Bait

"Are you Hu Le?"

After hearing Dream Qilin's explanation, Old Ping paid no attention to the matters concerning authority and robots. Instead, he hurried over to the Cube and anxiously asked toward its top.

"Yes." Dream Qilin raised his short forelimbs and awkwardly greeted Old Ping.

"You're not dead? What about the others? The other members of your group? And A Qing... is A Qing doing well?"

Old Ping's pupils suddenly lit up, as though he had found a hope he had not seen in a long time.

For twenty years, he had never moved on from that Missing Persons Case. Now that he had found someone involved in it, how could he possibly not be excited?

"Old Ping, calm down first. I am Hu Le, but not the Hu Le you knew..."

"What does that mean? If you aren't Hu Le, why do you know about the robot research group?"

"I'm Hu Le from another layer of the Dream. You can also think of me as Hu Le from another timeline. I don't know this place's history, nor do I know what has happened over these past twenty years. I'm sorry, Old Ping, but I can't answer your questions. I'm just as confused about all this..."

Listening to Dream Qilin's explanation, Old Ping's gaze dimmed again.

"Tell me about it properly once all this is over." He understood what mattered most. Now was not the time to discuss these matters; dealing with those robots came first.

With a sigh, Old Ping reached into his coat. After carefully feeling around for a while, he took out a small pouch.

He cautiously loosened its drawstring and gently shook the contents into his palm.

It was something like a usb drive. Its surface had been wiped spotlessly clean and seemed very well