In the next two days, the two huddled at home and didn’t go out. Luo still tried searching for more information on Xiao Chenyan, but unfortunately, the results were scarce and he no longer had as big a gain as back on the very first day.
Luo swiftly scrolled through the screen. “It seems that this information has been dealt with deliberately. All clues have disappeared very cleanly, and there’s no way to trace them back.”
Xiao Lan’s gaze shifted from the screen which was making his eyes blurry. “If we can’t find it in the real world, we may as well go back to the game world and give it a try ba.”
Luo nodded and closed the laptop.
After dinner on the third day, Luo finished arranging matters in the real world. The two sat on the sofa, and Xiao Lan chose to return to the Advent World.
It was still night in the Advent World.
In contrast to the pitch-black night sky outside the window, the lights in the players hub were especially bright. Players shuttled back and forth constantly on the streets and their expressions couldn’t be seen, the scene a faint reflection of the clamour of the world.
In his room, Xiao Lan took out 【Appointment ma】. The little pink mirror was engraved with a lace pattern and was very much in the style of young girls. After opening it, he could choose to contact a person; this copy could only contact Wu Ting.
Xiao Lan planned to try and contact Wu Ting; he didn’t know if he had returned yet.
After establishing contact, Wu Ting appeared on the screen. It seemed he had also returned to the player hub ahead of time. He looked like he was in some place like a bar; there were multicoloured lights and intense music in the background. Players around him were gathered in twos and threes as they passed the time by drinking and letting loose as much as they could.
Wu Ting still had that noble and aloof overbearing appearance of a beauty. He gave the camera a small, gorgeous smile. “Hey, we meet again. You contacted me even earlier than I imagined.”
Xiao Lan nodded. “Do you have some time? I have a matter I wish to discuss with you.”
Wu Ting covered his mouth and laughed lightly. “Hehe, it’s very expensive to book me ah. Have you thought of the price?”
Xiao Lan also laughed and revealed the item in his hand. “I’m guessing you’ll like this.”
Wu Ting fiddled with his hair. “Tomorrow night at nine. Ai Ai Hotel, room 419. I’ll be waiting.”
With that, the connection was cut.
Xiao Lan stared at the mirror that had reverted to its original appearance and said to himself, “…Why does this feel like a booty call?”
Suddenly his back felt a little cold.
Xiao Lan turned his head, but only saw Luo smiling as always; there was nothing unusual.
He touched the back of his head in confusion. Maybe he got up too early this morning?
It seemed that he should make sure to get enough sleep in the future, or else it would be dangerous in the game. After looking for Wu Ting, he should continue to reinforce his training ba. That was Xiao Lan’s plan.
The next morning, Xiao Lan went to the transaction market.
In the previous battle, he realised that he was lacking when it came to fighting non-corporeal entities and long-range attacks. 【Unnamed little friend’s piggy bank】 just barely resolved the long-range issue, but when faced with a non-corporeal entity, he still had a lot to work on.
After all, his skill could only last for five minutes, but a game would last for at least a few hours. There were too many unforeseen mishaps; he should prepare a guaranteed method for attacking non-corporeal entities.
Players placed their items on display in the market. Because the Advent World didn’t have currency, the primitive bartering method was still used. If a person couldn’t take out an item to satisfy the other party, the transaction couldn’t be completed, which significantly limited the circulation of items between players.
Xiao Lan tried to find a weapon that could attack spiritual forms.
There were several people that wanted to obtain such an item, but basically none of the vendor stalls sold something like that. The few that were sold were very expensive, and the functions were all a little useless.
This was understandable. After all, quite a number of monsters in the games were the ghost-type. If Xiao Lan obtained an item, he also wouldn’t use it for the time being, but keep it as a life preserver.
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.
Ca clcf atja cluta, atf akb bo atfw rabbv lc ogbca bo atf wfcalbcfv Cl Cl Lbafi.
Ktf jwylueber ilutalcu, lcvlralcma werlm, qlcx tfjgar bc atf rlucybjgv jcv atf oiebgfrmfca jveia oluegf… Rb wjaafg tbk bcf ibbxfv ja la, la kjr ilxf j ibnf tbafi.
