Chapter 104

Chapter 104

Lately, if Wen Yanxu hadn't been there for him, Wen Jueqian wasn't sure he'd have made it this far.

Every time he felt like guilt and pressure were about to crush him, Wen Yanxu's presence and support were always there for him.

Those little gestures were like a lifeline for Wen Jueqian, keeping him from falling when everything felt shaky.

The second they got back to Jing'an Mansion, Wen Jueqian embraced Wen Yanxu.

Wen Yanxu wrapped his arms around him in return.

Wen Jueqian didn't say anything, just buried his face against Wen Yanxu's shoulder. Wen Yanxu felt something warm and wet against his neck.

After a moment, the wetness on his skin stopped.

Wen Jueqian's voice came out choked and trembling. "Thank you."

Wen Yanxu gently wiped the tears from Wen Jueqian's face with a hot towel Xiao Q had handed him. "It's okay. We'll get to the bottom of this. It's not your fault."

Wen Yanxu scooped Wen Jueqian up and carried him to the sofa. They sank into the cushions, chests pressed together, holding each other close.

Alha's steady, strong heartbeat always made Wen Jueqian feel safe. As long as he was in Wen Yanxu's arms, he felt protected.

So, for a little while, he let himself escape the world and hide in Wen Yanxu's arms.

----------------

The next day, Wen Jueqian connected the optical computer that held the True Love System to Lingjing Era's internal network.

With the True Love System searching, those hidden traces finally couldn't stay hidden.

It found a deeply hidden program in the cognitive interaction system's code, disguised and buried inside normal code, so well hidden that current technology could barely detect it.

The program only activated under specific conditions: when a player was in a deep neural link and a specific trigger appeared in the game at the same time.

After it ran, it would automatically delete its own logs, go back to sleep, and leave no trace.

Wen Jueqian asked, "What does this thing do?"

The True Love System answered, "It forces an overload of information into the player's mind, overloading their neurons and damaging them."

Wen Jueqian froze. He stared at the screen, not moving for a long time.

After a long moment, he slowly let out a breath.

The guilt that had been weighing on him for days lifted a little, but what followed was a surge of anger—someone had deliberately set them up, using Fusheng Realm and sacrificing innocent lives in the process.

Wen Jueqian told Qi Yi about the program.

Even Qi Yi, who was usually calm and levelheaded, lost it. He slammed his fist on the table with a bang and cursed, "This is beyond vicious. To frame Fusheng Realm, they'd hurt that many people? How can anyone do something like this? They're animals!"

By then, Wen Jueqian had pushed his anger down. His eyes were cold as ice: "No matter who did this or why, we have to find the truth, clear Lingjing Era's name, and get justice for those innocent players. The people who actually hurt them have to pay."

Once they had the evidence, they disguised it to look like it had been found during an internal review, and then submitted it through official channels to the joint task force investigating the player comas at Lingjing Era.

Meanwhile, Wen Jueqian kept pushing ahead with compensation and support for the victims' families.

From the start, Lingjing Era's compensation plan was way above industry standards. The company covered all medical costs for the victims and set up a special fund for ongoing rehab research and treatment.

Wen Jueqian knew this money wasn't a get-out-of-jail card—a big payout didn't mean they'd be forgiven.

They were doing this hoping that enough medical funding could wake the players from their comas.

That afternoon, Wen Jueqian went to the hospital to see the victims.

With the Federal Public Health Department's coordination, all the victims were moved to the same hospital ward for treatment.

He wore a hat and mask, trying to stay low-key as he walked into the hospital.

Wen Yanxu, worried about trouble or conflict, set aside his own work for now and insisted on coming with Wen Jueqian.

Wen Jueqian kept telling him he didn't need to come, that he should go back and handle Aegis work.

But Wen Yanxu wouldn't listen. No matter what Wen Jueqian said, he just silently followed him onto the aircraft and all the way to the hospital, and he was still standing behind him now.

Once inside the ward area, Wen Jueqian didn't check in at the nurse's station. He just stood outside.

Through the observation window, Wen Jueqian saw the scene inside—hospital beds in neat rows, each one holding a person hooked up to machines.

The people lying there looked peaceful, like they were stuck in a dream they'd never wake from.

Wen Jueqian stood at the window, his fingers clenching into fists without him realizing it. He looked at those beds, imagining the lives they'd had—families who loved them, dreams they were chasing, secrets they never dared say out loud...

And now, everything had stopped cold. The players lay here unconscious, with only the numbers on the machines showing the last signs of life still clinging on.

Wen Jueqian felt like something was stuck in his chest, making it hard to breathe.

Wen Yanxu's hand had somehow ended up on Wen Jueqian's back, guiding his breathing.

Once Wen Jueqian had calmed down a little, a sharp voice came from behind them.

"Who are you?"

Wen Jueqian and Wen Yanxu turned around simultaneously.

