Forgotten Photo Studio

Chapter 119 Become a Gold-Level Expert as Soon as Possible

Xu Yan said to Chen Zhiwei, "Zhiwei, I want to go to the center to take on missions. I need to keep leveling up."

Chen Zhiwei's smile froze instantly, as if sealed by a sudden chill. She even doubted whether she had misheard, and subconsciously repeated, "...Go to the center to accept the mission?"

"Yes." Xu Yan's answer was brief and firm, leaving no room for negotiation.

"Are you crazy?!" Chen Zhiwei's voice suddenly rose, sharp with disbelief. "Grandpa repeatedly told us before he died to stay away from that 'center'! We're already at our limit if we can get some insignificant cleaning jobs that slip through their fingers! You want to go and get involved? You want to become their official contractor?"

Her reaction was exactly what Xu Yan had expected.

He did not avoid her burning, angry gaze, his tone calm yet unusually firm: "I know Master said that. But times have changed."

"Those were times? These are times?" Chen Zhiwei was almost amused by his nonchalant attitude. "What's the difference? How long has it been since Grandpa spoke? We have no idea how deep the water is in that place! You saw how efficient they are at handling 'garbage' tonight—cold-blooded and efficient like a machine! What are you trying to gain by associating with such a force?"

Xu Yan's gaze passed over her, seemingly piercing through the mottled walls of the photo studio, and looked toward a distant and heavy target.

He slowly uttered a few words, but they were like a boulder thrown into stagnant water:
“I must be promoted to Gold level contractor as soon as possible.”

His gaze pierced through the mottled wall, as if chasing a beam of light that had never reached it.

The color drained from Chen Zhiwei's face. She gripped Xu Yan's arm, her fingertips turning white from the force: "Do you know what you're saying? Gold-level... that's not glory, that's a curse! Every Gold-level being born means the death of countless Silver-level corpses! Grandpa said it's a one-way street where you gamble with your soul!"

Xu Yan did not break free, but instead covered her cold hand with his other hand.

His palms were hot, carrying an undeniable firmness.

“I know.” His voice was low, yet as steady as a rock. “I know what’s on that road. I know what the price will be.”

"Then why do you still..."

Xu Yan slowly took out the strange photograph from his pocket—a pale shadow clinging to the shoulder of his back view.

“Because I have no other choice.” He interrupted her, his voice carrying a crushed calm. “Zhiwei, I’m not walking toward it. It’s… already here.”

He pointed to the shadow in the photo: "This is not a prophecy, it's a diagnosis. While we're still hiding in the shadows 'taking it slow,' the countdown to disaster has already begun."

As he spoke, it was as if he were describing a sunrise that no one could see—a light rising from the depths of his heart, searing him and illuminating the shadows.

“I saw people die for me, and I saw how insignificant we are in the face of real disaster. Zhiwei, I am not seeking power, I am seeking answers—about this world, about us, about why we must hide in the shadows to clean up the mess.”

Chen Zhiwei's lips trembled slightly: "We can take it slowly, like Grandpa did..."

“There’s no time.” Xu Yan’s voice was filled with an urgency she had never heard before. He cupped her face in his hands, forcing her to look into his eyes. “Zhiwei, look at me. I promise you, no matter what happens, we’ll face it together. But I don’t want things to be like this, not as a cleaner who can’t even touch the truth.”

His thumb gently brushed against the corner of her eye, which had become wet without her noticing.

“I want to become strong enough to protect you, protect this photo studio, and protect everything we care about. So that when the next ‘accident’ comes, I won’t just be able to watch helplessly as the people I care about disappear.” Chen Zhiwei saw her reflection in his deep pupils, so small, so fragile. She suddenly understood that this wasn’t a spur-of-the-moment decision, but a well-thought-out one.

This realization instilled even greater fear in her, but it also made it impossible for her to resolutely oppose it anymore.

"But..." her voice trembled with tears, "I'm scared..."

“I know.” Xu Yan gently embraced her. This hug was different from the previous ones; it was filled with tenderness and promise. “I’m afraid too. But I’m even more afraid that one day, when disaster strikes, I will regret not having the courage to take this step.”

Xu Yan lowered his head and looked at Chen Zhiwei's hands, which were trembling slightly with excitement, and at the pure, unadulterated worry in her eyes.

The bitter ocean in his heart surged once again.

He looked at her, his lips twitching several times, but he only gave a soft laugh.

That smile was dry, like a negative that had been sealed away for many years.

Some images only need to be developed once; any more than once will only make the cracks more obvious.

"I promise you, I won't go to my death. I'll be careful with every step. But this step, I must take."

Chen Zhiwei's lips trembled slightly. "Gold level... You know that's not just about strength, but also about a vast resource network and the accumulation of countless life-or-death missions. By normal means, even if you keep taking on missions, it would take you five or eight years to even get close to the threshold."

“So we need an unconventional path.” Xu Yan’s voice was deep and steady. He released his hands from her face and instead grasped her wrist firmly. “I know the risks. But I also know that following the established path will only leave us perpetually passive. Master’s instruction to ‘stay away’ is a form of protection, but it is also a limitation. Now, I must break that limitation.”

Chen Zhiwei gazed at him, seeing in his eyes an unwavering determination, as well as a profound weight she could not fully comprehend.

She paused for a moment, then took his wrist in her hand and gently tapped his skin with her fingertips—a habit they had when discussing their "secret plan."

“Okay.” She uttered a single word, her eyes becoming calm and focused. “Since you’ve made up your mind, we can’t just act recklessly. Going directly to the center to pick up individual orders is too inefficient and will easily attract unnecessary attention.”

She pulled Xu Yan behind the counter and pulled out a worn leather notebook from deep inside a drawer—it was a handwritten note left by her master.

“Grandpa mentioned it,” she said, quickly flipping through the yellowed pages, her fingertip lingering on a scrawled note, “that there’s a ‘fast-track assessment channel’ within the center, which isn’t entirely public. It’s not about accumulating tasks, but about leapfrogging through ‘qualification’ tests of a specific difficulty. It’s usually only open to those recommended internally or… those who have resolved ‘major anomalies’.”

"But it's more like a trap—the center uses it to screen out pieces that are 'potential and easy to control.' We should take advantage of it, but we can't play by their rules."

She raised her head, her gaze fixed intently on Xu Yan:

“The way you dealt with the ‘lonely ghost’ just now was very special, you could even say… unconventional. This could be a starting point. We need a flawless mission report. The focus is not on how much you ‘cleaned up,’ but on how you ‘understood’ and ‘harmlessly disposed of’ the core logic of that anomalous entity. This can demonstrate your ‘potential’ to the center, not just ‘force’.”

A glint flashed in Xu Yan's eyes, and he immediately understood Chen Zhiwei's intention: "Use your way of thinking and your 'potential' for solving problems to knock on that unconventional door."

(End of this chapter)