She's a Passerby, But Can See the Protagonist's Halo-Chapter 99

Yan sent a WeChat message to her parents, letting them know that another classmate had arrived at their home.

It was just past ten in the morning, and none of them were hungry yet. They settled on the couch as Zhu Jue set up the screen, and they began watching videos together.

Snacks and fruits covered the table, but Yan and Zhu Jue couldn’t eat another bite.

They had just finished making New Year’s visits around the residential compound, and at every house, they couldn’t avoid being handed red envelopes and treats.

This content is taken from freёnovelkiss.com.

“We’re eighteen now, adults can’t accept red envelopes—no, no, we can’t take them.”

“No matter how old you are, you’re still kids. Take it, and have some candy, cherries, or strawberries.”

While they could refuse the red envelopes, turning down the food was harder. In the end, after some back-and-forth, the New Year’s money still ended up stuffed into their pockets.

This happened every year, and Yan figured it must be the adults’ way of having fun.

“Can we see the comments with the screen mirroring?” Yuan Ye asked.

“Normally, no, unless you tweak the settings. Do you want to see them?” Yan replied.

Yuan Ye shook his head. “Never mind. Let’s just watch normally. Too many comments blocking the screen would be distracting.”

[Traveler Ka Ka]: [Blind Box Journey: Roaming the Small Towns of Sichuan, Stumbling Upon a Spectacular New Year’s Fireworks Display]

As the title of Ka Ka’s latest travel video appeared, Yan was surprised. “She went to Sichuan! But if it’s a small town, then it’s not Jinguan City. Mount Emei? Guangyuan? Doesn’t look like she went to the Sanxingdui ruins.”

“I’ve never been to Sanxingdui,” Chu Shen remarked.

Watching Ka Ka’s videos never required fast-forwarding or speeding up. But with Yuan Ye and Chu Shen around, Yan felt a bit too shy to sprawl on the couch. Instead, she grabbed a floor cushion and sat between the coffee table and the sofa, her back against the couch, like a little mushroom wedged in a tight spot.

“Yan, isn’t that uncomfortable?” Yuan Ye asked, watching her curled-up posture, which made her look like a little girl.

“Not at all. I think it’s fun,” Yan said, shaking her braided pigtails.

“This way, I can just reach over and grab snacks from the table. If I were on the couch, I’d have to keep getting up.”

Chu Shen noticed Zhu Jue sitting cross-legged beside her in the same cramped space, his long legs folded awkwardly—it looked almost comical.

His lips twitched. Yan might be fine sitting like that, but for someone over six feet tall, sitting with legs folded for too long was genuinely painful.

But judging by how naturally and effortlessly Zhu Jue managed it, his lovesick brain must have already adapted.

Yan picked up the remote, adjusted the volume, and soon, the TV screen displayed the animated version of Ka Ka, with her short hair.

“Huh?” Yan’s eyes lit up.

She noticed that Ka Ka’s animated avatar had undergone a slight change.

Maybe because of the New Year, the little Ka Ka was now dressed in a red puffer jacket, with a knitted cap on her head—adorably festive.

The animated opening showed Ka Ka’s mode of transportation this time—a plane!

The tiny Ka Ka boarded with a huge backpack, and the scene transitioned to a map tracing the flight from Luocheng to Jinguan City’s Tianfu Airport.

Then, in pixel-art style, Ka Ka looked around nervously before disembarking. Next came a hilarious sequence of her sprinting with her luggage, hopping into a car, and speeding down a highway lined with hotpot, skewers, and mao cai—as if racing through a food-themed map.

Yan burst out laughing.

“Ka Ka’s CG ideas keep getting wilder. This feels like a food-racing game now.”

Chu Shen stroked his chin from the couch. “Just the opening alone is top-tier quality.”

As the car zoomed past the finish line of the “food highway,” they saw four bold characters marking the destination:

[Jinguan City East Station]

The animated opening ended, and the scene transitioned straight into the main footage.

Ka Ka appeared on camera, bundled up in a scarf, mask, and hat, panting heavily. She panned the camera around, capturing the chaotic surroundings, and the high-quality audio picked up the station’s announcements.

“Packed like sardines” would be an understatement.

“Next time, I’m never traveling during the Spring Festival rush.”

“First time at Jinguan’s Tianfu Airport, and it took over half an hour just to get my luggage. I missed the last airport shuttle and the airport express train. The next one wouldn’t get me to East Station in time for my high-speed rail, so I had to splurge on a taxi.”

“Rough start.”

In the video, the little red-clad Ka Ka burst into tears as a money bag appeared with [Taxi: -200]. Hearing Ka Ka’s lament, Yan winced in sympathy.

