655: 10.50 The Pandora Of My Heart

10.50 The Pandora Of My Heart

As 666 said, the experimental subjects had really set up traps for him. It was unknown what he would meet once he stepped out of the elevator. The subjects were clearly flustered by the appearance of an invisible enemy who could kill without a sound. Their rhythm had been completely disturbed.

[666: Experimental subject 17, brain power 67%, psychic ability 'The Third Eye'. She is born blind, but in exchange, she can see the energy and matter which ordinary people can't see. 'Invisibility Cloak' only makes you invisible and doesn't completely erase your presence, Host. That's why she is able to 'see' you.] 

Lu Yizhou understood immediately after 666's concise explanation. However, he soon clicked his tongue in irritation. Did it mean that his 'Invisibility Cloak' would be rendered useless as long as the woman was still alive? How annoying. 

[Where the hell is she hiding?!]

Following the woman's command, Lu Yizhou felt the temperature around him start to rise. The metal cubicle he was in started to flicker with a burning ember and melted as if it had been splashed by a corrosive liquid. Lu Yizhou's pupils shrunk sharply. Another psychic ability! They were clearly desperate to force him out of the elevator!

[666: Host, inside the cabinet!]

Following 666's instruction, the muzzle of Lu Yizhou's gun moved in a blink of an eye and he started to fire continuously! Everyone had no idea what happened when all of a sudden, holes appeared one after another on the wooden cabinet! A muffled cry sounded from inside and a thick stream of blood seeped out from the crack.

[666: Right outside the elevator wall! On your left!]

Lu Yizhou stepped onto the puddle of melted metal and only leaned his upper body forward. The subject was taking advantage of the fact that he would be focused on the sight in front of him to do a sneak attack. Too bad Lu Yizhou did not even step out of the elevator. He expressionlessly pointed his gun toward the subject—

"No!" The woman shrieked. "78, dodge! He is getting closer to you!"

—but her warning came a second too late. 78 had just moved away from the wall when Lu Yizhou's bullet came flying through his skull, causing blood and brain matter to splatter to the ground. As soon as 78 died, the metal cubicle stopped melting. 

There was only one last subject and hence, Lu Yizhou did not play invisible anymore. Either way, the woman would be able to find him. He took off his cloak and stepped out of the elevator.

After that one last cry, the woman had not made another sound and the surrounding became awfully quiet to the point where all Lu Yizhou could hear was his own light breathing. Strange… he was very sensitive toward other's presence so he should be able to locate the woman with ease. But this time Lu Yizhou's senses told him that there was no one else in the room other than himself!

[Where is she?]

[666: Ah, Host, 666 has just found out about this… 17 has an unique body constitution. Her size is much smaller than average subjects. If 666's scanner has not failed, then she should currently be hiding inside the… flower vase.]

Lu Yizhou numbly turned to the vase on top of the table he had ignored ever since he came here. Who could have guessed that someone could really be hiding there? No wonder her voice sounded as if it had come from many directions, so it was caused by the echo of the glass vase. And her presence was so weak that it completely escaped Lu Yizhou's radar. The experimental subjects were really unique and special. 

As if realizing that her hiding spot had been found, the woman cried out, flustered. "W–Wait! Don't come here!"

Lu Yizhou ignored her and briskly walked toward the table.

"Why…" she started to cry, bitter and aggrieved. "We are all the same… so why are you attacking us?! We just want to escape this place, is it so wrong?! It is those people who have created us, but as soon as we show the slightest bit of rebellion, they won't hesitate to get rid of us! Why do they fear us very much? Is it our fault that we exist in this world?!"

Lu Yizhou could not help but pause when he heard this. What the woman said closely resembled his lover's thoughts. She was not wrong. The experimental subjects were indeed innocent. They were the product of the researchers' greed and in the end, they also had to perish due to the humans' fear toward them. 

There was nothing wrong with what she said, but…

Lu Yizhou grabbed the round vase and turned it upside down. A small figure that was only half his arm's length stumbled out with messy hair and tear-streaked face. Dirty bandages were wrapped around her eyes, yet Lu Yizhou could still perceive the panic and fear radiating from her.

