Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 94

Approximately 40 minutes ago.

The players had just returned from the tattoo shop to the Seiya Hotel.

Bai Zhou went to take a shower, and Zhou Qian had just finished blow-drying his hair when he heard a knock on the door.

The visitor was Hidden Blade.

Seeing Zhou Qian, he got straight to the point. “Where’s Bai Zhou?”

“He’s showering.” Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes at him. “Are you looking for him?”

What surprised Zhou Qian was Hidden Blade’s response. “Not exactly. It would be better if all three of us discussed this matter together. However, I feel a mission is about to come. In this game, I have an intuition-related talent, and it’s usually right.”

“So… time is of the essence. Since he’s showering, let me talk to you first.”

[System Notification: Based on real-time monitoring and predictions, the content that the Rank God player is about to discuss involves core game secrets. High/low-level gamblers are not authorized to know. The following dialogue has been muted.]

Seeing Hidden Blade’s expression and the system’s notification, Zhou Qian quickly realized what was happening.

He asked Hidden Blade, “When you spoke with Zhou Ge alone in the exhibition hall’s rest area, was it about this?”

“Yes,” Hidden Blade replied. “We decided it’s time to tell you. Long story short—”

“Bai Zhou’s mental energy is nearing its limit, and he’s about to go berserk. ‘Transformation into a Dragon’ is one of his active skills, with a cooldown. However, when he goes berserk, he might involuntarily transform into… something odd, perhaps a monster in your eyes.”

“In any case, when he starts losing his senses, you need to help him revert back before he completely turns into a monster, or the consequences are unimaginable.”

Zhou Qian asked, “What signs will he show before he goes completely berserk?”

Hidden Blade answered, “The most obvious sign is his eyes. When he’s completely turned, his eyes will be blue. But during the transformation process, his eyes will turn red.”

“When the red is at its deepest and purest, his eyes will turn blue. But that’s the most dangerous moment, as it means he has completely transformed and lost his senses. Also—”

Hidden Blade then inquired, “Has he given you something?”

Zhou Qian nodded. “Yes. A scale.”

Zhou Qian took out the scale, and Hidden Blade gave him detailed instructions on its use. He also asked Hidden Blade many details about Bai Zhou’s transformation into a monster.

Recently, Zhou Qian suspected that the “He Xiaowei” next to him was an imposter. With Bai Zhou showing signs of transformation, he thought he could use this to lure the imposter and identify him. Zhou Qian pretended to be unaware of Bai Zhou’s impending transformation, mistaking him for a “ghost” in the game, thus leading “He Xiaowei” into his trap.

That was the plan.

But before Zhou Qian could think it through, Bai Zhou began transforming. The timing was very different from what Hidden Blade had described, much earlier than Zhou Qian had anticipated.

At this moment, Zhou Qian was in a wrecked room, with only one partially functioning light outside that blinked eerily.

Even weirder, he felt his legs being entwined by something slippery and cold, presumably Bai Zhou’s transformed tail, which was growing and tightening around him, restricting his movement.

Zhou Qian couldn’t see clearly what Bai Zhou had turned into.

Despite the chaotic situation, Zhou Qian remained calm. He recalled the events and then, looking into Bai Zhou’s red eyes, spoke.

“I get it. I said, ‘We need to separate’.”

“Did those words hurt you?

“Zhou Ge, in your delirious state, did you think… I wanted to leave you, and that’s why you wanted to bind me?”

The words “separate” and “leave” seemed to agitate Bai Zhou again. He leaned in, biting Zhou Qian’s ear with his now-sharpened teeth. Zhou Qian knew he was bleeding. He winced in pain, and Bai Zhou loosened his bite but didn’t let go.

Zhou Qian couldn’t see Bai Zhou’s face anymore. He tried to push him away but failed.

“Although I want to wait and see what you will ultimately become, are you feeling very uncomfortable?” Zhou Qian raised his right hand around Bai Zhou’s back, and what he touched with the tip of his fingers was a cold and smooth scale. Gently patting Bai Zhou’s back, covered with scales, Zhou Qian’s expression remained unchanged, and he whispered in his ear, “Zhou Ge, let me comfort you now.”

Lowering his eyelids, Zhou Qian could see Bai Zhou’s shoulders. He forcefully tore off the blood-stained clothes, exposing Bai Zhou’s shoulder area.

