Bai Yu followed Long Chixuan back into the town, his mood exceptionally heavy.
First, he had to take the risk of entering the town under the alias of a wanted fugitive; second, there was the matter of the Tiangou that the mysterious man had told him about.
Compared to his own situation, he seemed even more anxious about the impending full-scale offensive of the Tiangou.
The mere thought of so many innocent citizens falling victim to swarms of mutated creatures, alongside the Ling infection mutations brought by them, tightened his heartstrings even further.
He had no idea why he cared so deeply about the lives of people in this world. Perhaps it was a sense of shared misery, but it also seemed as though some consciousness in the dark was interfering with him, making him place extraordinary importance on everything within this dreamscape world.
Deep in thought, Bai Yu remained completely baffled.
Moreover, the fact that he had transmigrated into this dreamscape world was itself a mystery. He had already tried his absolute best to suppress his curiosity about unraveling these puzzles so that he could maintain a calm and rational state to handle everything yet to come.
The two soon reached the south gate of South Village Town. A makeshift yet sturdy iron gate had been erected there, fitted with a slightly worn mobile turnstile. The surrounding area was fortified with twisted, barbed wire fences already spotted with rust. Patches of fur and dried, viscous matter could faintly be seen clinging to the barbs. A metallic, rust-heavy odor filled the air, mingling with an unpleasant scent of disinfectant. Two frontline mercenaries in camouflage uniforms were pacing back and forth in front of the turnstile with furrowed brows and grim, vigilant expressions.
Seeing the town locals, Bai Yu’s nervous state instantly materialized into a physical sensation, a wave of weak, sour tingles shooting through his body.
Despite possessing powerful abilities now, he still harbored a guilty conscience, terrified that the townspeople might discover he was both an unregistered person and an ability user.
He had no desire to court trouble at the moment; his sole objective was to keep a low profile and follow this mysterious man to settle his identity status.
Arriving at the entrance, the two of them were predictably stopped by the guards on duty.
Bai Yu’s breath hitched instantly, and he couldn’t help glancing at Long Chixuan, whose expression remained entirely composed.
Yet Long Chixuan merely shot him a look with a faint smile in his eyes, then stepped forward to converse with the two approaching frontline mercenaries.
The other man’s smile left Bai Yu momentarily dazed. It took him a full second to react, still finding it difficult to adapt to this mysterious man’s shifting demeanor.
The sharp, piercing gaze the man had previously directed at him had transformed into a smiling, fathomless depth, resembling a heavy pool of dark water whose bottom was entirely impossible to fathom.
His gaze followed Long Chixuan closely as the man exchanged a few brief words with the two guards, then raised his wrist to tap his holographic bracelet. A holographic projection popped up, and when brought close to the frontline mercenary’s holographic bracelet, it gave a soft beep. Immediately afterward, the mercenary stepped aside, proactively opening the turnstile to let them through.
Bai Yu kept his eyes fixed on Long Chixuan’s holographic bracelet, feeling somewhat dazed as he walked through the turnstile.
The man hadn’t used some kind of universal pass to get through; he had simply paid a one-time gate fee.
A silence fell over him as he realized that the town had become impoverished to such an extent that it had to resort to collecting gate fees to raise funds. Of course, such petty cash wouldn’t amount to much, especially since mutated creatures were swarming outside and danger lurked everywhere. People avoided traveling outward as much as possible, so nobody would typically pass through this gate. The frontline mercenaries stationed here served a defensive purpose first and foremost.
However, Bai Yu’s thoughts quickly drifted elsewhere.
The two guards hadn’t recognized him, which meant the town’s wanted notice hadn’t scaled up to a widespread manhunt yet. He guessed that the chaos caused by the invading mutated creatures had left those people with no spare bandwidth to track him down.
Long Chixuan walked forward at a steady pace, and Bai Yu silently followed behind, keeping a watchful eye on his surroundings.
He discovered that after awakening his abilities, his perception of everything around him had become exceptionally sharp and clear, allowing him to easily achieve all-seeing vision and all-hearing awareness.
Absorbing all the surrounding information as if in total control of his environment, Bai Yu felt his tension ease up slightly.
After walking along the main road for nearly half an hour, Long Chixuan led Bai Yu into a small alley and continued straight down it. Glancing around, Bai Yu found the damp, gloomy atmosphere of the alleyway enough to make his brows knit together.
