Chapter 37

Chapter 37

On the other end of the phone, Wen Er's light gray pupils froze instantly.

...The first thing that surged up in him was anger.

Wen Er has always believed that anger is meaningless. In his view, anger is a negative emotion that can only be caused by losing control, and it is a reaction that only the weak and powerless will have.

He has always had the ability to ensure that everything around him is always within a controllable and safe range.

Tonight's unexpected car accident, Luo Ran's weird moments, Luo Ran's rebuttal, Luo Ran running home without his permission... Ever since Luo Ran came back this time, many things started to go wrong, as if they were subtly colliding.Trying to escape his control.

These indeed made him displeased, but not enough to make him angry.

Wen Er knows how to get everything back on track.

But tonight, the terminal at the headquarters was attacked by a vicious attack and important S-level data was lost and damaged, which exceeded the limit that Wen Er could properly resolve.

Before Wen Er called Luo Ran, researchers who were eager to use the data and the direct leaders of the Science Department were stuck in the office and had been arguing messily for several hours.

He is not the one responsible for data security protection, it is not him who steals the data, and it is not him who needs to use the data for research.Because he is the person in charge, he has to be responsible for everything and find a solution.

No one cares about how to solve it, everyone only cares about the data.

When will the data be returned, when will it be completed, and will there be another accident?Is there any remedy for this serious omission, and a compensation plan for the stagnant research progress...

…Does the occurrence of such an extremely bad data loss incident mean that the ability of the person in charge has been overestimated to some extent?

"Luo Ran." Wen Er asked calmly, "Do you know what you are talking about?"

There was no sound from the other end.

Wen Er's eyes were dark, and his tone was still calm, but there was already a hint of coldness seeping out: "Luo Ran, speak."

Luo Ran had begun to learn to disobey and resist him, and he needed to be taken back and re-corrected.

If Luo Ran said one more thing, he would have a way to make Luo Ran clearly remember the consequences of provoking him this time——

On the other side of the phone, Luo Ran hesitated: "...Wen Er?"

Wen Er's eyes twitched slightly.

"I'm..." Luo Ran seemed to be awakened by his words, and gradually returned to his normal tone, "I'm at home, I'm sick."

Luo Ran seemed not to have heard what he said in front of him, and muttered in a low voice, a little vaguely: "I'm sick, I didn't realize it myself... My parents saw it at a glance, and now I'm not allowed to go out. Let mesleeping at home."

His voice became normal again.

Luo Ran explained to him in a low voice, with a little unconscious fear, no different from usual, as if the person who just repeated those words was not Luo Ran himself at all.

Wen You was provoked by those few words, and his anger had reached its peak. He only had to vent his anger, but it was sealed in his chest.

Wen Er frowned tightly.

On the other end of the phone, Luo Ran paused, as if he finally felt something was wrong: "Wen Er... what's wrong with me?"

Wen Er didn't answer immediately. He entered his password on the computer and opened a super-encrypted document.

Like previous records, Luo Ran's performance today was very much like another brief episode of personality annihilation.

Based on previous experience, Luo Ran may indeed experience personality instability within 24 hours after entering the electronic storm.

But he clearly didn't guide Luo Ran. What triggered Luo Ran to suddenly recite what he said before?

Is it because he mentioned the key word "difficulty", or... because he mentioned Pu Ying?

For some reason, Wen Er suddenly remembered the car accident again, and how Luo Ran was sitting on the roof of his off-road vehicle, throwing down the safety rope.

It's not just cold - coldness is warmer than anything else. It's more like an empty shell that has been completely stripped of a certain part and is different from human beings, leaving only the ability to think and behave.

Just like...Pu Ying is back.

Wen Er narrowed his eyes, and he could hardly control himself. His fingers nervously jumped twice on the edge of the cold table.

What caused this change?

Even though it was very brief, just passing by in a flash, he was more familiar with that feeling that was almost exactly the same as Pu Ying's.

How could Luo Ran suddenly become like this?

Everything is obviously normal and under control——

Wen Er's pupils shrank slightly, and his mind suddenly trembled.

