Some time has passed since the Prophecy Wizard’s “known to all” statement.
Huagu City, guest room of the Grand Theater.
“Soon, usually used to describe a fast action or event, can mean immediately or…” Shen Zhiyi was searching for word annotations online, reading them out like a script.
With light-colored hair and grayish-white eyes, when he lowered his eyes in thought, he was like a creepy plaster statue.
“The ‘soon’ the Prophecy Wizard spoke of was not soon at all.”
It should be turned into loose parts.
Zhou Qi’an sat on the other side, staring at the soul-nurturing bottle in contemplation. He didn’t know how Jin Zhi’s soul was recovering.
Currently, the soul-nurturing bottle displayed: [Repair Progress: 7%].
The progress was so slow. It was clear that her soul was not just severely injured at the time; it could almost be said to have dissipated.
In comparison, Yu Wan’s soul was recovering much faster.
“Hmm?”
The outline of a bird of paradise suddenly faintly appeared on the soul-nurturing bottle.
This time, Zhou Qi’an was sure he hadn’t seen wrong. A similar pattern had appeared on the universal card last time.
A sense of dissonance grew from the bottom of his heart.
Interpreted emotionally, this seemed to be a materialization of some kind of Jin Zhi’s consciousness. But considering the practical side, with Jin Zhi’s soul being so weak, she shouldn’t have the “willpower manifestation” that only existed in fantasy novels.
Shen Zhiyi noticed Zhou Qi’an’s emotional change immediately and understood his confusion, asking:
“Has the university student gone to pay respects?”
Zhou Qi’an nodded.
Omitting the keywords that couldn’t be said directly, Shen Zhiyi explained patiently, “You can see it as a blessing from an unknown being.”
If it weren’t for the university student’s hope, this remnant soul would have truly vanished long ago.
Zhou Qi’an looked out the window.
A blessing from Taisui?
Although he had already learned the university student’s identity in his dream last time, he was still a little surprised thinking about it now. Gradually, Zhou Qi’an’s tone became confused. “Are there any ordinary people around me?”
Shen Zhiyi chuckled. “Of course, there are.”
“For example?”
“For example…”
After a brief silence, Shen Zhiyi was about to give Ying Yu as an example, but on second thought, by human standards, Ying Yu was also a bit abnormal.
“He doesn’t even date.” The current Shen Zhiyi couldn’t understand this at all.
The air fell silent.
“I thought of it! Auntie Wang…” Before he finished speaking, Zhou Qi’an’s voice weakened.
Auntie Wang was able to collect the gift money at that absurd wedding, had clearly noticed something was wrong with his mother in the past, and still played mahjong with her. She was indeed a bit transcendent.
In a daze, the breeze blew his hair, and a few strands stood up stubbornly.
Zhou Qi’an looked unusually and adorably呆板.
Shen Zhiyi couldn’t help but gently press it down, then again, secretly bending the翹起的 hair on top of his head into the shape of a heart.
The hair was cold and smooth, exceptionally soft, with a mysterious luster that could only be found in the deep sea.
Two words to describe it: nice to touch.
Without stopping him for the time being, Zhou Qi’an squinted his eyes and recalled the past. “The first time my mom brought Auntie Wang to an instance, I don’t know what the scene was like… Auntie Wang is not very brave. When I was young and went to her house for music lessons, I remember she almost fainted from being scared by a spider once.”
But he believed Auntie Wang would be strong.
The other’s catchphrase had always been when she could retire. She had finally made it to receiving her pension, only for the world to be about to end.
“…If she can withstand such a blow, she probably won’t be easily knocked down by other things.”
Shen Zhiyi was still stroking his hair, not on the same channel as him at this moment.
People have personalities, and hair has a temper too. The fully evolved hair had a natural defense mechanism.
Having been stroked by Shen Zhiyi for too long, it got炸毛. The hair, which could be soft or as sharp as steel wire, automatically wrapped around the pale wrist.
However, the hair did not attack further.
Shen Zhiyi began to actively do some knowledge popularization. “Qi’an, my blood is good for you.” He described the scene in his imagination. “Using the taste of my blood as nutrients can help it maintain a healthier luster…”
Zhou Qi’an’s brow twitched. He pointed his finger towards the direction of the door. “Lunch break, please do not disturb.”
