Quadruple split.

Chapter 2848 Turning Point

Game time: 12:35 AM
The Boundary of Innocence, Public Space No. 001

"If we want to chat, we can definitely go to a private room."

Squatting beside a flower bed, with a handsome and strikingly dwarf appearance, Yi Dong looked at the countless legs in his field of vision and said with a forced smile, "Why come to a place like this where there are only people? When I first came in, I thought this was the Forbidden City during Golden Week."

"I like to be in crowded places, especially places like train stations and hospitals."

The character is a generic cat-like half-orc. As Mo Tan tries to twitch his ears, he casually says, "This makes me deeply feel that I am still 'alive,' and it also makes me feel that people are still 'alive.'"

Yi Dong twitched the corner of his mouth and scoffed, "This kind of dubious reasoning is not something you could say in your current mental state."

"I think so too."

Mo Tan nodded slightly, then frowned and said, "Recently, I've been feeling a kind of... hard to describe, but slightly chaotic feeling. It's like there's a puddle of water and a puddle of oil in my head. They're both in the same container, but they just can't mix. And my current state is right in the middle of these two things. It's not a big deal, but it's still a bit awkward."

Yi Dong paused for a moment, then asked with a serious expression, "You wouldn't be... taking another step closer to completely going insane, would you?"

I don't think so.

Mo Tan shook his head and casually reassured his friend, "I'm in a good state here, in fact, even better than before. And the situation I just told you about only applies to the character 'Black Vanguard,' which is when I'm in the so-called 'absolutely neutral' state. As for the other two states, it's almost no different from usual."

"hiss--"

Yi Dong gasped, glancing nervously left and right before lowering his voice to say, "You really dare to say that, kid? Aren't you afraid the walls might be overhearing?!"

"fine."

Mo Tan smiled and casually said, "I have spies around here. If anyone tries to eavesdrop on our conversation, I'll get a heads-up."

Yi Dong sneered, "You've got connections everywhere, Boss Mo Tan."

"They were just a few plainclothes officers."

Mo Tan shrugged nonchalantly and said casually, "I used the identity of 'Tan Mo' to greet Officer Hao and said that I was going to meet an informant today. Then I asked his colleagues to keep an eye on the three groups of 'conversations' around us. The two of us in the center circle not only received advance warning, but we were not even noticed by them."

Yi Dong nearly choked on his own saliva. After patting his chest for a while to catch his breath, he asked, panting, "You want... the uncles to keep watch for us?"

"Yes, after all, the uncles are more professional, much better than those so-called excellent players whose level drops drastically once they leave the game's worldview. And Officer Hao has enough manpower, so let him help out a little."

Mo Tan smiled and said in a light tone, "Don't worry, although I haven't made contact with any informants, I will still help if I need to. Over the years, I have gathered a lot of information on lawbreakers, and I also have some connections in the [Innocent Realm] that can help. Helping Officer Hao and his colleagues boost their performance is no problem at all."

Yi Dong sighed, his expression subtle, and said, "Although it sounds like a good thing, something just feels off."

Don't worry about the details.

Mo Tan stretched and laughed, "If we're not here, the only place to chat is barbecue. Not to mention I have to go online to play games every day at seven o'clock, even if we go out for a meal first, we'll probably have to drink something. I personally don't like drinking."

Yi Dong rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Is it possible that I don't like drinking either? Don't talk like I'm forcing you to drink."

That's what they say...

Mo Tan shrugged and said helplessly, "But the truth is, we always manage to talk about things that require us to drown our sorrows in alcohol, don't we?"

Yi Dong: "...First of all, in most cases, you're the one who needs to drown your sorrows. I don't have as many worries as you. Secondly, most of the sorrows you need to drown are self-inflicted. I'm only helping you think of solutions because I've met the wrong people and made bad friends, not because I think you're without faults."

Mo Tan elbowed Yi Dong and said in a dry voice, "How dare you talk to your father like that!"

"I'm sorry, but I speak even worse to my dad."

