Noah Project

At this moment, Xiao Xiao had experienced a long period of chaos, and everything he heard and saw seemed absurd and bizarre.

Uncle Chen Bo's voice, though seemingly simple, carried a chilling undertone and lingered in his mind, occupying his thoughts for a long time. "It's that simple. I don't know how you got here or what you went through. You might find the process a bit strange and full of coincidences, because logically, it shouldn't be you walking in here with the key."

"But the result is obvious: it was you who came in, which means the answer is you."

"Don't ask me. I'm just the gatekeeper left behind by the master to guard his estate and explain everything to the heirs. As for the contents of the safe, I don't know how they brought you here or what form they are in now. I can only be sure that you have seen it and that it is still with you."

"And now that you've arrived here, then..."

"... Are you ready to carry on the plans left by the master?"

"..."

"..."

Yang Jia waited quietly outside the small building, with the deep city behind her, its skyscrapers and dazzling lights.

She instinctively took out a cigarette, but then put it back.

The small building in front of her seemed desolate, with only a faint light seeping through the bottom crack of the door. She could probably just lift her hand and push the door open to see what the Old Chairman had left behind and what Xiao Xiao was doing now.

But in the end, she chose to wait patiently, standing quietly in the shadows.

Time seemed to drag on longer than she had anticipated. Finally, Xiao Xiao pushed open the door and came out, empty-handed.

His expression remained calm, even unusually calm, to the point that he seemed to possess a mysterious aura.

Let's go!

He smiled at Yang Jia, looking very natural, but there was a subtle, almost imperceptible panic in his eyes.

Yang Jia was surprised and looked past him at Xiao Lou.

As Xiao Xiao left, the wooden door of the small building closed, and the face of the gatekeeper, Uncle Chen, disappeared from the building.

Immediately afterwards, the small building collapsed into a pile of flesh and blood, then rose high again, revealing walls, windows, electronic access control, and iron gates. Everything just now seemed like an illusion. The small building completely disappeared, and the entire building returned to being an ordinary residential building. Even the residents who had been peeking down from the windows earlier reappeared alive in the building.

Yang Jia didn't ask any more questions and left the residential area with Xiao Xiao, getting into his white SUV.

In just a short while, the white car body had already been scratched seven or eight times by some mischievous child from who-knows-where.

Of course, we should also be thankful that at least no tire was punctured?

Ignoring the scratches and the gloating child hiding behind a corner in the distance, Yang Jia opened the car door, got in, and started the car.

They remained extremely quiet as they left the neighborhood.

Logically, the two of them came here to retrieve the contents of the safe, but Xiao Xiao came out empty-handed. Yang Jia should have asked him about it, but she refrained from doing so. Xiao Xiao, who should have explained immediately, also remained silent for a long time. It wasn't until the car drove away from the area and the dazzling neon signs on both sides came into view through the car window that he suddenly let out a sigh of relief.

Give me a cigarette.

He raised his head, looked ahead, and said in a low voice.

Yang Jia handed him the cigarette pack, and Xiao Xiao was slightly taken aback when he received it. "Aren't you going to let me light it this time?"

Never mind, forgive her...

He lit a cigarette, took a slow drag, and then exhaled it all.

He then frowned and said to Yang Jia, "I have two things I can tell you."

Yang Jia nodded. "Go ahead."

Xiao Xiao paused for a moment, then said, "First, the contents of the safe, or rather, the Arcane Compass..."

"They're no longer in the small building."

"The Old Chairman deceived everyone, making them believe that he hid the compass in the small building. So after the Hell Organization killed him, they had no other choice but to leave temporarily. Therefore, no matter how confused the other knights and strangers in Black Gate City were, no one ever thought of finding this thing. But in fact, the compass has always been in Black Gate City, but no one knows what it looks like."

"..."

Yang Jia's pupils contracted slightly, but she refrained from showing a strong expression.

"Second..."

Xiao Xiao slowly spoke, "I finally know what the Old Chairman wanted to do before he passed away."

Yang Jia said, "What?"

Xiao Xiao said in a low voice, "He is building a large ship, which he calls Noah. His plan is to take all his companions and followers, all the strangers who are still willing to believe in hope, with him after the ship is built, and escape from this absurd world together."

Yang Jia was slightly lost in thought.

"Noah the Great Ship..."

She believed Xiao Xiao almost immediately, without a doubt.

Because this is indeed something the Old Chairman would do.

A sudden sense of anxiety welled up inside him, and he asked, "What about the others?"

