Rebirth 08: Equipment God

Chapter 249 The Pocket Watch Moves Again

The familiar home felt much emptier. Too many things had been moved out of Zhai Da's room and Lu Wei's small storage room. Especially since Dongyang County did not have centralized heating, the indoor temperature was only around ten degrees Celsius, making the chilly feeling particularly noticeable.

In contrast, the kitchen and living room are completely intact.

The moment Yu Xiaoli stood in the kitchen and tied on her apron.

The moment when bowls, chopsticks, plates, and spoons appear on the dining table.

The picture of home is now complete.

Zhai Da and Lu Wei packed their luggage, while Yu Xiaoli transformed the prepared ingredients into a series of delicious dishes: braised pork ribs, stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork cracklings, and stir-fried bean curd residue.
Before Zhai Da even sat down, praise was already pouring out: "Wow~ this is top-quality pork ribs, this pig has lived a worthwhile life."

Yu Xiaoli brought out a bowl of chive and egg soup, and rolled her eyes at Zhai Da with a smile: "You haven't even picked up your chopsticks yet and you're already praising it? Why are you saying it's from two lifetimes?"

"You've been reincarnated into our family again, haven't you? I remember how good your cooking is."

Lu Wei gave a slight smile: "Thank you for your hard work, Teacher Yu."

A simple sentence made Yu Xiaoli even happier than Zhai Da's exaggerated praise. What kind of magic pill did she take in the past six months?
Yu Xiaoli couldn't help but pat Lu Wei's head: "This girl, she's become so sweet-talking since she came back from Harbin!"

Lu Wei paused for a moment, then smiled again.

The meal was eaten quickly, but the conversation during the reunion was slow, until the food was cold and the living room still had a lingering warmth from the return home.

Zhai Da resumed his old ways, washing dishes in the cramped kitchen. Yu Xiaoli, while tidying up the dishes, said, "There's something I want to discuss with you."

"Ok?"

“I heard from people at the factory that there’s a new residential complex on Hongtai Road, with elevators, and it’s about 2500 yuan per square meter. I plan to go and take a look after the New Year.”

Yu Xiaoli sighed: "Sigh~ Lately, my knees always make a clicking sound when I go up the stairs. In the end, I can't possibly live here until I'm seventy or eighty. I have to think about the future."

Zhai Da: Are you sure it's not due to changes in weight?

My mom is probably just easygoing and has gained weight. She doesn't have the pressure of life or raising children, so it's normal for her to be a little overweight; it's not to the point of threatening her health.

Zhai Da thought for a moment and said, "Buy it, it's not expensive. But when you're in your seventies or eighties, you'll definitely be living with me, right? How can I let you live alone in Dongyang? Buy a new one here, just to keep it as a memento."

Hearing Zhai Da say that, Yu Xiaoli felt a warm glow in her heart.

Zhai Da: "Count it as mine. The apartments here are probably only a little over 100 square meters at most, maybe 200,000 to 300,000?"

Yu Xiaoli patted Zhai Da on the shoulder: "No need, I haven't touched a single penny of the money you left at home."

This family had scrimped and saved for half their lives and only managed to save 70,000 yuan. Now things are very different. Before Zhai Da went to university, he left Yu Xiaoli 800,000 yuan, including all the prize money related to being the top scorer and his own savings.

Zhai Da thought for a moment, but didn't say anything more.

I can always round it up for my mom before I leave.

After tidying up, Zhai Da leaned back on the sofa to rest. The TV was showing the ever-present "Country Love," but this time it was the third season.

My mom complained a while ago that it wasn't fun without Fan Wei, but it seems she's still watching every episode without missing a single one.

Lu Wei, holding a book, sat down next to Zhai Da, or rather, huddled in a familiar corner.

Zhai Da took out his phone and looked through the "Utopia" group chat. Sure enough, a tall building had already been built.

Most of his friends had already arrived home, but Zhai Da was among the latecomers. Climbing the stairs was too tiring, so Zhai Da started reading from the latest episodes.

Chu Xiang: Brothers, I, Hu Hansan, am back! Shall we get together?

Ao Wen: No, I'll take two days off.

Liu Meng: No thanks, I'll be arriving in the middle of the night, I'm on the bus.

Li Dongdong: No, I'm having dinner at home.

Chu Xiang: @Lin Shuyao, have you arrived yet?

