Chapter 155 - The Corridor of Time (XI)
Editor: Kitty & Humu
After that, Luo Jian left the chamber with Clown.
However, before that, Luo Jian had to first solve some problems; he could not leave extraneous problems that may cause trouble for him.
However, Luo Jian knew that he did not have enough free time to escape every single secret chamber with Clown, so when he left, he had to dissolve the team contract with Clown. But that was not hard to do. As far as Luo Jian’s GM ident.i.ty was concerned, he just needed to adjust a few simple commands.
Therefore, Luo Jian found a blank purple printed note in Clown’s pocket and wrote a letter to terminate the team relationship. After Clown signed the letter, the wonderful team contact was dissolved. When Luo Jian dissolved his team contract with Clown, his status reverted back to that of a GM, and he was no longer a player and would not be able to act as a player.
And Luo Jian could not continue to accompany Clown to escape from the secret chambers. The following things must be done by Clown himself. However, Luo Jian was not particularly worried. When he learned about Clown’s ability from him, he knew that Clown was an interesting special case in the secret chamber and had a cheat-like ability.
However, Luo Jian had to leave something on Clown so that he could locate Clown’s position, find him smoothly the next time, and arrive at Clown’s side accurately.
When ordinary players entered the secret chamber from reality, the secret chamber would automatically remove some ‘items that couldn’t be brought into the secret chamber’ from the player. For example, if a player carried a short knife and placed it somewhere on their body, after entering the secret chamber, the secret chamber’s will would clear the knife away, and the player would not be able to bring it in.
Players could only bring in their weapons, equipment, and carry-on secret chambers with them.
Of course, if the s.p.a.ce in the carry-on secret chamber was large enough, one could put anything in it, including knives, guns, weapons, food, and medical supplies. If there was enough s.p.a.ce, one could drive an armored car or a tank, fly a helicopter, or even cram in a transformer. The players in the secret chamber were in all shapes and sizes, so it was not as if no one had ever done that before.
Clown had a carry-on secret chamber with him. He got this after he escaped his third secret chamber. However, the carry-on secret chamber would block Luo Jian from locating Clown. Therefore, what Luo Jian left on Clown must be something that could only be put on Clown and could not be put into the carry-on secret chamber. Moreover, this thing would not be cleared away by the secret chamber’s will when he went into the secret chamber.
But what should it be?
After thinking for a while, Luo Jian could not help but look up at Clown. He asked Clown, “Hong, do you have the habit of wearing accessories? Such as studs in your ears.”
Clown snorted in contempt: “That’s something only a sissy would wear!”
When Luo Jian heard this, he could not help touching his ears. At that time, he had his ‘own’ body. When he was in high school, he had actually worn one. That was when he was suffering from chuunibyou, and at that time, the seductive look was particularly fashionable. To have tattoos on one’s body, to have one’s nose perforated, and to wear nose rings was a hyped-up trend. Although he was not as chuunibyou as that, he had an ear piercing, and he had gotten it together with Ah Lan.
Because at that time, the female students in the cla.s.s always gossiped about the tall boy with ear studs. He had a shocking hairstyle, and when he was wearing his black school uniform while standing in the corner near the wall, he looked particularly handsome and so on. Therefore, the boys began to inexplicably compare ‘who was more handsome’ between themselves, and the trend of pretending to be cool began. So Luo Jian and his cla.s.smate Ah Lan were forced to wade through the turbid water once again.
The past memories, however far away, seemed so beautiful that he could not help but force himself not to think about it. He looked at Clown again, frowned, and thought that he should get something for Clown. When he saw the white powder dabbed on Clown’s face, he could not help asking him, “Why do you always put on such ridiculous makeup? But then again, the powder on your face actually has not been cleared away by the secret chamber. This should be a kind of prop?”
“This is what I got by accident during my second secret chamber. It is said to have the effect of concealing my ident.i.ty. I could not help but try it, but it seems that this prop is permanent. Anyway, every time I enter the secret chamber, this strange thing will appear on my face. I truly am not so stupid! I don’t want to put this stuff on my face all the time either!”
As soon as Clown heard Luo Jian’s question, he burst into tears and continued: “I’m too miserable. Even if I use water or some other things to try to wash it off, it won’t come off. Fortunately, I don’t look like this in reality, otherwise I’d really cry!”
Luo Jian, who heard what he said, felt that it was funny. He laughed so much that his stomach began to ache. He covered his stomach and said, “Haha…… Yeah! In fact, didn’t the effect of this prop already begin to show itself? Even now, I can’t really see what your face looks like.”
Clown grinned bitterly, wiped off the bloodstains on his cheek with his sleeves, and muttered: “If I knew earlier on that it would work in this way, I would not be so stupid to use such inexplicable props.”
