Hua Haoming, likely trying to vomit out everything in his stomach, took a long time to return.
He seemed formidable, but Xia Bai remembered Hua Haoming’s intense reaction in his yard when talking about Xishen, suggesting at least a fear or aversion to corpses.
Now, recalling how he had been gnawing on corpses in the morgue, with the remains still in his stomach, Xia Bai was even more stunned.
After driving for over half an hour, Hua Haoming sent Xia Bai a message: [I’m going to the adjacent ambulance to get my stomach pumped. The driver will take you to the Jiangqi City branch of the Game Management Bureau. Lin Xiang and Meng Tianyou will be sent there too.]
Xia Bai replied: [Okay.]
A little later, Hua Haoming sent another message: [Soul skill?]
Before Xia Bai could type, another message arrived: [You don’t have to tell me. It’s player privacy. Many players keep it secret, and sometimes it can save your life.]
Xia Bai understood that there was indeed competition among players in the game. Skills could be the key to victory if used unexpectedly, and revealing them could be dangerous if enemies targeted you specifically.
Xia Bai: [Dual-Faced Man?]
Hua Haoming: [Yes.]
Xia Bai: [I have one too.]
Xia Bai didn’t specify his skill but shared that he possessed a soul skill, knowing Hua Haoming genuinely hoped he had one.
Another reason, Xia Bai suspected, was that Hua Haoming might have deliberately not used his full strength in the game. He thought Hua Haoming had his reasons—and it was possible that he had taken a backseat so that Xia Bai would seem more outstanding, which would increase his chances of obtaining a soul skill.
Hua Haoming: [Nice!]
Hua Haoming: [Don’t tell me. Let me guess and search you up.]
After two minutes, Hua Haoming: [Oh, you’re not on the leaderboard. I can’t find your identity.]
Xia Bai turned off the chat with Hua Haoming, his eyes blank.
Noticing over 99+ messages in the [Estranged for Life] group, Xia Bai checked it out.
The conversation started with Old Liu asking if Old Xia’s grandson reported to Heping Medical College today. Soon, Old Wang joined, asking if everything went smoothly, and before long, they started arguing again.
Xia Bai quickly replied.
Old Xia: [Xiao-bai has finished reporting, and his dorm is all set up. Everything went well.]
Old Liu: [That’s good. These days are troubled; make sure he stays safe.]
Old Wang: [Xiao-bai has my number, right? He can call me if there’s an emergency.]
Old Xia: [Yes, everything is fine. Don’t worry. Let’s keep in touch through the group.]
In the era when corpse herders were needed, some people traveled thousands of miles to send the dead home.
On the road of corpse herding, enemies were made and friendships were forged. Different factions had their ways of corpse herding, and none acknowledged the others. When they met at Xishen Inn, they always had a few sharp words for each other.
Now, corpse herders were no longer needed, and they were getting old. Many sported gray hair and were not far away from becoming the corpses they used to herd themselves.
In the [Estranged for Life] group, they still boasted and argued as passionately as ever.
Xia Bai lurked in the group for a while before the car stopped.
Hua Haoming came down from the ambulance, knocked on their door, and said, “You might need to register as players at the Game Management Bureau. Just provide basic information. After registration, come to their ward. Someone might ask us about the Heping Medical College scenario.”
Xia Bai and Song Mingliang, both men of few words, barely managed to squeeze out one word through their combined efforts, “Okay.”
The friendly staff added them as friends and sent a link, saying, “Fill it out with confidence. The Game Management Bureau guarantees confidentiality. It won’t be shared with any other players, including those from the Bureau who enter the game. Even I can’t see it, only a few people can.”
The registration form was simple, requiring only name, age, contact information, skills, and cleared maps.
The staff emphasized the skills section, “We respect your choices. You can keep it confidential, but if you consider joining the Game Management Bureau or taking on its bounty missions in the future, it’s better to be honest about your skills if you have any.”
Xia Bai quickly filled out the other four parts and paused for two seconds at the skills section.
Do you have any skills?
- Yes
- No
- Prefer not to disclose
Hua Haoming had mentioned that his Xishen might have been swallowed by the game. If he wanted to find them, he needed to enter the game frequently and familiarize himself with people from the Game Management Bureau who knew the game maps well. This would help him in his search.
Xia Bai chose option A.
