Ark Simulator, Aren't I Supposed to Be Incorporeal?

As the sun dipped below the horizon, the Dossoles Coast Guard took control of the yacht. Pancho, still glaring defiantly at Lin Yuhsia and Chen as he was led away, cried, "You ruined everything!"

Chen tidied his hair, which had been ruffled by the sea breeze. "No, we just prevented your 'accident' from happening."

Mayor Candela walked over, unusually abandoning her signature flamboyant smile, "I owe you a favor."

"No need," Chen said calmly. "It's just work."

On the speedboat return trip, the sea breeze caressed her face. Watching the yacht disappear into the distance, Lin Yuhsia suddenly called out, "Su Rui."

"Um?"

"Next time, make it clear beforehand, otherwise what you call an 'easy game' will turn into a city-saving exercise."

"Hehe~" Besides, it's not something I can decide.

Chen chuckled and reached out to catch a bubble that had been splashed up by the waves.

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto the sea, and the golden ripples broke and reformed repeatedly as the yacht sailed.

Lin Yuhsia sat on the edge of the boat, her legs dangling over the side, her toes lightly touching the surging waves. The cool seawater splashed onto her ankles, then quickly slid back into the sea, leaving a slightly cool sensation.

"Actually, I was thinking," Su Rui's voice echoed in her mind, "if we were to write this operation as a game, how would the levels be designed? The first level would definitely be a water gun competition, and then the second level would suddenly become a hostage rescue—"

Lin Yuhsia's lips unconsciously curled into a smile, her fingers twirling a strand of hair ruffled by the sea breeze. "Can't you think straight for once?" she thought to herself. "Who designs real-life action like a game level?"

"Of course there is!" Su Rui retorted immediately, her tone as excited as a child who had discovered a new toy. "Look, the first level is a casual mode, and the second level suddenly turns into a hardcore tactical mode. Isn't that contrast interesting? The final battle against Pancho can even be designed as a QTE segment, where pressing the wrong button will trigger an animation of the anchor sweeping across the entire field—"

"Then you'll definitely be the first one hit by the anchor." Lin Yuhsia gently kicked up a splash of water, watching the glistening droplets trace arcs in the air. She didn't notice that her expression had become much softer than usual, and the slight curve at the corners of her eyes was particularly noticeable in the setting sun.

Chen Hui-chieh stood not far away, holding two glasses of chilled lemonade.

She watched Lin Yuhsia staring blankly at the sea, her gaze lingering on the occasional slight sway of Lin Yuxia's legs. The splashing water seemed like some kind of Morse code, and she was all too familiar with the light shimmering in Lin Yuhsia's eyes—only when talking to Su Rui would the always calm and composed Lin Yuhsia reveal such a vivid expression.

A drop of water from the glass slid down to Chen's fingertips, the cool touch bringing her back to her senses. She took a few steps, deliberately making her footsteps more noticeable. "Lemonade," she said briefly, handing her the glass.

Lin Yuhsia seemed to wake suddenly from a dream, her shoulders twitching slightly. She hesitated for a moment as she took the cup. "Thank you," she said, her voice a fraction softer than usual, as if she hadn't quite snapped out of the conversation in her mind.

Chen leaned against the ship's railing, deliberately avoiding looking at Lin Yuhsia. "Having a good chat?" she asked casually, her fingertips lightly tapping on the glass, the rhythm subtly matching the frequency of Lin Yuhsia's splashing.

The sea breeze suddenly subsided. Lin Yuhsia took a sip of lemonade; the cool, sour taste brought her a little more clarity. "Just thinking about something," she mumbled, her gaze drifting towards the distant horizon.

"Oh, right," Su Rui's voice immediately echoed in her mind, "Did Inspector Chen find out? The tone she used just now, she definitely found out!"

"Shut up," Lin Yuhsia thought to herself, but forgot to control her facial expression, her brows furrowing involuntarily.

