Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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Chapter 105

2301, Blue Harbor City, inside the Compatibility Testing Center.

The four players, Zhou Qian, Bai Zhou, Hidden Blade, and He Xiaowei, were divided into two groups and all received instance recommendations from the machine. The most suitable instance for both groups to take on together, which was opening soon in Blue Harbor City, was an instance named “The Red God’s Banquet.”

“The Red God’s Banquet” would open in two days. After making their selection, they received the following message:

[Instances in the game also seek out those with fate, and you have chosen it as it has chosen you. Your action of selecting the instance at the Testing Center demonstrates your trust in the system. Hence, the system will provide you with a tip.]

[Rules to abide by: 1. Do not walk counterclockwise around the Tower of Tara; 2. Do not spend the night in a house where you can still see the light of fire from the window after sunset (Note).]

[Discover more rules within the instance.]

Afterward, the four didn’t leave but went to the rest area of the Testing Center. There were lounge chairs, swings, and vending machines, though the items in the machines were as exorbitantly priced as those in the Murder Exhibition Hall.

Since Zhou Qian had saved his life, He Xiaowei, who was usually a bit stingy, became exceptionally generous towards him. Seeing Zhou Qian sitting on a lounge chair, he eagerly offered, “Qian’er, do you want a Coke? With ice? Or room temperature?”

Zhou Qian shook his head decisively. “I don’t drink that kind of junk. You should cut down on it too. I haven’t seen you for a day, and you’ve already gained weight.”

He Xiaowei pouted unhappily. “Qian’er, that’s not fair. I only scored higher than you once, and you’ve been giving me the cold shoulder all this time! Are we still brothers?”

Zhou Qian looked at him seriously. “I’m not mocking you; I’m concerned for you. My college roommate used to drink three bottles of Coke a day and got diabetes within a month.”

He Xiaowei: “…………”

After a while, He Xiaowei still gulped down a bottle of Coke, then said in a self-consoling tone, “I don’t drink it every day. Besides, Qian’er, you don’t eat this and that; refuse barbecue and fried chicken; what’s the fun in life?”

“Really? I find it very interesting to manipulate villains, NPCs, or occasionally teammates. Besides—” Zhou Qian looked at Bai Zhou beside him with a smile. “So what if I don’t drink Coke? I have a boyfriend.”

He Xiaowei was first confused by the logic of Zhou Qian’s statement, then shocked, and took a moment to react.

It took a while before he understood what Zhou Qian meant, and he ended up spitting out the Coke he hadn’t swallowed yet.

“What? You like guys, Qian’er? Your boyfriend? Who is it? No, we’ve been grinding instances. When did you have time for a relationship?”

Beside him, Hidden Blade held his forehead.

He Xiaowei turned to him in surprise. “Master, did you know?”

Hidden Blade: “……”

Zhou Qian didn’t look at He Xiaowei anymore but glanced towards the door.

They had been at the Testing Center for quite a while, but they hadn’t seen any other Rank God players.

After thinking for a while, Zhou Qian turned to Bai Zhou and asked, “Shall I go to that solo instance soon?”

Bai Zhou held his hand. “Before you go, do something with me first.”

Zhou Qian asked, “What is it?”

Bai Zhou didn’t answer immediately but just stood up, pulling him along. They left the Testing Center and headed back to the seaside villa.

After a long while, He Xiaowei, looking at their retreating backs, asked Hidden Blade in great surprise, “Ah? Oh! I get it! The boyfriend Qian’er mentioned, is it him?”

Hidden Blade: “……Who else?”

……

After a 20-minute walk, the two returned to the seaside villa.

Bai Zhou squeezed a glass of orange juice for Zhou Qian and handed it to him before saying, “The instance you want to go to is quite dangerous. Did you see the success rate? Only 15%.”

“The lower the success rate, the higher the reward. Through this instance, I can significantly improve my basic stats. It saves time. If I quickly clear the instance, I can still make it to ‘The Red God’s Banquet’ with you.”

At this point, Zhou Qian smiled, sipped the juice, and looked at Bai Zhou while drawling out his tone. “Zhou Ge, are you worried about me?”

Zhou Qian, of course, knew he was asking the obvious.

But he wanted Bai Zhou to say something, like he was indeed very worried about him.

Bai Zhou asked Zhou Qian, “Where is the scale from before?”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian took out the scale that could be used as a medium to enter Bai Zhou’s mental domain and asked, “Right, didn’t you say there was an official ceremony at the Testing Center?”

“Yes. 30% is the minimum compatibility requirement. Above 30%, a Rank God player and a Shepherd can enter a harmonization period, but only after reaching 65% can an official ceremony be held to complete the binding.”

Bai Zhou pointed to the scale Zhou Qian just took out. “After the ceremony, this scale can be placed inside your forehead, and then you can use your skills to enter my mental domain.”

Zhou Qian: “So, we can’t hold the ceremony yet.”

Bai Zhou: “Mm. After ‘The Red God’s Banquet’, we should be close to 65%.”

“I understand. Before that, I couldn’t freely enter and exit your mental domain. I need to place this medium scale on my forehead each time.”

Zhou Qian then asked, “So, why did you ask me to take out this scale now?”

Bai Zhou: “Now, enter my mental domain.”

Placing the scale on his forehead, Zhou Qian held Bai Zhou’s hand and once again entered his mental realm.

The last time he was here, the place was shrouded in darkness and littered with mountains of corpses and seas of blood.

This time, however, he found himself in a clean and cozy room, which he quickly recognized as Bai Zhou’s bedroom.

Back in the day, after Bai Zhou left without a word, Zhou Qian, in a fit of anger, went looking for him, only to find his bedroom had been transformed into a new nursery by his mother. But before that, Zhou Qian often spent time in this bedroom with Bai Zhou, playing games, doing homework, and having playful arguments.

This bedroom held many memories of their past. Bai Zhou’s parents were often busy and not at home, making Bai Zhou’s house, in a sense, another private space for the two of them. Back then, Bai Zhou frequently cooked Zhou Qian’s favorite food.

“It’s nice to see this bedroom again,” Zhou Qian commented, sitting on Bai Zhou’s bed, but he didn’t elaborate on the fact that the bedroom in reality had been turned into a nursery.

Bai Zhou seemed to understand something from his words but didn’t inquire further about his parents’ current situation. Instead, he spread his hand, and a deep blue scale materialized in his palm.

Zhou Qian, curious, asked, “What’s this?”

Bai Zhou: “This is what I got by dividing some of my mental power. Remember the three little dragons?”

Zhou Qian blinked. “Ah? Remember! So this—”

Bai Zhou took Zhou Qian’s hand and placed his palm on the scale as well. Thus, their fingers interlocked, tightly sandwiching the glowing, deep blue scale.

Bai Zhou explained, “I’m still not entirely at ease with you going alone. This scale can be used as a tool for you to take into the instance. It’s now absorbing our combined mental power and will materialize as a product of our combined mental energies.”

“I originally thought you were going to create a clone for me. But now, it seems… you’re making our child?”

Zhou Qian said without reservation, then teased Bai Zhou, “Zhou Ge, what did you do to me last night? How am I suddenly having a child?”

After a moment of silence, Bai Zhou leaned forward and whispered in Zhou Qian’s ear, “Really? Between the two of us, who’s the one with special talents?”

Was Bai Zhou hinting at what he did with his fingers… to him?

Zhou Qian turned his head and asked, “When will the little dragon come out?”

Bai Zhou gave him a faint look. “Wait a bit longer.”

Zhou Qian: “Oh.”

Bai Zhou: “Don’t rush.”

Zhou Qian: “I’m not in a hurry. How can one rush having a child?”

Bai Zhou: “……”

“Zhou Qian?”

“Hmm?”

“Focus a bit more. This won’t do.”

“Got it, got it.”

20 minutes later, Zhou Qian, holding a scale that could summon a little dragon, left the mental realm with Bai Zhou and headed towards a place called “Purple Mist Mountain”.

It took them another 20 minutes to reach the foot of the mountain.

The mountain was obscured by clouds and fog, unclear to the eye. A small path had been built at the foot of the mountain. The path extended to the roadside, where a wooden fence and gate had been constructed. A sign on the gate read: “Purple Mist Mountain has recently been inhabited by demons. Citizens, please be careful and do not enter this area recklessly!”

Thus, the sign effectively isolated ordinary NPCs who were citizens.

Just as Bai Zhou approached the sign, he received a prompt:

[Continuing forward leads to the instance area. Rank God player 137’s level is too high to enter.]

Zhou Qian, however, walked unhindered to the entrance and then turned back to smile and wave at Bai Zhou. “Don’t worry. I’ll be right back.”

Bai Zhou: “Once you’re inside, summon the little dragon immediately. This is different from last time. You can train it, nurture it, and make it a powerful companion to keep by your side.”

“Alright.”

Zhou Qian waved again at Bai Zhou, then turned and stepped decisively into the entrance.

Upon entering, Zhou Qian received a prompt for loading the solo instance.

[Player Zhou Qian entered solo instance: Purple Mist Mountain.]

[Purple Mist Mountain has recently been overtaken by strange demons. Citizens passing by the mountain have all been killed, and the surrounding area is in panic. No one dares to come near anymore. We hope you, with your kind heart, can eliminate these demons and restore peace to Purple Mist Mountain.]

[According to incomplete statistics from the Blue Harbor City’s Bureau of Paranormal Investigation, at least 30 people have died here, with no survivors. Only one victim managed to escape Purple Mist Mountain and ran towards a hospital, but still couldn’t be saved and died. Before dying, he left a message—the demons here seem to be a father and son.]

[The exploration is about to begin. Kill the demons of Purple Mist Mountain to clear the instance.]

[Clearance Rate: 15%]

[Player Zhou Qian: Wishing you good luck.]

After reading the prompt, Zhou Qian took out the scale from his bag and successfully summoned a little dragon. The blue dragon landed with a “plop”, opened its round eyes, curled up its tail, and then came around to touch Zhou Qian, as if testing whether it could get close to its master.

Seeing this, Zhou Qian bent down, smiled, and stroked its head, then picked it up with one hand.

Feeling the closeness of its master, the little dragon seemed very happy. It made a “yip” sound and affectionately nuzzled Zhou Qian’s neck before jumping onto his shoulder and sitting down obediently.

“I still feel like this is Zhou Ge’s clone. He must be worried about me, but too shy to say it,” Zhou Qian mused, stroking the little dragon’s head. “Or else… Zhou Ge, can you see me?”

The little dragon: “Yip?”

Zhou Qian patted its head and didn’t say anything else, but then took out another item and held it in his hand—his weapon, the Rib of God.

This weapon had a skill that Zhou Qian had never used before—nurturing and summoning a bone spirit. When he had unlocked this skill, he tried it once but failed. He wondered if there were other hidden conditions for successfully nurturing a bone spirit that the system hadn’t told him.

After all, nurturing a bone spirit required players to consume their own life points.

However, Zhou Qian’s life points had been very low, belonging to the lowest tier of the Rank S.

He wondered if, after this instance run and a significant boost to his stats, he would be able to possess a real bone spirit.

With the small dragon perched on his left shoulder and the Rib of God in his right hand, Zhou Qian had stepped towards Purple Mist Mountain.

The path to the foot of the mountain had been shrouded in fog on both sides. Zhou Qian checked the map, noting that these areas were marked as unexplorable.

In such a monster-farming area, there was probably not much to explore; players should just follow the main path to fight the boss.

However, with an instance clearance rate of only 15%, Zhou Qian suspected there might be some secrets behind it.

With this in mind, he didn’t rush straight to the boss’ location but observed his surroundings as he walked.

Upon reaching the foot of the mountain, Zhou Qian finally discovered some information.

There was a bulletin board there, covered with many newspapers.

Zhou Qian noticed that the latest newspaper was from three months ago. Probably, that was when the monsters appeared here, deterring any staff from posting new information.

After reading the newspapers carefully, Zhou Qian caught a key piece of information.

It mentioned a bizarre story from five years ago—

In Blue Harbor City, there had been a deeply loving couple. They dated, married, and the wife naturally became pregnant. Tragically, when she was four months pregnant, she was diagnosed with a serious illness. If she chose to keep the baby, she would surely die, but aborting the baby might offer her a slim chance of survival.

Later, the husband found a skilled doctor who implanted an artificial womb in him. The doctor transferred the baby from the wife’s womb to the husband’s body. Thus, the husband saved both his wife’s life and their child.

Thanks to Blue Harbor City’s advanced technology, including artificial wombs, men could also become pregnant. The husband received much praise from the city’s citizens.

The praise was mainly because this technology was still immature, with few successful trials, and he took a significant risk.

Additionally, the technology could cause severe side effects, causing excruciating pain for the pregnant man, but he chose to proceed, earning praise for his courage and responsibility.

However, the good times didn’t last. Despite the child’s removal, the wife eventually succumbed to her illness.

The man then carried the pregnancy to term alone and miraculously gave birth to the child…

At first glance, this story seemed heartwarming, with everyone praising the husband’s love for his wife.

But upon reading it, Zhou Qian felt something was amiss.

It seemed the man cared more about the child than his wife.

In Zhou Qian’s view, given his wife’s severe illness, as a husband, he should have first focused on caring for her.

If the artificial womb implantation was risky, why did the husband insist on trying it?

If he had died in the attempt, who would have cared for his seriously ill wife?

Moreover, even if the surgery succeeded, the pregnant husband would suffer greatly, likely unable to care for his wife properly.

It was clear he cared more about the child.

Why did he go to such lengths to keep the child?

Since this was a monster-farming dungeon, the clues for the story and puzzles should have been straightforward and direct.

Thus, Zhou Qian could almost confirm that the “father-son demons” of Purple Mist Mountain were likely the father and son from this news story.

This so-called husband probably saw his wife merely as a tool for childbirth. For some reason, he and his son had turned into demons.

For such a despicable person, Zhou Qian had no mercy.

After reading all the newspapers on the bulletin board and instructing the small dragon to tear them down, Zhou Qian didn’t miss even the news on the back.

Then he had the dragon dismantle the entire bulletin board. Once he was sure there was no more information, he continued forward.

On the way, Zhou Qian patted the dragon’s head. “Zhou Ge said, cough, your dad said, do you have the ability [Treasure Hunt]?”

The small dragon nodded obediently. “Yip!”

Zhou Qian asked, “If there are any clues along the way that I missed, can you find them?”

“Yip yip!”

“Good boy!” Zhou Qian was very satisfied and strode forward. “Then I don’t need to be distracted looking for clues. Don’t miss the bushes, under the trees, and in the soil on the sides of the mountain road.”

“Ang~!”

A true monster-farming instance.

However, after climbing several dozen steps, Zhou Qian had arrived at a platform midway up the mountain—

The father-son demons were right there!

[Target: Demon King Child]

[Age: 4 years]

[Level: S+]

[Specialties: Infant Cry, Illusion Attack, Love Slap]

[Note: Be careful when he cries!]

[Target: Demon King Father]

[Age: 32 years]

[Level: Unfathomable]

[Specialties: Childbirth, Childcare, Cooking; Others: ???]

[Tip 1: Attack skills unknown, life points unknown, defense unknown, special skills unknown. Players must explore on their own.]

[Tip 2: The Demon King Father’s attack and defense are incredibly strong. Be very cautious when fighting him.]

[Tip 3: The Demon King Father has a cultivation sleep period. If disturbed and awakened, he will launch a powerful attack on the player.]

[Player Note: The battle is about to begin!]

[The Demon King Father is in cultivation sleep. His cultivation requires sleep. He will wake up in 30 minutes; the Demon King Child will notice you in one minute, giving you one minute to prepare.]

Zhou Qian had already arranged the necessary items and potions at the front of his inventory for easy access.

Thus, during this one-minute period, he could carefully observe the two monsters.

The bodies of this father and son duo were entirely purple, with pointed ears, and their skin was covered with many granules, some large enough to resemble fleshy bumps.

Although they didn’t have any grotesquely shaped appendages, with such appearances, it wasn’t surprising that they were called “demons”.

As the system had indicated, the Demon King Father was currently in a deep sleep. He lay on his back at the edge of the platform, not at all looking like he was practicing any skills and even snoring lightly.

Oddly enough was his belly—he was shirtless, exposing his abdomen, which had a large fleshy bump on it, as if he was still pregnant.

Was that the “artificial womb” mentioned in the report?

Why hadn’t he removed it yet?

On the other side, the Demon King Child was crawling on the ground. Even at four years old, he seemed unable to walk.

He hadn’t turned around yet, so he hadn’t noticed Zhou Qian.

According to the system’s prompt, he would attack the player after a minute.

As for his father, the Demon King Father, he would wake up after 30 minutes.

In this situation, there was an optimal strategy for defeating the demons—

For the next 30 minutes, the Demon King Father would remain in a “sleeping” state. If disturbed, he would wake up and then attack the player.

Given his incredibly strong defense, it was virtually impossible for a player to kill him in one blow.

This meant that if a player attacked the Demon King Father first, it would wake him up, prematurely triggering his attack. Meanwhile, the Demon King Child would still be alive. Consequently, the player would face a daunting two-on-one situation.

Therefore, the optimal strategy for the player was to kill the Demon King Child within the first 30 minutes without disturbing the Demon King Father.

After 30 minutes, the player would then engage in a one-on-one duel with the Demon King Father.

By defeating the father and son separately, the player could avoid the disadvantageous two-on-one situation.

Such a strategy was something anyone but a fool could come up with.

But why then did only 15% of players successfully clear this instance?

Could it be that the Demon King Father, with his unknown attack power, was truly invincible?

One minute later.

The four-year-old Demon King Child turned around, lifted his head, and looked at Zhou Qian.

Suddenly, he burst into tears, launching the [Infant Cry] skill at Zhou Qian.

Zhou Qian’s vision immediately blurred with double images, and he felt the earth tremble and the tree shadows flicker endlessly; even the blue sky seemed to shatter into countless pieces.

In that moment, it was as if numerous Demon King Children had appeared, advancing on him from all directions.

Guessing that this move was related to some kind of illusion, Zhou Qian frowned and then saw countless Demon King Children rushing towards him.

Due to their high speed and the multiple illusions created by their skill, the children seemed to multiply in an instant.

Zhou Qian was immediately surrounded by countless Demon King Children, each raising a hand to deliver a [Love Slap].

If he were really hit by this slap, Zhou Qian estimated his life points would be halved immediately.

Thinking this, Zhou Qian immediately gripped the Rib of God, consuming a little mana to slightly slow down the flow of time.

Then, he closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. When he opened his eyes, the illusions caused by the crying had disappeared, along with the multiple images, leaving only one fast-moving Demon King Child approaching him from one direction.

The Demon King Child’s attack power might not be very high, but his incredibly fast speed was probably his greatest asset in combat.

Fortunately, one of Zhou Qian’s trump skills was time control, which naturally slowed down the little Boss’ speed.

Immediately, Zhou Qian curled his lips mockingly and said, “Is that all?”

In the next instant, the child leaped up, his hand reaching for Zhou Qian’s forehead in a slap.

Putting the Rib of God in his left hand, Zhou Qian further slowed time and sidestepped. He then drew a short knife given to him by Bai Zhou and swiftly slashed at the child’s neck.

The sharp blade, imbued with killing intent, flashed and disappeared in an instant, and purple blood surged from the child’s neck.

Zhou Qian quickly sidestepped to avoid the disgusting demon blood.

To conserve mana, he promptly stopped slowing time.

On the platform, under the blue sky, the Demon King Child lay motionless in a pool of purple blood, no longer breathing.

Through the system panel, Zhou Qian saw that his life points had dropped to zero.

Logically, he should be dead.

But just then, Zhou Qian’s peripheral vision caught a glimmer of golden light.

Turning around, he saw that the golden light was actually emanating from the large fleshy bump on the sleeping Demon King Father’s belly.

The golden light flickered on and off, and after a few flashes, the Demon King Child on the ground suddenly jumped up.

The wound on his neck had vanished.

At the same time, Zhou Qian saw his health bar restored to 100%!

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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Chapter 104

Zhou Qian finished washing up slowly and went downstairs to the dining room. Bai Zhou had already set up breakfast.

The breakfast was a Hong Kong-style meal from a tea restaurant, including light rice noodle rolls, dried scallop congee, crab meat buns, and shrimp dumplings.

During the meal, the two were silent. At one point, Zhou Qian reached for a tissue after drinking some congee, but Bai Zhou beat him to it, handing him two sheets.

With his eyelids lowered, Zhou Qian saw Bai Zhou’s index and middle fingers through the thin, translucent paper. Remembering where those fingers had been last night, his face reddened again.

Taking the tissue, Zhou Qian wiped his mouth and asked Bai Zhou, “About your answer this morning… Zhou Ge, I mean, there are some things I want to ask more clearly.”

“You didn’t treat last night as… like, just mutual assistance between good brothers, did you?”

Bai Zhou took a tissue for himself, wiped his mouth, and then looked up at Zhou Qian. His deep, dark pupils reminded Zhou Qian of the undercurrents of last night.

So many times when he was clinging to Bai Zhou, it seemed Bai Zhou looked at him with that gaze.

Then he heard Bai Zhou counter, “Which good brother do you help like that?”

Zhou Qian: “…”

Bai Zhou: “Hmm?”

“You’re misinterpreting my words,” Zhou Qian said, lowering his head and starting to eat a crab meat bun. “Is this restaurant run by a player or an NPC? It’s really good.”

After finishing the bun, Zhou Qian looked up and asked, “According to you—”

Smiling, he asked, “So, you like me?”

Bai Zhou took a sip of coffee, quietly watched Zhou Qian for a moment, then set the cup down. “I’ve heard He Xiaowei say that to you before.”

“That’s different!” Zhou Qian said.

Bai Zhou nodded slightly. “Qi Liuxing?”

“Also different. Xiao Qi is still a minor!” Zhou Qian said.

Bai Zhou: “Only less than a year younger.”

Zhou Qian laughed, lifting his foot under the table to rub Bai Zhou’s leg. “Are you jealous, saying that on purpose? You know it’s not the same.”

Bai Zhou quietly watched Zhou Qian for a while. “Were you really that out of it yesterday? You don’t remember?”

“Can’t I hear you say it again? Besides—” Zhou Qian said earnestly, “I really don’t remember clearly. Last night, so much happened—some images felt real, some like a dream…”

“And you?” Bai Zhou asked him.

Zhou Qian: “Hmm?”

Bai Zhou: “What are your thoughts about me?”

Zhou Qian, resting his chin on his hand, looked at him. “So, you never noticed in school?”

Bai Zhou was silent for a moment before saying, “Actually, I’m still not sure now.”

Zhou Qian: “Ah—?”

Bai Zhou: “You used to be very close to me. But it seemed like you could also blend in well with other classmates.”

Zhou Qian: ?