You love bloodbaths so much, Bloody Mary would have to call you godfather.
Shen Zhiyi was still trying to instigate.
Monsters evolve by absorbing flesh and blood. When they become fanatically obsessed with another living being, they will always think of returning the favor with their flesh and blood. Although the Nightmare was a legendary monster and had broken away from this evolutionary chain, the instinct in its bones was still there.
“Blood…”
Unfortunately, Zhou Qi’an didn’t indulge him in this aspect at all. This time, he was more direct. “Go outside and get some fresh air. Sober up.”
“Oh.”
The weather was nice today. After Shen Zhiyi went out, he specially chose to stand in the same direction as Zhou Qi’an, ensuring they were both in the same wind.
The entrance of the Grand Theater was very deserted during the day, completely lacking the璀璨 lights of the night, let alone the enthusiastic audience.
Shen Zhiyi liked peace and quiet.
This relative peace was easily torn apart when he started browsing.
The forum was still the same old.
Gray fog swirled around the phone. Shen Zhiyi recognized… If he were to carry out a bloodbath, he didn’t know to what extent Qi’an would be angry.
After a deep thought, he chose to give up.
Even if it was just a little bit of anger, it was not worth it.
“Need help?”
A voice came from not far away. The superior was standing under a tree a few meters away.
Since Zhou Qi’an had planned to arrange everything in the Huagu City before heading to the new world, Shen Zhiyi had found a way to make the superior and Mother Zhou stay in the Huagu City for a few more days.
The superior had his hair slicked back today and was even wearing a blue tie. His face was as pale as a vampire’s, as usual, but his tone of voice had less of a sinister feel.
After taking the substitute similar to the life-nurturing bag for the second time, the superior’s rationality threshold had reached the standard for going to the new world, but his love for work was unchangeable.
Exchanging benefits was a capitalist’s principle of doing things.
“I can have all the shops in the Ghost Market hang pictures of you and your husband. I can also have the people who manage the shops now print couple cartoon avatars on their packaging, or give out some cartoon stickers. If the goods are exported in the future, many instance worlds will have traces of your existence.”
Shen Zhiyi’s eyes darkened. He had to admit, this annoying businessman’s brain was quite good.
“In exchange, you just need to do me a small favor.”
The superior’s eyes behind his plain glasses flickered. “When the new company is established, you can find some time to come to the employee mental health service department and do some spiritual counseling work.”
If Zhou Qi’an were present, he would exclaim that the superior finally knew how to care about the employees’ physical and mental health. But considering Shen Zhiyi’s brainwashing ability, there was still a lot of room for improvement in the recovery of this rationality value.
“Sure.”
Shen Zhiyi easily agreed to this deal and at the same time waved his hand, signaling him to stand in another place, so as not to block himself and Qi’an from the same wind.
Seeing this, the superior frowned, a trace of unconcealed bewilderment in his eyes.
What’s so good about being in love? Where’s the joy of work?
He couldn’t understand.
Shen Zhiyi ignored the ‘brute’ and continued to enjoy the breeze.
This blowing lasted for two hours.
The superior’s shop in the Ghost Market had always been managed by Zhou Qi’an on his behalf. His packaging and advertising suggestions ultimately had to be completed by someone Zhou Qi’an entrusted.
Shen Zhiyi deliberately went back a little late, leaving time for the two to discuss.
When he returned to the guest room, Zhou Qi’an had long been awake, sitting at the desk in black pants and a thin shirt, looking like he was writing a script.
“What do you want to eat tonight?” Hearing the door open, Zhou Qi’an asked without looking up.
Everything was about the same as usual. Shen Zhiyi wondered if the superior had come to talk about business.
He named a few dishes, then wanted to probe a little, but seeing the other person hunched over his desk writing, he was afraid of disturbing his train of thought and decided to endure it and ask again at night.
Turning around, Shen Zhiyi dragged his shadow, which was black enough to drip water, and prepared to order food.
The wind from outside the window kept blowing. A piece of manuscript paper was suddenly blown to the ground. The already blackened shadow swished over to help pick it up.
