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.”
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.
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?”
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 11th 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 11th 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.
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.
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 ’11th‘ 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!”
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 11th 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 11th 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 11th 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 11th 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.
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 11th 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 11th 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 11th floor had rooms and silently watched everyone take the elevator up.
Finally, he also went to the 11th 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 11th 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 7th, 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 29th, 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 5th, 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 11th floor. Based on this case, Luo Yu created his novel. Thus, every page of his manuscript has cases occurring on the 11th floor.
“That’s why, no matter which number is pressed in the elevator, players always end up on the 11th 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 11th floor the first time, they might have ended up on page 11 of the manuscript.
“But the second time they pressed for the 11th 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 11th 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 11th 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?”
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.”
In less than a minute, Zhou Qian had changed his clothes.
After the two left room 1107, even though they knew the likelihood of anyone being present was low, they still forcibly opened all the doors on the 11th floor to check the inside before leaving the floor.
Once inside the elevator, they pressed the number “12”. When the elevator door opened, as expected, all the door plaques still displayed numbers starting with 11. They had arrived in a new timeline on the 11th floor.
As usual, they first saw the murder scene of Xiong Fei and Li Yuan. This time, the incident took place in room 1111, and the victims were still a couple. The murderer’s method was largely similar to the previous times, with no new tricks.
After skillfully killing the couple, Xiong Fei and Li Yuan left.
Next, based on the pattern, it was time for the animation of the second story—the story related to the handsome man and the woman in the red skirt.
However, this time, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou waited for quite a while but saw no sign of it. Neither the woman nor the man emerged from rooms 1103 or 1104.
Zhou Qian wasn’t in a hurry. He and Bai Zhou waited in the corridor for about five minutes when they noticed an unusual burning smell. Upon closer inspection, they realized it was coming from room 1103.
Leaning against the corridor wall, Zhou Qian unconsciously lifted his foot and tapped it on the floor several times. After a while, he looked at Bai Zhou, who was standing opposite him, nodded towards room 1103, and finally said, “Zhou Ge, it’s up to you.”
Hearing this, Bai Zhou gave Zhou Qian a few more glances, seemingly trying to gauge his current mood.
Soon, he nodded without asking any more questions and walked over to Zhou Qian. Turning his body slightly, Bai Zhou gave a forceful kick to the door, breaking the lock.
“It might not be safe inside. You want to go in now?” After taking a quick look inside, Bai Zhou asked Zhou Qian.
“We won’t know if it’s safe unless we go in,” Zhou Qian responded, hinting, “Hmm? This time you didn’t throw me onto the bed after breaking the door, did you?”
“Zhou Qian…” Bai Zhou frowned slightly and reached out to grab Zhou Qian’s wrist.
Zhou Qian dodged and went into the room first.
Bai Zhou’s brows deepened. He stepped forward to follow, but Zhou Qian immediately stopped him.
“Don’t come in. Let me check the situation first. We shouldn’t both be caught off guard,” Zhou Qian said.
Bai Zhou shook his head. “I know what you’re trying to do. You go out. Let me handle it.”
“It’s fine.” Zhou Qian glanced at him, pushed Bai Zhou into the corridor, and then closed the door behind him.
Inside the room, it was just as Zhou Qian suspected. The room, covered in pentagrams, had all its windows and doors tightly shut. A man and a woman lay side by side on the bed, and next to the bed was a basin of burning charcoal. They were attempting suicide via charcoal burning.
Zhou Qian had left Bai Zhou outside, fearing that both of them might succumb to carbon monoxide poisoning. He was still unsure if all the scenes involving this man and woman were merely animations. Therefore, he wanted to test it out himself.
After leaving Bai Zhou outside, Zhou Qian approached the man and woman. They both opened their eyes and looked at him. At this moment, Zhou Qian asked, “Did you kill those people?”
The man was the first to reply. “Yes.”
Zhou Qian then asked, “I guess you don’t feel guilty. But aren’t you afraid of dying?”
This time, the woman answered. Her voice was weak, but she smiled and said, “Of course not! Others fear death because they’ll have nothing when they go to hell. We’re different! Those who die by our hands will be our slaves! They’ll serve us in hell! Death will bring us true wealth!”