Then no one spoke in the group.

Zhai Da thought for a moment and sent a message: "Want to have dinner together tomorrow night?"

The reply in the group chat was instantaneous.

Ao Wen: Boss is back! I'll be there on time tomorrow!

Liu Meng: Okay, okay! What do you want to eat? Chicken hot pot?

Li Dongdong: I have no problem.

Lin Shuyao: I just saw it, and I'm fine with it too.

Chu Xiang: @Lin Shuyao, you've arrived? Was the journey smooth?
Then there was silence again.

Zhai Da sighed. "Chu Xiang, you should go back to Gotham. Batman can't do without you."
Will he not be able to forge one or two pieces of clown equipment on his body?

After a while, Wu Yue popped up: Is anyone concerned about me?
Fan Junwei: You didn't come back?
Wu Yue: There are some things I can't do without.
The topic then veered off course, with people discussing what Wu Yue was busy with in Harbin, and some even asking Fan Junwei about it.

Of all the people from all over the country, only Wu Yue and Fan Junwei were not in school. The former goes without saying, and the latter went to a boxing club in Henan Province after the National Day reunion.

I heard he fought three more low-level matches, winning all of them and getting knocked out. He's already made a name for himself in the professional boxing world and is a legitimate professional boxer.

At this moment, Li Dongdong sent a private message to Zhai Da: Zhai Da, my dad asked about the tree. Generally, the construction team handles it themselves, and most of them sell it off as a way to hide profits. Don't worry about it. I'll keep an eye on it for you and let you know if there's any more news.

Zhai Da's eyes lit up; this was a good idea.
It would be strange to keep asking him, but it would be convenient for Li Dongdong, guaranteeing that he could bother his county magistrate father 24/7.

Zhai Da replied, "Thanks, I'll wait for your reply."

"Leave it to me!"

It seems I'm not far from getting another blue [equipment], but I don't know if I can get it before school starts.

Such a big tree, we need to think about what to do with it. Although we can put it in the "equipment slot", it means that it occupies a "slot" for a long time.

After all, he can't take it out and use it like the [Mechanical Core] or the [Pure Gold Secret Staff]. What would he do with it? Swing it around?
But this is another piece of "living" equipment, and transplanting it requires considering whether it will die. If a piece of [blue equipment] dies after being transplanted, that would be truly dark humor.

Let's wait and see, and decide based on its effects after we buy it.

Feeling sleepy after eating, Zhai Da yawned and glanced at Lu Wei.

The little wooden head's delicate profile was right in front of me, his fair neck occasionally turned, and his long legs were perfectly joined together.

Lu Wei felt Zhai Da's gaze, stopped reading, and turned her head.

Think for a moment.

He patted his leg and asked, "Want a pillow?"

Zhai Da chuckled, then leaned to the side, resting his head on Lu Wei's lap. Very bouncy. The nurturing process has yielded fruitful results.
Even when I looked up at Lu Wei again, there was a clear M-shaped gap in my vision.

Lowercase m is also M.

Yu Xiaoli, who was passing by from behind, saw this scene and smiled like an aunt.

But suddenly, Zhai Da felt a shiver run through his entire body, from his toes to the top of his head.

He sat up abruptly, so fast that his forehead brushed against Lu Wei's little rabbit.

Then he felt around for a moment and took out a pocket watch from the inner pocket.

Upon opening it, sure enough, the three pointers, which should have been limp and powerless, were all pointing in the same direction.

And it's still moving.
The speed of the rotation reminded him of the first time it was triggered, pointing to the [Nine-Turn Resurrection Chariot].
Another car?
Without thinking twice, Zhai Da quickly ran to the balcony window and looked out according to the direction of the pointer. Through the gaps in the dead branches, he could vaguely see a van driving past on the road outside the community.

Is it really a car?! But this time I didn't see a fold line directly. Are they items from inside the car?
This time the distance was too far; he couldn't even make out the license plate number. He estimated that the van would soon be out of the pointer's range.

Before Zhai Da could explain, he turned around, put on his shoes, and draped his coat over his shoulders: "Mom, I ate too much, so I'm going for a run."

Yu Xiaoli: "You can't go running right after eating! You'll get a prolapsed stomach!"

Zhai Daren was already halfway outside the door: "It's okay, I'll run upside down."

"Bang!" The door slammed shut.

