WTNL Chapter 338

Xingwang Hotel
Chapter 338: Time! Already! Exceeded thirty seconds!!!

“……”

Wen Jianyan was stunned for a second.

For once, his mind went completely blank.

Huh?

Huh??

Huh???

What the hell was this task even saying???

The “Integrity First” live broadcast barrage was also filled with question marks:

[?]

[??? Is Nightmare bugging out? Kissing an evil spirit…? What kind of ridiculous task is this?!]

[Damn, this task is obviously trying to get the anchor killed! There’s no other possibility except suicide!]

Wen Jianyan only had a few seconds of daze—because as the mirror shattered, the situation took a sharp turn for the worse.

A chilling yin energy poured in through the cracks, as if it could slice through skin, seep into muscles, and make one shudder from the depths of their soul.

A swirling vortex of ominous darkness surged in through the broken mirror, carrying a terrifying presence.

In the blink of an eye, Wen Jianyan was ensnared.

Shit!

The moment he was touched, he cursed inwardly.

This fragment, sealed within the ghostly realm, was far more vicious than he had imagined, fully deserving the title of “evil spirit.”

Like all dark aberrations, it mercilessly devoured human vitality. The instant it made contact with him, the young man’s complexion turned deathly pale.

His knees buckled, and he nearly stumbled.

Wen Jianyan could feel his body rapidly losing heat and strength. His legs could barely hold up his weight, and the encroaching darkness blurred his vision.

Through his collapsing sight, he vaguely saw those cold, sinister golden eyes flickering in the shadows, drawing closer from behind the mirror.

It felt as though… he was being corroded and consumed completely.

His consciousness was gradually fading.

Wen Jianyan’s eyes unfocused, and he seemed on the verge of passing out.

Suddenly, a burning pain flared up at his hip!

It was as if that patch of skin was about to be scorched from within. The excruciating pain jolted Wen Jianyan awake, and his eyes snapped open!

The surrounding darkness paused slightly.

Within his abruptly sharpened vision, Wen Jianyan finally saw the being before him clearly.

Its entire form was shrouded in endless darkness, barely recognizable as a tall, oppressively human-shaped figure. Two golden eyes, filled with an alien sense of dominance, stared down at him.

The fragment had already left the mirror and entered the corridor.

In the distance, more blurry figures stirred, waiting for an opportunity to invade through the cracks.

During the burning of the brand, the dark tendrils could no longer erode Wen Jianyan upon mere contact as they had before.

The young man’s face was as pale as paper, a thin red cut from a flying shard of glass streaking across his cheek. The sharp scent of blood traced down the contours of his face.

Perhaps it was just a trick of the light…

Within the crimson blood, faint golden threads shimmered.

A strand of darkness hesitated in midair, then reached toward Wen Jianyan’s cheek, brushing against it and stealing away a drop of blood.

“Hiss—!”

The sting of pain instantly cleared Wen Jianyan’s mind.

He saw the tendril of darkness carrying his blood toward the humanoid silhouette in the shadows.

A strikingly handsome, almost unnervingly beautiful face slowly emerged from the darkness.

In the “Integrity First” live broadcast barrage:

[Damn, this vengeful spirit actually looks pretty good.]

[? Wait a second, why does he look kind of familiar…]

[Shit, I think so too…]

[Crap, I remember now! Isn’t this the boss that showed up in the anchor’s room a few instances ago?! But he hasn’t appeared since the amusement park… Why is he here now?!]

However, unlike Wu Zhu’s main body, this fragment exuded a chilling ghostly aura, carrying an air of irrational gloom and madness.

He tasted the human blood and showed a faintly confused expression.

“……”

—Screw it!!!!

Wen Jianyan gritted his teeth, steeled his resolve, and kicked off the ground, lunging forward.

He raised his hands, cupped the other’s face, and kissed him fiercely.

In the “Integrity First” live broadcast barrage:

[!]

[!!!]

[Wait, he actually went through with the task?!!!]

Wen Jianyan’s movements were sudden, forceful, and precise. His hands clamped tightly around the other’s jaw as he pressed his lips against the “evil spirit’s.”

The next second, a bright red timer appeared above them.

[00:30]

“……”

Wu Zhu remained completely still.

Through his eyelashes, Wen Jianyan glanced at the countdown beside him.

The bright red numbers floated in the air, unchanged from before, still displaying [00:30].

Wen Jianyan: “……”

What the hell was wrong with this task???

A kiss on the lips didn’t count??

Did he really have to go French to complete it?!

