Partners in the World of Normal People (Just Short of 5,500 Words)

"Is the enhancement complete?"

The moment Xiao Xiao regained consciousness, he exhaled sharply and instinctively looked down.

The heart was gone from the box, but his chest was intact, and his skin was still fair...

Of course, that's not the point.

As Xiao Xiao took a deep breath, he could feel his heart beating heavily in his chest, strong and warm. He felt much better and experienced an unusual power. He didn't know how to describe the feeling; it was as if the core of some complex machine had been replaced. It looked exactly the same on the outside, but it had a different level of sophistication.

Only...

... How was this enhancement accomplished?

Xiao Xiao thought back carefully, but only felt somewhat lost.

He remembered clearly the process of enhancing other elements before, including purchasing some special elements. But this time, he seemed to fall into a daze, his consciousness jumped instantly, and when he returned, the enhancement was already completed.

He knew nothing about the process that was completed.

"It doesn't matter anymore..."

Xiao Xiao thought to himself, "Anyway, it's not like they're going to tear open my chest and shove it in."

Based on my understanding, some bloody things that seem so gruesome to outsiders are not actually the case from a realistic perspective. For example, Red Eyes Ling Ping —his eyes were transplanted from someone else. But in reality, it's just that his mind has been constructed to resemble someone else's mental circuits, and the effects are applied to his own eyes, which is why they look like that.

But those eyes were still, in essence, his eyes.

This can be interpreted as seeing someone's eyes, which were exceptionally sharp and authoritative.

So through learning and training, I also learned to have that kind of gaze.

Although I don't know the specifics of how my Unquenched Heart came about, I imagine it's similar to the eye transplant.

I slowly got over this part, but a question suddenly came to mind:

"How did my clothes get torn?"

"..."

Deep down, he vaguely felt as if a shadow had appeared beside him in a daze, but because the memory was too blurry to form a coherent whole, he tried several times but could only give up and slowly button up his clothes.

"You've completed the enhancement?"

At this moment, Lin Bo also walked over with a nervous expression, staring intently at Xiao Xiao: "How's the enhancement going?"

"Have any new capabilities been developed?"

"..."

"Ability?"

Xiao Xiao frowned slightly, sensed something, but seemed somewhat bewildered. He looked up at Lin Bo and asked, "Shouldn't I be asking you this?"

"You said that the Unquenched Heart would allow me to enter the fourth stage of enhancement."

"..."

"How would I know? I'm not in Phase 4."

Lin Bo said in surprise, "The Unquenched Heart is a research project of the fourth stage of the Insightful. It was calculated by our mentor. I only know the answer, but I don't know what it looks like. On the contrary, I was just about to ask you to understand the specific changes brought about by the enhancement, so that I could use it as my data... Our mentor should really like this specific data."

"You recommended it to me without even knowing what changes it would bring?"

Xiao Xiao vaguely sensed that something was amiss.

After completing the third stage of enhancement, he thought that the enhancement was almost over. After all, there were a lot of lord-level powerhouses who wouldn't force him to enter the fourth stage of enhancement. Anyway, the points he had accumulated could be used to buy some powerful weapons, train his own people, or "pollute" more of the ruling class among the natives, so that he could gain deeper control over the city.

Only a very small percentage of people will choose the "Fourth Element".

I chose the Fourth Element in order to understand what had happened before.

However, because he had no idea how to enter the fourth stage, he asked Lin Bo on Yang Jia's advice. After receiving Lin Bo's answer, he had no doubts at all and even regarded it as a treasure, so he excitedly rushed to Night's End City.

But now it suddenly dawned on him that Lin Bo Unquenched Heart either.

He merely knew it?

... Is this kid using me as a guinea pig?

"Don't worry, I can sense the changes, but we still need to try..."

Lost in thought, he felt a little irritated and waved his hand, saying, "I'll tell you when I figure it out..."

"Uh-huh..."

Lin Bo was in high spirits and couldn't help but clappe his hands. "Now not only will the Dante Organization be happy, but even my mentor will praise me."

His happy expression made Xiao Xiao very unhappy, and he suddenly stared at Lin Bo:

"But..."

"I've already finished a report for you. Wouldn't it be a loss to give you this one too?"

"..."

Lin Bo was stunned for a moment and said, "Brother, I'm the one who got your heart."

Xiao Xiao said, "But as compensation, I have already given you three thousand points, as well as that mother body research data."

Lin Bo was a little confused. "But I did help you in Black Gate City..."

Xiao Xiao immediately said, "That's because you lost the bet."

Lin Bo was almost going crazy. "But we're friends, after all..."

Xiao Xiao gave him a deep look and said, "If it weren't for the fact that you couldn't do anything to me, you would be a hardliner too, right?"

"..."

Upon hearing this, Lin Bo deflated and said awkwardly, "Well, what can I do..."

"I can't possibly return these three thousand points to you, can I?"

"..."

Seeing his unhappy expression, Xiao Xiao finally felt a little happy, gave a cold laugh, and shook his head, saying:

"No need for that."

"After all, three thousand points is still too few..."

"..."

