flying switch

The high winds in the ash area were blocked by the glass, and the standing library like a dream was washed away by the heavy rain.The raindrops hit an inconspicuous wall on the upper floor, and dragged down to form distorted lines.Through the texture and wall, the large glass windows occupy the view.Zhong Rong stood in front of the glass window, letting the raindrops hit him through the wall without focusing.

"wake?"

"From the illusion, from the dream," the witch left the crystal ball with her hands, and the rain there immediately dissipated into ashes, "from your own desire."

his longing.

"Rong Rong..."

Countless raindrops drove the strong wind to reach the wall, and smashed down hard, as if they were going to break the wall. After breaking the wall, Zhong Rong watched speechlessly.

"No clock?"

Zhong Rong turned his head to the side, Li Jiu, who was blurred and clear from the corner of his vision, walked to his side, raised his hand and gently wiped his chin, bringing away a drop of rain that successfully broke through the wall.

Qian Shuichong ran over the cold teardrop with his fingers, put one hand around Wuzhong's curled up shoulder and rubbed it: "Do you want to rest for a while?"

Zhong Rong shook his head, looked at everything outside the window—the neon lights cut by the rain, the blurry scene, and asked [-] in a hoarse voice: "How did you come out of your illusion so quickly?"

"Maybe it's because I often have lucid dreams, and I don't have anything very longing for," Qian Shuichong said softly, "So, I came out of the illusion because of you."

Zhong Rong turned his head in confusion: "Because of me?"

"I don't have you by my side, I can't hear your voice, I remember I walked into the smoke with you, holding a knife in one hand and looking for you in the other," Qian Shuichong smiled and squeezed Wuzhong's shoulder, "Thanks to you gone."

Zhong Rong smiled with difficulty: "You can wake up quickly." He lowered his head and sighed heavily, "My illusion is really... It's very difficult for me to get out. The witch said that her illusion is better than competition. It doesn't sound like much, but this is enough to trap me..."

"Hey," Qian Shuichong probed and stroked his ear, "Hey, you came out, didn't you?"

Zhong Rong didn't say a word, and soon a tear fell on the floor.

Qian Shuichong pursed his lips and reached out to hug him: "It's hard, isn't it?"

Zhong Rong nodded silently.

"Do you want to talk?"

Silence, followed by a shake of the head.

Qian Shuichong sighed silently, stroking the back of Wuzhong's head to the neck: "Alai and Moon will also go to the witch's place later, I gave them the address, we can wait here for the rain to stop, or do you want to go offline?"

"No," Zhong Rong put his arms around Jiu's waist, "don't go."

"...Okay," Qian Shuichong patted him on the back, "Then let's wait together for a while."

The bed in the safe house was extraordinarily soft today, Qian Shuichong put the sleeping Wu Zhong in the center of the bed, wiped away his tears, and covered him with a quilt.

Moon and Alai haven't sent any news yet, and they are probably still with the witch.The witch is not like a player. It may be an official NPC. There is a high probability that it was designed by Zuo Xing himself, and it may even be a remnant of Zuo Xing's own consciousness.When Moon and Alai come back, I have to tell them about this conjecture.This safe house is absolutely safe now, he and Wu Zhong can wait here forever.

The problem is Wuzhong's state, Qian Shuichong looks worriedly at Wuzhong who is not sleeping well.This is the first time he has seen Wu Zhong so fragile, it looks like it has been completely shattered.

A tear fell from the corner of Wu Zhong's eye, and Qian Shuichong wiped it away before it sank into his temples.Tears turned cold on his fingertips, and he looked at Wuzhong with a frown of unease.

what did you dream about

"Whoa--"

Zhong Rong raised his head, eyes blinded by the rain.He lowered his head evasively, panting heavily, and squinted his eyes to find a place to shelter from the rain.

There is darkness, only one path is bright.

Zhong Rong shrank and stepped forward. He seemed to know where the road led and felt the pain in advance, but he was still running, stepping across the flooded road and reaching the end of the road.

