This time I chose Paladin.

Chapter 269 Did Administrator Number Two get paid today? (No)

The singing echoed through the quiet mountain forest, and the campfire crackled.

Faces filled with trust and blessings smiled in the light and shadow. No matter what they did or said on ordinary days, or what they were thinking now, at least at this moment, no one spoiled the atmosphere.

Nie Weiyang didn't refuse at first, and he didn't interrupt now. He quietly looked at everyone, but didn't look into anyone's eyes—there was no need to add pressure to everyone in such a good atmosphere.

After the song ended, everyone was still reluctant to leave, as they had been there for almost a year and most of them had rarely heard songs since.

Led by Youyan, they sang several more popular songs from around the world, from rousing marches to gentle folk songs. The atmosphere was lively and warm. They even played a game where each person sang a different song. If you didn't know a song, there was no penalty; you just had to hum along with the next person.

When it was Nie Weiyang's turn, he stood up, with a gentle smile, and sang "A Thousand Songs":
Looking back slowly, the nights that once belonged to each other...

"Honghong is still you, the bright sun in my heart..."

His singing voice wasn't as ethereal as You Yan's, but it possessed a strange clarity and unwavering strength. As the music ended and the crowd dispersed, Nie Weiyang, without disturbing too many people, quietly walked towards the edge of the camp.

He straddled the Lucky Draw seat, started the engine, and the deep roar broke the silence of the night.

He hummed a song softly as he drove into the darkness. However, he hadn't gone far when he heard a hurried commotion behind him.

Nie Weiyang slowed down and looked back.

Yi Jian was seen pedaling frantically on a bicycle that looked like it was about to fall apart, panting and struggling to catch up, his face flushed red. Beside him, Han Jiangxue was surrounded by a faint aura of coldness, her feet half a foot off the ground, gliding as if in low air. Her movements were graceful, but her speed wasn't much faster, and she was also struggling to catch up.

Nie Weiyang stopped the car and looked at the two guys with a mix of amusement and exasperation: "What's going on with you two?"

Yi Jian gripped the bicycle handlebars, panting heavily, his eyes darting around: "I...I came to deliver something! Yes, to deliver something!" But his hands were empty, and he searched his entire body but couldn't find anything.

Han Jiangxue also stopped, looking away. Her tone remained calm, but there was a hint of barely perceptible unease in it: "I... have something to do." As for what it was, she couldn't say.

Seeing their attempt to cover up their misunderstanding, Nie Weiyang was about to speak when he heard another rustling sound from the bushes beside him.

Bai Yu emerged somewhat disheveled from the shadows.

He seemed to have intended to follow discreetly, but he hadn't expected Yi Jian and Han Jiangxue to make such a commotion. Seeing both of them there, a hint of embarrassment flashed across Bai Yu's face…

...Although he didn't know why he was feeling awkward, the atmosphere had reached a point where he might as well be a little awkward.

Yi Jian's eyes lit up when he saw Bai Yu. He immediately hooked his arm around Bai Yu's shoulder and announced to Nie Weiyang with a smile, "Oh! Now everyone's here! Now we're a team!"

Han Jiangxue calmly added from the side: "Light Sharp Squad."

Bai Yu, being held by Yi Jian, subconsciously analyzed the situation: "No healers. A melee team?"

After the three finished speaking, their eyes all turned to Nie Weiyang, filled with expectation, persistence, and a hint of roguishness.

Nie Weiyang remained silent for a moment, looking at the three people, before finally accepting the joke that he himself only half-understood:

"Why isn't Paladin considered a treatment?"

These words startled the three of them, and then their eyes lit up with surprise.

But Nie Weiyang shook his head, his smile gentle: "But I can't take you."

Bai Yu opened his mouth but couldn't utter a single word, and the light in Yi Jian and Han Jiangxue's eyes instantly dimmed.

Yi Jian said somewhat impatiently, "I can help with interpersonal relationships and gathering information! You can't always be alone..."

Han Jiangxue frowned slightly and pointed out the key point: "Indeed, our speed will slow you down. This is not good for your efficiency."

Nie Weiyang shook his head slightly: "No, it's not a matter of efficiency."

"What's the problem?" Yi Jian asked instinctively.

Nie Weiyang didn't answer, but Han Jiangxue slapped Yi Jian's arm, making him shut up.

Seeing this, Nie Weiyang smiled and said no more.

He turned the throttle, and the motorcycle shot into the darkness like an arrow, leaving only the fading sound of a humming song in the night wind:
"...Even if a thousand songs drift on my distant road in the future..."

This time, no one chased after them.

