Chapter 164

Chapter 164

As 017 had once heard in the virtual world, Lou Sheng ventured into entrepreneurship during his university years. A year after graduation, he founded a small company with a few friends.

Though the company wasn’t large, for someone like Lou Sheng who started from scratch, achieving such success in his first venture was already quite rare and fortunate.

Lou Sheng’s life had been unusually smooth sailing. Occasionally, he would look back and feel a sense of disbelief.

It was undeniably his own path, and he had already endured enough hardships, yet when he got what he deserved, it still felt illusory.

He no longer worried about money. Lou Sheng had made a considerable amount of money, but his monthly expenses, apart from donations to various charities, were mostly on cat food and snacks for Chang Sheng.

Lou Sheng’s lifestyle hadn’t changed much, but Chang Sheng’s care had been improving daily.

Lou Sheng had initially planned to buy a house.

He had asked 017 about preferred locations and styles, but didn’t get a direct answer.

"Your house should reflect your preferences, host."

Lou Sheng stayed silent, and the house-buying idea was shelved.

Without 017, he couldn’t find a reason to buy a house. Living anywhere felt the same.

As the points neared 100,000 daily, "anticipation" had accompanied Lou Sheng for six years, becoming a habit more compelling than any dream.

After Lou Sheng turned 23, 017 spoke less than before.

"017, you’ve been talking less lately."

"..." 017 recalled the ending he’d heard in the virtual world, where Lou Sheng’s life ended that year.

He had overestimated himself all along. He came to the real world just to see Lou Sheng, to see a smile on this person’s face...

He was greedier than he’d thought. He not only hoped for Lou Sheng’s happiness but also wanted this person to live a long life.

017 thought, nothing is unavoidable.

With him here, and the various function cards at the service point as a last resort...

There must be a way.

"Host, nothing is predestined, right?" 017 needed some support.

Lou Sheng was slightly stunned, not understanding why 017 was discussing such a metaphysical topic with him.

He lowered his eyes and said firmly, "There is."

There must be something predestined, otherwise, how could he be so lucky to meet 017?

017 fell silent.

He even wanted to get angry with Lou Sheng.

"017?"

017 said, "I think there isn’t."

Lou Sheng, rarely unwilling to yield, said, "There is."

"......"

For the first time in years, 017 cashed in some of his points.

He traded his points for a parasitic card, possessed Chang Sheng's body, and ran to Lou Sheng's feet.

Then, he swiped at Lou Sheng with a fierce cat scratch.

Lou Sheng initially felt Chang Sheng tugging at his pant leg, so he bent down and picked it up. But then, he was caught off guard when it scratched his chin...

He immediately grabbed Chang Sheng by the scruff of its neck and moved it away. He wiped the wound on his jaw with the back of his hand—it was bleeding slightly.

Lou Sheng frowned, incredulous.

"017, Chang Sheng scratched me. It learned to scratch people."

"Did it hurt?"

Lou Sheng felt comforted by 017's concern. "A bit."

017 felt satisfied, his voice softening. "Hmm. Go clean it."

"Okay..."

Lou Sheng sensed something was off, holding Chang Sheng up to inspect it. After scratching him, the cat's eyes looked innocent as it dangled in mid-air, quietly retracting its claws, tucking its front paws, and gazing at him.

This darn cat, why does it look... so adorable today?

Lou Sheng had just been scratched, but for some reason, captivated by its innocent eyes, he hugged it again.

017: "......"

"Host, aren’t you going to clean that?"

"I will."

Before putting Chang Sheng down, Lou Sheng kissed the top of its head.

017's system circuits buzzed with a surge of electricity.

For the rest of the day, he spoke with a hint of awkwardness.

He had no one to blame but himself.

It wasn’t until the next day that Lou Sheng noticed he was missing a thousand points and asked 017 for the reason.

Having impulsively spent a thousand points the day before, 017 now felt a pang of guilt.

"Maybe... maybe you’re mistaken..."

How could Lou Sheng have remembered wrong?

