Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 53: The First Shot

Upon seeing Luo Duan quietly reading a book, Yi Ning was somewhat astonished.

The command center was in chaos all night. As the only player in the command center, Luo Duan was supposed to stay in the ward.

“It’s nothing major.” Luo Duan saw through his thoughts and casually closed the book. “It’s too noisy outside, so I went in first. Do you mind?”

“What…?” Yi Ning took a deep breath, not knowing what the guard outside the office was doing.

“I found your belongings and informed the guard.” Luo Duan continued as if reading his mind. “I’ve been coming here often recently, so he let me in.”

With that, Luo Duan flicked his hand on the coffee table and placed Yi Ning’s access card on it.

Yi Ning immediately regained his composure. “Where did you find it?”

“It was on my level.” Luo Duan’s expression was unreadable. “I heard some commotion outside and happened to come across two figures. They were all covered up, not like people from the command center, so I stopped them out of instinct. They managed to get away, but this thing fell to the ground. It had your identification number on it, and it seemed important, so I thought… it’s better to hand it over to you personally.”

Yi Ning broke out in a cold sweat. What happened in the underground was probably related to the missing access card. He always carried it with him, hidden in the most inconspicuous pocket of his coat. But it was so small that he didn’t bother to check it constantly. If someone could secretly take it without him noticing…

Yi Ning’s thoughts circled around, from his assistant who organized his clothes to every person who came and went in the office, and finally his gaze settled on Luo Duan.

‘It’s a bit absurd,’ Yi Ning thought. Luo Duan had brain shock to prevent him from learning, so even if he used the access card and saw the brain control, he might not know its purpose. Not to mention, this person didn’t run away but returned the key himself.

It would be better to first verify the existence of those two strange individuals. For now, it seemed that Luo Duan wasn’t highly suspicious.

“You’ve been working too hard these past few days. Take a good rest.” Luo Duan picked up the chilled tea in front of him and approached Yi Ning. “By the way, what exactly happened outside?”

“Just a research accident. Nothing major.” The other person’s tone was quite gentle, but Yi Ning had already become cautious. He discreetly took the teacup and set it aside. “Regarding the two individuals you saw, do you remember any other details?”

“They were both men with tall stature, over 1.8 meters. That’s all.” Luo Duan glanced at the neglected tea.

“Understood. Thank you for your assistance. We will have someone follow up on this matter.” Yi Ning stood upright politely. “The security alert in the command center has been heightened recently, so please refrain from coming here again.”

Luo Duan sat back on the sofa with a smile on his lips. “Alright, this is my last night. Now that there are people everywhere outside, I’ll take this opportunity to find some peace and quiet here.”

At this point, Yi Ning didn’t feel it was appropriate to rush Luo Duan. The recent upheavals had exhausted him, and having a living being to accompany him in the room was actually a good thing.

Yi Ning slumped in his chair, vigorously massaging his temples. His headache felt like being stabbed with a needle.

“How is Zhu Yanchen’s condition?” Luo Duan asked, intentionally or unintentionally. His voice was extremely pleasant, like warm spring water, and not at all annoying to the ears.

This point struck a chord with Yi Ning. He had been holding back a lot of emotions, with nowhere to vent. Although this matter had nothing to do with the players, he couldn’t help but respond.

“Zhu Yanchen?” Yi Ning continued to press on the side of his head, forcing a bitter smile. “I’ve had a few conversations with Zhu Yanchen before, and in terms of aura, it’s like comparing heaven and earth. But if we put that aside, I can’t find fault with him in other aspects.”

“A substitute, huh.” Luo Duan continued reading, flipping through the pages. “It seems to be Zhu Sheng’s method, and the substitute is probably from the Xia family.”

“Most likely.” Being able to discuss this together made Yi Ning feel much better.

Unconsciously, the two of them continued talking late into the night. It had to be said that Luo Duan was truly a pleasant person to be around, exuding a reassuring charm in every movement.

If only he were truly human.

After seeing Luo Duan off, Yi Ning was momentarily stunned. He was a commoner and only learned the truth about the player system after reaching adulthood. However, the explanation given by the military academy was quite convincing—considering synthetic humans as “specially trained animals in human shells”.

From a DNA perspective, synthetic humans couldn’t be considered the same species as humans. The reason synths had a human appearance was simply because the mixed genes were too uncontrollable, and researchers were afraid they would turn out too strange looking, so they were uniformly guided during the embryonic stage.

…But the physical resemblance made it too easy to empathize. For a few seconds, he almost mistook Luo Duan for a genuinely compatible friend.

Sure enough, perhaps it was better not to have further contact.

Yi Ning first jotted down his insights from the conversation, then opened the screen and began adjusting the arrangements in the medical department. Based on their relationship during this period, he had to arrange the best doctors for Luo Duan.

Ai Xiaoxiao didn’t like working at the command center.

After being hired by the command center, she had to run around in three directions—sitting in the command center, checking on the condition of the synthetic humans at the base, and managing Ai’s Clinic in her remaining time. When she was absent, the clinic employees would at most sell medicine, but they wouldn’t treat patients.

Not long after sending those two troublemakers away, Yi Ning specifically called Ai Xiaoxiao to the command center. This was an arrangement outside of work, completely disrupting Ai Xiaoxiao’s rest plans. However, the overtime pay was too generous, so she could only secretly be annoyed.

“Come in.” Putting on temporary attire, she shouted toward the door and opened the patient files along the way.

Then Ai Xiaoxiao froze.

“Dr. Ai.” Luo Duan, dressed in a patient gown, politely nodded at her.

…Didn’t Luo Duan merge with a small Erosion Swamp? Why is he still here?

Ai Xiaoxiao quickly controlled her expression, straightened her face, and nodded towards Luo Duan. “Please have a seat.”

“I heard that you were called here temporarily. Thank you for your hard work,” Luo Duan said politely. “I will cooperate fully.”

Due to personal reasons, Ai Xiaoxiao had a great deal of respect for players. If she didn’t know the truth, based on his attitude alone, she could have developed some favorable impressions. Unfortunately, the gentler Luo Duan appeared, the colder the chill she felt down her spine.

As someone who had also fused with an Erosion Swamp, there wasn’t a trace of the “vitality” on Luo Duan that existed on Shu Jun.

“Let me see your wound.” Ai Xiaoxiao decided to swiftly resolve the matter.

Luo Duan obediently unwrapped the bandages. The previous injuries had healed well and didn’t seem to be a problem.

“No major issues. However…” Ai Xiaoxiao pursed her lips and stared intently into Luo Duan’s eyes. “Go to the second-floor laboratory and have some blood drawn.”

According to the regulations, she had to do this. God knew how nervous she was—this person had merged with an Erosion Swamp, so it would be strange if his blood test results were normal. But if she didn’t ask, this cunning fox might sense something, leaving her in a dilemma.

Luo Duan didn’t move.

Ai Xiaoxiao tried to appear nonchalant. “What?”

“I have a small question I’d like to ask.” Luo Duan smiled. “Have you heard of ‘Gentle Breeze’ from the Blackbirds… Captain Xu?”

Ai Xiaoxiao stared at the screen. “I won’t answer questions unrelated to medical treatment. If I tell you to go, then go.”

“I just suddenly remembered.” Luo Duan still didn’t budge. “Captain Xu is the player with the longest combat career in history. I think he retired at the age of thirty? But it’s said that he spent his final days at the command center, and I’m quite curious about this place. To be honest, I’m almost thirty as well, but my character’s physical condition is nowhere near as good as Captain Xu’s.”

Upon hearing this, Ai Xiaoxiao slowly clenched her fists, and her words got stuck in her throat.

Seeing her reaction, Luo Duan’s smile grew wider. “I want to break that record as well. Consider it my final wish. But if my character’s health condition is too poor, I might be advised to retire. Since there’s no problem with the wound, please be lenient, Miss Ai, and postpone the examination for later—at least until my external injuries have healed.”

He leaned in slightly.

“Recently, I came across some interesting stories—apparently, the people Captain Xu helped are also documented in the command center. One of them was ‘Xiaoxiao’ who was sent to the Ai’s Clinic, and she looked quite familiar. Is that you?”

“That’s enough.” Ai Xiaoxiao interrupted coldly. “As I said, I won’t answer questions unrelated to medical treatment.”

But it had to be said, this was a good opportunity to take advantage of*. Luo Duan wanted to maintain superficial peace, and Ai Xiaoxiao didn’t want to be silenced. Cold sweat formed on Ai Xiaoxiao’s back, and she stared directly into Luo Duan’s eyes. “On that note, I was never an official member here to begin with. If you want to delay the blood test, then delay it” ‘…Anyway, you can’t die,’ Ai Xiaoxiao added in her mind.

