Deus Ex Machina: Chapter 26

Chapter 26

Shi Yixi woke up.

Every time he woke, he felt exhausted, as if he had slept for a very long time. Even in his sleep, the world was unsettled; he had a strange dream.

In the dream, the world was pitch black, with neither sky nor ground, chaotic like the beginning of all things. He wanted to move, but found himself light as a feather, able to drift freely.

But there was no wind.

Then, tiny points of light appeared around him, like fireflies. These lights gradually spread, forming a dense yet orderly array that illuminated the entire dark world. The scene seemed familiar to Shi Yixi—it was the world beyond, the boundless universe. The starlight surrounded him, forming a ring of stars. Looking closely, he realized the lights were not just dots but X-shaped figures that sometimes merged and sometimes separated, their purpose unclear.

Then he woke up.

“Yixi, you’re awake!” Dalia said happily. “You slept for so long. How do you feel? Are you uncomfortable? Do you want some water or food?”

“You sure have a lot of questions,” Ying Si interjected. “Stop bothering him.”

Shi Yixi’s head was still buzzing, and it took him a moment to grasp what they were saying. He shook his head and replied, “I’m fine, just a little headache from sleeping too long.”

“You’ve been having headaches a lot lately,” Ying Si said, turning to Bai Yunci. “Are you even a real doctor? You can’t figure out anything…” He immediately stopped mid-sentence, looking tense as a pair of scissors flew accurately and firmly, embedding in the wall right next to him.

It nearly grazed his nose as it flew by.

“Stop talking nonsense,” Bai Yunci said.

“I’m fine, Dr. Bai,” Shi Yixi said. “Thank you all for taking care of me. It’s just that… I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I keep causing trouble for everyone. I’m really sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Ying Si said. “It’s all because of that Zhan guy… Forget it! I won’t mention him, bad luck.”

“I’m hungry,” Shi Yixi said.

“Then let’s eat!” Ying Si said. “It’s about time to eat anyway.”

“Oh right, food. We should eat.” Feng Mang finally remembered. “But I don’t have anything to eat here… I’ll go buy something. Anyone want to come with me?”

“Have some water first.” Bai Yunci, unusually considerate, poured a glass of water for Shi Yixi. Shi Yixi thanked him and took the glass, but as soon as he grasped it, the glass shattered, scattering shards all over the floor, cutting his palm and drawing blood.

Everything happened too fast and unusually, leaving everyone stunned. Shi Yixi looked blank, unsure of what had just occurred.

“What kind of cup is this? How is it so flimsy?” Ying Si first blamed Feng Mang, then impatiently turned to Shi Yixi and said, “And how are you so careless? You cut your hand again.”

“This…” Feng Mang, puzzled, picked up the glass fragments. His cups were made very thin for aesthetics, but thin didn’t mean fragile. He muttered, “Maybe this one was just defective.”

Dalia wiped Shi Yixi’s wound; the small cuts had already stopped bleeding. She glanced at it and teased Feng Mang, “Are you even rich? How shabby.”

Everyone mocked Feng Mang, but Shi Yixi simply said to him, “Sorry, I couldn’t hold it properly.”

“It’s just a cup,” Feng Mang laughed.

Bai Yunci silently observed the entire incident. Unlike the others, he didn’t attribute it to a defective cup or Shi Yixi’s carelessness. He was certain that Shi Yixi had held the glass steadily.

Such a cup, even Yang Jin would have to squeeze hard to break it. Why did it shatter just from Shi Yixi holding it normally?

Regarding Shi Yixi, the mysteries in Bai Yunci’s mind kept growing.

“Clean up, then let him move around a bit, but don’t go outside for now,” Bai Yunci said. “There are still some canned foods on the ship, I’ll go get them.”

“We’re eating canned food again?” Ying Si and Dalia complained in unison.

Bai Yunci smirked and said, “Or would you rather choose to die right now?”

Both immediately fell silent.

Outside, Bai Yunci ran into Yang Jin and Zhan Feng. Zhan Feng had been talking to Yang Jin, but he fell silent upon seeing Bai Yunci.

“I’m just grabbing something,” Bai Yunci greeted them and said to Yang Jin, “He’s awake.”

“How is he?” Yang Jin asked.

“The same as before,” Bai Yunci replied.

“I’ll go check on him,” Yang Jin said, then left. Zhan Feng remained, and once Yang Jin was out of earshot, Bai Yunci asked Zhan Feng, “How far can a Xing Bao push someone’s potential?”

“There’s no absolute value,” Zhan Feng answered frankly, “But it’s certain that it won’t be as powerful as Haiyan. Similarly, the experimental level side effects won’t be as severe as Haiyan’s.” He paused and added, “In theory.”

“But in reality, you don’t know, do you? Have you tested it on yourself?” Bai Yunci asked. “You’ve been away from Qianfan for eight years. Based on time, you’ve reached retirement level, and the peak state of someone’s potential from Qianfan should decline over time, but you don’t show any signs of that.”

