“Brother Wei, go ahead and continue your work. I need to talk to Second Brother for a moment.”
Yin Huaichen forced out an awkward laugh, stepped backward, then grabbed Yin Minghui by the wrist and dragged him outside.
“What’s with all the dramatics?”
Yin Minghui did not resist at all, allowing himself to be pulled all the way to the doorway.
Yin Huaichen immediately got straight to the point.
“How exactly did you two end up getting involved together?”
“…Can you phrase that in a less awful way?”
Yin Minghui shot him an irritated look.
“I think if Big Sister found out, her wording would probably be far worse than mine.”
Yin Huaichen replied seriously.
“I’m currently considering whether or not I should sell you out in advance so I don’t get caught in the splash damage.”
“The Wei Corporation has project collaborations with our research institute.”
Yin Minghui explained.
“Last year I acted as the representative during negotiations with him. After interacting a few times, we naturally became acquainted.”
Then he added,
“Wei Wanzhou’s actually a pretty decent person. I came this time because of a new project too… We’re brothers, right? Don’t betray me.”
Yin Huaichen said nothing.
He merely raised two fingers silently.
“Fine, fine. Two sets.”
Yin Minghui rolled his eyes.
“You really are good at extorting people during a crisis.”
Yin Huaichen grinned.
Although he originally came from another world, he had already lived in this world for eighteen years after his rebirth.
To Yin Huaichen, Yin Hanshan and Yin Minghui had long since become his true family.
Suddenly, something occurred to him.
The world background of 《Eternal Universe》 was astonishingly similar to the world he originally came from.
That absolutely could not be a coincidence.
Since Yin Minghui’s research institute had participated in the Eternal Universe project, perhaps he knew some insider information?
At that thought, Yin Huaichen directly voiced his doubts.
“Why suddenly ask about that?”
Yin Minghui looked somewhat surprised at first.
After thinking briefly, he continued,
“Well, it’s not exactly classified information, so telling you isn’t a big deal… Actually, although 《Eternal Universe》 is a game operated independently by the Main Brain AI, the construction of the virtual world itself wasn’t completed solely by it. Numerous top tier teams participated during the project’s early development phase.”
“Our institute was responsible for technical support regarding neural interfacing and consciousness immersion. As for the worldbuilding and setting design… that part was handed over to Elephant Isle Research Institute.”
Elephant Isle Research Institute specialized in cross parallel dimension research.
Its scale ranked among the very top within the Federation and it was widely recognized as the leading authority in the field.
Even Yin Huaichen had heard of the institute’s enormous reputation.
“You mean the background setting of 《Eternal Universe》 originated from a parallel dimension?” Yin Huaichen asked.
“You could say that.”
Yin Minghui shrugged.
“After all, if you want to create a massive world realistic enough in every aspect, how could that possibly be easy?”
“Then… does that world still exist?”
“It definitely doesn’t.”
Yin Minghui answered matter of factly.
“Parallel dimensions that are still operating remain stable. Only dimensions that have already collapsed become fragmented cosmic wave remnants capable of being captured.”
“What exists inside the game now is a newly reconstructed holographic world built upon those remaining fragmented universal wave records.”
Then he looked puzzled.
“Why ask all of a sudden?”
The disappointment on Yin Huaichen’s face was obvious.
Which also meant that his original world no longer existed.
Everything familiar to him inside the game now…
Was merely fragmentary information left behind by that world, reconstructed after being analyzed and reorganized into a virtual simulation.
Although he had already anticipated this possibility deep down, hearing the answer directly still made sadness unavoidable.
“Nothing.”
Yin Huaichen lowered his expression and shook his head quietly.
After returning to the room, Yin Minghui began asking about Yin Huaichen’s physical condition.
Yin Huaichen responded absentmindedly here and there while secretly glancing toward Wei Wanzhou nearby.
Wei Wanzhou spoke very little.
He sat in front of the optical computer at the desk, apparently busy handling work the entire time, without interrupting the brothers’ conversation at all.
Just as the outside world described him,
Cold, aloof, difficult to approach.
That expressionless face constantly carried a faint sense of world weariness.
