Edited by Jules
In the end, Luo still couldn’t convince Xiao Lan to let him face the danger alone.
After the auction ended, the two left the venue and headed towards where Luo had sensed his fragment.
They headed downward, and the guests around them thinned out. The environment also grew quieter, as if they had walked into a work area.
Finally, a sign which said “Guests are prohibited” appeared in front of them.
The two proceeded carefully, detouring around the occasional staff member.
When they reached a certain point, Xiao Lan stopped.
Because not far up ahead was what looked like a heavily guarded area.
This place not only had people standing guard, they were also fully armed, their hands resting on their guns. It was obvious at a glance that they weren’t regular security guards.
Even the walls around them were reinforced with steel plates that were as thick as on a tank.
This was the Endymion’s high-level storage area. Within were important articles which belonged to numerous guests, and even plenty of valuable antiques that needed to be moved privately. Naturally, ship management would expend a lot of effort to guard this place.
The only good news was that since these things more or less couldn’t see the light of day, for the sake of privacy, there were no surveillance cameras here.
Xiao Lan lowered his voice. “How much further do we have to go?”
Luo quietly said, “We need to go deeper in, but it’s not far anymore.”
Xiao Lan stared at the gun-toting security guards, and couldn’t help pondering using a physical invisibility technique.
These people all looked human, so knocking them out wouldn’t be hard.
But looking at the current situation, if they were all knocked out, that would definitely alert the forces behind the Endymion, which would create obstacles in whatever else the two did next.
However, there were no other paths they could take here, and they didn’t have much time to waste either.
After weighing both sides, it seemed that some obstacles were acceptable.
“Sir, allow me to scout out a path.” Luo looked at the crowd up ahead, “I will try and lure them away.”
Xiao Lan nodded at him. “Be careful.”
Instantly, Luo turned into a shadow and silently slipped into the heavily-guarded area.
Apparently, the result of him constantly going in and out of intermediate and beginner games to collect fragments was that he could already freely switch between his human and shadow form; it wasn’t as taxing as before for him to condense a human form.
Not long after, the lights in the entire corridor began flickering. The creaking of the steel plates as they twisted and ground against each other and the rustling of clothes made the place seem haunted.
The thugs wielding guns couldn’t help looking in that direction.
As everyone knew, something like guns was useless against ghosts.
But once a haunting started, no matter what movie it was, it was the security guards who were the high-risk group.
“What are you panicking about?” A deep and resounding voice rang out. “All of you, go and take a look. Xiao Wang and I will stay behind and continue to stand guard.”
“Yes…” Those chosen weren’t very willing, but still obeyed orders and left.
Before leaving, they even shot an envious glance at Xiao Wang, who was left behind. Having friendly relations with the captain was great ah; he didn’t have to step forward in dangerous situations.
After they left, the captain and Xiao Wang stayed where they were and remained on alert.
Seeing the two remaining people, Xiao Lan thought for a moment before he took out 【Green-turning mist spray】.
【Name: Green-turning mist spray】
【Ability: Engenders suspicion between collaborators for a 2-minute duration】
【Description: Wife, I’m… back… What are you guys doing?!】
There was still a lot of liquid left in the bottle; using it several more times wouldn’t be an issue.
Ever since he witnessed its might last time, Xiao Lan no longer underestimated this average and ordinary little bottle.
Moreover, it was in a corridor that had limited space this time, so 【Green-turning mist spray】would be even more effective.
As 【Green-turning mist spray】 spread outwards, changes started to appear in the two people who had been silently standing guard.
The captain who had previously issued the order, said, “Hehe, Xiao Wang, being on your own is no fun. What use is going on missions and earning money, when that amateur model girlfriend of yours steps all over you? It’s nothing like me; my wife is beautiful, gentle, and Miss Perfect. Someone like this is still better when you look for a girlfriend.”
After saying that, he waited expectantly for the other party’s reaction. The best would be if he was clearly unbearably infuriated, but still needed to keep on smiling.
Unexpectedly, the man called Xiao Wang also smiled. “Captain, I also think what you say is right.”
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
Ktf mjqajlc vlvc’a ufa atf gfjmalbc tf kjr fzqfmalcu, jcv kjr j ilaaif qehhifv. “P’w gluta?”
Xiao Wang said, “What you said is right, so we intend to get married once this mission is over. When that time comes, please remember to give me a toast at the wedding.”