Zhan Feng looked puzzled, “Why would I need to keep myself in a state of heightened potential? Is it not better to just live as an ordinary person?”

“Because people don’t know how to regress,” Bai Yunci replied naturally. “Alright, let’s not just stand here. Get ready for dinner soon.”

Ying Si and Dalia were telling Shi Yixi about everything that had happened while he was asleep. Feng Mang, like a preschool teacher with kids, listened to them chat noisily while adjusting his coffee machine. The atmosphere among them was surprisingly harmonious.

Yang Jin cleared his throat, and Shi Yixi said, “Hey…”

“What are you here for?” Ying Si gave Yang Jin a sidelong glance. “Can’t find a good breeze outside?”

Yang Jin ignored Ying Si completely and pulled up a chair to sit in front of Shi Yixi, “Let me have a look.”

Shi Yixi didn’t know what Yang Jin wanted to look at, so he moved his chair closer to Yang Jin, waiting for him to check. Yang Jin smiled and ruffled his hair, saying, “Good boy.” Then, he glanced at Ying Si.

It was a provocative look.

As expected, Ying Si threw his chair aside and left.

“Ugh…” Feng Mang sighed. Dalia sneered at Yang Jin and said, “I’m not like him. Your little tricks won’t work on me, right, Xixi?” She smiled as she hugged Shi Yixi’s arm, her head resting on his shoulder.

Yang Jin circled around, grabbed Dalia by the collar, and forcibly separated her from Shi Yixi. “Then I’ll be clear. I need to have a word with your Xixi. You listening in isn’t appropriate, so could you leave?”

“Hey!” Dalia protested, waving her arms. “Is that how you treat a young girl? So rude!”

Yang Jin responded expressionlessly, “I’ve never seen a young girl who can tear down an iron door with her bare hands.”

“That’s just because you lack experience!”

“Alright, alright.” Feng Mang felt mentally exhausted. Why did these people always end up in a quarrel whenever they were together? He pulled Dalia away, fearing that Yang Jin might get upset and throw her like a salted fish. He coaxed her, “Let’s go find Ying Si. Um… this place is big; I’ll show you around. It’s already getting dark; let’s wait for dinner.” After saying that, he quickly dragged Dalia away.

After everyone had left, Yang Jin was about to speak when his wrist emitted a sound.

“Xiao Xi, are you okay?” Fan Fan asked. “How’s your body?”

Shi Yixi had heard this question so many times today that he lost count. He knew everyone was concerned about him, so he didn’t mind answering repeatedly. Instead, he felt guilty for holding everyone back.

“I’m fine, thank you, Fan Fan,” Shi Yixi replied sincerely.

“That’s good. Yang Jin is really concerned about you,” Fan Fan continued.

“Can you shut up, Dog Poop Fan?” Yang Jin sighed helplessly. “Can you read the room?”

“I’m not human, I don’t have human thinking, and I can’t see wind or rain, so why should I read the room? What does ‘reading the room’ even mean?”

“It means to be quiet,” Yang Jin said.

“I have the right to chat with Xiao Xi,” Fan Fan argued.

“And I have the right to turn you into a match-three game. Now, be quiet.”

Fan Fan indeed stopped talking.

Shi Yixi listened to the bickering between the two and found it amusing. He couldn’t help but smile slightly. Yang Jin caught this expression and, somewhat incredulous, asked Shi Yixi, “Aren’t you supposed to have a poker face?”

“Huh?” Shi Yixi looked confused.

“You just smiled. Didn’t you notice?” Yang Jin pinched Shi Yixi’s cheeks with both hands. “Just like this.”

Shi Yixi felt embarrassed by Yang Jin’s actions—this feeling of embarrassment was so unfamiliar to him, as if he was just becoming aware of it and didn’t know how to respond. He fumbled, saying, “I—I don’t know. I just think you’re both very interesting. Listening to you two makes me feel… happy, I guess? So, I just smiled without thinking.” He tilted his head and said, “If you don’t like it, I won’t smile.”

“No, it’s good like this. You look pretty cute when you smile.” Yang Jin didn’t reject Shi Yixi’s expression. His gaze remained on Shi Yixi’s face, as if he had figured something out. He said, “Lao Bai said you’re growing slowly. Can I take that to mean you’re learning to express emotions? Like smiling when you’re happy?”

Shi Yixi’s mind was working slowly and couldn’t keep up with Yang Jin.

“Have you ever felt this way before?” Yang Jin asked.

“I know about it,” Shi Yixi replied. “But I just knew it; I didn’t feel it.”

“What about now?”

“Now?” Shi Yixi thought about it, then smiled again, although it was a bit stiff. It was like a child just learning to walk, filled with immense curiosity, eager to take a few steps even if he stumbled, to reach a world he had never been to. “I think this is how it feels,” he said, struggling to find words to describe it.