Bai Zhou leaned forward slightly. “When you entered ‘Apple Paradise’, did you know Epoh was me at first?”

Zhou Qian quickly became serious, asking with his usual persuasive tone, “Zhou Ge, do you believe in intuition?”

“You, pulling Epoh’s hair, asking him to marry you then?” Bai Zhou said indifferently, “No.”

Zhou Qian: “…………”

“At that time…” Zhou Qian continued seriously, “I was trying to get information! I just wanted to know if it was just an NPC, only understanding things related to the setting, or if it could react differently to what I said. Zhou Ge, you’ve misunderstood me.”

Looking into Bai Zhou’s eyes, Zhou Qian added firmly, “Really.”

Bai Zhou continued drinking his coffee, his expression cool and detached.

Zhou Qian: “Besides, that’s an NPC, all data. Even if you take ten thousand steps back, why are you even jealous of yourself?”

Bai Zhou took a third sip of coffee.

Zhou Qian: “You see, it’s because you didn’t tell me the truth back then.”

“Although there were rules limiting you—”

“Eh? Were you always watching me? So the moment I entered the game, you came?”

Bai Zhou didn’t respond, and Zhou Qian thought he was really angry. He touched Bai Zhou’s leg again under the table, then saw Bai Zhou put down his coffee cup and stand up, walking over.

Zhou Qian: “Hmm?”

Bai Zhou raised his hand to stroke his hair, then leaned down to kiss his hair. “Yes. Zhou Qian, I like you.”

Zhou Qian smiled and immediately grabbed his arm, asking, “Zhou Ge, why don’t you give me a nickname? Calling me by my full name feels so distant.”

Bai Zhou looked deeply at him. “Because these two words are very important to me.”

Zhou Qian: “!”

Bai Zhou turned to clear the dishes. “When I went out this morning, I ran into He Xiaowei and the others. They said they messaged you but got no reply. What are your plans for the afternoon? Do you want to meet them?”

Zhou Qian looked at Bai Zhou for a while and said, “Although you’re asking me, I feel like you already have an idea.”

Bai Zhou smiled faintly. “If you don’t have plans, come with me to a place.”

Zhou Qian: “Actually, I had some things I wanted to do. But since you’ve asked. Okay. I’ll go with you first. What are we going to do?”

Bai Zhou: “A place for formal ceremonies, exclusively for Rank God players and Shepherds.”

Zhou Qian was quite curious. “Will Xiaowei Ge and Hidden Blade also go?”

Bai Zhou nodded. “Yes, we can go together. Although we’ve only experienced one instance, we can already go for a preliminary compatibility test. If we reach 30%, it’s considered successful.”

“I feel that we’re already communicating very well on a spiritual level in the instances,” Zhou Qian said. “We definitely won’t have any problems.”

Bai Zhou nodded. “Yes, 30% should be no problem. But there, we can test the specific compatibility and help analyze where the gaps are, then guide us to play certain instances specifically to increase our compatibility.”

After a pause, Bai Zhou continued, “Actually, the instances in Blue Harbor City are divided into two types, regular and irregular. The Murder Exhibition Hall is obviously an irregular instance, and it’s newly opened. What makes it particularly special is that as soon as you arrived here, you received a flier from them, plus there are unfinished hidden tasks behind it…”

“I tend to think that it’s another hidden instance that the system has intentionally opened just for you.”

Zhou Qian said, “So… the system might assign me other instances, and perhaps we need to test our compatibility first to find out.”

“Mm.” Bai Zhou nodded.

“Alright,” Zhou Qian said. “Then let’s go! But—”

Thinking of something, Zhou Qian subconsciously bit his finger joint.

Noticing his action, Bai Zhou, holding two plates, asked him, “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Qian looked at him meaningfully. “Zhou Ge, I can’t figure you out.”

Bai Zhou: ?

“It’s nothing. Go ahead and clean up.”

Zhou Qian stood up, still feeling a bit uncomfortable in a certain part of his body.

Catching a glimpse of Bai Zhou’s fingers, he quickly turned away. “I’ll rest on the sofa for a while.”

Sitting on the sofa, Zhou Qian thought—originally, he hadn’t even agreed to be Bai Zhou’s Shepherd before coming here. But now, not only had he agreed to that, but also…

Hearing the sound of washing dishes from the kitchen, Zhou Qian turned his head and could see Bai Zhou’s gentle profile as he looked down. A question arose in his heart, one he found quite interesting to ponder—between him and Bai Zhou, who was the hunter and who was the prey?

Thinking about last night, Zhou Qian was actually a bit apprehensive.

The feeling of having all his senses completely dominated by someone else was thrilling and unfamiliar, and it gave him an indescribable feeling.

It was like he could guess anyone’s thoughts and easily control anyone, but Bai Zhou was always the exception.

Even though on the surface, he became a Shepherd who could control Bai Zhou in battle.

But on the other hand… wasn’t he also being controlled by Bai Zhou?

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, Bai Zhou’s gentleness, almost obsessive protection, constant vigilance, and even his astonishing self-control… all formed a giant web.

Zhou Qian realized that, from a young age, he had willingly fallen into it with no escape.

This didn’t make him feel fear or discomfort; instead, he found this side of Bai Zhou more enchanting, and it aroused in him an even greater desire to challenge, explore, and conquer.

He wanted to be the smartest hunter, which meant first becoming the prey. His target wasn’t other prey, but another hunter.

……

2 p.m.

Qi Liuxing and Ke Yuxiao went to look for any newly opened irregular instances while also strolling around Blue Harbor City to investigate if anyone else was targeting Zhou Qian. Bai Zhou, Zhou Qian, along with Hidden Blade and He Xiaowei, headed to the Compatibility Testing Center on Qingyun Road.

The name of the center sounded grand, but there was only one person on duty who was fast asleep on the desk, probably due to the lack of regular activity. After all, Rank God players were much rarer compared to ordinary players.

Zhou Qian approached the desk and sharply woke the sleeping employee with a slap on the table. Just as the employee was about to curse, Zhou Qian flashed a stunning smile, which completely dazed the employee. Zhou Qian’s good looks and innocent smile were effective tools in such situations.

The employee coughed and said, “Ah, oh. Here for compatibility testing, please come in. Actually, it’s all automated service here. I’m just a witness. Go in. The machine operation instructions are all there.”

Yawning, the employee went back to sleep.

“You’re neglecting your duty—” Zhou Qian seemed about to tease the employee further but was promptly pulled away by Bai Zhou. “Let’s go.”

“Hey, Zhou Ge?”

“Let’s go inside.”

Following them, He Xiaowei, influenced by the employee, also yawned. “Hmm… I feel like Qian’er is unusually excited today. When I first met him, he often smiled, but I could tell he was usually in a bad mood. But now it seems different. Very different.”

Hidden Blade didn’t respond, only saying, “Hurry up and go in.”

“Yes.” He Xiaowei yawned again. “Qian’er, such a big devil… seems like only a Rank God player like 137 can handle him. Haha, it would be great if he joined our team.”

Hidden Blade’s eyelids twitched with worry.

Really? Will 137 manage him? Or will he just indulge him?

After all, if they both go crazy, we’re the ones who are doomed.

Entering the compatibility center, the first thing they saw was a row of machines, as tall as people, arranged for two users each. Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou approached one machine, while Hidden Blade and He Xiaowei headed to another. The four of them aligned their system panels with a port on the machine, which could then automatically read their data from completed instances.

After waiting for half an hour, the compatibility data was out.

Before the data was revealed, Zhou Qian was confident. “Zhou Ge, I think we must be at 100%.”

But after the data came out, Zhou Qian was stunned—it was only “35%”.

“There must be a bug with this thing,” Zhou Qian said in surprise, glancing at Bai Zhou. “We’re only at 35%, so He Xiaowei and Hidden Blade must be even lower. He Xiaowei, you guys—”

Before he could finish, he saw He Xiaowei happily running towards him. “Qian’er, what’s your score? Master and I got 61%. Hehehe, not bad. At least we passed.”

Zhou Qian: “…………”

Zhou Qian’s competitive spirit flared up. He grabbed Bai Zhou’s wrist, clearly unhappy. “This machine is faulty. Let’s try theirs!”

Bai Zhou, however, held his hand in return. “Look at the detailed data on the panel.”

After waiting 10 seconds, the detailed data analysis indeed appeared.

The analysis report gave a thorough explanation of why their compatibility was low. Zhou Qian found that the root of the problem was the vast difference in their attributes, such as health, defense, skills, movement speed, and so on. They were incomparable.

Zhou Qian fell silent, leaning against a machine, his lips pursed and eyes slightly downturned.

Bai Zhou, sensing something, said, “Zhou Qian, after all, I have been here for many years.”

“Mm. I know. I’m just thinking…” Zhou Qian looked at him. “Is the machine now calculating which instances we should go to?”

“Yes.” Bai Zhou nodded.

Zhou Qian said, “Actually, we don’t need it to calculate. I have an idea. I want to go to a single-player trial instance to grind monsters and improve my basic stats, the kind where you go in and out quickly. Does Blue Harbor City have an entrance to such instances? Can you and He Xiaowei wait for me here? I’ll be back soon.”

Zhou Qian had this idea partly because of the analysis provided by the machine and partly because he realized his shortcomings during the double-world serial killer chase. Although his role was the “brain” of the team, commanding teammates and having a powerful output partner like Bai Zhou, he still needed to reach a basic pass level in attack, defense, and speed for the team’s guaranteed victory.

Moreover, Rank God players like Bai Zhou either couldn’t join regular players in instances or their abilities were significantly restricted. It was hard for Zhou Qian to find suitable instances to match with him, largely due to his low basic stats.

If Zhou Qian could enhance his base levels, he could join Bai Zhou in true side-by-side combat sooner.

Bai Zhou thought for a moment and said, “Yes. Pure grinding instances are quick. Finish the grind and come right out. Quick in and out.”

“Mm.” Zhou Qian asked, “Can you pick one for me? Oh, and I can also ask Hidden Blade for advice. It would be even better if I find one that can enhance my crowd control abilities.”

……

Real world. Whitewater Mental Hospital.

A beautiful, clean-looking girl with tidy makeup was leaving. Her name was Yun Xiangrong, and she had just finished her volunteer work there.

Yun Xiangrong had been working part-time at this place for over a year. Once, after working until midnight, she found a watch and accidentally joined the game. After completing a task, the system gave her another watch, indicating she could invite someone to join. She invited Gao Shan.

Initially, Yun Xiangrong’s purpose in the game was simple: she just wanted a jade ornament that she couldn’t afford. Her desire for the jade wasn’t out of vanity, but because of a kind elder sister she had met in her childhood. Before the sister died, she gave Yun Xiangrong a jade ornament, which she accidentally broke. She had always wanted to make up for that regret.

At first, her obsession wasn’t so strong; she just thought owning the jade would be nice. But later, Yun Xiangrong began to play the game seriously, realizing that it seemed possible to approach divinity through the game. She was curious and wanted to see for herself if deities truly existed.

She hadn’t expected to lose Gao Shan in the process.

At a bus stop on the mountain road, Yun Xiangrong waited for the bus while checking her phone to see if her part-time pay had been deposited. The weekend was approaching, and she planned to return home and re-enter the game in the quiet of the night.

She had been living a tough life recently, unsure if her persistence had any meaning, but she had no choice but to continue.

As the evening approached and the streetlights lit up, a bird suddenly flew into a light pole at high speed, hitting it hard. It fell to the ground, dead. Yun Xiangrong crouched to check and confirmed its death.

Then, a breeze brought a faint scent of flowers, and suddenly, many peach petals appeared before her. A pleasant, lively voice spoke as if a fairy was casting a spell. The bird’s wings fluttered twice, and it came back to life, swiftly flying towards the sky.

Stunned, Yun Xiangrong turned around and saw a girl in a pink dress approaching. She was petite and looked like the most innocent of young girls. No one could imagine that such an appearance hid such immense power.

This isn’t in the game! She can resurrect a bird in real life?!

“Rongrong, or should I call you Rong Mei*? How do you prefer to be addressed?”

*Address referring to specifically younger sister, usually implies a friendly or intimate relationship.

The girl, appearing young but with an ancient look in her eyes, smiled slightly. “Hello, my surname is Xie, Xie Huaying.”

“H-How did you do that?” Yun Xiangrong asked.

“Because I have indeed become a god. Resurrection is my ultimate power,” Xie Huaying said with a hint of compassion in her gaze, which made Yun Xiangrong feel uneasy.

Xie Huaying looked too young, but her eyes were those of an elder—full of loving kindness towards a younger person.

It was as if… a person with a baby’s face had the eyes of an 18-year-old adult.

“Don’t be afraid of me. My appearance is preserved by divine power. You would never guess my real age.”

Xie Huaying smiled and took her hand. “I know what you want to do. I will help you. But resurrecting a person is not as simple as resurrecting a bird. We can take our time.

“By the way… you didn’t cremate Gao Shan, did you? We need the body.”

Yun Xiangrong pursed her lips and shook her head. “No. I managed to persuade his parents.”

“That’s good,” Xie Huaying said, gripping her hand a bit tighter. “Only a woman understands another woman’s helplessness. I will help you.”

---

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 103

Layers upon layers of water continuously spilled out of the bathtub, colliding with the thin layer on the light gray floor tiles, creating splashes and ripples that turned into white mist.

In the increasingly dense mist, two figures clung closer together.

Bai Zhou held Zhou Qian with one hand while supporting the back of his head with the other, kissing him first lightly, then deeply.

Zhou Qian gripped Bai Zhou’s shoulders tightly, his eyes misted with steam, unconsciously leaning back slowly. His gaze was filled with confusion, bewilderment, and fulfillment—all emotions eventually transforming into genuine joy.

Suddenly, the sound of water splashing intensified as more water overflowed from the bathtub’s edge, increasing in volume and speed.

Caught off guard, a loud “splash” was heard as Bai Zhou, unable to restrain his passion, kissed Zhou Qian deeply, causing them both to plunge beneath the water’s surface.

Breathing became increasingly difficult.

Yet, neither wished to stop.

Outside, the wind over the sea intensified, with waves crashing against the shore, increasingly stirring up the sand back into the ocean.

The neon lights in the sky dimmed and the night deepened, yet the hustle and bustle of this city that never sleeps didn’t quiet down.

After an indeterminate amount of time, Bai Zhou opened his eyes to see Zhou Qian’s face turning red. He forcefully pulled him up with the hand resting on Zhou Qian’s neck.

As their upper bodies emerged from the water, fresh air rushed into their oxygen-deprived lungs. Zhou Qian, after catching his breath, suddenly grabbed Bai Zhou’s shoulder, attempting to pull him back under the water.

Bai Zhou, worried about Zhou Qian choking, held his head steady to prevent him from moving.

However, Zhou Qian’s loss of control made him restless and uncontrollably rebellious.

A kiss that descended again calmed him.

Yet Zhou Qian seemed still unsatisfied.

Restlessly moving, he caused large splashes to overflow the bathtub and roll onto the floor.

Taking a breath, Bai Zhou temporarily broke the kiss, his magnetic voice blending with the sound of water, reaching deep into Zhou Qian’s ears. “Be good, Zhou Qian.”

“Zhou Ge, my head hurts. I feel terrible.” Zhou Qian gripped Bai Zhou’s shoulders several times, leaving clear fingerprints.

No matter how much Zhou Qian pleaded, Bai Zhou remained unmoved, so Zhou Qian abruptly embraced him, almost forcefully pulling him underwater.

During each episode, Zhou Qian yearned to do something extreme, frenzied, and dangerous.

Whether it was setting fires, smashing furniture, or swimming into the dangerous depths of the sea, each act brought him a thrilling sensation.

Just now, he discovered a new thrilling game—kissing Bai Zhou underwater to the point of near suffocation.

The dangerous, satisfying, and exciting feeling was intoxicating.

But now Bai Zhou wasn’t cooperating. His waist was tightly held by a hand, making it difficult to move.

So, when Bai Zhou leaned in to kiss him again, Zhou Qian ducked and quickly bit his shoulder, muttering discontentedly. “You’re bad. I don’t like you anymore.”

Zhou Qian was confused.

He didn’t realize he had never properly expressed his feelings to Bai Zhou.

He also didn’t know how deeply his words had hurt Bai Zhou—just minutes ago, he had said “no regrets,” and now, “I don’t like you anymore.”

So, taking advantage of Bai Zhou’s momentary distraction, Zhou Qian successfully pushed him away, sliding into the water alone, closing his eyes underwater with a satisfied smile, his body seemingly drifting with the flowing waves to an unknown destination.

But the next moment, he was pulled out by Bai Zhou.

“Zhou Ge?” Zhou Qian opened his eyes, his expression confused as he looked at Bai Zhou.

Bai Zhou wrapped him in a bathrobe and, without a word, carried him out of the bathroom, heading directly upstairs to the bedroom.

Along the way, Zhou Qian struggled intensely, unable to bear even a second of silence or stillness during his episodes. Every cell in his body seemed to crawl with ants, all clamoring for him to release his emotions in some intense manner.

“Zhou Ge, let’s go running, swimming… or take a bath?”

Zhou Qian, clinging to Bai Zhou’s neck, moved restlessly on him. “I’m not sleeping anyway. I can’t sleep now. Just let me vent; it won’t take long. Just wait a little longer.”

Bai Zhou remained silent, his expression lost in the night, indecipherable.

Zhou Qian became unhappy. “Let me down. Zhou Ge, you—”

In the darkness, everything was blurred, and combined with his unclear consciousness, Zhou Qian was somewhat unsure of the kind of environment he was in.

The only constant was his innate trust and openness towards Bai Zhou.

So much so that when Bai Zhou took a belt from the drawer and tied one of his hands to the head of the bed, he still didn’t feel that Bai Zhou meant to harm him.

He was just irritated by the loss of the thrilling sensation of suffocation underwater. He looked at Bai Zhou somewhat bewilderedly. “Zhou Ge?”

Bai Zhou leaned down close to his ear. His voice was deep and serious. “I can play with you. But there must be limits, no real danger.”

Zhou Qian blinked unconsciously. “I’m a good swimmer. I won’t drown.”

Bai Zhou: “Let’s not play with water. Let’s change the game.”

Zhou Qian asked with some anticipation, “How? It’s not fun being tied up.”

Bai Zhou didn’t respond. At some point, a bathrobe belt that had fallen to the floor was picked up and then gently placed over Zhou Qian’s eyes.

Darkness enveloped him, and he could see nothing.

Feeling uncomfortable, he instinctively reached out with his right hand to pull at the belt, but then his wrist was tightly grasped.

“Zhou Ge…”

Having lost the freedom of both hands and with something covering his eyes, Zhou Qian seemed to finally become a bit anxious, his body showing clear movements.

“Zhou Ge, I feel uncomfortable.”

Sensitively sensing Bai Zhou’s lips approaching, Zhou Qian instinctively raised his head to kiss him.

Their lips touched lightly, but soon Bai Zhou turned his head aside.

Zhou Qian frowned, instinctively trying to chase a certain warmth, then felt Bai Zhou kiss his cheek and heard him say slowly by his ear, “Mm. I know. I’ll help you.”

……

The mountain’s lifeline was held by the wind.

A warm breeze came, sweeping away the snow and ice. The hard frost gradually softened, turning into spring rain, flowing and nourishing everything.

Streams flowed again, tender buds sprouted, and mountain flowers bloomed one after another.

It was a cycle that repeated endlessly.

“Zhou Ge… I…”

After some time, Zhou Qian’s hands were free again. At this moment, he was restlessly grabbing Bai Zhou’s shoulders and then his neck.

Bai Zhou whispered in his ear, “Do you still want to play in the water?”

Zhou Qian immediately shook his head.

“Do you still want to play this?”

“Hmm? …No, not playing anymore.”

Bai Zhou almost coaxed him. “Do you really not want to play?”

Zhou Qian slowly hugged him, burying his head in his chest, and said softly, “…I do.”

……

The next day.

Zhou Qian woke up at noon.

His first reaction was extreme fatigue, so he turned over, wrapped himself in the blanket, closed his eyes, and continued to sleep.

Then he suddenly remembered something.

He didn’t know if Bai Zhou had those kinds of feelings for him, so he tested him.

And then?

Then he seemed to have gone to play in the sand…

What happened after that?

Certain images in his mind became clearer, and Zhou Qian was stunned.

After realizing what happened, he sniffed his shirt and looked closely at the bed sheet and duvet cover—

Everything was clean and had a faint scent of soap.

Could it be just a wet dream?

After pondering for a moment, Zhou Qian quickly went to the window and opened the curtains, only to see the bed sheets, shirts, and robes drying on the balcony downstairs.

So.

It wasn’t a dream.

What did I do yesterday…

How he clung to Bai Zhou, scratched him, and seemed to have cried and made a fuss several times…

All these images appeared in Zhou Qian’s mind.

Even with thick skin, he couldn’t help but blush at this moment.

The two had grown up together and were always close. Zhou Qian wasn’t worried about Bai Zhou seeing him in a bad state. After all, he had been embarrassed many times as a child, and Bai Zhou had seen it all.

But they hadn’t seen each other for seven years, and now they were both adults. Many things were different from before. Moreover, they hadn’t really talked about some issues. They hadn’t been reunited for long, so how could they suddenly…

Zhou Qian was unable to accept it for a while.

When he fully recalled last night’s events and counted how many cold showers Bai Zhou had taken, his face reddened even more.

Zhou Qian, in this situation, stood still for a long time.

After a while, there was a knock on the door behind him.

Then Bai Zhou’s deep voice followed. “Awake? Go wash up and come down for lunch.”

Zhou Qian was too embarrassed to turn around and look at him, subconsciously biting his finger joint, and said in a muffled voice, “Okay.”

Bai Zhou paused for a while, then entered the room. “What’s wrong?”

Zhou Qian quickly jumped onto the bed and pulled the blanket over him. “Nothing. I want to sleep a bit more.”

Bai Zhou asked him, “Feeling better now?”

“Yes. It rarely happens once a month. Don’t worry,” Zhou Qian said softly.

“Then don’t sleep now. Get up and eat something. You spent the entire night—”

“I-I didn’t…” Zhou Qian interrupted him, trying to save face. “It wasn’t all night. Just an occasional episode.”

Bai Zhou didn’t say anything, seeming to smile, then reached out and patted Zhou Qian’s shoulder through the blanket.

Zhou Qian reluctantly sat up, glanced at Bai Zhou, and was stunned again.

—Bai Zhou’s neck and collarbone were covered in red marks, as if he had fought three hundred rounds with a crazed, biting, and scratching wild cat.

“I…” Zhou Qian turned away, picked up the water on the bedside table, and drank it with his back to Bai Zhou, asking, “So, what’s for lunch?”

Bai Zhou: “You’ll see when you go downstairs.”

