Chapter 258 - 257: Plot Correction
Late November bled into early December, the cusp of autumn and winter. Flurries of snow drifted down, only to stop abruptly just before they touched the withered, yellow mountainside.
In a dark, narrow mine shaft, a handsome, aloof man’s eyes were shut tight. A torrent of blood flowed from his forehead and past his ears, soaking the dark gray scarf around his neck.
Suddenly, the bleeding stopped as if time had frozen. A single speck of blue starlight landed on the man’s wound, followed by countless more, until the blue motes of light all but enveloped him.
The wound healed with unbelievable speed. Green, star-like motes radiated outward from the man.
The mountain healed. Trees began to grow.
Nearby residents regained consciousness, pressing hands to their aching heads, wondering how they had gotten here. Bewildered, they helped each other up and started down the mountain.
Jack Warren opened his eyes and took in his surroundings, his brow slowly knitting together. ’Where am I? Why am I here? I can’t remember a single thing...’
Spotting Sean Grant fast asleep beside him, he gave him an unceremonious kick.
Sean Grant woke up with a yelp. He was about to start cursing when he saw where he was and froze in confusion. "JJ, why’d you drag me out to this godforsaken place?"
"Who dragged you anywhere?!" Jack Warren snapped impatiently. "I was about to ask if you were behind this."
"Of course not!" Sean Grant was quick to deny it. He was so worked up that a sharp pain shot through his head, nearly making him stumble.
’Looking at him now, he must be telling the truth.’
’It wasn’t me, and it wasn’t Sean Grant. So what happened?’
The two of them fell silent, exchanging a look. They were starting to think something paranormal had occurred when a man came running toward them.
The man’s face was deathly pale. Before they could speak, he asked frantically, "Where’s Joanna Kennedy?! Is Joanna Kennedy okay?! Where is she?"
His refined face was vaguely familiar. It was the young master of the recently bankrupted Jennings family. Sean Grant was baffled. "Young Master Jennings, what are you doing here?"
"Who’s Joanna Kennedy?"
Sean Grant looked genuinely confused. Charles Jennings froze, his face turning even paler. "...What do you mean by that?"
"What do you mean, ’what do you mean’?" Sean Grant was losing his patience. ’This Young Master Jennings must have cracked from the bankruptcy. He’s gone crazy.’
He grabbed Jack Warren to leave, but Charles Jennings stubbornly blocked their path, his expression terrifying. "Sean Grant, don’t you dare joke with me! I’m asking you, where is Joanna Kennedy!"
"Are you fucking crazy?!" Sean Grant was genuinely furious now. A hand on his shoulder made him pause and calm down slightly.
Jack Warren’s voice was calm. "Young Master Jennings, I’m sorry, but we don’t know anyone named Joanna Kennedy."
It was like a physical blow, leaving Charles Jennings’s mind a complete blank. A terrible possibility dawned on him. His voice trembled as he asked, as if seeking proof, "Then... what about Simon Lockwood?"
"Simon Lockwood?" A flicker of confusion mixed with impatience crossed Jack Warren’s face. "Sorry, we don’t know him either. Can’t help you, Young Master Jennings."
"..."
The plot had been corrected. Joanna Kennedy had vanished, returning to her own world.
Overwhelmed by intense emotion, Charles Jennings felt his throat tighten, and a mouthful of blood gushed out uncontrollably.
A heavy thud sounded from behind them. Jack Warren whirled around to see Charles Jennings passed out on the ground, his own eyes widening in shock.
They were on a deserted mountain. If they left him here, Charles Jennings would surely die.
Jack Warren shot Sean Grant a look. Cursing under his breath, Sean dialed 911, then roughly hauled Charles Jennings to his feet and started dragging him down the mountain.
The mountainside grew quiet again, leaving only the crunch of footsteps on twigs. The tall, imposing man withdrew his gaze and walked slowly to the mountain’s edge, looking down on the bungalows below.
A cold wind swept past the man’s handsome, impassive face, stirring the dark gray scarf at his neck.
An unknown amount of time passed before footsteps approached from behind. The man known as "Simon Lockwood" didn’t turn, as if he hadn’t heard a thing.
Liam Valentine came to an unhurried stop beside him. For a moment, the two men—whose features were polar opposites—shared a surprising resemblance.
"You once asked me what the human world was like," Liam Valentine asked curiously. "Do you have your answer now?"
After a long pause, Liam Valentine received no answer, only the man’s ice-cold question. "Has the rogue system been dealt with?"
Hearing that familiar, all-business, icy tone, Liam Valentine let go of his tentative probing. He nodded. "Rest assured, it’s all been handled."
was forcibly terminated. At Valentine’s request, 166’s sentence was commuted from termination to psychic exile.
In this world, other than Charles Jennings, no one would remember Joanna Kennedy. No one would remember Simon Lockwood, either. Everything had returned to normal.
"Let’s go," Liam Valentine said, a thought striking him. "By the way, while you were gone, Valen—... 001 upgraded again."
Valentine. 001. The first intelligent system ever created, and the adjunct assistant to the World Consciousness.
Simon Lockwood said nothing. His expression remained as impassive as ever, betraying no change from start to finish.
*
Heavy rain fell in Jornheim, plastering the ground with golden ginkgo leaves.
A black Porsche pulled into the upscale Sinclair Gardens residential area. A woman took the elevator to the top floor and knocked on a door. When there was no response, Mindy Morgan took out her phone and made a call.
RING RING RING! A phone’s shrill tone echoed through the dim bedroom, startling a girl who was slumped over her computer desk.
Without looking up, the girl stuck out an arm, fumbling blindly until she found the vibrating phone. She swiped to answer. "Hello, who—"
"Joanna Kennedy, get this door open for me, now!"
Her words were cut off. Hearing the furious woman on the other end of the line, the girl snapped her head up, revealing a stunningly beautiful face.
The sudden movement pulled at her stiff neck, and Joanna Kennedy let out a silent cry of pain. Before the woman could get any angrier, she hurried to open the door.
"Hehe, Mindy, what brings you here?" With lightning-fast reflexes, Joanna Kennedy snatched the instant noodle cup from her desk and tossed it into the trash.
Too bad she wasn’t fast enough. Mindy Morgan’s eyes narrowed. "How many times do I have to tell you? Don’t eat that junk food! It gives you acne and makes you gain weight. You’re a famous actress! Can’t you have a little self-discipline?!"
"And another thing! The reason you didn’t open the door... you fell asleep playing games again, didn’t you!" Mindy Morgan was fuming.
She’d never met a top-tier celebrity like Joanna Kennedy who stayed up all night gaming and lived on a diet of instant noodles and takeout.
’You can’t just waste your natural gifts like this, no matter how good they are!’
The very thought made Mindy Morgan’s blood boil. She wanted to say more, but one look at the girl’s innocent expression made her sigh. "You can die from exhaustion playing those games. You finally have a few days off. Can’t you just rest? Get a facial or something?"
Seeing that Mindy was no longer furious, Joanna Kennedy breathed a sigh of relief. She pulled two bottles of mineral water from the fridge, twisted one open, and took a gulp before casually lying, "I wasn’t gaming the whole time. I was taking a beauty nap."