He fumbled in his coat pocket and took out a card from his chest.The card was swung somewhere, and the door opened with a beep.

Countless cold monuments were piled up, and he shivered when he saw a woman on the hillside holding a black umbrella with her back turned to him.

He knew what she looked like, and he knew her voice.In the smoke he saw her... what smoke?He couldn't remember, everything faded away like an ink painting.He walked towards the woman step by step and stopped behind him.

The umbrella tipped toward him, and the rain left him.The woman turned around and raised her head, smiling: "Rong Rong."

Zhong Rong was almost nailed to the spot: "...Mom."

He has seen this scene.

"Mom," Zhong Rong touched his mother's face tremblingly, "You have a fever."

"No," Rong Qiqi's smile remained unchanged, and he raised his hand to hold his fingertips, "It's because your hands are too cold. Are you freezing?"

"I'm not cold," Zhong Rong held back his mother's warm hand, "Why are you wearing black clothes?"

"Because I like black, don't you too?" Mother laughed like a girl, "Come closer and let the rain catch you later."

Zhong Rong leaned on his mother: "Mom."

"Are you tired," the mother rubbed his ears, "Oh my dear, are you tired?"

"……Not tired."

"Speak hard, every time you come to see mom, your eyes are like rabbits. Come here and let mom hug you."

Zhong Rong hugged his mother, felt her thin body and faint warmth, couldn't help but choked up: "Mom."

"Hey," his mother held him in the gap between two black stone tablets, holding up an umbrella to protect him from the rain, "Rong Rong..."

He has been through this scene.

"Don't go, mom, please," Zhong Rong hugged his mother tightly, "please."

Mother clasped the back of his neck: "No way..."

Zhong Rong hugged his mother tightly regardless: "Please..."

The thunder crashed down, and the umbrella shattered instantly.Zhong Rong raised his head in horror: "What's going on?"

"Rong Rong..."

The mother blurred in his arms, the rain on her, bleaching her clothes, making her transparent and dull.

"No, no, no, no," Zhong Rong panicked as if he was protecting his mother from the rain, but the rain could always penetrate him and penetrate his mother, "No, this is wrong, you should say that you will always be with me!"

"Rong Rong..."

"No!" Zhong Rong cried, "This is not right, how could this happen!"

The mother's voice was like an ethereal tulle that was quickly torn apart.Zhong Rong watched helplessly as his mother closed her eyes, fell backwards, and dissipated in the wind as a sigh.

The wind fell like the foot of a mountain, and Zhong Rong raised his heels to follow.He cried bitterly and ran desperately, but he could only be left far behind by the wind.

"No clock!"

Zhong Rong opened his eyes suddenly, tears welled up in his eyes, he was choked by the tears breaking into the trachea, coughing continuously. [-] anxiously helped him up, and wiped his tears with a soft tissue: "I can't wake you up, what's wrong with you?"

Zhong Rong closed his eyes weakly, and leaned against [-]: "...an illusion. I dreamed of an illusion, but it changed in the end."

"Nightmare?"

"...Well," Zhong Rong trembled, "How should I face the next competition, I really won't be able to wake up."

"It's okay, it's okay, it's just a game," [-] wiped his chin, and comforted him softly, "It's okay to miss a game occasionally."

"Hey brother," Alai emerged from behind [-], and patted Zhong Rong on the back with a smile, "It seems that you have to do the heavy logistics this time."

"Alai?" Zhong Rong raised his head, "You and Moon..."

"We're back," MON came over and handed him a cup of hot cocoa, "Don't worry, leave the task to us."

"But……"

"Oh oh oh, it's best not to question it," Alai leaned over and told him in a low voice, "MOON has dealt with several vicious monsters by himself. I didn't even know there was such a thing as a flying switch."

"You see?" Nine said, "Have some confidence in us."

"There will be a lot of people going, quickly help the squid gang, maybe there are other gangs," Zhong Rong shook his head, "There are still six days, there is time for desensitization. I have time every day, if the witch agrees, I will go to her Illusion, I will get used to it."