Almost at the same time, Shen Zhiyi was stunned.
The shadow was his second perspective. Shen Zhiyi clearly saw the content on the manuscript paper: a very cute little stone stood in the middle of the sea, two Q-version figures that looked very much like them were leaning on it to cool off, and the water spray above was in the shape of a small heart.
It was very similar to the heart shape Zhou Qi’an had bent his翘起的 hair into before he was chased out to enjoy the breeze.
Apparently, the other had already discussed it with the superior. Not only did he agree to the suggestion, but he was also personally drawing the design draft.
Shen Zhiyi belatedly realized that while he was restraining many of his instinctive desires, the source that made him willingly restrain himself was also silently indulging him.
Zhou Qi’an, who was spinning his pen, seemed to sense something and glanced over.
His features were already extremely beautiful. His hair, a color that didn’t seem to belong to this dimension, fell almost to his waist even when tied up.
Seeing Shen Zhiyi standing still, he thought he had some suggestions regarding the design.
Towards this ‘client’, Zhou Qi’an was still relatively patient, asking if there were any elements he wanted to add or change.
“Or, maybe make the colors a little brighter…”
Before his voice fell, his lips were covered by another temperature.
“Hmm?”
Zhou Qi’an’s pupils shrank, and his breathing became a little hurried in surprise.
Under the afterglow of the setting sun, Shen Zhiyi’s body had an illusory and strange feeling in the light. A part of the sealed power temporarily returned to his body, causing a trace of yin energy in the air that could not be dissipated.
A psychic body is extremely sensitive to yin energy. Zhou Qi’an gripped Shen Zhiyi’s dangling arm with force.
The original warning quickly changed its flavor in the midst of passion.
The suppressed low panting that seemed to be squeezed out from his chest made Shen Zhiyi unable to help but bend down and deepen the kiss.
This was the first completely unrestrained kiss between them.
The manuscript papers on the table were scattered, the paint was knocked over. As if possessed, Shen Zhiyi’s fingertips dipped into some red and smeared it on his collarbone.
A little sweat smudged it, like a scarlet plum blossom.
It wasn’t until he was worried that the design drawing on top would be damaged that he barely sobered up.
However, this sobriety was limited to moving the battlefield from the table to the bed. The Grand Theater specially set aside a floor for guest rooms, the purpose of which was self-evident. It could be said that all kinds of supplies were available here. Even pulling down the red cloth on the room’s mural revealed a huge情致 mirror.
More uncontrolled leaking yin energy, like soft, cool tentacles, entangled the sensitive parts of the body.
Zhou Qi’an was a little hot and subconsciously moved closer to the coolness.
Unlike last time in Silent Town, there was no need to worry about the mission, no risk of unknown dangers. All that was left was the most primitive instinct.
A trembling, slender body, a slightly painful yet pleasurable embrace.
Finally, a trace of haziness blossomed in the ice-blue pupils.
“Qi’an…”
Shen Zhiyi lowered his head, his forehead resting against his collarbone, hiding the deep confusion and satisfaction in his eyes. Taisui had once mocked him for not having human qualities, but having the ability to fall in love with a human.
Even he himself didn’t understand how love for a person could be born in the flesh and blood of a monster.
But liking a person was undoubtedly a wonderful feeling.
…That illiterate Taisui, how could it understand?
“Mr. Shen…”
The three words that floated out from Zhou Qi’an’s lips made the trembling person become Shen Zhiyi.
The lingering warmth did not dissipate. Zhou Qi’an suddenly tilted his head slightly. “Did you hear that?”
It was very noisy.
Every night, there would be a performance in the Grand Theater. The noisy sounds from outside were the audience entering.
The floor they were on and the angle of the bed made it impossible for any spring scenery to be revealed, but these sounds invisibly created an illusion, as if they were exposed to the eyes of the world.
The strange and stimulating feeling made Shen Zhiyi, who had no sense of shame and an extremely possessive nature, even more excited.
The sun set unknowingly, and the stars dotted the sky outside.
…A long time had passed since that kiss that had made them lose control. Zhou Qi’an’s index finger pressed against Shen Zhiyi’s head, which was about to lower again, signaling that it was time to stop.
