Angel City is about to merge into Hope City, becoming a subsidiary city.
When this news was broadcast directly throughout Angel City, the residents, who were busily working, put down their tasks. All their faces turned blank and bewildered. Gradually, an indescribable sense of absurdity rose in their hearts.
No matter their social class, upon hearing this news, their hearts grew colder, and some were even overcome with despair.
Why was such a major decision made so suddenly?
Among the lower-tier residents of Angel City, confusion was all they could find on each other’s faces.
Perhaps becoming a subsidiary city means nothing more to them than changing leadership. Their work would still remain simple, humble, and fundamentally unchanged. Yet, in that fleeting moment, the collapse of their faith instantaneously plunged the once proud citizens of Angel City into profound disorientation.
“We’ve become part of the subsidiary city, affiliated with the already-destroyed Hope City?” everyone wondered in disbelief.
“Does this mean that Mr. Qian’s troops lost in their attack on Hope City? But in that case, shouldn’t we still have the capacity to flee? Why would this happen…”
For those who hadn’t personally witnessed the city war, none could comprehend why the upper echelons of Angel City seemed to lose all morale in an instant, weakly surrendering.
“The Archangel… dismantled?” Yet when this news quickly spread to every resident aware of the existence of the Archangel, their faith crumbled at that very instant.
“What will we do next? Will we be enslaved? Will our lives become even worse than they are now?”
“No, my life is already so hard. I really don’t want it to get any harder.”
Under the orders of the city lord, Angel City slowly began moving towards the vicinity of Hope City. Yet, the closer they moved, the greater the fear of the unknown grew in everyone’s hearts. No one knew what would happen—they couldn’t believe that their massive city had been defeated.
That once-thriving Angel City now experienced an unprecedentedly long and dreadful day. Fear consumed them, and the pride of being the most perfect tourist city disappeared instantly, replaced only by endless dread.
“Are we now heading towards Hope City?” someone asked.
“Yes, we’re preparing to form an alliance with Hope City.”
“What kind of place is Hope City?” However, no one could answer this question.
They couldn’t imagine how a destroyed city could have defeated their enormous mobile city. Even more baffling was that, while they had time to escape, they now rushed towards Hope City to proactively seek an alliance. How powerful and strange must Hope City be?
Yuan Sanjin listened to the overwhelming unease spreading throughout her grandfather’s city. Everyone was filled with fear and doubt about the future, and she was no different.
When she learned that they were going to become a subsidiary city of Hope City and saw her grandfather and Mr. Qian sitting obediently beside what turned out to be Hope City’s lord, without resistance, without negotiation, she realized that everything had been unilaterally decided by that young man.
It was then that she learned his name. He was called He Fang.
She didn’t understand what had happened or why no one resisted. But after the city lord of Hope City and his people left, she witnessed that horrifying battle.
No, it wasn’t a battle—it was a massacre. From beginning to end, they stood no chance. Countless resources were spent to assemble a team of over ten thousand soldiers, but not a single one returned, including Mr. Qian’s son.
They couldn’t believe that anyone could have survived such a terrifying confrontation. Those who watched the recorded footage were all engulfed in a shadow of fear.
They wanted to escape, but there was no way out—they would undoubtedly be caught.
Their city was forced to head toward a completely unknown place, a location near the direction of the Nightmare Beast Forest, as marked on their maps. Yuan Sanjin was filled with fear and firmly opposed it: “We can’t keep following their orders! We’re heading toward the Nightmare Beast Forest. If we’re parasitized by Nightmare Beast seeds, we’ll die!”
However, no one listened to her. She couldn’t understand what the city lord of Hope City intended to do—was he hoping to see their enormous city end in tragedy?
Yuan Sanjin was terrified, and her fear grew with every step closer. Desperately, she roamed the city like a madwoman, searching for He Fang.
Finally, she knelt before him, prostrating herself in the humblest manner, and pleaded: “The lives of Angel City’s 790,000 residents—so many of them still have futures ahead of them. Even if it means becoming slaves, please give them a chance to live. If you’re willing, I can take over as the city lord in place of my grandfather. I will obey every order you give me without question. Please, give us another chance—I’m begging you.”