“How about this: I’ll give you a prop, too.” Inspiration suddenly struck Luo Jian, so he said that.
Clown also didn’t bother to be polite with him. He reached out his paw and asked for props from Luo Jian. Luo Jian waved his weapon in his hand and made his weapon morph again. The weapon turned into an ordinary pen.
“Have you ever heard the story of The Magical Brush?” Luo Jian said to Clown as his weapon morphed.
Clown nodded and laughed: “Of course; I read this story in my textbook when I was a child.”
“Move your face closer,” Luo Jian said again.
Clown was blind now. He did not know what Luo Jian was going to do, but he squatted down obediently and moved his face closer in the direction of Luo Jian’s voice. Luo Jian looked at Clown’s face. Although his face was covered with blood, Clown’s makeup still remained on his face under the bloodstains, despite it looking a little messed up.
Luo Jian found a wet cloth to wipe the bloodstains on Clown’s face and commanded him to close his eyes…… Of course, because of his eye injury, his eyes were always closed. Although he could wipe the blood away from Clown’s face, the white powder on his face could not be removed. Clown’s makeup was put on messily by himself. So Luo Jian borrowed Clown’s scalpel and made a small cut on his wrist. He used his blood as a pigment to put on makeup on Clown.
He painted the corners of Clown’s eyes and his lips red. He appeared gorgeous.
“All right.” After he was done putting makeup on him, Luo Jian put away his pen and said, “This way, I can find you wherever you are.”
Clown was still baffled: “Didn’t you say you would give me props?”
“Yes, I already gave it to you,” Luo Jian said, “The makeup on your face was ugly, and now it looks much better. That is the prop I gave you.” Because of Luo Jian’s blood, the masking prop on Clown’s face would have an extraordinary effect in hiding his ident.i.ty. Unless someone formed a team with Clown in the future, people who see him in the future would soon forget his existence.
Mainly because Clown’s makeup was a permanent prop, it would not be cleared away by the secret chamber. Even if it could not be seen in the real world, it would also play a role. Luo Jian could easily locate Clown’s coordinates because he added a few strokes in his makeup.
Clown was a little disappointed, “Is that all? I was still hoping you would give me something that can ward off evil spirits. You were so handsome when you summoned the spirits just now! The thing I’m most afraid of are ghosts. The seniors in the medical school always frighten me when they tell me there are many ghosts in the hospital. For example, they would hear moaning on an empty bed, and they tell me ghosts would be laughing in the morgue. I feel terrible when I think about it!”
“Don’t worry. The makeup I’ve drawn for you can definitely help you expunge evil spirits and scare ghosts away.” After hearing what Clown said, Luo Jian couldn’t help but curve his mouth and fiercely smiled. Clown could not help but be frightened when he saw his strange smile. He said, “What kind of makeup did you put on my face?”
In fact, the makeup on teenage Clown’s face was not the same as that which Luo Jian once saw on Clown’s face. The latter was more ferocious and terrifying. It was the kind of horrifying makeup that could frighten people in a fight. He had pale powder on his cheeks while his bright red lips were as red as blood. The red-coloured corners of his mouth were dragged very long, as if his lips cracked to the back of his ears.
Beneath his eyes, there were traces of blood and tears, and it gave people the feeling that the corners of his eyes had turned inside out. Some red pigment was dabbed on his nose. His entire face appeared disgusting—not like a funny-looking clown, but more like a devil who had crawled out from a crypt.
Although he looked more terrifying now, Luo Jian still thought that it was much better than the previous disorderly make-up. When Clown had put on his makeup, he had done it messily. It felt like red and white hues were both mixed directly on his face. If it were not for his familiar voice, Luo Jian wouldn’t have even recognized this as the Clown in the future.
So when Luo Jian put on his makeup for him, he put it on according to his impression of him later. After Luo Jian finished putting it on, he felt that something was wrong. It seemed that he might have just coincidentally affected Clown’s future.
Just like how Luo Jian drew on his original impression of Clown and painted it on the current Clown.
Does this mean that the reason why Hong will become that way is all my fault?
Luo Jian threw his brush away and turned it into a red umbrella again. But he was not willing to continue to think about this profound problem. He was not willing to speculate on the consequences, speculate on the outcome, because the outcome had been clearly visible. No matter what the future would become, Luo Jian did not care anymore. He had no way of retreat. He only held one belief now.
I can’t fail! Absolutely not!
This was the only GM body Ying left. If Luo Jian failed, Ying would lose everything in the gamble against the secret chamber. He waited for a hundred years for Luo Jian, the sole winner. Luo Jian could not bear to let him down.
More importantly, he did not want to disappoint his companions.