He gently made a promise. “On a day with a meteor shower, we’ll go to an unmanned hillside next time.”
“…I’ll send the design draft and the real-life couple photo to Miss Qi first.”
With a beautiful vision for the future, Shen Zhiyi, who had been insatiable a second ago, immediately became obedient.
A month later, the real world.
Initially, in Zhou Qi’an’s vision, the design draft and photos were only to be used on product packaging, but obviously, Miss Qi had other arrangements.
The NPC’s execution was beyond imagination.
The Ghost Market, as a special high-level instance, was governed by ghost market administrators in separate districts. The goods and NPCs here often circulated between different instances, and the photos printed on the goods circulated along with them.
In less than a month, the photos had spread throughout the streets and alleys.
The promotional pictures that suddenly appeared in various instances, the couple photos in the streets and alleys. More and more players noticed this strange ‘NPC’ couple.
After many players saw it, they felt something was wrong.
After a player posted on the forum, it quickly became a hot topic:
[In the “Dawn” instance, I specially asked a shopkeeper. He said the one with blue hair in the photo is their big boss, and the other is the big boss’s lover.]
[I have some news here too. Last week, I went to the Ghost Market instance and passed by a wedding company. This sign was at the entrance. I also ran into a female manager named Qi who was inspecting. She asked the staff to change the music at the entrance to something like ‘Intimate People, Intimate Lovers’… But the two people in the photo should not be married. Manager Qi said that was their boss’s fiancé, and also their brand spokesperson.]
Big boss, wedding company spokesperson?
The players who followed the forum suddenly smelled a strange atmosphere.
Information that could appear in multiple instances in the game at the same time was definitely not simple! Could this NPC couple have some important clues?
All the players got excited at once. This kind of clue either concealed some special prop or was related to the instance and related evolution information!
[Combining the news from upstairs, it’s also possible that the game will open some kind of romance horror instance, and these two people are the main storyline.]
Instances that branch off from the main storyline are not uncommon. The Ghost Market is the most obvious example, with a bunch of derivative instances.
[Since everyone is sharing, let me add one more thing. If an instance really opens, don’t casually question the relationship of the two people in the photo. At that time, when I saw the photo in the instance, I casually said ‘what’s the point of two guys being in love,’ and then I got beaten. …When I said that, there was no one around, but the next moment a ghost rushed out of the sewer, as if there was a camera on my head.]
[Upstairs, when they hit you, did they say not to insult their boss’s loving relationship? I was beaten too. The NPC who hit me even said something about the boss’s reputation being the reputation of the Ghost Market shops, and that I had insulted their reputation and deserved to be beaten to death.]
For a time, the discussion about the photos was rampant. For several days, the heat did not show any signs of abating.
At that time, in an area covered by fog, various guilds were holding a meeting.
At the meeting, everyone discussed the dynamics of the new world and the Whalers’ Association. Many people looked at Red Hood, having heard that she had recently clashed with this association.
Red Hood did not respond, and the atmosphere was a little awkward for a moment.
Just then, someone first brought up another important matter.
“Everyone, please look…”
A couple photo was projected onto the screen. The speaker’s expression was serious:
“Regarding the strange NPC couple that has been hotly discussed on the forum recently, our association has found through clue summarization that the same photo has appeared in many high-star instances. It is highly likely to be related to the game’s next move. We are preparing to follow some clues…”
Contrary to the solemn speech, the photo on the screen was sweet. One person had their arm around the other.
The slightly distorted image after being enlarged couldn’t blur the smile in their eyes.
The taller man had the temperament of an intellectual. His gaze was entirely on the person next to him. The youth looked directly at the camera, his blue hair draped over their clasped hands, like an unbreakable knot.
After some people below saw the couple photo, they strangely fell silent.
The association member was still stating the possible directions this photo could indicate.
Amidst the eloquent speech, the atmosphere at the scene became more and more silent. Finally, even the speaker vaguely felt that something was wrong, and his voice gradually lowered.
The air suddenly became silent.
In the pin-drop silence, a yellow-haired man was originally playing on his phone with no interest, and casually looked up.
