ATFBETIBM Chapter 509

After a few seconds of the familiar static noise, the call was connected.

After skillfully responding to the woman on the other end of the line, Bai Lixin heard the operator next to him complaining, “What’s with the recent calls? The signal interference is so severe. Isn’t anyone solving this problem?”

The staff member who was showing Bai Lixin around should be a small manager in the call center. Hearing this, he frowned and said impatiently, “It’s been reported, and the logistics technicians are investigating the cause of the signal interference. It’s just a little static noise, it won’t affect work. If you’re tired, you can apply for leave, there are plenty of holidays. The logistics technicians have done what they should and it’s not like they’re not working, so why do you make it sound as if nobody has tried to solve this problem?”

The operator shrugged and clicked his tongue, “What’s the point of just looking? What did the technicians say?”

The manager: “Recently, there have been some rebels in the Dark Steel City. It’s said that the signal interference is caused by the rebels.”

The operator scoffed, “That’s ridiculous. Do the rebels want to annoy us to death with noise? Ridiculous. These rebels have no vision, they dare to provoke the Legion. There have been rebels before, and they were all suppressed. So when will this problem be solved? We can’t listen to these annoying signals every day, right? Heavens, I can’t stand this signal interference.”

Manager: “It’s already being resolved, it will be taken care of, rest assured.”

Another operator chuckled and joked, “Back then, a big fire burned down the church in the city center. It took ten years for the logistics repair personnel to repair it. The efficiency of logistics personnel is renowned across the planet. Won’t this noise incident be handled with the same efficiency?”

The manager pursed his lips but didn’t make any further remarks.

Bai Lixin casually interjected, “I also heard the noise just now, it was crackling, as if saying something. Did you hear it?”

Operator: “No, it was just annoying noise. What did you hear?”

Bai Lixin blinked innocently, “Hmm, it seemed to be saying ‘zzt zzt’ or something.”

“Hahaha.” The operator burst into laughter. “Buzzing isn’t a language, it’s your ears ringing. You’re too cute, I’ve never seen anyone like you.”

Bai Lixin blushed and embarrassedly took off the headset and placed them on the table. “I don’t believe it, my hearing is very good. I must have heard something.”

Their conversation caught the attention of several other operators nearby. Just then, the phone of a black-haired operator rang. The mam waved at Bai Lixin with his headset, “You kid, you’re too stubborn. If you don’t believe it, come listen again to see if there’s really something or if it’s just your ears ringing.”

Bai Lixin pouted and walked over to the operator’s station unyieldingly. He took a seat, snatched the headset and put them on his ears.

The moment he put on the headset, his eyes that originally looked innocent and filled with stupidity suddenly became sharp. The shadow of his bangs and the long eyelashes hid the sharp look.

Bai Lixin answered the call and quietly waited for the signal.

“Zzt Zzt – Codenamed ‘D+’ – Top secret content – Stored -Zzt- Year U9105 – Area Six of the Order District, Safe A46 – Zzt Zzt –“

“Hello, I’m lost and need directions to the XX Shopping Mall.”

Bai Lixin raised his head and glanced at the onlookers, covered the microphone of the headset with his hand and whispered, “This person wants to know the way to the XX Shopping Mall.”

Black-haired operator: “Get up, I’ll handle this.”

Bai Lixin moved from the workstation, and someone nearby teased, “So, was it ringing in your ears, or was there really something else in there?”

With an innocent yet foolish look, Bai Lixin rubbed his ears, still unwilling to admit defeat. “There must have been. The buzzing definitely sounds like someone snoring.”

“Hahaha!”

Everyone burst into laughter.

“Come here, my first call is ringing again. Let him listen to it.” A female operator wearing glasses laughed and raised the headset.

Bai Lixin climbed up the pole without hesitation and sat down.

Although both were call centers, he found that the atmosphere in the Love District’s call center was quite different from that in the Order District’s.

The Order District’s call center was rigorous, with each staff member performing their duties diligently.

The Love District’s call center was warm and friendly, with a more lively atmosphere among the staff.

Perhaps due to the different values emphasized in the two districts, the lively atmosphere in the Love District made it easier for him to gather information.

Compared to the call center in U9105 (five years later), the signal content at this time was clearer.

In the signal five years later, he could only vaguely hear “D+”, but now he could intermittently hear many other messages.

Over the next dozen minutes, he listened to enough first calls amidst the teasing of those around him.