Splitting a 200-yuan taxi fare among friends would be one thing, but paying it alone—without a company reimbursement—was downright painful!

The video’s caption at the top read: [Blind Box Destination: Changqing Mountain]

By now, Ka Ka was in line at the ticket gate, her voice strained as she advised viewers to always leave extra time for travel.

“Tianfu Airport is legendary—two hours to fly anywhere in the country, and another two just to get downtown. Now I get it.”

Once Ka Ka boarded the high-speed train, a progress bar at the bottom showed her animated avatar zooming from [Jinguan City East Station] to [Mianyang City Station].

“Ka Ka’s animation workload keeps growing,” Yan remarked.

On-screen, Ka Ka exited the station while explaining to the camera:

“This blind box trip’s destination is called Changqing Mountain.”

“Such a poetic name. The first thing it made me think of was a certain character. Wonder how many viewers had the same thought.”

“One of the protagonists in The Legend of Sword and Fairy 3 is named Changqing. Maybe there’s a connection?” she joked.

“Changqing Mountain is in Zitong County, under Mianyang City. Compared to previous places I’ve visited, this seems more touristy, but who knows how it’ll be during the New Year.”

“Getting to the county takes about an hour by car from Mianyang. Considering the holiday transport situation, I decided to rent a car.”

Ka Ka snapped her fingers, and the next moment, she was in the parking lot outside the train station, finalizing the car rental.

This video had no sponsorships. After featuring a car brand in her last video, Ka Ka didn’t want to overdo it with another so soon. Plus, her filming equipment came from her [Travel Buddy System], making ad integrations tricky. This episode was purely content-driven.

Early on, some viewers had criticized her videos for being too quiet—just footage with no narration. But now, she’d grown bold enough to talk to the camera, ignoring curious onlookers.

“It’s almost 5 PM. Zitong is about 50 kilometers away, and I’ve been traveling all day. Not ideal to head there now, so I’ll rest at a hotel tonight and visit Changqing Mountain tomorrow.”

Ka Ka checked into her hotel, then went downstairs for a bowl of spicy Mianyang rice noodles and a local snack called “leng zhuan zhuan” (cold skewers).

The name "Cold Dipping" might look similar to "Pot Pot Chicken," but the way of eating is completely different.

A group of strangers sat around a wooden table, on which were two large plates of cooked meat and vegetable dishes—sliced lotus root, broccoli, quail eggs, crab sticks, even skewered corn kernels, and a special fried eggplant. The vegetables were boiled and cooled, while the meat had already been marinated in chili oil.

Whether meat or vegetables, everything was skewered with toothpicks or bamboo sticks.

The way of eating, however, involved everyone sharing three different dipping sauces.

The five-spice flavor, the numbing-spicy flavor, and the sour-spicy dipping sauces were served in small stainless steel bowls.

Instead of scooping the sauce into their own bowls, people would pick up a skewer—say, a piece of broccoli—dip it into the communal sauce bowl, and eat it directly.

Of course, you were only allowed one dip per bite—no double-dipping after the first taste.

Not just Ka Ka, but even Yan and the other three watching the video had never seen this way of eating before.

Yan cupped her face in her hands, watching as Ka Ka’s small plate already had over a dozen used skewers. "I feel like this requires overcoming some psychological barriers."

Yuan Ye nodded in agreement. "Sharing with friends is one thing, but in a public shop, you never know how hygienic it is. Can’t guarantee no one’s spit in it."

Chu Shen, meanwhile, stared thoughtfully at the dipping sauces in the video. The three different flavors all looked quite appealing.

Since she had already eaten a bowl of beef rice noodles in spicy broth earlier, Ka Ka only sampled some of the vegetable skewers from the Cold Dipping spread—less than twenty sticks in total. At seven cents per skewer, she paid the bill and left.

Ka Ka had been eating at a local night market. Even though it was already the 29th day of the Lunar New Year, the night market was still bustling, brightly lit and crowded with people, the air thick with the lively atmosphere of street food.

[Traveler Ka Ka tasted Mianyang beef rice noodles. Stamina +20, Mood +10.]

[Traveler Ka Ka tasted assorted Cold Dipping snacks. Stamina +10, Mood +10.]

When she returned to the hotel, the pixel-art red-clothed character collapsed onto the bed.

[Traveler Ka Ka begins resting, loading…]

[After a good night’s sleep, Traveler Ka Ka is fully refreshed and glowing! Action Points +10.]

