GRMFBS CH220

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Zhuo Xun: “Big shot, you finally answered the phone!”

Gu Jiancheng: “What is it?”

Zhuo Xun: “Where are you now? The Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau didn’t do anything to you, did they? Do you need help? I…”

With another bang, Zong Xiaoping burst through his door.

“Brother Zhuo, Brother Zhuo! It’s a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding! The forum issued an announcement—they withdrew Deep Shadow’s wanted order themselves. Deep Shadow wasn’t arrested…”

Zhuo Xun: …

Gu Jiancheng: “Heh.”

Big shot Deep Shadow gave a cold laugh and hung up the phone.

“Zong Xiaoping! Come here!”

“Ow! Brother Zhuo don’t hit, don’t hit!” Zong Xiaoping jumped around, extremely aggrieved. “Why me again? What did I do wrong? Didn’t you say to notify you immediately of important news—”

The other retired players on duty in their respective rooms listened to the chicken-flying-dog-jumping in the corridor, sipping tea, reading books, playing games.

Ah—Deep Shadow was fine. The Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau didn’t want to move against them. Life would continue peacefully. Life was truly beautiful!

Zhuo Xun dragged Zong Xiaoping back to the office, making him explain the announcement clearly.

Zong Xiaoping rubbed his ears pitifully and opened the forum announcement.

The announcement was posted by administrator Nie Yu, stating that the three-party wanted orders were withdrawn not because Deep Shadow was arrested, but because after confirmation, Deep Shadow no longer needed to be wanted.

These three-party wanted orders originally only required providing information. The higher rewards for capturing the person were what everyone imagined themselves after seeing it.

Deep Shadow was wanted because he was “high-risk” and “uncontrollable.” Now the reasons for his wanted status had been removed, so the wanted orders were withdrawn.

Zong Xiaoping muttered: “This isn’t my fault either. Who told the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau to only give information now? It’s all because their efficiency is too slow!”

If this announcement had been posted even a few minutes earlier, he wouldn’t have gotten this beating!

The Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau hadn’t expected withdrawing a wanted order would cause such a big stir. Ning Xi had them write an explanation about withdrawing the wanted order as a statement for Deep Shadow’s reputation. But they withdrew the wanted order too quickly—the explanation wasn’t finished yet.

Previously, wanted orders withdrawn for various reasons caused no ripples. They hadn’t expected this time to stir up a storm so quickly.

Zong Xiaoping was also reading the announcement. When he first saw it, after reading the first two lines knowing Deep Shadow wasn’t arrested, he immediately came to tell Brother Zhuo. He didn’t have time to look carefully at the rest.

Look how hard he’d worked!

Zong Xiaoping: “Besides, Brother Zhuo, if you couldn’t contact Deep Shadow, why didn’t you contact Wan Shitong?”

Zhuo Xun: …

What’s wrong with me having a panic attack and forgetting about Wan Shitong? Isn’t that normal? You group of people comfortable for too long getting all chaotic at the first sign of trouble—can’t you allow me one small mistake in the chaos?

Zhuo Xun couldn’t help but start reflecting.

This group of people had worked so hard to survive from Infinite. Survivors wanting to lie flat was too normal. Even those with aftereffects craving stimulation—what they craved wasn’t that life-threatening kind of stimulation.

But lying flat was one thing—they couldn’t lie themselves into uselessness. Infinite still wasn’t completely eliminated. This world’s natives were still actively investigating and clearing Infinite. How could this group who struggled longest against Infinite lie down completely with peace of mind?

What if this world was just missing their bit of strength, leading to Infinite ultimately making a comeback?

No, they couldn’t lie flat like this! Really lying themselves useless, wanting to run at the first sign of trouble—who would they expect to save them?

“I think our alliance needs to start training.” Zhuo Xun said.

Zong Xiaoping: “Huh?”

Zhuo Xun: “That’s settled! Starting tomorrow, everyone must train every day!”

Zong Xiaoping: “Huh huh?”

What the—why the sudden competitive spirit?

Zhuo Xun: “Huh what? Living a few good days and you’ve forgotten about crisis awareness. When something really happens, you want to count on others to save you? Forgotten how you survived in Infinite?”

Zong Xiaoping fell silent.

Fine, train then. A big shot like Deep Shadow who resolved aftereffects and fully released his power wasn’t lying flat. Why should their group—some sealed, some self-crippled—lie flat?

If weakness became an excuse to retreat, it would only lead to the strong becoming stronger and the weak becoming weaker.

Zong Xiaoping closed the announcement, his gaze burning: “Good! I’ll start training tomorrow. I’ll learn from big shot Deep Shadow!”

Zhuo Xun: ?

How is it Deep Shadow again?!

At night, before entering the Dawn World, Zhan Yan logged onto the Extraordinary Forum again for a look.

After the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau’s announcement was posted, many related new posts had appeared on the forum.

{So does anyone know who Deep Shadow is?}

2F:

If everyone knew, could that three-party wanted order have hung for so long?

3F:

OP probably means wanting to know what Deep Shadow did, right?

OP:

Right. The announcement’s information was too vague. I’m so curious my heart is itching.

