Chapter 32
“Was that you, System?”
Ding!
[Harassment signal received. Blocked.] A speech bubble popped up.
“?”
Jiang Jitang, who lived alone, shivered: What was that just now?
It seemed he had encountered a system-level supernatural event, but since it was on the system level, it wasn’t something a mere tasker could interfere with.
With an excellent mindset, Jiang Jitang stood up and walked around but found nothing amiss, so he sat back down and continued browsing the posts. The system was still there; let the system handle any problems.
A new notification appeared at the top of the Cube World forum page, which he noticed, but he stayed on the previous page to continue reading.
After the Black Friday post, survivors from the Mad Artist instance also came forward to confirm the existence of the ‘External Aid’. An excellent, compassionate Eastern gentleman, a man of few words possessing the reserved beauty of the East, highly capable, mysterious, and benevolent.
“I don’t want to say anything else, just make a wish. If one day, I’m saying hypothetically, if one day I also encounter a deadly danger, I hope to meet the External Aid sir.”
“Is it too late to start learning the C-Nation language now? How do you say ‘thank you’?”
“It’s not too late,” Jiang Jitang answered through the screen. “But you must know how to be grateful, because that is the payment.”
He quickly finished browsing the three posts, closed the forum, turned on some music, and walked over to the storage shelf holding the wish-makers’ gifts to the uplifting tune.
“Huh?”
He noticed that the Pearl Pagoda, which had been somewhat dim before, had somehow regained its soft, bright luster. Being naturally curious and unable to keep his hands to himself, he opened the protective cover and picked it up. A protective force carrying a murderous aura suddenly expanded.
“Ah—” A sharp scream seemed to echo in his ears.
Well now, this familiar scene…
—
Meanwhile, on the other side of the blue planet.
Jiang Jitang wasn’t the only one lurking on the forums, and he wasn’t the only one looking at the External Aid posts. Guo Jie of the Dongying Society, currently on the run, was also reading these posts.
He was wondering: if he encountered this External Aid in the game, would his son still have a sliver of hope?
“Is there any way to find him?”
The person being questioned rolled his eyes: “Are you joking? Many organizations want to find him, but they can’t.” The External Aid could restore players’ severed limbs, an ability far surpassing most high-level healers. Moreover, he could participate in games in another way. Everyone wanted to find him.
But with so many people in C-Nation, where would one even start?
Unable to access high-level healers, Guo Jie thought of his son in a comatose state, his face full of gloom: “Did you do what I asked you to?”
“About that, I actually want to know why both groups we sent failed? The first time, the C-Nation authorities intervened and took control of the person; they haven’t been extracted yet. The second time, several people were actually bitten to death by a fox, and the ‘Snake’s Kiss’ item used was also destroyed. Is he really an ordinary person?”
Guo Jie sneered: “I warned you long ago, he’s not simple.” If he were simple, how could the ‘Book of Life and Death’ item from a high-level instance fail to kill him?
“Alright, but…”
The obese white man was about to say something when a piercing scream came from next door. Guo Jie, greatly alarmed, immediately stood up and rushed over.
A few days ago, there had been a similar scream, after which his son fell unconscious. Could it be…?
In the next room, his son, who had been lying unconscious on a nutrient drip, had actually sat up. He spat out a mouthful of blood and then fell straight back down, even dislodging the IV needle.
Guo Jie threw himself over, his hand trembling as he reached for his son’s nose.
No breath…
“Tianyu!!! Jiang Jitang, I’m going to kill you!”
“Ouch.” Far away in Jin City, Jiang Jitang rubbed his ear. Probably the instigator was cursing him again, making his ears itch. He put down the Pearl Pagoda and covered it with the case again: “Thank you.”
It’s not the thief you fear, but the thief keeping you in mind. He still needed to get some dark-type materials, otherwise he wouldn’t sleep well…
Dark-type?
He suddenly remembered something.
Unlike himself, who liked gems and gold, Parsons never used to wear any jewelry, saying it affected movement. But yesterday, he had a ring with a red-eyed black dragon on his finger.