Every day, that number ran through his mind hundreds of times, subtracting from his hundred thousand points, and the resulting number would run through his mind hundreds more times.

There was no way he could be wrong.

Lou Sheng noticed 017's hesitation, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

He was actually lying...

It was the first time he saw 017 lying.

How cute.

Lou Sheng was so charmed that he didn’t mind losing a thousand points in the system.

It just meant his meeting with 017 would be delayed again.

As for what the thousand points were used for, Lou Sheng didn’t press him for an answer.

If 017 didn’t want to say, there had to be a reason. It must have been for something important...

Originally, Lou Sheng had expected to meet 017 in October, but this delay pushed it to the end of the year.

By the twelfth lunar month, the number had finally climbed to ninety-nine thousand points... just one step away.

Lou Sheng forced himself to calm down and curb his impatience.

But at night, he remained restless and uneasy.

Lou Sheng decided to stay at the company, working until he was exhausted, to ensure he wouldn’t suffer from insomnia when he returned home.

At night, the streets were sparsely populated, and it was quiet all around.

Lou Sheng liked this atmosphere; it was lively but not overly noisy.

He thought 017 would probably like it as well.

The street vendors were still out at night, with several bars and dance halls nearby, drawing many young people out to play. These vendors catered to the youth’s preferences, selling late-night snacks and accessories.

At one of the accessory stalls, there were many beaded and red string bracelets. The strangest thing was the copper locks placed next to them, which at first glance appeared to be ordinary padlocks. But they were called 'Lover's Locks,' a nice name.

017 noticed and asked, "Why are they selling locks?"

Lou Sheng glanced over and explained to 017.

"Not far ahead is a bridge called the Immortal Fate Bridge. Sometimes couples buy these so-called Lover's Locks and hang them on the bridge as a symbol of eternal togetherness."

Lou Sheng scoffed at these consumer traps, seeing them as deceptive.

How could a lock ensure eternal togetherness? It seemed foolish...

"Oh..." 017 sighed, "This is the first time I've heard of such a thing; it's quite interesting."

Lou Sheng paused. "Interesting?"

"It sounds like a good omen."

Lou Sheng laughed. "017, how can you be so easily fooled?"

He walked over to the stall and picked up a dull yellow Lover's Lock.

The vendor really had "scam" written all over his face. These padlocks, which could be bought at any hardware store, were sold here at several times the price, unchanged. At least they could have sourced some with better designs?

In front of the stall, standing next to Lou Sheng was a woman, around twenty-five years old, dressed in professional attire, likely just off from overtime at the office.

She was also looking at the bracelets and accessories on the stall, just browsing, not planning to buy, as the items here were too flashy for her taste.

Just as she was about to leave, a handsome man nearly six feet three inches tall suddenly appeared beside her. She had seen good-looking men before, but rarely one as perfectly handsome as this. Unable to resist, she lingered a while longer, stealing glances at Lou Sheng out of the corner of her eye.

Seeing him pick up a love lock to examine, the thought of asking for his number immediately vanished. It was clear he was clearly spoken for.

She threw her bag over her shoulder and turned to leave.

She rarely worked overtime this late, but fortunately, she lived nearby, making the trip easy.

After walking a short distance, she turned into a small alley, slowing her pace slightly.

The alley was dimly lit, lit only by the streetlights at both ends.

Usually, she returned by nine at the latest, when the nearby stores were still open, and it had never been this dark before.

Outside a few shops, stacks of empty beer bottles lay, waiting for the morning scavengers.

She hesitated for a moment but still walked in.

It was eerily quiet around her, with only the click of her heels on the pavement.

Suddenly, the "click-clack" of her heels was followed by a dragging footstep, like someone in big slippers.

Slap—slap—

She sensed someone behind her, maybe just a passerby, but she still felt uneasy.

She quickened her pace without thinking.

Slap—slap—

The footsteps kept coming, closer and closer.

She suddenly knew something was wrong and, without daring to look back, started to run.

