Xiao's Chairman's Honeymoon Trip (Six Thousand Words)

"The Lost Island..."

Xiao Xiao silently pondered the place Yang Jia had mentioned, a sense of mystery and the unknown rising within him.

Initially, the Mysterious Source were the city itself in the eyes of the strangers. Later, they discovered that they were merely spiritual beings parasitizing the city. However, the Mysterious Source remained powerful and invincible to the strangers. After killing Mister Du, Xiao Xiao realized that the Mysterious Source were not invincible. After the City of Rest incident, he further realized that there was no need to romanticize those Mysterious Source. They were truly just spiritual beings, perhaps powerful, but they could also make mistakes, feel fear, and even try to escape...

Even so, Xiao Xiao still found it hard to imagine what level of existence an island that instilled fear in these creatures and was forgotten by this world was.

What is the relationship between this island and that hellish place that imprisoned Patient Zero?

I don't understand...

He thought about it helplessly, and for a moment he couldn't muster the motivation to study the island and figure out what secrets it held.

Now trapped in confusion, Xiao Xiao has even lost his curiosity about the world.

So, facing the worried and solemn Yang Jia, he remained silent for a long time before finally letting out a long sigh and saying, "Let them be. I'm not really interested in figuring out what they're up to."

"I don't even understand what I'm supposed to do right now..."

"..."

Yang Jia was clearly surprised by his reaction. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Why?"

"Because I understand what has happened in this world."

Xiao Xiao sighed deeply before saying, "That's why I'm a little annoyed. I know that the Noah Project is progressing very smoothly, and from a rational point of view, I know what the right thing to do is, and I also have the option to protect myself."

"But..."

"..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I don't like it."

Yang Jia's expression changed slightly. She had come here to ask Xiao Xiao some questions, but because the secret she had discovered earlier was too oppressive, she was eager to tell Xiao Xiao.

After I finished speaking, I realized that Xiao Xiao's condition seemed to be even worse than I had imagined.

His expression turned worried, and he asked, "So what do you plan to do?"

"Intend..."

Xiao Xiao hesitated for a moment, then suddenly smiled and said, "Let's eat dumplings. My mom makes really delicious dumplings."

"... That's what she always thought!"

"..."

When Xiao's Mom saw Yang Jia arrive, she made sure to give the two young people plenty of time, finishing all her tasks outside before coming in. However, upon entering, she found the two of them lounging on the sofa and sitting in the chair opposite them, looking rather serious, which was disappointing. But she had no choice but to entertain them with a meal first. Naturally, Yang Jia and Xiao Xiao couldn't just sit there any longer, so they both came over to help. Yang Jia, in particular, felt a little embarrassed because she hadn't brought any gifts, so she could only help with the chores.

The three of them made dumplings, prepared a few side dishes, sat down together, and happily ate lunch.

Yang Jia noticed that Xiao Xiao's behavior was off and felt somewhat worried, but she didn't want to ask him about it in front of Xiao's Mom.

Xiao Xiao, on the other hand, ate his meal slowly while pondering these problems that were troubling him. After a long while, as he was about to finish his meal, he suddenly said to Yang Jia, "How about we go on a trip?"

Yang Jia was quite surprised. "Travel?"

"Right."

Xiao Xiao nodded and said, "Black Gate City isn't too busy right now, is it?"

Because of his Mind Burst ability, he always takes longer to think about things than others. Even while making dumplings and eating the meal together, he was still thinking.

His rational judgment and his emotional reluctance nearly tore him apart.

Coupled with Yang Jia's worries, he suddenly realized that what he was doing was not just his own business.

So why not go out for a walk?

Thinking to himself, he slowly said to Yang Jia, "As you know, after graduating from high school, I was in a bad state and was trapped in my bedroom for four years, without seeing anything."

"Now that I'm out here, I should definitely take a good look at this world and see what I've missed."

"..."

Yang Jia sensed something unusual in Xiao Xiao's words. After a slight hesitation, she said directly, "Okay."

"Ouch..."

However, when Xiao's Mom heard Xiao Xiao recount the events of those four years, she suddenly became a little worried. Are all young people these days so realistic when it comes to dating?

How can I possibly talk to people about something like this...?

Busy trying to change the subject. "Going on a trip would be nice, but I don't know if Xiao Yang can get time off..."

"... What does Xiao Yang do for a living?"

"..."

Hearing such a down-to-earth conversation, Yang Jia was taken aback for a moment, and said, "I'm a doctor, a psychiatrist..."

