453: 8.53 The Last Fight

8.53 The Last Fight

He would not mistake those golden eyes for anything in this world. Even if he had only seen it through the distorted reflection of the mirror, he was still certain that it was… his lover's eyes!  0

Not Ellie, his gut instinct clamoured. She might sound domineering when they first met but after Lu Yizhou successfully knocked down the barrier around her heart, he came to discover that Ellie was actually kinda shy and a little naïve, just like a child who had matured too soon. But that man earlier… he only said a few short sentences but it already screamed power and dominance. Yes, just like someone who was used to being in charge for a long period of time. 

Lu Yizhou tried to recall the exact sentence he had said, yet his mind drew blank. His head throbbed in pain and he lifted one hand to massage it, hissing. Goddamnit, every single part of his body was sore and aching like he had just been hit by a moving carriage and stomped under the merciless stampede of hooves! 

A wet sensation landed on his cheek and he cracked his eyes open to see Ozzie meowing at him pitifully. Oh, he forgot he had disconnected their mind link earlier. He turned it on again, and in an instant, Ozzie's sharp cries pierced through his eardrums.

'Daddy!!!' Ozzie snuggled deeper into the crook of Lu Yizhou's neck, trembling ever so slightly. 'Boo-hoo, you almost died back then! So scary meow!' 

There were a few bright spots of blood on her otherwise pure white fur and Lu Yizhou asked in worry, 'You're injured?' 

'No, this is your blood meow!' Ozzie lifted her head to show a pair of teary ruby eyes. 'Oh you have no idea. Blood suddenly came out of your nose and ears, and the next second, you coughed out blood! I have never been so scared in my life meow!'

'I am sorry, Ozzie.' Heart aching, Lu Yizhou gathered the little feline into his arms. He recalled distantly that it was because of Ozzie that he could hold on for so long otherwise the agony alone was enough to make him pass out twice over. 'I have made you so worried. Everything is okay now. Wait— 666?'

He recalled that he had lost 666 for a moment there. What had happened earlier?

[666: HOST—!!! QAQ OH MY ADMIN GOD, YOU'RE FINALLY AWAKE! Your body has started to flicker there for a second, 666 thought we are done for!]

Lu Yizhou had never expected that a day would come where he heaved out a sigh of relief at 666's powerful shriek. Slowly he propped himself up and grimaced at the blood that stained his dress. No wonder that he was feeling a little light-headed. He must have been anemic from all the blood he had shed.

Scanning his surroundings, he found that he was still in the room he locked himself with Diana in, and for some reason, he was laying on the soft big bed right now. He was sure that he had passed out near Diana so who had carried him to the bed…? Oh shit, Diana! Lu Yizhou sat up straighter and ignored the cramps that shot through his body. [Where is she?!]

[666: Host, calm down. She's there on the couch!] 

He did not slump back but it was a near thing. The couch was big enough to accommodate Diana's tiny figure and from where he was laying, he could not even see her feet, almost making him think that she had made a run for herself. [So it's a… success?]

[666: Hehehe, who do you think 666 is?]

666 tried to project as much confidence as it could muster but in fact, it was sweating buckets right now. 

Apparently, 666 had totally underestimated his opponent. Who could have guessed that the rubbish system 404 was so strong that it could even mess with 666's connection with Lu Yizhou? 666 had quickly been overwhelmed by the enemy's continuous attack to the point where its own codes shuddered in fright. However, when 666 was starting to think that all hope was lost and he was going to be turned into an ugly toad, the rubbish system 404's attack suddenly became a mess, enabling 666 to sneak into an opening and turn the tide to its favor.

666 did not want to admit to its Host that someone had helped it fight after all of the big talk it had done. Otherwise where would 666 put its face?! Well, let 666 bring the secret to its grave (if there would be one) and never show it to the light of the day…

Unfortunately, Lu Yizhou did not know 666's line of thought at all and was feeling really grateful toward the sneaky system. [Thank you, 666. You're a lifesaver this time.]

He stood up to check on Diana. She was sleeping so deeply albeit her face was still a little pale. But the most important thing was, she was still alive and from now on, she was free from the bug's trap. Now it was up to her whether she would wake up or not…

Lu Yizhou tore his gaze away to look out of the window to see that noon had quickly passed by and the sun was going to set soon. He was a tad surprised, not expecting that the whole session had ended up consuming more than four hours. No wonder that he was feeling so exhausted. 

Heaving a sigh, he decided to lay back down on the bed and closed his eyes to get a short respite. [Do you know the progress of the quest?]

[666: Um… no? Actually, 666 kinda had to restart after the battle with 404. Ozzie has no idea either because she is not a player and her mind link to Host was disconnected for a while back then…]

Just as 666 was talking about it, a notification rang inside their mind. Talk about the timing.

[[Special quests: Gather the broken pieces of Madam Knox's beloved comb. Progress: 5/5]]

[[Congratulations! You have successfully completed the special quest 'Gather the broken pieces of Madam Knox's beloved comb.' Please check the reward in your inbox!]]

Lu Yizhou could not help the chuckle that fell from his lips. Handing such a task to Ji Yan that relied mainly on luck had been the right decision. In the end, they had managed to gather the four missing pieces that scattered throughout this huge mansion in less than five hours. Lu Yizhou could not even begin to guess how heaven-defying Ji Yan's luck was.

Apparently, the system notification was not done yet as it appeared again one atop of another.

[[Current quest: Terror in the Knox Family (Progress: 68/100%)]]

[[Because the requirements for the final stage have been met, then time will be adjusted accordingly. All players, please prepare yourself for the last fight in the next five hours!]]

Lu Yizhou opened his eyes in time to see the sky moving outside the window. It was like seeing the scenery through a fast forwarded video. The evening quickly descended into night, then the moon made its round before it was quickly replaced by the rising sun. The cycle repeated three times over until the end, the sun hung low over the horizon. 

It was the evening of the fifth day. The night of the full moon had finally arrived.

[666: Oh my Admin God, oh my Admin God! This event development is too fast for 666 to catch up with!]

'So exciting meow!' Ozzie stretched her front legs against the mattress and pushed her butt up in the air, giggling. 'Daddy, at this rate, we can leave this world tonight!'

Lu Yizhou hummed in agreement. It seemed like the time to rest would need to wait until he finished the game tonight. He sat himself up, rolled his sore shoulders, then went back to his own room to take a shower. As the water cascaded down his body and washed away the blood and dirt of the day, his mind could not help but drift back toward the mysterious figure he had caught a glimpse of earlier.

That man… who exactly was he?

What if he had miscalculated all along? The villain he had to save in this world, was it only Ella and Ellie or… was there another one he had to take note of?

.

.

.

Mini theater

Lu Yizhou, deep in thought, suddenly wanted to pee. He was ready to empty his bladder when he realized that he was still… standing.

Lu Yizhou: "..." Fuck. This was what happened every time he lowered his guard.

Now he had to wash himself once again.

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