"This is not an ordinary illusion," Moon stopped him, "Your state is not suitable for this kind of desensitization."

"I always have to face it," Zhong Rong raised his eyes, "It's better to be here than to collapse in reality."

The air froze, interrupted by [-]'s soft sigh.He looked over helplessly: "When you go to find the witch, can I go with you? I have something to confirm."

Zhong Rong nodded: "What is it?"

"Guess. I think the witch may be the official NPC made by Zuo Xun, or it may be the remnant of Zuo Xun's own consciousness," [-] explained, "She always appears on the treasure hunt, and she often appears so familiar with the level, which shows that It's unlikely to be a coincidence."

"Well, let's go at night." Zhong Rong raised his hand to wipe away the tears on his face, "The rest of the time is used for training, MOON, if possible, please check all the gangs that have gold coins, I have to do tasks for them .”

"Ok."

"In addition to cracking the illusion," he looked at [-], "can you teach me when I am doing the task?"

"Well, of course."

"I'm in charge of adjusting your weapons," Alai raised his hand, "Don't worry, our team is very strong."

Zhong Rong exhaled: "That's it..."

"Wait," MON interrupted suddenly, "Has anyone ordered something to be delivered?"

She stared at the monitoring feedback in her hand with a serious face: "Someone sent something over, there is only one package, and it's in the elevator."

The monitoring feedback is projected in the center of the room, and a square box wrapped in flannelette is placed on the empty elevator floor.

"Who sent it?" Nine asked.

"A... black cat?" Moon raised his eyebrows, "I think I know who sent it."

Zhong Rong and [-] looked at each other: "Witch."

"But what will she bring here?" Alai asked confused, "And how did she know we're here?"

"Maybe following the two of us," Moon tapped on the control panel, changing the destination of the elevator, "but she doesn't know about this safe house, she only set this package to be placed in the information bank area."

"How was her attitude when you two went?"

"Very good, except for being a little bit obsessed, at other times he looks like a perfect NPC," Moon looked at the door, and manipulated a robotic hand to take out the package from the elevator that opened the door and perform a holographic inspection, "No problem, it's just an ordinary box and ordinary crystal balls."

"Crystal ball?" Alai was horrified, "Could it be the crystal ball in her hand? The one that made illusions."

"It seems to be." MON took out the crystal ball and the card next to it, "Here, I sent them together."

She read the card: "I have a hunch you'll need it."

"How did she know?" Alai was incredulous, "No, we just found out about it too, didn't we?"

"Compared to this, isn't it a little strange that she sent such an important thing directly?" MOON patted the crystal ball, "This can be regarded as a revealing thing, and it's not worthwhile to give it for free. A witch can't really be an NPC, can she?"

"She may have noticed my suspicion of her," Jiu said calmly, "but this is also more convenient."

Zhong Rong frowned: "The NPC won't leave the post, right? Last time I went to the Black Cat Bar with [-], the door was closed."

"According to the previous trend, the witch is definitely not a bad person," Moon shrugged, "It doesn't make much difference whether it is an NPC or not."

"But don't let your guard down yet," said [-]. "There are too many mysteries about her, and it's dangerous."

MOON put away the crystal ball: "But it's also good news, the plan can be changed in a safer direction. Why don't you temporarily turn this place into a fantasy training ground. You two come here during the day without clock and [-], and at night, Alai and I come over. Take care of each other, and take action immediately if something happens."

"I can study this crystal ball later," Allais said. "I will add the artificially disconnected button. Of course, the training must follow the safety law."

"You two should rest today." Moon waved his hand, "Tomorrow we will be online at ten o'clock, and we will arrive at this place, no problem, right?"

Zhong Rong nodded, still feeling a little uneasy. [-] put his shoulders on his shoulders, he let out a breath, and smiled: "Then see you tomorrow."

"Six days countdown, set," Moon closed the countdown setting page, "It will officially start tomorrow, get ready friends."