Chapter 39, Section 10: Front-Page News by Tomorrow

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Chapter 39: Making Headlines the Very Next Day

“...And that’s how it happened. I’d already been back on Rhodes Island for some time—about ten days, I suppose—before I realized that everyone had gone their separate ways. Running into you here was pure coincidence. Uh, it’s not that I was hiding from you. I was kidnapped the moment I arrived in Lungmen, and after managing to escape, I made my way here. Fortunately, Uncle Qin took me in. Oh, Uncle Qin is a distant relative of mine...”

Could Red Bean really have no idea what sort of person the Doctor was? Some of what he said was true, some was false, and most of it had been improvised on the spot. For instance, the operators of Rhodes Island still had no idea what race the Doctor belonged to. How could he possibly have a distant relative from the Forte race? And no one had ever heard him mention having a family, either.

Zhou Jinru looked awkwardly at Red Bean. He swore he had put a great deal of effort into inventing that story, but some things were simply too embarrassing to say aloud. He couldn’t exactly tell her that he was a traveler from another world, that they were all paper-thin wives from a video game, and that he had abandoned them back then because he had quit playing in order to devote himself to a competition.

He absolutely could not say any of that. Getting beaten up again would be a minor concern. What if he truly enraged Red Bean and she pulled out her fork and stabbed him? Before he had abandoned the game, Red Bean had been Elite 1, level 60, with all skills at level seven and maximum potential. He couldn’t beat her even if he tried. Being a little cowardly was nothing to be ashamed of.

“You, Zhou—if you’re going to make excuses, at least make them believable. Not everyone is going to let you off so easily. Remember this: Miss Wang said that if she ever sees you again, she’ll lock you in a cage with her three lions.”

Red Bean turned around angrily and walked away. After a few steps, she stopped and snarled, “Don’t even think about running again. You still owe me over a hundred thousand Lungmen dollars!”

When had he ever owed Red Bean money?

Zhou Jinru was utterly bewildered. He could not understand how he had suddenly ended up in so much debt.

“I knew perfectly well that he was talking nonsense. Why should I forgive him? No, I haven’t forgiven him at all. At least he’s already back on Rhodes Island, and Amiya certainly won’t let him get away again. There’ll be plenty of time to settle the score later. Just you wait, Zhou!”

Red Bean’s steps grew lighter. She thought today had truly been a lucky day—she had actually run into the Doctor. But then she remembered that Amiya should have been the first person to find him, and her good mood vanished once more.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry. I’m Red Bean’s manager, and I apologize on her behalf. That child has caused you quite a bit of trouble.” The manager, who had been standing nearby enjoying the spectacle, hurriedly bowed to him. Yet there was not the slightest hint of apology in her voice. She sounded more as though she had thoroughly enjoyed the gossip.

Zhou Jinru rubbed his stomach. His face was still pale as he struggled to calm his stifled breathing. Anyone would have been unable to bear taking a blow like that.

“I had it coming. Don’t blame her.”

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“So you admit that you did many unreasonable things to that child?”

Zhou Jinru frowned. “What did she say?”

The manager counted them off on her fingers. “For example, making her work twelve hours a day without sufficient rest. Making her fight until she lost consciousness, sometimes even leaving her injured. And worst of all, you once promised to give her something, but failed to keep your word in the end. Do you admit to all of that?”

“Uh... did I? I don’t remember any of it. Heh heh.”

Zhou Jinru racked his brain, rummaging through every corner of his memory. In the game, the base changed shifts twice a day; having a morning shift and an evening shift was perfectly normal. Besides, Red Bean’s base skill accelerated the production of battle rations, so making her a model worker had been unavoidable. As for combat, a useful operator naturally had to demonstrate her value. And what had he promised to give her? Red Bean’s file had never mentioned wanting anything. Perhaps it was a new musical instrument? He could not figure it out.

“Please think carefully. I’ll give you a small hint: it has something to do with Siesta. In any case, there are still many matters to deal with after the concert, so I’ll take my leave.”

The manager departed with a beaming smile.

Something to do with Siesta? Siesta had been destroyed. What could there be left?

A flash of inspiration struck Zhou Jinru. He lowered his head and looked at the bracelet on his right wrist. Siesta was famous for producing obsidian, and the latter half of the summer event had involved collecting obsidian bracelets. Could Red Bean have wanted an obsidian bracelet?

Liu Li, who had been covering her mouth and quietly laughing nearby, gave him a foxlike smile. “Did Guang owe a lot of debts in the past? That little girl called Red Bean looks furious on the surface, but she’s actually overjoyed inside. She’s terrible at hiding her emotions. You really do need a good excuse. Some girls can be terrifying when they’re angry. After all, you don’t want to deal with three lions, do you?”

Zhou Jinru nodded, clutching his hair and unsure of what to say. Liu Li was clearly a Cautus, yet she laughed like a Vulpo. Could she, like Sora, be disguising her true race?

Back in the gatehouse, Zhou Jinru turned on the television and watched it half-heartedly. Before he knew it, he had fallen asleep. He did not wake until dawn the next morning.

Old Qin, who had disappeared for the entire night, arrived late. He was carrying a newspaper. The moment he saw Zhou Jinru sitting outside the gatehouse, he sighed and tossed the paper in front of him.

“Guang, you’re famous now.”

Zhou Jinru looked utterly confused. He lowered his head and saw a striking, bold headline on the front page of the Lungmen Daily:

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“Infected Beats University Security Guard in Public—A Nature That Cannot Be Changed? Or Deliberate Extortion?”

“...Yesterday, at a concert held at a university in the outer district, a Sarkaz Infected burst out of the backstage lounge in full view of the public and knocked the university’s security guard to the ground. According to an informed source, the Sarkaz Infected claimed that the university’s security guard owed her over a hundred thousand Lungmen dollars and had refused to repay the debt, prompting her violent attack...”

An exclusive report from the Lungmen Daily.

A high-resolution photograph accompanied the article, capturing the exact moment Red Bean knocked him off his feet.

The following pages continued reporting on the incident, complete with various speculations. Even a well-known figure from Lungmen had come forward to claim that they, too, had once been extorted by an Infected.

The photograph on the second page showed Red Bean looking down imperiously at Zhou Jinru.

“Reporters will be coming to interview you soon. I suggest you hide somewhere first. This incident has caused quite a stir, so don’t let it come back to haunt you,” Old Qin advised from the side.

Zhou Jinru could neither laugh nor cry. Where could he go? He had not a penny to his name and did not know Lungmen at all. The outer district was also a maze of complicated streets and terrain; he could get lost after walking barely a mile.

“Guang, Old Dong and I go way back. Why don’t you hide out at his place? No one would dare cause trouble there.”

Old Dong—the elderly man who sold morning tea outside the university, meals at noon, and fish balls in the evening?

Seeing Zhou Jinru hesitate, Old Qin urged him anxiously, “If you don’t leave now, the reporters will soon surround this place so completely that you won’t be able to get out. The school administration won’t let me off if this causes any more trouble.”

[End of Chapter]