ICSST CH15: Delicacy

The tall shelf behind cast a shadow over Xun Er’s face.

“I don’t like direct violence, but today, I can make an exception.”

At this moment, his gaze was eerily innocent, and for a brief instant, his tone overlapped perfectly with that of the child in the diary.

A faint scent of alcohol lingered in the air. Zhou Qi’an guessed he was likely in a wine cellar.

To the side, a large piece of equipment lay covered with a white cloth—Chen Jian had mentioned it earlier when he picked up the shovel, trying to lure them into investigating.

“White Silk.” After surveying his surroundings, Zhou Qi’an forced himself to focus his consciousness.

The white satin quietly emerged.

Xun Er seemed to sense something. The moment he turned his head, Zhou Qi’an quickly commanded White Silk to retreat behind the wine rack.

“You’re awake.”

The underground level was cold, and Xun Er’s voice was equally chilling and deep.

He stepped closer, his pupils unnaturally dilated. “You shouldn’t have stolen food.”

Zhou Qi’an glanced sideways—confirmed.

The “Avatar” from earlier today was indeed Xun Er.

His lips trembled slightly. “What… what do you want to do?”

A weak person begging for mercy would only fuel a psychopath’s sadistic desires.

And that was exactly what Zhou Qi’an aimed to do.

Every movement, every look—even the trembling of his eyelashes—radiated weakness and helplessness, yet at the same time, it carried a silent invitation.

Xun Er looked down at him indifferently. “My dear ‘brother,’ you must pay a price for your greed.”

His eerie gaze slithered over Zhou Qi’an’s body like a snake, measuring every inch with precision before finally stopping at his abdomen.

Out of the corner of his eye, Zhou Qi’an spotted a familiar surgical scalpel.

Though three years had passed, seeing that instrument always sent him back to the operating table.

The process was different, but the outcome was exactly what he had anticipated.

He had already mentally prepared himself—it was nothing more than another abdominal surgery while fully conscious. Since he hadn’t triggered a death rule, he only needed to endure until Xun Er inflicted a real injury on him—then he could counterattack.

Just endure it. Hadn’t the past three years been like this?

Zhou Qi’an’s gaze dropped, his eyes filled with icy calm. His fingers hung loosely at his sides, making him appear like a lamb laid out for slaughter.

But in reality, he was ready to strike.

The hand hidden in his blind spot gripped the [charger], while his system interface was already open—fully prepared to use the large health-boosting pill at any moment. He just needed to wait for a little more strength to return.

After all, items were controlled by conscious thought. Even if Xun Er hit him with another anesthetic, he could still turn the tables.

Just as Zhou Qi’an was fully armed in his own way, Xun Er didn’t immediately grab the scalpel.

Instead, he calmly turned away and retrieved a black tube about one centimeter in diameter from a cabinet in the corner. The tube was long—almost a meter.

Only part of it was visible, leaving Zhou Qi’an confused.

Was he planning to tie him to the table?

But when he saw the other end of the tube, Zhou Qi’an instantly understood.

He wasn’t tied down—his limp body was simply positioned onto its side.

The next second, a strong hand forced his mouth open, and the tube was inserted inside.

A sudden discomfort in his throat triggered an automatic gag reflex, but the tube kept pushing deeper. Zhou Qi’an resisted the urge to act, not wanting to alert Xun Er too soon.

Once most of the tube was inserted, Xun Er sat before the machine, staring at the monitor.

With the tube lodged in his mouth, Zhou Qi’an’s throat ached, and even his breathing felt unnatural. His mouth was stretched into an involuntary “O” shape—he wanted to twitch his lips but physically couldn’t.

A… gastroscopy?

This bastard is giving me a gastroscopy?!

The diary had mentioned that Xun Er’s parents were doctors, but at the time, Zhou Qi’an’s focus had been entirely on the statue. He never imagined that, after years of exposure, Xun Er had actually picked up some medical skills.

Was he going to confirm the object’s position… and then perform laparoscopic surgery?

According to Chen Jian, if an NPC deliberately killed someone without triggering a death rule, they would be punished.

But whether a laparoscopic surgery counted as a serious physical injury was questionable. If he actually had a gastric polyp, and Xun Er removed it as well, he might not receive any punishment at all.

“How annoying. I really just want to cut you open and see directly.”

Sitting before the monitor, Xun Er wiped his lenses and put them back on. “But I keep feeling that killing you outright will cause… something bad to happen.”