Yi Dong sneered and glanced at Mo Tan, whose face was full of worry: "You're more kind to your son, though."

"I always felt that after my last encounter with Diana..."

Mo Tan sighed and said with his eyes downcast, "Your attitude gets really bad whenever you bring up my troubles."

Yi Dong retaliated by elbowing Mo Tan, yelling, "You still have the nerve to mention Diana? She practically gave you her heart and soul, and what did you do?"

"I'm so damn stupid."

Mo Tan gazed silently at the sky, lamenting, "I deserve to die—"

"Alright, since you're not seriously ill, let's talk about something more meaningful."

Yi Dong leaned against the edge of the flower bed with his arms crossed and asked, "How are things going in all aspects?"

"The knight is helping out at Tianzhu Mountain, trying his best to get the fortress back into operation as soon as possible. Also, his strength has recently increased by one level, so he needs to adjust a bit. Besides that... we need to take care of those cannibal friends in Academy City."

While swishing his tail with great interest, Mo Tan scratched his head and said, "The thief is still stirring up trouble in the pigsty, but he probably won't be doing it for much longer. I wonder if he'll go to Headless Cliff to incite the lizardmen or go to Bloodfeather Plateau to play with the harpies next."

Yi Dong's eyes widened. He jumped onto the flowerbed, grabbed Mo Tan by the collar, and gritted his teeth, saying, "Going to play with harpies? Play what? Are you going to bring back hundreds of girlfriends who would turn against their own queen for you?"

"..."

Mo Tan remained silent for a long while, his expression subtle, before finally managing to say with a forced smile, "...I don't know."

"Don't know? You're fucking saying you don't know?!"

In a fit of anger, Yi Dong... he just glared for a moment, then released Mo Tan's collar and said helplessly, "Damn it, it seems you really don't know right now."

"I don't think so."

Mo Tan touched the tip of his nose and said somewhat unsure of himself, "After all, even though Diana lost consciousness, I think she can still 'catch' me. Although it was 'Tan Mo' who caused trouble instead of 'Frank,' even so... I should still restrain myself a bit, right?"

Idon rolled her eyes: "You're asking me?"

"In short, thanks to myself, the situation is now completely out of control."

Mo Tan shrugged and said in a defiant tone, "However, there are advantages to being out of control. After all, compared to on-the-spot adjustments, we are better prepared and can still maintain the initiative. Eagle Claw Gorge is a tough place to crack. If there are more variables... it might not be a bad thing, except that I will have to work harder."

Yi Dong chuckled, patted Mo Tan hard on the back, and raised an eyebrow, saying, "Well done, Commander. After keeping a low profile for so many years, you've finally become famous, huh? Gold really does shine, doesn't it?"

"Stop being sarcastic. You should know very well that 'I' have no desire to be any kind of 'Grand Commander,' right?"

Mo Tan glared at Yi Dong and said weakly, "But if I weren't famous, those professional gamers wouldn't have taken the initiative to befriend me. Ha... I don't know whether to laugh or cry now."

Yi Dong curled his lip and retorted, "Do you know how many people wish they were as famous as you?"

"Do you know that my life so far has been a little too exciting?"

Mo Tan retorted irritably, then said quietly, "The only consolation is probably the prize money from the team competition. Tsk, it's good to be rich."

Yi Dong: "...That's my family's money."

"Don't be shameless. That's all competition revenue sharing. [Innocent Company] doesn't want this wave of traffic and popularity at all. They're just making a killing for your [Little Clever Kid]."

Mo Tan gave Yi Dong the middle finger, then earnestly advised, "Seriously, you'd better buy a lot of your own company's stock right now. In my opinion, this upward trend will probably continue for another month. If you invest more, you can probably buy a new car by the end of the year." Yi Dong sneered and said arrogantly, "Do you need me to tell you? I went all in half a month ago. I'll give you a wheel then."

Mo Tan shook his head and said very sincerely, "Forget about the wheels. Just take the brake pads off and give them to me as a souvenir. Anyway, it won't be long before I get back."

Is there such a possibility...?

