Chapter 117
It was the same familiar private room. The faint aroma of coffee, mixed with warm steam, filled her nostrils. This rare sense of comfort allowed Jiang Liu, who had just come out of an instance, to relax.
She unceremoniously sat down opposite Lin Jiao, her body loosely leaning against the sofa. She toyed with a piece of chocolate cake with a fork in her left hand, and as if finding it delicious, she turned to feed a bite to Yang Caisi.
Frankly, the two of them weren’t sitting very close. There was even enough space between them for a small bag, yet one could see the intimacy between them at a glance.
This was probably what they called having compatible auras.
Lin Jiao calmly put down her coffee cup, pondering this to herself.
She had intended to wait for Jiang Liu to ask first, thereby asserting her own initiative. But to her surprise, the person opposite her seemed completely unconcerned. The little bit of unease she had on the way had vanished at some point, and she now looked even more calm and laid-back.
Watching the two of them feed each other dessert, Lin Jiao couldn’t help but clear her throat. She looked at Jiang Liu with a profound expression. “Aren’t you curious about why I was looking for you?”
At her words, Jiang Liu’s hand paused slightly. Then, she smiled faintly, put down her things, and clasped her hands on her lap. She stared at Lin Jiao thoughtfully and said, “It’s nothing more than the old matters from back then.”
She blinked lightly, her words decisive and crisp, without a hint of hesitation. “You and Qiao Ke have a conflict.”
Lin Jiao tacitly agreed, her gaze still fixed on her, curious to see what else she had deduced.
Jiang Liu unconsciously tapped her fingers, already sitting up straight. She pondered for a moment before continuing, “You were both supervisors of the experiment group. Let me guess…”
She paused slightly, a smile in her tone. “You don’t approve of what he’s doing, do you?”
A flash of surprise crossed Lin Jiao’s eyes, and she finally couldn’t sit still. “You know what he’s done?”
Jiang Liu shrugged and said frankly, “I don’t, but with longevity and experiments, I can probably guess a few possibilities.”
According to the rules, each person could only enter the game once in their lifetime, and after it ended, all memories related to The System would be erased.
In her own case, however, not only had she not forgotten this novel experience, but it had also taken firm root in her heart, something she could never forget.
An ordinary person’s life is but a short hundred years, filled with worries, delusions, sorrows, and partings, which naturally breed countless desires and wishes. If a person lives for a long time, they experience more, and their worries only increase.
So, Jiang Liu guessed that the initial purpose of this experiment group was to have the ‘experimental subjects’ voluntarily return and repeatedly enter the game.
As she voiced her thoughts, she noticed Lin Jiao’s dazed expression.
“Am I wrong?” Jiang Liu noticed her reaction and couldn’t help but narrow her eyes, asking tentatively.
Lin Jiao took a deep breath and slowly shook her head.
“No, you’re absolutely right.”
She first affirmed Jiang Liu’s guess, then continued to size her up in a daze. Her eyes were empty and lifeless, and a faint curve appeared on her lips, as if she were reminiscing, or perhaps looking at someone else through Jiang Liu.
“You really have changed a lot.”
Lin Jiao stared for a long time, her gaze direct and frank. Jiang Liu hadn’t felt anything yet, but she felt a movement in front of her, and then the back of a head appeared before her eyes.
Yang Caisi, who had been silent all this time, had actually sat up and leaned forward slightly, completely blocking Jiang Liu from view.
“People always change,” Yang Caisi’s voice was faint, with no discernible emotion.
Interrupted by her, Lin Jiao came back to her senses. A slow curve formed on her lips, and she raised an eyebrow in a half-smile. “You’re right. For example, when you first came in, you were more timid than an ant.”
Before Yang Caisi could retort, she smiled and changed the subject. “You’ve become quite capable now.”
This was also said in jest, simply because seeing Yang Caisi act as a protector in front of Jiang Liu made her feel a bit emotional.
“Xiao Si has always been very capable,” Jiang Liu sensed the tension in their tones and couldn’t help but stroke her hair to soothe her. She peeked out from behind her and said.
As she said this, she felt the person beside her stiffen, and a blush seemed to creep up her ears. But her face remained as cool and indifferent as ever, which made Jiang Liu find it amusing.
She gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear and, taking advantage of the moment, pinched her red earlobe before clearing her throat and getting serious. But she asked a question unrelated to the topic. “How long have you been in the game?”
Lin Jiao looked down as if in thought, then shook her head after a moment. “About two hundred years. I can’t remember clearly.”
Jiang Liu raised an eyebrow. “Staying in a place like this for two hundred years, is it interesting?”
Lin Jiao gave her a warning look. “I know you’re trying to get information out of me. There’s no need.”
“I’ll tell you what I should. As for what I can’t, you won’t get a single word out of me.”
She first stated her position, then her stern aura softened, and her tone suddenly became gentle.
“Like Qiao Ke, I noticed you all a long time ago.”
Noticing that she said “you all” instead of “you,” Jiang Liu pursed her lips, a new thought bubbling up in her mind.
Fortunately, Lin Jiao was straightforward. Since she had decided to speak, she didn’t drag it out, and in just a few sentences, she explained the events of the past.
