On my second playthrough, they were full of malice towards me.

"He said you knew where his car was parked."

"It's at number 31 in the Berjan district; you can see it at the corner of the alley."

"Should we go pick up the car first, or go pick up your mother first?"

"Listen to your opinion."

"Shall we go to a brothel and see some girls?"

"Yes, that's fine."

It's already eight or nine o'clock at night. Of course, there aren't any streetlights in the alley behind these bars. All the light comes from the moon overhead.

Liao Ji's sudden stop startled the girl following behind, who was staring down at her toes. She almost bumped into him before she could react.

"What are you doing?" Looking at the young man staring straight at her, Irene's eyes darted around, filled with tension and panic, her hands clasped together helplessly.

Seeing the girl's appearance, Liao Ji paused for a moment before speaking:

"When we were in the private room, the uncle not only gave me the car keys and money, but also told me that I liked him."

Time seemed to freeze for about three or four seconds.

Followed by.

"You son of a bitch, Brian—you dare to spread these damn rumors about me!"

Under the bright moonlight, there was a similarly fragrant symphony of birdsong and blooming flowers.

Liao Jize, sitting opposite the girl, nodded in satisfaction.

Ok.

No wonder I felt all twisted and uncomfortable earlier; something just felt off.

Now this is more like it!

Chapter 28 Zero (Part 1)

"Okay, I just noticed you were acting a little off and wanted to bring you back to your senses. Don't be mad at Brian. Your uncle is actually a pretty nice guy, even kind of... well, kind of cute?"

Liao Ji recalled his brief but very pleasant conversation with the bearded man in the private room and gave this description.

However, when this reached Irene's ears, it caused the girl to roll her eyes.

cute?

You two, one says the other is cute, and the other says the other is a stupid good person. Fine, so I'm the only unpopular big bad guy then!

But actually, these are all secondary. What Irene cares about more right now is something else.

"Old...old relic, you didn't actually believe his nonsense, did you?!"

"No, not really. After all, we've only known each other for less than half a day. While I'm quite confident in my charm, I'm not that narcissistic."

Liao Ji shrugged, but quickly changed his tone again.

"But I see you, Miss Irene, are acting so strangely. Could it be that you are indeed a lovesick girl who fell in love with me at first sight and is captivated by my handsome face?"

"Pah—I spit on you!"

Liao Ji breathed a sigh of relief after the girl unsurprisingly launched into a tirade.

because

"Just in case, I should tell Miss Irene that I already have someone I like." Liao Ji said this with a very serious expression.

Tens of thousands of hours of gaming time, even if you played for 24 hours a day without eating, drinking, or sleeping, it would still take more than a year. Moreover, how could that really be possible? Liao Ji actually took four or five years to achieve this goal.

Spending so much time on a niche single-player game isn't really Liao Ji's style, but at that time he was going through a rather dark period in his real life, so it was more like a spiritual sustenance and a safe haven to escape reality than him playing the game.

That's why Liao Jicai has a deep affection for "Falling" and the characters he created. Those characters brought him joy and healing during that time. He really enjoyed the feeling of raising his beloved wives step by step to become stronger. This is probably what people call a "character fan".

Later on, after they helped me out of my slump, I started to focus more on reality, and my gaming became more pragmatic; I was focused on finishing the game as quickly as possible.

Haha, this really does match that picture that silly netizens often post.

Don't be fooled by women in the real world!

Liao Ji smiled self-deprecatingly to himself, but after all, he had already made up his mind when he chose to do a second playthrough to make up for the regrets of the first playthrough. This time, no matter what, he would make up for them and he would definitely get close to his wives!

Liao Ji didn't try to hide his expression, so when Liao Ji recalled his gaming experiences, the girl next to him had a genuine, involuntary smile, a smile of nostalgia and joy that she could clearly see. Moreover, the girl knew very well that such emotions were hard to fake.

"But didn't you say you came from the wasteland five hundred years ago?"

"That's right, so the person I like is also from five hundred years ago."

“Then…she’s already…” Irene’s voice suddenly softened, and the girl felt as if a huge rock was blocking her chest.

Through Liao Ji's few words, Yilin had already sketched out the outline of a story in her mind.

Two people who clearly love each other deeply are separated for various reasons. When the other person wakes up and tries to find them again, they discover that what is blocking them is the farthest and most insurmountable distance in the world—time.

Thinking of this, Irene was immediately filled with an indescribable sadness, as if she had returned to the time when she was a child, hiding under the covers, secretly reading romance novels, and then crying her eyes out because of the heartbreak.

Irene never imagined that such a thing would actually happen in real life, and that it would happen right before her eyes.

In an instant, even the way the girl looked at the young man softened.

As for Liao Ji...

Uh

Seeing the girl's expression of pity and sympathy for him, Liao Ji thought for a moment and decided it was best not to make things clear.

After all, if Irene knew that "they" were still there, and that it was the plural "they," it would spoil the atmosphere.

However, before Liao Ji could speak, Yilin immediately pressed on, asking:

"So when you said you were going to find them—those five guards of the Great Emperor—it was actually to find clues about your beloved through them, wasn't it?"

Uh

Liao Ji raised his head slightly to look into the distance, the moonlight shining on the young man.

