Chapter 1419: Chapter 1419
The Square amidst the drizzle was filled with a dampness, its serenity akin to a deep well despite pigeons pecking away at their feed.
The middle-aged man squatted on slightly waterlogged stone slabs, elegantly breaking up a long loaf of bread and tossing the pieces among the wandering white pigeons. Some, already sated, ran up to him and affectionately rubbed against his trouser legs.
Tang Zheng wanted to take out his mobile phone to capture this picturesque scene, but in the end, he couldn’t bear to disturb the cozy atmosphere.
The middle-aged man’s gaze shifted towards Tang Zheng, he politely nodded in acknowledgment and continued feeding.
Tang Zheng finally saw his face.
Neither the weathering nor the wrinkles could mask the man’s handsomeness. They only added a cultured charm. He always had a stern look, as if contemplating serious matters, exuding a meticulous solemnity. But the occasional smile that spilled from the corner of his mouth was stunning.
He was a man with a story, conservative too, as could be seen from the slightly greying temples he hadn’t bothered to dye.
Tang Zheng subconsciously began speculating about the man’s identity and profession.
A habitual black suit, somewhat faded from washing, cuffs and pant legs frayed on the edges, underneath was a white shirt paired with a grey tie.
Apart from a black umbrella and a bag of bread, a brown satchel with silver trim, scratched and chipped, was tucked under his arm. But Tang Zheng felt that what it held was a man’s hope and his responsibility towards his family.
Crack, a sudden flash of lightning streaked the sky, sending some pigeons fluttering upwards, but many more huddled close to the man as if he could shelter them from the storm.
Tang Zheng sat, quietly watching, and surprisingly, he forgot his own irritation.
"Lunchtime is over, kids," the man said as he packed away the paper bag and stood up. He pointed his finger to his shoulder; a white pigeon that had been perched there promptly hopped onto his finger, pecking at the back of his hand.
The pigeons didn’t leave; they’d grown accustomed to waiting until the man’s silhouette vanished from the Square before resuming their soaring in the sky.
"Young man, may I sit here?" The man didn’t leave but instead walked towards the bench, politely inquiring.
"Please do," Tang Zheng gestured invitingly, "Are you waiting for someone?"
"Yes, an lost child!" The middle-aged man closed his umbrella, placed it beside the bench, then opened his satchel, habitually pulling out a newspaper.
"You haven’t called the police?" Tang Zheng furrowed his brows, suddenly concerned about the child.
"I believe he can find his way home," the man said, taking a pair of black-framed glasses from his suit pocket and donning them before perusing the day’s news.
The man sitting before him seemed sculpted by a master’s chisel, blending so naturally into his surroundings.
For the first time, Tang Zheng found himself at a loss for words, merely looking down at the man’s somewhat worn leather shoes that still shone brightly.
"I am Ulysses, Ulysses-K-Bingxu," Bingxu said after scanning the economy section, suddenly asking, "Young man, what’s your name?"
"Tang Zheng," Tang Zheng replied, only then surprised to realize he hadn’t lied. He didn’t mind giving his real name to a stranger.
"The economic situation remains bleak this year, the unemployment rate has risen again, more people are waiting for relief supplies," Bingxu spoke calmly, yet one could sense the worry in his tone.
Tang Zheng didn’t speak but almost guessed why the man was sitting here; sitting alone on an empty Square bench on a rainy day, he might have come across like someone about to commit suicide to Bingxu.
"I once aspired to be a lawyer..." Sure enough, Bingxu began to recount his history in a raspy voice, indeed a chronicle of a loser.
Tang Zheng nodded, staying silent. He couldn’t bear to disappoint Bingxu’s kindness and continued to play the role of a loser.
"I used to be a failure, and I’m still a failure, but I’m still trying to live," Bingxu turned his head, his profound and wise eyes locking onto Tang Zheng, "Why give up? Why be discouraged?"
Tang Zheng felt his mind shake violently. A slew of golden butterflies fluttered through the void before his eyes, and he seemed to enter a corridor. His life’s proudest and most painful moments played out on the walls around him, the corners he didn’t want to touch too lightly.
Tang Zheng saw An Ping who never left his side, Liu Yue with her terrible luck, Cheng Cheng who sacrificed herself, and those teammates who fought for survival but died in the Trojan World... The source of thɪs content is noveⅼfire.net
Bingxu launched his Judgment, then with surprise, looked at Tang Zheng sitting beside him with a bitter smile and shook his head.
This was the Ability known as Death Retrospection-Memory Corridor. Bingxu only intended to help this desolate young man pull himself together, not expecting to encounter a survivor from the Trojan World. Yet, he felt no hostility, only a sense of reflection.
"This too is a man who clings to his principles and struggles to live!" Bingxu folded his newspaper, took off his glasses, and reached into the paper bag for the remaining bread, grabbing a piece and popping it into his mouth.
Bingxu used to feed the pigeons until no bread was left, intending to offer the rest to this unemployed individual. But now, there was no need.
Without disturbing the young man deep in thought beside him, Bingxu silently finished his bread, then picked up the umbrella, opened it, and slowly started walking back the way he came.