“Okay. You go ahead.” Zhou Qian headed to the bathroom. “I’m going to brush my teeth and wash my face.”

“Alright. I’ll wait for you downstairs.” Bai Zhou walked to the corridor and was called back by Zhou Qian.

“Zhou Ge—”

“Hmm?”

“Last night, why didn’t you—”

In his mind, a certain number fluctuated between 5% and 35%.

Then Zhou Qian heard Bai Zhou say, “You weren’t very clear-headed last night.”

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Oh. Good on Bai Zhou.

---

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 102

The air by the sea always seemed to be filled with a faint salty taste.

In the vast darkness of the room, the light that seeped in was initially dense white, gradually fading in concentric circles. It finally dispersed into elusive halos, swirling in front of the two people, one lying and one standing, by the bed.

The expressions of the two were hard to capture in the night. The only clarity was in the slender, upright silhouette, its lines tautening.

A gentle breeze stirred the soft curtains, floating up and down. From the bed, there was a slight rustling sound. It was Zhou Qian sitting up.

Moments later, he heard Bai Zhou say, “This issue, I never really thought about it before.”

Perhaps because they met when they were too young and spent almost every day together, high school-aged Bai Zhou always naturally assumed they would be together for life, under any name, regardless of how their relationship was defined.

It wasn’t until a separation of seven years, not anticipated by him, that certain questions rose to the surface, visible with just a bow of his head.

Zhou Qian, who disliked solitude and feared loneliness, always had a group of friends around him. So, was there someone whose relationship with him surpassed what they had in the past?

Or even, could it be possible he had previous romantic partners? If he suffered heartbreak, would he call friends to drink and cry with, then look forward with a smile the next day?

However, no matter how close he seemed with others, Zhou Qian probably didn’t invest much emotion. He liked liveliness and had enough charm to always have people around him that his surroundings were forever filled with noise and laughter.

At first glance, he seemed the worldliest, but upon closer inspection, he stood coldly detached from the world, never truly blending in. Too clear-headed, seeing people and things too clearly, he was always left without attachment. Who could hold on to such a person, and how?

Bai Zhou said slowly, “I never defined our relationship. I’ve long regarded you as the closest and most important person in my life—our relationship encompassing friends, brothers, classmates, and—”

Zhou Qian suddenly interrupted, “Zhou Ge, can you turn around?”

At that moment, Zhou Qian, having removed his trousers at some point, wore only a long white shirt. The collar was skewed, with the top three buttons undone. His right shoulder was mostly bare, leading to a straight collarbone that was partly bathed in deep light and shadow, with the rest hidden in the white shirt.

As Bai Zhou turned, Zhou Qian leaned back on the bed, his right foot resting on Bai Zhou’s left shoulder. In that instant, Bai Zhou’s gaze seemed briefly perplexed but soon returned to normal, the usual expression that tolerated any of Zhou Qian’s whims.

Yet, the lines of his shoulders, neck, and arms tensed visibly, his pupils deep and unfathomable.

Zhou Qian smiled, watching him, his toes twinkling with a light movement downwards, touching each button, and finally stopping.

The wind outside grew stronger, pushing the partially opened window wide. The curtains danced, casting ghostly silhouettes in the dim light. Zhou Qian looked up, seeing the wind lift Bai Zhou’s bangs, the dense shadows in his eyes almost tangible.

With a very satisfied smile, Zhou Qian said, “Alright. I’m clear now, about… 15%.”

Bai Zhou asked, “What 15%?”

Zhou Qian didn’t answer but asked, “Continuing our earlier topic. Does that relationship include—lovers?”

“Zhou Ge, you like me, don’t you?”

Zhou Qian first stared into Bai Zhou’s eyes, then glanced down significantly near his foot, wrapped in fabric.

“See, you don’t need to answer. I already know.”

Suddenly, Zhou Qian’s ankle was firmly grasped by a strong, broad hand. Twisting Zhou Qian’s leg to the left, Bai Zhou naturally wedged himself between his legs. With his right hand on Zhou Qian’s face, Bai Zhou leaned in touching their foreheads. He asked in a deep, hoarse voice, “Would you do this with someone else?”

“I told you; you never understood me. I don’t know what bad impressions I left you with as a child,” Zhou Qian said with a smile under Bai Zhou’s gaze. “But… well, maybe it’s down to 9% now.”

Bai Zhou didn’t speak or move. His hand on Zhou Qian’s leg seemed frozen. Turning his head, Zhou Qian whispered, “You can move your hand up. I’ll allow it.”

“Zhou Qian…” Bai Zhou’s voice was hoarse beyond recognition, but he made no move.

“Shh—”

After observing Bai Zhou for a while, Zhou Qian pushed him away and sat up on the bed. “How about you close your eyes?”

Bai Zhou did as told and asked, “What do you want to do?”

Zhou Qian replied, “Of course, turn the tables.”

Hearing this, Bai Zhou kept his eyes closed, waiting quietly, but Zhou Qian didn’t act.

Suddenly, Bai Zhou heard Zhou Qian say, “Zhou Ge, I think… I’m a bit excited.”

Zhou Qian’s excitement was truly of a spirited nature. Bai Zhou, sensing something, opened his eyes, but before he could ask, he saw Zhou Qian leap off the bed and head downstairs. His movements were fast and heavy, making the wooden stairs echo loudly.

Sensing something amiss, Bai Zhou didn’t follow immediately but ran to the window and saw Zhou Qian running out of the house towards the beach. Bai Zhou braced against the windowsill and jumped down.

Zhou Qian left the villa and ran towards the beach, then jumped into the sea, submerging half of his body. Hearing Bai Zhou calling his name from behind, he turned around, laughed, and threw handfuls of sand and mud at him.

“Zhou Ge, let’s swim. Who’s faster?”

Zhou Qian continued throwing sand while laughing. He seemed overly excited, as if he had become a lunatic.

Bai Zhou reached out to Zhou Qian. “Alright. I’ll play with you. But come a little closer. Don’t go too deep into the sea.”

Zhou Qian didn’t listen and dove into the salty sea water, swimming towards the distance.

Zhou Qian hadn’t expected to have an episode in the virtual world, possibly because of the special nature of Blue Harbor City and the long duration of his stay.

But now, he couldn’t care less. Without tranquilizers, every cell in his body was filled with joy and excitement, needing some way to vent.

In this sunless world, the seawater was too cold and the sea breeze too strong. Although Bai Zhou wanted to join Zhou Qian’s wildness, he quickly stepped forward, worried about him catching a cold, and picked him up. “Let’s go home to play.”

Now both of their white shirts were soaked through and stained with mud. Zhou Qian, very dissatisfied, easily broke free from Bai Zhou and fell straight into the sea.

Bai Zhou had to bend down and pick him up again, forcibly taking him back to the villa and directly to the bathroom.

Placing Zhou Qian in the bathtub, Bai Zhou turned on the shower, lifted the showerhead, and let the hot water flow out, washing the mud and sand off Zhou Qian’s clothes.

He stretched out his hand and touched Zhou Qian’s face, finding it warm. Bai Zhou turned to get a towel but was suddenly grabbed by Zhou Qian, who tried to stand and walk out. But the bathtub was too slippery, and he fell but was quickly caught by Bai Zhou again.

Zhou Qian knew he looked very disheveled—without pants, his shirt soaked and muddy, and his hair wet and messy.

In a critical situation, he would suppress his abnormal excitement with all his rationality and self-control. But now, he didn’t want to control himself. After all, only in front of Bai Zhou could he be so unrestrained.

Grasping Bai Zhou’s wet collar, Zhou Qian looked at him intently through his wet lashes, across the steam rising from the hot water.

“Zhou Ge, you asked me earlier if I was afraid of you. Are you afraid of me?” Zhou Qian said. “See, my madness isn’t cured yet.”

Bai Zhou picked up Zhou Qian and sat him back in the bathtub, then stepped in himself. Zhou Qian blinked at him, then raised his hand, curiously looking at it before biting down.

Bai Zhou quickly pulled away his hand to prevent him from hurting himself. Holding him again, Bai Zhou pulled him into his arms and comforted him, patting his back and pressing his head against his shoulder.

“Bite me.”

Zhou Qian opened his mouth, touched Bai Zhou’s shoulder with his teeth, and then let go, pressing his forehead against him, sounding a bit aggrieved. “I wanted to swim.”

Bai Zhou stroked Zhou Qian’s neck, pulling up his head to look at his face. Zhou Qian seemed restless, uneasy, and extremely uncomfortable.

Bai Zhou’s thumb slid down his forehead to his nose and lips. Seeing this, Zhou Qian tried to bite his finger, but Bai Zhou withdrew in time.

Zhou Qian, increasingly irritated, pushed Bai Zhou away, wanting to leave, probably still wanting to swim to vent. But as soon as he stood up, Bai Zhou pushed him back down, causing water to splash everywhere, covering the tiles with a layer of hot water.

Bai Zhou extended an arm, tightly restraining Zhou Qian. Zhou Qian struggled more and more fiercely.

Bai Zhou had to lift his face to see his eyes.

“Didn’t you ask me a question earlier?” Zhou Qian, feeling agitated, said, “Let’s talk about it later. If you won’t swim with me, let’s go running. You’d better let me go outside and run to vent the mess in my head. Otherwise, the consequences might be severe. Last time I burned the doctor’s uniform—”

Before Zhou Qian could finish speaking, Bai Zhou interrupted him. “Doctor? Another one of your gamblers?”

“Yeah.” Zhou Qian nodded, his consciousness already blurring as he clutched at Bai Zhou’s arm and rambled, “If he were here, he’d give me medicine or an injection, and I’d be fine. I’ve been in the virtual world too long this time—”

Staring into Bai Zhou’s beautiful eyes, Zhou Qian, not knowing why, suddenly reached up and hooked his neck, leaning forward for a kiss. But Bai Zhou didn’t move; he just gently stroked his face with his thumb again.

Zhou Qian, with widened eyes, tried to bite his finger, but Bai Zhou evaded again.

Zhou Qian was extremely frustrated when he suddenly heard Bai Zhou ask, “Zhou Qian.”

“Hmm?”

“You’ve always been in my heart.”

“Okay. I know.”

“And you?”

“What?”

Zhou Qian felt his temples throbbing and his ears buzzing, barely hearing what Bai Zhou was saying.

“The me you see now, and the entire Blue Harbor City, might all be an illusion. My real appearance might be completely different from what you imagine.”

Bai Zhou asked him, “Are you afraid?”

Hot water poured down over them, filling the entire bathroom with steam. In Bai Zhou’s mind, he recalled the words spoken by the fake Zhou Qian in the corridor of the Saiya Hotel—

“You’re not a good person at all.”

“You drew me into this game. I genuinely hate you.”

“You are a complete monster.”

“I curse you and Zhou Qian to hell together!”

So, what answer would the real Zhou Qian give him now?

“I’m not afraid of anything, Zhou Ge. No matter what you become, I won’t be afraid.”

Zhou Qian’s voice, clear and strong, echoed in Bai Zhou’s ears through the mist. “I received news of your death. After that, what do you think I could still be afraid of? I’m not afraid of anything anymore.”

“Zhou Qian, you can’t regret it.”

“I’ve never done anything I regretted in my life.”

For a moment, no one spoke, and only the sound of water remained in the bathroom. The bathtub was full, overflowing from their waists.

Bai Zhou’s hand, placed behind Zhou Qian’s head, slowly moved forward. He pressed his lips three times.

Zhou Qian, lingering on the warmth of the thumb, opened his mouth to bite it again, but Bai Zhou evaded once more.

“Zhou—”

Zhou Qian swallowed the words he was about to say.

Bai Zhou leaned in and kissed him.

---

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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Chapter 101

When Zhou Qian came to the hotel before, he had already chosen a luxury suite in advance, located at the top of the hotel with a view over the entire Blue Harbor City. It was perfect for him and Bai Zhou to sit down, have some drinks, and clear up matters from the past seven years.

However, the silly receptionist now completely disrupted his plans.

Although the suite had two bedrooms… accommodating six people was still a bit too cramped.

Moreover, considering how naive the receptionist seemed, Zhou Qian really didn’t want to be the one asking everyone to leave the hotel. What if the receptionist let something slip and ruined his reputation?

Before he could say more, the receptionist swiftly pulled out a tablet and began introducing the features of the suite. He Xiaowei, Hidden Blade, and the recently arrived Qi Liuxing and Ke Yuxiao, all approached curiously.

The presentation was quite novel, resembling an AR mode where a 3D image of the suite rose directly from the tablet, allowing a full 360-degree view.

Upon seeing the room, He Xiaowei was amazed.

But the price was definitely steep. He couldn’t help but say, “Wow, it’s so expensive. If we convert the Blue Harbor currency to gold coins… it’s truly pricey! Unless all six of us split the cost, I think it’s just barely acceptable.”

Amidst the lively discussion, Bai Zhou remained silent, his gaze settling on Zhou Qian. Zhou Qian, sensing something, met Bai Zhou’s gaze. It felt like despite the world’s noise, their eyes always found a way to intertwine.

After a moment, Bai Zhou approached Zhou Qian, whispering, “Let the four of them stay.”

Zhou Qian pondered. “And what about us?”

Bai Zhou: “Let’s have dinner first. After that, I’ll take you somewhere.”

Staring at Bai Zhou for a while, Zhou Qian chuckled. “Zhou Ge, you have quite a few secrets.”

……

20 minutes later, the six of them were seated in a Hong Kong-style hotpot restaurant.

After chatting with He Xiaowei for a bit, Zhou Qian finally understood why they could find him so quickly—the hotpot restaurant was actually just 800 meters diagonally across from the hotel.

He Xiaowei cheerfully said to him, “We just discovered this place and thought we’d come to find you to see if it met your standards. Just as we left the restaurant and were about to cross the road, we bumped into you and Bai Zhou going to the hotel…”

He Xiaowei didn’t finish his sentence because he was elbowed by Hidden Blade.

“Master?”

Hidden Blade gritted his teeth. “Mind your words.”

He Xiaowei: “?”

Zhou Qian: “…”

He Xiaowei continued to smile broadly. Given his personality, he quickly became friendly with anyone. However, in just this short distance, he had already gotten quite familiar with Qi Liuxing and Ke Yuxiao.

“Let’s go and get the sauces!” After He Xiaowei made this suggestion, everyone started to head towards the sauce area.

Noticing that Zhou Qian remained seated, He Xiaowei asked him, “Eh, Qian’er? Aren’t you coming? Want me to prepare it for you?”

Zhou Qian didn’t respond but looked at Bai Zhou, who stood behind He Xiaowei. Bai Zhou simply smiled cryptically, not saying a word. Completely puzzled, He Xiaowei then heard Bai Zhou ask Zhou Qian, “Just the satay sauce again?”

“Mm.” Zhou Qian nodded and said, gazing at Bai Zhou, “See how sentimental I am? My tastes haven’t changed in so many years.”

He Xiaowei scratched his head, looking back and forth between the two. “Eh, what…?”

Hidden Blade couldn’t help but facepalm and quickly pull He Xiaowei away.

When they officially started eating, the main conversation was between the four ordinary players.

Hidden Blade chose to remain silent, while the genuinely aloof Bai Zhou was quietly helping Zhou Qian with the food, scooping up shrimp, fish, and abalone. Zhou Qian barely had to use his chopsticks.

Qi Liuxing, having been taught from a young age to do things for himself, sometimes disapproved of some of Zhou Qian’s behaviors. This disapproval peaked when he noticed Bai Zhou carefully extracting crab meat to place in Zhou Qian’s bowl, prompting Qi Liuxing to exclaim, “Zhou Qian, it’s not like you don’t have hands!”

Zhou Qian immediately placed his hands behind his back and boldly claimed, “I don’t have them.”

Qi Liuxing: “…”

Zhou Qian laughed, “Ah, such pleasures, Xiao Qi Gege, you as a minor wouldn’t understand.”

“Besides, you’re always so serious. It was thanks to that trait that when we first met, I was able to successfully draw aggro and you shielded me. Next time someone pulls that stunt, don’t fall for it, okay?”

Qi Liuxing: “……….”

“By the way,” Zhou Qian continued, “I know why He Xiaowei and Hidden Blade went to the hotel. But what about you two?”

“After we leveled up to Rank S, we rushed here,” Qi Liuxing said. “I was curious about Blue Harbor City and wanted to see what the instance looks like after reaching Rank S. By the time we arrived, it was late, and having not rested since our last instance run, we found a nearby hotel. We just wanted to rest for the night and try to contact you guys. We didn’t expect to run into you as soon as we entered.”

“So… why did you level up so fast?” Zhou Qian asked.

Qi Liuxing responded, “We found a double experience card.”

“That’s a rare item, isn’t it?” Zhou Qian frowned.

“Yes, it is,” He Xiaowei exclaimed, also surprised. “I thought I was super lucky… but…”

“Free gains often imply a plot.”

At this point, Zhou Qian picked up a piece of crab meat, dipped it in sauce, and instead of eating it himself, he offered it to Bai Zhou, who accepted it after a glance.

Zhou Qian smiled. “Right. You should eat too.”

Seeing this, Qi Liuxing, who was seated opposite them, whispered to He Xiaowei, “I missed one instance run. Did they start dating?”

He Xiaowei responded, “What? Dating? Who’s dating?”

With sharp ears, Zhou Qian shot a meaningful and warning glance at Qi Liuxing, who met his gaze defiantly. “You told me yourself that you were the ‘gazing husband stone’.”

Zhou Qian: “…”

Qi Liuxing added, “And during ‘The Flower of Evil’, you said—”

“Stop!”

Zhou Qian halted Qi Liuxing mid-sentence, set down his chopsticks, and grabbed Bai Zhou by the collar, turning him to face him. His movements were smooth, fluid, and accomplished in one go.

“Zhou Ge, let’s get back to our earlier topic. Why is it that my teammates always end up with these experience cards? Is there some hidden agenda behind this? How much do you know?”

“It could be a deliberate influence, but that’s just one possibility,” Bai Zhou replied. “There’s another possibility.”

Zhou Qian: “What possibility?”

Bai Zhou: “The system assesses player data from various perspectives and provides them with specific instances based on that. You’re already aware of this. Choosing the instances recommended by the system helps players improve their specialized skills. Haven’t you noticed that you always get instances related to hidden achievements?”

Zhou Qian pondered for a bit. “So you mean… the system dropping these cards for my teammates is, in a way, assisting me in selecting team members?”

“No, more precisely, it’s helping many people choose their teams. Is it trying to establish a… genuine legion? What is its endgame?”

“I’ll share some of my speculation about it later,” Bai Zhou said. “For now, eat.”

“Alright.” Zhou Qian released his grip and picked up a shrimp. “The exhibition hall was indeed exhausting. Let’s not talk about that now.”

At that moment, Ke Yuxiao, who had been relatively quiet, spoke up. “I’m familiarizing myself with the interface after reaching Rank S… There’s a public information board here that regularly posts updates, like newly opened instances, and where you can see everyone’s comments. I just saw…”

His tone became serious. “The Peach Blossom Legion has doubled the bounty on Zhou Qian.”

Zhou Qian laughed. “The Peach Blossom Legion doesn’t have capable members, so they’re hiring others as cannon fodder?”

Having heard He Xiaowei’s account earlier, Qi Liuxing got the gist of the situation. After some contemplation, he said, “Something feels off. What’s the Peach Blossom Legion up to? They’ve had multiple encounters with you and should know you aren’t easy to deal with.”

“This bounty might be tempting for smaller legions, but notable legions wouldn’t be interested in such a small reward. As for solo experts, many would be aware of you, especially since your previous clear videos are publicly available. So in special instances where one can’t predict the challenges, no one would dare act recklessly. Why then…”

Qi Liuxing’s point was clear: only the brash and overconfident, like the seemingly Invincible Legion, would dare accept such a bounty. It seemed the Peach Blossom Legion’s bounty was meaningless, as if they were just luring cannon fodder to Zhou Qian.

“First, they might still be testing me. Second, while there are many minor players who want me dead, it still creates some nuisance. They might just be trying to annoy me,” Zhou Qian speculated.

He then asked Ke Yuxiao, “So, is anyone brave enough to take up the bounty?”

“No one has accepted it yet. There’s an interesting comment. Someone wrote—” Ke Yuxiao began reading from the board, “‘I consulted with my Rank God player friend. They say player ​[137]​ is usually very low-key. He never takes on apprentices, nor has he ever taken anyone to a special achievement instance.”

“Hence, he’s never showcased his strength to the average player. Almost no one knows about ​[137]​, but he’s the real deal. This person advises everyone not to take the bounty.'”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian laughed again, looking at Bai Zhou. “I always said, Zhou Ge, you’re my lucky charm. Plus, we have two Rank God players here!”

……

Inside a private booth in the virtual game hall.

As the door opened, high-level gamblers who placed their bets on Zhou Qian were leaving with satisfaction.

To protect players’ privacy, certain content within the game instance wasn’t broadcast in real-time, such as when a player was taking a shower. For semi-open major instances like Blue Harbor City, the system didn’t provide a broadcast feature either. Therefore, since Zhou Qian hadn’t entered the instance yet, the high-stakes gamblers had the opportunity to relax.

In a corner of the booth, Priest slowly smoked a cigarette. By the time he finished it, the surroundings had emptied. He stood up and noticed the sparse crowd in the hall. After scanning the area, his gaze landed on a person sitting quietly in the corner, shivering slightly. He had been sitting for a long time, drained of all strength.

At this time, he heard a voice.

“Do you feel it’s unfair? You’ve put in so much, invested money, energy, and did research. You gathered countless outside information, trying to help Wen Bin achieve victory…”

“But he lost, and so did you, utterly defeated. On the other hand, Zhou Qian’s high-level gamblers… They just followed the right person, did nothing, and effortlessly won money?”

It was Priest’s voice. Observing the man’s reaction, he continued, “The money they won was essentially taken from losers like you. When you think about it, it feels even more unfair, right?”

“You… Are you from the Peach Blossom Legion?” The man looked up. “What do you want from me?”

Priest responded, “Based on your behavior, I think you have potential. That’s all. This game is as such; placing your hopes of victory on someone else feels too elusive. Join the Peach Blossom Legion, and I will personally mentor you.”

“To clear my debts… seems like this is the only path I have left. But I have questions for you,” the man said.

“Ask away.” Priest’s expression is gentle.

The man inquired, “Can Zhou Qian’s gamblers keep winning forever?”

Priest chuckled. “There are no eternal winners in this world. The only difference is whether they fall sooner or later. Experience usually shows us the higher one climbs, the harder they fall. Zhou Qian will face this fate. So will his gamblers.”

“But what if? What if Zhou Qian keeps winning? Then his gamblers can effortlessly win, right?” The man clenched his fists. “Like you said, it’s unfair!”

