Chapter 514: The Plot Completely Deviates, Being Corrected

Chapter 514: The Plot Has Completely Deviated and Is Being Corrected

After breakfast, Shen Que watched in confusion as Wu Yue washed up and changed into her combat suit.

"What's wrong, babe? Where are you going?" he asked.

"My instance reset is about to end," Wu Yue replied. "I'm going to tackle a dungeon."

"I'll go with you!" Shen Que immediately said. "Babe, share your system access with me. From now on, I'll help you plan everything in advance."

Wu Yue turned to look at him. "I heard Captain Shen never takes on solo-carry missions. With Captain Shen's current combat rating, I wonder if I can even afford to hire you for a private run."

Shen Que couldn't help but laugh. "Accompanying my wife in an instance isn't a task—it's all to make her happy. I'm willing to do it."

"But I'm especially fragile now and need full protection," Wu Yue said. "If a monster touches me, I might die. It’s really going to be hard on you, babe~"

Shen Que was completely captivated by Wu Yue's words and nodded repeatedly.

"Yeah, I'll protect you. I'll definitely protect you."

On the shuttle, Shen Que asked, "Babe, which instance do you want to run?"

Wu Yue pulled up the newly opened S-level story instance. "Since S4, the refresh rate for new instances has entered a vacuum period. This is the first new S-level story instance to open after 20 days.

It likely means that humanity's willpower being injected into the Order Realm has indeed been effective, and the first wave of internal chaos in the Order Realm has ended. I want to see if there might be new information Mom left for me."

"Isn’t it a bit too much for you to run an S-level story instance right now?" Shen Que asked.

Wu Yue shook her head. "The amount of evil energy stored in my body was originally about ten times that of my father’s. It would take me three months to fully digest it, and my body could collapse at any time.

But the failed ascension last time released about two-thirds of it, finally bringing my body into manageable levels. After ten days of recovery, my psychic energy is now roughly at S-level, so my mental power can handle this instance.

However, my constitution is very poor now—I definitely can’t fight."

Wu Yue blinked at Shen Que. "When the fighting starts, it’ll all be up to you."

"Yeah," Shen Que immediately nodded.

By the time their shuttle reached the instance entrance, a few other shuttles were already parked nearby, apparently belonging to others there to run the instance.

With the Alliance sending specialized teams to carry out coordinated clears of the remaining small instances, Alliance citizens finally got some breathing room.

...

For a time, new instances became hot commodities, especially an S-level story instance where the world first was still up for grabs.

This was something top guilds competed for—an S-level story instance once restricted to Alliance use as a reward. The rewards from clearing it were enough to instantly boost an individual player.

The instance was named [Intimate Lovers]. Since it had just opened, no related plot clues had been leaked yet.

Seeing so many people outside the instance, Shen Que said, "If we go in directly like this, it might draw unwanted attention."

During the team exhibition matches, both Wu Yue’s and his faces had been exposed and seen by others.

Wu Yue very quickly disguised herself, focusing on bundling herself up like a specter—pitch-black and unidentifiable, like a living shadow that no one would recognize.

Shen Que pulled out his usual mask and put it on. Wu Yue gave it a look, dissatisfied, "You're going in like that?"

Shen Que looked confused, "Yeah, I’ve always entered dungeons solo like this. Nobody ever recognizes me."

Wu Yue, "But you look way too hot like that. I don’t want others to see you like that. This exact look is what made me fall in love with you at first sight."

Shen Que was stunned for a moment, his smirk instantly harder to suppress than an AK-47.

Wu Yue took Shen Que’s face in her hands and stared at him intently, until Shen Que’s breathing grew heavy. "Stop looking at me like that."

Wu Yue, "Can't I look at such a handsome guy?"

Shen Que pulled Wu Yue into his arms, "If you keep looking, we'll never make it to the dungeon today."

Wu Yue narrowed her eyes. She absolutely loved when Shen Que wore a mask and looked at her with that hungry gaze.

