Their sponsor sat under dazzling lights, his eyes cold and somber. Clad in a black skull-printed T-shirt, he looked like a young grim reaper.
“While we’re talking, another floating engine in the Ninth City has failed. It was just a private garden, but they turned it into a paradise for the gods, indulging in ‘hunting mortals’ for fun,” said Minkov Jr. “The Floating Gold Group has already strengthened the defenses of floating engines everywhere to ensure that no major incidents occur before their god-making marketing ends, while still maintaining an atmosphere of conflict.”
With a cold smile tugging at his mouth, he continued, “They think they know what they’re playing with.”
Xia Tian and Bai Jingan walked into the orange-red light and sat down opposite him, their movements steady and without hesitation.
Xia Tian asked, “How do we play this big game?”
Minkov Jr. tilted his head and looked at the corner of the seating area.
“You should first meet Ms. Tian Xiaoluo,” he said, “the admin of the God of War Temple.”
The other two turned to look. If it hadn’t been for Minkov Jr. mentioning it, they wouldn’t have noticed anyone sitting there at all. She was curled up in the shadowiest corner of the party hall, completely swallowed by rows of empty seats. She had two braids and a sweet look that was artificially crafted by the Upper City.
Her gaze darted between Xia Tian and Bai Jingan, hsr eyes burning with flames of war. She was surrounded by countless tiny flickering displays. She was simultaneously adjusting floating screens and conducting process communications, her fingers moving steadily and skillfully. She was clearly a top-tier hacker.
She tilted her head to listen, quickly glanced at the sofa, and said, “Dilan says ‘Thanks.’”
Bai Jingan immediately realized who she was referring to—the real culprit in the He Dingliu case.
During his time at the police station, he had searched for information about Ms. Dilan and learned that she was one of the world’s top hackers. She came from the Ministry of Defense and previously worked as a member of Xingtian Group’s program development department.
About three years ago, Xingtian Group had released the Ghost Song III virus in its own office building for a contract.
This virus was a patched zombie-like virus. Those infected not only turn into zombies but also emit ghostly cries that are hauntingly sharp, like a nightmare. Floating Gold Television took the opportunity to revel in the chaos.
The death toll of this “incident” had exceeded two hundred, including several programmers who’d accidentally appeared in the area. They were all members of Dilan’s team, personally selected by her.
Xingtian Group publicly claimed that the incident was a case of commercial espionage, pinning the blame on several deceased programmers and refusing to pay compensation.
After a flurry of sensational reporting, hype and tearful public outcry, the media’s attention shifted entirely to the 197th Killing Show, and the incident faded from public view.
Looking back now, the ending of this matter was a happy one for everyone: Ghost Song III of the Genetic Department of Xingtian Group was favored by Floating Gold TV Station, which paid a high price to buy it and put it into use in the 198th Killing Show. Bai Jingan had seen the shadow of this virus in the second round of the 199th as well.
for which they hadn’t even paid compensation
Everyone made a profit out of the incident. Xingtian Group, aside from the unexpected deaths of several programmers—for which they didn’t even pay compensation—suffered no significant losses.
Of course, over two hundred lower-level security guards also died, but for a large corporation like Xingtian Group, such a minor incident was hardly worth mentioning.
Bai Jingan could easily see through this charade—it was just a product effect demonstration to pressure the other party’s legal team into accepting the desired price. Plus, smearing the dead to save money.
In the Upper City, this was a textbook routine, all too common.
However, this didn’t mean everyone was satisfied. He searched the internet and found a video buried deep in the search results. Gone was the confident woman with the silicon studs. In the video, she looked haggard as she shouted at the CEO of Xingtian Group without any regard for her image, “You’ll pay for this!”
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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And by now, all her crimes had been pinned on the rebels.
Of course, it had to be the rebels. Who else would have the patience, ruthlessness, and determination to kill such a prominent figure?
The murderer, however, was still at large. Bai Jingan was sure she wouldn’t stop.
“You’re welcome,” Bai Jingan said to Tian Xiaoluo.
“We are happy to help,” Xia Tian added his two cents.
Around them, the hall was decorated with the logo of the rebel army, though they had nothing to do with the rebels. Honestly, who would design a logo for a riot? It was probably made by some journalist from the Upper City.
But it didn’t matter who made it. Beliefs need a vessel to be carried in, to know where to start burning.
“Floating City is a behemoth nurtured by money. It has no reason, conscience, or heart,” Mingkov Jr. said. “It only grows blindly.”
He leaned back on the sofa with an expression as if he were talking about a monster-slaying game.
“Destroying any one part of it doesn’t mean anything,” he said. “But if you make it expand rapidly, like a balloon, eventually—”
He spread his hands apart, making a larger and larger shape.
“Boom!”
Bai Jingan and Xia Tian had recently discussed “playing a big game.”
He knew that Upper City was burdened with mountains of rotten corpses and ghosts, and they would soon be among them. But they wouldn’t walk into hell willingly. Even in death, they would tear a piece from that vast darkness and drag it into the incinerator.
They discussed their plans, adjusted their direction, and filled in the details. Bai Jingan calculated the odds—not of surviving, but of how much damage they could inflict on this hell.
They were going to make a big noise for those bastards. He liked making a big noise.
And no matter what, he and Xia Tian would be together this time.
Bai Jingan and Xia Tian were busy all day and didn’t get back to their house until midnight.
He was exhausted. After a shower, he collapsed onto the bed, unable to get up again. The company seemed intent on squeezing every bit of commercial value out of them in their remaining time.
