It was early in the morning, and there were only a few cleaners cleaning up the mess on the floor.
Back on Earth, Zhang Heng had to spend some time getting used to the gravity. Fortunately, unlike real astronauts, his body was still in the same state as before he entered the quest. He didn't lose any bone mass or blood, and he didn't feel thirsty. He didn't have any vision problems (usually far-sightedness), so it was more of a psychological adjustment.
After all, he had just drifted in space for four days. Even on the moon, gravity was only one-sixth of Earth's. But unlike Black Sail, these minor problems could be solved in an hour or two.
Zhang Heng walked to the entrance of a neighborhood and ordered a bowl of hot soy milk, two fried dough sticks, and a tea egg from a roadside stall. By the time he finished his meal, the road was bustling with activity, and nearby office workers were coming out of their houses.
Commuting in big cities had always been a big problem. Most people lived farther away from their workplace than the Cowherd and the Weaver Maid. So, they had to get up early in the morning, rush for transportation, and fill their stomachs at the same time. Many people even developed the skill of eating while walking.
Zhang Heng had been to many cities when he was a child. Sometimes, he would attend academic conferences with his parents, and sometimes, he would travel with his grandfather to meet friends. It was also during that time that he developed a habit of silently labeling every city he visited. But when it came to this city, even though he had been studying here for a year and a half, he still couldn't find an accurate word to describe it.
It was like a bowl of thick soup with all the ingredients thrown in, mixing all kinds of strange flavors together in a barbaric manner.
No matter how picky the diner was, one could always find the parts they liked, but at the same time, they would always have to put up with the parts they didn't like.
So perhaps complexity was its label.
Zhang Heng finished the last mouthful of soy milk. Instead of competing with the office workers for public resources, he scanned the QR code to unlock a shared bicycle and rode it all the way back to school. On the way, he passed by a shopping mall, stopped, and went in to buy some local specialties, mainly to deal with the kids who would come over during the Chinese New Year. As for the robot cleaner for his grandfather, he had already placed an order on Xiaomi's official website.
Nothing else happened in the next two days. Zhang Heng put the Paris Arrow in the locker at the archery hall. As for the other game items that could pass the security check, he took them with him. After saying goodbye to Ma Wei, he officially embarked on his journey home for the Chinese New Year.
Every time it was close to the end of the year, there would be a lot of people on the high-speed rail. Zhang Heng was almost squeezed through the ticket gate. After putting away his carry-on bag, he went to his seat according to the seat number on the ticket. However, someone was already sitting there, and it looked like a young couple. The man got up with a smile and said that they couldn't get the same seat when they bought the ticket. He asked if Zhang Heng could switch seats with him. At the same time, he showed Zhang Heng the ticket in his hand.
Zhang Heng took a look. Fortunately, the seat above was not too far away, just at the end of the carriage. So, Zhang Heng agreed to the boy's request to swap seats. The boy's face lit up, and he thanked Zhang Heng profusely.
Zhang Heng guessed that there was no extra space on the other side, so he didn't take the small suitcase that was already on the luggage rack. Instead, he carried a backpack and put his glass, camera, game items, and other valuables in it.
The seat that the guy swapped with Zhang Heng was close to the aisle. Next to him was a middle-aged man in a jacket. He had not stopped using his phone since he got on the train. He was either giving instructions to the person on the other side of the phone or talking to customers about orders and after-sales issues. He seemed to be the sales director of a certain manufacturer.
Opposite Zhang Heng was a girl, probably still studying like him. She was holding a New Oriental red book in her hand — "TOEFL Vocabulary, Root, and Associative Memory." She wasn't exactly good-looking. Her eyes were small, her nose was a little flat, and she didn't have much flesh on her body. However, she was still young, giving off a rustic vibe.
Sitting next to her was a woman slightly older than her. She was watching dramas on a tablet with headphones on.
All three of them looked very ordinary.
Zhang Heng didn't know if it was the aftereffect of single-player competitive quests, but he couldn't help but subconsciously pay attention to the people around him. There were also players in the real world, and there were quite a few of them. So, it wasn't a big deal.
Speaking of which, the battle with Jia Lai in the Apollo Program training camp was the first time he killed another player with his own hands. Zhang Heng thought that he would feel a little uncomfortable, but he didn't know if it was because he had been through too many battles before, and his hands were stained with blood. Although his opponents were only people in the dungeon or monsters in the real world, he didn't feel much when facing another player this time.
When he stuffed Jia Lai's mouth with sand and watched him suffocate to death, Zhang Heng remained calm throughout the whole process. In fact, he was a little too calm. That was because Jia Lai could be considered the first person he had killed.
For a moment, even he himself felt a trace of unfamiliarity with his current self.
Zhang Heng didn't know if his current situation was normal. Because no one had as rich a life experience as he did, no one had told him what to expect.
Noticing that someone was in front of her, the TOEFL girl pulled the bag of chips and apples on the table closer to her.
Zhang Heng thanked her and sat down opposite her. As soon as he put away his backpack, his phone vibrated.
There was a small '1' on the profile picture, which meant that there was a new message from the other party.
Zhang Heng clicked on it.
[I'm sitting right across from you. Can you see me?]
Zhang Heng frowned and looked up at the TOEFL girl opposite him. The latter had her head down and was memorizing some words. When she felt Zhang Heng's gaze on her face, a hint of panic flashed in her eyes. Not only did she not raise her head, but she lowered her head even more. At the same time, her ears felt a little hot.
Zhang Heng replied:
[I'll blacklist you if you do that again.]
[Hehe, I'm a little bored today. What are you doing? Do you want to go to the haunted house with me? I heard there's an alley that is very haunted. Let's catch a ghost tonight.] O ((> ω <)) o
[I'm going home for Chinese New Year. I'm on the high-speed train now. You can go by yourself.]
[Huh, so if you're not going home, will you accompany me?]
[No.]
Zhang Heng typed.
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