“Wake up! It’s time to work. This isn’t a place for idling around. If something goes wrong, you can’t bear the responsibility.”
The bursting noise pierced Bai Lixin’s eardrums. He struggled to open his eyes and found everything around him very unfamiliar.
There were many people around him wearing gray uniforms, all busy with their heads down, looking serious.
There was a man standing behind him. He stared sharply at him with his hands behind his back, his tone not friendly: “Awake?”
Bai Lixin made a sound, “Um, awake.”
The man frowned and retorted coldly, “You still dare to say ‘awake’? Is this a place for you to sleep? If you want to sleep, go home and sleep in your bed! Have you even looked at where you are? How dare you sleep so soundly?!”
The man was tall, with curly hair like corn kernels. As he spoke, he pointed at Bai Lixin with one hand on his waist, and the work badge on his chest swung back and forth.
Bai Lixin glanced at the man’s work badge: B-4.
Then he looked down at the work badge on his own chest: C-21.
The man raised an eyebrow at Bai Lixin. “You’re lucky that I caught you. If it were someone else, you would have been sent packing long ago. C21, start your work now, and there better not be a next time!”
After the man finished speaking, he walked away with his head held high.
Bai Lixin looked around with some confusion.
First of all, he could confirm that this wasn’t the Rebel Alliance base where he should be.
His body should be on Li Cancan’s bed. If this wasn’t the Rebel Alliance base, then he had probably fallen into a time vortex, the most dangerous situation Li Cancan had mentioned.
The wavelength of his consciousness detached from the attachment band, and his consciousness was swept away.
Bai Lixin raised his arm and found that the situation wasn’t too bad, at least his time jumper was still there.
Then he looked at the time on his wrist. The time displayed on his wrist was April 5, U9025.
Eighty years before U9105.
Eighty years ago, that was when the robot Dijia launched the massacre of the royal family in the Fair District.
He slowly recalled the conversation he had with old King Cones, the only surviving member of the royal family. At that time, the old king was very surprised when he heard his name. He said he had heard this name before and knew that “Bai Lixin” was Dijia’s lover, but he also said that “Bai Lixin” didn’t look like him.
If he didn’t look like himself, then he must have looked like Pris Xingchen.
If this was really a closed time loop, then his appearance in the space-time crack was not a coincidence but a necessity.
There was a bustling sound around him, and to avoid appearing too out of place, Bai Lixin also focused his attention on the screen in front of him.
The screen displayed a bunch of data and symbols he couldn’t understand, but it seemed to be data from some experimental research.
Although he couldn’t understand it, he vaguely felt that some of the symbols looked familiar, as if he had seen them somewhere.
He recalled for a moment and finally remembered where he had seen them.
It was in that abandoned experimental base in the Fair District.
Bai Lixin frowned.
He didn’t know if it was because he had jumped through time too many times, but he felt like his memory had become a bit sluggish.
In the past, let alone the memories from more than ten days ago, he could remember the memories from more than ten years ago very clearly.
Because of this strangeness, Bai Lixin posed this question to the two systems in his mind.
S419M: [Lord Host, based on my experience, the reason should be like this. Although it has only been ten days for you, according to the passage of time, almost eighty years have passed, and it’s eighty years backward. This is a self-protective mechanism of the law of time, to prevent intruders from disrupting past events. If it were an ordinary person suddenly going back eighty years, they should have forgotten what happened. Fortunately, that person is you. Your brain is incomparable to an ordinary person’s, so you haven’t forgotten, at most, you just feel like your memory isn’t as good as before.]
The escape system spoke up: [Master Bai Lixin, how long has it been since your task started?]
Bai Lixin checked the task bar and found that twenty-nine days had passed.
The escape system: [It seems that the time in this copy is not fixed. The sixty days mentioned in the task refer to the sixty days for the task participants, not the entire copy. The number of days you have actually spent is your own task time.]”
Bai Lixin: [Do you recognize the symbols on this screen?]
The escape system: [We can try to decrypt some of them.]
After a few seconds, the escape system finished decrypting the signal and reported the results: [This is an experimental research project on artificial intelligence.]
[The research here focuses on how to perfectly integrate humans and machines. The organizers are very eager for the experimental results. This research is also attracting attention at present because many people want to surpass the limits of death and become superhuman beings.]