Lin Bo was dumbfounded. "But that's not what you said when you gave me these three thousand points..."

Regardless, let's go back to Black Gate City first...

While Xiao Xiao was undergoing the Unquenched Heart Enhancement, the train never stopped. It was running through a huge network of flesh and blood, rapidly approaching Black Gate City. Xiao Xiao could sense the endless flesh and blood outside the train window, as well as the abnormal life forms hiding in the abyss or behind layers of flesh and blood. They were not real creatures, but they truly existed around him.

When I left Black Gate City, I was still in the most pleasant state of my relationship with Black Gate City.

This time when she returned, however, she found herself with a heart that would offend her.

So, what will she do to herself?

Xiao Xiao couldn't get an answer to this question, but he had a vague sense of anticipation.

"Judging by the time, they should be arriving soon!"

At the Black Gate City train station, upon learning that Xiao Xiao was returning, Yang Jia, Ruan Ruan, Red Eyes Ling Ping arrived at the station to wait. Knowing that Xiao Xiao had obtained the Undying Element and understanding that he would strengthen it before returning to the city, they came to guard him in advance, not knowing what Black Gate City would do to Xiao Xiao after he had completed his strengthening.

In Dante Organization's records, there are quite a few people who risked the City Will to enhance the Fourth Element. However, these people can be divided into several categories. Some of them obtained the element they needed from within their own city, and such enhancements caused the fewest problems. But those who obtained the Fourth Element from outside the city and enhanced it had somewhat unknown consequences.

Some cities didn't care and didn't even show much reaction.

Some cities may show some resistance, but this can be appeased by using points.

In other cases, the cities showed serious resistance, and the cities punished them by stripping them of their lord-level contracts.

The most serious case was that they were executed the moment they returned to the city.

In the last scenario, few are actually executed; most are simply people who lose the city's protection and begin to wander.

No matter what you do, the final outcome is rare.

However, Yang Jia and the others had to prepare in advance. In particular, in Yang Jia's view, Xiao Xiao was different from others, so it was hard to say how Black Gate City would react when he returned with the Fourth Element.

"They're here..."

Similarly, after Yang Jia and the others entered the train station, in an office on the third floor of the station.

The Shepherds, dressed in a suit and without even a mask, was sitting quietly on the sofa when a monitoring device beside him suddenly emitted a silent alarm. The blinding light attracted the attention of everyone around him, causing a moment of panic. An assistant whispered a reminder: "Mr. Shepherds, those madmen have also arrived at the station and have caused a distortion in the mental field."

"Wouldn't it be dangerous to be in the same space as them?"

"..."

"Take it easy."

The Shepherds smiled upon hearing this, slowly put down his newspaper, and said, "Since those people have decided to hand over the reins back to me, there are some things I can tell you. First, don't call them 'madmen' anymore. You can choose the code name 'strangers.' After all, they are not madmen; they just live in a different world from ours."

"In their world, we are the crazy ones."

"Secondly, you don't actually need to worry so much about being corrupted by them, because among us, only a minority will ever be corrupted. You can understand it as them not wanting to corrupt us indiscriminately, or you can understand it as... they cannot use this power of corruption at will. Every time they corrupt someone, they have to pay a certain price, a very high price."

"So..."

He couldn't help but smile and said, "Actually, it's not really necessary for those people to wrap themselves up so tightly every day."

The assistant beside him, Suit Man who had met Xiao Xiao once before, suddenly became nervous upon hearing this and quickly whispered:

"Then how can one avoid... or rather, increase the difficulty of becoming contaminated?"

"..."

"Work hard, and you'll get a promotion and a raise!"

The Shepherds smiled and replied, "The higher your status and the greater your power in this city, the less likely you are to be corrupted."

"Furthermore, in my experience, the more secrets you have, the harder it is to be corrupted."

"..."

The Suit Man couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "But before us, we all knew that the stronger one's will, the harder it is to be corrupted..."

"Fake."

The Shepherds laughed and said, "The will of an individual is utterly vulnerable before the mother's body."

"No matter how strong your will is, the mother body will only need to glance at you once before you are completely succumbed."

"..."

"That..."

The Suit Man's voice trembled slightly. "Wouldn't the Matrix be able to easily pollute our entire city?"

"No."

The Shepherds firmly denied it, and whispered, "Individual will is weak, but collective will is strong. The Matrix can easily corrupt every individual, but it cannot corrupt a city built by many people. This is the key you need to understand!"

"This..."

The Suit Man clearly understood this principle, but his question remained unanswered:

How did that person protect themselves?

"..."

The Shepherds frowned, patted his shoulder, and emphasized, saying again:

"Work hard, and you'll get a promotion and a raise!"

"..."

The Suit Man's expression twisted as he listened. "Damn it, is the mother from a capitalist family?"

Every day, a large number of trains arrive at the station, but Yang Jia and his team managed to pinpoint the specific train Xiao Xiao was on.

They didn't even check the train schedule. As Xiao Xiao's train approached the city, they keenly sensed the changes in the city. Yang Jia suddenly turned around and saw the city behind her slowly writhing and melting. The city, which had been presented in the form of a station, was now rapidly transforming into writhing flesh and blood.

