Chapter 134: The Seventh Son

“What exactly did it say?”

“Just this—something I made up on a whim, nonsense thoughts and random fabrications,” Chen Sheng explained and then stood up to walk away, for a certain young girl was leaning lightly against him, a faint, delicate fragrance lingering in the air, stirring his restless heart.

Yu Youxin glanced at Chen Sheng, then immediately turned her head and focused intently on the screen.

Chen Sheng made no attempt to hide anything.

In his subconscious, no one but himself knew about the changes happening to his body.

Then, as Yu Youxin continued to read, her expression grew peculiarly strange.

“Old Chen, this fool, didn’t actually send it out?”

“And this—what he wrote is actually his own personal experience, right? What exactly is he trying to do?”

With these thoughts, Yu Youxin gently tapped the screen with her small hand.

Although she wasn’t very familiar with this kind of high-tech device in this world, she could effortlessly fabricate a “plot.” As long as the “plot” was logically acceptable to this world, everything involved could instantly become reality.

This was a gift from the world!

She didn’t know exactly how it worked; she had discovered this ability upon arriving in this world, and it was something she could only use here.

By comparison, this power was almost like having an unbeatable cheat code.

However, her ability to create plots still needed improvement, for every plot she had fabricated so far contained many loopholes.

For example, the scene in the hospital.

It was a plot she created that fit reality, but since she had copied some of the settings, it contained many flaws she hadn’t anticipated.

Although the world ultimately accepted it, it still left many gaps.

Fortunately, she personally patched up those loopholes one by one afterward.

Otherwise, the female police officer had already gone to great lengths to establish a Wilderness Association to investigate, but after that, all trace of it vanished.

That was because Yu Youxin deliberately added two plot segments, causing everyone involved—except Chen Sheng—to completely forget about the incident.

It seemed as if everything had settled.

Similarly, the last time she watched a live program, it was because of her fabricated plot that the production team kept selecting her to answer questions.

That plot also had many loopholes, and her attempt to add a segment where Chen Sheng was also selected to answer questions wasn’t enough.

In the end, after much effort, she eliminated all the aftereffects caused by those loopholes.

Although the final result was unfavorable to a certain doctor suspected of carrying a medical license—Chen Sheng’s account was lost again.

But as the saying goes, “Once bitten, twice shy,” and to Yu Youxin, Chen Sheng should be used to it by now.

After all, it wasn’t the first time his account had disappeared.

It was the second.

With these past experiences in mind, Yu Youxin had become very cautious in using her ability.

After all, it was easy to start a plot, but crafting a logical ending without any loopholes was extremely difficult!

At least this young girl was self-aware; she really wasn’t very good at creating stories.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have to patch things up every single time.

Because of this, she tried to enrich her ability by borrowing or referencing existing material.

Original creation was difficult, but copying or borrowing—who couldn’t do that?

Suddenly, an odd glowing screen appeared on Chen Sheng’s laptop, flickering with countless characters that danced and blinked, impossible to discern.

But as Yu Youxin’s face showed a thoughtful expression, the flickering characters gradually settled, finally leaving about a hundred words.

That was the plot Yu Youxin had just created.

She planned to help Chen Sheng by making this strange, autobiographical-like piece reach more people.

Such a plot was easy to fabricate: simply add a “friend who creates something from nothing” for Chen Sheng, a friend who happened to have the authority to promote such content.

The scope of promotion didn’t need to be large—just enough for a small group to see it.

This was perhaps the simplest plot she had ever created.

But it left Chen Sheng utterly baffled…

Because just as he was about to go to the restroom, he suddenly received a call from someone claiming to be an old classmate who had unexpectedly seen what he wrote and wanted to get in touch.

The old classmate was exceptionally warm and sincere, neither mercenary nor hypocritical, speaking purely of camaraderie and offering to help promote the piece.

Chen Sheng, naturally bewildered, thanked him.

Yet even after hanging up, Chen Sheng couldn’t recall who this enthusiastic old classmate was.

He had no one matching the description in his memory.

“Who could it be?”

The plot Yu Youxin created had rendered Chen Sheng immune since the day he first put on those gold-rimmed glasses.

Even after he took them off, this immunity persisted.

“Did I post it on the website?”

“Did I fill out any personal information?”

Chen Sheng’s heart filled with doubt.

“Probably…”

But despite saying that, he wasn’t certain.

The faint fragrance lingering around had unsettled him, making it hard to remember what he had just done.

Moreover, these were minor details.

The human brain often selectively forgets such small details to avoid burdening itself.

“I didn’t expect to have such a passionate old classmate…”

Chen Sheng sighed deeply.

Class reunions had completely changed now.

From old classmates meeting, to flaunting success, to rekindling old romances and affairs… it seemed to descend into chaos.

Chen Sheng had attended two or three times before but stopped when he realized it was just a few people showing off.

Though Chen Sheng had little money, his desires were minimal, and he unconsciously paid little attention to money.

With such an attitude, attending reunions only earned him superficial and meaningless evaluations—nothing else.

Why would he bother to seek out such hollow pleasures?