"I don't know anything else."

Xiao Xiao shook his head and slowly said, "I only heard about this from Uncle Chen, and I also saw the things left behind by the Old Chairman."

"But what he plans to do, what he has already accomplished, and what difficulties he is currently facing are still unknown."

"I don't even know where I got that travel permit from."

"..."

"Why?"

Yang Jia seemed somewhat incredulous.

Since the Old Chairman had a clear plan, what he left behind would certainly not be so vague.

Xiao Xiao's answer left her speechless, "Because they want me to inherit this plan, but I'm not ready yet."

"Since I'm not prepared, there's no need for me to learn about it."

"..."

Yang Jia was speechless for a moment, then paused for a moment before asking, "So, are you planning to go back to the small building?"

Xiao Xiao understood that Yang Jia's mention of returning to the small building naturally meant preparing to come back and learn more about the plan, to truly inherit it. However, he paused for a moment before saying to Yang Jia, "I need some time to think about it before making a decision. But for the others in Black Gate City, they might be more concerned about where that thing is now..."

In fact, this may be the most important issue.

Xiao Xiao didn't know if Yang Jia, who had been waiting to retrieve the contents of the safe, would believe his words.

Perhaps, under normal circumstances, they would be more willing to believe that they themselves hid that item?

However, it seems I was just overthinking it.

Yang Jia nodded slightly after hearing his words and said, "Don't worry about others. You are now the president of Black Gate City. You have inherited the primary authority over that matter and have the right to prevent others from interfering in it."

"As for the specifics..."

"... Now that we've confirmed it's in Black Gate City, there's always a way to find it, isn't there?"

"I believe the Old Chairman wouldn't make any meaningless arrangements."

"..."

"..."

She believed it.

But Xiao Xiao sighed inwardly.

Until the moment before his conversation with Uncle Chen, he was still thinking that his principle was to tell Yang Jia everything he saw and knew without hiding anything from her. But after hearing those words, he had to change his mind because he couldn't understand why that so-called signpost, that so-called compass pointing to the truth, would guide him here.

He had a vague feeling that things weren't so simple, so he didn't want to say it beforehand.

As for the compass...

He didn't fully tell Yang Jia that the item was indeed in Black Gate City, and more importantly, it was right beside him.

I must have seen it before, but I don't know what it looks like.

So, which one is it?

Butcher? Record Player Miss? Thorn Hound? Or Silver Bloodlust Pistol?

Or perhaps, other things that I've seen many times before, but haven't realized are magical?

A tremendous sense of absurdity and uncertainty overwhelmed Xiao Xiao.

This is also one of the reasons why he did not immediately agree to Uncle Chen's plan to inherit the Old Chairman's Noah Project.

According to Uncle Chen, he was the only one chosen to inherit the Old Chairman's plan, but why him?

I can understand Mister Ye and Yang Jia's logic in pushing me into the position of chairman as an actor, but I can't accept that what I thought was my own choice and normal progress was actually influenced by an invisible force. How am I any different from those natives in the city who are influenced by a mysterious will and are always immersed in pain and despair?

That's why he left without hesitation; he needed to figure out some things before making any other decisions.

But where to begin the search...?

Thinking silently to himself, Xiao Xiao turned his gaze to the outside of the car window.

In the moment he was slightly lost in thought, the vast and profound city began to distort in an unusual way. He could see the vehicles driving on both sides of the road, the various drivers and passengers inside, some people driving while angrily cursing, some people in the passenger seat leaning over to control the gears, and some people whose brakes had malfunctioned but were still accelerating.

His third-stage Insight ability gave him almost the ability to see through the city.

But what about myself?

Why do I feel like I don't understand myself at all?

"Ding-a-ling..."

But just as Xiao Xiao was lost in thought, the phone rang, and the sweet voices of the Serpent Sisters came through:

"Young Chairman, we have investigated the matter you assigned us to handle."

"The person who was secretly watching us in the bar was either an indigenous person or a private investigator."

"He was asked by someone to find out what was happening to you."

"Interestingly, do you know who commissioned him?"

"..."

Xiao Xiao's heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Who?"

The snake sister's voice seemed to carry a certain excitement and curiosity. "Your father, Xiao Zhigong."

I originally planned to update twice today, but I need to sort out the plot this afternoon, so I'll only update one chapter. Of course, I'll upload it if I can finish writing it. I need to apologize; although I didn't have any travel plans for the May Day holiday, my old classmate came to Qingdao, and I still spent two days drinking with him...