Chapter 2: The Opening Move

Chapter 2: The Opening Move

The man behind him sighed softly, "You're much smarter than Jiang Boyun."

The man slowly lifted his head from the shadows, revealing a chiseled face illuminated by the light. His complexion was unusually pale, with elegant and noble features that were strikingly beautiful. However, a dark scar ran from his right temple all the way to his jaw, disrupting the serene beauty of his portrait.

Lu Yan stared at his reflection, momentarily struggling to reconcile the man in the mirror with the gentle and aloof image provided by the system.

"You wouldn't recognize me either, would you?"

Yu Zechuan laughed behind Lu Yan, his chest vibrating with the sound. The sharp dagger pressed closer to his throat, each word laced with bitter resentment, "Do you have any idea how I've been living in prison these past few years?"

Lu Yan: "..."

It was clear, he had suffered greatly.

Lu Yan keenly sensed the killer's intent. He strained to look up, trying to distance himself from the blade, while cautiously probing, "Yu Zechuan, it was Jiang Boyun who got you sent to prison, not me."

"Let me go, and I'll leave City B immediately. Not a single word about what happened today will leave my lips."

"I was forced by Jiang Boyun," Lu Yan said, his voice nearly cracking from the strain. Yet, Yu Zechuan remained silent, only gripping the dagger tightly and sliding it slowly down Lu Yan's throat until it rested against his flat abdomen, the tip piercing the skin slightly.

"Do you have any idea what I hate the most in this life?"

Lu Yan: "..."

A deceitful gay couple?

Yu Zechuan's voice was cold as he spoke, "I despise being lied to the most."

"If Jiang Boyun weren't here today, I might have believed your words. But unfortunately, I overheard your conversation just now."

Lu Yan: "..."

Misjudgment. What a useless fool, Jiang Boyun.

Lu Yan attempted to salvage the situation. "President Yu, after your hard-won release from prison, you should be focusing on reclaiming your company and starting anew. Killing will only drag you deeper into trouble."

Yet, the more Lu Yan spoke, the tighter the knife pressed against his abdomen. It was evident that his words had deeply provoked the other party. Through the foggy mirror, Lu Yan could clearly see Yu Zechuan's reddened eyes, filled with a pain so intense it was unsettling: "A new life? My life has already been ruined by you all!"

"When the company was in trouble, my grandfather was so furious that he had a heart attack and died in the hospital. I entrusted everything to Jiang Boyun, but how did he treat me?!"

"Tell me, how am I supposed to start over?! How can someone like me start over?!"

With Yu Zechuan's furious growl, Lu Yan felt something scorching hot drip onto the back of his neck, followed by a chill in his abdomen as blood gushed out from the wound in an endless stream, plunging his vision into darkness.

In his final moments, Yu Zechuan's whisper echoed in his ear: "There's no going back..."

No going back.

Just like how a torrential rain couldn't flow backward, his life was now irreparably shattered.

"Beep! Host detected as deceased, automatic revival opportunity triggered!"

The cold, mechanical voice of the system marked the end of this death.

"Splash—!"

The man lying on the sofa jolted awake, straightening up as if an electric shock had hit him. Lu Yan's first instinct was to touch his abdomen, checking for any wounds. Finding none, he rushed to the bathroom, only to find it empty - no corpse, no blood. Leaning against the doorframe, he let out a sigh of relief.

He had truly died just now.

As a cancer patient, Lu Yan had often imagined what death would feel like, but never in his wildest dreams did he expect to be stabbed by a dagger. It was safe to say that the experience was not pleasant.

Turning on the faucet, Lu Yan splashed cold water on his face. He then gazed at his reflection in the mirror, a lean and handsome visage, and found it increasingly familiar. His brow furrowed as he spoke aloud, "System?"

A black heart materialized behind him, "What's wrong?"

Lu Yan asked, "Is this body mine?"

