Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

Chapter 136: The Black Shadow

“What did you say?” Chi Zhuolin stopped in his tracks and turned to ask.

Kuang Jinxin was startled and hurriedly replied honestly, “I smell the scent of oranges.”

Chi Zhuolin was stunned, then smiled. “Your nose is really sharp.”

Kuang Jinxin didn’t understand. “Huh?”

Wu Sheng and Xu Wang were also confused.

Chi Zhuolin lowered his eyes and said with affection and teasing, “My younger brother loves drinking orange soda. He doesn’t just drink it himself; he also shares it with his friends and ends up harming all his friends.”

The three companions: “……”

Didn’t he say his brother had no friends? Where did these good friends come from? And they must be quite fragile friends if they can’t even drink soda…

“It’s all the flowers and plants in this courtyard.” Chi Zhuolin turned his head, looking at the withered garden, holding back laughter. “He insisted on watering them with soda—even using his cherished soda that he was reluctant to drink—to water the garden, and you see the result now…”

The three listened, not sure whether to believe it or not.

How much soda would need to be stored to kill all the flowers in an entire courtyard?

But if this story is true, how sad must the young Chi Yingxue, who treated these plants as friends, have been?

“He’s just that kind of stubborn person, extremely obstinate, and no one can persuade him. When it’s too late to fix, he hides and cries by himself…”

Chi Zhuolin was still muttering, complaining about his younger brother, seeming quite adept at it.

But at this moment, his foolish sweetness finally included a bit of the down-to-earth nature typical of older brothers—spoiling and bullying his younger brother at the same time—that’s the main theme of brothers around the world.

Suddenly, dark clouds covered the last sliver of moonlight.

In an instant, the entire garden along with the veranda darkened, as if suddenly covered by a thick black cloth!

The three companions gasped for breath. Before they had time to prepare, they felt their bodies sway and lean to the side!

Staggering a few steps, Xu Wang bumped into the railing of the veranda. He immediately grabbed the railing tightly, only to find that the entire veranda was shaking!

The veranda beneath their feet was like a small boat in raging waves!

At this moment, a low, almost chilling voice came from somewhere—

“Chi—Zhuo—Lin—”

The voice was slow and authoritative, oppressively heavy, making it hard to breathe.

However, aside from calling out a name, no second sound was made.

As the last echo faded away, the moon reappeared slightly, and the outline of the veranda and garden slowly reemerged in the three’s view.

The veranda was tilted, as if the foundation had suddenly sunk. The originally level ground became uneven, causing their bodies to lean to one side.

But they were too preoccupied to care about this, as Chi Zhuolin looked apologetic, his eyes showing anxiety.

“Sorry, I can’t lead you anymore. My brother lives in the west wing. Go through the garden and into the inner courtyard, and you’ll see it.” He spoke very fast, as if in a hurry. “I have to go back to school now!”

Xu Wang: “Back to school?”

“I actually snuck back,” he said somewhat sheepishly, fixing his hair and putting his helmet back on. “My dad has found out, so I have to get back before he catches me, or I’ll get a beating again…”

Dad?

The three companions exchanged looks. Was the oppressive voice in the darkness just now the father of the Chi brothers?

“Oh right.” He suddenly paused, magically producing a pen and a piece of paper. “Please help me deliver this letter to my brother.”

He quickly wrote a few strokes. Before the three could see clearly, he finished the letter and handed it over.

Wu Sheng took it, and Xu Wang and Kuang Jinxin leaned over to look, finally realizing why he wrote so quickly.

There wasn’t a single word on the paper. It was just four sets of numbers—12077-34036-58009-80024

The moment Xu Wang saw the numbers, he almost reflexively grabbed Chi Zhuolin’s wrist. “Where’s the source copy?”

Chi Zhuolin, who was about to leave, was taken aback by this pull and question, looking surprised. “You know this is a code? My brother told you about this?!”

Xu Wang: “No, not all from Xiao Xue…”

Chi Yingxue did mention during the code-breaking that he and his brother used to play like this when they were kids, but the real reason for Xu Wang’s “seeing the code and immediately having to find the source copy” mental shadow…

Xu Wang narrowed his eyes at Wu Sheng.

Wu Sheng silently looked up at the moonlight—although it was barely visible.

“My brother memorized the source copy long ago. Just bring this letter to him, and he’ll understand.” After explaining quickly, Chi Zhuolin dared not delay any longer, leaped over the railing, and disappeared into the depths of the garden.

“Hey, wait a minute…”

Xu Wang wanted to chase, feeling a bit unwilling to let the clue break off like this. Although Chi Zhuolin said Chi Yingxue was in the west wing, in such a large house and long veranda, who knows where they might end up.

But before he could move, that feeling of being watched appeared again, right behind him, like a thin needle, pricking occasionally, not painful, but impossible to ignore.

He turned around again, only to find Wu Sheng also looking back.

Kuang Jinxin was clueless, also blankly turning back. Behind them, the long veranda they had just walked through was shrouded in mist, obscuring the way they came.

In this mix of night and fog, the three’s gaze slowly settled on a pillar.

The pillar was about ten meters away from them. It was bright red, and despite being shrouded in night and fog, it was intensely striking. And behind that pillar, a thin, small shadow was vaguely visible.

It seemed like a child hiding behind the pillar. Because the veranda had tilted, the faint moonlight finally outlined his slender side profile, but his whole body was still hidden by the pillar, like a ghost lurking in the shadows.

The scent of oranges came again, this time even Xu Wang and Wu Sheng smelled it.

It was cooler and sweeter than the ordinary scent of oranges.

Chi Zhuolin said that Chi Yingxue liked to drink orange soda.

If the scent they were smelling now wasn’t the remnant of the soil watered with soda but meant something else…

In an instant, the three companions’ hearts lifted, hoping the person behind the pillar was who they were looking for, yet afraid to approach recklessly and scare him away.

“Chi Yingxue?” Xu Wang called out gently, with unprecedented tenderness.

The shadow behind the pillar didn’t move.

Xu Wang tried to take a small step forward, very lightly.

The shadow suddenly shrank back.

“We won’t move anymore.” Kuang Jinxin held Xu Wang back, promising calmly and gently, coaxing, “Xiao Xue, we won’t move. We won’t hurt you…”

The shadow slightly shook, seemingly hesitant.

The veranda suddenly became very quiet. The three companions unconsciously held their breath, silently and attentively watching.

The shadow cautiously moved a small step to the side, revealing a shoulder and an arm. The light was too dim to see what clothes he was wearing, but it was clear that it was a child’s figure that looked very thin.

The three remained still, as if frozen in place.

The black shadow seemed to gain a bit of trust and tentatively moved another small step to the side, about to reveal half of his body, when suddenly, a very faint sound came from the withered bushes outside the railing, like someone lurking in the dark accidentally breaking a dry branch.

The three instinctively turned their heads, then widened their eyes.

There was another person in the bushes! Not a child, but an adult dressed in black, wearing a black mask, almost blending into the night!

This startled the shadow behind the pillar, who suddenly turned and ran away!

The person in the bushes, realizing they had been exposed, also fled into the depths of the garden!

“Split up!” Wu Sheng immediately said. Either could be a clue to the puzzle, so they couldn’t afford to miss it!

“I’ll chase the child.” Kuang Jinxin volunteered.

“Okay!” There was no time for hesitation; Wu Sheng made a quick decision.

In an instant, the three companions dispersed, with Wu Sheng and Xu Wang leaping over the railing into the garden, while Kuang Jinxin chased the shadow along the veranda!

……

In the depths of the garden.

Xu Wang and Wu Sheng were lost. They chased the black-clothed person, plunging into the garden of wild grass and dead branches, and then, they lost direction.

It was as if the moment the garden enveloped them, it started to grow wildly, boundlessly, blocking out the sun and sky.

They pushed aside one dry branch after another, passed through cluster after cluster of withered flowers, but never saw the end. The road seemed never-ending.

Snap.

Another flower stem broke under Xu Wang’s foot. He knew they were already dead, regardless of whether he stepped on them. But at the moment of the breaking sound, an incredible scene appeared before his eyes—the sea of withered yellow gained color, flowers became red, grass turned green, trees were as colorful and splendid as rainbows, like a fantasy forest from a fairy tale.

He blinked hard in disbelief.

The illusion disappeared.

The withered garden remained, with only lifeless yellow prevailing.

Snap.

The same sound of crushing plants came from the left side of Xu Wang.

But Wu Sheng was on the right.

Almost simultaneously, both turned their heads to the left, alert and swift!

There was a figure hidden behind a withered tree not far away.

They rushed over in a flash. With his [Light as a Feather] Wu Sheng reached the tree in an instant!

The person behind the tree didn’t even have a chance to move.

Without a word, Wu Sheng grabbed the person’s arm!

The expected resistance didn’t come. The person just stood there, motionless, allowing Wu Sheng to hold them.

Xu Wang, following up, first saw Wu Sheng’s astonished face, then the person he was holding…

It wasn’t the masked man in black.

Standing behind the tree… was Chi Zhuolin.

Xu Wang was so surprised that he opened his mouth wide, momentarily at a loss for words.

It was Wu Sheng who spoke first. “Are you following us?”

Chi Zhuolin didn’t respond.

There was no response, not in words, nor in gaze or expression.

Xu Wang and Wu Sheng finally sensed something was off.

Chi Zhuolin stood rigid, his gaze fixed on the void, as if under a paralysis spell.

Wu Sheng let go of his hand.

Chi Zhuolin’s arm dropped limply.

He was still wearing his equestrian clothes from before. His skin was soft, and his body was warm. Even when Xu Wang brought his hand close to Chi Zhuolin’s nose, he could feel his breath.

But he had no reaction to the outside world.

Xu Wang felt a chill seeping into every pore.

Suddenly, a cold light shone from Chi Zhuolin’s collar.

Xu Wang and Wu Sheng’s eyes had become accustomed to the dark, so when they suddenly saw light, they were very sensitive.

