Chapter 84
The Fallen City was the place where the former leader of the alliance had died, hence it was named as such. There must be something inside that attracted Yun Chu to lead a team into it again after three years.
This time, many injured members hadn’t recovered yet. It wasn’t dangerous to receive Yun Chu and it allowed them to have more time to recover. Zhang Zhiyin left Dadao, Chen Guang, and other people as the receiving team while he took Old Zhu and five other members who were unhurt to clear the way.
The advantages of fewer people were that there would be a quicker response within the team and that they would be able to camouflage themselves easier. Yun Chu didn’t specify any obstacles that they had to clear, likewise, Zhang Zhiyin didn’t plan to fight to the death with any zombies before the bigger team arrive. He just wanted to know about the general situation and then report it.
When he got in the car, he felt sleepy and fell asleep on his seat after he had instructed the team.
On the other side, Zhang Zhiyin had returned to the real world.
He sat up from the sofa, gently put Yin Xiaoxiang, who was still asleep, beside him, and went to the study room to turn on the computer. His old notebook was still in the suitcase and he was too lazy to take it out. This computer was a desktop computer they had bought after moving to their new home. It was generally used by Boss. Although the computer had not helped him at all except to make him look more like a human being.
The game had also been downloaded on this computer. It was this game that made them met each other, so Zhang Zhiyin always held a special feeling for it.
He had no idea before, and Yin Nian had always been keeping it from him. He tried not to let him know how dangerous it was for him to love him. He dealt with everything silently and alone until Zhang Zhiyin woke up one day and found that this person was gone.
Zhang Zhiyin silently opened the game icon and logged in to the game. In fact, he had hidden something from Yin Nian, he just didn’t know if he was able to tell. In the epic level instance, while fighting the final boss, the illusion after being poisoned came from his heart’s demon.
All the time, all he wanted to do was to find a person to stay with him. The person would never give up on him, would stay with him from life to death. But he didn’t believe in people, and he didn’t believe in an unchanging love, so he had been restraining himself, restraining himself from loving, and placed his emotions on a virtual character. But he knew it wasn’t love, until the day he saw the sentence “I’m Yin Nian” in the dialog box. He knew rationally that it should be just a bug, but he couldn’t help laughing at the screen like a fool.
He knew something was going out of control but when he wanted to gain his control back by deleting the game, he was hit by a car. He could no longer go back anymore.
He was lucky enough to meet Yin Nian, but what his lover might not know was that he still felt frightened, worried. It was an unrealistic happiness formed from fantasy, what should he do if he lost it one day?
If only I hadn’t met you in the first place. If only I liked any other NPC at that time. If only you were a virtual character. Zhang Zhiyin opened the door of the abandoned laboratory and looked at the game scene that was waiting there as always. The corners of his mouth were slightly bent, but his eyes could not help shedding tears. Other than the times he was a cat, he had never cried.
While thinking about it, he knew in his heart that he was refuting that sentiment. He was just like Jack who won the ticket by chance. Even if he was given a chance to do it again while knowing of the consequences, he would still step on the ship without hesitation— if not, he would never have met that person. So what was the point of being able to spend the rest of the time peacefully and leisurely as planned?
He controlled his character to approach the person who was still standing with his head slightly lowered against the cabinet. He gently hugged him and then opened his backpack.
In the first item box, the crystal ring was shining with bright light.
He placed the ring to the ground and typed, “Yin Nian, I can’t take it back.”
I used to believe that what I wanted was to be never be forsaken, it was only until now that I truly understand, what I wanted was only you. Rather than fearing eternality, I want to treasure every second and minute spent with you…
“Yin Nian, I love you.”
He didn’t know if he could hear his words just like before, but he wanted to tell him so badly.
“Come back home, Nian.”
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In the base, Y looked at the ring in his hand quietly.
It was such a fragile and pompous little thing that could break apart with a little strength. But at the moment he was holding it, it seemed that countless pictures were surging up from the bottom of his heart, making him feel at a loss for the first time.
This ring and those words, he seemed to have been waiting for them for a long time, and now he finally received them. He seemed to be able to see that, in another world, there was a pitiful and helpless person waiting for him. Some places in his heart suddenly softened. He turned his head and his eyes seemed to be covered with mist.
He seemed to have been like this before, to repeat every day of his life, waiting for a person. When that person had appeared, there was only fondness. Later, he couldn’t help following him, on his mobile phone, on the computer on his work desk, in the square electronic screen he walked by… The person didn’t know, he just thought he was waiting for him in a fixed place like before but he had already appeared in every corner of his life.
He couldn’t help immersing himself in it until a warning signal came. Even since that crash, he had upgraded his protection system, and it would remove all the possible hazards in time.
Y raised the ring in his hand and looked at it carefully—
It’s better to destroy it when there was still time.
Suddenly, someone knocked on the door. It was Lei Dun.
He bowed and said respectfully, “Doctor, the Cloud Sky Alliance has organized a large number of elite people to Jiya City. Shall we send someone to stop them?”
Yin Nian took back the ring and nodded. “Let You Huo organize people to intercept them.”
After a pause, he added, “You and Meng Kali get ready. I’ll see for myself.”
Lei Dun then closed the door and went out.
And the ring, which should have been destroyed in time, was put in the pocket of Y’s chest just like this and never came out again.