He drifted off to sleep and had a dream.
He dreamt of the Lower City. Though he couldn’t clearly see the surroundings, he was certain that it was the Lower City.
It had to be from when he was very young. The steel sky pressed overhead, but a fierce fire burned in his chest. This flame made him feel safe. He was young and ready to do something great at any moment.
But in the dream, he was kissing someone.
It was a playful kiss. The other person bit his tongue and he bit back, their lips and tongues intertwined. They were very relaxed, and played like this slowly for a long time.
The other person’s lips and tongue had a sweet taste, something he couldn’t quite place, but it made him want more.
He ran a hand through the other person’s long hair, before pulling the person and deepening the kiss. The other person’s breathing quickened. The kiss was like a fuse, igniting a greater fire within—
He suddenly realized what that sweet taste was from.
Fruit candies.
Xia Tian!
Bai Jingan jolted awake.
He lay on the bed, his heart beating fast, the feeling of being… aroused in the dream still remained in his body.
He took a deep breath, trying to sweep the dream out of his mind, along with the image of that face he saw for a brief moment when he pulled back in panic: his comrade, hair loose, lips slightly parted, eyes almost black, burning with desire. A look that made you want to do anything to satisfy him, whether it meant destroying the world or something else…
Enough, he told himself. Now was not the time to think about this. He should never think about this again.
He still couldn’t recall the Guest Show without feeling extreme humiliation and rage. But he could never forget how Xia Tian’s kisses felt—sweet, like the taste of that orange fruit candy he had once eaten.
Some part of his brain must have foolishly thought that if one day Xia Tian was relaxed, happy, and truly wanted it, then kissing him would be like this.
Lazy, comfortable, relaxed, playful, and mixed with biting…
He sat up with a cold expression. It was very dark around him, the sky in the upper city had clouded over, and only the intricate neon lights were illuminating the dark city.
He took another deep breath and got out of bed.
Since he couldn’t sleep anyway, he might as well have a drink.
This house was a dark behemoth, but lightning-shaped nightlights were everywhere, illuminating small areas.
Bai Jingan went to the living room, where a wall of the cabinet was filled with bottles, their colors glowing under the lights.
At that moment, he realized he wasn’t alone.
He turned his head and saw Xia Tian leaning in a corner of the sofa, long legs resting on the table edge, holding a bottle and watching him.
Bai Jingan stayed still for a few seconds, making sure he was calm, before he walked towards Xia Tian and said, “Can’t sleep?”
Xia Tian responded with a grunt and passed the bottle to him. Bai Jingan took it, had a sip, and found the drink quite strong. He sat down next to him and handed the bottle back.
Xia Tian was wearing a tight-fitting black T-shirt and loose pants. He was barefoot and had his hair down. In the darkness, he resembled a lazy yet dangerously seductive wild animal.
Bai Jingan looked away. Now was not the time to look at him like that.
They sat at opposite ends of the sofa, passing the bottle back and forth in silence.
This was a rhythm they were extremely familiar with, Bai Jingan thought. He would control his urges. He could always control it.
Bai Jingan didn’t remember when he fell asleep. His body hadn’t fully recovered since that incident, and he always felt tired.
When he groggily woke up, he found himself lying on the sofa, his head resting on Xia Tian’s legs.
It was still dark. His mind was blank… He guessed he must have leaned against Xia Tian’s shoulder halfway through drinking, and then slid down onto his lap and drifted off to sleep.
Xia Tian hadn’t moved, letting him lie there. Bai Jingan knew he should sit up, apologize, and keep his distance. He shouldn’t get this close to him. After all, people always make mistakes when they are too relaxed.
But he couldn’t bring himself to move. Although he knew that disaster was looming, he stubbornly felt that this place was warm and safe. This yearning for warmth and safety burning in his heart came from times past. That version of him was unfamiliar yet stubborn, naive, passionate, and unrealistic.
At that moment, he felt Xia Tian reach out and gently touch his hair.
Bai Jingan almost stopped breathing. He tried to remain steady, pretending to be asleep. Xia Tian’s movements were incredibly gentle as he carefully smoothed his hair.
All of Bai Jingan’s senses focused on the spot where Xia Tian was touching. He slowed his breathing and kept his eyes closed, knowing that any movement would shatter this warmth.
His cold limbs and bones warmed up, as if Xia Tian was touching not just his hair but a deep part of his heart. This warmth was too precious, unable to survive in the hellish world outside, existing only as a tiny flickering flame in the darkness.
For a moment, Bai Jingan wanted to reach out and grasp that thing that only existed in his dream… It was small bit of perfection and safety, right there, resting on his hair.
If he moved quickly enough, he could grab his hand—
Just then, Xia Tian’s phone rang.
The cheerful ringtone shattered the dream instantly, and they both fell back into reality.
Xia Tian quickly withdrew his hand, as if caught doing something wrong—he was never this nervous even when actually doing something wrong. His entire body stiffened. Bai Jingan nearly cursed out loud, feeling a sudden, inexplicable anger that came from the old self in his dream.
But he controlled his emotions and pretended to just wake up.
Xia Tian raised his hand to check his phone. It was a high-priority message. Seeing that Bai Jingan was awake, he shifted uncomfortably and moved a bit away.
Bai Jingan stared at him while he looked down at his phone.
“Qiao Ge,” Xia Tian said, frowning, “wants us to meet him immediately. Something’s happened.”
oh boy