402: 8.2 Two Players

8.2 Two Players

Lu Yizhou did not expect that coming. He froze in surprise. "Your mother…?"  1

Moreover, 'used to'...? In past tense? Before Lu Yizhou could ask anything about that though, someone suddenly cleared their throat behind them. So close… too close. Entirely on reflex, Lu Yizhou shot out a hand to attack whilst placing himself firmly in front of Z — Zeke — but instead of a person, his fist went through… a floating screen.

Lu Yizhou blinked when he realized what it was and retracted his arms. "Dr. Feng," he greeted. "I have no idea that you're there."

"Well…" Admin God or Dr. Feng shrugged his shoulders with a wry grimace on his face. "I have been waiting for you two to notice me since a few minutes ago but you seem to be immersed in your own world so…" he cleared his throat again. "I'm sorry to disturb your private time. But there's something I need to tell you."

Lu Yizhou relaxed slightly albeit the posture of his body was still alert and defensive. He felt his lover put a palm behind his back, stroking it back and forth in an attempt to soothe. It worked like magic as tension slowly bled out of his entire body. Now that he looked closer, he realized that Dr. Feng was still in some kind of laboratory he was in before but… the surveillance cameras were no more! 

"I see that you have succeeded in bringing him back." Dr. Feng offered him a genuine smile for the first time. He looked… refreshed, without all the stress, lack of sleep and dark bruise beneath his eyes. "I really can't thank you enough. Firstly, your act has triggered the whole simulator's warning and in exchange, notify the ones above of the problem that has been plaguing us for a while. Not only that… you have also done something that nobody could achieve before."

Lu Yizhou felt a soft pat on the side of his torso. Knowing what his lover wanted, he scooted to the side until Zeke could look at the screen. A look of confusion appeared in his lover's face. "You are…?"

Lu Yizhou was surprised. "You don't know who he is…?" 

How could it be? Dr. Feng had gone out of his way to create Cyrus and place him by their side as a secret helper, he had also kept Zeke's consciousness safe and moved him to Lu Yizhou's rest station when he was proven to be in danger. No matter from which angle Lu Yizhou saw it, the things Dr. Feng had done couldn't be considered as a favor one would do to a stranger.

"It's okay," Dr. Feng said in understanding, the tone he used to speak to Zeke was akin to how a parent spoke to their child. Hmm, Lu Yizhou's eyes narrowed in contemplation. "Your condition is still very unstable. It's no wonder that you haven't remembered everything yet."

"Is there something wrong with him?" Lu Yizhou asked worriedly.

"No, nothing's wrong. Hmm, just think of it like this. The pieces of him you have gathered is only sufficient to trigger his brain to retrieve its very basic functions. He is already out of the danger phase but it doesn't mean that he has recovered fully. From now on though, what you will have to obtain is his nourishment."

"Nourishment…?"

"Yes, in other words, his memory." Dr. Feng explained. "Without memory, a human will only become a blank canvas. Memory is the one that has shaped every individual's personality. Now that we are talking about this, I'd also like to boldly ask you for a favor."

Lu Yizhou gave him a gesture to go ahead.

"Almost all of the bugs have been eradicated due to the massive clean-up we have just done. But I found out there are still a few out there, hiding low on purpose to prevent themselves from being discovered…" He scowled in displeasure. "Doing a clean-up from outside is a piece of cake for me. But I can't do it when they are hiding so deep inside the simulator."

Lu Yizhou understood in an instant. "So you want to employ my help in eliminating all of the bugs."

"Yes," the man affirmed. "I can only ask this of you because I am sure that the bug will be hiding close to where Zachary is."

The question 'why' almost slipped out of Lu Yizhou's mouth but he firmly swallowed it down. He had known that the bug was somehow connected to his lover from Cyrus but as for the relationship between the two… he was still searching for the answer. And now, Dr. Feng blatantly told him that he had the answer Lu Yizhou wanted! Did he have another reason for not divulging the matter directly? Well, Lu Yizhou supposed that he had to give Dr. Feng the benefits of doubt but still…

His eyes narrowed sharply. "What's in it for me?"

Dr. Feng's eyes went wide for a second, surprised that Lu Yizhou could be so shrewd. He then let out a defeated sigh. "What do you want?"

Lu Yizhou glanced at Zeke who looked at both of them with a curious gaze and reached out to tuck his hair behind his ear. "I want to know about Zeke — Zachary. And by that I mean… eve-ry-thing you know." He emphasized strongly. 

For a few seconds, both of them stared at each other, none was willing to back down. Dr. Feng needed his help in eradicating the bug but Lu Yizhou also knew that he would definitely crush them if he ever met one, simply because of his awful prior experience with them — even without Dr. Feng asking. But he had no choice but to do this. In the greater scheme of things, Lu Yizhou was the one at a huge disadvantage. There was so much information he did not know. 

He had been involved so deeply in this matter. How could Lu Yizhou be willing to sit still and let himself be led around by nose?

