Edited by Jules
After returning to the player room, Xiao Lan realised his entire body was soaked in seawater.
The drying seawater made his clothes stick to his body and he felt very uncomfortable. Fortunately, they had returned to a safe place, and he naturally didn’t have to endure the discomfort.
Xiao Lan dashed into the bathroom to shower.
Warm water enveloped his body, rinsing away the dirt as well as the exhaustion from the series of battles.
After coming out, Xiao Lan wasn’t in a rush to train.
The two first returned to the real world so that their tightly-wound nerves could relax.
After returning to their home in the real world.
Xiao Lan casually turned on the TV and watched the news as he ordered food on a delivery app.
A unique service like food delivery was a rare thing that only the real world had; how could they not experience it after coming back?
“There has been an increase in missing people recently. The police warn residents to not go out alone and to avoid going out at night as much as possible. If you see any suspicious individuals, please call the anonymous tip line…”
Xiao Lan’s attention was drawn to the news channel.
He switched to several news channels and browsed the news online. Almost all of them mentioned the numerous recent missing cases.
It wasn’t just this city or the nation; everywhere else in the world, there was an increase in disappearances. For a time, the entire world was shrouded in anxiety and everyone began speculating as to what was happening.
The more he watched, the deeper Xiao Lan frowned. Could such a major situation have something to do with the Advent World?
Could it be that the plan to have the Advent World envelop all of humanity was still going ahead?
Luo also saw the news. He suggested, “Why don’t we go out and take a look?”
Xiao Lan thought about it. They may as well take a look at the situation for themselves.
It was already evening.
The two had just exited their house when Xiao Lan noticed that something wasn’t right next door.
The vegetable bed in Uncle Zhang’s home was bare and Tie Hanhan was lying in it in a stupor. It looked dispirited, and wasn’t even chewing on slippers.
Xiao Lan had a bad feeling. Had something happened to Uncle Zhang?
He strode into the neighbouring courtyard.
“Awoo~” When Tie Hanhan saw a familiar face, it perked up, sitting up and wagging its tail.
Xiao Lan patted Tie Hanhan’s head and called towards the dark, unlit house. “Uncle Zhang?”
There was no response.
When Xiao Lan was about to try again, Uncle Zhang’s voice rang out far behind him. “Xiao Lan, Xiao Fei ah, you’re back?”
Xiao Lan turned his head and happened to see Uncle Zhang step out of a luxury car.
He looked like a completely different person.
In the past, Uncle Zhang wore slippers, a singlet and loose shorts as he squatted next to the vegetables in a slovenly manner.
Now, he was spruced up in a western suit and his hair was neatly combed. He looked a little weary, but still dignified and grave.
Xiao Lan was a little astonished. “Uncle Zhang, what’s with this?”
Uncle Zhang indicated for the chauffeur to park the car, and walked over with a helpless smile. “You know about the recent disappearances, right? Last night, my son disappeared too, and it’s not like the company can operate without someone to watch over it, so I could only take over for now.”
Xiao Lan asked, “Has there been any developments in your son’s case?”
Uncle Zhang shook his head. “No. He disappeared when he was driving himself home after work. The car is still there, but there’s no sign of him. I’ve tried all sorts of ways, but I haven’t been able to find a single lead. It’s as if he disappeared into thin air.”
Xiao Lan said, “I’m sorry to hear that.”
At the same time, an ominous premonition rose in his heart —
This sort of disappearance was too similar to the Advent World’s method.
Uncle Zhang waved his hand. “No need to apologise. I may be unclear as to what happened, but it’s precisely in this sort of situation that I must remain calm.
“Tianyi was born when I was at the old age of forty, but he’s very hardworking. He’s never been a frail person since he was young. I believe he himself can resolve the problem in front of him.”
Although he said this, he still sighed. “What a pity that I, this old father of his, can only help him take care of the company, and can’t give him a hand…”
Xiao Lan thought for a moment, then said to him, “If your son ever returns suddenly one day, you can ask him to come find me. We can go play games and relax for a bit.”
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.
Uncle Zhang was a little dubious. “Thank you, but Tianyi doesn’t play…”
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It was as if Uncle Zhang had seen a ray of hope, and he nodded. “Alright. Thank you.”
After bidding goodbye to Uncle Zhang, Xiao Lan returned home.
Luo dug out the flashy name card Cheng Wenyi had left behind previously.
Xiao Lan called.
Cheng Wenyi himself picked up.
His tone was indolent and haughty as usual. “Xiao Lan? Why are you looking for me?”
Xiao Lan didn’t really want to look into how the heck Cheng Wenyi knew his landline number; he briefly explained Uncle Zhang’s family situation to Cheng Wenyi.
“Tianyi ge…” Cheng Wenyi’s tone turned grave. “Don’t worry, I’ll dispatch people to pay attention to this.
“You don’t stay in the real world for long, so leave it to me ba. Lunhui has a department which specialises in helping low-level players. Once he appears, we can directly take him in.”
