This was a cramped utility room, small in space and filled with various cleaning tools.
The space for standing was less than half a meter.
It was in this cramped half-meter space that Cheng Shi and Fang Shiqing stood face to face.
Fang Shiqing had a slight smile, while Cheng Shi's face showed surprise.
"So the so-called War Fog was to kidnap me?"
Cheng Shi looked around the surrounding environment with a strange expression, thinking that this small space was indeed a good hiding place.
"Kidnap is not the word to use here."
Fang Shiqing smiled, holding onto Cheng Shi's arms to keep a certain distance between them, and explained seriously:
"Klip Girl is following closely, this is the only way I can get rid of her for a while."
"Huh? You call her Klip Girl too?"
Cheng Shi's eyes lit up, instantly feeling like He had found a comrade.
"What else? Let's cut the small talk, we don't have much Time, Cheng Shi, I have something to tell you."
"I like men, thank you." Cheng Shi's Mouth was faster than light.
"..."
Fang Shiqing was startled at first, then burst into laughter:
"It's not what you think, no need to rush to refuse."
Cheng Shi heard this and breathed a sigh of relief:
"Good, good, then I still like women."
"You... Do I have no attraction at all?"
"If the attraction you're talking about is Bailing's kind, then no, you really don't."
"... I won't joke with you anymore." Fang Shiqing was not at all annoyed, her eyes fixed on Cheng Shi, and her face became quite serious as she said:
"Cheng Shi, I know you lied about your Heavenly Ladder score, and I know you are very capable, but I won't delve into why you concealed it. I just want to invite you to join us."
"Us?"
Cheng Shi's smile gradually faded, and He frowned slightly, as if He had thought of something.
"Are you from the Lǐ Zhì Association?"
The Lǐ Zhì Association is an organization formed by a group of Players led by the followers of Truth. Their philosophy is to pursue the Truth of the universe and explore the essence of God.
Under the influence of Truth and the "Tower of Rationality" in the Trial background, they have a fanatical thirst for knowledge about the origin of all things and the laws of the universe.
These people have become very crazy in order to obtain the knowledge of "Comprehending Divine Power" and "Becoming God", and are not rational at all.
In fact, there are many other Player organizations like the Lǐ Zhì Association, such as the "Order Alliance", "Naturalism Sect", "History School", and so on.
The fundamental reason for the Existence of these organizations is the instinctive desire for survival and power among humans who were forced to become Players.
So they spontaneously gathered together and worked tirelessly to improve themselves.
Fang Shiqing is a follower of Truth, so Cheng Shi naturally thought of the Lǐ Zhì Association immediately.
However, Fang Shiqing shook her head and sighed:
"The Lǐ Zhì Association has abandoned rationality. They stop at nothing to become God. Compared to believing in Truth, they are more like followers of corruption and supporters of foolishness. They unleash their ambitions, expand their desires, and have long since deviated from the realm of normal people, becoming unreasonable lunatics..."
"And we are not like that."
"Cheng Shi, do you still remember your own home?"
Fang Shiqing's sudden deep emotion made Cheng Shi a little at a loss.
How should He put this? If you consider the utility room of the orphanage as home, then He certainly remembers.
After all, seeing this scene now, this small space is similar to where He lived when He was young.
Seeing that Cheng Shi didn't react, Fang Shiqing continued:
"Everyone has a warm family and family who love us."
"But after them descended, everyone lost their original beautiful life."
"Faith Game shattered the world and pushed hundreds of millions of compatriots to the edge of a cliff."
Her tone was a little low, and the hand grasping Cheng Shi's sleeve was also a little tense.
"Cheng Shi, not everyone is like you and me, who can win in one Trial after another."
"Who can reach 2000 points."
"Who can get an S-level talent."
"Who can work hard to live on."
"Many people... one wrong step will fall into the abyss, and even more people have already fallen below the abyss."
"But are they wrong?"
"They are just innocent people, struggling to survive, bending over backwards, and in the end, after dying, they are still labeled as 'God-forsaken'."
"And among these people, there are your family, my family, people who love you, and people who love me."
Fang Shiqing smiled sadly, then lifted her spirits and continued:
"Is there really no way to avoid all this?"
"Is everything we love and want to protect destined to be lost in the face of God?"
"No!"
"Any human being with flesh, blood, bone, and spirit will not allow this to happen!"
"So, we were born!"
"We gather together, use all available power, unite all possible friends, and protect all the beauty that needs to be protected!"