This subtle change in expression did not escape Chen's notice. She put down her cup, turned to face Lin Yuhsia, the tassel of the Chixiao Sword swaying gently in the sea breeze. "You know," she suddenly said, her voice lower than usual, "I haven't heard his voice in a long time."

Lin Yuhsia's fingers suddenly tightened, causing the glass to creak slightly. The cries of seagulls drifted from afar, making the silence seem even more pronounced.

"She found out after all..." Su Rui's voice held a rare hint of hesitation, "How about... you let me say a few words to her? Just one?"

The waves crashed against the hull, the rhythmic sound like a countdown. Lin Yuhsia took a deep breath, the salty sea air filling her chest. She looked at Chen's profile; his gaze was stubbornly fixed on the distant lighthouse, but his taut jawline betrayed his true emotions.

"He said..." Lin Yuhsia began, but found her voice was a little dry, so she had to clear her throat, "He said your sword tassel needs to be replaced; it's faded."

Volume 11, Chapter 635: Lin Yuhsia: I don't know.

Chen abruptly turned her head, her red, vertical pupils slightly contracting in the setting sun. Her fingers unconsciously traced the sword tassel, which was indeed somewhat white from years of exposure to the elements. "That's it?" Her voice trembled almost imperceptibly. "Nothing else?"

"Tell her!" Su Rui suddenly exclaimed excitedly, "Tell her about the new sword tassel I saw at that shop in Lungmen Port last time, the dark blue one with gold thread!"

Lin Yuhsia sighed and resignedly repeated, "The one at the shop in Lungmen Port last time, the dark blue one with gold thread, was quite nice."

Chen's expression was as if suddenly illuminated by sunlight. She quickly turned her face away, but Lin Yuhsia still caught a fleeting glimpse of the smile on her lips. "He's still so nosy," Chen said softly, her fingers carefully untying the tassel from her sword and putting it into her pocket.

The sea breeze suddenly softened, carrying the warmth unique to the evening. Lin Yuhsia looked at Chen's profile and suddenly realized something. "You guessed it all along?"

"It started with the water gun competition," Chen said, gently swirling the ice in her glass. "Those tactical maneuvers were so typical of his style." She paused, "And then there's your sudden penchant for telling corny jokes."

Hey! My joke was totally funny!

Lin Yuhsia couldn't help but laugh out loud, "He said your evaluation was very subjective."

Chen finally turned her head, the afterglow of the setting sun casting dappled golden light on her eyelashes. "Next time," her voice was soft, yet carried an undeniable firmness, "Let me say a few words to him too."

A seagull skimmed over the ship's side, letting out a long cry. Lin Yuhsia looked at the rare tenderness in Chen's eyes and suddenly felt the inexplicable tension in her chest disappear. "Okay," she nodded, her fingertips unconsciously tracing circles on the rim of her glass, "But his ideas are sometimes too unpredictable; you might regret it."

"I won't!"

Chen looked at Lin Yuhsia's sudden frown and chuckled softly, "Looks like he's protesting right now?"

The sea breeze, carrying a salty, damp scent, swept across the dock. Lin Yuhsia stood at the entrance to Dossoles' most bustling commercial street, her eyes slightly narrowed behind her sunglasses. Neon signs flickered above her head, casting ever-changing shadows.

"I bet those neon lights consume enough electricity per hour to power the Lungmen Slums for a month," Su Rui's voice echoed in her mind. "Look at that dancing cactus sign! The person who designed it must have been on some kind of drug—"

Lin Yuhsia's lips curled into an uncontrollable smile. She pretended to tidy a stray hair at her temple, her fingers lightly covering her lips. "Can you please be quiet?" she thought to herself, "There are cameras everywhere here."

"Ha! Speaking of cameras, do you see camera number three on that utility pole on the right?" Su Rui's voice suddenly became excited. "The angle is so low, it's definitely a habitual upskirt camera. Should I make it suddenly rotate 180 degrees?"