The train drove into the massive mass of flesh and blood, and Yang Jia suddenly became alert.

A semi-transparent, door-frame-shaped box appeared in front of her, and she stood behind it, coldly observing the city.

But the next moment, Ruan Ruan, low voice rang out. "Coming!"

"Thump" "Thump"

As Xiao Xiao stepped out of the station, he felt the heavy pounding of his heart.

I even felt a slight burning sensation in my body, as if some kind of power was flowing through my heart and into my limbs and bones.

I'm back.

He knew that bringing the Fourth Element back might change his relationship with the city, and he had made preparations in advance. But he never expected that the moment he returned to the city, he would be overwhelmed by such overwhelming emotions.

However, it's not a negative emotion...

He felt a strong sense of familiarity the moment he stepped out of the station.

Warm, steadfast, and grounded.

All his previous worries and tensions vanished at this moment. Instead, it felt like waking up from a nightmare and returning to reality, with a strong sense of security. He could hear the thumping of his heart, and the beating sound was actually in harmony with a certain frequency of the city. He had a vague feeling that he was becoming one with the city.

"What's this?"

Xiao Xiao stared in disbelief at the vast, boundless city.

Shouldn't I feel rejected or hostile?

Just as he was overwhelmed by a sense of familiarity and security that he couldn't immediately accept, Yang Jia and the others nervously came forward. While observing Xiao Xiao's appearance, they turned back and looked warily at the blood-soaked city, as if facing a formidable enemy.

Such dramatic changes are rare in cities, which makes them somewhat worried.

Could it be that Black Gate City's rejection of Xiao Xiao is the strongest kind?

If that's the case, then we can only send Xiao Xiao out of Black Gate City to wander in the Mist Sea...

But to their surprise, Xiao Xiao shook his head after a strange look of disbelief flashed across his face.

"I'm fine."

"..."

"I didn't say you were in trouble; the key point is the city's reaction..."

Yang Jia interrupted him directly, nervously looking at everything around her in the station, which had turned into a bloody mess.

I'm talking about the city.

Xiao Xiao interrupted her again, placing a hand on her shoulder to signal her not to be so nervous, and whispered:

"She's welcoming me..."

"..."

Yang Jia's expression froze instantly, and she looked at Xiao Xiao in disbelief.

Xiao Xiao, however, simply felt the overwhelming emotions emanating from the city: surprise, astonishment, relief, and awe...

That's right.

Although I never expected it, this city was indeed welcoming me.

"They're really nervous..."

Meanwhile, in an office not far from Xiao Xiao and his group, the Shepherds was watching the surveillance footage. He could clearly see that after Xiao Xiao led a few people out of the station, Yang Jia and the others immediately went to meet them. They seemed very nervous and immediately surrounded Xiao Xiao, watching the crowds passing by, as if they were on guard against something terrifying, their worry evident.

But Xiao Xiao showed a surprised expression at this moment, and with a smile, he took the initiative to join the crowd.

The few assistants who had just been assigned to the Shepherds's command were all very surprised and asked in hushed tones.

"Nervousness is inevitable."

The Shepherds laughed and said, "Strangers are messengers of the Mother. They are people chosen and transformed by the Mother, so they will possess the power of the Mother and live only for the Mother. But what if they possess power that transcends the control of the Mother?"

"It's like an obedient person suddenly becoming disobedient."

"Then, those in authority will be challenged, and those who attempt to rebel will feel uneasy."

"..."

The Suit Man paused for a moment, then pointed at Xiao Xiao in the surveillance footage and said, "Then why didn't he react like that?"

"Perhaps it's because the mother didn't directly express hostility towards him?"

The Shepherds laughed and said, "It can't be because his status is inherently higher than the mother's, can it?"

The people around him remained expressionless; no one found it a funny joke. The Shepherds nodded and said nothing more. He placed a black envelope on the table and said to the Suit Man, "Now, carry out your first work order since you were transferred to my team. Go and deliver this invitation to him in person, and don't hide your identity."

"I?"

The Suit Man panicked slightly and said incredulously, "You want me to reveal my identity and deliver an invitation to him?"

"So what?"

The Shepherds laughed and said, "I'm even ready to have dinner with him!"

"Why?"

The Suit Man was more shocked than when he heard he was being asked to take such a risk, "You've only just received authorization to lead the Pioneer Project, and you're already doing something so risky? If you get contaminated by Subject Zero, all our efforts will be in vain..."

"Test subjects?"

The Shepherds gave him a strange look and laughed, "You should change your way of thinking."

"Initially, he was indeed only used as a test subject, or rather, as an experimental subject, recruited into this program. He was the kind of experimental subject whose success rate was known to be extremely low from the beginning, and who was prepared to be discarded at any time. However, when he stood out from this experiment, showed unexpected potential, and even proved his worth..."

"..."

He paused, looking admiringly at Xiao Xiao on the monitor. "He's no longer an experimental subject."

"But rather, a collaborator."

"The entire Black Forest, and even the entire world of normal people, must learn to cooperate with him, to cooperate with respect."

"And I want to be his first friend from the normal world!"