Chapter 448: Chapter 448: Distorted

Shadow City had more than just one or two anomalies, and under the formidable efficiency of Bubbles and her daughter’s troop, every inch of the space had been searched several times. The results were shocking:

In the past seven days, the number of anomalies in Shadow City had reached over a hundred!

When I first heard this number, I was truly astonished. Over a hundred anomalies? A normal computer would crash with just one memory error! And now, the cutting-edge technology of the Xyrin People, the Shadow Space had over a hundred errors in just seven days. Seriously, was it the Shadow Space making errors, or was it Bubbles’ calculating skills? Could it be that this girl, having gotten used to playing games with 99 lives, habitually pressed a series of 9s whenever she saw a number?

Well, please allow me to refer to this gaming recluse as–House Bubbles of the 9s!

“Hubby dear, are you thinking of something very rude?”

The Bubbles in the crystal prism shot a dangerous look at me instantly, her tone somber.

“Uh… no way… I just suddenly started thinking about Little Baobao’s education issues…”

I hastily shifted her attention. Others might be deceived by her petite and adorable appearance, but I’m well aware that this girl always carried a titanium alloy brick in her violence attribute.

“Hubby dear, we spouses are supposed to be in sync!” Facing my dumb tactic of shifting attention, Bubbles crossed her arms and pouted, “Hmph! Don’t even think about touching me for the next few days!”

I’ve never “touched” you, girl! Don’t bring up such terribly misleading topics that are prone to misunderstanding! Pushing down a loli who isn’t even as tall as my thigh — Sandora would chew me to death…

Sandora has already started biting the jerk!

I could completely confirm that the golden-haired girl beside me with a face full of mischief was just there to stir up trouble. How could she possibly believe what Bubbles was spouting, which clearly was nonsense?

Now, the Rolex on my arm definitely reflected Sandora’s desire to change taste!

Because of Bubbles’ irresponsible remark, everything turned chaotic for a while until we finally managed to bring the discussion back on track.

“First, we need to clarify something, over a hundred anomalies don’t mean there were over a hundred system errors in Shadow City, otherwise, the whole space would have been annihilated by now. Generally, one system error causing multiple anomalous phenomena is normal,” Bubbles corrected my wrongful conclusion about the “Xyrin Host needing an operating system upgrade,” while still sounding a bit protestful, “and besides, the Xyrin Host doesn’t need to download any system patches! Anyway, we’ll talk about this later. Also, according to my calculations, the management system formed by the hosts should be fine. Even if there are vulnerabilities, it couldn’t possibly be those massive vulnerabilities that trigger over a hundred anomalies simultaneously. I suspect that the Shadow Space itself has been attacked from the outside, but since we can’t pinpoint the source or form of attack just yet, we can’t rashly cut off the information pathway between the Inner World and the Outer World. That would put us in a disadvantage early on. Hubby dear, do you have a question?”

“Here’s a question, Shadow Space exists in the crease of the world, right? How could it be attacked?”

“Hubby dear, remember this:” Bubbles’ expression suddenly turned serious, her sudden earnest attitude making me tense up as well, “where there’s offense, there’s defense…”

Me: “…”

Sandora! Let go of me! I won’t rest until I reeducate this dead girl who’s been corrupted into a chaotic symbiotic otaku by messed-up influences! Otherwise, Little Baobao will definitely be led astray by her mother! My precious daughter will certainly turn into some kind of chill-inducing creature under such weird homeschooling, damn it!

“Even in the world’s cracks, there is the possibility of being attacked,” Bubbles decisively switched to a truly serious mode in response to my sudden outburst, her quick transition almost made me pass out, “And only the most dangerous information attacks can affect the Shadow Space. Look at all kinds of anomalies we are encountering now. Here are a few typical cases: the Third Warning Zone reported about half a square meter of ground suddenly turning from metal to quartz, but this change only occurs when the nearby wind speed reaches level four; a Lord Skeleton from Dark City complained that the talc powder it uses for joint lubrication turns purple every day at three-thirty in the afternoon; a little mermaid from Naga Lake District says the salinity of her home suddenly increased by two percentage points–although she likes the taste, she now says she can’t drink it anymore, and her scales are losing their luster; moreover, there’s a report from the commercial street in Academy City, an Imperial Commander who sells jade there thinks his merchandise is periodically changing color, and he’s certain it’s not because he used cheaper dye. Here’s another related report, Sister Misaka number 10685 complained that the bracelet she bought was fading, but when she went to return it to the guy dealing in plastic jade, the faded bracelet had resumed its original color… Oh, and there are more reports…”

“Sandora, I think we should first send some urban management officials from Shadow City outside to stake out and learn the advanced techniques of human urban management.”

This time, even Sandora deeply agreed.

I mean, half of those reports just now were meant for complaining, right!?