Still, Chen Sheng did not blame his old classmates; society had forced people into such states.

He always thought that if he hadn’t mastered that strange training method, he might have ended up just like his old classmates.

After all, life’s meaning was inherently meaningless.

His strange training method played a crucial role.

It was a skill that could influence—even directly control—a person’s character.

In a martial arts or fantasy drama, it would surely be labeled as a secret technique of a demonic sect.

“Should I invite this old classmate out to eat?” Chen Sheng pondered another question.

It wasn’t out of stinginess.

The old classmate repeatedly insisted no thanks was necessary, saying it was merely a small favor and effortless.

If Chen Sheng truly wanted to express gratitude, they could meet and have a meal together when they were in their sixties or seventies, once they had let go of fame and fortune.

But if they arranged nothing, not even a surface-level gesture, wouldn’t that be rude?

Others at least said, “Next time, I’ll treat you.”

But this old classmate was so genuine and enthusiastic, expecting nothing in return, with no need for further contact.

They completely ruled out any ulterior motives, like pyramid schemes, which made Chen Sheng feel he had to reciprocate somehow!

“Fine, I’ll follow what this old classmate said! Meeting again at sixty or seventy sounds good. By then, all that will be left are memories of our youth…”

Chen Sheng thought this and decided to stop dwelling on the matter.

The day passed quietly.

The next day, Chen Sheng resumed his routine, making the most of sunlight to bask in the sun.

He wasn’t dark enough yet.

Fortunately, after a day of sunbathing, his skin tone finally returned to its previous state, much to his relief.

At last, he could go back to work.

But since the hospital hadn’t called, it meant his leave could continue for a while.

Naturally, Chen Sheng wasn’t in any hurry to return.

If he could pay off his pension in one go and start collecting it, Chen Sheng guaranteed he would pay it off in a flash and then just live leisurely.

As for how he could pay such a large sum in one day despite having little money—he was indifferent by nature, with minimal material desire, and not exactly a straightforward or honest person.

When pressed, he would act pragmatically; after all, work was just a means to survive.

“Old Chen, how about I cook today?” the young girl approached, her delicate face brimming with excitement.

Ever since her first successful dish—considered a success—she had become obsessed with cooking.

Chen Sheng hesitated once, twice, even thrice…

But since he said nothing, Yu Youxin took his silence as consent.

“Who blinks first loses?”

“Whoever glares gets pregnant?”

Recalling this, Chen Sheng unhesitatingly took out the gold-rimmed glasses and chose “Log into the game.”

…

Once online, Chen Sheng immediately noticed that the “game plot” of this healing game had changed drastically.

Earlier, he was preparing for a “team quest,” but in the blink of an eye, the town had become deserted!

Not only the thousands of police officers from various precincts but also all the town’s residents were gone.

Chen Sheng entered a house and frowned.

Because the TV was still there.

Unlike games with collapsed currency systems, in this game, a TV was no ordinary possession.

For ordinary NPC residents, it was far from cheap; most couldn’t afford a television for years.

If they moved away, they would definitely take the TV or at least sell it for knife-coins—not leave it to gather dust.

“So something must have happened here!” Chen Sheng said the obvious.

It wasn’t his first time encountering such a situation, though none were as eerie as this.

Chen Sheng wasn’t curious to uncover what happened.

After walking around and finding no one, he returned to the place last time where the little ghost “summoned” him.

The TV there was still on, but the screen showed only endless static.

Chen Sheng stood before it for a moment but wasn’t pulled in as before.

He tapped the screen.

Nothing.

He turned off the TV and was about to switch it on again when a strange voice echoed in his ear.

It sounded like a woman’s voice, but he couldn’t understand a word.

He looked around but saw nothing.

Then, suddenly, a mass of shadows appeared.

These shadows gathered until they formed a creature with a human face and serpentine body.

Chen Sheng felt a strange familiarity and recognized it as the elite monster he had encountered before but failed to chase down.

Last time, the elite monster fled immediately; now it appeared on its own.

So… was this a plot trigger?

Chen Sheng suddenly understood and believed he had found the reason everyone had vanished.

The game plot had advanced, and they had been written out!

In reality, this would be absurd.

But in this game world, it was perfectly logical.

The serpent’s tail flicked, and the beautiful woman’s face lit up with excitement.

Her gaze toward Chen Sheng grew hotter.

She had not been mistaken last time!

After absorbing much living energy, she had finally restored her former powers.

Her perception was sharper than ever.

She could sense that Chen Sheng possessed an as-yet unformed divine rank and that he was only one step away from ascending from “he” to “It.”

Realizing Chen Sheng couldn’t understand her words, her form changed again.

Long, slender legs emerged from the shadows, followed by a graceful figure clad in a black gown.

Her skin was unnaturally pale.

She looked at Chen Sheng and approached slowly.

Then, with utmost respect, she bowed and said, “Eternal Night Mandala, greets the Seventh Son.”

Chen Sheng was momentarily stunned but quickly realized that “Seventh Son” was the identity assigned to players in this healing game’s later plot.

Just as he was about to ask for clarification, the TV behind him turned on by itself and suddenly emitted a strong suction force.