"Luo Ran." Wen Er asked, "This is the fifth time you entered the electronic storm. How long did you stay in it?"

Luo Ran was startled for a moment: "...what?"

"The length of stay should be recorded on the instrument..." Wen Er stood up, "Forget it, I'll go see it myself."

So many things happened, one after another, that he almost forgot about it.

Before the car accident, Luo Ran's stay in the electronic storm expired.

"Timed out?"

Luo Ran's voice was a little hesitant: "I don't know, I messed up the numbers... I was worried that I didn't measure enough data, so I stayed a little longer."

"It doesn't matter." Luo Ran said, "I was just a little dizzy, and it's gone now."

Wen Er didn't listen to him.

Wen Er retrieved all of Luo Ran's equipment records.

He stood in front of the screen, an unprecedented feeling enveloped him, and his chest became colder inch by inch.

... He has no time to care about personality annihilation and impact factors.

The last time he entered the electronic storm, Luo Ran stayed inside for 37.51 seconds.

Timed out by 7.51 seconds.

Luo Ran was a top storm chaser, professional, stable and precise, and never had any accidents, so Wen You almost forgot that there was such a provision in the safety code that had been gathering dust.

Electronic storm detection is a high-risk detection activity. In order to ensure the life safety of the detector, once the detection times out, the personal ID will be automatically blocked by the system.

This regulation is set to prevent detectors from being in danger. According to current research results, overtime detection of more than 7.5 seconds requires at least fifteen days to eliminate the damage to the human body caused by electronic pulses.

If the timeout is less than 7.5 seconds, it will only trigger a warning reminder. He can also use the power of the head of the general scientific research institute to forcibly resume use.

For more than 7.5 seconds, the personal ID and iris fingerprint data are bound and directly registered with the Ministry of Science, triggering a ban.

When the ID is banned, no one or any department can restart it through any means.

Because the residence time was 0.01 seconds longer than the stipulated 7.5 seconds, Luo Ran triggered the disabling of his personal ID, temporarily blocking the operation and use of all instruments.

……in other words.

Within fifteen days, even if Luo Ran was willing to enter the electronic storm again, no valuable data would be returned to him.

Just because there is an extra 0.01 seconds.

…

Wen Er's hands pressed hard on the instrument.

His eyes were dark and heavy, and he could hardly control his usually stable emotions, and his chest rose and fell deeply.

There was no reasonable logic to support his suspicion of Luo Ran. Not to mention that it was impossible for Luo Ran to intentionally time out... Even if he did, how could he do it?

The space-time in the electronic storm is temporarily distorted. No matter how sophisticated the instruments are, we can still only rely on the most primitive methods when it comes to timing.

The detector has no reference. Once it enters the electronic storm, it can only use its own heartbeat to measure time.

If Luo Ran wanted to keep time so accurately... he would have to insert a system with its own timer into his head, and then program himself with a precision program that could be accurate to 0.01 seconds.

How can this be?

Wen Er would not waste time on illogical conjectures, and he had no time to think about such a suffocating coincidence.

Wen Er adjusted his breathing and heartbeat. He tried his best to regain his composure, and his eyes fell on a thick stack of documents.

The reason why he called Luo Ran late at night was because if Luo Ran was willing to come back, this would be the most direct and effective way to solve the problem.

Who is that bold hacker? What is the purpose of attacking the terminal of the General Scientific Research Institute and stealing the data? He does not need to take care of these matters. The security department directly under the alliance of the Imperial City will take over the investigation.

But the mess left behind can only be cleaned up by the person in charge.

The hackers only stole half of the data, and the remaining half was severely disrupted. It had to be reorganized and archived before it could be distributed to several research teams in the institute.

For projects that are delayed due to data loss, a compensation plan for team idling must be implemented as soon as possible.

The most important thing... is that there must be new detection data to make up for the serious lack of content in the current database.

Luo Ran couldn't help with any of these things.

Wen Er closed her eyes.

He didn't waste any more time, casually said a few words on the phone, and granted Luo Ran a fifteen-day holiday.