From his understanding, only the Divine Sword could have followed him here. But according to the Holy Church’s preference for gold, blue, and white, even if it transformed into a ring, it should be a blue-eyed white dragon. How could it be a red-eyed black dragon?
“Bzzt.” His phone vibrated slightly, bringing Jiang Jitang back to reality. “Ms. Jiang Xingzhou?”
He had received a very sincere cooperation invitation from Jiang Xingzhou.
As the head of a special department branch, the conditions she offered included, but were not limited to: a six-figure post-tax monthly salary, the highest level of social security contributions, recognized administrative rank of the same level, assistance clearing instances, open access to instance information for him, and many other benefits.
It seemed that if he agreed, he could rest easy from then on.
“I don’t need any of that. A cooperative external status is enough.” Jiang Jitang wanted freedom. “Will this affect my mother’s career abroad?”
“It won’t. I personally admire Ms. Jiang Sujin very much. Breaking into the semi-finals of the international culinary world as a Jianghu School chef, she can go even further.” Jiang Xingzhou didn’t hide the fact that they had investigated Jiang Jitang.
Although he didn’t think it would likely affect her, he was still glad to hear the definitive answer. Ms. Jiang had spent her youth on him; he absolutely would not allow anything to hinder her sprint to great heights, not even himself.
“External status, benefits remain unchanged,” Jiang Xingzhou said. External is external, let’s secure the connection first.
“External status, meaning I neither accept orders nor heed summons.” Cooperation was fine, but the unpleasant terms had to be stated upfront.
This meant he was willing to contribute to the collective interest, but they shouldn’t expect him to obey so-called private or unreasonable demands from any superior.
Or rather, he didn’t need any superior.
“Of course.”
So they arranged another time and place to discuss the details.
Putting down his phone, Jiang Jitang was still thinking about the earlier matter concerning Parsons.
If it wasn’t a deliberate color change… then… had the Sacred Sword fallen/corrupted?
A bound magical item only follows its master. So, Parsons also…?
Impossible. How could it be?
He patted his own face: Must be overthinking it.
—
Time flowed like water, and before he knew it, an hour had passed.
5 PM. The sky outside was still bright. Jiang Jitang looked at his watch. He had put down his book, taken a shower, and blow-dried his hair. The bangs that usually somewhat obscured his brows were blown to the sides, making him look much more mature.
Amidst the refreshing citrus scent of his body wash, he went out wearing a fresh pink-blue tennis shirt and white casual pants.
“Hey, Little Jiang, going on a date?” It was rare to see this handsome young man groom himself so carefully, even revealing his full forehead and handsome features. The neighbors couldn’t resist teasing him.
This was the first time in years they had seen him blow-dry his hair; usually it was as messy as if a dog had chewed it.
Jiang Jitang was baffled. Tennis shirt and casual pants – this was what he usually wore when going out. Why had the aunties noticed him today?
Were the aunties just too bored, teasing anyone they caught?
Although puzzled, he still explained: “Going out to eat with a friend.”
“Right, right, to eat.” Hearing this answer, the aunties smiled mischievously, again with the look of people who had been there, done that. “Hurry, hurry, don’t be late. Buy a bunch of flowers while you’re at it. If you’re not romantic when you’re young, you won’t even have memories when you’re old.”
“It’s a guy.”
“Ah? A guy?” The aunties’ enthusiasm instantly dissipated. It wasn’t a date? Changing clothes and blow-drying hair… could it be a job interview?
“Well, off you go then.”
“Goodbye.” Jiang Jitang rode off on his electric scooter.
When he arrived at the agreed location, before he could even find a parking spot, he saw Parsons standing stiffly at the restaurant entrance, wearing black jeans and a dark gray jacket.
Thanks to genetic advantages, all his height was in his legs, and he wasn’t the type skinny to the bone, so he looked outstanding in anything. Even common-style jeans had the flavor of a celebrity model.
He hadn’t looked closely last time, but now Jiang Jitang realized Parsons suited modern attire very well; his classical temperament was actually accentuated by it.