*Borrow a slope and descend with a donkey. Idiom referring to taking advantage of a favorable situation or making use of an opportunity to achieve one’s goal with less effort or risk.

“I’ll sign for you, and you can go for some basic tests.”

“Thank you for your understanding.”

Once Luo Duan left, Ai Xiaoxiao’s clothes were suddenly soaked with sweat. She let out a sigh of relief and stared at the closed door.

The people from the Old Fourth were still searching on the outskirts of Y City, completely mistaken about their target—Luo Duan was indeed cautious, but not as crazy as they had imagined.

She had to report to Zhu Yanchen quickly.

Zhu Yanchen was busy.

To be precise, both he and Shu Jun were busy. The goods from the Old Fourth wouldn’t arrive so soon, but Young Master Zhu was ambitious. He directly picked up a debris-cleaning machine from the market. After being tinkered with for two hours, the cleaning machine started to work erratically.

In less than half a day, it had cleaned out a buried house.

To conceal their activities, Zhu Yanchen didn’t touch the mud around the house. Although the interior had been cleared out, the entire house remained buried under the black mud, becoming a perfect underground base.

Everything was covered by the mud, adding a touch of funerary atmosphere.

Hu Yan lay motionless on the table in the center of the room while the purifier hummed in the background. For a moment, the room looked even more like a burial chamber. Shu Jun and Zhu Yanchen stood by the table, quietly examining Hu Yan, perfectly playing the role of a tomb robber.

“Hey—” After a few seconds, Hu Yan moved. He struggled to turn over and immediately began to vomit.

Shu Jun quickly stepped forward and held a basin to catch the vomit.

“What kind of gameplay is this?” Hu Yan weakly asked, wiping his mouth. “Shu Ge, stop keeping me in suspense. Oh, I feel so dizzy, blergh!”

Before he could finish speaking, he vomited out another half basin.

“Drink something.” Zhu Yanchen had prepared fluids in advance. He supported Hu Yan’s head and let him drink slowly.

“Where does it hurt?” Shu Jun glanced at the handheld scanner and nervously asked. After becoming proficient in the procedure, removing the brain chip wasn’t as difficult as he had imagined. But a comrade was always a comrade, and he couldn’t help but worry.

“It doesn’t hurt, but I feel… how should I put it… like the dizziness after staying up all night.”

Shu Jun breathed a sigh of relief—when he experienced the pain, it was as if the heavens and earth were collapsing, but Hu Yan’s reaction wasn’t as intense, which was a good sign.

“I will arrange for further testing,” Zhu Yanchen reassured as he placed a hand on Shu Jun’s back. “Don’t worry.”

The muscles on Shu Jun’s back tensed, and he managed to maintain a steady tone, saying, “Alright, I’m counting on you.”

“Enough with that, both of you. Answer my questions quickly,” Hu Yan said weakly as he wiped his mouth and sat down at the table. “Shu Ge, what did you call me here for?”

“I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, tell me, just say it.”

“First, let me introduce this person here. He is indeed ‘Smoke’, my ‘Smoke’.” Shu Jun gritted his teeth. “He’s not some relative of your sister-in-law. He’s the one you’ve been referring to as ‘sister-in-law’.”

Zhu Yanchen: “…”

Hu Yan was left perplexed. “Ah? No? This…?”

“And there’s more.”

Shu Jun closed his eyes, finally understanding Zhu Yanchen’s initial feelings.

“This world is not a game. Our world is.”

Hu Yan remained seated on the edge of the bed. Despite the pain, he didn’t collapse or continue vomiting. Under the warm glow of the light, he appeared even more bewildered. “…Shu Ge, what are you talking about? What do you mean it’s not a game?”

‘Success,’ Shu Jun thought. He should have felt jubilant, but his heart gradually sank.

He had taken the first step into war.

---

The author has something to say:

Hu Yan, the poor soul shaken by the real world (?

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 52: Operation Exercise

At this point, Shu Jun had grown accustomed to seeing the ‘other self’ in his dreams—strictly speaking, it was a disguise of ‘a part of Sigma’ pretending to be him.

This time, the dream scene changed, and the spacious apartment turned into the small apartment where he had lived in his childhood. Outside the window was a void of pitch-black darkness, and Sigma stood silently at the door, still wearing its terrifying appearance.

Shu Jun glanced at it, too lazy to speak, treating it as a strangely aesthetic modern decoration.

Soon, he nostalgically wandered around the apartment, with shadows of the past everywhere—he and another child ran around the room, sharing snacks based on the results of their races, lying together on the balcony to feel the breeze, or making a mess of the furniture to build an unconventional secret base. Two small pots of bellflowers squeezed into a corner, full of vitality. Looking back now, he had indeed been taking care of them since then.

This narrow apartment had never made him feel so special. Looking back now, perhaps Smoke was the only true thing from his childhood.

Sighing, Shu Jun sat on the sofa. In his memory, the sofa had always been large. He remembered it clearly—one night, they were both tired from playing and didn’t want to set up the bed, so they squeezed onto the sofa and spent the night together. When they woke up the next day, Smoke’s head was resting on his chest, sleeping soundly.

Now, as he sat on it again, it felt fragile and cramped.

Despite knowing it was a dream, Shu Jun’s gaze softened.

Sigma at the door: “…”

It had intended to bring some excitement, but who would have thought that Shu Jun would start reminiscing instead? Unwilling to be ignored, it spread its erosion. Blood-red, foul-smelling threads started crawling along the floor. Shu Jun let those threads entangle him, enduring the negative emotions transmitted through them without changing his expression.

Early adaptation was for the best; the real Sigma would only become stronger. Looking at it from another perspective, as long as his will remained firm enough, this was a good opportunity for practice.

Soaked in negative emotions throughout the night, Shu Jun woke up the next day feeling like he had been marinating in them.

He even smelled his own arm to make sure that the putrid stench didn’t exist in reality. Zhu Yanchen, as usual, had gotten up early and was working at the desk. Shu Jun jumped off the bed and only then realized that warm water for washing up was already prepared and the toothbrush cup was in its most convenient spot.

After a night of accumulating negative emotions, most of it dissipated instantly at this moment. Shu Jun turned his head—Marshal Zhu was sitting at the desk; his hands had already recovered, and his beautiful fingers slid across the screen. Sensing Shu Jun’s gaze, Zhu Yanchen turned his head, visibly softening his expression.

The two locked eyes for a moment, and Shu Jun felt an inexplicable sense of warmth in the air.

He raised the corners of his mouth, raised the rinsing cup toward Zhu Yanchen, and made a toasting gesture. The latter chuckled, turned his head, and continued with his work.

“I’ve figured it out,” Ai Xiaoxiao declared during breakfast.

Shu Jun was eating a steamed bun when he heard that and nearly choked on it. “Really?!”

Ai Xiaoxiao slowly turned towards him, her gaze scanning him up and down with a complex mix of emotions. Shu Jun felt uncomfortable under her scrutiny and rubbed his cheek. “The medicine was made so quickly. Dr. Ai is truly impressive…”

“No need to flatter.” Ai Xiaoxiao continued staring at Shu Jun, her tone peculiar. “It was inspired by Zhu Yanchen.”

Zhu Yanchen calmly drank his porridge, lifting the bowl to cover most of his face.

“I won’t be able to make any medicine in the short term. The efficacy verification and mass production will both take time. It was fine before, but now that Luo Duan has run away, by the time this medicine is ready, the daylilies will have frozen into popsicles*.”

*Metaphor referring to something that will take an extremely long time to happen or be accomplished.

When it came to business matters, Ai Xiaoxiao was always efficient.

“So, I’ve decided to take inspiration from Zhu Yanchen’s approach—combining drug control with the use of erosion. It may be less efficient but more reliable in terms of safety.”

“Erosion surgery?” Shu Jun paused with his chopsticks in midair.

“Yes. Sigma asked Luo Duan to erode the brain control in order to obtain its characteristics and remove the shock in the brain… I thought, hasn’t your erosion also nibbled on brain fragments? They should recognize the taste.”

“So?” Shu Jun took a small bite of the steamed bun.

“So, you can use erosion to infiltrate a player’s body and accurately erode that part of the brain, similar to Sigma’s approach.”

Shu Jun’s expression changed. “That’s impossible; their bodies can’t handle it.”

“That’s where the drug control comes in.” Ai Xiaoxiao tapped her tea egg. “I happen to have a type of medicine that has excellent purification effects, but it’s too damaging to the body. Humans use it as a last resort, equivalent to choosing a slow death instead of a disease, enduring ten times the suffering, and only living two more days… But for a synthetic human, short-term use won’t be a problem.”

“How did you get this kind of medicine?” Shu Jun frowned.