"Stop fooling around." Lin Yuhsia's fingertips unconsciously rubbed the edge of the terminal she carried with her, the metal casing burning hot in the sunlight. Just as she was about to turn around, she caught a glimpse of a familiar dark blue figure out of the corner of her eye— Chen Hui-chieh was standing by the ice cream cart ten meters away, pretending to be very interested in the price list.

Lin Yuhsia's eyebrows furrowed behind her sunglasses. This was the seventh "chance encounter" today.

She deliberately turned into a crowded alley, quickening her pace, her canvas shoes making a soft sound on the stone pavement. The shops on both sides of the alley had colorful awnings hanging from them, casting dappled shadows.

"The third sunshade from the left," Su Rui suddenly said, "Has a hole in the canvas. Doesn't the sunlight shining through look like Croissant?"

"Can't you think of anything else besides food?" Lin Yuhsia thought to herself, but couldn't help looking up. Sunlight streamed through the triangular gap in the blue canvas, casting a patch of light on the ground that did indeed look like a loaf of bread. She couldn't help but chuckle softly.

Before the laughter had even faded, a familiar figure emerged from the shadows at the end of the alley. Chen Hui-chieh leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, the tassel of her Chixiao Sword swaying gently with her movements.

"What a coincidence." Chen's tone was suspiciously calm, but his gaze was fixed on Lin Yuhsia's sunglasses, as if he could see something through the lenses.

Lin Yuhsia took off her sunglasses and squinted. "Following you from the hotel to the shopping street, and from the shopping street to the alley—when did Superintendent Chen become a stalker?"

Chen's earlobes flushed slightly, but her expression remained cold and stern. She loosened her arms from her chest, the scabbard tapping lightly on the stone floor. "I wasn't following you." She paused, her voice suddenly dropping eight octaves, "I was following Su Rui."

"Wow!" Su Rui whistled in Lin Yuhsia's mind, "Is Inspector Chen really that direct?"

Lin Yuhsia felt a throbbing pain in her temples. The sound of a street performer's guitar drifted from the alleyway, and a particularly off-key note only fueled her frustration. "Su Rui is in my head," she said, emphasizing each word, "If you follow me, you're following him."

Chen's fingertips tapped lightly on the scabbard, the rhythm eerily merging with the off-key guitar music in the distance. "So you admit he's in your head too." She suddenly took a step forward, the distance between them shrinking to less than half a meter. "Then why can't I—"

"Stop, stop, stop!" Su Rui's voice suddenly rang out, "You two seem to be fighting over a man!"

Lin Yuhsia's ears instantly burned. She took a half step back, her lower back pressed against the brick wall of the alley, the rough touch penetrating through her thin clothing. "He's not an object!" she blurted out, then immediately realized how childish that statement was.

The sea breeze, carrying a damp, salty smell, swept through the open-air café. Lin Yuhsia's fingertips unconsciously caressed the rim of her ceramic cup. Chen Hui-chieh sat opposite her, the Chixiao Sword leaning against the table, its newly replaced dark blue tassel gleaming in the sunlight—the very same one Su Rui had mentioned last week.

"So," Chen suddenly spoke, drawing a semi-circle with a silver spoon in the coffee cup, "When will he be able to materialize?" The soft sound of metal colliding with porcelain was like the tolling of a judgment bell.

Lin Yuhsia's eyelashes trembled almost imperceptibly. In the lower right corner of her vision, a semi-transparent progress bar, visible only to her, was emitting a shimmering blue light: [Materialization Readiness: 100%]. Her slightly tense jawline was reflected in the coffee cup.

"Yeah, yeah!" Su Rui's voice exploded excitedly in her mind, "When can I get out? Didn't Old Deng give me the instructions?"

