Chapter 8
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Seeing Song Tao's equally disheveled and helpless state, Zhou Luming smiled easily, "Boss Xu, there's no aircraft carrier underwater either. Could the coordinates be wrong? Or perhaps Li Li didn't ask us to find an aircraft carrier, but rather that deep-sea monster? Am I going to be swallowed whole by that monster while searching for that aircraft carrier?"
Before Xu Yan could reply, Zhou Luming quickly calculated, "If we want to go in, we need to negotiate the price first. Taking such a big risk will come at a different price."
Xu Yan looked up and said, "You're the heir to a billion-dollar fortune, do you need to be so petty?"
“Although I have billions of assets waiting to be inherited, I haven’t even touched a single penny yet. You are my only financial backer right now, and it’s only right and legal for me to ask you for my wages while I work for you. Don’t take advantage of your legal background to bully me. You’re from America, and who knows who knows more about domestic labor laws than me,” Zhou Luming said confidently.
Xu Yan was too lazy to argue with her. "You don't need to go to the bottom of the sea to find giant beasts, nor do you need to feed them."
"To be honest, I'm relieved, but where exactly is Li Li's aircraft carrier? Did we misunderstand?"
“That’s right, and the coordinates are accurate, but the coordinates are two-dimensional, while the world we live in and the game world are three-dimensional,” Xu Yan calmly analyzed. “Since it’s not in the seabed, let’s look in another direction.”
Wang Anjing's pupils contracted; she heard Xu Yan's words and suddenly understood.
Meanwhile, Zhou Luming in the metaverse almost simultaneously thought of a place, and she smiled and said, "In the sky."
“In the universe,” Xu Yan said.
Across the screen, the two seemed momentarily stunned by each other's unspoken understanding. Wang Anjing glanced at Xu Yan's expression, then at Zhou Luming's smile, and gave a knowing smile.
Xu Yan coughed. "Li Li didn't design an aircraft carrier that sails on the sea, but a real spaceship. Perhaps he has a dream of the stars and the sea."
“I’m starting to admire Li Li’s imagination,” Zhou Luming said, gazing at the starry sky. “The vast universe, things that are impossible in reality, can all be achieved in the game.”
In reality, Li Li is disabled in both legs. He can't stand, going into the sea is inconvenient, and going into the sky is even more inconvenient. So he designed this metaverse game world, in which he can rock climb, ride a bicycle, drive a submarine, and even fly into space to explore interstellar space...
Originally, Zhou Luming was someone who had absolutely no interest in games, but after this experience, she seemed to have discovered some enjoyment in them.
"What are you waiting for? Aren't you going to send me a spaceship to outer space to find Li Li's aircraft carrier?" Zhou Luming asked, arms crossed.
Previously, they were always one step behind Song Tao, but this time they seized the initiative and had to find Li Li's aircraft carrier faster than Song Tao.
Xu Yan naturally couldn't do something like giving away a spaceship. She stared at Wang Anjing for a while, and Wang Anjing, feeling rather helpless under her gaze, said indulgently, "Okay, I'll give Miss Zhou a spaceship."
Xu Yan found Wang Anjing's tone a bit awkward. Why was she speaking to him in this tone? Had Li Li mentioned him to Wang Anjing?
Thus, Zhou Luming successfully obtained a metal egg shaped like an egg as her means of transportation for space travel. After pressing her hand against the smooth surface of the metal egg to confirm her identity, Zhou Luming made an opening, just large enough for one person to sit in.
Zhou Luming sat down with great interest, and the metal egg rose rapidly, plunging into the vast universe.
All of this happened very quickly. The airflow emanating from the metal egg even overturned Song Tao's self-driving car, sending both the car and Song Tao into the sea. Song Tao finally surfaced, and looking at the trail of air left behind by Zhou Luming's disappearance, he suddenly understood.
He quickly acquired the fastest spaceship in the system and desperately chased after Zhou Luming's metal egg.
Seeing this, Xu Yan turned to Wang Anjing and asked, "Mr. Song's spaceship seems to be going very fast. Will he catch up with Zhou Luming?"
Wang Anjing said calmly, "He can't catch up with her because this metal egg spacecraft has hidden code. Among the spacecraft that can be purchased and exchanged, the fastest speed is only one-tenth of its speed. Given that Zhou Luming set off earlier, it's impossible for anyone to catch up with her."
Xu Yan hesitated for a moment, then asked, "How much time does Zhou Luming have?"
Wang Anjing replied, "That depends on where Li Li placed the aircraft carrier in space and how far away it is. The farther away it is, the more time Zhou Luming will have. If it's very close, then it should only take a few minutes."
Xu Yan nodded, meaning "I understand".
Zhou Luming kept excitedly shouting on the other end of the headset. This was the first time he had broken out of the atmosphere and entered the universe. The huge surface of the moon flashed past him, followed by the artificial satellite belt that high-level players in the game liked to visit. A few seconds later, he felt that all was quiet and the stars were shining brightly. He was shocked by the vastness of the universe and felt a sense of tranquility.
