Ark Simulator, Don't I Have No Physical Form?

Su Rui looked at her for three seconds, then suddenly turned and squatted down. Jessica cheered and jumped on him, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing her cheek against the back of his neck. Su Rui lifted her up by the knees, his steps as steady as if he were on an escort mission.

"Su Rui."

"Um."

"Next time..." her voice trailed off, "I'll go with you to see him, okay?"

Su Rui paused for a moment, then continued walking. In the darkness, his voice was so soft it was almost inaudible. "... Okay."

Jessica tightened her arms around him, her lips lightly brushing against his earlobe. The moonlight stretched their shadows long, merging them into an inseparable whole.

***

Ice Brew tavern was still lit. As I pushed open the door, the deer-eared girl was wiping the last glass. She looked up at Jessica, who was clinging to Su Rui's back, the ice crystal ornaments on her antlers jingling. "Having fun?"

"So--happy!" Jessica struggled to get down, but Su Rui slapped her on the bottom, "Hey!"

Ice Brew smiled and handed over two glasses of hot milk, "Old Mark brought over a bucket of honey today, saying it was to thank someone for helping his granddaughter..."

"I didn't do it." Su Rui denied it expressionlessly, but took the milk and handed it to Jessica.

Jessica took a small sip, then suddenly jumped up as if remembering something. "I almost forgot!" She pulled out a glass bird from her backpack. "Look, a life-size statue of Su Rui!"

Ice Brew took the craft item and examined it under the light. "Hmm, the expression is indeed very similar."

"Right! Even that fierce look... Ouch!" Jessica protested, clutching her waist where she'd been pinched. "Violence is forbidden!"

Su Rui snatched the glass bird back and carefully put it in his pocket. Jessica seized the opportunity to pounce on his back, her blue hair brushing against his cheek. "Admit it, you absolutely love this gift~"

"Shut up."

"No way!"

Ice Brew shook her head and hung the "Closed" sign on the door. "The guest rooms are ready. If you want to fight, please go upstairs."

Jessica suddenly fell silent, her fingers twirling around Su Rui's collar. "Actually..." her voice trailed off, "When I found you today, I was following the scent of candied apples."

Su Rui raised an eyebrow. "Liar." They hadn't bought the candy when they met.

"Really!" Jessica looked up. "You always smell like this..." She tapped her fingertips against his chest. "Sweet, like burnt marshmallow."

Su Rui was silent for a moment, then suddenly lowered her head and sniffed the top of her head. "You too."

"Um?"

"Jasmine," his voice muffled in her hair, "And buttered bread."

Jessica's heart skipped a beat. She looked up at the Ice Brew and saw that the deer-eared girl had already discreetly disappeared into the kitchen, leaving behind only a meaningful chuckle.

Moonlight streamed through the window, illuminating the intertwined shadows of the two figures. On this ordinary night, in this lively tavern, they found something more important than their mission—

The scent of home lingers on each other.

Volume 14, Chapter 811: She seemed to know.

Jessica's fingers were twirling a strand of Su Rui's black hair, the strand sliding between her fingers like flowing water. Sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the curtains, casting dappled patterns of light on the wooden floor. Su Rui leaned against the headboard, letting Jessica play with her hair, a cup of now-cold black coffee in her hand. The room was quiet, save for the occasional birdsong from outside and the distant noise of the street.

"Su Rui," she suddenly spoke, her voice so soft it was as if she were afraid of disturbing something, "Your hand..."

His fingertips are becoming transparent.

Jessica suddenly grabbed his wrist, her grip so tight it almost crushed his bones. Su Rui didn't pull away, but simply looked at her calmly, his dark eyes reflecting her suddenly pale face. Sunlight streamed through his increasingly translucent fingertips, casting dappled shadows on the floor, like some kind of energy about to dissipate.

"You already knew?" she asked, her voice trembling.

Su Rui nodded, then stroked her cheek with her other hand, her thumb brushing against the corner of her moist eye. "Three days ago."

Jessica's breathing became rapid, her chest heaving. She stared intently at his fading fingertips, as if that could stop something. Sunlight pierced through his palm, like through a thin mist, casting blurry shadows on the floor.

"This isn't fair..." Her nails dug deep into his arm, but it was like trying to hold onto quicksand. "We clearly..."

Su Rui suddenly leaned in, his forehead touching hers. His breath was still warm, carrying the familiar bitter aroma of coffee. "Jessica."