Through the flickering light coming in from outside the room, Zhou Qian could see the fresh, bleeding wounds on his shoulder and the scales growing from the wounds.

Taking the scale that Bai Zhou had given him earlier and placing it on his own forehead, Zhou Qian then pressed his forehead against Bai Zhou’s cold and bare shoulder.

Thus, a single scale became the medium connecting the spiritual worlds of two people. When Zhou Qian opened his eyes again, he found himself in a dark world.

This was Bai Zhou’s spiritual realm. But where Bai Zhou was hiding remained unknown.

Taking a few steps, Zhou Qian stepped on something. He didn’t know what it was and wanted to see clearly but couldn’t for the moment. In this spiritual world, he couldn’t access his belongings and couldn’t get a flashlight or similar tool.

Left with no choice, Zhou Qian cautiously continued forward. Wandering in a blood-red world, he could barely see anything and almost tripped unexpectedly.

After a slight stumble, he heard a “ding” sound in front of him. Zhou Qian crouched down, felt around, and found a flashlight.

Turning on the flashlight, Zhou Qian saw numerous blood-colored skulls. It was as if he was in a world made of fresh blood and bones.

Taking a shallow breath, Zhou Qian looked down at the flashlight in his hand, the corner of his lips curling up in a smile.

Then he spoke loudly, in a coaxing tone. “Zhou Ge, you gave me this scale as a key. Now I’ve used this key to enter your world. Why are you hiding from me?”

“Can you feel me entering your world, right?”

“Zhou Ge is the best, even thinking of giving me a flashlight at this time. So—”

“Won’t you stop hiding?”

“Zhou Ge, it’s Zhou Qian. I’m here to find you. Can you come out and see me?”

While exploring Bai Zhou’s spiritual world, Zhou Qian kept talking, trying to get him to appear. After an indeterminate amount of time, he heard some sounds. Following the sound, Zhou Qian saw a light.

It was their classroom in the third grade.

Silencing himself, Zhou Qian walked over with light steps and looked through the window. Third-grade Bai Zhou was inside, and so was Zhou Qian. The classroom was filled with cakes adorned with candles. Watching the scene for a moment, Zhou Qian smiled, recalling that past memory.

The story started from the midterm exams three years ago. After the exams, the class teacher organized a parent-teacher meeting. The meeting was held in a small auditorium and attended by both parents and students.

Zhou Qian’s parent-teacher meeting was attended by his father’s assistant. During the meeting, he noticed that class leader Bai Zhou was sitting alone.

It wasn’t until 20 minutes before the end of the meeting that Bai Zhou’s mother hurriedly arrived. She was dressed like a high-ranking white-collar worker and seemed extremely busy, which likely explained her tardiness.

After the meeting ended, the assistant took Zhou Qian to the school gate, asking him to wait while he fetched the car. Zhou Qian nodded and waited on the small path lined with sycamore trees at the school entrance.

At that moment, he saw Bai Zhou and his mother walking out of the school gate. For some unknown reason, instead of waiting for his father’s assistant, Zhou Qian decided to follow Bai Zhou.

Because of the parent-teacher meeting, the school gate was jam-packed with cars and was very noisy. Zhou Qian followed Bai Zhou and his mother for quite some time before reaching a somewhat less crowded area.

Bai Zhou’s mother’s car was parked by the roadside. She rushed towards it in her high heels while pulling Bai Zhou along. Her face turned sour when she saw a parking ticket on the window. She sternly walked to the trunk, opened it, and hurriedly took something out, shoving it towards Bai Zhou. She was in such a rush that by the time Bai Zhou reached out to take it, she had already let go.

It was a birthday cake.

Due to Bai Zhou’s mother’s haste, it ended up smashed on the ground.

Bai Zhou’s mother paused briefly, then quickly took out a wad of cash and handed it to Bai Zhou. “Take a cab home. I have to rush back for a meeting at work. I’ve already been out too long—”

As she was about to leave, Bai Zhou grabbed her hand. “Didn’t you say if I ranked first in the class, you’d celebrate my birthday with me this year? I’ve never celebrated a birthday before.”