Wu Yue, "We’re going to the dungeon today, but we can push it back an hour."

She batted her eyes at Shen Que, who caught on immediately, "You like me like this?"

Wu Yue nodded, "Yeah."

Shen Que turned Wu Yue around, pinned her against the main cockpit's wall, and raised her hands high. He slipped a hand behind her against the wall, supporting himself as he pressed close to her from behind.

Wu Yue’s face instantly flushed bright red, "Shen Que, where did you learn all this?!"

Shen Que chuckled softly, "After all, my only real job now is taking care of you. I have to keep improving my skills."

Otherwise, green-tea b*tches and sly foxes would be everywhere trying to move in on his territory.

Wu Yue, "..." So this is what he’s been seriously studying every day?!

Shen Que leaned close to Wu Yue’s ear, "If you liked it, why didn’t you say so earlier? With one word from you, I’d scale your building and climb through your window to slip into your bed in the middle of the night."

Wu Yue, "...Keep dreaming."

Shen Que chuckled, "My dreams are beautiful. Just wait—when we get back, I’m not just dreaming about it, I’m doing it."

He tightened his grip, no longer speaking but focusing on the task at hand. The sound of his husky panting made Wu Yue’s mind go fuzzy, her consciousness gradually blurring until she completely surrendered to sensation.

...

When Wu Yue and Shen Que entered the dungeon, they discovered it had a player limit—only a maximum of two players were allowed to enter as teammates.

Story dungeons contain logically structured plots, much like the previous River God Village and the ancient castle, and might even involve RPG-style role-playing elements.

Since the dungeon was named [Intimate Lovers], entering as a duo made perfect sense, saving them the trouble of disguising themselves and risking exposure.

Entering the dungeon as a team, Wu Yue opened her eyes again and found herself lying in a bed.

She sat up abruptly and heard the sound of running water from the bathroom. Wu Yue waited a few seconds, but the water didn’t stop. She immediately began silently inspecting the entire room.

If it were Shen Que, he would have come to find her immediately. Since he hadn’t, the person inside wasn’t Shen Que.

Whoever was inside was still following the scripted storyline. In a two-player story dungeon, if it wasn’t her teammate, then it had to be a ghost.

Wu Yue noticed a photo on the bedside table—it was of her and a completely unfamiliar man. She subtly realized that, in just a few seconds, her memories of Shen Que were fading, replaced by an onslaught of new memories overwriting them.

This indicated that the dungeon had strong Mental Pollution, attempting to alter her memories, mislead her thoughts, and distort her common sense.

She immediately found pen and paper, wrote down all the key information she thought might be useful, and kept it close to her body.

An S-rank story dungeon with strong mental corruption implies that the ghosts' attack power is relatively weak, possibly even comparable to ordinary people.

So this time, it's all about playing mind games.

Simply put, ghosts are once human themselves, and where there are people, there is greed, anger, and obsession.

And Wu Yue is most skilled at playing mind games.

Wu Yue’s gaze quickly swept across the entire room. The minimalist style—the go-to interior design for young people today.

There were no wedding photos in the room, and the dungeon was named "Intimate Lover," so it was likely about a cohabiting couple.

Wu Yue discreetly observed the readily available information on the desk and bookshelf. When her eyes fell on a group photo, her expression froze.

Future Biology.

So her supernatural lover was an employee of Future Biology.

Just as she had guessed, this dungeon contained the real, well-kept secrets about Future Biology that her mother had obtained in the Order Dimension.

By completing the entire dungeon, she could uncover the true research purpose of Future Biology.

Under the constant narrative conditioning of the storyline, Wu Yue’s memories grew foggy, and the information from her current character card began to fill her mind.

She was from an ordinary family, had followed the standard path through university, and after graduation, she joined a digital media company.

While on assignment covering new AI technology, she met her current lover, Zhou Chuan.

Zhou Chuan was a talented young man, specially recruited by Future Biology due to his outstanding competition results and solid research skills, where he worked on artificial AI research.

