367: 7.57 Not Only One?

7.57 Not Only One?

Lu Yizhou had awakened with a jerk as soon as the door opened and he felt an unfamiliar gaze landed on him. He tensed subconsciously and his senses abruptly went on full alert, even though outwardly he clearly looked like he was still in a deep sleep. Moshe was still in the bathroom but this person could enter as he pleased… Lu Yizhou slowly exhaled as the guess popped up in his mind. It should be Kaede, Moshe's right hand man.0

He was right when Kaede's voice sounded to greet Moshe. 

Slowly, Lu Yizhou opened his eyes to the dim ceiling as Kaede and Moshe's hushed voice washed over him. He closed his eyes again when footsteps approached followed by a waft of citrusy, fresh shampoo and a cold touch on his forehead, followed by what seemed to be a gentle kiss. 

"Sshh, it's okay. Go back to sleep." There was a pinprick of pain on his arm as cold liquid was injected into his system. "It's the antidote. You will be fine. Rest well, Lu Yizhou." 

[666: Host, are you sober?]

Lu Yizhou grunted softly.

[666: Oh, thank Admin God… this is the most nerve-wracking night in 666's life. Please don't attempt something like that anymore, okay? QAQ]

[The thing Moshe has just injected into me… is it really the antidote?] It wasn't like Lu Yizhou didn't believe his lover or Kaede, but he just doubted everyone around them. He had given Kaede a green light after knowing how he had sacrificed his life to save Moshe. But as for everyone… he couldn't be certain nor did he have a way to find out. 

Come to think of it, Lu Yizhou should have realized that something was wrong early on. In the original plot, Zion had set up bombs in The Void's properties, both public and private, in revenge for Moshe taking his lover hostage. But knowing how cautious Moshe was, he should have had tight security on his territory, especially on his private places. So how could Zion attempt such a thing? Of course, there ought to be someone who had led him in. 

Someone who wanted to destroy The Void or maybe… a personal grudge against Moshe himself?

[666: Don't worry, Host. It's really an ordinary antidote.]

Lu Yizhou caught on to the system's weird choice of words. [Ordinary? So there's an unordinary antidote?]

[666: No, what 666 means is… Host, don't you think that something is off? This is merely a D level world, the second to the bottom in terms of difficulty. You have only consumed a small portion of the drug but it has affected 666's connection with you. The last time it happened was in the fifth simulator when you put the King of Parasites into your brain, but that was reasonable because the level we were facing is an A level world.]

Lu Yizhou was stunned by the revelation. [So you're saying…]

[666: *gulp* this is merely a speculation but Host… 666 thinks that there's more than one bug in this world QAQ Host, you should find out who has created this drug that can even mess with the system's connection! This time we are really lucky because 666 has access to the main system and its virus scanner otherwise… you would have lost contact with 666 and ended up trapped in this world until one of the personnel in the maintenance department noticed you, which they might or might not even do! Oh my Admin God, this is so scary!!!]

Lu Yizhou screwed his eyes shut and cursed inwardly. He had just gotten rid of one bug, and here they came again. Why did they have to pop out one after another?! 

[No, wait.] Lu Yizhou was reminded of something. [There's no certainty that I will be the one who would get drugged—] He fell silent as the answer revealed itself in his mind. Yes, there was no definite possibility that he would be the one who got drugged. But he couldn't deny the fact that Zion had originally brought the potion into the event to feed Lu Yizhou with it.

From the very beginning, Lu Yizhou had always been the target.

And if the plan foiled and Lu Yizhou managed to escape, there was still another bug, Regius, who would become the safety net. 

They had succeeded. By some weird coincidences, Lu Yizhou had landed himself on the trap. They should have achieved their goal to sever Lu Yizhou's connection with his system by now… but they had never expected that Lu Yizhou would have access to the main system and hence, nullified the effect of the substance.

Now that he was sober enough to think about it, was it a coincidence that such a potent drug's vial was so fragile that it shattered just by being in Lu Yizhou's grip? Or… had everything been calculated carefully?

His expression morphed into a scowl. [The level of Regius and the unknown bug is too far. Just from this accident, you can tell that Regius is quite a stupid, naïve and easily manipulated one… as for the other, are they the mastermind behind everything? Their goal this time is a little too conspicuous, don't you think? They're blatantly challenging me face to face. The risk is too high. In case they didn't succeed, I would be notified of their presence immediately.]

[666: *cough* One more possibility, Host. Maybe they haven't even considered failure at all. If they truly have no idea you have escaped unscathed, then they might be rejoicing right now as we speak.] 

No, something's not right. Lu Yizhou's brows furrowed in contemplation. In the previous world, he had clearly talked about the main system briefly with Izher, Jillian, as well as Cyrus and Luan. The point was, the bug in Izher should have known about it so why did they still act so reckless like this?

Unless…

[666: Cyrus or Luan… they might have done something to the bug in that world so the information hasn't gone through this world, Host.]

Lu Yizhou nodded. That was the only possibility he could think of. 

So far, he could conclude a few things. 

First, the bug's number varied in every world and they had different capabilities. But their goal was only one: to force him, and every transmigrator out there, to remain in the simulator forever. Somehow, the bug had something to do with his lover, Z. But Lu Yizhou had too little information to derive the relation between the two, so he shelved this thought for later.

Second, for some reason, the bug could only receive information from another bug when they had exited the simulator. So… no matter what Lu Yizhou did to the bug in this world, the others wouldn't be able to know.

The corner of his lips curled into a chilling smile — [Oh my Admin God, Host is so scary when he smiles like this!!! QAQ] — he couldn't wait to get his hands on the bug. And maybe… he could start with Regius.

There was one more thing the bug failed to take into account though. Zion, the male protagonist, would also be drugged because of Lu Yizhou's third level 'Devil's Whisper'. 

What kind of effect would the drug have on Zion? It was no wonder that he was hanging on the brink of death. If the drug could indeed endanger Zion's life, then it would only work to Lu Yizhou's advantage. His eyes flashed with a calculating glint. How many more steps he had to take before he could get rid of the two protagonists once and for all and prevent them from getting close to his lover ever again?

As of now, the bug had no idea that Lu Yizhou still had 666 by his side. Could he take advantage of that fact and let the bug do his bidding before he got rid of them?

Lu Yizhou was so engrossed in his own thoughts that he failed to notice Moshe's presence until the man appeared from behind the privacy screen. "You're awake? Why didn't you say anything?"

Lu Yizhou frowned. Why did Moshe put on that fake smile in front of him again?

pqdm.com