Sunlight slowly rose up from Li Yao’s feet like crimson mist, making him fall into a warm and fuzzy dream.
To this moment, he was still not clear-headed enough to tell whether he was in reality or in a dream.
But the impulsiveness, passion, and strength in the bottom of his heart were fading fast. It was an indescribable feeling, but every man knew that it was like the double cooling of the body and the mind after an outburst of passion.
Ding Lingdang, Floating Spear City, the Grand Desolate War Institution, the Star Glory Federation, the Cultivators, the demon beasts… The pictures that were extremely clear a moment ago were now mottled and hidden in the depths of his brain cells like a receding tide. They had been replaced by memories of the real world.
His hands, which were so light that they seemed to be burning a moment ago, were now as heavy as cold granite. He couldn’t even lift them, much less perform any dazzling movements.
Other than the paintings in the notebook, there was simply no evidence to prove that he had encountered a strange thing. And these paintings… were they really painted in the early hours of this morning? Was it possible that he had remembered wrongly and had drawn them a few days ago?
Li Yao looked at the intact calculator and radio. Had he really dismantled the two electronic products into parts and assembled them again?
Or was it just a nap and a dream?
Li Yao tapped the calculator softly.
A few black numbers immediately jumped out on the LCD screen that was covered in dust.
Li Yao’s pupils constricted violently, and he found it hard to breathe.
He remembered clearly that the calculator had been broken for a long time. There was no way to display the number no matter how he pressed it. It was not very valuable in the first place. He was too lazy to fix it and simply threw it to a corner of the desk.
How could it be…
Could it be that the electronic components had malfunctioned because of dampness and were left in a corner by him? The interior was gradually drying up, and naturally, it was repaired?
“It’s decided!”
Li Yao suddenly slapped the table and stood up. “I should brush my teeth and wash up. I should be refreshed and go out for a delicious breakfast. Then… I should come back and continue sleeping!”
“It seems that I’ve been under too much mental pressure over the past few months. I’ve almost become mentally ill. Today, I’m going to take a good rest and restore my former vigor. Starting from tomorrow, I will absolutely not look at these messy things, nor will I dream of nonsense. I will face reality and work hard! I will fight! I will fight!”
The plan was perfect.
But Li Yao went back on his word again.
One could not blame his weak willpower.
The novel was truly too strange.
Every time, he would remind himself that he would stop reading the last chapter after reading the first one. But his hands and eyes seemed to be controlled by a mysterious force, and his head and heart seemed to be cursed, too. He could not stop reading chapter after chapter.
Li Yao’s entire soul was attracted by the novel. The world of 40,000 years of cultivation had turned into a terrifying black hole. Not only did it consume his energy, it also consumed his time and life. Often, when he raised his head, it was still noon. He lowered his head and read two chapters. When he raised his head again, it was already 7 or 8 o’clock in the evening. He was shocked and was about to close the webpage. In the end, he flipped to a few pages of comments. When he raised his head again, it was already 1:00 p.m.
During this period of time, Li Yao experienced quite a few bursts of passion, a strange state where he was impulsive to the point where he had nowhere to vent. It was absolutely not a phenomenon of overflowing spiritual energy that an ordinary teenager was very familiar with. It could not be solved by moving his hands up and down and enjoying himself. He drew crazily, dismantled, repaired, and assembled crazily. The notebook that was originally used to record dreams was filled with dense characters, scenes, and magical equipment blueprints. There was also the map of the entire Jiangnan City, which Li Yao was currently in. He had even unconsciously devised several escape routes. Even if an entire army was surrounding and hunting him, he could still calmly escape through the underground passageway.
God knows whether or not these maps and escape routes were accurate.
God knows why he was drawing these things!
He could not even tell whether he was reading the novel or he was dreaming that he was reading a novel. Once, when he was engrossed in reading the novel, the veins on the back of his hand protruded out and formed a weird pattern of flames. Then, a tiny flame appeared on his finger and lasted for about half a second!
This must be a dream, right?
Either his eyes were playing tricks on him, or the self-combustion of the human body had been exposed as pseudoscience a long time ago. Were there really such things as special abilities in the world? Hahahaha. It was simply impossible!
Li Yao shook his hands and continued reading.
He had passed the first 400-500 chapters. Just as Zhao Kai had said, the style of the first chapter and the second chapter were completely different. The Flying Star Sector, Iron Plateau, and the Blood Demon Sector behind them, as well as all kinds of new worlds and weird concepts, were all presented to him. He was dazzled and greatly enjoyed.
“Vulture Plan? It sounds very familiar. I seem to have heard it somewhere. Aiya, why are the engines outside so noisy? Speaking of which, what exactly is the content of the Vulture Plan? Why is he keeping me in suspense and whetting my appetite? I really want to find the author right now and punch him in the stomach so that I can dig out all the treasures in his stomach!”
“Li Yao! Li Yao!”
Yu Xin was calling him.
Li Yao was dazed for a moment. Then he heard the lively laughter around him.
