Chapter 51: Entering the Wrong Door (Part 2/2)
Old Mo was the family’s AI housekeeper. When they had purchased this AI, they had accidentally chosen the Environmentally Friendly Green option. The cooking menu of this artificial intelligence would forever be filled with low-fat and high protein options. And the healthy meals it would make tasted more like drugs than food.
Being middle aged, Luo Nan’s aunt and uncle would occasionally try it when they were too lazy to cook; they were indifferent to it. But from Mo Peng’s perspective, he would rather drink boiled water!
Luo Nan felt the same way, but he had exhausted a great amount of mental energy, so it would still be best to replenish himself with a healthy meal.
Uncle saw the horrible expressions on these two youngster’s faces and was willing to concede: “Then let’s go out. There’s a new restaurant nearby that’s pretty decent.
He then used the car’s AI to book a meal online. Their luck was pretty good. He was able to place an order even though they had entered the bustling market district of Xia City and it was dinner time.
The SUV cut into a different lane, entering the bypass light rails of a skyscraper, gradually leaving the layer of traffic.
Xia City extended from the ground to the high skies with its twenty layers of traffic. The top five layers were dedicated for aviation, the other fifteen layers of traffic mostly passed through the bypass light rails of various skyscrapers, allowing to switch and bypass into different layers.
Every night, many of the large skyscrapers would light up and look like spiraling revolving neon lanterns. Thousands upon thousands of flying cars shuttled crisscrossed between each other to form rivers of light that seemed to flow for eternity. It was filled with a beauty of social order.
Luo Nan just so happened to see this phrase “social order” appear in Bamboo Pole’s writing.
“We observe the appearance of irrational indicators in the majority of Secret Orders, but a high degree of unity and social order ultimately appear in and amongst every Order. It makes one skeptical how everything irrational is stuffed into a hard, firm, and strict framework. Perhaps it's some sort of miraculous machine that pumps out orderly products when stuffed with irrational materials. I have been unable to find an explanation that fits this besides that this is a complete Ability Explanation System.
“We can match the four rankings of Orders to the Ability Explanation System within the Society. The Shallow Believer corresponds with the unawakened ability user. The Devoted Believe corresponds with the Awakened. The Mad Believer corresponds with the Undertaker. The Favored corresponds with the Extraordinary. Basically the rankings much up quite well. Is the Ability Explanation System just another means to achieve the same end? If this is true, the Society is quite willing to sit down and have breakfast together with the Secret Orders. But in reality, there exists a serious divergence Between the Society’s and the Secret Orders’ explanation system…..
“The Society, Orders, and there are even Burners. What does this mean for so many different systems to exist simultaneously? We’ve only seen one side to this truth. Could it be that this world is like a sandwich? Or is it like a multi-layered crepe? Removing one layer reveals another. It just depends on how you eat it…..”
Bamboo Pole’s article was quite long, so Luo Nan only read for an approximate understanding of it. Still, it was quite clear what was Bamboo Pole’s purpose for writing this paper. He wanted to discuss the opposing systems between the Society and Secret Orders while correcting preconceptions of scorn.
Anyway, Luo Nan’s feelings departed a bit from Bamboo Pole’s desired objective.
“It seemed I entered the wrong door……”
Luo Nan had a certain tiny ridiculous thought. Now it looked like his Formatting Theory leaned more towards Secret Orders.
For instance, weren’t Xie Junping and Cat Eyes Shallow Believers?
And it wouldn’t be a problem to say that the Wraith Sign was a Mad Believer.
The standard of the Social Format was more like a typical God serving as the core for the constructed system of a Secret Order.
If these facts were true, then his Self-Logic would be a serious deviation from the Ability Explanation System advocated by the Society. So what was the point of entering the Society?
Of course, what Luo Nan really wanted to know was why did his grandfather’s theory matched so closely with the Secret Orders’ Systems?
Was it a coincidence? Or was there a different reason?
Luo Nan doubted that he would receive an answer soon.
The family had already arrived at the restaurant. A server guided them to their booked table and they sat down. The atmosphere of the restaurant was quite decent. Pseudo-classical wooden shutters let rays of light shine through and also focused on privacy. It was relatively peaceful, even though there was a decent amount of people.
Luo Shuqing was very much satisfied: “You chose a nice place.”
For youngsters, this kind of atmosphere was a bit old-fashioned. Mo Peng was not interested in the surroundings; he just lowered his head to play games after ordering his meal.
Luo Nan went to the restroom. His thoughts had reached a roadblock; he couldn’t avoid the matters that weighed heavily on his mind. He went all the way with his head down, paying no attention at all to the matters in his surroundings.
But someone called out to him while he was washing his hands: “Mr. Luo?”
Luo Nan was startled for a bit, then he raised his head to see a forty-year-old man with a tall and big body. He looked to be lean and calm. Luo Nan felt only that this person was familiar. He had to think about how this man had called out to him before realizing that only those who had participated in the operation on 28th had called him by “Mr. Luo”.
Yes. This was one of the four bodyguards that He Yueyin brought with her. He was in charge of looking over Xue Lei, the Black Wolf, and other wounded people. He was a very steady man.
However, Luo Nan was unable to recall this person’s name no matter how hard he tried. He was a bit embarrassed.
This bodyguard was quite sophisticated. He laughed and extended out with his hand in response, introducing himself again: “Zhou Hu1. I didn’t greet Mr. Luo that day. Apologies.”
Luo Nan rushed with a “Brother Zhou,” and spoke somewhat baffled: “Brother Zhou since you’re here, is Sister He here too?”
“Nope. I’m off today. I came here for a private dinner. My old team of combat buddies…… Oh right. Crag Burst is here too.”
“Huh?”
Luo Nan had a much deeper impression towards Crag Burst, a fellow Society member. This valiant close-combat expert acted as his protector during the operation. Though he didn’t encounter a chance to display his skills, that two-meter tall buff giant gave off quite the feeling of safety. Luo Nan had even added him as a friend using the HexaEar.
“Your combat buddy?”
“We saw each other before, but we weren’t deep friends. However, now we’re familiar with each other.” Zhou Hu laughed and invited Luo Nan, “Mr. Luo, come over and join us?”
“Not this time. Tell Crag Burst I wish him well.”
Luo Nan was not good at these sorts of exchanges. He said these words and was just about to leave when he turned his head and so Mo Peng’s short and stout body make his way inside.
Mo Peng was shocked for a moment when he saw Luo Nan clearly chatting with this middle aged and large man. However, he didn’t think much about it. He called out to them and then went to relieve himself.
It would be awkward for Luo Nan to leave now. He faced Zhou Hu with a laugh: “That’s my older cousin……”
Zhou Hu understood, leaving first with goodbyes.
As soon as he left, Mo Peng came next to Luo Nan to wash his hands. He spoke through grimaced teeth: “You met someone you knew? Dad did too. This place is evil……”
He hadn’t finished speaking his words when someone else came in.
Luo Nan was standing with his back faced against the door at this time. That person saw Luo Nan from behind straight on, as well as the side of Luo Nan’s face in the mirror, and that person suddenly trembled, turned around, and walked out.
Mo Peng just felt that things were really weird: “We’re all guys here. Can he still say he went in the wrong door?”
1. Zhou Hu (周虎, literally Zhou Tiger).