If you have skills, what type are they?
- Weapon/Item Skills (skills inherent to weapons and items obtained in-game).
- Physical Skills (abilities resulting from the evolution of physical capabilities, such as extraordinary strength, speed, etc., or mutations of body parts, like iron arms, nine tails, etc.).
- Soul Skills (abilities that resonate with the player’s unique life experiences and soul characteristics).
- Prefer not to disclose.
Xia Bai selected option C.
If you have a skill, what is it specifically?
Xia Bai filled in: Prefer not to disclose.
The registration form spared him from disclosing his in-game identity, a thoughtful gesture by the Game Management Bureau. This leniency stemmed from the fact that the in-game identities of the top fifty players, determined by their game points, were already publicly disclosed.
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.
Wlj Djl reywlaafv atf obgw. Vbcu Zlcuiljcu mbwqifafv tlr obgw yfobgf Wlj Djl vlv. Coafg kjlalcu obg Wlj Djl obg j wbwfca, atfs obiibkfv atf rajoo’r vlgfmalbcr ab atf kjgv.
Ktf Aljcudl Jlas ygjcmt bo atf Xjwf Zjcjufwfca Degfje ibbxfv ilxf j rwjii obgfluc-rasif yelivlcu gfcafv bea ab vloofgfca raevlbr ogbw atf bearlvf. Ktf olgra atgff oibbgr lcvffv tberfv njglber boolmfr, ktlif atf obegat jcv oloat oibbgr gfrfwyifv j tbrqlaji, klat qfbqif ktb ibbxfv ilxf vbmabgr jcv rfnfgji kjgvr.
However, the place was clean and well-lit, without any gloomy or oppressive atmosphere.
Lin Xiang and Meng Tianyou were in a ward at the end of the corridor, with Hua Haoming also present.
When they entered, Lin Xiang seemed to be recovering well. He was on the phone with his mother, saying, “Mom, the day you gave birth to me was the day I was most grateful for in my life. But today has been the most exciting and unforgettable day of my life.”
His mother replied something.
“Do you think I’m such a childish person? I’ll tell you, I’m not scared of haunted houses anymore!”
After seeing Xia Bai, Lin Xiang quickly spoke a few words and hung up, staring intensely at Xia Bai, as if he had a lot to say.
Xia Bai guiltily shifted his gaze.
Just then, Hua Haoming said, “Not scared of haunted houses? Have you forgotten the amusement park haunted house shown when the game started?”
Lin Xiang’s face twisted in agony, “Does this mean I’ll be too scared to go anywhere in the future? Do I have to stay cooped up at home?”
Hua Haoming laughed, “What if the game starts in your house?”
Lin Xiang: “…”
Hua Haoming continued, “Nobody knows where the game will start; it could be anywhere. So, don’t let the game affect your normal life, or life won’t have much meaning anymore.”
The ease of someone who’s been through the game many times was evident.
“However, there is one safe place – Xia Bai’s dormitory. The game won’t occur in the same place twice.” His gaze swept to Meng Tianyou, who had opened his eyes. Hua Haoming smiled, “The bed in Dorm 312 isn’t something you can just get for a thousand yuan. Whoever gets that empty bed is no ordinary person.”
Meng Tianyou awkwardly smiled, his face pale and weak, “Brother Hua, stop teasing me. I’m already like this.”
Meng Tianyou’s life was saved, but only one leg was visible under the thin blanket.
In the real world, compared to an hour ago, he had changed significantly. He no longer had his prideful vanity and his ego wasn’t as strong, but the price he paid was too great. He lost a leg and the mother who loved him the most.
But Meng Qing had met an even more tragic fate.
“Now that everyone’s awake, let’s talk about the game. Someone will come soon to ask us about what happened”
“Hello.”
Before Hua Haoming could finish, a screen lit up on the wall in front of the two hospital beds, showing three people looking at them. The woman on the left spoke.
Xia Bai recognized her; she, along with Hua Haoming and another man, had visited his house to find Xishen the day before.
“Congratulations on completing the game. We are from the Game Management Bureau’s Game Research Institute. Our group mainly focuses on researching game strategies. We hope you can share your experience with this level to help us better understand the game. The more strategies, the higher the chances of survival for players involved in the game, right?”
