492: 8.92 Debts To Settle*

8.92 Debts To Settle*

Even Lu Yizhou, the man who had weathered many vicissitudes in life, was speechless as soon as the blueprints unfolded in front of his eyes.0

It was a gigantic honeycomb. Countless hexagonal wax were stacked one atop of another to form a complex 3D labyrinth. No wonder that he felt like the ground was not flat, it was because he had been going up and down without him realizing! 666 had arranged the labyrinth according to its real measurements. For example, 10 m would be drawn as 1 cm on the map and hence, it was easy for Lu Yizhou to deduce how large the entire labyrinth was.

There was a red dot on the map to show Lu Yizhou's current position. As he expected, he was on the edge of the labyrinth. Jenny's room had been shaded in grey and there were countless others grey-shaded areas scattered across the labyrinth. There must be more than 500 hexagonal cells because some cells did not contain anything and some were colored in red.

Lu Yizhou pointed at the red-shaded area. [What is that?]

[666: Er… 666 doesn't know either. 666 detected some movement and temperature sensor, but 666 doesn't know what it's for…]

Lu Yizhou speculated. [Must be traps.] There was no way a labyrinth this big did not contain some traps which could harm people; it did not line up with this world's style. Nonetheless, he was finally spared of a great headache with the map in his hands. It was like giving a pair of wings to a tiger. [Good job, 666.]

[666: Ehehe, 666 says it will do it and it definitely will! *proud*]

Lu Yizhou scanned the map once again. There was another grey-shaded area three hexagonals away. He could make it there quickly to complete 666's daily quota. However… 

His left eyelids twitched when his gaze landed on where Ellen's room was supposed to be. It was outside of the five meters radius of his territory! Lu Yizhou's heart gave a violent lurch as his feet began to move in reflex. How could he leave Ellen without any supervision?! That was so careless of him! Who knew what kind of crouching tiger and hidden dragon[1] was here in the labyrinth. Leaving Ellen alone was akin to sending a fat, juicy meat to the mouth of a starving wolf!

Lu Yizhou was practically running by now. The corridor flashed by him in a blur. His ears picked up a few faint conversation around and his heart thudded even more loudly. He clenched his jaws tight, a cold gleam permeated his eyes. If something were to happen to Ellen…

He turned to the corridor of Ellen's room and saw two men heading straight there. One short and one tall; they still hadn't realized Lu Yizhou's presence and were talking quietly among themselves. Lu Yizhou did not waste any more second as he marched forward as quietly as a ghost and pressed the muzzle of his gun to the back of the tall one's head. There was a soft click as the safety lever was released.

"Don't move." His voice was so cold it could form icicles on the ceiling. "If you dare to take one step forward, then I will shoot."

Overwhelming relief coursed through his body albeit his hold on the gun remained steady. Fortunately… he had made it in time. He couldn't imagine what would happen if he were to delay even one more minute. Ellen could have ended up with the same fate as Jenny, dying without knowing whom the culprit was!

In front of him, the two men froze in shock.

Lu Yizhou narrowed his eyes as he scanned the tall one. Broad stature, muscular, calloused hand that was clearly used to combat. Judging from how calm their reaction was, they must be fellow players. Lu Yizhou did not wait for their reply as he added fiercely, "Get lost. This area is mine."

He had quickly judged that the tall one was stronger and hence, decided to take him hostage. Regardless of whether the short one chose to save his teammate or abandon him, they would definitely scram from this place.

Nevertheless, Lu Yizhou didn't dare to lower his guard even as Ellen's safety was guaranteed. He remembered that every skill cards would remain active during the hunt. There was still a possibility that both of them would choose to fight back. After all, Lu Yizhou had lied, this area was actually still unmarked…

Lu Yizhou had expected all kinds of reaction from the other two but never could he have foreseen that the short one would actually throw his head back and laugh out loud! He quickly lifted two hands in surrender and exclaimed with a teasing tone. "I've told you, we only need to search for his lover for him to show himself."

The tall one grunted in acknowledgement. He too, lifted his hands in a gesture of surrender even though Lu Yizhou could not smell any fear emanating from him.

Lu Yizhou frowned. What's with their reaction? Why did they act like they had known Lu Yizhou before— His eyes widened in surprise as a wild guess popped up in his mind. "Cyrus…? Luan?"

"Yes, it's us." Cyrus turned around with a smile on his face. "It's been a while, Lu Yizhou."

Memories surged through Lu Yizhou's mind at the familiar face. The last time Lu Yizhou saw them was in the sixth world. Back then, Cyrus had helped to erect a barrier to accommodate Izher and Jillian killing each other. However, something went wrong at the very last second. Jillian was ejected from the simulator but Izher was trapped because of the bug on his body. In the end, Lu Yizhou did not know what happened because he had also withdrawn from the world. Cyrus and Luan must have done something for Izher to arrive safely in Lu Yizhou's rest station.

Both of their appearance had not changed at all since then, except for the lack of horns and claws. 

The tension Lu Yizhou didn't know he had loosened entirely from his body. To his surprise, it felt so reassuring to meet old acquintances in this strange place. Especially ones whom he could trust to watch his back.

Lu Yizhou lowered his gun and warmth appeared in his eyes as he regarded his lover's saviors. "It's been a while. I didn't expect you to be here," he said then paused. "Have you met my daughter and another transmigrator named Diana?"

"Oh yes, that's also what we're here for. Don't worry, both of them are safe and sound." Cyrus grinned happily. He hooked his arm around Luan's and pointed at the taciturn man. "He's the one who persuaded Bianca to stay this time. I guess I have to offer you our sincerest gratitude. Because you rescued Diana, we are able to track the traces left by the bug from her." Cyrus' smile turned razor sharp. "This time, they will not be able to escape. We have a huge debt to settle, don't we, Luan?"

Luan grunted, "Yes." 

Lu Yizhou was taken aback when he heard Luan's voice. He had been so used to the other being silent that he forgot that Luan could actually speak after he left the sixth world. By default, the rules that bound his voice would no longer be valid. However his voice… It sounded so rough and gravelly as though the owner was suffering from severe sore throat…

As if sensing his thoughts, Cyrus explained helpfully, "There's a little accident and Luan lost his voice for a while…" A wistful look flashed his eyes before disappearing into his trademark smile in the next second, so fast that Lu Yizhou thought he had conjured it up. "But fret not, he's slowly recovering. And moreover, he's just this grumpy to begin with. I am right, am I not?" 

Luan merely raised a brow and declined to comment.

Lu Yizhou brought the topic back. "You said you can track the bug? Then the reason why you're here… is because there's another bug in this world?"

"Yes," Cyrus smiled coldly. "There are two."

Lu Yizhou clenched his fists. So it turned out there was another reason why he was stranded here. He couldn't leave yet because there was still some unfinished business. It was not only Cyrus and Luan, but Lu Yizhou also had some debts he would like to settle with the bug. 

However, he had asked Ellen earlier whether there was someone like Baines by his side and Ellen had denied outright. 

Lu Yizhou frowned.

Was it the bug who had hidden themselves so deeply in this quest or… did Ellen lie to him for some reason he could not divulge?

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