296: 6.56 Doubt

6.56 Doubt

Izher abruptly choked on his breath. "Ernoul… that fucker! Isn't it enough that he has died? Now he wants to bring everyone down with him as well?!"1

[Calm down.] Lu Yizhou tried to convey it through the mind link. He had no idea how to initiate it with Izher because Izher had been the one who sought him out before. But judging from how Izher snapped his head up to look at him and his loosening fists, it seemed to be working. [It's okay, sweetheart. It's not your fault. We will solve it together.]

Izher took a deep breath. [Okay… you're right. Such a pest isn't worth me having a headache.]

[Good.] Lu Yizhou turned to Cyrus and asked. "You have said before that time flows differently here, right? How long has it been since we entered here?"

"Don't worry, your honor. It's only been one night."

Jillian's eyes widened, clearly surprised. Lu Yizhou didn't blame him. He had always been aware of time despite the unchanging scenery. If he counted from the time when he regained consciousness until now, then they had spent approximately four days in this cottage when in fact, only one night had passed. 

One night and all of a sudden, the plot had gone out of control. Jillian had ascended to be a demigod and Ernoul had transformed into a demon. Both weren't included in the original plot. Lu Yizhou had just told Izher that they would solve the problem one by one yet now, he was the one who was close to losing it.

Not to mention that he hadn't heard the mission's successful notification yet.

He had rescued Jillian out of the snowy forest, altered the main protagonists' fate so Jillian would have a strong ally and evaded the chance of being condemned by the whole world. But still… his mission wasn't done yet? Was it Ernoul who had become another obstacle in his way? Or would there be another?

Did it mean that by the way things were going as of now, there would still be a possibility where Jillian would turn into an… evil God?

[666: Host, it's okay Host. Don't panic! This is unlike you at all QAQ where is 666's cool, badass and merciless Host?!]

Right… Lu Yizhou closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. What choice did he have other than to take it in stride? 666's shrill shriek was really effective sometimes to sober him up. This wasn't the time to mull over the future that hadn't happened yet. He couldn't help but snort lightly, attracting the attention of four others.

"You're laughing right now?" Izher asked in disbelief. "Really?"

"I'm sorry. It's just that…" Lu Yizhou exhaled lightly. "...everything is such a mess. Cyrus and Luan, can we go outside for a second? There's something I have to talk to you about."

Jillian opened his mouth to say something but he was finally overtaken by Izher. "What is so secretive that you can't talk about it in front of us?" That was also what he wanted to say! Jillian sent Izher a glare and turned to Lu Yizhou with a nod. 

Unexpectedly, under the two pairs of doe puppy eyes, Lu Yizhou stood his ground. He merely patted their heads in passing and gave a cajoling smile. "Adult matters."

That left Izher and Jillian dumbfounded, unable to react until Cyrus nodded and the three of them went outside. 

"Are we not adults too?!" Izher stomped his foot on the ground and demanded petulantly.

Jillian gave him a stinky eye. "Whose fault do you think it is? It's because of your childish antics that Lu Yizhou doesn't see us as adults!"

"You imbecile brat…" Izher rolled up his sleeves and grinned sharply, showcasing the rows of sharp, jagged teeth. "Do you want to die?" 

Unfortunately, Jillian had long gone past the point of being scared. He barked out a laugh, twisted his neck and cracked his knuckles. "Come. May as well be testing my new power."

***

"Aren't you afraid that the two of them will fight if we leave them alone like this?" Cyrus asked doubtfully as he kept glancing toward the direction of the cottage where the sounds of something crashing and furious shouts could be heard from within.

Lu Yizhou's eyes were fond as he followed Cyrus' line of sight. "It might be good to give them some time for themselves. Don't worry, they will not destroy the ward." 

Jillian and Izher had changed, he could tell, especially after spending quite a long amount of time together these past few days. Yes, they were still hostile toward each other but Lu Yizhou came to realize that there might be a 'love-hate' aspect in their relationship.

(It's 666 who taught him the term. At first, Lu Yizhou absolutely couldn't fathom how someone could hate and love another at the same time but looking at his two mismatched lovers… maybe he could understand it. A bit.)

"What do you want to talk about, your honor?" Cyrus asked after they had gone quite a distance away.

Lu Yizhou didn't beat around the bush. "Ernoul, is he the bug you're talking about?"

Cyrus and Luan were obviously taken aback by the question. Both of them glanced at each other before Cyrus inquired tentatively. "How… did you come to such a conclusion?" 

Lu Yizhou wasn't concluding anything. Everything was still a blur in front of him. He thought that Cyrus and Luan might have known more about him but… was it not the case? 

During the break time in between sex, Lu Yizhou had asked 666 to sort through the information in the main server. The amount of data was gigantic, as expected of the sophisticated AI that was supported by the government. Lu Yizhou deliberately told 666 to focus on SSS level's simulators first to see if they could find something about Z, but so far 666 hadn't reported anything back. 

"In the original plot," Lu Yizhou finally revealed his card for the first time on the table. As he had expected, Cyrus and Luan didn't seem shocked at all so he continued. "Jillian was supposed to be betrayed by the country and fled to save himself. It has not been told in detail what he has done during the time of his disappearance but I assumed that he met Izher at that time. With Jillian's help, Izher finally awakened from his slumber and in exchange, he cursed the country with the deadly disease. If we're going by this logic, the war would still be going on when Ernoul died so there would be no reason for Ernoul to be involved with Izher. Neither would he become a demon."

"I have thought of two possibilities. First, Ernoul can either be the result of the butterfly effect caused by my course of actions or he can be the bug. In this case I am inclined toward the former. Second…" Lu Yizhou trailed off and looked into Cyrus and Luan's eyes intently. "I think it's time for you two to tell me your real identity. I apologize if I come off as rude, but at this rate, I can't help but doubt that you two are the bug in the system."

Lu Yizhou had been replaying the conversation he had had with Cyrus in his mind. They were stripped of their own will, forced to play the designated roles and could only escape when Z broke free from the fourth simulation. 

Kunlun Mirror, Lu Yizhou recalled. It had led Heimo to escape into Terra's world and as a result, caused the latter to regain his memory for the first time. It was hard to believe that everything could be a mere coincidence. For starters, it was such a powerful artifact, practically a cheating tool. How could it come to exist? 

There was no way the simulator would leave behind such an obvious hole to be taken advantage of, right?

Cyrus and Luan were the ones who had noticed firsthand about the bug's existence. How did they do it? They ought to have some authority in the system itself. Who were they actually and why did they go to such length to help him — or Z, to be exact?

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