The long silence made Cang Si vaguely feel uneasy. He waited only to receive no follow-up response. He was about to say something when he saw an invisible barrier suddenly spread out in all directions.
Obviously, it was Chi Ting who used the Hero’s Guardian item.
Cang Si felt a sense of impending death brought about by the pain in his body becoming increasingly stronger. The moment the shadows wrapped around him disappeared, he tried his best to escape but was blocked by a tall figure.
Covering the bleeding wound, he stared in disbelief at the man who had been friendly just a few minutes ago. “No… you promised not to kill me.”
“Yes, I promised you.” Chi Ting still had a very gentle smile on his face, and there were no ripples in his expression when he looked at Cang Si. “But if you die from excessive blood loss, it seems this can’t be blamed on me.”
As the young man’s face gradually turned pale, Chi Ting lowered his eyes without any mercy and said slowly, “Of course, it isn’t my style to watch someone die without helping. So in order to prevent me from feeling some unnecessary guilt, I think another path is more suitable for you.”
“What path?” Cang Si almost blurted out. After all, he knew better than anyone that as long as he could leave this instance, he would be able to wash away the shame he suffered today sooner or later.
This was until he heard Chi Ting’s voice again. “Your current invalid skill should be more than just the immortal body, right?”
Cang Si understood in an instant. His pupils contracted as he dodged to the side, trying to go around Chi Ting. However, his shoulders were held firmly.
He looked back in fear and happened to meet Chi Ting’s gaze. Chi Ting spoke softly, but his voice was as cold as a devil’s whisper. “The god of creation should stay in heaven. Once he comes down to earth, he is nothing. It can be seen that you are really weak now, Mr Designer No 4.”
Through the first use of Hero’s Guardian, Chi Ting finally confirmed the range of this item. It probably just covered Area A of the entire Ark Laboratory.
It wasn’t a very large range, but it was just enough for the current situation.
He did promise not to kill Cang Si because from the very beginning, he had already wanted the most suitable ending for Cang Si.
Along with the ineffectiveness of the immortal body, the self-healing ability also became ineffective. This meant they could push the alienation degree of the instance designer to 100% without any resistance.
In the end, he would stay in this instance forever with the identity of a ‘volunteer’ that he designed. It was perfect no matter how Chi Ting looked at it.
“You are still better at this.” Yue Ren had been waiting for Chi Ting’s next move. He expressed his praise and didn’t hide his admiration at all.
“Take him to register when the time comes and you can get more achievement points.” Chi Ting racked his brains on how to motivate Yue Ren, the poor student who lowered their achievement points. He found something and got started directly.
During the struggle, Cang Si suddenly took out a needle and intended to stab Chi Ting directly. But his wrist was crushed mercilessly.
Chi Ting lowered his eyes and looked at this person. He finally frowned slightly. “If you don’t want me to break all your limbs, it is better to settle down.”
“No, don’t leave me here.” Cang Si whimpered in pain. His eyes were already filled with despair. “You can’t do this to me. You can’t.”
However, the only response he got was Chi Ting’s calm words. “What you can do to others means that others can do to you. Mr Designer No 4, judging from the fact that designers also need to abide by the rules of the game, this unlimited world seems to call for equality for all.”
After tying Cang Si firmly, he made another confirmation. He was about to step away when someone called out to him. “Captain Chi, I’ll do it.”
Chi Ting stopped and looked back.
“Leave it to me to increase his alienation degree.” Jael didn’t shy away from his gaze, and he repeated, “A 100% alienation degree is still too dangerous for your current situation. This place has become what it is now due to me. It seems that it is time for me to end it. The time limit for this item of yours is 30 minutes. Give me 15 minutes, and I will definitely return the most perfect experimental results to you.”
Chi Ting thought for a moment and asked, ‘Have you already figured this out?”
Jael smiled silently, his tone was gentle and elegant as ever. But one could sense his exhaustion. “In fact, I have been thinking about whether my persistence is meaningful. Now it seems… I had better leave it at this. There is no need to continue with academic research that is known to be wrong. If I can meet Wenguang again one day, he will probably understand me.”
Cang Si’s face was ashen, but at this moment, he suddenly laughed as if he had heard the funniest joke. He trembled all over. “Understand? You, an NPC who intends to disobey the instance designer, actually wants to be understood?”
Yue Ren glanced around, grabbed a rag, and stuffed it into his mouth. He listened to the whimpering sound that was left and shrugged. “It turns out that it is easy for people to go crazy when they are dying.”
