Chapter 205

Chapter 205

Kuang Ye was crocheting a tiny garment with a hook while Chen Zui was winding a ball of yarn beside him.

The little outfits were for Ao Tian. Kuang Ye remembered when Chen Zui was a baby octopus, Hu Yue had made many little outfits for him, and he looked utterly adorable wearing them.

He himself also had experience making clothes for Xiao Luchen.

Chen Zui set down the neatly wound yarn, squeezed onto the sofa next to Kuang Ye, embraced him from behind, and showed him a picture on his phone—a rounded hat. "I think Ao Tian would look really cute in this," he said.

Kuang Ye glanced at it. "Easy, I can have this done in minutes."

Chen Zui pointed to the sides of the hat. "We need to leave two straps here, otherwise it won't stay on Ao Tian's head."

Kuang Ye nodded. Sometimes he missed the days when Chen Zui was a baby octopus—after all, that was probably the only time he got to see Chen Zui's cute side. Of course, there were perks to the adult octopus form too.

Chen Zui watched Kuang Ye's fingers fly, swiftly shaping the yarn into clothing, and was mesmerized.

Kuang Ye asked, "What do you want?"

Chen Zui thought for a moment, then he got an idea. "How about crocheting all four of us as a family?"

The "four of us" naturally included Ao Tian.

Chen Zui added, "We could turn it into a keychain."

Kuang Ye thought it was a brilliant idea. He looked at Chen Zui with admiration, marveling at how full of ideas he was. But then it occurred to him—if Chen Zui weren't so clever, how would he have been so thoroughly outsmarted back when he was Jiang Mo?

He used to think of Chen Zui as such a good guy.

Such a rascal.

Suddenly, Kuang Ye gave Chen Zui a playful elbow nudge, leaving him confused. Chen Zui looked at Kuang Ye, who was still focused on crocheting, and asked innocently, "Did I do something wrong?"

Kuang Ye hmphed.

After a moment, Chen Zui chuckled. He must be sick—this was the first time he'd ever been hit by someone, and yet he found it charming.

"That's domestic violence," he said.

Kuang Ye turned and gave a loud kiss on his cheek, then happily went back to crocheting.

Chen Zui, looking dazed by the kiss, slumped against Kuang Ye's back. "A slap then a sweet date? That's my usual strategy. Damn, my A Ye is becoming shrewd."

---

Yue Jingcheng reviewed the intelligence handed to him by his subordinates. They contained Chen Zui's recent movements, who seemed to relocate every twelve hours. But that wasn't his main focus.

His eyes fell on the man beside Chen Zui in the photos.

The young, handsome man gazed at Chen Zui with tender affection.

My chosen prey shouldn't have companions.

Yue Jingcheng called someone in and pointed at Kuang Ye in the photo. "Eliminate him."

That night, Ji Yun intercepted the messenger on their way to report Chen Zui's whereabouts to Yue Jingcheng. "Brother Wang, I need a favor," he said.

Under the cover of darkness, a car sped away from Yue Jingcheng's villa. Ji Yun floored the accelerator, heading straight for the location Brother Wang had uncovered. This time, he was determined to kill Chen Zui.

Even if his opponent was skilled, Ji Yun had his system's defenses. He could ignore Chen Zui's attacks—without needing to defend, he was confident he could take him out.

007 warned, "You only have one chance."

Ji Yun asked, "Why?"

007 replied, "Do you think Chen Zui will just go down without a fight? Based on the data we've gathered about him at the Transmigration Bureau, he's merciless, cunning, and vindictive."

Ji Yun's jaw twitched. He felt 007's timing was terrible.

Ji Yun said, "Then you should help me even more. Don't forget, you only get points if I succeed in my mission."

007 retorted, "Don't threaten me. According to the rules, I can classify your behavior as challenging the system and administer an electric shock. Have you missed the feeling of being punished lately?"

Ji Yun fell silent. "Damn this system!"

He drove deep into the deep wilderness, surprised that Chen Zui had a hideout in such a remote place. His irritation grew. "Why is a barely-mentioned side character in the story causing so much trouble?"

"Minor characters should stay in their lane—accept your fate and die when you're supposed to!"

---

"Wow~ I'm just too adorable!"

Ao Tian stood in front of the mirror, wearing a pastel yellow knitted dress with little flowers and a rounded hat. Kuang Ye had specially crocheted the hat small enough to sit crookedly on Ao Tian's round head, making it absolutely adorable.