The situation is a mess, and if it cannot be properly handled, the Ministry of Science will re-evaluate his qualifications as the head of the general scientific research institute.

He needs to convene people to sort out data, finalize a compensation plan, and urgently recruit a large number of new temporary "storm chasers."

He wants to retrain these new detectors so that they can provide enough data to make up for this serious loss.

This is just work within the scientific research institute. Wen You has to go back to the Ministry of Science to report on his work and be inspected by the investigation team to provide a reasonable explanation for him leaving the scientific research institute alone tonight... There are too many things to deal with.

He couldn't care about Luo Ran anymore.

Yu Tang didn't care about Wen You either.

In order to comply with the new settings of "staying in the electronic storm for an extended period of time" and "physical damage", Yu Tang received a large gift package from the supervision department after returning to Luo Ran's bedroom.

Early the next morning, Luo's father came to wake his son up and noticed something was wrong with Luo Ran's face.

Father Luo touched his son's forehead and his expression changed.

…

"It's okay to have a fever." Yu Tang was in the sea of consciousness, wrapped in the small blanket he got from the first book, and still couldn't figure it out, "Why is it hypothermia?"

The system helped him read the script: "Host, in the original work, Luo Ran also entered this state of hypothermia after his fever subsided."

It is also the most severe known effect of an electron storm on the human body.

Most people who are involved in the electronic storm but have not been completely swallowed up will develop this special "hypothermia" if they are rescued in time.

The body produces less heat, has poorer regulatory ability than ordinary people, and cannot spontaneously maintain body temperature.

In the original plot, Luo Ran has been trapped in this physical state since he was completely imprisoned by Wen Er.

He became pale, weak, and afraid of the cold. Even in summer, he had to wear thick long-sleeved clothes and was used to curling up to keep warm.

He once met Father Luo and Mother Luo.

He didn't know that Wen Er had specially arranged that time.Luo's father and Luo's mother thought that their son was on a detection mission and came to the General Scientific Research Institute to give Luo Ran summer clothes.

Luo's father knew that his son was most afraid of heat, so he bought a large bag of ice cream and ice cream that Luo Ran loved the most when he was a child.

Father Luo and Mother Luo thought their son was not here, so they came and left in a hurry.

They didn't notice that in a laboratory they passed by, there was a young researcher wearing long sleeves, trousers and a peaked cap. When he noticed their figure, his figure froze behind the instrument.

Luo Ran hunched over and clutched his sleeves hard.

He had put on a lot of clothes, but he was still cold.

It was so cold that it felt like ice had grown out of my chest, and no amount of hot water could melt it away.

He looked at the two familiar figures, their feet were too soft to move, and thought to himself, don't notice, don't notice.

Unable to move, he watched Father Luo and Mother Luo walk away, then sneaked out of the laboratory without telling everyone, dug out all the ice cream Father Luo had put for him in the dormitory refrigerator, and stuffed it into his mouth hungrily.

Fortunately, he thought, fortunately.

Fortunately, his parents didn't see him. Fortunately, he had no strength at that time and couldn't rush forward. He threw himself into their arms and cried desperately, begging them to take him away——

"Luckily it's a big watermelon." Yu Tang said.

system:"……"

Luo Ran's card was still awake, and the system was worried, so it helped Yu Tang lower the volume by two levels.

"Let him listen."

Yu Tang turned the volume back up: "This kind of hypothermia is a physiological disease. It needs to be treated scientifically, supplementing nutrition, exercising more, getting more sunshine, and hugging people more."

Yu Tang: "It's useless to eat ice cream like crazy."

The system flashed the small red light worriedly: "Host."

Yu Tang stopped: "Am I wrong?"

System: "...Yes."

Although there was no problem with the logic, the system still felt that Luo Ran didn't eat ice cream for this reason.

It deliberately reminded Yu Tang, flew over quietly, and helped its host open "Research on Human Behavior".

"We'll see later." Yu Tang concentrated on teaching cards, "Next time something like this happens, you put all the ice cream on Wen Er's head, and then take a taxi to the hospital."

system:"……"

card:"……"

Yu Tang paused for a while, flipped through a few pages of "Human Behavior", and switched to the second newly learned plan: "Rush up...hug your parents, tell them everything, tell them you are cold."

