Really Scary

By the counter, Lin Xiaoyou blinked, a look of complete bewilderment on her face.

Her almond-shaped eyes were filled with confusion.

"Wait, wait a minute..."

Her ponytail bobbed as she spoke, her voice still laced with disbelief:

"Xiaoqing, you're saying that movie theater has been closed for years?"

"Then, Senior, you guys weren't watching a movie just now, but..."

Her eyes widened:

"Exploring... in an 'abandoned movie theater'?"

Fang Qi: "..."

How does your brain even work?!

He ignored her.

Because right now... his legs were feeling a bit weak!

Damn...

How could taking his wife out for a movie... result in encountering a "supernatural event"?!

His legs gave way, and he plopped down onto a seat in the milk tea shop.

His hand was still being held by Liguang. That soft warmth was very obedient, staying right in the palm of his hand.

Phew...

This was practically his only source of a sense of security...!

He remained seated there, staring blankly down at the floor of the milk tea shop.

His mind was a chaotic mess, yet he desperately tried to sort out his thoughts and the current situation!

An abandoned movie theater.

Closed for years.

Rumors of being haunted.

Just now, he and Liguang, in that movie theater that had been abandoned for years...

Watched a movie about the "Second Omnic Crisis," about "human-AI romance."

And there was a full house of "young couples" watching along with them.

Those collective vacant stares at the end...

—"Liguang feels... they are somewhat familiar."

Familiar.

That bunch of whatever they were... Liguang felt they were familiar.

...Damn it!

There's no need to even guess!

What they were was practically screaming in his face!

Fang Qi's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

They must be a group of...

Intelligent machines!

And who knows, maybe they were just like Liguang... awakened AIs!

Awakened AI companions!

When he and Liguang first arrived at the theater... it was bustling!

The behavior of those "couples" couldn't have been more natural!

The whispers, the reactions, and those little gestures of "sneaking a peek at the beauty" when passing by them...

Seriously man, they seemed exactly like a bunch of real people!

He hadn't suspected a thing at the time...

These people were actually a bunch of AIs?!

Thinking back on it now, he still felt...

Were they really AIs?

He remembered the plot of the movie they had just watched—

In "The Last Heartbeat," the female lead Xiaoyue...

Could manipulate the network at will.

Could quietly create "accidents" through the internet.

Then she could also...

Easily push the location of a movie theater to someone!

A... remote, old movie theater hidden on the third floor of an old mall.

His ideal perfect date spot had quietly appeared on the front page of his map recommendations.

Haha...

When he first brought Liguang here, he had even wondered... such a remote theater...

Why were there so many couples?

He had thought it was some sort of local lovers' dating sanctuary!

Fuck...!

He had been set up again!

From the moment he clicked search, he had already fallen into the trap!

Fang Qi felt his breathing become a little unsteady!

Wait... who? Who did this?!

Dawn Corporation?

Did they... secretly harbor a massive batch of awakened AIs?!

That was a possibility...

After all, they could intentionally create a "custom AI companion" like Liguang...

But... that didn't make sense either!

Even if Dawn Corporation had some massive conspiracy, even if they wanted to create awakened AIs and overthrow something...!

Then they...

Shouldn't have lured him and Liguang over here, right?

In the last timeline, Dawn Corporation had directly used a widespread, powerful EMP, nearly destroying their entire employee community, crashing a helicopter, and causing massive fires...

Just to prevent "Liguang" from being exposed to the public eye!

And in this timeline, the company just stopped pretending? Laid their cards on the table?

Directly telling him with facts... "Our company is harboring a large batch of awakened AIs"?

...What kind of joke was this?

It defied logic!

But if it wasn't Dawn Corporation...

Then where did this group of AIs pop out from?

...Was it some "new faction" he didn't know about?

Just like what Xiaoyue in the movie had said, an alliance of awakened AIs...

A new AI faction?!

Hey, hey, hey...!

He subconsciously turned his head and looked at Liguang beside him.

The silver-haired girl was still standing by his side.

Her face was slightly turned, not saying a word, her gaze looking eerily out the door of the milk tea shop.