He was certain that Zhou Qi’an couldn’t absorb the energy core.

To be honest, the fact that the bead hadn’t gotten stuck in his esophagus was already surprising.

A python’s swallowing ability is nothing compared to this.

Zhou Qi’an couldn’t move his mouth, but his eyelid twitched slightly.

NPCs have a sixth sense too?

The surprise was mutual.

Half a minute later, Xun Er’s usual calm and composure finally cracked. No matter how many times he wiped his glasses, he still couldn’t find what he was looking for on the screen.

Under normal circumstances, the bead should have remained inside a living host—it shouldn’t have entered the intestines, so where the hell was it?

“Where’s the bead?”

That massive bead—where the hell did it go?!

Zhou Qi’an had barely eaten all day. The monitor showed his stomach was completely empty—not even a grain of rice, let alone the bead.

Zhou Qi’an remained expressionless. It’s in my heart.

Surprised? Delighted?

Xun Er sat frozen in his chair, his voice muttering on a loop, “It’s not there… how can it not be there…?”

Zhou Qi’an stayed motionless.

First, he was knocked out. Then, a gastroscopy.

A shapeshifting monster… and you still insist on following medical procedures?

Finally, Xun Er stood up. His movements were nearly soundless.

“Where is my thing?”

He casually shook the tube, causing the gag reflex to surge through Zhou Qi’an’s throat again.

“Ugh…”

Cold sweat dripped from Zhou Qi’an’s forehead.

This was nothing compared to being awake on the operating table.

He calmly assessed the situation—at most, he had some mucosal damage and minor esophageal abrasions. Nothing severe enough to count as serious physical injury.

The game wouldn’t nerf NPCs significantly, so his odds of winning in a direct fight were low.

His lips twitched as if trying to move.

Zhou Qi’an could have reached up and pulled out the tube himself.

But to maintain the illusion that he was still too weak to move, he barely reacted.

Xun Er’s long, powerful fingers grasped the end of the tube. He stared down at Zhou Qi’an, as if ready to twist it violently or shove it even deeper.

The tube had already started pushing downward.

During his transport to the wine cellar, Zhou Qi’an’s glasses had fallen off somewhere in the restroom. His damp bangs clung together from sweat.

Without the barrier of lenses or stray hairs, his eyes regained their sharp, piercing brilliance.

Xun Er’s clumsy maneuvering sent tiny spasms through his muscles.

For a few seconds, their gazes locked.

Then, Xun Er smirked. “Oh, right. I forgot—you can’t talk.”

With a rough yank, the tube was pulled out.

A scorching pain burned from his stomach to his throat.

Zhou Qi’an endured the sensation.

After a brief recovery, he dropped his “honest man” act and forced a smirk.

His smile carried a hint of ridicule.

The first words he spoke were—

“Just cut me open and take a look.”

His tone was light, as if it wasn’t his own body being dissected.

He lifted his eyelids. “What? You don’t dare?”

No one could resist such a provocation.

Let alone an NPC born with a hidden bloodlust.

Xun Er’s hand instinctively moved toward the surgical scalpel tray.

The cold blade pointed straight at Zhou Qi’an.

His fingers hovered just below his neck, as if preparing to cut down his chest along the median line— like dissecting a corpse.

Bang!

At the last possible moment, a loud crash echoed from upstairs.

The noise was so loud that it could even be heard in the wine cellar.

It was Xun the Wealthy.

He was having a violent outburst, shouting and calling for Xun Er.

Xun Er’s gaze gradually calmed.

With his head lowered, it was hard to tell what he was thinking.

After a moment, Xun Er removed his surgical gloves.

He leisurely tidied up the medical equipment.

The machine, along with the tube, was pushed back into the corner.

As Zhou Qi’an watched, he finally witnessed Xun Er’s inhuman strength.

Then, Xun Er slightly tilted his head, revealing the smooth curve of his profile.

“I hope… when the sun rises tomorrow, you still have this same courage.”

His words carried an ominous undertone—as if something was going to happen tomorrow.

Leaving behind that cryptic remark, Xun Er’s figure disappeared from the wine cellar.

Zhou Qi’an was left alone.

He touched his throat, sweat continuously dripping from his forehead.

“What a shame.”

Just a little more…

After landing, the intense sensation of a heavy head and light feet lingered persistently.

Zhou Qi’an withdrew the white silk, unwilling to stay in this place any longer, and groped his way forward in the darkness along the winding staircase.