Yu Xiaoli and Lu Wei exchanged a glance: "He's like this in Harbin too? What's wrong with him?"

Lu Wei shook her head.
After Yu Xiaoli left, Lu Wei thought for a moment, then took out her Nokia 3310 and opened the text message drafts.

"If someone is resting their head on your lap, you should be more proactive."

"Dear or..."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

In the stairwell, Zhai Da, unaware of what had happened at home, ran to the corner of the stairs, grabbed the handrail, and jumped down half a flight of stairs.

His excellent physical condition allowed him to land steadily, and with a wave of his right hand, a pure gold component resembling a prayer wheel appeared in his hand.

I tapped the wall lightly.

Invisible ripples spread out instantly, covering a vast area of ​​500 meters around the van. Zhai Da moved swiftly, but his attention was focused on the white-masked world.

Make a note of the license plate number, just in case!

Luckily, the license plate number was embossed, otherwise the white model world wouldn't have noticed.

But that's not enough. If this car just passes by, it will be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Wu Yue isn't around either. The best way is to follow it today and find out what's going on.

After going down to the first floor, Zhai Da did not run towards the road outside the community, but went in the opposite direction to a dark dead-end alley at the innermost part of Sanmao Community.

Next to this is the power distribution room, which is completely dark at night, like a stagnant pool.

After Zhai Da ran in, he completely disappeared from sight, with only the sound of his footsteps fading into the distance.

Moments later, two beams of light cleaved the darkness, followed by a deep hum.

A jet-black car with sharp lines sped out from the opposite direction.

The "Panamera Black Warrior" sped out of the Sanmao residential area and straightened its front.

This was followed by an even more exhilarating roar of the engine and the sound of tires rubbing together.

At the entrance of the residential compound, the security guard, who was smoking, stared blankly at the taillights of the car as it drove away, half of the cigarette butt in his hand falling onto his crotch.

"When did this car go in?"

"Why is my memory failing me again?! Wait, why did I say 'again'?"

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

Zhai Da walked in the direction the van had gone, occasionally freeing one hand to tap the [Pure Gold Secret Cane].

A distance of 500 meters is a stretch on a main road with roads leading in all directions; turning the wrong way could mean losing sight of the target, so he could only keep knocking.
(This is dangerous driving; those with cheat codes should not attempt this.)

Regarding the potential safety hazard of an extra car suddenly appearing in the community, Zhai Da said it wasn't a major issue.

Because there are no surveillance cameras in Sanmao Community, at most the security guards will be stunned for a while.

It's better than being caught on camera on the street.

Finally, a few minutes later, the distance between Zhai Da and the van was reduced to about 100 meters. When the van came into view, Zhai Da was no longer in a hurry and followed at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

But more and more doubts arose in my mind.

The Uncertainty Pocket Watch has only been triggered once so far; this is the second time.
Is it still some powerful piece of equipment? Or is it something else?

The number of triggers was too few for Zhai Da to determine the pattern, but given the power and value of the [Mechanical Core], he knew he absolutely couldn't miss it.

Zhai Da followed at a leisurely pace for a full twenty minutes until the van finally stopped on a quiet, deserted road in the suburbs of Dongyang County.

One side of the road is all farmland, and the other side has a few old, low houses that Zhai Da has never been here before.

He didn't stop, but continued forward, intending to disguise himself as a passing vehicle and take a look at where he was first.

As he passed the van, Zhai Da glanced to the side. The answer was quite unexpected.

"Dongyang County Children's Welfare Institute".
Before he could think about it, a broken line appeared in Zhai Da's field of vision.

"Congratulations, host, we have discovered a green device [Souvenir Photo]: Polaroid photos take time to develop, and this damaged device will cause the photos to fade over time."

Ownership: Not owned, not activated.

"Equipment effect: When shooting at the back of the head, you can capture images of things you see or imagine."

Note: Photos taken by this device can only be stored for 24 hours.

"Special Effects → Souvenir Photo: After taking a picture of the [equipment], an invalid white background is generated. After reloading, taking a picture of other items will temporarily attach the effect of the [equipment] to the item. The effect lasts for 24 hours."

"This effect is an 'exclusive effect' and can only be used by the host."

"Unlocking mission: Capture ten 'happy' moments."

"Note: Photos fade more easily than memories because the people in them are no longer there."

(End of this chapter)