Yuan Ping always remembered everything from his youth.
Even after death, when he transformed into a being beyond human and the emotions that once tied him to humanity began to fade, he still clung to those fragments of memories, now yellowing with time.
Although most of the recollections from his life were shrouded in darkness and shadows, there were moments of beauty he never wished to forget.
Back then, he was feeble and despicable, akin to a twisted maggot.
He loathed his family, despised the entire town, his heart filled with nothing but twisted, ugly resentment.
Yet, during those times, he met Yao Ye.
When that boy, with his clear and innocent eyes, reached out to him, Yuan Ping felt as if the entire world had suddenly brightened, all colors shifting away from the bleakness of despair.
However, can someone who has lived in darkness for so long quickly adjust to the light?
Those deprived of light yearn for it, but when it’s finally within reach, they might feel unworthy, reluctant to embrace it—a common tragedy.
That’s why Yuan Ping, when confronted with unexpected kindness, instinctively chose to flee, rejecting the hand that tried to pull him out of the darkness.
This became his greatest regret in life, and even an obsession after death.
Every day and night after refusing Yao Ye, he would recall the hurt look in Yao Ye’s eyes when he evaded his grasp.
Yuan Ping despised himself for causing such pain to Yao Ye.
In the stillness of the night, he would curse himself, curse his very existence, and curse the family and town that imprisoned him.
He really was… a detestable and revolting man… for causing Yao Ye so much grief…
Again and again, he would ponder on how, if he had taken that hand, they might have had a happy ending, rather than such a hasty conclusion.
Why didn’t he grasp that hand?
Even at the moment of his death, just seconds before being engulfed by flames, Yuan Ping bitterly ruminated on that thought.
He couldn’t accept it… Why? Even if it was someone as insignificant as him… why couldn’t he have happiness?
If only… Yao Ye was his… and they were together forever…
He desired and yearned for happiness. Why could others have it when he could not?
He resented his circumstances. He couldn’t accept it…
The flames eventually consumed Yuan Ping’s body. Amidst the mad laughter of his mother and the screams of his father in the slaughterhouse, he fell into a deep slumber.
Then, waking from death with resentment towards every living being and an unresolved bitterness from his life, he found himself trapped on an island filled with sin.
He didn’t know the purpose of his awakening, but instinctively began to slaughter the corrupted ghosts that appeared before him on the island.
Madly and numbly, he rampaged across the island, slaughtering every moving thing he saw. In his eyes, everything seemed happier than him, and thus, he despised them.
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.
The happiness he sought was now forever out of reach…
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Suddenly, the happiness Yuan Ping sought seemed to have returned to his side.
It felt like time had reversed.
Yuan Ping watched as Yao Ye reached out, and though his face was wrapped in bandages that could reveal no expression, his heart raced.
He stood silently, an imposing figure, not uttering a word, yet emanating a terrifying aura.
Yao Ye maintained his friendly gesture, staring at the motionless bandaged figure, his face tense.
Had he made a mistake? Maybe he was too hasty.
As he pondered over his decision, Yao Ye tempered the overly-passionate look in his eyes, silently cursing himself for being too obvious. He just hoped this towering figure wouldn’t turn on him.
Feeling disheartened, Yao Ye was about to retract his hand when the figure in front of him, the Judge, made his move.
The Judge kneeled on one knee, leveling his gaze with Yao Ye’s, and gently held Yao Ye’s hand. His massive palm enveloped Yao Ye’s hand, the difference in size reminiscent of a child’s hand in an adult’s grasp. Aware of his own strength, the Judge was careful not to grip too tightly, ensuring Yao Ye felt no discomfort.
Feeling the rough texture of the bandages on the palm of the Judge, Yao Ye was taken aback. A curious heat rose to his cheeks, thinking that this gesture of friendship seemed a bit off.
Kneeling on one knee? Perhaps it was normal? After all, the Judge was tall. Perhaps bending down made it easier for them to converse?
Such jumbled thoughts raced through Yao Ye’s mind, until he saw the Judge lean in and softly kiss his hand.
Yao Ye’s eyes widened in shock, his face turning as red as a tomato.
“You…!”
He could distinctly feel the soft texture of the Judge’s lips, even through the bandages.
Was the Judge… smiling?
“We… are friends.”
Unlike Yao Ye’s crisp and youthful voice, the Judge’s was deep and magnetic, rich with masculinity, enough to ignite the fantasies of anyone with a penchant for such voices.
Hearing the Judge speak for the first time, Yao Ye felt a tingling sensation, goosebumps rising on his skin.
He looked at the Judge’s defined, handsome bandaged face, and the spot still seeping with blood where his eyes should be. His cheeks grew even hotter.
Why did he find this towering figure intimidating before?
He was… rather good looking, with a perfectly placed nose and eyes.
“We… are friends?”
Seeing no response from Yao Ye, the Judge softly repeated his statement, the fingers wrapped in bandages instinctively caressing Yao Ye’s slender, delicate hand.
Can we be friends this time? Can we be together forever?
We’ll never part again.
Snapping back to reality, Yao Ye looked at his hand, which was being gently massaged by the Judge. Feeling a peculiar sensation and a niggling sense of something amiss, he raised his head and replied with a smile, “Yes! We are friends! The best of friends!”