Xiao Lan said, “Thanks. I owe you one.”
Cheng Wenyi: “No need. Tianyi ge is about my age. Although he’s a generation older, we grew up together since childhood and have a pretty good relationship. This thanks is what I should say to you.”
After resolving Uncle Zhang’s issue, Xiao Lan mentioned another matter. “Perhaps we’ll soon have an opportunity to cooperate.”
Cheng Wenyi: “Oh? So soon? You’re quite confident. I hope you have a greater chance of success. Otherwise, I won’t use all of Lunhui to gamble with you.”
Xiao Lan laughed quietly. “Don’t worry, it’s not time yet. However, I’ll do my best to make it as soon as possible.”
Cheng Wenyi’s voice came through the phone. “Hmph, let’s wait and see.”
After hanging up, Xiao Lan and Luo still ended up going out.
The streets were clearly a lot more desolate.
People on the streets all walked in a hurry. They all had tense expressions and almost no one travelled alone.
Seeing the sky darken, everyone picked up their pace.
The two reached a restaurant they had visited before.
There were also significantly fewer customers here.
It was clearly dinnertime, but the popular restaurant which used to have long queues still wasn’t full.
The customers in the restaurant were all dining in large groups, as if to bolster their courage; there were few people who were eating in pairs like them.
After ordering, Xiao Lan and Luo ate while surveying the activity around them.
Due to rapid improvements in his physical constitution, Xiao Lan could basically hear every conversation in the restaurant.
“What do you guys think of the recent news?”
“I feel like it’s some transnational crime syndicate making big moves; if not, why else would there be cases all over the world?”
“No, I think it’s a nation targeting us; why else would our country be the one with the most cases?”
“Honestly… I think it might not even be done by humans ah. How can humans make so many people go missing and not get caught?”
“You mean… the supernatural?”
“Gosh… Don’t frighten us ah.”
“No no no, I’m not saying the supernatural, I mean — aliens.”
“Hah?”
“Aliens?”
“That’s right, maybe it’s aliens that are capturing Earthlings for experiments? Let me tell you, there is a lot of scientific research which indicates that aliens really do exist. Let me show you guys…”
“Tch~ Yours is the most uninteresting.”
“Aliens are just too nonsensical ba.”
Xiao Lan and Luo couldn’t help exchanging looks.
Who would have thought that the conclusion that seemed the most absurd was in fact the closest to the truth.
But at the same time, they had the same thought —
There wasn’t much time left.
After eating, the two returned home.
After showering, Xiao Lan changed into comfortable pajamas and walked out of the bathroom.
Luo had already prepared some black tea for him, just like every time before.
Xiao Lan sat on the sofa and drank the tea with practised ease while allowing Luo to towel dry his hair.
This happened often, and had practically become part of the day for them.
The fragrance of the tea and Luo’s gentle strength made Xiao Lan feel a little sleepy.
Sensing his weariness, Luo gently pressed down on Xiao Lan’s shoulders so that his head was pillowed on Luo’s lap.
Xiao Lan lay down with his back facing Luo so it would be easier to dry his hair. At the same time, he softly asked, “What… will he do next?”
Xiao Lan didn’t mention who ‘he’ was, but the both of them tacitly understood that he was referring to the Master of the Advent World.
Luo: “Probably find a way to implement his previous plan ba.”
Xiao Lan was a little worried. “Will he look for you?”
Luo didn’t pause in drying Xiao Lan’s hair. “He won’t be able to find me for the time being. After all, with so many instances, it’s not like he can monitor every single one of them. The possibility of us running into his surveillance by chance like before is honestly very low.”
Xiao Lan pondered for a moment. “Then he’ll send out contract players to search through games ba, like last time.”
Luo said, “He will. From my understanding of him, there’ll definitely be a large number of contract players wandering in and out of instances.”
Xiao Lan’s brow creased slightly and he didn’t speak.
The situation seemed to be heading in a grim direction.
Luo smiled. “Are you worried about me?”
Xiao Lan didn’t try to hide it. “Of course. I should be able to hold my own against a contract player as I am now, but I don’t have as much battle experience as players who have been in the Advent World for a long time. It’s still hard to predict what the outcome will be if I go up against a contract player.”
That was to say nothing of going up against the Master. Xiao Chengyan and Luo joining hands hadn’t been enough to take this guy down; Xiao Lan didn’t think the current him and Luo would be able to do so either.
Xiao Lan sighed quietly in his heart. His growth rate still wasn’t able to match the changes in the situation.
Luo stopped drying his hair. “Don’t make things too difficult for yourself. Don’t worry, I’ll be okay.”
Xiao Lan hummed lightly.
The two no longer spoke, and Luo resumed drying Xiao Lan’s hair.
The room was silent except for the soft rustle of the towel rubbing over hair.