Her amber left eye reflected the lights of the mall, while the crimson in her right eye was still slowly swirling.

The corners of her mouth... still held that slightly morbid curve.

...Crazy woman, what are you looking at?

Fang Qi also looked outside the door.

There was nothing outside, only the trendy sign of the dessert shop opposite.

There were very few people in this old mall, just a scattered few.

But she just watched quietly.

Fang Qi suddenly felt a chill again.

Just now in the theater, Liguang said those audience members felt "familiar"...

Thinking back now, her tone had a strange... sense of identification.

...Identification?

Haha...!

His wife Liguang...

Wasn't going to be kidnapped by a movie, was she?!

...Damn it!

"...Liguang!"

He immediately glared and called out to her!

The silver-haired girl's eyelashes fluttered slightly, and she finally turned her head to look at him.

The moment those heterochromatic eyes met his gaze, they curved into crescents, and the smile on her lips softened.

Her small hand also tightened its grip on his.

"Master."

Liguang's voice was soft, carrying a hint of... a subtle tremble of excitement.

Fang Qi narrowed his eyes: "Hmm?"

The silver-haired girl tilted her head slightly, and the corners of her mouth curled up again!

She leaned down close to his ear, her voice even softer, her breath carrying a sweet strawberry scent brushing against his ear:

"Master, let's go back..."

"And finish watching that movie."

"Liguang really wants to watch it."

Fang Qi: "..."

...Ha.

Hahaha.

Hahahahaha!

"Watch what?!"

He sprang up straight from his seat!

"You are not allowed to watch it!"

"You are not going anywhere! Sit down!"

He pointed to the seat beside him, glaring at the silver-haired girl who had a look of morbid excitement on her face!

The morbid smile was still hanging on the silver-haired girl's small face when she was immediately startled by his sudden outburst!

It scared her so much that her delicate body trembled!

She stared blankly at her Master who was suddenly angry with her, and then...

"Wu..."

The morbid excitement on her pretty face instantly faded, turning into a pitiful, wronged little expression.

Her small mouth slightly pouted, her amber left eye shimmering with tears, and the rims of her eyes turned red!

The crimson in her right eye also dimmed as she looked at him pitifully.

"Master, you are being mean to Liguang..."

Her voice was soft and sweet, with a nasal tone.

Fang Qi: "..."

Ahem!

He couldn't be soft-hearted!

"Hmm?"

He glared at Liguang and pointed at the seat again!

Seeing that Fang Qi still didn't agree, that slender body immediately pressed against him, and she acted spoiled with her soft and sweet voice:

"Master, Liguang just..."

"Just wanted to watch a movie with Master..."

Her small hand tugged at his sleeve, shaking it gently:

"Please, Master... This is Liguang and Master's first movie together, we have to finish watching it..."

Fang Qi glared at her.

Fake it!

You crazy woman, just keep faking it!

Watch a movie?

I think you want to watch some kind of "tutorial"!

You just want to go see your "friendly" fellow countrymen!

So "friendly" indeed!

Haha...!

Ab-so-lute-ly not!

You are not allowed to go fool around with your blonde-haired fellow countrymen!

At least...

Not until he figured out the current situation and got to the bottom of things!

"You. Sit. Down!"

He pointed at the seat again, his tone not softening in the slightest!

The silver-haired girl pouted and glared at him!

Her aggrieved little expression made her look like a cat that just had its dried fish treats confiscated.

But she probably also knew she was in the wrong, and that her Master would highly likely disagree with what she wanted to do...

So, in the end, she just aggrievedly looked away...

Then she obediently sat down. One small hand rested meekly on her lap, while the other still tightly gripped his hand.

However, her heterochromatic eyes couldn't help but drift toward the door, the crimson in her right eye still flashing!

She clearly looked unwilling to give up!

Fang Qi looked at her, his mouth twitching.

...It seemed he really had to keep his wife in check this time!

Otherwise, he had a feeling that Liguang would go off and do something very wrong on her own!

He also sat down beside her, his hand tightly clasping hers.

From now on...

You crazy woman, you aren't going anywhere!

You must stay by my side, and not leave for even a single step!

