Silence, extraordinary silence, silence that makes people embarrassed.
Tan Yan stared at Minister Yu quietly, and when Minister Yu’s thick skin almost couldn’t hold on anymore, he said slowly: “It shouldn’t be that exaggerated. I haven’t traveled that far, I’ve been in Ping County all these years and never left.”
Minister Yu bit the bullet and explained: “I mean, it is possible that these voids are connected, they sometimes appear individually, sometimes in pairs, you deal with a void, the other one will naturally disappear.”
“I don’t know.” Tan Yan shook his head, he did not ask further questions, obviously not interested in this.
Minister Yu was very curious about Tan Yan’s attitude. He faced the ‘void’ alone for forty years, but he had no desire to explore why the ‘void’ appeared. He obviously devoted himself to the safety of Ping County, but when he heard that ‘void’ also appeared in various parts of the world, he didn’t express any intention to help.
He is great yet ordinary, dedicated yet indifferent, these paradoxes are not incompatible with him.
“You have been guarding Ping County for so long, in order to solve the ‘void’ at the intersection, you did not hesitate to expose the secrets that have been hidden for many years. Why do you act so indifferent when you hear that other places have encountered such disasters?” asked Minister Yu.
“…My strength alone is limited,” Tan Yan casually said, “I am a civilian police officer of Ping County, and all I can do is to protect the safety of Ping County. This is my duty.”
“Then what if you are no longer a civilian police officer in Ping County?”
“If I’m retiring.” Tan Yan thought for a moment, “Get a good sleep first, it’s a bit tiring after all these years.”
Although he didn’t say it clearly, Minister Yu already understood the meaning of Tan Yan’s words. He would risk his life to protect Ping County, not because of his strong sense of justice, nor because he wants to be a hero, but because of his duty, and he is duty bound. Once he reaches the age of retirement, he won’t care anymore.
Some people may think this kind of thinking is straightforward and cold-blooded, but Minister Yu can understand Tan Yan.
The power of one person is limited, even if Tan Yan is a superman, it is impossible to save everyone, he can only do his duty and what he can do, and he will not be naïve enough to think about saving the world.
He is a calm and responsible adult.
“Okay.” Minister Yu decided to put this topic aside, “Let’s talk about your ability, in the lava world, you show physical strength and mobility far beyond ordinary people, where does this power come from?”
Within a few hours of returning to the real world, Minister Yu recalled the experience of the lava world countless times, and discovered a detail.
When Tan Yan picked him up to jump over the magma river, because his head was always facing down, Minister Yu clearly saw that the stone pillars under Tan Yan’s feet could not bear the weight of two people at all, and some of them even collapsed the moment Tan Yan jumped on it. The supporting force of the stone pillar is definitely not enough to serve as a foothold, even if Tan Yan really has light work, it’s impossible to do it.
“You didn’t really step on the pillar, but you made it look like you stepped on it, didn’t you?” Minister Yu asked.
At that time, Tan Yan still wanted to hide the fact that he was very familiar with the world beyond the void, deliberately hiding it in from Minister Yu, until the skin on his face fell off, and then he smash the cracked pot1破罐子破摔 bò guàn zi pò shuāi: lit. to smash a cracked pot; to allow things to worsen even if you know there are faults or mistakes and knocked him unconscious.
Seeing Tan Yan nodding in agreement, Minister Yu continue to ask: “How did you do it? Also, your face was not injured at all, even if you wear a mask, it is impossible to completely resist the temperature of the magma, right? When you return to the real world, your face has become old again, what is going on? Your face now is the real one, or the young one is real? What is your real age?”
He seemed to want to reach out and pinch Tan Yan’s face, but he restrained himself and waited quietly for Tan Yan’s answer.
Tan Yan frowned, the expression on his middle-aged face was very natural, it didn’t look like he was wearing a mask at all. He reached out and touched his face, and speak in melancholy: “I’m fifty-eight years old, many people can attest to it. As for the face, I didn’t notice it at first, but it seems that it hasn’t aged since the first time I came back from the void, don’t know if you will be the same.”
Minister Yu remembered Qiao Zhixue said he had a special energy reaction, and silently approved Tan Yan’s conjecture, but the specific situation still needs to be observed.
“I think there should be three possibilities,” Minister Yu calmly analyzed, “The greatest possibility is that after entering a different world, the body has changed and will not age with the time of the earth. The lifespan is unknown, but the physical condition may stay in the present time; The second is to continue to grow old, just like ordinary people; The least possibility is to rejuvenate and stay in the prime of your body like you. We will analyze this question slowly, now let’s talk about your super power.”