Parsons was also wearing a baseball cap, his silver long hair tied with a gray-black hair tie. Leaning against a pillar with his head down, his face wasn’t clearly visible.
But outstanding people are like lights in the night, impossible to conceal, especially a nearly 1.9-meter-tall clothes hanger like this guy. Quite a few people were stealing glances around.
Perhaps there really was some tacit understanding between them. The moment Jiang Jitang looked over, Parsons raised his head, and their gazes met precisely in the air.
“You came so early?” Jiang Jitang’s gaze swept over the ring; it was still the only accessory on him. The black dragon ring’s red gemstone glittered. Its originally somewhat flashy design was strangely integrated into Parsons’s aura.
“Mn.”
Jiang Jitang asked boldly and openly; Parsons replied carefully and cautiously. Fortunately, he was naturally used to being expressionless, so he could still manage for now.
‘You can do it, Master!’ the Demon Sword shouted silently. ‘Starting today, you’re standing tall, Master!’
Parsons, soul-bound to the Demon Sword and thus sensing this: …
His eyes shifting, Jiang Jitang, skilled in hunting, retracted the aggressiveness around him, presenting a harmless appearance, even deliberately taking a step back to maintain a safe social distance.
“Let’s go in. I reserved a private room.”
Anyone who has hunted knows that when facing alert prey, you must exercise restraint, approach quietly, don’t expose yourself, and don’t scare it away before you’re sure you can kill with one strike.
Parsons watched Jiang Jitang walk inside. He raised his hand to cover the spot on his arm; the faint woody scent on him masked the smell of blood from his wound.
At this distance, he should be able to keep it hidden.
It was a very ordinary restaurant made by connecting three shopfronts. What made it special was that it was a Halal canteen. They did chicken, beef, and mutton very well, and also served seafood. The prices weren’t expensive. Besides local adherents of the minority faith and foreigners, nearby residents also came occasionally for a meal.
But today, this ordinary restaurant welcomed two guests who didn’t seem very ordinary.
Jiang Jitang, who moved among crowds all year round, was very good at concealing his presence, hiding a tree in the forest. But Parsons couldn’t manage that; his height alone made it impossible to be low-key, and he was a foreigner on top of that.
They walked in one after the other, in a state that seemed distant yet subtly connected.
However, the other diners didn’t think much of it. They just couldn’t help but look a few more times at the handsome young man, and didn’t perceive the undercurrents swirling between these two.
Just two people, so they had booked a small private room. A four or five square meter space, decorated in arabian-style, containing only a square table and an air conditioner, with no window.
Jiang Jitang and Parsons sat down across the table from each other. He took out his phone and scanned the QR code on the table. Parsons unobtrusively followed his lead, and his phone displayed the ordering page.
The atmosphere was somewhat subtle, belonging to that phase of mutual probing where ‘the enemy hasn’t moved, so our own morale must not be disturbed’.
Parsons opened the ordering page, and the words ‘Grilled Lamb Skewers × 10’ appeared on it. It turned out Jiang Jitang across from him was ordering. This little ordering page seemed to pull them together, scribbling and drawing on the same menu.
Parsons had never imagined the two of them would have a chance to sit down like this for a simple meal.
The sea of humanity was vast; finding him had been extremely difficult, let alone the countless problems standing between them.
After all, they had fought to the death, one narrowly escaping death, one died. In Parsons’s expectations, no matter what, there was no option for sitting down peacefully for a meal like this.
Yet just ironically this option had become reality.
So what is Illman thinking?
Parsons didn’t understand. He was attracted by Jiang Jitang’s (Illman’s) free-spirited, unrestrained nature, but was also troubled by the same trait.
“So, was the novel good?” Jiang Jitang, who was ordering, suddenly threw out this question, his face full of cunning, eyes bright. “What were you thinking while reading it? It wasn’t about me, was it?”
Parsons froze directly on the spot, stiffer than a stone sculpture.
The enemy just moved, and morale is in disarray.
