[Science Fiction] Escape from Paint City

Suddenly, Shuichen seemed to feel isolated by the world, standing in the kitchen, walking on the street, the scenery around him, the people around him were all black and white, and his movements were almost slow, like an old movie on cassette, only he was Colored, looking around blankly, not knowing where to go.

He felt like he was about to be invaded by the black and white, but he froze in place and couldn't move. The suffocation hit him until Sha Qianxing appeared and saved him.Only then did he feel that he was staying in this small building down-to-earth again.

Sha Qianxing had already changed his clothes. The loose sports suit basically fit him well. The three centimeters of height difference made the hem of the sports pants a little shorter, revealing his ankles slightly.

Shuichen stared at the rather slender ankle of the Achilles tendon, feeling a little unable to move his eyes away.He lamented in his heart, oops, there is no part of this man's body that does not conform to his aesthetics, and his ankles are so sexy that he wants to touch them.

Shui Chen turned around, hiding the obsession in her eyes.With the sound of the refrigerator being turned on and off, he took out the tomato and tossed it lightly, talking.

"Let's eat fried egg noodles with tomatoes at night. I don't know how to make complicated ones."

"Need help?"

Sha Qianxing rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, stepped forward and picked up the kitchen knife.

Shuichen handed him the tomatoes, and he filled the iron pot with water to boil.

"Okay, I'll go downstairs, you help chop some onions, beat two eggs, and mix the seasoning yourself."

With the cooperation, the dinner was finished quickly.The two walked to the living room with noodle bowls in hand, chatting while eating.

"Let's go to Tan Ling's house later to see if there are any clues."

"Okay, but I have to turn on the personal shielding mode, and no one else can see me except you."

"Shielding mode? You have quite a lot of black technology in your hands."

"If I'm seen by other people, I'll be in big trouble."

Shui Chen bit the fried egg and said with a teasing smile, "So mysterious. But to you, am I so special?"

Shui Chen just likes to ask some ambiguous questions on purpose, and he also likes Sha Qianxing's appearance that he never evades serious answers, even if he is teased a lot, he will not run away.

"You mean a lot to me."

To Shui Chen's teasing, Sha Qianxing solemnly gave a response similar to a confession.

The expected answer, Shui Chen thought, really makes people happy.

"How long can this shielding mode last, is there any limit?"

Now that he has decided to be on the same front as Sha Qianxing, there will be unknown dangers in the face of the Science Affairs Office, Shui Chen feels that it is better to know himself and the enemy, and to understand his comrades clearly.

"There is no limit to the maintenance time, but if you touch someone in the shielding mode, it will appear. If it is discovered by others at this time, the shielding mode will no longer work."

"That's a bit like a ghost. In the shielding mode, will the chip's protection mode against the Qicheng people detect and avoid you?"

"No, at that time I was like air to them."

"Then you have to be careful not to bump into people when you are walking on the road, because this situation will cause the shield to fail, and it is too oolong."

Shuichen tried to imagine all the situations that Sha Qianxing might encounter.

"That's okay, as long as it doesn't touch you, it won't show up."

Shuichen smiled muffled, and said, "Does this mean that other people are not human?"

Sha Qianxing did not answer directly.

"Only you are special."

This means that the topic has fallen into a sensitive area again. Could it be that everyone else is a robot?Shui Chen thought to himself, but the people around him, Shui Dad and Shui Mom, all looked so real in flesh and blood, and there was no abnormality in their metabolism, thinking and actions, so it was not like a robot.

Moreover, it would be too scary to say that everyone in Qicheng is not human.If so, what have you been doing for the past 23 years?

Shuichen didn't want to think too much, so he didn't ask any more questions.

--split line--

After eating the noodles in silence, the two cleaned up the kitchen and went out to Tan Ling's house.

Qicheng is not big, and it is only four kilometers from the center of the city to the edge of the small city. Walking is the most common way for Shuichen to travel.But he hadn't walked with other people for a long time.

The night has completely fallen, the street lights on both sides of the road in the old city are dim, and unknown insects are heard from the grass beside the road.It's early autumn now, and the hot and humid air of summer nights hasn't completely disappeared, and you can still smell the night after taking a deep breath.

This state of being surrounded by hot air made Shuichen feel very at ease.Under the dim light of the street lamps, the two of them stood shoulder to shoulder, their sleeves rubbed against each other from time to time, but they both tacitly kept the distance away.The heat of that momentary touch lingered for a long time, making people feel endless aftertaste.

The two headed in the direction of the new city, and it was rare for Sha Qianxing to initiate a conversation.

"Brother Chen, do you like your life now?"

Qicheng is like an independent utopia.There are no natural disasters, no diseases, no disputes, no shortage of supplies, and no need for work. Residents enjoy various entertainment and life through the chip interdomain network. Any needs can be put forward to the Science and Affairs Office, and the Science and Affairs Office can always provide them with great powers. solve everything.

Sha Qianxing wanted Shuichen to dig out the truth and take over his guardian mission, which made him embark on a heavy, lonely and painful road.

I don't know whether it is better to live a relaxed and happy life ignorantly, or to face the real loneliness for a hundred years soberly.

Sha Qianxing turned his head to look at Shui Chen, he had completely lost the vigor he had when he first met, his pupils reflected the lights, as bright as stars, and as gentle as night.There is no need to speak out about the friendship, he just hopes to remember the last seven days, 160 hours, 10 minutes, 60 seconds.