“It’s not a super power, my power in the real world is very ordinary, like most people, it only becomes a little stronger after entering the ‘void’. This kind of power is different from what you think…”
Speaking of this, Tan Yan was silent for a long time, seemingly thinking about how to organize his word to describe his power.
“It’s like… When I arrived there, the air around me was very close to me,” Tan Yan described with difficulty, “When I jump up, there is something pushing me to jump higher and farther. I want to make myself older, it seems that there is something very breathable in the air that sticks to my face. When I look in the mirror after returning home, I have become older.”
His description was too simple, and Minister Yu could not determine the cause of this phenomenon.
“You… After so many years, you have possessed extraordinary power, but you don’t have the slightest desire to explore?” This is the most inconceivable2不可思議 bù kě sī yì: inconceivable; unimaginable; unthinkable thing in Minister Yu opinion.
A person can be indifferent to others, and can be very contradictory, but he shouldn’t be so indifferent to himself, does Tan Yan not even have curiosity?
“It’s not considered extraordinary, Minister Yu, I think you may have misunderstood something. I’m just an ordinary person, rough and uneducated, I may have encountered some strange things, but anyone who encounters them should react similarly to me, or perhaps do better than me.” Tan Yan said sincerely.
Minister Yu: “…”
What is wrong with this person’s perception of himself!
“Since you are an ordinary person, when you encounter such things why not report it?”
“I’ve said it, no one believes, and I don’t want to take people to such a dangerous place, what should I do if they die, I’ve dealt with it like this all these years.” Speaking of this matter, Tan Yan also had a sad expression on his face.
Minister Yu counted the days, Tan Yan said that he encountered the first ‘void’ at the age of eighteen, that is, forty years ago, twelve years earlier than the first known ‘void’ in the world. It was in the 70s, the country had just emerged from a turmoil, and both society and culture were in an extremely closed state. At that time, to tell others that they had gone to the other world… who would believe it!
“At the beginning, no one believed me, but later I realized that I didn’t seem to grow old, so I didn’t dare to say it.” Tan Yan continued to explain, “What should I do if I’m treated as a monster?”
Minister Yu can understand Tan Yan’s hard work for so many years, and his understanding of this person gradually formed.
Tan Yan is indeed an ordinary person, an ordinary person in difficult times.
Decades ago, in that turbulent era, there were many people who were as though as a nail, they neither complain nor regrets. They don’t do anything noble and don’t think they are great. They are just dedicated to their work, devote their every day to the construction of the country. One person’s power is limited, no matter how much work they do, it will not play much effect. But it is the efforts of countless ‘ordinary people’ that the country has ushered in today’s prosperous era.
Tan Yan is such a person.
For forty years, he has always regarded this matter as a job, no matter how dangerous it is, he gritted his teeth and persevered, giving full play to his enthusiasm within the scope of his duties. Whether he knows it or not, understands it or not, he must persevere, otherwise Ping County will suffer a catastrophe. It is Tan Yan’s duty to protect people’s lives and property from infringement.
With no one to tell, no one to support, hiding the secret that they will not grow old and may be a monster, they have struggled to survive for forty years.
Minister Yu looked into Tan Yan’s eyes, and there was deep weariness in them. This man was exhausted, but he still dragged his body to persevere. His body shone with the brilliance that countless outstanding working people had in the past.
“I looked at the file, you have never been married, why? It’s so difficult, don’t you want to find someone to share it with?” Minister Yu asked.
“After working for two or three years, others have introduced several objects, and I have met them. But I don’t dare to get married, there’s a problem in me, don’t delay other family’s good girls.”
He regards his strange encounter as a problem and sees himself as an a different kind.
“Your private life is also extremely clean, there is no trace of finding a sexual partner, whether it is because you don’t want to, or you are influenced by a different world, you have no desire in this regard.” Speaking of this, Minister Yu couldn’t help but blush, he was also very concerned about this, if he really entered the ‘void’ and lost his ability… Even if his son is already big, he will still be concerned!
The two had been talking for so long, and it was at this moment that Tan Yan finally showed some expression, he said with a blushing face: “How, how could it not work! Just, just… I am a police officer, how can I break the law, and I can’t harm a good girl, just bear it like this.”
Minister Yu breathed a sigh of relief: “That’s good, that’s good, it’s not easy for you these years.”
“It’s, It’s okay, I’m used to it.”
For a moment, there was an awkward atmosphere in the air, and Minister Yu quickly changed the subject: “I was in a terrible environment at the time, and I couldn’t see your face clearly, can you take off the mask?”
“… This was made in the ‘void’ you mentioned, and it can’t be made in the real world if it is taken down.” Tan Yan said in embarrassment.