“In your eyes, am I such a terrifying person?” Yuan Sanjin heard He Fang’s voice, filled with doubt. She immediately looked up, a glimmer of hope rising in her heart. However, she then heard He Fang continue, “Also, from now on, the city lord of Angel City is no longer your grandfather—it’s me.”
At that moment, Yuan Sanjin felt a cold chill through her entire body. She bowed her head again, pressing her forehead against the icy ground. “City Lord, I beg you to grant your people a sliver of hope.”
“Sigh, anything I say now is meaningless. Seeing is believing.” Yuan Sanjin felt He Fang’s hand rest on her shoulder, and under his guidance, she slowly straightened her back. She saw He Fang retrieve a peculiar pendant from around his neck and immediately reached out to take it.
It was a very strange pendant, still warm from He Fang’s body. Inside, it contained a vividly carved sculpture—an incredibly handsome man and a wild beast.
“Don’t worry. I never intended for anyone in Angel City to die. Do not fear, and do not spread panic. If you’re scared, just pray to this. This is God, the true God.”
Yuan Sanjin was confused. To her, it was just an ordinary pendant. How could it be called a god? The only god she had ever believed in was the angel.
From that moment on, she could no longer find He Fang. As their journey progressed, most residents of Angel City still didn’t know where they were headed. Those who realized they were approaching the vicinity of the Nightmare Beast Forest began to give in to despair, leading to temporary disorder in the city’s management.
Amidst the chaos, Yuan Sanjin’s grandfather and Mr. Qian stepped forward to restore order, preventing Angel City from falling into complete disarray.
As time passed, Yuan Sanjin grew increasingly terrified. She even clung tightly to the pendant left by He Fang—the one he had called “God”—praying earnestly.
Finally, Angel City came to a stop, halting on a piece of land. At that moment, the city announced something that struck everyone with fear.
Angel City would no longer move! It would settle on this land and take root here!
In that instant, panic erupted among all the residents, regardless of their social class. Chaos spread quickly. Many people opened the city gates, attempting to leave. However, when they saw the visible black area in the distance, despair consumed them.
Everyone fervently prayed for the angel’s protection and assistance.
But the angel, who always gazed coldly down at its believers, remained motionless in the heights, staring indifferently at them.
The angel did not protect its believers.
The sounds of wailing, collapse, rioting, and the destruction of order filled the air. Yuan Sanjin watched as the once warm and hospitable residents revealed their most violent and disgraceful sides. In that moment, she felt as though destruction had truly descended upon them.
They had merely attacked Hope City.
Why must the entire city accompany them to their doom?
But at that very moment, dazzling golden light suddenly radiated from within Angel City. Amidst this golden brilliance, they witnessed a phenomenon that had never occurred anywhere in the world.
A colossal angel descended!
Though it was merely the statue of a god, its perfect form was visible from every corner of Angel City.
What kind of god was this? It possessed the purest white, a sanctity unattainable by human craftsmanship or wisdom—a visage beyond desecration. Entwined with it was an enormous beast, perhaps the angel’s companion beast. It was breathtakingly beautiful, as though all of them ascended to heaven in that fleeting moment.
In an instant, the fear and despair in every heart were washed away, leaving only calm. For the first time, those who had always held faith in the divine found themselves gazing upon a true god. All thoughts ceased as they stood there, stunned.
The god raised its hand, and suddenly, they saw the divine golden light radiating from its palm, spreading inch by inch across the land. Although nothing seemed to happen, they felt an unmistakable sense of the god’s protection.
Earlier, the sight of the black expanse in Nightmare Beast Forest filled their hearts with terror. Now, that fear vanished completely.
“Are you… God?” someone asked, trembling. Was this truly God? Could it be the savior they had been hoping for?
The massive white figure of the divine statue lowered its gaze to look at the person but gave no answer, instead fading away gradually.
In the place where the divine statue faded, someone noticed an unfamiliar figure.
