Like Worlds Apart (Part 2)

Zheng Zha let out a deep sigh of relief. He looked out the window at the scenery. This was indeed the place where he worked as a supervisor. The sun was shining brightly outside, and a flock of pigeons flew by. The peaceful atmosphere, the faint human voices – this was the real world where he was born and raised. There were no monsters, no Aliens, no T-virus, and certainly no constant fear. The peaceful real world felt like heaven.

In a daze, Zheng Zha suddenly found the real world so unfamiliar, as if it were a past life from another world. After struggling through the terrifying reincarnation, he had finally been reborn and returned.

Loli patted her chest and said, "I was so scared just now. I was afraid I was just an illusion created by that orb of light. Hehe, it turns out we can really return to the real world. Now I can finally relax... Big pervert, what are you thinking about?"

Zheng Zha shook his head. Something appeared in his mind – information left by the "Main God." Within thirty days in the real world, he could not speak of anything related to the "Main God" space in any way, otherwise, he and all his belongings would be erased.

After thirty days, he had to return to this office. The "Main God" would bring him back to the "Main God" space. At the same time, he had to physically touch all his belongings, otherwise, the items would be left behind in the real world. If an item was unique to the "Main God" space, its existence would be erased. If he did not return to the office after thirty days, then he and all his belongings would be simultaneously erased.

"So, I can't say anything about that place, and I have to come back here in thirty days. And I have to hold Loli's hand, right?"

Zheng Zha nodded secretly, committing these precautions to memory. Then he said, "Let's go, Lier. I'll take you to meet my parents."

Loli obediently took his hand, smiling as she followed him. The two then pushed open the room door and walked out.

Outside the office were busy office workers, dozens of them hunched over their desks typing on keyboards or handling documents. Some were chatting and laughing. When Zheng Zha and Loli walked out of the room, many people subconsciously looked over, and then they all froze. For a moment, the entire hall fell silent.

"Director Zheng..."

"Zheng Zha..."

After a few seconds of silence, they all crowded around, chattering and asking questions. In general, they were all asking about Zheng Zha's whereabouts during these past days.

Zheng Zha casually joked a few times, pulled over a familiar young man, and walked towards the stairs. After getting out of the crowd's encirclement, he asked the young man, "Wang San, how long have I been away from the company? What's the situation now?"

The young man named Wang San took out a pack of cigarettes, offered Zheng Zha one, and said, "Brother Zheng, is everything alright at home? Why did you leave without a word? You should have at least left a message for us brothers. No one knew where you were this time, and that bitch Zhao Lei used your absence as an excuse to fire you. Now the supervisor is her old lover, Li Liangdong. We brothers are all furious with that bastard Li. If you don't come back soon, we might all resign collectively."

Zheng Zha lit the cigarette and took a puff. "Something did happen... Wang San, I'll teach you a trick. Doesn't that bitch like to play in her office? Go buy a set of pinhole spy cameras, find an opportunity to get some footage from inside. Don't go too far, just use it to scare Li. He'll definitely be more obedient than your pet dog from now on... I have to leave, brothers. If anything happens at home, you take care of it. The old lady and old man aren't feeling well, take the brothers to visit them often."

Wang San was stunned. He was about to say more, but Zheng Zha had already stepped into the elevator, leaving Wang San standing there in a daze.

After Zheng Zha and Loli came out of the building, they both felt a sense of emotion. Zheng Zha felt this because he had experienced a brush with death. Although he hadn't reached a profound enlightenment, his mentality had inevitably changed. His heart had likely become more weathered.

As for Loli, she was amazed. Her memories were still from ten years ago. The area hadn't been developed yet; low-rise houses were everywhere, and the roads were uneven dirt paths. Now, as far as the eye could see, there were tall buildings, wide straight roads, and a dense crowd of people all around. After they left the building, they were quickly swallowed by the sea of people.

Loli was jostled by the crowd a few times. Zheng Zha quickly scooped her up, half-carrying her. The little girl's face immediately turned red with shyness, but a sweet smile appeared on her face. She giggled and said, "It's changed so much! If you left me here alone, I guarantee I'd get lost in a few minutes. Hehe, I might even get kidnapped by human traffickers..."

Zheng Zha hugged her tightly and said, "I won't abandon you... Never!"

Loli smiled even more sweetly, practically hanging all over Zheng Zha. She giggled and asked, "What should we do next? We only have thirty days. Uh, let's go see Auntie and Uncle first, then go see my mom and dad, okay?"

Zheng Zha smiled and nodded, but then he suddenly froze. After a long while, he said bitterly, "Oh no... we don't have any money. The clothes where I kept my money are in Alien One... Uh, I guess we'll have to walk."

There was nothing more embarrassing than this. He had a cubic meter of platinum and gold bars in his storage ring, but no money for a taxi. Zheng Zha truly felt like he was starving with a golden rice bowl in his hands. Helplessly, he could only hold Loli's hand and walk towards his parents' house.

It was almost noon when the two arrived at Zheng Zha's parents' home. It was an apartment building, looking like the kind of place where middle-class families in the city lived. When they knocked on the door, an old woman in her fifties opened it.

The woman's features bore a slight resemblance to Zheng Zha's. She saw him immediately and smiled, "Son, why are you here today? You weren't home last Saturday and Sunday, and your phone said you were out of service area. On a business trip? Come, come, come in."