“Mr. Xu, you really should come and see this—” Zhou Luming exclaimed with wide eyes, “It’s absolutely magnificent.”
But Xu Yan asked coldly, "Have you spotted an aircraft carrier?"
“Not yet—” Zhou Luming found the music system in the cockpit, which was similar to a radio. She turned on the FM radio, and it was playing a relaxing R&B tune.
Xu Yan opened her mouth, but swallowed her words.
She knew that arguing with Zhou Luming at this moment was pointless. Zhou Luming would be stubborn and would find another way to continue even if she gave up temporarily. It was better to go along with her for now, since they hadn't found the aircraft carrier yet anyway.
Zhou Luming let out a "Huh" in the earphones. Xu Yan gathered his wandering thoughts and looked at the screen. Zhou Luming's face showed a puzzled expression, which then turned into excitement.
No matter how exaggerated the expression, it all has a certain beauty on Zhou Luming's face. A person's appearance is good or bad, depending on both their bones and their skin.
Zhou Luming was excited because she had finally found the aircraft carrier left behind by Li Li, which was even more magnificent and awe-inspiring than she had imagined! This was a kind of shock that could not be experienced by looking at a small model.
Xu Yan frowned, quickly took off her headset, and turned her face away in disgust.
Wang Anjing smiled and asked, "Did I disturb you?"
Xu Yan said, "I'm deaf."
Wang Anjing said, "Ms. Zhou and you are a perfect match, one quiet and one active. You complement each other very well."
Xu Yan looked at Wang Anjing with a puzzled expression, "After this matter is over, I have a question I want to ask you privately."
“Okay, I’ll answer whatever you ask.” Wang Anjing pointed to the headset on the table and then gestured to Zhou Luming on the screen, “Miss Zhou is calling you.”
Xu Yan reluctantly put her headphones back on, deliberately lowering the volume in case of any unforeseen circumstances.
Zhou Luming realized that Xu Yan couldn't hear him clearly several times, so he turned off the music and shouted, "What am I supposed to do next? Where will Li Li's will be kept on this ship?"
Xu Yan closed his eyes and thought for a moment, "Go to the captain's cabin. Li Li is a leader at heart, and he will like the identity of captain."
Without Zhou Luming needing to do anything, the metal egg was attracted to the aircraft carrier and absorbed into its interior. The moment Zhou Luming stepped onto the floor, he felt as if he had stepped into a science fiction world.
"Song Tao's ship is about to arrive. You have twenty minutes left," Xu Yan urged.
Zhou Luming started running, heading straight for the captain's cabin. Because the ship was located at the limit of player exploration, although it had existed in the vast universe for a very long time, no player had been able to find its trace. There was no one inside, no other living thing, only the sound of Zhou Luming's own breathing and footsteps.
"Do you think it's possible that ugly, scary, and terrifying aliens will suddenly appear here, like in the movies?" Zhou Luming asked jokingly as he ran.
Her long black hair flew backward in the wind as she ran quickly, her posture beautiful and pleasing to the eye.
Wang Anjing stared at the screen and said, "Don't you think Miss Zhou looks a lot like a movie star?"
Xu Yan's usually quiet gaze flickered. "I don't think so."
"The screen is filled with long legs; even I'm jealous and envious," Wang Anjing exclaimed.
“Your IQ is much higher than hers. You and Li Li are both from the same prestigious university, majoring in the same subject, and both members of the Computer Association. Everyone only knows about Li Li, who won the gold medal, but they overlook you, who won the silver medal early on. Although Li Li nominally created the Metaverse game world, without your design and breakthroughs in the social field, he simply could not have completed such a masterpiece.” Xu Yan slowly revealed all the background information he had learned.
Wang Anjing smiled brightly, "It seems that Li Li not only talked to me about you, but also talked to you about me."
"So, as the parties whose privacy has been leaked, we can find a time to properly exchange our experiences as victims," Xu Yan said.
The pendant hanging around Wang Anjing's neck reflected the light of the setting sun outside the window, making Xu Yan's eyes gleam.
"Okay, I've already agreed. You don't need to confirm repeatedly in case I change my mind."
"Hey you two, I'm still here. Could you please check on me?" Zhou Luming finally caught his breath and, after adjusting his breathing, continued to head to the captain's cabin as fast as he could.
"We're here—there's a combination lock on the door," Zhou Luming said.
Wang Anjing said, "I'll try to unlock it with my permissions."
Zhou Luming watched as the door lock changed from red to green, indicating that the door was open. As she pushed the door open into the captain's cabin, she whispered to Xu Yan, "Why is Wang Anjing helping us so much? She's Song Tao's wife; could there be some kind of conspiracy?"
Xu Yan said, "We can discuss this later. Have you found the will?"
Zhou Luming turned on an old-fashioned desktop computer and waited for the system to boot up. "Li Li is a very sentimental person. This machine is exactly the same as the one in his photo. Could it be inside this computer?"
Xu Yan urged, "You need to hurry, Song Tao is almost here." She turned to Wang Anjing and asked, "Could we lock Song Tao outside?"