“So, how was your experience playing 《Eternal Universe》 today?”
Yin Minghui’s voice pulled Yin Huaichen back from his wandering thoughts.
The moment the words “Eternal Universe” were mentioned, Wei Wanzhou suddenly lifted his head and glanced in their direction.
Their gazes briefly met.
Almost reflexively, Yin Huaichen looked away first.
“Mm. Played for a little while… It felt pretty fresh.”
Yin Minghui failed to notice his younger brother’s distraction and laughed.
“It’s good that you’re interested. Better than running around outside all day. Big Sister worries about you constantly.”
“You know perfectly well what condition your body’s in right now, don’t you?”
“Street racing, skydiving… You’d honestly be better off staying home and playing games properly.”
Yin Huaichen had always disliked lectures.
Especially when the topic involved his health.
Hearing those words, he lowered his eyes slightly before standing up.
“I’m heading back first.”
“If I stay any longer butler Zhang’s going to complain again.”
“Hm?”
Yin Minghui froze briefly.
“Alright then. I’ll have someone drive you ba- ”
“No need. I drove here myself.”
Yin Huaichen waved casually.
“I’m leaving.”
After saying goodbye, he turned and departed directly.
Yin Minghui stared at his retreating figure, rubbing his nose awkwardly before speaking toward Wei Wanzhou beside him.
“See? So considerate. Didn’t even want to trouble me, so he drove himself home…”
Wei Wanzhou smiled faintly but did not expose the obvious excuse.
“Indeed.”
A dimension that had already vanished…
After returning home, Yin Huaichen lay quietly on his bed, seemingly lost in thought.
After receiving that answer from Yin Minghui, he sighed softly.
Still, he quickly adjusted his emotions again.
After living in this world for eighteen years, Yin Huaichen had long since adapted to his new life.
He merely missed that former world from time to time.
And now, through this “game,” he was able to return once more to the world that had once belonged to him.
For Yin Huaichen, perhaps that itself could already be considered a kind of fortune.
No longer dwelling on it further, he climbed into the holographic immersion pod and logged back into the game.
The scenery before his eyes shifted rapidly.
Soon, Yin Huaichen reappeared within Thousand Mechanism City.
It was already deep night in the real world, yet inside the game, bright sunlight still illuminated the sky brilliantly.
The towering medieval style architecture of Thousand Mechanism City blended together with steampunk elements, creating a magnificent and unique landscape.
Players dressed in all kinds of different outfits bustled through the streets, becoming a scenery of their own.
It truly was the world Yin Huaichen once belonged to.
Yet according to the game’s setting, this era existed several hundred years after the time period he originally lived in.
Compared to the traditional martial world era Yin Huaichen once knew, this version of the world felt far more magnificent, prosperous and fantastical.
Before logging out earlier, Yin Huaichen had accepted the second stage quest from Gu Xingxiu of the Vast Abyss Sword Sect.
The objective was to deliver a confidential letter to a Sword Sect disciple stationed outside the city.
The coordinates marked by the quest were located in a rather distant area outside the city.
If he traveled on foot, the journey would take roughly an hour at minimum.
After wandering around Thousand Mechanism City for a while, Yin Huaichen ultimately decided to indulge himself a little and take an airship instead.
The world setting of 《Eternal Universe》 leaned heavily toward a fusion of steampunk and martial arts fantasy, so transportation methods like airships naturally existed as well.
A single ride cost around twenty silver coins.
It was not outrageously expensive but for players at the current stage of the game, it still counted as quite a luxurious expense.
Fortunately, Yin Huaichen had earned a fair amount of silver earlier while killing Wraith Creatures and together with the quest rewards from Gu Xingxiu, he was no longer as pitifully poor as when he had first entered the game.
On the way toward the airship district, he also found a Hidden One player and sold off several pieces of equipment dropped by the Wraith Creatures that he had no use for, albeit at low prices.
His wallet instantly grew heavier again.
The airship boarding area was located in the northern part of the city.
The moment he stepped into the district, several gigantic airships immediately came into view, suspended high in the air.