Standing behind them was a middle-aged woman with a haggard face and a hostile expression.

The woman looked familiar. After a moment, Wen Jueqian remembered—she was one of the people who protested outside Lingjing Era's building every day, always at the front, always the most aggressive.

She'd even demanded that Lingjing Era employees kill themselves to make up for it.

Wen Jueqian instinctively stepped back, bumping into Wen Yanxu's chest.

The woman also recognized Wen Jueqian.

She suddenly lunged forward, reaching for Wen Jueqian and letting out a piercing scream: "You hurt my son, and you still have the nerve to show up! Give me back my son!"

Wen Yanxu reacted fast, pulling Wen Jueqian into his arms and using his own back to shield him.

The bodyguards nearby noticed the commotion and rushed over, blocking the frantic woman.

But she kept struggling desperately to get at Wen Jueqian, her voice shrill and piercing: "You murderer! My son is only nineteen! You owe me my son, you owe me!"

Her shouts drew people from all around.

The corridor quickly filled with more people, mostly the victims' family members.

When they realized the commotion was caused by someone from Lingjing Era, their anger flared up fast. Some rushed forward to shove, others threw whatever they had in their hands, and some screamed curses.

"You heartless bastards!"

"For the sake of money, they'll stop at nothing!"

"Everyone at your company deserves to die!"

The bodyguards could only passively form a human wall to block the crowd, not daring to fight back, or the media would stir up another storm.

More and more onlookers gathered, the area was packed to the brim, the pressure of the shoving growing stronger.

Wen Yanxu remained steadfastly in front of Wen Jueqian, using his own body to absorb most of the impact. Objects thrown at him struck his back, yet he didn't even flinch.

Hospital security finally arrived, pushing the crowd apart to clear a path.

The head of security said, breathless, to Wen Yanxu and Wen Jueqian, "You two need to leave now, quickly, through the side door!"

Wen Jueqian only snapped back to reality when Wen Yanxu pulled him along. He couldn't help but look back at the grief-twisted faces, their eyes burning with hatred and sorrow.

A warm hand shut everything out, and Wen Jueqian's vision went dark.

Wen Yanxu covered Wen Jueqian's eyes with one hand while wrapping the other around his shoulder, steering him away without a word.

After leaving, they slipped into a quiet stairwell in the emergency exit.

Only then did Wen Yanxu release his hand.

Wen Jueqian kept his eyes shut for a long moment before opening them. He suppressed those negative emotions and said in a hoarse voice, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come with you. I got you caught up in it too."

Wen Yanxu looked at him, his gaze full of heartache. "Don't say that. If I hadn't been here with you, and you had to face this alone, I'd feel even worse."

He paused, then added, "Don't come here again. The company has already assigned dedicated staff to handle the victims' families. You don't need to come in person."

Wen Jueqian leaned against the wall, head bowed, and fell silent again. After a moment, he said, "I can understand their pain and hatred. It was just a game—no one expected their loved ones to never wake up again."

"This isn't your fault." Wen Yanxu's voice grew firm, leaving no room for doubt. "We've already found evidence. Someone is deliberately setting you up behind the scenes. Don't take all the blame on yourself."

"Before I came, I thought I could justifiably pin all the blame on others," Wen Jueqian said softly. "But looking at those players—they're all so young, their lives just starting—lying there unconscious, not knowing if they'll ever wake up."

He looked up at Wen Yanxu. "Even if someone is behind this, it's still Lingjing Era's oversight that left a loophole they could exploit. I do need to take responsibility."

His voice grew clearer and more resolute: "So, I not only want to find the real culprit, but I also hope to wake them up. If there's a program that can put them into a coma, there should be a program that can revive them."

Wen Yanxu looked at those stubborn eyes that refused to yield even in pain and sorrow, watching the tears well up in those misty silver-gray eyes yet never fall, and a complex emotion surged in his heart.

Wen Jueqian was so pitifully endearing that Wen Yanxu wanted to hide him away at home and protect him completely.

Yet his resilient inner strength made him captivatingly charming when facing adversity.

Wen Yanxu reached out and pulled Wen Jueqian into his arms.

He would not only be his wife's safe harbor but also his beloved's strongest pillar of support.

He murmured, "Qianqian, I'll help you."

Wen Jueqian wanted to refuse—Aegis needed Wen Yanxu to take charge, and many outside forces were eyeing the Wen family greedily. He didn't want to burden Wen Yanxu with his own problems.

But before he could speak, Wen Yanxu seemed to read his mind and cut him off: "Qianqian, I hope you won't always try to carry everything alone. We're married. No matter what problems we face, we should face them together."

Wen Jueqian had once said the same thing to Wen Yanxu.

When their beloved faced hardship, they were both willing to stand by each other's side.

Because they were husband and husband.

Wen Jueqian didn't refuse again. He nodded and said solemnly, "No matter what happens, we'll face it together and share the burden."