It was dinner time, and almost all the high-end restaurants in the Imperial Capital’s central city were fully booked. However, Gu Yue managed to find one that was rumored to have good food but was located in a more secluded area. In truth, Gu Yue had his own selfish motives; only after he calmed down did he realize that chatting with Bai Yu in front of the Alliance office building earlier was a bit too inappropriate. He was a married man. He could even imagine how the Alliance tabloid headlines would read tomorrow.
But Gu Yue’s mind seemed to tell him not to worry too much about it. It was not the first time the tabloid had written baseless news. Besides, there was truly nothing between him and Bai Yu. They were neighbors, and because of what happened last night, he had taken Bai Yu home, and the man was simply thanking him by inviting him to dinner. It was nothing.
The restaurant was built along the river, and on the other side lay the political center of the Imperial Capital, full of towering buildings and bright lights. On the river, cruise ships glided back and forth, their lights reflecting on the water in a colorful display. Downstairs, there was a quiet little bar, and tourists walked along the riverbank while a wandering singer leaned against the railing and sang.
“Blue autumn, quiet riverside. Lovers’ whispers, devoted eyes.”
Bai Xinjian’s gaze seemed drawn to the singer outside the window. He rested his chin on one hand, listening quietly. When the singer reached the lyrics, “The danger of being in love, a knife at the brow, blood flowing in the heart, fearless sweetness,” he thought of something and suddenly smiled softly.
Gu Yue gave a dry cough and was just about to say something when a commotion erupted downstairs.
“It is an Unfortunate One! An Unfortunate One has broken out!”
“And a monster, a huge monster!”
“What is that thing!”
This was followed by frantic screams and the sound of dishes crashing to the floor. Gu Yue stood up abruptly.
“What happened?” Bai Xinjian stretched his neck to look out the window.
“Do not be afraid. Stay here and do not move. I will go down and see,” Gu Yue said, placing a hand on the gun at his waist before leaving the table.
“Then I will wait here for your return.”
Gu Yue left quickly and did not notice that Bai Xinjian’s tone was steady, tinged with a hint of curiosity. He was not afraid at all. He had even begun to feel a small desire to explore the Unfortunate Ones of this world. Since arriving, he had encountered them three times. Was it three times? The first was in the hospital ward, the second at home, and the third at the Jiang banquet. Each face-to-face encounter had brought Bai Xinjian a sense of pleasure.
Yes, truly pleasure. He liked watching an Unfortunate One get shot in the head, with yellow-green blood blooming like a flower before his eyes. He liked watching the monster Shen Yuhuai turn into Gu Yue and show off that dark blue eye. He liked the sensation of those two sharp fangs piercing his neck.
He remembered back in his original world, being adopted by foster parents. That summer, he was at home and cut his hand on the shards of a broken ceramic bowl. He sat on the floor, bleeding profusely, staring blankly at the wound. He did not cry or make a fuss. He did not know what fear felt like; he only knew the wound on his palm hurt. He was young and did not know how to stop the bleeding or bandage it, so he just sat there. He heard the buzzing of flies. It was summer; if trash was not thrown out, there were flies in the kitchen. That was normal.
The fly landed on Bai Xinjian’s face. Subconsciously, he tried to shoo it away with his injured hand, not noticing that the blood on his hand smeared onto his face, leaving a bright red print. Then, Chen Liyan came in. Bai Xinjian turned his head, his beautiful light brown eyes looking at her. Seeing his foster mother, he subconsciously smiled sweetly.
“Mom,” he said.
“Ah!” Chen Liyan screamed hysterically. She looked as if she had seen the most terrifying thing in the world, stumbling backward and grabbing the fruit from a basket by the kitchen door, throwing it at him one by one.
“Get away! You jinx! You devil! You are the reason our family turned out like this!”
Bai Xinjian did not understand. He stood up and tilted his head to look at her. “Mom, what is wrong?” He was so puzzled that he spoke without emotion. The drops of blood on his face, collar, and fingertips made him look more like a terrifying demon.
Chen Liyan broke down and threw the fruit knife at him. Fortunately, it was sheathed, and Bai Xinjian was only hit on the head by the handle. Covered in blood, he was kicked out of the kitchen and locked in his room. Later, he was sent to an orphanage. He had been abandoned. Even now, he did not understand why Chen Liyan was so afraid of him. Was he that scary? Just like those Unfortunate Ones.