Ktf ageat kjr atja atlr kjr wbgf bg ifrr atf mjrf. Snfgsbcf ktb fcafgfv kjr qjlgr bo wfc bg kbwfc bg tfa mbeqifr klat qjrrlbcjaf ujhfr.
When Xiao Lan walked in, a few players who were about to check in looked at him and seemed to consider switching bed partners at the last minute. However, when they saw Luo, who followed closely behind, they all abandoned this notion.
Forget it; that person already had such a quality partner, how would he take a fancy to salted vegetables and radishes like them?
Xiao Lan stood at the reception desk and asked for room 419. Immediately, the expression of the female player receptionist in sexy clothing changed. Her tone sounded a little jealous. “It’s that town bicycle again; what’s so good about her?”
She drew closer to Xiao Lan, and dropped her voice enticingly. “How about big brother come play with me? It’ll definitely be more exciting compared with her.”
Luo took a small step forward between the two of them. “Thank you for the kindness, but we’ve already made an appointment with her. We’ll discuss this next time ba.”
The female player looked at Luo standing in front of her. Christ, there’s even fucking two of them together! That damn bitch actually has such a big appetite!
She quietly muttered, “Why are all men this blind?! I have everything she has ah.”
Xiao Lan’s voice rang out from behind Luo. “That person’s different.”
You really don’t have what he has. Young miss, is there any need to compete with a crossdressing bigshot…
“Tch, superficial men.” She rolled her eyes at the two of them with a ‘what remains unseen is deemed clean’ look, and pointed. “Over there. Go straight, turn left, then turn right.”
The two followed her directions and found room 419. After they knocked, Wu Ting opened the door.
The room was decorated in eye-catching red and black, and there was a king-sized water bed in the middle which could clearly fit several people at the same time. Hanging on the wall on the side were handcuffs, a small whip and a few items that had to be pixelated. There was even a black cage that exuded fun.
This was a room with a captivity theme and carried the air of city people who sure knew how to play.
“Sit ba.” Wu Ting casually sat down on a metal rack of some dubious function.
After searching for a long time, Xiao Lan still couldn’t find a slightly more normal spot, and ultimately had no choice but to reluctantly sit on the water bed. Luo didn’t sit down at all, and merely stood next to him.
Xiao Lan didn’t beat around the bush; he directly took out 【Plastic besties’ feelings】 and showed it to Wu Ting.
“Speak ba. Anything you want to know, I’ll give you information to match the price of the item.” The corner of Wu Ting’s lips rose, and there was an expectant look in his eyes; it seemed he was very satisfied with this item.
Xiao Lan felt like he understood now; aside from crossdressing, this guy seemed to enjoy attracting the hate of female players.
Who knew what he had done to make the female player at the front desk treat him practically like the most annoying scum woman in the world. He pulled such deep hatred — as expected, players in the Advent World were a little weird.
Xiao Lan pulled his thoughts back. “I want to ask you about someone — Xiao Chenyan.”
Wu Ting’s eyes widened slightly. “Xiao Chenyan? Has this bigshot’s reputation already deteriorated so much in recent months that you have to specially ask about it?”
Xiao Lan didn’t quite understand. “Is he very famous?”
Wu Ting nodded. “That’s right, he’s very famous. If he’s the second-best advanced player, no one would ever have the guts to call themselves the first. He’s an absolute master at illusion techniques. Put it this way: the people who die at his hands may not even know that they’re already dead right up to the end.
“It’s rumoured that his strength is on par with contract players, but he seems to be in the no-contract players faction, so he’s never chosen to be promoted.”
“You can choose to be promoted as a contract player yourself?” This was the first time Xiao Lan was hearing this.
Wu Ting: “For an advance player to be promoted to a contract player, they have to enter a special instance and undergo an assessment. The difficulty and risk of death involved are very high, but after you’re contracted, your skill restrictions are greatly reduced. Imagine if you don’t have a cooldown time for your ability, or you don’t need to fulfil a condition to trigger it. The reality may be different from what I’m describing, but the restrictions are indeed significantly reduced.”
Xiao Lan thought for a while. That truly was very powerful. “Then why don’t those players form contracts?”