Their paths crossed during an interview, and Zhou Chuan was the one who pursued her.

After confirming their relationship, the two began living together.

Once her memories had fully settled in, Wu Yue’s own memories were completely overtaken by the character card’s memories.

Wu Yue looked uncertainly at Zhou Chuan’s photo.

"Darling, I just got a call and have to rush back to the lab. I might not be able to see you out. Can you take the bus by yourself?"

Turning to look at Zhou Chuan, Wu Yue frowned slowly at his unremarkable, average-looking face.

As Zhou Chuan moved closer, Wu Yue turned and walked away.

What a turn-off! How could she have ended up with such an ugly boyfriend?

Impossible. He was completely outside her aesthetic preferences. She’d rather stay single forever than have an ugly guy as a black mark on her record.

Take the bus? In her mind, she always flies private. If she couldn’t afford a private jet, she could at least get a car service!

He wasn't up to her standards. This man wasn't worthy of her.

Something must be wrong. She needed to get to the bottom of this.

Zhou Chuan followed her out, confused. "Yue Yue, what’s wrong?"

Wu Yue frowned. "Please keep your distance. I suspect you’ve put some kind of hex on me.

If you come within three meters of me, I’ll call the police immediately."

A sinister light flashed in Zhou Chuan's eyes, but he smiled warmly and inclusively, "Yueyue, I don't understand what you mean. Are you angry because I can't drive you?"

Wuyue, "Please call me by my full name, otherwise I feel disgusted, Yue."

"And stop smiling at me, you're too ugly, and your smile is so fake."

Zhou Chuan gritted his teeth, "... Yueyue, I don't want to argue over trivial matters early in the morning. Can you please stop being unreasonable?"

Wuyue was incredulous, "You still want to gaslight me? Are you okay? Speaking to me is an honor for you."

"Your presence is already polluting my eyes. I'm tolerating you, and I feel like I'm a bodhisattva who saves all beings."

"Oh, and from your tone, it seems you have a car. Give me your car keys, and find your own way to work."

Zhou Chuan's breathing became increasingly unstable, "You don't have a driver's license!"

Wuyue, "Then give me your driver's license as well."

Driving requires a license? She remembered she didn't even take a test to fly a plane, yet she still flew it smoothly.

Zhou Chuan's tone grew harsher, "My job is more important. I need the car to commute..."

Wuyue frowned and cut him off, "Get this straight, your only value right now is that you have a car."

"If you can't even fulfill this value, I'll kick you out immediately."

"Give me the car keys, or leave the keys and get out, you choose."

As for his job being more important, even if she were to sweep the neighborhood, everything must prioritize her needs!

Zhou Chuan took frantic deep breaths, his chest heaving violently—this was his home!!

Wu Yue’s expression grew impatient. “You seem emotionally unstable, like you’re about to commit domestic violence at any moment.

How did I end up with you? Did you force me into this?

I’m calling the police, right now. Just you wait—if I don’t get you thrown in jail to eat prison food, I won’t go by my last name…”

Kill her!! Kill this woman!!

Just as Zhou Chuan’s rage boiled over and he was about to erupt into violence, his phone suddenly rang.

Seeing the caller ID showing his lab, he took a deep breath and turned to leave.

The moment Zhou Chuan left, Wu Yue immediately felt the air clear.

Grabbing her phone and personal items, Wu Yue looked up the company address, called a car service, and headed to the office.

During the ride, Wu Yue noticed a billboard by the roadside that read: Future Biotech—Upcoming Artificial Intelligence Launch Event.

Wu Yue’s gaze fixed on the photo of the AI displayed on the advertising screen: silver-white tousled hair, clear light-green pupils, a sharp, straight nose, pale, thin lips, and a tattoo symbolizing AI at the neck’s major artery.

Wu Yue’s heart raced, and even long after the car had driven away, she couldn’t calm down for quite some time.

Sitting at her workstation, Wu Yue’s mind was still filled with the AI she had just seen.

