A new chance of life

It was‌​​⁠‌‌⁠​​‌⁠​⁠‌​‍⁠‌‌‌⁠‍‌​ already dark when An Yu returned to the Spire.

The elevator ascended steadily. Through the glass door, the Protectors he passed all bowed to him in greeting. He looked down and checked the accumulated messages on his terminal.

Pat had been back at the Main City for less than twenty-four hours before he and Slade had each received new missions and left again. Jiang Xiao’s signal indicated he wasn’t in the Spire, but he had no active mission either. He was nowhere to be found, which was strange.

An Yu thought for a moment, then sent Jiang Xiao a message anyway.

Before he could even put down the terminal, Jiang Xiao replied.

An Yu casually tapped on his profile picture and noticed he had changed his signature again—from “Thank you for your forgiveness” to “Ten thousand peaks can be climbed.”

He didn’t understand it. An Yu wasn’t very cultured and had little curiosity. Just as he was about to close the window, Jiang Xiao sent another long block of text.

I heard the matter of the Seed Museum has been resolved. Although I don’t have the authority to view the details, it must have been taxing for you.
Please be sure to rest well. I have complied with Law’s wishes and submitted my application to resign as your physical training instructor, but I still hope you will persist with your physical training. Excellent physical fitness can improve physiological tolerance.
In other words, although your maximum survival percentage is fixed, your reaction to injuries will be reduced, and you’ll be able to withstand more damage.
Additionally, the nutritional elements in bread are limited. I hope you will pay attention to supplementing with extra protein.
The way Protectors obsess over muscle does look a bit foolish, but it’s undeniable that muscle is indeed the most reliable friend in actual combat.

An Yu frowned and read through it in a state of utter confusion, before another message arrived.

Rumor has it that you’ll be going on more missions with Law from now on. Please be sure to take care of yourself, and please don’t push yourself too hard when exploring your ability, though I know it is an enthralling trait. By the way, I’ve already spoken with the head of marketing at the Jiang Corporation. Please don’t worry about the subsequent promotion of the bakery.

Realization dawned on An Yu:

Are you about to die?

The other side went silent.

The elevator stopped on the 197th floor, and An Yu stepped out.

Couldn’t even the doctors at Brain do anything?

He stared at his terminal, waiting by the elevator door for a full half-minute before Jiang Xiao’s reply finally came.

I should still live for a long time. I just need to go to the Equality Zone for a while.

“An Yu?” The door to a room down the hall pushed open, and Zhu Tao poked his head out. “I knew it, I thought I heard the elevator. What are you doing just standing there like an idiot?”

An Yu greeted him. “Jiang Xiao said he’s going to the Equality Zone.”

“Oh, I heard about that from the Commander,” Zhu Tao said, emerging from the room. “The Equality Zone faces aberrant invasions at any time. He wants to go there to temper his mental stability. High Peak was reluctant at first, especially since the number of missions right now is outrageous, but he insisted, so there was nothing to be done.”

The terminal vibrated again.

About to take off. When I see you again, I hope I will have become a more useful person.

An Yu typed back almost instinctively:

I wish you success.

It seemed Jiang Xiao had been waiting for just those words. The moment the message was sent, the small green light next to his profile picture instantly turned gray.

“It’s probably for the best,” Zhu Tao said, shuffling toward the kitchen in his fluffy slippers. “Otherwise, in a few days when you announce your bonded supports, he’d go crazy again without him being on the list.”

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“Perhaps Jiang Xiao won’t be gone for too long,” a gentle voice sounded. “Don’t worry, you’ll meet again sooner or later.”

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Codex’s expression suddenly shifted, revealing an unexpected awkwardness. “You bought both sets of numbers?”

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Codex was quiet for a moment, then shook his head with a smile. “It’s nothing. This kind of thing is just for fun. How could someone actually predict it?”

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An Yu quickly replied, “Coming.”

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Yet he hoped the pie wouldn’t be too big and the filling not too runny.

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A moment later, the shape of the pie slowly materialized on the dark yellow parchment.

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It took An Yu a moment to process before he shook his head. “It’s fine.”

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Codex’s terminal rang.

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But he was gone for over an hour and didn’t return.

“He’s probably reporting on the Equality Zone situation. High Peak is always trying to get some intel on the Equality Zone out of Codex,” Zhu Tao said, scraping the cheese sauce in the pot with a spatula, creating silky ripples.

He licked the spatula. “Wow, you really have a talent for cooking.”

“Thanks.” An Yu also stared at the simmering cheese sauce.

The perfect concentric circles on its surface were deeply satisfying.

He turned off the heat as Zhu Tao instructed and spooned the rich, silky sauce into the pre-shaped pie crusts, arranging them neatly on a baking sheet.

These orderly, systematic images gave him a great sense of security, an effect comparable to seeing large sacks of whole wheat bread.

Zhu Tao layered mashed potatoes and large slices of ham on top, then slid the baking sheet into the preheated oven with a grin. “I strongly suggest you learn a few more dishes from me. It’s a little trick to improve your relationship with the Commander.”

“Really?” An Yu suddenly recalled how harmoniously Zhu Tao and Tang Feng had chatted throughout the entire flight, and he was tempted.

Zhu Tao fanned his face with his hand and casually pushed open the nearby window. “Protectors are people too. Eating and sleeping are the two most important things in life. Think about it, would you ever dislike someone who fed you delicious food every day?”

It was a revelation for An Yu. “Then I’ll learn more from you in the future.”

Zhu Tao smiled proudly. “Then let’s develop some new recipes. We can’t let the two Commanders feel like they’re being treated with mass-produced goods.”

An Yu didn’t quite understand what “treated with mass-produced goods ” meant. Just as he was about to ask, a gust of wind blew in. It lifted a page of the journal on the counter, which quickly fell back into place.

In that fleeting moment, he saw the contents of the previous page—

On the empty sheet was only a string of numbers: 18, 24, 05, 12, 09, 31.

His first thought was that they were lottery numbers, but he quickly dismissed the idea, as this string had no numbers in common with the two tickets he had just bought.

An Yu turned his head to stare at the countdown timer on the oven, a little worried. “Will it be a success?”

“Absolutely,” Zhu Tao said with full confidence. “We can eat a few tonight, and freeze the rest. Just take them out and reheat them in the oven for 12 minutes before eating.”

An Yu hesitated. “Would the Commander be willing to eat leftovers?”

“As long as you reheat them properly, he won’t be able to tell they were heated a second time,” Zhu Tao said with a cunning smile. “Don’t worry, I fool my Commander like this all the time. Otherwise, who could possibly get up early every single morning to make pastries?”

An Yu: “…Oh.”

It was a clever act, but it didn’t seem very ethical.

He hesitated for a moment, then decided not to pass judgment on the behavior.

The cheese and ham potato pie was unexpectedly delicious.

Zhu Tao’s specially blended cheese sauce was rich and sweet, flavorful without being greasy. After returning to his room, An Yu ate while brainstorming a new menu for the bakery, and in no time, he had finished his share of four pies.

Following Zhu Tao’s instructions, he reheated the remaining twelve frozen pies and sent every last one down his gullet.