It was a slender youth. The youth raised a sculpture in his hand—the statue of God—and declared: “People of Angel City, I am the divine envoy of the Divine Lord, from Hope City. From this moment on, it is officially confirmed that Angel City will become a subsidiary city of Hope City. Under the protection of the Divine Lord, none of you will ever fall victim to Nightmare Beast seeds. The Divine Lord will grant land and life to all. I urge everyone to sincerely believe in the true deity—the Divine Lord.”
The Divine Lord.
This was the first true god that Angel City had ever witnessed.
It was also the moment Angel City realized that the angel they had prayed to had abandoned them, while the Divine Lord had saved them.
He Fang didn’t enter the simulation pod but instead opened the statistics page for “Ruins Without Restart” on his computer.
Angel City had already appeared on his control panel, indicating that the migration was complete. However, when he looked at the event statistics, he suddenly frowned.
What’s going on? The happiness index of Angel City had once dropped to below zero, even showing signs of city collapse.
After reviewing it, He Fang was momentarily stunned and then amused—what was this nonsense?
Upon further investigation, he realized that it was because he had positioned Angel City near the edge of Nightmare Beast Forest. Seeing the black area of Nightmare Beast Forest must have frightened them.
And then He Fang looked at the following event statistics.
“The Nightmare Beast attempted to enter Angel City, but under the residents’ fear and the protection of the Divine Lord, it was completely annihilated. The residents of Angel City felt much more at ease.”
“A flying Nightmare Beast attempted to enter Angel City, but under the residents’ fear and the protection of the Divine Lord, it was completely annihilated. The residents of Angel City felt much more at ease.”
After all, being so close to Nightmare Beast Forest, how could the Nightmare Beasts ignore such an obvious human-made structure? But as soon as they got close, they were utterly destroyed without leaving a trace.
On the land protected by the Divine Lord, a highly distinct boundary appeared, similar to the border between the main city and Nightmare Beast Forest. Everyone could see that, while the area outside the boundary was a barren black wasteland, lush green grass flourished within it. This spectacle left the residents of Angel City deeply shocked.
“The worldview of Angel City’s residents has been shaken.”
“The residents of Angel City attempted to grow vegetables on the Divine Lord’s protected land, and it went smoothly.”
“The happiness index of Angel City’s residents has improved.”
“NPCs adapt quickly,” He Fang remarked as he drank water and reviewed the event statistics.
“The residents of Angel City have placed their faith in the Divine Lord, incorporating it deeply into their daily lives—with prayers before meals, before planting, before cleaning…”
He Fang was momentarily stunned. So many prayers? When he was in Angel City, he hadn’t observed this much intricate behavior. Why had they now all started incorporating prayers into everything?
He Fang reviewed the statistics for the Divine Lord’s faith value and found it had surged rapidly. Nearly 800,000 people now hold faith equivalent to the level achieved by just 10,000 elderly, sick, and frail individuals previously. Yet, all He Fang had done was set up defensive barriers in that area and stage an act with the Divine Lord.
The Divine Lord was real—the inability of Nightmare Beasts to invade was real. The ability to plant freely on the land was also real. Eventually, the once-dismal happiness index of Angel City’s residents would rise to match that of Hope City.
Before logging off, He Fang arranged for the main city’s government to dispatch management personnel to Angel City. Unlike Hope City, which had a population of only 10,000 elderly and weak individuals, Angel City had a comprehensive administrative system. Hence, instead of assigning a manager, He Fang decided to appoint a manager of managers, whom he called the “Observer”.
Angel City did not dare resist this arrangement.
Next, He Fang began constructing train tracks connecting the main city to Angel City. This decision was linked to his strategic placement of Angel City near Nightmare Beast Forest.
Angel City was rich in resources. He Fang naturally wouldn’t overlook the abundance of animal and plant materials available.
Looking at the gradually filling national treasury, He Fang opened up a new plot of mountainous land within the main city’s resource mountains. As he expected, the area beneath wasn’t a city destroyed, but rather a bare, desolate landscape consumed by Nightmare Beast seeds. Regions with mountains offered significantly higher yields for planting than flat areas of equal size.