“You can’t be serious, right? It’s not easy for Boss to treat a guest, and you’re actually not giving him any face. He’s only drunk half the wine, and you’re already lowering your head to read a novel?”
Yu Xin shrieked and smashed a bottle of cold beer in front of Li Yao. “No, I’m going to drink!”
Blinking his eyes, Li Yao finally withdrew his attention from the novel and looked around.
It was a “flies’ restaurant” that could be found everywhere around the university town. The environment was not very good, but it was cheap and delicious. It was most popular among college students.
Since it was the graduation season, many brothers, sisters, and lovers had spent a few unforgettable years with each other. Soon, they would have to go their separate ways. It was inevitable that they would drink until they were drunk and cry before they left. Therefore, it was also the best season for business in the restaurant.
In the small shop, almost ten tables were packed to the brim. Many people were sitting in the open air, enjoying the breeze, drinking wine, and humming songs. Cheers and laughter were echoing nonstop. The place was quite lively.
Li Yao thought carefully for a moment. Alright, he was acting up again.
Today, it was indeed ‘Zhou Ping’, the big brother of the dormitory, who had invited the few of them to have a good gathering. This was because Zhou Ping had found a good job in an investment company. The base salary was high, the benefits were good, and the promotion channels were smooth. In the economic crisis, this year was the year when it was the most difficult to find a job.
However, Li Yao, Zhao Kai, and Yu Xin, who were also unemployed, were not jealous of Zhou Ping’s luck.
Usually, Li Yao, Zhao Kai, and Yu Xin would call each other by their names, but Zhou Ping was their boss.
Firstly, Zhou Ping was two years older than them. He had gone through a lot to get into a university. His skin was dark, thick, and mature. He looked like a middle-aged man in his thirties.
Secondly, in their mediocre second-rate institute, Zhou Ping was a rarely-seen ‘top student’. Over the past few years of his university career, he had spent almost all his time in classrooms and libraries. Before he had even graduated, he had already gotten quite a few very valuable certificates.
Thirdly, Zhou Ping took very good care of everyone. Although he didn’t talk much, he was very reliable and sincere. He never said no when he needed help. He indeed had the demeanor of a big brother—he had a younger brother and a younger sister at home. He was the big brother in the first place!
Fourthly, although Li Yao, Zhao Kai, and Yu Xin weren’t some rich second-generation heirs and were at the bottom level of the city or were youths of a small town, at the very least, their family didn’t have much of a burden. At most, they had to start from scratch. As for Zhou Ping’s family, it was much more difficult. In his early years, his father had been paralyzed in bed. It was said that his father had spent a lot of money on medical treatment and even owed a lot of money. His father had to rely on his mother to work all by himself. It was truly like breaking a copper coin into two halves to spend. Over the past two years, with his scholarship, things had only been slightly better. It was just “slightly better”.
Under such circumstances, when Zhou Ping found a good job, not only were Li Yao and the other two not jealous, they were actually happy for him from the bottom of their hearts.
According to Li Yao and the other two, there was no need for Zhou Ping to treat them to a meal. Thanks for the thought, brothers. Later, it would still be “AA”.
In the end, Zhou Ping’s stubbornness flared up. He said that today’s meal had to be treated by the boss—he had received a lot of care from his brothers. He couldn’t just freeload off his brothers for four years in university, could he? He also had a little scholarship. Whoever wanted to go dutch was not giving him face.
The four of them ordered a table of delicious dishes. Zhou Ping also generously ordered a crate of beer, but in the end, none of them knew how to drink. Half a crate of beer was not finished yet. One by one, their faces were flushed red, and just as they were about to slip out of the table, Li Yao picked up his cell phone again. After reading two chapters on his cell phone, he forgot that he was still eating and drinking.
“That’s not right. Boss is so absent-minded when he’s treating you to dinner.”
Zhao Kai was also a bit drunk. He held his belly and tapped his chopsticks as he said, “I’m starting to regret recommending you to read . No matter how good it is, it’s just an online novel. It’s a pastime when you don’t have anything to do. You’ve been engrossed in it for several days and nights. It’s a bit scary to watch.”
“Yes, Li Yao. Is it really that good?”
Yu Xin continued, “Look at your scary appearance. I turned around and flipped through two pages, but I still couldn’t find anything good about it. It’s just a common, common trick. Do you have to make it look like… you were possessed?”
“Possessed?”
Li Yao put down his phone and touched his cheek. “What do you mean?”
“You don’t know what you look like when you’re reading.”
Zhao Kai took out his phone and began to act. “One moment, I’m gritting my teeth. The next moment, I’m scowling with anger. The next moment, I’m wearing an evil smile and grinning hideously. I’m just like a weasel that’s preparing to steal a chicken. There’s no need to mention how shameless and sleazy I look. We wanted to ask you to come with us to yesterday’s job fair. We called you several times, but you ignored us. When I stabbed you, the look in your eyes was really… as fierce as an awl. What’s going on with you? I’m also chasing after ‘Forty Thousand Years of Cultivators’. It can’t be as exaggerated as yours, right?”
