373: 7.63 All At Once

7.63 All At Once

Lu Yizhou didn't catch the meaning behind Moshe's words until Kaede came to him two days later and said, "Dress yourself. Master told me to bring you somewhere."2

He didn't take offense to Kaede's rude tone or the way the man chose not to look straight at him as if it was beneath him. As of now, his position was just slightly higher than Moshe's toys anyway. 

Lu Yizhou resisted a sigh. If this was the Imperial Dynasty, then his position would be the Imperial Concubine.

The Imperial harem had been disbanded but it was still so hard to climb up in rank. If someday he were to transmigrate into an ancient era where his lover was the Emperor with hundreds of beauties by his side, Lu Yizhou was certain he would have amassed quite a lot of experience on how to vie for attention. 

"Formal or casual?" He asked.

"Just…" Kaede's eyes flicked to him for a second, flashing with something he couldn't fathom. Pity? "...whatever makes you the most comfortable."

Lu Yizhou nodded and dressed in his usual baggy shirt and sweatpants. He followed Kaede into a car where his eyes were then blindfolded. 

"Don't get any ideas." Kaede said as he sat beside Lu Yizhou in the passenger seat. "The place we are going to is confidential." It's not a place someone like you should know, the unsaid words hung heavily between them.

Lu Yizhou merely sat patiently as the car glided out of the mansion, carrying him into somewhere unknown. If Kaede was sitting beside him, then who was driving?

[666: It's Ezra, Host. If you remember, he's the one who drove you to the tailor before the Wind Group's charity auction.] 

He nodded. [Map the route.]

[666: Aye, aye, Host. Leave it to 666!]

'If you can still stand on your feet, you may come to me.' Lu Yizhou recalled what Moshe had said. No matter how he chewed on the words, it sounded like a challenge. 

These past six days, Lu Yizhou didn't stay idle either. Moshe's men didn't seem to notice the hidden cameras that were dispersed all over the mansion so he merely covered the ground where the cameras didn't reach and tried to snoop around for the traitor hidden amongst Moshe's men. 

He had the thought to use his mind reading skill on them, but not including the fact that the skill was only active for five minutes — too short for him to strike any meaningful conversation — he also found that Moshe's men seemed to avoid him for some reasons. More often than not, they would scatter as soon as Lu Yizhou approached or gave flimsy excuses to run away from the spot.

In the end, he could only put this inefficient plan to a halt. 

He had been simmering in anxiety lately because he couldn't see his lover at all. Being away from Moshe menat that he couldn't protect him when a mishap happened. What if the bug took advantage of the time when Moshe and Lu Yizhou were separated to do something to his lover? 

Lu Yizhou was going to burn the whole world down if they dared to hurt a single strand on Moshe's hair. In a way, Moshe's sneaky cameras proved to be a reassurance. As long as Lu Yizhou could feel those eyes on him, he knew that Moshe was not harmed. Yet.

[666: Sheesh, you worrywart. 666 has told you countless times that the bug exists as errors in the simulator codes. They can't actually change the principle of the simulator which is to save the villain. Crudely speaking, all they are allowed to do is pull some sneaky moves behind the scenes. As long as you haven't completed the mission yet, Moshe will not be harmed, Host.]

[As long as I haven't completed the mission.] Lu Yizhou echoed flatly, unimpressed. [What will happen after I have?]

[666: Then, the simulator will not be able to dictate their course of action anymore. The same applies to you, Host. Maybe… something similar to the previous world will happen again…]

Chills permeated Lu Yizhou's gaze and his jaws hardened. So, the bug would do whatever it took to trap either Lu Yizhou or Moshe in the simulator as soon as the mission was completed? Then… Lu Yizhou had to calculate his moves well. He had to get his lover out of here safely, as quickly as possible. No more mishaps, failure wasn't an option.

No matter what, Lu Yizhou wasn't going to repeat the same mistake this time.

"We have arrived." Kaede's voice pulled him out of his thoughts. Lu Yizhou felt the car slowly roll to a halt. Kaede got out of the car first then guided him out. Soft breeze fluttered Lu Yizhou's hair. The air smelled different here, he noted. Hotter, more humid, with the thick scent of asphalt, metal and gunpowder. Conversations could be heard from afar and Lu Yizhou tensed as he detected eyes on him.

So, so many eyes. More than ten? Their eyes were cold, contemptuous and slimy, scrutinizing his figure and accessing his worth. Disgust crawled down Lu Yizhou's spine. 

He was suddenly reminded of a time long, long ago… long before he had become the man he was now. When he was still as scrawny as a thin branch, weak and helpless, struggling against the vile world with willpower alone. The situation was so familiar that it made him sick.

He already disliked this place down to his bones.

A sharp whistle sounded from above. "Quite pretty, eh? Can he even hit someone?"

Kaede didn't say anything but Lu Yizhou could feel his grip on his arm tightened. He merely tugged Lu Yizhou forward. They passed through a threshold — a detector, Lu Yizhou guessed — the stale air was cut short, replaced by the fake minty scent from air freshener. They had entered the building and the eyes on him intensified. The corner of Lu Yizhou's lips turned downward. 

Whatever Moshe had planned for him, it certainly wouldn't be good.

There were more murmurs, more mockery whistles and cackles. Kaede pressed on the elevator button and hauled him in. The metal door slid shut, cutting off all voices. Gravity draped heavily on Lu Yizhou's body as the elevator moved up. 

"Goodness, I hate those lawless idiots," he muttered under his breath.

"Where are we?" Lu Yizhou finally asked.

"The training center." Kaede casually elaborated. "Every candidate member of The Void has to go through the tests in this center to be able to work for Boss directly. Boss called it 'the bonding event' but for me it's nothing more than the survival of the fittest." Kaede shivered and hugged himself. The look he directed toward Lu Yizhou was nothing short of pity. "In a way, if you are still alive after this, then you will be accepted formally into the clan."

Oh good, it had been a long time since he fought. His skill had almost gotten rusty from all the eating and lying he did. "If I am still alive…?" The corner of Lu Yizhou's lips curled into an amused smile. But Moshe demanded him to 'stand on his feet' so just being alive wouldn't be sufficient. "How many people?"

"You're not… afraid?" Kaede asked tentatively.

"Oh, I am." Lu Yizhou said airily. He was afraid for his opponents. Apologies but… he was going to see his lover today, no matter who and how many people he had to incapacitate. "So, how many people?"

The corner of Kaede's lips twitched and he rolled his eyes. This man was too haughty, wasn't he? Kaede really despised this arrogant attitude, typical of the people who thought he was standing on top of the world and everyone else was beneath him. There was no shortage of such a person in this place and every single time, their spirit would be crushed after this event. Oh, Kaede couldn't wait to see desperation on his face after he realized what he was throwing himself into! 

Out of spite, he retorted, "We can give you as many as you want."

Lu Yizhou grinned sharply. "Then let them come all at once."

pqdm.com