Bai Lixin took two steps back, cleverly turning himself from a participant into a bystander in the incident.
Mr. Kayla and Miss Phoenix stared at each other with wide eyes, and the scene became somewhat awkward for a moment.
Finally, Bai Lixin broke the silence, “Do you two know each other?”
Miss Phoenix straightened her somewhat disheveled clothes and stood up, “Yes, Mr. Kayla is my patient.”
Mr. Kayla, who was still slightly intoxicated, stood stiffly in place with his chubby body, saying with embarrassment, “Xin, this is the psychologist I recommended to you before, Ms. Meila.”
After the introduction, they looked at each other and simultaneously said, “Why are you here?”
They both froze at the same time.
The alien who called herself “Miss Phoenix” and was called “Ms. Meila”: “I was recently invited to participate in a psychological research activity in the Love District and have been staying here. What about you, Mr. Kayla? Why are you here?”
Mr. Kayla: “I followed behind Xin. He said he had something to do in the Love District, and I was worried, so I followed. I had just entered the lobby and saw him appear at the second-floor staircase. When I caught up with him, he had already taken the elevator to the seventh floor. So, I followed up.”
Miss Phoenix’s huge eye swept back and forth between Bai Lixin and Mr. Kayla, “You two actually know each other.”
Bai Lixin: “We live on the same floor and both work as operators in the Order District. We often run into each other. Mr. Kayla is a very enthusiastic gentleman.”
“Yeah.” Miss Phoenix agreed wholeheartedly. “I’m always inspired by Mr. Kayla’s and his wife’s warmth. Mr. Kayla, please give my regards to your wife.”
Mr. Kayla’s face instantly turned gloomy and sad. “I will, Miss Meila.”
“What’s wrong?” Miss Phoenix instantly sensed Mr. Kayla’s Meilancholy and asked with concern, “Is something wrong, dear? Take your time to tell me, I’m here for you. Is it about Mrs. Kayla?”
Mr. Kayla nodded silently, choking up, “My wife, she was murdered, this morning.”
“Oh my God.” Miss Phoenix widened her eye in shock, covering her mouth. “This news is so heartbreaking and unexpected. You two love each other so much, you must be devastated. Have you found the culprit?”
Mr. Kayla shook his head, “Not yet, but I will find that bastard!”
Miss Phoenix: “You surely will. Justice and punishment will come to everyone fairly, it’s just a matter of time. Dear Mr. Kayla, please take care of yourself for the sake of your wife. If you need anything, you can come to my clinic tomorrow. My research has ended, and if it weren’t for worrying that this young man might attempt suicide again, I would already be at the clinic in the Fairness District.”
Mr. Kayla looked at Bai Lixin with confusion, “Suicide?”
“I told you it’s all a misunderstanding,” Bai Lixin felt that if he didn’t explain this clearly, Miss Phoenix would definitely pursue it relentlessly, and his chance of leaving the firewall would become even slimmer. “I said I just wanted to come up high and see the night view of the Love District.”
Miss Phoenix was skeptical, “Do you have to stand by the edge of the rooftop to see the night view?”
Bai Lixin: “Stand high, see far.”
Miss Phoenix: “…”
“Why did Mr. Kayla introduce me to you?” Miss Phoenix still didn’t quite believe it, and asked with some professional curiosity, “What do you need help with?”
Bai Lixin: “I did need help before. A long time ago, I developed an abnormal attachment to robots. One of my simulated robots was destroyed because of this, and I felt guilty, thinking I caused the robot’s death. It took me a long time to get over this guilt.”
“But I’m fine now, I really don’t feel suicidal.”
“Yes,” Mr. Kayla nodded vigorously beside him, looking at Miss Phoenix sincerely. “Xin has been living positively. I was worried about him before, but his psychologist said he has recovered. He even registered in the Love District yesterday. He won’t feel suicidal. He was even consoling me tonight.”
Miss Phoenix frowned, “There’s a type of depression called ‘smiling depression.’ They seem cheerful and optimistic, leaving happiness and smiles to those around them, but in solitude, they silently lick their bloodied wounds.”
“Psychological disorders are stubborn illnesses, unlike other conditions, where you can see gradual improvement by treating the symptoms. Psychological disorders may even worsen during treatment. You were worried about his condition before and introduced me to him, but suddenly he’s recovered. This only makes me worry more.”
She paused, her gaze falling on Mr. Kayla, speaking softly, “I’m equally worried about you, Mr. Kayla.”
