Please don't question multi-week players

Chapter 372. Change (Merry Christmas~)

Why haven't you been talking much lately?

In the arcade next to the decadent entertainment district of Haidu, Jiang Jianxin took off his headphones and stared at the screen for a long time without moving.

Time flies so fast, it's already a new year.

Red lanterns were hung everywhere in the arcade. Looking out of the window of the arcade, one could see a patch of warm red, floating in the night, like a pool of swaying, lukewarm dreams.

The computer screen showed the starting city of the game "Big Sister".

It was nearly midnight, and the arcade was sparsely populated, with only the flickering lights of the game equipment flashing silently in the dim light.

In the game, it was early morning, the sunlight was warm, and the streets were bustling. Several NPCs gathered to one side, sizing up the distinguished female swordsman, whispering among themselves.

Jiang Jianxin's gaze was somewhat unfocused, yet it seemed to be fixed on that light.

As her intuition rang in her mind, she blinked her dry eyes and spoke in a faint voice:

"The answer is true, I might... have a mental illness."

What? You don't? Don't worry.

The truth immediately responds to the answer in your mind.

You've just been through a lot lately and are still recovering; it's definitely not an illness.

If you're really worried, go see a doctor and let them tell you in person that you're fine; it'll put your mind at ease.

【or--】

Intuition was still speaking, but Jiang Jianxin had already silently stood up.

"clatter……"

She picked up her longsword, pushed open the door, and walked into the street.

The air outside the arcade was crisp and humid.

It had just rained that morning, and the bluestone path glistened with a cool, refreshing light, with a chill creeping along the ground.

In the distance, the electronic music from the bar drifted in intermittently, like some kind of weary breath.

The clamor and cheers from the direction of the casino rose and fell faintly, and neon signs cast fragmented reflections on the wet street. The whole street seemed to be soaked in some kind of viscous liquid, bustling yet dissipated.

Jiang Jianxin held his sword and gazed silently into the distance for a while before strolling towards the villa area.

Seeing that she wasn't responding, he remained silent.

After a long silence, each person and their reasoning remained unspoken. Finally, Truth cautiously asked:

Why do I feel like... you've changed lately?

No one knows when it started, but Jiang Jianxin, who used to be always talkative and cheerful, suddenly became less talkative.

Lying alone in the dark villa, she no longer complained about being lonely. She always carried her sword and wandered around like a ghost, but without any purpose.

Just like today, she specially took the subway to the arcade, but all she did was open the game, switch to the beginner's area, and just sit there blankly.

The answer, in my guess, is that she was probably remembering things from the past.

Humans often have a delayed perception of grief.

For example, when things are changing, one may not be able to clearly feel it at the moment, but it is only at some point many years later that one suddenly feels a surge of emotions.

Jiang Jianxin seemed to sink into some kind of dark memory. The memory was so heavy that it seemed to soak her whole being, subtly changing her.

"I also feel that I have changed."

Jiang Jianxin pointed to his head, his voice calm:
"So I think there's probably something wrong with my mental health."

【Uh……】

Although the truth in her mind strongly disagreed with the answer, Jiang Jianxin was a woman of action. After realizing that she had mental problems, she quickly mobilized her connections and made a phone call to Yin Ju.

The next day, the most renowned brain specialist in the Republic of Canglan came to her home for a consultation.

This expert had previously served as the chief physician at Black Pupil Pharmaceuticals and was highly respected in the industry. Wearing thick-rimmed glasses, he asked Jiang Jianxin a few questions before confidently drawing his conclusion:
“Your mental state is excellent; I have never met anyone more stable or clear-headed than you.”

Upon hearing this, Jiang Jianxin subconsciously frowned.

And the intuition in his mind calmly resonated at this moment, as if it had been expected all along:
You don't have any mental problems. As for why you've become quiet recently, it's probably due to the influence of your fourth birthday celebration.

Jiang Jianxin paused slightly:
[Are you quiet in your fourth year?]

The answer, in a tactful way, is:
That's a god—gods don't talk much.

[You can ask your brother. A priest is the closest position to God. If nothing unexpected happens, even facing a priest, that guy wouldn't be able to utter two words in three years.]

Jiang Jianxin didn't say anything, because she knew without even asking that her intuition was right.

Her brother had lamented many times that his boss was ruthless and taciturn, and when something happened, he would just kill the person in charge with a single blow.

At the Ninth Congress of the Gods, she spoke three sentences in one breath, bearing the title of Goddess of Death and Silence. One of them was specifically directed at Edric's hat, which excited him for several days.

Because her brother was a bit of a coward and didn't dare to talk to his usually gloomy boss, he called her to share his boundless enthusiasm.

In summary, it's rare for the boss to personally attend the meeting and even give him some pointers, showing how much importance he attaches to this matter. As a priest, he must do his utmost to help the boss achieve his goal of dominating the world of talents.

Throughout the phone call, Edric expressed his excitement about the boss's return. Jiang Jianxin listened patiently to the whole thing, never expecting that he would unintentionally paint such a rosy picture for his employees when he casually entered a meeting.

After the call ended, Edric didn't contact her again for several months, and Jiang Jianxin knew that her brother was probably busy with his career again.

Whether what was said at the ninth meeting could be accomplished was something she had no way of knowing.

But the world of talent is indeed changing—days are getting shorter and nights are spreading inch by inch.

When I step outside, I often see flocks of crows soaring across the sky, their wings cutting through the twilight, emitting hoarse cries.

Like right now.

She stood by the door, watching the brain specialist's vehicle slowly drive away, escorted by a government car.

The sky suddenly darkened for a moment—it was a flock of crows.

Like a broken piece of dark cloud, they swept low over the rooftops, their flapping wings as dense as a sudden rain, their cries sharp, as if a longer, more distant prophecy was being spread inch by inch across the land with the vibration of their wings.

After the crows flew away, a sliver of the setting sun appeared in the sky.

It was blood red, like an unhealed wound, most of which had sunk behind the distant mountains, with only a sparse light struggling to seep out.

Dusk enveloped everything from all directions, and the sky took on a dark, almost bruised hue.

Just then, intuition surfaced in her mind again, this time less gentle, becoming clear, calm, and with a meticulous, impending storm:
The world is about to change.

I'm back, sisters! I saw everyone's comments.

I'll be updating a lot more, but I'll post it again tomorrow during the day. Go to sleep early, my darlings!