The next day, as night fell, in a shabby little inn near the East Bridge of Lianmen Port, Liu Xiaojing sat motionless in front of the computer screen, patiently watching some informational content about general knowledge, trying his best to absorb the complexities of this world. There was no other choice; his money had run out, and his stay at the inn was only valid until noon the following day. If he didn't take this time to familiarize himself with various matters, he wasn't sure when he would encounter such an opportunity again.
At that moment, the webpage in front of him suddenly closed, along with the homepage wallpaper and icons, leaving nothing but a blank, white screen.
"Eh? Is it broken?" Liu Xiaojing thought, having assumed the malfunction was due to prolonged use. However, to his surprise, text began to appear in the center of the white screen, one word at a time, slowly forming a sentence.
[Finally found you. (Smile)]
Upon seeing the words and the smiley face at the end, Liu Xiaojing froze. Despite having learned a great deal over the past few days, he had never heard of a computer malfunctioning in such a way as to communicate with the user. Then, as though the computer sensed his confusion, the text on the screen changed several times.
[The computer itself has no consciousness; it is I who am speaking to you.]
[Now, let us get to the point... who exactly are you? I couldn't find any information about you in the resident identity verification system or the abnormal beings' identity registry. It's as if you suddenly appeared out of nowhere… as an anomaly.]
"Who are you?" Liu Xiaojing asked cautiously, seeing the text on the screen.
[I'm an employee of the Northeast Region of Wan Dou Tong. What about you?]
"Liu Xiaojing." Liu Xiaojing noticed that the other party didn't seem to harbor any ill intentions, so he decided to share his name.
[Liu Xiaojing... indeed, there is still no information about you in the database.]
The text on the screen didn't question whether Liu Xiaojing had been concealing his name, but appeared to simply confirm it once again through another channel.
[Liu Xiaojing, I'll call you Xiaojing. Do you know the basic rule that abnormal beings cannot harm ordinary people?]
"Hm?" Liu Xiaojing was slightly taken aback, not understanding the meaning behind the words.
[A few days ago, near East Bridge in Lianmen Port, there was an incident involving a zombie attacking a human. After conducting investigations and... interviews, we've confirmed that the person who died at your hands was the attacker. Therefore, we need to understand the source of this incident.]
"Zombie?" Upon hearing this word, Liu Xiaojing became even more confused. "Abnormal beings can't harm ordinary people? What are abnormal beings? Me? And what's this about zombies? I don't know anything about this."
[You are quite peculiar.]
"What do you mean?" Liu Xiaojing frowned slightly.
[I'm not sure, but based on your brainwaves, it doesn't seem like you're lying. However, in this current situation, someone like you... seems highly improbable.]
[Unless... you've been living in the mountains all this time. (Smile)]
"Can you really tell whether I'm lying? Is this your ability? Abnormal being?" Liu Xiaojing questioned.
[It's only a rough ability, but yes, I am an abnormal being. This is indeed one of my abilities. (Proudly)]
"What exactly are abnormal beings?" Liu Xiaojing asked, puzzled.
[Qi, the innate Qi. It's an energy within the human body. Whether a person can naturally sense and use this energy, or whether they acquire it through cultivation, those who can use Qi are considered abnormal beings. (Seriously)]
"Qi?" Liu Xiaojing was thoroughly confused.
[Hm? You don't even know what that is? But according to our investigations, it's clear that you can perform "external cultivation" techniques and used them to save one ordinary person while killing another who had been violent. (Shocked)]
"Perhaps..." Liu Xiaojing glanced at the text on the screen and noticed that the other party seemed to already know what had happened earlier. He quickly became cautious, neither confirming nor denying anything.
[What exactly is going on with you... (Confused)]
Liu Xiaojing did not respond, and his expression gradually became more serious. "So, what do you want from me? Is it because I broke your rules?"
[Yes... (Hesitant)]
"What do you want to do?" Liu Xiaojing furrowed his brows tightly.
[Capture, detain, and await further instructions... However, considering your situation, I'll report accurately to my superiors, and you should... be treated leniently.]
[After all, you seem to know nothing, and even though you killed an ordinary person, it was in the course of saving someone else. In any case... the punishment from above shouldn't be too severe.]
"What if I refuse?" Liu Xiaojing paused for a moment. His situation was too peculiar, and he felt it was best not to engage with these so-called abnormal beings for now.
[Why? This is just a formality. It won't harm you. Moreover, considering your current condition, what would you do if you encountered other abnormal beings? (Worried)]
"Sorry, my memory is quite muddled, but I don't think I should trust a stranger who won't even show his face." Liu Xiaojing's eyes flickered as he spoke.
[... (Sad)]
"Fine, since you refuse, I'll let you be. After all, my purpose has been achieved. (Annoyed)]
"Purpose?" Liu Xiaojing suddenly froze.
"Heh heh, you'll find out soon. By the way, although we haven't formally met, I really admire your heroic spirit. It's been a pleasure getting to know you~~~ Goodbye. (Wicked smile)"
The computer screen then returned to normal, and the previous page about general knowledge reappeared, as if everything that had just transpired had never truly happened.
Meanwhile, Liu Xiaojing, still puzzled by the other party's true intentions, suddenly heard a sound outside the room. He immediately stood up from the desk, cautious and alert, and glanced toward the door.
Not long after, the rustling noise outside stopped abruptly, and a knock on the door followed.
"Hello, please open the door. Your delivery has arrived."
"Delivery? Oh, have the boss accept it for me. I'm already asleep."
"I'm sorry, but it says here that you need to sign for it yourself. Please cooperate."
"I don't want it."
"...Please don't make things difficult. We're all just doing our jobs..."
"Get lost."
The words, learned from Lianmen Port, came out, and sure enough, there was no further questioning at the door. Yet, the rustling noise outside lingered, indicating that the group outside had not yet left.