Nice.
Fang Qi looked down slightly at the small hand that Liguang had slipped into his palm.
It was cool to the touch, soft.
She tilted her face up to look at him.
In her remaining amber-colored eye was pure, absolute trust.
She was just...
handing herself over to him.
Fang Qi took a deep breath.
An indescribable warmth surged in his chest.
And pressure, too.
Before, she had always stood in front of him.
Laser blades sweeping, crimson pupils flashing, her core overloading at maximum output.
And now, this frail girl, who even had to read data on screens page by page, slowly...
was trusting him completely to protect her!
So...
He took another deep breath and squeezed her little hand firmly!
Liguang, your master will protect you!
He glanced at her empty right eye socket, which was slightly curved as if in a smile, then turned his head slightly...
looking toward the crimson pupil that should have been in that socket.
It was still connected to the core calibration device.
That precision eye was still steadily inserted into the interface.
But...
Fang Qi pressed his lips together.
The Crimson Pupil couldn't stay here!
This research lab might be safe for now, but once they left...
those fragments would probably flood back in!
...He had to take it with him!
Still, it wasn't a big problem.
Fang Qi looked toward the row of metal drawers beside the core calibration device.
...Right here!
Instinct!
He gently pulled a drawer open. It slid out soundlessly.
Then his eyes lit up!
Found it!
Inside, neatly arranged, were several containers specifically designed to hold core equipment.
Transparent cylindrical cases, their inner walls lined with a ring of soft cushioning material, and a small humidity indicator card on the lid.
Yes!
Of course, next to the core calibration device, there had to be containers for loading cores!
"Liguang, wait a moment!"
He let go of Liguang's hand and stood again before the control panel.
When his fingers touched the knob, that familiar feeling surged back.
The mechanical arm moved slowly under his control, its tip gripping the Crimson Pupil, lowering it steadily above the drawer, then with extreme gentleness and slowness...
"Click."
He placed the Crimson Pupil into the very center of the transparent container.
The container sealed shut.
"Whew...!"
Fang Qi exhaled in relief, lifted the container, and brought it up to his eyes for a close look.
The Crimson Pupil glowed a dark red inside the transparent container.
Safe!
"Pfft."
A stifled laugh came from behind him.
Fang Qi turned around. The silver-haired girl was sitting on a nearby workbench, swinging her legs, one hand propping up her chin as she watched him.
Her amber eye curved into a crescent moon!
"Master is so careful," she said, her voice soft and sweet, her lips curling playfully.
"Actually, you don't have to be this careful. Liguang's Crimson Pupil might not be bulletproof..."
She winked at Fang Qi.
"But it's not that easy to break!"
She puffed out her chest, giggling.
"It won't break even if it falls to the ground! If it gets shot, it only shows a few cracks!"
Fang Qi immediately glared at her.
"How can that be!"
He held the container carefully, as if cradling a treasure.
"I have to protect it properly. This is Liguang's eye."
He looked seriously at her amber eye, the one that was still smiling.
"Even if the company installed it for Liguang, once it's given..."
"it belongs to Liguang!"
He stated it with full conviction.
"It must be taken good care of!"
Liguang's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and the crescent of her eye deepened.
In her right eye socket, a gleam of delight seemed to flash.
She gracefully rose from the workbench, walked over to him...
and slipped her little hand back into his palm.
"Master is so good," she said softly.
Fang Qi carefully stored the container holding the Crimson Pupil into his inner pocket, patted the pocket to make sure it was secure,
then took a deep breath, took Liguang's hand, and walked toward the door.
"Let's go, Liguang. Time to head out!"
"Yes, Master! Master needs to protect Liguang well."
"Of course. If anyone wants to hurt Liguang, they'll have to go through me first!"
Her small hand suddenly tightened!
"No way! Master has to ensure your own safety first, then protect Liguang! Otherwise..."
She stopped in her tracks and glared at him.
"Otherwise, Liguang won't go out!"
Fang Qi looked at her serious, stubborn little expression and laughed despite himself.
He quickly replied, "Alright, alright! I'll ensure my own safety first, then protect Liguang!"
Liguang gave a satisfied little hum and gripped his hand a little tighter.
They exchanged smiles.
Then Fang Qi raised his hand and pushed open the door.
Outside the door was...
A... corridor?
Huh?
Fang Qi's smile froze on his face.
Outside, there should have been a hallway.
But...
As he stared at the scene outside, Fang Qi opened his mouth slightly, and his grip on Liguang's hand tightened slowly.
...Wait?
Why?
His gaze faltered.
This was... truly something completely unexpected.
Outside the door...
It was blurry.
Completely blurry.
The metal walls looked like a faulty holographic projection—
cast in a pale, ghostly white light, their edges flickering, now clear, now fading.
The floor beneath him...
Fang Qi slowly looked down.
He could vaguely make out the metal floor from before.
But the texture was completely gone, replaced by clumps of sticky, gooey blobs of color! Like...
Massively enlarged pixels?
And...
They were pulsing at an extremely slow tempo!
Dark shades of metal!
A iridescent black!
Lay spread out before his eyes.
And deeper into the passage...
Fang Qi looked further into the distance.
It was complete darkness.
Occasionally, a few colorful bands of light, probably from who knows where, would flash through the black.
He squinted, and it seemed he could...
see fragments of code?
Red, blue, white...
They appeared and disappeared in lines!
But they were too fast, too far away,
so that even his enhanced vision couldn't make out what they said!
Fang Qi stood dumbfounded, staring at this surreal scene.
The silver-haired girl beside him had widened her eyes too, her small hand tightening a few notches.
"Master... what is this?"