[However, from the perspective of people in the future, we all know that this experiment is doomed to fail. But the people here in the present don’t know.]
Bai Lixin: [If this is a research institute, and Dijia has met ‘Bai Lixin’ in this timeline, then I should be able to encounter Dijia now. Is Dijia also in this experimental base?]”
The escape system: [Di what? Master Bai Lixin, I didn’t catch that clearly, could you please repeat?]
[…] Bai Lixin paused, then said, [S419M, you tell me.]
S419M: [Well, I did find Lord Dijia in this laboratory.]
[However, with your current identity, you probably won’t be able to get close to him.]
Bai Lixin felt nervous: [Is he locked up in a particularly secure and dangerous place?]
S419M: [You’re worrying too much. When I said you can’t get close, I mean that Lord Dijia is now the prince of the empire. He has a prestigious status and surrounded by beauties. Just look at your current identity. Do you think you can get close to the most prestigious prince of the empire?]
Bai Lixin: [??? Can you say that again?]
S419M: [That’s what I detected, and I’m repeating it. Our Lord God is living a good life now!]
Bai Lixin: [???]
‘This is not quite what I imagined.’
Bai Lixin was imagining Dijia to be: miserable, pitiful, helpless, endlessly experimented on, extremely painful.
The real Dijia: living the good life?
‘Damn it!
Where’s the promised tragic but powerful old gong?
This trip was for nothing.’
S419M reassured: [But there’s still a way to see Lord Dijia.]
Bai Lixin gritted his teeth: [Do you have to pull out bits of information like rainbow candy? Believe it or not, I’ll turn you into a rainbow in the sky right now.]
S419M shrank its neck and said, [Okay, okay. Prince Dijia will be choosing a consort in a few days, you can sneak into the palace disguised as a dancing girl. As long as you can see Prince Dijia, with your looks, it won’t be a problem!]
Bai Lixin felt the veins throbbing in his temples: [What did you say he’s doing? Choosing a consort? He actually picked a consort?]
‘I’m jumping through time outside, feeling nauseous every time I jump, and this bastard is actually choosing a consort?’
‘No wonder robot Dijia kept silent when I questioned him about his past. He had a dark history he didn’t want to talk about.’
‘I originally thought that his life was too miserable and he didn’t want to pity him, so he didn’t say anything.
But turns out it’s the dark history that he didn’t want to talk about!
‘Heh! Dijia!!
Get lost for me!’
S419M pulled the escape system and quickly hid.
Three days later, there was a lively atmosphere in the Fair District.
Everyone in the Fair District knew that a grand party was going to be held in the palace, and many nobles were invited. Although it was called a party, everyone knew it was a consort-selection event for the royal prince.
The girls attending the consort selection were from various noble families. Each was dressed up meticulously, eager to show their most perfect side.
Among the various noble families, there were also several performance teams mingling.
Among these performance teams, there was one group of dancers dressed in enchanting costumes.
They were tall and slender, wearing beautiful and delicate skirts, with slender arms exposed in the air, attracting the attention of those around them.
Among these tall dancers, there was one whose height was particularly tall. She was about 1.8m tall, and with a somewhat flat chest.
If it weren’t for the slender figure, graceful walk and charm of this dancer, everyone would have thought it was a man mixed in.
Bai Lixin stood in the performance formation at the back with a veil over his head, a turbulent undercurrent beneath his calm eyes.
‘This is probably the calm before the storm,’S419M thought secretly. ‘I hope the Lord God will be sensible and recognize the Lord Host at a glance when he dances later.’
‘This way, his sins can be lighter,’ S419M thought again.
It was not just the nobles from the Fair District attending the party, but also some upper-class individuals from the Love District and the Order District.
As more and more people gathered in the luxurious hall, in the midst of the lively conversation, a loud trumpet sound pierced the noisy night sky, instantly quieting the scene.
In the Dark Steel City eighty years ago, artificial intelligence was already very advanced, but not as advanced as it would be eighty years later.
In the eyes of the nobility, machines were not as elegant as real humans. Therefore, in gatherings like this high society event, one could rarely see the presence of machines.
Soldiers in red royal uniforms shouted loudly, “The king, the queen, and the prince have arrived!”