“It’s getting late today. Could you both come to my clinic tomorrow?”
Mr. Kayla hesitated, glanced at Bai Lixin, then nodded, “Okay, Dr. Meila, I’ll come tomorrow. Thank you for tonight, but I assure you, Xin won’t commit suicide.”
Miss Phoenix: “Good, then I trust you. I have something to attend to, don’t forget to come to my clinic tomorrow.”
She walked to the door, looked at the open keypad lock and muttered to herself, “Strange, how did the keypad door open by itself? Is it malfunctioning?”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Only when Miss Phoenix walked away did the calmness on Mr. Kayla’s face slowly crack, revealing a panicked expression. He grabbed Bai Lixin’s sleeve, looking at Bai Lixin as if he were looking at a life saving straw, “Xin, were you really planning to commit suicide just now?”
Bai Lixin: “…I said I wasn’t.”
S419M: [Tsk tsk, Mr. Kayla is really kind, even though the killer who murdered his wife hasn’t been found yet, he cares so much about you, Lord Host.]
Mr. Kayla: “You must not think about it. You promised me you’d help me find the killer, you can’t break your word.”
S419M: […]
‘Forget what I said just now.’
Bai Lixin silently assessed the man with thinning hair and a plump figure.
Just a day ago, he was a cheerful and hospitable man, but now there was a kind of paranoia in his eyes.
His wife’s death hit him so hard that it made him seem like a different person.
Mr. Kayla was no longer the enthusiastic man who helped others, but a man obsessed with finding his wife’s killer.
Bai Lixin felt a little emotional.
Human nature is changeable. After experiencing certain things, people often change drastically.
Outgoing people become reserved.
Enthusiastic people become indifferent.
Kind people become suspicious.
Optimistic people become Meilancholic.
Just like Mr. Kayla in front of him, he was undergoing such changes.
If it had been a day ago, when faced with the possibility of his own suicide, the enthusiastic Mr. Kayla would have first thought of persuading him to live on.
But now, Mr. Kayla’s first thought was that he had to stay alive to have a chance to find his wife’s killer.
He couldn’t stop it, he could only watch the change happen.
“I really never thought of suicide.” Facing Mr. Kayla’s gradually paranoid demeanor, Bai Lixin had to explain patiently.
Only then did Mr. Kayla let go of Bai Lixin’s hand, “As long as you’re not suicidal. But why did you come to the Love District today? Didn’t you just come yesterday?”
Bai Lixin told Mr. Kayla about the successful match.
After listening, Mr. Kayla just said, “Oh,” without blessing Bai Lixin. Instead, he furrowed his brow, “He said he’ll take you to the Fairness District in three days? Can’t you postpone it? Can’t you wait until we find the culprit before going to the Fairness District?”
Bai Lixin: “…If it’s possible, of course, no problem.”
Mr. Kayla’s eyes lit up, “Really? That’s great. Thank you, Xin. Whatever you want, just tell me, I’ll make sure you get it.”
Bai Lixin thought of a reason like “thirsty for water” to send Mr. Kayla away.
After Mr. Kayla left, Bai Lixin closed the iron door with a “click” and went straight to the edge of the rooftop.
The obstructive people had finally left!
He wanted to quickly see if he could pass through the firewall.
This was his second time here, and he had no reason to return empty-handed again.
Standing once again on the windy rooftop, Bai Lixin skillfully located the position of the firewall.
He tentatively reached out his hand, pressing his entire palm against the firewall.
When the palm was pressed against the firewall, there was an immediate sensation of electric current. However, along with the sensation, he could distinctly feel that his palm was not staying in one place, but was slowly moving forward at a very slow speed.
Ripples of air surged out in all directions from the palm’s position.
When his palm sank into the air, his body seemed to be attracted by something, and he followed it into the air.
When his entire body was pulled into the air, he vaguely heard Mr. Kayla’s loud shout.
“Xin, where are you?”
A feeling of dizziness rushed towards Bai Lixin like a tide, and he seemed to be caught in a huge whirlpool, uncontrollably being dragged towards the dark abyss.
The suffocating sensation of being soaked in seawater followed…
After an unknown amount of time, Bai Lixin suddenly gasped for air, breathing in the fresh air in large gulps.
Before him was darkness.
He tried to reach out his hands to explore his surroundings. His hands hadn’t reached far when they touched a cold, smooth metal surface.
The surroundings were very narrow; he seemed to be locked in some kind of square container.