“Although it is very cruel, but do you think you can go back to the Ping County’s Public Security Bureau Office?” Minister Yu said seriously, “You have been put on the national special confidential list, and your identity background is even more confidential than mine. We will not allow you to return to your original living environment.”
Tan Yan’s stable mood gradually sank. He bowed his head in silence for a long time before slowly reaching out to tear off the fake skin on his face, neck and arms, revealing his youthful skin.
The fake skins that were pulled off disappeared as soon as they left Tan Yan’s body. At the same time, Qiao Zhixue, who was guarding outside, started knocking on the door frantically.
“What’s wrong?” Minister Yu asked displeasedly through the walkie-talkie.
“Minister, a strong energy fluctuation suddenly appeared in the room and then disappeared quickly. What happened?”
Minister Yu looked at the place where the fake skin disappeared and replied calmly: “It’s okay, I’m fine, don’t come in, I’ll hold a meeting to study it after I finish here, and I’ll tell you what you should know when the time comes.”
Qiao Zhixue confirmed that the speaker was indeed Minister Yu, so he stopped knocking on the door.
“It seems that the fake skin has power that does not belong to this world, so once it leave the medium that is, yo, it will disappear, and I do not know in what form this energy eventually dissipated.” Minister Yu said.
Tan Yan…Tan Yan didn’t understand.
Looking at the eyes on the other side, he knew that Tan Yan was confused again. Minister Yu sighed secretly. He wanted to find out everything, but the only person who knew it didn’t understand anything.
Tan Yan, who took off the fake skin, lost that face of vicissitudes, and looked like a confused big boy. He was unexpectedly handsome, the black and white photos on the data could not reflect one ten thousandth of the handsomeness of the real person, his back was straight like a benchmark, his arms were full of strength under his clothes, like a young and powerful little leopard. Where is the simple and honest old policeman just now?
Minister Yu can be serious or cruel in the face of veteran policeman Tan Yan, and he can open things up. But have to say that a person’s appearance has a great influence on others, seeing Tan Yan now, even Minister Yu can’t bear it!
Minister Yu was very moved when he thought of such a big boy carrying a huge secret for so many years and guarding the people of Ping County without fear of death.
“Comrade Tan Yan, you have worked hard these years.” Minister Yu said in a heavy tone.
Tan Yan: “…”
Always feel that something is not right… Minister Yu seems to be looking at himself with a very motherly expression.
This conversation is extremely confidential, only two people know, Minister Yu and Tan Yan, and no guards even followed. Such an environment made Tan Yan very comfortable, and he is also very cooperative, saying everything he could say.
But unfortunately, the information that Tan Yan knew did not solve the problems that troubled them, but rather brought a lot of questions.
Originally thought that the void was just a natural phenomenon, and it would disappear naturally in a short time without causing too much harm. The countries only studied it as a natural phenomenon and did not treat it as a serious problem. However, if one day the Tan Yan did not enter the void in time, their existing technology can only at most prevent the void from spreading for a few hours, but they couldn’t completely solve the problem.
Why do all the void that appeared so far appear in Ping County, or have a connection with Ping County; Why doesn’t the void disappear after other people are caught in it, but only Why doesn’t the void disappear after other people are involved, but only responds to Tan Yan; Why does Tan Yan always appear at Ping County’s Cemetery every time he returns to the real world (he doesn’t know this himself); and whether Tan Yan would die in the future, and who would control the void after he was gone.
These are the problems that need to be solved as soon as possible.
Minister Yu listed all the problems, but couldn’t think of a clue.
Seeing him staring at the conversation record, frowning and muttering to himself, then light a cigarette, Tan Yan couldn’t help saying: “Don’t smoke in front of me.”
“Huh?” Minister Yu, who was holding a cigarette in his hand, was taken aback for a moment.
“I try to avoid having a special smell on myself.” Tan Yan explained, “Some of the world is very sensitive to the smell, the smell of tobacco oil is very pungent, if stained, even a little, there may be a danger.”
“I’m sorry.” Minister Yu hurriedly cut off his cigarette and recorded this point as well.
“When you followed me in before, I was very glad that it was a lava world, and the smell of sulfur was everywhere, and the smell on your body was not obvious.”
He looked at Minister Yu with a kind of ‘otherwise you would have died long ago’ look.
Minister Yu: “…”
The author has something to say:
Minister • Loving Mother • Yu (with auntie’s smiling face): Speaking of which, you are about the same age as my son.
Tan • Fifty Eight • Yan: …
Fair warning, there’s a lot patriotic expression in this series, I just roll with it because the story is quite interesting, and Cyan Wings is one of my favorite author.
If you like my translations, a cup of coffee would be much appreciated. Thank you!
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