He Fang marked this new plot with a note: Experimental Field.
This area would exclusively host the diverse new species brought from Angel City. If space became insufficient, he could expand further, as the treasures within were highly coveted by researchers.
“The research institute is elated by the creation of the experimental field and is actively engaging with Angel City to exchange knowledge and learn.”
He Fang paused for a moment—this research institute acted far too quickly; it was practically impatient.
Unable to resist, He Fang opened another small plot of land and designated it as an additional experimental field.
“The research institute is so overjoyed by the expansion of the experimental field that it nearly fainted.”
He Fang couldn’t help but laugh. He found these NPCs absolutely adorable.
Given the proximity of Angel City and Hope City, He Fang decided to construct a road between them. With the Nightmare Beast defense barrier already in place, He Fang operated directly through the control panel to connect the cities. Roads required no construction time, allowing the two cities to be linked swiftly.
As He Fang admired the newly constructed road, he noticed tiny figures emerging one by one from the massive Angel City, gathering at the road’s entrance.
Some of the small figures curiously walked around the road before returning. Soon, it seemed as though everyone, full of curiosity, took turns exploring the new path.
He Fang found these little NPCs utterly charming and opened the event statistics to check the current situation.
“The residents of Angel City expressed shock at the sudden appearance of the road.”
“The residents of Angel City believe this is a divine miracle bestowed by the Divine Lord.”
He Fang smacked his lips. He couldn’t deny that Angel City, filled with faith, held an unmatched level of devotion to the Divine Lord. The faith seemed to skyrocket at a speed visible to the naked eye, almost every moment. He wished he had that much money.
“The higher-ups in Angel City heard this was the road to Hope City and decided to send a squad to gather basic information about it.”
“The team sent by Angel City was overjoyed to let vehicles travel on the roads.”
He Fang suddenly thought that everyone in Angel City seemed to have a talent for making people laugh.
“After entering Hope City, the residents of Angel City sneered at the messy farmland built there.”
He Fang nearly spat out a mouthful of water. Who knew why such a sentence struck his funny bone and made him laugh until his stomach hurt?
“The residents of Angel City found something very interesting in Hope City—a supermarket.”
“The residents of Angel City were thrilled and bought many items in the supermarket.”
“The residents of Angel City attempted to sweep the supermarket clean.”
“The residents of Angel City discovered a clothing store and were curious about the novel styles of clothing inside.”
“The residents of Angel City admired the urban design of Hope City and expressed their praise.”
“The residents of Angel City tasted the food in Hope City and found it delicious.”
After reading everything in one go, He Fang could sense that the residents of Angel City were very curious about the current state of Hope City. The first visit would surely lead to a second, and soon the frequency of Angel City residents visiting Hope City would increase. Once they significantly boosted Hope City’s economy, a considerable number of people from the main city would likely set up shops in Hope City.
Was there a chance to open a shop in Angel City? Although Angel City didn’t seem too crowded, there really wasn’t much space left to fill. Or could they possibly construct more clothing stores in the surrounding areas?
“The residents of Angel City purchased a large number of incarnations of the Divine Lord and prepared to return to Angel City.”
He Fang: “…”
Even though he knew this situation was entirely his own doing, the thought of a landmark being more popular than himself, the city lord, gave him rather mixed feelings.
The population of Angel City was overwhelming. With such a massive population, the financial income under self-sufficiency wasn’t particularly impressive. When He Fang looked at Angel City’s statistical panel, he realized this place was incredibly poor, likely due to the high expenses required to maintain these “sparks”.
Once the train to the main city was operational, many residents of Angel City would qualify to enter the experimental fields. At that point, the special traits of the land he purchased with his money would undoubtedly alleviate Angel City’s economic burden significantly. The “sparks” could all be transferred to the experimental fields, freeing Angel City’s labor force and giving them more opportunities to create wealth.
He Fang planned to fence off the experimental fields and separate them from his main city. For now, he didn’t want Angel City’s residents to freely enter his city, at least not until their loyalty reached 100%.
Despite the low loyalty, the faith…
He Fang clicked his tongue quietly.