Chi Ting seemed to be completely unaware of Cang Si’s madness. After thinking for a moment, he handed the rope in his hand to Jael and said, “Thank you for your help.”
“No, I’m just trying to atone for my sins.” Jael’s eyes slowly swept across the surveillance screens, taking in every familiar corner of the Ark Laboratory. Finally, he shook his head with sadness. He dragged Cang Si, who was still trying to struggle, out of the main monitoring room.
It wasn’t until the two figures disappeared out the door that Yue Ren, who was standing next to him, said, “You trust him very much.”
Chi Ting’s gaze still fell on the empty door. “Because this in itself is an inconsequential matter.”
Yue Ren raised an eyebrow. “It doesn’t matter? Then what will you do if Jael betrays your trust and releases Cang Si?”
“It is simple.” Chi Ting looked back and smiled silently when their eyes met. “I will capture them and kill them all.”
Yue Ren said, “But you promised the instance designer not to kill him.”
“I won’t kill him, but if you want, you can do it anytime.”
Yue Ren heard this and said, “Teacher Chi, I have been taught.”
15 minutes wasn’t too long. Those who were indeed very tired took the opportunity to take a break.
Finally, they received Jael’s notice.
Chi Ting’s trust was indeed not betrayed.
However, when the two of them arrived at the designated location, the scene that came into view obviously wasn’t a relaxing one.
Compared to Cang Si, who completely lost his human form due to 100% alienation, Chi Ting’s attention was completely focused on the skeleton sitting lifelessly in a corner next to him.
The familiar white coat was no longer as spotless as when he first saw it. It hung on the hand bones beside it. Flowing from it was undoubtedly the only blood left in the skeleton’s body.
Chi Ting understood instantly that in the short few minutes that passed from the time he notified them to the time they arrived here, Jael was also affected by the rapid advancement of alienation and chose to crush his own heart with his own hands before losing the last of his sanity.
“He still retained his dignity after all.” There was a rare hint of respect in Yue Ren’s tone. He turned around and looked at Chi Ting, but couldn’t catch any emotion on this man’s face.
Chi Ting had already walked straight toward Jael’s corpse. “Take your new volunteer to register.”
Yue Ren watched Chi Ting pick up the skeleton horizontally. It wasn’t known what he was thinking. His gaze stayed here a long time before he retracted it. “…Okay.”
After Cang Si’s identity was successfully switched from a player to a volunteer, the research progress on Yue Ren’s panel instantly advanced to 100%.
[Ding dong! The collective main mission has been completed. The research results have reached 100% development! Congratulations on clearing the instance!]
At the same time, Chi Ting also saw the message of system clearance that popped up in front of him.
Judging from the fact that only one player was reduced in Area A of the instance, he should’ve managed to achieve this before the other players were in trouble. If other people also saw this content, they should be able to leave here.
He just didn’t know what it was like to be eaten up by an instance of his own design?
“Let’s go. We can go back.” Chi Ting’s unsympathetic gaze swept over Cang Si and he declared in a contented manner.
Since such an expression was unworthy of this gesture of holding the dead corpse in his arms, Yue Ren couldn’t help taking a second look.
Since he had been escorting Cang Si, who had become a walking corpse, he had no time to free his hands. Thus, the whole time, he held back very patiently. It was only now that he opened his mouth and suggested, “Is Jael heavy? Why don’t I help you hold him for a while?”
Chi Ting shook his head. “No, you are an ordinary person now. It is still a bit difficult to hold him.”
Yue Ren hesitated to speak but finally asked sincerely, “Do you really have to listen to me directly say that I don’t like to see you hugging other men? I know it is outrageous, but the voice in my heart is telling me so. Even if you are hugging a corpse, he was once a man. Similarly, a skeleton is not okay.”
Chi Ting: “……”
Having said this, Yue Ren already had an expression of ‘I am just unreasonable right now. What can you do to me?’ He continued, “You can say that this is a perverted possessiveness, but you should know that in our current state, we have no control over some of our subconscious thoughts. So now, I sincerely suggest that you let me do it.”
The moment their eyes met with almost no obstructions, something in Chi Ting’s heart moved slightly.
He originally wanted to try to analyze it, but he also knew that when the human content was too low, many things often weren’t suitable for inference based on human norms.
A few seconds later, he reached out and handed the corpse over. “Then… you come?”
Yue Ren walked over with satisfaction and took it. However, the moment Chi Ting let go completely, the unexpected weight caused his arm to sink. It almost caused his body to fall directly to the ground.
Finally, he managed to hold on by almost kneeling down.