"Shut up!" She shoved him away, jumping off the bed and hitting her knee on the bedside table, but felt no pain. "I'll go find Kal'tsit, I'll go find Rhodes Island, they'll definitely have a way—"

Jessica.

His voice wasn't loud, but it struck her like a heavy blow to the chest. She froze, her back to him, her shoulders trembling slightly. Su Rui stood up, walked behind her, and gently placed his hands on her shoulders. His body heat was fading, and the touch became as thin as mist.

"Look at me," he said.

Tears streamed down Jessica's face as she turned away. She punched him in the chest, but it felt like hitting cotton. "You bastard... you knew all along... why didn't you tell me..."

Su Rui grasped her fist and gently kissed it. A slight smile played on his lips, revealing the one she knew best—a smile tinged with a hint of helplessness, "I was afraid you'd cry."

"I wouldn't—" Her voice choked, more tears welling up, "I wouldn't cry for a jerk like you..."

The sunlight grew brighter, and Su Rui's body seemed to be plated with a layer of gold, the edges beginning to turn into fine dust of light. Jessica grabbed his collar frantically, as if that would anchor him to this world.

"Don't go..." Her voice finally broke down, her forehead pressed against his chest, "Please..."

Su Rui's chin gently brushed against the top of her head, his arm encircling her shoulder. His voice whispered in her ear, as soft as a sigh, "Remember my warmth."

Jessica kept her eyes tightly shut, feeling his heartbeat, his breathing, the rise and fall of his chest—all these familiar details were slowly disappearing.

Jessica.

"Um."

"Look up."

When she opened her eyes, Su Rui's face was already blurred in the halo of light. His fingertips brushed her lips one last time, leaving behind a barely audible utterance—

"Wait for me to come find you."

Then, he transformed into countless points of light and vanished into her embrace.

Jessica knelt on the floor, her arms still in an embracing position. Sunlight streamed through her empty arms, illuminating the cold coffee cup on the floor—beside the cup lay a hastily written note:

"Next time, it's my turn to contact you."

Outside the window, the oak leaves rustled. A speck of light landed on Jessica's eyelashes, like a farewell, or perhaps a promise.

When Ice Brew pushed open the door, Jessica was still kneeling on the floor. The deer-eared girl paused, her gaze sweeping over the empty room and the untouched cup of coffee on the floor. She didn't ask anything, but simply walked gently to Jessica's side and handed her a hot towel.

"He's gone?" Ice Brew's voice was very soft, as if afraid of disturbing something.

Jessica took the towel, clutched it in her hand, but didn't wipe her tears. "Mmm."

Ice Brew sat down beside her, the ice crystal ornaments on her antlers shimmering in the sunlight. "Will you come back?"

"He said he would," Jessica's voice was calm, but her fingers were trembling slightly. "He said... I'll come find you."

Ice Brew gently grasped her hand. "Then trust him."

Jessica looked down at her palm, where Su Rui's warmth still lingered. Sunlight shone on her blue hair, as if it were edged with gold.

"I knew he would come back," she said softly, "But..."

Ice Brew didn't press the matter, but simply sat quietly beside her. Outside the window, the wind rustled through the oak leaves.

Three days later, Jessica packed up Su Rui's things. His sniper rifle, his tactical knife, his black trench coat—everything still carried his scent. She carefully put them into a box, then sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the sunlight streaming through the window.

Ice Brew open the door and came in, carrying a glass of hot milk. "Want something to drink?"

Jessica took the cup and sipped it slowly. "Thank you."

"Where are you planning to go?" Ice Brew asked.

Jessica put down her glass, her gaze falling on the oak tree outside the window. "Go find him."

Ice Brew raised an eyebrow. "Do you know where he is?"

"I don't know," Jessica smiled, "But he said he'd wait for me to contact him."

Ice Brew a moment, then suddenly pulled a sapphire pendant from her pocket—the one Su Rui had given Jessica: "Wear this."

Jessica took the pendant, her fingertips gently tracing the surface of the gemstone. "Hmm."

A month later, Jessica left the Ice Brew Bar. She carried a simple bag containing Su Rui's sniper rifle and her memories.

"Take care." Ice Brew stood at the door, the ice crystal ornaments on her antlers sparkling in the sunlight.

Jessica turned around and smiled. "I will."

She turned and walked into the distance, the sunlight shining on her blue hair, as if it were edged with gold. The wind blew through her hair, carrying away the last trace of her lingering affection.

She knew that Su Rui would be waiting for her somewhere.

Just as he promised.