"I'm sorry," he suddenly said, surprising the other. "You are right. The blame lies not in you, but those greedy people."

The woman showed a surprised look, then her face brightened in hope. "Then…"

"But I'm sorry, you still need to die." Lu Yizhou pressed the muzzle of his gun on her forehead, his finger ready on the trigger. His eyes were calm without any turbulence. "Only when you all die will I be able to save him from this never-ending loop. So, even when I know that you're innocent, I need to kill you."

His finger exerted force then—

[666: W–Wait, Host! According to 666's calculation, there is a ninety percent chance that this subject will awaken the second ability on the brink of death just like that mimicry guy earlier!]

Ominous premonition surged up his chest and all the hair on his body stood up on its end. Danger! His instinct screamed at him. Lu Yizhou decisively jerked his hand back and rolled his body to the side. 

At the same time, the small subject's body suddenly exploded like a hideous flower which suddenly bloomed in full crimson color! The momentum of the explosion was so strong that blood and pieces of meat were splattered all over the room just like a poisonous white mushroom with red dots.

As soon as the last experimental subject died, the world around them instantly froze and a familiar prompt popped up in Lu Yizhou's mind. This time, there was even an additional trumpet and cheers.

[System notification: Congratulations! You have successfully completed your mission in this world! Detected Host's current willmeter: 100%. Congratulations for successfully completing the course of simulations. You are eligible to gain a second chance to wake up in reality! Congratulations!]

It had even said 'congratulations' thrice.

However, Lu Yizhou did not have the time to rejoice right now. Even though he had used his skill 'Acceleration' to dodge back and forth, he still could not completely elude a few small droplets of blood and pieces of meat that fell on his exposed skin.

Almost immediately, his heart gave a loud thump!

[666: Host?!!! W–What's wrong with you?!] 666 could not analyze what 17's second ability was because it had just newly evolved. It could only cry out, aghast.

Lu Yizhou let out a gasp as he abruptly fell down on his knees, the silver gun slipping from his grip. He glanced at the small droplets of blood on his skin and found that they rapidly seeped into his system as if they had come alive. What the fuck was this…?! 

Soon, he was unable to think anymore because an unimaginable and bizarre thing happened right in front of his eyes.

Just like the metal cubicle that was burned in high temperature earlier, Lu Yizhou's skin also melted as if it was no longer strong enough to wrap around his body. The melted skin emitted a faint hiss, revealing the bloody flesh and raw muscles underneath. What was even weirder was… he clearly knew something was wrong with his body, yet he did not even feel an ounce of pain!

Lu Yizhou's expression abruptly changed. This was… poison?!

In a blink of an eye, all of the skin on Lu Yizhou's body turned into liquid as he collapsed to the ground in the form of meaty heaps. He gasped, and his melting throat issued a few weak wheezes. [Antidote…]

[666: Yes, yes, yes, there is an antidote in the store!]

666 did not even pay attention to the price as it threw one antidote after another into Lu Yizhou's mouth in a panicked manner. Yet to its utter dismay, Lu Yizhou's condition did not improve a bit. It was as if 17 was adamant on taking Lu Yizhou down with her when she blasted her own body! 

The system did not even ask for Lu Yizhou's permission as it directly activated the skill 'Time Rewinder'. One minute had not passed yet, they could still salvage the situation! 

Yet, the main system replied to it in an emotionless tone.

[The skill is not supported in this world. Please try again next time.]

666 was so terrified and enraged that it burst out in expletives for the first time.

[666: Fuck! Fuck this world!! No… this is not supposed to happen! We're so close! We are already so close!!]

The sudden reversal was so sudden that it caught both of them off guard. They were clearly one step away from success, but… how could such a thing happen?!

Lu Yizhou had fallen in the inner area of the room and the elevator was currently a few meters away from him. Yet with a single-minded devotion, he crawled his way there, leaving a trail of blood and broken pieces of meat behind him. 