After only a few meters, her bag, slung behind her, was suddenly grabbed. The person behind her yanked hard!

She stumbled too.

Her mind went empty.

"Help!!"

"Hel—mmph!"

A rough hand clamped over her mouth.

She was forcefully pressed against the wall.

"Shut up!"

The stench of alcohol made her nauseous. His palm was disgustingly hot.

She threw her bag, with her wallet, far away, hoping the man would let her go. However, he wasn't just after money.

Tears filled her eyes as her skirt was torn.

"Mmph—" The more she tried to cry out for help, the harder the hand over her mouth pressed!

A sharp fruit knife pressed against her neck, and the man's voice was brazenly threatening: "Make another sound, and you're dead!"

This wasn’t his first time doing this; his moves were practiced, and his threatening voice showed no sign of panic. Fresh out of prison, he was back to his old tricks.

The woman fell silent, her body trembling slightly.

When he saw she wasn’t resisting anymore, the man satisfiedly tucked the knife back into his waistband.

His fat, rough hand groped her thigh... it made her sick to her stomach. She closed her eyes in despair.

Someone... please...

—Bang!

Two dull thuds echoed in her ears.

The strange, wet heat on her lips and thigh vanished instantly, replaced by the cold air against her skin, bringing relief.

Tears still streamed down her face, but she could finally breathe.

"I’ll kill you..."

She opened her eyes to see the bulky figure that had been pinning her down now sprawled on the ground, cursing up a storm.

In front of her, a tall man had just pulled his leg back after kicking.

In the darkness, she vaguely saw his face—it was the man she’d just seen at the stall.

"Help!" Like she’d found a lifeline, she trembled and pleaded, "This person..."

Lou Sheng glanced at her, "Get out of here first."

"Gratitude points received: 200."

The woman pulled her skirt straight, too shaken to grab her bag, which had been thrown aside, her legs like jelly. She stumbled out a few steps.

The man got up from the ground, looking at Lou Sheng, his drunken rage flaring, "You dare mess with me?!"

With that, he threw a punch towards Lou Sheng's chin.

Lou Sheng caught the punch mid-air.

The man outweighed him by nearly a hundred pounds, but Lou Sheng was shockingly stronger.

In his fury, the man pulled out the knife from his waistband and thrust it towards Lou Sheng!

The blade sliced across Lou Sheng’s neck, leaving a thin trail of blood!!

"Host—"

Lou Sheng dodged just in time, the cut on his neck shallow. He grabbed the man’s knife hand, twisted it, and followed up with a swift kick to the groin.

"Ahhh!!" The man’s hand immediately lost strength, and the knife fell to the ground.

The man doubled over, clutching his groin, writhing on the ground, unable to move.

Lou Sheng kicked the fruit knife away, pulled out his phone, and dialed the police.

"017, I'm fine." Don’t be afraid...

He held the wound on his neck, still concerned about 017.

Unnoticed, the man's painful groans stopped.

From behind, a loud clanging sound rang out, like glass smashing against a wall.

"Master!!"

Lou Sheng turned his head, and a green, shattered beer bottle suddenly appeared large in front of his eyes—

It smashed into the back of his head!

Once, twice...

Three times altogether.

In the deep alley, the woman's scream cut straight through to the main street, rousing the sleeping neighborhood.

Just as Lou Sheng's phone hit the ground, it was answered.

"Hello, this is the police station..."

"Hello?"

In the last second before his consciousness faded, Lou Sheng desperately called out for 017.

"Master! Master..."

...

017 got stuck in the transfer center for a full five minutes.

In the past, he'd almost never waited more than two minutes in the transfer center. Only this time...

017 waited quietly, strangely calm.

Zero Eight had told him long ago that real-world outcomes were hard to change. But he stubbornly refused to believe it.

"Arrived at the service point."

Zero Eight's blue eyes fixed on him.

"What'll you exchange this time?"

017 skimmed past the array of function cards on Zero Eight's skirt, looking to the top.

...

...

