cat suddenly want to send him a photo of himself and his daughter? Could it be that he wanted to show off his lonely family?Just as he was surprised, he slid his finger to the sender, and it turned out to be an unfamiliar number.

The smile that just floated on Pu Yiyang's mouth froze in an instant.

He thought for a while, and cautiously replied with three words: "Who are you?"

They seemed to be waiting for his question, and quickly sent a text message: "See you at DELTA at eight o'clock tonight. Remember to connect to the brain."

The first half of the sentence was like an ordinary invitation, but the last sentence made Pu Yiyang's heart tremble.

Those who are not familiar with him may not know that he plays DELTA, but those who are familiar with him must know that he is a non-access player.The other party went straight to the point, telling the time and place, and also emphasized that he must connect to the brain to log in to the game, which seemed to have another meaning.

"What will happen if you don't do it?" Pu Yiyang could only type out this sentence.

There was a "ding" on the phone, and another photo came.

The old cat and his daughter are still in the picture, but this time a close-up of his daughter's hand is shown. On the girl's hand that is not holding a popsicle, there is a bulging brand-new package. On the sky-blue velvet package, it is printed with A silver LOGO.

FREE.That's the latest connected device.

Pu Yiyang remembered that the old cat seemed to have mentioned to him that his daughter had her birthday in winter, and he had no other presents to give, or else he would give her a mobile device, so that he could hide it from the child in the future , secretly took his daughter to play in the game, and it was more convenient to enhance the relationship.

Hearing this at the time, Pu Yiyang naturally had no objection, but now that he already knew that someone was playing tricks, he naturally didn't think it would be a good idea to connect the brain to DELTA at this juncture.

He immediately called the old cat.

There was no answer for a while on the other side, and then he was transferred to voicemail.

"Brother Cat is me," Pu Yiyang hurriedly left a sentence, "Can you not go to the game today? Not only you, but also your daughter, can you not go to DELTA? Especially Don't connect your brain to the computer."

While leaving a message, he quickly logged into the DELTA player forum and took a look. Only after seeing it did he realize a major event that he had forgotten.

Today marks the tenth anniversary of DELTA's operations.

All players must have received a system message in advance, reminding them that there will be a grand event in the game tonight to celebrate the ten years of DELTA.Similar activities will definitely have extremely generous benefits, and no active player is willing to miss it. There is no doubt that DELTA will usher in the highest peak of online numbers in the evening.

And if the sender threatens Pu Yiyang with the old cat and his daughter, it means that what awaits the players in the game will never be ordinary salutes and fireworks.

Pu Yiyang's hand landed heavily on the table.

It was all his fault, he was blinded, and attributed all the crux of the past to the Voyage Star, mistakenly thinking that the disappearance of the Voyage Star was equivalent to DELTA's temporary safety, and he could then concentrate on solving problems outside the game.He played the game for too long and forgot that the codes are all man-made. From the beginning to the present, what threatens Delta has never been one or two copies.

The old cat still didn't reply, probably because he had taken leave of absence and was ready to spend the whole day with his daughter without distraction. Pu Yiyang had no choice but to post a message on the forum, trying to remind other players of the possible risks at night.

2 minutes passed, people continued to discuss the new event that had not been announced tonight, only a few responded to him, one asked him if he was playing some new joke, and the others advised the first one to ignore him, It is said that he must have been deceived by the group of people who advocate the threat of brain-computer access.

The post sank to the bottom in a blink of an eye, becoming a pebble thrown into the ocean, but it failed to cause too many ripples.

For the first time, Pu Yiyang resented the passing alone in DELTA.

Go find Atta and Weng?They may not be online, and he has no way to contact them except in the game.Tell Xiang Hong to ask someone to come forward and ask DELTA to suspend operations?Not to mention Wu Zheng's presence, there is no basis for empty talk right now, and even the president may not be able to convince his subordinates with a seemingly absurd order.

He took a deep breath and picked up the phone again.

"I will be online on time," he typed word by word, his fingers trembling slightly, "I will also remember the brain-computer connection."

After clicking send, Xiang Hong just came out of the kitchen.

"Do you like fried eggs or scrambled eggs?" Mr. Xiang, who looks like a good man at home, is holding two plates in his hands, white porcelain with hot silver edges, and it looks like he just bought them yesterday, "Tsk, I don't have enough time, otherwise I still have time to eat." Can do something better."

