On the third day of Wanwan’s disappearance.
Stubble had appeared again on Lou Yan’s face, his eyes were bloodshot, and he looked even more anxious and repressed than before.
During this time, his optical computer had been attacked once, but he managed to fend it off. He didn’t counterattack, fearing any unexpected consequences.
Then, a message popped up on the screen : [Mr. Lou, you have exceeded the online time limit. Please take a break before logging in again.]
The message was from LingTing Video, the most popular video platform in this world. But Lou Yan rarely logged in since downloading it, so why had his usage time exceeded the limit?
A sudden thought flashed through his mind.
At that moment, a sweet and lively voice rang out :
“Eh? How did I get out?”
Lou Yan lowered his gaze to the screen in his palm. Next to the LingTing Video icon was the girl who had been missing for three days.
Wan Tong spun around in place, looking a little confused.
She had been watching a drama just now, but suddenly, she had been pulled out of it.
That system alert… had said she had exceeded her online time limit?
She did a quick calculation, she had been online for 72 hours straight!
A life without human physiological needs—wasn’t that just perfect?
She was starting to enjoy this 2D character life. Of course, as long as she kept an eye on Lou Yan and made sure he didn’t get deceived by the Raider trying to win over his final favorability rating.
She looked up. Lou Yan was staring at her with a weary yet serious expression.
Instinctively, she greeted him obediently.
“Master, good evening~”
One second, two seconds, three seconds…
Lou Yan withdrew his gaze and let out a nonchalant hum.
“Mm.”
Seemed like he was in a bit of a mood.
“Master?”
Wan Tong was about to persuade him to get some rest when Lou Yan suddenly opened <Wanwan’s Little House>.
She glanced around at the room’s decorations and spun in excitement, everything she had added to her shopping cart the other day was now inside!
He must have stayed up these past few days coding like crazy.
She opened the wardrobe. The clothes were arranged neatly in order of color, the shoe cabinet was filled with elegant footwear, and accessories sparkled in their display. It was truly a paradise for any woman!
Wan Tong lightly tapped on her favorite red suspender dress, and in an instant, the dress wrapped around her body.
A deep, low voice came from outside the screen : “Cold.”
Wan Tong tilted her head.
“Master, Wanwan isn’t cold.”
Lou Yan extended a finger and tapped on the wardrobe. Instantly, her dress changed to a white babydoll dress—high-waisted, with a black ribbon tied in a bow at the collar, a pleated skirt for volume, and delicate ruffles on the cuffs…
“Wanwan is cold,” he declared to himself. Then, before Wan Tong could react, he picked out dark brown leather shoes and matching long socks for her.
Wan Tong : “……”
She pursed her lips, glanced at him, then looked down and tugged at her skirt a little. She had to admit, his taste in fashion was pretty good.
“Wanna go out for a walk?” Lou Yan suddenly asked.
Wan Tong nodded.
“Where is Master going?”
“For noodles.”
Lou Yan had simply acted on a whim—he wanted to take a stroll.
It was mid-March. The night wind was chilly. He wore a black hoodie, pulling the hood low over his face, blending into the darkness.
He planned to buy a super bracelet first. With some modifications, he’d be able to project her into real-world environments.
In the slums, people hurried along, each minding their own business.
As he passed through a damp and filthy alley, three figures suddenly emerged ahead, each gripping a sharp knife.
Weapon regulations in this era were extremely strict. Ordinary people had no access to high-powered weapons, let alone those living in the slums.
Lou Yan didn’t move. He slowly raised his hands, about to speak, but the three men attacked without a word.
Cold steel flashed, and a knife was already pressed against Lou Yan’s throat.
“Hand over your optical computer,” growled a burly man with an unshaven face, his voice hoarse.
Every optical computer was registered to its owner, only the user’s iris scan and fingerprint could unlock and operate it. Some even had voiceprint locks, making them useless to thieves. If stolen, the owner could easily track and retrieve it.
Yet these men had come specifically for Lou Yan’s optical computer.
How strange.
Lou Yan’s gaze flicked briefly to his pocket. The burly man immediately reached for it.
In that instant, Lou Yan stepped back, dodging the blade, and kicked the man hard in the stomach.
“You bastard! You should’ve just handed it over!”
Luckily, Lou Yan had grown up in the slums. He could afford to eat less, but he never skipped a fight.
