?

  Ha-Rin retreated into what I guess was a kitchen adjoining the room with the false sunset. If it was a kitchen, it was the tiniest, most cramped one I had seen since living in that cabin with my first father. Through the doorway, I could see things that my HUD assured me were for food preparation.

  At the same time, Jin-Ho bid me to sit and requested that I put Diaochan back in Proximity Mode so that she could explain to him what had happened. The bright-haired man conjured up one of the HUD windows that everyone could see.

  In the window was a woman relating the rough details of what had happened whilst the events that I had experienced during the Over-Surge played out as though from the perspective of a bird hovering above it. I rewatched the dragon assemble and the swarm of drones attack me, before the perspective turned to watch the flying warriors engage the dragon, leaving my past self out of view.

  While I must admit watching the past play out in front of me from something else’s eyes was a surreal experience, I was fairly happy with how I had looked. Despite my loss of power and mass, my form had remained sharp and my movements explosive.

  “Go on,” I said aloud to the Diaochan A.I. “ Make it so everyone can see and hear you.”

  The ghostly form appeared, and while she still lacked the ineffable nature of the true Diaochan, her movements and mannerisms were closer to perfect imitations this time. Plus, she still looked like Diaochan, which meant my assistant spirit thing was stunningly beautiful.

  “ And I have your permission to explain the details of your arrival?” Leaning back into the couch imperiously, I offered a single nod.

  “You know what.” Said Ji-Ho. “Do explain it, but I’ll get you to do a direct transfer of the info to my A.I.” The floating Diaochan looked to me for permission, and I offered a shrug.

  “I don’t care, share whatever you want.”

  “Jeoseung Proximity Mode.” Next to Ji-Ho, an ethereal and floating figure appeared much as my Diaochan A.I. was. Though rather than an iconic beauty, the being that hovered there was a tall man dressed in dark robes, with a large, round, and similarly dark hat atop a face hidden by both shadows and a cloth mask on its lower half.

  The A.I. had a rather ominous and imposing air about it, well, at least until Ha-Rin walked directly through it carrying three large white cups with more writing I couldn’t read. Naturally, my HUD translated the writing for me after a moment. [SynthNoods Instant Noodle Chicken Flavor].

  The cups were made of a strange material that was both firm and soft, with a covered lid of a thinner, even stranger material. The bottom had a ring of metal around it, and they each had a pair of kuàizi attached to the side.

  I expected the cups to be warm if they contained noodles, but the one Ha-Rin handed me was room temperature at best. This changed immediately when I followed her example and peeled away the unusual lid. Immediately, the contents of the cup unleashed a cloud of steam, and the sides grew to the warmth I had expected.

  Plucking the kuàizi off like the siblings did, I practically inhaled those noodles as Diaochan began her explanation of my arrival and why that had apparently summoned a dragon made of machines that turned people into drones.

  More important than her yammering is, of course, how I would describe the SynthNoods Instant Noodle Chicken Flavor. Let me just say it was possibly the worst thing I had ever eaten, definitely the worst noodles.

  Somehow, the texture was both stringy and chewy, leaving an awful lot to be desired. The spices were admittedly flavourful, but they were clearly a cheap attempt to cover the complete lack of flavor in the noodles themselves.

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  “And so when Master Lu Bu attacked the group of doctors, they couldn't give him the appropriate sedation, which would have prevented the Over-Surge. As a Paradox Incursion, his soul can easily drag a surge in behind him if not put to sleep for a day or so after they finish-”

  I interrupted the false Diaochan's explanation with a demand for more food. While there had been some sort of vegetable chopped so tiny they were unrecognisable, along with chunks of…. let's say meat. The cup of noodles was far from sufficient for an actual meal.

  Ji-Ho turned to his sister with an amused half smile. “ Well, go on,” he said to his sister. “You wanted to play host.” Ha-Rin, who was in the midst of shoveling noodles into her mouth, paused to make a hand gesture I didn’t recognize at Ji-Ho. If I had to guess, it was a rude or dismissive one. It made me laugh, as I was more and more certain by the moment that Ha-Rin would have gotten along well with my daughter.

  “Can a Paradox Incursion cause more than one Over-Surge?” Ha-Rin asked his own floating A.I. spirit.

  “No.” Responded the dark-robed figure in a voice like rasping steel. “Some researchers believe that an increase in the Paradox population has resulted in increased Over-Surges in general, but this is still hotly debated.”

  Ha-Rin nodded whilst handing me his cup of noodles that he hadn’t even opened. These SynthNoods were equally as terrible as the first cup had been, but I still tore into them with gusto. If nothing else, they might fool my stomach into thinking it was full for a little while, and they certainly left me feeling warm.

  “Honestly, a bunch of rich jerks got what was coming to them, and I got more data on how Red Over-Surges work. “ Chimed in Ha-rin after wiping some noodle broth off her chin. “Seems like we should just call it a win and thank Fengxian for causing it.” That made me pause and the A.I. of Diaochan stiffened in a manner that was eerily similar to the real thing.

  Yes, I had mentioned that they could call me Fengxian if they wanted to, but since the day I killed my third father, only two people have ever referred to me by that name. One is a man whose name I will curse through all eternities and would absolutely rip to pieces if I were to ever get my hands on him. The other is my silken-voiced Diaochan.

  So it took both me and the simulacrum of my beloved by surprise to actually hear the name spoken aloud by someone. The siblings either didn’t notice the reactions or didn’t care.

  “Yes, it is pretty funny to think about the people on the sky-tiers being the ones to deal with an Over-Surge for once. But have you thought about whether or not they might hold our friend here accountable?”

  The sister’s eyes went a little wide at that.

  “But the O.C.P.D. can’t actually blame him for being born, can they?”

  “Maybe not, but they probably can for willfully assaulting multiple doctors and escaping before they could stop the O.S.,” Replied Ji-Ho.

  “Riiight.”

  “Several witnesses likely have internal recordings of his killing a man by knocking him into traffic.” Added Diaoach.

  At this, both siblings looked at me questioningly, which prompted me to shrug back at them.

  “If you need me to leave, I’ll go, but I don’t really care if the local authorities are seeking me.” It was perhaps a slight exaggeration of how confident I felt in fighting off the local fighting forces.

  “No, no, it's fine, there isn’t an alert out for you.” Answered Ha-Rin with a hard look at her brother, who nodded.

  “Caring what the O.C.P.D thinks has never really been our M.O.” Replied Ji-Ho. “Besides, Bu offered to help us if he could, and a bit more oomph in the combat department could do wonders for our parts supply.”

  I still hadn't actually been told what this task I had insisted on volunteering for was, but the mention of combat suggested I would probably enjoy it. Either way, I simply sat and casually leaned back in the softness of the faded couch, my features far more serene than my own internal thoughts.

  Still, I had to admit this wasn’t too bad. The food might be utterly terrible, but my hosts were friendly and young enough not to be sticklers for rules or stuffiness. And while I couldn’t feel the heat from the false setting sun, the room was warm, and my stomach was full.

  Ha-Rin clapped her hands together with girlish glee.

  “That means we are going hunting tomorrow, right?” The older brother offered an almost patriarchal smile and an incline of his head.

  “It does, so make sure your gear is all in good shape, and we need to get Bu armed up as well.”

  That all sounded pretty good to my ears, and yet I had a far more pressing matter I wished to discuss.

  “Do you two have any wine or tea I can wash the taste of those awful noodles out of my mouth with? Even juice will do if it's all that is on hand.”

  Is it really a litrpg without a food based chapter now and then?

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