Yue Ren: “………”
Chi Ting laughed loudly. “I forgot to tell you that the high-intensity alienation process seems to have increased Professor Jael’s bone density. This is why I said that it might be a bit difficult given your current condition.”
“……” Yue Ren gritted his teeth and stood up again. His heart told him that a man must not show he was incompetent at this time. In the end, he still maintained a smile on his face while his whole body was tense. “I understand. I would like to call it the weight of the soul.”
Chi Ting thought this person would retreat when faced with difficulties. Unexpectedly, Yue Ren would actually persist all the way despite the fact that he was supposed to be weak after losing his ability.
After looking over in surprise a few times, he finally suppressed his laughter and looked away without the intention of taking over.
They finally left Area A. Then Chi Ting saw Yue Ren using the restored shadows to take over the skeleton in his hands.
Chi Ting held it in for a while before finally letting go. “Pfft, cough cough cough.”
Yue Ren: “.”
Before they could say anything, the sound of footsteps not far away caught their attention.
Chi Ting turned around and saw the approaching people. “You didn’t leave?”
“You must be kidding. Captain, you are still here. Of course, I’m waiting for you! I just saw that you used Hero’s Guardian, right? Did you run into any trouble?” Ji Xingque saw the skeleton from afar, and all his questions popped out at once. “Is it because of this alienated species? He looks dead. Why did you bring him out?”
Yue Ren said calmly, “What alienated species? How disrespectful. This is Professor Jael, whose soul weight is astonishing.”
Chi Ting: “.”
Ji Xingque was very confused by the strong resentment in the other person’s tone. However, he was so shocked by the identity of this skeleton that his attention was completely drawn before he could carefully think about it. “Is it the Jael I know?”
Chi Ting nodded. “It is him.”
Ji Xingque was shocked at how the rumored Professor Jael could become like this. Then he heard Song Xuefeng ask from beside him, “Captain, you specially brought him out of the barrier that restricts abilities. Do you have another plan?”
“Yes…” Chi Ting vaguely brushed aside the question. “We will talk about other things after we get out. Old Song, you should’ve come from the Sanctuary, right? In that case, you and I shouldn’t appear at the same exit.”
Song Xuefeng rubbed his head. “Really? I remember you were all in the 13th World? You seem to have lived much longer than me… but it isn’t a big problem. Judging from the situation of this instance, you should be able to get a lot of achievement points after clearing it. This should be enough to enter the Sanctuary.”
Chi Ting replied, “Yes. You go check on the people of the Watchtower team first. We will go to the Sanctuary to find you.”
Song Xuefeng looked up lazily. “…Sometimes you really think I am too long-winded.”
He rubbed his head slowly. It didn’t matter. “Forget it. Since you are fine, I really have to go back and see them first. See you in the Sanctuary.”
“See you in the Sanctuary.” Chi Ting watched Song Xuefeng disappear into the portal before retracting his gaze. “Then let’s hurry up.”
In fact, when listening to Song Xuefeng’s words, Ji Xingque also realized what Chi Ting was going to do.
At this time, he glanced over and opened his mouth. However, he didn’t say anything in the end.
A beam of light emerged from the white skeleton and gathered into a phantom. This was exactly what Professor Jael looked like when he was still an ordinary human being.
It wasn’t difficult to see from his gentle and elegant temperament that he should’ve been a very gentle person.
Chi Ting had just put the bone bead onto the red thread when he felt a sharp pain in his head.
In a place he couldn’t see, the value on the virtual panel instantly jumped to 99%.
Chi Ting instinctively reached out to rub between his eyebrows in a trance. Suddenly, a force grabbed his wrist. Without saying anything, it took him straight into the illusory portal.
“Hey? Are you in such a hurry? Wait a minute!”
As Ji Xingque’s voice sounded and the alienation degree on Chi Ting’s panel was about to reach 100%, three figures disappeared through the portal.
[The countdown is over. The ‘Ark Laboratory’ instance has been closed. I look forward to you coming again.]
[Congratulations to the players Chi Ting, Yue Ren, and Ji Xingque for clearing the ‘Ark Laboratory’ instance!]
[The instance reward is being calculated. Please wait…]
……
[All players have left, and the ‘Ark Laboratory’ instance is being restarted.]
[Beep beep! The instance’s running energy has been detected to be abnormal. It is being re-tested.]
[The running energy of the instance is missing, and the permissions are faulty.]
[An unknown situation has been discovered. The instance designer doesn’t exist. The instance channel of ‘Ark Laboratory’ is permanently closed.]
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Clever, so clever. And devious. Also – the timing – so close!!!
Thanks for the chapter and stay safe!
Thanks for the update