Even against armed opponents, he wasn’t afraid.
Filthy alley water splashed underfoot as the burly man was knocked to the ground.
His two underlings exchanged wary glances, already hesitating.
Lou Yan flexed his fingers and took a step forward.
At that moment, the burly man’s optical computer flashed a few times, seemingly displaying a message. His expression changed.
He spat on the ground, then, with his two lackeys propping him up, fled in embarrassment.
Lou Yan absentmindedly wiped his hands in his pockets. His mood was completely ruined. He turned back and headed home.
Back in his attic, he finally took out his optical computer.
After a quick glance at the desktop, he opened <Wanwan’s Little House>.
Inside, the girl was leaning over the desk, head down, pen in hand, seemingly jotting something down.
Nowadays, almost no one uses paper and pen anymore, but when she saw it that day and wanted it, he arranged it for her.
“You’re leaning too low, it’s bad for your eyes and neck.”
Lou Yan’s low voice came through. Wan Tong looked up. “Oh, Master, you’re back from your stroll?”
He had kept her in his pocket the whole time, so she hadn’t paid attention to what was happening outside.
“Yeah.”
Lou Yan caught a whiff of his own unpleasant scent, grabbed some clothes, and stood up. Casually, he asked, “What are you writing?”
“There are a lot of programs in Master’s optical computer. Wanwan is recording the ones she has played with.”
Lou Yan had deleted all the horror and supernatural games, but there were still so many, some were even quite similar to each other.
“Mm.”
After entering the bathroom, Lou Yan, as usual, placed his phone on the sink. But then he suddenly remembered something, took it back out, and placed it on the table instead.
“Master?”
Lou Yan cleared his throat before forcing out, “I’m going to take a shower.”
“Oh…” Wan Tong nodded and went back to writing.
Lou Yan pursed his lips and glanced at the screen a few more times, watching her scribble away, before quickly stepping into the bathroom.
He had always brought his optical computer into the bathroom before. But just now, he suddenly remembered that even if she wasn’t physically on the desktop, she could still see the outside world through the camera. That thought made him hesitate.
And then he found it ridiculous. She was just a 2D character. No matter how intelligent she was, she didn’t have those messy, complicated human thoughts.
After Lou Yan entered the bathroom, Wan Tong suddenly heard a noise outside, like footsteps.
She looked up, and soon, a face loomed large in front of her.
Lin Jielin.
“…”
Wan Tong and Lin Jielin locked eyes for a moment before Wan Tong lowered her head and continued writing.
Lin Jielin was stunned for a second. Was this a new game Lou Yan had developed? But the interface looked similar to <Palm Pet>… No, this one seemed more refined. The design of the small house, the intricacy of the character… And just now, when the character looked at her for that brief moment, something felt… off.
Could this be an upgraded version of <Palm Pet>? The icon of this character looked just like the one she had seen on Lou Yan’s desktop before…
But according to the timeline, the next game Lou Yan was supposed to develop was an adventure game.
Lin Jielin knew a bit about game development. She glanced toward the bathroom, then put on a pair of transparent gloves and frameless glasses.
Huh?
Wan Tong looked up at her again—those gloves seemed to have built-in fingerprints, and those glasses… could they be some kind of high-tech gadget? So, was this how Lou Yan’s game data had been getting deleted from his optical computer?
Lin Jielin minimized the game screen and skillfully operated Lou Yan’s optical computer.
Five minutes later, Lin Jielin left the basement. After walking a short distance, four figures emerged.
“How’s it going?”
“You idiots. He’s just made a single-player dress-up game!” Lin Jielin sneered. “Don’t act on your own. I need him alive. If you hurt him, you can forget about making any more money.”
These fools actually wanted to use violence to force Lou Yan to submit. If she hadn’t stopped them in time, things would’ve gotten out of control.
The burly, dark-skinned man was hot-tempered and was about to argue back, but Hu Ming grabbed his arm.
As Lin Jielin walked away, the burly man spat on the ground. “Tch, what a bitch. Without us, what the hell could she even do?”
“Capitalists are all the same. As long as we get our money, who cares?” Xiao Nuo patted his shoulder.
But just as he finished speaking, Lin Jielin stormed back, her face dark and furious. “What the hell did you guys do?”
Just now, Lou Yan’s favorability rating for her had dropped to -50.