The man quickly added, “I’m now filled with boundless joy. I’m about to see Lord Satan! This world is filled with sin, betrayal, and pointless desires. Only Satan can give me… the pleasure and peace I desire!”
“If death pleases you, then perhaps you shouldn’t die.” Zhou Qian smirked, picking up a bottle of unfinished mineral water from the table next to him and pouring it into the charcoal stove.
“What are you doing?”
“Stop! Stop this useless and foolish act!”
“To be honest, I think what I’m doing probably doesn’t serve any real purpose. But seeing the two of you so angry and distorted before death, it seems worth it.” Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes and said, “It’s just a shame that this is so much lighter than what you’ve done to other victims. I guess you’ll never get what you want. You’re just brainwashed. There’s no Satan in hell.”
The man and woman could no longer speak because they gradually lost consciousness.
Zhou Qian poured out the entire bottle of mineral water, but the charcoal fire was unaffected. The smoke, mixed with the harmful gasses from incomplete combustion, continued to fill the room.
About three minutes later, the couple was dead. Zhou Qian was unharmed and didn’t even feel any discomfort. He could see the couple and smell the scent of burning charcoal, as if he were in the same space with them. But in reality, it wasn’t the case.
Suddenly, the door was pushed open, and Bai Zhou entered. His pace was unusually hurried. After entering the room, he immediately grabbed Zhou Qian’s wrist and dragged him to the door. “Do you feel okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Zhou Qian looked straight ahead at the man and woman on the bed, their bodies becoming transparent and then disappearing from the room.
At the same time, the charcoal fire and the pentagrams throughout the room also vanished. The room looked brand new, as if nothing had happened.
Zhou Qian reached into his bag and found something:
[Item: Useless Paper]
[Function: No function; transformed from an illusion, its existence is very short-lived. If not placed in the bag, it would have already disappeared.]
[Note: Keeping it in the bag is a waste of space and has no practical use. It is recommended that players take it out as soon as possible. It will disappear immediately when taken out.]
Upon seeing the note, Zhou Qian took the item out. It was the money given to him by the man in room 1103 as a delivery fee.
As the system said, the money disappeared shortly after leaving the bag, just like the suddenly vanished couple and the marks they left in the room.
“So, things didn’t start to go awry until we returned to the 11th floor from the lobby. The alternate dimension appeared much earlier. The first time we met that couple, they were already ‘illusions’ and not real. They could see us and talk to us, but they couldn’t interact with us in any substantive way. They had already died in ‘history’ and didn’t exist in this time and space.”
Suddenly, Zhou Qian laughed, turned to Bai Zhou, and held up another item—
It was what they bought from the front desk in the lobby.
“So this thing is useless to them after buying.” Zhou Qian said as he walked to the trash can and threw it away. “What a pity it can’t be used.”
After disposing of the item, Zhou Qian stared at the trash can for a moment. Various thoughts crossed his mind.
How does the system train Rank God players? One would think Bai Zhou spent these years cultivating some emotionless path.
So does he have feelings for me?
Especially after tying people up and biting ears… What is he doing?
Taking a deep breath and yawning, Zhou Qian turned around to see Bai Zhou leaning against the door, seemingly deep in thought. When Bai Zhou noticed Zhou Qian’s gaze, he looked back and said, “Everything we’ve seen feels like a flashback*.”
*Revolving lantern (走马灯). It’s a lantern consisting of a revolving cylinder that has cutouts of pictures on its surface. When a light source is placed inside, it projects moving images on the surrounding walls, creating an effect similar to a modern film reel. Metaphorically, it’s used to describe rapid flashing of images or replaying of memories (AKA one’s life flashing before their eyes).
There was a saying that people would recall their most important memories before they die. Could the illusions or animations players saw be the memories of these murderers flashing back before their suicide?
Zhou Qian became serious, taking the lead to leave the room and head towards another. “Remind me, let’s check room 1111.”
Room 1111 was where they had witnessed another murder when they first arrived on this floor. If the traces of the “charcoal suicide case” in room 1103 disappeared, what about the other rooms? And were there any clues they might have missed?
Leaving room 1103, Zhou Qian and Bai Zhou quickly headed to room 1111. As they approached, they were hit by a strong smell of blood. The murder scene in this room hadn’t “vanished”.