The words “Future Biotech” flashed through her thoughts. Wu Yue took out her phone and wrote condescendingly:

“Wu Yue: Zhou Chuan, I raised you through thick and thin, and now it’s time for you to do your part. Get me a ticket to the AI launch event.”

"Zhou Chuan: ...The press conference involves important information; non-professionals cannot enter."

"Wu Yue: Useless."

Zhou Chuan's goddamn teeth were grinding so hard they might shatter!!!

What kind of terrible person is this?! To speak so harshly to their own lover like this, ahhh!!

How could anyone be willing to run dungeons with her?! This woman deserves to die alone, ahhh!!

Zhou Chuan took a deep breath,

"Zhou Chuan: I am your boyfriend, for Christ's sake, can't you speak properly?"

"Sorry, poor signal. Your message failed to send."

"Zhou Chuan: Yue Yue, if it's because of this morning, I can apologize to you."

"Sorry, poor signal. Your message failed to send."

"Wu Yue: Can you do it or not?"

Zhou Chuan, "..." Damn it!! So *he* can't send texts, but this woman can, is that it?!

He refused to believe it; he had to try. Could he really not send it?

"Zhou Chuan: I can do it!"

Zhou Chuan, "..." Well, what do you know, that was sudden. So it did send after all?

Satisfied with the reply, Wu Yue put down her phone, went downstairs to a wonton joint, bought a bowl of wonton soup, and started eating at her workstation.

She was so chill, so laid-back, that even the ghost colleague next to her was stunned.

Ghost colleague, "No eating during work hours."

Wu Yue, "Who says so?"

Ghost colleague, "The boss."

Wu Yue, "Does this rule actually comply with labor laws?"

Ghost colleague, "..." They're just an S-level dungeon; the details aren't that refined!!

If they had to comply with labor laws, all rule-based horror dungeons would need to go back to the drawing board anyway!

Seeing the ghost colleague's bewildered expression, Wu Yue didn't push it, "If there's a problem, tell the boss to come find me alone. I'll be right here waiting."

After eating, Wu Yue started searching online for information about Future Biology and artificial intelligence. She discreetly browsed through all the information about Future Biology, her hand absently fiddling with a slip of paper:

"Find the white-haired, green-eyed man who's love at first sight"

"My intimate lover is a ghost"

"Find a way to enter Future Biology"

She tossed the paper into the completely untouched bowl of wontons, stirred it until the paper blended completely with the soggy mess of wontons, and then expressionlessly tossed the whole bowl into the trash.

It was indeed her handwriting, but its authenticity was still questionable, though.

Now, the white hair and green eyes, the intimate lover, and Future Biology are all connecting the dots.

By securing a spot at the press conference, she can gradually uncover the truth behind her bizarre memories.

Work hours whizzed by like a blur. After work, Wu Yue returned to the apartment she shared with Zhou Chuan.

Wu Yue had already tried—during work hours, she couldn’t leave the office perimeter, unable to return to the apartment alone or go to Future Biology to search for more clues.

After work, whenever she tried to look for clues, if Zhou Chuan was also at home, it inevitably led to some unpredictable mishap.

When she saw the AI billboard in the morning, Wu Yue attempted to jump out of the vehicle, but she found that once inside public transport, it was as if she entered a locked-in transit mode—she could see the outside world but couldn’t leave the vehicle.

In other words, this billboard was intel she absolutely had to obtain.

Wu Yue tried to return to her parents’ home from her memory. When she realized night was falling and she couldn’t go anywhere except to Zhou Chuan’s apartment, her expression turned increasingly sardonic.

Now, all the information was egging her on to make a move, and it was precisely this action that could very well plunge her into unknown danger.

So, could she do the opposite, she thought?

The more they wanted her to do something, the less she would do.

Play the stinky dead fish—just totally slack off.

....

With Shen Que’s current strength, he could plow through an S-ranked scenario three times over without even breaking a sweat.