Shui Chen hesitated for a while, but still spoke out what was in his heart.

"Living here is good. I can do what I want. But I want to leave here and go outside. I always feel that the truth I want to find is not here. Maybe... it's me who is abnormal."

How can it be so easy to see it if it is not understood by others.Under the cover of the hazy night, Shui Chen no longer wore a foolish mask, looking a little confused and fragile.This is the loss of the future and the pain of a lone traveler.

Everyone in Qicheng is a staunch supporter of the Science Affairs Office. Shuichen is an outlier, and he has been carefully hiding this idea from Shui's father and Shui's mother.But tonight, facing Sha Qianxing, he wanted to tell his true thoughts.

Shui Chen has already touched the edge of the truth of the world, and it is doomed that he cannot simply enjoy the gift of the world, while constantly struggling in contradictions and pains.

Sha Qianxing made up his mind that he would definitely take Shuichen out of here, even if the reality was desolate and nothingness, Shuichen would definitely want to go to that place more.

"I will help you."

As Sha Qianxing said, he held Shuichen's hand tightly, and the thick calluses on his knuckles and palm rubbed against the back of Shuichen's hand, making him feel at ease.Sha Qianxing's palms were hot, warming Shuichen's cold hands due to the cold body.

Sha Qianxing also appeared in an instant. Fortunately, the two chose the small road in the old city, and in the dead of night, there were no people in sight, so they would not die before they left the school.

After a while, Shuichen broke free and pulled Sha Qian back to the shadow under the wall of the house on the right.

He took the initiative to cross his fingers with Sha Qianxing, then held it tightly, and pressed the imprint on the back of Sha Qianxing's hand with great force.Sha Qianxing also responded with the same strength, and the beating frequency of the two hearts gradually became synchronized.

Suddenly, Shuichen wrapped his arms around Sha Qianxing's shoulders, pressed him into his arms from the back, raised his head slightly and leaned forward, leaving a dry and somewhat icy kiss on the corner of Sha Qianxing's mouth.

The kiss was about to leave, but Sha Qianxing felt that the corners of his mouth were so sensitive that it didn't seem to be his own.A tingling sensation spread from the corner of his mouth to his whole body, making his whole body go limp and unable to lift his strength.

Shui Chen's arms around his shoulders were about to leave, but Sha Qianxing hugged Shui Chen's waist reflexively, so that their bodies were tightly pressed against each other without leaving a gap, and their hands were still clasped together .

Sha Qianxing buried his head on Shuichen's shoulder and smelled the smell of green grass after the rain. The fragrance hidden deep in the young stems and leaves was stimulated and blown away by the wind, leaving a light and elegant fragrance. aftertaste.

"What kind of grass smells like this?"

"Bronze hammer grass, it's just a weed on the side of the road."

"It smells good, how did you get it?"

"Before I was sketching outdoors, I found this kind of grass. I thought the smell was very suitable for the studio, so I picked some and made some fragrance."

"Give me some when you go back."

"The ones I made before have already been used up. Next time, let's go find the copper hammer grass together."

"it is good."

There was a faint smile on Sha Qianxing's face, and after another round of ear-to-eye contact, he let go of his embrace, and pressed against Shui Chen, the tip of his nose swayed from side to side as he shook his head, touching gently.

"I'm very happy."

"Me too."

The two didn't say anything more, enjoying the current tranquility.They all knew that from the moment they stepped into Qin's house, they had to face the unexpected and inescapable reality.

After a while, the two let go of their hands and moved away. There was one person far away, one behind the other, they left the shadowed area under the eaves, returned to the middle of the path, and continued walking towards Tan's house.

The two no longer have intimate movements, but they can feel the warm aura independent of the world.

No matter what happens afterwards, I will always believe in Qianxing.Following him, I can get out of here.

At this moment, this idea became stronger in Shui Chen's heart.The two kept a tandem distance, without talking all the way, until they arrived at Tan Ling's house in Shuichen's memory.

Qin Xun's house is on Xingfu Avenue, just across the street from Shuichen's parents' house, but Shuichen has never found such a house here before.

The whole house is painted with warm red paint. It is two stories high and surrounded by planted bamboos on three sides. It is impossible to see the situation of the house clearly.Only one side was left with bluestone steps and a security door. The incandescent lamp in front of the door lit up as the two approached, as if welcoming guests into the house.

"I'll go in with you."

Sha Qian walked forward and stood side by side with Shui Chen, looking at the moths circling and colliding with the incandescent lamp and said.

Shuichen nodded, took a deep breath, stepped up the stone steps in two steps, and rang the doorbell.

A low and vibrating bell rang inside and outside the house, and the mixed sound continued for a long time.

The author has something to say: I'm sorry for being five hours late for uploading today's update

The interaction between the two in this chapter really made me blush and my heart beat

too ambiguous~

The scent of copper hammer grass is made up by myself

Actually I've never seen copper hammer grass at all [laughs]

Finally, since this chapter mentions night travel, let’s post a poem about night travel that I wrote before.

twelve o'clock midnight

I walk along the dividing line

High beams without cars shatter the darkness

The breath of the night wraps me tightly

Seep inside through my skin

i smell it

Follow all the way

Can recognize direction even with eyes closed

I hope this armor can protect me more tightly