"Fine," Dr. Feng spat out as if it pained him physically to do so. "But you have to give me some time. There's a few things… I must prepare."

"I need a guarantee," Lu Yizhou insisted with a tone that brooked no arguments. Who knew what kind of future was awaiting them? What if Dr. Feng suddenly backed out of the deal and pretended it never happened?

"You're really such a pain in the ass." Dr. Feng grumbled under his breath. He raked his fingers through his hair. "If I say 'Aelius', will you understand?"

Lu Yizhou abruptly froze. No matter what kind of a hermit he was, it was impossible for him not to know. Especially not him.

It had been forbidden to speak of the 'sun', the ones who stood above all, the dictatorial patriarchy who had reigned terror in their land for decades. Hence everyone started to use another language to refer to them — Aelius, or in other words, the Royal Family, the former Royal Family who had fallen from grace.

His eyes turned dazed as memories started to surface in his mind. It was the royalties who had backed Lu Yizhou into the corner, forcing him to live the rest of his life under the shadows. It was also the royalties that had set Lu Yizhou's eyes on vengeance, leaving him empty and exhausted afterward. 

How? During his last mission, he had been certain that none of the members of the royal family was still alive so… what did Dr. Feng mean by that? Did Zeke have something to do with the fallen sun…?

"Lu Yizhou…?" Zeke's voice snapped him back to his senses and he lifted his eyes to see that the floating screen had disappeared. The veins on his forehead throbbed. Why did Dr. Feng always leaves as soon as he finishes whatever he wants to say?! 

"Lu Yizhou?" It was the thick concern in Zeke's voice that compelled Lu Yizhou to turn to him. The man was trying to prop himself up by elbow only to fall again when his strength failed him, causing him to blow his bangs in frustration. 

The turmoil in Lu Yizhou's heart vanished without a trace as he saw how adorable his lover was. "Don't force yourself," he said as he pushed Zeke down to the bed.

Zeke sought his eyes carefully. "Are you okay? What is the 'Aelius' he was talking about?"

"That…" Lu Yizhou swallowed. No, it was still not certain whether Zeke was really connected to that family. Even if he did, Lu Yizhou had already exacted his revenge a long time ago. He had left that life behind and chosen to go far away with his cat, at least up until he decided to kill himself. "That's not something you should worry about in your current condition." Lu Yizhou pinched his nose gently, earning him a sullen pout.

Yes, everything was already in the past. Now, Zeke was his present and his future, no matter what kind of identity he had.

Lu Yizhou bent down to leave a lingering kiss on his forehead. "You should sleep if you're tired."

Right on cue, Zeke's mouth opened in a loud yawn, tears squeezing out of the corner of his eyes. He looked so adorable that Lu Yizhou couldn't help kissing him again and again, causing Zeke to giggle out loud. 

"Later…" Zeke pursed his lips. "When you meet our daughter, will you tell her how much I love her? I think I haven't conveyed it enough last time."

Lu Yizhou's smile deepened. "I am sure she will be very happy to hear that."

After cuddling with his lover until he had fallen soundly asleep, Lu Yizhou slowly disentangled himself and pulled the blanket up to Zeke's neck, smiling. [Have you calculated this time's reward yet?]

[666: Aye, aye, Host! Everything has been done! Your total point is 2511 and Admin God decided to give us a little bonus for successfully getting rid of the bug, so the total point you have now is 3511 — holy, we are so rich, Host! Not to mention that the skill 'Invisibility Cloak' has been converted into your permanent skill!]

Lu Yizhou nodded. [Let's go.]

[666: Aye, aye, Host!]

Lu Yizhou closed his eyes and waited for the familiar sensation of vertigo to go away. Except this time, before he could do so, a beep resounded in his mind. It was awfully similar to the system's notification but the mechanical voice that spoke was totally different.

[[Two players are detected.]]

[[Loading data…]]

[[Player Lu Yizhou and Player 666 have successfully entered the Nightmare Game.]]

[666: What the f— *cough cough cough* What are you saying?! How can a sophisticated system like 666 be detected by the likes of you?!]

Not to mention 666, Lu Yizhou was even more taken aback. The fuck did it say? Nightmare Game? Just listening to it was enough to give Lu Yizhou goosebumps. [What kind of world are we entering now?!]

Before 666 could answer, the flat mechanical voice spoke again and following it was a blinding light that slammed into Lu Yizhou's body with the force of a train wreck, knocking him right on the solar plexus and rendering him unconscious.

[[Quest commencing: Terror in the Knox Family.]]

[[All players, please try your best to survive in the next seven days!]]

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A/N: From now on, double brackets [[ ]] will be used to indicate when the system in this world is speaking ^^ whereas Lu Yizhou and 666's will remain as usual. Oooh~ this time 666 is identified as a player. Will it finally give a meaningful contribution? heheh~

Bonus chapters are coming tomorrow as delana is still organizing the plot ^^

Please cast your golden tickets for VSS and keep us in top 30 until the end of the month! A huge mass release is waiting for ya~

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