Her gaze swept over each person, lingering a bit longer on Hua Haoming and Xia Bai, “Of course, you can skip certain parts for privacy and your personal safety, but we hope you can be as detailed as possible in your elaboration on other parts.”
The man in the middle, wearing a black shirt and silver-rimmed glasses, looked up, “Who will lead the discussion?”
Xia Bai, feeling a tightness in his chest, realized this question wasn’t simple. The main speaker would surely be the person who understood the game the best, the one who uncovered the truth, and thus, the one who received the greatest reward and attention.
Hua Haoming retorted, “We haven’t compiled all our clues yet. There’s a lot we’re unsure about. How can we explain this to you? Give us a few minutes to go over the accurate and complete instance first.”
The man in the black shirt retorted, “Hua Haoming, don’t think you can disrupt the work of the Game Management Bureau’s departments just because your task force has special privileges.”
Hua Haoming picked up the remote control from the coffee table, “And please, don’t use your research authority to probe the players.”
He pointed the remote at the screen, smiling, “You can report me to our team leader.”
The people on the screen disappeared.
Hua Haoming’s smile vanished as well, “Let’s quickly go over the game. Watch your words later, make sure to protect your own and others’ privacy.”
He turned to Xia Bai, “Xia Bai, tell us what the truth really is.”
Xia Bai recounted what he knew, surprising everyone present.
Xia Bai: “Many cadavers’ mouths were sewn shut, but the female corpse in Morgue 4 had her mouth open. We didn’t consider this detail. The younger Xuemu must have been inside the mouth of the corpse in Morgue 4, cursing anyone who came close to her and her sister.”
“Her curse was to have people tormented to death by their own fixations, stemming from her and her sister’s death at the hands of those with perverse fetishes.”
After finishing, Xia Bai noticed an intense gaze from Lin Xiang.
Xia Bai: “…”
Lin Xiang asked in a low voice, “Xia Bai, you’re… a necrophiliac?”
After he asked, the other three people also fixed their heavy gazes on Xia Bai.
Hua Haoming, slightly excited, said, “I knew it! But why didn’t you react on the first night?”
Since they all knew now, Xia Bai didn’t hide it, “Actually, I did react on the first night. It was milder in the dormitory since there were no corpses there. The mutation wasn’t severe on the first night; I wasn’t driven to kill and create corpses.”
“The reaction was stronger when I went to the anatomy building to find you, but I suppressed it with something.”
Lin Xiang: “It was the genealogy book! Is the power of family that strong?”
Xia Bai: “…”
Hua Haoming looked at Xia Bai suspiciously, “Using the power of family to suppress necrophilia? What kind of family are you talking about?”
Xia Bai bowed his head slightly, “Family that has turned into corpses.”
“…”
His argument was very logical.
Xia Bai: “Whenever I think of them, I suppress my fascination with the corpses outside. I always feel like I’m betraying them.”
Lin Xiang, astonished: “Xia Bai, your sense of morality is so strong! I don’t feel that way about my deceased family members.”
Hua Haoming: “…”
Only he understood. Thinking of Xia Bai’s several Xishens, he seemed to realize something.
But can Xishen really have such an effect?
Hua Haoming asked, “Can I see your genealogy book?”
Xia Bai always carried the genealogy book with him and handed it over.
Hua Haoming quickly looked through it and fell silent.
He actually drew portraits for each Xishen. Was he an expert portraitist? How did he draw their faces with only their bones for reference?
He even assigned identities to them. Grandmother, father, sister…
And he actually pressed handprints for the Xishens, too.
Seeing Xia Bai staring eagerly, Hua Haoming pinched the bridge of his nose and quickly returned his precious genealogy book to him.
Xia Bai immediately tucked it away in his pocket, having no intention of showing it to everyone.
“But, but, how can Xia Bai have necrophilia?” Lin Xiang still couldn’t comprehend. How could his pure and innocent Xia Bai be so strongly associated with corpses that the game considered it a fixation?
Hua Haoming said, “…This is a private matter. You guys can talk about it later if you want.”
Though he was also curious and wanted to see Lin Xiang’s reaction and whether he would rethink the incident of Xia Bai carrying him out of the graveyard.
Meng Tianyou asked Xia Bai, “What’s with those talismans on you? How do they suppress the corpses?”