Ai’s Clinic didn’t discriminate against customers, but human clients were the majority. Developing new medicines was incredibly difficult, and even if they specialized in making money from synthetic humans, short-term use wouldn’t solve the fundamental problem and had no future prospects.

“Someone paid a hefty sum for a custom order, and I stumbled upon it*.” Ai Xiaoxiao glanced at Zhu Yanchen with a half-smile. “Don’t worry, I’ve conducted human experiments for fifteen years, so I know the effectiveness. Unfortunately, there’s only one fool who would choose a slow death. Otherwise, the data would be more accurate.”

*Unintentionally inserting a willow (无心插柳柳成荫) Idiom referring to a situation where someone achieves or receives recognition or success without actively seeking it. It implies that a person’s achievement or success happened inadvertently without deliberate effort. It comes from a story from the Spring and Autumn period in Chinese history where a man carved his name in a willow tree, expressing his feelings of longing for his hometown. Unexpectedly, this carving became famous, leaving behind his legacy.

Shu Jun looked at Zhu Yanchen beside him. “Is that medicine a canned milky-white powder that can be used directly on an Erosion Swamp?”

That was the weapon Zhu Yanchen had used to attack Sweet Edge’s temple. At the time, Shu Jun had been curious—usually, weapons with strong killing power wouldn’t be so crude. Now it seemed those cans weren’t weapon casings at all; they were innocent medicine bottles.

“Surname Zhu, do you have any idea how much one canister of medicine costs?! I worked so hard to prepare it for you, and you use it against an Erosion Swamp?!” Ai Xiaoxiao lamented with a pained expression.

“Ai Xiaoxiao.” Zhu Yanchen warned in a low voice. “Stick to business.”

“Huh? I think she’s talking about something important,” Shu Jun interjected. “Miss Ai, please continue.”

“In short, I have this medicine. You perform the surgery using the erosion substance and then immediately have the patient take the medicine to expel it. In theory, it won’t cause much harm—at most some physical weakness, and there won’t be any side effects.”

After all, Ai Xiaoxiao still recognized Zhu Yanchen as her boss and didn’t continue teasing him.

“I have a good amount of the medicine in stock. The problem lies with you. This is considered a surgery, and if you tremble too much, you might end up harming the patient’s brain. Later, I’ll give you a mannequin. If you can make the erosion substance crawl through specific points, that should be enough.”

According to the intelligence from the Old Fourth, the Blackbirds had returned to Y City to hand in their mission completion, while Yu Jin went back to the settlement to collect his reward. Shu Jun brought the mannequin and a large pack of medicine, and he and Zhu Yanchen directly returned to the border settlement.

They returned only after spending a night there, so Yu Jin wasn’t surprised at all.

“I explained to them that you two are my acquaintances and wanted to return to the settlement in advance to spend the night. Anyway, we’re out of the danger zone, and Captain Hu didn’t say anything. He just asked about the identification number of our settlement—Gray Claw, is that someone you know?”

“Yes,” Shu Jun didn’t deny it.

“Ah, that guy’s not bad.” Yu Jin shook his head and glanced questioningly at the mannequin. “I’ve collected your rewards; I’ll give them to you later. Now we’re partners, right? Let me ask directly, are both of you synthetic humans, including Smoke?”

“He is human.” Shu Jun smiled faintly. “How could a synthetic human infiltrate the Old Fourth?”

“That’s true. I was wondering why the Old Fourth put me in charge so quickly. But I can’t understand. Our settlement doesn’t have any proper fighting strength. What benefits can we gain from cooperating with you?”

“I can give you an example now, Mr. Yu,” Zhu Yanchen earnestly stated. “The Old Fourth merchants will have more frequent interactions in the near future. I request that you prepare more supplies in your capacity as the manager. I will provide the list of supplies and the funds, and make sure to keep separate records.”

Yu Jin narrowed his eyes. “From what you’re implying…”

“It’s been unstable lately,” Zhu Yanchen succinctly replied.

“Fine, anyway, my brain is like this. Even if you explain more, I won’t understand.” Yu Jin waved his hand. “You provide the money, and I’ll stockpile the supplies.”

“We have a testing ground, which used to be the ruins of a  small town. We can clear out some usable old buildings from there,” Zhu Yanchen continued. “As for the mechanical parts on the list, please find someone to assemble them into cleaning machines. We only need to clean the underground part.”

“Ah? The erosion in that area is quite severe. Can the machines even operate?”

“We’ll figure something out.”

“…Alright.” Yu Jin’s expression became more serious. “I won’t ask what you two are planning. I just hope that you can keep your promise and not let the people in the settlement suffer any losses. If you’re not using the land and resources, they should belong to us. As long as you can do that, I’m willing to help.”

“Certainly.”

After discussing the details with Yu Jin for a while, the two returned to the inn just at noon. Uncle Pan was napping behind the counter, so they quietly returned to their room without disturbing him.

Seeing the double bed, Shu Jun felt a sense of familiarity. He patted the pillow on the bed and was about to say something when he noticed Zhu Yanchen staring at the mannequin.

“Don’t look. I’m going to practice. I still have to go hunting tonight.”

After finishing breakfast, Shu Jun still felt hungry. Even though there was regular food to satisfy his hunger, he still wanted to hunt some mutant beasts for a meal. During this time, his hidden appetite for Zhu Yanchen hadn’t disappeared. Since discovering his feelings, his “appetite” had taken on an additional meaning, which he firmly suppressed in fear of losing control again.

“I’m afraid this won’t work.” Zhu Yanchen glanced at the points on the mannequin. “Even if you practice with it, real people breathe, and their bodies don’t remain completely still, so you won’t achieve the optimal effect.”

He glanced at the body model once again and took off his windbreaker. “Do it on me.”

“You… What…?” Shu Jun’s hand slipped, and instead of patting the pillow, he hit the edge of the bed.

“It’s better to practice on a live person.”

Zhu Yanchen started to unbutton his shirt while speaking calmly.

“First, practice accuracy. You only need to let the erosion crawl on the surface of my body; you don’t need to touch my brain. Second, I am immune to erosion. They won’t be able to invade me. Lastly, when faced with me, the erosion will resist vigorously, which is more conducive to practicing control.”

“Uh…” Shu Jun stood still, dumbfounded. By the time he reacted, Zhu Yanchen had already marked the practice points with a pen.

Red crosses scattered across his pale skin, rising and falling with each breath.

“You can start practicing now.” Zhu Yanchen, shirtless, sat at the end of the bed. He calmly opened his tablet screen and continued his research, clearly not intending to waste any time.

Shu Jun swallowed a mouthful of saliva, feeling that mixed appetite rise again. He pierced his lips with his teeth and took three whole seconds to suppress it.

“I understand,” he said softly.

The pitch-black erosion transformed into fine tendrils, slowly crawling up Zhu Yanchen’s skin like deformed vines. The contrast between black and white was exceptionally vivid, and Shu Jun could hear his own heartbeat clearly.

Damn, it really is a highly difficult exercise.

The threads passed over a red cross but failed to fully invade the intersecting point. Under Shu Jun’s force, the erosion tendril slid lightly over the skin, winding quietly and then returning.

The red crosses gradually became incomplete, and a few central points were successfully erased. This task was somewhat like embroidery; indeed, it required practice.

Despite countless threads caressing his upper body, Zhu Yanchen remained motionless.

“If you feel itchy, let me know,” Shu Jun said hesitantly. The scene before him was too ambiguous, and his thoughts gradually became muddled.

‘I must adjust the atmosphere,’ he thought.

“It’s fine,” Zhu Yanchen didn’t turn around and replied in a steady voice. “Just continue. Don’t be nervous.”

Don’t be nervous? His heart felt like it was about to jump out of his throat. Shu Jun took a few deep breaths; his back was soaked in sweat.

Aside from standing up to complete the red crosses, Zhu Yanchen sat on the bed until the sun went down. Shu Jun’s progress was astonishing—initially, the erosion tendril was crooked and lacked precision, but later, each stroke became accurate and direct.

Having grown accustomed to the sensory stimulation, Shu Jun’s hunger intensified several times, but his mood became more stable. That self-assurance of being in control returned once again, with only a small regret—

From start to finish, Zhu Yanchen sat steadily, without the slightest wavering.

From a certain perspective, this practice was ambiguous enough yet the other party had no reaction at all. Perhaps he truly saw him as just a friend. Shu Jun felt a slight sense of disappointment.

With this thought in mind, Shu Jun’s mischievous side emerged. Before completely retracting the erosion tendril, he intentionally left a thread and allowed it to slowly move, crawling across Zhu Yanchen’s neck, hooking onto his left ear from the root, and tracing along the contour.

He remembered well that Smoke’s ears were ticklish.

Sure enough, Marshal Zhu’s left ear turned red in an instant. His expression became peculiar as he turned around, grabbing Shu Jun’s wrist.

