novelraw Chapter 78 : Loss and Gain
Chapter 78 : Loss and Gain
Chapter 78: Loss and Gain
」Hey, are you alright? Don’t die on me.」
Zhang Wenda, somewhat shaken, reached out and tapped Drone-head. Only when he saw the other’s right hand slowly lift did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.
」Don’t move, don’t move, the more you move, the more you’ll bleed!」
But Zhang Wenda’s words didn’t stop Drone-head. He braced himself and pushed his blood-drenched body upright again. 」No! I still have something important to do!!」
With that, Drone-head raised the flashlight nearly soaked in blood and shot a beam of light directly toward the concrete building where Zhang Wenda had come from.
Then he shoved Zhang Wenda aside and staggered forward, stepping along that beam of light. He was heading in the same direction Zhang Wenda had taken to retrieve the moon.
Zhang Wenda stood frozen, speechless. But seeing the state the other was in, he ultimately followed. 」Alright, alright, what could be more important than your life?」
」You don’t understand! You—don’t—understand—」 Drone-head’s voice weakened as he leaned against the wall, inching forward.
」You don’t understand how valuable that thing is. It’s too dangerous. Its energy could create an entirely new Thought Stream! It could destroy countless families!」
After those last words, he slumped to the ground, smearing blood all over the wall, yet still crawling forward.
Staring at the growing trail of blood on the ground, Zhang Wenda hesitated, glancing at the enamel mug. Should he keep it, or return it?
He had saved his life, but hadn’t he already repaid him?
」Too many people—have died—because of it—because of it—」 Drone-head held the mug high, eyes filled with reluctance.
Watching this, Zhang Wenda sighed. 」Sigh, I really am Grandpa’s grandson. He was an idiot, and so am I.」
Just as Drone-head was about to say something more, a jar containing the moon was placed in his hand.
」This is it, right? Stop crawling. I found it. Remember, I’m giving this to you, but you owe me a sufficient amount of Blue Cores in return,」 Zhang Wenda said bitterly, as if he’d lost billions.
Drone-head looked at the moon glowing silver in his hand and relaxed, his head slumping to the left as he lost consciousness.
」Hey! Hey! Don’t die! What the hell are you doing?! I gave it to you already, how are you still dying?!」
No one knew how much time passed, but when Drone-head awoke again, it was from the pain. He saw an old man wearing Liberation Shoes pouring powder directly onto his wound. The pain made him twitch uncontrollably.
」Old man, is this even effective? Why do you treat every wound the same way?」 Zhang Wenda frowned and asked.
」Hey, why don’t you do it then?」 Wang Daniu handed him the gauze.
」Forget it, you go ahead.」
Wang Daniu clearly disapproved of Drone-head. As he treated him, he kept casting disdainful glances over his outfit.
」What the hell is that head? What kind of clothes are those? And what the hell is that thing you’re carrying? Ah, kids these days, I just don’t get them.」
Drone-head shifted his gaze from the old man to Zhang Wenda, his expression somewhat complicated. 」Since you retrieved the sun, why did you return it to me?」
」I’m not that kind-hearted. When you said this thing could kill a bunch of people, I realized it was a hot potato. Holding onto it would get me killed faster,」 Zhang Wenda said as he scooped up the black cat nearby.
Drone-head looked at him seriously, then patted his left shoulder in gratitude. 」Thank you. On behalf of the Third Front Unit, thank you! You’ve done us a huge favor!」
」Hold on with the thanks. I’m not as noble as Grandpa. You must not have heard earlier when you passed out, so I’ll say it again: this isn’t a gift. You must give me enough Blue Cores in exchange.」
Whether he sold them or not, Zhang Wenda needed enough Blue Cores to resolve the rules binding him.
However, after hearing that, Drone-head firmly shook his head. 」No, you’re not part of the Third Front. I can’t give you Blue Cores.」
Zhang Wenda flared up, but Drone-head added, 」But for this mission, you helped me greatly, even saved my life. If you ever face trouble, I’ll do everything in my power to help you.」
Zhang Wenda considered the other’s formidable abilities and reluctantly nodded. 」Fine, I guess that’s fair.」
」Tsk!」 Zhang Wenda pulled his hand back from two bloody bite marks, then smacked Song Jianguo on the head and turned to Drone-head, falling into thought.
Saving Drone-head had another benefit—he knew next to nothing about this strange world. This guy seemed to know a lot, and he could gather intel from him.
」Since we’re friends now, can you tell me your name?」
」Classified.」
」You—」
」You can call me 2826,」 Drone-head said, reluctantly softening his stance.
」Alright, alright. I just have a few questions for you. That’s not too much to ask, right?」 Zhang Wenda asked.
This time, the other didn’t refuse. 」Sure.」
」What exactly is the sun?」 Zhang Wenda finally asked the question that had most intrigued him.
」Classified.」
」Can you teach me how to use the flashlight? The one that shoots a beam you can walk on.」
」Classified.」
」Then what is a Thought Stream?」
」Classified.」
」You son of a—
」」
」Oh, wait, that one’s not classified. But your teacher should’ve taught you that. You’re an adult and never learned it?」
」I never finished elementary school, alright?」 Zhang Wenda replied self-righteously.
Hearing that, Wang Daniu turned to look at him, feeling a strange sense of kinship. He hadn’t finished elementary school either.
Hearing this, 2826 began to explain. 」A Thought Stream is a very unique, man-made conceptual entity. You can’t see or touch it, but it definitely exists and can change the environment.」
His explanation made Zhang Wenda scratch his head. 」Hmm—keep going.」
」When enough people with the same cognition are within the same Thought Stream, the internal environment solidifies. They attract others with the same thoughts and repel those with differing views.」
Seeing Zhang Wenda frown deeply, he raised a finger. 」For example, Thought Stream No. 1—kids who haven’t outgrown student mindsets are generally in that Thought Stream.」
Zhang Wenda recalled his strange experiences since entering this world. 」That can’t be right. I saw adults in Thought Stream A.」
」A Thought Stream isn’t a spatial concept. It’s a cognitive one. Creatures from different Thought Streams can coexist in the same space. If enough like-minded people are present, several Thought Streams can squeeze into one area simultaneously.」
」Wait a sec,」 Zhang Wenda realized something, 」So there isn’t just a kids’ world or an adult world. There are other worlds with different beliefs too?」
」Yes. Many, many, many of them.」