In the final moments of the game, he was saved by those talismans and saw Lin Xiang get them from Xia Bai.
Hua Haoming immediately looked at Xia Bai. Towards the end of the game, many corpses had left the morgue, but those with talismans stayed put. He was shocked to see this.
He had witnessed Xia Bai giving Lin Xiang the talismans. Back then, all he thought was that these were the corpse herder talismans of folklore, and confidently declared that they would be useless in-game.
But they worked.
Xia Bai said, “I don’t know, someone gave them to me.”
Meng Tianyou nodded without asking further, knowing it would infringe upon Xia Bai’s privacy.
Hua Haoming thoughtfully stared at Xia Bai, who had too many mysteries about him. Talismans that could suppress corpses in the game and the disappearing Xishen. What else didn’t he know?
Xia Bai turned away, leaving Hua Haoming with a view of the back of his head, “Isn’t it time to tell them about the game?”
Hua Haoming: “…”
After they aligned their statements, Hua Haoming contacted the research institute staff and formally shared the game rules and background story with them.
The man in the black shirt asked, “Dying to one’s own twisted fixation. What does that mean?”
Hua Haoming replied, “I’ll use you as an example, Vice Director Yang. You like to research the bodies of skilled players and you’re fascinated with studying people. This fascination would be your downfall in the game. Your fixation, once distorted, would lead you to dissect yourself for detailed study. Ah, and the anatomy building is fully equipped. It’s a perfect match for you.”
After he finished, not only was there silence in the ward, but the two people on the screen also held their breath.
The man in the black shirt adjusted his glasses, “Understood, thank you all for your cooperation.”
The screen dimmed.
Their business here was done.
After Hua Haoming left, they discussed and decided to return to their dormitory at Heping Medical College that night.
They were all extremely tired. Hearing from Hua Haoming that their dormitory was one of the safest places in the world, they all wanted to go back and sleep soundly. Lin Xiang could spend the night in the unoccupied Bed 2.
Recently, games have been occurring frequently in the neighboring Quanguang City, not only straining their medical resources but also causing tension here. Even if they didn’t volunteer to leave, the Game Management Bureau staff would likely want them gone.
Lin Xiang and Meng Tianyou registered their player information. The receptionist also shared some precautions with them and advised them to take the Game Management Bureau’s online game strategy courses before letting them leave.
Players with healing abilities were incredibly powerful. Lin Xiang’s injuries were completely healed.
Meng Tianyou’s leg was gone, and he looked a bit anemic, but he didn’t look like someone who had just escaped death’s door. He sat in a wheelchair, pushed onto Lin Xiang’s specially called limousine by Song Mingliang.
Xia Bai was pulled into another car by Lin Xiang.
Seeing Meng Tianyou in the wheelchair, Lin Xiang sighed, “His points aren’t enough to cover the full recovery cost. He might need a prosthetic.”
Only then did Xia Bai realize the Game Management Bureau’s rescue team didn’t provide their treatment for free.
Lin Xiang’s injuries weren’t as severe, and he paid half his points earned in the game, 550,000.
Meng Tianyou would need over three million to fully recover, which he didn’t have. He managed to save his life, but still owed over 700,000 points.
Xia Bai was about to speak when Lin Xiang, who was nearly suffocating, interrupted him. Lin Xiang had brought Xia Bai into this car to ask him, “Why do you have necrophilia? I know it’s a mutation caused by the game, but that’s still related to corpses! How could this happen?”
Xia Bai: “…”
“Are you that shocked?”
“Yeah, this is absolutely jaw-dropping information!”
Xia Bai fell silent for a while before starting from the beginning, “My grandfather was a corpse herder.”
Lin Xiang was surprised, “Like the ones from folklore?”
Xia Bai nodded, “He herded corpses for many years during those turbulent times. He often encountered homeless corpses and took them in, giving them a home.”
“I might have been influenced by him. Since I was young, I’ve never feared corpses and considered them as family. It must have started when I was young because I lost most of my memories before the age of twelve due to a severe illness.”
Lin Xiang’s mouth hung open slightly, but his confusion was resolved.
This must be why Xia Bai’s fixation was twisted in the game.
The fact that the genealogy book, which contained records of the corpses he turned into family members, could suppress his desire for corpses now seemed more reasonable.
Wait, that doesn’t seem quite right. The genealogy book contained ancient corpses?