But the oxygen was abundant, and he didn’t feel suffocated.
He tried to push the metal container’s top with both hands. Amidst the sound of metal friction, a strong white light came in from the top of his head.
He instinctively squinted his eyes and continued to push the metal container outward.
Until the brightness became more abundant, Bai Lixin finally saw the scene outside.
A vast expanse of white.
White walls, white floors, white ceilings, white honeycomb like structures.
There was no other color apart from white.
In this all-white enclosed space, it was extremely quiet. Bai Lixin could only hear the sound of his own breathing and the rustle of his clothes.
In the excessive silence, every sound seemed amplified. He just slowly raised his body, and the sound was so loud that it seemed to burst his eardrums.
Bai Lixin had to rub his ears to alleviate the discomfort before finally crawling out of the narrow metal cabinet.
This was the place he had seen in the virtual world before, but now, there were no people in protective suits or white robots, only still honeycombs. Those people and robots seemed to have disappeared.
Bai Lixin stood on the white floor and closed the metal cabinet behind him. The moment the cabinet closed, the loud noise of metal friction once again made his ears ring.
He had to rub his ears to ease the ringing in his head.
The noise was too loud.
It was like two huge iron rods suddenly colliding beside his ears.
The overwhelming deafening noise and numbness persisted, and Bai Lixin momentarily felt deaf.
After an unknown amount of time, the numbness and ringing in his ears subsided slightly.
In the quiet white honeycomb room, it seemed like he was the only living being.
He looked around the vast whiteness.
In the middle of the pure white walls, there was a rectangular white metal protrusion that looked slightly different from its surroundings.
Approaching it, he found that it was a metal door with a password. The clean metal surface reflected his face.
At this moment, he was wearing a simple white gown, almost like a hospital gown.
He wasn’t wearing socks, and the color on his smooth arms was just slightly darker than the surrounding white.
The white metal surface made the young man’s beautiful features somewhat pale and blurry. He looked at his reflection on the wall and once again stretched out his palm.
Placing his palm on the password panel, there was a “click” and the tightly closed white door opened.
A deep corridor appeared in front of Bai Lixin.
There were no people on the corridor, and the architectural style was the same pristine white.
Bai Lixin took two steps back, cleverly turning himself from a participant into a bystander in the incident.
Mr. Kayla and Miss Phoenix stared at each other with wide eyes, and the scene became somewhat awkward for a moment.
Finally, Bai Lixin broke the silence, “Do you two know each other?”
Miss Phoenix straightened her somewhat disheveled clothes and stood up, “Yes, Mr. Kayla is my patient.”
Mr. Kayla, who was still slightly intoxicated, stood stiffly in place with his chubby body, saying with embarrassment, “Xin, this is the psychologist I recommended to you before, Ms. Meila.”
After the introduction, they looked at each other and simultaneously said, “Why are you here?”
They both froze at the same time.
The alien who called herself “Miss Phoenix” and was called “Ms. Meila”: “I was recently invited to participate in a psychological research activity in the Love District and have been staying here. What about you, Mr. Kayla? Why are you here?”
Mr. Kayla: “I followed behind Xin. He said he had something to do in the Love District, and I was worried, so I followed. I had just entered the lobby and saw him appear at the second-floor staircase. When I caught up with him, he had already taken the elevator to the seventh floor. So, I followed up.”
Miss Phoenix’s huge eye swept back and forth between Bai Lixin and Mr. Kayla, “You two actually know each other.”
Bai Lixin: “We live on the same floor and both work as operators in the Order District. We often run into each other. Mr. Kayla is a very enthusiastic gentleman.”
“Yeah.” Miss Phoenix agreed wholeheartedly. “I’m always inspired by Mr. Kayla’s and his wife’s warmth. Mr. Kayla, please give my regards to your wife.”
Mr. Kayla’s face instantly turned gloomy and sad. “I will, Miss Meila.”
“What’s wrong?” Miss Phoenix instantly sensed Mr. Kayla’s Meilancholy and asked with concern, “Is something wrong, dear? Take your time to tell me, I’m here for you. Is it about Mrs. Kayla?”
Mr. Kayla nodded silently, choking up, “My wife, she was murdered, this morning.”
“Oh my God.” Miss Phoenix widened her eye in shock, covering her mouth. “This news is so heartbreaking and unexpected. You two love each other so much, you must be devastated. Have you found the culprit?”
