Love, death, and false man

Chapter 32. 32. Disconnected from the server.
9/25—14:42
Fang Yan used the Salvation Army's satellite server to directly expose the two administrators of the Earth Defense Base at No. 6 Middle School. Both were male, one a second-year high school student and the other a third-year high school student.

Luo Di is most likely a fake, but the person who went to hunt him down was killed instead. The so-called administrator is probably also a fake.

To seize the initiative, we must strike first, cut it off directly, and declare that No. 6 Middle School is our territory.

There are other "influential figures," who may include charlatans, madmen, or their accomplices.

According to the Fortress Protocol signed by Sylvia Christie.

Members of one's own squadron are prohibited from contacting accomplices within the same undercover organization if they encounter each other, in order to maintain the secrecy of classified personnel and facilitate better infiltration.

In other words, the Salvation Army can only carry out missions under the orders of their superiors and with designated people, and must pretend not to know their own comrades. Is this the same for other factions? Or is it only the Salvation Army? Is it to avoid a situation where everyone perishes, or to create a bubble that is isolated and controllable from one another?

Fire escape route to the performance hall.

Have you met the two administrators at No. 6 Middle School in person? What kind of people are they?

Fang Yan, smoking a cigarette, asked Wang Ying, "This fire escape is like my second home; I always go there after class."

"I've only seen one of them, he's from my class. He's quite handsome, but he's just too weird."

"In what ways does perversion manifest itself?"

Fang Yan already knew that the person was from Class 1 of Senior Three, and had already opened the box. He just wanted to see how the others would treat him.

"Do you know about the popular urban legend lately, the High School Pseudo-Human Game?"

"of course I know."

"Rumor has it that he is the ultimate serial killer, which sounds ridiculous, but when you see him in person, you'll think it's true, he really is like a fake. Several of his girlfriends dropped out of school, and the rumors say that he killed them and they vanished into thin air, but people have forgotten the memories associated with the dead."

"So mysterious..."

"Someone in your class died, right? Maybe it's just my imagination, some unseen force is fading away all the negative impacts. It's only Tuesday, and nobody's talking about it anymore, like discounted out-of-season vegetables. After talking to you the other day, I thought about it for a long time, and you actually have a point."

"Really? I'm actually impressed by you. Fighting to the ends of the earth sounds very poetic."

"Hmm...that's right, there's no other way. You must know about Binhai University of Technology."

"of course."

"Prestigious schools are even more chaotic than vocational schools, and those selected by the system are more perfectly integrated into it. I've discovered a new element; perhaps the prerequisite isn't money, but something more fundamental. In this era, as long as one is physically healthy, no one will starve or freeze to death. It's the metaphysical thing that determines the entire society—a certain infinitely expanding and rampant desire that has shattered all human relationships."

A quiet despair pervades the world; everyone is eager to break free from the shackles of their own selves. The fate of us ordinary high school students is to be beaten until our emotions and humanity are completely destroyed, even the last vestige of pure love is extinguished, we lose everything. But we will eventually be free, arriving at the cold wonderland of club technicians and high-class princesses.

Wang Ying took a puff of Hongtashan cigarettes and said this.

"Where did I come from? Is this still Binhai No. 6 Middle School?"

A senior high school student complained, "As expected of Brother Ying, a top ten student in the grade, he has become a philosopher through fighting. Whether he has a scientist's mind or a sub-scientist's mind, it's all the same fight, the same torture."

"What a... rampant desire."

Fang Yan was greatly shocked. He didn't understand whether only the senior students of No. 6 Middle School were like this, or whether all the senior students from other schools were like this. These senior students all seemed to be a bit neurotic, and had become obsessed.

Mind reading is still too limited; instant information simply cannot comprehend the turbulent soul of a person. What a... self-imposed shackle.

Is this genuine thought, or merely a "performance of thought"?

Fang Yan, as a member of the Salvation Army, had no way of knowing.

I could tell that Fang Yan was under a lot of academic pressure. He was asking around about some strange and mysterious people, but I didn't know why.

"Whether to fight or not has never been the question. If we keep fighting, the road will just keep extending."

Wang Ying stubbed out her cigarette and spoke earnestly.

Fang Yan nodded. That's right. The so-called ultimate serial killer, who'll be bursting into the face with an MP5 submachine gun tomorrow, needs to first resolve the issue of establishing contact channels and social relationships with Xia Bing.