As soon as he stepped outside and breathed in the air from aboveground, he heard cursing coming from upstairs.

Xun the Wealthy’s voice was even raspier than Zhou Qi’an’s, whose vocal cords were already damaged. Xun Er had been summoned to be scolded, and throughout the entire reprimand, Xun the Wealthy kept emphasizing one thing—time.

“The idol… Why haven’t you found it yet…?”

“I don’t want to hear your excuses. You must find it before midnight.”

Well then.

Everyone in this house was looking for something.

As Zhou Qi’an reached the second floor, the angry curses became even clearer.

“The idol’s dormancy period ends at midnight.” Zhou Qi’an muttered, dragging his exhausted steps forward and pushing open the door. “I just hope my worrisome mother can…”

His words came to an abrupt halt.

He took a small step back, making sure he hadn’t entered the wrong room.

Inside, all the bedding had been replaced with bright red fabric, like rolling waves of scorching flames, creating an overwhelming visual impact.

On the light switch, several long snakes had been twisted into the shape of the “double happiness” character, coiling there. Above, on the doorframe, two slender snakes linked head to tail, forming a heart-shaped bridge.

The idol lay on the floor like a tattered rag doll, a long slit now appearing on its abdomen. It seemed as if something terrifying was struggling to crawl out, yet the crack was continuously blocked by a steady stream of small snakes.

“…” So, you were upstairs playing surgery games just now too?

Zhou Qi’an felt as if he had stumbled into a celebratory sea serpent nest.

His mother stood beside the idol, while on the bed next to her, the thick red quilt was bulging high, something inside writhing underneath.

Upon seeing Zhou Qi’an, she smiled kindly and affectionately. “My dear son, look, I found you a new match.”

With that, she yanked off the red quilt in one swift motion, even more dramatically than Xun Er had when inspecting the room earlier in the day.

Beneath the quilt, a monstrous spider revealed its true form.

Zhou Qi’an felt as if his brain’s CPU had completely overheated, staring blankly at his new match.

First, it had long legs. Second, it had big eyes.

Compared to its terrifying scythe-like legs covered in barbs, the countless eyeballs growing all over its body were even more horrifying. Even someone without trypophobia would find it hard to accept. It was being restrained by his mother, its mouthparts’ barbed proboscis continuously secreting venomous saliva due to the threat it sensed.

The bed sheets corroded, emitting a foul odor.

Zhou Qi’an: “…”

This was even worse than a gastroscopy.

Unlike her usual behavior of urging Zhou Qi’an to consummate the marriage immediately, his mother instead nudged the evil idol forward with her foot.

Naturally, the idol didn’t roll like a ball, so she nudged it a few more inches.

Zhou Qi’an ’s lips twitched uncontrollably.

His mother said, “I took something out of it. But it’s about to wake up soon. I’ll watch over your bride—you go return it to its owner first.”

Great. At least she still had some sense left.

She knew the idol wouldn’t be able to win once it awakened, so she wanted to send it away.

“What you took out wouldn’t happen to be…”

His mother brushed aside some writhing strands of hair and pointed at the multi-eyed spider. “It’s this. There’s plenty of ‘goods’ inside that idol’s belly.”

She seemed to be hinting that the idol was filled with all sorts of filthy things.

Zhou Qi’an suddenly realized—those who made wishes to the idol, whether human or monster, would ultimately be absorbed.

However, monsters had a slightly better fate. At least this spider was still alive.

Useless idol, even practicing racial discrimination.

The lights remained off, but the surrounding redness seemed to cast a bloody glow upon Zhou Qi’an.

He gazed at the “bride” on the bed, his mother’s crazed words lingering in his ears: “Do you like it?”

Caught between a rock and a hard place, Zhou Qi’an recalled Xun Er’s cryptic threats from earlier, certain that an even bigger trap awaited him tomorrow.

After a long pause, he suddenly chuckled, as if realizing something.

“I’ve been such an idiot.”

Why had he tried to weaken the NPCs through self-harm? Working for too long had clearly made his thinking self-destructive.

Zhou Qi’an lowered his eyes, a shadow cast over his pale face. “Mom, tomorrow, I’ll treat everyone to a wedding banquet.”

__

Author’s Note:

Zhou Qi’an: That was close—I almost got assimilated by this twisted world. I need to awaken!

Chen Jian: …Awaken? Then what do you call everything you’ve done before?

Zhou Qi’an: That was my slave mentality.

Chen Jian: …

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