The psychic pollution in the scenario had no effect on him at all; at most, it added a new set of character memories, without even erasing his original memories.

However, his current situation was indeed somewhat troublesome. If he made a move, the entire scenario plot would instantly collapse.

He could only lay low and wait obediently for Wu Yue to piece the story together and find him.

Missing his wife, yet fearing for her safety.

Shen Que couldn’t help but send out a psychic probe, following his current state, and feed it into the lab’s terminal server.

...

When Zhou Chuan returned home, he saw Wu Yue with her legs propped up on the coffee table, watching TV. On the screen was a compilation of the top 10 horror, mystery, and dismemberment films from the past decade.

Zhou Chuan—"...Stop watching." It was gory and disturbing—even he, a ghost, was scared.

Wu Yue turned her head, "Suddenly felt like I’m in love today, so I’m watching some murder and dismemberment to chill out."

Zhou Chuan—"..." Was she really falling for him? Then he was really out of luck! This was the worst luck in eight lifetimes!

Wu Yue looked puzzled as Zhou Chuan appeared deeply annoyed and resentful, his gaze making her seem like some no-good, rotten scumbag.

Wu Yue waved it off indifferently, "Not talking about you. You’re too ugly; you don’t cut it.

If I had anywhere else to go instead of being stuck here, do you think I’d want to breathe the same air as you?"

Zhou Chuan—"..." Goddammit! Argh!!

Shen Que watched Wu Yue and Zhou Chuan chatting back and forth, getting more and more antsy.

This Zhou Chuan was indeed easy on the eyes, modeled after Wu Yue’s dream guy for the sake of the plot.

Shen Que was somewhat displeased; he didn’t want Wu Yue to be alone with this Zhou Chuan.

Wu Yue turned to Zhou Chuan, "When you talk, can you roll your tongue up and shove it back in?"

Zhou Chuan stomped his foot, "My tongue is perfectly fine... How could I..."

He suddenly froze, "You can see my tongue?"

Wu Yue nodded, "I can also see your bulging eyes. You might as well stuff them back in too."

Wu Yue averted her eyes, adding insult to injury, "You have the nerve to find horror movies scary? You're scarier than any ghost. Maybe you should go guest-star in a couple of episodes yourself."

Shen Que's slight displeasure instantly vanished. His wife practices Arcane Arts with the ability to see spirits—she could see through any disguise and transformation!!

Zhou Chuan was completely floored. This woman, despite having memories of being in a relationship with him, could actually see his real appearance.

And yet, from morning till now, she had remained so composed, even sitting on the same couch watching horror movies with him!? Watching horror movies with an actual ghost!

She had even been relentlessly roasting him! Gaslighting him! Shouldn't a normal person be scared out of their wits, completely panicked?

Wu Yue kept her eyes fixed on the TV, "Did you get the things I asked for?"

Her cold, murderous tone made Zhou Chuan feel like he was in some underground rendezvous with Wu Yue, the kind that would get them arrested!

He was a vicious spirit—a terrifying ghost! Could she at least show him a little respect?!

Zhou Chuan, "I told you, it's employees only."

Wu Yue, "Then get me an employee badge, or I'll immediately expose everything you've done."

Zhou Chuan instantly turned his head, his gaze dark and chilling.

Wu Yue coldly glanced sideways, "The brilliant young researcher is actually a psychopathic killer, attempting to use Future Biology's cutting-edge technology to create a masterpiece that suits his desires."

Zhou Chuan's pupils constricted instantly, his expression went completely blank for three seconds.

Wu Yue turned away as if unable to bear the sight of his ugliness, "You don’t actually think you’re in an undercover cop movie, do you? Stop trying to act and just move the plot along!

When you make that expression, the polyps in your empty eye sockets are squirming, dude. Cut it out—you’re so ugly it’s killing me."

Zhou Chuan, "...How did you find out?"

Wu Yue, "I guessed."

Zhou Chuan, "Huh? Yeah?"

Wu Yue, "Just a random guess."