In the status bar at the bottom left of the video, all of Ka Ka’s stats were maxed out, and a [Energetic BUFF] appeared.

"This feels a bit like ‘Travel Frog,’ but she’s always alone and hasn’t run into anyone to talk to," Yuan Ye remarked while watching the video.

Hearing this, Yan suddenly realized. "Oh, right. This episode hasn’t had any NPC encounters yet."

"This time, being in the city makes things more convenient. She can handle everything on her own," Zhu Jue chimed in.

Yan thought about it and agreed. Compared to their first encounter with Ka Ka in the remote village of Kaoshan, where there were no cars, or the previous trips to Inner Mongolia’s Tala or the frozen rural Northeast—all hard-to-reach places—this urban setting was much simpler.

Now that she was still in the city, she hadn’t needed to seek help from NPCs. Plus, Changqing Mountain was supposedly a tourist area, so it was probably easy to find.

"But that takes away some of the fun. Exploring unknown places always leads to unexpected encounters. Established tourist spots rarely have surprises," Yan mused.

One of the biggest joys of watching Ka Ka’s blind-box travels was precisely because the destinations were so remote—sometimes with no information available at all—and the process of discovering them often led to fascinating interactions.

On the second morning in Mianyang, Ka Ka wasn’t in a hurry to drive out.

It only took an hour to reach Zitong County by car, and with a full day ahead, she took her time. The morning was chilly, so she had a bowl of mild broth rice noodles at the hotel before leisurely heading out.

This was Ka Ka’s first time traveling in Sichuan. She had heard of Jiuzhaigou’s stunning waters, the ancient Shu culture of Sanxingdui, and famous landmarks like Dujiangyan, Mount Qingcheng, Leshan Giant Buddha, and Mount Emei.

Jinguan City, Leshan, and Mount Emei were all well-known tourist destinations, but Mianyang—including its incredibly delicious rice noodles—was something she’d never even heard of before arriving.

Using the automatic GPS on her rented electric car (perhaps set by the previous renter), she only had to type "Chang" before the first suggestion popped up. Ka Ka selected it and followed the route.

The drive was sped up in the video, with the camera capturing the scenery along the road. What was an hour’s drive for her became just a minute for the viewers.

But… as the car turned into the parking lot, Yan and the others heard Ka Ka’s confused voice in the video.

"I followed the map, and it should’ve taken me to Changqing Mountain, but the sign I saw when I pulled in says ‘Two Bombs City.’ Let me get out and ask."

When Ka Ka stepped out with her camera, it was already 10 a.m., yet the parking lot was nearly empty. She checked her phone’s map—she was indeed within the "Changqing Mountain" area.

Ka Ka silently glanced at her blind-box travel mission. Changqing Mountain was already marked as completed, meaning she hadn’t gone to the wrong place.

This mission location had been way too easy! Aside from having to splurge on a taxi yesterday because her luggage took too long, she hadn’t faced a single obstacle. Even she found it hard to believe.

"Getting here so smoothly makes me a little suspicious. Let’s see if I can find a local to ask. My Sichuan dialect isn’t great," Ka Ka muttered to the camera.

After learning the mission was in Sichuan, she’d rushed to learn some local phrases, but… it was still a struggle. So far, she’d only mastered basics like "niang niang" (ma’am), "xiao de" (got it), "yao de" (okay), and "zuo sha zi" (what’re you doing).

As Ka Ka walked out of the parking lot, she spotted a woman in a long black down jacket.

An NPC! She hurried over to ask.

"Hello, is this Changqing Mountain?"

The woman, who had her hair tied back and wore glasses, looked to be in her thirties. Taking in Ka Ka’s appearance and accent, she immediately understood.

"Are you here to travel or visit family? This is Changqing Mountain—pronounced ‘zhang.’ But this is the foot of the mountain. This area is Two Bombs City. If you want to go to Changqing Mountain Forest Park, it’s in another direction, got it?"

Ka Ka paused. The system showed Changqing Mountain as completed—did that mean just reaching the base counted?

"Oh, got it, sis. I just followed the navigation here. Wanted to check it out. You mentioned this is Two Bombs City—I saw the sign but didn’t know much about it. Is this the ‘Two Bombs’ from the ‘Two Bombs, One Satellite’ project? Wasn’t that in Qinghai?"

Ka Ka asked. She’d learned about the achievements of the Two Bombs, One Satellite pioneers in school, but weren’t the first atomic and hydrogen bombs tested in the Qinghai desert in the early 1960s? Why was there a "city" dedicated to it in a small Sichuan town?