At first, he had sent Wei Qixuan to specifically promote the Divine Lord, but now it seemed like Wei Qixuan had done such a good job that people forgot about He Fang, the city lord himself. Or was it that Angel City selectively chose to believe in “God” and refused to pledge loyalty to the city lord?
Before logging out of the game, he had planned everything. All he needed was to let the game develop automatically over time. He had already sent Lu Hu and Mr. Qian to negotiate. After some time, Angel City should be able to create economic value. Moreover, He Fang allocated a large portion of the city’s defenses to Angel City.
“Angel City felt reassured after acquiring powerful defensive weapons, and their happiness increased.”
He Fang looked at the very realistic game notification and shrugged.
His weapons seemed to be more than adequate. The genius Chong Ying had created incredibly formidable equipment.
Overall, after analyzing Angel City’s combat capability, he found that it wasn’t particularly strong.
Angel City wasn’t a city adept at war. Their first battle was against Hope City, and although they initially thought it would be an easy victory, they unexpectedly encountered a “pro” player. This directly extinguished Angel City’s enthusiasm for war, reducing it to zero.
Without any experience, even the “archangel” they produced was merely an imitation, and their combat capability couldn’t be considered particularly impressive.
However…
Absolute dominance was rarely achievable. He Fang wasn’t foolish—just cautious. Gradually, he began to realize that his city might be a “bug” in this post-apocalyptic world.
Still, such settings should be expected. After all, the game couldn’t make players feel too oppressed. This aspect of “Ruins Without Restart” must have been carefully considered.
He Fang took another look at the attributes of Angel City’s residents. On the whole, while they seemed rather ordinary, they were still far better than those “inferior NPCs” from Hope City. Some of the NPCs in Angel City even had tags, which made He Fang full of anticipation for other cities.
To protect Angel City, He Fang instructed Yuan Zhiran to deploy a third of the main city’s soldiers to station there. Additionally, he began recruiting in Angel City, determined not to let nearly 800,000 people go to waste. Any soldier from the main city who arrived in Angel City instantly became an officer, and being part of a megacity, the main city’s soldiers were more than willing.
With such a large population, He Fang decided to establish an employment relationship between the main city and Angel City. He also implemented a “migration policy” in Angel City, allowing migrants to move directly into Hope City and granting them the right to purchase houses there.
Hope City, with its originally meager population of just over ten thousand in a city built for hundreds of thousands, had undergone significant expansion during its reconstruction. Many areas remained vacant.
Even though Angel City might seem “spacious”, its “spaciousness” was limited to tourist spots. Residents still crowded into cramped corners, dreaming of owning their own homes. The vacant houses in Hope City were tempting for them, especially since the two cities were so close.
Essential facilities could be moved directly to Angel City, a stark contrast to when Hope City lacked even a place to sleep during its early days. With little effort, Angel City could easily organize and designate usable spaces as needed.
Everything proceeded smoothly and seamlessly.
“The residents of Angel City felt reassured by their new lives and dreams. They were filled with hope for the future, and their happiness increased.”
After reading through the messages, He Fang raised an eyebrow and tapped the table lightly with his fingers. Despite everything, it turned out that the NPCs in Angel City actually had no loyalty to their city. What they had, surprisingly, was all “faith”.
He Fang shrugged. What a peculiar city.
Now that everything was going smoothly, He Fang couldn’t resist the urge to play the game that used to be the delivery guy’s favorite. Back then, he had rushed through the storyline in just three days, but now, he was ready to start exploring thoroughly.
He Fang eagerly dove into another game.
He admitted that it was indeed a fascinating game. Previously, he had hurried through the storyline, defeating many bosses through sheer force, relying entirely on his experience and skills as a player.
This time, He Fang decided to explore in greater detail and see if he could create some interesting videos to upload online and earn a little extra cash.
He had saved quite a few videos and photos he found amusing during his gameplay, but in truth, he had never shared them with the delivery guy.
Although he really wanted to share these things with the delivery guy—perhaps his first friend in the “real world”—the nervousness in his heart always stopped him from being the one to initiate a message.