"We bow our heads to accept Their blessings, and we also raise our heads to challenge Their authority;"
"We turn around and entrust our backs to each other, and we swear to protect the trust of our friends with our lives;"
"We melt swords and guns to build new city walls, and we delve into the darkness to transmit the light of hope."
"This is us!"
"For the people we want to protect behind us, we must stand up!"
"Cheng Shi, do you... understand?"
"This is... us."
"A group of fighters attempting to resist Divine Might, a group of lunatics who still yearn for 'beauty'."
"To achieve all this, we crawl in the darkness, never easily showing ourselves to others."
"But you, Cheng Shi, I think you are worth the risk for me."
"Now, I solemnly invite you to join us, you..."
"Are you willing?"
Cheng Shi silently listened to Fang Shiqing's words, his face blending into the shadows, noncommittal.
Fang Shiqing wanted to see some emotional fluctuation on his face, but obviously, she failed.
Cheng Shi was silent for a long time, then slightly curled the corner of his Mouth and asked back playfully:
"After saying so much, may I ask, Miss New Kindler, can you tell me if you are a City Defender or a City Builder?"
"!!??"
Fang Shiqing's eyes widened abruptly, looking at Cheng Shi in disbelief, strongly suppressing her shock and lowering her voice to exclaim:
"You know about us? You..."
She immediately thought of something, and the shock and hope in her eyes vanished together, instantly turning into deep regret, and she pursed her lips and smiled bitterly:
"It seems you have already rejected us..."
Cheng Shi's expression was very unnatural, and He shook his head slightly and said:
"No, no one has ever invited me, you are the first."
Fang Shiqing's face became even more shocked, and she raised her head and said in surprise:
"Impossible, a Player who hasn't been contacted by a New Kindler cannot know about us! Where did you find out?"
"Where did I find out?"
Cheng Shi's eyes suddenly became deep and distant. His gaze passed over Fang Shiqing's hair tips and looked at the darkness behind her. He didn't know which scene in his memory He was recalling, and He sighed with incomparable desolation in his tone:
"Yes, where did I find out?"
"Probably from a fool."
"You tell me, how could someone disregard their own life for a stranger?"
"Why not?" Fang Shiqing's eyes suddenly became firm, and she said solemnly:
"New Kindlers spare no effort for everything they want to protect, let alone themselves."
"Is a stranger also considered the beauty you speak of?"
"Perhaps not mine, but it must be his, the beauty in the eyes of the New Kindler you met..."
Fang Shiqing's tone was full of romance that would not regret until death, and even the always frivolous Cheng Shi was slightly touched.
"So that's how it is..."
He shook his head, and the smile on his face finally reappeared. He looked up at Fang Shiqing's eyes, looking at those eyes full of the light of hope, and felt that they were so... bright.
Even in the fog, even in the dark utility room, they were still so bright.
"I remember you, Miss City Defender."
Fang Shiqing was slightly startled. She didn't expect the other party to trick her into revealing her identity, but she didn't care about that.
"So this time, what is your answer?"
"Compared to that, I'd rather ask why you value me? I never think of myself as a good person." Cheng Shi spread his hands and said.
Fang Shiqing smiled: "The word 'good person' is too heavy for today's world. We never hope to meet a good person, we just hope our partner is not a bad person."
"How do you know I'm not a bad person?"
Fang Shiqing released her left hand that was tightly gripping Cheng Shi's sleeve and pointed to her Ears.
"S-level Singer professional talent 'Moving Heartstrings', I can hear the melody played by everyone's heart. I am very familiar with the tunes of evil people. You are not that kind."
"?" Cheng Shi raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "What kind am I?"
"Hmm... Very strange, very erratic, very low, but not dark."
Cheng Shi silently contemplated for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Sorry, I'm laughing because you heard wrong."
As soon as He finished speaking, a hand chop landed on Fang Shiqing's neck before she could react.
"Bang!"
"You..."
Fang Shiqing's eyes widened sharply for a moment, and then she instantly closed her eyelids and fainted.
Cheng Shi rubbed his hand, looking at the woman with the big waves who had fallen into his arms, and said in an inexplicable tone:
"People standing in the firelight should not trust people in the darkness, let alone, those standing in the darkness are usually not human."
"But still... thank you."
He smiled self-deprecatingly, picked up Fang Shiqing by the waist, pushed open the door of the utility room, and walked out.
...