Chapter 138: The Curious Cyber Lover

Chapter 138: The Curious Cyber Lover

"In this chaotic world, the sun reigns over Sky City, while the moon forever descends into Devil City. Deities bestow supernatural powers upon the Night Watchers residing in the clouds, yet unleash monsters upon mankind."

Lu Yan woke to a barrage of punches and kicks. Struggling to open his eyes, he felt an excruciating headache, his nostrils filled with the stench of the sewer. Surrounded by burly men at the alley's entrance, the fake watches he had been carrying scattered on the ground, their golden shine blinding.

"Spit!"

One of them spat viciously on the ground. "You dared to scam me out of six time units with these fakes, brothers, kill him for me!"

Devil City, also known as Garbage City, was the largest slum, a place where order was nonexistent, devoid of any patrol officers. Robberies and murders were a daily spectacle. Clearly, Lu Yan's current body had kicked a steel plate.

A scar-faced man brandished a dagger, his expression grotesque as he approached Lu Yan. Just as he raised his hand to end the "vermin" before him, Lu Yan suddenly scooped up dirt from the ground and flung it fiercely into his face. Sand stinging his eyes, he screamed in agony, "Ahh! My eyes!"

The other companions, enraged, lunged for Lu Yan. However, the boy who had been barely breathing under their assault suddenly grabbed a scattered backpack, his agile figure darting out of the alley. One of the men swiftly caught him, only to have his finger snapped with a sickening crunch.

The labyrinthine slums echoed with curses and pursuit:

"Stop right there! Filthy brat!"

"Grab him! Don't let him escape!"

Lu Yan ran with the speed of a sprinter, the wind whistling past his ears like knives slicing through his throat. He didn't even have time to see what obstacles lay ahead, relying solely on instinct to dodge and leap. Finally, he managed to shake off the men chasing him, hiding urgently in a dilapidated abandoned building nearby.

"Plop—"

Lu Yan fell to the ground, panting heavily like a fish freshly pulled from the water. His chest heaved, gasping for air. Sweat-soaked raven hair clung to his forehead, his handsome face looking somewhat malnourished, sharp features accentuated by gauntness.

In the dim hallway, only his rapid breaths could be heard. After an indeterminate amount of time, the throbbing pain in his throat gradually subsided, and a blackish-red heart slowly materialized in the air. Faint electric currents surrounded it, providing some light.

"It's been a while, dear host."

The system's deep mechanical voice sounded grating, akin to static on an old television screen.

As it greeted him, Lu Yan's mind felt as if it were being forcefully pried open by an invisible hand, inundated with a jumble of memories. First life, second life, third life, fourth life...

Until this one, which abruptly ended.

Lu Yan's temples throbbed and swelled, struggling to digest the vast memories. Looking at the black heart system before him, he couldn't help but mutter a curse under his breath: "Damn it, you're playing me!"

Wasn't he supposed to be Lu Yan, the cancer patient? Why did the system erase his memory afterward, replacing it with a bunch of random identities?

The system responded with a faint, almost amused tone: "You've remembered everything?"

Lu Yan remained silent, his gaze wary. He sensed that he was ensnared in a massive trap: "What do you want? Why did you wipe my memory?"

The system circled around him: "These memories were voluntarily exchanged with me, to spend the rest of your life with those humans. Have you forgotten?"

Those?

Lu Yan seemed amused by the word, countering with a veiled question: "Are you sure they weren't the same person?"

This time, it was the system's turn to pause, surprised by Lu Yan's acuity. But upon reflection, it made sense; otherwise, how could they have been entangled life after life?

The system's raspy mechanical voice replied: "It doesn't matter."

Lu Yan asked sternly: "Why did you implant those false identities in me?"

The system's response was matter-of-fact: "Of course, it was to make the game more immersive. Without strong immersion, how could you survive?"

Lu Yan paused before asking: "...Who am I, really?"

If the identities he received later were fake, could the first interface's identity also be false? Lu Yan harbored an inexplicable premonition that his true identity might not be simple.

"I can't say. When the time comes, you'll naturally know. What I can tell you is that this world is very dangerous. The memories you've regained will soon vanish again. It would be best to quickly use points to exchange for a few life-saving items."