Wen Jianyan glanced at Wu Zhu, who was just inches away.

The other man remained completely motionless.

Although there were no visible changes in his expression, for some reason, Wen Jianyan had a strong feeling…

Wu Zhu seemed to be frozen.

He stood there without a word, as if time had stopped flowing around him. Even the surrounding darkness under his control had ceased its movement, settling into an eerily unnatural stillness.

The young man’s eyelashes lowered slightly, concealing the honey-colored hue of his irises. His pale lips parted slightly as he murmured:

“…Don’t tell me I have to teach you again?”

He leaned in once more.

His warm, damp lips brushed teasingly close, his voice soft, tinged with a hoarse breathiness:

“Open your mouth.”

“……”

Wu Zhu’s pupils contracted.

He seemed to hesitate for a moment, but after a few seconds, he obediently parted his lips.

In the “Integrity First” live broadcast barrage:

[????]

[AAAAHHH HELP HELP HELP!!!]

[Why is he so obedient?! WHY?! Isn’t this boss supposed to kill him??? Why did he actually open his mouth?! How is this scientifically possible?! IT’S NOT!!!]

[I NEED A VENTILATOR!! HELP!! VENTILATOR!!! SOMEONE GIVE ME A VENTILATOR!!!!]

Wen Jianyan let out a silent laugh before pressing forward once again. His warm tongue slid past the slightly parted teeth, intimately hooking onto the other’s.

He lifted his gaze slightly, peeking at the countdown timer from the corner of his eye.

[00:28]

Good. The timer had started moving.

Wen Jianyan controlled the pace.

His kiss was refined and unhurried, carrying a teasing tenderness. He lured the other into his rhythm with languid intimacy—seductive, yet maintaining a faint sense of detachment. Even while tangled with another’s lips and tongue, there remained a fleeting, untouchable quality, like a bird that could never be caught—pecking lightly before flying away.

However, as time passed, something began to feel off.

Wu Zhu, who had remained passive the entire time, allowing Wen Jianyan to take control, gradually seemed to snap out of his daze.

His long, dense eyelashes lowered over his golden, darkened eyes. He stared unblinkingly at the human before him—then, he began to respond.

Chasing. Seizing. Taking.

“…?”

Wen Jianyan felt something was very wrong.

Logically speaking, the fragment hadn’t been absorbed yet. Its memories shouldn’t have had time to merge. So why…

Why was he learning so fast this time?!

This wasn’t how it was supposed to go!!!

Unlike Wen Jianyan’s refined approach, Wu Zhu’s style, once learned, was raw and overwhelming. His movements were passionate, greedy, filled with an insatiable hunger and territorial dominance. He ruthlessly seized breath, air, heartbeat—forcing his presence into every space between them, refusing to leave a single inch untouched.

Lack of oxygen made Wen Jianyan’s mind blur. He struggled to pull himself out of the suffocating mire and stole a glance at the timer.

[00:08]

Less than ten seconds left.

The surrounding darkness began surging once again.

It was almost… over—

[00:05]

Wen Jianyan was becoming disheveled, completely losing the effortless composure he had at the start.

At some point, Wu Zhu’s strong arms had wrapped around him.

His cold palms pressed against the damp, thin fabric of Wen Jianyan’s shirt, the human warmth seeping into his grasp. The delicate material was nearly crumpled under their intensity.

[00:03]

S-Stop… hold on…

Tears welled up in the corners of Wen Jianyan’s eyes. His originally pale cheeks were now flushed deep red from oxygen deprivation.

His upper body instinctively arched backward, attempting to escape the increasingly aggressive kiss. However, before he could retreat, a firm hand clamped around his waist, pinning him firmly in place.

[00:00]

[Ding!— Bzzzz— Task… Bzzzz— Completed!]
[Mystery Reward: ??? has been sent to your inventory!]

Wen Jianyan exhaled in relief and pushed at Wu Zhu.

Enough, enough!!!

Time was up!

It was supposed to be over!!!

But clearly, Wu Zhu didn’t realize that.

He licked Wen Jianyan’s lower lip, signaling him to focus.

Wen Jianyan: “???”

The hell, did he get addicted or something?

The time! Had already! Exceeded thirty seconds!!!

He bent his arm and struck Wu Zhu’s body, but due to his earlier exhaustion, the blow was soft—almost like he was acting spoiled.

Wu Zhu didn’t react.

Because of the other’s excessive enthusiasm for kissing, Wen Jianyan was already struggling to breathe.