Despite his severe weight loss due to cancer, he hadn't looked in a mirror for a long time, yet the face in the reflection was clearly how he had looked before falling ill.

The System countered, "Would you prefer someone else's body?"

If he had to be stabbed, Lu Yan thought, he might as well be in someone else's body, "Give me an explanation."

The System didn't elaborate much, "For convenience, from now on, every character you possess will be named Lu Yan, and their bodies will be replaced with yours, provided you survive until the next level."

Lu Yan leaned against the sink, wiping the moisture from his face with a towel. Despite having just cheated death, he still managed to joke, "How do you know I won't make it to the next round?"

The system observed coldly, "I must remind you, Host 603, you have already used one of your revival chances. You have two left. Failure will result in complete erasure."

Lu Yan's identification number was 603.

This meant that six hundred and two other unfortunate players had perished in the game before him.

Lu Yan wasn't bothered. He was already a man doomed to die; whether it was in the game or in a hospital made little difference. Besides, the first round hadn't been entirely fruitless. He'd gleaned a few crucial pieces of information:

One, Yu Zechuan's combat strength was indeed capable of taking on two people at once.

Two, Jiang Boyun's presence not only failed to aid him but also agitated Yu Zechuan.

Three, Yu Zechuan could overhear their conversation.

Hmm? Conversation?

Lu Yan furrowed his brow as this realization dawned on him. Scanning the room, his gaze ultimately landed on a smartphone lying quietly on the coffee table.

The freshly charged phone, without any applications running, was draining its battery at a subtle yet noticeable pace, far exceeding the normal standby power consumption.

From the memories implanted by the system, Lu Yan learned that last week, the original host had participated in a Weibo lottery and unintentionally won the top prize - this high-end branded phone. It was delivered to his doorstep the very next day.

No one could resist a luxury phone worth tens of thousands, and the original host was no exception.

Walking over to the coffee table, Lu Yan picked up the phone, weighing the supposedly lightweight device in his hand, and began to suspect something:

"The phone is being tapped."

He mouthed the words without uttering a sound.

Upon hearing this, the system seemed slightly surprised, then chuckled softly, "You're much smarter than those idiots before you."

"Perhaps you might actually make it to the next round."

With a plan in mind, Lu Yan lowered his gaze to the phone screen. Two voice messages popped up on WeChat, sent by Jiang Boyun.

"Ayan, I'm almost at your building. How are you feeling? Is your stomach still hurting?"

"I see that this area is likely to be demolished soon, with too much noise. I have an apartment near the company, you can move in in a couple of days."

The same words, the same tone.

Lu Yan shook his head slightly, thinking it was best not to have this useless person around. His fingers tapped rapidly on the screen, typing, "My stomach doesn't hurt anymore, there's no need for you to come over."

Worried that his words weren't strong enough to deter the scumbag Jiang Boyun, he sent another message:

"Get lost, you stinking idiot!"

After sending the messages, Lu Yan tossed his phone aside. He walked to the window and looked down, seeing that the black figure was still standing at the alley entrance. The cigarette between his fingers had already burned halfway through.

Lu Yan stared openly, deliberately making his gaze obvious. Yu Zechuan downstairs clearly sensed the intense stare and lifted his head, looking precisely towards the eighth floor.

Their eyes met in mid-air, tension silently simmering in the darkness.

Yu Zechuan narrowed his eyes dangerously, extinguishing the unfinished cigarette. He straightened his posture, contemplating whether to go upstairs right away to deal with Lu Yan. But then, he saw Lu Yan draw the curtains, blocking out all prying eyes.

Lu Yan disliked the feeling of waiting passively for his fate. He drew the curtains, grabbed an umbrella, and went downstairs, deciding to take the initiative. However, from Yu Zechuan's perspective, this was akin to a vulnerable prey walking into a trap willingly.