The next second, the man’s pupils shrank, and he shrieked like a chicken, “Shit! Idiot! Fuck you!”
He even stood up directly.
“What NPC? Are you blind? You can’t even recognize the map cannon you talk about every day.”
The severe stress reaction made Vikas only remember he was at a meeting after he finished cursing.
He had been particularly irritable during this period.
According to the agreement, after Vikas came out, he was to give Ying Yu a powerful prop for free. But Ying Yu had cunningly publicly thanked him and published a photo of the gift, causing him to be called a traitor in the country and unable to get by. Now he had just found a guild to hang around in for the time being.
The association member who had just been doing a serious analysis was stunned.
He automatically ignored the profanities, his eyes wide open.
Map cannon?
These three words made him only come back to his senses after a long time. Wasn’t that the sacred object holder?
Why would a photo of the sacred object holder be circulating in the instances?
The air became even more silent than before. Some people were surprised, while others were helpless.
After an unknown amount of time, Red Hood looked at Vikas and slowly uttered two words: “Idiot.”
Another insider also had an awkward expression. Bai Chanyi turned her head and held her forehead. Bai Chuan’s vice president Chen Su was also here today and gave a couple of dry laughs.
Finally, it was Red Hood who spoke up and explained the matter of the Whalers’ Association and Zhou Qi’an.
That night, the forum—the news that “the owner of this photo is the map cannon” exploded.
The sweet couple photo was pinned to the top, with conspicuous identity information marked on it.
“Map cannon, is it really Cannon Bro!”
“Woc, for real? This tea is a bit ridiculous!”
After the original poster posted the title, he only replied once: [If it’s fake, let me run into a five-and-a-half-star instance next time.]
A heavenly oath.
After waiting for a long time without seeing a refutation, the forum became hot again late at night.
A player immediately dug up a previous post. They were all textual research experts, pointing out that in the “Deep Dive into the Big Shots Who Carried Me” post, it was mentioned that the S big shot had grayish-white eyes.
“Look carefully, the other man in the photo also has grayish-white eyes, which indeed matches the characteristics of the map cannon’s boyfriend!”
The statement that “Cannon Bro’s ex-ex was the president of the Whalers’ Association, his ex was red eyes, and the white moonlight was gray-white eyes (suspected reconciliation?)” was also dug up.
“The president of the Whalers’ Association is suspected to be dead. I just ran into Red Hood during the day. She said she had misunderstood the relationship between the president of the Whalers’ Association and the map cannon. The president was not a simp, just a dog that bit randomly.”
“Speaking of which, I once spent some blood-stained hell money and heard even more ridiculous gossip! The big boss’s fiancé’s identity is very mysterious. For fun, he is suspected of using special means to change his appearance. Could it be that the red eyes and white eyes are all the same person?”
One reversal after another came unexpectedly. Someone else posted a simulated small card that they had managed to bring out of the instance.
“Look, the stone the people are leaning on has a face, with one red eye and one gray-white eye. What red eyes and white eyes? It’s all one eye!”
“Don’t say it, I also bought one that had a limited Q-version figure. The gray-eyed figure inside was wearing a T-shirt, but the shadow it cast looked like it was wearing a Hood. Doesn’t that also match the so-called new and old loves from the forum before? It’s one person!”
At this time, a player suddenly jumped out:
“So what have we been analyzing for the past month?”
“Cannon Bro’s love history!”
The new instance line they thought was the game’s turned out to be Cannon Bro’s love life!!!
At the same time, the university student, who had no nightlife, was on the forum downloading photos and frantically taking screenshots, thinking of bringing these things to the new world for Brother Shen.
With his romantic relationship made public, Brother Shen would probably be very happy.
“I wonder what Brother Zhou and Brother Shen are doing now…”
And what is the new world like?
Outside the window, a shooting star happened to pass by. A brilliant light appeared in the boundless darkness, like the dawn before daybreak.
A meteor shower!
The university student was stunned for a moment, quickly closed his eyes, and began to make a wish with his head bowed:
“I hope everyone can be smoothly reunited in the new world.”
Before the meteor disappeared, he continued to pray piously:
“I hope the people who have witnessed my growth will have joy every year and all their wishes will come true.”