What's wrong?

Pu Yiyang felt that this was more decent than the products produced by some high-end hotel chefs.

Xiang Hong was taking off his apron, his long and white fingers were stained with Yangchun water, looking too good-looking as always, when he suddenly raised his arm, he grabbed Mr. Xiang's hand.

The captured person was a little strange, he turned his head around, and a bundle of long hair curled up a little on his shoulders.

So good, Pu Yiyang thought, this moment is so good.Whatever he had fried or scrambled was fine, and the best thing was this guy in front of him, who looked damn good in a suit or an apron, and all of a sudden his mind was blank and he just wanted to get up right away, Take that nice guy in your arms, kiss him, say it again, say I love you a thousand times.

"Why such an excited expression, as if you have been hungry for 20 years?" Mr. Xiang narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "You don't even eat instant noodles in the morning, have you never had a serious breakfast?"

He seems to care about the status of himself and instant noodles in Pu Yiyang's heart.

Pu Yiyang smiled.

Judging from Xiang Hong's expression, he can never figure out why his lover laughs from time to time, and whether he stops angrily or expresses puzzlement, it will only make Pu Yiyang laugh more happily.

It's strange, Mr. Xiao Xiang silently made a note in his heart, either Pu Yiyang was insane, or he didn't know when he became a comedian.

Of course he chose to believe the former.

So he generously and selflessly poured both eggs into Pu Yiyang's bowl.

"I'm not going to school today, and I want to visit my mother later," Pu Yiyang said while eating, "If you're not busy, would you like to go with me?"

With a slap, Xiang Hong made one of the most inelegant moves in his life. He dropped his chopsticks on the table.

However, Xiao Xiang is always someone who is not afraid of bullets and bullets, so how could he get angry when meeting his parents.

A quarter of an hour later, Pu Yiyang couldn't wait any longer, so he reached out and knocked on the door of the room.

If the door hadn't been unlocked, and the windows in his room weren't wide enough, he simply suspected that someone was trying to escape.

Xiang Hong finally opened the door.

"Well, cough, looks okay to me?" He was dressed in a camel-colored coat and a black turtleneck sweater, which was rarely seen as simple by ordinary people. His long hair was neatly tied behind his ears, and the earrings were specially designed. Picked it off, "Otherwise I'll change to the blue one..."

"It's not okay, but it's great." Pu Yiyang said with a smile, "My friend Xiang, even if you don't wear anything, you can still make me look like a trash picker."

Xiang Hong frowned: "Nonsense, what if you don't wear anything? Doesn't this scare your aunt?"

Before laughing out that his abdominal muscles were torn, Pu Yiyang decided to drag this baby and leave.

His mother lived in the outskirts of Jiangcheng, and it was a bit of a detour to take the subway, but it only took 10 minutes to drive there.Xiang Hong drove, Pu Yiyang showed the way, and the two of them didn't speak much along the way.

"My mother and I don't have a good relationship," Pu Yiyang said slowly after seeing the shadow of the house on the roadside, "so no matter what she says, you don't have to be nervous."

Xiang Hong glanced at him, there was a deep groove between his eyebrows, and the corners of his mouth were tightly pursed: "Who, who said I was nervous?"

Pu Yiyang's palm fell on his stiff leg.

Not long after Pu Zhengping's accident, Luo Yingying moved here from a community near Jiangda University.In name, it was because her legs and feet were inconvenient, and it was more convenient to live in a bungalow, but Pu Yiyang also knew that his mother wanted to leave the sad place in the past, and the farther away from that man's shadow, the better.

At that time, I bought this piece of land in the suburbs after asking a few friends. It was originally an abandoned orchard. Not only did it have a house, but it also brought a large yard, which was just right for Luo Yingying to rest.Pu Yiyang didn't quite understand it in the past, but now that he thinks about it, he knows that the two of them were able to buy a new house at a ridiculously low and reasonable price, and Lu Yuxing's efforts were indispensable behind it.

Thinking of Lu Yuxing, Pu Yiyang's heart sank.

At this time, the car just arrived at the gate of the yard, Xiang Hong parked the car under the tree, and got down with Pu Yiyang.

Pu Yiyang first knocked on the door outside the house, but seeing no answer, he greeted Xiang Hong, and the two went around to the garden behind the house.