“If you think that way, then you underestimate human nature,” Priest said. “Human greed knows no bounds.”

“You mean…”

“Before reaching Rank S, a player has only one gambler. At that time, all the prize money belongs to that gambler. But after reaching Rank S, even though the total prize money decreases, the number of people wanting to become Zhou Qian’s gambler increases. If you were one of them, would you be willing to share what belongs to you?”

Seeing the man’s reaction, Priest smiled. “Wait and watch them all sink together.”

……

Blue Harbor City 2301.

He Xiaowei and the others went to the hotel.

Zhou Qian ignored the doubtful look in Qi Liuxing’s eyes and just followed Bai Zhou to the beach.

After walking around the deep blue sea for about ten minutes, Zhou Qian asked Bai Zhou, “So, where are you taking me?”

Bai Zhou looked straight ahead and responded in a gentle tone, “I told you before, I came to Blue Harbor City and bought something at the auction house.”

“Mm.” Zhou Qian looked at him. “So, what did you buy?”

“We’re here.” Bai Zhou slightly tilted his chin forward.

Zhou Qian looked up and saw a two-story villa by the sea.

“You bought a house?”

Zhou Qian walked up to the peculiar-looking door and, turning to Bai Zhou with a smile, asked, “How do you open this?”

Bai Zhou approached and said, “First, let’s register your fingerprint.”

Bai Zhou then pressed Zhou Qian’s index finger on the door lock’s system panel three times, completing the fingerprint registration. After entering the living room and changing shoes, Bai Zhou gave Zhou Qian a tour of the entire house, eventually leading him to the master bedroom, where he provided a clean set of clothes and a bath towel.

“You’ll sleep here tonight. I’ll be in the guest room next door. Do you want to take a bath before sleeping? Want me to make you some milk?”

Zhou Qian, not in a hurry to shower, pointed at the clothes in Bai Zhou’s hand and asked, “Are these all in my size? How long ago did you prepare these?”

Bai Zhou replied, “I thought there might come a day when you’d need them. I wasn’t sure about the size, though. Try them on. If they don’t fit, I’ll buy you more.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian examined the clothes thoughtfully before accepting them. His expression then turned serious. “Zhou Ge, after my bath, I’d like to drink some alcohol.”

Bai Zhou nodded. “Alright. Just a little. Red wine?”

Zhou Qian replied, “Sounds good. How about we drink together and chat?”

“Okay,” Bai Zhou nodded again.

Afterward, Zhou Qian showered upstairs, and Bai Zhou did the same downstairs. They then climbed the small staircase, heading to the rooftop. The view from the rooftop was stunning, offering a glimpse of Blue Harbor City’s neon-lit sea and the colorful horizon. Zhou Qian enjoyed the vibrant colors, which lifted his spirits.

Taking a sip of wine, Zhou Qian turned to find Bai Zhou draping a light jacket over him.

Zhou Qian squinted and said, “Zhou Ge, sometimes I think you’re quite romantic, like right now. But sometimes, I feel like you don’t understand anything at all.”

Bai Zhou just smiled softly, adjusting the jacket for Zhou Qian and taking a sip from his own glass.

Zhou Qian faced the vast sea ahead. The sea breeze touched his cheeks, leaving a hint of a salty taste in his words.

“I often wonder what the hell you’re thinking.”

Adjusting his white shirt, Zhou Qian began, “Like these clothes. Did you prepare them in advance because you knew I’d enter this game?”

“The time I had carbon monoxide poisoning in the real world, was it you who saved me? That night, I’m sure I saw a dragon. I’m beginning to doubt something…”

Taking another sip of wine, Zhou Qian continued, “Did I die then? Did you, as a god, revive me? What did it cost you?”

He set down his glass and looked at Bai Zhou, tilting his head slightly. “Who is the god in this game?”

Bai Zhou paused before replying, “Your father was a gambler in this game.”

Zhou Qian nodded. “I suspected as much.”

Bai Zhou continued, “He lost in the game and tried to win back his money in the real world through gambling but lost even more. When I found out about it, I learned someone hired your father to kill you. If he succeeded, all his debts would be forgiven. He failed and was killed.”

“So, who has been trying to kill me all this time?”

Zhou Qian frowned. “I’ve always wondered about the motivations of the Peach Blossom Army.”

“In a way, I feel the game chose you. Or us. It’s like an inescapable destiny for both of us. However, someone doesn’t want us to have this ‘destiny’. I have some speculations. In the future, we can verify them together. About that night—”

Bai Zhou continued, “My divine status was already quite advanced. At that time, I already had the ability to manifest as a dragon in reality. That’s why I was able to come to your aid when I received the message. The dragon you saw was indeed me. However, I only managed to get you out of the room. I don’t have the power to resurrect the dead, neither now nor then. So you never died.”

“After forcefully manifesting as a dragon in reality, I exhausted much of my spiritual energy. While you were hospitalized for eight months, I was bedridden for the same period, unable to enter any instance. Unlike you, we aren’t bound by time limits for entering instances. I’m sorry that after getting you out of the room, I couldn’t maintain my dragon form and had to leave, unable to save your mother.”

Zhou Qian shook his head and asked, “You were incapacitated for eight months… So the dragon I saw later wasn’t you?”

Bai Zhou replied with another question, “Are you saying you saw a dragon at Spring Hill Mental Asylum?”

“Yes, many times,” Zhou Qian confirmed. “It was what led me into the game.”

“That wasn’t me,” Bai Zhou admitted. “If I could, I wouldn’t have wanted you to enter. But ever since the incident with your father, I felt the game had chosen you. So…”

Zhou Qian chuckled.

It seemed he had found the answers he was seeking, and he appeared relieved. Looking at Bai Zhou, he said, “So you bought this house and prepared these clothes for me? Zhou Ge…”

“Yes?”

Zhou Qian became serious. “When I was younger, I said some childish and hurtful things. Please don’t take them to heart. About buying a house… I was just trying to annoy you back then. I never expected…”

“Bai Zhou, so what if you’re smart? You’ll never be able to afford a house like mine.”

“Zhou Ge, I’m sorry for what I said that day. You will buy many houses like that.”

……

Thinking about it now, whether it was the former or the latter statement, maybe for Bai Zhou, both were burdensome, right?

He was confined and couldn’t buy a house in the real world. Yet, in his mental sanctuary, he genuinely remembered this and acted upon it, as if he wanted to prove something to someone.

Unbeknownst to him, Zhou Qian put down his glass of wine, laid down, and gazed at the colorful clouds and stars in the night sky.

After a while, Zhou Qian whispered, finally asking the question that bothered him the most. “Zhou Ge, why… seven years ago, did you leave without saying goodbye and transferred schools?”

When asking this, Zhou Qian didn’t look at Bai Zhou; he just stared at the night sky. But his ears were perked up, clearly paying attention to every breath Bai Zhou took.

Bai Zhou replied, “On the day I received the diagnosis, I sat alone in the park behind the hospital for a long time. Someone approached me, asking me to participate in an experiment related to a ‘gene regression’ program. They said it could cure me and promised I’d recover in a few months. I agreed and signed a confidentiality agreement.”

“I see. You thought that in a few months, you could act as if nothing had happened and happily reappear before me.”

As Zhou Qian whispered this, he suddenly realized something.

He often told Bai Zhou that he was perfect. But it turned out that such words might have been a burden for him.

Especially back then, when Bai Zhou was so young. He was at an age where he needed guidance. But perhaps, at that time, Zhou Qian was too dependent on him, making Bai Zhou feel that he could only be the one to rely on and should never show his vulnerability.

Only now did Zhou Qian truly understand that Bai Zhou’s decision to participate in the experiment wasn’t because he wasn’t afraid of death or because he was naive. Even if he knew the chances of survival were slim, even if he realized how absurd the “gene regression experiment” sounded, he would still proceed.

All because he wouldn’t want to be seen in a state of physical decay, becoming paralyzed, disabled, and finally dying miserably.

Of course, it might not be just because of Zhou Qian. Bai Zhou’s parents were also problematic. Due to his birth, his mother missed a promotion and always resented him. His father seemed too busy to care for him.

Bai Zhou felt that his parents couldn’t accept an imperfect version of him. They couldn’t bear the idea of their promising son becoming a victim of a degenerative disease, becoming a lifelong burden.

Both Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou were children neglected by their parents. Both carried trauma from their original families. But these traumas shaped their personalities in very different ways.

At this moment, Zhou Qian couldn’t help but think that Bai Zhou had his own obsessions, wrapping himself in layers of chains. But he didn’t know what he truly looked like in his heart.

There were some things… Maybe he really didn’t understand.

He was always been fulfilling what he believed were his duties and responsibilities in an almost clumsy and stubborn way, but he didn’t understand anything at all.

Zhou Qian clenched his hands tightly, relaxing only after a long while. The starry sky suddenly became blurry, and then he closed his eyes as if to hide his emotions.

But Bai Zhou seemed to see something. He said, “Zhou Qian, when I chose to participate in this experiment, I never thought of seeking death. I have always been fighting for a chance to live. I never thought of leaving you behind. Back then I—”

“It’s okay. Zhou Ge, I understand now,” Zhou Qian said with his eyes closed. “After these few days together and the conversation tonight… I fully understand. I won’t be angry with you anymore.”

“Zhou Qian…”

“I’m tired. I want to sleep here for a while.”

“Alright. Then sleep.”

After an unknown period, feeling Zhou Qian’s breathing become steadier, Bai Zhou knew he had fallen into a deep sleep. The night deepened, and the wind by the sea grew strong. Fearing that Zhou Qian might catch a cold, Bai Zhou eventually carried him downstairs and then into the master bedroom, placing him gently on the bed.

After tucking Zhou Qian in, Bai Zhou turned off the bedroom light and then went out to the hallway.

What Bai Zhou didn’t know was that Zhou Qian, pretending to be asleep, had clenched and then released his hand under the blanket. Standing quietly in the hallway for a long while, Bai Zhou re-entered the room and sat in the chair next to the bed.

The white light from the hallway faintly illuminated half of Zhou Qian’s face while casting a long shadow of Bai Zhou sitting on the chair. After a long while, that shadow finally moved—

Bai Zhou leaned forward, gently brushing away the stray hairs on Zhou Qian’s forehead with his hand. Then, with utmost care, he leaned down and lightly kissed that smooth forehead.

After the soft kiss, Bai Zhou got up to leave. But as he turned, a hand reached out from under the blanket, grabbing his wrist. Bai Zhou stood still.

After a moment, he heard Zhou Qian ask him, “After you transformed into a dragon during ‘Last Wish’, did you do something like what you just did?”

The night was deep.

Zhou Qian’s tone held a hint of provocation.

He then asked, “Zhou Ge, under what pretense should I stay at your house? As brothers, friends, old classmates, or… something else?”

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

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Chapter 100

In the story world set by Luo Yu, people from the dual world inherently possessed an anchoring function that allowed them to move freely within the 48 dimensional spaces and were aware of all its secrets.

However, why wouldn’t the imposter Zhou Qian dare disturb the author Luo Yu? The only explanation could be the belief that “those who are not of our kind surely have different hearts”.

Luo Yu didn’t realize that he had entered the world of his manuscript. He was deeply engrossed, pondering how to progress with his story. Should he see people from the dual world appearing before him, he might fear harm.

Perhaps he would use the tool of altering the story’s settings to eliminate these intruders. This was probably what the imposter Zhou Qian had thought, leading him to set an ambush near room 1103 but not daring to awaken Luo Yu, not taking even the slightest risk.

This choice exposed several core elements of the story to Zhou Qian—

First, the Luo Yu in the manuscript world was the real Luo Yu. He stood in opposition to the people of the dual world and wouldn’t assist them.

Second, only Luo Yu could alter the story’s settings. Otherwise, the imposter Zhou Qian and his group could just kill Luo Yu, seize the manuscript, and make changes at will.

Third, the love story between the man and woman and the animated killings of Xiong Fei and Li Yuan were all distractions. The real mystery of this story was linked to the page numbers and the elevator. The only clue to the solution was the location of Luo Yu’s room. This signified that finding Luo Yu was almost synonymous with successfully navigating the story.

These three key points dictated how to complete this instance—find Luo Yu, persuade him to change the story, and lead everyone out of this world.

But persuading Luo Yu would take time. Zhou Qian guessed that the situation in the main hall was dire. His best immediate move was to knock Luo Yu unconscious and check on He Xiaowei. Confronting the author and convincing him to lead everyone out would have to wait.

After successfully meeting He Xiaowei using the overlapping space technique and seeing his current dire condition, Zhou Qian felt the urgency to wake Luo Yu, whether to save He Xiaowei or to evacuate everyone.

He slapped Luo Yu several times, splashed water on his face, and then pinched Luo Yu’s pressure point until Luo Yu finally opened his eyes.

Luo Yu looked confusedly at Zhou Qian, instinctively touching his hurting cheeks.

Zhou Qian turned the manuscript to its title page, handed Luo Yu a pen, and demanded, “Write two sentences on this picture of the hotel lobby. First, a potion that can instantly revive the dead appears near the front desk. This potion can regenerate lost limbs, heal all wounds, and restore a person’s health to 100%.”

“Secondly, you decide to give up the story in the manuscript, to abandon the plan of letting the characters in the story act out the plot on their own. You have to make the story in the manuscript disappear entirely. You need to let everyone leave this place and return to reality!”

“I… I… What are you talking about?” Luo Yu replied, clearly baffled.

From a magazine interview, it was evident that Luo Yu wrote crime novels not to teach criminals but to explore their motives. He aimed to reveal these terrifying motives, prompting society to be wary and to improve systems.

His ultimate goal was to prevent such tragedies. Introducing fantasy elements simply made the story more appealing. The same magazine also highlighted Luo Yu’s philanthropy.

Zhou Qian deduced that Luo Yu was fundamentally a good person. He wasn’t finding inspiration and hoped the characters in his manuscript would act according to the story’s setup, guiding him on how to complete the novel.

He wouldn’t actually sacrifice so many innocent lives for his story.

Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes, staring fiercely at Luo Yu, and said, “You can’t find inspiration and are unable to write this story. The fundamental reason behind this is that you can’t discern the motive of the killer. You can’t empathize with them! You fundamentally don’t understand the murderers!”

“Regarding why that man and woman commit crimes, you only have a vague concept of worshiping Satan. You’ve constructed a hell-like secondary world, delusionally trying to probe the humanity of the murderers! You wish to resonate with them on a spiritual level, but this is a gravely mistaken idea!”

“Give up. You don’t need to probe the humanity of killers because, by choosing to kill, they’ve already lost it.”

“Some are born executioners, murderers, monsters, devils. You’ll never comprehend their motives. When you see them, just stay away. Therefore—”

“The thoughts on the first page of your manuscript are both laughable and foolish. You won’t find any answers through virtual deduction. Murderers are inherently evil.”

“Now you’ve dragged living beings, including yourself, into this virtual world. The killer here won’t provide creative inspiration but will only kill us all!”

Concluding his rant, Zhou Qian menacingly picked up an ax, holding it above Luo Yu’s head. The wind from the motion brushed Zhou Qian’s face, revealing his almost reddened eyes.

Staring intently at Luo Yu, Zhou Qian, in a raspy voice, commanded with unquestionable authority—

“Write! Write as I instructed! You have only 20 seconds. Otherwise, I’ll let you die in this world you’ve created!”

“You are responsible for everything that happens here. It’s your duty to bring back those who shouldn’t die!”

……

On the other side.

Wen Bin first disguised himself as “Ke Si” Liu Wansan, then as He Xiaowei, and now he had taken on the face of Hidden Blade. During the chaos in the hall, he fled towards the corridor.

However, the corridor now appeared quite different from before.

Previously, this corridor turned at a right angle and led to the dining hall, but now he seemed to be endlessly running inside a long corridor, as if he had returned to the corridor on the 11^th floor.

Suddenly, he heard rapid footsteps approaching from behind.

Swallowing hard, sensing danger, he stopped in his tracks and turned around—only to see the player called [137] holding a long, straight sword, slowly walking towards him.

Wen Bin was thoroughly panicked.

Initially, he thought everything was foolproof—his gambler had prepared an escape route for him; he could pretend to be a ghost, sneak into the elevator, and escape to some space.

But he never expected the spaces to overlap completely!

There was no way out now. Wen Bin racked his brains, trying to find a way to survive.

He immediately said, “You have a special relationship with Zhou Qian, right? Did you hear what he said? Once you choose to kill, you lose your humanity. So, you…”

Unexpectedly, his words seemed to infuriate Bai Zhou.

Bai Zhou showed no emotion, but Wen Bin could feel a strong murderous intent emanating from his eyes, his footsteps, and even the gleam of the sword.

“You…”

In the next moment, Wen Bin’s pupils dilated in shock. From behind Bai Zhou, another figure approached—it was the swastika serial killer!

Just then, he saw the system’s prompt—

[Key item determining NPC behavior this time: “Swastika” tattoo.]

[Player Wen Bin used the “Identity Copy Camera” item in the exhibition hall’s rest area to photograph player Hidden Blade. He now looks like Hidden Blade.]

[In that photo, player Hidden Blade had no “Swastika” tattoo; hence, in the eyes of the serial killer, Wen Bin now also lacks the tattoo.]

[The killer will have murderous intentions when encountering players without the swastika tattoo.]

[The system announces the judgment to be effective immediately.]

Shivering, before Wen Bin could react, he collapsed on the ground.

At that moment, Bai Zhou turned to look at the newcomer and immediately grasped the situation.

Sheathing his blade, he ignored Wen Bin and headed towards the main hall.

Inside the hall, Chen Dami, Qi Ke, and the white fox were all unconscious.

Chen and Qi were knocked out by the white fox, while White Fox Hidden Blade was knocked out by Bai Zhou.

As for the writer, Luo Yu, he was kneeling on the ground, writing settings.

His first setting was clearly finished, where he creatively turned the potion into a purple color, adding a note—just one drop would take effect.

Zhou Qian was currently pouring the purple potion into He Xiaowei’s mouth.

Only 10 seconds remained.

Then, 9, 8, 7…

With just 5 seconds left, He Xiaowei coughed and opened his eyes.

Zhou Qian quickly lunged at Luo Yu, swinging an axe and then positioning the blade near Luo Yu’s forehead. “Have you finished writing?!”

Luo Yu replied in utter terror, “I’m done!”

The 5-second countdown ended.

The manuscript world collapsed.

Zhou Qian opened his eyes and was back in room 1107.

Zhou Qian felt extremely weak, and as he regained consciousness, feelings of hunger and thirst overcame him. He felt slightly delirious. Amidst the overwhelming hunger, he suddenly felt bizarrely satiated.

Sitting up, he realized he had previously fallen near the window.

Behind him, Bai Zhou lay near the bathroom door.

Zhou Qian now understood. That night, upon returning to the hotel room and watching the dense fog outside while waiting for Bai Zhou to shower, he fainted. Bai Zhou, who had just left the bathroom, also did the same.

Afterwards, their spirits or souls entered the virtual manuscript world, while their bodies lay in the hotel room for four days and nights without food or drink.

Both of them got up, one after the other. Bai Zhou’s first action was to fetch water from his bag and give it to Zhou Qian, asking, “How are you?”

Shaking his head, just as Zhou Qian was about to ask something, the voice of their guide came from outside—

“Dear tourists, how did you enjoy your four days of free exploration? I’m here to pick you up!”

At the same time, a system message appeared.

[The four-day tour of Blue Harbor City’s Saiya Hotel has ended. Players Zhou Qian, 137, Hidden Blade, He Xiaowei, Qi Ke, Chen Dami, and Jian Erdan survived. Congratulations on clearing Hall D.]

[Player Jian Erdan spent all four days in jail and did not explore the hotel, with a storyline completion of 30%.]

[The remaining players’ storyline completion was 100%.]

[Completion affects gold and skill point rewards, which will be calculated when players finally leave the exhibition hall.]

[After leaving Hall D, players should follow the instructions of the staff.]

……

After a while.

At the Blue Harbor City’s Murder Exhibition Hall, inside the public rest area.

In front of the merchandise counter, Bai Zhou was shopping. After a moment, Hidden Blade came over.

Facing Bai Zhou, Hidden Blade seemed like a different person compared to when he was in front of He Xiaowei.

At this moment, he lowered his head somewhat sheepishly. “Um… thank you.”

Bai Zhou simply shook his head, not saying much.

Hidden Blade glanced at him and instinctively rubbed the back of his neck. “My neck hurts so much. I wonder who hit me.”

Bai Zhou: “…”

Suddenly hearing a commotion behind him, Bai Zhou turned around to see He Xiaowei holding Zhou Qian, crying bitterly.

“Wuwuwu, Qian’er, you really saved me!”

“Wuwuwu, Qian’er, I love you! I love you to death!”

“I can’t even express how I feel right now, wuwuwu…”

……

After lamenting for quite some time, He Xiaowei felt his clothes being tugged at the back of his neck.

Blinking twice, he looked up and turned around, only to see Bai Zhou.

To his surprise, Bai Zhou was holding a huge cushion, seemingly offering it to him.

He Xiaowei was almost taken aback, asking incredulously, “Is this… for me? Really? Wuwuwu, thank you so much, big brother! Thank you for buying this stuffed cushion to comfort me!”

“You’re welcome. Just hold it and cry into it.”

Bai Zhou thrust the cushion into He Xiaowei’s arms. Taking advantage of the moment when he was hugging the cushion, Bai Zhou quickly pulled Zhou Qian over to the merchandise counter.

Looking at Zhou Qian, Bai Zhou said, “Given the circumstances, you should eat something. Fruits aren’t enough; shall I heat up some fast food for you?”

“Okay. I’ll make do with it. Then please heat it up for me,” Zhou Qian replied with a smile.

Bai Zhou nodded and went to prepare food for Zhou Qian.

Meanwhile, Zhou Qian approached Hidden Blade.

Upon seeing Zhou Qian, Hidden Blade also sincerely thanked him. But he noticed Zhou Qian’s smug expression.

Hidden Blade: “Hmm… did you want something?”

Zhou Qian, with sparkling eyes, proudly said, “When Xiaowei thought he was going to die, he left 70% of his inheritance to me!”

Hidden Blade: “…That’s… nice?”

“Yes, yes.” Zhou Qian replied with a contented smile. “If both of us fell into the water, Xiaowei would definitely save me first!

“Hmm… Oh, I’ll have to tell Xiao Qi about this. Shows him to turn his elbows outwards*!”

*Idiomatic expression referring to someone who doesn’t help or support their own people or group but instead favors outsiders.

Hidden Blade: “…”

I’m a Rank God player; your money and items are of no use to me. Even if He Xiaowei left 100% to you, I wouldn’t mind. Whatever makes you happy…

After the players had eaten and drunk their fill, the ghostly female staff member in the white dress appeared again.