“Based on this intelligence, I’ve simply compiled some regular summaries,” Bubbles, completely unaware that the two Imperial Leaders in front of her were already grimacing, spoke her conclusions on her own, “First is that anomalies in the Shadow Space basically all show traces of altered information that can’t be explained by conventional natural science, then these anomalies are distributed randomly, we can rule out that attackers are targeting any of our military facilities, it could even be said that this is a range strike without a specific target, lastly is the situation transmitted by the information probes, the information system of the Shadow Space itself still remains in a perfect closed state, except for necessary, permitted projections from the Outer World to maintain the Shadow Space, no unauthorized information enters our management system.”

“So, what’s the conclusion?”

I couldn’t comprehend all the technical jargon from Bubbles, so I straightforwardly asked for her opinion.

“The conclusion is–I have no idea how this happened!”

Hey! Don’t sound so righteous about it, alright!

“However, I will continue to monitor similar information fluctuations. Although the source of the attack remains elusive, there are many defensive measures for events like these. I can assure you, nothing similar will happen in Shadow City again.”

Bubbles confidently promised–I had no doubt about her commitment. The previous anomalies happened because we were unprepared, but now with at least a dozen Xyrin Hosts monitoring, even a paramecium in whole Shadow City would get an identity number in such strict information control. Any information disturbance would be strangled in the womb before it could erupt, then it’s time for those skilled agents–surely, with the Empire’s immensely elaborate military counteraction technologies, there must be numerous countermeasures against such non-physical attacks, right?

After chatting with Bubbles a little more and confirming there were no other problems in Shadow City, Sandora and I returned to the Outer World. Compared to the still unclear “Virtual Attack,” our Queen seemed much more concerned about what to eat for lunch today–seriously, where did that girl digest those three hundred and twenty-seven pancakes and half a baking oven just an hour ago?

“Ah, Master, Mistress, you’ve come out,” as soon as we entered the Outer World, Anwina’s gentle and soothing voice welcomed us, “Lunch is ready, and today’s menu is all of master’s favorite dishes! Anwina really outdid herself today~~”

Uh, I have no doubt that Anwina could create a delightful meal even from weeds by the door, but since even this super chef proudly declared her exceptional performance, today’s lunch is definitely something to look forward to. Also, Sandora, you can stop sucking your finger, maliciously acting cute isn’t right.

Early in the morning, I had taken a group of youngsters to the amusement park, and Qianqian was still full of energy, sitting at the dining table, busy discussing with Visca what to play tomorrow, causing Pandora, the stone-faced Loli at the table, to give a slight sigh. I mean, surely Qianqian isn’t dragging the little girl out every day just so she can romantically ride the merry-go-round under the guise of an “adult taking a child out”?

“Mmmhmm…” accompanied by such a low call, I felt a gentle tug at my clothes. Looking down, it was indeed Little Baobao, wearing a princess dress at the end of spring, looking angelically cute against the backdrop of her pure white attire. But more than the kid’s appealing 45-degree angle gaze, I was more focused on what she was trying to say–what is this little one talking about?

It was clear that Little Baobao had something quite important to tell me; she even refused the temptation of desserts just half a meter away on the table, persistently pulling on my clothes, while mumbling and trying to communicate, her face slightly vexed and her otherXiao finger gesticulating non-stop–I was even getting anxious for her.

“Sandora, what is the little one saying?” After helplessly analyzing Little Baobao’s unique bubble language for a while, I finally turned to Sandora for help, whose ability to communicate normally with Little Baobao has always been beyond my understanding.

“She says something is very strange and wants you to take a look… uh, it’s too complicated, I don’t quite understand either.”

“You still don’t understand?” I was shocked.

“Little Baobao used to say very simple vocabularies, which I could guess with a special method, but this time… she seems to want to express something complex,” Sandora also noticed Little Baobao’s unusual behavior and couldn’t help but become curious. She slightly leaned over and gently touched the little girl’s head, “Xyrin Host’s ability to analyze intelligence is innate. Even Little Baobao, who still can’t express herself, might intuitively discover something under coincidental circumstances…”

A premonition…, were you possessed by Lin Xue?

Muttering a complaint to myself in my heart, I was also extremely curious about what Little Baobao wanted to express. Unfortunately, besides a series of “gu gu ya ya” and the little one flailing her tiny hands around, we could not guess what she was trying to say.

“She might want you to go to a certain place.”

After watching with a mild smile for a while, Big Sister suddenly broke the silence.

“How did you figure that out?”

While soothingly patting Little Baobao’s head, I looked at Big Sister in surprise.

“I’ve taken care of kids before!”

Big Sister immediately tossed her head proudly and threw me a thunderous line.

Sis, you were talking about me, weren’t you? But you weren’t much older than a loli back then! Don’t exaggerate that kind of experience to the level of parenthood!

Noticing the weird looks from Qianqian, and even Sandora, I was completely knocked out by Big Sister’s occasional pranks. Really, even without her turning into the Curse Queen, was Big Sister inherently scheming?