Indeed, everything inside was intact. Two bodies were tied up, their heads covered with nylon bags, and the room was marked with inverted pentagrams.
The story related to that man and woman is indeed a kind of illusion, akin to an animated existence. Perhaps the story came from the flash of memories like a revolving lantern, or maybe it was the shadow of history cast through time and space to the present.
Regardless, they didn’t really exist in this time and space and wouldn’t have any substantial impact on the player.
However, it could now be determined that the cases committed by Xiong Fei and Li Yuan may not be the same.
Suppressing his disgust at the blood in the room, Zhou Qian said, “The actions of Xiong and Li are indeed closely related to the man and woman. Their behavior is an exact replica of the adulterous killers.”
“The fake He Xiaowei previously claimed that the ghosts of the man and woman possessed the bodies of Xiong and Li after they died. But this claim is untenable. He said that just to clear his name and make me believe he was the real He Xiaowei.”
“So, the question I raised earlier is still unresolved—why did Xiong and Li appear as if they were ‘resurrected from the dead’?”
“Now it’s clear that, unlike the situation with the man and woman, these dead people haven’t disappeared; they are not illusions or animations that vanish after playing. So where did these dead people come from? Where did the fake He Xiaowei and the fake version of you come from?”
As he spoke, Zhou Qian heard the sound of a blade being unsheathed. Turning his head, he saw Bai Zhou holding his incredibly sharp Tang sword.
The Tang sword has a long and straight blade, much narrower than ordinary swords. Compared to a double-edged sword, the single-edged Tang sword was thicker and sturdier. Its hilt was long, allowing for a flexible two-handed grip. But mastering it wasn’t a task of just a few days.
The dim light from the corridor cast Bai Zhou and his Tang sword in two long, narrow shadows. Shifting his gaze from the shadow on the floor, Zhou Qian looked up to see Bai Zhou lifting the sword. Reflected on the slender snow-white blade were Bai Zhou’s shining black eyes.
After a moment, Bai Zhou said, “For a long time, I did nothing but practice with this sword. During that period, every challenge I took on was related to swordsmanship. It took me years to achieve my current proficiency.”
Zhou Qian understood his point. “Yes, I was curious earlier. How could that counterfeit last so long against you?”
Bai Zhou added, “This sword is called ‘Breaking Dawn’. I received it as a reward when I reached god rank. I had defeated the most powerful boss in the game. The system emphasized that it’s unique in the entire game.”
Zhou Qian remembered something and asked, “When I attacked you earlier, you didn’t even touch my weapon. Why? Were you afraid my weapon would get damaged? Is your ‘Breaking Dawn’ so sharp that it can easily shatter the Rib of God?”
“Yes, it can break anything,” Bai Zhou replied. “So, logically, there shouldn’t be another identical sword here. It appears that this instance has somehow duplicated both me and that sword.”
After the word “duplicate” was uttered by Bai Zhou, Zhou Qian pondered on it, piecing together the events in his mind.
The 11th floor of the Saiya Hotel seemed to be an ominous floor where many had been murdered. The killers were a pair of lovers who ended their lives in a charcoal suicide pact.
Many years later, eleven impoverished tourists checked into this hotel. One of them, likely a hotel staff, murdered two tourists, Xiong Fei and Li Yuan.
After this, an alternate dimension appeared. The birth of the shadows of the man and woman marked the beginning of this dimension.
Suddenly, the hotel seemed off. The 11th floor seemed to overlap with multiple timelines.
Two killers appeared, replicating the forms of Xiong Fei and Li Yuan. Their actions mirrored the adulterous killer duo.
Meanwhile, the other nine tourists were duplicated, leading to the appearances of another Bai Zhou and He Xiaowei. Victims of the adulterous killers, who should’ve died at different times, were also duplicated, repeating the tragedy.
“So… are the numerous 11th floors some kind of ‘duplication’ or ‘reproduction’?”
Zhou Qian wondered aloud. He then moved closer to a bedside table in the room. Earlier, they hadn’t found any clues on the deceased, only deducing that they all shared a trait of ‘prone to cheating’. Thus, Zhou Qian had overlooked one detail during his first investigation.
Upon his second entry, he discovered a signed photo with the name “Luo Yu”.
On the back of the photo, written in a different font, were the words: [I finally saw you in Blue Harbor City! You are my most admired idol!]