“Who told you that you have to have cake for your birthday? Isn’t that just a formality? I often buy you treats, don’t I? How about this? When I have time, I’ll buy you another cake, okay?” Seeing no smile on Bai Zhou’s face, as if sulking, she got somewhat upset. “Bai Zhou, understand the situation. It’s tough for me. I didn’t become a partner in the firm because I was pregnant with you. All these years, I’ve been overshadowed by others! This case is crucial. I can’t lose again. Be a good boy, go home, have dinner, and do your homework. If it’s that big of a deal—”

“I’ll ask your father to celebrate with you!”

Hmm. So, today was Bai Zhou’s birthday. That was what Zhou Qian thought at the time.

The next day was a weekend. His father wasn’t home, and his mother was listlessly watching TV on the couch. Feeling bored, Zhou Qian thought of Bai Zhou. He suddenly recalled how lonely and pitiful Bai Zhou looked, staring down at his smashed birthday cake on the ground after his mother drove off.

Back then, Zhou Qian hadn’t yet encountered the Zhang Yanjun’s incident and was still mentally balanced. In his heart, he was still a generous rich kid, eager to help less fortunate classmates.

So Zhou Qian arranged to meet Bai Zhou in the classroom, using the excuse that he had a question he didn’t understand and wanted to ask Bai Zhou.

When Bai Zhou arrived at the classroom at the agreed-upon time, he saw, to his astonishment, nine cakes in the room, each with lit candles.

Bai Zhou was stunned.

Before he could react, Zhou Qian was already in front of him, holding a gift box and saying with an expectant smile, “Open it quickly!”

Without waiting for Bai Zhou to take the gift, Zhou Qian took his hand and thrust the gift box into it, saying, “Happy 9^th birthday! Has no one ever celebrated your birthday before? So I got you nine cakes to make up for all those missed years at once!

“Do you think I’m a pretty good person?”

While listening to Zhou Qian, Bai Zhou began unwrapping the gift.

Inside was a trendy electronic watch of that year. The time displayed was precisely 13:07.

Hearing some noise, Bai Zhou shifted his gaze from the watch to see Zhou Qian standing in front of him, holding a cake. Zhou Qian blew out the candle with one breath and then looked up and smiled at Bai Zhou.

Sunlight filtered through the sycamore tree leaves, casting a dreamy light into the classroom.

Beneath this filter, Zhou Qian’s smile was the brightest Bai Zhou had ever seen.

Afterward, Zhou Qian rarely smiled like that, especially after the incident with Zhang Yanjun.

From then on, Bai Zhou often reminisced about that afternoon.

If he could pause time, he would have wanted to press the pause button at 13:07, letting that moment linger a little longer, just a bit more.

At that moment, looking through the glass, Zhou Qian saw two children blowing out candles and starting to eat cake.

The empty weekend classroom was used as their birthday party venue. The two kids even sat directly on the podium, each holding a plate of cake. Unexpectedly, Young Zhou Qian smeared some frosting onto Young Bai Zhou’s nose and forehead.

Bai Zhou let him be, not minding his antics.

Back then, Zhou Qian didn’t think much of it. But now, looking back, he found his younger self childish and pampered.

In short, he grew increasingly irritated with his younger self.

Suddenly, Zhou Qian felt the ground shake beneath him.

Glancing to the side, the distant world seemed tumultuous, filled with countless rustling sounds, as if all the flesh, blood, and bones on the ground were crawling over.

The ground began to collapse, and the mental realm seemed about to shatter.

If he left this unchecked, the only illuminated classroom would be completely consumed by darkness.

Without hesitation, Zhou Qian broke the window with a crash and jumped into the classroom.

Hearing the noise, the two children on the podium looked up, both staring blankly.

Zhou Qian quickly walked over, unceremoniously moving his younger self aside, and took his place next to Young Bai Zhou.

Young Bai Zhou, apparently not recognizing him and thinking he was bullying young Zhou Qian, was ready to throw a punch.

Zhou Qian quickly grabbed his wrist. “Look closely. Who am I?”

Staring into his eyes, Zhou Qian asked deeply, “Can’t you tell which Zhou Qian is real and which is fake?”

After a while, Young Zhou Qian suddenly disappeared, seemingly merging with the present Zhou Qian.

The tremors grew more intense.