Wu Sheng gave Xu Wang a look that meant “adapt as needed”, and then slowly raised his hand to cautiously unbutton Chi Zhuolin’s shirt.

One button.

Two buttons.

Three buttons…

Until the top buttons of the outer garment and shirt were undone, revealing the boy’s not-so-broad chest.

Xu Wang widened his eyes and covered his mouth to stifle a scream.

On Young Chi Zhuolin’s chest, there was a cold light screen embedded in his flesh as if it were a part of his body.

And now, the screen was flashing with red warning letters—low battery.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

Chapter 135: Veranda

Qian Ai woke up to a faint smell of oranges.

As soon as he woke up, the scent disappeared, leaving only the murky night breeze tickling his nose.

He sat up and sneezed. When he managed to see his surroundings clearly, he was stunned.

He was still in the front courtyard, facing the closed, floral-pendant gate within arm’s reach. Obviously, from the time he fainted to when he woke up, nobody had moved him.

But the courtyard behind him was clean and orderly.

Lao Zhang, Lao Peng, and the mess from their fight were all gone. The entire outer courtyard looked as if nothing had ever happened. The chessboard was still placed at the entrance, but no one was playing.

He looked down at his leg. The pant leg was still rolled up to his knee, but the bizarre young frog was nowhere to be seen, and there were no signs of injury on his calf.

He couldn’t say whether the situation was good or bad, but Qian Ai felt a chill running through his heart.

His gaze returned to the floral-pendant gate. Qian Ai tried knocking on the door panel and called out the names of his teammates in a loud enough voice to be heard on the other side. “Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, Xiao Kuang…”

His voice dispersed in the night wind, and there was no response from the other side of the door.

Qian Ai’s hand, which was knocking on the door panel, slid down in defeat, and he sat there dazedly for a couple of minutes. The last firm promise he made before fainting slowly came back to him—

“Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to rejoin you.”

These words, like a transport plane, injected new strength into Qian Ai’s bewildered mind.

He rarely had such a manly moment. He didn’t remember why he was so sure at that moment, but since he had said it, he was determined to do it!

Qian Ai suddenly stood up and quickly surveyed the entire front courtyard.

The situation in the living room was the same as in the courtyard. Except for the missing fish tank in the corner and the four cups of tea still on the table, everything else was as it was. The sofa wasn’t moved, the floor wasn’t broken, and there was no water or young frogs on the ground.

He couldn’t explain the bizarre situation, but at least those who might attack him were really gone.

After confirming there was no risk of being ambushed, Qian Ai returned to the floral-pendant gate and focused on breaking through it!

He tried everything he could think of: body slamming, using stationery, climbing the wall. The door remained unmoved, and the wall was blocked by an invisible barrier that couldn’t be penetrated.

Qian Ai was sweating profusely and gasping for breath, but he never thought of giving up.

The owl said there was only one chance.

He didn’t believe in bad luck.

Even hundred-dollar bills could be thrown as hidden weapons; he was no longer the old Qian Ai!

Wait, hold on.

Taking advantage of a pause to catch his breath, Qian Ai suddenly swung his arm towards the ground nearby. “Ha!”

The [Money Dart] flew out, its sharp corner embedding itself in the crevice between the courtyard tiles, then fell limply to the ground.

Qian Ai’s face lit up, and he ran over, pulling the bill from the crevice and happily stuffing it into his pocket.

As soon as he did, the bill turned into a wisp of smoke.

Qian Ai: “……”

Well, he was just conducting an experiment. It really didn’t work.

After failing to “strike it rich overnight”, Qian Ai continued to ponder the “path to rejoining”.

Suddenly, the image of the [Money Dart] embedding into the tile crevice flashed through his mind.

If breaking through the door and climbing the wall didn’t work, meaning he couldn’t go through the ground or the air, then why not try… underground?

Yes, underground!

Qian Ai immediately set out, searching the entire courtyard and house for tools that could dig three feet into the ground. The [Money Dart] was useless as soon as it hit the ground, so he needed real, hardcore digging tools!

Surprisingly, after searching for a long time, he couldn’t find a shovel or spade in the large front courtyard—not even a frying spatula. Finally, he found a broom and a plastic dustpan.

Qian Ai looked at the dustpan, which resembled a shovel, and decided to give it a try. He shoveled at the bottom of the floral-pendant gate with the dustpan.

With one scoop, the tile didn’t budge, and the plastic dustpan almost broke.

“You embroidered pillow*!”

*(绣花枕头) Idiom referring to a person who only has the appearance but no knowledge or talent.

After scolding the innocent tool in his heart, Qian Ai stood up, bathed in the sparse light, and looked down at the dustpan, lost in thought.

Two minutes later.

The dustpan received a notification—if it could hear.

[Owl: Someone used [(Illusory) Iron Will] on you~~]

Qian Ai squatted down again, picked up the transformed dustpan, and started prying and shoveling at the tiles under the door. Crack, a tile lifted, revealing the dark black soil underneath!

Qian Ai was overjoyed and didn’t hesitate to start digging vigorously with the dustpan.

……

In the inner house, in a garden veranda filled with withered flowers, a young man appeared.

At that moment, Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, and Kuang Jinxin, leaning on the door and catching their breath, were undecided about whether to continue forward or find a way to bring Qian Ai, separated by a door, back to them. They didn’t even know if Qian Ai was still in the front courtyard.

In their confused minds, the young man appeared, walking along the veranda towards the deeper part of the house, allowing them only to catch a glimpse of his elusive back.

The three companions noticed him at the same time. As if guided by an inexplicable intuition, they all looked in that direction.

Wu Sheng was the first to stand up, followed by Xu Wang and Kuang Jinxin. They quickly pushed through the withered plants, jumped over the railing into the veranda, and chased after him.

Wu Sheng, with the fastest speed, called out first. “Please wait—”

They were prepared for the figure to run away, but to their surprise, he stopped when he heard them and turned around naturally, looking at them with curiosity.

The three companions were stunned.

He was a fifteen- or sixteen-year-old boy, tall and handsome, dressed in a dashing equestrian outfit, as if he had just returned from an exclusive riding club. His eyes still carried the spirit of horse riding. Although he wasn’t fully grown and looked slightly thin, his eyes already showed a hint of determination, leaving no doubt that he would achieve great things in the future.

“Do you need something?” The boy took off his riding helmet and stared at them with his bright eyes.

Although he looked much younger, about a decade or so, and his voice was less magnetic and clearer, his facial features were immediately recognized by his companions…

“Chi Zhuolin?” When Xu Wang called out the name, he himself felt it was absurd, but the person was right in front of them, impossible to deny. Unless Chi Zhuolin had a twin brother who was over a decade younger or had a cloned private child when he was a teenager.

The young man smiled curiously. “Do you know me?”

“We do…” Xu Wang began, then shook his head in confusion. “But not this version of you…”

The young Chi Zhuolin’s eyes were filled with confusion, clearly not understanding at all.

“We know Chi Yingxue,” Kuang Jinxin said. “We came here to find him.”

“You know my brother?” Young Chi Zhuolin first showed surprise, then genuine joy spread across his face. “My brother mentioned me to you?!”

Kuang Jinxin was startled by this reaction.

Xu Wang was also surprised. This person didn’t question their identity but was overjoyed simply because “his brother mentioned him”?

“Yeah, he did.” Kuang Jinxin had to go along with it.

Young Chi Zhuolin immediately asked, “What did he say? What exactly did he mention?”

Kuang Jinxin was at a loss for words and glanced at his captain for help.

Xu Wang quickly intervened. “He just said he has a brother named Chi Zhuolin, who is, um… very outstanding!”

Chi Zhuolin chuckled. “You don’t have to cover for him; he definitely didn’t say anything good about me.”

“……” Xu Wang felt a bit sympathetic towards this brother, realizing that even Chi Zhuolin knew his brother didn’t think highly of him.

But… Why, in Chi Yingxue’s world, is his brother only a teenager?

How old is Chi Yingxue then?

To match the current Chi Zhuolin, Chi Yingxue must be no more than ten years old, but the photo they showed Mrs. Chen was of an adult Chi Yingxue, and she didn’t express any doubts…

A flurry of question marks swirled in the companions’ heads as Chi Zhuolin spoke again. “You just said you’re here to find my brother?”

“Yes.” Xu Wang immediately nodded.

Chi Zhuolin tucked his helmet under his arm, smiling innocently and unguardedly. “I’m also going to find him. I’ll lead the way for you.”

Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, and Kuang Jinxin exchanged glances, all feeling uncertain, suspecting that things wouldn’t be so straightforward.

Moreover, the Chi Zhuolin they knew, a mature man who handled matters appropriately, had suddenly turned into a sweet, innocent boy, which was quite unsettling.

He and this wilted garden seemed to share a blurry, eerie quality.

Before the companions could respond, Chi Zhuolin had already walked ahead.

The three hesitated—to follow or not? If they didn’t, this might be their only chance to find Chi Yingxue. But Qian Ai was still outside the door!

As Chi Zhuolin moved further away, the three made a decision and followed him. Their mission was to find Chi Yingxue, not necessarily all together. As long as each team member was within the level, even if only one of them found Chi Yingxue, the whole team would succeed.

Lao Qian, hang in there!

Thinking their teammate was still fighting outside, the three mentally cheered for Classmate Qian and quickly followed Chi Zhuolin’s steps.

“No friends have ever come to look for him before. Hmph, he secretly made friends and didn’t tell me…”

It was apparent that Chi Zhuolin was in a good mood, walking ahead of the three, heading deeper into the veranda. His steps were light as he constantly talked about his brother in a tone that, despite sounding like teasing, was full of affection.

“But it’s good that he made friends.” He suddenly turned back and smiled gratefully at the three. “I usually live at school and rarely come home. When I do, I have to study this and that, attend social engagements, and participate in various activities. I hardly have any time to play with him…”

In just a few sentences, a life shaped from a young age to be a successor was outlined.

