Chapter 8, 3 hours and 14 minutes
Chapter 8, 3 hours and 14 minutes
Qi Min suddenly felt a little tired. He realized in a daze that he seemed to have never truly relaxed.
From the original world to the instance, and now to this world, my mind has been constantly on edge.
The frustration I felt when I was in the hospital and facing Zhang Yu is now replaced by a strange sense of exhaustion.
Although he is not a particularly sociable person, he has always only thought about living his own life well.
Qi Min's mind was blank. He only felt very tired, not physically. Qi Min knew that he must have a psychological problem.
But he didn't know what he should do, so he could only try to suppress it.
Actually, there was a moment when he felt fortunate to be here.
He didn't know if he could adapt to his normal life before entering the instance if he really returned to the real world.
He was also afraid. After getting used to the brutal battles in the dungeon, he was afraid that he would die and become indifferent. He repeatedly told himself to live and to persevere.
Thinking about it now, even if he had insisted on returning to the real world, with all the lights on in the houses, not a single one would have been lit for him. He would still be alone. Whether he went back or not wouldn't really matter.
He wanted to return to a normal life, but he always knew that no matter how well he pretended, once he adapted to the rules of the instance and even did those things to survive, he could never go back to his old self...
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'Ding! '
'bite!'
The sound of an incoming text message woke Qi Min, who then realized that he had fallen asleep on the recliner without realizing it.
The water glass spilled onto the carpet. It didn't break, but the water from the glass had soaked the carpet, making the fabric look damp.
Qi Min raised his hand to rub his face, squinted his eyes, and propped himself up to retrieve the personal terminal he had taken off before showering.
Upon opening the computer, two messages were displayed, one of which was from Zhang Yu.
[Your Excellency, did I say something wrong this afternoon that offended you? If you have time, I hope you can give me a chance to make amends for my offense.]
Also, as you instructed, I did not call the male insect association. If you wish, I can accept any punishment, I just hope you won't dislike me.
Zhang Yu's humble and cautious words made Qi Min frown. He couldn't think of a reply and decided to put it aside for the time being.
The other one was a message sent by the government.
Good evening, Your Excellency Qi Min. According to the family planning system, you have 26 days, 3 hours and 14 minutes left until the government-mandated marriage age.
If you have not registered with any female or sub-female insects by the designated time, the system will automatically enter the grading screening process.
The system will match you with the most suitable marriage partner within three days.
Reproduction and procreation are the continuation of life; childbirth is a gift of nature and a great mission for every Zerg citizen.
The miracle of life begins with you and me. Let us cherish and protect it, and share in its prosperity. — Declaration on Family Planning
Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.
If you have any questions, please contact the Male Insect Protection Association. Thank you for your cooperation, and we wish you a happy life.
Qi Min had long forgotten the exact date while in the instance, and couldn't even remember the day to celebrate his birthday.
It's been so long, I can't even calculate it clearly myself, I can only guess roughly. I originally thought there was at least another six months, 26 days, 3 hours and 14 minutes, but they measured it very clearly, even down to the last few minutes.
Qi Min glanced at the time again and realized it was already 11 p.m. He felt very hungry and remembered that he hadn't eaten anything except for the bottle of nutrient solution he drank when he left home in the morning.
I poured myself another glass of water, and after drinking it, I felt even hungrier. I was going to get something to eat, but something unexpected happened and I was delayed.
He rummaged through the refrigerator and found that besides a few bottles of nutrient solution, the only thing left for backup was water.
Qi Min had just moved in and hadn't bought any ingredients yet.
He licked his lips, deciding to make do with a bottle of nutrient solution for now.
After finishing the drink, I lay in bed, trying to fall asleep again, but I couldn't fall asleep no matter what I did. I could only stare at the ceiling in boredom.
After a while, Qi Min's eyes lit up as if he remembered something. He reached for the personal terminal on the bedside table, opened the message, and found Ling Yicun's number.
First, she sent a message: "Are you off work?"
After waiting two seconds, she sent another message: "Are you free now?"
Are you busy right now?
Do you know where there's good food?
"What do you usually like to do?"
"What's your favorite food?"
"Did the robber confess?"
"Is this something I can't say? Never mind, just pretend I didn't ask."
Let's go back to our previous topic.
"What do you like to eat?" Blah blah blah blah.
He sent messages with increasing enthusiasm, like a child who had found a fun game.
They don't care whether the other person replies to their messages or whether they're already resting.
Meanwhile, Ling Yi, who was holding a meeting using his personal computer to project data onto a wall, stared in astonishment at the wall he was projecting the data onto.
The constant stream of pop-up messages was overwhelming, and everyone around Ling Yi looked at him with curiosity.
Ling Yi had no choice but to end the meeting early. Fortunately, the meeting was already nearing its end, and everything that needed to be said had been given, so ending it early wouldn't have any impact.
Ling Yi didn't want to reply, but one message after another bombarded his personal computer like a seamless stream.
He couldn't even press the button to disconnect the screen mirroring.
Not to mention turning off message receiving notifications in settings.
Just as Qi Min was about to ask the other person if they liked drawing.
A message came back from the other end: "Excuse me, sir, what are you doing?"
Is there something wrong with your health?
Although Ling Yi thought this person was crazy, she still tried to be as tactful as possible when sending the message.
He now regrets giving out his contact information in the first place.
"Oh, you're still awake?" Qi Min was pleasantly surprised that the other person was still awake just like him.
But then I thought, is the other person working overtime?
So I sent another message, "Are you still working overtime?"
"Yes, I'm still working overtime, so is there something you need from me?" Ling Yi replied patiently.
He just wanted to get rid of this male insect that wouldn't sleep in the middle of the night as soon as possible.
"Oh, nothing. I just couldn't sleep and was bored, and then I suddenly thought of you and wanted to talk to you," Qi Min replied honestly.
Ling Yi took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the emotions in his heart, and replied after thinking for a moment, "If you can't fall asleep, do you need me to contact the male insect hospital for you?"
"Hmm, that's not necessary. Are you currently unavailable?" Qi Min sensed the other person's displeasure and realized that he had bothered them.
He sat up, grinned, and found it funny. What was wrong with him? Had he become so bored? He immediately put away his wicked sense of humor.
Sorry to bother you.
"Yes, I'm not available right now."
Almost simultaneously, Qi Min received a reply from the other party as soon as he clicked send.
"I'm sorry, I was wrong today. I'll apologize another day. I won't bother you any longer, you go ahead with your work."
Ling Yi looked at the last message sent by the male insect, completely baffled.
You agreed so easily?
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