“Sorry, sorry, I saw you motionless—” Shu Jun immediately retracted the erosion tendril, raising both hands.

Zhu Yanchen scanned him from head to toe with an unfamiliar gaze. Shu Jun quickly adjusted his expression, straightened his posture, and decided to apologize sincerely—

Marshal Zhu leaned forward, his face coming a bit too close. He whispered near Shu Jun’s ear, “Stop messing around. I still have that pair of handcuffs.”

His voice was soft and his tone calm, so Shu Jun didn’t know whether this was a joke or a threat.

“I’ll go hunting now.” Shu Jun stood up abruptly. “I won’t dare anymore, I promise. I’ll catch a plump mutant beast, and we can roast it and eat it together later.”

Zhu Yanchen wiped his face slowly. “…We don’t have enough chili powder. I’ll go buy some.”

“Okay, okay, A’Yan, you know me well. Remember to get a few bottles of drinks.”

“Mm.”

Inside Y City.

The command center had an incident, so Yi Ning had been running around all day. Finally, as night fell, he dragged his tired steps back to the office.

To his surprise, there was a familiar figure there. Luo Duan was leaning against the sofa, reading a book. When he saw Yi Ning enter, he revealed a gentle smile.

“You’re back,” he said softly.

---

The author has something to say:

Shu Jun: I’m seducing him, but he’s not moved at all. Could it be that it’s really just friendship? (Referring to the erosion tendrils)

Marshal: I’m seducing him, but he’s not moved at all. Could it be that it’s really just friendship? (Referring to undressing)

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 51: Final Statement

Zhu Sheng’s demeanor was completely different from that in the expansion pack. With just a glimpse through the crack, Shu Jun felt a strong sense of oppression. Zhu Sheng wasn’t a smiling tiger type of character. His face was imposing even when not angry, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes looked like they were carved into hardwood, not affected by muscle movements. The decoration style of Xia Liang’s lounge was light and cute, but with Zhu Sheng’s presence, the air suddenly became ten times heavier.

Zhu Sheng was about seventy years old, with white hair dyed black, looking younger than his actual age. He quickly glanced around the room and smiled at Xia Liang. “It’s time to go on stage. Go prepare.”

This was a request to leave. The reason for Zhu Sheng’s visit wasn’t difficult to guess—Xia Liang’s lounge didn’t have surveillance and was the most confidential room in the Grand Theatre.

Xia Liang was very perceptive. She quickly bowed and lifted the complicated skirt of her costume, walking faster than running, leaving the two men in the wardrobe behind.

Shu Jun: “…”

Xia Liang’s wardrobe was quite large, so he and Zhu Yanchen didn’t have to stick close together. Thinking that this person didn’t like physical contact, Shu Jun deliberately stayed far away—so as not to be misunderstood as taking advantage, since he planned to pursue Zhu Yanchen in the future.

Zhu Yanchen apparently noticed Shu Jun’s movement and adjusted his posture silently. The wardrobe was dim, and Shu Jun could vaguely sense a hint of sadness on the other person’s face.

Is it because of Zhu Sheng?

Shu Jun turned his gaze to the outside of the wardrobe again.

“Your condition isn’t quite right,” Zhu Sheng said to Xia Yufeng with no emotion in his tone.

Xia Yufeng was so scared that he was frozen, his lips trembling uncontrollably. “I didn’t tell her anything. I really didn’t. Zhu Lao…”

“Barely passable,” Zhu Sheng said casually. “Her mood is fine.”

Only then did Xia Yufeng relax. He hadn’t yet fully relaxed when Zhu Sheng put his hands behind his back and said slowly, “Do you know about the command center incident?”

“I heard a little bit before coming here.”

“Mm.”

“I heard that the brain control stored at the bottom was destroyed.” Seeing that Zhu Sheng didn’t express his opinion, Xia Yufeng continued cautiously. “In such a heavily secured place, this incident must have been caused by humans, right?¹“

“Remove the modal particles from your sentence. ‘This incident must have been caused by humans’.¹ Zhu Yanchen wouldn’t speak in that tone.”

¹Clarity: Xia Yufeng originally added a [ba] (吧) which is a modal particle that is often added to the end of statements to express uncertainty or suggestion. Zhu Sheng is correcting him by telling him to drop it when speaking, as Zhu Yanchen wouldn’t use [ba] (吧).

“Yes, yes!”

“Before Yi Ning, investigate this matter thoroughly. Make a show of going to the Old Fourth.”

“The Old Fourth…?”

“A non-governmental organization. It has recently extended its reach too far and needs to be taught a lesson… You have been with Zhu Yanchen for several years. Do I need to explain the rest?”

“I understand.” Xia Yufeng’s back was covered in cold sweat. With things having reached this point, his life was being tightly controlled by both the Zhu father and son. “I’ll pick up the synthetic work that Zhu Yanchen was previously responsible for. But if the brain control is destroyed, can we still produce new synths?”

“I didn’t come here to give you advice.” Zhu Sheng didn’t hide his disdain. “Since you’ve taken up this position, don’t just think about your own little world all the time. If you don’t do well, there’s no difference between you and a fake.”

Shu Jun couldn’t help but look at Zhu Yanchen again.

Facing his biological father, Zhu Yanchen didn’t have any particular reaction. It was just unclear whether he was mistaken or not, but it seemed that Marshal Zhu had gotten much closer, and his body temperature had warmed up the air around him.

Still feeling stifled? After thinking about it for a while, Shu Jun considerately stuck something on the edge of the wardrobe. Zhu Yanchen’s face had a layer of faint blackness.

Perhaps because he was bored with Xia Yufeng’s silence and trembling, Zhu Sheng glanced at the small lounge, then opened the door wide. “Let’s go.”

Taking advantage of Zhu Sheng’s inattention, Xia Yufeng hesitated and glanced at the wardrobe, then obediently straightened his back and followed him out. The two didn’t immediately leave the room and instead waited quietly for Zhu Sheng and the guards outside to walk away.

“Your father has a strong presence,” Shu Jun whispered. “Can Xia Yufeng really hold on?”

“It concerns his life, and he still has some skills,” Zhu Yanchen responded in a low voice. “Don’t be fooled by Xia Yufeng’s appearance. He has some ability—when the Xia family sent him to be my subordinate, it was an indirect attempt to please Zhu Sheng.”

“It seems you haven’t always been alone.” Shu Jun patted Zhu Yanchen’s forearm. “That’s good.”

“I started studying the loopholes in the player system a long time ago, and when he found out, he ran to Zhu Sheng and told him,” Zhu Yanchen said seriously.

Shu Jun: “…” No wonder the atmosphere was a bit strange earlier. He thought Xia Yufeng was apologizing for impersonating Zhu Yanchen.

“The things that Zhu Sheng destroyed weren’t genuine.” Zhu Yanchen’s voice was a bit cold. “At that time, Zhu Sheng noticed that something was wrong with me, and it would only be a matter of time before he found out about the research. I released a decoy and tested Xia Yufeng, and you know the results.”

Since then, he had never revealed his full plan to his subordinates. All of them only knew the parts that they were responsible for, and this lesson was also worth the price.

Half a step away, Shu Jun felt a bit uncomfortable. Ai Xiaoxiao didn’t seem like a healing type of subordinate, and he hadn’t heard of Zhu Yanchen having any close confidants. He had thought that this person had friends to accompany him, but now it seemed that he was still alone.

…No, he almost forgot about Miss Xia Liang.

“I don’t have any objections to Miss Xia Liang,” Shu Jun hurriedly said. “If you think she’s trustworthy and if you encounter a situation that requires her cooperation, just let me know.

There it is again. There it is again. Zhu Yanchen’s grayish complexion had appeared again.

“Do you still want to see her?” Zhu Yanchen’s tone was a bit strange.

“Ah?” Shu Jun was stunned, and for a moment, he couldn’t grasp Zhu Yanchen’s motive for asking. “It’s not like I want to see her. Uh, don’t get me wrong. I don’t mean to interfere with your personal life. I just brought it up from a cooperation perspective since I heard that you two had broken up…”

Zhu Yanchen grabbed Shu Jun’s shoulders, clenching his fists tightly.

“She likes wo—”

The wardrobe was opened with a snap.

“Oh, you two are still here?” Xia Liang raised her eyebrows. “I’ve finished singing two songs over there, so if you want to leave, you better hurry up… Or are you two planning to join me to get your photographs taken by the media later?”

Seeing the movements of the two, her gaze swept over Zhu Yanchen’s hand, and her expression became ambiguous. When she spoke again, she reverted to her sweet and charming tone. “The secret passage is over there. Let me help you open it. Speaking of, may I see your face, sir?”

She looked at Zhu Yanchen out of the corner of her eye, pretending to be shy.