The dark sky was illuminated by countless lightning bolts, and as a thunderstorm approached, a loud bang was heard as the roof was pierced by lightning. The ceiling cracked open, and a large rock plummeted down, heading straight for Bai Zhou.

Zhou Qian immediately jumped off the podium, holding nine-year-old Bai Zhou protectively.

Stones brushed past Zhou Qian’s shoulder, tearing away a chunk of his flesh. In pain, he didn’t hesitate, grabbing Bai Zhou and running towards the corridor outside.

With debris falling like rain, Zhou Qian dodged while protecting Bai Zhou. The situation was dire. As they ran, Zhou Qian suddenly stopped, almost tumbling to the ground. A vast abyss had opened up in front of them, leading to an unknown destination.

When he landed, Zhou Qian kept Bai Zhou safe in his arms, ensuring he wasn’t hurt.

Zhou Qian’s face and shoulder bore the brunt of the debris. Without catching his breath, he heard something behind him. Turning around, lightning was closing in, inch by inch.

Behind him was lightning, and ahead was the abyss.

But when another bolt was about to strike, Zhou Qian, left with no choice, rolled into the abyss, holding Bai Zhou.

During their fall, Zhou Qian held Bai Zhou by the waist, raising him and locking eyes. “Zhou Ge, wake up!”

Bai Zhou’s eyes flashed blue, then red, finally settling into a deep black.

He stared intently at Zhou Qian, as if trying to etch this moment into his memory.

At that instant, although his manifested body in this mental realm was only nine years old, there seemed to be a shadow of his adult self overlapping with the young form.

Staring into those deep eyes, Zhou Qian felt as if he was being pulled into some dark world within Bai Zhou’s heart.

Then he heard Bai Zhou whisper, “Aren’t you afraid?”

“Afraid of what?” Zhou Qian retorted.

“Of crashing and shattering into pieces with me.”

Zhou Qian chuckled.

Returning Bai Zhou’s intense gaze, Zhou Qian’s tone, which usually sounded mischievous when tricking teammates, now carried a seriousness and certainty that perhaps even he wasn’t aware of.

“I’m not afraid. Zhou Ge, you wouldn’t do that.”

“I’m here to take you back. Leave with me.”

Zhou Qian laughed.

Matching Bai Zhou’s deep gaze, Zhou Qian’s tone seemed similar to how he would cajole and deceive other teammates usually, but upon closer listening, there was an added seriousness and certainty that he might not even have been aware of.

“Don’t be afraid. Zhou Ge, you won’t do that.”

“I’m here to take you back. Leave with me.”

“You have to leave with me now!”

With that said, Zhou Qian pulled Bai Zhou closer, their foreheads touching.

At this close proximity, Zhou Qian stared intently into those eyes, as if engaged in an invisible standoff. Then he emphasized in a deep tone, “You will leave with me.”

Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and another bolt of lightning struck from the sky, bringing with it a rain of shattered rocks.

Zhou Qian watched as the figure of Bai Zhou in his arms began to grow rapidly, morphing into a dragon.

The deep blue dragon tail wrapped around Zhou Qian tightly. The dragon then ascended at an incredible speed, soaring towards the lightning. Like a solitary moon hanging high in the sky—it was the true ruler of this world.

With a flick of its tail, the dragon tossed Zhou Qian onto its back.

Dark clouds gathered from all directions, heralding the birth of another storm.

Yet, the dragon continued to rise against the sky, its tail swiping away the ominous clouds.

Then, as the dark clouds dispersed, daylight broke through, bathing the world in sunlight once more.

Zhou Qian hugged the dragon, feeling it rapidly ascending. The intense speed almost made him dizzy. As the clouds cleared, the blinding light forced him to close his eyes for a moment of relief.

After a while, the brightness faded, and the sensation of flying ceased. When Zhou Qian opened his eyes, he found himself back in the dilapidated room 1107.

The scale had unknowingly returned to his palm, and now pressed against his forehead was Bai Zhou.

The horns on Bai Zhou’s head had disappeared, and the scales on his face were fading away. His eyes were still deep blue, but they were turning darker. Looking into them, Zhou Qian felt as if he were diving from shallow waters into the abyss of a dark ocean.

Their foreheads were slightly damp, either from sweat or perhaps both.