Zheng Zha pulled Loli, who was hiding behind him, forward. He smiled at the woman and said, "Mom, look who's here?"

Loli shyly came out from behind Zheng Zha and said sweetly, "Hello Auntie, Lier is here to play."

The woman was momentarily confused, then she exclaimed in surprise and pulled Loli over, examining the little girl from head to toe. She then shouted, "Old man, come out quickly, old man!"

Zheng Zha quietly closed the door and watched the elderly couple excitedly examining Loli. The little girl was both shy and happy. Although she remained silent about her origins and whereabouts as instructed by Zheng Zha, she still made the elders overjoyed. They called Loli's parents and kept asking about Loli. Each time, Loli skillfully dodged the questions, so the elders could only talk about ordinary family matters.

About an hour later, while Zheng Zha and Loli were eating lunch, there was an extremely urgent knocking at the door. As soon as Zheng Zha's mother opened the door, two figures rushed in from outside. They were a couple, both around fifty years old. The moment they saw Loli eating, they rushed towards her. The woman hugged Loli and burst into tears, repeatedly calling out "Lier, Lier." The man, however, remained composed. Although his eyes immediately turned red, he first greeted Zheng Zha.

"Alright, alright, let's clarify things first," the middle-aged man said, pulling back the woman. With red eyes, he looked at Loli and asked, "Are you really Lier? It's impossible. We saw her die with our own eyes..."

He then turned to Zheng Zha and said, "Young Zheng, you didn't hire someone to impersonate her, did you? Speak up, what exactly is going on?" By the end, he was practically roaring.

Zheng Zha saw Loli start to cry and appear to be about to say something. He immediately patted her small hand and said, "Uncle Luo, no matter how much I joke, I would never joke about Lier... I swear here, she is indeed your Lier, your daughter Loli. As for other matters, please forgive me, but I really cannot say more."

Before the middle-aged man could speak, Zheng Zha's father shouted, "What can't you say? What is this? Do you think it's a company secret? Or your women's phone numbers? This is a matter of life and death! I'm your father, and if I tell you to speak, you speak!"

Zheng Zha smiled bitterly and shook his head. "Dad, how could I not understand what you're saying? But I really can't say it. If I do, Lier and I will die. In short, I swear she is your Loli..."

Zheng Zha's father was about to say more, but Zheng Zha's mother stopped him. This middle-aged woman was still elegant, and it was clear she must have been a great beauty in her youth. She smiled cheerfully and said, "Regardless, it's good that the child is back. If she really came back from... there, and can't talk about it, then it might be true."

The middle-aged people suddenly realized. From where? Of course, from the underworld. Old people their age were the most superstitious. Seeing their daughter, who had died ten years ago, suddenly appear, looking, acting, and speaking exactly the same, and the Zheng Zha who brought her back was stammering and unable to explain clearly, they all thought of that possibility. Loli's mother hugged her again and cried profusely.

Zheng Zha breathed a sigh of relief. His biggest worry was not being able to explain Loli's origins. Although the elders' guess was a misunderstanding, this misunderstanding perfectly explained everything, and he was happy to play along.

"Dad, Mom, Uncle, Auntie, Loli and I are only staying here for a month. We have to leave after a month." Zheng Zha said with a smile after seeing the four elders calm down.

Zheng Zha's mother's body trembled. Tears welled up in her eyes. "Son, you... you haven't, you haven't..."

Zheng Zha quickly supported his mother. He smiled and said, "Mom, no, I'm not dead. I'm still alive and well. Touch my hand, is it warm? Hehe, I mean I'm leaving with Loli... for a year or two, because there are some things we haven't finished. In a year or two, I'll bring Loli back, and then we'll never leave again."

Zheng Zha's mother cried as she squeezed his hand. Loli's mother's cries became even more mournful. The two middle-aged men exchanged glances. They began to comfort their wives separately. Loli's father said, "Yes, it's good that she's back. Why are you still crying? It's just a year or two. You've endured ten years, and this year or two will pass in the blink of an eye. Stop crying..."

Seeing the atmosphere becoming increasingly tragic, Loli looked at her aging parents and couldn't help but cry. She cried harder and harder, hugging her parents, looking as if she might faint.

Zheng Zha sighed. He walked to the window and drew the curtains. Then, he circulated his internal force to open the storage ring and poured out everything inside. A clatter of metal resounded, and platinum and gold bars, as thick as three fingers, rolled all over the living room floor, their silvery light almost blinding. Besides the gold bars, there were also submachine guns and daggers. The elders stared at him blankly.

Zheng Zha picked up a platinum gold bar and smiled. "Don't worry, I will definitely bring Lier back. These platinum gold bars are from there... they are a local specialty where Lier and I are going back to. They are very cheap there. Uncle, Auntie, you've been struggling all these years. Half of these gold bars are also Lier's contribution, so you can take half. But don't flaunt your wealth. These things are very valuable, so be very careful when you sell them. Taking out one gold bar at a time is enough."

Compared to his words, the piles of platinum and gold bars were more shocking. For a moment, the entire hall was silent, with only Loli's soft sobs. At this moment, no one noticed that at the bottom of the handle of the High-vibration particle cutting dagger on the floor, a tiny black dot flashed a faint green light. It was only for an instant, and then it returned to the black of the handle, as if it had never flashed. No one noticed any of this