And finally, he pieced together a paragraph.

— Initiate annihilation…..plan, codenamed “D+”, top-secret level, the contents of the plan are stored in Area 6 of the Order District’s bank vault, Safe A46, on February 15th in the Year U9105.

Regarding this “D+” above, Bai Lixin couldn’t determine whether it was an abbreviation of certain letters or “Dijia”.

With the time and place clarified, Bai Lixin finally returned the headset to the enthusiastic operator, covering his ears with a sad face, “You guys were right, it was my ears ringing. The buzzing turned out to be my ears, not someone speaking.”

There was another round of laughter.

After bidding farewell to the manager, Bai Lixin boarded the car Elsa prepared for him.

Sitting in the back seat, he rolled up his right sleeve, revealing the gadget on his wrist that only he could see.

There was a virtual electronic dial engraved on his wrist, ticking according to the time in the virtual world. But this wasn’t an ordinary dial; it was a time jumper.

At the moment, the button next to the dial that could adjust the time was dimmed, and below the dial hung a line of small letters.

[Time Jumper: Allows time jumps, with a maximum span of 180 days. There will be a cooldown period of 10-100 hours after each jump.]

[Current status: Cooling down]

[Remaining cooldown time: 26 hours]

The time jumper Li Cancan gave him could not jump through time continuously but required a certain cooldown time.

And the longest span was six months.

After seeing the description of this time jumper, he also understood why Pris Xingchen always mysteriously disappeared and then reappeared a few months later.

During this 26-hour cooldown period, Bai Lixin went to the record company to sign the formal contract with Elsa and recorded the new song in the studio. Finally, he released the song on the Star Network.

After completing all these tasks, the cooldown of the time jumper was almost over.

He fixed the time to August 10, U9100, and began his first time jump.

After that, he made non-stop time jumps and cooldowns. After each jump, there would be a cooldown period of 10-100 hours, during this time, he would either release a new song or hold a concert. Unknowingly, his trajectory completely overlapped with Pris Xingchen.

The company avoided bankruptcy because of his songs, and he became the most popular singer on Star Network.

Flowers, applause, praise and love, the name and appearance of Pris Xingchen had been engraved on various items, and had become a sought-after commodity by countless people.

During this time, he also quietly visited the apartment where he used to live in the Order District. On his floor, he saw Mr. Kayla and his wife. They were holding a child and laughing happily. For them, if time froze at this moment, it might be the happiest.

As for the room he lived in, it was just an empty room with no one living in it.

In the subsequent time jumps, he visited here many times, and the room was always vacant.

In other words, before he entered this copy, there was actually no one called “Mr. Xin.” The plot about “Mr. Xin” was imposed on him after he entered this copy.

This was what the horror game was capable of.

If that was the case, was there a possibility that the location of Li Cangshan was also intentionally arranged by the escape system?

Thinking of this, Bai Lixin suddenly had a dangerous speculation.

The horror game didn’t like him, he knew that.

But even if the horror game didn’t like him, it didn’t have to put him to death. At most, it would put him in an extremely dangerous place.

Either the horror game showed mercy on him, or it simply wanted to get his brain. In other words, although he acted like anyhow in copies, compared to some of his actions and the benefits it would reap, the benefits were still more important, so the horror game forgave him and only used dangerous situations to punish and warn him.

But Li Cangshan’s experience in this copy was even more dire than his, the one who the horror game hated.

It could also be understood that the horror game hated Li Cangshan even more than for him.

From the performance in copies, Li Cangshan was outstanding, but his excellence was not unique, and it was not to the extent of destroying copies. Normally, such a person would be liked by the horror game.

But the horror game actually hated him.

The only thing about Li Cangshan that could arouse the horror game’s hate was probably his purpose in entering the game.

He entered the game with his desires, but his purpose was not to fulfill his desires, but to save the people trapped in the game and destroy the game.

If the horror game discovered his purpose, it would indeed hate Li Cangshan.

However, among the players, he was not the only one who hated the horror game and wanted to destroy it.

The horror game would treat Li Cangshan like this for only one reason.

That is, the game felt that Li Cangshan had to die.

Why did he have to die?

Because he may carry something that threatens the horror game. For self-preservation, the horror game decided to strike first and eliminate Li Cangshan.

If he followed this line of thinking, then he probably knew what the remaining incomplete information in the “zzt zzt” signal strip was.

