Interactive Fiction: The Right Choice After Unemployment

Chapter 123 Not the Reality I'm Familiar With
Zheng Zhuo stumbled up from the ground.He squeezed through the dark and narrow path under the residential area and ran forward.

There was severe pain in the ankle.

It hurts.very painful.

There must be a bruise somewhere.It's definitely swollen.

But Zheng Zhuo can't stop now.

"(It must have come after me...!)"

He ran forward desperately.

……

alley.street.sidewalk.

Zheng Zhuo ran as far away as possible. He rushed out of the community and saw the bus slowly entering the nearest bus stop.

"Wait a minute!"

It doesn't matter how many cars.Zheng Zhuo jumped up.

beep.

At this time, he lamented the convenience of modern public transportation.When he went out, he took nothing but his mobile phone.But now, he only needs to swipe the bus app on his mobile phone to board the bus.

But modern life also took its toll on him.

Those big men who rushed into his house must have found him through modern communication means.

"(How did I locate my... phone number? Carrier? GPS signal?)"

Zheng Zhuo sat on the back seat of the bus and kept looking back.

Fortunately, he hasn't seen anyone chasing them out yet.

"If I knew about it, I would have used the public phone to call those big companies... I still lack experience. By the way, are big companies so unreasonable? Going to lynch and arrest people?"

Is it true that the execution of justice is always accompanied by resistance?

"Don't think about that. You have to escape first."

Pull out the phone card, turn off the network... There should be no way to locate yourself.

However, where can I escape to in this way?

"..."

He couldn't cut off contact with the outside world just yet.

Sitting on the bus, Zheng Zhuo immediately called Zhuang Yusheng back.

beep...beep...

"Hey hey-"

After a few dial tones, the other party picked up.

"It's me, Zheng Zhuo."

"Ah, is it settled?"

The tone on the other side was very relaxed.

"Let me tell you, why did you disappear? I was questioned by the police for a long time—"

"I'll talk about it later. I'm being chased."

"what?"

"Give me your home address."

"Huh? Uh... no, you know. I'm homeless right now."

"..."

Zheng Zhuo had forgotten about it.

"Which city are you in?"

He made the next best thing and asked about it.

Zheng Zhuo has already made up his mind to leave the city.If he couldn't use the phone and the Internet next, then he must go to someone.

And the best candidates are of course the other participants in [Subconscious World].

Because, ashamed to say, Zheng Zhuo has no friends in the city where he works.

... no, wait.

He thought of the small supermarket where he had worked for a while.

It's not impossible to live there...

I just don't know if the other party has already checked there.

"Ha... I'm in XX Town, XX County, XX City, XX Province."

On the other side of the phone, Zhuang Yusheng gave a place name.

It is far away from the city where Zheng Zhuo is located.Almost across most of the country.

"...I will contact you later."

"Huh? Again—?"

Zheng Zhuo hung up the phone.He wrote down the city where Zhuang Yusheng was located.

Going to Zhuang Yusheng's place is also a way.But the road was too far, Zheng Zhuo had to take long-distance transportation.He was a little worried that those who broke into his house would take the opportunity to catch up.

Get to know other places first.

Zheng Zhuo started calling again.

This time, he called Chu Huairen.

beep...beep...

Overseas calls.Dial-up takes longer.

despair.

"Hey?"

Great.Connected.

"Chu Huairen, it's me. Zheng Zhuo."

Zheng Zhuo said immediately.

"I'm back in the real world. I'm being chased now, do you know what can—"

"you also?"

"—hide—hey, wait."

I also?

What do you mean?
Zheng Zhuo immediately became vigilant.

He heard Chu Huairen who was opposite him in a noisy environment.

Like on the road, not in the hotel room when he first contacted him.

"Also? You mean..."

"When you left [Evolution World], my place was on fire. There was a flash of golden light, and blue flames came out of the phone. The bed and the ground were ignited."

"what."

It was the same as what happened to Zhuang Yusheng.

"The fire sprinklers triggered, I left the hotel room and ran out of the hotel through the fire escape. Then, I saw someone chasing me. Several men in suits. I ran into the mall... and now I finally got rid of them gone."

"Is someone chasing you too?"

"Yes."

Zheng Zhuo's first reaction was: How is this possible?

Wasn't he being targeted because he used his [Black Hand] skills to sell information on big companies to make money?Why would Chu Huairen be discovered when he was abroad?
Could it be that……

The fact that Zheng Zhuo will be chased has nothing to do with his betrayal of information?
if that's the case……

"I suspect that the people chasing us are related to the [collective subconscious] software."

Chu Huairen's voice came from the phone.

"..."

The situation has exceeded Zheng Zhuo's expectations.

"Those men in suits are like the men who recommended me to download [Collective Subconscious Mind] software." Chu Huairen continued, "I downloaded this test software at a certain summit. At that time, their person in charge was Dressed like that...although it can't be used as a basis. There are not too few people dressed like that."

Speaking of which, Zheng Zhuo had indeed heard such things from young women.The head of the group that developed [Collective Subconscious Mind] is promoting this software.

Could it be that they discovered the clues that the software was about to be shut down?
Zheng Zhuo immediately picked up his phone and opened the [Collective Subconscious Mind] software.

However, this software cannot be opened.

"...If the port is not open for the young girl, I will have no way to actively enter...!"

And Zheng Zhuo has no way to contact the inside in the [real world]!He can only wait.

While waiting, he had to find a way to hide first.

"It may be strange to ask you who are also on the run." He said to the phone, "Chu Huairen, do you know where I can live temporarily? No identity is required, and no payment is required—"

"How about the police station?"

"..."

Zheng Zhuo didn't know if Chu Huairen was joking, and didn't know what to say for a while.

"Or go to my university. I can show you the electronic combination lock of my staff dormitory."

Chu Huairen reported an address.

It is also far away from the city where Zheng Zhuo is located.It was in a different direction from Zhuang Yusheng's city, but the distance was not much different.

"Is there anywhere nearer?"

"How is it possible... By the way, I was investigating the fire just now."

"Fire?"

"The hotel where I was staying was on fire. You know what? It was a slow fire, but it was hard to put out. The whole building burned down. It was big enough to make the news."

"So I searched all the fires in the country at that point in time."

"……How about it?"

"Only two were found. One is in XX Town, XX County, XX City, XX Province."

"...!"

It was Zhuang Yusheng who reported his address.

"Is there another place?"

Zheng Zhuo asked quickly.

"XX University Town, XX City, XX Province. Do you have any clues?"

"...I really do."

Zheng Zhuo replied.

Tao Tao is likely to be there.And it is relatively close, only a 3-hour high-speed train ride from the city where Zheng Zhuo is located.

but……

He wasn't sure if he was going there now.

Because, if the other party is coming for the [participant], hiding by the participant's side will make it easier to reveal their whereabouts.

……

【vote】

[The chasing soldiers are unknown.Where do you go now to take shelter from the limelight? 】

【Option [-]】

【Back to the small supermarket】

【Option [-]】

【Go to Chu Huairen's university】

【Option [-]】

【Go to Zhuang Yusheng's location】

【Option [-]】

[Go to the place where Tao Tao is likely to be]

【Option [-]】

【Go to the police station to call the police】

　After [Option 1], [Option 1] ... [Option [-]], you can leave a message in the form of [this chapter says]. A message under [-] id counts as [-] vote.

　　票数统计截至至2023/1/2日中午12：00.
　　Finally, please recommend tickets~
　　


(End of this chapter)