Only three pairs of eyes watched him silently in the darkness as he transformed into a distant point of light, until he completely merged into that darkness.

……

Nie Weiyang's choice to travel alone was not an impulsive decision, but a result of careful consideration.

Since his in-depth conversation with Leung Chun-tuan that day, he had already imagined countless possible paths for his future and the corresponding personnel arrangements.

However, after weighing all possibilities, risks, and ultimate goals, he still crossed out all options of traveling with companions and chose to go alone. Because this journey would take him beyond just geographical boundaries.

He needs to temporarily shed the identity of 'Nie Weiyang,' which has begun to symbolize something in China and the Central Plains, and play a role that is more distant from people...

...Administrator Number Two.

Some roads can only be traveled by one person at a time. Some truths can only be touched in secret.

The motorcycle tore through the sweltering heat of the summer night, finally coming to a stop at the edge of a vast ruin.

The dust kicked up by the wheels slowly settled under the starlight.

This is C3366, the largest pre-civilized urban ruins near the old city.

After nearly a year of careful development and cleanup, some of the functions of this ghost town have been reactivated, injecting valuable nutrients into the survival and development of the old city.

However, the city's nights still belong to the ghosts of the past—an ironclad rule is strictly enforced: after sunset, no modern humans are allowed to remain in the city. Otherwise, if they get stepped on like ants by the police cordon, they have no one to blame but themselves.

Nie Weiyang turned off the engine and turned his gaze to the ruins that shone brightly in the night.

Inside the city, the lights of unmanned stores and various automated facilities remained bright, and the ground twinkled with starlight. The lights of the 'City Voice Radio Station' cycled back and forth, like the city's unseeing eyes.

Even more unsettling are the enormous shadows that move slowly between the buildings.

The warning line, these four-legged self-propelled war machines, which are over ten meters tall, are like giant beasts patrolling their territory.

The crimson beams of the spotlights, like a cold gaze, swept over every corner of the streets, buildings, and bridges, revealing nothing that should not exist or any sign of life.

In the distant darkness beyond the reach of city lights, a single campfire flickers tenaciously.

That was an official explorer camp established by the old city. At this moment, the camp was bustling with people; explorers who had finished a day's work inside and outside the city were sitting around the campfire, sharing food and their experiences.

Such camps are now scattered like stars along the edges of pre-civilization ruins throughout the mountains and rivers.

These places are not only outposts for exploration, but also mobile supply points and information hubs. Residents of official towns can trade here with identification, obtain supplies and medical services, or sell their loot from the wilderness and ruins at guaranteed fair prices.

"...That office building in Zone 3 is finally cleaned up today," a slightly tired voice rang out by the campfire. "We also caught two fugitives who wanted to hide in there overnight. Damn, we almost didn't get out before dusk."

"Holy crap, you guys know what I mean? I went out and found that police tape was being put up on the street. A long string of spotlights made the Central Avenue look red. I wanted to strangle myself with that area seal right then and there."

Someone nearby sighed, "I understand. I've felt it. I was terrified and cried."

“There are always some fearless individuals, or those who have no other choice, who want to gamble on the ‘safety’ of the city.” Another calm voice sighed. “They don’t even realize that compared to the visible dangers outside, what’s inside is truly deadly.”

"That's right! It's fine during the day, as most of the city's systems are offline. As long as you don't go to certain areas, you'll be fine."

"But at night..." the speaker shuddered, "last time some guy didn't believe in ghosts and thought he could sneak in and steal something because he was agile. Guess what happened?"

"Is it locked?"

"More than that! Although he didn't lead the way to the warning line, he somehow triggered something, and several robots popped up and chopped him into mincemeat in two seconds!"

“Not that big,” another person muttered. “About the size of blood foam.”

After a moment of sympathetic silence, someone whispered, "There's no way anyone could get into a place like this at night, right?"

"Why do you think the previous civilization, with such advanced technology, still... disappeared?"

……

The night wind blew by, but no one responded.

However, not far from their camp, on the edge of the city, which was considered a forbidden area, a dark figure slowly walked across the broken road.

"Hey! Wait! Don't go any further!" The people in the camp noticed the figure and instinctively cried out for help. Immediately, two or three people rushed out of the camp to intercept this reckless individual—

Then they paused.

Seeing that something was wrong, the people in the rear camp stood up from around the campfire and shouted, "What's going on...?"

Before they could even utter the word "了", they froze on the spot, instinctively holding their breath.

In the quiet evening breeze, cloaks and capes swept through the overgrown weeds.

Administrator Number Two stepped onto the paved road and, with the police line silently giving way, entered the city.

(End of this chapter)