—Annihilation of the horror game plan, codenamed “D+!”

Li Cangshan concealed his most important weapon from him. He didn’t enter the horror game unprepared!

He entered this horror game world with a secret weapon!

Because the content was top-secret, he kept this information to himself.

But how did the system know?

Bai Lixin contemplated for a few seconds, and suddenly realized.

Because of the last update!

During the pulses of the horror game, it probably obtained some information from Li Cangshan, this information made the game main brain feel threatened, so in this copy, the main brain used its privileges to put Li Cangshan in a setting where he would certainly die.

This was the real reason why Li Cangshan died, killed by the main brain’s fear and dread!

But the main brain didn’t expect that even if Li Cangshan died, his iron will and soul would still be there.

He didn’t give up until the last moment before death. Li Cangshan hid the secret message in the virtual world, hoping that a player could discover that fatal signal string.

This is the last voice Li Cangshan left to this world.

It is a blessing, a hope, and a decisive blade that pierces through darkness and fear!

—————————

After ten time jumps, Bai Lixin finally arrived on February 10, U9105, and appeared in the residence Elsa arranged for him…

It was the initial time node when “Bai Lixin” entered the copy.

To confirm whether this virtual world was really as mysterious as Li Cangshan said, Bai Lixin found a car and quietly appeared at the places where “Bai Lixin” had been based on his memory.

At eight o’clock in the morning, after a long wait, he finally saw two familiar figures walking out of the building together, chatting and laughing as they walked quickly towards the bus stop.

S419M: [Ah! Lord Host, It’s you! Another you! You’re really there!]

Seemingly sensing something, the “Bai Lixin” walking on the road glanced over here, and Bai Lixin subconsciously hid below the glass, avoiding “Bai Lixin’s” inquiring eyes.

It wasn’t until “Bai Lixin” and the portly Mr. Kayla disappeared from view that Bai Lixin sat up again with a deep look in his eyes.

The mosaic snake on his arm was still there, and the current situation was full of drama.

Time was like the little snake biting its tail, connecting into a loop.

Today is February 10, U9100, only five days away from February 15, U9105, the date mentioned in the signal.

“Ding!”

The familiar communicator rang, and Bai Lixin glanced at it. As expected, it was Elsa.

He answered the phone, “Hello, Miss. Elsa.”

Elsa’s voice on the other end was very cheerful: “Dear Mr. Xingchen, guess how I knew you appeared.”

Bai Lixin started the maglev car, “Could it be that I’ve broken the law?”

Elsa: “What?! Have you broken the law?”

Bai Lixin shrugged. “Who knows? If it wasn’t my violation that managed to bring your attention, then why?”

Elsa: “Well, because you appear every six months and I figured out the pattern. These past few days is when you usually show up, so I’ve been calling you every day.”

“Hahaha.” Bai Lixin quickly drove the maglev car out of the Order District. “So it’s not precision shooting, but trial and error. You’re really smart, Miss Elsa. What’s up?”

Elsa: “It’s been six months since your last appearance. The audience almost forgot what you look like. Are you interested in holding a concert?”

Bai Lixin: “When?”

Elsa: “February 14th is a good day. You pick the location.”

Bai Lixin remembered that he first met “Pris Xingchen” because of this concert.

If it weren’t for this concert, he wouldn’t have noticed “Pris Xingchen” nor known about the Sky Trilogy.

At first, he thought it was a coincidence.

Then he thought “Pris Xingchen’ was a player leaving clues for them.

Now he knew, it had always been himself helping himself.

Bringing his thoughts back to reality, Bai Lixin said into the phone, “Let’s choose the Sky City above the commercial street in the Order District. The time is February 14th. Before that, follow the old rules and scatter cards randomly using hot air balloons. People with lucky numbers can attend the concert.”

Elsa: “What’s the lucky number this time?”

Bai Lixin smiled and squeezed out a number from between his teeth. “438.”

————————–

In the following days, Bai Lixin patiently prepared for the concert.

If everything went well, this should be his last concert in the virtual world.

After retrieving what he needed from Safe A46 in Area Six of the Order District on February 15th, his task in this virtual world would be completed, and he could leave.

He didn’t go looking for ”Bai Lixin” these days.

He knew himself best. That day, he quietly observed “Bai Lixin” from a hiding place and almost got caught. If he appeared around “Bai Lixin” repeatedly, he would definitely notice something wrong.