Ktf mjqajlc’r fsfr klvfcfv. “Zjgglfv? Ktja’r ws klof!!!”
Wljb Qjcu’r rwlif kjr ecmtjculcu. “Vbbc rtf kbc’a yf.”
The anger of the cuckolded captain reached its peak and he swung a merciless fist at Xiao Wang. “You fucking dare to have an affair with laozi’s wife!!”
Xiao Wang didn’t take it lying down and also returned the punch. “Motherfucker, aren’t you just relying on your relationship with your wife to be promoted? Let me tell you, all of those connections will soon be laozi’s!! See if you dare throw random tempers at laozi!!!”
Ktf akb lcrajcais rajgafv olutalcu jcv vlvc’a qeii atflg qecmtfr, ibbxlcu obg jii atf kbgiv ilxf atfs kjcafv ab yfja atf rtla bea bo fjmt batfg.
There was no sign of a good relationship at all.
“…” Xiao Lan, who had witnessed the entire process, couldn’t help but silently look at the small bottle in his palm.
He never thought that the brotherly relationship between these two actually stemmed from a green, environment-friendly prairie.
【Green-turning mist spray】’s effect was just this terrifying; it was the ultimate bane of all sorts of plastic friendships.
He carefully stored 【Green-turning mist spray】 back in his storage space. It was a great treasure, and should be put away properly.
Seizing the moment while the two were tangled up in their fight, Xiao Lan rushed in the direction that Luo had pointed out with an arrow on the floor at the quickest speed possible.
The fighting pair merely felt a gust of wind blow past them. However, they only had eyes for each other at that moment; they thought nothing of a mere gust of wind.
Luo’s markers were extremely reliable, and perfectly avoided all the security guards that had come out to investigate.
Very soon, Xiao Lan crossed through this section and entered a new area.
A shadow came to Xiao Lan’s side, and slowly condensed into a human form.
Luo pointed up ahead, which looked very peaceful. “Just around there.”
Xiao Lan sized up their surroundings.
This place looked a little strange. This was clearly even further in than the previous section, so logically speaking, the things stocked here would be even more valuable.
But he didn’t see any guards, and there wasn’t even any trace of surveillance either.
Could it be that this place was empty?
The two walked forward.
The further they went, the stronger the sense of danger Xiao Lan felt, as if there was some trap hidden underneath this peaceful facade.
Soon, this feeling came true.
A scent of blood drifted over, and they could also see scattered traces of a battle in the surroundings.
Following this, they saw a corpse, which looked like it had been consumed by something.
The corpse was riddled with holes, and was missing flesh in several areas; it was already hard to make out its features. There were also exaggerated blood splatters all around it.
Looking at this corpse, Xiao Lan felt that it seemed rather familiar.
It wasn’t that the person was someone he knew, but the way the corpse was consumed and ruined was very much like what monsters looked like after they attacked Luo.
This… was from Luo’s power.
It was just that Luo didn’t like making the battle scene so bloody.
Xiao Lan pointed at the corpse in a silent question.
Luo nodded. He looked at a closed, heavy metal door at the end of the corridor, and a sliver of gold light flashed through his eyes. “He’s there.”
Luo strode over. No matter what appeared before him, he would be the first to face it.
After that, he reached out and pushed the door open.
Behind the door was pure darkness. There was a carpet on the floor, and stepping on it wouldn’t produce a sound.
As the two entered, the light from the corridor spilled into the room and made everything clear.
In the center of the room was a stand which had a gorgeous, velvet cushion on it. It was covered in a glass case and looked like it was for displaying an important item.
But at that moment, the glass case was open, and the stand was empty.
Looking at the description on the side for the exhibit, this should originally hold a collector’s item called ‘Night Crown’.
This was rumoured to be a cursed item. Every person who possessed it would encounter an unknown ambush, and ultimately die a tragic death.
As such, a saying spread — “Don’t ever touch the Night Crown; it belongs to the Grim Reaper.”
Who knew which death-courting enthusiast it was who even placed this thing here, as if to share it with everyone.
The hobbies of the rich were truly unusual.
Xiao Lan’s gaze swept over the room.
Suddenly, he noticed something which reflected light near the door.
At a closer look, it was a beautiful crown flipped over on the floor.