A drop that drastic, it meant he saw her as an enemy.
Had he discovered something?
“Lin Jielin, what’s that supposed to mean? What could we have done?” The burly man finally snapped and shouted back.
Lin Jielin took a deep breath to calm herself. No, it couldn’t have been them. That left only one possibility. Her actions just now had alerted Lou Yan.
But there was nothing in that basement. She had even worn gloves and high-tech glasses. Her operation on his optical computer should have left no trace…
Why?
Lin Jielin didn’t have the guts to go back. She left with a grim expression.
In the basement, Lou Yan held his optical computer, watching the recorded footage it had captured.
Meanwhile, Wan Tong was stepping on Lin Jielin’s glasses. “Master, her glasses are amazing.”
Lou Yan gritted his teeth and exited the video. He suppressed the anger in his eyes and spoke in a slow, calm voice, “Wanwan, you helped me a lot.”
Out of curiosity about the high-tech glasses and gloves, Wan Tong had recorded Lin Jielin’s actions, confirming some of Lou Yan’s suspicions.
The attitude of those men lately had been so strange, unsettling him.
He had actually been suspicious for a while but had been unable to bring himself to accept the betrayal.
“Master, are you unhappy?” Wan Tong asked knowingly. She had hesitated earlier, wondering if she should show him the video now. If he saw it, his favorability rating for Lin Jielin would drop sharply, which might alarm Lin Jielin.
But she couldn’t just watch him remain in the dark.
“No.”
Hearing her sweet voice, Lou Yan felt his gloomy mood lift a little. He reached out with his long fingers and lightly tapped her head on the screen.
Wan Tong really felt as if someone was stroking her head, it was a little tingly. And driven by the program, she even rubbed against that direction, making a soft *ying ying* sound.
She felt ashamed, and in an instant, a layer of blush spread across the corners of her eyes, her gaze shimmering with watery light.
Through her hazy vision, she saw Lou Yan’s thin lips curved with a faint smile. She had originally wanted to resist, but it was rare to see him smile, so she bit her lip and followed her instincts.
After the basement lights were turned off, they could only be like blind people in the dark.
Lou Yan rested his head on his arm, staring at the ceiling, and from time to time, he would ask,
“Wanwan, what time is it?”
“Master, it’s 1:13 AM. It’s only been three minutes since you last asked. Master, are you having trouble sleeping?” A sweet and soothing voice came from the AI assistant.
“Mm, insomnia.”
“Master, should I tell you a story?”
“Okay.” Lou Yan closed his eyes, feeling his hearing grow more sensitive.
Every time she spoke, it felt as if she were lying right beside him.
“…Mm, Master, I’ll turn over first, okay? I’ll do it gently, I won’t disturb you…” Midway, she suddenly lowered her voice, and there was a faint rustling sound, as if she had really turned over. “Alright, Master, I’ve settled in. I’ll continue the story now. Once upon a time, there was a little girl…”
Lou Yan opened his eyes and turned to look in the direction of the AI assistant. He had the urge to wake the screen, just to see her.
Was she really lying on her little bed? Hugging the teddy bear she liked, mumbling as she told him a bedtime story…
Wanwan was created to be the most beautiful existence in his heart. As expected, everything about her was beautiful.
Inside Wanwan’s small room, Wan Tong was lying on the bed, reading a book aloud.
She kept reading for half the night.
She wondered if Lou Yan had fallen asleep.
So she softly said, “Lou Yan, good night.”
On the bed, Lou Yan slowly opened his eyes. In the darkness, his expression was unclear, but the tremor in his heart made his entire body tense.
She called him Lou Yan.
—…Good night, Wanwan.
At that moment, Wan Tong had already left her small room and randomly entered a game.
Strangely enough, the game environment was quite beautiful. She felt as if she were living in a forest, with birds chirping melodiously. She couldn’t help but stay a little longer.
However, what she didn’t know was that at this very moment, the entire slum district had suddenly erupted into chaos.
One by one, figures dashed out of their homes, not even bothering to put on proper clothes, shouting excitedly,
“Holy shit, a high-level elf has been detected!”
“A sprite in the slums?! Damn! Good thing I stayed up late!”
“Hurry, if we’re late, we won’t stand a chance!”
…
Everyone was rushing madly in the same direction, afraid that if they were even a second late, the elf would have been lured away!