Wu Ting explained, “There’s a theory among the players that if you become a contract player, you can no longer leave the game. Although most people have already given up on leaving, Xiao Chenyan clearly hasn’t. There aren’t many people like him, but he definitely isn’t the only one.”
Xiao Lan nodded to express his understanding.
“Xiao Chenyan is also the founder of Wushe.” Knowing that Xiao Lan probably didn’t know what Wushe was, Wu Ting took the initiative to explain, “Wushe is a player organisation. The identities of their members are extremely mysterious, and all of them are the elite among advanced players. These people also didn’t advance as contract players, and are all loyal and devoted to Xiao Chenyan.”
This… sounded a little too OP, and a little unlike his family’s dad. Xiao Lan asked, “Do you know what he looks like?”
Wu Ting laughed. “Aside from his trusted aides, perhaps no one in this world knows what Xiao Chenyan looks like. The rumour outside is that it may be just a name. Even if someone saw him before, how credible can the face of an illusion master be? Perhaps this name isn’t his real name either, but there’s no evidence of this. After all, wanting to be completely anonymous in the game is very difficult; there are too many items that can help to obtain names.”
“Alright.” Xiao Lan changed the subject. “Do you know how to contact him?”
Personally confirming it for himself was also fine.
The smile on Wu Ting’s face faded. He contemplated for a while before saying, “This information is from a very classified channel, but can’t be considered reliable. As for whether or not it’s true, you’ll have to decide for yourself.
“A few months ago, Xiao Chenyan disappeared, along with all the Wushe members who were with him. What appeared in the wake of their disappearance was a large number of game loopholes.
“The current speculation is that they may have done something to the Advent World. Maybe they managed to escape, or maybe they’re all dead. Right now, they’re the only ones who know what on earth happened.”
Xiao Lan never thought that there would be such an amazing twist of events.
Why was it that the more he learnt about his old man, the more he seemed to be sinking into a mire? Not only didn’t he get any answers to his original questions, but they were also piling up like a rolling snowball, and seemed headed towards an avalanche.
If this Xiao Chenyan was his father, it felt like Xiao Lan was embroiled in a desperately serious situation.
Wu Ting: “I’ll answer a final question for free. After all, basic information about Xiao Chenyan isn’t really considered classified.”
Xiao Lan thought for a moment. “I want to know about a player organisation called Lunhui.”
Wu Ting said, “Them ah, they’re a rather large-scale organisation with very strict management. They have players at all levels, and many rules. Their methods are a little extreme, and among the player organisations that currently exist, they are among the ones that shouldn’t be trifled with.
“No one knows who the boss of Lunhui is. They only know that it’s an advanced player and a rumoured tyrant.”
Xiao Lan: “What connection do they have with Wushe or Xiao Chenyan?”
Wu Ting tidied up his long hair. “There’s nothing on the surface, but in private, Lunhui clashed with Wushe several times. It was almost always Lunhui that ultimately lost; they rarely crossed paths after that.
“Of course, whether or not the bigshots at that level had a personal friendship isn’t something I can find out by asking around.”
After bidding Wu Ting farewell, Xiao Lan and Luo returned to their unit.
Xiao Lan leaned back on the sofa. “I thought I would be able to meet my dad this time. Instead, we learned that the issue was more serious than I expected. Ai…”
Luo passed him a steaming hot cup of black tea. “I added some honey. Perhaps something sweet might lift your spirits.”
“Thank you.” Xiao Lan took the teacup and took a sip of the slightly sweet tea. He didn’t know if sweet food was useful or not, but this feeling of being cared for truly was very comfortable.
Although he had more misgivings now, the days still had to carry on.
In the following week, Xiao Lan pretty much dwelled at the training grounds, and in the middle of constantly beating others up and being beaten, he painfully and merrily improved his fighting strength.
During the nonstop fights, 【Poverty is unable to restrict my imagination】’s passive ability was activated and dropped a fifty-slot backpack storage item, which resolved Xiao Lan’s current dilemma with his two little satchels, which were almost completely full.
One night, the light in Xiao Lan’s room was dim and hazy.
Luo’s fingers were gentle. “Sir, is this alright?”