His vision blurred, and it took him a few seconds to realize that it was tears that had gathered on his eyes since God-knows-when. 55's anguished cries echoed in his ears, as well as his heartfelt pleading as if the teenager was truly calling out for him right now, "Don't go… Don't go…"

He could not go like this… He still had a promise to fulfill. 

55 was still waiting for him… he had to go back…!

The flesh on his fingers soon dissolved and created a wet puddle beneath his hands. His finger bones were no longer strong enough to drag his whole body, but it was as if Lu Yizhou did not realize a thing. Inch by inch… he crawled his way to the elevator desperately. More than half of the flesh on his body already melted into a large puddle right now, creating a grotesque yet heart-wrenching sight in the bloody room.

He looked like he had just clambered up from the depth of hell to the mortal world. Just to see a single person. Just for a promise that had almost been fulfilled…

Alas, he was destined to never complete this journey.

The elevator was right in front of him, yet Lu Yizhou had lost all strength to move. His eyelids melted together with the tears, turning his world into complete darkness. In the end, what flashed through his mind vividly was still the reluctance and sorrow in 55's beautiful eyes.

I'm sorry… I'm so, so sorry.

In the end, I broke our promise again…

***

55 was startled awake from his shallow sleep and he jerked his head toward the elevator as if he had sensed something. His eyes turned blurred and then… fat droplets of tears flowed down his cheeks in an unstoppable stream.

He could no longer hear any sounds of fighting upstairs. The surroundings seemed to have gone back to how it was before he was awakened. Silent and tranquil. As if he was the only one left in the whole world.1

He sat there on the floor, unmoving like a little jade doll, as though all the life had been sucked out of him.

His hand lay limply on his side, the hideous bite wound had stopped bleeding and started to scab over. Beside him, the wall was filled with messy crimson scrawl, creating a shocking sight to see.

In the next second, he abruptly looked up toward the surveillance camera on the corner of the cage. His trembling lips moved, and his voice came out shaky and hoarse. "Are you there…?"

Of course, there would be no reply. Nonetheless, 55 continued to speak as if he knew that the other side was listening to him.

"Can you please relay my message to him? Sometimes, I wish he can be a little easier on himself but…" he heaved out a helpless sigh and sniffled. "...it looks like it will be hard for him to change. It's my fault too. If only I am not so weak…"

"Also…" the teenager suddenly flashed a dazzling smile toward the camera, his golden eyes shimmering due to the tears. "...tell him to wait for me. All this time, he has always been the one who found me. Now, it's my turn to do so. Tell him to wait patiently because… I might need a little more time. But I will definitely come. This promise, I will fulfill it in his place."

After saying that, he tilted his head to look at the blood message on the wall again. He thought that something was lacking and hence, he bit down on his finger to carve another sentence. Only then did he show a barely satisfied look. 

[You must remember. This is what you have to go through. The path in front of you is very long and it will be filled with nothing but darkness. Sometimes, you may be afraid and other times, you may also be repulsed. 

There will be a time when you decide to give up on everything. But remember… someone has never given up on you. He asked you to make a promise. He told you that the world is beautiful, and he would bring you to see it.

Keep walking… and you will be able to find him at the end of the darkness.

Even though you will find nothing but evil and misery in this world, remember that hope will always remain. And no matter what, you will always be able to find him as long as you hold on.

My only hope. My beacon of light.

Lu Yizhou, the Pandora of my heart.]

The world started to disintegrate bit by bit, flowing down in small fragments like pieces of ashy snowflakes. For the very first time, 55 was able to breathe a sigh of relief from the depth of his heart. He closed his eyes and tilted his head up, welcoming those little fragments to shower down on him like a light rain. 

The time loop had been broken. 

This time, the curse on him had finally been lifted.

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.

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Arc 10 — The End

A/N: That's a wrap!! I'm very sorry (that I am not sorry) for the BE orz

This is the end of LYZ's journey in the system simulator. Next chapter, we will return to reality!

Thank you so much for being here with me all this while. Your comments, votes, and support have always been my greatest motivation. Love yaa <3<3<3

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