18. Search Records

After knocking out the android, Li Nuo calmly wiped the "blood" from his hand onto the grass.

"Bro… bro…" Chen Shou’s voice trembled slightly as he asked, "What exactly are you doing?"

Marje echoed, "Yeah, your actions are pretty baffling."

Chen Shou felt a bit relieved that this eccentric young man beside him was still somewhat sane. Otherwise, who knew what might have happened.

Marje continued, "You hit him so hard just now. What if you’d actually killed him?"

"What!?" Chen Shou was shocked. Marje’s thinking was clearly different from ordinary people. "No… I mean, you could have just let him break free, so why suddenly go all out?"

Li Nuo pondered for a moment and explained, "Androids don’t really die. Besides, this guy is obviously gone mad. The side mission is to save him, but he’s shouting so loudly—what if he attracts something we shouldn’t mess with?"

He paused briefly and added, "And what other option do I have besides hitting him? Should I cover his mouth and tell him to stop yelling, that we’re here to help? You try reasoning with a crazed creature—then who’s the one truly insane here?"

Chen Shou thought about it and realized that knocking him out might actually be the best solution, though it seemed Li Nuo was doing it more out of curiosity.

Li Nuo went on, "Also, by beating him up, I can gauge the range of our player abilities in this world."

He raised the back of his hand, which was grazed from the fight. "The resistance fighters are strong—they can take me down just by headbutting me."

"How do you headbutt someone with your face…" Chen Shou asked curiously.

Li Nuo explained, "You use your face like a slap, wildly shaking your head to deliver a powerful blow."

Chen Shou muttered, "...Noted."

"So, I guess this side mission is over?" Marje said.

"We don’t have time for side quests anyway," Chen Shou said, glancing at Li Nuo with growing unease.

Li Nuo was already cradling the unconscious android’s head.

"Hey, you two, give me a hand. This thing is heavy!"

"Hmph, since you’re asking nicely, I can’t refuse," Marje sneered and bent down to lift the android’s legs.

They both looked at Chen Shou, and Li Nuo asked, "Skinny bro, help us out?"

Chen Shou, watching their corpse-like movements, nervously waved his hand. "Guys… I’ll pass… I have no experience with this kind of thing..."

After a tremendous effort, Li Nuo and Marje dragged the android about five meters to the mouth of a large drainage pipe. The rushing water inside was just enough to conceal the unconscious android.

"Hah... Why is it so heavy?" Marje complained, utterly exhausted, even losing his usual dramatic flair.

"Androids weigh between 200 and 300 pounds. One sit-down like that could break your pelvis," Li Nuo said.

"Why the pelvis? And what kind of thing could break a pelvis by sitting on it…" Chen Shou was already caught in some indescribable rhythm thanks to Li Nuo.

Ignoring the water pouring down from the pipe above, Li Nuo crouched beside the resistance fighter and began rummaging through his clothes.

"Hmm… There’s nothing valuable on him," Li Nuo said, puzzled.

Chen Shou asked, "What’s the point of this?"

Li Nuo replied slowly, "If we hide this android here, maybe we can come back later and carry him back to the resistance camp. Then, wouldn’t that count as saving him?"

Chen Shou nodded; it was indeed a viable plan.

Li Nuo added, "And we might even get some rewards from the resistance."

Chen Shou blinked wearily. "Bro… Can I ask what you’re like in real life…"

Before he could finish, Li Nuo suddenly frowned.

He looked toward the spot where the resistance fighter had fallen, pushed aside the grass, and found scratch marks.

After following the trail for five minutes, they arrived under a high platform, where a pool of blood and a severed right hand lay.

Picking up the hand, he saw its fingers tightly clutching a large bag.

Inside the bag was a rifle.

【Kalashnikov Automatic Rifle】

【Quality: Common】

【Requirements: Strength 3, Constitution 4】

【Note: One thing to remember—if you like burst firing, be careful. Pulling the trigger once could empty a whole clip instantly. This isn’t a game; it’s real. If you want to do burst fire, set it to single shot after engaging the safety.】

"An AK-47, huh~" Li Nuo held the gun, scanning it up and down. He’d long wanted to try that burst-fire feeling from games like CS.

"Isn’t this a world without humans? How come there’s a rifle like this?" Chen Shou asked curiously.

"That’s a question for Taro Yokoo," Marje said, picking up the bag with the gun and rummaging through it. "He’s the creator of the game 'Nier.' He’s the type who only provides an outline without details. Many settings exist only in his head; no one else knows what’s real or not."

Li Nuo’s eyes suddenly lit up. "What if we kidnapped the game creator in real life and forced him to change the game? Would that affect this world?"

Marje replied, "No. Parallel worlds don’t affect already existing ones in any way."

Chen Shou considered the reality of multiple parallel worlds and asked, "So multiple parallel universes really exist…"

"It’s like many people refusing to believe they’re useless," Li Nuo said with a gentle smile. "For example, Skinny Bro, you’re fat now—I mean no offense—but in another universe, there might be another you who’s a giant fat guy."

Chen Shou twitched his mouth. "What’s the difference?! Why do I have to be fat?!"

Li Nuo smiled but didn’t say that our universe might share the same IP as "Nier."

"Enough joking," Marje said, pulling a diary from the bag and tossing it to Li Nuo.

"A diary, here comes a hidden element."

Li Nuo opened the diary and found the key pages to read.

————Search Records————

January 29, 11942 - 11:00 AM

The ground shook.

The earth suddenly upheaved; many of us were shocked.

Then, the sky.

A streak of white light made everyone lose consciousness.

————————————

January 29, 3:20 PM

When I woke up, we lost contact with the bunker; all signals disappeared.

We split into two groups with the leader.

We headed to the location where the Kiyoba unit was supposed to descend.

————————————

January 29, 6:50 PM

I heard the Kiyoba unit has a new operation plan, deploying a new combat model.

Ah… compared to us old models, it’s clear…

There’s a class divide in this world.

We searched for a long time but found no trace of the Kiyoba unit.

————————————

January 29, 9:50 PM

Why is the area leading to the forest destroyed like this?

————————————

January 29, 11:30 PM

We decided to rest temporarily in an abandoned building.

By the way, a "black night" suddenly appeared today.

————————————

January 30, 4:50 AM

Damn!

What is going on?

A white, boundless wall blocks the area at coordinate Y012!

The forest and city are enclosed inside; we can’t get out!

————————————

January 30, 12:15 PM

Inside a building at the other end of the suspension bridge.

We found a fragment of a Kiyoba soldier’s skirt.

Ska found a secret passage.

Damn…

There are many strange creatures inside.

We were attacked by unknown beings.

They’re strong.

————————————

January 30, 1:20 PM

I escaped from the secret passage…

Hahaha…

I’m the only one who got out…

They covered for me, letting me leave, but my comrades were burned to ashes…

Damn it!

————————————

January 30, 3:50 PM

I crawled out from the filthy sewer, holding back the urge to vomit.

Wait…

Why do I feel like throwing up?

Is the world broken?

Or am I broken?

Hahaha…

No matter.

No matter.

I’ve seen sunlight again. I’m free!

We’re heading to a world without conflict.

In three hours, I’ll see dusk.

For some reason, this world scares me… scares me…

But,

I survived!!