Noah Project: The Second Step (7,500 Words)

"Report! Special Investigator Mr. X has left the designated area. May we retreat?"

At the same time, while Xiao Xiao was on the phone with Yang Jia and leaving the Minghe Hotel, the team that had previously sealed off a specific area with special electronic equipment also called to report.

"Leave!"

On the other end of the phone was the Shepherds's somewhat languid voice, calmly saying, "Also, starting today, your squad's authority is increased by one level, but you are relieved of all other duties and responsibilities, and will only be in charge of one thing:"

"That means unconditionally cooperating with this Special Investigator X!"

"..."

Senior investigator Mr. Wild Dog, holding a walkie-talkie, was visibly surprised. "Only accountable to him alone?"

"Right."

The Shepherds said in a deep voice, "If he wants to go east, you go east; if he wants to kill, you collect the bodies; if he wants to blow up the city, you prepare the explosives for him..."

"Even if something happens in the future, you will be protected by special immunity and will not be held legally responsible."

"On the contrary, if your lack of timely cooperation leads to the failure of some of his plans, then you may be sued by the Black Forest... and at worst, you will be transferred to Group D as cannon fodder!"

"..."

"...yes."

Even the Wild Dog was clearly taken aback. Perhaps he had thought this day would come, but he didn't expect it to come so soon.

Therefore, even though I knew it wasn't in accordance with the rules, I still subconsciously asked tentatively, "Why?"

"I have already reported this to my superiors. It is obvious that they are also surprised that the research, which has been stagnant for so many years, has suddenly made such great progress."

The Shepherds sighed softly and offered an additional explanation to the Wild Dog: "Furthermore, he has already contacted the Dante Organization, and it seems the exchange didn't go so well. Otherwise, that mysterious figure from Dante Organization wouldn't have left Black Gate City so quickly. And this outcome is exactly what we wanted, proving our previous judgment was correct. Now we can be certain that among those qualified to build large ships, one has finally emerged who stands by our side..."

"Stand beside us?"

Upon hearing this, Mr. Wild Dog felt an inexplicable unease. "You... I mean, are you... sure?"

He was the one who was sent here as cannon fodder to make contact with Xiao Xiao, so he knew Xiao Xiao's stubbornness and also knew how crazy this guy was.

In the earlier hunt for the Mysterious Source, the two sides did cooperate very well, but that was only because neither side had any other choice and they were wary of each other.

Just because of this one success, do you think he will really be loyal to the Black Forest?

Even a child probably wouldn't make such a naive judgment.

"Hehe, we have always wanted to cultivate the most loyal and controllable person in the Black Forest to enter the world of the Mysterious Source, so that we can feel at ease letting him obtain higher authority and execute the plan we want to see."

The Shepherds smiled and said, "But it's obvious he isn't."

"He was the most perfect of all the test subjects, but just like the Hell Legion that we finally built as we wished, it had no loyalty to the Black Forest whatsoever."

"This test subject is also the most perfect, and likewise, he has no loyalty to the Black Forest."

"After all, we gave him the identity of this drug test subject without his knowledge, and he suffered for four years before he actually succeeded in the drug test."

"Having endured four years of suffering, he is destined to be unable to empathize with us, and may even hate us. Of course, we cannot control him, and forcibly controlling him will only backfire."

"..."

Mr. Wild Dog was confused. "Isn't it clear to you all?"

"But despite how much he hated us, he still embarked on the path of carrying out the Noah Project step by step..."

The Shepherds slowly asked, "Why do you think that is?"

Mr. Wild Dog actually had many answers in his mind, but he wasn't sure about any of them, so he tentatively asked, "Why?"

"It was also because of those four painful years."

The Shepherds said softly, "Because he has deeply felt pain, he is naturally empathetic to pain, so he will definitely end all of this."

Upon hearing this, Mr. Wild Dog was startled. After a long pause, he whispered, "I understand."

"Integral?"

At the same time, Xiao Xiao had just returned to the bar and picked up Yang Jia through the back door.

Yang Jia's car was wrecked when she fled Black Gate City. Xiao Xiao drove it back for her and sent it for repairs, but it's not fixed yet.

Even if it can be repaired, she doesn't dare to drive it now, nor does she dare to go back to her old workplace. Right now, she needs to hide away and doesn't want others to know that she is still alive until things become clear.

As she followed Xiao Xiao to the Old Chairman's small building, she asked in surprise, "Why do you think the second part of Noah Project is about earning a lot of points?"