The courtyard door is not locked, and it opens with a push. The inside is lush and green. At first glance, it looks like a small botanical garden. In the early winter wind, a corner of the rare spring blooms, looking at Xiang Hong. There are several kinds of wide and narrow leaves that jump into the eye at once, and I can't name each one.

In the turbulent green sea, a little pearly white skirt was exposed far away.

Pu Yiyang bent down and walked through several flower trees taller than him, walked to the wheelchair, and called "Mom".

Luo Yingying was bending over, holding a camellia plant in her hand, and carefully inspecting the leaves one by one.Hearing Pu Yiyang's shout, she didn't even move, and continued with her work.

She is a good-looking woman, even though time has carved a lot of marks on her body, the silver threads on her temples did not affect her calm and watery charm.Xiang Hong could recognize her as Pu Yiyang's mother at a glance.When Pu Yiyang smiled, he was very similar to his father, but when he was not smiling, he became very much like Luo Yingying.

Quiet, just like this lonely tree growing in winter, it hides a touch of sadness, and even more stubbornness.

"Uh, Mom, where's Sister Fu?" Pu Yiyang looked around, but didn't see the figure of the nurse whom he had never met.

Luo Yingying still lowered her head and said, "Go shopping."

Even Xiang Hong could hear her indifference towards her son, and couldn't help but take a small step forward.

Luo Yingying seemed to have noticed the arrival of the third person.

A look of displeasure appeared on her plain face: "Who is he?"

The person he asked was obviously Pu Yiyang.

Pu Yiyang paused and said, "Mom, he's me..."

"Friend." Xiang Hong said, "I'm his friend."

He doesn't know what's going on, he was talking nonsense in front of Chang Yuan yesterday, but now he's clearly talking to that person, and when those cold eyes sweep him away, he preemptively says a not-so-correct answer .

Are you stage fright?

Xiang Hong questioned himself in his heart, and clenched his fist unnaturally.

"Friend?" Luo Yingying repeated, her tone was a little turbulent, she stared at Xiang Hong's face, wondering if she saw any clues, "What's your name?"

"Xiang Hong." Mr. Xiang's Adam's apple rolled around. He never thought that he would be a little afraid of a woman trapped in a wheelchair.

Luo Yingying was stunned for a moment, then let go of the flower branch.

With a "bang", her wheelchair turned at an angle and knocked over a water bottle at her feet.

"Xiang Hong, your name is Xiang Hong," she murmured, looked at Xiang Hong in disbelief, and then stared at Pu Yiyang, "Could it be, could it be you..."

Pu Yiyang hung his head and said nothing.

Xiang Hong walked forward, completely ignoring the wet mud on the ground that stained the corner of his spotless coat, and picked up the kettle with both hands.

After a while, Pu Yiyang said, "Mom, I have something to tell you."

Luo Yingying raised her hand and brushed the slightly messy hair back into the bun, as if she had regained her previous calmness.

"You, pour all the water for me." She ordered Xiang Hong coldly, pushed the wheelchair, and went into the house first.

Pu Yiyang followed, and before leaving, he looked back at Xiang Hong.

Xiang Hong could see that the man wanted to laugh, but the smile was not natural at all, which made him realize that this matter was definitely not as simple as Pu Yiyang made it lightly when he came here.

He looked at Pu Yiyang's back, his heart was in turmoil, he really wanted to catch up, but he knew he couldn't go at this time, so he could only hug the kettle, check the information on the mobile terminal, and resigned himself to be a gardener.

The garden is big or small, and there are at least dozens of plants planted there. Xiang Hong didn't dare to make a mistake, and it took more than an hour to slowly water it all the way. A pair of handmade leather shoes Not only was it covered in mud, but the hem and cuffs of the coat were also horrible, and there might have been a few scratches on his face.

Not to mention pampered and spoiled, Xiang Hong has never done gardening work before. In this world, he has never done it before.

In his life, he did not know how many unique accounts he had given to Pu Yiyang.

After finally picking up the last piece of grass, he put down the watering can, moved his aching arm, and just wanted to tidy up his appearance, but when he saw the mud and ash on his hands, he gave up resentfully.

There was still no movement in the room, and it seemed inappropriate for him to wait. After thinking for a while, he walked towards the room.

The door was open, and he could get in with a push.

Then he saw Pu Yiyang.

With his back facing him, the man knelt on the ground, kneeling straight, as if the spine that was usually forgotten to the side had all grown back to his body at this moment.