Yi Dong looked at Mo Tan with a forced smile and asked, "If I don't leave the brake pads for you, I might have a lot more days to live?"

"You're so clever, you figured that out."

After offering a perfunctory compliment on Yi Dong's intelligence, Mo Tan scratched his already rather messy hair and sighed, "In short, I'm facing a tight situation on all three fronts right now. I wish I could split every minute in half to use it. I'm going to go bald."

Yi Dong nodded, gave a curt "Oh," and asked impatiently, "So what exactly did you call me here for?"

"Casual chat."

Mo Tan looked up at the ranking list in the center of the public space, surrounded by a sea of ​​people, and said softly, "The world is about to change."

"Oh, you mean that article about Weiwei An? I read it too."

Yi Dong also turned to look at the rankings and laughed, "Speaking of which, aren't you also in the 'changing landscape' category? You're ranked fourteenth, which isn't low."

"Actually, that's not what I meant."

Recalling what Jenny had said not long ago, Mo Tan pinched his brow with a headache and said with a wry smile, "Although it's just a premonition and a completely unreliable judgment, I have a feeling that this point in time will be a turning point..."

“It seems you’ve been preparing for this ‘turning point’ for a long time.”

Idon turned to look at his friend beside him and said seriously, "Putting aside the other two mental states, the fact that you're now actively making a name for yourself in the [War League] and [Questioning Debate], even volunteering to go to Dunbua City to cause a big stir... If you were forced into things in Misha County and Sumir, what about these two times? What exactly made you willingly seek the limelight now, even making your Priest account a hot commodity both in and out of the game—"

Mo Tan: "...is a rising star."

"Who cares what kind of chicken it is?"

Yi Dong waved his hand dismissively and asked bluntly, "Anyway, you've gone into the sex industry, haven't you?"

Mo Tan: "...Are you really talking about a legitimate chicken?"

"Who knows?"

Yi Dong smiled, then his expression suddenly turned serious: "So when exactly are you planning to tell me?"

"..."

After a brief silence, Mo Tan sighed helplessly and said bluntly, "If things go according to my plan, it's best not to tell you at all."

"Oh."

Idon wasn't angry, but continued to ask, "So do you think it's realistic to say 'you never told me'? Or, if you never told me, would I definitely not know?"

I'm not sure.

Mo Tan gently pressed his temple, and after a few seconds of silence, he said, "So if you insist on knowing, I can tell you, but I sincerely hope you don't want to know."

After a long silence, Yi Dong asked, "Will this cause you any trouble?"

"……meeting."

"How big of a problem?"

"A huge, huge problem."

"In that case, you should know what I'll choose, right?"

"Let's go somewhere else."

"My private room?"

"Row."

"Even with your uncle watching over you, it's still no use?"

"...In this kind of thing, you really have to be careful to avoid trouble."

……

One minute later

The Boundary of Innocence, Public Space, Idon's Private Room

"cigarette."

Mo Tan, who was completely immune to nicotine dependence and withdrawal symptoms, waved to Yi Dong.

"Give."

The clever young master bought a pack of [Inari Ume Sushi] directly from the R18 section of the system shop, took out one stick and tossed it to Mo Tan.

Let me ask you first.

Mo Tan directly brought up the item panel and lit the rice wine between his fingers, asking bluntly, "Are you aware of what I'm not going to tell you?"

"...I think so."

Yi Dong lit a stick of rice wine and lowered his eyes, saying, "I remember when we were little, I had a fever, but I don't remember many things before and after that."

"Ah."

Mo Tan took a drag of his cigarette and sighed deeply: "So what?"

“I vaguely remember that the Mo Tan I knew had always been a little sick. Although this did not affect our relationship, he did have three different personalities and preferences.”

"so what?"

"But I can vaguely sense that there are subtle differences between the three personalities of Mo Tan before I had a fever and the three personalities of Mo Tan after I had a fever."

"Ha... So you actually knew all along?"

"Somewhat."

"Let's put it this way: the 'me' now is the 'new' one."

[Click—]

Chapter 2839: The End