Emerging from the alley, they stepped onto a slightly wider street lined with storefronts pressed closely against one another. The shop name plaques were somewhat aged, suffused with the yellowish patina of time, though most of the shops were closed. Only a sparse few merchants kept their doors open, mostly selling food. Very few people roamed the street, and virtually no customers walked into the shops, leaving the store owners sitting idly at their entrances, swiping through holographic displays out of boredom.
Taking in this desolate scene, Bai Yu’s mood grew even heavier. It seemed the town’s situation was far more severe than he had imagined, causing him to halt his steps as an unprovoked, dull ache spread through his chest.
“On the second day after you vanished, a pack of Taifeng suddenly attacked from the sewers on the northern side, slaughtering quite a few people. It took them several hours to wipe out those mutated creatures, and the past few days have been spent purifying the Ling contamination. Things only started wrapping up yesterday, which is why today feels relatively quiet.”
A magnetic, gentle voice suddenly broke the silence beside his ear, leaving Bai Yu momentarily stunned before he snapped his gaze toward the man beside him.
The man had also stopped walking and turned to face him. Those deep, fathomless eyes rested calmly upon him, yet paired with that unhurried voice, even his gaze seemed tender.
Bai Yu was dumbfounded, staring at Long Chixuan without even remembering to blink. How on earth could this man change his speaking voice as well?
Along the way, they had maintained absolute silence, speaking only when Long Chixuan casually exchanged a couple of sentences with the frontline mercenaries at the gate—nothing like this gentle tone.
Was this gentle and dangerous persona his true face, or was that cold and overbearing demeanor his real self?
“You…” He couldn’t help speaking up, his brows furrowing tightly, though words failed him as he wondered what to say.
Yet Long Chixuan merely gave him a deep look, withholding further explanation as he simply said, “What do you want to eat? My treat.”
Hearing this, Bai Yu was taken aback. This mysterious man had brought him to this street simply to get food? He had assumed the man was bringing him here to forge relevant identification papers.
Perhaps sensing that the astonishment on Bai Yu’s face was a bit too obvious, Long Chixuan let out a soft laugh and remarked meaningfully, “I haven’t eaten all morning. After all, not everyone possesses an ability like yours.”
Bai Yu failed to process it for a moment, staring blankly at Long Chixuan. However, the man quickly turned back around and continued walking forward, only to turn down a direction a dozen steps later and step directly into a nearby steamed-dish restaurant with the air of a seasoned regular. Upon entering, he directly rattled off several signature dishes to the proprietor.
Only then did Bai Yu fully snap out of it. He instinctively followed him inside the shop, his mind replaying the sentence the mysterious man had just uttered.
The guy was clearly taking a subtle jab at him, implying that with his ability to vanish and return with a fully healed body, he didn’t even need to eat anything at all.
Thinking of this, Bai Yu suddenly felt a surge of frustration in his chest. This mysterious man was truly infuriating! If he didn’t want to believe the lie he told earlier, there was no need to resort to passive-aggressive sarcasm.
Still, those emotions were quickly suppressed. He walked over to the table where Long Chixuan had seated himself, sat down right beside him, fixed his gaze intently on him, and asked, “Um, have your injuries fully recovered? You looked pretty badly hurt back then.”
When the man had collapsed before him, he had reeked entirely of blood. During the battle, he had witnessed the man cough up blood with his own eyes and slip into a semi-conscious state. To claim his injuries weren’t severe would be a complete joke.
Yet the moment the question left his mouth, Bai Yu immediately felt rather foolish. This alien world possessed “magic” like healing abilities, not to mention an endless array of medical robots and healing potions. This mysterious man’s injuries should heal rapidly; otherwise, he wouldn’t be sitting here looking so calm, relaxed, and at ease.
Long Chixuan looked at Bai Yu, narrowing his eyes slightly with a hint of amusement in his gaze. “Are you worried about me?”
Bai Yu froze, nodding instinctively before hurriedly correcting himself: “I was just asking a rhetorical question. Buying some healing medicine anywhere should clear it right up.”
Long Chixuan’s smile only deepened. After giving Bai Yu a quick once-over, he shifted the topic: “What would you like to eat? Don’t hold back.”
Bai Yu shook his head. “I’m not picky.”
Long Chixuan gave a slight nod. “Then I’ll order a couple more dishes. I have no idea what your appetite is.” With that, he called out to the proprietor and directly added two more dishes to the order.
Bai Yu froze once again, a wave of internal muttering welling up inside him. The guy had just taken a jab at him for supposedly not needing food thanks to his abilities, yet a second later he was worrying about his appetite—what a contradictory and inscrutable person.
After a moment of silence, Bai Yu decided to voice the question that had been weighing on his mind.
