My avatar is becoming the final boss

Chapter 254 Photographs, Ideological Imprint (Seeking monthly votes)

Late at night on August 5th, the Guyimai residential area was completely silent, and the lights of the buildings gradually went out.

It was getting late, and two of Ji Minghuan's three mechs were already sound asleep.

However, they either slept on makeshift beds in the attic or in bathtubs filled with hot water; only the sleeping place for Unit 1 was somewhat decent.

Originally intending to have the first unit lie down as well, after much consideration, he used the restraint straps to pull out his phone and typed a message to Gu Qiye in the dark.

[Black Chrysalis: Mr. Blue Arc, it's been a while since we last contacted each other.]

In truth, he didn't expect Gu Qiye to reply in this state, but he still chose to give it a try.

If the other party does reply, he'll have a better idea of ​​what to expect.

During those few hours, Ji Minghuan constantly used the restraints to spy on the scene in the living room, in case Gu Qiye committed suicide, or like in the Gu Zhuo case, irrationally went to fight Hong Yi one-on-one. After all, like father, like son, and this was not an impossible possibility.

Strangely, after leaving the bathroom, Gu Qiye not only did not become hysterical, but was unusually calm, as if nothing had happened.

He was sitting on the sofa, expressionless. The clear moonlight after the rain streamed in through the French windows. Gu Qiye was quietly flipping through a photo album.

This family photo album was usually placed in front of the television. It contained many photos of his mother when she was still alive. But since his mother passed away, Gu Qiye had put the album in the drawer under the television, and rarely did anyone in the family look for it or open it.

His gaze lingered on one of the photographs.

It was a sunny afternoon when Su Zimai was eleven years old and in elementary school.

As the sun sets in the west, crimson maple leaves swirl and fall.

As soon as the school bell rang, she grabbed her schoolbag and ran, skipping briskly through the streets and alleys. On the street, people were selling herbal jelly and tofu pudding, and the smell of cooking food wafted from the stairwells.

Su Zimai sniffed, pushed open the door and shouted, "I'm home!"

Outside the floor-to-ceiling windows, the enormous sun is slowly sinking toward the horizon.

The afterglow of the setting sun slanted into the living room, the wind blew the curtains, Gu Zhuo was reading the newspaper, Su Ying was cooking in the kitchen, and Gu Wenyu was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, head drooping, fiddling with his father's new camera.

Gu Qiye was sitting upright in the kitchen chair, quietly doing her middle school homework at the dining table.

When faced with a problem he couldn't solve, he would occasionally look up, rest his chin on a pen cap, and silently watch his mother's back as she cooked.

After taking off her sandals, Su Zimai jogged through the entryway, panting and shouting.

Looking around and seeing that no one was paying attention to her, she puffed out her cheeks and shouted again at the top of her lungs:

"I'm back--!"

With a "click," Gu Wenyu brought his eye close to the camera and pressed the shutter.

That photo captured the scene at home, and it remains clear even after five years, as if it had never been there.

At that moment, Su Ying put down her spoon and turned to Su Zimai; Gu Zhuoan also looked up from his newspaper and glared at his willful daughter; Gu Qiye, who was still in junior high school, was stunned and turned to look at Su Zimai from his homework.

Su Zimai was furious. She lowered her head and glared at them with displeasure.

Staring at his younger sister in the photo, who looked as angry as a little calf, Gu Qiye's lips curled into a slight smile.

After a moment, he slowly raised his eyes from the photograph and glanced at the living room shrouded in darkness.

Looking around at the empty space, he suddenly felt like going crazy, like the sister in the photo, and shouting "I'm home" into the living room. His lips moved, but in the end he kept his mouth shut, because he knew that even if he said it a thousand times, no one would respond. Five years ago was already so far away.

Just as he closed the photo album, his phone suddenly vibrated.

Gu Qiye paused for a moment, then picked up her phone from the sofa and glanced at it. A text message from Hei Yong popped up on the screen.

[Gu Qiye: What are you doing?]

[Black Chrysalis: I heard Rainbow Wings has extended an olive branch to you?]

Gu Qiye: You.

[Black Chrysalis: Me?]

[Gu Qiye: Actually, you've always known that Gui Zhong is my father, haven't you?]

[Black Chrysalis: That's right.]

[Gu Qiye: At the auction, was it you who called my dad to save me?]

[Black Chrysalis: It seems you're not as slow-witted as I thought.]

[Gu Qiye: Why didn't you ever tell me?]

[Black Chrysalis: Because this is your father's wish; he wants to confess to you in person.]

[Gu Qiye: Does he often ask you about me?]

[Black pupa: frequently.]

[Black Chrysalis: Let's get down to business. Did you accept Rainbow Wing's invitation?]

[Gu Qiye: I accept. If all goes well, I will head to New York with them tomorrow.]

"So, bro, you accepted it? Then here's the question: why haven't I finished my task yet?"

Ji Minghuan raised an eyebrow and glanced at the Black Chrysalis's task panel.

