312: 7.2 Jack The Reaper

7.2 Jack The Reaper

2Hii everyone, you have successfully landed yourself in a new arc! You must have known what this is about from the aux chapter "List of Arcs" and I got multiple trigger warning that might make you uncomfortable such as slavery, graphic violence and red flag ML! He's a mafioso so you should know that blood and carnal pleasure are everyday things for him *cough* and he's cold-blooded! QAQ 

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Arc 7: How To Be A Perfect Pet (A Guide by LYZ)

"You may ruin everyone as you please but… only I can ruin you."

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Lu Yizhou bolted upright with a gasp, his eyes frantic and movement jerky. "Izher…!" 

Damn it, how could he be so stupid?! He should have ensured both of his lovers' death before withdrawing himself! But no, he was too consumed by the image of his lover dying, fearing that he couldn't bear to look at them otherwise he would soon go crazy and look where it had landed him! He'd prefer to lose his mind rather than this!

"What happened to him?!" He demanded, cold sweat rolling down his back. Izher… his lovely, precious Izher. Was he trapped there? What had happened to Izher, Cyrus and Luan after he left? No, Lu Yizhou threw himself off the bed, he couldn't stay here any longer! "I have to go back! Take me back, 666!" Fear gripped his heart in a vicious grip and he clenched his fists. "Please… I have to go back and make sure he's okay…!"

Lu Yizhou wouldn't forgive himself if something had happened to his lover under his watch!

[666: Host, Host! Calm down, Host!]

Lu Yizhou seethed. "How can I calm down in such a situation?!"

[666: N—No! What 666 means is… please look behind you! There are some accidents along the way but Izher and Jillian have safely departed from that simulator!]

What…? Lu Yizhou turned around so fast that his neck issued a crack and the sight in front of him nearly caused him to black out. He gripped onto the back of the chair tightly, heart pounding like the frenetic wings of hummingbirds. He nearly stumbled on his feet as he inched closer to the bed, disbelieving. "Z—Zachary…?"

Due to his panic, Lu Yizhou had failed to realize that he wasn't alone in the rest station like he always did. There was someone laying on the bed — on his bed. 

The first thing Lu Yizhou noticed was the regular motion of the man's chest and his long, deep breathing. After his mind had reassured him again and again that the man in front of him was very much alive, only then could Lu Yizhou slowly let go of the breath he was holding and truly take in his appearance. And then he had to hold his breath again because his lover was… stunning, to say the least. Gorgeous. Beautiful.

No matter how many times Lu Yizhou had seen him and how many appearances he had taken, he still managed to seize Lu Yizhou's breath away without so much as a blink. It was disconcerting.

With curls of long, luscious brown hair spread across the mattress down to his waist, honey-colored skin and a peaceful sleeping face, he looked like a slumbering angel. 

His features were delicate… and if Lu Yizhou had the chance to see Ren Zexi mature into a fine gentleman, he thought it would resemble the man in front of him. 

Yet somehow, the sharp line of his brows still reminded Lu Yizhou of Lan'er, thick lashes framing his eyes like Theodore, and his plush lips were identical to Oliver. Lu Yizhou had no doubt that if the man opened his eyes, he would continue to find the shadow of his previous lovers within. Was this his lover's true appearance?

"Zachary…?" He called out softly, scared to rouse him from his deep slumber.

[666: Yes, Host! 666 has been trying to tell you this!]

"He…" Lu Yizhou slowly reached out to graze his knuckles along his lover's cheek. Warm, he let out a shuddering exhale, he was warm and alive. He was safe. Lu Yizhou's knees finally gave up beneath him. He pressed his palm to his eyes. His voice was raspy when he spoke, overwhelmed. "He's here… in my rest station. This has never happened before."

[666: Well, yes… 666 also doesn't know what is happening. He suddenly appeared out of thin air, Host! Wait— AAAAAH! IT'S ADMIN GOD! Admin God is contacting 666…!!!]

"Pick it up, then." Lu Yizhou's jaws hardened. 