It was decorated with a generous amount of jewels and looked extremely extravagant. Even in this situation where the light was so dim, it still glittered brightly.
However, the most eye-catching thing on this crown was the enormous, pitch-black gem in the center.
It was as if this gem contained a trace of magic; it looked deep and dark, but one was unable to help staring at it.
Perhaps the dead person had tried to take away this crown earlier, which was why they had been cursed and died.
Luo naturally noticed the crown as well. His lips curved up faintly. “It turns out it stuck to something else? That’s a very smart approach.”
It seemed that the origin of the Night Crown’s legendary reputation was Luo’s fragment.
Luo took a step forward and reached out to pick up the crown that was on the floor.
Suddenly, a sharp pike lunged out from the darkness in front of him, aiming ruthlessly for his head.
Luo leaned to the side to evade it.
Almost at the same time, a black blade appeared at his fingertips, and it shot out in the attacker’s direction.
After an exchange of blows, both sides pulled away.
Only then could it clearly be seen that the attack came from a figure dressed in black knight’s armour.
The figure was slender and tall, and similar to Luo; however, a shadow swirled around him like a mist. Under the small chink in the helmet was just darkness, and no facial features could be seen at all.
It turned out that all those who touched the Night Crown actually didn’t die from the crown’s curse, but because of this knight.
The next moment, the entire room was enveloped in a black fog, separating it from the outside world and once again turning the room pitch-black.
Even sound could not be transmitted out.
Luo’s eyebrows furrowed slightly. It turned out that this place didn’t just have one fragment, but two.
Furthermore, these two fragments weren’t ordinary. They not only knew how to conceal their auras, one also had a fighting ability higher than that of the other fragments.
Luo looked at the black knight, but his words were for Xiao Lan. “Sir, please stay some distance away from the fight.”
Xiao Lan understood that this was Luo’s battle, and said, “Then, be careful.”
With that, Xiao Lan retraced his steps back to the edge of the room by memory, leaving the space to Luo.
However, he took out 【Dalit’s Bone】 and gripped it tight, cautiously prepared to attack at any moment.
In the darkness, Luo’s figure and the black knight attacked at the same time.
The two similar figures assaulted each other unrelentingly, like wild beasts fighting to the death, and each strike was aimed full-force at vital parts.
The black knight was an extremely troublesome opponent.
His strength was identical to Luo’s, causing their consumption of each other to slow down; only pure damage was the most effective attack.
Both sides were injured and regenerated constantly as they switched between offense and defense so quickly that it was hard to keep up.
After countless exchanges, a pitch-black pike stabbed Luo in the chest, leaving behind a huge hole. Luo also seized this opportunity to chop off one of the knight’s arms.
At that moment, Luo couldn’t help but be glad that the room was completely dark, so that sir couldn’t see his current battle state.
This sort of condition was utterly shameful.
Seizing the moment when the other’s arm was cut off and his attack was delayed for an instant, Luo ignored the cavity in his chest and continued to violently attack the other.
In this play of ‘an injury for an injury’, Luo was impaled all over his body in several places, and looked somewhat wretched.
But the black knight also lost his other arm.
This time, Luo took the chance to tie him down.
Subsequently, black shadows wrapped around the other like a tide and began to engulf him despite his fierce resistance and struggles.
Luo’s injuries weren’t light; engulfing and suppressing the other at the same time was an even heavier burden.
Luo stifled the cough that was about to slip out, but black blood still dripped out of the corner of his mouth.
He swiped it away with the back of his hand without a care, and began laughing soundlessly. There was a rare, slight helplessness to his smile.
He currently couldn’t let out any sounds ah. Otherwise, sir would be worried.
During the entire process, the Night Crown lay silently on the floor, as if it didn’t possess any offensive abilities.
After a while, the blackness which sealed the space began to slowly recede, and Xiao Lan’s field of vision gradually cleared up.
“Luo!” Xiao Lan promptly began searching for Luo’s figure.
“Fortunately, I completed my task,” Luo said with a smile, standing not far away.
Xiao Lan looked him up and down, and only sighed in relief when he saw that there truly weren’t any wounds.
And where he couldn’t see, there was still a very large hole in Luo’s back, which was rapidly healing.
Still facing Xiao Lan, Luo moved forward and stretched out a hand. “Can you accept it, sir?”
Xiao Lan followed his gesture and looked at the thing in his hand.