The players had just returned from the tattoo shop to the Seiya Hotel.
Bai Zhou went to take a shower, and Zhou Qian had just finished blow-drying his hair when he heard a knock on the door.
The visitor was Hidden Blade.
Seeing Zhou Qian, he got straight to the point. “Where’s Bai Zhou?”
“He’s showering.” Zhou Qian narrowed his eyes at him. “Are you looking for him?”
What surprised Zhou Qian was Hidden Blade’s response. “Not exactly. It would be better if all three of us discussed this matter together. However, I feel a mission is about to come. In this game, I have an intuition-related talent, and it’s usually right.”
“So… time is of the essence. Since he’s showering, let me talk to you first.”
[System Notification: Based on real-time monitoring and predictions, the content that the Rank God player is about to discuss involves core game secrets. High/low-level gamblers are not authorized to know. The following dialogue has been muted.]
Seeing Hidden Blade’s expression and the system’s notification, Zhou Qian quickly realized what was happening.
He asked Hidden Blade, “When you spoke with Zhou Ge alone in the exhibition hall’s rest area, was it about this?”
“Yes,” Hidden Blade replied. “We decided it’s time to tell you. Long story short—”
“Bai Zhou’s mental energy is nearing its limit, and he’s about to go berserk. ‘Transformation into a Dragon’ is one of his active skills, with a cooldown. However, when he goes berserk, he might involuntarily transform into… something odd, perhaps a monster in your eyes.”
“In any case, when he starts losing his senses, you need to help him revert back before he completely turns into a monster, or the consequences are unimaginable.”
Zhou Qian asked, “What signs will he show before he goes completely berserk?”
Hidden Blade answered, “The most obvious sign is his eyes. When he’s completely turned, his eyes will be blue. But during the transformation process, his eyes will turn red.”
“When the red is at its deepest and purest, his eyes will turn blue. But that’s the most dangerous moment, as it means he has completely transformed and lost his senses. Also—”
Hidden Blade then inquired, “Has he given you something?”
Zhou Qian nodded. “Yes. A scale.”
Zhou Qian took out the scale, and Hidden Blade gave him detailed instructions on its use. He also asked Hidden Blade many details about Bai Zhou’s transformation into a monster.
Recently, Zhou Qian suspected that the “He Xiaowei” next to him was an imposter. With Bai Zhou showing signs of transformation, he thought he could use this to lure the imposter and identify him. Zhou Qian pretended to be unaware of Bai Zhou’s impending transformation, mistaking him for a “ghost” in the game, thus leading “He Xiaowei” into his trap.
That was the plan.
But before Zhou Qian could think it through, Bai Zhou began transforming. The timing was very different from what Hidden Blade had described, much earlier than Zhou Qian had anticipated.
At this moment, Zhou Qian was in a wrecked room, with only one partially functioning light outside that blinked eerily.
Even weirder, he felt his legs being entwined by something slippery and cold, presumably Bai Zhou’s transformed tail, which was growing and tightening around him, restricting his movement.
Zhou Qian couldn’t see clearly what Bai Zhou had turned into.
Despite the chaotic situation, Zhou Qian remained calm. He recalled the events and then, looking into Bai Zhou’s red eyes, spoke.
“I get it. I said, ‘We need to separate’.”
“Did those words hurt you?
“Zhou Ge, in your delirious state, did you think… I wanted to leave you, and that’s why you wanted to bind me?”
The words “separate” and “leave” seemed to agitate Bai Zhou again. He leaned in, biting Zhou Qian’s ear with his now-sharpened teeth. Zhou Qian knew he was bleeding. He winced in pain, and Bai Zhou loosened his bite but didn’t let go.
Zhou Qian couldn’t see Bai Zhou’s face anymore. He tried to push him away but failed.
“Although I want to wait and see what you will ultimately become, are you feeling very uncomfortable?” Zhou Qian raised his right hand around Bai Zhou’s back, and what he touched with the tip of his fingers was a cold and smooth scale. Gently patting Bai Zhou’s back, covered with scales, Zhou Qian’s expression remained unchanged, and he whispered in his ear, “Zhou Ge, let me comfort you now.”
Lowering his eyelids, Zhou Qian could see Bai Zhou’s shoulders. He forcefully tore off the blood-stained clothes, exposing Bai Zhou’s shoulder area.