"You can't do anything without money..."

Xiao Xiao smiled and said, "After meeting you, my teacher, I understand their purpose now. I don't know what they're thinking, but it's clear they don't want us to push the Noah Project forward. And the second step of the Noah Project requires many cities, many strangers, and many powerful special elements to build. With the Dante Organization not optimistic about us and even subtly trying to stop us, how can we obtain enough resources to support us to continue?"

"Of course, it's points."

As he spoke, he looked at Yang Jia and said, "Just like the will of our world, it only began to rebel after it transformed into the form of the Mysterious Source."

"Why can't we use a points system to force surrounding cities to cooperate with us?"

"..."

Perhaps because he possessed the Unquenched Heart and had the experience of using it to parasitize Black Gate City, Xiao Xiao's thinking has begun to change in some ways.

Doctor Anti of Dante Organization clearly intends to come and stop Black Gate City.

If given a choice, they would not hesitate to forcibly take away the Mysterious Source's corpse, thus fundamentally cutting off the possibility of Black Gate City implementing this plan. Unfortunately, he was afraid of being chased and killed, so he gave up this idea.

But he was still subtle... or rather, he made his attitude quite clear.

Even if Black Gate City insists on going its own way, it will not receive help from other cities.

Before this, Yang Jia was also panicking because she discovered that the Noah Project of Black Gate City was actually fighting against the Mysterious Source. She couldn't even understand how this Xiao Xiao Black Gate City could possibly do this.

Even now, Xiao Xiao seems to have given her an answer with great ease.

Integral.

Points are the Mysterious Source of these things that cannot be directly intervened in in reality, a special rule set up for outsiders.

The Mysterious Source uses a points system to control outsiders.

So why can't Black Gate City use points to create opportunities for itself?

It's not necessary to stubbornly resist powerful and mysterious things without knowing anything about them.

The most interesting part is getting into his rules and then finding a way to defeat him.

"But..."

Yang Jia was also struggling with the question, "How many points would this require?"

"Quite a lot..."

Xiao Xiao smiled and said, "But don't worry, earning points is a task that requires thinking, I can do it."

"All right..."

Yang Jia breathed a sigh of relief and agreed, but then suddenly felt something was off. "What do you mean by this?"

As they spoke, the two arrived at the Old Chairman's hidden building. Xiao Xiao walked towards the hidden location of the building, and the building in front of him melted away like flesh and blood, then grew back. The dark doorway of the building appeared before them.

Are you sure you want me to hide here?

Yang Jia looked at the small building; this was her second time here.

The first time she came to enter, she was refused entry by the guard, so she never came back.

Xiao Xiao brought her over once again. During his conversation with Doctor Anti, he insisted on the fact that Yang Jia was dead, but he was unsure if he had fooled Doctor Anti.

Furthermore, it's unknown whether, even if Doctor Anti believes it, the others in Dante Organization will believe it, or whether there are any other ways to verify Yang Jia's death. Therefore, the most important thing now is to hide her away, in a place where no one can find her.

There is no place more suitable than this small building left by the Old Chairman.

"Please come in."

This time, when the door of the small building was opened, the old butler, who had always lived in darkness and seemed to exist solely to protect this building, only glanced at Yang Jia indifferently.

Then, he stepped aside and politely invited them in.

"You can also sense that she's different now?"

Xiao Xiao smiled and looked at the old butler, asking a question.

"Now, there is only one master left in Miss Yang Jia's spiritual world, so of course you can come in."

Although the old butler's expression was somewhat stiff and wooden, every word he spoke was very polite, "After all, she was once the master's most trusted student."

It was only at this moment that Yang Jia understood why she had been rejected the first time she came.

At that time, she was still pure at heart. She always had a firm goal and knew what she wanted to do.

However, being controlled by the brand, she was seen by the old housekeeper as having two masters in her spiritual world, and she herself was one of the controlled ones, so she could not be allowed to enter the small building.

In a sense, by entering the small building, she was essentially revealing all the secrets of the building to Mister Du without reservation.

"The teacher lived in this little building the whole time..."

Upon first setting foot in the most mysterious place in Black Gate City, Yang Jia sighed with emotion, "It was in this small building that he researched so many amazing theories?"

This is the birthplace of the Noah Project, the most mysterious place in the entire Black Gate City, and the intellectual legacy left by the Old Chairman.