Shu Jun had already found the mask stuffy. Since they were planning to leave, he didn’t restrain himself any longer and simply took it off—it was a simple effort, and he wouldn’t be petty against this girl.

“Oh my, you’re so handsome. Even better than Marshal Zhu,” Xia Liang said softly. “Sir, I’ve never seen you before. What’s your name?”

“Xia Liang, stop fooling around.” Zhu Yanchen’s voice was icy, and he grabbed Shu Jun’s hand. “Let’s go.”

“Take care.” Xia Liang bit her lip and looked aggrieved. She twisted the perfume bottle in the corner and opened the secret passage.

As soon as the two disappeared, Xia Liang burst into laughter. After years of collaboration, she had never seen Zhu Yanchen’s calm demeanor broken like this. The marshal had always been indifferent to everything—including himself—like a machine. Now that she saw his panicked side, she found it extremely interesting.

Iron Tree surnamed Zhu had really bloomed.

Xia Liang had only known that Zhu Yanchen was overly concerned about Shu Jun before, but now it seemed that reality was much more entertaining than she thought. Miss Xia picked up her communicator and wanted to share this great news with someone, but as she scrolled through her contacts, her smile gradually disappeared.

Wearing this mask for too long, she didn’t have anyone to share it with. Even when she hadn’t broken up with her girlfriend, she had to keep it a secret from her.

…How boring.

Xia Liang ran her fingers through her hair, wiped away the tears that had come out of her laughter, and returned to being the cute and coy young lady of the Xia family. She was about to face the camera, so she had to prepare her mood in advance.

In the secret passage.

Shu Jun only felt his hand being squeezed tightly by Zhu Yanchen. To be honest, he was still a bit confused. Xia Liang’s image outside was pure, gentle, and courteous. He thought she was just curious about his appearance, but he didn’t expect Xia Liang to be so open-minded.

Anyone would mind when the person they had feelings for paid extra attention to someone else.

“A’Yan, I think you may have misunderstood something.” After the two climbed out of the secret passage, Shu Jun quickly clarified, “I don’t have any thoughts about her, really.”

“She likes women,” Zhu Yanchen said gloomily.

“?!?”

“…She only likes women,” Marshal Zhu repeated through gritted teeth. “She was just teasing you.”

Shu Jun stood frozen on the spot, his heart bursting with unknown fireworks—if Xia Liang liked women, then it would be impossible for her to have residual feelings for Zhu Yanchen. He had been thinking about it just a second ago, that Zhu Yanchen had a lingering attachment to Xia Liang and that he should bury his own feelings deep in his heart rather than interfere with their relationship. But at this moment, his sadness disappeared on its own.

It turned out that all of Zhu Yanchen’s previous unnatural behaviors were only because he was afraid that Xia Liang was teasing him. He was really a considerate friend.

With a relaxed and happy mood, Shu Jun took a deep breath, and he was more energetic in discussing business matters. “Zhu Sheng mentioned something about the Old Fourth just now…”

For a moment, a trace of helplessness flashed in Zhu Yanchen’s eyes. But when he heard about business matters, he became serious again. “Zhu Sheng has always been bothered by the Old Fourth. For the people living in the settlement, the Old Fourth is more trustworthy than the United Government. With the current situation unstable, he’s afraid that the Old Fourth will take advantage and expand their power.”

“I know.” Shu Jun let Zhu Yanchen lead him through the streets and alleys of Y City. “I’m just worried about you.”

Zhu Yanchen’s footsteps halted.

“Now that you’re not here, Zhu Sheng has regained his power. If he’s investigating the Old Fourth and dig deeper about their leader, he might find that you’re still alive…”

“He won’t. Ai Xiaoxiao is always cautious. It’s not easy just to track her down.” Zhu Yanchen also took a deep breath.

As soon as they returned to Ai’s Clinic, they were greeted by a barrage of scolding from Ai Xiaoxiao.

“Sneaking out in the middle of the night, huh?” She picked up a scalpel, and the tip of the knife almost touched Shu Jun’s nose. “Do you know how troublesome it is to reconfigure the basement protection network? Can’t you wait until tomorrow to go out and die?”

“Urgent matters. It’s business.” Shu Jun stared at the moving knife point in front of him, quickly trying to appease her.

“First that surname Dong and now you two. Yes, I work for you, but just because you say, ‘business matter’ I’m supposed to let it slide?” Ai Xiaoxiao gritted her teeth. “If you’re really sincere about apologizing, lie down on the operating table and let me dissect you properly…”

“I’ll go down first. A’Yan, I’ll wait for you in the bedroom.” Shu Jun slumped his shoulders, turned, and ran away, leaving Ai Xiaoxiao, who was about to explode, with her real boss.

Zhu Yanchen stood silently on the basement floor like a frozen cat, letting Ai Xiaoxiao rant and rave in front of him.

Seeing that he wasn’t responding, Ai Xiaoxiao started to feel bored, and after a few minutes, she calmed down. After rolling her eyes several times, she exhaled a breath. “Fine, it’s convenient that Shu Jun isn’t here. His detailed scan results just came out tonight. I need to talk to you about it.”

Zhu Yanchen instantly thawed. “Let me see.”

Ai Xiaoxiao waved her hand, and several screens appeared in the air. The images and text flickered, and Zhu Yanchen’s brow furrowed tighter and tighter.

“You’ve noticed it too? Every time he fights with an Alpha Erosion Swamp, he recovers a bit of his memory. It doesn’t seem like a coincidence now—”

Ai Xiaoxiao pointed to Shu Jun’s brain scan. “The foreign brain tissue is cleared away by the erosion, leaving a hole in his brain. After two battles, that hole has obvious signs of healing.”

“Quality erosion is repairing his brain,” Zhu Yanchen’s voice was a bit dry.

“Yes, it’s not the kind of rough imitation. Erosion relies on the information fragments left by Sigma to truly repair brain cells to their original state—repairing a surface wound and repairing a damaged brain—you should know the difference in difficulty between the two?”

Zhu Yanchen’s last bit of relaxation disappeared from his face.

“Shu Jun’s synchronization rate with the Erosion Swamp is surprisingly high. Sigma obviously also found this out. Do you understand what this means? Zhu Yanchen, if Shu Jun’s brain fully recovers, he will become the first synthetic human in history to have a ‘complete brain’. If we compare the synthetic human to a human instruction manual for the Erosion Swamp, he is the most detailed and complete final version.”

“If Shu Jun defects or loses the battle, Sigma will not just be a ‘demon god’ that was pieced together. The thinking of a top-level warrior, the unknown abilities of a composite, absolute suppression of other Erosion Swamp… Faced with the current Sigma, we can still barely survive. Once it is completely intact, we won’t even have a chance to win.”

Zhu Yanchen closed his eyes. Ai Xiaoxiao crossed her arms and looked at him with interest.

“I won’t touch him now, if that’s what you’re asking.”

After a while, Zhu Yanchen spoke.

Ai Xiaoxiao whistled. “If it were Zhu Sheng in your place, he would probably already have rolled up his sleeves and personally killed him. After knowing each other for so long, I just realized that the Zhu family also has people of character.”

“No, this decision is not based on my emotions.” Zhu Yanchen clenched his fists. “First, Shu Jun’s ‘Suppression’ is very useful. Sigma doesn’t have this ability, and it’s one of our trump cards against it. Second, Luo Duan has already joined Sigma. We need a leader to stabilize the synthetic humans—even if they don’t fight against Sigma, it’s enough if they don’t take the opportunity to kill humans.”

“That would make sense if Shu Jun cooperates—but what if Mr. Shu wants to follow in Luo Duan’s footsteps?”

“I will deal with him personally.”

Zhu Yanchen lowered his gaze. “I’ll talk to him about these things frankly and openly in a moment. After all, to analyze the ‘Suppression’, we need his cooperation.”

“Are you kidding me?” Ai Xiaoxiao burst into short bouts of laughter. “You, the nominal chief strategist, are going to go straight to his face and say it? What are you going to say? ‘Mr. Shu, if you join the Erosion Swamp, we’re all dead! So please cooperate with me. Let me study your abilities and make sure to destroy your brain in time when something goes wrong’?”

“Yes.”

“You’re crazy.”

“Right now, the last thing I should do is conceal it.” Zhu Yanchen’s tone was calm. “Humans have hidden it from him for too long. Since we’re partners, I will explain the situation thoroughly. Shu Jun isn’t a reckless person. He’s quite smart, and he treasures his teammates… I understand him.”

Ai Xiaoxiao didn’t say anything else and looked back and forth at Zhu Yanchen’s face.

“Forget it. I’m not very concerned about life and death anyway,” she said lightly. “It’s up to you.”

She put away those screens, stretched lazily, and then came back to her senses. “Wait, you said it’s not based on your emotions… Do you really have feelings for him?”