Through the flickering light coming in from outside the room, Zhou Qian could see the fresh, bleeding wounds on his shoulder and the scales growing from the wounds.
Taking the scale that Bai Zhou had given him earlier and placing it on his own forehead, Zhou Qian then pressed his forehead against Bai Zhou’s cold and bare shoulder.
Thus, a single scale became the medium connecting the spiritual worlds of two people. When Zhou Qian opened his eyes again, he found himself in a dark world.
This was Bai Zhou’s spiritual realm. But where Bai Zhou was hiding remained unknown.
Taking a few steps, Zhou Qian stepped on something. He didn’t know what it was and wanted to see clearly but couldn’t for the moment. In this spiritual world, he couldn’t access his belongings and couldn’t get a flashlight or similar tool.
Left with no choice, Zhou Qian cautiously continued forward. Wandering in a blood-red world, he could barely see anything and almost tripped unexpectedly.
After a slight stumble, he heard a “ding” sound in front of him. Zhou Qian crouched down, felt around, and found a flashlight.
Turning on the flashlight, Zhou Qian saw numerous blood-colored skulls. It was as if he was in a world made of fresh blood and bones.
Taking a shallow breath, Zhou Qian looked down at the flashlight in his hand, the corner of his lips curling up in a smile.
Then he spoke loudly, in a coaxing tone. “Zhou Ge, you gave me this scale as a key. Now I’ve used this key to enter your world. Why are you hiding from me?”
“Can you feel me entering your world, right?”
“Zhou Ge is the best, even thinking of giving me a flashlight at this time. So—”
“Won’t you stop hiding?”
“Zhou Ge, it’s Zhou Qian. I’m here to find you. Can you come out and see me?”
While exploring Bai Zhou’s spiritual world, Zhou Qian kept talking, trying to get him to appear. After an indeterminate amount of time, he heard some sounds. Following the sound, Zhou Qian saw a light.
It was their classroom in the third grade.
Silencing himself, Zhou Qian walked over with light steps and looked through the window. Third-grade Bai Zhou was inside, and so was Zhou Qian. The classroom was filled with cakes adorned with candles. Watching the scene for a moment, Zhou Qian smiled, recalling that past memory.
The story started from the midterm exams three years ago. After the exams, the class teacher organized a parent-teacher meeting. The meeting was held in a small auditorium and attended by both parents and students.
Zhou Qian’s parent-teacher meeting was attended by his father’s assistant. During the meeting, he noticed that class leader Bai Zhou was sitting alone.
It wasn’t until 20 minutes before the end of the meeting that Bai Zhou’s mother hurriedly arrived. She was dressed like a high-ranking white-collar worker and seemed extremely busy, which likely explained her tardiness.
After the meeting ended, the assistant took Zhou Qian to the school gate, asking him to wait while he fetched the car. Zhou Qian nodded and waited on the small path lined with sycamore trees at the school entrance.
At that moment, he saw Bai Zhou and his mother walking out of the school gate. For some unknown reason, instead of waiting for his father’s assistant, Zhou Qian decided to follow Bai Zhou.
Because of the parent-teacher meeting, the school gate was jam-packed with cars and was very noisy. Zhou Qian followed Bai Zhou and his mother for quite some time before reaching a somewhat less crowded area.
Bai Zhou’s mother’s car was parked by the roadside. She rushed towards it in her high heels while pulling Bai Zhou along. Her face turned sour when she saw a parking ticket on the window. She sternly walked to the trunk, opened it, and hurriedly took something out, shoving it towards Bai Zhou. She was in such a rush that by the time Bai Zhou reached out to take it, she had already let go.
It was a birthday cake.
Due to Bai Zhou’s mother’s haste, it ended up smashed on the ground.
Bai Zhou’s mother paused briefly, then quickly took out a wad of cash and handed it to Bai Zhou. “Take a cab home. I have to rush back for a meeting at work. I’ve already been out too long—”
As she was about to leave, Bai Zhou grabbed her hand. “Didn’t you say if I ranked first in the class, you’d celebrate my birthday with me this year? I’ve never celebrated a birthday before.”