From her, Jiang Liu finally learned the full picture of the Lost Way Game—
The game was internally controlled by The System, and the instance worlds were constructed by players, high-level NPCs, and ghosts together.
What was worth mentioning were the high-level NPCs. There were those like Gao Yuan, who were recruited from the real world and chose to sign contracts of varying lengths. Their authority was average, but they had few restrictions within The System.
Then there were those like Yang Caisi, whose wishes were too great for The System to easily grant. So they took this path and signed special contracts, usually for a term of fifty years. When the term was up, regardless of whether their wish was fulfilled, they could no longer enter.
Other smaller groups were formed by players who changed careers, departmental transfers, and so on.
Among them, there was a group of people with the highest authority who reported directly to The System. In addition to guiding the game, they were also responsible for maintaining the security of The System itself, the stability of the game, and eliminating Bugs—
They were known as the Inspection Team.
Lin Jiao paused here, looking at Yang Caisi with a strange expression. “As you can see, I, Qiao Ke, and this Miss Yang beside you can all be considered members of the Inspection Team.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Jiang Liu immediately frowned and subconsciously looked up at Yang Caisi.
The Inspection Team… then why was she still repeatedly punished for rule violations?
As if sensing Jiang Liu’s confusion, Lin Jiao snorted, her tone finally taking on a hint of sarcasm. “You have to know, this isn’t the real world. The Inspection Team is not a well-structured organization. You just need to do one thing, and that is to directly obey The System.”
Or rather, be recognized by The System.
After she finished speaking, she lifted her eyelids and sized up Yang Caisi, asking with a pointed tone, “I’d also like to know what method Miss Yang used to get recognized.”
Faced with her scrutiny, Yang Caisi remained unmoved, giving Lin Jiao a faint look. “Just luck.”
Lin Jiao pouted. Although there was still some doubt in her eyes, she didn’t press the matter at this time and just continued.
“Qiao Ke and I have known each other for a long time. The initial purpose of establishing this experiment group was simple: to boost performance.”
She spread her hands, a troubled look on her face. “The System needs more players, and we had no choice. So Qiao Ke took an unorthodox path, wanting to select a batch of high-aptitude players, let them retain their memories after fulfilling their wishes and leaving, and grant them extremely long lifespans.”
They had been trapped in the game for too long and thought they had already seen through human nature. Greed, anger, and delusion are the roots of human nature. This group of experimental subjects could continue to live for hundreds of years, so they would naturally encounter more setbacks and resentments.
In this way, they would sooner or later return to the game, once again using themselves as nourishment to help The System run.
“After all, after taking a shortcut once, no one forgets that feeling of gain, right?”
Lin Jiao shrugged again. Clearly, she had the same idea as Qiao Ke at the time.
“But the experiment failed,” Jiang Liu said, observing her expression and speaking first.
“You’re right.”
Lin Jiao’s voice dropped, and without knowing from where, she pulled out a stack of documents and placed them on the table. “This is the list from that experiment. You can take a look.”
Jiang Liu exchanged a look with Yang Caisi, took the documents, and scanned them briefly. Her heart skipped a beat.
The list was extensive, recording hundreds of people with every detail from their names and ages.
Some people returned to the instance shortly after leaving, while others struggled through many years, ultimately choosing to return to the game when faced with their own eternally youthful faces.
“Excluding the ones who died, you’re the only one left,” Lin Jiao suddenly looked up at Jiang Liu, her eyes shining.
In the hundred years of the experiment, they had never thought that someone could endure the long years, accept their fate of being an anomaly in the mortal world, see off those around them time and time again, yet live with a single-minded focus.
Jiang Liu had never had any intention of returning.
Lin Jiao found it strange. A rare bit of curiosity arose in her, prompting her to monitor Jiang Liu’s life, trying to see what choice she would ultimately make.
Until that accidental car crash happened, the power bestowed upon Jiang Liu by The System had finally reached its end. But even at such a critical moment, she had never entertained the thought of making a wish.
Lin Jiao’s gaze towards Jiang Liu was strange, as if she were looking at a strange person she couldn’t understand.
“The last experimental subject died, and the plan was declared a failure. That’s how it should have gone.”
She seemed to be lost in a long memory, her tone becoming somewhat ethereal.
But no one had expected that Yang Caisi, who they had always overlooked, would seek out the Lost Way Game and become one of the unknown members of the Inspection Team.
She was also recognized by The System and knew everything about the past. It was inevitable that she would come to hate Qiao Ke and oppose him at every turn in The System, developing from initial minor squabbles to the current blatant hostile stance.
“Qiao Ke is a petty person. If you provoke him like this, you will surely not have a good end. I don’t want The System to be affected by your disputes,” Lin Jiao tapped the table, her tone gradually becoming serious.
Thus, as a participant in the plan, she covertly helped from the shadows, trying to make Jiang Liu remember everything, waiting for this player from a hundred years ago to meet her again.
Jiang Liu listened very carefully. From the expression on Yang Caisi’s face, Lin Jiao was not lying.
She lowered her gaze to sort out her thoughts, then returned to normal after a moment. “So?”
Going to all this trouble to tell her the truth, what did Lin Jiao want?
Her gaze shifted to the woman opposite her, and she heard Lin Jiao speak without hesitation—
Yang Caisi’s expression changed in an instant.