Fang Qi turned to look at her.
She was staring straight at the quagmire of pixels outside, a faint shimmer of moisture in her amber eye, her fingers locked tightly around his hand.
She looked just like an ordinary, frightened, fragile girl.
No...
Right now, Liguang was a fragile girl!
So...
"Liguang, don't be afraid!"
Fang Qi gripped her hand firmly, then refocused his gaze on that bizarre scene ahead.
He was going to protect Liguang!
He also began to observe carefully.
Those azure-blue shards...
By now, they were completely gone.
He had no idea where they had disappeared to, not even a trace of their shimmer remaining.
So...
Was it those azure-blue fragments that turned the outside into this?
He pressed his lips together tightly.
This was... going to be a bit troublesome.
They had only gotten to this research lab by "teleporting."
He only knew it was on the B2 level; he didn't even know the exact location...
And now, the outside had turned into this bizarre mess!
He couldn't even tell if this was still the original path!
He looked back down at the swampland of pixels just outside the door.
Swirling patches of ever-changing colors moved in a slow, sludgy crawl.
Like a layer of living, breathing pixels.
...Urgh.
It was a little disgusting...
And on top of that, there was no way to tell whether underneath this was metal flooring—
or an abyss plunging down forever.
Fang Qi instinctively lifted his foot, wanting to test the ground…
"Master, what are you doing!!!"
Liguang let out a sharp scream!
His arm was suddenly yanked back with great force!
She pulled him so hard that his whole body lurched backward. Turning his head, he saw that amber-colored glare fixed on him!
…Ah.
He realized instantly.
What had he been about to do?
Test that completely unknown swamp with his own foot?
He still wasn't used to it…
Now he couldn't reload a save. Dead meant truly dead.
Most importantly…
He still had to protect Liguang!
He closed his eyes, slowly calming his nerves…
He absolutely could not be as reckless as before now!
He had to be steady!
Protect his wife!
Opening his eyes, he looked at Liguang's alarmed and angry gaze, raised his hand…
And gently pinched Liguang's soft cheek.
Liguang was still glaring at him!
"Master was wrong."
Looking at her teeth-gritting expression, he spoke sincerely.
Liguang pursed her lips, stared at him for a few seconds.
"Hmph!"
She finally let go of his arm.
But she was still glaring at him!
Alright, alright, wife, stop staring…
Fang Qi quickly turned around, grabbed a pen from the table in the room.
Returning to the doorway, he squinted, aimed at the pixelated swamp ahead…
And flicked his wrist!
The pen arced through the air…
Thud!
It hit the colorful ground with a crisp sound.
Hmm?
Fang Qi's eyes lit up!
Seemed like no big deal!
This pixelated ground could be walked on!
He and Liguang both watched as the pen bounced once, rolled half a turn…
And finally stopped.
It was no different from hitting an ordinary hard surface.
Fang Qi stared at the pen.
Could this be an optical illusion?
Was the ground still there?
That made sense. Wasn't that exactly what pixelation was used for…
"Ah! Master, look!"
Liguang suddenly gasped.
…?!
Fang Qi quickly focused his gaze.
Then his eyes narrowed.
He saw that once the pen had settled, it was slowly, little by little, sinking down!
The pixelated color blocks, like viscous liquid, crept up from both sides of the pen!
First the tip vanished into the color blocks, then the body…
Inch by inch, silently.
In the end, the entire pen was completely swallowed by that colorful swamp.
Nothing was left.
Huh?
He tilted his head slightly and saw Liguang beside him staring straight at the ground.
She blinked, then pursed her small lips.
"…Can't analyze anymore. So strange…"
She muttered quietly.
Fang Qi raised an eyebrow slightly.
Since he couldn't analyze it… he'd use the most primitive method!
So he grabbed several more pens from the table!
Then, one after another, he threw them out!
He threw them at different distances!
The closest one landed right at the doorway, and the farthest he tossed nearly twenty feet away!
Thud! Clack!
Each one made a crisp sound when it landed!
Then bounced a few times and stopped.
And then…
Without exception, they slowly sank into the pixelated swamp.
Fang Qi watched the pens' reactions, dazed for a moment.
This stuff…
When you stepped on it, it was hard. But when you stopped, you'd sink in.
…Felt like he'd heard of this before?
What was it called again?
…Non-Newtonian fluid?
He lifted his head and met Liguang's gaze.
The silver-haired girl frowned slightly at the ground, lost in thought.
"Master, it seems we can walk?"
Her brows furrowed, her voice uncertain.
"But… Ah, Master!!!"
As soon as Fang Qi heard "can walk"…
He shot out like an arrow!
If his wife said it was okay, then it was okay!
He would blaze the trail!
Sure enough, the ground felt solid underfoot!
It was firm the moment he stepped on it!
But as soon as he lifted his foot…
He could see the color blocks beneath his step sink slightly inward!
He could walk!
He just couldn't stop!
If he stopped, he'd sink in!
But it didn't seem like a big problem!
After two steps, he immediately turned around!
"Master!!"
The silver-haired girl had already stepped out from the doorway in an instant!
She reacted half a beat slower than usual, but still rushed toward him in panic!
Fang Qi quickly ran back a few steps and grabbed Liguang's outstretched little hand!
"Liguang, we have to run!!"
He pulled the silver-haired girl forward, making her lurch!
She stared at Fang Qi, her lips trembling. Finally…
"Master!!!!"
She let out a shriek mixed with terror, anger, and lingering fear!!
"If you do that again…!!!"
"I'll really break your legs!!!!!"
Ha!
That tone was so familiar!
That's you, Xiaoguang!
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