But Jessica wasn't going to just wait around. She planned to do what she could to gather information about Su Rui, learn about Su Rui past, and perhaps even find out where Su Rui might be.

With this in mind, Jessica cheered herself up.

Volume 15, Chapter 812: What are you doing here?

Bai Xue suddenly opened her eyes.

The chill of a winter night in Lungmen seeped in through the cracks in the window. She subconsciously reached for the giant shuriken beside her pillow, but froze when her fingertips touched the cold metal blade—something was lurking deep within her consciousness.

"Who?" she asked in a low voice, her knuckles tense.

[... Su Rui.]

When that voice echoed in her mind, Bai Xue's pupils suddenly contracted. It wasn't a hallucination, not a dream, but a real consciousness sharing this body with her.

"Su Rui?" She rolled out of bed, her bare feet touching the cold floor, three giant shuriken gleaming coldly in the moonlight. "How could you—"

[have no idea.]

The voice was cold and calm, yet it sent chills down Bai Xue's spine. She strode towards the bathroom, where she saw a pale face in the mirror, but her eyes—the edges of her normally amber pupils—were now tinged with a dark gold that didn't belong to her.

Lady Wenyue noticed the guards' unusual behavior three days later.

"Xue'er," the kimono-clad beauty lightly tapped her chin with her folding fan, "Your shuriken-throwing posture has changed recently."

Bai Xue's fingers, gripping the weapon, stiffened slightly. The consciousness of Su Rui lingered like a wisp of mist in the corner of her mind. Whenever she prepared to throw, unfamiliar muscle memories would surge up—how to adjust the angle of her wrist, how to predict the trajectory, and even how to hold her breath at the moment of release.

"I was just trying out a new technique." As she looked down, she heard a soft hum in her mind.

"[You're applying the wrong force.]" Su Rui commented. "[That's not how you swing Triangular Blade.]"

'Mind your own business?' Bai Xue retorted inwardly, but then heard a cold laugh that sounded like metal clashing.

During her evening patrol, she deliberately turned into an empty alley. "Come out and let's talk."

The puddles reflected her tense image. Su Rui's consciousness suddenly returned, and her right hand rose uncontrollably—three shuriken twirled between her fingers, drawing gleaming silver arcs.

[Give me ten seconds.]

"Dream on!" The tip of Bai Xue's blade was already pressed against her throat. "Believe it or not—"

Suddenly, his left hand gripped his right wrist, precisely cutting off the force. His expression in the mirror changed; his eyebrows lowered, and his lips tightened, making him look like a wild beast stuffed into a kimono.

[Waste.] Su Rui uttered short syllables through her vocal cords, her voice still as clear and cold as Bai Xue. [This arc could slice through three Originium Slug.]

Bai Xue suddenly realized that he was commenting on her throw that morning. What was even more alarming was that she actually wanted to hear specific advice.

A delicate reconciliation occurred on the seventh day.

When Bai Xue missed her tenth shuriken shot in the training field, Su Rui suddenly took over her spatial perception. The world became a three-dimensional coordinate grid in her eyes, and wind speed, humidity, and parabolic parameters flowed across the surface of her mind like data streams.

[Wrist drop three degrees.]

She did it as if possessed.

The metallic whistling sound was sharper than usual. The shuriken bounced three times off the wall before finally embedding itself deeply in the bullseye of the wooden target thirty meters away—a distance she had never been able to hit before.

"Thank you," she whispered as she retrieved the weapon.

Her consciousness flickered for a moment, like a wolf being stroked. That evening, while taking a bath, Bai Xue noticed a pale gold mark on her right shoulder blade—a totem of a sniper scope and Triangular Blade overlapping.

[The synchronization rate has improved.] Su Rui's voice was unusually weary. [Go to sleep.]

She actually fell asleep, without any warning, without any nightmares, only the unfamiliar yet reassuring metallic scent.

Change happens gradually and imperceptibly.

Bai Xue began to get used to adding double the sugar to her tea ("Blacksteel's coffee is sickeningly sweet"), would linger at higher places ("suitable for throwing points"), and even occasionally stared blankly at Lady Wenyue's goldfish bowl ("interesting angle of refraction").

During a raid on a smuggling ring, she inexplicably used the tactical throwing method taught by Su Rui. As the shuriken bounced off the wall and precisely severed the enemy's gun barrel, a voice echoed in her mind, "[Not bad]."

"Xue'er is the best," Lady Wenyue suddenly said, covering her lips with her folding fan one day, "Her throwing technique is quite sharp."