Xu Wang knew that in such families, children are often sent to private elite schools, and full boarding is common. But if the older brother was raised this way, shouldn’t the younger brother be as well? Even if not groomed as a successor, it couldn’t be that one gets an elite education while the other is left to play.

Yet, from Chi Zhuolin’s tone, “playing” seemed to be his younger brother’s main occupation…

“He’s been sickly and hasn’t gone to school. We always have tutors come home to teach him.” Chi Zhuolin looked at Xu Wang, smiling.

Xu Wang was startled. Could Chi Zhuolin hear his thoughts?

Wu Sheng and Kuang Jinxin, unaware of the context, found Chi Zhuolin’s sudden statement quite abrupt.

But if they disregarded the strange context and focused on the statement itself, Chi Yingxue was sickly and hadn’t been to school? So how old is he here…

“Ten years old,” Chi Zhuolin said naturally.

Wu Sheng: “……”

Kuang Jinxin: “……”

Now they understood the shock in Xu Wang’s eyes just now—Chi Zhuolin could hear their thoughts.

And just then, Chi Zhuolin revealed a second piece of information—Chi Yingxue was only ten years old.

How messy.

If Chi Zhuolin could indeed hear their thoughts, he should know that they were on a mission, so why was there no reaction? And if Chi Yingxue was really just ten years old, then how could Mrs. Chen recognize him from the photo…

Wu Sheng rubbed his temples, exhaling deeply with difficulty.

This world was without order. Any attempt to make sense of it was shattered in the next moment without warning.

The veranda seemed endlessly long, as if one could never reach its end. At some point, fog appeared, making the already dim manor even more blurred.

Walking along, Xu Wang suddenly turned back, startling Kuang Jinxin behind him. “What’s wrong?”

“Oh, nothing,” Xu Wang said, looking around and shaking his head before turning back.

He wasn’t sure if it was just his imagination, but he felt like someone was watching them from some unseen place behind them.

A gust of cool air passed through the veranda, and Kuang Jinxin suddenly smelled a faint sweet scent, murmuring subconsciously, “Oranges?”

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

Chapter 134: The Floral-Pendant Gate

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became tense. Seeing the situation, Mrs. Chen, almost in tears, hurriedly stepped in front of the four companions and spoke softly to the gardener. “Master Peng, they are all young master’s friends. Let’s talk this out…”

The gardener’s temper flared, and he swept his pruning shears towards Mrs. Chen’s shoulder. Although he didn’t really “cut”, the force was enough to push Mrs. Chen aside.

Mrs. Chen staggered a few steps, nearly falling over.

The companions tensed up, and Xu Wang immediately said, “What skill is there in bullying Mrs. Chen? Come at us!”

Mrs. Chen saw that the situation was escalating instead of calming down. Just as she was about to speak again, a heavy hand pressed down on her shoulder.

It was Driver Zhang.

He didn’t make any excessive gestures; he just patted her shoulder, silently exerting an invisible pressure. “Mrs. Chen, don’t forget, you are paid by Mr. Chi.”

His voice was deep, even emitting a hint of coldness—a stark contrast to the warm and hospitable Driver Zhang from before.

Mrs. Chen’s lips trembled slightly, but she couldn’t utter another word.

Eventually, she left silently. The look she gave as she left contained apologies and a sense of helplessness.

Driver Zhang watched Mrs. Chen leave, then turned around, leaning against the door frame, quietly watching the room, as if certain that the gardener alone could handle the four of them.

“The nagging one is finally gone.” Gardener Peng comfortably sighed, digging his ear with his free hand.

Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin, hidden behind the sofa, secretly readied their stationeries—[(Offense) Money Dart] and [(Offense) Dangerous Slingshot]!

Xu Wang and Wu Sheng were still observing. They were ready for battle, but how to fight this battle depended on the other party making the first move.

Suddenly, Driver Zhang stepped back from leaning against the door frame to standing outside the door. The next second, the pruning shears Gardener Peng was carrying on his shoulder began to grow.

The shears, already much larger than ordinary ones, swelled to the size of a person, standing as tall as Gardener Peng himself!

Gardener Peng shifted from carrying them with one hand to holding them with both, swiftly opening the blades and viciously cutting towards the four companions!

The enormous pruning shears didn’t need Gardener Peng to move forward; their length was enough to cut all four of them in one go!

The four companions split up, two to the left and two to the right, all diving to the ground as the blade swept over their heads, cutting the air with a “snap”!

Qian Ai was the first to get up, throwing his arm with flair like a master of hidden weapons from a martial arts novel!

In an instant, he threw a brand new hundred-yuan note from his palm. The thin, nearly sharp bill charged towards Gardener Peng’s face with murderous intent!

Gardener Peng was momentarily stunned but quickly raised the pruning shears to block!

Qian Ai was bewildered from the moment he threw the [Money Dart]. He thought it would be the conventional kind made from coins, not actual hundred-yuan notes! Throwing these bills was like attacking the enemy while stabbing his own heart!

The bill collided with the pruning shears, producing a crisp metallic “clang”!

The obstructed [Money Dart] gracefully landed on the ground, still looking like a thin paper note in mid-air.

After defending, Gardener Peng immediately went on the offensive, targeting Qian Ai with his gigantic shears!

Qian Ai, repeating his earlier move, dove to the ground and rolled towards the corner where the fish tank was!

Gardener Peng tried to follow but suddenly couldn’t move. Looking down, he found his shoe stuck in a puddle of glue, so strong that it couldn’t be pulled free no matter how hard he tried!

[Owl: Someone used [(Defense) Immovable*] on you~~]

*(寸步难行) Idiom referring to being unable to move even a single step. Metaphorically, it could refer to a difficult situation.

Qian Ai caught his breath and gratefully glanced at his tactician, who had come to his aid.

At the same time, Kuang Jinxin, who had been aiming with his [Dangerous Slingshot] for a while, took advantage of Gardener Peng’s distraction to let loose the stretched slingshot!

A sharp pebble whizzed through the air but missed by an inch, grazing Gardener Peng’s leg and hitting the door frame.

Kuang Jinxin was deeply annoyed. If Chi Yingxue had used this weapon, he would have hit the target every time!

“It seems I underestimated you.” Driver Zhang, who had been watching from outside, took off his coat to reveal his muscular physique. He slowly entered the room, approaching the single sofa, bent down, and lifted it with both hands. Without hesitation, he hurled it towards Wu Sheng and Xu Wang!

The two instinctively ran to the side!

The sofa crashed down heavily, breaking many floorboards!

At the same time, Gardener Peng opened the pruning shears, placed them at the sticky spot where his shoe and the glue were stuck, and forcefully cut through the glue, freeing himself!

His first move was to lunge at Qian Ai, aiming for his neck with the shears!

Qian Ai dodged quickly, and the blade instead hit the fish tank behind him, shattering it with a loud “bang”!

Broken glass, murky water, along with the tadpoles and the frog in the tank, all spilled onto the floor, creating a scene of tadpoles struggling on their hind legs around Qian Ai’s feet!

Qian Ai felt nauseous.

In the next moment, those tadpoles began to grow forelimbs! Right on the wet floor, they developed front legs, their tails shrank, and they turned into small frogs! Several of them hopped directly onto Qian Ai’s foot!

Seeing this, the other three companions fighting with the driver also felt a chill.

Qian Ai felt like he was going crazy. He shook his legs, trying to fling them off!

Wu Sheng, who had just dodged a punch from the driver, flashed the thought of using [(Offense) Bolt from the Blue] from his [Stationary Box] but decided against it.

This weapon, unlike the dart or slingshot, was difficult to control in terms of its lethality and range.

If everything happening now had some “feeling resonance” with Chi Yingxue in the darkroom, what if the weapon’s effects were too broad and the lethality went out of control, causing actual harm to Chi Yingxue?

Even with only a one in ten thousand chance, he couldn’t risk it on his own team members.

“Squeak—”

In the midst of the chaos, the sound of the door opening was still distinctly heard by everyone.

The sound came from the courtyard outside the door, which only had one entrance, the floral-pendant gate* leading to the inner house.

*It’s a type of door inside the courtyard of ancient Chinese buildings where the eaves column doesn’t touch the ground and hangs under the eaves. It’s usually painted in the form of petals, so it’s called the “hanging flower gate”.

The four companions were startled, unsure what this new development meant.

Then, they heard that mocking voice again, excited for the drama—

[Owl: The person is in the inner house. You only have one chance. The gate will close in fifteen seconds. Don’t miss it~~]

The four exchanged looks and, without words, saw the same decision in each other’s eyes—go!

They had to enter the inner house; Chi Yingxue was there, and the “east wing room” indicated by the badge manual was there too!

Wu Sheng, avoiding the incoming pruning shears, decisively activated [(Defense) Light as a Feather*]!

*Flying over grass (草上飞) It’s a phrase originally refers to skill in running where one moves so fast that it looks as if they’re flying over the grass. Later, it was exaggerated and misunderstood, and it became something like “feet not touching the ground”.

As the prompt sounded, he felt lighter, as if he was on a magnetic levitation!

But soon he frowned—this defense stationery could only be used by him alone!

With no time to waste, he quickly grabbed Xu Wang, the closest to him, and carried him on his shoulder, speeding out of the house towards the floral-pendant gate, so fast that the driver and the gardener couldn’t react!

Xu Wang felt dizzy, thinking he was being pulled back to reality, but realizing he was being carried by Wu Sheng, the next second he landed on the ground. Wu Sheng pushed him into the open gate. “Hold the door. I’ll get the others!”

Twelve seconds left.

The open floral-pendant gate was slowly closing.

Xu Wang immediately braced it with both hands, trying to resist the gate’s closing force, but it was futile. He used all his strength, yet the door kept closing at its own pace.

Wu Sheng turned back to get the others, only to see Qian Ai and Kuang Jinxin already rushing out!

He quickly picked up Kuang Jinxin and returned!

Eight seconds left.

After delivering Kuang Jinxin inside, he turned to get Qian Ai but collided with Driver Zhang!