6F:

Not clear, but didn’t the announcement say they’d give a detailed explanation later? Just wait.

8F:

Since the wanted orders are now withdrawn and the announcement directly mentioned the codename, meaning all three parties confirmed Deep Shadow no longer had the possibility of “information pollution,” can we discuss it now?

15F:

Should be okay now, so does anyone know the situation?

Scattered related replies began appearing below. Refreshing the gossip snippets, most were from Retirees Alliance people wearing disguise accounts.

Hehe, although our player group has always hidden our identities, having a legendary big shot emerge now is also pretty cool!

Although information related to Infinite still couldn’t be widely spread, they could censor it.

Deep Shadow, our big shot, super strong, the nemesis of anomalies!

Reading their replies, Zhan Yan’s mouth corners unconsciously lifted.

He typed out a reply.

78F “Approaching Science”:

Deep Shadow participated in saving the world.

And he’s handsome with a good body, sweet and clingy and cute. Mm, but this can’t be said. Just knowing it himself is fine.

Zhan Yan smiled as he swallowed all the bread balls with water, closed his eyes lying on the bed, and logged into the Dawn World.

It wasn’t yet the time he’d agreed with Sister. Zhan Yan wanted to explore the Dawn World first.

He’d wanted to look around the Dawn World for a long time. But before he prepared to go look, Zhulong first sent him a little candle stub. He’d investigated the method to heal Yang Ran, then it was busy with this matter and Gu Jiancheng’s disguise falling—too busy until now to tour around.

The gossip system showed he could use the Dawn World’s special nature to convey Yang Ran’s soul map, but he hadn’t tried it yet.

Had to practice first.

Precisely conveying Yang Ran’s soul map information actually belonged to “information connection” ability—still the first ability in the “Spirit” column.

This earliest upgraded ability was increasingly astonishing as it developed. It was like a tree’s main trunk, able to extend branches in different directions. However, without other abilities developed later to assist and guide, this main trunk also had no way to extend in other directions.

The Dawn World was very special, especially its core area. Here, “concepts” from the apocalypse became tangible balls that could be touched, pinched, and eaten.

“Information” could become physical, conveyed in its essential form. This avoided the inevitable information loss and misunderstanding in the conveyance process using other languages like “painting,” “text,” “models,” etc.

But how to turn information in his brain into tangible things like concept balls—he still had to practice.

Zhan Yan sat on the sea surface of the core area. The waves rose and fell, like a soft rocking chair. Having eaten so many concept balls, he could more or less understand what concept balls were about.

Not easy to express, but he knew he could do it.

Zhan Yan cupped his hands in front of him and blew a bubble.

A small purple bubble appeared before him. Zhan Yan caught this bubble.

Unlike concept balls that had to be eaten to work, this little bubble only needed touching to feel the information it conveyed. Perhaps because those concepts from the apocalypse were foreign, while the concepts he gave were already in this world.

The grape variety “Li Bu Ru Da Putao,” when mature, was deep purple, with very thin skin, very soft flesh, very abundant juice, sweet with a harmonious slight sourness, mixing lychee fragrance into grape aroma… After touching this little bubble, it was as if simultaneously seeing its color, smelling its scent, touching the texture of skin, flesh, and seed, feeling the soft flesh and abundant juice’s taste and texture in the mouth…

Information conveyed in an unprecedentedly straightforward way.

Yay! Success!

The purple grape bubble fell from his palm to the sea surface, gently rising and falling with the waves, but neither merging into the ocean nor being pushed away by waves.

Zhan Yan observed for a while, confirming this bubble wouldn’t be absorbed by the ocean. Very good—this way there wouldn’t be a situation where bubbles he worked hard to blow disappeared immediately upon landing.

He poked the purple bubble again. The bubble burst, its carried information automatically dissipating.

Mm-hmm, this way there wouldn’t be a bunch of messy information bubbles appearing in the core area. He could practice with confidence.

Zhan Yan tried other things. The richer the information, the larger the bubble. Ah ah, how big would Yang Ran’s soul map bubble need to be blown?

Never mind, try first.

Zhan Yan burst all the practice information bubbles, sat cross-legged on the waves, and started blowing Yang Ran’s soul map bubble.

The bubble grew bigger and bigger—already as tall as Zhan Yan, but he felt he’d only blown a beginning.

Zhan Yan started worrying. How long would this take? If it took too long, if Qi Ye and Wan Shitong came in, he’d still have to explain.

Damn… All Infinite’s fault for making that reincarnation thing!

Halfway through blowing, the gossip system showed Zhan Yan received new information from the Craftsman.

Circling the bubble, Zhan Yan opened the Extraordinary Forum to check private messages.

Craftsman: “Where should I wait for you?”

Oh right, the Dawn World was too big. He hadn’t told Sister where to meet before.

Approaching Science: “Core area.”

After replying, Zhan Yan ignored it. The big bubble he was blowing had already become a room.

Zhan Suiru looked at Approaching Science’s reply, slowly furrowing her brows.

Only Zhan Yan and Zhan Suiru knew about conveying Yang Ran’s soul map through the Dawn World.