Bai Xinjian turned back to look downstairs. Gu Yue had shot down an Unfortunate One, and the monster lay on the ground with yellow-green blood spilling from beneath it. People were fleeing everywhere. The way they looked at the Unfortunate One was just as Chen Liyan had looked at him.
Suddenly, a scream came from the restaurant floor. Turning toward the sound, he saw an Unfortunate One with twisted limbs and a strange appearance swaying toward them.
“Run! Run!”
The restaurant was in turmoil. Dishes, tables, and chairs were overturned as people scrambled to escape. Only Bai Xinjian stood where he was. He even wanted to laugh. He moved closer to the Unfortunate One, step by step, and slowly reached out a hand.
“Come here, let me see you,” he said. “Let me see if you will bloom a flower for me when I pierce your neck with a sharp blade.”
He grabbed a butter knife that some guest had left on the table. The Unfortunate One was mindless. Seeing only Bai Xinjian walking toward it, it lunged at him.
“Ah! An Unfortunate One is killing people!” someone screamed.
Suddenly, Bai Xinjian felt a tightness around his waist. Something wrapped around him, pulling him back several meters.
“A monster! It is a monster!” someone nearby stammered.
Bai Xinjian looked back and realized that what had appeared beside him was indeed a monster. A huge black mist shrouded the monster’s body. He could not see the creature’s true form, only feeling that the thing wrapped around his waist was slimy and slippery, with circular, soft objects, holes in the middle, like suckers.
“0048?” Bai Xinjian only now remembered he had a system. He wanted to ask what this was, but 0048 did not respond. Was it malfunctioning? Or offline again? Bai Xinjian was confused.
“Roar,” Bai Xinjian heard a low growl from the monster beside him. Then, he saw a dark blue eye appear in the dense black mist circling the monster.
“?” Why did this eye look so familiar?
“General Shen?” Bai Xinjian asked.
The monster’s throat emitted a low, meaningless rumble.
“You should go,” Bai Xinjian said. “The Alliance must be looking for you. You should not be out here. If people find out you have become a monster, an Unfortunate One, the entire Alliance will fall into panic.”
The monster’s form kept changing. A face with distorted features appeared in the black mist. It looked like Shen Yuhuai one moment, Claude the next, and Gu Yue the moment after. It even looked a bit like the Unfortunate One that Su Qin had shot when Bai Xinjian first arrived in this world.
Bai Xinjian laughed. “I know they are all you.”
The monster let out another terrifying growl. A slimy tentacle stretched out from the black mist, covered in dense suckers, but its softest tip curled up like a kitten’s tail, brushing against Bai Xinjian’s waist. It reminded Bai Xinjian of the stray cats he used to feed.
Bai Xinjian, “…”
“Go,” he said. “Or do you want to devour the world right now?”
The monster did not understand what he meant. Suddenly, footsteps approached from afar, followed by Gu Yue’s voice, “Bai Yu, are you here?”
“Run,” Bai Xinjian reminded the monster. “The Alliance is coming to catch you.”
The monster turned into black mist and vanished into thin air. Immediately after, 0048’s voice returned, “Jianjian, can you hear me? I just went offline.”
“I hear you,” Bai Xinjian replied.
Gu Yue ran over. “Bai Yu, are you okay? People in the restaurant said you were taken by a monster. I have notified the military to borrow troops. What appeared just now was likely a new type of Unfortunate One. Are you alright?”
Bai Xinjian looked down and checked himself. “I seem to be fine. The monster was scared off when it heard your voice.” He looked up and smiled slightly at Gu Yue.
Gu Yue was stunned for a moment. “It is good that you are okay.”
“I am still a little scared,” Bai Xinjian seemed to remember he should act afraid now, or it would be too strange. Tears welled up in his eyes instantly. “I thought I would never see you again.”
Gu Yue’s face flushed; he was at a loss. Bai Xinjian leaned toward him, lightly tugging at the corner of Gu Yue’s clothes. Gu Yue patted his shoulder awkwardly. “It is okay. Let me take you home.”
Warm liquid soaked his shirt. Gu Yue realized they were tears of fear and helplessness from the person in front of him. He involuntarily reached out and wrapped his arms around the other man’s shoulders.
[Good, just like that!] 0048 exclaimed excitedly. [The time is ripe; find an opportunity tonight to input the censored words!]
Bai Xinjian, “…”
He felt it was a bad idea, because he felt a small tentacle with suckers slowly wrap around his right index finger. The monster had not left; in fact, it had clung to him.