He first let out a long sigh, then shook his head and chuckled, creating the impression that he knew the road ahead was a dead end, yet still resolutely went forward. Finally, he nodded to Irene and said:

"really."

The girl nodded in understanding after receiving the answer she had expected.

This resolved all of Irene's doubts: why was Liao Ji so obsessed with the Emperor's personal guards, and why, even after she had clearly explained the exalted and noble status of those five guards, Liao Ji was still unwilling to give them up?

Irene tried to switch places with Liao Ji. If one day she were forced to confront the five people at the pinnacle of power and influence in the world, only they could save her from that fate...

In the end, the girl concluded that she would definitely make the same choice as Liao Ji, and even though they were the legendary emperor's personal guards, Irene firmly believed that she would be fearless.

Thinking about it this way, the girl instantly felt that the image of the young man in front of her had become even more impressive.

"Hmph, alright, alright, I admit I misjudged you before. I didn't expect you, old fogey, to be such a devoted person. Based on your feelings alone, I, Irene, acknowledge you as my good brother!"

Irene extended her small fist at Liao Ji, then glared at the young man who hadn't reacted yet. Only after Liao Ji also extended his fist did the girl forcefully collide her fist with the young man's.

"This is our scavenger's contract. From now on, you're my buddy, and what's in my buddy's business is my business, so don't worry, I'll help you! No matter how crazy the thing is, I'll go crazy with you!"

"Thank you."

"But, well... cough cough, before that, old man, you still have to help me cure my mother first." Irene blushed, seemingly aware that she had just made a grand statement and boasted, only to find herself needing someone else's help the next second, and felt a little embarrassed.

But we're all brothers now, so it's normal for good brothers to help each other out!

Another one is

"Actually, curing my mother will also help us find the goddess!"

"Oh? What do you mean? Your mother wouldn't happen to be someone from the church, would she?"

Liao Ji asked the question casually, and to his surprise, the girl actually nodded.

"Hmph, you've got a quick mind. You're right, my mom was once a full nun in the church, and she even went to Michel City and was praised by the bishop there!"

"That's a bishop, you know? He's not even in the same league as those lousy priests in the Black Hole!" Irene's face was full of pride.

This was indeed an unexpected surprise for Liao Ji, like discovering a hidden reward halfway through a mission.

If I could use Irene's mother as a connection to infiltrate the church and quickly establish contact, the time it would take to see Styutia should be greatly reduced.

but

Seemingly noticing Liao Ji's confusion, Yilin's expression darkened slightly, and she turned her head away a little, saying:

"Six years ago, my bastard father, who had become a scoundrel, went berserk and lost control. He was killed by the Knights as a monstrous corpse. My mother was also implicated. That damned priest stripped her of her nun status and, on charges of blasphemy, confiscated all the savings we had worked so hard to save! From then on, our lives plummeted. If Brian hadn't taken care of us back then, we might have starved to death on the streets."

"So, since then, although my mom still hoped I would go to school and become a nun in the church when I grew up, I had long since realized that the so-called church was just a bunch of damn bastards! What help to the suffering people, what bringing us happiness, what utter bullshit! After dropping out of school, I went to the wilderness with Brian and started learning scavenging skills from him. Our lives slowly got back on track, but who would have thought that just when everything was about to get better, my mom suddenly..."

Irene gritted her teeth in the end, and Liao Ji finally understood why the girl had such a deep resentment towards the priest and the church.

"Alright, you've gotten through the toughest part, haven't you? Once we get to Auntie's place, cure her illness, and leave the Black Hole, you'll be ready for a new life."

"And what I want to say is that even if your mother were just an ordinary person, I would still take her seriously and do my best to cure her. After all, this is what I promised you from the beginning. Our employment contract... well, shouldn't we now call it brotherhood?"

Liao Ji's earnest words were like a powerful electric shock, making Yilin's chest pound. She quickly told herself, "This is a buddy, this is a brother," while feeling a little embarrassed and annoyed, she said:

"Old fogey, your flirting skills must have fooled a lot of young girls, right? The lines that leave them completely bewildered, you can rattle them off one after another!"

Liao Ji nodded in agreement, readily admitting, "Indeed, that's probably the value of those two hundred romance comics."

"Heh, two hundred romance comics? Forget the wasteland era five hundred years ago, even five hundred years from now, those lazy authors act like they're being tortured to death if they update even one more chapter a day! They update so little, and they're just squeezing toothpaste like that! They keep talking about those female supporting characters who have no talent and terrible tempers, and after several chapters, the main plot hasn't even changed. I'm truly fed up with these damn authors! I really want to lock them in a dark room and whip them mercilessly!"

"It'll still be like this five hundred years from now. You're telling me there were two hundred comic books five hundred years ago? Even a dog wouldn't believe it!"

From Irene's menacing remarks, it's clear that online novels and comics aren't doing very well in this era.

Liao Ji: "."

"Alright, let's go. The clinic where Auntie works should be just around the next intersection."

At the same time that Liao Ji and Yi Lin were heading to the clinic, or perhaps a little further ahead.

Sea Sand Bar.

The bar was pitch black, and only through the moonlight could one see the scene of chaos after the battle and the Knights' investigation.

Tables and chairs were overturned, broken bottles littered the floor, the neon lights on the ceiling were long broken and several were still on the ground, and there was a lot of grime on the floor formed by blood and alcohol mixed together.