He even had to press his lips together tightly and turn his face aside, but he still couldn’t avoid being trapped in the darkness, relentlessly kissed without respite.

“……”

Wen Jianyan was so furious that his vision darkened.

He bit down viciously and mercilessly on the other’s tongue. The moment Wu Zhu paused, he swiftly raised his hand and stabbed the brass knife in his palm toward him.

In the “Integrity First” live broadcast barrage:

[?]

[That’s brutal.]

[Damn, kiss and then kill? The anchor is ruthless!]

The other seemed to sense the danger… or maybe he had learned his lesson. He immediately let go of Wen Jianyan and swiftly retreated a step, dodging the blade aimed at his heart.

Wen Jianyan stood in place, panting heavily.

His lips were swollen, the flush on his cheeks extending to the tips of his ears. His amber eyes stared daggers at Wu Zhu, but the layer of moisture in them diminished his intimidation.

“……”

Wen Jianyan took a deep breath, wiped his lips, and swallowed back the curse that nearly left his mouth.

He raised his eyes and looked suspiciously at Wu Zhu, who stood a few steps away.

The other was also watching him.

Compared to the eerie and ghostly aura he had upon first meeting, Wu Zhu now seemed much calmer, resembling the fragments Wen Jianyan had encountered in previous instances.

He no longer used darkness to completely shroud himself but stood in place, his aggressive golden eyes locked onto Wen Jianyan.

From the looks of it, he didn’t seem to have his memories.

But… a lot of details just didn’t add up.

And that weirdly random task…?

Wen Jianyan was certain that such an eerie mission wasn’t issued by the Nightmare system. Could it have been triggered by this fragment?

That didn’t seem likely either, since when they first met, Wu Zhu had clearly wanted to eat him.

But now wasn’t the time to dwell on it.

Wen Jianyan glanced at the knife in his hand, then at the distance between them.

The best time to act had already passed.

It was in that very moment when he had first kissed the other—he could have completed the task and “eliminated the bug.”

But he had missed the opportunity.

Wen Jianyan couldn’t help feeling annoyed.

He had been too muddled back then…

Why had he even bothered with that ridiculous task?

He could’ve just ended it with one stab!

Just then, a loud “crack” sounded from a distance as another mirror shattered, startling Wen Jianyan.

He jerked his head toward the source of the sound.

Without Wu Zhu’s suppression, the shadows behind the other mirrors began to stir, trying to break through the boundary and enter the corridor.

It wouldn’t be long before the boundary broke, making even the painting shop unsafe.

Wen Jianyan’s heart skipped a beat.

He stepped back, preparing to leave in the opposite direction.

Wu Zhu stepped forward.

Wen Jianyan: “……”

He eyed the man warily and tentatively beckoned him over. “Come here.”

Wu Zhu’s gaze landed on the knife in his hand.

Not with fear, but caution.

Was he really remembering the stab from the Changsheng Building?

Or was it just because of his earlier actions?

Wen Jianyan hesitated for a moment, then put the knife away.

He beckoned again, “Come here.”

This time, Wu Zhu approached.

The darkness around him playfully wrapped around Wen Jianyan’s ankles, waist, and shoulders. His brilliant golden eyes burned in the shadows as he leaned in.

Wen Jianyan reacted quickly, pressing a hand to his shoulder. “Stop!”

Wu Zhu: “……”

Wen Jianyan looked at the cold, ghostly face before him, thought for a moment, and asked:

“Can you take me out of this corridor?”

Wu Zhu didn’t move.

“Take me out.”

Wen Jianyan took a deep breath.

“I’ll let you kiss me if you do.”

Was it just his imagination…

Or did the other’s eyes seem to brighten slightly?

Wu Zhu grasped Wen Jianyan’s waist, and the surrounding darkness surged up like a tide, instantly swallowing his vision. Wen Jianyan first tensed in shock, then quickly relaxed.

When he opened his eyes again, the darkness had receded, revealing an identical corridor.

The only difference was that the mirrors in the frames had turned into oil paintings.

But… perhaps due to the boundary breaking, the once-static paintings were becoming increasingly eerie. Pale figures in the artwork seemed almost alive, their eyes shifting in the darkness, sinister and malicious, stirring in unseen corners.

Wen Jianyan’s hair stood on end.

Something brushed his shoulder, making him jump and whip his head around.

It was Wu Zhu, leaning closer.

His cold, sharp face was still expressionless, but his golden eyes burned brightly in the dark.

As if to say:

Alright.

Now what?

Wen Jianyan: “………………”

Support me on Ko-fi

Join my Discord