Was Xia Bai truly treating them like family?
Didn’t this obsession go a little too deep?
Well, whatever. It was fine. Everyone has their quirks. Xia Bai was his best friend and was so incredibly kind to him. Lin Xiang would accept and respect all of Xia Bai’s preferences as long as they were legal.
“Wait a minute!” The car had been driving for another ten or so minutes when he suddenly realized, “That time, when you carried me out of the graveyard…”
Xia Bai’s face was blank, “I told you, I didn’t intentionally follow you to the graveyard to save you. You didn’t believe me.”
Lin Xiang: “You really went to the graveyard in the middle of the night for a moonlit stroll?”
Of course. It was such a normal daily activity. But Xia Bai knew that if he nodded, Lin Xiang would probably lose it.
His silence spoke volumes. Lin Xiang was on the verge of a breakdown, but he still thanked Xia Bai, “You were there enjoying the moonlight and came across me sleepwalking. You stopped admiring the moon and carried me back.”
Xia Bai continued to remain silent.
Lin Xiang broke down.
Xia Bai carefully patted his wrist to comfort him, then told him the real situation and his thoughts at the time, “I really wanted to see the graveyard in the mountains after hearing about it from the instructor during the day. I didn’t want others to know, so I waited until everyone was asleep to go.”
“I hadn’t been there long when I saw you lying on a grave.”
Lin Xiang: “…”
Xia Bai: “You were ice-cold, motionless, and unresponsive to shouts. I thought you hailed from a nearby village and had been abandoned by your family after contracting some serious illness.”
Lin Xiang: “…”
If he had to make a conservative guess, his pajamas cost at least eight thousand yuan, so how could he look like a child abandoned by a nearby village family?
Moreover, even though it was just the beginning of their first year in high school, they had been doing military training together for two whole days! Did Xia Bai really not recognize his own classmate?
Xia Bai: “I was so excited. I immediately picked you up, hoping to bring you home and give you a new home. We just happen to need an elder brother.”
Lin Xiang: “…………”
You needed an elder brother? More like you needed a ‘brother’ for your genealogy book!
Lin Xiang, who had always wanted to be seen as Xia Bai’s elder brother, was not very happy.
Xia Bai, with his customary dazed expression, looked a bit wronged. “Unexpectedly, you started talking after I took a few steps.”
Lin Xiang: “…………”
You must have been so disappointed.
I’m soooo sorry for that.
No wonder Xia Bai didn’t speak all the way that night, just walking forward silently with his head down, carrying him.
He thought Xia Bai was just shy and introverted.
Lin Xiang began to question life.
Xia Bai glanced at him and asked earnestly, “Are we still friends?”
“Of course!” Lin Xiang replied without hesitation.
Although their acquaintance was a misunderstanding, after spending so much time together, he certainly knew that Xia Bai was honest and upright, which he really liked. He was a little strange, but nevertheless still adorable.
“You didn’t deliberately carry me back from the graveyard, but you did barge into the morgue and save me when I was tied to a corpse. You gave me a talisman to suppress the corpse, and you saved my life when I was about to be dissected by the anatomy teacher. It was all real.”
“You are my best friend.” Lin Xiang paused and then said, “If you want me to be your brother, that’s absolutely fine. As long as it’s not that kind of brother.”
Xia Bai pursed his lips and smiled.
Seeing his smile, Lin Xiang also smiled. Xia Bai’s smile was truly beautiful, like a pure white jasmine flower.
Thanks for the chapter!!! 💜💜💜
Thanks for the chapter!
Ooh, so they actually did clear up the misunderstanding and are still friends!
😂😂 “I’m sooooo sorry”
Thanks for the chapter 🩷🩷
So Lin Xiang finally finds out 😔
That kind of brother? Dead or romantic?
That’s hilarious. 😆
I love this novel 😂 no idea how it will end up romantic but currently I don’t mind the ride without it at all
ML hasn’t appeared yet, he will soon 👀
really if you haven’t mentioned the ml I would’ve forgotten him, and tbh at the start I kinda mistook brother Hao as the ml because he was literally the only other male I could consider xD
❤
This is probably my latest current favorite novel, I can’t wait for more!
Awww :’)
wasn’t Xia Bai the one that drew the talismans?
Why is their friendship literally soooo cute