Their keels were assembled from century old iron birch wood, while blade like sails hung from towering masts. Bronze boilers rumbled with a roar resembling a tiger’s howl, blending retro craftsmanship with modern industrial aesthetics in a strangely harmonious way.
There were quite a few players aboard the airships as well.
Some gathered in small groups, preparing to leave the city together for quests, while others, like Yin Huaichen, were lone wolves traveling by themselves.
Leaning against the railing at the stern of the ship, Yin Huaichen curiously peered downward.
As the bronze toad shaped boiler serving as the airship’s power source opened its mouth and spewed out thick white steam, the enormous vessel slowly ascended into the sky.
From this angle, the entirety of Thousand Mechanism City unfolded beneath him in full view.
“Holy crap, look over there! Those guys’ equipment is insane!”
“Where? Where?”
“Over there, look…”
Several players nearby suddenly cried out in surprise.
Hearing the commotion, Yin Huaichen turned toward the source of the voices and followed their gazes.
In one corner of the airship sat a group of players.
Their levels appeared fairly high and the equipment they wore was eye catching at first glance. None of it looked like ordinary gear.
“They’re probably high level guild players, right?”
“Definitely. Other than elite guild teams and rich big spenders, who else would invest that much money into equipment this early in the game?”
Perhaps because they heard the discussion around them, one of the high level players lazily lifted his eyelids and swept a glance toward the crowd.
It was a martial artist player.
A relatively rare sight.
The current miserable state of martial artists was already common knowledge throughout the game.
The voices demanding buffs for the class had practically never stopped on the forums.
Given the present environment where martial artists were disliked by nearly everyone, seeing one appear within such a high end elite team was genuinely uncommon.
Yin Huaichen glanced at the player who had looked over.
A trained fighter.
With just a single look, Yin Huaichen immediately sensed that this martial artist was no ordinary player.
There was a high probability he was also a real life expert.
Which made sense.
The playerbase was filled with talented individuals and the Federation’s ancient martial arts and combat scene was hardly a tiny circle to begin with.
On top of that, 《Eternal Universe》 was explosively popular.
Running into others from the combat world was perfectly normal.
Yin Huaichen himself played as a martial artist.
He could sense the terrifying upper limit of the class and naturally, others could as well.
Although martial artists currently had obvious shortcomings, when considered comprehensively, their overall potential was absolutely among the highest of all classes.
Amid the surrounding discussions, the martial artist player within the elite team happened to lift his head again and sweep his gaze across the airship.
Then his eyes suddenly landed on Yin Huaichen.
His gaze paused for a moment.
A few seconds later, Yin Huaichen watched as the martial artist said something to the teammates beside him before standing up and walking directly toward him.
Yin Huaichen: ?
There was nobody else nearby.
It was obvious the other party was coming specifically for him.
Two seconds later, the martial artist stopped right in front of him, looked him up and down, then frowned slightly as though uncertain before cautiously asking,
“Yin Huaichen?”
Yin Huaichen raised an eyebrow and quietly examined the other person.
Yet he had absolutely no impression of him whatsoever.
“You are?”
“So it really is you.”
The martial artist smiled faintly after hearing his response.
“The young master of the Yin family really does forget people easily… We only met at the Ancient Martial Arts Combat League last time. Don’t tell me you already forgot?”
The “last time” he referred to had already been two years ago.
The way he said it made it sound like it had happened only a few days earlier.
Yin Huaichen frowned and thought carefully for a moment before vaguely recalling something.
“You’re… Fang…?”
The other party immediately gave a light cough and unconsciously straightened his back, clearly waiting for Yin Huaichen to say his full name.
“Fang…”
Yin Huaichen continued trying hard to remember but no matter how much he thought about it, he simply could not recall the exact name.
The martial artist looked full of anticipation, like a husband anxiously waiting outside a delivery room for his child to be born, staring intently at Yin Huaichen’s lips as though every subtle movement mattered immensely.
“Fang…”
After a full ten seconds, the martial artist finally could not help reminding him.
“Fang Lecang.”
“Oh right, Fang Lecang.”
Yin Huaichen nodded seriously.
“I remembered.”
“……”
You very obviously did not remember at all, alright?!
“We haven’t met in two years and you’ve grown quite a bit.”