Autumn was often plagued by persistent drizzles, the cold raindrops clinging to one's body like monsters devouring the last vestiges of warmth. Lu Yan descended with a black umbrella, eventually stopping in front of the drenched man:

"Would you like to take shelter at my place from the rain?"

His hands were slender and bony, gripping the black handle of the umbrella. The veins on the back of his hands were visible, adding a touch of elegance that made them appear like a masterpiece.

Yu Zechuan raised his gaze slightly, his eyes slithering up the beautiful hand and under the umbrella. There, he caught sight of a handsome, emaciated face with a gentle smile that stirred the heart.

He indeed had the allure to captivate Jiang Boyun.

Yu Zechuan pulled down his cap expressionlessly, exposing his rain-soaked face to the air. His nose was straight, his complexion pale, exuding a lifeless beauty. However, a scar above his temple marred that aesthetic, giving him the appearance of a desperate fugitive.

"Are you sure?"

No one with a functioning brain would invite a strange man into their home on a perilous rainy night, especially one who radiated an eerie aura. Just now, two passersby had seen Yu Zechuan and fled in panic.

Lu Yan smiled, pretending not to recognize Yu Zechuan, given his current unrecognizable state. He tilted the umbrella slightly, shielding Yu Zechuan from the dampness above: "Come on, my place is just up ahead. You'll catch a cold if you keep getting soaked."

It had been a long time since Yu Zechuan had experienced such concern from a stranger. In prison, there was only blood, oppression, insults, and fights. Coming back to his senses, he silently clenched the knife hidden in his sleeve and softly spoke a single word:

"Very well."

Yu Zechuan had initially planned to eliminate Lu Yan. Now that the latter had walked right into his trap, he saw no reason to decline.

Jiang Boyun's little lover turned out to be more foolish than he had imagined.

Thus, Lu Yan brought this "murderer" back to his place. He led Yu Zechuan upstairs and pushed open the door to his rented apartment. The warm yellow glow from the living room illuminated the space softly, a stark contrast to the chilly darkness outside, instantly soothing one's nerves.

"My place is a bit messy. Don't mind it."

Lu Yan casually placed the umbrella on the shoe rack and glanced back at Yu Zechuan. "You're all wet. Let me get you a towel to dry off."

As Lu Yan walked into the bathroom to fetch a towel from the drawer, he pondered about his next move, completely unaware of the black shadow that had crept up behind him, nearly drowning him in its dampness.

"Sir, we seem to have met somewhere before."

A cold, hoarse voice echoed in his ear, sending shivers down his spine.

Lu Yan paused slightly, catching sight of Yu Zechuan's malevolent gaze in the mirror. He thought to himself, Of course I've seen you. You just killed me here. "Is that so? But my memory isn't great. I tend to forget even if we've met before."

"I'm Lu Yan. You can just call me by my name," he said.

Yu Zechuan followed up with another question, "Do you live alone?"

Lu Yan acknowledged with a soft "Mm."

Standing right behind Lu Yan, Yu Zechuan gazed at his own damaged reflection in the mirror. Suddenly, he chuckled and sighed, "What a pity, Mr. Lu. Your face is so handsome; I thought for sure you had a partner."

His muscular body pressed against Lu Yan's back as a dagger silently slipped from his sleeve into his palm. The tip of the blade hovered, contemplating the most efficient way to pierce through this flesh and cause maximum pain.

However, Lu Yan unexpectedly turned his head to look at Yu Zechuan. His hair brushed past the latter's nose, their proximity allowing them to hear each other's breaths. "Is that so?"

Deep inside Yu Zechuan, a smoldering spark of resentment flickered. This flame of hatred seemed capable of consuming everything in its path, making him appear strikingly vibrant and alive.

Lu Yan looked at Yu Zechuan with a smile, his eyes clear and distinct, reflecting the man's image without any impurities. "But to me, you're even more attractive."

The knife paused in its trajectory.

Rain poured heavily outside.