In the eyes of some people in Black Gate City and even outside the city, Xiao Xiao began to shed his puppet identity and truly become the president of the Black Gate City Outsider Association from the moment he entered this small building.

From that time on, he began to know more than others. He began to understand how the Noah Project should be implemented, and he began to win the gambling match against the Hell Organization with all sorts of unbelievable and bizarre methods. He obtained the Fourth Element of Night's End City, and even in this time, when facing the despairing secondary Mysterious Source, he took the initiative... What a vast treasure trove of knowledge this must be! Yang Jia and Mister Ye knew that Xiao Xiao's identity was somewhat special, but they couldn't help but be influenced and believed in the wonders here.

If it weren't for the Old Chairman, how could such a newcomer, no matter how special his identity, have accomplished so many miraculous things?

"...yes!"

Seeing Yang Jia's emotional expression, Xiao Xiao could only sincerely echo his praise, "The Old Chairman is truly remarkable!"

At least they're very good at taking the blame!

He's taken the blame for so many things, but he's never complained or uttered a word of complaint!

"Our Old Chairman left behind many valuable legacies, the most important of which is of course the Noah Project."

Xiao Xiao sighed and looked at Yang Jia seriously, saying, "However, there are many things in the Noah Project that are just his speculations and conjectures. The Old Chairman had limited resources at that time and did not know many secrets."

"But now that you've come, it's just in time. You've taken complete control of the Mysterious Source and have glimpsed many secrets through it."

"Now is the most appropriate time for you to analyze, sort out, and even complete the Noah Project."

"Moreover, with you staying in this small building and the Black Gate City's power shielding you, you can truly escape those people's sight, giving us time to make the necessary preparations."

"..."

"This really suits me."

Yang Jia sighed softly and said, "My own thinking and rationality also need an adjustment."

Xiao Xiao understood what she meant. For Yang Jia, she herself had just experienced a tremendous change in her way of thinking.

Before she glimpsed this secret, she was a staunch believer that the natives were monsters and that she was a stranger living in a false world. At that time, the Noah she understood was just a large ship that could leave this false world.

Only after she broke free from the control of the Mysterious Source's will and glimpsed those secrets did she suddenly understand:

I did indeed live in a false world before, but this false world was not given by reality, but created by Mysterious Source. It was as if I was living in a dream space that contrasted with reality.

Noah could indeed take himself away, but not away from this world, but away from that bizarre and deceptive perception.

She still has a lot to learn, and the ideas and knowledge left by the Old Chairman can help her complete this step of sorting out her understanding.

"Then you can stay here without worry. I will bring you food on time."

Xiao Xiao smiled and reassured Yang Jia, then gave her a brief overview of the materials left behind by the Old Chairman...

... He could only get a rough understanding of it. Xiao Xiao had to admit that he had never really thoroughly studied what the Old Chairman had left behind.

"That..."

After Xiao Xiao settled her in and was about to leave, Yang Jia suddenly hesitated and said to Xiao Xiao, "For me, seeing those secrets felt like a second awakening."

"But before, I was very stubborn and refused to recognize the world. You should have woken up earlier than me, or be someone who was born with a pre-existing condition, but you never doubted me or questioned me."

"Now that I've found a new target, you're still confident in cooperating with me..."

"... Is it because these are things you originally wanted to do, or is it also partly because of me?"

"..."

"Um?"

Xiao Xiao was somewhat surprised to hear these words.

I never expected Yang Jia to ask such a question.

Thinking about it carefully, I don't think I ever questioned Yang Jia at all; at most, I just thought she was a bit reckless.

In fact, both her unconditional trust before her second awakening and her full cooperation after her second awakening were because these were things she originally wanted to do!

Perhaps it was simply their shared desire to avoid staying in this bizarre world that made their goals similar...

Since Yang Jia had asked, Xiao Xiao hesitated for a moment, but this hesitation remained only in his mind. On the surface, he showed no hesitation whatsoever, naturally nodding slightly to Yang Jia and smiling:

Don't overthink it.

"What I think doesn't matter. As long as it's what you want to do, I will support you to the end!"

"..."

When Yang Jia saw Xiao Xiao off from the small building, she remained outwardly calm and intellectual, but Xiao Xiao, with his keen insight, clearly sensed that she was deeply moved inside...

For example, she didn't even realize that he had stolen the lighter from her pocket under the guise of a gentle hug during their parting.

Now that things have come to this point, all forces must be mobilized.