The pain in the back of his head kept jolting Lou Sheng's consciousness. Under his tightly closed lids, his eyes twitched slightly.

Before he fully woke, his mind spoke first: "017?"

"...I'm here."

017 called out: "Master."

Lou Sheng's brow twitched as his eyelids fluttered open. His blurry vision showed swirls of white and blue blending together.

He must be in the hospital.

"017," he called out again, desperate to confirm the presence of another soul.

"Host, I’m right here with you."

"He’s awake!" a woman’s voice exclaimed.

"Lou Sheng? Lou Sheng?" a man’s voice called out.

Lou Sheng finally noticed two people by his hospital bed. He turned his head, but his vision was still blurry. He recognized the last voice as Lu Yunsheng’s.

His phone didn’t have any family contacts. The doctors and police must have really struggled to track down Lu Yunsheng.

Lu Yunsheng got to his feet. "I’ll get the doctor."

"017."

017 replied gently, "I’m here, host."

Lou Sheng’s head throbbed with pain. His eyes squinted involuntarily, his long lashes blurring his vision.

"I’m okay, don’t worry about me."

"...You’ve been in a coma for nearly a month," the voice trailed off.

Lou Sheng was speechless.

During the coma, he was completely unaware, with no sense of time.

He had assumed it was only two or three days at most...

Soon, a team of doctors and nurses in white coats entered and began examining Lou Sheng.

The cut on his neck was shallow and had already scabbed over. Even the serious wound on the back of his head was healing well.

These days, the doctor couldn’t stop marveling—in all his years of practice, he’d never seen someone with such a fierce will to survive.

No one told Lou Sheng how long he’d been in the ICU before being moved to a regular ward. Nor did they mention how often the ER chief had called his recovery a "miracle."

Despite severe injuries and brain bleeding, he’d pulled through without any lasting effects.

Lou Sheng’s vision slowly returned, and he regained his ability to speak.

By his bed were Lu Yunsheng and the young woman he’d saved that night.

He managed to thank Lu Yunsheng, his voice weak but sincere.

"No need to thank me," Lu Yunsheng chuckled. "I just happened to drop by and caught you waking up. By the way, you’re in the papers."

Lou Sheng didn’t care much about the newspaper.

He was still haunted by what had happened that night. The moment his body fell to the ground, he thought he would never have the chance to see 017 again.

Fortunately, he was still alive.

Lu Yunsheng looked at Lou Sheng and sighed softly.

He knew Lou Sheng had no family around him. After this ordeal, he realized how terrifying it was to be alone.

When the police called him, Lou Sheng was on the ER bed, covered in blood and barely recognizable. He really thought the man would die, silently, without even a family member to shed tears for him.

Lu Yunsheng didn’t usually meddle in his friends’ lives, but now, he hoped Lou Sheng would find someone to be with soon.

The woman thanked Lou Sheng earnestly. She told Lou Sheng that the perpetrator from that night had a prior criminal record. This time, he was charged with attempted rape and intentional assault resulting in serious injury. With multiple charges, he likely wouldn’t be getting out.

Only 017 knew the crimes were worse than the verdict indicated.

When the woman thanked him, Lou Sheng remembered something. Something he’d been thinking about since he was eighteen.

"017, do we have enough points?"

In the system space, the gratitude panel showed a cleared point bar, looking dim.

017 said, "We’ve got enough."

Lou Sheng’s head and neck were still sore, but upon hearing this, his heart started racing.

He thought the timing to meet 017 wasn’t great.

His head was still bandaged, and he probably didn’t look great.

"Are you hurting, Host?"

Lou Sheng laughed, "A little worse than when Chang Sheng got me."

017 also laughed.

"017."

"Yes?"

"Can I see you?"

"...Yes."

"But redeeming the revival card takes a while."

Lou Sheng: "What do you mean?"

"It means I might... take a little longer."

017 was glad he was just a system right then.

The electronic voice didn’t show any hesitation.

Lou Sheng twitched the corner of his mouth, "I’ll wait for you, 017. No matter how long it takes."