Driver Zhang threw a punch with force!

Wu Sheng leaned back, dodging the attack!

He hadn’t noticed when the driver got behind him!

Qian Ai had already been pinned down by the gardener, who was straddling him and trying to stab downward with pruning shears. Qian Ai, however, was firmly grasping the gardener’s wrist, preventing him from succeeding!

Qian Ai’s face turned bright red from exerting all his strength, knowing well that time was running out. Yet, when he glanced out of the corner of his eye, he saw that Wu Sheng was still outside the door.

“Don’t worry about me. Get inside quickly—” Qian Ai shouted this with the last bit of his energy.

As he shouted, he lost some of his strength, and the tip of the pruning shears got even closer to his eyeball.

Five seconds left.

Wu Sheng gathered his energy, pushed off the ground like a bullet, and knocked the gardener off Qian Ai, grabbing… Well, he grabbed his teammate and ran towards the floral-pendant gate!

Qian Ai couldn’t keep up with his speed, almost losing his shoes!

Three seconds left.

Only enough space for one person to squeeze through remained in the gate!

Driver Zhang suddenly blocked the entrance!

Wu Sheng cursed inwardly. Inside, Kuang Jinxin and Xu Wang spontaneously kicked the driver’s backside!

Driver Zhang stumbled forward, and in a split second, Wu Sheng maneuvered around him with Qian Ai!

Finally, they reached the gate.

Wu Sheng entered, trying to pull Qian Ai in, but couldn’t.

Turning back, he saw only a narrow gap in the door, outside which Qian Ai was held back by Driver Zhang.

“Don’t worry. I’ll find a way to rejoin you.”

Through the gap, Qian Ai assured his teammates with determination.

In the last moment, he forcefully grabbed Wu Sheng’s hand on him, pushing it inside!

Time’s up.

The floral-pendant gate closed tightly; not even a sliver of wind passed through.

A punch flew at him from behind.

Qian Ai, without looking, threw a heavy punch back at his attacker!

Driver Zhang stumbled backward, sitting on the ground. Qian Ai was about to pounce when he felt an itch on his leg.

Looking down, he rolled up his trouser leg to find a young frog clinging to his calf, which croaked softly upon being discovered.

Qian Ai felt dizzy, then everything went black as he lost consciousness.

……

Inside the floral-pendant gate, the three companions tried everything to break it open—brute force, stationery, all to no avail. They couldn’t climb the wall to look back, as there seemed to be an invisible ceiling blocking them, just like the Moonlight Maze in 4/23.

Exhausted, they leaned against the door.

Before them lay the inner house’s garden, with flowers, grass, and trees—all lifeless.

The grass had yellowed, the flowers wilted, and the trees had dried up.

But everything remained in that moment of withering: the yellow grass lay flat, colorless flowers drooped, and dry leaves hung densely on the branches, obscuring the gloomy sky.

Xu Wang looked at everything before him with an indescribable feeling.

No household’s yard would be like this.

Just as no household would have no lights, keep tadpoles in a fish tank, or have a gardener whose pruning shears could enlarge.

This wasn’t a recreation of memories.

Like Kuang Jinxin’s dream in the dark room, this place was Chi Yingxue’s imagination, or rather, his consciousness world, blending reality with fantasy.

The hell of the mind.

They were in Chi Yingxue’s mind.

They were facing the hell constructed for them by Chi Yingxue’s memories and pain.

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

Chapter 133: Waiting

Chi Yingxue’s deepest nightmare lies in his home.

The four companions suddenly hesitated.

Here lay Xiao Xue’s greatest fear, perhaps also the secret he least wanted others to touch.

The man holding the car keys recovered first from his daze and asked further, “You’re here to see the young master?”

His prolonged tone of doubt brought Xu Wang’s attention back. He quickly conjured up a harmless smile. “We’re his friends, here to… hang out with him.”

Giving a vague answer, almost perfunctory, the man, now overly enthusiastic and happy, invited them into the house behind the chessboard table. “No friends of the young master have ever come over to play. Please come in and sit…”

“Hey.” The man with the pruning shears objected, his thin face drooping even longer. “We haven’t finished this game yet.”

Wu Sheng glanced at the chessboard and understood why the other was unhappy; the game was already one-sided, with the pruning shears brother sure to win.

“You, what’s more important, the game or the young master’s friends? Can’t you see what matters?” The driver scolded him, then turned back to the four, overflowing with enthusiasm. “I am Mr. Chi’s driver, surname Zhang. That’s Lao Peng, who messes with the plants*.”

*Double entendre. He’s using the idiom literally meaning to lust after flowers and grasses (拈花惹草) referring to chasing after women (a womanizer), but also referring to his occupation as a landscaper/gardener.

“Gardener,” the thin-faced man corrected, gritting his teeth.

The companions weren’t interested in their occupations; they were more concerned about the ‘Mr. Chi’ the driver mentioned.

Was it Chi Zhuolin or… Chi Yingxue’s father?

They had no way of determining this, as Chi Yingxue never mentioned his family. Their understanding of his social relations only included Chi Zhuolin. As for the family structure and the situation of his parents, they were completely clueless.

Driver Zhang didn’t listen to the gardener’s protest and directly opened the door, inviting the four inside.

Though it was a north-facing servant room, the inside was very tidy and spacious, furnished with a comfortable-looking sofa set and fresh fruits on the coffee table.

This was a guest room, which should look quite bright and spacious during the day.

But now, the lighting was as dark as outside—no, even darker. The faint moonlight seeping through the window reduced the brightness even further, forcing one to strain their eyes to see the floor and furniture without stumbling.

“Uh, Zhang Ge.” Qian Ai smiled politely at him, not sure if he could see clearly. “Can we turn on the lights in this room?”

“Oh.” Zhang Ge also smiled back apologetically. “I’m afraid not. There are no lights here.”

Qian Ai was stunned, doubting his ears. “No lights?”

Zhang Ge nodded, looking very natural as if it wasn’t an issue. “Yes, no lights.”

Xu Wang and Wu Sheng, who had just sat down on the sofa, exchanged glances, then Xu Wang leaned forward and asked politely, “Zhang Ge, is it just this room that has no lights, or is it everywhere…”

“The entire house has no lights.” Gardener Peng entered, sounding impatient, as if annoyed by the question.

The driver glared at him. “What’s wrong with you? When will you change your unpleasant temperament?”

Gardener Peng, instantly rebuffed upon opening his mouth, gave up on entering and turned back to the chess table outside, playing against himself!

The driver, having dealt with the gardener, sat down on the sofa opposite the four companions, putting on a hospitable smile. “Our house doesn’t have lights. At night, it should be dark.”

Xu Wang stared at him but couldn’t spot any flaws.

It wasn’t about being quirky or scaring people; he genuinely seemed to believe it, smiling like a friendly neighbor, every crow’s foot around his eyes radiating kindness.

But the more he acted like this, the chillier it felt.

In this world, which household doesn’t have lights? Even if there were such households, facing guests, one would know it’s not in line with social norms. It was unnatural to say it so casually, as if it was as ordinary as eating and drinking.

“A guest?” A woman’s voice came from the doorway.

The four companions looked up to see a middle-aged auntie who was dressed simply. She was slightly plump but appeared more approachable.

“Mrs. Chen, you’re just in time.” The driver immediately stood up, saying, “They are the young master’s friends. Please take care of them. I’ll go inform the young master.”

“Alright, you go ahead,” Mrs. Chen replied warmly, looking honest and sounding comforting.

As the driver left, Mrs. Chen got busy. “Please wait. I’ll go make some tea.”

Xu Wang wanted to say it wasn’t necessary, but before he could speak, Mrs. Chen had already disappeared.

In the large, pitch-dark room, only the four of them remained, along with Gardener Peng outside, playing chess alone.

“Captain, can he really bring Chi Yingxue here?” Kuang Jinxin asked worriedly, keeping his voice very low to avoid alarming those outside.

Xu Wang shook his head. The answer was almost predictable. “Impossible. Have you ever seen a level where you just sit, eat some fruit, and finish the task?”

Wu Sheng had already stood up and started “exploring” the room, examining everything from the furniture to the decorations, not missing any corner.

Qian Ai, more carefree, reached for some fruit from the platter. He wasn’t really daring enough to eat it. He just thought to smell it to wake up his mind. Surely it couldn’t be a trap.

But as he squeezed, the fruit deformed, leaving his hand sticky.

“Fuck!” Qian Ai exclaimed softly. “What the hell is this?”

Xu Wang and Kuang Jinxin leaned over, the latter touching some of the “fruit remnants” on his hand and smelling it. “Seems like… cake.”

“Lao Qian.” Xu Wang looked at the fruit plate. “Squeeze another one.”

Lao Qian froze. “Why?”

Xu Wang replied, “To verify if it’s a coincidence or the whole lot.”

Lao Qian: “Why me?”

Xu Wang: “The first to initiate bears all responsibility.”

Qian Ai: “……”

Resigned, Classmate Qian squeezed all the fruits on the plate. Without exception, all turned out to be cream cakes, made very realistically. If not squeezed, they looked and smelled just like real fruits.

Fortunately, there were napkins nearby. Qian Ai pulled out several, wiping his hands while muttering in confusion, “These rich people, even their food is so bizarre…”

“Come here.” Suddenly, Wu Sheng’s low voice called from a corner of the room.

The three hurried over.

Wu Sheng stood in front of an automatic fish tank, gazing intently at the murky water and the dark shadows swimming within.

“Aren’t those just a few little fish?” Qian Ai didn’t understand.

A bright light shone on the glass of the fish tank—Wu Sheng had turned on his phone’s flashlight.

“Damn…” Qian Ai let out an indescribable exclamation.

The murky water wasn’t swarming with fish, but with many tadpoles that had just grown hind legs, thrashing about in the muddy water, like headless flies.

Suddenly, something pressed against the glass of the fish tank where the bright light was shining.

The four companions jumped. Even Wu Sheng’s hand shook for a moment until the light stabilized, and they saw it was a frog.

