What malicious intent could NPCs possibly have? C20.2

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Chp20. part2

In this dungeon, everyone wore identical clothes, children wore plain robes, adults wore the same material overcoats and trousers, all in thin layers due to the constant temperature inside the Sphere.

This man, however, was different.

Although his clothes were also made of the same fabric, they had been modified, with thick padding underneath, seemingly for warmth.

His clothes were sewn with various pockets of different sizes, all stuffed full, the contents of which were unknown.

He had a bunch of odds and ends hanging from his waist, and a huge backpack slung over his back, its rough workmanship suggested he’d sewn it himself.

He looked like a survival expert who’d suddenly appeared out of nowhere, completely out of place in the neat and harmonious atmosphere of the Sphere, but perfectly matching the dense forest and dark waters outside.

Ignoring all that, he had a clean face and bright eyes, so bright they could be seen even in the dark.

Ning Ge saw Owen and immediately raised her wrist, scanning the boy.

Then she lowered her arm with a regretful expression.

Although this man was unusual, he wasn’t an anchor point.

“Are you cleaners who came out?” the man asked first.

“Are you a savage?” Ning Ge asked him directly.

He laughed. “Yes. I’m a savage.”

“But you were clearly born inside the Sphere.”

Ning Ge had already noticed, this ‘savage’ also had a QR code and number on the back of his left hand, JJ0043, and was born in the same batch as Ning Ge’s mother.

However, he looked only in his early twenties, younger than Ning Ge’s mother.

Pei Han also noticed it keenly. He glanced at JJ0043’s hand and speculated, “Is it because people outside the Sphere don’t age so quickly?”

JJ0043 smiled. “Yes. You noticed.”

“Actually, there are over thirty of us,” JJ0043 pointed to the dense forest in the distance, “we all came from inside the Sphere. We age very slowly, almost imperceptibly.”

Ning Ge immediately asked, “Then why don’t you quickly tell the people inside the Sphere so everyone can come out? People inside die every few days, one generation after another, like insects.”

JJ0043 looked at her tenderly.

“Do you think they don’t know? They do know. There’s everything inside the Sphere, but nothing outside. Outside, it’s always night, and the forest is full of monsters.”

JJ0043 continued, “There are other birds in the forest besides this one. So, staying outside the Sphere, if you encounter danger, you might die faster and more tragically than inside. The people inside don’t want to come out.”

Ning Ge understood.

Here, the Sphere provides everything—food and water, brightness, warmth, and safety—life is orderly, but life is short.

Outside the Sphere, it’s dark, cold, and empty, with dangerous monsters lurking everywhere, but you’re not bound by a short lifespan.

Different people make different choices.

JJ0043 said, “Moreover, the Mother Sphere provides them with everything, it’s their faith. They feel that leaving the Sphere is a great disrespect to the Mother Sphere and will be punished.”

A peculiar “clucking” sound interrupted him.

Not far away, something was slowly moving on the surface of the Sphere. A circular lid automatically opened, revealing a circular hole inside, from which a stream of air suddenly shot out.

The air stream contained a grayish-white substance, like flying ash, which was blown out and fell into the black water.

“What is this?” Curly asked.

Ning Ge already understood. Those small metal doors connected to the outside of the Sphere.

Sure enough, JJ0043 replied, “These are the dead people. They said they were ‘with the Mother Sphere body,’ but actually they were sent into the passage, burned to ashes, and blown out.”

JJ0043 took out a piece of paper with a list on it and a hand-drawn QR code.

“We saw cleaners coming out, so we wanted to come and make a deal with you.” “He said, “This is the list and my QR code. We’re short a few daily necessities. Could you go in, scan the code, and buy them for us? The rest of the money in the account is yours.”

So that’s why he came.

Ning Ge and Pei Han exchanged a glance.

Ning Ge took the slip of paper. “I’ll go in and buy them for you.”

She clutched the paper, hesitated for a moment, and asked JJ0043, “If someone wants to join you, would you take them?”

JJ0043 answered seriously, “Of course. We’ve found a suitable place to settle down, but we don’t have enough manpower. We’ve been trying to persuade people from the planet to come out, especially young adults, the more the better. Do you want to come?”

Ning Ge replied, “Not us, I want to ask others.” Ning Ge returned to the inside Sphere via the small door’s staircase, Pei Han following silently behind her.

The Sphere was brightly lit, making Ning Ge’s vision blurry, and it took her a while to adjust.

Ning Ge and Pei Han took the elevator down to the ground floor, found the daily necessities section, scanned the QR code given by JJ0043, bought what he wanted, and put it all into a bag.

Carrying the bag, Ning Ge didn’t take the elevator but went straight to her mother’s cubicle.

Her mother was resting, sitting by the wheel, looking exhausted. Seeing Ning Ge and Pei Han, she smiled and said, “You two are here again?”

“Mom,” Ning Ge called out, “I have something very important to tell you.”

Ning Ge knelt down in front of her and quietly recounted everything that had happened outside the Sphere.

Her mother was stunned for a long time before saying, “I’ve heard about the savages before.”

So they really did know.

Ning Ge was a little disappointed. “Aren’t you going out? It’s not that scary outside.”

“It’s not that I’m afraid,” her mother said, reaching out to hold Ning Ge’s trembled hand. “If I leave, who will buy you new chips? I need to earn money, to save money for you…”

She glanced up at Pei Han, then continued, “When I got married, I just registered simply, without a wedding. I wanted to save enough money so you could have a real wedding on the rooftop when you get married. And then there’s the baby you’ll have, the baby’ll need chips too. What doesn’t cost money?”

Ning Ge’s throat tightened.

“Mom, I don’t want those things,” Ning Ge said hoarsely. “Actually, I’m leaving soon.”

“Leaving? Where to?” Her mother didn’t understand.

Pei Han had been leaning against the door, silently listening to Ning Ge trying to persuade her NPC mother.

“You two talk slowly,” Pei Han said, turning and opening the door. “I’ll go ask my ‘parents’ if they want to leave.”

As soon as he left, Ning Ge took off the bracelet and put it on her mother’s wrist.

However, just like with her brother, it was completely useless.

Ning Ge’s mother watched her fiddling around with curiosity, not understanding what she was doing.

Ning Ge knew that telling her mother about the dungeon was useless. Whether her mother believed her or not, given the dungeon’s modus operandi, it was very likely they would erase her memories.

Ning Ge tried to explain for a long time why she had to leave, only saying that she and Pei Han had found a way to leave this place, but they couldn’t take her with them for the time being.

“I’m leaving. You don’t need to pedal that wheel for me anymore. You can go wherever you want.”

Ning Ge’s mother took a long time to process this.

After a long silence, she finally said, “Are you really leaving? Then I’ll leave too. Actually, I know some people who have become wild people. I’ve long wanted to leave like them.”

Her decisiveness surprised Ning Ge.

Ning Ge looked at her. “I thought you would stop me, not let me go, make me stay here to get married, have children, pedal that wheel, or something.”

Her mother gently stroked Ning Ge’s hair behind her ear.

“I won’t stop you. Life is too short. Do what you want to do.”