“Mm.”

“What?!”

“If we can cooperate until the end…” In the dark room, Zhu Yanchen’s gaze was obscure. “I want to keep him by my side.”

Ai Xiaoxiao’s mouth fell open, and she gasped, looking more shocked than before. “Wait, wait. Is it what I’m thinking? You… Him…? You really are crazy. My god, I think I should pack my bags early and be ready to run away for my life—”

Zhu Yanchen gave her a cold glare and walked down to the bedroom on the lower level.

Ai Xiaoxiao’s thoughts jumped around between home, country, the end of the world, and gossip, but when she calmed down, she slowly sat on the nearest chair. “…Oh, should I not have given them two single beds?”

The temporary bedroom on the second basement floor.

“Okay.”

After hearing Zhu Yanchen’s explanation, Shu Jun agreed to assist without hesitation. He continued to brush his teeth, holding the toothbrush in his mouth, as if Zhu Yanchen had just borrowed a tube of toothpaste from him.

The other side was too straightforward that it left Zhu Yanchen confused for a while.

“If I can transplant the ‘Suppression’ ability onto a weapon, I will have the ability to easily kill you,” Zhu Yanchen repeated, fearing that the other party didn’t understand him clearly.

“Isn’t that great?” Shu Jun spat out mouthwash. “In case Sigma really cripples me, you can blow my head off in time, and it won’t learn anything.”

“I will have the ability to easily kill you,” Zhu Yanchen repeated.

Shu Jun looked at him worriedly, with toothpaste foam still around his mouth. “Marshal Zhu, are you okay? I already have the ability to easily kill you now, and nothing has happened to you. We’re still sharing a room.”

Zhu Yanchen: “…” For a moment, he didn’t know how to refute.

“But I’m quite happy.” Shu Jun turned his head back and continued brushing his teeth, making his voice muffled. “You didn’t hide anything from me.”

He also had no intention of taking advantage of the moment when Zhu Yanchen wasn’t paying attention and killing him easily to prevent future troubles.

As expected of the person he fell in love with. Shu Jun had been wanting to find flaws in Zhu Yanchen so that his feelings for him would grow slower. But after observing him carefully for a while, he found that there was nothing annoying about him; rather, he had some cuteness.

“But…” Marshal Zhu was the first to speak, perhaps because Shu Jun had agreed too readily, and he himself was now hesitant.

“What are you hesitating about? Anyway, I’m not planning on losing to Sigma.” After washing his face, Shu Jun shook his head with a smile. “Even if you really want to blow my head off, you’ll need the chance to do so.”

“Also, there’s already enough trouble with Luo Duan on Sigma’s side. If I also have to give up my comrades and join that thing, you can kill me.” After thinking for a moment, Shu Jun added, “I won’t give up on them, nor should I. I’m luckier than Luo Duan, so I should also bear the responsibility brought on by this ‘luck’.”

As he spoke, Shu Jun suddenly had a sense of déjà vu—he seemed to have said something similar a long time ago.

Zhu Yanchen’s gaze softened. “Mm.”

“You have to go back to the team tomorrow, and I don’t know when Ai Xiaoxiao’s medicine will be ready… Haa, looking at how Hu Yan and the others are, my heart aches.” After finishing the main topic, Shu Jun sat by the bed and began to ramble. “And there’s so much trouble on Yu Jin’s side…”

Zhu Yanchen sat across from him, listening attentively.

The content of their conversation became more relaxed, gradually resembling their previous online chats. However, the distance between them, with two hospital beds only a meter apart, made Shu Jun feel uncomfortable.

He wasn’t going to do anything inappropriate, but sleeping on the same bed as the person he had a crush on still made him happy. During this mission, they slept in a tent with Yu Jin, and they had all been sleeping in separate sleeping bags for several days. Then they arrived in Y City and encountered this awkward situation.

They chatted for a while until it was time to sleep.

“Good night.” Shu Jun curled up facing the wall, sighed quietly, and spoke softly.

“Good night.” Zhu Yanchen replied in a low voice.

…Shortly after, Grand Marshal Zhu turned over and faced away, quietly sighing as well.

---

The author has something to say:

Shu Ge: When the person you like pays extra attention to others, it’s natural to feel jealous.

Marshal: You know that too.

---

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

Author: 年终 / Nian Zhong

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

---

Chapter 50: Sigma

“The ability of that little Erosion Swamp is most likely ‘Crush’,” Ai Xiaoxiao said. “Cutting itself into pieces, sneaking into the command center in batches, and then restoring itself—other Erosion Swamps can’t do that.”

Having no luck finding Luo Duan, and with alarms sounding all around them, the two had to retreat. Ai Xiaoxiao wasn’t on duty at the command center today, so they went straight to Ai’s Clinic.

It had been less than a week since she had started studying the brain sample, but Ai Xiaoxiao had at least gone through everything related to Monday and managed to draw a lot of preliminary conclusions.

She had been studying tirelessly lately, eating only one meal a day. Now she was sitting across from the two of them, wolfing down noodles and explaining things in a muffled voice.

“I have some idea of how it entered the command center,” Ai Xiaoxiao said, tapping her fork. “But let’s start with the basics. You’re probably most concerned about the special abilities of Erosion Swamps with brains.”

Zhu Yanchen nodded.

“Based on what I’ve seen so far, the special abilities of Erosion Swamps with brains are more like using the first obsession or wish generated by the brain? It’s roughly the same thing. When Shu Jun wanted you to rest quietly, it resulted in ‘Suppression’. As for Sweet Edge, her thought was to restore her body, resulting in ‘Creation’. As for the Erosion Swamp you encountered, I suspect that the last synthetic human consciousness it contacted was ‘wanting to see what it has become’.”

Therefore, it gained the ability to replicate the appearance of objects, which did make sense. Shu Jun stirred the mixed noodles on his plate with a fork and listened attentively.

“From here on, I need to give someone a refresher on the basics of the Erosion Swamp.” Ai Xiaoxiao wiped the sauce from the corner of her mouth and gave Shu Jun a sidelong glance. “What I’m about to say is related to that so-called ‘behind-the-scenes mastermind’ Erosion Swamp, so you two better listen carefully.”

“Erosion Swamps don’t intentionally seek out people. You should know that the Erosion Swamp doesn’t discriminate and doesn’t even choose between organic and inorganic matter. As for why they are now imitating humans—firstly, humans are the only species that can threaten their existence, and secondly, humans are generous and know that the Erosion Swamp don’t really understand their own bodily intelligence. This is why they made synthetic humans that resonate easily with the Erosion Swamp and delivered them straight to the swamps’ doors, as if giving them a detailed instruction manual.”

She poured herself a large glass of water and sneered, “Humans brought this upon themselves. Without synthetic humans as a springboard…look at Monday. Monday is the natural limit of an Erosion Swamp. Do you think it would be difficult to deal with?”

Shu Jun lifted his sword and placed it on the dining table. Monday seemed to sense the solemn atmosphere, choked out a sob, and started playing dead.

Monday was cunning and had a bit of a brain, but compared to humans, it was more like an “animal”.

Intelligent animals understood how to seek benefits and avoid harm, and unless the situation was extreme, they wouldn’t provoke humans. Before encountering Sweet Edge, Zhu Yanchen had also followed this line of thinking.

Unfortunately, things didn’t always go as planned.

“I understand what you mean. The Erosion Swamp learns from humans at most one-tenth or one-twelfth, and they may not be focused on it. With us as raw materials, they can focus on us as their targets and can learn six or seven-tenths of what we have to offer. I didn’t misunderstand, did I?” Shu Jun squeezed the sword handle. “But what does this have to do with the mastermind?”

“What’s the rush? I was just about to tell you. The Erosion Swamp is different from normal organisms. They don’t undergo cell differentiation, and their nature is more like a set of identically sized building blocks. Based on intelligence, they form a structure similar to a cell, which is the origin of the Erosion Swamp’s ‘brain’, and at most can be considered a group of erosion substance playing house at a higher level.”

Monday heard that this wasn’t a compliment and quietly spat out a “pfft”. Ai Xiaoxiao gave it a cold glance, and it instantly straightened its body, pretending it hadn’t done anything.

“They aggregate synthetic human remnants together, regardless of their quality, and cram them in. Apart from your exceptional case, the Erosion Swamp’s special abilities are derived from the residual subconscious of synthetic humans. Surname Zhu, your research is more inclined towards this aspect, right?”

Zhu Yanchen nodded again.

“They’re not just borrowing logical thinking.” Shu Jun started to pick up.

“Yes, thanks to the information you provided, we have come to a preliminary conclusion—in words you can understand, the Erosion Swamps absorb all the despair and hatred of the players before they die. The more powerful players can even leave behind ‘special abilities’ through their obsession. Fortunately, the resonance among players isn’t so high, so the information that the Erosion Swamp gets is limited. Even if they learn six or seven out of ten things, their nature is still something else.”