……

……

... 9/25—20:42
Binhai South District, Tianyin Bridge, bar street.

The bar where Xia Bing is performing tonight isn't far from the place where Fang Yan and Aria met.

Because they didn't have any real contact, Fang Yan and Aira's chats were very short. Every few days, Fang Yan would bother Aira for no particular reason, but Aira always said that as long as Fang Yan turned eighteen, she would unconditionally help him grow up.

This left Fang Yan utterly speechless.

At this moment.

Fang Yan is Xia Bing's friend, and a seat was reserved for him.

The decor of this place is significantly more luxurious than that of Aria, not only in terms of the spaciousness but also in the design with its obvious embellishments.

Indoor waterfall, aquarium with sharks, reflective mirrors, cyberpunk-style restrained and radiating ribbons of neon lights, and a deep, cold light that is extremely psychedelic in the smoke, with pink ribbons cutting out tiny specks of light.

There were too many people at the scene; the booths and tables were all packed, and most people were standing.

The bar owner was a very generous person. Because Fang Yan was Xia Bing's friend, all his bills were waived, and he and Weng Qing took up a booth near the front.

The marble countertop and champagne gold trim are seamlessly integrated, creating a rich texture with absolutely no plastic feel. The wine bottle shimmers with silver curves under the light.

The soda revolution was underway on stage, and the noise from the many enthusiastic fans was getting to Fang Yan. The screaming, shouting, and declarations of love were too noisy. He didn't really understand rock music; he just listened for the music and purely for the looks.

This band is entirely female, and we even saw Xia Bing's lead singer "boyfriend," which is truly outclassing all other girl groups.

Xia Bing's girlfriend, despite having dyed her hair a striking blue, still had a quiet and gentle appearance, making her a completely unexpected soprano.

Fang Yan heard Xia Bing say that she was originally a keyboardist, but now she's filling in for an instrument that Fang Yan doesn't even know the name of.

They didn't only sing songs from their own band; there was also Cover.Night Wish.

Although Fang Yan didn't know what kind of band Nightwish was, he did feel the hardcore, heavy metal and the soprano were too authoritative.

If they went on tour, they would have far more than 300,000 followers on music streaming platforms, easily reaching over a million. When they sang Nightwish songs, the already packed bars would erupt in cheers like they were in a madhouse.

Fang Yan was only concerned with how Xia Bing was building social connections, and he was quite nervous and uncomfortable in this situation.

Weng Qing, who was standing to the side, was completely absorbed in the conversation. She kept telling Fang Yan some interesting stories about Xia Bing. In the past, a rich young man tried to harass her by throwing money at her. Xia Bing directly smashed his head open with a steel pipe and also dislocated an arm with a machete, leaving him disabled. However, Xia Bing did not receive any criminal punishment, which seemed to indicate that she had powerful connections.

Fang Yan didn't take it seriously at all. This was nothing. This woman was filling steel pipes with special bullets. Even if the Terminator came, he would be killed with one shot.

There will be other bands performing later, and it will all end at nine o'clock, with only one song left: I Want My Tears Back - Cover. Night Wish.

After the show, come up and ask me for an autograph.

Fang Yan was extremely nervous when he suddenly received a WeChat message from Xia Bing, even though they had killed a fake human together in the singularity and shared a room.

But today Fang Yan realized that he and Xia Bing were from completely different worlds.

After the concert, everyone rushed up like crazy, yelling for autographs. The lead singer was the most popular, followed by Xia Bing.

She was still dressed the same way: bright red hair, gothic cone earrings, a studded leather jacket, a leather skirt, stockings, and knee-high boots—her everyday attire.
Fang Yan also squeezed through the crowd and came to Xia Bing to ask Weng Qing for an autograph.

I thought I'd have to wait a while, since there were quite a few people asking for her autograph.

For the next five minutes, Fang Yan was completely in a state of mental blankness.

The cold light was deep and mysterious, and the smoke was mesmerizing.

Xia Bing scanned the figures in the crowd, and after spotting Fang Yan, she bypassed everyone with a calm expression.

After signing Fang Yan's name, he took off his mask, smiled at his extremely uncomfortable and stiff expression, then touched his head and kissed him forcefully.

Fang Yan had no idea what it felt like.

All I could hear was the intense roar in my ears, my mind going blank, and the dazzling crimson.

(End of this chapter)