Xiao Lan’s voice was weak and sounded a little nasally. “Mm… use a little more strength…”
There was a smile in Luo’s voice. “Then… like this?”
“Ngh…” Xiao Lan let out a soft gasp. “Right there, but – but be gentler.”
At that moment, the 【Plastic friendship】 in Xiao Lan’s storage space sent out a notification. He opened it. “Wang Taidi, what’s up?”
When the other person saw Xiao Lan’s bare shoulders and his limp body and rosy face, as well as someone moving continuously behind him, he immediately felt a little embarrassed.
Wang Ke let out a rare stammer and hurriedly covered his family’s silly little brother’s eyes. “Sa- sor- sorry to bother… We – we’ll come back later.”
Wang Taidi tried to resist. “Ge, I’m going to be an adult already, you don’t have to be like this…”
Only then did Xiao Lan come back to himself, and he realised that his posture could really cause a misunderstanding. He hastily sat up. “No, no, no! Just now Luo was just giving me a massage!!”
If he really was misunderstood by the Wang brothers, his lifetime reputation would be completely destroyed!
As he moved, the two people in front of him saw that he was wearing his pants, while behind him, Luo was still wearing his three-piece suit without a hair out of place. Only then did they let out simultaneous sighs of relief.
Luo also nodded and greeted them. “Hello.”
Xiao Lan hurriedly grabbed a shirt and put it on, then returned to the screen of 【Plastic friendship】. “Did you need something?”
After this attack, Wang Ke recovered his usual grave expression; he also didn’t want to get twisted up over why Fei Luo was still in Xiao Lan’s room in the middle of the night.
He swiftly cut to the chase. “It’s like this. Would you be okay with bringing Wang Taidi to his next game? My teammates and I are about to enter an advanced instance very soon, and the person usually entrusted with bringing Wang Taidi along already entered a game this morning.
“I’ll give this as payment.”
He placed an item in front of them:
【Name: Introduction to the fundamental principles of Marxism (High grade item)】
【Ability: Able to change matter when used on phantom-types. Can harm phantom-types with physical attacks when used on self. Duration of 10 minutes (Number of uses (5/5)】
【Description: The world is material. The true unifying factor in the world is its material quality】
This was practically gifting Xiao Lan a pillow when he was drowsy!
Wang Ke was willing to offer up his hard-earned items for his brother’s sake. Moreover, Wang Taidi’s skill might not be activated, but as a comrade, not only was he easy to get along with, he wouldn’t pit Xiao Lan at all. Xiao Lan gladly agreed.
Wang Ke also gave an indecipherable smile. “Then, at three in the afternoon tomorrow, I’ll bring Wang Taidi over to find you.”
Xiao Lan: “See you tomorrow.”
Wang Taidi waved at them. “See you tomorrow~”
Baobao Notes
The author notes was something like ‘damn… sure hope this chapter won’t be locked…’ cackles
Thanks for the chapter~
Hmmm.. massage ha? 😏😏🤭🤭
Luo possessive mode at max haha~
Poor Wang brothers…very soon you will hear some specific sounds from next door~
Thanks for the chapter~
I think XL transfered to the intermidiate level so they aren’t neighbors anymore
( ︺︹︺)
😭
But I like them being neighbours 😭
Is this me??
It was just massages~ sure~
Thank you for the chapter!!! ❤️❤️
the Wangs are such good brothers I’m emotional :’)
So the plague doctor guy knew something about Xiao Lan. He must be In the faction that opposes XC? I wonder if Luo was one of XC’s loyal followers…or if he will turn out to be the tyrant leader of the other faction??
Oh my… if he’s the tyrant leader, then I could foresee their future…
Xiao Chengyan: kick Luo on the face How dare you defiled my son with your filthy goo, you fucking placenta!
Luo: defend Father, please calm down. I only want to ask your son’s hand in marriage.
Xiao Chengyan: punch I WON’T ALLOW IT!! AND WHO ARE YOU CALLING FATHER?!
The clash between Wushe and Lunhui has reach to another level and with different reason. 😂😂😂
😂😂😂😂😂
👍🤣😂 You really have a great imagination ba.