The sound of a fork scratching the moist porcelain plate created an unbearable noise. The mockery on Ai Xiaoxiao’s face became even stronger.

“They should have learned everything—at least the ancestral fighting methods of humans.”

“What do you mean?”

“Let me explain.” Zhu Yanchen took over the conversation. “Humans have a clear individual concept, but Erosion Swamps don’t. Luckily, Erosion Swamps with brains outside have developed independently, and the Mirror Erosion Swamp’s testing is the result of their negotiation. If we’re unlucky…”

“If we’re unlucky, there’s only one ‘mastermind’ behind it all.”

Ai Xiaoxiao let go of the fork, no longer making noise.

“It aggregates all the Erosion Swamps with brains, holding all existing information. Whether it’s the ‘Crush’ Erosion Swamp of the command center or the ‘Mirror’ type to probe you, they are all things it has split off. Sweet Edge was too powerful and retained her own thinking ability, so it didn’t dare to touch it.”

Zhu Yanchen sighed heavily.

Ai Xiaoxiao snorted. “And judging from your weird dream, we’re really unlucky—where did the ‘Crush’ Erosion Swamp get its information and intelligence from? The hidden Erosion Swamp with brains might really be just one. Calling it the ‘mastermind’ is too convoluted. I’ve already come up with a name for it. I’m going to call it Sigma.”

Shu Jun looked at the mixed noodles on the plate, completely losing his appetite.

“Let me summarize it,” he said in a daze. “You mean the one we’re looking for… Sigma, is the concentration of the negative emotions and obsessions of the dead. It sounds like—”

“It’s not sounds like. It is an evil god created by humans themselves.”

Ai Xiaoxiao smirked.

“Erosion substance is just erosion substance. It just follows its instincts to survive and doesn’t have any tendencies… Okay, hurry up and eat your food. After you finish, I still need to check your brain.”

After the examination, the two of them stayed in the basement of the clinic.

Having lost a potential collaborator, not obtaining the medicine for the brain shock, and being drenched with cold information, Shu Jun sat on the edge of the bed, feeling a little listless.

Humans had created an evil god, and synthetic humans not only couldn’t stay out of it but also had to pay the price. When the Erosion Swamp came, not to mention humans, even synthetic humans or dogs wouldn’t be taken into consideration.

But the hatred was there. Let alone his teammates, he himself didn’t want to fight to “protect mankind”. The conflict between humans and synthetic humans was irreconcilable, and outside there was a Sigma watching eagerly, not knowing when it would strike.

In such a messed-up situation, he still had to find the most appropriate solution. Shu Jun’s head was throbbing. He tried to find some good news—from the situation of Luo Duan, it seemed that Sigma preferred to provoke the conflict between humans and synthetic humans rather than directly attack them. At least they could control the situation and buy some time.

Shu Jun collapsed on the hospital bed stiffly, making a loud noise.

Surprised by the sound, Zhu Yanchen turned his head. He hesitated for a few seconds, sat on the edge of the bed, and covered Shu Jun’s forehead with one hand.

“The thing you dreamed of is probably a part of Sigma,” Zhu Yanchen said with concern in his tone.

“Then it’s pretty silly.” Shu Jun weakly smiled. “That’s not what I’m worried about now. What about Luo Duan… The combination of his splitting ability and water control is terrible. We can’t catch him.”

“Removing the brain chips from the players only means that they have the ability to know the truth, not that they will immediately accept it.” Zhu Yanchen withdrew his hand from Shu Jun’s forehead. “If he wants to spread the truth, he must take action. Although we can’t mobilize the regular army, I will ask the people from the Old Fourth to pay attention.”

“Okay,” Shu Jun looked at his slender fingers, feeling uneasy. At this moment, Luo Duan must be taking action, but he was idle here. He turned over and over like a hotcake, feeling uncomfortable.

He had to take action, but after this battle, the alert level of the command center would only increase. The enemy was in the dark, and they had no place to start.

Wait, the command center…

“What time is it now?” Shu Jun rolled his eyes.

“Seven in the evening.”

“The event at the Grand Theatre hasn’t ended yet.”

“I have arranged some waiters from the Old Fourth. If you are talking about intelligence…”

“No.” Shu Jun sat up straight from the bed. “I suddenly have an idea.”

Zhu Yanchen raised his eyebrows.

“If I were Luo Duan, I might take the opportunity to start from the inside. No, I’m not talking about killing people. There have been many assassinations among the three major families, and the defense measures must be good. If he exposes himself now, he will be picking sesame seeds, losing sight of the watermelon*.”

*Idiom which means to gain a little but lose a lot or to lose sight of the bigger picture by focusing on small gains.

Due to the tacit understanding cultivated since childhood, Zhu Yanchen quickly picked up his thoughts.

“You think he won’t leave Y City.”

“He won’t leave easily without enough intelligence. After all, we have conflicting positions. If he leaves Y City, I can easily pursue him. But if he stays in Y City, I can’t do anything to him—at least not openly.”

Zhu Yanchen’s gaze gradually changed.

“Ahem, so we need to go to the Grand Theatre… I guess you have figured it out.” Shu Jun made a subtle gesture. “You can consider the situation and take back your position in advance.”

Zhu Yanchen stared directly at Shu Jun’s grayish-white pupils, quickly calculating in his heart.

Threatening or even kidnapping the substitute and regaining some of the resources in the United Government. Even if there were guards in the Grand Theatre, they were only guarding humans, which was much easier to deal with than the command center. It was a very risky move, but not impossible.

“Let’s go take a look first.” He didn’t refuse.

The Grand Theatre was brightly lit. The alarm in the command center was being handled by special personnel, and for now it was deemed to be caused by human interference. Although the alarm level was high, it wasn’t to the extent that all top-level officials had to come out.

The performance was still ongoing.

The current act was a dance, and Xia Liang was resting backstage. She had already finished doing her makeup and was reading a boring love story. “Marshal Zhu,” who had narrowly escaped death, was sitting on a nearby sofa with his arms crossed and eyes fixed on the ground.

‘I’m bored to death,’ Xia Liang grumbled inwardly with a sour expression. She still had to take charge of the final performance before the curtains closed. She finally had some time to rest, but she had to be with this impostor.

It was bad enough that she had to be with him, but she also had to pretend to know nothing.

She didn’t know what the impostor was thinking, but she was disgusted. Fortunately, she had acted out a breakup scene with the real Zhu Yanchen before, so she didn’t have to act affectionately with this stranger.

“Xiao Liang.” The man spoke hoarsely.

“Hmm?” Xia Liang looked up, and her eyes immediately filled with tears. She had a look of five parts resentment and five parts sorrow, as if she had suffered a great injustice.

Faced with such a look, the man awkwardly stopped talking and fell silent again.

Judging from the situation, the Zhu family was planning to act until the end. Her “romantic relationship” with “Zhu Yanchen” was likely to be restored. After all, what the two families wanted wasn’t the so-called happiness of their children. In this era, marriage was just a guarantee in disguise.

Xia Liang chuckled to herself and continued reading her boring novel.

Well, if this guy dared to touch her, she could expose his fake identity in an instant. Regardless of where this substitute was found, once his identity was leaked, they would both be silenced together. The other party looked like a coward who didn’t have any guts.

But it was still annoying. She didn’t know how long this idiot would be here, and the awkwardness in the air was almost overflowing out the window.

Just then, there was a sound at the door handle. Xia Liang perked up—even if it was an assassin, it would be more interesting than the man in front of her.

The door opened, and two men walked in.

One of them was wrapped tightly, with a bit of a medieval knight vibe and a protective posture in his movements. The other had a bold face and looked like a twin of “Marshal Zhu” on the sofa.

Oh, who else could it be—Marshal Zhu had come to visit, and he even brought Shu Jun disguised as a bodyguard.

She didn’t know if it was her imagination, but Shu Jun kept glancing at her, intentionally or unconsciously. Xia Liang picked up her book, hiding her smile, and pretended to look shocked.

“You… You…” The “Marshal Zhu” on the sofa was dumbfounded.

“Shh.” Zhu Yanchen’s gun was pressed against his forehead, and his other hand made a quiet gesture. Shu Jun locked the door and leaned against the door panel nonchalantly.

“It’s impossible. Zhu Sheng told me… This can’t be…” The impostor was completely confused.

“Zhu Sheng doesn’t know everything,” Zhu Yanchen replied coldly. “Who are you?”

The man looked at Xia Liang again, opened his mouth, and then slumped down completely. “Xia Yufeng.”

“Hah?!” Xia Liang exclaimed.