Zhou Qian’s eyes sharpened, and he stared coldly at her.

However, she eerily said, “Today’s visit has come to an end.”

Zhou Qian asked, “What do you mean? Didn’t you say earlier that our group of players must visit every exhibition hall?”

“Yes. All outsiders who entered the exhibition halls from morning to night are considered the same batch,” the staff member replied with a smile. “Of course, when you leave here, we might meet again!”

Whether from intuition, logical analysis, or the deep implications in the staff member’s words, Zhou Qian knew the story wasn’t over yet.

For example, the significance of visiting the Murder Exhibition Hall.

So far, he had only visited two exhibition halls. Both related virtual games involved survival games—survive a few days, and the player passes.

In the first story, one simply needed to find the trick, avoid the traps that lead to death, and then kill Ruan Mei to pass.

As for the second story, it involved two different serial killing cases. The death risk from the swastika killer was similar to Ruan Mei’s, even easier to avoid.

In the other case, one must avoid being fixated.

The two killers, a man and a woman, responsible for those deaths probably had already died in the history of Blue Harbor City. By the time the players reached the year 1997, they might have been executed or at least were no longer at the Saiya Hotel.

The player’s mission wasn’t to find or survive from them but to find a way out of the manuscript world.

Thus, there wasn’t much to delve into in these two stories since the clearance time was very limited. But the story itself hadn’t ended.

What happened to Ruan Mei, why the manuscript world exists, whether Luo Yu wrote that novel afterward, and if the dual world had any other meanings…

There were still many unknowns about the exhibition hall. Due to the time constraint, players didn’t have the room to delve deeper, and Zhou Qian hadn’t triggered any hidden tasks as he had in previous instances.

Could the moment they “meet again” in this exhibition hall be the time to complete the hidden task? Would he obtain the fourth thing created when God formed the world?

Many thoughts raced through Zhou Qian’s mind, but he said nothing in front of Chen Dami and the others.

He just looked at the staff member. “The visit has ended… but when we left Hall D, you still brought us here to the rest area. You wanted us to spend money here, didn’t you? You’re quite sly.”

The staff member laughed. “You can’t quite put it that way. We were just waiting for the people from Hall E to finish. Now… the door is open. Please leave.”

And so, the players had no choice but to leave the resting area and head outside the exhibition hall.

……

In Blue Harbor City, October 1997. Inside room 1103 of the Saiya Hotel.

The writer Luo Yu sat at his desk for a long time, still in shock. He truly couldn’t tell if everything that just happened was merely a dream of his own. Even when he saw each page of his manuscript pierced with a large hole, he wasn’t sure.

He wondered—did I develop a split personality, and when that personality took over this body, did it create that hole?

Perhaps I should leave this place.

They were right.

This hotel has too much negative energy. If I continue to stay here, I might go mad…

Regardless, I heard what that personality said, and he was right.

I shouldn’t remain immersed in this. If I can’t find the motive of that man and woman, then I won’t look! Not every murderer has a logical, touching motive. Some people simply kill for the sake of killing.

What Luo Yu didn’t know was that a man identical to him silently appeared behind him. He didn’t expect that the man would quickly take out a tie, unexpectedly loop it around his head from above, then tighten it and strangle him to death!

After the murder, the man hid Luo Yu’s body under the bed, opened the wardrobe, changed into a suit that fit him perfectly, and when he sat back down at the desk and took out a blank notebook from the drawer, the desk lamp illuminated a face identical to Luo Yu’s.

“Thank you for bringing me out of the second world.”

“You forgot to get rid of me.”

“So, I had to kill you.”

“You truly are a coward. Then this novel will be finished by me in your stead.”

“You couldn’t discover the motive behind the Pentagram killing group, right…”

“If you don’t put yourself in the shoes of the murderer, of course, you wouldn’t understand. So—”

“I’ll become the killer for you! I’ll personally put nylon bags over the victims’ heads, personally carry out the beating, personally punish them, and personally draw the inverted pentagram…”

“Unlike you, who chose to flee weakly, I will truly understand them and finally complete this novel!”

In the following three weeks, seven murders took place on the 11^th floor of the Saiya Hotel. A month later, writer Luo Yu was arrested. But later, the police received new evidence suggesting there might be other suspects. After Luo Yu was temporarily released, he returned to room 1103 of the hotel.

The body under the bed was gone. Discovering this, he smiled contentedly and began to pack his suitcase. After a moment, he noticed the walls and carpet starting to warp.

The next moment, Blue Harbor City, 2301. The lights in Hall D of the exhibition suddenly lit up, and Luo Yu appeared inside with a twisted, dark smile on his face.

An employee approached and handed him a red ribbon. “Welcome. Please continue your visit. You won’t be disappointed.”

……

On his way out of the exhibition hall, Zhou Qian rolled up his sleeves and found his tattoo was gone. He blinked, remembered the hair salon that also did tattoos, and decided to coax Bai Zhou into getting one with him.

“Zhou Ge.” Zhou Qian nudged him with his elbow. “What’s going on in Blue Harbor City? There seem to be hidden tasks in the exhibition hall. Should we stay overnight here in the game? That issue with your spirit domain…”

Bai Zhou replied, “Hmm, okay. I’ll explain the spirit domain issue to you tonight.”

“Then…”

Zhou Qian seemed to remember something. He looked at He Xiaowei and Hidden Blade. “The fast food there made me sick with one bite. Now that we’re out of the exhibition hall, let’s have a feast in Blue Harbor City. Can you two find a restaurant?”

“Sure, don’t worry, Qian’er. I’ll find the best place for you. What do you want to eat?” He Xiaowei asked.

“How about Hong Kong-style hotpot? Make sure the seafood is fresh.”

After dispatching He Xiaowei and Hidden Blade, Zhou Qian happily dragged Bai Zhou to get tattoos.

However, when Bai Zhou began getting his tattoo, Zhou Qian surprisingly turned and walked out alone.

“Zhou Qian? Where are you going?” Bai Zhou asked.

“No worries. I’m just going to check out something nearby. I’ll be right back.”

After leaving the tattoo shop, Zhou Qian did indeed go to a nearby place—a hotel he’d noticed when he first came to the store.

Entering the hotel, after inspecting the lobby and the style of the rooms at the front desk, Zhou Qian seemed satisfied. He then waved to the front desk and handed over a generous tip. The receptionist, also a player, was ecstatic.

He asked Zhou Qian, “Mr. Zhou, what can I do for you?”

Zhou Qian said, “I’ll leave for a moment and return soon to officially book a room. When I do, you must say you only have one room left.”

“Oh, no, not just that. You must also say that many people have recently come to Blue Harbor City and all the hotels are full. Only your hotel has one room left!”

Front desk: “Alright, no problem!”

After instructing the front desk, Zhou Qian left satisfied and quickly returned to the tattoo shop. With the high-tech efficiency of Blue Harbor City, everything was speedy. He and Bai Zhou soon had the letter “Z” tattooed on their hands.

Ten minutes later, Zhou Qian took Bai Zhou to the nearby hotel.

“I noticed many new players arriving. Let’s book our room first.”

Bai Zhou had no objections and asked the receptionist, “What rooms are available?”

“Hahaha, yeah, what rooms are available?!”

Just as Bai Zhou spoke, this voice echoed from the hotel entrance.

Shocked, Zhou Qian turned to see He Xiaowei and Hidden Blade rushing into the hotel. Following them were Qi Liuxing and Ke Yuxiao. Before Zhou Qian could ask how they managed to upgrade to Rank S to come to Blue Harbor City, he quickly signaled the front desk.

The receptionist shot back a reassuring glance and loudly said, “Sorry, we only have one room left! In fact, in all of Blue Harbor City, only one room remains. Do you six want to stay together?”

Zhou Qian: “…………….”

---

The author has something to say:

When I’m procrastinating, I need a Qian Ge holding an ax glaring at me as he fiercely asks, “Have you finished writing?!”

That way, my typing speed will definitely be much faster hahahaha.

---

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 99

The already narrow hallway was crammed with four people, making it incredibly congested.

Bai Zhou stood tall and slender, holding a longsword in his hand.

With his right hand tightly gripping the sword’s hilt and his back facing the door labeled 1103, Bai Zhou delivered a spin kick to open the door. Afterward, he took Zhou Qian’s hand with his left and pushed him inside.

Looking straight ahead, Bai Zhou directed his words to Zhou Qian. “You go find the manuscript. I’ll handle this.”

“Mm.” Zhou Qian nodded at Bai Zhou and, paying no mind to the fake version of himself, entered the room.

In the hallway, the fake Zhou Qian, dressed all in black, had a gaunt and pale face.

As he looked at Bai Zhou, his expression suddenly became rather pitiful.

Seeing Bai Zhou’s grip tighten on the sword, he asked with a quivering voice, “Zhou Ge, was it you who lured me into this game? Do you not care about my life at all?”

By acting this way, the fake Zhou Qian was undoubtedly trying to buy time—exploiting the special relationship between Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou.

In his view, if Bai Zhou truly cared for Zhou Qian, he’d hesitate to hurt someone who looked exactly like him. If he could just leverage this, he could escape the fatal blade.

He just needed to stall for three minutes, and he’d win.

However, in the next instant, the pupils of the fake Zhou Qian dilated in shock.

Before he even felt pain, Bai Zhou struck swiftly, leaving a deep bloody mark on his neck.

With a thud, his head hit the floor hard. As his life quickly drained away, the tall, indifferent silhouette in his vision began to blur.

At that moment, the fake Zhou Qian let out a twisted laugh. Clutching the wound on his neck, he used the last of his strength to say, “Zhou Ge. I didn’t lie to you. There are only three minutes left. You won’t have time to do much. You chose to stay here to kill me instead of helping Hidden Blade on the first floor.”

“Even if you did this to assist the real Zhou Qian, this proves you’re truly a heartless monster! You’ve abandoned a friend you’ve fought alongside for so many years!”

“Look at yourself, so easily forsaking your friends! Haha, I’m truly disappointed—”

“Growing up, nobody truly cared for me, except for you…”

“I’ve always been searching for a genuine good person in my life. I once thought you were that person. I believed you were the epitome of perfection.”

“But now I realize I was wrong! You’re not a good person at all!”

“Whatever ‘perfection’ you showed? It’s all fake! Just an illusion!”

“I blame you. I blame you for luring me into this game!”

“I truly hate you!”

“You’re an utterly grotesque monster!”

“Hahaha, are you wondering why I’m saying this?”

“It’s because I’m a copy of Zhou Qian. I know all his thoughts! So, all that I’m saying are Zhou Qian’s inner thoughts. Haha… He just doesn’t dare to tell you.”

“Does it hurt? Are you sad?”

“I curse you! You’ll go to hell with him!”

By the end of his tirade, the fake Zhou Qian’s voice had faded away.

Blood continued to gush from his neck, and he uttered these words with a hoarse and raspy voice.

His face contorted in pain, and, towards the end, tears welled up in his reddened eyes.

It was as if, in that moment, he truly was the real Zhou Qian, the one Bai Zhou had killed.

In the hallway, under the light, Bai Zhou remained silent.

His expression was cold, seemingly unaffected by the words of the dying fake Zhou Qian.

Taking out a cloth, he wiped the blood off his sword, then turned his gaze to the fake Wen Bin wearing the guise of “Fake Liu Wansan”.

The glint of the snowy blade flashed—

“It’s your turn now.”

……

At the same time, in room 1103.

Zhou Qian entered the room and found the ceiling light off, but a desk lamp was lit on the desk near the balcony. It seemed as though someone had intentionally created a dim atmosphere to boost their imagination.

In front of the desk sat a person, gazing intently at something in front of him. Even though the door had been kicked open, he remained oblivious.

The reason was simple: he wore a pair of highly effective noise-canceling headphones. As Zhou Qian got closer, he could hear chilling music emanating from the headphones. It seemed that this writer, Luo Yu, went to great lengths to seek inspiration.

Luo Yu was completely unaware of Zhou Qian’s approach. Zhou Qian silently stood behind him, peeking over his shoulder to view the manuscript illuminated by the desk lamp.

The page Luo Yu was looking at was the very first one. He held a pen in his right hand but hesitated to write, seemingly pondering some unresolved matter.

On the title page was a picture of a hotel lobby and a line of text—

[…People from a dual world have appeared in the hotel. They aim to replace their counterparts in the real world. Since they possess the ability to traverse spaces, even if they get lost in a spatial maze, they can easily find their way out.]

[In order to freely travel between the two worlds, each of them has an anchor device inside their minds…]

This setting explained why people from the dual world could sense each other’s locations. Their understanding of space surpassed three dimensions, and they knew methods to traverse various spaces. It was no wonder that the impostor Bai Zhou could locate them so quickly.

Furthermore, Zhou Qian realized that his doppelganger hadn’t lied about the passage of time. The title page also read: [In these three months… I’ve gathered many cases, but I still can’t find any inspiration. I don’t know how to start or finish my novel.]

[If only the characters in my manuscript could act out the story on their own.]

[I’d like to see what surprises they could bring. But to save time, the virtual world created by the manuscript should progress much faster. I want to see the development and ending of the process quickly. Ideally, 80 times faster.]

The system gave players four days—a total of 96 hours, or 5,760 minutes—to survive. If time in this world was 80 times faster, players would have only 72 minutes to clear the game. After calculating, Zhou Qian realized they didn’t have much time left.

He then pondered: Why didn’t the people of the dual world just wait until time ran out? If the players ran out of time and failed, wouldn’t the dual world inhabitants win?

Upon further reading, Zhou Qian found the answer.

The manuscript read: [The dual world inhabitants must kill their counterparts in the real world to truly take their place. Otherwise, they’ll forever remain creatures of darkness, living in perpetual inferiority and fear… because they aren’t considered real people.]

After quickly scanning the entire page, Zhou Qian stood behind Luo Yu, silently raising the Rib of God. The impostor Zhou Qian didn’t dare disturb Luo Yu, unsure of the consequences of angering the creator of this world.

The real Zhou Qian felt the same.

Given more time, Zhou Qian would have used various strategies to understand the manuscript’s world and find the safest way out. But now, there were only two and a half minutes left. He had no time.

Even if he left now to save He Xiaowei, he wouldn’t make it in time.

By pressing “1”, there was a 25% chance he’d reach the lobby, taking about 30 seconds. If he couldn’t succeed at once or encountered the swastika killer or an unexpected event, time would be further delayed. Everyone would perish!

Zhou Qian had to take a gamble. He raised the Rib of God and swung it mercilessly at Luo Yu’s head. Luo Yu fell unconscious immediately.

Zhou Qian quickly picked up the manuscript, made a decision, and his pupils narrowed to a slit.

……

The lobby.

Before Hidden Blade formally entered into his berserk state, he fought with the fake Hidden Blade while explaining to He Xiaowei as simply and clearly as possible how to control himself during his frenzy.

Subsequently, seizing an opportunity, Hidden Blade kicked away his fake counterpart and jumped next to He Xiaowei.

The passive three-tailed white fox wasn’t particularly large in form. At this point, Hidden Blade was highly agile. With another light jump, he landed on He Xiaowei’s shoulder.

He Xiaowei unfolded the white furball in his hand, only to realize that it was actually a small tail.

He couldn’t help but touch the tail, and then he heard Hidden Blade’s instruction.

“Place the tail on your forehead, and you’ll enter my spiritual realm.”

Standing on his shoulders, Hidden Blade whispered sharply into his ear, “Once you’re in, quickly find an ancient well! Through that well, you can control both of our bodies synchronously. You only have 30 seconds!”

“I will continue to deal with them for those 30 seconds. But after that, I will be lost in my spiritual realm. Until I regain consciousness, I’ll be relying on you. Do you understand?”

“I understand!” He Xiaowei gulped. “Through that well, I can control both our bodies and your mind. So that neither of us gets killed in the lobby!”

“Right,” Hidden Blade said seriously. “You can’t make any mistakes!”

He Xiaowei: “Master, the contrast between your voice and your current body is too great. Let me adjust for a moment!”

Hidden Blade, losing his patience, snapped, “Adjust my ass! Act now!”

For He Xiaowei, the next 30 seconds felt extremely long.

Placing the white tail on his forehead and touching the little fox’s shoulder, He Xiaowei quickly entered Hidden Blade’s spiritual world.

But that world seemed very unstable. That was because Hidden Blade, having transformed into the white fox, was fighting multiple opponents in the lobby with intense ferocity!

As the white fox moved violently, its spiritual world also shook dramatically, appearing extremely perilous.

At this time, the situation in the lobby had become very tense.

The fake Hidden Blade’s back had been brutally smashed onto the wooden counter’s fragments, leaving him wounded all over. After a brief rest, he stood up, bloodied and looking very ragged.

Elsewhere, Wen Bin, along with Chen Dami and Qi Ke, had rushed from the restaurant to the center of the lobby.

With wide eyes, he said to the two beside him, “Look! Across from us is the fake He Xiaowei! And beside him is the fake Hidden Blade! I wasn’t lying, right? He’s a monster! A fox demon!”

“Now you understand, right? In this eerie instance, it’s these ghosts causing all the trouble! They transform into us, deceive us, and make us kill each other!

“Attack! Let’s charge together!”

When they first started the game, the once seemingly unreachable Rank S was just the beginning for the players.

Many lower-level Rank S players hadn’t grasped the essence of the game. They had heard the term “Shepherd” but didn’t know what it meant.

Since advancing to Rank S, they spent days not knowing what to do in the game.

They diligently increased their skill points and hoarded gold, but no one knew if they’d actually meet a god, give him the gold, and have their wishes fulfilled.

Most of the time, they were pushed forward by their faction, and the game’s rule that not entering an instance for too many days meant death.

Many lost their sense of purpose in the game, like the current Chen Dami and Qi Ke.

Without the opportunity to access the core instances and secrets of the game, they could easily be incited, mistakenly believing the three-tailed white fox was a ghost in the instance and immediately charging at him with their weapons.

Qi Ke took out a whip and was the first to attack the white fox and He Xiaowei.

The white fox, in the form of Hidden Blade, sat on He Xiaowei’s shoulder, its eyes narrowing, making no attempt to dodge. As Qi Ke got close, the fox leapt up, swinging its tail firmly and precisely, striking Qi Ke’s wrist.

As Qi Ke was knocked to the ground, Chen Dami picked up the ax He Xiaowei had discarded while retreating from Hidden Blade and swung it at the white fox.

The white fox dodged the ax gracefully, its eyes growing redder and its movements more aggressive.

Opening its mouth, it let out a piercing cry, with Hidden Blade now resembling the most terrifying beast.

While Chen Dami was distracting Hidden Blade, Wen Bin silently approached He Xiaowei with a fruit knife.

At this moment, He Xiaowei was almost completely unaware—

He had closed his eyes, entering Hidden Blade’s spiritual world, desperately focusing on finding the ancient well.

He was close, almost there…

Was it that in front?

But how to control it?

How had Master instructed him earlier?

He Xiaowei’s back was soaked in cold sweat, and he was completely unaware that danger was just around the corner.

Suddenly, the white fox closed its eyes. When they opened again, they were green.

This indicated that it had completely succumbed to its berserk state, recognizing neither friend or foe!

At this moment, its actions were swift beyond comparison. With another swing of an ax coming its way, it leaped near the elevator in a split second. Chen Dami couldn’t catch up with him and pointed his ax at He Xiaowei.

Just then, Wen Bin lunged forward with a fruit knife aimed right at He Xiaowei’s throat, the blade almost drawing blood!

Things happened in a flash, and in his spiritual world, He Xiaowei managed to lean into the ancient well. When he opened his eyes, apart from the pitch-black water below, there was also the real world!

This took He Xiaowei by surprise, as he now saw two worlds simultaneously.

In the real world, the white fox narrowed its eyes at the elevator’s entrance, its gaze wicked and cold, as if pondering whom to devour first.

However, in the spiritual realm, the white fox was sinking deeper and deeper into the well, surrounded by layers of water, on the verge of drowning.

Moreover, the spiritual world started to become stable without any earth-shattering events. He Xiaowei felt he could stay in this peaceful paradise forever. But at the same time, he clearly saw a knife and an ax coming straight at him!

At this critical juncture, He Xiaowei quickly snapped out of it. Taking a deep breath and distinguishing between the two worlds, he grabbed the white fox’s neck in the spiritual world and pulled it out of the water.

Gazing into the white fox’s eyes with an earnestness he never had before, He Xiaowei pleaded, “Master! Help me! You must listen to me now! Only if you listen can we survive!”

Being on the cusp of the real and spiritual worlds, after shouting those words, the white fox, who was previously indifferent near the elevator entrance as He Xiaowei was about to be killed, suddenly moved. In less than a second, a white shadow flashed, and it was right in front of He Xiaowei. One of its tails struck Wen Bin’s knife, and the other slammed into Chen Dami’s head.

Thus, Chen Dami’s ax never landed on He Xiaowei, and Wen Bin’s fruit knife only left a shallow cut on his neck.

At this point, Qi Ke, who was previously knocked down by the white fox, got up. With a whip flashing like lightning, he shouted, “Attack the white fox together!”

Quickly adjusting, Qi Ke’s whip, Wen Bin’s fruit knife, and the axe raised by Chen Dami surrounded the white fox from three directions and lunged at it.

Under He Xiaowei’s control, the white fox roared, sending out three tails to counter the fierce attacks of the three men. In this three-on-one situation, the white fox seemed to handle it effortlessly.

However, when fake Hidden Blade recovered and picked up his weapon from the scattered front desk, the situation changed drastically.

He Xiaowei was drenched in sweat. Due to sharing the spiritual world with a Rank God player, his senses were incredibly sharp. He immediately felt an intense murderous intent.

Glancing around, he noticed that in the spiritual world, the ancient well’s water was violently shaking. In the real world, he saw a long, curved blade ruthlessly slashing down at the white fox!

The white fox’s three tails were entangled by the three weapons, and it was now completely isolated.

Without thinking, He Xiaowei, who was in the white fox’s spiritual world, quickly jumped into the ancient well just as the blade was coming down! By jumping into the well, He Xiaowei’s consciousness returned to reality.

Feeling as if his soul had returned to its shell and realizing he could move, He Xiaowei ran faster than he ever had before—

Dashing through the chaotic battlefield to the central position, he raised his hands and forcefully pushed the white fox away, not caring about the sharp light from Hidden Blade’s sword that was already behind him!

……

At that same time, in room 1103 of one of the 48 parallel spaces.

After dealing with the two individuals in the corridor, Bai Zhou didn’t put away his sword. Instead, he walked straight into the room.

Hearing his footsteps, Zhou Qian turned his head and exchanged a glance with him.

At this time, Zhou Qian held a manuscript notebook in his left hand and the pen of the writer Luo Yu in his right.