Mr. Kayla shook his head, “Not yet, but I will find that bastard!”
Miss Phoenix: “You surely will. Justice and punishment will come to everyone fairly, it’s just a matter of time. Dear Mr. Kayla, please take care of yourself for the sake of your wife. If you need anything, you can come to my clinic tomorrow. My research has ended, and if it weren’t for worrying that this young man might attempt suicide again, I would already be at the clinic in the Fairness District.”
Mr. Kayla looked at Bai Lixin with confusion, “Suicide?”
“I told you it’s all a misunderstanding,” Bai Lixin felt that if he didn’t explain this clearly, Miss Phoenix would definitely pursue it relentlessly, and his chance of leaving the firewall would become even slimmer. “I said I just wanted to come up high and see the night view of the Love District.”
Miss Phoenix was skeptical, “Do you have to stand by the edge of the rooftop to see the night view?”
Bai Lixin: “Stand high, see far.”
Miss Phoenix: “…”
“Why did Mr. Kayla introduce me to you?” Miss Phoenix still didn’t quite believe it, and asked with some professional curiosity, “What do you need help with?”
Bai Lixin: “I did need help before. A long time ago, I developed an abnormal attachment to robots. One of my simulated robots was destroyed because of this, and I felt guilty, thinking I caused the robot’s death. It took me a long time to get over this guilt.”
“But I’m fine now, I really don’t feel suicidal.”
“Yes,” Mr. Kayla nodded vigorously beside him, looking at Miss Phoenix sincerely. “Xin has been living positively. I was worried about him before, but his psychologist said he has recovered. He even registered in the Love District yesterday. He won’t feel suicidal. He was even consoling me tonight.”
Miss Phoenix frowned, “There’s a type of depression called ‘smiling depression.’ They seem cheerful and optimistic, leaving happiness and smiles to those around them, but in solitude, they silently lick their bloodied wounds.”
“Psychological disorders are stubborn illnesses, unlike other conditions, where you can see gradual improvement by treating the symptoms. Psychological disorders may even worsen during treatment. You were worried about his condition before and introduced me to him, but suddenly he’s recovered. This only makes me worry more.”
She paused, her gaze falling on Mr. Kayla, speaking softly, “I’m equally worried about you, Mr. Kayla.”
“It’s getting late today. Could you both come to my clinic tomorrow?”
Mr. Kayla hesitated, glanced at Bai Lixin, then nodded, “Okay, Dr. Meila, I’ll come tomorrow. Thank you for tonight, but I assure you, Xin won’t commit suicide.”
Miss Phoenix: “Good, then I trust you. I have something to attend to, don’t forget to come to my clinic tomorrow.”
She walked to the door, looked at the open keypad lock and muttered to herself, “Strange, how did the keypad door open by itself? Is it malfunctioning?”
Bai Lixin: “…”
Only when Miss Phoenix walked away did the calmness on Mr. Kayla’s face slowly crack, revealing a panicked expression. He grabbed Bai Lixin’s sleeve, looking at Bai Lixin as if he were looking at a life saving straw, “Xin, were you really planning to commit suicide just now?”
Bai Lixin: “…I said I wasn’t.”
S419M: [Tsk tsk, Mr. Kayla is really kind, even though the killer who murdered his wife hasn’t been found yet, he cares so much about you, Lord Host.]
Mr. Kayla: “You must not think about it. You promised me you’d help me find the killer, you can’t break your word.”
S419M: […]
‘Forget what I said just now.’
Bai Lixin silently assessed the man with thinning hair and a plump figure.
Just a day ago, he was a cheerful and hospitable man, but now there was a kind of paranoia in his eyes.
His wife’s death hit him so hard that it made him seem like a different person.
Mr. Kayla was no longer the enthusiastic man who helped others, but a man obsessed with finding his wife’s killer.
Bai Lixin felt a little emotional.
Human nature is changeable. After experiencing certain things, people often change drastically.
Outgoing people become reserved.
Enthusiastic people become indifferent.
Kind people become suspicious.
Optimistic people become Meilancholic.
Just like Mr. Kayla in front of him, he was undergoing such changes.
If it had been a day ago, when faced with the possibility of his own suicide, the enthusiastic Mr. Kayla would have first thought of persuading him to live on.
But now, Mr. Kayla’s first thought was that he had to stay alive to have a chance to find his wife’s killer.
He couldn’t stop it, he could only watch the change happen.