With every step he took, the Memory Corridor crumbled a bit more. Watching the murals before him peel off and shatter to pieces, Tang Zheng initially felt distressed, then sensed trouble and instantly perked up, entering Hero Mode.
The world returned to its original state, and Tang Zheng once again stood on the Square amidst the drizzling rain. Bingxu’s figure was already at a distance.
"Young man, the road ahead is long, don’t hurry to stop, or you’ll miss out on much of the scenery!" Bingxu’s voice came through, like that of a kind, benevolent elder without any malice.
"Who is this guy, pulling me deep into an Illusory Realm?" If Tang Zheng couldn’t recognize that he had been tricked, he would be too foolish; but since the other party hadn’t attacked, he refrained from provoking him.
This man was able to draw him into an Illusory Realm without even being in a heightened state, obviously the strongest person Tang Zheng had encountered.
The pigeons also began to flap their wings and fly away, and once more the Square regained its tranquility.
"Bingxu? An enigmatic man!" Tang Zheng left to find Jack. Regardless, after passing through the Memory Corridor just now, he realized his mental state had greatly improved, and whereas previously the fusion of the ember had been with his body, now his mental strength was also skyrocketing.
Bingxu didn’t know that his unwitting deed actually resulted in Tang Zheng’s further enhancement, but with his personality, even if he did know, he wouldn’t care.
"Good-hearted Tang? That’s an interesting nickname!" Bingxu communicated with his subordinates using an old mobile phone, inquiring about Tang Zheng’s information.
As the latest rising fearless one in the Asia Region, bringing nearly twenty people back with him after every competition, Tang Zheng had come into the sights of the Trojan Squad, ranked among the world’s top hundred teams—his information was not hard to find.
These teams, which had all been in existence for at least five years, could potentially recover step by step even from near team annihilation in Super 3S Level, Nightmare Difficulty; their deep-seated strength was far beyond that of rising teams like Warhammer.
In the hospital where Jack worked, Tang Zheng found Nicole. After not seeing her for a year, the girl had matured quite a bit.
"Dad is in surgery, it will probably take another thirty minutes." Nicole looked at Tang Zheng and smiled, "You’ve lost some of your sharpness. There’s also a bit of worry between your brows. Big pressure, huh?"
"Somewhat. How about you guys?" Nicole was wearing a clean, pristine Nurse Uniform, like an angel, "It’s been over a year, surely you must have saved up ten thousand points by now?"
"You know my father’s character; he doesn’t want to leave the Trojan Room and insists on helping the newbies. As for me, I’ve died once, and all the points I had managed to save were reset to zero." Nicole didn’t seem too disappointed, "I’m used to it now, so it’s okay."
Regarding Nicole, he treated her as a friend, so he wouldn’t pry into private matters like asking about her abilities.
"Tang Zheng?" Jack, looking completely exhausted, appeared outside the operating room, elated to see him. He was about to give him a bear hug when he remembered the bloodstains on his surgical clothes and awkwardly stood still.
"Not welcome?" Tang Zheng went over and hugged Jack, "Congratulations, you’ve saved another life!"
"How did you know?" Jack looked astonished.
Nicole elbowed her father in the back and pointed to the family members nearby who were now showing relief.
"Right, you’ve always been smart. You don’t have other matters today, do you? I’ll treat you to lunch when I get off at noon." Jack was a very disciplined man, never leaving early because he worried there might be patients in need of surgery, and the time spent traveling was extremely precious.
Tang Zheng agreed, but that meal ultimately didn’t happen; by noon, Jack had an additional surgery scheduled.
"I’m sorry." Nicole felt horribly guilty.
"It’s alright, I have to leave." Tang Zheng waved his hand and left the hospital.
"Hey!" Nicole bit her lip, intending to say something, but she noticed the other party didn’t even turn his head, which stifled all her intentions back into her throat.
Nicole felt like crying; she knew that this man, whom she harbored a secret crush on, would no longer intersect with her life.
"What’s the name of the fragmented doll?" Tang Zheng, enjoying dinner in Milan House, posed the question he had been pondering all day.
"I don’t know," Miranda answered crisply, "I’ve heard that as the survivors’ teams get stronger and the game becomes more difficult, it’s not just to test them, but also to expand into new worlds."
"What do you mean, new worlds?" Tang Zheng was taken aback, "Are the Worlds we’ve experienced in Trojan World real?"
"They should be, but there are also some Illusory Realms." Miranda gazed at Tang Zheng, then revealed another secret, "Once you enter the second stage, you become candidates for the Holy Land War, and even if you acquire ten thousand points and leave, you’ll find that, for various reasons, you end up back in the Trojan Room."
"You mean?" Tang Zheng suddenly thought of a terrifying conjecture.
PS: Thank you, everyone, truly, thank you. The monthly tickets have increased by over one hundred, and I truly have no way to repay you. There’s nothing else to say; I must post three updates today! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, I welcome you to vote and give monthly tickets on Qidian.com; your support is my greatest motivation.)