During the third life, Lu Yan obtained a true heart. At the end of the fourth life, he gained another true heart. Calculating, he now had a total of twenty thousand points, enough to accomplish many things.

Hearing this, Lu Yan struggled to rise from the ground. Dressed in drab clothing, his body was bruised and bloodied from the earlier scuffle at the alley entrance. On his right wrist was a tattoo resembling a digital watch, its numbers actually moving.

Lu Yan watched the continuously ticking digits, narrowing his eyes: "What is this?"

The system flew in front of him, its voice low, yet sending shivers down his spine: "This is your life. See the numbers above? You have 144 hours left to live. After 144 hours, you will instantly die."

"People here are born with life monitors. Babies start with an initial quota of eighteen years, consuming twenty-four hours each day. As they grow into adults, they must begin working, trading labor for longevity. Money in this world is worthless; their true currency for transactions is time."

"Your lifespan was originally down to 138 hours, but you sold a fake watch, tricking that man into giving you six time units."

An invisible hand suddenly appeared in the air, pushing Lu Yan toward the door. Facing the dazzling sunlight, he looked up to see a magnificent city floating above the clouds. White buildings, warm sunlight, flying starships—it resembled a utopia existing only in imagination.

The system's tone was cold and cruel:

"This is Sky City, home to the apex predators at the top of the pyramid. They possess infinite lives, powerful supernatural abilities, and the most advanced technology, living lives of decadent luxury. Lower-class civilians can never set foot there."

Lu Yan asked bluntly: "Am I a civilian?"

The system was pleased with his self-awareness: "Below the clouds lies Devil City, the gathering place for all civilians. Here, order is inverted, with no laws or fairness. People die every day, an existence worse than the primitive era."

Lu Yan acknowledged this, after all, he had nearly been beaten to death by those men: "And what else?"

The system continued: "The elites residing in the clouds would never lower their noble heads. Civilians in Devil City dream of touching the opulence above their heads. People from Sky City and Devil City will never meet. The only thing that can connect them is the internet."

The invisible hand in the air continued to push Lu Yan upstairs. By the fifteenth floor, as if guided by muscle memory, he uncontrollably pulled out a key from his pocket and opened the old wooden door. Perhaps due to the quietness, the person inside hadn't noticed.

In the narrow living room, a young man sat in front of the computer, chatting while wearing headphones. The sound of the keyboard stuttering echoed, sounding less than smooth.

The system said: "He is your younger brother, a college student."

Oh... a college student.

Lu Yan's tone was somewhat intriguing: "What about me? Am I also a college student?"

System: "You're a scum playboy who loves online dating."

Lu Yan: "…"

System: "You've always dreamed of finding a partner living in Cloud City through online dating, but you've never succeeded. Your younger brother, however, successfully started an online relationship with a powerful figure from Cloud City and developed deep feelings for them. Just as they were about to meet in person, you deliberately took your brother's place and went instead, turning into a phoenix on the branch."

The ending of the story shouldn't be this good; it didn't match the system's style.

Lu Yan continued asking: "And then what?"

System: "Then, while chatting, you accidentally revealed your true colors and were killed by that powerful figure, your essence scattered to the winds."

Lu Yan: "…"

Damn, he knew this damn system wouldn't do anything humane.

Lu Yan heard from the system that Devil City was fraught with danger, with countless ghostly shadows emerging at night to hunt for food, devouring the living. They could disguise themselves in any form, but without feet, they could only float in the air, hence being called "Wanderers."

In short, the level of danger in this world was beyond imagination.

Lu Yan immediately exchanged points for a lightning ability and another Restart Card. After doing all this, he distinctly felt that his memories from the previous four lives began to fade, like frames of an animation gradually disappearing.

Lu Yan's pupils dilated momentarily, and it took roughly several seconds for his vision to clear. He could clearly sense the signs of his past life's memories fading away, leaving only the memories of this body, as told by the system, becoming increasingly vivid in his mind…

Lu Yan entered the house carrying the old backpack and then closed the door behind him. The dull sound made Lu Xiaozhao, sitting in front of the computer, turn around. He wore an old, bulky pair of black headphones, had fair skin, and was quite thin. A pair of glasses with a slightly high prescription sat on his nose, giving him a scholarly appearance. His entire being screamed "otaku."