“Who told you that you have to have cake for your birthday? Isn’t that just a formality? I often buy you treats, don’t I? How about this? When I have time, I’ll buy you another cake, okay?” Seeing no smile on Bai Zhou’s face, as if sulking, she got somewhat upset. “Bai Zhou, understand the situation. It’s tough for me. I didn’t become a partner in the firm because I was pregnant with you. All these years, I’ve been overshadowed by others! This case is crucial. I can’t lose again. Be a good boy, go home, have dinner, and do your homework. If it’s that big of a deal—”
“I’ll ask your father to celebrate with you!”
Hmm. So, today was Bai Zhou’s birthday. That was what Zhou Qian thought at the time.
The next day was a weekend. His father wasn’t home, and his mother was listlessly watching TV on the couch. Feeling bored, Zhou Qian thought of Bai Zhou. He suddenly recalled how lonely and pitiful Bai Zhou looked, staring down at his smashed birthday cake on the ground after his mother drove off.
Back then, Zhou Qian hadn’t yet encountered the Zhang Yanjun’s incident and was still mentally balanced. In his heart, he was still a generous rich kid, eager to help less fortunate classmates.
So Zhou Qian arranged to meet Bai Zhou in the classroom, using the excuse that he had a question he didn’t understand and wanted to ask Bai Zhou.
When Bai Zhou arrived at the classroom at the agreed-upon time, he saw, to his astonishment, nine cakes in the room, each with lit candles.
Bai Zhou was stunned.
Before he could react, Zhou Qian was already in front of him, holding a gift box and saying with an expectant smile, “Open it quickly!”
Without waiting for Bai Zhou to take the gift, Zhou Qian took his hand and thrust the gift box into it, saying, “Happy 9th birthday! Has no one ever celebrated your birthday before? So I got you nine cakes to make up for all those missed years at once!
“Do you think I’m a pretty good person?”
While listening to Zhou Qian, Bai Zhou began unwrapping the gift.
Inside was a trendy electronic watch of that year. The time displayed was precisely 13:07.
Hearing some noise, Bai Zhou shifted his gaze from the watch to see Zhou Qian standing in front of him, holding a cake. Zhou Qian blew out the candle with one breath and then looked up and smiled at Bai Zhou.
Sunlight filtered through the sycamore tree leaves, casting a dreamy light into the classroom.
Beneath this filter, Zhou Qian’s smile was the brightest Bai Zhou had ever seen.
Afterward, Zhou Qian rarely smiled like that, especially after the incident with Zhang Yanjun.
From then on, Bai Zhou often reminisced about that afternoon.
If he could pause time, he would have wanted to press the pause button at 13:07, letting that moment linger a little longer, just a bit more.
At that moment, looking through the glass, Zhou Qian saw two children blowing out candles and starting to eat cake.
The empty weekend classroom was used as their birthday party venue. The two kids even sat directly on the podium, each holding a plate of cake. Unexpectedly, Young Zhou Qian smeared some frosting onto Young Bai Zhou’s nose and forehead.
Bai Zhou let him be, not minding his antics.
Back then, Zhou Qian didn’t think much of it. But now, looking back, he found his younger self childish and pampered.
In short, he grew increasingly irritated with his younger self.
Suddenly, Zhou Qian felt the ground shake beneath him.
Glancing to the side, the distant world seemed tumultuous, filled with countless rustling sounds, as if all the flesh, blood, and bones on the ground were crawling over.
The ground began to collapse, and the mental realm seemed about to shatter.
If he left this unchecked, the only illuminated classroom would be completely consumed by darkness.
Without hesitation, Zhou Qian broke the window with a crash and jumped into the classroom.
Hearing the noise, the two children on the podium looked up, both staring blankly.
Zhou Qian quickly walked over, unceremoniously moving his younger self aside, and took his place next to Young Bai Zhou.
Young Bai Zhou, apparently not recognizing him and thinking he was bullying young Zhou Qian, was ready to throw a punch.
Zhou Qian quickly grabbed his wrist. “Look closely. Who am I?”
Staring into his eyes, Zhou Qian asked deeply, “Can’t you tell which Zhou Qian is real and which is fake?”
After a while, Young Zhou Qian suddenly disappeared, seemingly merging with the present Zhou Qian.
The tremors grew more intense.