"Hmm..."

Xiao's Mom was taken aback for a moment, recalling that her child hadn't seemed to have any issues in this area before. Now that they'd found a psychiatrist, she had to admit, the specialty was quite relevant...

The confusion of this one individual within Black Gate City has not affected the current global situation.

The chaos of the world arrived as expected, and it spiraled out of control. Cities became hostile to each other, attacking one another, and the war snowballed, drawing in more and more cities. Amidst this chaos, Black Gate City remained silent—or rather, only in a show of silence. In reality, amidst the attacks between cities around the world, Record Player Miss had been playing a crucial role as an arms dealer. Wherever there was excitement, she became increasingly popular, accumulating points to a frightening degree.

As the initiator of this war, Black Gate City has always been under intense scrutiny.

Previously, when similar problems arose, it was always the City of Rest who stepped in to mediate. The Dante Organization would do so occasionally, but it would not make it their primary concern.

Now that Dante Organization has disappeared and City of Rest has been completely destroyed, it is natural that many people have thought of asking Black Gate City to step in.

Some people are trying to curry favor with Black Gate City amidst this chaos. After all, Black Gate City is currently the most dangerous city, and if they form an alliance with them, probably no one will dare to provoke them.

Some people were thinking, didn't the guild leader of Black Gate City say he wanted to hold another banquet?

Choose them...

Once the election is completed, perhaps we won't have to fight each other anymore. Wouldn't it be better if we could just sit down together, eat and drink?

Torn between conflicted feelings and unable to reach the silent Black Gate City, some people were forced to turn to the forums, frantically tagging "Old Auntie" to secretly inquire about Black Gate City's current situation.

The Old Auntie, thoroughly annoyed, could only reply, "I don't know, I'm not sure, I don't understand."

"You guys fight your battles first, anyway, our president is on vacation."

"..."

Those who received the news were completely bewildered. "A vacation?"

"The world is already in complete chaos, and that most dangerous guy has actually gone on vacation?"

"How do I feel..."

"... This behavior is surprisingly in line with his public persona?"

"..."

Of course, those who vaguely sensed that Black Gate City couldn't be relied upon to do anything in this war could only focus on dealing with their current predicament. However, a few cities did manage to break free from this predicament. For example, the city that handed over the Nightmare Anchor to Red Eyes Ling Ping for only 30,000 points, considering itself to have a ticket, had such an ambiguous relationship with Black Gate City that it made several of his rival cities hesitant to act rashly against him, thus temporarily protecting them.

Similarly, the city that voluntarily handed over the Eternal Helmsman also rushed to cling to Old Zhou Under the Bridge the Black Gate City, claiming to have the ticket as well.

The city where Xiao Xiao bought an S-level item with two hundred points had a sudden inspiration and publicized the matter widely. Surprisingly, this frightened his rival city, which, despite having the upper hand, took the initiative to ease tensions and form an alliance with them.

This led to the growing awareness of the importance of "ship tickets" among the outsiders. Possessing a ship ticket meant being an ally of Black Gate City, and no one dared to provoke them in this chaotic situation.

The only difficulty is that the city still retains its Barren Sail, and the nagging toothbrush that gives it a daily headache:

"Why aren't they here yet?"

"Didn't the envoy from Black Gate City promise to exchange thirty points for our city's Barren Sail? The contract was even signed..."

Why haven't they come yet?

"Could it be..."

"..."

The more he thought about Black Gate City's modus operandi, the more panicked he became. "Could it be that they've already planned to target our city as the next target of their grand feast?"

"Damn it, I knew those two women were crazy and unreliable..."

"If all else fails..."

"..."

They discussed, "Shall we use up some points to buy this thing and send it to Black Gate City?"

"Now that we're out here, let's take a good look around!"

When Xiao Xiao quietly left Black Gate City, Yang Jia decided to come with him. Xiao's Mom was very supportive, and even encouraged the two of them to come together while eating dumplings that day. She also hinted that since they were young, they should save money and book as few rooms as possible...

For Yang Jia, her feelings about following Xiao Xiao were quite complex. Having already heard Xiao Xiao's account of Patient Zero and the transverse mental resonance event that impacted the entire world before leaving Black Gate City, she thoughtfully said to Xiao Xiao after some consideration, "In my opinion, Noah Project must be carried out. Perhaps it seems cold-hearted, but I truly believe that resolving all this strangeness and truly returning us to real life is the goal we've always pursued..."