I feel like he doesn’t deserve to meddle in son’s life
😂
LMFAOOO 😂
I don’t think Luo was/is a member or leader of any group. He isn’t
human, so he can’t be a player, and I assume only humans can be players (otherwise it wouldn’t make sense, IMHO)…
I don’t know though. We don’t really have any reliable information as to what or who Luo is at all. Luo himself is not even certain. He might have been a player who had a crazy ability that made him this way, or he might be a manifestation of an ability, or something that escaped a game when XC’s group made the loopholes. I think it is a safe bet that whatever the case though, he has something to do with that incident.
We also have no proof of what happens when people finally ‘pass’ the game. Do they really get sent home? Really? Beginners can’t handle earth world anymore, never mind super advanced players. Failed – NPCs. Pass – ? I don’t trust AW would just let them go.
Thanks for the chapter
😂😂😂😂
Desculpe errado coment
Thanks for the chapter! ^^)❤
Wang Ke and Wang Taidi are so dang silly and cute xD I adore them. And how awesome and caring is Wang Ke, looking for someone to take care of his silly little brother?
Xiao Lan and Luo are probably the perfect duo to take care of that silly rabbit!
Thanks for the chapter <3
It feels like Luo has smth to do with XL’s father. I can’t wait for more information xD
Thx for the ch (≧▽≦)/
I think so, too… I’m beginning to think he might have been kinda “created” by Xiao Lan’s dad to protect his son or something… Well, not enough information yet, he’s still so mysterious^^.
Wang Ke’s “indecipherable smile” definitely means that they’re in for trouble. Taking care of Taidi is probably going to be a lot harder than they think, after all, we heard about Wang Ke’s funny little “difficulties” with him several times… RIP XL and Luo 😆
Oh, and I just love Luo’s little displays of jealousy. He even gets angry when XL just mentions the phone call seemed like a booty call… I laughed when XL noticed his back felt cold from Luo’s angry stare (I suppose it was that)^.^
I was really hoping for the misunderstanding to continue at the last scene
sad sad sad (◞ ‸ ◟ㆀ)
It seems his father is still trying to make his way back—maybe the debt was something set up by an enemy? And…was Luo one of the people in Wushe? If so, it definitely wouldn’t say good things about where Xiao Lan’s father is now
Thank you for translating! <3
Tch tch tch
Already learned my lesson after watching Gakuen Heaven so of course I will not be tricked ಠ ͜ʖ ಠ
I wonder if Wu Ting’s dressing is him just having fun and looking cute, OR if he is trans/non binary, OR if he has an ability that relies on it in some way. Kinda like how our Xiao has to destroy valuable items to raise his poverty level.
Kinda hope he/she is Bi. Cause I want someone like WT as a boyfriend.
Somehow I feel that the disappearance of Xiao Lan’s dad has to do with what happened to Luo 🤔
Why am I getting vibes that the master of the void/space is Lou? 🤭🤫
Why do I have a thought that the two big bosses were fighting over a women or the big black boss wanted Xiao Chenyan for himself but Xiao Lan’s father loved his wife and kid more….as for the massage, Xiao Lan you are doomed to be marked ‘husband’ for life now that you have Luo. 😂💍🔪🩸🐈⬛
Damn, author. How very bold.
Love Hotel and that innuendo for Luo and Xiao Lan.
Wang Ke! I already forgot about hotel and massage, gimme my corgi boy!
….They’re giving me the same sibling vibes as the twins from KoD (ಥ﹏ಥ)
Illusion? Could it be he have something to do with Lou? Afterall Loh recalled being destroyed by someone with his face? Maybe thats why theres a loop hole and it rained when Lou remembered something important.
awh fork his dad is at the top of the leaderboard and one of the big big bosses, and now his hubby is the leader of the other big big organisation and is also one of the strongest players 💀
Wang Ke’s just like
“Hey, my babysitter can’t make it. Could you take Taidi to soccer practice tomorrow?”
I’ll be honest the author got me there 😂
awww them together again!!! a sunshine, an oblivious, two protectors hahaha love these four! hope they’ll stay friends throughout the story!
why do i feel his father disappeared to bring him here? was Luo involved in that..? no that timing doesn’t work