Ah Lan, Duan Li, his cousin Luo Feng…… and also Xing Yan.
If I fail, I will never see them, and solely because of this, I absolutely cannot fail. Absolutely not!
After a brief explanation to Clown, Luo Jian left. He stepped into time-s.p.a.ce again and went to his next destination. Luo Jian did not know where he was going. He tried to recall some things that Ying had told him. Ying said that when their team was building the secret chamber, they specifically combined it with a studio, and there were some research materials left regarding the secret chamber in their studio. And Luo Jian’s goal now was to find that data.
Just where was the studio?
Luo Jian knew that the studio would have been hidden somewhere by the secret chamber. The studio not only held information regarding the secret chamber but also hid part of the chamber’s core. Because when the ‘transmigration system’ arrived on Earth after leaping 100 million years into the past, it was almost destroyed, and the core was divided into eight pieces. In order to set up the secret chamber, Ying and his team put the core back together, but only one piece was destroyed so badly that it could not be put back.
The core of the transmigration system was a cube-like object with four edges and looked very colourful. And there was a missing corner, and that missing thing happened to be the ‘autonomous system’ of the transmigration system. This was a special ‘lock’ that human beings would add to the system in the future.
Now, the lock was gone.
Perhaps this was the biggest reason why the secret chamber was out of control and it evolved to the present situation. At that time, Ying and his team did not know the importance of this ‘lock.’ They felt that even if the lock was not added, the operation of the system would not be impacted much, so it was fine if the system was not controlled. They were muddled by the things they could grasp in their hands—the opportunity, technology, and knowledge.
“Although we can’t fix the ‘lock’ back, there is still a fatal connection between the lock and the transmigration system. Once the lock is destroyed, the secret chamber will completely disintegrate. This is caused by the lock’s security mechanism. In the future, human beings have expected that once the lock is separated and does not work, they can use this method to destroy the system.
“So, the secret chamber will hide the lock. It will strictly hide its own ‘lock’ and hide its heart, and our goal is to find it, and that’s our sole hope to be able to destroy the secret chamber.”
The Ying in his memories was sitting on his lonely rock slab with his hair down. He described the scene to Luo Jian at that time:
“If we had reached half the level of science and technology as that of the future, we would not be in such a mess today, but we did not have it. We couldn’t make up for the gap in science and technology across a period of 100 million years. We thought that with our current standard, we could control things from the future. Yes, this is the worst end. My companions, my friends, even my…… lover: all of them lost their lives because I foolishly picked up this thing……
“But it’s too late for me to regret or feel remorse. I need to do everything I can to salvage the situation.
“But I can’t leave here. I can’t leave Asura Realm. Once I leave, the secret chamber will not hesitate to wipe me out. It will track me down and kill me at any cost because I know its secret. And the collapse of the Asura Realm will also cause me to lose my last hiding place. The players who live in the Asura Realm and the monsters transformed from players will also lose their last shelter.
“I’ve put my bet on you, Luo Jian.”
Ying had originally long grown tired of waiting for a winner in the Asura Realm. He had been impatient and already planned to give this opportunity to a stalker. It was not known if it was a coincidence, but he originally wanted to put the responsibility on Xing Yan, who had become a stalker.
But now it was Luo Jian who took on the responsibility.
Luo Jian would not evade the responsibility although this may not be something he had to bear, and the fault of others should not be placed on him. However, if Ying waited for a hundred years in the Asura Realm for his arrival, Luo Jian knew that only he had the ability to bear the heavy responsibility.
When Luo Jian crossed time and s.p.a.ce again, he opened his eyes and appeared in a busy street.
A child holding a red umbrella appeared out of thin air, and there were only a few people who were surprised. Luo Jian looked around and knew that he was lucky to appear in reality. There were a lot of people coming and going around, and the scene before him was a busy city street. Now, it was noon, and the sun was high in the sky.
“It seems that Ying had originally established his studio in a suburb of AND city. In order to prepare the funds for the studio, they sold a small part of the future technology given by the core of the transmigration system, relying on technology patents to cooperate with some companies and manufacturers to obtain a large amount of capital.”
Luo Jian said to himself, as he held an umbrella and walked slowly along the street, “I want to record the time and location of this place to confirm my coordinates. First of all, I have to go to the time point where Ying was present. However, it is likely that the secret chamber has tampered with that time point. In order to hide itself, the secret chamber must have set something up…… things like traps or something like that.”
“This is a dangerous journey, so I better be prepared.”
While Luo Jian was walking and thinking, he suddenly saw a familiar figure running through an alley from the corner of his eyes. To that, Luo Jian felt a flicker of interest and couldn’t help lifting his feet to follow the figure.