Before they could recover from the bizarre sight of “a fish tank with frogs,” the frog suddenly opened its mouth wide, swallowing a string of tadpoles swimming by!

“What are you doing—” Apparently noticing the light from the phone, Gardener Peng, sitting at the door, called out rudely.

Wu Sheng hurriedly turned off the phone.

Xu Wang cooperated, responding, “Nothing. We just dropped something on the floor, but we found it.”

The four companions tiptoed back to the sofa, looking at each other, speechless, for a long time.

Strange.

There didn’t seem to be any major problems here, but it was just weird. At first glance, everything seemed normal, but on closer inspection, everything was peculiar.

“Captain,” Kuang Jinxin glanced at the fruit plate with the squashed “fruits” and hesitated before speaking. “Xiao Xue likes to eat cake.”

“Yeah.” Xu Wang patted his head, both to comfort his teammate and to calm himself. “I know.”

The cakes on the fruit plate confirmed at least one thing: this place was indeed related to Chi Yingxue’s world.

But why were they disguised as fruits…

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” Mrs. Chen came in with tea, politely placing a cup in front of each person. Her movements were gentle, like her whole demeanor, making people relax just by looking at her.

After serving the tea, she stood by the sofa, her posture proper, ready to attend to any requests.

Xu Wang quickly said, “Please, have a seat.”

Mrs. Chen waved her hand, smiling. “No need. I’m fine standing.”

Xu Wang, half-jokingly, half-coaxingly said, “If you stand, how can we drink in peace?”

After some persuasion, Mrs. Chen finally sat down. Like the driver, her demeanor and attitude were simple and hospitable. However, when looking at them, her eyes showed more uncertainty than the driver’s—not malicious, just… unsettled.

Xu Wang, sensitive to people’s emotions, quickly caught this and was wondering why, when Mrs. Chen spoke first. “Are you really the young master’s friends?”

“Of course.” Xu Wang smiled, trying to appear honest and harmless.

Mrs. Chen hesitated. “I probably shouldn’t say this, but the young master never had friends…” She looked at the four, her voice getting lighter, seemingly realizing her next request was a bit much. “You say you’re the young master’s friends. Do you have any proof?”

Xu Wang was stumped by her question.

How do you prove friendship? They couldn’t just drag Chi Yingxue out of the darkroom and tell this auntie to confirm their friendship.

“We have proof,” Kuang Jinxin suddenly said.

Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, and Qian Ai, all surprised, turned to him simultaneously.

Kuang Jinxin quickly took out his phone, opened a photo, and handed it to Mrs. Chen.

Phones couldn’t be used in the Owl, but viewing the photo gallery wasn’t a problem.

It was a photo that Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, and Qian Ai had never seen before. It was a selfie of Classmate Kuang at a restaurant in Jiangsu. Half of the photo was his face, and behind him, the four companions shared the remaining 50%.

At that moment, the companions were unaware they had become the background of someone else’s selfie. Wu Sheng was engrossed in solving a “survival formula”, Xu Wang was holding several pages of a “death formula” with a worried face, Qian Ai was arranging the tableware for a better live broadcast view, and Chi Yingxue, while he wasn’t looking, stole a Suzhou-style pastry, ruining the nicely arranged pastry tower by taking off its top, smugly putting it in his mouth.

At that time, they hadn’t really started level eight yet. Although aware of the dangers ahead, they still stole a moment of leisure.

In the photo, Kuang Jinxin was smiling brightly, just like the weather outside the window that day.

The middle-aged woman stared at the photo for a long time, then suddenly sobbed. She quickly wiped her eyes; her voice was filled with relief and joy. “It’s good to have friends. It’s good to have friends…”

These words, heard by the companions, somehow made their hearts sour.

Driver Zhang returned.

Mrs. Chen immediately stood up to meet him, and Kuang Jinxin quickly pocketed his phone.

As the driver entered, the four companions tensed up.

The driver’s demeanor had changed from warmth to severity. “The young master is sick and cannot receive guests. You should leave.”

Before Xu Wang and the others could respond, Mrs. Chen panicked, “Sick? How is he sick? I’ll go check on him—”

As she spoke and started to leave, the driver grabbed her arm. “What’s there to see? You’ll just cause more trouble.”

The four companions were taken aback; they had anticipated it wouldn’t be easy, but the driver’s sudden change was unsettling.

The gardener, who had been playing chess with himself at the door, stood up, ignoring the struggling driver and Mrs. Chen. He entered and gestured for them to leave. “Take care. There’s no need to see you out.”

Xu Wang narrowed his eyes, and in the corner of his eye, he saw his three companions discreetly reaching for their [Stationery Box]. He calmed down and asked the gardener in a slightly raised voice. “What if we don’t leave?”

The gardener clenched the pruning shears in his hand, snapping them twice, the blades cutting through the air sharply.

“Then don’t blame me for being impolite.”

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

Chapter 132: Siheyuan

The frenzied memories finally shattered. Xu Wang saw the face of his deceased mother. It was the only clear image in the whole process.

His mother was smiling. Time had captured her at her most beautiful moment.

Xu Wang woke up.

The darkroom had already been retracted. All he could see was the pure white ceiling.

He sat up somewhat blankly, took off his helmet, and suddenly felt his cheeks were cool. Touching them, they were wet.

Had he… cried?

“Did you have a nightmare too?” Qian Ai’s voice came from the next compartment.

Xu Wang turned his head. His teammate, like himself, had also sat up from the darkroom and was now resting his hands on the edge of it, as if he had been “waiting for a long time”.

“I didn’t have a nightmare,” Xu Wang said truthfully, not wanting to startle with his first words. His voice was hoarse.

“Come on, your eyes are so red. What’s there to be embarrassed to admit?” Qian Ai wiped his face and sighed. “I dreamed too.”

Xu Wang asked, “What did you dream about?”

Qian Ai said, “About when my dad’s business failed, and we lost everything. Creditors came to our house every day. I didn’t dare to go home after school and just wandered the streets aimlessly.”

Xu Wang knew Qian Ai feared poverty and was stingy. His reputation for “loving money” had been established since high school. But whether in the past or now, Qian Ai never mentioned these underlying issues.

“And you?” As if eager to end his own story, Qian Ai quickly asked, “What did you dream about?”

Xu Wang didn’t hide it and confessed. “My mom.”

Qian Ai was stunned, cursing himself in his heart, regretting asking the question.

Xu Wang didn’t know about his family’s situation because, when it happened, he was still in elementary school. By the time he was in high school, things had changed. But he was aware of Xu Wang’s mother’s death.

Seeing the expression on Qian Ai’s face, as if he wanted to slap himself, Xu Wang knew what he was thinking and quickly reassured his teammate. “I’m fine, really. I’m not lying to you. It wasn’t a nightmare. I just saw my mom.”

Although Xu Wang believed he was telling the truth, his red eyes and hoarse voice significantly weakened his persuasiveness.

The atmosphere became a bit awkward, but fortunately, Wu Sheng’s darkroom on the opposite wall opened.

Like Xu Wang and Qian Ai, he also sat up blankly and slowly took off his helmet, but soon his gaze became clear again.

Facing two pairs of questioning eyes, Wu Sheng frowned and said uncertainly, “I think… I had a dream.”

Xu Wang and Qian Ai nodded in agreement, affirming his statement. “We all had dreams.”

It was said to be a dream, but it felt more like memories being violently invaded and destroyed. The pain of the brain being violated was even more intense than what the dream brought.

“Is it deliberately making us dream about the most painful things?” Having learned from his recent experience, Qian Ai didn’t continue to inquire about Wu Sheng’s dream but speculated in a murmur. “Is this the content of this level?”

“Hard to say.” Wu Sheng raised his arm. There were no new prompt messages in the owl head.

Xu Wang looked towards the wall next to Wu Sheng. There were two darkrooms with Kuang Jinxin and Chi Yingxue inside, but at this moment, no one had come out.

Doubts slowly rose in his heart.

If it was, as Qian Ai said, that the darkroom made people dream of their most painful past, it could explain why Chi Yingxue hadn’t come out for a long time. His past might be too complicated and his wounds too numerous, unlike them who could easily wake up. But what about Kuang Jinxin? Xu Wang couldn’t imagine what kind of painful memories the sunny Kuang Jinxin could have that would keep him trapped.

“Buzz—”

In the low-frequency vibration, Kuang Jinxin’s compartment popped open.

He slowly sat up but didn’t take off his helmet immediately. He sat there blankly, as if his body had woken up, but his soul was still in the dream.

“Xiao Kuang?” Xu Wang called out worriedly.

No response.

Wu Sheng, in the compartment next to Kuang Jinxin, reached out, gently placed his hand on his shoulder, and just left it there.

Kuang Jinxin’s body trembled slightly, and finally, he took off his helmet.

“I dreamed of my parents.” Without anyone asking, he spoke, his voice even hoarser than Xu Wang’s. His eyelashes were wet with tears, and a tear still hung on his chin.

Xu Wang, Qian Ai, and Wu Sheng were stunned, not knowing how to continue the conversation.

“I never told you guys; my parents died when I was very young.” He lowered his head, seemingly a bit apologetic about these “secrets”. “It was a car accident, my grandparents told me…”

“But just now, I dreamed of the accident scene.” He suddenly raised his head, his eyes still holding the sadness of the past but more focused on the present confusion. “It wasn’t the real accident scene, but what I had always imagined.”

“Imagined?” Wu Sheng felt like he was onto something.

“Yes.” Kuang Jinxin nodded. “In the few years after I learned about my parents, I often couldn’t help but imagine the scene. What I dreamed of just now was those imaginations.”

Wu Sheng thought for a moment. “Could it be that these are actually your memories…” He chose his words carefully, trying not to mention the event itself. “You were just too young at the time and forgot?”

“Impossible.” Kuang Jinxin shook his head without any hesitation. “My parents had the accident out of town. By the time our relatives got there, it was two days later. And no one took me there. I stayed at home with my grandparents.”

