NFM Chapter 106

The sound of a spaceship landing echoed from outside the building. Ailian stood by the window, looking down.

“That’s the sound of reinforcements arriving,” Eva said from behind her. “Our reinforcements, our future, are here.”

As she spoke, her emerald eyes shimmered like the tender branches of a willow tree in spring. However, behind her, Number 13 clutched her skirt tightly, her voice trembling as she asked, “Are we leaving now? Where are we going?”

“To the surface,” the door behind them opened, and two young figures poured in along with the air. “We’re leaving the greenhouse, going up to the surface.”

“But the radiation—”

“Over a hundred years ago, the surface became fully habitable for humans,” the taller of the two youths placed a hand on Number 13’s shoulder. “You don’t have to believe me, but you should trust the instruments’ results—let’s go, up to the surface.”

“But once we’re on the surface…” Number 13 had no concept of the world above. “Where will we go?”

“That place is where everyone can equally find happiness. In ancient Earth language, we call it ‘home.'” As he spoke, Chu Tianshu gave Number 13’s shoulder a firm pat. “Pack your things, and then we’ll head to the sky.”

Tears immediately streamed down Number 13’s face.

The three women left the room, leaving only Lin Huai and Chu Tianshu in the second-floor corridor. Chu Tianshu watched the still-crying Number 13 as she departed, sighing, “Young girls these days are so easily…”

“Easily moved, aren’t they?” Lin Huai stared at his general-like face. “For an unverified fantasy, they can shed tears. It’s like moths living in darkness, throwing themselves at the flame without hesitation…”

“…so easily made to cry,” Chu Tianshu looked at the hand he had patted Number 13 with. “She’s so frail, a single pat would probably make her cry for a long time… Huh? Lin Lin, why are you leaning against the wall?”

“…I kind of want to say I don’t know you,” Lin Huai retorted.

The two of them traversed the long corridor, finally arriving at the beginning of the “Greenhouse’s” history. A massive newspaper was quietly displayed in a glass showcase.

And at the center of the newspaper was the very photo Lin Huai had once witnessed.

“…I met ‘The Crow’ here, a year ago. By then, this place was already the greenhouse,” Chu Tianshu gazed at the two young men in the corner of the photo. “He had just defected from Chenxing, and I was tasked with hunting him down.”

There was a hint of nostalgia in his voice. For some reason, Lin Huai felt that he seemed a bit sad, so he comforted him, “It’s alright, you’re a defector from Chenxing now too, aren’t you? Defecting seems to be a tradition in Chenxing.”

Chu Tianshu: “…”

Seeing Chu Tianshu fall silent, Lin Huai’s heart skipped a beat. “Did his defection make you sad?”

“Yes,” Chu Tianshu said. “In a way, I was one of the people who introduced him to Chenxing. The Crow has always been a loner. Later, during a mission, he caught Chen Liexue’s attention. Chen Liexue privately invited him to join Chenxing. The invitation to The Crow was a confidential matter, known only to me, Chen Liexue, and another veteran of Chenxing. Even Du Chongshan, whom Chen Liexue trusted the most, wasn’t privy to the details. After all… The Crow’s reputation in the Advanced Zone wasn’t exactly stellar. Not because he dressed like a member of the Black Organization from Detective Conan, but because of his eccentric and radical methods. The Instance worlds he left behind were always drastically altered. Most people were wary of such an unpredictable element. Back then, Chen Liexue, the other veteran, and I held a private vote. If two votes were in favor, The Crow would be allowed to join Chenxing.”

“Were you hurt because a junior you trusted betrayed you?” Lin Huai looked at him quietly. “Did you… vote in favor?”

“No,” Chu Tianshu answered bluntly. “I voted against it.”

Lin Huai: “…Then why are you acting all hurt like you were betrayed!”

“The other two voted in favor. Chen Liexue believed that while The Crow was unstable, he could be useful. The other person had always held a favorable opinion of The Crow. So, I made a condition: I would agree to The Crow joining Chenxing, but he had to be under my supervision, meaning—”

“He would join my laboratory within Chenxing’s territory!” Chu Tianshu said seriously. “Become my assistant and work with me on research regarding Nether Beings and the Game—”

Lin Huai: “…Your behavior makes me feel like you voted against him just to get him into your lab.”

