The Young Man on the Rooftop

For more than a long week, Xia Xu endured merciless torment.

It was not physical torment, but purely mental. Luo Hongyun had never even touched him, yet his repeated attacks nearly drove Xia Xu to a breakdown.

This king of soldiers was completely different when demonstrating and teaching than when actually launching an attack. The difference in his aura was like night and day.

The icy killing intent radiating from his body and the bloody presence rushing toward Xia Xu made him seem like a wrathful god standing atop mountains of corpses and seas of blood. A single look was enough to make Xia Xu's heart clench and turn his mind to mush.

Still, thanks to Luo Hongyun's "hellish" training, he had gradually developed a stout heart and nerves of steel.

Now, when facing an ordinary person, he could keep from blinking even if they threw a punch straight at his eyes... Well, not blinking was all he could guarantee. Whether he could dodge was another matter, depending on his opponent's ability, his own focus and reflexes at the time, and other factors.

That day was Saturday.

Xia Xu had originally planned to continue training with Luo Hongyun at an increased intensity, but instead, he asked him for a day off.

Of course, it definitely was not to escape training. After toughing out more than a week of conditioning and evasion drills, he had actually grown accustomed to it.

He asked for leave because he had received a call from Yang Bowen. Zhang Jianmin had returned from his trip to Tibet.

It was, after all, a quality storyline that had earned him over a million without any risk. Whatever else happened, he ought to go take a look. Besides, he was curious about what happened to the characters after a "movie" ended. Would their destinies still label them as protagonists and supporting characters? What course would their lives take afterward?

Barring any surprises, The Dying Man should have ended, or at least been nearing its conclusion, after the trip to Tibet. Zhang Jianmin was the perfect person to answer those questions.

"Boss, over here."

Following the information Yang Bowen had provided, Xia Xu arrived at a café. As soon as he walked in, Yang Bowen rose from a seat in the corner and waved him over.

"Where is he?"

Xia Xu sat down opposite him, casually called a waiter over to order a coffee, then looked at Yang Bowen.

"Over there. I called and asked him to come out so we could talk."

Grinning, Yang Bowen pointed toward a seat by the window. A middle-aged man sat there with his back to them. That familiar figure could only have been Zhang Jianmin.

"Old Yang, I'm finding you craftier by the day."

Xia Xu gave him a thumbs-up, then checked Zhang Jianmin's status panel.

[The Dying Man... After returning from his trip to Tibet, Zhang Jianmin thought about how he had less than a week left to live. The tolling of his death knell seemed to echo constantly in his ears.

He had stumbled his way through the journey. Although he could hardly claim to have experienced all the wonders of the world, he could no longer seem to think of anything he deeply regretted. He also seemed to be gradually coming to terms with death.

Returning home, he looked at the empty, dark room, then at a patch of silvery moonlight spilling through the window, and suddenly felt dazed.

Rushing around and keeping busy every day, how long had it been since he had stopped and looked up to admire the bright moon and starry sky, sights that should have been utterly ordinary and familiar?

He stepped outside again and climbed the stairs to the rooftop, only to discover a drunken figure already sitting against the railing at the edge. Empty green beer cans littered the ground...]

This was a newly added portion of the storyline he had obtained from Zhang Jianmin.

The trip to Tibet was still glossed over, leaving him unable to see what had actually happened. Apparently, unless he met a supporting character connected to that scene, he could not piece together its detailed events.

Fortunately, this had not affected the display of the subsequent storyline. Once the protagonist, Zhang Jianmin, had completed his trip to Tibet, the events that followed appeared as well.

"When did he get back?"

Xia Xu looked at Yang Bowen.

It was only just past noon. It seemed Zhang Jianmin might have returned a little early because of their interference, or perhaps he had already been back for a day or two.

"Today," Yang Bowen replied. "Remember how I asked him to contact me when he got back from his trip? He'd barely made it home before I invited him out."

"Good."

Xia Xu nodded slightly and sank into thought.

Apparently, The Dying Man had a fairly substantial storyline, or perhaps the trip to Tibet actually accounted for only a small portion of it. Either way, there seemed to be another scene after his return.

A drunk on a rooftop. Would he bring danger or opportunity?

The answer was obvious. A comedy like The Dying Man could hardly end with its protagonist being killed by someone. Besides, arranging that sort of scene for a protagonist who was already about to die would be pointless.

Zhang Jianmin would go up to the rooftop to admire the moon and meet a drunk. The drunk would bring an opportunity, and that opportunity would inevitably be something Zhang Jianmin needed.

It would either be a lead that could save his life, allowing him to escape death in the end.

Or it would be money and wealth, followed by Zhang Jianmin learning at the end that he had been misdiagnosed, giving everyone a happy ending.

Either way, it was an opportunity Xia Xu could not afford to miss.

"Except it happens at night..."

Thinking about the time and location of this part of the story, Xia Xu felt hesitant and helpless.

He now regarded both nighttime and secluded areas as extremely dangerous, yet this scene involved both. The Times Royal Court Residential Complex, where Zhang Jianmin lived, was a newly developed residential community, and his encounter with the drunk would take place on the rooftop at night.

The notion that other storylines would not intrude was merely something he had used to comfort himself before. There was no way to verify it, nor even a sound theory to support it. He really did not want to take that risk.

I'll go look in the afternoon or early evening. If I miss it, so be it. No matter how much I gain, it'll be worthless if I don't live to enjoy it.

Having made his decision, Xia Xu stopped agonizing over it and leisurely enjoyed his coffee.

"Boss, do I still need to keep following him?"

Yang Bowen ordered a coffee too, but clearly could not get used to the taste. One sip left his face scrunched up.

"Probably not. Go home and get some rest."

After sending Yang Bowen off, Xia Xu remained in the café for several hours. He waited until around five before getting up and heading to the Times Royal Court Residential Complex.

The plot summary said Zhang Jianmin went upstairs after returning home, so the rooftop where he met the drunk had to be on his own building.

Besides, the beer cans littering the ground meant the drunk had spent a long time drinking on the rooftop. Going a little early should still give Xia Xu a chance of finding him.

Yang Bowen had already obtained Zhang Jianmin's address last time, so Xia Xu had no trouble reaching the rooftop of his building.

He was lucky. Or rather, his luck had always been good.

As soon as he reached the rooftop entrance, he discovered that someone had already forced the lock. Beside the outer wall directly opposite the doorway, a despondent young man sat on the ground in a corner. His right hand rested on his knee, holding a can of beer, and a large, full case sat beside him.

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