[666: H—Host…! QAQ *gulps* H—Hello, Admin God? Yes, 666 is here! You want to… what?! Host, Admin God wants to talk to you! Oh no, this…!]

"It's fine. Let him see." Lu Yizhou had no idea what had happened in the previous world but if Zachary was here, safe and sound, then it meant that Cyrus and Luan must have done something or… someone had also offered their help.

In the next second, a floating screen appeared in front of Lu Yizhou but he didn't even give it a glance, too preoccupied with tucking the blanket tighter around his lover and warming his chilled fingertips.

Admin God: "..." Speechless.

[666: This…! 666 can explain!]

"No need." Admin God sighed wearily and didn't look surprised at all at the sudden appearance of a second person on the screen. "It's been a while, Lu Yizhou. I see you have made acquaintances with Zachary."

Lu Yizhou's movement stilled for a split second before he smoothly continued to slip his lover's hand into the blanket and brushed the hair away from his forehead. "Don't you think you have a lot of explaining to do, Admin God?"

"Please… just call me Head Administrator like everyone else or Dr. Feng in short." He pinched his brows with an exasperated look. It seemed like they could finally talk properly, to Lu Yizhou's relief.

The man looked even more exhausted than the last time Lu Yizhou saw him. The collar of his white coat was rumpled — the same coat Lu Yizhou saw from Izher's memories — and his hair was tied haphazardly into a crooked ponytail. All in all, he looked like a mad scientist. Lu Yizhou sat on the side of the bed in a position that strategically hid Zachary from sight. Even though Admin God admitted that he knew his lover, Lu Yizhou just couldn't be rest assured.

"What is your relationship with Cyrus and Luan?" Lu Yizhou asked to test the water. 

Admin God — Dr. Feng — was startled lightly by the question. "Cyrus..." He discreetly gestured around him and Lu Yizhou narrowed his eyes when he caught sight of a small CCTV on the corner of the room just barely caught by the screen. Dr. Feng shrugged and continued. "I was bored and I wanted to see my own character inside the simulator so I created him. He's beautiful, isn't he?"

Lu Yizhou noticed that Dr. Feng had only mentioned Cyrus even though Lu Yizhou had clearly pointed out two names. Hmm, he thought meaningfully. And more importantly, he was currently monitored. By whom and why? 

"Yes, very beautiful indeed." Lu Yizhou replied slowly. "I have had a great time being in his company. But there's something that confuses me, Dr. Feng. I'd like to know why there is someone else in my rest station."

"Ah, right. Zachary…" The bespectacled man nodded and relief was evident on his face when Lu Yizhou was playing along with this whole secret conversation. "You see, the R&D department has detected a few abnormal activities lately. Zachary is one of my private cases and if you haven't known, he and his rest station have been affected quite severely so I had no choice but to transfer him here when I found out that both of your brain wavelengths run at a similar frequency."

Lu Yizhou merely hummed with an impassive look even though his mind was running a thousand miles per second.

"That's why I want to ask for a personal favor. Zachary will not wake up for the time being because his consciousness is repairing itself so… can you let him stay here when you leave for your mission?"

"Of course…" Lu Yizhou replied with a meaningful intent in his eyes. "As long as he doesn't wake up and bother me."

"I assure you that he will recover soon and return to his own rest station. Thank you very much for your generosity. I will offer something as compensation for you. Please check it with your system after you have departed. I hope you will like it." After saying that, the screen disappeared with a poof. 

This bastard…! Lu Yizhou gritted his teeth. He was still coming and leaving whenever he pleased! Lu Yizhou took a few deep breaths, his gaze automatically drifting back to his lover.

So far, the conclusion he had gotten was:

1. Zachary wouldn't wake up for the time being because he was still affected by the previous accident. But he would recover soon — or so Dr. Feng remarked.

2. Wherever Dr. Feng had been keeping Zachary's… 'consciousness', it wasn't a safe place anymore so he finally showed his card and entrusted Zachary to Lu Yizhou. The bug, Lu Yizhou thought savagely.