Then she realized that her tone wasn’t quite appropriate and added softly, “W-What?!”

She had heard of Xia Yufeng before, who was considered a distant relative living miles away. The Xia family had always been grooming him to be Zhu Yanchen’s vassal, so Xia Yufeng had followed Zhu Yanchen for several years and knew of his habits. Zhu Sheng absolutely considered this aspect when choosing this person.

Even though both the Xia family and Zhu Sheng knew that she wasn’t interested in men, this was still too much of a waste. Xia Liang felt nauseous.

According to the information she had received, Xia Yufeng found out about some of Zhu Yanchen’s research and went to report it to Zhu Sheng. Later, Zhu Yanchen’s research materials were destroyed, and Xia Yufeng disappeared from the social circles of the three major families, probably exiled to some remote corner.

Although they were distant relatives in name, they had never had any contact, and she had not paid any more attention to him. Who would have thought that their first meeting would be in such a situation?

When he heard the name of the informant, Zhu Yanchen remained expressionless.

“Oh,” he said lightly. “It’s you. No wonder. They did a good job with the plastic surgery.”

“I’m sorry.” Xia Yufeng was shocked and confused, unable to distinguish whether Zhu Yanchen was human or ghost. “Back then… I didn’t mean to…”

Zhu Yanchen ignored him. “It’s simpler with you. From now on, you will listen to my orders. If I need you to appear, you will appear, and if I need you to disappear, you will disappear. If Zhu Sheng finds out that I’m still alive, even if there’s only a hint of it, you know what he’ll do.”

“If you want to eliminate me and continue to occupy this position, you’d better succeed on the first try. If I hear any rumors, you know what I will do.”

Xia Yufeng choked in fear, as if someone was holding his throat.

Seeing this expression on “Zhu Yanchen’s” face, Shu Jun turned his head uncomfortably. The lounge was small, and the other person came into his view.

Xia Liang was still using the book to cover the lower half of her face. Her eyes were moist and terrified, looking quite pitiful. Before they broke in, he had politely raised the question—should they lure Xia Liang away so they could deal with the impostor alone?

“It’ll be too easy to expose ourselves. Xia Liang’s lounge doesn’t have any surveillance. Don’t worry, she won’t say anything.” Zhu Yanchen had answered like that.

As it turned out, Miss Xia didn’t scream. She just rolled her tearful eyes around, scanning the other three people. Whether she was scared or just had lingering feelings for Zhu Yanchen was still unclear.

Well, if everything could really settle down, the road to pursuing the marshal would still be difficult. If A’Yan was really straight, he had no intention of forcing it.

Shu Jun stared blankly at Xia Liang, ignoring the gaze that Zhu Yanchen threw at him. Marshal Zhu frowned, and his face became even stiffer.

His right hand continued to point the gun at Xia Yufeng, and his left hand patted Shu Jun’s neck. The latter looked at his stiff face and said “Oh”, sounding particularly complicated.

Xia Liang: “…”

She had seen countless men who were infatuated with her. Not to mention Zhu Yanchen, even the synthetic man’s gaze wasn’t one of amazement or admiration. She always felt that his eyes were a bit like those of a wolf protecting its prey. But in the next second, Marshal Zhu turned to touch Shu Jun’s neck and looked at him.

That gaze was just like Shu Jun’s, and the wolf that had been protecting its prey suddenly became two.

…These two people are interesting.

“What do you want me to do?” On the other side, seeing that Marshal Zhu hadn’t mentioned any conditions for a long time, Xia Yufeng’s legs went weak with fear. He summoned all his courage and spoke up.

Xia Yufeng was clear about Zhu Yanchen’s methods. He wasn’t as ruthless as Zhu Sheng, but he wasn’t soft-hearted either. He wasn’t the waste that was rumored in the market at all. When he went to inform Zhu Sheng, on the one hand, he wanted to gain Zhu Sheng’s backing, and on the other hand, he was really frightened by Zhu Yanchen’s research.

The command center had been researching synths and the Erosion Swamp. They were trying to reduce the cost of manufacturing the hibernation pods, strengthen control over the fragments of the brain, accelerate the growth of synthetic humans, and adjust their appearances to match other species… All sorts of things like this.

But Zhu Yanchen had no interest in those studies.

Thinking back to those times, Xia Yufeng felt a bit complicated.

He had been raised as a subordinate of Zhu Yanchen since he was young, and he had some resentment, but not much. When he turned sixteen, he officially began to assist the young master of the Zhu family. Although the two weren’t close, Zhu Yanchen never blamed him or instructed him to do any unsavory “tasks”.

Gradually, Xia Yufeng began to like this job. With a boss like this, as long as he didn’t cause trouble, he could live a comfortable life for the rest of his days.

However, the good times didn’t last. At that time, the young master of the Zhu family was still young and couldn’t keep everything under wraps. Xia Yufeng saw the disease on his body one day—terrifying and twisted. It shouldn’t appear on someone from one of the three major families.

Zhu Yanchen asked him not to say anything and made many promises. Xia Yufeng didn’t know if too many painkillers were used, but at that time, Zhu Yanchen always had a strange and dreamy feeling. Xia Yufeng was only fifteen years old at the time and had never seen a “bigshot” beg him before, so naturally he agreed.

Out of a sense of responsibility to his work, he even expressed his willingness to be Zhu Yanchen’s assistant and hide things for him.

Since then, Zhu Yanchen probably saw him as a reliable subordinate and would occasionally reveal some of his thoughts to him.

Xia Yufeng didn’t like those thoughts; they weren’t normal at all—since the first day they entered the military academy, the teachers had repeatedly emphasized the importance of the player system and the nature of synthetic humans. In Xia Yufeng’s eyes, Zhu Yanchen’s thoughts were almost diametrically opposed to those of the course materials.

Xia Yufeng was terrified.

The player system was the foundation on which they all depended on for survival. In the eyes of a teenager who saw things in black and white, at that time, Zhu Yanchen was no different from an anti-social element.

So he “swallowed his anger” and worked as an assistant for Zhu Yanchen for a year. When Zhu Yanchen allowed him to access his research materials, he immediately reported relevant information to Zhu Sheng. Zhu Sheng destroyed Zhu Yanchen’s research but didn’t commend Xia Yufeng. Instead, he put him on the bench and didn’t give him any important work until today.

‘This is all karma,’ Xia Yufeng thought bitterly. But at least he didn’t make a mistake in judging Zhu Yanchen—this person’s mental state was indeed not quite right. He was about to sit in the leadership position. He couldn’t afford to fake his death at a critical moment.

“What do you want me to do?” Without Zhu Yanchen’s reply, he repeated the question.

“Stay in my office for meals and lodging, except for necessary travel. My office is equipped with a single lounge.”

“Do I have any other options?” Xia Yufeng muttered dejectedly. “Even if you don’t require it, I still have to do it.”

“Prepare enough food in the lounge. I may have to replace you at any time. You will be locked in the lounge when I come back, so keep quiet.”

“……?!”

“That’s all for now. I’ll find a way to send the remaining instructions to the office computer.” Zhu Yanchen put down his gun. “I’ll have someone watch you all the time, so don’t try anything stupid.”

“Yes.” Xia Yufeng gritted his teeth and looked at Xia Liang—it didn’t matter if he, an unknown pawn, was treated this way, but he wanted to see how the “dead” Zhu Yanchen would threaten this popular singer.

“Ah, can I breathe a sigh of relief now?” Xia Liang almost instantly changed her tone. She put down the book covering her face, and her panic and weakness disappeared. “If you’re coming, you should at least tell me in advance, right? Feng Ge, let’s get along well in the future.”

Xia Yufeng looked at Xia Liang in horror.

‘Ah, they were working together from the start,’ Xia Yufeng thought in despair.

However, he wasn’t the only one who was shocked. Shu Jun looked at Xia Liang, then at Zhu Yanchen, and then at Xia Liang again. He hadn’t had a chance to speak when footsteps could be heard from outside the door.

Zhu Yanchen acted very skillfully. He hooked Shu Jun’s waist, and the two squeezed into Xia Liang’s wardrobe.

The visitor knocked on the door twice casually and entered the room without waiting for a response.

“…Father.” Xia Yufeng bit his tongue and quickly adjusted his emotions. He didn’t expect the first test to come so soon.

Shu Jun looked out through the crack in the wardrobe. Even if he didn’t care about the plot of <Erosion>, he still recognized that face.

The person who came in was Zhu Yanchen’s father, Zhu Sheng.

---

The author has something to say:

Miss Xia Liang sees through everything√

——

The capitalization of Sigma is ∑, which means summation ←

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Quite an apt name considering Sigma is the summation of many Erosion Swamps.

Shu Jun and Zhu Yanchen are two gays who act like straight boys. They really should get their gaydar fixed.

---

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