In the cell, Jing Ci stopped himself from throwing the phone.
He got up and approached the bars of his cell with long strides, wrapping his hands around the cold metal and banging his head against them. He started pacing up and down, eyes glowering ferociously at the shackles around his hands.
It had been years already, but for the first time the desire to get out was running wild inside him.
Ming Liang came quickly. He was smiling broadly, a stark contrast to the darkness on Jing Ci’s face. The professor was quite happy with this sudden change in behavior.
“You’re irritated”, he stated, eyes roaming over Jing Ci. “Why?”
Jing Ci went as close to the professor as he could. “Is it possible to get a backup of an AI?”
“You mean the type we talked about the last time? The one with emotions? No, it’s impossible. They can’t be transferred or copied. Don’t you know about the restrictions?”
“Don’t joke with me. I’m not talking about legal means.”
The professor laughed, rubbing his chin. “Is that so? I have to disappoint you. The firewall gets updated regularly. If you want to create a copy or backup, you’d need an AI that hasn’t accessed the internet for a long time and an active hacker. They’d have to do their thing immediately, otherwise you can’t crack it. And from the looks of it… You’re talking about an AI that’s already gone. That one is lost forever.”
Jing Ci gnashed his teeth.
Lost forever…
They had to win the next game and he had to convince the Gamblers somehow. River’s state was worrying and he had no idea how long he could handle it.
What to take care of first? The addiction? ShuShu? What if they lost the game, or if there was something else they needed to ask for? How could he support River, when the other was so far away from him?
Jing Ci swallowed heavily.
He was worried. He was genuinely worried.
He didn’t care about labeling his exact feelings for River – they were whatever they were and he’d do whatever he felt like doing, but what he knew for sure was that he hated seeing River so broken.
He didn’t just want River to get better, he wanted to help him. He didn’t want to watch and wait for someone else to help the guy.
But he himself was… completely helpless.
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.
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Ming Liang was a devil.
He whispered, seductively… bewitching, temping, fishing for Jing Ci’s desires and weaknesses.
“Are you sure you don’t want me to bring your partner to you? I’d prepare a special place for you, so that you can visit each other at any time. Wouldn’t it be nice?” He smiled so peacefully, as if it was only goodwill speaking. “They could live here peacefully. No experiments, nothing. Just live here with you…”
“You’ll break him.” Jing Ci snarled like a wild animal.
“Him?” Ming Liang’s smile grew wider. The prisoner flinched, realizing he had misspoken. “Him. I see. Are you sure you don’t want him with you here?”
Silence.
“Did you know that there’s someone investigating you? A man, asking around for information about a male with shackles in his wrists. I wonder, if I follow the threads of who I know was in a dream with you… Will I find your partner?”
“Keep your hands off him!” Jing Ci suddenly moved, trying to reach for Ming Liang but failing. The chain went taut, pain shooting through his wrist and all the way up to the shoulder. “I swear, if you touch a single hair on his head, I will find a way to kill you! Ming Liang, don’t challenge me!”
“I can promise you he will be safe here, not a prisoner like you.” The professor was completely at ease, vanishing up the stairs. “Just think about it.”
Jing Ci stepped back and retreated into the bathroom, for the exact same reason that River had done it. A feeling of privacy.
He didn’t want to show it in front of the professor, but his resolution was wavering.
Away from the world out there…
It was a promise easily broken, not to mention that Jing Ci had zero possibility of assuring that Ming Liang kept it in the first place. But if he did, would River have it better down here?
If there were no experiments, if he could just live here silently…
Jing Ci shook his head violently.
A world underground, caved in. The weight of the walls and ceiling pressing down on him, no natural light, no sky. No freedom to walk.
A prison.
He repeated it over and over again in his head, that this was a prison, that this place wouldn’t do River any better than his current home did. From the fire into the frying pan, it really wasn’t a good idea.
Hopefully Ming Liang would never find him. River’s parents, those bastards, they’d probably sell their son off to him happily. This was the one place you could sell a person to that’d ensure they’d never again return to the surface.
“How can we live?”, he mumbled to himself, spontaneously deciding to fill up the bath. The sound of running water reminded him of River, and so he kept his phone close, waiting for a message. “If I was out there with you… Would you feel better? Could I lend you a shoulder to lean on?”
Jing Ci stripped down and entered the warm water.
He liked baths a lot. They were warm and gentle, like a hug. Next time he met River, he definitely had to hug him and see if it really felt the same.
Soon, his phone vibrated. Aspen almost got it wet when he frantically grabbed it, hurrying to check the message.
【River】
– I took the shower. I’ll go to sleep now.
– Thank you for being there for me.
Aspen’s eyes burned. What a weird relationship they had – incredibly close, but also incredibly far apart.
【Aspen】
– Just call me when something else is up. Good night!
【River】
– Good night.
He put the phone back to the side and sunk into the water, holding his breath. The warm water capsuled him in, making all sounds dull.
The Gamblers… he didn’t know what their race was like. It was hard, trying to gauge how much freedom he had in interacting with them before they got angry at him. Currently, they appeared childish and playful and quite willing to support their favorite chess pieces.
How much could he ask for? If he asked them to allow him a life outside, would they be able to do it?
Ah, but as River had said, that would include all the follow-ups of changing his identity. Maybe something else? Maybe switching bodies with someone?
He needed… he needed to get out and get to River. For himself.
Under the water, Jing Ci blew out his breath in bubbles that tickled his face as they were pulled to the surface.
A new body.
Yes…
That sounded good.
First, he’d ensure that River’s situation was more stable. Get ShuShu back, or maybe do something about his family. Then they’d get a new body for him, and he could be responsible for helping River out of there.
Legally, of course.
He’d need a body with a high-class identity, higher than River’s family.
This would probably take a couple of games, but Jing Ci wasn’t worried. He smiled beneath the water and slowly pushed his head back up to breathe.
What was a game or two more?
He’d use them to gain his freedom, and in turn help River gain happiness.
It would almost be a bit of a…
…courting gift.
Author’s Note
Happy Halloween!
Thanks for the chapter! I like that Aspen is working his way to freedom and helping River ! I hope all the best for his plan !
Happy Halloween!!! I like this possessive side of Aspen. Do your best to save your prince XD.
Thanks for this chapter!
Happy hollows day/all saints day.
Really love that he is planning for a better life.
I really dislike that psychiatrists/doctor, he is creepier and scarier than a killer and a sociopath….
i love them both so much omg please please give them the happiness they both deserve
Yes Aspen you gotta think make plan .!! Save River!!
Thank you for the chapter!