“I’m suddenly looking forward to it,” Yang Jin said, gazing at Shi Yixi with a complicated expression.

Shi Yixi felt uneasy and lowered his head.

“Why are you lowering your head?” Yang Jin noticed Shi Yixi’s change and suddenly felt like teasing him, to see how much emotional change he could perceive now. “Why aren’t you looking at me? Am I not good-looking?”

Shi Yixi quickly shook his head and then raised his head to look at Yang Jin. Ignorance is bliss, but once you start understanding emotional shifts, you become awkwardly unsure of where to put your hands. Especially in front of Yang Jin, Shi Yixi could only sit with his legs together, his palms on his knees, his fingers alternately tightening and loosening, his shoulders tensed, not knowing what to say.

Yang Jin found this very interesting and continued, “Then why are you embarrassed?”

Shi Yixi followed Yang Jin’s question and thought about it. His mind was a mess, unclear, with no answer. He gently bit his lip.

“Is it because you and I…” Yang Jin’s voice lowered as he leaned forward. Shi Yixi could feel the warmth of the other person’s body. In the past, he might have calmly asked Yang Jin what he was doing. But now, his body instinctively leaned back, trying to maintain some distance from Yang Jin.

“Ah—” Shi Yixi leaned back too much, tipping over and falling to the ground.

“Hey, you…” Yang Jin quickly stood up, and seeing Shi Yixi’s clumsy appearance, he couldn’t help but smile helplessly. He reached out to pull Shi Yixi up and said, “Alright, relax, I was just joking. Did you hurt yourself? Are you in pain?”

“No, I’m fine,” Shi Yixi replied. “It’s all good.”

Even though he had fallen pretty hard, Shi Yixi still tried to act like nothing had happened. Unable to pretend to be pitiful and always trying not to trouble others—it seemed like this had become Shi Yixi’s instinct.

“Sigh…” Yang Jin let out a long sigh, placing his palm on top of Shi Yixi’s head. “You’ve learned to express happiness, so you should also learn to express pain. It’s okay to speak up about it; no one will dislike you for that.”

Shi Yixi nodded.

“Let me see your hand.” Yang Jin said, “I heard you broke a cup today and cut your hand. And what about the scrapes on your body? How are they?”

Shi Yixi opened his hand. “They seem to be fine now.”

Yang Jin examined Shi Yixi’s fingers carefully. His palm only had clear lines, without any wounds. “It seems you’re not a completely useless little poker face. Well, not even a poker face anymore,” Yang Jin said. “Have you ever thought about what your potential might be?”

“No,” Shi Yixi replied.

“It’s true that people can feel unfamiliar and find it hard to accept changes within themselves,” Yang Jin said. “But you can try to think about it.”

Shi Yixi asked, “What if everything is fake?”

“Why can’t everything be real?” Yang Jin countered.

“Then… I’ll try my best,” Shi Yixi said earnestly.

“That’s the spirit.” Yang Jin smiled. “I’ll wait for you to grow up.”

So many unpleasant things happened throughout the day that by dinnertime, the atmosphere among the group felt awkward.

Ying Si glared menacingly at Zhan Feng, chewing his food so aggressively it seemed like he was trying to bite Zhan Feng himself. Zhan Feng ignored him, focusing on his own meal.

“Lao Bai, after dinner, let’s go over that list,” Yang Jin said, completely ignoring the tense atmosphere and addressing serious matters. “Xiao Feng, before the attack today, what were you going to say?”

“You mean the gray areas on that list?” Zhan Feng recalled. “Those encrypted sections—I only know they pertain to Qianfan’s retired personnel, but I don’t know who specifically is on it.”

“Retired?” Yang Jin frowned. “What value could retired people have to Sanctum? Based on the function of Hoi Yan, potential gradually fades after retirement, eventually making them no different from ordinary people. Why would Sanctum care about ordinary people?”

“Ordinary people…” Bai Yunci murmured those three words to himself. “Regression…”

Yang Jin asked, “What are you thinking?”

Bai Yunci muttered to himself, “People can’t accept regression…”

Silence.

“Xing Bao!” Yang Jin suddenly exclaimed, startling the others. “Who would need something like Xing Bao? How much could someone who has never possessed power truly desire it? Not nearly as much as someone who has had it and then lost it! People can never accept regression, not ever.”

“All the files on the retired individuals are hidden, and they live under new identities,” Bai Yunci said. “If these people have even the slightest connection to Sanctum, how can we find them?”

“The list,” Yang Jin said.

“The encryption method for that list is quite special,” Zhan Feng said. “It requires multiple decryptions, and it can’t be cracked in a short time.”

“Qianfan must have it,” Yang Jin pondered. “But Pony was blown to pieces, and the backup system can’t be accessed. What other interested parties, besides Qianfan, might have access to such confidential personnel allocation documents? And how did the Sanctum get it…” His fingers lightly tapped the table before suddenly stopping as he slapped it. “The Intercontinental Alliance!”

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