“See, just like I said. Whether it’s true or false, it just grabs the most painful part of your heart!” Qian Ai angrily slammed his fist on the edge of the compartment, making a loud pounding sound.

[Owl: Builder, confirmed!]

Suddenly, a prompt sounded in the ears of the four companions, almost seamlessly connected to Qian Ai’s slam.

Qian Ai reflexively looked down at the edge of the compartment, wondering if he had accidentally pressed some voice button.

Wu Sheng, Xu Wang, and Kuang Jinxin, however, simultaneously looked towards the only compartment that hadn’t opened yet—Chi Yingxue.

What builder? How was it confirmed?

[Owl: In everyone’s heart, there is a darkroom…]

The voice in their ears suddenly softened, as if it wanted to coax them and tell them a sweet bedtime story.

[Owl: That’s where the most feared things of a person are hidden—their deepest fears. After being filtered through the helmet, the person with the most exciting, splendid, and fun darkroom automatically becomes the builder. Everything you encounter next will be the amusement park they built for you…]

[Owl: Dears, welcome to the hell of the mind.]

The prompt sound disappeared, and the world suddenly darkened, as if all the lights were turned off at once.

The air also quieted down—so quiet that they could hear the breathing of their teammates.

The hell of the mind.

Xu Wang rolled these words in his mind, finally picking up the lost fragment—the last image in his mind was of his mother smiling, but beneath her was a hospital bed.

Suddenly, the support beneath him disappeared, and Xu Wang, caught off guard, fell to the ground.

There were three more “thuds” by his ear, evident his companions had met the same fate.

Light gradually seeped into his field of vision.

Faint, bright, with a slight chill.

Xu Wang raised his head. It was the moon, obscured by dark clouds, leaving only a narrow edge, struggling to cast a faint light.

What space capsule, what secret compartment—all were gone. Now they were under a gloomy night sky.

Qian Ai, not as poetic as the captain, first looked around as soon as there was a bit of light. Upon looking, he was stunned. “Is this… Xiao Xue’s mind?”

A red courtyard with high walls stood quietly in front of the four companions, in the midst of this wilderness.

There were no alleys, no streets, no paths, no flowers or willows planted; the courtyard seemed to have been moved from the busiest part of Beijing right into this wilderness, like an illusion created by a ghostly woman for a scholar.

The courtyard gate was new, with red paint shining under the weak moonlight.

In front of the gate were a pair of stone drums, too dark to see the carvings, but the drums showed no signs of weathering, still with clear patterns and clean colors.

Wu Sheng was the first to approach the gate, intending to take a closer look. Accidentally looking up, he was stunned. “There’s a surveillance camera…”

The three immediately gathered around. Indeed, a highly defensive camera was installed in a corner of the eaves, facing the gate, leaving no visitor unseen.

A courtyard with a camera?

“What on earth is Xiao Xue thinking about every day…” Qian Ai was completely baffled.

Wu Sheng pursed his lips, contemplating whether to knock or break in, when the gate opened by itself.

Qian Ai decisively shut up, and the others also held their breath, making no sound.

Inside the gate, a brick-carved shadow wall came into view, depicting cranes standing on pine branches—symbolizing longevity.

In old Beijing courtyards, one first encounters a screen wall upon entering, for feng shui purposes and to block spirits, as it’s said that ghosts can’t turn corners and only travel straight.

Past the left-hand side of the gate was the real front courtyard.

Entering the front courtyard, the anachronistic feeling finally disappeared.

This was a modern, renovated siheyuan*. The front yard was clean and simply decorated, maintaining the old courtyard’s original look, but the doors, windows, and details were modern.

*A historical type of residence that was commonly found throughout China, most famously in Beijing and rural Shanxi. Throughout Chinese history, the siheyuan composition was the basic pattern used for residences, palaces, temples, monasteries, family businesses, and government offices.

Despite everything looking new and clean under the night, the entire courtyard still felt eerie.

In the front yard, there was a row of servant rooms facing north. Two middle-aged men were playing chess in front of the rooms. One was jangling his car keys, while the other was holding pruning shears, using their free hands to play chess.

The companions tiptoed into the courtyard, not daring to move forward, and stood still about six or seven meters away, quietly observing the two men.

As if feeling their gaze, both men turned their heads simultaneously.

The man with the pruning shears frowned first, asking unpleasantly, “Who are you?”

As soon as he spoke, all four companions simultaneously received a “ding”.

[Cheat Sheet]: Find Chi Yingxue.

The companions, whose hearts were scattered in all directions, finally caught a direction.

Although still confused, they at least knew what their task was.

Seeing the men getting more impatient, Xu Wang quickly said, “We’re here to find someone.”

“Find someone?” The other also stood up, the car keys on his finger still spinning. “Who?”

Not knowing what the situation was or how to proceed, Xu Wang decided to get straight to the point. Maybe he could blast out some clues. “Chi Yingxue. We’re looking for Chi Yingxue.”

The car keys and pruning shears both paused. “Looking for the young master?”

The companions, caught off guard, were also stunned.

Young master?

Is this… Chi Yingxue’s home?!

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

Chapter 131: Darkroom

“Say that again? How do you identify the demon?” Yue Shuai almost couldn’t hold his chopsticks upon hearing the truth. It wasn’t because he was scared, but because he found it… absurd.

“Grammar.” Xu Wang understood his feelings.

“To be precise, it’s about identifying and distinguishing based on habits of text usage.” Wu Sheng gave a very meticulous macro definition.

Whether macro or micro, Yue Shuai couldn’t accept it. “This level is too inhumane, right? Dying all the way, and at the end, it’s a Chinese language test? Apart from high school seniors at the peak of their knowledge, who still remembers such grammar usage?”

Su Mingzhan, Tao Anan, and Wei Tianhang, on the left, naturally raised their hands. “We remember.”

Yue Shuai: “……”

“How to find the demon is only one part.” Xu Wang picked up a chopstick full of fish, skillfully removed the bones, and put it in his mouth. The fish meat was soaked in grilled fish sauce, making it delicious and flavorful. “Besides, by the time you go through the level, the clues might not be a language question anymore.”

Yue Shuai had lost his appetite, focusing entirely on the level. “Only one part? Isn’t the task just to find the demon? From what you’re saying, there’s a second part?”

“The second part is after finding the demon, you have to deal with him.” Chi Yingxue rarely interjected, mainly because his juice was almost finished and the freshly squeezed one hadn’t arrived yet, so he was really idle.

Holding onto the last bit of hope, Yue Shuai asked Xu Wang, “Is this a fixed segment?”

Xu Wang nodded. “It should be.”

Yue Shuai despaired. “……”

Ji Yiming on the right, who had been interested up until now, was excited. “Fighting demons? That’s cool!”

Xu Wang looked at Su, Tao, and Wei, who still accurately remembered their grammar lessons, and then at Classmate Ji, who was eager to fight, confirming that this side was responsible for literature and the other side for martial arts.

Only Captain Yue, who didn’t know what he was responsible for, was supporting his chin, looking dejected.

Since they were all so familiar, Xu Wang spoke bluntly, leaning close to Yue Shuai and asking quietly, “Did you guys choose your captain based on who looks most festive?”

It took a while for Captain Yue to digest this, then he immediately got angry. “This is called a lucky face!”

Xu Wang: “……”

Yes, indeed, chosen by the standards of a mascot.

This “Skewer Party” continued until eight in the evening, after which the two teams went back to rest. At midnight, they gathered again at the designated point.

The weightless purple vortex brought them back to the open-air coffee shop.

It was still just the two teams.

This level was like a watershed, both a separation for whether one could make it onto the overall leaderboard and a division between lively and quiet.

Upon entering, Xu Wang’s team received the reward of “Magical Defense Stationery Set of Three” and the coordinates of the next level.

While checking the reward, Yue Shuai’s small team stood far away, like avoiding suspicion while queuing at an ATM, not crossing the line.

As their friends looked up again, Yue Shuai and the other five were all ready to go.

“Pray for us.” Yue Shuai smiled at Xu Wang, his teeth gleaming in the bright sunlight.

Xu Wang slowly and solemnly said, “Be careful at all times.”

The tour group came over again.

From the leader to the travelers, everyone was replaced, with all new faces.

“Are you interested in joining our all-inclusive city day tour?” The new leader, holding a little flag and leaning on the short fence, warmly invited, in tone and demeanor, just like yesterday’s leader.

Xu Wang suddenly had a chilling illusion.

It was as if it was yesterday’s leader, just with a different face.

Captain Yue’s small team walked out of the fence, blending into the tour group, following the new leader, and gradually walked away.

Watching their backs, the slight shiver that had just risen in Xu Wang’s heart was diluted again.

Victims of the Evil Owl Association, as of now, two teams have joined.

On the path of passing levels, they were no longer alone.

……

At 5:00 a.m.

The first thing Xu Wang’s team did upon returning to reality was to let the only official liaison officer—Advisor Wu—send a condolence message to Captain Yue.

Advisor Wu was very succinct in his wording.

Sheng Ge: [Passed?]

After a while, the other side replied.

Marshal Yue: Passed [DoubtingLife.jpg]

Seeing it was good news, Xu Wang let Wu Sheng send a video call invitation.

Unexpectedly, it was rejected as soon as it was sent, and then the other party sent back an audio call invitation.

Wu Sheng showed the screen to Xu Wang.

Xu Wang pressed to accept the call and immediately turned on the speaker, so the friends wouldn’t freeze in the cold wind and miss any information.

“Congratulations on submitting your papers,” Xu Wang first congratulated.

But from Captain Yue’s side came a heavy sigh. “This is the most difficult level I’ve ever gone through… Damn, heartless, fucking crazy.” The last words almost popped out from between his teeth.

Xu Wang originally wanted to ask about the specifics, but hearing this tone, he immediately switched topics. “9/23 in Guangdong. I have the coordinates. Shall we go together?”

“No, thank you.” Yue Shuai didn’t hesitate. “You go ahead.”

