Chapter 207: Replacing Equipment
"Even the Xue Cang Sect came up empty."
Nan Qi was exceptionally surprised. "Could it be a prodigy from another Major Sect?"
Otherwise, who else would have the means to evade their pursuit?
"The Secret Realm Fragment is missing, but we already know who took it." Nan Ze frowned. "But we can’t find its true location. The culprit used a fake identity, one that could even evade the surveillance of the Xue Cang Sect’s Divine Mirror. Knowing that identity is useless."
Nan Qi asked curiously, "What identity?"
"According to disciples from the same small world, the Secret Realm Fragment very likely came into being in the groom Qin Yongkang’s small world. The one who took the fragment was a female cultivator named Wang Abei."
"Wang Abei?"
’What a strange name.’ Nan Qi could tell how careless and thrown-together it sounded; it was obviously fake.
So it really was useless.
"To escape the Divine Mirror’s surveillance... this Wang Abei is quite something..."
Nan Qi was even a little impressed. "Which Major Sect could she be from? To have the power to breach a Secret Realm from a small world, she must be a true prodigy, probably one the Major Sects have been hiding. Tianyang, Li Yun, Lingshen... which one could it be?"
Xue Cang, Tianyang, Ten Thousand Immortals, Lingshen, and Li Yun.
The five super-Sects of the Yunzhou Continent.
Since they could evade the Xue Cang Sect’s surveillance, it had to be one of the other Four Great Sects.
Nan Qi wasn’t the only one who thought so; clearly, the Xue Cang Sect did as well.
Nan Ze said, "We should find out soon enough. After all, several of these Sects have obtained fragments of the Moonlight Secret Realm. If they want to open the true Secret Realm, they’ll have to cooperate. This fragment will show up sooner or later."
Nan Qi nodded, then suddenly said, "Oh, right. The Sea View Sect is holding its Sect competition in a few days. I’m a bit bored, so I thought I’d go watch. If anything comes up at the shop, can you look after it for me, Brother?"
Nan Ze helplessly booped Nan Qi on the nose. "Go on. Only you could be this carefree. Besides, Aduo is still at the shop."
It was in Liu Xian City, after all. Nan Ze wasn’t too worried since she’d be right under his nose.
"The Sea View Sect should be thrilled to see you out and about."
As long as Nan Qi didn’t try her hand at Artifact Refining, everything would be fine.
Nan Qi stomped her foot hard. "Hmph! Sooner or later, I’ll refine a super-powerful Magic Treasure, one that’s endlessly usable! Then you’ll all have to look at me differently!"
Nan Ze smiled.
He had plenty of troubles, but seeing his sister so happy and carefree made his own worries seem to melt away.
—
"Xue Yao, Xue Yao."
Liang Xueyao logged off, annoyed at being told someone was looking for him in the real world.
As he took off the VR device, he subconsciously pinched the bridge of his nose.
The feeling of restraint was still palpable. The VR headset had already pressed a crease into the bridge of his nose.
But inside the game, you couldn’t sense anything from the real world.
The moment he subconsciously tried to stand up, the sudden powerlessness in his legs brought his mind crashing back to reality.
For a long moment, Liang Xueyao sat stunned in his wheelchair before finally letting out a bitter laugh.
The longer he played, the harder it was to tell fantasy from reality.
He was able-bodied in the game, so he kept forgetting he was disabled in reality.
At times like these, the sense of satisfaction he got from the game was always followed by an inexplicable emptiness in the real world.
Remembering the notification, Liang Xueyao wheeled himself to the door and opened it.
Outside the door was Liang Xueyao’s mother. Her expression was tinged with worry. "Someone’s here for you. They said it’s about that equipment replacement you agreed to."
Realization dawned on Liang Xueyao. "Let them in," he said immediately.
A few men walked into the villa. They wore plain clothes and had crew cuts, but their bearing and vitality were visibly different from that of ordinary people.
They came in carrying a very large box.
One of them approached Liang Xueyao. "Considering your physical condition," he said, "we had a simulation pod custom-made for you. You’ll just need to lie down in it. It has an automated function to help you sit up, so you can use its power to safely transfer back to your wheelchair."
"The pod can also monitor your vitals. If you experience any discomfort, you can contact us immediately."
Liang Xueyao nodded. "Thank you for the trouble."
They went to the bedroom to help Liang Xueyao change the equipment.
His mother, however, watched this scene with a worried expression.
When he entered the bedroom and saw the brand-new simulation pod, Liang Xueyao was curious. "Didn’t we just talk about this a couple of days ago? How did you get the new equipment ready so quickly?"
"They rushed to customize a batch. If it doesn’t work well, we’ll keep replacing it with better models."
The crew-cut man turned his head. "You can log on and ask it first. We’ve run tests before, though, so it shouldn’t object."
Liang Xueyao hesitated. "You mean... the System?"
The man nodded.
Clearly, the game’s System was an open secret among their group.
Liang Xueyao nodded, went back over, and put on the device to log on.
He logged in to the Sect’s Artifact Refining Workshop. Liang Xueyao immediately spoke: "System, my VR equipment is outdated. I want to switch to a better set. How do I do that?"
System: "..."
’If you want to switch to the government-issued equipment, just say so. "New equipment," yeah, right.’
Of course, the System’s tone was perfectly normal. "Unplug the old one and plug in the new one."
Liang Xueyao: "..."
He knew changing the equipment might be simpler than he’d thought, but this was a little *too* simple.
It couldn’t even be bothered to go through the motions of a data transfer.
So, Liang Xueyao logged off and said simply, "It said to just plug the new device in."
The crew-cut man: "..."
’This is giving me a heart attack.’
He knew they were dealing with technology that defied all logic.
But this situation made it clear.
The other party couldn’t even be bothered to put on an act.
Since that was the instruction, that’s what they’d do.
After installing the new equipment, all that was left was to swap it with the old device.
Liang Xueyao lay down in the new simulation pod. After logging in and confirming everything was normal, he logged out and told them, "No issues."
Once they confirmed the new device was working properly, they packed up the old one to take with them.
After they left, Liang Xueyao had intended to get right back into the game.
But his mother came in, stopping him before he could. Her voice was laced with concern. "Xue Yao."
Liang Xueyao froze. "Mom, what’s wrong?"
"I know it’s a good thing that you have something to occupy your time, but please don’t get too addicted to the game."
At first, Liang Xueyao’s mother had thought Jiang Tianya was just joking.
Now that there was actually something that had helped Liang Xueyao find his spirit again, it should have been a happy occasion.
But seeing the men who had come today, Liang Xueyao’s mother couldn’t feel happy at all.
Liang Xueyao somewhat understood what his mother meant. He said softly, "Mom, this isn’t about the game."
"I know this game’s origins are suspicious."
Her eyes were slightly red. "You’re my only son. You might feel you owe them, but I don’t want you to be in danger again. Call me short-sighted if you want, but if anything were to happen to you again..."