“I really never thought of suicide.” Facing Mr. Kayla’s gradually paranoid demeanor, Bai Lixin had to explain patiently.
Only then did Mr. Kayla let go of Bai Lixin’s hand, “As long as you’re not suicidal. But why did you come to the Love District today? Didn’t you just come yesterday?”
Bai Lixin told Mr. Kayla about the successful match.
After listening, Mr. Kayla just said, “Oh,” without blessing Bai Lixin. Instead, he furrowed his brow, “He said he’ll take you to the Fairness District in three days? Can’t you postpone it? Can’t you wait until we find the culprit before going to the Fairness District?”
Bai Lixin: “…If it’s possible, of course, no problem.”
Mr. Kayla’s eyes lit up, “Really? That’s great. Thank you, Xin. Whatever you want, just tell me, I’ll make sure you get it.”
Bai Lixin thought of a reason like “thirsty for water” to send Mr. Kayla away.
After Mr. Kayla left, Bai Lixin closed the iron door with a “click” and went straight to the edge of the rooftop.
The obstructive people had finally left!
He wanted to quickly see if he could pass through the firewall.
This was his second time here, and he had no reason to return empty-handed again.
Standing once again on the windy rooftop, Bai Lixin skillfully located the position of the firewall.
He tentatively reached out his hand, pressing his entire palm against the firewall.
When the palm was pressed against the firewall, there was an immediate sensation of electric current. However, along with the sensation, he could distinctly feel that his palm was not staying in one place, but was slowly moving forward at a very slow speed.
Ripples of air surged out in all directions from the palm’s position.
When his palm sank into the air, his body seemed to be attracted by something, and he followed it into the air.
When his entire body was pulled into the air, he vaguely heard Mr. Kayla’s loud shout.
“Xin, where are you?”
A feeling of dizziness rushed towards Bai Lixin like a tide, and he seemed to be caught in a huge whirlpool, uncontrollably being dragged towards the dark abyss.
The suffocating sensation of being soaked in seawater followed…
After an unknown amount of time, Bai Lixin suddenly gasped for air, breathing in the fresh air in large gulps.
Before him was darkness.
He tried to reach out his hands to explore his surroundings. His hands hadn’t reached far when they touched a cold, smooth metal surface.
The surroundings were very narrow; he seemed to be locked in some kind of square container.
But the oxygen was abundant, and he didn’t feel suffocated.
He tried to push the metal container’s top with both hands. Amidst the sound of metal friction, a strong white light came in from the top of his head.
He instinctively squinted his eyes and continued to push the metal container outward.
Until the brightness became more abundant, Bai Lixin finally saw the scene outside.
A vast expanse of white.
White walls, white floors, white ceilings, white honeycomb like structures.
There was no other color apart from white.
In this all-white enclosed space, it was extremely quiet. Bai Lixin could only hear the sound of his own breathing and the rustle of his clothes.
In the excessive silence, every sound seemed amplified. He just slowly raised his body, and the sound was so loud that it seemed to burst his eardrums.
Bai Lixin had to rub his ears to alleviate the discomfort before finally crawling out of the narrow metal cabinet.
This was the place he had seen in the virtual world before, but now, there were no people in protective suits or white robots, only still honeycombs. Those people and robots seemed to have disappeared.
Bai Lixin stood on the white floor and closed the metal cabinet behind him. The moment the cabinet closed, the loud noise of metal friction once again made his ears ring.
He had to rub his ears to ease the ringing in his head.
The noise was too loud.
It was like two huge iron rods suddenly colliding beside his ears.
The overwhelming deafening noise and numbness persisted, and Bai Lixin momentarily felt deaf.
After an unknown amount of time, the numbness and ringing in his ears subsided slightly.
In the quiet white honeycomb room, it seemed like he was the only living being.
He looked around the vast whiteness.
In the middle of the pure white walls, there was a rectangular white metal protrusion that looked slightly different from its surroundings.
Approaching it, he found that it was a metal door with a password. The clean metal surface reflected his face.
At this moment, he was wearing a simple white gown, almost like a hospital gown.
He wasn’t wearing socks, and the color on his smooth arms was just slightly darker than the surrounding white.
The white metal surface made the young man’s beautiful features somewhat pale and blurry. He looked at his reflection on the wall and once again stretched out his palm.
Placing his palm on the password panel, there was a “click” and the tightly closed white door opened.
A deep corridor appeared in front of Bai Lixin.
There were no people on the corridor, and the architectural style was the same pristine white.
