Chapter 40
After pondering for a moment, Shaer finally spoke up, “I need you to contact Adele and tell her that there’s a ‘Plague Bearer’ to ‘Cholera’s Source’ reenactment ceremony happening in Zhongta Alley, right around the Church of the Goddess of Salvation.”
Aivina’s eyelids twitched. With every word that fell from Shaer’s lips, her inner shock multiplied, and by the end, she stood up abruptly.
“Are you sure?” Aivina didn’t even notice her voice had quickened. “Where did you get this information?”
“My intelligence network,” Shaer replied vaguely, but there was no hint of deception in her words.
It was indeed her intelligence network, though it consisted solely of information gathered by Shaer herself.
Aivina paced back and forth, her mind racing.
Was this information... reliable? She was just an ordinary person.
But could an ordinary person produce a vial of potion? Could an ordinary person know the reenactment ceremony required for my journey? Could an ordinary person recognize a member of the Redemption Society at a glance and accurately name one of them, knowing her church background that only a few were aware of?
Shaer’s intelligence network was likely far more powerful than Aivina had imagined.
When did such an intelligence organization appear in Boren City? A guild? A secret cult? What exactly was this organization made of?
From what Shaer had revealed, this organization bore no ill intent; in fact, it seemed to want to help prevent a large-scale massacre.
“Thank you for the information. I’ll make sure to pass it along,” Aivina said, looking back at Shaer. “If the information proves true, I’ll pay you what it’s worth.”
“Can I get an advance on the payment?” Shaer asked.
“Uh...” Aivina hesitated for a moment before asking, “What payment?”
“A female worker from the Stone Match Factory named Lichi. She’s my sister, and I need you to get her out of Zhongta Alley and keep her safe,” Shaer explained.
“Sure, I know the factory manager. I can have her transferred to my side immediately,” Aivina agreed decisively upon hearing Shaer’s request.
With the information that the girl before her possessed, there was no way the organization behind Shaer couldn’t protect even an ordinary person. This was likely a personal request from Shaer.
Aivina also intended to use this opportunity to establish a connection with Shaer... If she could gather more information about that intelligence organization from Shaer, that would be even better.
For Aivina, anything that could be solved with money was no trouble at all.
Shaer borrowed Aivina’s paper and pen to write a letter to Lichi, assuring her not to worry, and handed it to Aivina, asking her to take it when she picked up Lichi.
After leaving the message and confirming that Aivina would go find her sister, Shaer finally breathed a sigh of relief.
She left behind the “Avenger” potion and informed Aivina that if she didn’t return, all the money from the potion should be given to Lichi. Aivina agreed to this.
After bidding farewell to Aivina, Shaer left the police station and boarded a public carriage back to Zhongta Alley.
After spending some time getting home, it was already six in the evening, and the sun had completely set.
With the information relayed and her sister’s safety secured, Shaer finally had time to start dealing with the simulation.
From the last simulation, Shaer knew she had already been infected. She didn’t even dare to meet Lichi, fearing she might infect her.
Even when leaving the potion for Aivina, it felt like she was arranging her last affairs—she had indeed prepared for the worst.
Even if she ran out of points and couldn’t reverse the outcome of death, at least she could leave her sister a sum of money that would last her a lifetime.
Back in her room, Shaer took out her notebook, took a deep breath, and began to think seriously.
The information had been passed on in advance, and as time went on, they would undoubtedly place more importance on the intelligence Shaer had provided, making it nearly impossible to house patients around the Church of the Bell Tower.
But Shaer knew that the matter was far from over.
She needed to verify some things in the simulation.
Shaer opened her notebook and wrote in Chinese.
【Find Aivina, get to Adele’s location, and have Adele take me to meet High Priest Yulis.】
【After gaining Yulis’s trust, describe the symptoms of dehydration in detail, as well as the bizarre situation of bodily fluids being rapidly extracted, to see if it can provide them with any insights.】
【If they want to investigate, it’s best to follow them the whole way, to understand how each step is done, facilitating future optimization of the process.】
Shaer paused her pen, as if a thought had struck her, and she asked in her mind.
“System?”
「Hmm?」
“Will the version of me in the simulation also have a system?”
「Does this system seem like such a cheap thing?」
「In the simulation, you will gain a sub-system that allows you to use all the abilities you already possess. Under the system’s memory correction, you won’t realize this is a sub-system.」
“Then, can I still conduct simulations with the version of me that has a sub-system?” Shaer inquired.
This time, the system didn’t respond directly. After a long pause, a box popped up.
「You can give it a try: D」
What kind of game was this system playing?
Shaer opened the system’s simulation interface and saw the time for the next simulation.
「Next Simulation: 2 Days (Year 741, June 20, 19:00) (Cost: 10 Fate Points)」
Two days later? That’s so soon?
After hesitating for a moment, Shaer continued to jot down notes.
She meticulously sketched the system’s page format in her notebook, including the interface that appeared when each page was opened.
If the sub-system in the simulation differed from her real system interface, Shaer would gain a spiritual anchor that no one else knew about. As long as she saw the system interface, she would clearly know whether she was in reality, in a simulation, or in a cutscene.
This way, the version of herself in the simulation would be able to instantly discern that she was a character in the simulation, avoiding a mental breakdown like last time.
【If your interface differs from mine, then it’s a sub-system. You are the version of me in the simulation, so you can relax. PS: This system talks a lot.】
【At 18:59 on the 20th, try the simulation and record what happens.】
Shaer set down her pencil, took a deep breath, and reopened the system interface.
This time, with the advance information, things should be resolved sooner. That extraordinary being might even flee due to being discovered early.
If everything went according to plan.
“Next, No. 2.”
Silver light enveloped Shaer.
...
Chapter 43: Death Comes Early and Deep Simulation (Part Three)
...
「Next」
「Year 741, July 20, 18:25」
「Countdown -23:59:59」
Opening her eyes, she found herself staring at the familiar ceiling.
In addition to a faint musty smell, there was a strong metallic scent of blood.
Blood?
Shaer reached out to touch the ground and found something sticky beneath her fingers. It was then she realized she wasn’t lying in bed.
She rolled over and stood up, the thick blood trickling down her fingers, and her pupils dilated slightly.
By the flickering candlelight, Shaer saw the full view of her room—
From the desk to the direction where she had just been lying, a large pool of uncoagulated blood was flowing, and chaotic blood footprints covered the floor, sticking to the white, slightly yellowed wallpaper, with bloody claw marks all over.
A shadow suddenly emerged from the darkness beneath her feet, alert to the surroundings, but apart from the dripping of blood, Shaer heard no other sounds.
Her gaze shifted to the desk, where a notebook lay quietly on the pool of blood, soaked and resembling old tree bark.
Shaer stepped through the blood, the shadow leaning against her back. She reached out and carefully opened the cover.
It was indeed her notebook...
What on earth had happened?
Since the notebook was soaked in blood, Shaer could only cautiously peel back the pages one by one.
Fortunately, the earlier pages hadn’t been stained, and she could still see the writing on them.
【Year 741, June 18, 6 PM】
【After finishing my diary, I waited a minute and tentatively opened the system.】
【I compared it with the system interface in my notes, and it was almost identical, but the system hardly responded to my questions. There was no situation of it talking a lot, yet I hadn’t noticed anything wrong at all.】
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