“Say, why did you suddenly appear outside the testing station back then?” he asked hesitantly, a tinge of nervousness creeping into his tone.
Long Chixuan appeared completely unruffled, as if he had anticipated that Bai Yu would ask this very question, showing zero surprise.
Instead of answering right away, he took off his hood, reached out to pick up a hot teapot the store owner’s wife had just brought over to the table, and grabbed a teacup to scald it. Pouring the rinse water into the trash bin under the table, he leisurely poured a fresh cup of tea and pushed it across the table toward Bai Yu.
Bai Yu kept his eyes fixed on Long Chixuan the entire time. Watching the man remove his hood revealed a head of ink-black hair, which made his skin look even fairer by contrast. The hands he extended were slender and bony, pale enough to reveal faint purplish veins. Despite being such a formidable individual, he somehow exuded an aura of fragility.
For a brief moment, Bai Yu zoned out, staring purely at the man’s hands until a pale-green ceramic teacup appeared before him, held by fingers with pale white tips and faintly pale, grayish nails.
Looking at those hands, Bai Yu involuntarily drew a mental parallel to his own sickly self, confined to a hospital bed. He quickly yanked his gaze back to look at Long Chixuan, who was gazing at him with a gentle expression, and asked instinctively, “Are your injuries really not healed yet?”
Hearing this, Long Chixuan looked slightly surprised. “What makes you say that? Do I look like a wounded man to you?”
A hint of teasing even surfaced in his eyes, as if he were mocking Bai Yu for talking nonsense with a straight face.
Bai Yu froze once more. Realizing what he had just blurted out, a wave of annoyance washed over him.
Why on earth did he assume this mysterious man was still injured? The guy possessed a commanding aura, moved with unhurried leisure, and even poured tea with graceful composure—not a trace of an invalid’s anxiety or worry in sight.
His expression chilled instantly, returning to its usual cold and aloof state as he let out a heavy internal sigh.
He was simply projecting his own anxieties. Just because his own body felt slightly off, he was automatically assuming everyone else suffered from some incurable terminal illness.
He silently took the teacup handed over by Long Chixuan. The ceramic surface was smooth and radiating a faint warmth. As he rubbed his fingertips along the rim, he said, “Never mind, I’m just talking nonsense again.”
Watching Bai Yu’s slightly gloomy expression, Long Chixuan masked the shifting emotions in his heart and let out a soft chuckle. “I’ll just take that as you caring about me. Nothing to beat yourself up over.”
Bai Yu curled his lips, noncommittal.
After a brief pause, Long Chixuan added, “I was just passing by by coincidence.” He fully answered the question Bai Yu had asked earlier.
Bai Yu was utterly skeptical. Just passing by by coincidence? Really? How could things be that coincidental?
He knitted his brows, fell silent for a moment, and pressed further: “Did you wait right at the spot where I vanished until I reappeared?”
At this, Long Chixuan’s action of rinsing the teacup paused for a fraction of a second, though he immediately resumed his normal rhythm, dumped the rinse water into the trash bin, filled his own cup, set down the hot teapot, and grazed his fingertips along the warm rim of his cup.
“I really was just passing by,” he replied.
Bai Yu couldn’t help widening his eyes slightly. Just passing by? Who was he trying to fool—a three-year-old child?! Once might be a coincidence, but twice?!
He figured this mysterious man had already caught onto his secret. With the guy’s intellect, he had probably deduced everything he could, missing only the final piece of evidence to confirm and accept it.
Perhaps the reason the man was helping him wasn’t simply out of gratitude for saving his life; it was likely a form of surveillance as well.
After all, an outsider like him, suddenly appearing in this world with such formidable abilities, represented an absolute threat. Anyone in his shoes would remain wary and suspicious from the start.
Yet despite realizing all this, Bai Yu could only let out a few heavy inward sighs. He had no choice but to rely on this mysterious man right now—what else could he do?
Even if he wanted to distance himself from the guy, he had to get his legal identification sorted out first.
Even if the man had dug a pit for him, he lacked the leverage to fight back. Troublesome indeed.
Noticing the contemplative look on Bai Yu’s face, Long Chixuan lowered his eyelids slightly, his thoughts swirling internally.
In truth, he had no idea why he had kept waiting there; his body had simply moved on its own accord. And this very impulse was what drove him to maintain his entanglement with Bai Yu. A stranger, regardless of whether they were dangerous or possessed an unknown background, wouldn’t ordinarily capture his attention, but this man was truly too special.
