Hope Coffee House Chapter 1: Parallel World

The moment Wu Liang opened his eyes, there was only a dark darkness in front of him.

The cold that penetrates deep into the bone comes at the same time as the feeling of suffocation that cannot be escaped.

Seeing a faint yellow halo coming from the direction of his head, Wu Liang struggled a few times, his limbs gradually regained some strength, and he tried his best to rush towards the direction of the light.

At the moment when the water was broken, Wu Liang had a feeling of being separated from the world.

The cold wind of early winter, with a hint of coolness, mercilessly mocked Wu Liang silently.

Wu Liang used his last strength to swim to the lake, looking at the unfamiliar scenery, he fell into confusion.

The place where I am should be a lake park. The park is very big and I can't see the edge at a glance. The path along the lake is clean and tidy. The weather is cold and the night is deep. There are no pedestrians in the park. The weeping willows rustled by the wind on both sides of the lake path accompanied the shivering self.

Wu Liang can't remember how he fell into the water, but Wu Liang is very sure that he has never seen the lake in front of him.

Wu Liang sat for a while in the sheltered place along the road along the lake, regained some strength, and quickly turned over his clothes inside and out, but he didn't touch the phone, not even a coin.

Without a mobile phone, it's midnight, so I can't call for help.

Wu Liang reluctantly took off his clothes, wringed out the lake water, and then used his arms to circle the clothes and tossed them for a while before putting them on again.

The cold night in the early winter was terrifying, and half-dry clothes could not bring warmth to Wu Liang. Wu Liang breathed a warm breath into his palms, rubbed them together, and got up and walked out of the park.

At this moment, I can only find a police station for help. Although I don't have much time, at least I don't want to die tonight, and I don't want to be frozen to death. It's uncomfortable to think about this way of dying.

Lake Park seems to be in the center of the city. After walking out of the park, a large number of bustling urban buildings come into Wu Liang's eyes.

The wide street is very quiet, and occasionally a few cars pass by Wu Liang quickly.

The city with many high-rise buildings is still full of lights, and countless people are still struggling for themselves and their families.

The billboards on high-rise buildings are more clear and eye-catching in the middle of the night, but Wu Liang's complexion becomes more and more solemn as he walks on the wide street.

The word Jicheng appears on countless billboards.

This city is obviously a first-tier city, but in Wu Liang's memory, there seems to be no big city in the motherland named Jicheng.

Where the **** is this?

Why are you here?

After walking for nearly an hour, Wu Liang finally confirmed one thing: this world is very similar to the earth world he was in before, but there are some subtle differences, and he is very likely to come to a parallel world , and this strange Jicheng is the capital in the world that he was familiar with.

But in this way, as a black householder who came here from the earth world, he has no household registration, no relatives, and no trace of previous activities in this world. Not only is it useless to go to the police station, even if it is a rescue station, it needs Provide your own basic information to get help...

Wu Liang stopped and sat on the stone steps beside the road, quietly thinking about the incredible things that had happened to him and what he should do.

The clothes on his body were gradually dried by the cold wind, and there was a familiar dull pain in his upper abdomen. Wu Liang finally made up his mind.

Maybe it is God's compensation for me to be able to come to this parallel world in the last short period of my life. Since I am still alive, I should cherish it.

In such a cold night, I have to find a small shop that is still open and go in to warm up.

Perhaps God heard Wu Liang's thoughts, and a strong aroma of coffee came, mixed with the sweet aroma of baked pastries.

Wu Liang turned around in surprise, looking to the side and back, a small coffee shop stood quietly there, suddenly exuding a warm orange halo.

The five large yellow characters of "Hope Cafe" on the signboard are even more brilliant.

It was obvious that there was none just now.

Hope.

Wu Liang twitched the corners of his mouth, got up, patted the dust on his trousers, and walked slowly towards the coffee house.

As soon as the door of the coffee house was opened, a heat wave with a strong aroma of coffee hit the face instantly.

Wu Liang couldn't help shivering comfortably, and quickly closed the door behind him.

Click.

Behind Wu Liang came the crisp sound of the lock being locked.

The door that had just been closed automatically locked.

Unlike the coffee house Wu Liang was familiar with, there is only one set of tables and chairs for guests to dine in, which are neatly placed in the center of the hall.

There was no clerk at the counter, and no sound could be heard in the room.

An unmanned cafe?

Wu Liang greeted him, and when no one answered, he walked towards the back kitchen.

After turning around for a while, Wu Liang finally confirmed that there was indeed no second person in this cafe.

This is the best, it seems that you can rest in a warm coffee shop for a night without negotiating with the clerk.

Wu Liang pulled one of the two chairs in the center of the hall and sat on it. Until then, Wu Liang finally relaxed and lay on the table, his consciousness gradually blurred, and he fell into a deep sleep.

Half-dream and half-awake, Wu Liang appeared on a ground filled with silver-white light. The silver-white ground stretched to infinity, with no boundaries in sight.

A high voice said lightly above his head: "Wu Liang, you are finally here."

"Who are you? Do you know me?" Wu Liang was a little puzzled.