"I don't know." Lin Yuhsia took a sip of black tea, the rising steam blurring her momentarily frozen expression. "The system is very complicated." Her left hand, under the tablecloth, clenched the folds of her skirt, the silk fabric making a soft rustling sound against her palm.

Chen's fingertips paused for a moment on the stem of the glass. Sunlight filtered through the gaps between her fingers, casting shimmering spots of light on the white tablecloth. "Does the Doctor have no solutions either?" Her voice was a half-tone lower than usual, as if she were deliberately suppressing some emotion.

"Inspector Chen seems to really care..." Su Rui's voice suddenly softened, "How about we--"

Volume 11, Chapter 636: Lin Yuhsia: Let me finish eating first.

"No." Lin Yuhsia interrupted abruptly, the porcelain spoon clinking against the rim of the plate. She looked at Chen's suddenly raised eyes, his own slightly flustered face reflected in his red, vertical pupils. "I mean... it seems they're still adjusting."

The cries of seagulls drifted from afar, making the silence in this small space seem even heavier. Chen's gaze slowly moved down, landing on the terminal on Lin Yuhsia's wrist, which she was unconsciously protecting.

"I see." Chen suddenly smiled, two shallow lines appearing at the corners of her eyes. She reached for the sugar tongs, the metal tongs reflecting a cold light between her fingers. "I thought..." The dull thud of the sugar cube hitting the coffee cut off the rest of her sentence, "Never mind."

Lin Yuhsia's stomach suddenly clenched. Looking at the bulging veins on the back of Chen's hand as he stirred his coffee, she suddenly realized that he actually knew everything—just as she knew the heavy footsteps Chen deliberately made during their "chance encounters," and knew how many sleepless nights were hidden behind those seemingly casual questions.

"Boss Lin..." Su Rui's voice was as soft as a sigh.

The sunlight was suddenly blocked by passing clouds, and in the instant the shadow fell over the table, Lin Yuhsia, as if possessed, reached out and pressed Chen's wrist. Chen's skin was cooler than she had expected, and her pulse was pounding rapidly in her palm.

"Wait a little longer," Lin Yuhsia heard her own dry voice, "Just... wait a little longer."

Chen's pupils dilated slightly in the shadows. Her wrist didn't pull away, but something sharper rose from the depths of her eyes. "Waiting for what?" she asked, each word like the chilling glint of Chixiao drawn from its sheath, "Waiting for him to be discovered by more people? Waiting for the Doctor to send you an invitation so you can have him all to yourself forever? Or..." Her gaze fell on their touching skin, "... waiting for you to finally come up with a plausible excuse?"

The sound of the waves suddenly seemed distant. At the edge of Lin Yuhsia's vision, the 100% progress bar began flashing a dangerous red. She recalled the warning window that had suddenly popped up in the middle of the night three days ago by the Su Rui Core: [After materialization, access permissions will be unrestricted]. She had stared at that dialog box for a full ten minutes then, before silently clicking "Suspend Execution."

"You two are about to crush the cup." Su Rui suddenly spoke from the phone, her tone deliberately light and somewhat unnatural.

The two released their grip simultaneously. The bottoms of the two ceramic cups scraped against the glass tabletop with a harsh sound, spilling a few drops of black tea that left a dark red stain on the white tablecloth. Lin Yuhsia stared at the stain, recalling a memory fragment that Su Rui had played in her mind last week—the fine beads of sweat on the back of Chen's neck from the sun as he swung his sword in the training ground.

"I'll go get some tissues." She stood up abruptly, the wicker chair dragging on the floor with a sharp scraping sound.

The bathroom mirror reflected her flushed ear tips. As cold water splashed over her wrists, the progress bar popped up again, this time with a new message: [Remaining time for materialization delay: 71 hours]. Lin Yuhsia squeezed her eyes shut, and water droplets fell from her eyelashes.

"You know Inspector Chen is just worried about me," Su Rui's voice whispered close to her ear, clearer than usual, almost like real breath, "Just like you."