Zhou Chuan snapped, "Seriously?!"

Wu Yue, "Fine, I did some digging online today.

You’re an orphan, adopted by a couple early on. Later, your mother passed away from illness, and your father died in an accident.

After that, you worked part-time through college until the poor but talented youth made it into Future Biology."

Gotta love technology—Baidu’s full of clues.

Zhou Chuan, "I don’t believe you could figure all that out from just that."

Wu Yue never took the bait to justify herself,

"Anyway, after coming home, I searched the place and couldn’t find any photos of your parents, but I did find something pretty interesting."

Wu Yue's gaze fell on the peach flowers on the windowsill. "Did you plant this?"

Zhou Chuan remained silent.

"In a world full of ghosts, if a living thing suddenly appears, it must be an important clue," Wu Yue said. "So I dug up that pot of flowers, and beneath it, I found a bone—it looks like a human skull."

Zhou Chuan stared at the skull in Wu Yue’s hand, his expression pained.

Wu Yue observed him calmly, "Zhou Chuan, why did you choose to be with me?"

Zhou Chuan, "When you interviewed me, you pursued me so passionately. I was moved, so we naturally got together."

Wu Yue, "But the truth is, I’m a bad woman. I pursued you to get more clues about Future Biology. I snooped into your life and discovered your secret, didn’t I? I used it to blackmail you, to force you to give me more information about Future Biology."

Zhou Chuan’s heart raced violently. Unbelievable, absolutely unbelievable! he thought. He actually still had the feeling of a heartbeat!

Wu Yue, "What’s going on with me right now? Tell me. I can help you. Let’s cooperate."

Zhou Chuan, "You’re in a... beep... beep beep beep...."

Zhou Chuan couldn’t reveal the true nature of the instance to Wu Yue. Wu Yue wasn’t fazed. "Write it on paper, or write it on my hand."

Shen Que was furious. No! No! Don’t write on her hand! Don’t touch his angelic wife! he thought.

Fortunately, Zhou Chuan found a piece of paper and had written down that Wu Yue was currently in a horror storyline instance—only by beating the level and unlocking the plot could she leave alive.

A look of understanding flashed in Wu Yue’s eyes. Given the bizarre situation she was in, she had a pretty good idea.

Zhou Chuan, "How on earth did you figure it out?"

Wu Yue, "I spent the whole day scouring my work computer, searching every corner—all the chat logs, browser history."

Like they say, when looking for clues, make good use of technology. Why include a work setting without any boss causing trouble? Clearly, it’s a solo clue-gathering phase at the beginning, so the computer must contain clues.

Zhou Chuan, "..." Damn! What kind of devil is this woman?!

Wu Yue, "So it wasn’t you who was the serial killer—it was your adoptive father."

Zhou Chuan grabbed his head in agony. "No, it’s not like that at all... They wanted to use my sickly mother as a live subject. They framed my father, and he was killed because of them."

Wu Yue, "You originally planned to kill me."

Zhou Chuan, "That’s right. You uncovered the truth about my past. If I didn’t kill you, my plan for revenge would be exposed."

After saying this, Zhou Chuan was totally stunned and bewildered.

He stared at Wu Yue in astonishment, as if looking at a monster.

He was originally an NPC, with his own fixed persona, predetermined lines, and even a set pattern of behavior.

He was supposed to snap and go on a rampage, killing his greedy lover, while the player was supposed to team up with others to defeat him.

But all his actions were completely derailed by the person before him. Wu Yue spoke of cooperating with him, yet in reality, she had already fully understood his storyline and—

Wu Yue smiled, "I can help you, but you must show your sincerity. Use the plans you’ve made over the years to get me an insider identity at Future Biology."

As a player who had beaten the level before, she saw through all his resentment and grievances, manipulating—even commanding—him, the first-stage boss of this instance, to help her achieve her goals. She made him switch sides. From this moment on, she would now set the rules of the game in this instance.

"The current plot has completely deviated. Rebooting..."