Xu Wang laughed. “What, you want us to pave the way for you?”

“That’s really not it. Our team just wants to rest for a couple of days.” Yue Shuai was sincere in every word. “Or you go first and don’t rush. We’ll come later and help you pave the way, returning the favor for this level, okay?”

Xu Wang was just joking, not expecting the other party to take it seriously. “I was just kidding with you.”

But from these words, he sensed a captain whose worldview had been overturned and a partner they could support in the future.

“Are you guys okay?” As someone who had been through it, no, who hadn’t yet come out of the shadows, Xu Wang really wanted to hug his companions.

“We’re fine.” Yue Shuai’s voice sounded forcibly spirited. “It’s just that, for a short while, I can’t trust this world anymore.”

Xu Wang: “……”

Yue Shuai: “Alright, let’s not talk anymore, in case the phone explodes if we talk too long. Contact me if there’s anything.”

The audio call ended.

Xu Wang: “……”

Wu Sheng: “……”

Chi Yingxue: “……”

Kuang Jinxin: “……”

Qian Ai: “Advisor, you better put away your phone too. The longer it’s on, the more dangerous it is.”

……

The shadow of 8/23 was deep and lasting, but when dim sum like har gow, siu mai, black bean spare ribs, steamed chicken feet, pork tripe, pineapple buns, Malay sponge cake, custard buns, salted egg yolk buns, char siu bao, rice noodle rolls, durian cakes, roast meats platter, and claypot rice were placed in front of them… What shadow? Can you eat it?

“Lao Qian Eats All Over China” restarted in the most authentic Cantonese teahouse in Guangdong.

Arriving in Guangdong for 9/23, it wasn’t just the mood that warmed up, but also the temperature.

Although the weather in Jiangsu wasn’t as cold as in the north, it had still dropped below zero degrees this month. In contrast, Guangdong remained above zero, which was more than friendly for the “midnight travelers”.

As usual, the companions planned to eat and drink their fill, staying in the safe zone of the level for two or three days, both for rest and recuperation and to gather some peripheral intelligence.

This was their first time at this level, and everything inside the level was unknown to them.

Midnight arrived as expected.

The call from the Owl came from the desolate distance, and under the night sky, a purple vortex opened a portal to another world.

For caution’s sake, this time the five companions didn’t stand right on the coordinate point but hid 200 meters away behind a building. Whether other teams were also hiding nearby, they weren’t sure. They stepped into the vortex and entered 9/23.

What greeted them was a closed space resembling a space capsule.

Pure white floor, pure white walls, pure white ceiling—the material seemed like some kind of plastic product, seamless, with everything molded into one. On the wall in front, there was a circular pattern, like the door of a spaceship.

There were no other teams.

Were those teams elsewhere, or like with 8/23, were they the only ones challenging this level? Just as the companions were wondering, a low-frequency vibration suddenly came from the left and right walls.

Amidst the vibration, five pod-like objects slowly pushed out from the walls. It was as if there were five invisible drawers there all along, waiting for their arrival to automatically pop out.

Two on the left, three on the right, all neatly arranged in the middle of the walls.

The companions looked at each other, and the next moment, they cautiously moved forward to inspect.

The “pods” were chest-high, and upon bending down, everything inside was visible.

Each pod was big enough for one person, about two meters long, eighty centimeters wide, and sixty centimeters deep, and made of the same pure white material as the surrounding walls, giving the pods a clean and tidy appearance. A helmet lay quietly inside each, and nothing else.

The helmet didn’t fill up the pod, still leaving it looking empty.

“Ding—”

[Cheat Sheet]: All team members put on the helmets and lie down in the darkroom, and the level will start.

Is it starting just like that?

The unexpected prompt took the companions by surprise.

“Captain?” Kuang Jinxin looked at Xu Wang for guidance.

Xu Wang said, “Don’t rush. Let’s observe some more.”

Before he could finish, Chi Yingxue had already picked up a helmet.

“Hey, don’t be so quick to put it on!” Qian Ai panicked.

Chi Yingxue balanced the helmet on one hand, spinning it like a basketball on his fingertip. “Just looking.”

Qian Ai clutched his chest. “I’m done for. My heart is already pounding.” He looked towards Wu Sheng and Xu Wang. “I have a bad feeling. This level is definitely going to be tough.”

It was just a helmet that made it hard to make out anything special, even though it had a futuristic feel. Xu Wang observed without success and turned to look at Wu Sheng, finding him narrowing his eyes thoughtfully, touching his lips.

This typical aura of a sage gave Xu Wang a glimmer of hope. “You found something?”

Wu Sheng subconsciously nodded and pondered. “Why call it a darkroom with such a bright cabin?”

Xu Wang was frustrated. “Can your focus be a bit more down-to-earth…”

“When we lie down in it and it closes, of course, it’ll be dark.” Chi Yingxue shrugged, interrupting, not understanding what there was to fuss about. “But it’s best to think it through before we start,” he added, his voice light but his attitude firm. “I’m not lying in something like this a second time.”

Ultimately, the companions didn’t start the level.

Firstly, they were exhausted from the journey and needed to adjust; secondly, they had no idea about this unknown level and needed more time to make up their minds to lie down in it.

However, that night, the overall leaderboard was activated.

They didn’t make it to the list.

The scores of the first and fifth places were 9/23.

They hadn’t yet passed the ninth level—their score was 8/23.

This fact had a moderate impact on the team. They had thought that their score would be good enough to be on the list, and they were ready to receive their rewards, but then they were hit with a cold reality.

The next day, they entered the Owl again, and it was the same as before: no other teams, just one sealed space capsule, and five helmet darkrooms. Unlike the previous level, where spending a day in the coffee shop could help them gather more survival strategies, the information available in this level was null unless the level was started, no matter how many times they entered.

After discussing, the team decided not to waste more time. To find out how deep the water was, they had to lie down in it!

“Cough, I’ll go first.” As the captain, Xu Wang naturally led the way.

He adjusted his breathing lightly and climbed into one of the protruding darkrooms—although he still thought it looked like a big drawer—then put on the helmet and carefully lay down.

It’s just like a holographic game adventure. Xu Wang relaxed himself, trying not to think about the weird sensation of his brain being connected to some port, and took it as an early experience of future technology.

More than ten seconds had passed since he laid flat.

Nothing happened.

Xu Wang opened his eyes to see four heads peering over the edge of the dark room at him.

“It seems it doesn’t work with just me.” Xu Wang sighed at the four heads. “Stop admiring me and hurry up.”

The four companions stopped watching and each found a dark room to lie in.

Chi Yingxue was the slowest to act. He put on the helmet, sat inside in a daze for a moment, then frowned, closed his eyes, and lay still.

As he lay flat, the five dark rooms slowly retracted into the wall.

It indeed became dark around them.

An unprecedented darkness swallowed up everyone’s senses.

Xu Wang continued to adjust his breathing in the darkness, preparing for the upcoming battlefield. The next second, a sudden piercing pain shot through his brain!

It wasn’t a physical pain, but a mental one.

It felt like an electric current zipped through his brain, and his entire world of thought was suddenly flooded with overwhelming energy. All his memories were jumbled, as if an uninvited guest entered the memory supermarket, randomly picking memories arranged by time and category, dumping them into a basket, and then smashing the basket!

Recent memories, distant ones, happy ones, sad ones—layers of memories stacked on each other resembling smashed fruit, juices splashing, emitting dazzling, lurid glows. No longer clear, they were unable to distinguish between reality and fiction.

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Author: 颜凉雨 / Yan Liang Yu

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

Chapter 130: Experience

The warm water flowed from the shower head. Kuang Jinxin, who had been tense all night, finally relaxed at this moment. It was then that he remembered that he had forgotten to ask Chi Yingxue about his hand.

He had been so scared before that his mind was numb. Now that he had come to his senses, he felt somewhat guilty.

Unexpectedly, as soon as he opened the bathroom door after his shower, he saw Chi Yingxue waiting outside; his brows furrowed like little hills, and his eyes were full of impatience.

“Did you take a nap in there?” Grumbling, he grabbed Kuang Jinxin’s bathrobe and moved him aside before leisurely entering the bathroom.

“Isn’t there another bathroom inside?” The suite had two bathrooms, and Kuang Jinxin felt unjustly blamed.

“That bathtub isn’t as big as this one,” Chi Yingxue casually replied, starting to undress.

Kuang Jinxin, distracted, didn’t notice that Chi Yingxue was down to his undershirt in no time!

He was about to take a bath, likely to enjoy a soak in the tub, and he didn’t even care if the door was closed?!

The undressing didn’t embarrass Chi Yingxue, but Kuang Jinxin, watching from behind, felt extremely awkward. He hurriedly asked what he had been thinking about for a long time. “That hand of yours, is it okay?”

Chi Yingxue paused while taking off his undershirt, then finished removing it and casually tossed it aside.

“I almost forgot.” He turned around, reaching into his pants pocket. His bare upper body, broad shoulders, and narrow waist were now clearly visible. His skin was still pale, but now had a few more patches of red than when he was changing clothes at the bathing center in the level. The scattered red marks on his shoulders and abdomen were likely bumps from during the fight.

Kuang Jinxin knew those bruises would soon turn purple and take days to fade.

In a daze, something was pushed towards him by Chi Yingxue, pressing against his chest, stinging a bit.

Kuang Jinxin quickly took it.

It was a lighter.

Not the one confiscated in the level, but one from the hotel, with a logo on its body.

“You owe me one,” Chi Yingxue said.

Kuang Jinxin couldn’t help but laugh. “Even if you didn’t give me a souvenir, I couldn’t forget.”

Since the lighter from the game couldn’t be brought out, Chi Yingxue simply asked the hotel for one. No wonder he saw him whispering mysteriously at the front desk when they came back.

Chi Yingxue shrugged, posing as the life-saving hero.

As Kuang Jinxin looked on, he didn’t feel like letting Chi Yingxue have his way. “If that’s the case, including the time you pushed me on the Ferris wheel, we’re even now.”