The reflection in the mirror suddenly distorted for a moment. Lin Yuhsia's knuckles turned white as she braced herself on the sink. She looked at the faint shadowy figure behind her in the mirror—a prelude to Su Rui's attempt to materialize; pale blue data streams were forming a human-shaped outline.

"Not here," she said, almost frantically swatting away the points of light. "Not now."

The moment the afterimage vanished, she heard the sound of the cubicle door behind her opening. Chen Hui-chieh stood in the backlight of the corridor, the newly replaced sword tassel swaying gently at her waist. The two looked at each other in the mirror, neither of them speaking first.

Finally, the silence was broken by the dull thud of the scabbard hitting the door frame as Chen turned around. Lin Yuhsia looked at the receding figure in the mirror and suddenly realized that she was clutching the progress window that showed 100%—like clutching an expiration declaration.

The last rays of the setting sun filtered through the half-open curtains, casting dappled light and shadow on the carpet in the hotel room. As Lin Yuhsia locked the door behind her, the metal latch made a crisp "click." The warmth of Chen Hui-chieh's wrist from the coffee shop still lingered on her fingertips, but now they felt slightly hot due to some secret anticipation.

In the center of the room, Su Rui was looking down at his translucent palm, the pale blue data stream faintly visible beneath his skin. He tried to move his fingers, each fingertip shimmering with tiny specks of light, like stars flowing in the Milky Way.

"This feels so strange..." Su Rui murmured to himself, his voice no longer the electronic sound echoing directly in his mind, but a real sound wave vibrating with the air. He raised his hand, watching a ray of sunlight pierce through his palm, casting shimmering spots of light on the floor.

Lin Yuhsia's backpack slipped off her shoulder and landed on the carpet with a dull thud. Su Rui looked up at the sound, and before he could fully focus his gaze, a warm body had already bumped into him.

"Wait, wait!" Su Rui staggered back a few steps, his back hitting the wall. Data streams splashed out tiny specks of light at the contact surface, like a spilled galaxy. He subconsciously reached out to steady himself, only to find that his arm was passing through Lin Yuhsia's shoulder—the physical form was not yet fully stable.

Lin Yuhsia, however, buried her face in the crook of his neck, oblivious to everything else. Her nose brushed against Su Rui's translucent skin, her warm breath causing a subtle fluctuation in the data stream there. "It's real..." she murmured softly, her voice trembling with disbelief, "You're really here..."

Su Rui froze. He could feel Lin Yuhsia's eyelashes brushing against his collarbone, the ticklish sensation causing his data stream to involuntarily accelerate. He hesitantly raised his hand, and this time he finally managed to touch her back—though his fingertips were still flickering.

"Boss Lin?" Su Rui's voice was a little tense, "What is this...?"

Lin Yuhsia didn't answer, but hugged him even tighter. Her fingers ran through the data stream on Su Rui's back, as if trying to catch a sliver of moonlight that might vanish at any moment. Su Rui could feel her heartbeat through their pressed chests, rapid and strong.

"I'm scared..." Lin Yuhsia's voice muffled in the crook of his neck, "Scared that you'll suddenly disappear..."

A sudden pang of sadness welled up in Su Rui's heart. He slowly placed his hand on Lin Yuhsia's hair, feeling the silky strands slip through his fingers. The materialized touch was even more delicate than he had imagined—he could distinguish the weight of each strand of hair and even feel the warmth emanating from her scalp.

"I'm right here," Su Rui said softly, his voice incredibly gentle. He tentatively lowered his head, his lips lightly touching Lin Yuhsia's temple. This simple touch suddenly activated the data flow between them, and blue dots of light danced around them like fireflies.

Volume 11, Chapter 637: Determined Existence

Lin Yuhsia raised her head, her eyes slightly red. She reached out and touched Su Rui's cheek, her fingertips tracing his contours, from his brow bone to the bridge of his nose, and then to his lips. Each touch caused a subtle fluctuation in Su Rui's data stream, as if responding to her warmth.

