“In this dream, there's a third person..."

Bai Lu felt like she was hallucinating.

This was her own dreamscape. She held the highest authority, and everything within this dream was under her control and command.

If there truly was a third person... how could she have been completely unaware?

It was just that the figure of the young girl was too stunning.

Even a fleeting appearance was unforgettable... standing alone, towering above the boundless sea of fire and thorns, her whole body radiating a light that seemed untouched by the mortal world, like a solitary and sacred deity.

And as the countless seas of fire converged, before the girl disappeared, she seemed to make a welcoming gesture with open arms.

Was she... welcoming Gu Shen?

The next moment!

With a "boom."

A thunderous roar echoed in Bai Lu's mind.

She returned to reality.

A few passersby walked across the ancient bridge. The ice on the Ning River had never cracked. The whole world was silent and empty.

And Gu Shen... had long disappeared without a trace.

...

...

"What an annoying guy."

Gu Shen muttered, "Don't you think?"

He leaned against the stone wall of a dark alley, a sense of déjà vu washing over him. He seemed to have seen this scene not long ago... Was it when he was running away in Dadu?

Gu Shen then realized that he seemed to be running away quite often. The old alleys of Nagano were as ancient as the old city of Dadu, no wonder it felt so familiar.

"I don't dislike her, because she's not a bad person."

Chu Ling said calmly, "From beginning to end, Bai Lu never released any killing intent... she probably just wanted to tease you."

In that dreamscape, Gu Shen knew very well what falling meant.

Those thorns were top-notch weapons. Once someone fell into the thicket, their soul would truly be pierced.

If Bai Lu hadn't withdrawn her attack, then a "serious injury" would have been unavoidable.

Gu Shen was somewhat surprised by this answer.

"In fact... I don't know what you mean by 'annoying'."

The girl sitting in the train looked a little lost.

She said, puzzled, "The dictionary definition of 'annoying' is 'irritating'... Over the years, I have used the \[Heaven's Eye] to watch the human world and have seen many people who should be 'annoying' or 'hated.' Unfortunately, they don't irritate me. Compared to them, I even think Bai Lu... is a pretty good person."

Gu Shen was stunned.

What the \[Heaven's Eye] captured and uploaded to the Deep Sea Network were usually not simple characters. Most of those who had case files were criminals who needed to be sanctioned by law. Those were probably the people who Chu Ling was referring to as those who should be "annoying."

For humans with rich emotions.

Seeing so many case files, a person's emotions would go through a process from "fullness" to "numbness"... For example, Chief Justice Tang Qingquan would eventually show a similar "indifference."

But Chu Ling was different.

From the beginning, she had tried to understand everything, but she couldn't. She tried her best but couldn't understand what people meant by "annoying." She wouldn't feel annoyed, nor would she feel disgusted.

The program said, this is a person who should be executed, the judging conditions are one, two, three, four...

She would think, and then audit the existing conditions, and then come to a conclusion... Hmm, this is a person who should be executed.

In a sense, this was the ultimate in detached and extreme calm.

To put it bluntly.

This was the "coldness" and "ruthlessness" of extinguishing humanity.

However, Chu Ling's next words changed Gu Shen's mind.

"According to my calculations, she would withdraw the dreamscape at the last second." She thought for a while and said, "At that time, in full view of everyone... you would make a big fool of yourself. Although this dreamscape was very dangerous, you were not harmed. As for me, she did what I wanted to do. So I don't dislike her."

Gu Shen was silent.

If Chu Ling really didn't have her own "joys, sorrows, and angers," how could she be angry because of his words and want to make him "look bad"?

A person who couldn't feel the emotion of "annoyance" would definitely not understand what "Schadenfreude" meant.

He suddenly felt a sense of relaxation and asked with a smile, "So you really wanted to see me make a fool of myself?"

Chu Ling, who was thinking deeply within 001, thought for a long time again and gave an honest answer: "...Yes."

After saying this, her expression became complicated.

Obviously, she also realized this problem.

"So... is this what annoyance feels like?" Chu Ling carefully savored it, then said seriously, "Gu Shen, I was a little annoyed with you just now."

This was the answer Gu Shen wanted to hear the most.

He was in a great mood and quickly asked with a smile, "What about later? What about now? Do you still dislike me?"

Unfortunately.

Gu Shen didn't enter the train space of the mental link, so he couldn't see the expression on Chu Ling's face at the moment.

The girl sitting alone in the train couldn't help but recall the scene in the thorny dream after hearing this... At the last moment, Gu Shen didn't take Bai Lu's hand, but chose to fall into the Ning River.

Using raging fire to bombard the thorny dreamscape beneath him.

Chu Ling had been "watching" this dreamscape... She was supposed to be a detached observer, a bystander, but she had to admit that the moment Gu Shen let go, her heartstrings trembled as well.

If... she had a heart.

For a moment.

She experienced tension, and... was it touched?

Scenes flashed back in Chu Ling's mind.

Finally, it stopped at the moment when the two embraced.

At that moment, she opened her arms in the illusion, preparing to use the Deep Sea's vast computing power to forcibly pull Gu Shen out of this dreamscape, but instead, she ushered in another contact between mental power and code data. It was a "touch" that transcended illusion. She felt a substantial temperature again at this moment.

Feeling temperature was originally a "right" that she shouldn't have and couldn't hope for.

Was it because of... Gu Shen?

Anyway, the previous anger had already turned into smoke. It was difficult to trace similar emotions.

So Chu Ling opened her mouth very softly and said, "Now... not so annoying anymore."

This slightly shy response, which could be called "a guilty conscience," made Gu Shen even more comfortable in taking advantage. He pressed on relentlessly and asked, "Not so annoying... does that mean you like me?"

Chu Ling was stunned.

She fell into thought again.

The meanings of these two words rotated in her mind... but this time, the thinking didn't last long.

Although it had been verified and compared tens of millions of times.

But in reality, it only took a second for her to get the answer.

"Yes..."

Chu Ling replied softly and firmly, "Gu Shen, I like you."

...

...

(There will be more updates tomorrow)