Ao Tian lifted the straps of the dress with his tentacles and cradled his cheeks.

"I'm a total cutie," he boasted without modesty.

He spun around gleefully, using a tentacle to lift the hem of his dress, and bowed gracefully to Kuang Ye. "Thank you for the gift—I love it!"

Kuang Ye was completely smitten.

Chen Zui watched, fighting back a laugh.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion shattered the peaceful atmosphere. The roof exploded and collapsed, shaking the ground. Instinctively, Chen Zui and Kuang Ye lunged toward each other while simultaneously reaching for Ao Tian.

Chen Zui grabbed Ao Tian, swept Kuang Ye into his arms, and rolled aside.

Just as they moved, the ceiling above them crashed down. Dust filled the air as Chen Zui passed Ao Tian to Kuang Ye. "Ao Tian, protect him," he said.

He then rose, grabbed a gun from beneath the overturned sofa, and tossed it to Kuang Ye. Quickly, he picked up another gun from the shattered display case. "A Ye, take cover for now," he urged.

Kuang Ye insisted, "I'm not hiding."

His body had been enhanced through data reconstruction and trained by Chen Zui. Plus, he had combat experience from his time as Ren Feng. He wouldn't hide from danger—he would fight alongside Chen Zui.

Chen Zui looked at him.

Kuang Ye said firmly, "Trust me."

He was no helpless vine—he could be Chen Zui's partner in battle!

Chen Zui didn't argue further. To do so would insult Kuang Ye. "Scope out the situation outside through the basement exit. I'll take the front," he directed.

Kuang Ye immediately sprang into action.

Ao Tian perched atop his head, glanced back at Chen Zui, and nodded. He trusted Chen Zui, and his mission was to protect Kuang Ye at all costs. He believed he could do it!

Chen Zui moved to the wall next to the main entrance, grabbed a rope off the rack and threw it over his shoulder, then pushed against the wall, revealing a hidden door.

The full moon hung like a silver plate in the sky, its light casting a clear light over everything. Peering through the gap in the hidden door, Chen Zui saw another makeshift bomb being tossed through the air.

Ignoring the bomb, Chen Zui rushed out, rolling across the ground toward what he'd figured was a safe zone based on the last blast.

He dropped the machine gun and lay flat on the ground.

The moment the bomb exploded behind him, he squeezed the trigger, firing toward the woods.

"Fuck!"

Even with his defensive shield, Ji Yun was so startled by the bullets whizzing past his head that he fell from the tree.

His eyes widened in shock.

How the hell did Chen Zui know he was there?!

Before he could figure it out, more bullets were already heading his way.

007, watching the man lying on the ground, thought, "What a useless idiot," inwardly, thinking how great it would be if Chen Zui were from the Transmigration Bureau and could be partnered with a host like him.

After firing a quick burst, Chen Zui moved and changed positions.

He had deduced the enemy's hiding spot from the bomb's trajectory. After firing, he laid down suppressing fire around the area, then dashed into the woods, charging toward where the shots had come from almost as if he could fly.

Ji Yun glanced at the destroyed house, regretting that Chen Zui hadn't been killed in the explosion.

As he got up from the ground, he was suddenly shot at from behind, startling him. He turned around and saw only dark tree trunks, his eyes darting around to find the person ambushing him.

Kuang Ye, hiding behind a tree, kept changing positions while shooting at Ji Yun.

Ji Yun didn't even bother dodging—with his defense, what was there to fear? He returned fire, aiming at where the bullets were coming from.

Kuang Ye frowned; this defense was really troublesome. Then, narrowing his eyes, he noticed Chen Zui appearing behind Ji Yun, coiling a rope. He continued shooting to keep Ji Yun's attention.

After Ji Yun fired again, Kuang Ye let out a deliberate cry of pain, pretending to be shot.

Hearing the cry, Ji Yun grinned and was about to charge forward when a rope dropped over his head, trapping him. Though his defense prevented the rope from fully tightening around him, it looped around his waist, leaving him unable to jump or climb free.

The rope tightened against his defense, halting his advance.

In a panic, Ji Yun spun around and finally saw Chen Zui, whom he'd been fixated on. Ji Yun, now bound, could barely raise his gun hand, managing only weak shots.

Chen Zui fired at the same time, wielding the machine gun one-handed, but his target wasn't Ji Yun—it was Ji Yun's gun.

The first shot: bullets collided mid-air, sparks flying.

