658: But Why?

But Why?

However, one second after the sentence came out of his mouth, Lu Yizhou abruptly sensed something was not quite right.  1

If those people wanted to push Zeke up to the throne, why would there be bugs in the simulation whose purpose was to trap him inside? Wouldn't it mean they did not want him to wake up ever again? 

Also, before he left Capital Planet to retire to a little secluded planet which snowed all year around with his cat, he had confirmed that… all of the members in the royal family had died. Whether it was the old treacherous King, his concubines and offsprings, as well as the vile ministers who supported the massacre two decades ago, he had tortured and killed them with his own hands. So where would his lover pop up from?

Amidst his confusion, he heard Dr. Feng say with a sigh, "Yes and no."

The head administrator continued to elaborate, "To be exact, what they need is Zachary's royal bloodline. They intend to make him a puppet to ascend the throne, whereas they would be the true power holder behind the scenes." 

Lu Yizhou was not interested in politics in the first place. Even though his grandfather was a president of a planet — which made him the next candidate to step into the position — he was naturally detached and indifferent. He was not interested in wealth, power and status. The only person suitable for that would be his deceased sister, who was an extroverted through and through; very upbeat, jovial and full of vigor. 

He failed to figure out how someone could make a puppet to stand on the throne. Moreover, what did 'puppet' mean, to be exact?

Perhaps the confusion in Lu Yizhou's eyes was too obvious, Dr. Feng magnanimously spat out a few more sentences. "It means they want to control Zachary, not only his body but also his mind. The simulator system delved deep into someone's brain. It is not entirely impossible to turn them into a fool as long as something goes wrong. By then, they only need to prove that Zachary is indeed of royal bloodline and voilà… a little idiot who knows nothing has stepped into the throne. But do the citizens know it? No. They will think that it's a scheme entirely planned by Zachary alone."

The more Dr. Feng said, the angrier he was. It was obvious that his relationship with Zeke was not simple in one glance. Obviously, he had also created the virtual characters, Cyrus and Luan, in order to help them inside the simulation. 

Lu Yizhou did not beat around the bush. "What's your relationship with him? Why should you go to such lengths to protect him?"

Dr. Feng stared at him for one long moment with an indecipherable look on his face. In the end, he took off his glasses and wiped them with the hem of his shirt as if he had entered a meditative stance. "My relationship with him… is quite simple. I owed his mother a huge favor, and that's why I couldn't just sit still to watch something happen to him."

"You should know by now that Zachary… is also involved in this project. His condition is a little special. I am afraid that I need to show you something first so that you will understand. In short, Zachary's existence is a secret that only I and a handful of my trusted people know."

"At first, I was just trying to use the simulator to… cure this condition of his. Even though the main system you're all using is the same, I have secured a few protection layers over his mind so that he won't be affected by other patients. Just think of it like this. You're all in a big house with countless rooms. Every room can be opened, except for the one Zachary is in. But then one day…"

Dr. Feng huffed a wry laugh. "I found that his door was wide open. And guess the one who opened it?"

Lu Yizhou blinked, stunned. "...Me?"

"No," Dr. Feng shook his head and smiled helplessly. "He is the one who opened it himself. And the worst thing is, he only opened his door once he sensed your presence. Even though my people wanted to take the opportunity to slip in, they found no cracks in his armor at all."

Dr. Feng's words made Lu Yizhou think of a little event that had happened quite a long time ago, inside the simulator. Was it his second or third world? He could no longer remember. 

At that time, 666 was still obsessed over reporting every single detail to him, including the level of the world they were in. He was told that the simulation was divided into A to E level according to the difficulty. Yet every single time, Lu Yizhou would discover the level of the simulation he was in changed into SSS-level at some point of a time. Because it happened every single time and he did not sense anything wrong with it, he had thrown the matter to the back of his mind. 

But now that he had listened to Dr. Feng's explanation, Lu Yizhou suddenly understood something. It turned out SSS-level was his lover's 'door' which only he could enter?

"But why?" Lu Yizhou questioned out loud with a confused frown. "Why would he let me in?" He was certain that he had not met Zeke before in reality, so how could he be the chosen person to enter his mind?

Dr. Feng showed a surprised look. "That's also what I want to ask you. So you don't know the reason either? Honestly, the main reason why you can enter this project is because of Zachary. Your brain's wavelengths are almost synchronized with each other. Perhaps that's why he found your presence familiar and could lower his guard around you. At that time, I still had no idea what was so special about you and thus, I decided to do a little investigation. Only then did I discover that you are Elder Lu's grandson."

After many twists and turns, he managed to rescue someone important by coincidence. Perhaps… it was all destiny? That was what Dr. Feng thought when he found out Lu Yizhou's identity for the first time.

Lu Yizhou pursed his lips and his voice was a little hoarse when he asked, "Where is he? If he's under your protection, then… he should be okay, right? Has he regained consciousness?"

"Yes, I know where he is and yes, thanks to you, he is recovering very well. But I'm sorry, you can't see him yet," Dr. Feng immediately shot down any whimsical thought in Lu Yizhou's mind. A flash of sadness fleeted past his eyes. "He has been in a coma far longer than you so it's natural that he will take a little more time. Anyway!" He clapped twice and forced the gloom away from his features. "No matter what, I am very thankful to you. Without you, maybe he…"

Dr. Feng did not finish his sentence, but Lu Yizhou knew what the man had almost said.

If Lu Yizhou had not shown up, then Zeke's 'door' would have remained closed. It meant… he could never regain consciousness for as long as he lived.

Lu Yizhou recalled his last simulation and could not help but feel upset again. Because his lover had gradually started to regain his memory of the time they spent together, Lu Yizhou discovered that the simulator did not necessarily restart once he left, just like how 666 had claimed it to be.

To be exact, because it was Zeke's domain, he would be the main source of energy for the simulator to keep going. As long as he did not die, then the simulator would continue even after Lu Yizhou had left…

What happened to 55 in the end? He was just a little crybaby, such a scaredy cat who would bawl his eyes out once Lu Yizhou said he wanted to leave. Alas, Lu Yizhou ended up dying all by his lonesome and left him alone…

Had he cried again? How did he live his life after that? 

Lu Yizhou did not dare to delve too deep into that line of thought, otherwise he would be in so much pain it was as if his heart was torn to shreds. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. It was okay. Dr. Feng had said that he was recovering well. Zeke was okay, and Lu Yizhou would be able to see him sooner or later.

It was that thought that gradually calmed Lu Yizhou down.

He met Dr. Feng's eyes and asked, "Who are those people who want to make Zeke into a puppet?"

His lover could take all the time in the world to recover. As for Lu Yizhou, he had nothing to do anyway. He might as well clean up some people for him, so that when Zeke woke up, he would find that the world had become a little more pleasing to the eye.

pqdm.com