"Brother, you're back?"

As soon as Lu Xiaozhao spoke, he suddenly noticed the injuries on Lu Yan's body and instinctively stood up from his chair, rolling up his sleeves angrily: "How did you get hurt? Who did this?! I'll teach them a lesson!"

Lu Yan lightly licked his cheek, tasting blood: "I was beaten by Scarface and three others. They should still be nearby, you can bump into them if you go downstairs now. Go quickly if you want to."

Upon hearing there were four people, Lu Xiaozhao's butt immediately stuck back to the chair, and he laughed awkwardly: "Well… I didn't eat enough today. When I run into them another day, I'll definitely give them a taste of their own medicine!"

Lu Yan lifted his eyelids and smiled: "Then why don't you reheat your food and go down after you're full?"

Lu Xiaozhao: "…"

Lu Yan walked into the bedroom, rummaged through two extremely old clothes, and went to take a shower. Steam filled the bathroom, gradually obscuring Lu Yan's figure. His outer appearance and features were silently changing, becoming identical to his own body.

When Lu Yan came out of the bathroom dressed, Lu Xiaozhao had already reheated the food: two leftover steamed buns, still emitting steam.

Lu Yan picked up a bun and took a bite. It tasted sour and stale, leaving him with only one thought: damn, it's disgusting:

"Apart from buns, there's nothing else at home?"

Lu Xiaozhao said pitifully: "There's half a jar of pickles left, but I can't open it."

Lu Yan: "…"

Being a brother to Lu Yan usually didn't end well. Some were stripped of their titles and confined, others suffered from kidney disease. This naive college student was the first of its kind he'd encountered.

From the original body's memory, he learned that they had lost both parents at a young age. The two brothers survived by selling fake watches and goods, cheating for a living. Lu Yan went out on odd days, while Lu Xiaozhao went out on even days. Even the one staying at home couldn't idle, having to promote and cheat online.

The original body had just gone out to sell a watch, barely managing to scam six time points before being discovered as a fake, almost getting beaten to death on the spot.

Lu Yan stood up and casually grabbed a jar of pickles from the shelf, easily twisting it open. Wearing a short-sleeved shirt, his pale arms were exposed, revealing clear muscle lines when he exerted force. The blue veins on the back of his hand were clean and beautiful, making anyone who saw his hands know that he was undoubtedly handsome.

Lu Yan tossed the pickle jar onto the table: "Eat it."

Lu Xiaozhao was respectful of hierarchy, biting his chopsticks pitifully: "Brother, you eat first."

Lu Yan: "I'm not eating, you can have it."

Lu Xiaozhao: "Why?"

Lu Yan: "It's moldy."

Lu Xiaozhao: "…"

Lu Yan ignored the patch of white mold in the jar, sat down, and continued eating the bun from earlier. As an adult, plus the fact that the bun was only palm-sized, he finished it in two or three bites.

He was still hungry.

The computer beside him kept flashing, dinging with numerous messages. Lu Xiaozhao drank a glass of cold water, noticing the time, and took the remaining half bun into the room: "Brother, I'm going back to study. You can handle the rest of the chatting."

Lu Yan lazily grunted in acknowledgment, walking over to sit in front of the computer. The account was shared between the two of them, and whoever was free would chat. Lu Xiaozhao's ID name was embarrassingly generic, something like "185cm Tall Introverted Socially Anxious Pure College Student." The chat page was densely packed with people, at least fifty or so, all recent catches by Lu Xiaozhao. If one out of ten of them was willing to buy their fake gold watches, it would be considered a win.

He wondered if the powerful figure living in Sky City was among the chat list. He had to avoid them at all costs.

"Ding ding!"

A contact labeled "Fat Fish Brother" suddenly lit up. The other party sent Lu Yan a message, speaking in a sickeningly sweet manner, enough to make one's skin crawl:

"Have you eaten yet, little brother Xiaozhao? Big brother misses you so much I can't sleep. When can we meet?"