Amidst the sound of trumpets and the eyes of the crowd, the majestic king, the graceful queen, and the cold and handsome Prince Dijia slowly walked to the center of the stage.
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘It’s really Dijia.’
Dijia stood behind the king and queen expressionlessly. At this time, he was not very old, appearing to be only around twenty years old, but he already exuded an extraordinary demeanor.
While the king and queen chatted in front, the attention of the crowd shifted to Dijia standing behind them.
Dijia seemed accustomed to this and stood there with no interest.
This was his consort selection party, but he seemed detached from the event.
The party was divided into three steps.
The first was for the king, queen, prince to meet everyone.
The second step was to let these dancers and singers warm up on the central stage.
The third step was for everyone to dance freely. If Prince Dijia invited someone to dance during this time, that person could become a candidate for consort.
There were a total of five performance programs, and the group Bai Lixin infiltrated was in the second one.
The first program was singing, and after it finished, it was the turn of Bai Lixin’s “group.”
Dijia drank on the viewing platform boredly.
He had no interest in the party and just wanted it to end soon.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp gaze.
He was long used to people’s gazes.
Admiring, envious, jealous, hateful.
He was always the center of attention.
He could easily disregard these gazes, and even easily find those who wanted to assassinate him from them.
But this gaze was interesting, it didn’t fit into any of the categories mentioned above.
Dijia followed this line of sight curiously and found that it came from the eyes of a dancer.
How to describe this gaze?
Fierce, as if he were someone who abandoned his wife and children.
Dijia wanted to laugh.
What’s wrong with this dancer? He didn’t even know her.
And he hadn’t done anything similar.
But this fierce gaze was quite enticing, like a harmless little kitten scratching at Dijia’s heart.
Dijia propped his cheek and watched the dancer with interest. As he watched, he realized something was off. This dancer seemed to be… a man?
The dance chosen by this group was hot and unrestrained. Dijia watched from above as the “dancer” twisted his waist and swayed his arms from time to time.
The crowd around was drawn in by the group of dancers, their eyes becoming fiery.
Dijia felt a bit uncomfortable. Before the dance was even finished, he ordered it to end and the next performance to begin.
The little kitten’s gaze became fiercer.
…
[What’s going on? He actually made us leave?] Bai Lixin glanced sideways at the man on the viewing platform. [Is he crazy?]
S419M never minced words when helping Bai Lixin scold Dijia: [Lord God is not just crazy, he’s simply clueless. With such a beautiful dancer dancing in front of him, he can’t even get excited. He actually let you leave? Lord Host, Lord God can’t do it, it’s most likely that he really can’t do it!]
Thinking of the time when he was chanting sutras like a monk, Bai Lixin began to think about the reliability of S419M’s word.
Could it really be true?
Both Dijias from the two virtual worlds were like monks who had attained enlightenment.
S419M: [Or is it because you’ve changed your face?]
[In the previous copies, you always used your own face. Is it possible that the Lord God only has your face imprinted in his mind, and he’s not sensitive to other faces?]
Bai Lixin touched the face under the veil, [It shouldn’t be. I’ve used other faces before during my quick transmigrations.]
S419M: [Then I don’t know why he doesn’t want to see you. Maybe wait a bit longer. The Lord God is a jealous pot. Perhaps he just doesn’t want you to dance in front of others. Lord Host, see if he invites you to dance later.]
By now, Bai Lixin’s patience was wearing thin.
After the performance, the prince came to the dance floor to select a dance partner
Once again, he felt the little kitten’s fierce gaze.
He secretly glanced in the direction of the gaze and saw many men crowding around the dancer, their eyes lascivious.
Dijia’s eyes suddenly turned cold. He called a guard over and said a few words.
Soon, the guard approached the performers and sent them all away.
The little kitten’s eyes were filled with surprise, as if the meat had flown away before reaching its mouth. He looked even cuter.
He secretly thought that it would be great if he could keep the little kitten by his side.
He would serve this little kitten like a cat owner, clean his white paws and hold him in his arms.
But this was just wishful thinking.
There were many shackles in the royal family, and he could see that such a person should be free and unrestrained. He would only be harmed by being imprisoned by his side.
Dijia silently watched the direction in which the dancer left, taking one last look at the little milk cat before looking away with regret.