The lofty voice did not answer. After a pause, he slowly said: "Unlike the world full of hope and warmth that you live in, this world is constantly collapsing, hope has become ethereal, and despair makes people irresistible. The people here are gradually becoming numb and cold-blooded, evil has been integrated into the bones of countless people, and the collapse of the world order may be in the not too distant future."

Is this a parallel world? Wu Liang had some regrets in his heart. He wanted to experience the beauty of this new world in his last days, but if what the voice said was true, maybe all he could feel was disappointment and cold.

"Despair is vain, which is exactly the same as hope. The purpose of the coffee house of hope is to rekindle a lamp of hope for the despairing people, and to rekindle this world, which has gradually become indifferent and numb, with the fire of hope again. Wu Liang, would you like to run the Hope Cafe?"

"It's so hard to light the lamp of hope for the desperate. I don't have such a lofty ambition, and I don't think I have such ability." Wu Liang laughed at himself, "Not to mention that I myself am a despair. He is only nineteen years old, and he has never experienced many good things in life, and he is about to die.”

The voice said lightly: "Every time you help a desperate person to rekindle hope, you can have a month free from illness and injury. If you continue to help the desperate person, it is not difficult to live forever."

Wu Liang's eyes flashed a ray of light, and then he went down again, and smiled bitterly: "If what you said is true, I would naturally like it, but I am like a rootless duckweed in this world, with nothing, how can I help those in despair. people?"

"Collect certain emotions, you can turn them into hope coins, and buy the materials you need in the Hope Cafe Mall."

A specific emotion?

Turn it into a hope coin?

Can you exchange for the materials in the mall?

Could this particular emotion refer to the gratitude of a desperate person?

Wu Liang was a little moved, and pondered: "How can it be considered to have successfully helped the despairing people?"

"After taking charge of the Hope Cafe, every desperate person comes to the Hope Cafe, and you can see his hope value. When the hope value rises above 60%, the task is considered to be successfully completed, and you can Get a month of life free from disease and injury."

"Of course, depending on the task situation, I hope the coffee shop may release additional tasks. The additional tasks are not mandatory for you to complete, but if you complete them, you can get additional rewards." The voice continued to add.

It sounds like it can be achieved, and Wu Liang wants to try his best to get a chance to live again.

After all the experiences in the world, what could be more precious than a healthy life?

"Okay, I am willing to take charge of Hope Cafe." Wu Liang said firmly.

[I hope the coffee house system will start binding]

A burning tingling sensation came from the left wrist. Wu Liang broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly woke up from his sleepy sleep and looked at his left wrist.

[Hope the coffee house system is successfully bound]

The familiar voice resounded in his ears again, Wu Liang's left wrist no longer stinging unbearably, and a cloud pattern emitting a faint golden light appeared on Wu Liang's left wrist.

Wu Liang stretched out his right hand and gently stroked the mark on his left wrist, a few lines of characters clearly appeared in his mind:

[The seventh owner of Hope Cafe]: Wu Liang

[HP]: 17 days of lingering

[Task]: No

[Material]: No

[Hope Coin]: 0

[Mall]: Not yet open

Seeing that the mall has not been opened yet, Wu Liang asked, "Will the mall be opened when I have hope?"

"Yes." The familiar system beep replied in Wu Liang's mind.

"How can I find and help the desperate?"

"People with a hope value below -90% will find this place unknowingly and can't help but walk in."

"So this coffee house doesn't exist in the real world? How do I get in and out of here?" Wu Liang wondered.

"As the owner of Hope Cafe, you only need to think about entering here or leaving."

Wu Liang's heart moved, and he was already standing in the lake park where he fell into the water last night.

At this time, the morning light is faint, and the sky is twilight.

The rising sun seems to have infinite power, leaping up from the horizon, gradually driving out the dark night and illuminating the whole world.

In the cold breeze, Wu Liang's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he stared straight at the splendid sun without blinking.

As if being stabbed by the sun, the boy's eyes were extremely bright, and there were faint tears in his eyes.

In the eyes of the young man, there is endless hope, and the young man under the rising sun seems to be glowing all over.

One month ago, the boy was alone in the hospital. After receiving the diagnosis of advanced pancreatic cancer, he fought back tears and kept repeating two thin sentences to himself.

It's alright. Maybe the doctor will suddenly appear and tell myself apologetically that I got the wrong report and I'm fine.

Don't worry, maybe your pancreatic cancer is not serious, and it will get better soon after surgery.

Until the report sheet was soaked in sweat from the palm of his hand, the boy didn't wait for the sentence he expected, it's alright, don't worry.

The doctor held the diagnosis certificate, with deep pity in his eyes, and told himself in embarrassment that there was no way to operate under the current situation, and he could only carry out conservative treatment with drugs...

The boy firmly supported his body, squeezed a dry smile at the doctor, and asked about the time he had left.

Probably less than two months.

In the last days, it will be very painful.

Wu Liang changed his mind and returned to the coffee shop.

Next, as long as you continue to help desperate people regain hope, you will be able to have a time free from illness and injury, and you will be able to live again.

Wu Liang wants to live a good life.