Lu Yan scrolled through the nauseating chat history, thinking that Lu Xiaozhao had truly gone all out. With a blank expression, he typed out a line of text and clicked send:

"Fat Fish Brother, my relative is sick and urgently needs surgery. But I'm a bit tight on funds recently. Can I exchange my family heirloom gold watch for some time points?"

Fat Fish Brother seemed hard to fool: "I've already bought several. Since you won't meet me now, how do I know you're not lying to me?"

Lu Yan patiently continued chatting: "It's dark now, and it's not convenient for me to go out. Besides, the distance is far. It wouldn't be good if I ran into a Wanderer. Why don't you transfer the time points to me first, and I'll mail the watch to you."

Fat Fish Brother surprisingly said: "No problem, big brother can come find you. Open the window and look, I'm already downstairs."

Holy shit!!!

Lu Yan was startled upon hearing this and immediately slid his chair to the window. Below the broken, rusty street lamp, there was now an unfamiliar short and stout silhouette in black. Due to the lighting conditions, he couldn't make out the person's face, only seeing the black coat and hood on the figure, identical to Fatty Fish Brother's avatar.

What a lunatic!

This thought inexplicably popped into Lu Yan's mind. He looked at the screen with shock and suspicion as Fatty Fish Brother kept sending messages:

"Hurry up and come down. If you don't, I'm coming up."

"What floor do you live on? Let me check the delivery number... Oh, it's the fifteenth floor."

This fool Xiao Zhao actually used his real address for the delivery!

"Little Brother Zhao, I'm here~"

With each message sent, the figure moved closer to the building. Just half a minute ago, he was standing under the street lamp, but now he had reached the base of the building. Perhaps sensing that Lu Yan was hiding behind the curtains, watching him, Fatty Fish Brother looked up and flashed him a smile, revealing a row of white teeth.

"..."

Lu Yan's first instinct was to call the police, but then he suddenly remembered that there were no police in Devil City. He could only get up, grab a knife from the kitchen, and hide it up his sleeve. Then, he continued sitting in front of the computer to reply to the messages: "It's too late now. I don't want to go out. You should go back. We can talk about meeting another time."

The incessantly beeping computer finally fell silent, with no response for a long time.

Lu Yan got up and walked to the window, glancing down inconspicuously. He found that the black figure had disappeared from the street, leaving only the rusted street lamp standing by the roadside, its light flickering.

He let out a sigh of relief, tossed the knife onto the table, and was just about to delete this lunatic when, unexpectedly, another message popped up on the screen. It contained only a simple line of text that sent chills down one's spine in the dead of night:

"I'm at your doorstep."

Lu Yan: "..."

Holding the knife, Lu Yan took step by step toward the door and peered through the peephole. However, he was caught off guard by a pair of blood-red eyes staring right back at him—

The man was looking straight at him.

A muffled laugh came through the door, sending shivers down his spine:

"Little Brother Zhao, I've come to find you~"

Lu Yan stepped back two paces with a grave expression, wondering what kind of lunatic this was. As if the situation wasn't chaotic enough, the system chimed in with a notification:

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for triggering a side quest!"

"There's a deranged killer outside the door who might break in at any moment. You have three choices. Correctly answering and surviving will reward you with 1000 points; failing and dying will result in immediate elimination. Please choose:

A. Open the door and charge out.

B. Open the door and kowtow three times to him.

C. Dip the mop in feces and smear it in his face when you open the door."

Lu Yan: "..."

Lu Yan didn't expect the system to suddenly issue a task at this moment, and none of the three options seemed reliable. Veins pulsed on his temple as he spoke with ill humor, "Are you deliberately messing with me?"

The system calmly responded, "Please answer quickly. If no choice is made within one minute, the system will randomly select one of the options and enforce it."

Lu Yan reviewed the options again, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably. "Is there no option to not open the door?"

System: "Yes, jump out the window."

Lu Yan: "Damn it, we're on the fifteenth floor!"

System: "Therefore, we suggest that the host go out and kowtow three times to him."

Lu Yan: "..."