Xiao Lan’s breathing gradually evened out. By his side was his most trusted person, and he was surrounded by a peaceful environment. Guard down, he thus fell into a deep sleep.
Luo put down the towel and gently touched Xiao Lan’s dried hair.
He lightly reached out and caressed Xiao Lan’s cheek.
He came in contact with a body warmth that was identical to his, as well as a soft texture unique to human skin.
“Sir,” Luo quietly called.
Xiao Lan didn’t reply, peacefully asleep. It seemed he would only sleep this deeply when he was by Luo’s side.
Luo’s lips curved up. He stretched out his arms, picked Xiao Lan up with gentle strength and walked towards the bedroom at a smooth pace.
After tenderly placing Xiao Lan on the bed, Luo didn’t retreat like usual.
This time, Luo also lay in bed and reached out to wrap his arms around Xiao Lan in an embrace.
Nonhumans had no need for sleep, but that didn’t matter.
Luo copied Xiao Lan’s appearance and closed his eyes.
Who knew how much time passed.
Luo felt himself sink into a very strange state.
He saw Xiao Lan smiling at him.
However, his subconscious knew very well that Xiao Lan was currently sleeping by his side.
Xiao Lan was wearing a loose white bathrobe.
The belt of the bathrobe wasn’t tied, exposing his beautifully contoured figure to the point that if Luo’s gaze travelled just a little lower, he could faintly see Xiao Lan’s abdomen and V line.
Xiao Lan spread his arms towards him, his lips moving as he called out, “Luo.”
This word was the very start of the connection between them, as well as the name that would accompany him for the rest of his life in the future.
This word alone caused Luo to feel as if his soul was about to boil over.
A sort of joy and impulsiveness welled up in his heart.
He stepped forward, reaching out with the intent of pulling the other into a passionate embrace.
And maybe more…
But then he saw his raised arms.
They were filled with cracks, the human skin becoming utterly mottled, like the ugliest defective goods in the world.
Luo’s heart jolted.
He raised his head to look at Xiao Lan.
Xiao Lan was still smiling at him with spread arms, as if waiting for an embrace.
But behind Xiao Lan, a white spike abruptly stabbed towards his back, and he seemed unaware of it.
Terror and agitation bubbled up from the depths of Luo’s heart.
He wanted to pull Xiao Lan behind him to protect him, wanted to tell him that there was danger behind him.
But he couldn’t make a sound at the moment, and his arms were even breaking into fragments. Not only was he unable to protect Xiao Lan, he couldn’t even grab him.
He couldn’t do anything at all.
He could only stare helplessly as the white spike pierced Xiao Lan’s chest.
Blood splattered like a video in slow motion.
The smile on Xiao Lan’s face vanished and his eyes widened. His arms were still outstretched, but his body fell back like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
Behind Xiao Lan was an endless abyss of white.
Just like that, he fell, fell, fell… and disappeared from Luo’s sight bit by bit.
Until there was nothing at all.
There was nothing left in the world but glaring white.
Luo abruptly opened his eyes.
What greeted his sight was the familiar ceiling. Under his body was the soft mattress, and in his embrace, Xiao Lan was still sleeping peacefully.
Reality was as tranquil as ever; everything before that was like an illusion.
A dream…?
There was a trace of shock in Luo’s heart.
The current him could also dream?
He reached up and touched his core. There had seemed to be a sharp pain there earlier.
The pain was even more severe than when the Master had secretly attacked his core.
Luo looked at Xiao Lan’s sleeping face before gathering him in his embrace with some force.
He gently kissed Xiao Lan’s forehead.
A thought flashed through his mind — no matter what, no matter what price he had to pay, he would never allow anything to happen to this person.
The author has something to say:
A spring dream which tragically turned into a nightmare; begging to know how big Luo’s psychological shadow is.
— An author with their name pixeled out streaks arrogantly across the night sky on a tricycle with no wheels.
Oh no author lost last of the wheels in poverty, now the tricycle is moving with pure power of imagination
+1 author-sama lost the last wheel and is now streaking through the night sky, through the dense moonlight that is covered by shadows of the deep dark clouds, exploring the hidden wonders of the darkness and translating them into this masterpiece of an novel (ㅅ´ ˘ `)
I had the same thought as the author’s note lol
Seems like many, many people will die soon due to the contract players :’D
Thx for the ch ٩( >ヮ<)۶
R.I.P them in advance, at least my baby Xiao Lan is growing stronger day by day 😗 Soon he will topple this white ‘god’ ┻━┻ミ＼（≧ロ≦＼）
Thank you for the chapter ❤️
This is such a melancholy chapter but the authors note still made me laugh 😂
Amo que ese triciclo pueda volar… Aun sin ruedas 🤣
I waited a while to catch up on this story, Thank you for the chapter!
It’s like a bad omen— a very bad one..
how on the earth did a happy spring dream become this horrible nightmare xD (be honest ya’ll wanted to see the continued part of the spring dream didn’t you 📸🤨)