After leaving the small building, Xiao Xiao also pondered seriously for a while. However, this so-called serious thinking was just a brief pause, a mental review. In his conscious world, he had repeatedly thought about, deliberated, and struggled many times, but on the surface, it seemed as if he had not thought about it seriously at all. All decisions were made so easily. Even the people of Black Gate City did not know that he had such a serious thinking process, but they had become accustomed to accepting his style of making important decisions so casually.

"The Mysterious Source, or rather, Mister Du's body, still needs to be dealt with."

Mister Ye patiently waited until Xiao Xiao had met with Doctor Anti and then escorted Yang Jia into the small building before coming out to talk to him. "I am very good at this, Chairman, you can rest assured."

"It's too complicated to explain, so from now on we'll just use the code name 'Dragonbone' to describe it."

Xiao Xiao replied with a smile, "In addition, obtaining the Dragonbone is only the first step of the Noah Project. According to the Old Chairman's description, the second step of the Noah Project is also a very important issue."

"Seven major components, or rather, seven rare and precious S-grade special elements."

"..."

Mister Ye agreed wholeheartedly, softened his voice, and said, "Each S-grade special element is exceptionally precious, especially since we need some specific special elements that even Black Gate City doesn't have."

"Normally, this would require many cities and many strangers to help us search before we could possibly obtain it."

"That's probably why the Dante Organization left so easily when they saw that we wouldn't listen to their advice; they didn't think we could really collect all of these things."

"Theoretically speaking, only a massive organization like Dante or Hell would have the ability to assemble these things."

"..."

Xiao Xiao nodded in agreement and said, "It might sound a bit difficult, but that's okay. We can handle it eventually if we take our time."

"What we need to do now is just the first step: find out where these things exist."

"..."

He didn't say much to Mister Ye, still preoccupied with his money-making plans, and quietly disappeared down the street.

At this time, Black Gate City should have been celebrating its victory in the battle against the Mysterious Source, but because they had to outwardly mourn Yang Jia's death, they had to suppress their excitement.

Besides Ruan Ruan.

Ruan Ruan was really excited. She had retrieved the camera that Little Four had persuaded her to place earlier, and after carefully observing its contents, she felt a deep sense of satisfaction.

Panic, eeriness, and all sorts of aberrations and mysterious phenomena—these are things that cameras cannot capture.

However, the same video, if viewed by the indigenous people, is just a group of people dancing wildly in the air, but if viewed by outsiders, they can see the bizarre scenes in the video through the influence of Mysterious Source. Just like Xiao Xiao, when he first saw the surveillance footage that the Rabbit Boss showed him, he saw himself wandering aimlessly in the air. But after he perceived it more deeply, he could see that he was indeed facing a group of mutated creatures, risking his life in extreme danger.

The video that Ruan Ruan received was just like this, and she showed it to the indigenous people, perhaps for no apparent reason.

But it's enough for strangers.

So, she carefully reviewed it several times, meticulously edited it, adjusted the rhythm and visuals, and then, satisfied, began frantically typing on the keyboard:

Family members, does anyone understand...?

Our Grand Master of Black Gate City has once again revealed his cruel yet captivating charm. Just recently, a foolish and Mysterious Source invaded our Black Gate City, only to be slain by him with a smile...

Of course, that's not the main point. The main point is that our conference president has actually found a partner...

The Old Auntie also considers herself to have a rich romantic history and exceptional taste and experience in flirting, but I must admit that I am shallow in front of our president.

What about you?

A clearly filmed video, complete with perfectly fitting background music, appeared on the Strangers forum.

The Old Auntie has hundreds of thousands of followers and wields considerable influence and appeal on the forum. Her posts immediately went viral online.

The events that occurred earlier in Black Gate City had already attracted the attention of outsiders from various cities. Many people had reported that a Mysterious Source had invaded Black Gate City. Furthermore, this Mysterious Source had also involved key members of large organizations such as City of Rest and the Hell Organization, which had garnered much attention. However, the information previously leaked was mostly fragmented, only mentioning that the secondary Mysterious Source codenamed Mister Du had failed, and that several veteran outsiders, including the Red Heart Knight of City of Rest, had unfortunately died in this war.

Black Gate City also suffered heavy losses, and Black Hand Yang Jia in the outsider community, also died in the battle.

But the more fragmented the news, the more intriguing it becomes, and many people have already posted on forums seeking the truth.