He could afford to ignore someone from another world, yet he found himself compelled to investigate the background of an entity capable of resisting his thought-synchronization ability.
Subduing his thoughts, Long Chixuan let out another soft laugh, looked at Bai Yu, and prompted, “Have a sip of water.”
With that, he raised a hand to hook the edge of his face covering, gently pulling it downward to reveal the half of his face that had been concealed.
Bai Yu snapped back to attention at the reminder. At the sight of the other’s action, his eyes widened in initial astonishment, followed by a surge of even greater shock within his heart.
The pale, handsome face was now fully exposed—neither overly rugged nor overly delicate, with every contour proportioned to absolute perfection. A high bridge of the nose, smooth cheeks, and thin lips radiating a pale reddish luster, paired with an aura of gentle harmlessness that matched his speaking voice entirely.
It was an impeccably handsome face. Bai Yu was momentarily struck dumb, though an untimely thought echoed in his mind: this face hadn’t even reached its peak state of absolute, breathtaking beauty.
However, that wasn’t the core reason for Bai Yu’s shock. The moment he laid eyes on this face, the vague, blurry impression of the powerful black-haired, red-eyed figure from his dreams instantly snapped into sharp focus.
He had always had a gut feeling that there was a connection between the two, and now he had his answer.
They looked virtually identical.
No wonder he had always felt a sense of familiarity upon meeting this mysterious man, even harboring an instinctive affinity toward him.
If that was the case, were those previous dreams instances of him transmigrating into this ability world multiple times in the past, or were they precognitive reflections of future events occurring before his transmigrations?
And that powerful figure from the dream—did he become entwined with the Taboo Cult and the Dragon Lord in reality due to the words he had written in that brick-thick book after losing his memories?
Could this mysterious man be that Dragon Lord?
What sort of connection did this man share with the real world?
And what about the reason for his transmigration into this dreamscape world—could it be related to him as well?
Bai Yu felt as though the mysteries were snowballing like a giant rolling boulder.
Originally, he couldn’t figure this mysterious man named Phil out at all; now, the newly acquired information only added insult to injury for his already murky situation.
Struck by a sudden flurry of questions, Bai Yu fell into a dazed silence. Yet to an outsider, it looked as though he had lost his usual calm and rationality upon gazing at Long Chixuan’s peerlessly handsome visage, his cold and aloof face twisting into a rather bizarre expression.
Seeing Bai Yu like this, Long Chixuan lowered his eyelids to conceal his emotions, then lifted his gaze to study Bai Yu once more with an obscure, heavy look. After all, based on his impression, the other man wasn’t the type to be shallowly distracted by physical appearances.
Yet after a brief moment, amusement bloomed in his eyes, and the corners of his mouth curved upward slightly.
“Do you like what you see?” he asked, a teasing undertone threading through his voice.
Hearing this, Bai Yu snapped instantly out of his trance. His pupils shrank as he violently came to his senses and realized how unglued he had looked just now.
Judging by the man’s attitude, he clearly mistook his daze for being spellbound by his face. How ridiculous!
Of course, he had to admit that the guy possessed the capital of a beauty capable of leaving people in a daze. Wearing a face covering probably served precisely to avoid this exact kind of trouble.
Still, there was no way in hell he was going to admit it.
He quickly reined in his emotions, resuming his cold and aloof facade as he picked up the teacup with effortless poise and took a sip to moisten his throat.
Yet the moment the tea hit his tongue, Bai Yu nearly broke character and spat it right out.
What the hell?! Why is this tea so bitter?!
His expression distorted instantly. Enduring the bitterness, he forcefully swallowed the tea and bobbed his throat heavily before speaking in a slightly strained tone: “What kind of tea is this? Why is it so… uniquely flavored?”
Watching Bai Yu struggle to maintain his calm and collected composure, the amused curve of Long Chixuan’s mouth deepened as he said in a deep, mellow voice, “Apologies, I forgot to warn you. Although this bitter tea has the effect of preventing Ling infection, not just anyone can stomach it.”
Hearing this, Bai Yu froze, belatedly realizing that he had perhaps been played by this mysterious man once again.
The guy clearly knew he was an outsider, yet not only did he play dumb and talk in such a righteous tone, but he had actively handed him the cup in the first place!
Despicable!
Yet what could he possibly do about it? He just had to swallow this loss—and this tea—down his throat while enduring the explosion of bitterness blooming wildly across his tongue.
Still, how on earth could this mysterious man drink this stuff with a completely straight face? Did the guy lack taste buds or something?!