3. Zachary wasn't his lover's real name.

His lover was in danger but Dr. Feng had no qualms about using the name 'Zachary' in front of the screen and he had even said it was one of his private cases. That meant there was indeed a 'Zachary' among Dr. Feng's case or it could also be the fake identity created specifically for his lover.

Lu Yizhou tapped his fingers on his thigh with a thoughtful look on his face. After he finished rearranging his thoughts, he let out a long sigh and shook his head. Well, if Dr. Feng had deemed Lu Yizhou's rest station as a safe place, then Lu Yizhou would give him the benefit of the doubt.

[666: Yes, Host! Rest station is considered a sacred place to transmigators because it's connected to the place most intimate to them aka our subconsciousness. Moreover, it's forbidden to cause a disturbance at other people's rest stations, otherwise the transmigrators will have a serious brain damage! So rest assured, this place is completely safe]

Lu Yizhou nodded. "I understand. Thank you, 666."

The corner of his lips curled up as he gazed at his lover's sleeping visage. "So we're back to Z, huh?" He brought a lock of soft brown hair to his lips and murmured. "Rest well, I will protect you."

Whilst Lu Yizhou took a short rest, 666 counted the rewards for him. His total points now was 2863 and he received an additional reward of ten Transformation Pill for his previous purchases. His willmeter finally broke through 50% to stop at 62%. Now that he looked at the bubbling crimson liquid, he couldn't help but suspect if his and his lover's willmeter was connected to each other. 

[666: ...Host, t—there's something 666 must confess. Please look at your list of permanent skills.]

666's quiet voice carried a sense of foreboding and indeed, Lu Yizhou's mind buzzed when he finally opened the long-forgotten panel that he had left to dust.

'Time Rewinder'... He had bought this skill back in the second world and it should have become his permanent skill but because he exchanged his rewards for a meeting with Admin God, he only acquired it after he left the fourth world. With this skill, he could go back five seconds in time. If he had just recalled he had this skill at his disposal, if he had just used it to turn back time... would everything be different now?

[666: I'm sorry, Host QAQ it's not uncommon for transmigrators to forget something like this and it should be 666's duty as your system to remind you. But back then, 666 panicked and…]

Lu Yizhou closed his eyes and took a deep breath. [No, the responsibility lies not only in you alone.] He had gotten too used to relying on himself. At that moment, he only thought of what he could do, completely forgetting that he had a system by his side. 

Lu Yizhou clenched his fists and tried to stamp the guilt down. Well, there was no use crying over spilled milk. The faster he completed the mission, the faster he could piece his lover's scattered consciousness together and also… the bug. The corner of Lu Yizhou's lips curled into a chilling smile. Now that he knew what he was looking for, everything had become much easier.3

[666: *shudder* Oh My Admin God, who has set up 666's air-con? Why is it so cold here?!]

Lu Yizhou bent down to drop a kiss on his lover's forehead and stood up. "Let's go."

[666: Aye, aye, Host!]

A blinding light enveloped his vision and all of a sudden, his surroundings changed. The air was humid, dry and also smelled like blood. There were a lot of cheers, loud and excited, as well as a booming announcement that shot through his eardrums.

"Welcome to the final stage of Hellraiser, brought to you right here in the Deathbound Stadium! On the right side we have our promising newcomer who has broken the record for the fastest rising star! 14 wins! Just one more and he will rock the stadium with his awesomeness! Please give a mad applause to Jack The Reaper!"

[666: Host, Host it's your turn!]

Before Lu Yizhou could react, he was pushed from behind. The force caused him to stumble right into the stage surrounded by spotlights and… thousands of spectators? And fuck, he grimaced. His body was hurting like he had just been run over by the truck! Every movement was tugging on his bruised nerves, even right now he could feel his legs shaking from the pain!

He had almost forgotten how to breathe when he was still in Regius' body but now, he found that he couldn't even inhale without feeling as if his chest had caved in! He had at least three broken ribs and moreover, his left hand was fractured and one of his eyes was so swollen that he couldn't even see anything from it! Not to mention multiple lacerations that were still bleeding all over his body!

What the fuck had he thrown himself into?!

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