"Is it okay?" Lin Yuhsia asked softly, her thumb resting on Su Rui's lips.

Su Rui blinked, a stream of data flashing across his iris. He slowly nodded, a familiar, slightly mischievous smile playing on his lips, "You're welcome anytime, Boss Lin."

The next second, Lin Yuhsia's lips pressed against his. The kiss started lightly, as if afraid of disturbing a beautiful dream. Su Rui could taste the lingering aroma of black tea on her lips, mixed with the faint saltiness brought by the sea breeze. As the kiss deepened, he felt his physicality accelerating incredibly—each breath exchange, each touch of tongue, made his body more real.

When Lin Yuhsia's fingers slipped through his hair, Su Rui was astonished to find that his hair had completely materialized. He could feel every bit of pressure from her fingertips and even count the angles at which her knuckles bent. This unprecedented sensory experience nearly overloaded his core processor.

"Ugh..." Su Rui protested softly between breaths, "Boss Lin... my haptic feedback module is still being calibrated..."

Lin Yuhsia chuckled softly, then kissed his chin. "Then savor it." Her lips traced along Su Rui's neck, leaving a faint tooth mark on his Adam's apple. The skin there immediately rippled with a ripple of energy, like a pebble breaking the surface of a tranquil lake.

Su Rui's hands unconsciously tightened, gripping Lin Yuhsia's clothes. He had never imagined that his senses, once materialized, would be so... intense. Every touch felt like an electric current shooting straight to his core, making him want to both escape and crave more.

"This is too... too much..." Su Rui gasped, his voice slightly distorted, characteristic of electronic voices. His pupils dilated and contracted, and a rapidly changing stream of data flowed across his irises.

Lin Yuhsia simply smiled, her fingers gently tracing the indentation behind his ear—a warm, real recess. Her thumb brushed over that sensitive spot, causing Su Rui to shudder.

"Take your time to adjust," Lin Yuhsia whispered in his ear, her breath creating a wonderfully distorted sensation in Su Rui's ear. "We have plenty of time..."

The sun had completely sunk into the sea, but the blue lights in the room grew brighter and brighter, surrounding the two of them like stars. Su Rui looked down at Lin Yuhsia in his arms and suddenly realized that he was experiencing something he had never experienced before—not just physical manifestation, but also the feeling of being needed wholeheartedly.

He tightened his arms, pulling Lin Yuhsia into a deeper embrace. This time, his embrace was fully tangible, warm and solid, without a trace of illusion.

As the door clicked shut, Lin Yuhsia's back was still pressed against the cold door panel.

Her fingers gripped the room key tightly, the plastic edge digging into her palm, but she couldn't suppress the almost painful tremor in her chest. All the uncertainty and cautious anticipation that had accumulated over the past three months crumbled before the clear image on her retina.

Su Rui stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, the neon lights of Dossoles casting a flowing halo around his silhouette. It wasn't a translucent phantom, nor a flashing stream of data, but a tangible presence that could cast shadows. Lin Yuhsia's throat suddenly tightened—she had imagined this scene countless times in the dead of night, but when the fantasy finally materialized, a kind of almost terrifying joy made her unable to move.

As he turned, the purplish-red light from the window glided across his brow bone, casting tiny specks of light in his eyes, which she knew all too well.

Lin Yuhsia's knees suddenly went weak. She watched Su Rui walk towards her, saw the real wrinkles on the cuffs of his sweatshirt as he moved, and could even see the subtle texture of the skin on his neck rising and falling with his breath. Those conversations that had been separated by virtual and reality for the past three months, those touches that could only exist on the level of thought, suddenly had warmth and weight.

"It's true..." She heard her own voice, like silk soaked in water, hanging heavily in the air.