"However, I understand your confusion, so I'm willing to go out with you and try to find the answer."

"After all, compared to the progress of the Noah Project, perhaps the determination to carry it out is more important to us."

"..."

Xiao Xiao, who was still in a state of confusion at the time, was deeply moved after hearing Yang Jia's words and hugged her tightly.

He had always known that Yang Jia was the kind of person who was very determined once she set her mind on a goal, so he had worried that she wouldn't understand his inner conflict. But he never expected that she would be so resolute.

But she is willing to understand herself and give herself time.

"Then take a good look at this world..."

Holding Yang Jia's hand, Xiao Xiao took a deep breath and quietly entered the Mist Sea.

Yang Jia was somewhat confused. "When did we start holding hands so naturally? Has he never formally confessed his feelings or anything like that?"

"But what can we do? He's going through a period of uncertainty right now, so let's just go with it..."

"..."

"..."

For four years, I confined myself to Xiao Xiao bedroom, but now I want to see the world in order to unravel the confusion within myself.

Xiao Xiao didn't pre-set any questions or answers for himself. He simply went to see, keeping himself in a realistic state, and walked through city after city. This allowed him to almost perfectly avoid the strangers in any city, just like an ordinary tourist, observing the lifestyles in each city, the busy yet indifferent crowds, and their lives in the concrete jungle, like a mobile game NPC diligently walking along his own path.

He and Yang Jia, as if from outside the world, coldly observed all of this.

They saw rampant rioters and idle government offices in various cities.

They witnessed brawls involving hundreds of people in the heart of the city, and saw women being raped in alleyways while police officers leisurely sipped coffee in a coffee shop just fifty meters away.

I saw groups of unemployed people sitting blankly in the park, surrounded by mountains of garbage.

I saw drug addicts wandering the streets like zombies.

They saw groups of students, tattooed, carrying bottles of liquor, and smoking cigarettes, blocking adults returning home from get off work on the street and demanding money from them.

I saw unemployed and indebted people crying on the roadside.

I also saw young girls carrying suitcases, standing on the street like commodities, letting passing men choose them, and being taken home by these god-like men, where they would have dinner and a place to stay.

They saw the vibrant lives of the rich, and they also saw the bleak world of the poor.

Yang Jia also looked at all of this with surprise and doubt.

This power to see the world from a realistic perspective is something that outsiders don't possess. Xiao Xiao is someone who lives in the cracks, so he has this ability. And now, Xiao Xiao has the ability to pull Yang Jia into the realistic world as well. So the two of them saw what the world looked like together. Yang Jia never expected that the original intention of this trip was to help Xiao Xiao get rid of his confusion, but the person who was stimulated even more was herself.

From the perspective of a stranger, everything appears bizarre and terrifying.

But as the trip progressed, she increasingly felt that some of the things she saw in reality were even more terrifying than what she saw from the perspective of a stranger.

They gradually spoke less and less.

Even Yang Jia, who has always been steadfast, began to waver slightly after witnessing all of this...

Could opening the gates of hell really destroy the world?

Could the execution of the Noah Project really lead to that desperate woman returning for revenge?

Perhaps, if the world is like this, then her revenge is not unacceptable?

"Investigator Xiao?"

Throughout the entire journey, the people of Black Gate City never contacted them, and it seemed as if everyone in the stranger's world had vanished.

Surprisingly, the Black Goat Club would occasionally try to contact Xiao Xiao, initially by phone, but after Xiao Xiao refused to answer, they switched to emails and messages.

"The matter in City of Rest was handled very well. The higher-ups are very satisfied and have decided to give you a large bonus..."

"Investigator Xiao, I heard you've been on vacation lately?"

"Investigator Xiao, a month has passed. How have you been resting?"

"Mr. Xiao, the company is considering allocating housing. Would you prefer a large apartment in the city center or a villa in the suburbs?"

"..."

I like peace and quiet.

Xiao Xiao only replied to this one message, and then continued to remain out of the public eye.

On the other hand, the Black Goat Club, after receiving Xiao Xiao's reply, seemed to be energized and began tentatively asking, "Mr. Xiao, the company is organizing a social event with caviar, one jar per person. Would you like to come?"

"Mr. Xiao, the company has encountered a tricky situation and we would like to ask for your help. Do you have some time?"

"Mr. Xiao, the Hell Legion's expansion in City of Rest is getting a bit out of control. Would you be willing to take a look?"

"..."

Xiao Xiao ignored these questions and simply turned off his phone to continue his trip.