"Speak as much as you want, and as serious as it is."

Yu Tang: "Then your father will help you put the ice cream on Wen Er's head and take you to the hospital in a taxi."

The card didn't hold up and trembled slightly in his sea of consciousness.

…

In reality, Luo Ran was leaning on the hospital bed, uncontrollably raising the corners of his mouth.

"Have you figured it out?"

Mother Luo glared at him, then saw her son's expression softening, and finally smiled: "I told you, the doctor checked it out, it's not serious."

"Run more, jump more, be more active, and get more sunshine."

Mother Luo stretched out her hand and touched her son's well-behaved and soft little red hair: "It will only take a few months to raise him. I won't delay you driving a motorcycle to chase thunder."

Father Luo had just entered the door and couldn't help but interject: "The doctor said it more lively, it shouldn't mean dyeing your hair..."

"I just like to see my son's head turn red."

Mother Luo said: "Happy."

Father Luo: "..."

Luo Ran obediently let Mother Luo rub her head, the corners of her pale lips pursed, and the warmth trickled down from behind her ears into her collar.

This time, Luo Ran returned home early and was discovered in time, so the situation was indeed not serious.

Hypothermia caused by electronic storms is not incurable, and even the treatment plan couldn't be simpler - supplement nutrition, eat scientifically, exercise scientifically, ensure adequate sleep, relax mentally, and increase the body's basal metabolic rate.

Wen Er never mentioned treating Luo Ran, just because it looked more like Pu Ying.

"Mom, turn on the air conditioner for a while."

Luo Ran looked at the thin sweat on Luo's mother's temples and said softly, "I wish I could wear more clothes."

It is midsummer now, and there is no air conditioning in the single ward. For Luo Ran, the temperature is just right.

But it was impossible for Father Luo and Mother Luo not to feel hot.

Luo Ran gently grasped the quilt. He was afraid that his tone was wrong and would make his parents worried. He tried his best to recall what he was like before: "I'm not afraid of the cold. You guys can cool down for a while, I -"

Before he could finish his words, he received a gentle slap on the back of his head.

So light, almost like some kind of optical illusion.

Luo Ran was stunned for a moment.

Neither Father Luo nor Mother Luo took action.

They still haven't figured out what happened to Luo Ran. Mother Luo's anger had dissipated that night, leaving only the heartache that was so full that she didn't know where to put it.

Father Luo and Mother Luo carefully considered every word, carefully and clumsily protecting their son, not willing to say a harsh word to their exhausted son.

Luo's father had just gone to the supermarket and bought a lot of nutritional supplements for Luo Ran, and he and Luo's mother were placing them on his bedside.

Luo Ran sat in a daze, subconsciously looking at Yu Tang's figure in the sea of consciousness.

Yu Tanggang slapped himself on the back of the head and took his hand back without even looking at him. He continued to concentrate on processing the work documents sent remotely by W&P.

…

Luo Ran's body tensed up, and facing the eyes of Luo's father and Luo's mother, he changed his words: "...I want to eat ice cream."

"No." Mother Luo frowned, "What's wrong with eating? Ice cream now?"

After agreeing not to discipline his son, Luo's father quietly touched Luo's mother and whispered, "My son wants to eat."

"You can't even eat it if you want. How can he eat cold food now with his body?"

Luo's mother was reluctant to lecture her son, so she turned around and lectured her husband: "You can't agree to everything. Your son's health is important. What if it affects his recovery?"

Father Luo fought for his son: "It doesn't matter. Just take a bite to satisfy your craving..."

"Just take one bite." Luo Ran whispered, "Mom and dad will eat the rest."

Mother Luo was startled.

She suddenly understood what Luo Ran meant.

Luo Ran was afraid that they would be hot and wanted them to turn on the air conditioner, but he was also afraid that they would not agree, so he beat around the bush and tried to find a way to cool them down.

——Just like when I was a child.

