Chapter 603: A Phantom Dream That Shatters When Touched

He didn't emerge from the shadow of that face until he washed his hands and went back.

"It may be a bit forward, but may I ask whether the friend you know has awakened Aberrant Arts? And how strong are they?"

The woman was talking with Lei Zhao about something Jiangdu couldn't understand, and Lei Zhao merely shook his head upon hearing it.

He knew what the woman meant by asking that, and regarding this, Lei Zhao had already exchanged a round of intelligence with the authorities earlier.

The authorities believe that those who awaken powerful Aberrant Arts in the game may also have the potential to become strong Special Ability Practitioners in reality, and are more likely than others to awaken Aberrant Arts in the real world.

"Sorry, but the Bai Mu Yun I know never awakened Aberrant Arts while he was still human."

Before he fell to become an Aberrant Species, was taken back by Fang Zhiyan, and turned into the monster he is now, Bai Mu Yun was merely a designer with modest achievements.

That modest achievement alone brought him a death‑bringing disaster.

"No Aberrant Arts… I see."

The woman nodded, though with some regret.

After all, the authorities are still short of personnel, especially Special Ability Practitioners who can serve as combat power.

Both looked up and saw Jiangdu returning from the restroom, looking as if his soul had been tugged, with a heavy‑hearted expression.

"What's wrong?"

Lei Zhao frowned at Jiangdu's demeanor and asked.

"No… it's just that I think I saw someone familiar?"

Woman: "…Why does that sound familiar?"

The girl subconsciously glanced at Lei Zhao, who also fell into an odd silence; his crimson‑purple eyes casually swept past the distant white‑curled silhouette.

"Who is it?"

Lei Zhao asked; the person Jiangdu recognized might be talent the authorities need.

Since Lei Zhao was unwilling to bring up Jiangdu's pre‑amnesia past, and Jiangdu, after losing his memory, has been staying under the Church's watchful eye, the only people Jiangdu could find familiar would be students from Mitra Academy.

"Uh… it's… Ying Duo."

Jiangdu stammered a bit, but after hesitating he closed his eyes briefly and uttered the name.

Although he and Lei Zhao seemed unable to return to their original world, the authorities gave them accounts on the player forum, where they could learn recent in‑game news.

And among the hottest recent forum posts, the concentration of Ying Guang Lu was excessively high.

Not to mention, Ying Duo is now the top wanted criminal jointly pursued by the Church and the Dome.

Hearing this familiar yet strange name, both Lei Zhao and the woman's bodies stiffened.

Ying Duo…

He really is an acquaintance.

Any player who has seen that wanted poster in the game would not find that face unfamiliar.

In fact, according to in‑game time, Ying Duo has not appeared before anyone for about a year and a half, but one must understand that previous Mutations attached to a person or object, distorting them, and this irreversible process could only be noticed after the irreversible Mutation occurred.

Now, those Mutation factors are tinged with an almost eerie Ying Guang Lu.

Such a Mutation gives people a strange sense of oppression, yet also lets them see the hazard of the Mutation directly, and simultaneously raises the bounty on the person everyone believes to be the mastermind.

Back when Ying Duo first became famous in Tianmian City, the authorities had already taken note of Yang Yixie, but because of his family background—he is of pure lineage—and since the in‑game Ying Duo had been confirmed to have become an Aberrant Species, they did not further interfere with his life.

After all, according to the data the authorities possessed, Yang Yixie was simply a fairly ordinary, top‑performing student.

Although some considered recruiting Yang Yixie, they took into account his father's situation, his mother's aversion to this matter, and the fact that Yang Yixie's face might cause panic among players…

Weighing all factors, the authorities still did not extend an olive branch to Yang Yixie.

Lei Zhao looked at the woman and thought that, given Ying Duo's reputation in the game world, his portrait had long been circulated everywhere; if this person existed in this world, the authorities should have already investigated, right?

"Is the person you saw this one?"

The woman took out her phone, fiddled with it briefly, and retrieved Yang Yixie's photo from an encrypted file folder, placing it before Jiangdu.

The photo didn't look candid; the subject seemed to have been called out suddenly, captured at the moment he turned his head back.

The person in the picture is slightly younger than the one Jiangdu encountered, yet looks more like the game's version, especially as the sunset's afterglow shines into his eyes, coating his pure black pupils with a golden hue.

He's really about to panic…

Jiangdu nodded vigorously; the person in the picture, irritated by being called, lacked the polite humility he had just seen.

But regardless of the side, his facial expression was vivid, nothing like the eerie Ying Duo.

At that point, Jiangdu calmed a little, clearly realizing that the figure before him was not Ying Duo, but a counterpart from this world…

The environment's impact on a person is truly huge.

At that moment, Jiangdu couldn't help but sigh.

If he were at the academy, he wouldn't dare imagine that the reckless Ying Duo, after lingering at the sink a bit longer, would apologize to him.

Ying Duo not even dismantling the sink, just packing it away, would be generous.

"Then I guess you needn't worry." That's why the authorities hesitated; just that face alone makes many recall unpleasant memories.

"We have already confirmed that he cannot be a player; in this world, he is just an ordinary student."

But why Yang Yixie happened to be here was indeed puzzling; she did a quick check and found that he had been admitted to a prestigious university in Shoudu, and this trip was likely moving to the capital with his mother to enroll.

And…

Looking at the flight, they were waiting for the same plane, only in economy class.

Lei Zhao hadn't expected that during this period they had mostly stayed within the authorities' zone, rarely leaving except to hunt Aberrant Species, and yet a little movement led them to encounter two acquaintances in succession.

And both acquaintances happened to be from the Mutation Division…

Lei Zhao massaged his temples; meeting the acquaintances stirred painful memories that the overly beautiful world had concealed, dimming the light that had barely risen in his eyes.

Everything here is too beautiful, like a phantom dream.

And a phantom dream shatters the moment it's touched.