From one city to another, walking in the shadows of steel buildings, looking at those festering, bleeding scars, it was a shocking sight.

He seemed to have distanced himself from the circle of strangers, unaware of what had become of the place, and even less aware of what the Black Forest was currently anxious about. He simply observed the world with his own eyes.

"He hasn't come back yet?"

Similarly, in Black Gate City, the Shepherds's brows furrowed as he failed to contact Xiao Xiao once again.

"No."

Senior investigator Mr. Wild Dog looked embarrassed and helpless. "From the beginning until now, he has only answered questions about house selection, and has ignored everything else."

"We can't keep dragging this on..."

The Shepherds looked distressed. "I just received commendation from above, and who knew this would happen?"

"Those old guys up there are starting to get dissatisfied. To be honest, the Noah Project has been able to move forward so quickly, all thanks to us. But they're really not satisfied. They keep saying that we've reached the crucial moment of advancing the third step of the plan, and they keep questioning why we haven't taken any action yet. Damn it, when we couldn't even get to the first step, why weren't they this anxious? Just because we work hard and do a good job, does that mean we deserve to work overtime?"

"..."

Mr. Wild Dog stared blankly, not daring to answer. He felt a sense of awe and fear towards the company's rarely seen senior executives that was no less than that of a stranger.

"Just because you do a good job doesn't mean you deserve to work overtime."

But just then, the black screen behind the Shepherds suddenly lit up, revealing a figure wearing a red mask who spoke calmly, "It's because some of the Hell Organization's recent actions have threatened our plans."

"Therefore, we can only push forward the Noah Project as soon as possible."

"Besides..."

"..."

He paused slightly and said, "We made you work overtime, didn't we pay you overtime pay?"

"Whoosh!"

The Shepherds turned to look at the screen, his expression slightly cold. He was no longer in the Black Forest, but in the Black Goat Club.

Therefore, he did not understand why someone's signal could be received without his consent, and even, by listening to the other party's instructions, he could be monitored.

With a slight flicker in his eyes, his gaze swept over the other person's cuff and caught sight of the gold button. He immediately understood the other person's identity, quickly suppressing the coldness that flashed across his face and revealing a smile, saying, "A member of the council?"

"The council?"

Beside the Shepherds, Mr. Wild Dog was startled, glanced at the screen, and quickly lowered his gaze again.

The most mysterious council in the upper reaches of the Black Forest?

Haven't they been missing for a long time?

"Yes."

The other party responded coldly to the Shepherds's question, saying indifferently, "Everything I have said represents the council's opinion. You should understand the weight of this entrustment."

"I understand, I understand, after all, my pension is paid by you..."

The Shepherds quickly put on a smile and said, "However, I believe you have already read the reports I wrote before. Since I took charge of this work, the progress and results have been quite good, haven't they?"

"But we also have our difficulties..."

"I'm sure you've already discussed the evaluation report on our Special Investigator, so you should know that."

"He is indeed capable, but we have no way to completely influence him."

"Theoretically speaking, our Black Forest only has a cooperative relationship with him, so when he wants to take a vacation, we actually..."

"..."

"A cooperative relationship?"

On the screen, the person wearing a red mask seemed to let out a low, cold laugh, "He should just be one of our company's experimental subjects, shouldn't he?"

"Subject Zero?"

"..."

A hint of worry flashed across the Shepherds's face, and his expression became somewhat solemn. He said, "Yes."

"But I've already submitted a suggestion to the company's upper management to change his identity to Special Investigator for the Black Forest and to change our relationship to a cooperative one, and they've already agreed..."

"..."

"The council has the power to overturn any of their decisions."

The person wearing a red mask said calmly, "Furthermore, we do not believe that it is necessary to maintain a cooperative relationship with an experimental subject."

"If he is so uncontrollable, then he is not qualified to carry out such an important plan."

"..."

A deep worry suddenly arose in the Shepherds's heart, and he said in a deep voice, "Do you have a way to persuade him? Do you know just how terrifying the mental power he currently controls is?"

"We don't need to persuade him, we just need to make him obey."

On the screen, a person wearing a red mask said calmly, "After discussion, the council believes that the World Upgrade Project has reached its most critical moment, so we no longer need to hide our power."

"Just seven hours ago, we signed an agreement to send people from the island to help him complete his final mission."

"They are very good at making people obey, especially experimental subjects."

"..."

"Island?"

The Shepherds's pupils suddenly dilated, and his expression showed signs of panic.