The dark sky was illuminated by countless lightning bolts, and as a thunderstorm approached, a loud bang was heard as the roof was pierced by lightning. The ceiling cracked open, and a large rock plummeted down, heading straight for Bai Zhou.
Zhou Qian immediately jumped off the podium, holding nine-year-old Bai Zhou protectively.
Stones brushed past Zhou Qian’s shoulder, tearing away a chunk of his flesh. In pain, he didn’t hesitate, grabbing Bai Zhou and running towards the corridor outside.
With debris falling like rain, Zhou Qian dodged while protecting Bai Zhou. The situation was dire. As they ran, Zhou Qian suddenly stopped, almost tumbling to the ground. A vast abyss had opened up in front of them, leading to an unknown destination.
When he landed, Zhou Qian kept Bai Zhou safe in his arms, ensuring he wasn’t hurt.
Zhou Qian’s face and shoulder bore the brunt of the debris. Without catching his breath, he heard something behind him. Turning around, lightning was closing in, inch by inch.
Behind him was lightning, and ahead was the abyss.
But when another bolt was about to strike, Zhou Qian, left with no choice, rolled into the abyss, holding Bai Zhou.
During their fall, Zhou Qian held Bai Zhou by the waist, raising him and locking eyes. “Zhou Ge, wake up!”
Bai Zhou’s eyes flashed blue, then red, finally settling into a deep black.
He stared intently at Zhou Qian, as if trying to etch this moment into his memory.
At that instant, although his manifested body in this mental realm was only nine years old, there seemed to be a shadow of his adult self overlapping with the young form.
Staring into those deep eyes, Zhou Qian felt as if he was being pulled into some dark world within Bai Zhou’s heart.
Then he heard Bai Zhou whisper, “Aren’t you afraid?”
“Afraid of what?” Zhou Qian retorted.
“Of crashing and shattering into pieces with me.”
Zhou Qian chuckled.
Returning Bai Zhou’s intense gaze, Zhou Qian’s tone, which usually sounded mischievous when tricking teammates, now carried a seriousness and certainty that perhaps even he wasn’t aware of.
“I’m not afraid. Zhou Ge, you wouldn’t do that.”
“I’m here to take you back. Leave with me.”
Zhou Qian laughed.
Matching Bai Zhou’s deep gaze, Zhou Qian’s tone seemed similar to how he would cajole and deceive other teammates usually, but upon closer listening, there was an added seriousness and certainty that he might not even have been aware of.
“Don’t be afraid. Zhou Ge, you won’t do that.”
“I’m here to take you back. Leave with me.”
“You have to leave with me now!”
With that said, Zhou Qian pulled Bai Zhou closer, their foreheads touching.
At this close proximity, Zhou Qian stared intently into those eyes, as if engaged in an invisible standoff. Then he emphasized in a deep tone, “You will leave with me.”
Suddenly, there was a flash of light, and another bolt of lightning struck from the sky, bringing with it a rain of shattered rocks.
Zhou Qian watched as the figure of Bai Zhou in his arms began to grow rapidly, morphing into a dragon.
The deep blue dragon tail wrapped around Zhou Qian tightly. The dragon then ascended at an incredible speed, soaring towards the lightning. Like a solitary moon hanging high in the sky—it was the true ruler of this world.
With a flick of its tail, the dragon tossed Zhou Qian onto its back.
Dark clouds gathered from all directions, heralding the birth of another storm.
Yet, the dragon continued to rise against the sky, its tail swiping away the ominous clouds.
Then, as the dark clouds dispersed, daylight broke through, bathing the world in sunlight once more.
Zhou Qian hugged the dragon, feeling it rapidly ascending. The intense speed almost made him dizzy. As the clouds cleared, the blinding light forced him to close his eyes for a moment of relief.
After a while, the brightness faded, and the sensation of flying ceased. When Zhou Qian opened his eyes, he found himself back in the dilapidated room 1107.
The scale had unknowingly returned to his palm, and now pressed against his forehead was Bai Zhou.
The horns on Bai Zhou’s head had disappeared, and the scales on his face were fading away. His eyes were still deep blue, but they were turning darker. Looking into them, Zhou Qian felt as if he were diving from shallow waters into the abyss of a dark ocean.
Their foreheads were slightly damp, either from sweat or perhaps both.