“Ah Jun, speaking ill of big sister is not nice~~” Big Sister squinted her eyes. As … ahem, as a big sister who raised me from childhood, she could guess what I was thinking with just one look, “Yup, Little Baobao indeed has something very important that she wants you to follow her and see, but before that, let’s eat~~”

This last sentence of Big Sister’s was not directed at me, but rather, she lowered her head and spoke to Little Baobao. Possessing the Halo Skill of +100 effect on loli and shota creatures, this sentence was even more effective than my half-day of soothing; the continuously fussing Little Baobao immediately quieted down, and then she gave me a look full of anticipation. After I returned an affirming gaze, the little one immediately plopped onto the chair next to me, opened her mouth, and yiyah-ed for food.

“Looks like I’m on the path to being the ultimate dad!”

Across the table, Lilina decisively held up her thumb to me, her smile revealing a bright shine of her teeth. Could this girl ever not talk during meals?

Little Baobao led us–well, I knew letting a toddler slightly over a meter tall lead a bunch of Imperial Leaders around was somewhat questionable, but Sandora always believed that Little Baobao, as a Xyrin Host, had made a remarkable important discovery. Plus, we didn’t have anything else to do at the moment, so Little Baobao ended up taking us leaders from world number one to world number N wandering haphazardly, roaming through most of the South District before finally announcing we were lost… Thank goodness we were driving a powerful seven hundred billion car, considering how expensive gasoline is these days!

I just knew letting this little girl who couldn’t even speak clearly lead the way was unreliable! She didn’t even have a concept of left or right!

“Maybe it was because of the car?” Big Sister, watching a somewhat downcast Little Baobao, analyzed the reason for getting lost, “Back then, Little Baobao had Qianqian lead by walking over, but now we’re driving…”

“There’s no difference, the seventy billion equipment features a special port that can wirelessly connect to the Xyrin Host, and the memories in Little Baobao’s mind were directly copied onto this car’s navigation system,” Sandora said, stepping out of the car. “Qianqian, do you have no impression of this place at all? You should at least remember the landmark buildings nearby, shouldn’t you?”

“Er, saying I have no impression isn’t exactly right; it’s more like… I remember coming in this direction with Little Baobao and others, but I recall that we ended up in a dead end at that time and just…”

“A dead end?” Sandora suddenly looked as if she had realized something. “Where about?”

“Just the intersection we just passed, on the right side of a large shopping mall, but now I can’t find the location of the dead end anymore. Maybe Little Baobao got the direction wrong. As for me… heh…”

Stop smirking. Everyone knows you don’t pay attention to anything once you get playful…

It took us quite a while, but we finally found the dead end Qianqian mentioned. Indeed, it was a remarkably secluded spot. It was hard to imagine that such a bustling new district of a big city could still harbor such a small street filled with a sense of decay. Looking at the narrow passage piled with sundries and standing water in front of us, I suddenly felt as if time had stilled here. There was a stark contrast to the area less than a hundred meters away, almost as though we were standing on the watershed of time itself. Behind us was the bustling, lively modern city, but ahead lay the ancient memories of this city.

Well, ‘ancient’ might not be the right word, but it had been abandoned for about three to five years at least.

“It really is remote, no wonder Little Baobao got the direction wrong.”

Big Sister patted Little Baobao on the head. The latter didn’t react much; the little girl seemed to have her attention entirely focused on that dead end.

A narrow alley, possibly once used for moving trash or something similar, appeared to have been abandoned, now filled with cluttered obstacles. The old and messy corridor sharply contrasted the large shopping mall just one wall away to its left. In fact, in such a rapidly developing district that hadn’t had the chance to shed some old memories, such a scenario wasn’t completely unthinkable.

“Although it’s a juvenile form, the Xyrin Host could not have remembered it wrong…”

Sandora continued with a speculative expression. Even though I always thought this trip was just on a whim to fulfill my daughter’s wish, seeing the serious look on Sandora’s face, I became somewhat concerned, “What is it?”

“Nothing, I might just be overthinking it.”

Sandora shook her head and bent down to pick up Little Baobao, who was eagerly trying to pull us forward, and stepped into the long-unentered dead end.

“That time, I was just trying to take a shortcut to get to the front of the mall, but from this side, it was blocked, so I didn’t go in. However, Little Baobao curiously ran inside, but then I called her back out.”

Qianqian followed behind us, narrating the events of that day. In her view, we were just engaging in a very interesting urban exploration, and, indeed, I thought the same.

“So you’re saying, you didn’t follow Little Baobao inside back then?”

Sandora pondered aloud.

“Yes, why?” Qianqian asked curiously, while I followed Sandora’s gaze forward.

The afternoon sun was blocked by the shopping mall’s building to the right of the alley, making our path in front seem somewhat dim. (To be continued. For further story, please visit www.wuxiaworld.site. More chapters available, support the author, support authentic reading!)