[Main Quest 1 (Phase 5): Help Gu Qiye infiltrate the United Nations organization "Rainbow Wing".] The panel shows that the quest is not yet complete. But at some point, the "Blue Arc of the Outcasts" in the quest details has changed to the elder brother's real name, "Gu Qiye".

The system probably anticipated that Gu Qiye would no longer use the identity of "Blue Arc" in the future. After joining Rainbow Wing, the UN leadership would give him a new code name.

"Will my mission be completed only after my brother is officially registered on Rainbow Wing's list?" Ji Minghuan wondered. "But we've come this far, unless the people at Rainbow Wing suddenly find out that Ghost Bell is related to Gu Zhuo's case, there shouldn't be any more problems, right?"

With that thought in mind, he tapped the screen with the restraint straps to send a message.

[Black Chrysalis: I'm so proud of you, Mr. Gu Qiye. Congratulations on getting one step closer to the truth about your mother.]

[Black Chrysalis: But America isn't a good place. Remember to wear earmuffs before bed to avoid being disturbed by gunfire.]

[Gu Qiye: Who killed my father?]

[Gu Qiye: Fan Dongqing, or Yu Ruier?]

[Black Chrysalis: I'll keep this from you for now; I'm worried you might do something impulsive.]

[Black Chrysalis: I suggest you get a good night's sleep first, don't overexert yourself, tomorrow will be better.]

[Black Chrysalis: Revenge also requires conserving energy.]

[Black Chrysalis: See you in New York.]

After sending the last message, Ji Minghuan casually tossed her phone onto the corner of the bed, turned her head to look out the window in a daze. The night sky after the rain was clearer than usual, and she could see the stars when she looked up.

With the last lingering worry in my mind, sleepiness finally crept in; after all, I had been busy all day.

He slowly closed his eyelids and soon fell asleep.

He dreamt of a penguin monster destroying a city while shouting "quack quack quack." The righteous Sun Wukong flew over on his somersault cloud and hit the penguin monster on the head with his stick.

Finally, the penguin monster fell to the ground, its head was removed, and a white-haired girl jumped out, raised her arms in celebration, and shouted "Happy wrap-up!"

"Restricted-level ability user, number 1002—Ji Minghuan, your mentor is here to visit. Prepare immediately." Unlike before, a cold female voice came from the broadcasting equipment.

Ji Minghuan's eyelids trembled slightly, and he slowly opened his eyes. What came into view was not the ceiling, but a crumpled white pillow. He had slept face down last night.

He rested his chin on the pillow, tilted his head, and saw his mentor's figure.

"How was your rest?" the tutor asked with a smile.

"It's alright." Ji Minghuan raised her head, then lowered her face back down into the pillow and said in a muffled voice, "But I'm unhappy after seeing you. It's really bad luck... I'm going to have nightmares again tonight."

"They're waiting for you in the park, go and meet them."

Ji Minghuan immediately perked up, got out of bed, went into the bathroom to wash her face, and made groggy noises while brushing her teeth:

"You previously described Shang Xiaochi as aloof, but it turns out she's just a chuunibyou (middle school syndrome) sufferer."

“Most kids this age are like that; they want to be different,” the mentor’s voice came from the cell. “That’s why we find it strange.”

"What's weird?"

“Normally, a child would feel excited and happy to hear that they have the power to destroy the world. Who would be as eager to excuse themselves as you are, emphasizing that they are a Muggle?”

"The reason is simple: only a sick person would like being locked up here by you. You've cured my chuunibyou (middle school syndrome).

Ji Minghuan spat out a mouthful of mouthwash and said calmly.

After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "Speaking of which, how is Zeus? Can we meet that last problem child now?"

"No, he's not stable enough yet."

"Has my brother been found?"

"Not yet," the mentor said, "but soon, I estimate we'll find it in about two weeks."

"How can you be sure? Is there a progress bar involved?"

"Instead of that, let's talk about the prophet. Ever since he said he was coming to see you, have you experienced anything strange, like having strange dreams?"

"No," Ji Minghuan muttered. "Does dreaming about a giant penguin monster punching and kicking me count?"

"Speaking of which, we're planning to send Kong Youling out soon. Do you have any objections to that?" the tutor suddenly asked.

Ji Minghuan was stunned.

He put down his mouthwash cup, walked out of the restroom, sat down at the table, and looked up at his tutor.

"What's going on? What do you need a penguin for? This is not only animal cruelty, it's child labor."

"It's very simple. Rainbow Wings are still under our control, but Lake Hunters are different. They are very dangerous to us. In the past, we could have let them go for the time being, but the world is not in a good place now, and we must take some preventative measures."

"And then?" Ji Minghuan asked calmly.

The mentor slowly said, "So, we thought of using Kong Youling's special ability to implant a thought imprint in the minds of the four people in Lake Hunting: 'Lin Xingshi,' 'Zhou Jiuya,' 'Zhuge Hui,' and 'Zhong Wujiu,' to ensure that they would not overstep their bounds."

As he spoke, he looked up at Ji Minghuan, his glasses reflecting a cold light.

"What do you think, Ji Minghuan?"

　Please vote with monthly tickets, there will be another update later.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)