Oh, the best of friends. How wonderful.
Yao Ye’s smile was radiant, but his eyes concealed a storm of vengeance. Suppressing his excitement, he gripped the Judge’s fingers, trembling uncontrollably.
Success. Now he could finally seek revenge!
He was determined to witness the demise of those who had shackled and threatened him with knives.
The sparkle in Yao Ye’s eyes contrasted with his bright and sunny smile, which held hints of distortion and darkness, making him seem anything but innocent.
The Judge merely gazed at Yao Ye tenderly, holding Yao Ye’s hand and gently stroking his soft, fluffy hair with the other.
Even if he was tainted, it did not matter…
Seeing Yao Ye’s soul gradually become more corrupted, the Judge didn’t react as he usually would to other tainted creatures, with immediate execution. Instead, he leaned down with affection and gently nudged Yao Ye’s forehead with his own.
We’ll… always be together.
If he was corrupted due to his desire for vengeance, then he would let Yao Ye take his revenge. They would kill everyone Yao Ye hated.
The Judge naturally thought this way, discarding his previous convictions that regarded corruption as something filthy, and mutated beings as monsters to be exterminated.
Sensing that his thirst for revenge was soon to be quenched, Yao Ye became elated. After being nuzzled by the Judge a few times, he responded in kind, feeling as if he was cuddling with a giant plush toy.
“Hahaha!!”
Giggling in the Judge’s embrace, Yao Ye felt the black strands of the Judge’s hair tickling his neck.
The Judge remained on one knee, letting Yao Ye playfully wriggle in his arms.
This was wonderful; they were finally friends.
A short distance away, the ground was littered with countless limbs and corpses, emanating a pungent smell of blood. The faces of the long-dead survivors were still marked with terror, their bodies continuing to mutate.
Clearly, these spirits, who died in the shipwreck, would soon resurrect only to become one with the island’s monsters.
Many bloodthirsty creatures, intimidated by the Judge’s aura, didn’t dare approach, lingering in the shadows, salivating at the sight of the fresh flesh that was about to turn monstrous.
Yet, in a corner, Yao Ye and the Judge interacted warmly, unaffected by the surrounding gore.
While their definitions of ‘friendship’ differed, their rapport deepened, akin to long-lost friends reunited.
Yao Ye’s initial fear of the towering figure quickly crumbled. He finally, truly relaxed, even feeling a surge of exhilaration.
Elsewhere, Brother Li and his group were fleeing for their lives.
“I knew it! The Judge has long set his sights on us! Why else would he have spotted us immediately? He should be patrolling the island at this hour!”
Dollar ran swiftly, panting heavily and complaining.
The pink-haired girl, dragged by Brother Li, was clearly unhappy. “Ugh, I don’t want to run anymore! The boss didn’t even chase us. Why the rush?”
As she spoke, the pink-haired girl stopped in her tracks, pouting and stamping her foot.
“This game feels so real; I’m so tired!”
In reality, she wasn’t that exhausted since they hadn’t run far. However, she had entered the game for fun, not to constantly flee for her life.
Honestly, the accommodation was so shoddy the previous day; she might as well have spent the past couple of days shopping instead of gaming!
Earlier, Brother Li had made eye contact with the Judge, which sent chills down his spine. His mood was already foul, and hearing the pink-haired girl’s complaints, the emotions that had been building up for the past few days suddenly exploded.
“Damn it! Can’t you be a little more considerate?! Even if this mission is simple, if you die, you’ll lose a level! And that hurts, you know?!”
Brother Li was panting heavily, his face flushed with anger. He was clearly exasperated with this girl, who only seemed to cause problems and act coquettishly.
Seeing Brother Li’s outburst, Dollar and Rock could only facepalm.
Brother Li just couldn’t hold it in. He was never a patient person to begin with. He’d only pretended to be agreeable to impress the girl, but now his true nature was revealed.
The rest of the group had done their best to help him woo the girl, so they couldn’t be blamed for his inherent flaws.
The pink-haired girl was startled by Brother Li’s red-faced rage and her expression grew stern in response. Sarcastically, she snapped, “Fine, fine, I’m the one holding you guys back! If you couldn’t handle a girl playing, you should’ve said so! If you hadn’t hyped this game so much earlier, do you think I’d want to play with a loser like you? Hmph! I’m done! I’m quitting!”
Revealing her true, feisty nature, the pink-haired girl slapped Brother Li, leaving scratch marks across his face. She then fiddled with her smartwatch, trying to log out.
Seeing this, Brother Li’s expression turned awkward. He hurriedly started to placate the girl, not wanting to lose this romantic prospect he had worked so hard to woo.
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry… It was my fault… Please forgive me this once!”
After trying to appease her for a while, he noticed the pink-haired girl lifting her head, her face pale.
“What do we do? I can’t log out! The system says the instance has been sealed!”
“…There’s some unknown error!”
What?!
Everyone was taken aback.
On the other side of the island, Yao Ye was still laughing goofily with the Judge.
The Judge looked at Yao Ye, and a gentle smile appeared on his face, hidden beneath the bandages.
If Yao Ye wanted someone dead, then so be it.
Ahh they’re so cute! 🥺 I can’t wait to see more of their moments!
Thank you for the chapter~