Zhan Suiru worried her “Red Crystal” disguise falling would cause more people to speculate, making the “spirit” concept become unstable due to the “network” concept, so she didn’t tell the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau. This matter only needed to be known between her and Approaching Science.

As for how Approaching Science entered the Dawn World, Zhan Suiru thought he borrowed the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau’s channels.

But why the core area?

Only she, Qi Ye, and Wan Shitong could enter the core area. Oh right, there was also that special NPC, plus the little dragon demon she saw last time.

Did Approaching Science newly get permission from the NPC, or was he one of these people?

Zhan Suiru entered the Dawn World’s core area.

Beneath her feet, the sea’s waves were gentle. Above her head, clouds surged gently.

Between the concept balls’ falling and bouncing, a 2.3-meter giant with jade-like dragon horns was blowing bubbles. That huge bronze-colored bubble was already six meters tall, swaying—like a giant braised egg. All falling concept balls spontaneously avoided it, forming a strange diversion.

Zhan Suiru had originally thought a lot, calculating various situations in her heart. But facing this situation, her mind still couldn’t help going blank for a moment.

It was the little dragon demon who first discovered her. The dragon head with very wide vision was very useful. Zhan Yan saw her without turning his head. Busy blowing bubbles, he could only raise one hand and wave twice in greeting.

Zhan Suiru maintained rationality asking: “Approaching Science?”

Zhan Yan couldn’t nod conveniently or speak conveniently. He gave Zhan Suiru a thumbs up with his raised arm.

Zhan Suiru: …Brain a bit fuzzy.

Approaching Science, who chatted so happily with her in forum private messages, and the network-type little dragon demon who taught her network basics were the same demon? No wait—wasn’t Approaching Science information-type?

Zhan Suiru’s pupils constricted slightly.

Very strong information-type, could swallow concept balls…

She thought of what Ning Xi told her.

The corners of Zhan Suiru’s mouth lifted slightly. She stopped her train of thought, letting it pause there. Like this now was fine.

Zhan Yan, with his wide-angle vision, saw his sister’s reaction.

How come she didn’t seem very surprised? Disappointing.

Sister walked around him and the big bubble. Zhan Yan’s head couldn’t move. The eyeballs on his dragon head turned with Sister from left to right, right to left in a circle.

What was Sister looking at?

Zhan Suiru’s eyes held a smile: “This big braised egg is it?”

Zhan Yan: …What big braised egg!

He finished blowing the big bubble and opened the item introduction to check again.

[This is an information bubble containing all information about the scars and Infinite power within Yang Ran’s soul.]

Very good, no omissions.

Zhan Yan stepped back two steps, looking up at this spectacular big… it really did look like a braised egg!

Zhan Yan patted it. The big braised egg shook—now it looked like crème brûlée: “Touch it and you’ll know.”

Zhan Suiru reached out to touch it.

Like melted snow seeping into spring soil, information flowed into her. The smallest details were all clear in her consciousness.

Zhan Yan watched tensely, both afraid information reception wouldn’t succeed and worried clueless Qi Ye and Wan Shitong would come in—then he’d have to explain why Sister was here, which would involve a series of troublesome matters…

Faster, faster…

Fortunately, until the gossip snippet refreshed showing [Zhan Suiru completely received information about Yang Ran’s soul], no one came.

Zhan Yan breathed a big sigh of relief. Seeing Sister open her eyes, he said: “You received everything, right? Then I’ll burst the bubble.”

His fingertip just touched the big pudding when he saw Sister suddenly turn to one side, gaze sharp and cold.

Zhan Yan’s heart tightened: “What’s wrong?”

Zhan Suiru relaxed: “Nothing. Wan Shitong wanted to come in but was blocked by the NPC. I have to go. Thank you.”

At the core area entrance, Wan Shitong crouched on a rock, looking at the “Deep Shadow” NPC before him with worry.

Ten minutes ago, he’d wanted to enter the core area but discovered he couldn’t teleport in anymore. So he found the core area’s physical entrance location, preparing to go in and look.

Just arriving here, the “Deep Shadow” NPC suddenly appeared blocking his way.

Looking at the “Deep Shadow” NPC gave Wan Shitong a headache.

He was now in the Dawn World in the limited edition version that had memory of his psychic-type abilities. Wan Shitong had already given up on upgrading this limited version outside the Dawn World.

No use—would only make him seem increasingly neurotic.

Wan Shitong with restored memory already knew how this “Deep Shadow” NPC came about. Nothing more than accidentally triggering his replication ability when he didn’t know.

But when he previously used this ability, it was in pure networks. The replication ability was incomplete. Now the game world merged with the apocalypse world’s real essence, this NPC was also targeted by this world as a tool—so Wan Shitong now didn’t know whether this NPC counted as pulling the ability to the top, whether it triggered his boss’s shared memory and perspective…

He carefully addressed the “Deep Shadow” NPC: “Hey? Boss, are you there?”

The “Deep Shadow” NPC looked down on him, not speaking.

Wan Shitong worried. He couldn’t tell, really couldn’t tell.

After all, except toward his little boyfriend, big shot Deep Shadow was equally terse with everyone.

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