Seemingly understanding Zhou Qian’s thoughts, Bai Zhou nodded at him.

Zhou Qian smiled. The cold light from the table lamp cast from the side, making half of his face appear bloodless. Yet his smile was confident, with a hint of madness and obsession.

“So, Zhou Ge, do you trust me?” Zhou Qian asked.

“Yes,” Bai Zhou replied. “And I know you trust yourself too. Just like… when you fearlessly ate that apple.”

Hearing this, the corners of Zhou Qian’s mouth widened even more. He swiftly opened the cover of the manuscript and placed the tip of the pen on the first page.

Then, Zhou Qian gripped the pen tightly and forcefully stabbed downward. In an instant, all 48 pages were connected by a single pen.

The walls began to warp, the floor started to shake, and just like flipping through a book, the second page overlaid the first, the third on top of the second… The space collapsed layer upon layer until all 48 parallel spaces converged into one. Zhou Qian, Bai Zhou, and the unconscious Luo Yu all arrived in the main lobby.

The moment the spaces merged into one, the ceiling, walls, and floor all shook violently.

In the chaotic lobby, He Xiaowei had pushed away Hidden Blade in front of him. A shining curved sword was slashing towards He Xiaowei’s head.

He Xiaowei quickly turned and raised an arm to block. The sharp blade mercilessly sliced off his forearm. After slightly slowing down, it sped up again, aiming for his neck.

As the severed arm flew up and then fell, blood gushed from where He Xiaowei’s right arm had been cut.

Pain caused him to sweat profusely, soaking his clothes as if he had been submerged in water. Even though he lost an arm and suffered immense pain, his action was effective—it delayed the blade’s momentum by a few seconds.

In those few seconds, the space resettled.

The pain made He Xiaowei’s consciousness blurry.

He didn’t know what had happened then but silently raised his intact left arm, shielding the white fox behind him, trying to block the fatal slash.

At the moment he closed his eyes, a sharp metallic screeching sound rang out. He Xiaowei snapped his eyes open to see a straight Tang sword slashing across, with a force so fierce that it pushed the curved blade back. In the next moment, the holder of the curved blade was forced back several steps, stumbled, and dropped the sword.

Staring wide-eyed, He Xiaowei saw Bai Zhou gripping the sword and advancing forward, delivering a swift slash from the lower right side to the upper left.

Caught off guard, the fake Hidden Blade was slashed from the right lower abdomen, through the ribcage, sternum, to the left collarbone, almost being split in half.

The fake Hidden Blade was dead, but a new threat quickly arose.

The white fox’s eyes turned green, and its body glowed red. Without He Xiaowei’s control, it had completely gone berserk!

With three tails, it swept away Chen Dami, Qi Ke, and Wen Bin. It then recognized its own sword and darted to the front desk to pick it up. With its sanity lost, it swung the blade at Zhou Qian, who was closest.

“Clang——!”

It was the sound of Bai Zhou’s Tang sword blocking the blow.

In an instant, the two were engaged in intense combat.

The berserk white fox showed no mercy, while Bai Zhou was mainly on the defensive, not using any lethal moves.

Watching the scene unfold, He Xiaowei’s heart raced.

Until he heard a voice that made his racing heart calm down.

It was Zhou Qian’s voice—

“Xiaowei Ge, are you okay?”

Zhou Qian had a strong ability to bewitch others. His words and gaze seemed to carry a certain kind of magic. Moreover, He Xiaowei had life-and-death experiences with him many times and had personally witnessed him turning the impossible into reality.

Hearing Zhou Qian’s voice and then turning around to look into his eyes, He Xiaowei’s heart quickly settled down.

Exhaling the pent-up breath in his chest, He Xiaowei nodded slightly to Zhou Qian. “I’m fine.”

Zhou Qian said, “Alright. Hang in there. Once we get out of this instance, your arm will return. Feed yourself some health recovery potion. I’ll check out the situation over there.”

He Xiaowei promptly nodded. “Okay. Go!”

By “over there”, Zhou Qian was referring to two individuals walking from opposite hallways. Both were dressed as waiters, wearing uniforms like hotel staff. At the same time, they each held a Western-style kitchen knife, seemingly just having come from the kitchen’s direction.

Besides their identical movements and outfits, the two looked exactly the same. Zhou Qian realized they were the swastika killers responsible for the deaths of Xiong Fei and Li Yuan.

From deduction, it was easy to surmise that the serial killings related to the swastika killers involved the hotel staff.

Luo Yu probably also realized this, which was why he included it in his manuscript. Previously, when the spaces were divided into 48 dimensions, no one encountered the killers. But now that the spaces have merged, they naturally appeared.

What Zhou Qian didn’t know was which of the two swastika killers was the real one and which was the fake.

Hall D involved different types of murders with corresponding different murderers. For those related to the swastika killer, the death judgment was simple: it was based on whether there was a “卐” tattoo on their hand. All the players, including Zhou Qian, had this tattoo, so they weren’t afraid of the real swastika killer.

However, this wasn’t necessarily the case for the fake swastika killer from the second world.

As expected, upon making eye contact with Zhou Qian, one of the swastika killers swiftly raised his knife and charged!

Zhou Qian concentrated, trying to lift the Rib of God to resist.

Although he narrowly dodged the knife slashes, he found it quite challenging.

Zhou Qian leveled up extremely fast, thanks to the vast amount of experience from hidden missions. Many players strengthened their skills in dedicated training instances during leveling, but Zhou Qian’s basic abilities were indeed weaker than other Rank S players. In this non-conventional instance where his items and skills were limited, his weaknesses were immediately exposed.

Zhou Qian could only dodge while thinking of a way to handle this fake killer.

Engaging the killer head-on was clearly not a wise move. Zhou Qian surmised that the primary objective of the fake killer was to kill his other self, so he contemplated how to make the two killers fight each other.

Before Zhou Qian could come up with a strategy, another knife slashed towards him like lightning. Bai Zhou arrived just in time, forcing the fake swastika killer to evade. As Bai Zhou was about to finish off the killer, Hidden Blade’s three tails swiftly slashed towards him.

Thus, Bai Zhou’s intended attack on the killer had to be redirected, and with utmost care not to hurt Hidden Blade, he deflected all three tails.

At that moment, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou were both entangled with the swastika killer from the second world and the raging Hidden Blade.

Unbeknownst to them, not far behind, death was slowly creeping up on He Xiaowei.

Having lost too much blood and being drenched in sweat, He Xiaowei was on the verge of passing out. He managed to feed himself some potion, but it was of little help. The sound of fighting echoed in his ears, but he could barely keep his eyes open.

Suddenly, he heard a voice. “Xiaowei, thank you. Everything’s okay now.”

With great difficulty, He Xiaowei opened his eyes and saw Hidden Blade. He mustered a weak smile, expressing genuine joy. “Master, I’m glad you’re alright!”

“Yes, I’m fine. But…” The tone changed. “I’m here to send you to hell! Don’t blame me. Blame Zhou Qian.”

As the words fell, a fruit knife was plunged fiercely into He Xiaowei’s chest. The “Hidden Blade” then quickly rose and ran towards the corridor.

He Xiaowei, barely alive and in utter disbelief, collapsed to the ground. In front of him, the battle raged on. Bai Zhou, with a single swing of his blade, killed the fake swastika killer. Blood splattered his face like rain. Without pausing, he immediately engaged with the raging white fox again.

The real swastika killer indeed seemed to avoid targeting players with the “卐” tattoo, and the fake one had already been killed. Zhou Qian was then freed from his restraints, temporarily regaining his freedom.

Almost guided by intuition, Zhou Qian’s mind raced, recalling a series of events after merging the spaces. He then noticed something amiss—

Wait, during the moment when the 48 overlapping spaces merged into one, among the three people attacking the white fox, one of them turned his back to Zhou Qian. But why did his silhouette resemble He Xiaowei?

The fake He Xiaowei from the second space was clearly dead. So, who was that person?!

Something was wrong. Very wrong.

Zhou Qian swiftly turned and ran towards He Xiaowei.

But by this time, He Xiaowei was barely breathing.

“Xiaowei Ge!”

Reaching He Xiaowei’s side, Zhou Qian immediately knelt down, took off his coat, grabbed He Xiaowei’s hand, and pressed the coat against the knife wound on his chest, hoping to slow down the bleeding.

[Warning! Player He Xiaowei’s HP has dropped to 3%!!!]

[The system is offering a luxurious tombstone. Would you like to purchase? We recommend the deluxe version, only 998…]

This message popped up on He Xiaowei’s system panel.

Seeing this, He Xiaowei’s mind went blank.

Due to his low HP value, a warning red light emanated from him.

Zhou Qian saw it but remained steady, looking straight into He Xiaowei’s eyes, and said firmly, “Hang on. I’ll find a way to save you. Trust me.”

At the same time, all players received a system notification—

[Important Notice: The players are currently in a special space where time flows 80 times faster.]

[Objective Recap: Players must survive four days in the Saiya Hotel. If players don’t find a way out of the special space and return to the Saiya Hotel within those four days, the system will close the special space. Those who fail to return will be deemed dead.]

[Note: There’s only one minute left before the special space closes.]

He Xiaowei thought if he ever faced death, he would be terrified. He even worried he might wet himself.

But now, he felt an unprecedented calm.

He just gripped Zhou Qian’s hand and said, “Qian’er, split my gold and items—half for you and half for my Master… No wait, I think you’d be mad about that. Give 70% to you and 30% to my Master, okay? Don’t be mad at me or my Master—”

“Shut up!”

He Xiaowei’s attempt at a final message was abruptly interrupted by Zhou Qian’s stern voice.

“Xiaowei Ge, I told you I’d save you.”

“But there’s only one minute left…” He Xiaowei sighed. “I, right now…”

Ignoring He Xiaowei’s words, Zhou Qian held up his chin and forced twenty health recovery pills into his mouth.

But the health these pills could restore was too minimal.

With a massive hole in He Xiaowei’s heart, this medicine was of little use. The warning red light disappeared, only to reappear a moment later. Seconds after, Zhou Qian witnessed He Xiaowei draw his last breath.

Before dying, He Xiaowei indeed focused all his energy on distributing his assets, and many items appeared on Zhou Qian’s panel, with a significant increase in gold.

Zhou Qian didn’t look at the panel. He just looked at the now closed-eyed He Xiaowei and repeated, “Xiaowei Ge, like every time before, you have to trust me this time too.”

“There’s always a way…”

“I’ll definitely find a way to save you.”

After a few chest heaves, Zhou Qian stood up and circled the hall. His gaze eventually landed on the writer Luo Yu, who he had knocked unconscious.

Lying on his side, Luo Yu was oblivious to what had happened.

Zhou Qian quickly approached, grabbed Luo Yu by the collar, lifting him up, then slapped him three times, demanding fiercely, “Wake up, now!”

---

Kinky Thoughts:

Ah, poor He Xiaowei. He didn’t even get the chance to make a commendable last speech, unlike Gao Shan.

---

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 98

Tonight, ever since the strange phenomenon began, Wen Bin’s watch panel had been constantly popping up with messages. They were all from his gambler—

[I saw you take photos of two people, He Xiaowei and Hidden Blade. That’s a good choice.]

[However, without a clear understanding of what this instance really is, trying to impersonate these two to deceive Zhou Qian and kill him is too risky. It’s inadvisable. You can’t easily fool him, and acting recklessly will only alert him to your intentions.]

[I know you want to kill Zhou Qian to avenge your brother, but you can take your time on this. My advice is to start with the people around him first, like He Xiaowei.]

[Rank God players are different from ordinary players. They can’t always be with Zhou Qian. Killing those who might become Zhou Qian’s teammates in the future is the better strategy.]

[I’ve found out that He Xiaowei’s skills complement Zhou Qian’s perfectly. Without He Xiaowei’s cooperation, Zhou Qian’s ultimate move is easily wasted. So, finding a way to kill He Xiaowei first is a good strategy to deal with Zhou Qian.]

[Ever since you joined the Invincible Legion, I’ve been looking for gambler information about other members of the legion. Thankfully, I prepared in advance and got a handle on the movements of people like Chen Dami.]

[Through Chen Dami’s gambler’s perspective, I learned he’s hiding in a corner behind the hallway of the main hall. The current situation in the hall is…]

[So, you might as well go to the main hall as He Xiaowei and see how things play out, adding more chaos to the scene.]

[Distract the real He Xiaowei, and don’t let him help the real Hidden Blade. By the way, everyone thinks you’re a “ghost” in this instance, so this way, you can hide your real identity. If you’re lucky, you might be able to take out that Rank God player.]

In the dimly lit corridor, Wen Bin silently read all these messages, transformed himself into He Xiaowei, and then cleaned and put away the fruit knife he held. Speaking into the void, he said to his gambler, “I understand. I’ll kill He Xiaowei first. When the real and fake Hidden Blade fight to a stalemate, I’ll appear as He Xiaowei and reap the benefits.”

Gambler: [Right. If you fail, it’s okay. No one knows you’re Wen Bin; they’ll just think you’re the ghost.]

[Then, you can escape by elevator. Due to the special mechanism of this instance, they won’t be able to chase you directly.]

[Now you can go to the main hall. Keep pressing ‘1’, and you’ll eventually get to the real main hall instead of just wandering on the so-called ’11^th‘ floor.]

Wen Bin followed his gambler’s instructions, ignoring the murder cases he encountered on each floor.

They seemed thrilling but wouldn’t actually affect the players; they were likely there to confuse. Players who focus solely on analyzing the countless victims’ deaths would probably just waste time and die in this game.

So, Wen Bin’s next move was to continuously press “1” in the elevator. If he saw the lounge in front of him when the door opened, he wouldn’t get out.

After trying several times, he succeeded—the hotel lobby appeared in front of him.

The moment the elevator doors opened, Wen Bin immediately heard a huge commotion. It was the sound of the reception desk being chopped by two blades simultaneously.

Looking up, Wen Bin saw two identical Hidden Blade figures, both heavily injured, fighting to the death at the reception area. He Xiaowei, looking quite at a loss, was trying to help one and then the other.

He couldn’t distinguish who was real and who was fake, attempting to assist both while trying not to get caught in the crossfire.

At the moment, the three people didn’t pay attention to the situation at the elevator. Taking advantage of this, Wen Bin quickly darted out of the elevator and then ran into the corridor on the side.

The U-shaped corridor surrounded the elevator structure, and Wen Bin quickly circled to the back of the elevator.

Wen Bin came here because he received a new message from his gambler—

[Chen Dami and Qi Ke encountered two others who looked exactly like them, and the four of them are currently brawling in the restaurant.]

When Chen Dami first entered the exhibition hall, he followed Boss Batu Fei to Hall A and was now the only member of the Invincible Legion still alive in this bizarre space, apart from Wen Bin.

As for Qi Ke, he came from Hall D and was very skinny.

Initially, three people came from Hall D to the Saiya Hotel. Now, with Xiong Fei and Li Yuan both dead, only Qi Ke was still alive.

Qi Ke originally stayed with Xiong Fei. After Xiong Fei’s death and the bloody scene, he had to look for other solitary players, hoping to stay with them.

Chen Dami originally stayed with fellow legionnaire Erdan, and they were named the “Egg Fried Rice Duo” by Zhou Qian.

Unexpectedly, Erdan believed Zhou Qian’s words and surrendered to the police, leaving Chen Dami alone. Hence, Chen Dami took in Qi Ke.

Thus, Chen and Qi teamed up and began their adventure in this mysterious space.

When the two stumbled into the first floor lobby, they coincidentally encountered two identical Receptionist Wang.

One was settling accounts at the front desk, while the other was sneaking up behind him with an ax, attempting a surprise attack.

Chen Dami and Qi Ke had no idea what was going on. They hid quietly in the side corridor.

Before long, they witnessed one front desk staff killing the other.

After the killing, the murderer dragged the body behind the front desk temporarily and cleaned up the blood with a mop.

He then stored the bloody mop in a cupboard behind the counter and resumed his position, seemingly doing some accounting tasks.

After a while, He Xiaowei appeared.

The two, hiding in the shadows, witnessed He Xiaowei kill the receptionist. The receptionist’s body vanished into thin air, and two Hidden Blade emerged from the elevator and were fighting their way to the lobby.

Unsure of the hotel’s situation and whom to trust, Chen and Qi didn’t dare approach the lobby. Seeing the prowess of the two Hidden Blade, they feared getting hurt and decided to hide in the restaurant.

The restaurant was located directly behind the elevator. Exiting the elevator and turning right, one would reach it after walking down a right-angled corridor.

Since Wen Bin’s gambler had a connection with Chen Dami’s gambler, it was able to obtain this valuable intel.

Thus, Wen Bin managed to avoid He Xiaowei and the two Hidden Blade in the lobby and quietly approached the restaurant. As predicted by his gambler, as he neared the restaurant, Wen Bin heard chaotic fighting sounds.

However, Wen Bin didn’t immediately enter. He shopped in the system store for clothes similar to what He Xiaowei was wearing in the lobby.

After changing, Wen Bin disguised himself and then opened the restaurant door.

Inside, the restaurant was a mess, with tables and chairs scattered, glass cups, porcelain plates, and chopsticks everywhere.

At first glance, Chen Dami was fighting Chen Dami, and Qi Ke was fighting Qi Ke, making it hard to distinguish the real from the fake.

But with intel from his gambler, Wen Bin quickly identified the real ones.

Still, even after drawing out the fruit knife he’d used earlier to deal with Batu Fei, Wen Bin didn’t rush into action.

On the floor in front of him lay several bananas and apples. The bananas were squashed, and Wen Bin disdainfully turned up his nose when he saw them. He then picked up an apple.

After closing the restaurant door, Wen Bin casually sat near the entrance, leisurely peeling and eating the apple.

By the time Wen Bin finished his apple, the four were exhausted from the fight.

The real Chen and Qi were still holding on, hoping that this “He Xiaowei” was genuine and would help them. Meanwhile, the fake Chen and Qi were also persistent, knowing reinforcements were on the way. They believed they would win in a three against two scenario.

However, they were relieved that the newcomer didn’t seem inclined to intervene.

Unexpectedly, as soon as they thought this, the two “ghosts” were dumbfounded.

Amidst the chaotic fight, they heard the sound of an apple core hitting the floor. The next moment, a flash of a knife revealed “He Xiaowei” had thrown away the apple core and was now standing right before them!

……

Wen Bin swiftly dealt with the two “ghosts” and then turned to Chen Dami and Qi Ke.

At this moment, one of them had fallen onto broken glass, bleeding from the butt, and the other had bumped his head and had it buried in his arm and leg. There was a large lump forming on his forehead.

With their injuries all over, the two of them lay on the ground, gasping for breath. When they saw “He Xiaowei” kill those two “ghosts”, they both heaved a sigh of relief, thinking they were safe.

However, seeing “He Xiaowei” looking at them again, they realized something, and their expressions turned to horror.

Chen Dami immediately knelt before “He Xiaowei,” kowtowing as he pleaded, “Look, Wei Ge! I… I was wrong! I was forced to act against my will! I belong to the Legion. I had no choice but to follow our leader. I shouldn’t have offended Boss Zhou Qian or you. Please, have mercy and spare me!”

Qi Ke quickly added, “I never wronged you. I hold no grudge against you. Besides… I always thought you were a good person, Wei Ge…”

Seemingly afraid that Qi Ke would doubt him, Wen Bin laughed heartily.

As he put away his fruit knife, he said, “I’m sorry, both of you. I didn’t deliberately leave you to fend for yourselves. Please don’t misunderstand. I encountered an imposter at the reception desk and discovered a few tricks and flaws of these beings who can disguise themselves as us.”

“So, I needed time to discern. Pretending to be relaxed and eating an apple was a strategy to observe which of you was fake and to make them let down their guard. As you saw, I did quite well, didn’t I? I got rid of the ‘ghosts’.”

Qi Ke and Chen Dami were exhausted and didn’t overthink the situation. They had clearly seen how He Xiaowei dispatched the imposter receptionist. If these imposters are termed “ghosts”, then one ghost should be aligned with the others.

Since this He Xiaowei was willing to kill a “ghost”, he certainly wasn’t on their side; he must be a real player.

“You both should rest a bit. But not for too long. I don’t have time to deal with past grudges or this Invincible Legion you mentioned. Chen Dami, you’re right. You were just following orders from your boss. I won’t hold it against you.”

“Our top priority now is to join forces and fight the ‘ghosts’. There’s a ‘ghost’ in the lobby disguised as a Rank God player, and he’s as powerful as one. We should deal with him first. Oh, by the way…”

Wen Bin quickly took his knife and slashed a cross-shaped wound on the back of his hand. His sleeve was soaked with blood, but he seemed unconcerned. He simply said to the two, “There’s a fake Rank God player, Hidden Blade, in the lobby, as well as a fake version of me. Hidden Blade is my master; I know who the real one is. So, follow my instructions later. To distinguish between the real me and the fake, look at the cross-shaped wound on the back of my hand!”

Qi Ke and Chen Dami responded in unison, “Understood!”

……

Almost at the same moment, inside the hall.

Both Hidden Blade struck each other’s right arm with a blade, reaching the depth where the bone was visible.

In such a situation, continuing to fight with knives was improbable. Both were hoping for their allies to rush over and help. To avoid killing each other, they tacitly dropped their knives at the same time and immediately started grappling.

The real Hidden Blade landed a powerful punch on his opponent’s face, but immediately received a hefty punch in return. Managing to pin the imposter, Hidden Blade, gasping for breath, said, “Hurry up and help! I estimate these ‘ghosts’ know how to locate quickly. His companion could arrive at any moment. If that happens, we’ll be at a huge disadvantage!”

Unexpectedly, the fake Hidden Blade also yelled at He Xiaowei, “I’m your real master! Come help me! If his companions arrive, we’re done for. Think about it, if the fake Zhou Qian and fake 137 appear, do we stand a chance?”

He Xiaowei was dumbfounded. “……”

This isn’t my fault. It’s really confusing. Can anyone truly differentiate?

“Damn it…”

Hidden Blade couldn’t help but swear. Then, as if he had given up hope, he threw something towards He Xiaowei.

A white, fluffy, ball-like object flew quickly towards He Xiaowei.

Seeing this, He Xiaowei was a bit stunned but immediately jumped up and caught it. “W-What is this?”

At the same time, the fake Hidden Blade rolled over, pinning the real Hidden Blade to the ground, and punched him several times.

After taking a few hits, Hidden Blade, filled with rage, managed to roll over and started to fiercely punch the fake’s cheeks, left and right.

At this moment, Hidden Blade realized that the imposter, who was pretending to be him, didn’t dare to continue the sword fight and, after throwing away the sword, had adopted a delaying tactic because he was waiting for his allies.