“Perhaps because Chen Liexue and The Crow reached some kind of agreement, to the outside world, The Crow remained a loner. Aside from the three of us, no one else knew The Crow had joined Chenxing,” Chu Tianshu continued. “Even within Chenxing, he was like a separate department, isolated from everyone else. Three months after joining Chenxing, The Crow never came to my lab again.”

“At first, I thought he was just bored of research, tired of spending his days in the lab. Until Chen Liexue told me he had defected and would never return. Along with him, he took the ‘Map.'”

“The Map?” Lin Huai recalled what Xia Xingye had said. “The map that records the locations of all dynamic passwords?”

“Yes, it’s the map left by the Sage of the Infinite World—Gu Chaosheng. After Gu Chaosheng disappeared, the map he personally created was safeguarded by Chen Liexue, the captain of Chenxing. Gu Chaosheng was Chen Liexue’s close friend and the reason Chen Liexue entered the Game. After obtaining the ‘Map,’ the only thing Chen Liexue could do for his departed friend was to protect it and uphold his friend’s final wish: to never let anyone enter that door. Everyone had only heard of the map, but no one knew it was in Chen Liexue’s possession,” Chu Tianshu spoke calmly. “Until The Crow stole it. His goal was to use the map to collect all the keys, open the forbidden door, and step through it.”

“Honestly, I had suspected his intentions for a while,” Chu Tianshu said indifferently. “But I didn’t stop him. He’s a… stubborn guy. But no matter what, I thought that by then, we were… we were…”

He paused.

“Friends,” he finally said, glancing at Lin Huai.

…Lin Huai thought he seemed a bit sad.

“…Because of his defection, Chen Liexue cut my research funding for half a year,” Chu Tianshu raised his head, his voice filled with resentment. “From that moment on, I knew that when it comes to defecting, you have to strike first…”

Lin Huai, stuck halfway: …I don’t know whether to pity you or Chen Liexue.

“But defecting is indeed a glorious tradition in Chenxing. The first defector was Chen Liexue’s stepbrother, Xia Xingye. After his boyfriend died tragically due to Chen Liexue’s decision, he left Chenxing and became an information broker. Ah, as the saying goes, don’t fall in love, and you won’t have any troubles… But I never thought that even friendship could bring pain,” Chu Tianshu sighed. “But I’m getting off track. Anyway, from the day The Crow defected, I left the lab. Bringing The Crow back—that was initially my idea, but it also became Chen Liexue’s mission for me.”

“…Our first real meeting and conversation after that was in this Instance,” Chu Tianshu placed his hand on the newspaper. “Our first encounter in the Game was also in this Instance, back when he had just entered the Advanced Zone, using a pseudonym and without the alias ‘The Crow.’ This Instance was originally called ‘Nuclear Winter,’ filled with monsters born from radiation, cold and desolate… We created Eden, moved it underground, and said it was the hope for all NPCs.”

“…This time, he had already obtained 25 keys and was being hunted by everyone. He had just entered the Advanced Zone camp when he was ambushed by Fierce Wind and left in a hurry. When I found him, he was standing in Eden. He knew I would catch up to him because this was where we first met in the Game.”

“We saw this revitalized Instance, the orderly city, and the residents with happy smiles. And a new term, ‘Potential Criminals.’ Eden had become the greenhouse, Nuclear Winter had become a civilized world. The incident wasn’t resolved, and he said—the virus cannot be eradicated unless the rules are changed.”

“—So, you weren’t there to kill him,” Lin Huai said quietly.

“Right,” Chu Tianshu smiled. “I just told him, if someone had to enter that door, why couldn’t it be me?—Then he took the seven keys from me, returned to the Advanced Zone’s mission camp, and opened the door—by the time I woke up in the greenhouse and rushed back to the camp, he was already gone.”

“After that, I left Chenxing. Later, I found him. Even though his appearance was different, I knew it was him—” Chu Tianshu looked at Lin Huai. “It’s you, Lin Huai.”

“—You are The Crow.”

Lin Huai’s pupils constricted violently at that moment.

Even though I had a feeling… he thought, I wasn’t prepared to face the fact that I had reincarnated as myself—

“Though I don’t know how you lost your memories, ended up in another body, and gained the abilities of a Fierce Ghost, even your memories were replaced. But no matter how many times you reincarnate, I would recognize you,” Chu Tianshu grabbed his shoulders, speaking earnestly. “Because—”

“Only you could pull off such a flamboyant move,” he said with certainty. “My old friend.”