After the mind was completely relaxed, a strong hunger came, accompanied by the dull pain in the upper abdomen, the taste was really uncomfortable.

Wu Liang rubbed his growling stomach, got up and walked to the counter, made a latte for himself, took out a large plate of various pastries from the glass counter, and devoured it.

After breakfast, Wu Liang took a careful look in the coffee shop. After all, this is where he lives and works.

Although the coffee house is small, it is well-equipped, the kitchen is clean and tidy, the staff lounge is spacious and bright, and the layout is very warm.

Wu Liang lay on the big soft bed, yawned comfortably, thinking about whether to catch up on sleep first, after all, it was only 5:30 in the morning, and people who came to despair should not appear at this time.

At this moment, the sound of the door opening came from the hall, and a man's low voice came: "Is there anyone?"

Someone came to the door.

Wu Liang got up quickly and walked into the hall with a warm smile.

A man who looked to be around 27 or 8 years old was standing in front of the counter. The man was handsome, but his face was haggard, his beard was black and green, his body was full of cold air, and his eyebrows were full of sadness.

The moment he saw the man, Wu Liang received the task released by Hope Cafe in his mind.

[Novice Mission] Help Chen Wei regain hope. (hope value rises above 60%)

Chen Wei's current status:

Hope: -96%

Warm reminder: When the hope value reaches -100%, people will commit suicide, resulting in an irreversible tragedy.

This guy named Chen Wei...is too desperate...

This novice task is too easy...

Wu Liang was speechless, the warm smile on his face deepened, and Chen Wei, who was afraid of irritation, became even more desperate.

After seeing Wu Liang with a smile on his face, the man reluctantly raised the corner of his mouth to reveal a dry smile, and said in a hoarse voice, "Let's have a cup of American... Ice American."

Wu Liang looked at the haggard Chen Wei and said with a smile: "Okay, just sit and wait for a while."

"Warm reminder: A cup of warm sea salt caramel mocha can relieve people's despair, relax, and speak their minds." Hope's familiar system prompt sounded in Wu Liang's ears.

Sea salt caramel mocha? How to do it?

Wu Liang is a little confused. Latte is just pouring some milk into coffee. It is not difficult to make it yourself, but he is not sure how to make sea salt caramel mocha. If you make a cup of "death coffee", Chen Wei After drinking it, it is not good for the despair value to explode directly...

At this moment, the familiar sound came into Wu Liang's mind again: "You have a barista skill training course to check."

Wu Liang: "..."

Three minutes later, Wu Liang handed a cup of warm sea salt caramel mocha to Chen Wei, and said with a warm smile: "It's cold in the morning, and drinking ice American style hurts the stomach, why don't you warm up with a cup of sea salt caramel mocha first? ."

Chen Wei froze for a moment, nodded and took the coffee, pursed his lips and said, "Thank you."

Thanks from Chen Wei: +5

A hint of hope for the coffee house appeared in Wu Liang's mind.

Wu Liang hurriedly checked to see if the Hope Coin had changed.

[Hope Coin]: 50

Sure enough! The so-called specific emotions refer to the gratitude of desperate people, and 5 points of gratitude can be exchanged for 50 hope coins!

This also means that 1 point of gratitude is 10 hope coins!

Wu Liang hurriedly checked Chen Wei's current status and hoped that the value was still -96%, which had not changed.

If it wasn't for fear that his over-enthusiasm would stimulate Chen Wei and cause irreparable consequences, Wu Liang really wanted to provide Chen Wei with a full service~IndoMTL.com~ first earn him 1,800 hope coins.

After Chen Wei took the coffee, he didn't drink it. He just held the cup in both hands and sat there silently with his head down, wondering what he was thinking.

Wu Liang had to pretend to wipe the counter, secretly observing Chen Wei's every move, and praying that the temporary barista training he had just completed in a minute would be effective.

After a while, just as Wu Liang was about to wipe off all the paint on the counter, Chen Wei finally took a sip of the coffee in his hand, then raised his head and glanced at Wu Liang.

Wu Liang's heart was in his throat, and he quickly opened his eyes, trying to see Chen Wei's expression carefully.

But the opportunity is fleeting.

Chen Wei immediately lowered his head and continued drinking the coffee in his hand.

Thanks from Chen Wei: +1, +1, +1, +1, +1...

Seeing the continuous gratitude from Chen Wei, Wu Liang finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seems that the coffee he made tastes good!

In just two minutes, Chen Wei drank the coffee cleanly, and his whole body seemed to be a little more energetic.

Wu Liang hurriedly checked his hope coins in his mind, but it had already risen to 120!

What surprised Wu Liang even more was that after drinking this cup of sea salt caramel mocha named by Hope Coffee House, Chen Wei's hope value has rebounded, and it has become -92%!

This sea salt caramel mocha is also amazing!

Wu Liang was delighted in his heart and walked towards Chen Wei with a smile, hesitating in his heart whether to get a wave of free refills for Chen Wei, or add more cakes.

Wu Liang just walked up to Chen Wei, and before he could speak, he heard Chen Wei's words in a low tone: "My girlfriend, I gave everything for her, but she wants to be with others today. Engaged."