If the allies that arrive happen to be the fake Bai Zhou, possessing the same sword skills as the real Bai Zhou, then both he and He Xiaowei would be doomed!

Given the circumstances, Hidden Blade had no other choice. Gritting his teeth, he said to He Xiaowei, “I took in so many disciples just to cast a wide net and then carefully choose one to be my Shepherd. Who would have thought that man’s best-laid plans often go awry.”

“He Xiaowei, take this thing and act as my Shepherd. Follow my commands!”

“All my skills and abilities are restricted; I can’t show you my ultimate transformation. The only thing I can do is use an item that forcibly stimulates psychic power, making it reach a threshold, and enter a berserk state!”

“In this state, these ghost beings can’t mimic me. Thus, you’ll know that I am the real one!”

Not long after Hidden Blade finished speaking, He Xiaowei didn’t see any other changes in his body, but he did see three fluffy white tails sprouting from behind him.

He Xiaowei was taken aback. “Holy crap, Master, are you a fox? Are you really this cute? This contrast is huge–”

Hidden Blade interrupted hoarsely, “Shut the hell up. Get to business!”

“Master, I’m coming to save you! I won’t mistake you this time!”

He Xiaowei took a deep breath, walked a few steps to the spot where he had previously fought with “Receptionist Wang “, gripped the ax handle, and pulled it out.

Raising the ax and turning around, just as He Xiaowei was about to shout “Master, I’m here”, he suddenly saw another version of himself. Behind this duplicate were Chen Dami and Qi Ke, and he couldn’t tell whether they were real or fake.

Immediately after, the fake He Xiaowei yelled, “Come on, let’s kill the fake He Xiaowei together!”

In the blink of an eye, the three charged at He Xiaowei.

Meanwhile, the Hidden Blade, who was lying on the ground, had eyes that had turned crimson!

……

On the other side.

Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou entered the elevator. After pressing the number “7”, they headed straight to 1103.

The 12 numbers in the elevator were one set, and the page numbers of the manuscript space were another set. What players needed to find was merely the mapping relationship between these two sets.

Actually, there was no real need for the system to make the mapping relationship too complicated. Because once players recognized the existence of the mapping, it implied they could find the solution. If the mapping was a bit more intricate, it just meant they’d spend more time figuring it out.

With that in mind, Zhou Qian speculated that the relationship between these two sets was as simple as the formula Bai Zhou previously wrote down. Therefore, he and Bai Zhou directly chose “number 7”.

The first time they accessed a page space through the number 7 and went to 1103, the two encountered nothing. But the second time, they found a difference—this time, there was a sign hanging on the doorknob of room 1103, reading “Do Not Disturb”.

This suggested that the writer, Luo Yu, was very likely inside this room!

Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou exchanged glances and approached the door together.

Zhou Qian then raised his hand to knock on the door. Suddenly, a flash of cold light caught his peripheral vision, and his arm was grabbed by Bai Zhou, pulling him behind him.

Before he could look forward, Zhou Qian first turned to Bai Zhou. He saw Bai Zhou’s lips pursed slightly, his cold gaze fixed intently ahead, and then he furrowed his brows.

Noticing Bai Zhou’s expression, Zhou Qian looked forward.

Two people had opened the door of the neighboring room and were now approaching them. It seemed they had been lying in ambush, waiting in the room next door.

Of these two, one bore the appearance of Liu Wansan from the “Invincible Legion”.

And the other one… looked exactly like Zhou Qian himself.

Zhou Qian locked eyes with his doppelganger.

The other Zhou Qian looked at him, smiling with unmistakable malice. “Oh my, you arrived a bit later than I expected.”

Zhou Qian raised an eyebrow, asking, “You know the author’s location and have some way to locate him quickly. Not only do you know where your comrades are, but you can also accurately arrive at the desired page through the elevator panel.”

“So, in the author’s setting, you people from this secondary world, you know the secrets here, right?”

The other Zhou Qian replied, “Of course. That’s why I was waiting for you here.”

The real Zhou Qian laughed. “So, you are in cahoots with the author? You’re here to protect him?”

“You could say that. It’s not hard to guess,” the other Zhou Qian said. “He created this world, allowing us to come to life. Of course, we have to protect him.”

“Really?” Zhou Qian nonchalantly stepped forward, looking provocatively at his counterpart. “But I suddenly don’t think so anymore.”

Hearing this, the eyes of the other Zhou Qian narrowed instantly.

Seeing his reaction, Zhou Qian laughed. “If I were you and could have ambushed you earlier… I would definitely set a trap. Hmm, in this place, weapons are forbidden, and as for traps, there’s no space in this corridor to set them up. So, I would have to ask the author to change the settings. Right? So—”

“If you really were in cahoots with the author, what you should have done is ask him to change the settings, like drawing a concealed death curse on this 1103 door, the kind where I’d die the moment I touched it. But you didn’t.”

“You didn’t, which means you’re not on the author’s side.”

“You only dared to hide timidly behind the adjacent door, listening for movements in the corridor, acting in hushed tones. Why? Are you afraid of disturbing the author next door?”

“So, thank you, it seems you’ve inadvertently given me the password to clear the game.”

With that, Zhou Qian rested his elbow on Bai Zhou’s shoulder, turned his head slightly, and smiled at him.

Staring at Bai Zhou’s nearly flawless profile, Zhou Qian remarked with an insinuating tone, “Zhou Ge, you took an extra look at him just now. Did you mistake him for someone else?”

“He’s merely imitating me. Come, help me get rid of this imposter.”

Hearing Zhou Qian’s words, the man opposite was visibly angered.

But soon, a smirk appeared in his eyes again.

Holding a bone identical to Zhou Qian’s, he said, “Really? But there’s one thing you didn’t consider.”

“Your game clearance time is four days, right? The system says that as long as you survive four days, you can leave from Hall D.”

“But have you ever thought that the flow of time in this space is different from the outside?”

“Zhou Qian, the other me in this world, it’s a pity, but you only have three minutes left.”

“Haha, what you said earlier was indeed right. I’m not aligned with the author. Once he knows of our existence… it’s true that we might vanish. But as long as we delay you for three minutes, you will die. Then, it’ll be you who will turn to ash, and it’ll be us who’ll survive!”

“Ah no… I’m mistaken, hahaha.”

After laughing raucously, the doppelganger’s smile turned even more malicious.

He glared fiercely at the real Zhou Qian, stating, “I don’t even need three minutes. You’re already finished! Even if you kill me now and find the author inside, then what? You don’t know how to locate. You don’t know how to quickly reach that special lobby.”

“A reminder for you, your friend He Xiaowei and Hidden Blade are currently in grave danger. They are surrounded. Not only that—”

“The swastika Nazi killer believer is on his way to the first floor. He’s about to arrive in the lobby!”

At this point, changing his demeanor, the fake Zhou Qian imitated the real Zhou Qian’s expression and turned to Bai Zhou standing opposite him.

Mimicking Zhou Qian’s voice, he said gently, “Zhou Ge, do you want to stay here to kill me or go save your friends?

“Oh, it seems that no matter what choice you make, you’re going to die.”

“But rest assured… possessing the memories of the real Zhou Qian, I’ll shed a few tears for you!”

---

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 97

Many people had the experience of gazing up at the night sky. The night was like an ink-splattered tapestry, with countless stars adorning it like dazzling pearls.

Observing the vast number of stars in their company, stargazers often felt a profound sense of loneliness. Yet, they may never realize that in this world, there existed another version of themselves, gazing at the same starry sky alongside them.

Beneath the surface of this perceivable world, there lay a second unknown realm.

This was the story setting incorporated into the new work by the author, Luo Yu.

The new work was in its preparation phase, with Luo Yu meticulously recording his materials in a manuscript. Besides the specific page that had the setting, almost every page described a crime that occurred on the 11^th floor of the Saiya Hotel.

Simultaneously, Luo Yu was also piecing together the story of a couple who were killers, attempting to uncover their motives for their actions. He hadn’t settled on the exact storyline, but whenever an idea came to mind, Luo Yu would jot it down on a sticky note and casually attach it to various pages.

When players entered the world of this manuscript, the elevator became the tool for flipping through the manuscript’s pages, enabling them to jump to different page numbers and witness the corresponding crimes.

The reason rooms other than the crime scenes existed was because the second world was a duplicate, replicating the first world in every detail. Moreover, due to the presence of the sticky notes, players could also glimpse fragmentary love stories about the man and woman.

When the couple committed suicide, Zhou Qian couldn’t extinguish the charcoal fire in the room nor prevent their deaths, as their story was already written.

Why did they vanish suddenly?

Probably because the sticky note fell off the manuscript or Luo Yu removed it.

After understanding the structure of this special world, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou began frequently entering and exiting the elevator, trying to decipher the connection between the 12 numbers in the elevator and the manuscript’s page numbers, aiming to ultimately find Luo Yu and his manuscript.

What they experienced just now, reading magazines and brainstorming, all happened after pressing the number “12”. A couple who idolized Luo Yu were subsequently murdered in room 1111. After brainstorming, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou re-entered the elevator, pressing “12” again, and repeated this action 15 times. Three times, they witnessed the murder of the couple in room 1111. The other 12 times were three different cases.

If they label the murder case of the couple in room 1111 as A and the other three cases as B, C, and D, then Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou pressed the number “12” a total of 16 times.

They viewed case A 4 times, B 3 times, C 5 times, and D 4 times.

Interestingly, cases B, C, and D all occurred in room 1108, which was rumored to be haunted and once sealed with concrete. Because of the room’s unique backstory, when Luo Yu wrote about this room, he had vast creative freedom.

This was probably why multiple cases occurred in room 1108.

After testing the number “12”, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou started trying the number “11”. Including their previous experiences with this number, they pressed “11” a total of 17 times and similarly witnessed four different cases. Specifically, they viewed these cases 4, 3, 5, and 5 times, respectively.

After their many attempts, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou rested in the lounge opposite the elevator.

Zhou Qian took out pen and paper to note down their experiences and said to Bai Zhou, “The 12 numbers in the elevator correspond to multiple manuscript pages. Which number we press takes us to a random page and crime scene. It’s completely random, dependent on probability.”

“Unless we are incredibly unlucky and have pressed numbers 11 and 12 so many times and still missed some cases, each elevator number likely corresponds to four different manuscript pages and cases.”

“This suggests the manuscript has at least 48 pages, and this world has 48 layers!”

“Right.” Bai Zhou nodded. “The first time we went to the 1st floor, what we saw was the lobby, not the 11th floor. We didn’t witness any crimes there.”

“That time, our actions were forcibly directed by the system. The system eliminated all other possibilities we might encounter after pressing ‘1’. This can actually be considered a hint given by the system.”

Based on their findings, the number ‘1’ in the elevator should correspond to four different pages and cases in the manuscript. But the system took players to the lobby the first time they pressed “1”, a clear hint that among the four pages linked to this number, only three detail crimes, while the remaining page probably describes the hotel’s lobby setting.

Zhou Qian remarked, “One of the manuscript pages that details the lobby setting might also have other settings. This page is accessible by pressing ‘1’. I agree with this. Moreover, if I were the author, I would naturally put the settings on the first page. The subsequent pages would detail the crime materials.”

“Agreed. So, the number 1 can actually correspond to page 1,” Bai Zhou said. “If the subsequent numbers strictly correspond to page numbers in order—number 2 corresponds to page 2, number 3 corresponds to page 3… and so on until all 12 numbers are used up, then we have to start over from number 1. Everything would then become very clear.”

As Bai Zhou was speaking, Zhou Qian had already written a formula on the paper. However, in a split second, something occurred to him, and he took the pen to strike out the entire formula.

Afterward, Zhou Qian looked at Bai Zhou and drew a small line at the corner of his right eye with the pen.

In the past, when they were in school doing homework together, Zhou Qian often did this to Bai Zhou. The next thing he would say, always half-jokingly, half-seriously, was, “Zhou Ge, I can’t do this problem.”

Every time he said this, he would intently watch Bai Zhou from the side, as if observing every minute expression on his face.

Often, Bai Zhou couldn’t distinguish whether Zhou Qian truly didn’t know or was pretending not to know.

However, he never really cared. He would just quietly take the pen and carefully explain the problem to Zhou Qian, enjoying the process.

The situation was the same this time.

Taking the pen, Bai Zhou silently wrote a formula: [Y=X+12n.]

Zhou Qian laughed and snatched the pen from him. “Hmm, X is the set of numbers on the elevator panel, Y is the set of page numbers, and n is less than or equal to 3. Well, a simple set mapping problem.”

He didn’t care that this move revealed his feigned ignorance.

Bai Zhou remained unfazed. Looking at Zhou Qian, he added, “If the starting number 1 corresponds to a different page, just adjust the formula slightly by adding the difference, and it will work.”

“Right. The formula is simple. Our problem now is…” Zhou Qian said, “Although we suspect that the author is probably staying in room 1103, there are a total of 48 pages in the manuscript. Excluding the page with the lobby, there are at least 47 other room 1103s. Which one is the author staying in…”

“In other words, if the author entered the world within the manuscript, on which page would he reside?”

After Zhou Qian finished speaking, he heard Bai Zhou say, “31.”

Almost simultaneously, Zhou Qian picked up the magazine in front of him and once again flipped open Luo Yu’s interview.

The interview revealed that the author’s lucky number was “31”.

Zhou Qian quickly did the math in his head. “Hmm, if you want to get to page 31 of the manuscript, press the number 7 in the elevator.”

Bai Zhou grabbed his wrist and stood up. “Mm, let’s go. The probability of success is as high as 25%.”

Hearing this, Zhou Qian laughed.

When the elevator door opened, Bai Zhou could easily see his smile reflected in the elevator door.

However, the reflection on the elevator door wasn’t clear, making Zhou Qian’s smile seem a bit dreamy, as if it transported Bai Zhou back to the distant past that seemed so far away.

Staring at the elevator door until it slid open, Bai Zhou turned his attention to Zhou Qian next to him and asked, “What are you laughing at?”

“I’m laughing because, Zhou Ge, you indeed suit my temperament. A 25% probability—if it were Xiaowei or Little Swordsman God, they would think it’s too low. See, only you think like me—that this probability is high.”

Taking another glance at Bai Zhou, Zhou Qian stepped into the elevator. “Let’s go. Let’s see if we can succeed on our first try and find out if our assumptions made before writing the formula are correct.”

…..

Elsewhere, not long after checking into the hotel, Hidden Blade left, saying he had something to discuss with Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou.

Once he left, He Xiaowei never saw him return.

Later, He Xiaowei found himself helping an elderly woman who had fallen, guiding her to the elevator that went down to the lobby.

Of course, he didn’t realize that, from the moment he encountered the elderly woman, he had entered the world of the manuscript. He just thought he had entered a paranormal space, essentially seeing ghosts.

After witnessing the heads fall off the bodies of Xiong Fei and Li Yuan and seeing a couple disappear in the elevator, He Xiaowei was even more convinced of his ghost sighting theory.

His defenses were completely shattered. Finding no safe staircase, his only option was to take the elevator.

From then on, He Xiaowei stayed almost exclusively in the elevator, too scared to venture out.

Every time the elevator doors opened, and he saw the familiar rest area of the 11^th floor, he would frantically hit the close button, then repeatedly press “1”, hoping he might get to the lobby and leave.

He Xiaowei felt his luck wasn’t great. He had pressed the number “1” at least 20 times before finally seeing the lobby.

He didn’t realize that he was actually quite fortunate—in those 20 times, he hadn’t encountered another version of himself or any other people from the second world trying to kill him.

Feeling relieved that he wasn’t seeing the repetitive 11^th floor’s rest area but instead the lobby, He Xiaowei bolted out of the elevator.

Spotting the Receptionist Wang engrossed in his work, He Xiaowei ran towards him like he was seeing a dear family member. When he reached him, he slammed his hands on the desk. “Mr. Wang! Are you still doing your accounting? There’s been an incident! The hotel is haunted, don’t you know? It’s terrifying!”

“Don’t worry.” Receptionist Wang looked up at him and said nonchalantly, “Some people have died in this hotel, so it has a heavy yin aura. But you don’t have to worry. Isn’t that a swastika on your hand? It will protect you!”

He Xiaowei thought, ‘Indeed, if they openly admitted that the hotel was haunted, how would they do business?’

The hotel staff must have known about the ghost disturbances long ago. Telling them wouldn’t help. He just needed to think of a way to escape and not engage in further conversation.

Wait, he wondered how that person called Erdan was doing. Maybe if he had followed him to the police station, he might have had a chance to survive? Anyway, Qian’er wouldn’t harm him.

As these thoughts raced through He Xiaowei’s mind, he reached the hotel’s glass entrance.

Through the door, he could faintly see police tapes outside, but they were obscured by fog, making them look somewhat illusory.

The strangest thing happened when he tried to push the door open: an invisible force pushed him back.

Propelled into the air, He Xiaowei crashed down heavily. After some thought, he decided he needed to seek out Receptionist Wang to open the door for him.

Quickly getting up, he turned back to the front desk. But as he did, he noticed a trail of blood coming from behind it!

“Did… Did you kill someone?” He Xiaowei swallowed hard and asked Receptionist Wang.

Unable to use his qin, he quickly gripped a dagger in his hand.

Holding the dagger tightly, with a wary look, He Xiaowei approached Receptionist Wang step by step. He wanted to see who the deceased was.

The front desk clerk, still seemingly writing something, suddenly looked up, his face contorted by the light and shadow.

For a moment, he looked like a demon freshly crawled from hell.

“No, no… You’re not Receptionist Wang.”

Now close to the desk, He Xiaowei glanced inside, shocked to find the dead body looked exactly like Receptionist Wang!

“What the hell is going on here—”

Before He Xiaowei could think further, the living duplicate of Receptionist Wang suddenly raised an ax.

As the ax came slashing down like lightning, it was so fast that it felt instantaneous. He Xiaowei swiftly dodged to the side and then dove to the ground, skillfully evading the ax. With both of his forearms supporting his weight on the ground, he almost looked as if he were doing a plank.

Receptionist Wang swung the ax and missed, but quickly lifted it again, aiming for He Xiaowei.

He Xiaowei, with his nimble legs, seized the opportunity. Using his hands to push off the ground, he powerfully kicked both of his legs upwards, striking hard towards Receptionist Wang’s lower body.

Caught off guard, Receptionist Wang lost his balance. Both he and the ax toppled next to He Xiaowei, and the ax created a deep crater in the ground.

He Xiaowei quickly jumped up, thrusting his dagger fiercely into the man’s palm. The blade pierced through, pinning the man to the ground. Without any rush to pull out the dagger, He Xiaowei delivered a forceful kick to the man’s head. The man’s forehead hit the ground, bleeding profusely. Taking advantage of the situation, He Xiaowei mounted the man’s head with a forceful sit.

Subsequently, straddling the man’s neck, He Xiaowei pummeled him, all the while panting and interrogating, “When I first came to this hotel, I observed Receptionist Wang and studied his physique. He’s thin and weak, absolutely not a fighter. It seems you’re just like him. You could only succeed in killing him with a sneak attack, right?”

“Wait a minute. Judging by this, you’re not a ghost. What the hell are you?”

The man did not speak, and with his uninjured left hand, he suddenly exerted force, catching He Xiaowei off guard and gripping his waist fiercely. The ticklish spot on He Xiaowei was touched, causing his upper body to go limp instantaneously. As he lost strength, the man took the opportunity to push him away and stood up.

This so-called Receptionist Wang was clearly a tough character. Taking out the ax from the pit was time-consuming, so he simply ignored it. Instead, he extended his left hand, forcibly pulled the dagger from his right palm, and with the bloodstained blade, he slashed at He Xiaowei.

In that instant, blood splattered, and the knife gleamed like snow.

He Xiaowei quickly retreated several steps, narrowly avoiding the blade. As Receptionist Wang was about to swing a second time, He Xiaowei, instead of retreating, lunged forward, aiming his head directly at Receptionist Wang’s waist.

Receptionist Wang was completely caught off guard by this unconventional move. He hesitated for a split second, and in that brief moment, He Xiaowei, with a move resembling an iron-headed skill, collided with his waist, knocking him to the ground again. This time, He Xiaowei didn’t take any chances. He grabbed the dagger and thrust it directly into his opponent’s heart.

He watched him take his last breath and then, to his astonishment, watched him vanish into thin air. He Xiaowei retrieved his dagger, catching his breath, and quickly checked behind the front desk. Now, he saw the real body of the front desk clerk lying there, which confirmed that this was the genuine one.

He was utterly puzzled by the situation, but the weak fake Receptionist Wang had indeed reminded He Xiaowei of something—the strange occurrences in this instance might not necessarily be related to ghosts. With that thought, He Xiaowei felt somewhat relieved. He leaned against the front desk and took a moment to rest.

Little did He Xiaowei expect that before he could even catch his breath, there was another unexpected turn of events—

The elevator doors suddenly opened, and a figure holding a long machete rushed out.

Seeing this, He Xiaowei quickly ran towards him. But before he could shout “Master”, another identical figure burst out.

Damn it!

Why are there two of my masters?

Two Hidden Blade appeared, having completely identical appearances, weapons, and even the same fighting moves. Leaving the elevator one after the other, the two began to engage in a fierce battle. Their combat was tit-for-tat, and for a moment, He Xiaowei was simply dumbstruck.

How could someone be evenly matched with my master? My master’s sword technique is very powerful! He’s a Rank God player! What kind of monster can imitate him so perfectly?

Of course, He Xiaowei didn’t know that in the settings of this dual world, the two Hidden Blade were essentially one person, hence they could perfectly predict each other’s moves.

In this situation, He Xiaowei was clearly uncertain about whom to help.

After he anxiously shouted, “Master,” both of them surprisingly turned to look at him.

One of the Hidden Blade said, “He Xiaowei, come and help!”

The other swung his sword with a clang and shouted, “He’s the fake one. He Xiaowei, help me!”

He Xiaowei: “……”

As the two exchanged another dozen moves in an instant, He Xiaowei thought of a solution and loudly asked, “When did you formally accept me as a disciple?”

Both answered almost simultaneously, “After the ‘Last Wish’ instance ended.”

He Xiaowei then asked, “You originally didn’t want to take me as a disciple, right? Why did you agree later?”

Both again responded at the same time, “Because of 137!”

He Xiaowei: “Damn it, I knew you didn’t really want to, wuwuwu. So, I’m not good enough after all, wuwuwu—”

One Hidden Blade swiftly swung his sword three times, each missing its target, cutting down a lamp, lifting a piece of the wall, and breaking a plant in its path.

Grinding his teeth, he said to He Xiaowei, “Initially, it was indeed because of 137 that I considered trying to take you as a disciple. I gave you the entrance ticket to ‘Last Wish’ as a test for you. Later, I decided to accept you because you did perform well. So, I am sincere! Don’t be stunned. Can’t recognize your own master? Come and help!”