Chi Yingxue paused as memories flooded back, a hint of regret unconsciously crossing his eyes. He almost forgot about that incident.

He lowered his eyes, seriously contemplating whether it was too late to push that incident to Yan Wang.

Taking the rare opportunity to talk about it, Kuang Jinxin, despite the inappropriate location, just went ahead and asked, “I always wondered, aren’t you afraid of pain? Why did you jump then?”

Chi Yingxue was silent for a moment, then looked up and smiled at Kuang Jinxin. “I’ve told you, I wanted you to see the cruelty of this world.”

“But you could’ve just pushed me. Why did you jump with me?” Kuang Jinxin seriously questioned, not easily fooled.

Chi Yingxue became troubled, the smile fading, and after a long gaze at Kuang Jinxin, he sighed. “Haven’t you ever had that kind of moment?”

Kuang Jinxin was puzzled. “What kind?”

Chi Yingxue leaned against the sink, not looking at Kuang Jinxin, but at a vague, unfocused point, his eyes slowly filling with longing. “Standing on a high place, looking down, and just wanting to leap…”

“Never.” Kuang Jinxin’s firm reply cut off Chi Yingxue’s “daydream”.

Chi Yingxue’s gaze refocused, falling on Kuang Jinxin’s unwavering face. After looking at the round little face for a while, he unhappily tugged at the corner of his mouth, reached out, and pinched it. “Boring.”

Kuang Jinxin winced in pain and was about to resist, but Chi Yingxue let go first.

The next second, he was pushed out, the bathroom door slamming shut in front of him.

Kuang Jinxin touched his nose, unclear whether the conversation had been clarified or not.

Inside, Chi Yingxue quickly stripped, humming an unknown English song, and started filling the bathtub.

Kuang Jinxin didn’t use the tub, staying under the shower the whole time, leaving the tub clean and dry. The spotlight made the tub glaringly white, but Chi Yingxue liked it.

Brightness and white were both things that relaxed him.

The tub was filled to eight-tenths.

Steam filled the bathroom.

Turning off the faucet, Chi Yingxue stepped into the tub, the heat spreading from his calves to his entire body and making him shiver unconsciously.

He lay down, slowly sliding until his whole body was submerged in the hot water, not stopping there.

The hot water covered his entire body, his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose, eventually enveloping him like a blanket, warm and safe.

……

“It’s set for three in the afternoon.”

Just as Kuang Jinxin, with his wet hair, entered the living room, he saw the advisor shaking his phone at the captain, who was writing furiously at the desk.

Curiously, he asked, “Sheng Ge, what’s at three in the afternoon?”

“Yue Shuai is treating us,” Qian Ai replied. He was staring listlessly at the dark circles under his eyes as he slumped on the sofa, his face pale and voice weak.

Kuang Jinxin was startled. “Qian Ge, didn’t you go to sleep in the room?”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Qian Ai said weakly, his voice full of sorrow. “Every time I close my eyes, it’s either knives falling from the sky or poison spikes growing from the ground…”

Kuang Jinxin’s dark memories, washed away by the hot shower, came flooding back at the mention, but seeing Qian Ai’s condition, he couldn’t blame him and could only comfort him. “We’ve already submitted our papers. Don’t think about that anymore. Think about something happy.”

Qian Ai raised his head pitifully. “Happy things? Do I have any in my life?”

“……” This question was too heart-wrenching, and Kuang Jinxin couldn’t answer immediately.

The doorbell rang.

All three in the room were startled. Qian Ai leaped up energetically, bursting with enthusiasm as he opened the door.

A hotel waiter pushed in a dining cart, smiling politely. “Room service.”

Xu Wang, Wu Sheng, and Kuang Jinxin looked bewildered, while Qian Ai eagerly claimed, “I ordered it. I ordered it.”

After sending the waiter away, Qian Ai practically skipped back to the cart, his face bereft of any clouds of melancholy, and even his fatigue was gone. His radiant appearance seemed ready for another five hundred years of battle.

“We have a meal appointment with Yue Shuai at three,” Wu Sheng kindly reminded.

“I know,” Qian Ai naturally responded. “That’s why I only ordered one set meal.”

Wu Sheng, Xu Wang, and Kuang Jinxin: “……”

They swore they saw regret in Qian Ai’s eyes.

The hotel set meal was a Western-style meal: appetizer, soup, main course, and dessert—nothing missing, with two dishes each for the main course and dessert. The presentation was beautiful, and the utensils were meticulously arranged, with knives and forks neatly lined up and the plates shining like new.

The only discordant note was a pair of intruding chopsticks, attempting to blend in next to the forks, seemingly trying to pass unnoticed.

“This level taught me a lesson: you never know when danger will come, so eat a meal whenever you can.”

As Qian Ai spoke, he took out the chopsticks, gripping them tightly, and then used his other hand to shove all the knives and forks to the edge of the cart until they were as far away as possible. Not satisfied, he then used an appetizer plate to press them down, finally breathing a sigh of relief. Only then, with a sense of security, did he begin to eat heartily with the chopsticks.

Salad, grilled steak, tiramisu—in front of the mighty Chinese chopsticks, all had to bow down.

The three teammates watching felt a pang in their hearts.

For a short time, not just Qian Ai, their entire team would probably say goodbye to knives and forks.

Turning away, Wu Sheng walked over to Xu Wang, who was fervently writing at the desk, curious to see what the captain had concluded after so long. But Xu Wang’s handwriting was too elegant, and after scrutinizing the densely packed notebook, Wu Sheng couldn’t understand a thing and had to ask, “Any insights?”

Xu Wang looked up and said in a solemn and emotional tone, “Knowledge determines fate.”

Wu Sheng chuckled. “So should we have everyone self-study for two hours a day from now on? There’s no limit to the subject.”

Xu Wang: “…Do you believe they would revolt?”

Wu Sheng laughed out loud.

Xu Wang put down his pen, asking, “How’s your foot?”

Wu Sheng shook his head. “It’s fine.”

Xu Wang said, “Let’s get a tetanus shot as soon as it’s light out.”

Wu Sheng said, “No need.”

Xu Wang looked at him without much enthusiasm. “It’s too late if something happens!”

Wu Sheng grabbed a chair and sat down next to him. “Are you worried about me?”

Xu Wang said, “Of course.”

Wu Sheng frowned, finding the response too straightforward, and felt like there was a trap ahead…

Xu Wang: “If you fall, who will lead the troops into battle?”

He knew it.

Wu Sheng sighed inwardly. He wasn’t one to say sweet nothings, and Xu Wang could say them but chose not to…

“Hey.” His captain suddenly leaned in.

The sudden closeness made Wu Sheng’s breath tighten. “Huh?”

Xu Wang looked at him with a smile. “I haven’t finished speaking yet. Don’t get distracted.”

Wu Sheng quickly nodded. “Oh, go on.”

Xu Wang blinked. “If you fall, who will pursue me?”

Wu Sheng was stunned.

Xu Wang tilted his head to look at him.

Suddenly, Wu Sheng said, “Could you help me wash something?”

Xu Wang was baffled by this unrelated question. “Wash what?”

Wu Sheng quickly pecked him on the lips. “You like you.”

Xu Wang: “……”

Did this person memorize all the cheesy lines from the tour leader’s guide to flirting?!

For the rest of the time, except for sleeping, Captain Xu was dedicated to correcting the skewed romantic tastes of his advisor, even when going to the hospital for a tetanus shot.

Wu Sheng’s foot injury wasn’t minor, but fortunately, it was just flesh and skin—no tendons or bones were damaged. After getting the shot, the doctor professionally bandaged the wound, and by the time everything was done, it was already afternoon.

The five friends took a taxi to the agreed-upon restaurant, only to find out it was a skewer shop. The storefront was quite luxurious; although it was a skewer shop, it was of a high scale.

At three in the afternoon, there were only a few customers in the shop. As soon as the five friends entered, they were warmly greeted by Yue Shuai, who was waiting at the door. “I’ve been waiting for you for a long time!”

Captain Yue enthusiastically led them to a private room.

Inside the private room sat four other members of the Yue Family Army: the handsome Su Mingzhan, Tao Anan, who always wore a fisherman’s hat and outdoor gear, Wei Tianhang, who usually had his hair trimmed short on the sides with a small braid in the middle, and the robust Ji Yiming.

As they arrived, the four stood up politely. Xu Wang hurriedly said, “Please sit. We’re all friends here. No need for formalities.”

Captain Yue immediately chimed in. “Exactly. Everyone here is like brothers. No need for pretense.” Then he shouted to the entrance, “Waiter, bring the dishes—”

Soon, dishes like stir-fried clams and grilled fish were served, followed by a variety of fragrant skewers: lamb, beef, raw and cooked tendons, palm treasures, rib skewers… The variety and quantity made it seem like Captain Yue had ordered everything on the menu.

“Let’s talk while we eat.” Seeing the table half full, Yue Shuai hurriedly invited them.

Eating skewers is a great way to chat, but after the incident in 8/23, there might be some changes in the way of eating.

The Yue Family Army waited for Xu Wang’s small team to start eating first, as they were the guests.

And indeed, Xu Wang’s team did start—each of the five, without exception, first picked up several skewers, removed the meat onto the plate with chopsticks, then laid the metal skewers flat on the table and placed them in a reasonable position before beginning to eat.

Yue Shuai watched them eat the meat from their plates with chopsticks, eating methodically and swallowing hard. “Is this… the sophisticated way to eat skewers now?”

Xu Wang put down his chopsticks and sighed, getting straight to the point. “I know you want to ask about the incident on 8/23. Don’t worry, I’ll tell you exactly how our team got through it from the beginning…”

Ten minutes later.

Captain Xu had only told half of the story.

But the members of the Yue Family Army had silently put down their metal skewers, sincerely adopting their “predecessor’s” way of eating.

The author has something to say:

I solemnly declare that the content in the text does not represent my position. Skewers without metal skewers are soulless! (╰_╯)

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