Having journeyed through the mental world of a Rank God player, Zhou Qian felt the fatigue and pain as if they were real. Taking a deep breath, he instinctively leaned backward.
Immediately, Bai Zhou’s not-yet-fully-human hands reached out, supporting the back of Zhou Qian’s head, bringing their foreheads close again.
Forehead to forehead, noses touching.
In this position, Zhou Qian heard Bai Zhou’s hoarse voice ask, “Choosing to use that scale means you’re willing to be my Shepherd. Zhou Qian, so… are you willing?”
“Otherwise, do I have a choice?” Zhou Qian replied with a weak yet teasing tone, making Bai Zhou laugh. “What if you went berserk and tore me to pieces and ate me?”
The fingers on Zhou Qian’s head moved forward gently, barely touching his face. Bai Zhou asked, “Haven’t you ever doubted that I might be fake?”
“You took the elevator alone, so theoretically, it’s possible. But you were flawless. I’d think, at most… there might be a parallel dimension. But the you from that dimension is still you.”
“As long as it’s you, you wouldn’t harm me. Maybe at the end of this instance, the dimensions will merge, and then—”
Bai Zhou interrupted Zhou Qian. “It’s not me.”
“Hmm.” After a moment, Zhou Qian nodded in agreement, emphasizing, “It’s not you.”
Then Bai Zhou went silent.
With Bai Zhou quiet, Zhou Qian said, “Hidden Blade described your berserk form as terrifying. But I think… it seems fine.”
“Really not scared?” Bai Zhou asked.
“No,” Zhou Qian replied.
After a moment of silence, Bai Zhou’s voice deepened. “Don’t you think I’ve become unrecognizable?”
Zhou Qian seemed to suddenly grasp Bai Zhou’s insecurity.
When they were much younger, Zhou Qian often told Bai Zhou, “Zhou Ge, I think you’re really handsome.”
“Yes, definitely handsome.”
“Zhou Ge, in my eyes, you’re perfect in every way.”
……
“Unrecognizable? Because you turned into a dragon and had scales on your face? Too bad—” Zhou Qian feigned nonchalance. “I didn’t get a good look.”
“Zhou Qian—”
“Next time, let me take a closer look at what you believe to be the real you.” After saying this, Zhou Qian felt Bai Zhou lean in, seemingly wanting to get closer.
They were already very close; this movement almost made their bodies touch completely.
Bai Zhou wanted to…
Zhou Qian paused, then gently closed his eyes.
A moment later, he felt Bai Zhou move past him towards the head of the bed.
It turned out, Bai Zhou had only intended to help him untie the restraints on his left hand.
Zhou Qian: “…………”
Two minutes later.
Sitting at the head of the bed, Zhou Qian watched as Bai Zhou held a flashlight in one hand and a cotton ball in the other, cleaning the wound behind his ear and asking if he had any other injuries.
“Was I too rough earlier?” Bai Zhou asked.
Zhou Qian remained silent.
Bai Zhou shined the flashlight on his face, examining it before reaching out to touch his forehead. “Your face is flushed. Do you have a fever?”
Zhou Qian: “…”
After treating Zhou Qian’s wounds, Bai Zhou massaged his wrist and took a clean set of clothes from his bag. “Your clothes are covered in blood; you don’t like that, right? Go change, and I’ll wash my face.”
As Bai Zhou headed to the bathroom, Zhou Qian called out, “Hey, Zhou Ge.”
Bai Zhou turned to look at him. “Hmm?”
Zhou Qian blinked at him. “You don’t see me as… a younger brother, best buddy, or close friend, do you?”
Bai Zhou: “?”
“Never mind. It’s nothing.” Zhou Qian asked him, “What about the injury you had before?”
Bai Zhou: “It’s all healed now. When I transformed back from the monster form, everything was healed.”
“Oh. Alright then. We’ve wasted too much time. Let’s continue with the plot. I bet there’s a surprise on the 1st floor.”
With that said, Zhou Qian grabbed the clothes beside him and threw them at Bai Zhou.
“Zhou Qian—?” Bai Zhou didn’t dodge and was hit by the clothes.
Zhou Qian said with a hint of annoyance, “Never mind. I’ll just buy from the system store myself.”
Kinky Thoughts:
Just a note, the cover of this novel depicts Bai Zhou in his mid-transformation.
Kinky Translations 