Yin Huaichen vaguely remembered that during the combat tournament back then, Fang Lecang had been roughly the same height as him.
But the current Fang Lecang was a towering, broad shouldered man nearly one meter ninety tall with a fierce and sturdy build.
It was genuinely difficult for Yin Huaichen to connect the two versions together.
“This is a custom made face!”
Fang Lecang snorted.
“You think everyone’s like you? Actually using your real face to play a game? That’s pretty narcissistic of you.”
So what if you’re handsome?
Yin Huaichen felt somewhat helpless.
If he had not rushed into the game so quickly and skipped the character customization process entirely, there was no way he would have entered the game using his actual appearance.
The game had only just launched, yet he had already run into someone he knew on the street.
What was the difference between this and using real name registration online?
Looks like I really need to get some kind of mask equipment later…
Seeing that Yin Huaichen remained silent, Fang Lecang grew slightly dissatisfied.
After thinking for a moment, he pretended to ask casually,
“So why didn’t you participate in this year’s combat tournament? Don’t tell me you were scared of me?”
Yin Huaichen’s mind was still occupied with other thoughts.
He answered absentmindedly,
“Oh. Got sick. Retired from the combat scene.”
Fang Lecang clearly had not expected that answer.
He froze instantly, the sarcastic remarks he had prepared getting stuck in his throat.
“…Huh?”
✦ ✧ ✦
Cresvynia
[Translator]
☕ A LITTLE SOMETHING FOR THE TRANSLATOR
A little coffee for the person who made these words happen? (｡•́‿•̀｡)
☕ BUY THEM A COFFEE →
✧ (づ｡•ㅅ•｡)づ ☕ ✧
✦ thank you for reading ✦
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ChaptersChapter 1 · Remember to keep a positive moodChapter 2 · Have fun playing the gameChapter 3 · Skill completion rateChapter 4 · Strange and malevolent creatures roam outside the cityChapter 5 · 90% complete!Chapter 6 · Serving the sect is my dutyChapter 7 · First meetingChapter 8 · Fang LecangChapter 9 · A prestigious and righteous sect!Chapter 10 · Kill Chi BantuChapter 11 · Spoils of warChapter 12 · We’ve made a fortune!Chapter 13 · Thunder and fire extinguish goldChapter 14 · You found it?Chapter 15 · The so called degree of freedomChapter 16 · The secrets of life and deathChapter 17 · A minor leader of the first rank.Chapter 18 · What kind of luck do you have?Chapter 19 · Let’s Do itChapter 20 · The BOSS escapedChapter 21 · “A wound to the heart is also a wound.”Chapter 22 · Good people are always blessed.Chapter 23 · The Old Man of the Valley of BonesChapter 24 · It’s me, young master!Chapter 25 · Take it slow and steadyChapter 26 · The older they get, the stingier they becomeChapter 27 · You know this person tooChapter 28 · I saw Wei Wanzhou againChapter 29 · You’d better keep having this kind of luckChapter 30 · “Password lock” crackedChapter 31 · We’ve come to punish you!Chapter 32 · A boorish country bumpkin who knows no manners.Chapter 33 · You have crossed the lineChapter 34 · Now that we’re here, do you think we can leave?Chapter 35 · A trivial skillChapter 36 · Actually, I was just kiddingChapter 37 · Upgrade mission complete, rating: SSS!Chapter 38 · AwardChapter 39 · I have always been law-abiding and law-abidingChapter 40 · Are you coming back for dinner tonight?Chapter 41 · Purple Lightning Square Seal.Chapter 42 · A money-grubberChapter 43 · BetChapter 44 · Four Continents Chamber of CommerceChapter 45 · This was my third meeting with Wei WanzhouChapter 46 · Oh, you want to hit on me.Chapter 47 · The angry drizzle has stoppedChapter 48 · Thunder SpearChapter 49 · “Are you a devil?”Chapter 50 · The Impermanent Lord!?Chapter 51 · Loot everywhere..Chapter 52 · His identity remains a mystery.Chapter 53 · Why not show yourself?Chapter 54 · He confronted Li Mingrui.Chapter 55 · Auction