Having journeyed through the mental world of a Rank God player, Zhou Qian felt the fatigue and pain as if they were real. Taking a deep breath, he instinctively leaned backward.

Immediately, Bai Zhou’s not-yet-fully-human hands reached out, supporting the back of Zhou Qian’s head, bringing their foreheads close again.

Forehead to forehead, noses touching.

In this position, Zhou Qian heard Bai Zhou’s hoarse voice ask, “Choosing to use that scale means you’re willing to be my Shepherd. Zhou Qian, so… are you willing?”

“Otherwise, do I have a choice?” Zhou Qian replied with a weak yet teasing tone, making Bai Zhou laugh. “What if you went berserk and tore me to pieces and ate me?”

The fingers on Zhou Qian’s head moved forward gently, barely touching his face. Bai Zhou asked, “Haven’t you ever doubted that I might be fake?”

“You took the elevator alone, so theoretically, it’s possible. But you were flawless. I’d think, at most… there might be a parallel dimension. But the you from that dimension is still you.”

“As long as it’s you, you wouldn’t harm me. Maybe at the end of this instance, the dimensions will merge, and then—”

Bai Zhou interrupted Zhou Qian. “It’s not me.”

“Hmm.” After a moment, Zhou Qian nodded in agreement, emphasizing, “It’s not you.”

Then Bai Zhou went silent.

With Bai Zhou quiet, Zhou Qian said, “Hidden Blade described your berserk form as terrifying. But I think… it seems fine.”

“Really not scared?” Bai Zhou asked.

“No,” Zhou Qian replied.

After a moment of silence, Bai Zhou’s voice deepened. “Don’t you think I’ve become unrecognizable?”

Zhou Qian seemed to suddenly grasp Bai Zhou’s insecurity.

When they were much younger, Zhou Qian often told Bai Zhou, “Zhou Ge, I think you’re really handsome.”

“Yes, definitely handsome.”

“Zhou Ge, in my eyes, you’re perfect in every way.”

……

“Unrecognizable? Because you turned into a dragon and had scales on your face? Too bad—” Zhou Qian feigned nonchalance. “I didn’t get a good look.”

“Zhou Qian—”

“Next time, let me take a closer look at what you believe to be the real you.” After saying this, Zhou Qian felt Bai Zhou lean in, seemingly wanting to get closer.

They were already very close; this movement almost made their bodies touch completely.

Bai Zhou wanted to…

Zhou Qian paused, then gently closed his eyes.

A moment later, he felt Bai Zhou move past him towards the head of the bed.

It turned out, Bai Zhou had only intended to help him untie the restraints on his left hand.

Zhou Qian: “…………”

Two minutes later.

Sitting at the head of the bed, Zhou Qian watched as Bai Zhou held a flashlight in one hand and a cotton ball in the other, cleaning the wound behind his ear and asking if he had any other injuries.

“Was I too rough earlier?” Bai Zhou asked.

Zhou Qian remained silent.

Bai Zhou shined the flashlight on his face, examining it before reaching out to touch his forehead. “Your face is flushed. Do you have a fever?”

Zhou Qian: “…”

After treating Zhou Qian’s wounds, Bai Zhou massaged his wrist and took a clean set of clothes from his bag. “Your clothes are covered in blood; you don’t like that, right? Go change, and I’ll wash my face.”

As Bai Zhou headed to the bathroom, Zhou Qian called out, “Hey, Zhou Ge.”

Bai Zhou turned to look at him. “Hmm?”

Zhou Qian blinked at him. “You don’t see me as… a younger brother, best buddy, or close friend, do you?”

Bai Zhou: “?”

“Never mind. It’s nothing.” Zhou Qian asked him, “What about the injury you had before?”

Bai Zhou: “It’s all healed now. When I transformed back from the monster form, everything was healed.”

“Oh. Alright then. We’ve wasted too much time. Let’s continue with the plot. I bet there’s a surprise on the 1^st floor.”

With that said, Zhou Qian grabbed the clothes beside him and threw them at Bai Zhou.

“Zhou Qian—?” Bai Zhou didn’t dodge and was hit by the clothes.

Zhou Qian said with a hint of annoyance, “Never mind. I’ll just buy from the system store myself.”

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Kinky Thoughts:

Just a note, the cover of this novel depicts Bai Zhou in his mid-transformation.

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