Wang Anjing shook her head, "There's no need, he has that kind of authority too."
Xu Yan said, "Zhou Luming, figure it out yourself."
Zhou Luming was about to unleash a torrent of profanity, but how fast could this 1998 system possibly be? She had already heard approaching footsteps outside, and looking at the old computer, a sudden idea struck her.
Song Tao stepped into the captain's cabin almost immediately, but strangely, it was empty. He looked around in confusion, his attention focusing on the old desktop computer. When he tried to turn it on, he discovered the computer tower was gone!
Looking up at the ceiling again, the ventilation openings had been removed, indicating that Zhou Luming had escaped with the main unit first.
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(This book is from Longfeng Interconnect)
Chapter 9
An aircraft carrier sailing in space is as silent as a drop of water in the ocean; it exists, but no one can detect it.
The aircraft carrier's ventilation ducts were larger than expected; Zhou Luming, carrying the main unit, could even bend over and jog forward. Halfway there, he turned back and realized Song Tao wasn't following, so he ended up disassembling the hard drive as he walked. Based on general experience, even if there was a will, it would be stored on the hard drive; as long as the hard drive was removed and another device was installed, the data could still be accessed. There was no need to carry the main unit while fleeing.
Even with Zhou Luming's excellent physical strength, he couldn't withstand such torment.
"Hey, Mr. Xu, you're finally going to give me a raise this time. I managed to retrieve the mainframe and protect the will." Zhou Luming said, slightly out of breath. The journey from the sea to space had taken a toll on her physical strength. If it were an ordinary person, they would have collapsed on the ground, unable to move, but Zhou Luming persevered, demonstrating her extraordinary stamina.
Xu Yan recalled Zhou Luming's background and guessed that she had at least undergone some physical training. She was an illegitimate daughter of the Zhou family, whose father was the only son of the family. He had disappeared long ago and his whereabouts were still unknown; he had been declared dead. It was originally thought that the Zhou family would have no heir and that the vast fortune would be handed over to outsiders. However, unexpectedly, Old Master Zhou found this illegitimate daughter, had her change her surname back to Zhou, and then gave her the entire inheritance—although there was still a hurdle to overcome, to outsiders it was just a formality; Zhou Luming would inherit billions of dollars sooner or later.
Xu Yan reasonably speculated that even if Zhou Luming lived overseas, he would encounter resistance and threats from forces coveting the Zhou family's assets. Therefore, Zhou Luming developed comprehensively in terms of morality, intelligence, physical fitness, aesthetics, and labor. He could at least throw a couple of punches when facing a crisis, and if he couldn't win, he would run away. In any case, surviving was a victory.
So, beneath Zhou Luming's cheerful and outgoing exterior lies a sharp and perceptive mind. She knows how to use the right tone and attitude to deal with different people, how to read between the lines, and how to adapt to changing circumstances. In short, she's quite clever, with both mental and physical abilities that aren't too bad.
“Mr. Xu? Don’t stay silent, I know you heard everything,” Zhou Luming said.
Xu Yan snapped out of his daze and said, "I can give you a raise, but there's a condition—you have to actually get Li Li's will before I'll give you a raise."
Zhou Luming said, "Wait here, I found a room, it looks like an office, there are desktop computers in it, I'll go find a working mainframe."
Xu Yan is right. If the will isn't on the hard drive, then all her efforts will have been in vain.
He jumped down from the vent, landed steadily on the table, and then leaped off the table. Zhou Luming quickly found a computer and replaced the hard drive. This machine was new, but it still had the host interface. So Zhou Luming quickly opened the files on the hard drive, the mouse scrolled rapidly, and his eyes jumped accordingly.
After searching around, Zhou Luming couldn't help but ask, "What are these? Why are they all group photos and pictures? Is Li Li a paparazzi?"
These digital photos almost filled the entire hard drive. There were very few people in them; they were mostly photos of streets, benches, empty football fields, notebooks with writing on them, textbooks, tables and chairs, and other materials.
The more Zhou Luming looked at the photos, the more he felt that the will might not be found. However, Xu Yan on the other side of the screen remained silent. If she didn't want to see these photos, she would have interrupted him rudely, but she didn't, which meant that Xu Yan wanted to continue looking at them.
"Mr. Xu, what did you discover?" Zhou Luming didn't want to let his mind wander.
Xu Yan said, "These photos are traces of his growth, places he cherishes, and also hint at people he cherishes." When he said this, Xu Yan kept his eyes straight ahead, seemingly ignoring Wang Anjing, who had a past with Li Li.
Meanwhile, in the game world, Zhou Luming pricked up his ears and teased Wang Anjing, who was unseen by her, with a grin, "Ms. Wang, do you remember these photos? Would you like me to make a copy for you? I'll only charge a small fee, it's very cheap—"
Xu Yan, "Why are you so greedy?"
Zhou Luming said, "People die for money, birds die for food. I want to survive, so what's wrong with this legitimate income?"
Xu Yan said, "You signed a full-time contract. You are not allowed to take on part-time jobs without permission."