The other Hidden Blade, dodging those three strikes with a nimble figure, also swiftly swung his blade three times. His stance was almost identical to the previous Hidden Blade.

He said, “He Xiaowei, I am your real master. I remember the first thing you said to me. It was at the trading hall, right? You said to me, ‘Boss, do you need a leg accessory*? I can heal, deal damage, and take hits. Plus, I’m very smart!'”

*Referencing hugging a thigh.

He Xiaowei: “……..”

Fuck, don’t do this to me. I really can’t tell them apart!

……

Elsewhere.

The leader of the “Invincible Legion,” Batu Fei, was always seen with Liu Wansan.

Of course, he had no idea that under Liu Wansan’s skin was actually Wen Bin.

Their experience tonight was no different from others at the beginning. The system summoned them to the corridor for some reason, where they encountered an NPC. After helping the NPC in the lobby downstairs, when they tried to return to the 11^th floor, they found they couldn’t.

Sensing something amiss, they entered the elevator. Batu Fei instinctively wanted to press “1”, but Liu Wansan stopped him just in time.

“Why won’t you let me press 1?” Batu Fei asked.

“Something’s off. Maybe someone created this chaos to lure us to the first floor?” Liu Wansan said. “We’d be walking straight into an ambush.”

“You’re… You’re right,” Batu Fei remarked, giving Liu Wansan a more appraising look. “I never noticed before, but you’re quite sharp!”

Liu Wansan replied, “It’s all thanks to you, boss. I’m just glad you’re willing to consider my advice. Just don’t be mad that I overstepped.”

“Don’t be so modest. If you’re right, why wouldn’t I listen?” Batu Fei patted his shoulder. “Am I the kind of leader who fears having subordinates smarter than me? Obviously not!”

“Let me teach you something today. A leader doesn’t have to be the most skilled, smartest, or strongest. The key is to recognize and utilize talent. Look at me. I have an eye for it! It doesn’t matter how I am personally, as long as my subordinates are smart.”

“So, there’s really nothing for you to worry about. If you can lead me to victory, why wouldn’t I listen to you or be jealous?”

“In the real world, I run a business. I might not be particularly talented, but I have capable people under me, and our company continues to thrive!”

What Batu Fei never expected was that he was the naive one.

In real life, he was born into privilege, directly inheriting a small workshop business from his family and becoming the boss.

Given life’s pressures and the need to earn money, people worked for him, naturally doing the tasks he assigned. Moreover, in modern society, there are legal constraints.

But now, he wasn’t in the real world. Without the protection of his parents and other relatives, and without laws and national safeguards, in this survival of the fittest world, what right did he have to be the leader?

So, when the two pressed “2” and encountered another Batu Fei, Liu Wansan didn’t help.

When Zhou Qian encountered a fake He Xiaowei, the fake one still tried to deceive and ambush. But in Batu Fei’s case, with two identical people unexpectedly coming face-to-face, they immediately started fighting.

For a full 30 minutes, they battled on that floor. Regardless of how the real Batu Fei pleaded with Wen Bin for assistance, he remained motionless, casually reading magazines in the reading area.

After 30 minutes, both Batu Feis were exhausted, falling to the ground, head-to-tail. They each had the other’s head pinned between their legs. Both were trying to incapacitate the other without being killed themselves. Neither had the strength to finish the other off.

Finally, after perusing all the magazines, Wen Bin casually approached the two, his shadow making him seem like Death.

The real Batu Fei managed to raise his head and realize something. “You’re not Liu Wansan…”

“It took you this long to realize? But it’s too late.”

Wen Bin drew out a delicate and exquisite fruit knife and, in an instant, swung it twice, each swing taking down one. Both Batu Feis were killed.

Swiftly, the fake Batu Fei disintegrated into ashes, disappearing into the void.

The real Batu Fei, however, died with his eyes wide open, unblinking in death.

Reflected deep within his pupils was Wen Bin’s image—he pulled out a photograph and then transformed himself into He Xiaowei.

---

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

Author: 木尺素 / Mu Chisu

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

---

Chapter 96

Inside room 1111.

In the dimly lit room, there was a pungent smell of blood. Two fresh bodies lay silently on one side, their grotesquely battered faces covered by nylon bags. Opposite them was a signed photograph of a handsome and elegant man.

It seemed that one of the couple was an ardent admirer of someone named “Luo Yu”. They regarded him as an idol. Their visit to Blue Harbor City and stay at the Saiya Hotel was specifically to meet him and get his autograph.

Luo Yu had an air of scholarly elegance about him, not at all like an idol. He wore glasses, and the eyes beneath them held a smirk, giving off an unnerving sense of insight.

Holding the photo, Zhou Qian felt a strange sensation, as if he was truly making eye contact with Luo Yu. Strangely, Zhou Qian also felt that this man looked somewhat familiar.

The photo was a Polaroid, which meant someone must have taken Luo Yu’s picture on the spot and then asked him to sign it as a keepsake. What particularly caught Zhou Qian’s attention was the banner behind Luo Yu in the photo, which read: [Meeting, July 23, 1997.]

The content before the word “Meeting” wasn’t captured, which left room for various interpretations such as “concert”, “meet-and-greet,” and so on. Due to the obscured portion, Luo Yu’s identity remains uncertain.

However, the date after the word “Meeting” was particularly intriguing. After Zhou Qian entered the hotel, he noted the year was “Blue Harbor City 1997”. However, the players, being budget tourists, checked in in October, not July. This meant that the two victims in this room might have arrived in Blue Harbor City only three months ago.

Something wasn’t adding up.

The male-female pair of killers supposedly committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning many years ago. Those who died at their hands should have existed many years prior, like the family of three in room 1108. So why were these two recent guests of the Saiya Hotel victims?

Initially, Zhou Qian assumed all the deceased he and Bai Zhou had encountered were victims of the male-female duo. They were simply replicated into this alternate dimension, re-living their lives and being killed again, but this time by Xiong Fei and Li Yuan.

This new clue completely overturned Zhou Qian’s previous assumptions. Why were a couple who checked into the Saiya Hotel room 1111 three months ago dragged into this alternate dimension and subsequently killed?

Frustrated, Zhou Qian complained to Bai Zhou, “The plot is becoming illogical. We must have missed something.”

But what did they overlook?

After some thought, Zhou Qian had an epiphany and gestured to Bai Zhou before quickly heading towards the exit, exclaiming, “The lounge!”

Shortly after, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou arrived at the lounge area, right opposite the elevator. The coffee table had several magazines and books.

Zhou Qian remembered flipping through one in a hurry during a previous discussion. Suddenly, he recalled seeing something related to “Luo Yu” in a magazine, which might explain why the man in the autographed photo seemed familiar.

After rushing to the rest area, Zhou Qian quickly picked up several magazines and spread them all out on the coffee table. He then tried his best to recall in which magazine he had seen the name “Luo Yu”.

His eyes quickly scanned the covers of these magazines. In a short while, Zhou Qian had an answer and immediately reached for one of the magazines.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, Bai Zhou also reached out to that magazine, and their hands suddenly touched.

Bai Zhou remained still. He lifted his slender index finger slightly, then let it down, making a soft sound.

Turning his head, Zhou Qian glanced at him but didn’t linger. He was the first to pull out the magazine.

After flipping through the magazine for a few pages, Zhou Qian found what he was looking for—an introduction to and an interview with Luo Yu.

[Luo Yu: Best-selling fantasy novelist, known for “Dual World”.]

[Have you ever heard of this urban legend? One day, when you take an elevator, you might enter a parallel dimension and meet another version of yourself. The parallel space defies your imagination. The “you” in that world might be a monster. Who knows?]

[That’s the story of “Dual World”.]

[The author, Luo Yu, believes that there are actually two layers to this world. We usually can only see the first layer, but not the second.]

[The second layer is a complete replica of the first world. There exists another version of us, identical to us in every way, familiar with every detail of our lives. Unfortunately, while they can see us, we cannot see them.]

[So, if one day you encounter another version of yourself, please be careful. They might be from the parallel world, trying to replace you.]

[In “Dual World”, the male protagonist’s doppelgänger from the alternate dimension comes to the real world, wanting to replace the protagonist and stay in this world. After the protagonist discovers this, he engages in a series of strategic and physical confrontations with his other self.]

[The plot is full of ups and downs, with countless thrilling moments. Want to know if the protagonist eventually triumphs or if he’s replaced by his evil twin?]

[Don’t just be intrigued. Buy the book and find out the ending!]

Frowning, Zhou Qian turned to the next page and immediately saw an interview related to Luo Yu.

Reporter: “I heard you’re going to have a book signing in Blue Harbor City soon?”

Luo Yu: “Yes. Miss, you’re quite informed!”

Reporter: “Haha, it’s because I’m a fan of your books. I really love ‘Dual World’. May I ask, the reason for going to Blue Harbor City is…”

Luo Yu: “I’m going there for inspiration.”

Reporter: “Let me guess, are you preparing for your next book? Oh my god, am I privileged to get some early news about your new book from you? What kind of story are you thinking of writing next?”

Luo Yu: “It’ll still be fantasy-themed. My readers love that from me. I’ve recently taken an interest in murder cases. Blue Harbor City has several famous serial murder cases. I want to go see for myself.”

Reporter: “Ah, are you referring to the murder case at the Saiya Hotel?”

Luo Yu: “Yes, that’s the one. I want to visit the places where the murderer stayed. Maybe they will return from hell to meet me… and provide some inspiration. Who knows?”

Reporter: “You mentioned earlier that the theme is fantasy, so it’s not entirely a detective novel?”

Luo Yu: “It’s not a detective novel. There will be fantasy elements involved. It might even share the same world view as my book ‘Dual World’. I still need to think about the specific setting. Right now, I only have a preliminary idea.”

Reporter: “Wow, I’m truly looking forward to it!”

……

After a while, Zhou Qian closed the magazine.

After pondering for a bit, he looked at Bai Zhou and said, “All the illogical phenomena finally have a clear explanation.”

“This so-called alternate dimension—it’s actually constructed by the author Luo Yu.”

“In a sense, we’ve stepped into the world of a novel!”

“Luo Yu writes fiction, using everything that happens in the real world of Blue Harbor City as his material repository.”

“Now, he’s using a series of murders committed by a male-female duo as a basis for his story. When these serial murders occurred in the real world, they happened in strict chronological order.”

“But when the author writes, the order in which these case materials appear in his mind isn’t linear. There’s no set pattern or logic.”

“One day, Luo Yu might suddenly remember someone he met ten years ago, thinking their character would be interesting to use, so he writes them into the story. Another day, he might pass by the hotel reception and find the receptionist’s appearance unique, so he includes them as well. Moreover—”

“Many details might be fabricated. Because when an author creates, he embellishes and imagines many things. Thus…”

“That’s why the information in this world seems so chaotic!”

Events and people in the real world couldn’t be linked in any systematic way to phenomena in this alternate dimension. There was no logical correspondence between the two.

Unless one considered this alternate dimension purely as the author’s fiction and deliberate arrangement.

Luo Yu was a fantasy author. After getting clues about him, everything seemed to make perfect sense to Zhou Qian—

Many serial killers in the world act alone. Cases involving cooperative efforts, especially between a male and female pair, were rare.

On top of that, the fact that the woman was having an affair and teamed up with her lover made the story even more tantalizing, adding a dramatic twist perfect for a novel.

All the victims stayed on the 11^th floor, and crime scenes bore the symbol of an inverted pentagram, adding a mysterious layer to the murders and fueling wild speculations.

Thus, the murders committed by the male-female duo made the Saiya Hotel famous, causing a huge sensation.

The fantasy author Luo Yu was drawn here because of this.

Looking for inspiration, Luo Yu stayed here for a long time, possibly up to three months.

During these three months, he stayed in the Saiya Hotel day and night, feeling the presence of the male-female duo and enjoying the sensation of being surrounded by the vengeful spirits of the victims…

The hotel’s atmosphere inspired his writing.

He wrote prolifically.

Regarding the serial murders committed by the couple, he combined historical records and archives he found with his imagination to create multiple crime scenes in the Saiya Hotel.

Therefore, there was no time travel or temporal dislocation.

People killed at different times appear in the same space simply because it was a space constructed by the novel.

However, during the creative process, the author Luo Yu obviously encountered some issues.

For instance, the police might release only limited information about victims, and only a few cases might be suitable for turning into fiction.

Moreover, most real-life victims might have been ordinary-looking people with no distinct features.

But the victims Zhou Qian and others saw in this alternate dimension were all handsome men and beautiful women. This was probably Luo Yu’s artistic touch.

In conclusion, based on real history, to enhance the drama, Luo Yu used his imagination to create many new victim profiles.

For example, if he met an impressively beautiful female reader at a book signing three months ago, he might write her into the story as one of the victims.

That was why those who appeared at the hotel three months ago were also present in this dimension. Furthermore—

Zhou Qian looked at Bai Zhou and spoke his thoughts out loud, continuing, “For instance, when he saw that eleven poor tourists checked into the Saiya Hotel, he got a new inspiration.”

“For the nine of us who are still alive, he had a moment of brilliance and thought that maybe the story of the parallel worlds could be applied to us. Hence, all nine of us have doppelgangers.”

“He probably thought that a game of strategy and mutual destruction involving nine original individuals plus nine counterparts from another dimension, totaling eighteen people, would be a fascinating plot for a novel. Furthermore—”

“Xiong Fei and Li Yuan were killed. Luo Yu might have chanced upon their bodies, so that night, when brainstorming for his novel, he created a pair of executioners based on them.”

“The author saw how they were slashed in the throat, so they were portrayed by him as monstrous killers whose heads can fall off and whose necks can spurt blood.”

“Of course, the method of killing by this pair of executioners is based on the real deeds of that man and woman in history! Speaking of that man and woman—”

Bai Zhou took over. “I need to correct my previous speculation. The scenes where that man and woman fall in love aren’t flashbacks from before their deaths but are probably just the author’s imagination.”

“Yes. Wait…”

Zhou Qian continued, “Let me think… monstrous killers, love story, male monster seducing a man… No, that’s not right—”

“What I just said isn’t entirely accurate. This dimension might not exactly be a novel written by Luo Yu, but rather his draft or collection of materials!”

“For the story about Xiong and Li, Luo Yu wrote it quite messily with many illogical parts. The love story of that man and woman isn’t clear either—”

“All of this isn’t a fully-fledged novel yet. The author is likely still in the process of gathering materials and organizing an outline. That’s why I say this alternate dimension is just his draft world.”

“As for the author himself right now, he is…”

“If he can see us, and he saw Xiong Fei and Li Yuan, then in the real world, the author Luo Yu must be staying at the Saiya Hotel, and probably on the 11^th floor. The most likely room he is in—”

Hearing Zhou Qian say this, Bai Zhou looked at him, and they both simultaneously uttered, “1103.”

The room 1103 was where the male and female murderer duo often stayed. It was also the room where they took their own lives.

In the interview, Luo Yu mentioned that perhaps the man and woman would return from hell to converse with him.

Therefore, with the intention of feeling the aura of their deaths and to get inspiration, he might have stayed in room 1103.

When the players checked in, Luo Yu might have been hiding somewhere in the lobby or in a dark corner of the first-floor corridor, watching everything.

He silently heard the front desk say that only the 11^th floor had rooms and silently watched everyone take the elevator up.

Finally, he also went to the 11^th floor, checked into 1103, and included the new people he met and the inspiration he got into his novel draft.

Now, Zhou Qian and the others had entered the world of Luo Yu’s manuscript, which was based on some historical data, combined with his own imagination, sudden insights, and his private settings.

Therefore, because the draft also contains a “dual world” setting, the players might be hunted and replaced by their alternate selves.

After organizing his thoughts, Zhou Qian said, “If we, as mere tourists, can enter the world of the manuscript, is it possible that the author himself might also come in?”

“Possibly,” Bai Zhou replied. “So, maybe when we find him, we can figure out how to leave this place.

“There are countless room 1103s in this space right now. He might be in one of them. He might not even know what has happened and might still be writing.”

“We really need to get out,” Zhou Qian said. “This theory probably hits the nail on the head. The situation is going to get more dangerous.”

“First, the swastika killer who murdered Xiong Fei and Li Yuan might be another serial killer imagined by the author. If the author imagines this and incorporates this setting into his draft, there might be another terrifying murderer hunting us in this space.”

“Second, if the author gets inspired and randomly decides to kill off a character, any of us could be killed off at any moment. This is his manuscript world; whatever he decides is logical.”

By the end of this conversation, Zhou Qian shook his head. “A virtual game from an exhibition hall? This is bigger than I thought. Initially, I believed it was just a time-travel gimmick. I underestimated it.”

“Of course, this theory only explains the plot clearly, but there’s still a fundamental problem we haven’t solved.”

What Zhou Qian was referring to was the issue related to the elevator and the floors.

No matter which number the players press inside the elevator, they always end up on the 11^th floor, but they encounter different murder cases each time.

After a moment, Zhou Qian put down the magazine, and he and Bai Zhou exchanged glances in the dimly lit rest area.

Together, they uttered the same two words. “Page number.”

……

Inside the virtual game hall’s private room.

The gamblers were silent for a long time, completely stunned.

[What exactly is the relationship between Zhou Qian and 137—]

[Why are you asking that? Is that the main point? The main point is, what do they mean by “page number”?]

[It’s a shame that the gambler who previously sent Zhou Qian a reminder message isn’t here.]

[Yes, even though his theory about 137 was wrong, he was right about He Xiaowei being fake! He’s too sharp. If he were here, we could ask for his opinion.]

[Wait, don’t we have Priest? Priest, what do you think?!]

Seeing the gamblers looking at him, Priest began to explain, “Zhou Qian has already analyzed that this world isn’t a complete novel. It’s a world formed by the author’s drafts, written in the hotel for inspiration.”

“The author is writing about a series of murders. So, how do you think an author would organize the drafts for such a complex case for convenience?”

Without waiting for an answer, staring at the screen, Priest continued, “For example, on September 7^th, 1987, a family of three was murdered. I would label it as A1 and place it on the first page. News reports, police disclosures, and crime scene photos are all there.”

“Then, on this page, I would write an outline about this case—”

“The outline would describe how a man, a woman, and a child were killed by a murderer with specific features in a particular way. They lived in room 1108.”

“Next, on January 29^th, 1988, an elderly woman and her granddaughter were victims. They lived in room 1112. I would place this case on the second page of the draft.”

“On April 5^th, 1988, another murder of a couple took place. They stayed in room 1108. This case is on the third page of my draft…”

“In this way, I think you should understand easily.”

Priest said, “A man and woman duo are the murderers, and all the victims are on the 11^th floor. Based on this case, Luo Yu created his novel. Thus, every page of his manuscript has cases occurring on the 11^th floor.

“That’s why, no matter which number is pressed in the elevator, players always end up on the 11^th floor.”

“Upon exiting the elevator, players see different murder cases. It’s not because they’ve traveled to different times, but because they’ve opened different pages of the manuscript.”

“So, the numbers on the elevator panel don’t represent floors, but page numbers in the manuscript.”

[Shit, is that even possible?]

[Wait, the elevator only has 12 buttons, but the manuscript has many pages, right? How does that work?!]

[Bro, that’s the point! Zhou Qian pressed “11” twice and saw different murder cases. Why? This can be explained by the problem you just raised—]

[The elevator only has 12 buttons, but there are many pages in the manuscript. So, the relationship between “elevator numbers” and “page numbers” is “one-to-many” rather than “one-to-one!”]

Priest said, “Yes, the elevator only has 12 buttons. So, when Zhou Qian and the others pressed for the 11^th floor the first time, they might have ended up on page 11 of the manuscript.

“But the second time they pressed for the 11^th floor, they might have been on page 22, which is twice 11.”

“The murder records on these two pages of the manuscript are different, so of course, the scenes they saw were different.”

“Of course, this pattern is just my speculation. How the 12 elevator buttons correspond to different pages of the manuscript is something they’ll still need to figure out. Also—”

Priest narrowed his eyes and said, “When Zhou Qian and 137 met that man and woman, they had already entered the manuscript world. After that, they successfully made it to the main hall.”

“So, pressing the number ‘1’ still gives one a chance to get to the first floor. Players won’t always be stuck on the 11^th floor. It’s just a matter of probability.”

“However… I suspect that the first floor is quite dangerous now.”

The gamblers all asked in unison, “Why?”

Priest explained, “Because when they first discovered that pressing the numbers in the elevator only takes them to the 11^th floor, most people would instinctively press ‘1’ several times. Common sense and past experiences would make them believe that they can exit the hotel from the first floor, thinking it’s the safest.”

“The reason Zhou Qian and his group never encountered other players is because they never pressed the button for the first floor.”

“But it’s different for other players. Most of them will meet on the first floor. And don’t forget, based on the author’s ‘Dual World’ story setting, another group of ‘players’ will emerge from an alternate dimension.”

“So… the current situation on the first floor is probably chaotic.”

At that moment, inside the game,

When Zhou Qian looked at Bai Zhou again, his expression had become more serious. “If the author’s manuscript isn’t very long, by trying a few more times, we can figure out its pattern. What we need to do next is find the author of this manuscript world and find a way back to reality.”

“Yes, we need to do it quickly. Then go to the first floor,” Bai Zhou said.

“We indeed need to hurry. He Xiaowei probably pressed ‘1’ multiple times, thinking he saw a ghost. He might have encountered the fake players.”

Zhou Qian’s expression turned grave. “I just hope that Hidden Blade’s intuition is reliable. At least he can protect He Xiaowei a bit. Wait, can he really handle it? He is He Xiaowei’s master after all.”

“Don’t worry. Under such circumstances, ‘intuition’ will be very useful.” Bai Zhou said, “When I played dungeons with Hidden Blade, his intuition was always accurate. He typically grasped the moves of the boss and the location of treasure chests quickly—”

Before Bai Zhou could finish, Zhou Qian, while pressing the elevator button, interrupted him with a simple “Oh.”

Bai Zhou sensed something but wasn’t entirely sure. “Zhou Qian?”

Zhou Qian walked into the elevator first, then looked at him thoughtfully.

Bai Zhou entered the elevator and looked back at him uncertainly. “Zhou Qian? Do you have something to ask me?”

Zhou Qian: “After we came out of ‘Last Wish’, why did you disappear for seven days and didn’t contact me?”

Bai Zhou: “I went to play some instances. Why?”

“Right, instances.” Zhou Qian asked, “With Hidden Blade?”

Bai Zhou: “?”

Zhou Qian no longer looked at him, just at the number panel. After the elevator doors closed, the number “12” reflected Bai Zhou’s face. Zhou Qian pressed it firmly with his thumb.

“Forget it, let’s go. We have to find the pattern between the page numbers and the elevator numbers, and that author.”

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