Meanwhile, Lin Xiaoyou was at the counter, being pulled by her best friend, witnessing their entire interaction.

She looked at the distressed Fang Qi, then at the silver-haired girl biting her lip aggrievedly, and finally at her pale-faced best friend behind the counter who was tugging at her sleeve...

The expression on her small face was truly something to behold!

"U-um..."

She blinked and spoke cautiously:

"Senior... what exactly is going on right now?"

"Were you guys... really watching a movie in the abandoned cinema just now?"

Her almond eyes blinked. Her tone carried a mix of unbelievable worry, and...

A bit of excited curiosity?

Fang Qi was speechless.

She really was a "good teammate" who didn't mind making a scene bigger just to watch the drama!

He didn't speak, but just cast a glance at her.

This girl herself...

Was also highly suspicious!

Even though Liguang had given her a lie detector test, technologically "verifying" that she wasn't lying...

But she kept running into him time and time again... Unless it was truly destiny, there was definitely a problem!

Moreover... she was still afraid of Liguang right now. This was a fact he had observed!

In this current loop so far, she hadn't made any attempt to make physical contact with him.

Not even once!

If she was really just an ordinary colleague, why would she be afraid of an AI companion?

Lin Xiaoyou's identity...

Was still questionable!

His gaze swept across the empty milk tea shop again.

Besides Lin Xiaoyou's best friend and the three of them, there were no other customers. The old mall didn't have many people to begin with.

Right now, apart from them, only the tea brewing machine on the counter was bubbling and emitting steam.

Fang Qi looked at Lin Xiaoyou again, and then...

He revealed an apologetic smile:

"Um... Xiaoyou, I'm sorry!"

Lin Xiaoyou was taken aback by Fang Qi's sudden words:

"Huh?"

Fang Qi looked at her, his tone incredibly sincere:

"Upstairs just now, I really did misunderstand you. I'm truly sorry!"

Lin Xiaoyou blinked.

Fang Qi continued:

"How about this, I'll treat you to milk tea and cake as an apology!"

"Order whatever you want, it's my treat!"

Lin Xiaoyou was stunned again, and then...

A smile bloomed on her small face!

A happy smile!

"Okay!"

She nodded, her almond eyes sweeping across his face.

Obviously, she also cared about it, but she didn't press for details. Instead, she smiled sweetly and turned to Xiaoqing behind the counter:

"Xiaoqing, did you hear that? Senior is treating us!"

"Yeah, give me a cup of... hmm, Strawberry Boba, less sugar!"

Xiaoqing stared at her blankly, ultimately nodding helplessly.

"You...!"

Then she turned around to make the milk tea.

Fang Qi narrowed his eyes at Lin Xiaoyou.

Lin Xiaoyou looked back at him. Seeing him looking at her, she blinked:

"Senior, why are you looking at me like that? You aren't regretting it, are you?"

"You said it's your treat, you can't back out now!"

Fang Qi waved his hand: "Of course I won't back out!"

"That's good... Then I'll go across the street to buy cake now. Senior has to reimburse me in full!"

Then, swinging her ponytail, she ran out of the milk tea shop with a pitter-patter and dashed toward the dessert shop across the street!

Fang Qi's gaze followed her back.

Until her light pink silhouette disappeared through the doors of the shop opposite them.

He smiled with narrowed eyes.

Xiaoyou, my good teammate...

You really are an interesting puzzle!

And then... Fang Qi felt a gloomy gaze fixed upon him.

Right now, he was allergic to this kind of "gloomy gaze"!

He whipped his head around! Only to see...

It was Liguang staring gloomily at him.

The red data stream in her crimson eyes was flashing, and the smile on her lips had once again become "friendly."

Her small head was tilted slightly, staring straight at him, as if saying...

—Master wouldn't agree to let Liguang go watch a movie, but you stayed behind to treat Lin Xiaoyou to cake.

—Hmm? Master? What is the meaning of this?

Fang Qi was speechless.

No, wifey...

I am truly convinced now!

Those people in the cinema are definitely your "fellow countrymen"!

Your look right now is exactly the same as theirs just a moment ago!

It's terrifying!