Chapter 63: The Untold Past

**Chapter 63: The Untold Past

When Liang Zhiyuan first saw the video of Lin Qingshan "taking off," he almost spit out his milk tea. It became clear to him that Lin Qingshan was indeed mentally unstable…

But he was undeniably a genius.

Not only could he draw manga, but he also had skills in game development. Over the past two months, Lin Qingshan's impressive abilities had won him admiration from not only Liang Zhiyuan but also employees across the company.

Especially Wang Weijie, the head of the original development department. He had become completely convinced of Lin Qingshan's capabilities and had started addressing him as "Teacher Qingshan." Wang even claimed that there was no technical problem that Teacher Qingshan could not solve.

The title of "Teacher Qingshan" had spread throughout Guangsu Corporation. Everyone was fully convinced of Lin Qingshan's talent.

So, Lin Qingshan was indeed a genius. But now it seemed that, despite his genius, he was also mentally unstable. Was this the price of being a genius? Liang Zhiyuan was a bit confused.

Meanwhile, the group chat members noticed Liang Zhiyuan's comments and felt a bit puzzled.

"Does Yuanli know Teacher Qingshan?" asked Engineering Guy.

"Yes, I know him personally due to some work-related matters," replied Yuanli.

"Wow, Yuanli, you're quite the hidden gem… Can you confirm if the person in that video is really Teacher Qingshan?" asked Galactic Empire Private.

Yuanli hesitated for a moment but decided Lin Qingshan wouldn't mind. "Yes, it's really him."

"Seriously… But is he really mentally unstable?" asked Engineering Guy.

[Translator: sauron]

"Well… He does seem a bit off, but I prefer to call him a genius," Yuanli said.

"Is he a genius?" Zhou Wenwei chuckled, looking at the latest issue of *Man World* magazine. "Indeed, someone who can create a manga like *Edge Runners* is undoubtedly a genius."

He opened the magazine and immersed himself in the latest episode of *Edge Runners*.

**Episode 22: 'Conflict'**

The title was quite ordinary, lacking any attention-grabbing elements. Following the previous episode's storyline, Mann and David had a minor conflict. Mann returned to his room and sat on the couch under the dim yellow light, looking very desolate.

"I've come this far…"

His expression was determined and resolute. "I can't downgrade my cyberware now."

"I've worked so hard to get here, for what?"

He ended with a disheartened statement. Many adult manga fans felt a pang of sadness seeing Mann's struggle.

Yang Shuzhun saw himself in Mann's character—someone who had worked tirelessly yet felt unfulfilled. What was the point of pushing so hard?

The scene then shifted back to David, who returned to the room where Dolly and Lucy were. They were arguing at that moment.

"We only have until tomorrow morning, you know that," Dolly said.

The intel from the Tanaka Neural Network needed to be acquired by then; otherwise, the people from Arasaka Corporation would come looking for them. With Kivvy injured by the unstable Mann and sent to the hospital, Lucy was the only remaining backup hacker capable of infiltrating the Tanaka Neural Network. But Lucy was adamant against it.

She even trembled at the mention of "Arasaka."

"Do you understand? He's from Arasaka…"

Lucy was scared, though the reason was unclear, she clearly showed intense fear.

Seeing this, David, who had just been slapped by Mann, felt resentful. He said, "Let's give up and go home, Lucy. Don't push yourself."

Dolly was naturally unwilling, leading to an argument between her and David. Amidst the quarrel, Lucy looked at her trembling hands, seemingly making a decision.

"You can't avoid this forever," Dolly said passionately.

Lucy then pulled David out into the corridor and pressed him against the wall. Her first words puzzled David and the manga fans alike.

"David… Tell me, I can do this."

"Huh? I thought you were…"

"Tell me! I can do it!"

Lucy, despite her beautiful eyes, could not hide her fear.

"You have no idea what Arasaka is like!"

"They are always watching us!"

The scene then shifted to black-and-white images of places that seemed to represent Lucy's fears and past traumas.

Zhou Wenwei realized Lucy had a significant backstory.

"We can't give up! We have no other choice!"

"I know!"

"But… if you tell me… I will definitely…"

Lucy said, trembling. It turned out she needed David's encouragement.

David understood immediately and looked down, "I'm sorry, Lucy. I…"

But he concluded, "I know you can do it. Go for it, Lucy!"

Lucy felt a surge of confidence. When she and David returned, she agreed to Dolly's plan with calmness. Dolly was somewhat incredulous.

Lucy had one condition: Mann, who might fall into cyber-psychosis again, must not be involved, and only David could be by her side.

Dolly and Mann agreed. The action continued as Lucy donned a tight black suit and, with David's accompaniment, removed the hidden adhesive from the back of her neck, revealing the "Deep Dive Interface."

David was puzzled, "Lucy, why are you hiding the Deep Dive Interface?"

Lucy chose not to answer, her eyes still showing some fear and fatigue.

"Preparing… to connect…"

David didn't press further and helped Lucy connect to the Deep Dive Interface. At that moment, Lucy called out, "David…"

"What's wrong?" David asked, slightly confused.

Lucy took a deep breath but chose not to speak and said instead, "I'm diving in."

Lucy closed her eyes and entered the Tanaka Neural Network. The microscopic neural schematics appeared again, revealing the flaws Kivvy had previously struggled with. Lucy quickly identified a path through the traps.

However, a memory flashed before her eyes, showing a young Lucy desperately fleeing. She shook her head, trying not to dwell on the past.

Then she extended her right hand, creating a clear path ahead.

**(End of Chapter)**