Xiao Luoran had just arrived home and his memory was severely impaired. He didn't know that the ice cream should be kept in the refrigerator.Xiao Luo Ran wanted to leave ice cream for them, so he covered it with a big bowl and waited for a day.

By the time Father Luo and Mother Luo came home, all the ice cream had melted.

Luo's mother still remembers that little Luo Ran cried miserably and heroically that night. People in a radius of dozens of meters thought that Luo's father had finally hit his son's butt accurately with a broom for the first time.

Mother Luo looked at her son in front of her, and the more she looked at her, the more she felt that Luo Ran was almost exactly the same as when he was a child.

... But why did Wen You keep telling them that Luo Ran was in a rebellious stage, his personality began to develop, and he began to think that his parents were too disciplined and too pedantic, so he was unwilling to talk to them?

Is it because Wen Er didn't understand Luo Ran and misunderstood Luo Ran's state, or did Luo Ran do something that caused misunderstanding, or...

Mother Luo said nothing, looking at her son who was curled up obediently on the bedside, her brows furrowed little by little.

Luo Ran only said these few words.

His strength was exhausted, and he tried his best to raise his eyelashes, but then they dropped unbearably, and his body slid down softly.

Luo Ran gets tired easily now.

Even the doctor doesn't know the specific reason. He can only speculate that he had a very mentally draining experience before, so he needs to rest more, stay in bed more, and keep his mood relaxed and happy.

Mother Luo hugged her son, let Luo Ran lie down gently, and touched his forehead.

"If you don't like the General Scientific Research Institute..." Mother Luo said, "We won't go."

Luo Ran closed his eyes and shuddered slightly.

Mother Luo stretched out her hand, across the quilt, and patted her son gently like she did when he was a child: "Let's do what we like."

"Yesterday I met an old classmate from the main issue of World Geography. Your father also gave him the photos you gave him." Mother Luo said, "They liked it very much and said they would rush to publish it in this issue and that they would hire special staff.You become a professional photographer.”

Two years ago, Father Luo and Mother Luo would not have dared to process these photos for their son without permission.

The main publication of "World Geography" is on the same level as their main scientific research institute. Luo's father has many old classmates in the editorial department who have long wanted to recommend it to Luo Ran.

But Wen Er told them that Luo Ran didn't like relying on his parents the most, and he didn't want to have anything to do with them.

The more Mother Luo thought about it, the more uncomfortable she became. She always felt that there was something wrong here, so she asked her son softly: "Let's not go to that scientific research institute, okay?"

Luo Ran's eyelashes trembled.

He was quiet for a long time, so quiet that Mother Luo thought he had fallen asleep, so she gently rubbed Mother Luo's palm again.

He trembled slightly, moved his lips several times, and said in a low voice: "Okay..."

Luo Ran suddenly stopped talking and let out a low groan.

Mother Luo was startled: "What's wrong? Where do you feel bad?"

"fine."

Luo Ran paused and added in a low voice: "...It's so cold."

Mother Luo's heart felt sour, and she quickly closed her arms and hugged her son along with the quilt.

"I'm still eating and thinking about ice cream when I'm cold."

Luo's mother was so distressed that she tried her best to lecture him: "Mom and dad, are you afraid of the heat? Get well soon, resign and go home to take good care of your health. Then you can jump up and down the house to lift the tiles. You can have some ice cream."…”

"I still have things to do...Mom." Luo Ran said softly.

Mother Luo was slightly startled.

Luo Ran: "I have to go back to the General Research Institute. Don't worry, I will protect myself."

Mother Luo vaguely felt that her son's tone was a little strange. She did not ask further questions, but continued to pat her son slowly.

"Okay." Mother Luo said, "But I have to call my parents."

Luo Ran nodded obediently: "Okay."

Mother Luo hugged her son, and her son's newly dyed red hair gently rubbed her shoulders. She felt completely soft. Without saying anything more, she carefully tucked the corners of the quilt for Luo Ran.

…

Yu Tang took over control of his body without leaving a trace, and carried the card, which had been slapped again, over to make him stand.

"Host."