"That's the 'Two Bombs' site. You know about the Third Front construction, right? The Ninth Academy's Ninth Institute moved here in the 1960s. By the 1990s, they'd conducted over forty nuclear tests. Look over there—that's the Institute of Engineering Physics. Grandpa Deng's old house is still standing."

Following the direction pointed out by the older sister, Ka Ka was stunned.

This was actually the place where nuclear research and testing continued after the first atomic and hydrogen bombs were detonated! And there was even the former residence of Academician Deng!

"Back in the day, our area didn’t even appear on maps."

"If you go further down, there’s the Two Bombs and Aerospace Museum. It’s closing tomorrow."

"I really had no idea," Ka Ka admitted.

"Just look at the license plates—ours start with 'Chuan B.' There are so many classified military units here. Outsiders like you wouldn’t know."

After chatting with the sister for a while, Ka Ka decided to explore the Two Bombs City. There was a sightseeing bus, which would save her the trouble of walking.

The aged factory buildings, the stern confidentiality rules pasted on the walls.

The old red-brick houses with black-tiled roofs—everything here bore traces of the past. The winter chill seemed to transport her back decades in an instant.

In the history exhibition hall of Two Bombs City, Ka Ka’s gaze fixed on twelve large characters written on a white wall:

[Achieve Earth-Shattering Deeds]

[Live as Nameless Heroes]

"I remember driving past so many mountains on my way here," Ka Ka murmured softly.

"Our scientists once worked in secrecy within those very mountains."

When she reached Deng Jiaxian’s former residence—a modest two-bedroom red-brick house—she saw fresh flowers, still vibrant in the winter cold, placed before the statue at the entrance.

Empty-handed, she regretted not bringing even a simple snack as an offering.

Then she noticed a young man, also traveling alone, pulling something square out of his pocket—a calculator?

He placed it in front of the statue, leaving Ka Ka bewildered.

Standing just an arm’s length apart, the young man noticed her puzzled look and explained:

"I read that back then, the Ninth Academy only had one hand-cranked computer. Most calculations were done on abacuses. This scientific calculator? I made sure to buy a domestic brand—didn’t go for the Sakura card calculators!"

He set the calculator down and clasped his hands as if making a wish.

Ka Ka suddenly felt her nose tighten. She’d seen online posts about people leaving wine at Li Bai’s grave or snacks at the tomb of the Champion Marquis.

But ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‍here, this young man was offering a scientific calculator—made in Xia Country sixty years later—to the academicians.

"Are you still in university?" Ka Ka asked. His Mandarin was quite good.

"Yeah, I’m from Zitong County. My school used to organize study trips here. The guide always mentioned how they only had one computer," Brother Chen said, scratching his head.

"Couldn’t afford to gift a computer or phone, but this calculator was doable."

"Tourists like you, coming from out of town, are pretty rare. It’s New Year’s Eve—where are you staying? There’ll be fireworks at Tieniu Square by the Fujiang River. Rumor has it some mysterious tycoon sponsored it this year."

"If you’re here to pray for grad school or exams, Qiqu Mountain is the ancestral home of Wenchang. People say it’s really effective—the place is covered in banners from students who aced their tests."

Since they were close in age and Brother Chen spoke Mandarin well, Ka Ka quickly learned more from this local.

"When I looked up Zitong County earlier, I thought it might be related to how ancient emperors referred to their empresses as 'Zitong,'" Ka Ka remarked.

Brother Chen laughed. "Our county’s name comes from the ancient texts—'east leaning against Zilin forests, west resting by Tong waters.' It’s been around since the Qin and Han dynasties, over two thousand years. You asked the right person!"

"What’s your major?" Ka Ka inquired.

"Aerospace engineering," he replied with a shy smile.

Ka Ka blinked, then gave him a thumbs-up.

With Brother Chen as her local guide—even offering to take her to Qiqu Mountain—she didn’t refuse. It wasn’t every day you got a free tour from someone who’d even shown her his ID and student card.

Xia Country University of Aeronautics and Astronautics! Damn—another top student!

They climbed Qiqu Mountain to pay respects to Wenchang, praying for academic success, then rushed back before closing time as Brother Chen gave her a detailed tour of the Two Bombs Museum and the Aerospace Science Exhibition.

[Traveler Ka Ka gained +10 knowledge from local insights.]

[Traveler Ka Ka visited historical sites—Two Bombs City +10 history buff points.]

[Traveler Ka Ka prayed at Qiqu Mountain’s Wenchang Temple—may all scholars thrive and exams be conquered!]

Ka Ka wasn’t new to warm hospitality during her travels, but today was New Year’s Eve. Brother Chen’s effort left her unsure how to repay him.