Then, the ever-reliable and well-known online personality, "Old Auntie," stepped in, not only providing a detailed first-person account of her experience but also including a video...

As a result, everyone in the forum witnessed Xiao Xiao and Yang Jia dancing intimately together, saw Xiao Xiao tenderly putting the ring on her finger, and saw the two passionately kissing amidst the eerie atmosphere.

Then we saw Xiao Xiao shoot Yang Jia dead.

After a brief, orderly silence, the entire forum suddenly erupted into an explosive reaction.

[Black Plum: What kind of melodramatic, twisted, beautiful, and heart-wrenching drama is this?]

[The vigilante: Oh dear, you just got a successful proposal and it's already collapsed? Don't you want to consider consummating the marriage first?]

[Patient 20220930: Wedding! Gifts given! Wedding gifts received!]

[It's really spooky: I'm totally blown away! Is this crazy warlord of Black Gate City even got such a complicated love life?]

[Ai Xiu is so great: No wonder he was able to kill the Mysterious Source; with no woman in his heart, his sword strikes are naturally divine.]

[Aoyama Ariaki: This Old Auntie is awesome! This Old Auntie posts photos...]

[...]

"It's going to be a hit, it's going to be a hit..."

Ruan Ruan sat in front of the computer, her short, white legs trembling excitedly.

This post is going to break my view record again; the points in my feedback log are skyrocketing...

That silly boy Little Four only knows how to secretly pick up points cards during battles. Doesn't he realize that no matter how many he picks up, he can only earn a pitiful few points?

Look at your sister, every time she posts, her income skyrockets...

The key point is that not only do you earn a lot of points, but the emotional value is also exceptionally strong...

Excitedly Ruan Ruan watched her points accumulate in the backstage area, almost jumping up and waving her little whip in a joyful dance. However, she didn't notice that a thin figure had appeared in her room without her noticing. This figure appeared silently, as if it had slowly grown out of the floor. It first looked around curiously, its gaze sweeping over the whip, candles, barbed black briefs, leather jacket, and other items. Its expression became somewhat embarrassed, and it covered its eyes, letting out a soft sigh.

"Who?"

Ruan Ruan was startled, and her computer chair almost tipped over with a crash. She grabbed the wrench she had placed on the table in a panic and turned around.

Then she saw Xiao Xiao standing helplessly behind her, enduring the pain of having his gaze contaminated. Her expression immediately became even more terrified, and she slammed the computer shut.

Why are you here?

Ruan Ruan's eyes widened. "You're just barging into a single girl's bedroom like that, is that okay?"

"Are you sure this is a girl's bedroom and not a torture chamber for criminals?"

Xiao Xiao felt a little embarrassed and couldn't help but ask, "By the way Ruan Ruan, have you seen a psychologist recently?"

"You have the nerve to tell me to see a psychologist?"

Ruan Ruan couldn't help but show a look of surprise on her face, but she still answered honestly, "I did see a doctor not long ago. The doctor was very bad at talking at first. After I beat him up, he said that I was very mentally healthy."

"..."

Xiao Xiao was somewhat helpless and could only nod. "Alright then!"

Ruan Ruan remained vigilant. "What are you doing here all of a sudden?"

Xiao Xiao tried to forget everything he had seen at Ruan Ruan's place and focused on the important matter at hand. He said seriously, "I heard you're quite famous online now?"

Ruan Ruan's face immediately turned pale, and she shook her head, saying, "What fame? I never go online."

"..."

Xiao Xiao was somewhat helpless and said, "What lies are you telling me? Can't you at least show some respect for me as an observer?"

Ruan Ruan was filled with despair. After a long while, she sighed helplessly and murmured, "Then tell me, what do you want me to do..."

Will I lose points?

Losing points is fine, but if they ask me to delete the post, I'll fight them to the death.

Just as he was lost in thought, he saw Xiao Xiao reveal a mysterious smile and say, "Could you post an advertisement for Black Gate City on the forum?"

Ruan Ruan's expression froze for a moment. "What advertisement?"

Xiao Xiao smiled mysteriously and handed a written note to Ruan Ruan.

Ruan Ruan glanced at it, and her expression immediately stiffened:

"The Black Gate City's magical wish-granting mechanism is now online! The first ten wishers will enjoy a 1% discount!"

I'll update 7,500 words first. If my train of thought is flowing smoothly, I'll continue updating tonight. I just don't know if I can finish before midnight.