It was a black spike which looked a little like bone, but also had a strange texture he had never seen before.
Xiao Lan asked doubtfully, “This is?”
Luo said, “This was once my core; it can be considered the only bone I have. When my main body was torn apart, it probably scattered with the other fragments and entered this game, and turned into that black knight.”
He spoke in a very serene voice, as if he was saying, “This is a piece of veggie I just picked up off the floor.”
Xiao Lan was startled. “Why are you giving me your core? Isn’t this very important to you?”
He remembered his dad had said that during the decisive battle, the Master plotted against Luo precisely because he didn’t have a core; how could Luo give it away this casually?
Luo shook his head and pointed at the location of his heart. “I now already have a new core. Want to see?”
Xiao Lan was a little slow. Although he did kind of want to see, how was Luo going to take it out?
Don't directly pull it out ah; he definitely wouldn’t be able to bear such a scene.
Seemingly noticing his doubts, Luo took his hand and placed it over his chest.
Instantly, Xiao Lan’s sight changed.
He seemed to be in an endless darkness, but there was a stretch of gorgeous red. It was a heart with a ruby-like quality which was scorching hot, as if lava flowed within.
This was the only red in a world of black.
The next moment, Xiao Lan’s vision returned. He asked, “Is that red your core?”
Luo came a little closer. “Correct. Do you still remember that you were once injured when I was unconscious? At that time, I subconsciously absorbed a bit of your blood.”
Xiao Lan thought back. It was probably back in Apartment 404. After Luo sank into unconsciousness while absorbing his fragment, Xiao Lan had been injured while fighting on his own.
“This new core was condensed by combining your blood with my power.” Luo looked at Xiao Lan with earnest eyes. “Because I wanted to possess a human heart.”
At that moment, the two were extremely close to each other. Xiao Lan could clearly see every separate eyelash of Luo’s.
It was now that he realised that Luo’s skin had a human texture, unlike the artificial perfection from before. Even when he held his hand, it felt human.
Luo looked even more like a human.
Luo gently pressed his forehead to Xiao Lan’s. “I offer the bone of my bones to you. Will you accept it?”
At that moment, they only had eyes for each other, and the air seemed to heat up.
It was unclear who moved first, but they were then entangled in a deep, lingering kiss.
They exchanged breaths, as if wanting to fuse into one there and then.
When the two separated, Luo’s gaze contained some fervour that had yet to fade.
Xiao Lan suddenly felt a chill run down his spine. This gaze seemed a little dangerous…
Night Crown on the floor: I don’t want to eat any more dog food; do any of you still remember me?!!
The sidelined ex-core: +1
Baobao Notes
I was wondering if I should have a small segment where I talk about translation things. They aren’t some big-brain stuff, it’s like things I notice when reading translations from other people and would help in confusion for pure english people, like this:
The word 好 can either mean agreement or good.
Which is why sometimes in translations, you see one character ask a question like ‘shall we have dinner in haidilao?’ and another says ‘good’ in agreement.
I’m swooning from the side here. Someone save me.
+2 😆
Thank you for the chapter
Oooohhh so romantic…
By the way, some notes are in the text, not the usual way where they pop out- just wanted to say in case ^^
Thank you for the chapter!
Meanwhile Me : Ohh.. you go on.. I don’t mind enjoying a little more.. (¬‿¬)
Woohoo you’re back with a new chapter! Thank you
Luo and Xiao Lan are so cutee 😍😍
Aaaaaaahhhhhhh 🙈🙈
Thank you for the chapter ❤️
I think something went wrong with the tl notes
Thank you for the chapter!! ❤️❤️
So it’s basically ~You’re my heart, you’re my soul~ but LITERALLY
AHHHH I know its literally LITERALLY and figuratively so cute I’m eating too much dog food and I’m practically about to explode!!! I love them so much ♡
AAAAAAAAAAA. DNEKDKWKKEKW >///<
».. between offense and defense so quickly that it was hard to keep up author wrote something that could be understood as ‘caught off guard’, but i think it might be an accidental typo.« The rest of it is a T/N, right? And here too: »Because I wanted to possess a human heart. Omggg ><« That OMG is not from Luo I guess xDD
That sounded like a Luo-like proposal xDD
Thx for the ch ٩(｡˃ ᵕ ˂ )و
ehhhh! I died then and there!
thanks for the chapter <3
Люблю их