Although it was a bit boastful, he had to admit, he was really smart!

On the stage illuminated by the spotlight, amidst the crowds of flowers and applause, he stood above and quickly spotted himself below the stage.

But after just a glance, Bai Lixin quickly looked away.

To be honest, this feeling was a bit strange.

He was clearly standing here, yet there was another self sitting in the audience below.

Two selves, one enjoying the applause on stage, the other looking up from the audience’s perspective.

It was as if he was experiencing two different lives simultaneously.

One life that attracts much attention but is restrained, the other an ordinary but free life.

After singing a few songs, during the intermission when the stage was being prepared, he was accidentally bumped by a staff member and some drinks spilled on his costume and body. Upon seeing this, the staff hurriedly asked Bai Lixin to go into the restroom to wash his hands while they rushed to find a spare costume.

As a result, shortly after the staff left, the door creaked open.

Bai Lixin thought it was the staff returning and instinctively looked towards the door, only to see a familiar face.

Bai Lixin: “…”

He remembered; he had a chance encounter with “Pris Xingchen” in the restroom on the day of the concert.

S419M: [So here’s the question, how many consciousnesses are there in this space?]

Escape System: [Ah, I know this! There are six in total! There are three of us here and there are also three on the other side! It seems like two people, but there are actually six consciousnesses.]

S419M: [Sister System is really smart. So here comes another question, how many people are there in this room?]

Escape System: [I know this too! The answer is one! Although it looks like there are two people, they are actually all Master Bai Lixin!]

“Bai Lixin” looked at “Pris Xingchen” up and down curiously, then smiled and spoke first, “What are you looking at?”

Bai Lixin looked at his face, which he couldn’t find any fault with, and praised shamelessly, “Sorry, I just think you are really good looking.”

“Bai Lixin” smiled again.

This was the first time Bai Lixin looked at his face from a third-person perspective, and that novel feeling lingered in his mind once again. Standing from the perspective of an onlooker, he finally understood why so many people called him a god of beauty; it was because his face was truly exquisite.

Even in the dimly lit restroom, his splendid features couldn’t be hidden.

Bai Lixin couldn’t help but sigh inwardly.

It was really cheap for that bastard Dijia.

If he had the conditions, he really wanted to snatch himself away from Dijia.

Dijia in the live broadcast room suddenly sneezed, feeling a sudden panic in his chest.

He covered his chest, his eyes dark: “…”

What’s going on? Why did he suddenly feel an inexplicable sense of crisis?

Who dared to try to steal his wife?

Bai Lixin eyes gradually became gentle and indulgent when he looked at “Bai Lixin”.

“Bai Lixin” took a step back under such a gaze and spoke again, “You’re the handsome one, Mr. Xingchen. I don’t know why, but seeing you suddenly gave me a strange sense of familiarity, as if I were looking at a relative. I’m especially curious about you’re ancestors. Perhaps we belong to the same ancestral lineage?”

Bai Lixin’s expression suddenly became very subtle.

Now he felt like he was watching a movie, a movie starring himself.

Finally, he understood what “Pris Xingchen’s” subtle yet caring expression meant back then.

To give an example, you’re like a prophet that knows everything from the perspective of the future.

When you see your past self defining your relationship in a ridiculous way one day, your expression wouldn’t be calm.

S419M: [Ah, I remember, it was me who told Lord Host that he might have a relationship of ancestor and descendant! Now seeing it again, I realize that it’s really such a crazy scene.]

Escape System: [I remember this too!]

Bai Lixin’s voice sounded sinister: [For contributing so many good scenes to me, S419M, how should I thank you?]

S419M: [Ah, um… Hey, it seems like the signal is not good. Hey hey hey, Lord Host Lixin, it seems like my signal is interrupted. Hey hey hey.]

Escape System: [Huh? My signal is fine, Brother M, are you okay? Do you have a virus?]

S419M: […]

The knocking on the door interrupted Bai Lixin’s thoughts.

“Xingchen, are you done? The concert is about to start!”

Bai Lixin glanced at “Bai Lixin” meaningfully and left a hint for leaving the virtual world later: “Are you here for the concert too? Did you hear the Sky Trilogy I just sang? What did you think?”

“Bai Lixin”: “Very nice, heavenly music.”

Bai Lixin smiled, “If you liked it, listen to more of my songs online. You can find my songs everywhere on the Star Network. You’ll surely find surprises. I wish you good luck and goodbye.”