Offering money felt like tainting his kindness, so she settled on mailing local specialties later.

After dinner at her hotel, the staff confirmed Brother Chen’s tip: fireworks at Tieniu Square at 7 PM.

Private fireworks were banned in the city, and the mountains were too risky with dry vegetation. Half the town would be there.

By the time Ka Ka arrived, the square was packed. Following Brother Chen’s pin, she squeezed through the crowd to find him with a group of friends.

"Ka Ka, over here!" Brother Chen waved energetically.

"My buddies got here early to save spots."

Ka Ka flushed, realizing how much she’d benefited from their generosity.

Listening to the group chat, she caught snippets: "This fireworks show? Sponsored by that wealthy blogger CC on Weibo. Heard she’s funding sixteen small towns nationwide tonight."

"Yeah, remember when CC did that free two-hour entry at Ningcheng Amusement Park for a whole week?"

CC? Ka Ka tilted her head—not a name she recognized.

Brother Chen introduced his childhood friends: Zi Qing, Long Long, and Da Ao.

"All in uni, I’m guessing?" Ka Ka asked.

"Yep, same age. Zi Qing’s in nuclear engineering, Long Long’s in chemistry, Da Ao does new energy materials," Brother Chen said, clearly the extrovert of the group.

Ka Ka’s jaw dropped. "Your majors sound like textbook terms to me. You’re all STEM elites!"

Brother Chen grinned. "They say out of 280,000 people here, 260,000 are STEM folks. Pretty standard."

Ka Ka nodded. In a place teeming with military research institutes, it made sense.

At 7 PM sharp, the fireworks began. Rockets soared over the Fujiang River, bursting into dazzling blooms against the night sky. The riverbanks glittered with lights, and the crowd roared with each explosion.

This was Ka Ka’s first New Year’s Eve away from home—and her first celebrating with so many strangers-turned-friends.

The night was cold, but the press of bodies around her made Ka Ka feel flushed with warmth.

Strangers who had never met exchanged cheerful New Year’s Eve greetings, some in dialects Ka Ka couldn’t understand at all. Those standing close had to lean in and shout into each other’s ears just to be heard.

Though Ka Ka usually remained vigilant during her travels, even she found herself relaxing completely in this moment.

Fireworks lit up the night sky in wave after wave, and she turned to Brother Chen with a playful remark, "You were so enthusiastic today—inviting me to your home for New Year’s Eve dinner. I almost thought I’d run into a shady character."

Brother Chen paused, then burst into laughter. "Ka Ka, I recognized you. Your voice is pretty distinctive."

"Travel Ka Ka—I’m not a bad guy," he added.

Ka Ka froze as he continued, "I’ve watched every one of your videos. I’m a huge fan."

"Welcome to my hometown—a city that’s kept a low profile for a long time."

"I know you have a lot of followers, Ka Ka, so I hope they’ll see this place. This is the country’s only 'City of Science,' home to countless experts and pioneers who’ve spent their lives in obscurity, buried deep in these mountains."

"Some of us will walk the same path as those who came before us. We might remain unknown forever, but I want people to know and remember this place. Not for my sake, but for those who’ve dedicated themselves silently to this land."

The young man’s eyes gleamed, reflecting the dazzling fireworks above.

As Ka Ka watched the colorful explosions in the sky, she suddenly recalled Brother Chen’s explanations during their museum visit earlier.

Back then, the Chairman had invited Academician Deng to return to the country, saying, "We need a big firecracker."

And now, here they stood—on the very land where their predecessors had once secretly tested that "big firecracker"—setting off firecrackers and fireworks of their own.

Ka Ka’s gaze softened. Tonight, perhaps researchers working in unseen corners of the world were also gazing up at the fireworks blooming over the city.

Let the pioneers who once buried their names here fifty or sixty years ago watch this splendid display with them.

Back then, their "big firecracker" was forged for the nation’s voice on the global stage.

Now, the vibrant fireworks bursting over the square were a celebration of peace and prosperity, of people living in contentment.

A line of text flickered before Ka Ka’s eyes:

"Congratulations, player! You’ve unlocked the achievement [City of the Nameless]. Keep it up! Would you like to equip the achievement badge?"

[Achievement: City of the Nameless]

[Every piece of land carries its own history, along with untold stories. You’ve stepped into an unheard-of town, encountered a history both foreign and familiar, and met passionate young souls. Here, people accomplish earth-shaking deeds—yet remain nameless. The relay continues through generations. The hardships of the past need not be glorified, but they must not be forgotten. Remember them—those who buried their names for their country and its people.]