Chapter 488 - 468: Companions
Why would anyone come to a place like this?
He stood there for a moment, then cautiously walked to the front door of the house. To his surprise, there was a closed-circuit monitor with a screen by the door, conveniently showing the situation in the front yard. Through the surveillance camera, he saw two young people similar in age to him visiting, one man and one woman, both dressed stylishly with a near-futuristic look.
Seeing no response, the girl knocked on the door again, "Chen Xuan, are you there? We’ve come to see you!"
An unnamed fury rushed to the top of Chen Xuan’s head.
Calling me so intimately, are you that familiar with me? A bunch of NPCs generated in the computing well, what right do you have to call my name!?
"You can do whatever you want to do." It was as if Zhao Xi was speaking in his ear.
Chen Xuan clenched his fists and swung the door open—although he couldn’t use his abilities, the effects of soul refinement remained. His senses were still sharp, and his limbs seemed to harbor great strength. If this was a ring fight, he was confident he could shatter the opponent’s jaw with one punch.
As soon as the door opened, the girl made a V sign towards him, "Hello! I’m Xu Enya, also the manager of store number 766!"
Chen Xuan’s fist, which was already in the air, instantly stopped.
It was only then that the two reacted to his actions. The man was shocked and hurriedly stepped forward to shield the girl, holding her while closing his eyes, turning his back to Chen Xuan as if he was prepared to be punched.
"Um..." Xu Enya swallowed, "um, he seems to just... want to scare us."
"Manager?" Chen Xuan asked, puzzled, "Are you all?"
"Yes, yes." She cautiously replied, "You should be a manager too..."
Seeing how they were talking, they even changed their language to one of respect.
So they weren’t NPCs...
Chen Xuan retracted his fist, forcing a smile, trying to look as friendly as possible, "I was just practicing boxing. How did you know my name?"
"Uh... Sister Zhao Xi told me, she was worried you wouldn’t adapt to the life here and asked us to drop by." Xu Enya peeked out from behind the man’s shoulder, "If you don’t like being disturbed, we’ll leave now!"
Having said that, she tried to pull her partner away.
"Stop!" Chen Xuan’s low voice made them tremble.
Looking at the perplexed young couple, he sighed gently, stepping aside to let them in, "Come in."
"Are you two a couple?"
After they sat side by side, Chen Xuan raised an eyebrow with some interest. Although the sofa was long, they deliberately sat together, indicating their unusual relationship.
He remembered Liang Mingzhe saying that in countless worlds, there could only be one manager of the Ability Store at a time.
"Yes." Xu Enya nodded, her tone becoming lively again, "I forgot to introduce, his name is Luo Dan. Tang, you can just call him Xiao Luo."
"Is that how you introduce people?" The man muttered, as if protesting, but his gentle gaze revealed his true thoughts.
"Does he have a number?"
"Yes, I am manager number 905." Luo Dan voluntarily replied, "But this is just a filing number, it doesn’t mean I’m the 905th qualified person. Given the world’s developmental stage, it’s likely my starting date as manager was earlier than both of yours."
With over a hundred rank difference in their numbers, it was unlikely they were in the same world. Chen Xuan thought, which meant they probably met and fell in love in this place. The thought that they were actually just personality information trapped in the computing well made him feel nauseous.
This loathing wasn’t directed at them but at this small place and the researchers behind it.
"What does filing mean?"
"Probably means the research is finished, we’re not really sure." Xu Enya suddenly showed a bitter smile, "I came here after dying, and it only took two days to declare my filing, probably the weakest manager. For a master like you, it might take years to file."
Luo Dan also looked at him with envy.
Amidst that envy was also a trace of fear.
Chen Xuan couldn’t help but twitch his lips, "Master?"
"Sister Zhao Xi said you were the first LV7 manager, the first to witness ascension, isn’t that a master?" Her voice rose a few notches, "This is an honor that should be recorded in history, I even want to ask you for your autograph!"
"So what." Chen Xuan said indifferently, "In the end, am I not the same as you, with our souls trapped in this place."
"Trapped? No one’s trapping us..." Xu Enya said puzzled, "We can move freely here, have whatever we want, life is pretty interesting. Compared to being a manager, it’s like the difference between Heaven and Hell!"
He froze, instinctively looking at Luo Dan.
The latter nodded with great approval, "I feel the same way. Although being a manager gave me much knowledge, every day was like walking on thin ice. If I’d known I could come here after death, I might’ve just committed suicide..."
"You can’t do that." Xu Enya interjected, "If you didn’t contribute anything, they might have formatted you. Plus, I’m already the lowest here as an LV2 manager, if you came as an LV1, all other colleagues would laugh their heads off."
Other colleagues...
Chen Xuan had a feeling he knew all along.
Since numbers 766 and 905 could appear here, there was no reason other managers wouldn’t be here.
What truly surprised him was... the two seemed grateful to the Salvation Ark.
"LV2... What did you do before becoming a manager?"
Xu Enya sheepishly scratched her cheek, speaking softly, "I was an actress."
"In movies?"
"Not... not to that extent."
Chen Xuan suspiciously examined her, "What do you mean by not to that extent? Only acted in TV dramas?"
"Actually..." She took a deep breath, her cheeks slightly flushed, "I was still just a background actor at that time."
So, just an extra?
The Ability Store chose her... even though she had no talent. Chen Xuan withdrew his gaze; come to think of it, wasn’t he also just an ordinary person before becoming a manager? He quit a major factory job, aiming to start his own business, but ended up just working in a restaurant.
"Why did you only reach LV2 before it ended?" After a moment of silence, he curiously asked.
"I was killed." Xu Enya puffed her cheeks, still holding a grudge, "To be precise, it was a good friend I trusted who killed me."
Chen Xuan immediately guessed the reason, "Did you reveal your ability to this person?"
"As expected... you could all guess." She sighed, "I’m such a fool!"
The acting profession sounds pretty safe, but once it involves the Ability Store, trouble finds its way. According to Liang Mingzhe, this ability only appears in evolutionary worlds, which presupposes that thought power... or spiritual qi, and supernatural forces are prevalent. In any world line with capabilities, the power of the Ability Store is invaluable, and once leaked, it brings inevitably enormous risks.
Being an LV2 manager means only just started, perhaps without even a lifesaving ability, and the manager themselves is just a mortal being, a small knife into the heart is enough to be fatal.
Chen Xuan didn’t ask further; since it was a friend who made the move, it must be a story of betrayal.
"What about you?" He asked Luo Dan.
"Xiao Luo is much more incredible than me!" Xu Enya giggled, "He reached LV4, he used to be a Magic user!"