The system was already very familiar with Xiao Hongka. Nana floated over and tried to speak for Luo Ran: "He is afraid that the host will risk entering the electronic storm again and collect the scattered particles for him, which will also be affected."

The system whispered: "His current state, after a few years of recovery, he will become almost like a normal person with a weak body."

The more the system talks, the less confident it becomes: "In another ten years of recovery, you will be like ordinary people..."

Yu Tang: "Let's stand together."

system:"……"

The system turned off the small speaker and floated to the side of the card.

"I'm here to earn experience points."

Yu Tang pulled over the computer in the sea of consciousness: "My job is to help the protagonist, Gong Shou, to reach the ending as required. If they are not together, the book will not be finished, and I will not be able to settle the matter."

Yu Tang only has work in his eyes: "Help you find particles from the electronic storm. It's an after-school homework. It's a way to keep your body active."

In conjunction with the flashing red light, the system hides the particle catching net, particle storage bucket and particle portable compression box that the host just bought.

Yu Tang finished editing the small program at hand, hit Enter, and closed the computer.

The system came over and tried to change the subject: "Host, host, what program is this?"

Yu Tang: "A temporarily generated journal delivery person."

system:"……?"

Yu Tang studied the mall's programming model for a few days and figured out how to temporarily generate characters. He patted the system and guided his consciousness back to Luo Ran's body.

Wen Er stood outside Pu Ying's office.

He received a notice that an investigation team sent by the Ministry of Science will station at the General Scientific Research Institute today to comprehensively investigate the details of the data theft and supervise the research work of the General Scientific Research Institute.

... He did not expect that the leader of the investigation and supervision team would be Pu Ying.

There is no worse encounter than this.

Wen Er closed her eyes.

He couldn't be calm about Pu Ying's matter, and couldn't even face Pu Ying's indifferent and hollow eyes - he gave up his original ambition, his family's inheritance rights, and even his conscience and bottom line, and spent all his effortsXinli came to a place like the Science Department just to find Puying back.

But what is coming back...?

Wen Er suppressed the coldness in his heart. He didn't want to think about Pu Ying like this. He would rather believe that Pu Ying was just sick.

Pu Ying is just sick, just like Luo Ran who stayed in the electronic storm for a long time and suffered a brief personality annihilation.

After fifteen days have passed, if he exposes Luo Ran to electronic storms a few more times, Luo Ran's condition should be more similar to Pu Ying's.

As long as Luo Ran is closely monitored, the conditions and influencing factors that produce this change can be determined, and by working backwards, a solution may be found.

He can find a solution.

Once he finds a way, everything will be fine.

After Wen Er calmed down, he knocked twice on the office door and announced his name.

Pu Ying's voice came from inside: "Please come in."

Wen Er took a deep breath.

He carefully adjusted every aspect of his condition, put on a decent smile, opened the door, and said slowly: "Team Leader Pu——"

He stood at the door, a trace of astonishment flashing in his light gray eyes.

Pu Ying put down the book in his hand and smiled at him.

Wen Er could hardly make a more appropriate expression. He looked at the extra, very faint light and shadow in Pu Ying's eyes.

——He can be sure that when the investigation and supervision team arrived at the General Research Institute last night, he stood behind the layers of people and watched Pu Ying get out of the car, but those lights had not yet appeared in Pu Ying's eyes.

At that time, Pu Ying was still an empty, speechless and thinking shadow.

"Director Wen." Pu Ying said, "Sit down."

Wen Er came over and sat down at the desk.

He saw clearly the book in Pu Ying's hand.

It is the latest issue of "World Geography". There is a paper knife on Pu Ying's desk. The pictures in the journal have been carefully cut out and simply wrapped in plastic.

It wasn't even a picture - it was a photo of thick clouds, striking lightning flashes piercing the sky and earth, and people.

It's a person's back.

Bright red short hair, a cool studded leather jacket, controlling a huge fiery red motorcycle with one hand, half of his body standing up, and the camera strap flying in the wind.

Walking through heavy rain and lightning, it was so dazzling that it was almost scorching.