The guards urged him to choose a dance partner, but Dijia just glanced at the dance floor and turned away, leaving behind a bewildered crowd.
…
Bai Lixin’s lungs were about to explode.
Not a single step of the carefully calculated plan worked. Dijia not only didn’t pick him out from the sea of people, but also coldly drove him away from the party scene.
S419M: [Lord Host, If you get divorced, I will fight for your best interests. Although I was created by Lord Dijia, and Lord Dijia is like my male mother, rest assured, I will never be biased towards Lord Dijia. I have always been on your side. Gratitude for raising outweighs gratitude for giving birth!]
[What a mess,] Bai Lixin found an opportunity to break away from the crowd and hid in the castle, [Why should I divorce? He just didn’t recognize me.]
[What do you want to do, Master Bai Lixin?] the escape system asked.
Bai Lixin: [Dijia drove away the legal partner and danced with others. What do you think I want to do?]
Escape System: [Master Bai Lixin, rest assured. Dijia did not dance behind your back. He left after you did. This is his current location.]
A map of the palace appeared in Bai Lixin’s mind, and there was a slowly moving red dot on this part of the palace.
However, it was getting further and further away from him.
Following the direction shown on the map, he could already see Dijia’s tall figure at the end of his sight.
Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly sensed a dangerous breath.
A venomous snake hidden in the dark was slowly approaching under the cover of the grass, intending to take him down.
This feeling was not unfamiliar to Bai Lixin. He had been chased twice before— this was the pursuit of the antivirus system.
Bai Lixin dodged quickly and moved to the side.
And where he had just been, the saplings seemed to have been corroded by something, gradually withering into a small piece of rotten wood.
[The power of the antivirus program seems to be stronger than the last time,] Bai Lixin said.
S419M: [Because you have entered a more restricted time and space, the strength of the antivirus program is determined by the level of threat. You moved eighty years in the past, so the power of the deployed antivirus software is not on the same level as last time.]
Escape System: [Can you leave, Lord Bai Lixin?]
Bai Lixin quickly manipulated the dial on his wrist, but this time jumper seemed to have malfunctioned since he entered here and couldn’t be operated at all.
The invisible threat did not kill Bai Lixin the first time, so it was preparing for a second attack.
Although Bai Lixin couldn’t see the opponent, his instinct for danger made him realize that the antivirus program had not left yet.
It seemed that the other party would not stop until he was killed tonight.
Bai Lixin decided to lure the antivirus program away.
Just when this idea had emerged in his mind, the antivirus program that had already gathered strength to attack Bai Lixin suddenly stopped.
As if it had received some instructions, it slowly calmed down, retracted back into the grass, and slowly left.
Bai Lixin didn’t know why it left. He took two steps back, and his back met a thick wall.
He turned his head and saw Dijia, who should have been far away, had appeared behind him at some point.
Dijia just glanced at him, then quickly looked down at the grass in front of him.
His eyes narrowed, his gaze sharp. “Was there something there just now?”
Bai Lixin: “You could see it?”
Dijia shook his head. “I couldn’t see very clearly, but I could vaguely see a transparent outline. It looked like water enveloping air. What is it?”
Bai Lixin: “It’s a monster, it’s been chasing me.”
He glanced at Dijia and suddenly realized that the technical retreat of the antivirus program might be because it feared Dijia?
“Your Highness, thank you for saving me just now. Shouldn’t you be dancing in the ballroom? Why are you here?” Bai Lixin disguised himself as harmless.
Dijia: “…”
‘Uh…’
“Um, have we met before?” Dijia lowered his eyes slightly, looking at the tall young man dressed as a woman.
Bai Lixin’s eyes looked even more innocent and he blinked his bright eyes. “Have we?”
Dijia: “…”
‘If we haven’t met, why did you stare at me all night with a look of ‘you’re cheating’?’
Dijia slowly scanned the young man in front of him. The young man’s face was still covered with a thin veil, but it could hardly conceal his face. The smooth and beautiful contours of the young man’s face were still discernible.
He looked the young man up and down and asked, “Is cross-dressing your hobby?”
Bai Lixin: “…”
‘Didn’t I cross-dress just to meet you?’
wdym
Oh ur dead