As a gamer, the desire to share was natural.
He Fang opened the chat window with the delivery guy, then closed it again.
He Fang opened the chat window again and glanced at the other person’s profile picture. Then, he browsed through their social feed, which was filled with posts about their gaming experiences, personal thoughts, and daily encounters while delivering food. There were also records of the meals they had and countless other snippets.
Through the delivery guy’s social feed, He Fang could practically see an entire day of his life.
This seemed to be someone very skilled at storytelling, someone exceptionally optimistic. Just reading through their posts felt entertaining.
But with so many posts…
There were probably specific people on his list he wanted to share them with, right?
He Fang stared at the feed and momentarily drifted into thought.
If this person already had lots and lots of friends and didn’t mind having even more friends, then wouldn’t adding just one more—himself—be no big deal?
But He Fang hesitated even when contacting his landlord, let alone proactively reaching out to someone who was almost a stranger to him.
This game was really fun; everyone knew it was fun. So, even if he shared something interesting with the delivery guy, it probably wouldn’t matter much to him.
For once, He Fang didn’t immerse himself in any game to enjoy the alternate realities they offered. Instead, he lay on the sofa, staring at the chat window in a daze. From after dinner until now, He Fang had unknowingly fallen asleep.
When He Fang woke up again, he noticed the sky was already pitch-black. Upon opening his phone, he realized he was still on the delivery guy’s profile page. Without thinking, he glanced at the time—it was about the right time for a late-night snack.
If he ordered delivery now, would it be that delivery person who accepted the order?
He Fang had cooked dinner for himself earlier, but it tasted rather ordinary. However, the thought that ordering food might mean meeting the delivery guy made him genuinely want to have a midnight snack.
With a craving for a midnight snack, He Fang ordered a delivery and splurged on some luxurious seafood vermicelli.
After placing the order, he put his phone down, unwilling to check who picked up the order.
Several times, He Fang found himself glancing at his phone. He couldn’t even focus on the event statistics in “Ruins Without Restart” anymore.
Time had never felt this slow.
Suddenly, He Fang received a text message, and a strong premonition hit him—the one coming must be the blond delivery guy!
He Fang immediately picked up his phone, and sure enough, he saw the familiar number.
“Dear customer, your responsible and careful delivery guy is meticulously escorting your order, steadily making his way upstairs!”
He Fang’s heart started racing. He couldn’t even understand why he was suddenly so nervous.
He Fang quickly moved to the door, eagerly anticipating the sound of the elevator. He didn’t have to wait long—as if the other person knew he was waiting, they arrived almost immediately.
Sure enough, stepping out of the elevator was that overly beautiful face He Fang liked so much. Even in the nighttime, the delivery guy’s features seemed to shine brightly, dazzling beyond description.
He Fang…
For some reason…
Opened the door.
The delivery guy seemed a bit startled.
This was the first time He Fang had proactively opened the door and waited at the entrance for the delivery guy to arrive.
He Fang suddenly felt nervous. Was he behaving too strangely? Too eager?
But then he heard the delivery guy’s incredibly pleasant and melodious voice, accompanied by a laugh that stirred something deep inside: “Has the customer been waiting for a long time? Looks like you’re really hungry. My apologies!”
He Fang only opened the door a crack, so he wasn’t actually able to see the delivery guy clearly. Because the door was already open, he couldn’t rely on the peephole to sneak a look either.
“Since I finally got to take your order, I made a detour to the drink shop you really like and often order from. I got you a strawberry milk jelly drink. I made sure it’s extra sweet.”
While speaking, the delivery guy placed both the takeout box and the drink in the crack of the door where He Fang could see them. Those beautiful fingers, as always, gave He Fang a surreal feeling.
“If possible, I’d like to keep buying milk tea for the customer. That earring is really too important to me, so please let me express my gratitude in any way I can.”
Since it was already nighttime, the delivery guy didn’t use his usual bold tone. Instead, he deliberately lowered his voice, which sounded intimate, almost like a soft whisper by the ear.
He Fang extended his hand and took the delivery. Yet, at that moment, he found himself unwilling to close the door.