Then the second shot: Chen Zui was faster. Before Ji Yun's bullet could leave the barrel, Chen Zui's shot had already entered it.

The gun exploded with a bang.

Even with his defense, Ji Yun's hand was left numb from the blast.

He frantically tried to reach for the spare gun at his waist, but his hand refused to obey, frozen in place.

"007! What's going on?!"

"Don't panic. With my defense, they can't kill you even if they catch you."

007 checked Ji Yun's body data—it was covered by a layer of data, and cracking it would take time. Not skilled in data matters, it immediately escalated the issue.

Ao Tian said proudly, "He can't move now~"

It had submitted a request to crack Ji Yun's defense, but the data it collected was insufficient, and higher-ups couldn't resolve it immediately. Based on the data provided, they'd whipped up a temporary fix, which had just been completed.

One could only say Ji Yun's timing was perfect—so considerate of his enemies.

Chen Zui and Kuang Ye praised Ao Tian in unison for being amazing.

Ao Tian: "Just average, just average—number one in the system world."

Chen Zui leaned close to its head and quietly asked how long it could control Ji Yun.

Ao Tian: "At least 12 hours."

Things from their Dark Transmigration Bureau weren't so easily cracked.

Hearing that was enough, Chen Zui said, "A Ye, you and Ao Tian stay here and watch him."

Kuang Ye instantly understood he was going to Yue Jingcheng's side: "Okay, be careful."

Chen Zui set off immediately, editing a message to a number and soon receiving a reply informing him of Yue Jingcheng's current location. After reading it, he habitually deleted the message.

Now, the defense was on Ji Yun's side.

Chen Zui stepped on the gas. As he reached the villa where Yue Jingcheng was, a helicopter flew away into the distance. At the same time, the same number sent him another message.

"He had urgent business and just left the country by helicopter."

Chen Zui watched the helicopter moving out of range.

The luck of a protagonist...

He almost felt like being a protagonist himself, but in every minor world, he was just a side character. Turning the car around, he thought—even side characters are the protagonists of their own lives. Having experienced so many worlds, Chen Zui felt this deeply, especially after the post-apocalyptic world.

In that town, everyone was a protagonist.

Kuang Ye tugged the rope like he was leading a dog, dragging the immobilized Ji Yun, who lay on the ground, toward the wrecked house.

Though the defense prevented him from harming Ji Yun, he still kicked him several times—who told him to blow up Chen Zui's house?

Ji Yun sneered defiantly: "You can't hurt me."

Kuang Ye sat on a broken wall, his dark eyes fixed on Ji Yun: "Oh yeah? How long do you think you’d last if I locked you up without food or water?"

Ji Yun: ...

Kuang Ye grinned, dangerous and excited: "Every day, I’d either light a fire in that room or flood it. After flooding, I’d electrocute it. If you still don’t die after all that, it’d be really fun. I could come up with new ways to torture you every day."

He pressed a dagger against Ji Yun's neck, slicing back and forth.

Though it didn’t cause injury, it made Ji Yun uncomfortable.

Suddenly, Kuang Ye's eyes lit up: "I’ve got it—how about I throw you into a cesspit? Not above it, but right at the bottom."

Ji Yun’s breath hitched. Sure enough, anyone associated with Chen Zui was no good—what kind of devil was this?!

Ao Tian clapped its tentacles repeatedly: "A Ye! You're a genius!"

Kuang Ye had been through countless worlds; he was no innocent pushover. Deep down, he’s got rogue in his blood, and after all the "training" Chen Zui had put him through over these worlds, it was clear he had made progress in playing dirty.

Ji Yun said, "I bear you no grudge, nor did I come here to kill you."

Kuang Ye snorted, "If you had come to kill me, I wouldn't have been this harsh on you."

But how dare you lay a hand on Chen Zui? You deserve a fate worse than death!

Seeing Chen Zui return so soon, Kuang Ye guessed that things hadn't gone smoothly with Yue Jingcheng. He went to greet Chen Zui and asked, "How did it go?"

"He went abroad. I didn't make it in time."

Kuang Ye cursed, "Damn protagonist plot armor."

Chen Zui smiled and said, "But it wasn't for nothing."

Kuang Ye looked at him, waiting for him to continue.

Chen Zui brought his hands out from behind his back, holding a bunch of brightly blooming flowers. "On my way back, I saw these flowers. They were so beautiful, I figured you ought to see them."