The words he had been longing to say all evening—He Fang was determined to say them to this gentle and radiant delivery guy.
He Fang took several deep breaths. The delivery guy, noticing that He Fang hadn’t closed the door, seemed to sense something, and so didn’t leave immediately.
He Fang opened his mouth, but his first attempt produced no sound.
The second attempt resulted only in a faint murmur, followed by a whisper of breath.
Panicked, He Fang felt an urge to shut the door entirely, but his body held him back.
He Fang told himself that he must be brave.
He could extend kindness to others, too.
Holding the takeout in his hands, He Fang lowered his gaze, noticing the slight distance between the two items.
The delivery guy must certainly be a good person.
“I…,” He Fang finally raised his voice, even though it still sounded somewhat faint. ” I played that game… it was… interesting…”
The outside of the door, separated by just one panel, was quiet. He Fang knew the person on the other side hadn’t left yet. However, this silence made him feel awkward to the point of wishing he could disappear.
He wanted to close the door immediately, yet he suddenly heard the other person’s suppressed excitement, as if trying not to disturb others: “Really? You think it’s interesting too, right? I think that game is simply brilliant. I especially love the scenes. My favorite part is the story segment under the red maple tree. What do you think?”
He Fang’s face suddenly flushed red. He… was asking for his opinion?
He Fang felt his body gradually heating up with excitement, but he made an effort to respond to the other person: “I also… like it…”
“Right? Right? And because the game also has a weather system, some maps look stunning under certain weather conditions, especially the sea during stormy weather. Oh my god, the design of that scene…”
The blonde deliveryman, even though he tried to lower his voice, couldn’t hide his exaggerated enthusiasm. He talked about numerous aspects of the game, and He Fang listened happily. He only needed to respond occasionally with simple words like “Hmm” or “Oh”, and the other person could talk non-stop for a long time.
“I’m just so happy to have someone to share the fun parts of this game with. You’re the only customer I can chat about games with. Oh, I was dying to share this before. Can we talk a little longer, customer? It’s nighttime now, and there aren’t many delivery orders. Could I chat a bit more?”
He Fang really wanted to do this, but he had truly reached his limit.
Just these few sentences were already the most he had said to anyone in the past three years. He felt so nervous that his heart seemed like it was about to explode. His cheeks burned, and he felt as though he might faint.
“Ah, sorry, I got too excited and forgot that you, dear customer, ordered a midnight snack. Please eat, customer. Oh, and I just got another order coming in,” the delivery person’s phone pinged.
He Fang felt a little disappointed, but also inexplicably relieved.
“Could we continue chatting like this later? Would you reply to me?” The delivery person’s tone suddenly shifted.
He Fang blushed once again, murmuring a soft “mm.”
“Thank you, customer!” The delivery person’s voice was excited and happy. “You are such a kind and wonderful person!”
When He Fang closed the door, he leaned against it, slowly sliding down to sit on the floor.
His heart was pounding as if it were about to burst.
Even though his body and mind were so afraid of communication, thinking back on the conversation, many details were already fuzzy in his memory.
But he was truly happy.
That pleasant voice, rambling on and on with every word, seemed like the most beautiful language in the world.
It was as if those lines from a game—lines that stir the heart and bring tears to the eyes—had touched his soul.
He Fang set down the takeout he had ordered and picked up the milk tea delivered by the deliveryman.
The sweet taste spread through his mouth. He couldn’t help but smile as he held the straw between his lips, even letting out a somewhat silly laugh.
At the same time, the NPCs passing by a landmark saw the handsome statue’s once holy and solemn face suddenly crumble, revealing a bizarre smile.
The NPCs jolted in shock.
“What kind of madness is this divine lord up to again? If I saw this late at night, I’d surely have nightmares.”
“I can’t shake the feeling that this hideous smile is related to the creator. I have no evidence, but the more I think about it, the angrier I get!”
“Help, I really want to cover his face!”
Meanwhile, the landmark’s statue laughed without restraint, laughed wildly, laughed as if nothing else in the world mattered!
Bro is finally making progress 🙌