Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Lu Yanzhou instinctively tried to rise.

To his horror, he realized he had no hands.

Not just his hands—all his limbs had vanished, and his perspective had become strangely altered.

After a brief moment of panic, Lu Yanzhou composed himself and began to observe his surroundings.

He appeared to be inside a large, transparent, circular container, surrounded by many gently pulsing, eyeball-like objects.

Where am I?

Wasn't I in a hotel?

How did I suddenly end up here?

At least his dizziness was gone. Lu Yanzhou struggled to move his body, putting in great effort before he finally managed to control this new form.

He also came to the realization that he had become one of the eyeballs.

Lu Yanzhou remembered these eyeballs vividly—after all, he had once seen himself in the "Eye of Memory" eating diced eyeballs one bite at a time.

So, did I turn into one because I ate the eyeballs?

Lu Yanzhou’s mind raced.

Can I change back?

How can I face Lin Juan like this?

Will Lin Juan even recognize me?

After several attempts, Lu Yanzhou confirmed that he couldn’t produce sound—he was just an eyeball, capable of seeing and hearing, but not speaking.

Sensing a malicious gaze fixed on him, Lu Yanzhou turned and saw an eyeball twice his size staring at him with ravenous desire.

A sense of danger washed over him, and Lu Yanzhou relied on instinct to dodge the large eyeball’s attack.

This attack seemed to trigger something, as more and more eyeballs began targeting their own kind, initiating a hunt.

The weaker, smaller eyeballs became prey for the stronger, larger ones.

After narrowly escaping wave after wave of attacks, Lu Yanzhou was completely exhausted.

Being relatively small, he was one of the primary targets.

Lu Yanzhou maneuvered his new form, hiding in the shadows and killing any eyeballs that drew near.

Wave after wave—it felt endless.

He had no idea how much time had passed when the killing finally stopped.

Lu Yanzhou remained in place, breathing heavily—though, of course, his new body had no respiratory function; it was all in his mind.

The outside grew quiet, with sporadic tearing noises echoing faintly. Then, an intense hunger overwhelmed him.

I'm so hungry.

I need to eat.

Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry. Hungry…

His human consciousness was suppressed by the hunger, and Lu Yanzhou involuntarily turned his body toward the eyeballs he had killed.

By the time he regained awareness, many of the surrounding eyeballs had vanished, and his body had doubled in size.

It seemed he had truly become a monster.

Lu Yanzhou couldn’t quite articulate the feeling in his heart.

He didn’t give in to despair but continued to scan his surroundings. He couldn’t stay trapped here forever—he had to escape, he had to find Lin Juan.

Lin Juan.

Lin Juan.

After only a brief rest, Lu Yanzhou faced another round of fighting.

To survive, he had to defeat his opponents, consume them, and grow stronger.

His human consciousness was pushed to the deepest corners of this body, with instinct taking over entirely. Only the name "Lin Juan" remained deeply etched in his mind.

It was feeding time.

To prevent the eyeballs from starving after consuming each other, a feeding was held every three days. Lin Juan skillfully operated the mechanical arm, placing the raw meat delivered from below into the transparent container.

At the scent of food, the eyeballs swarmed toward it.

The one eyeball that didn’t rush toward the food, instead pressing against the transparent wall and staring at Lin Juan, stood out noticeably.

Hmm?

Why isn’t it eating?

Is it injured?

Lin Juan had fed Experimental Subject B-023 many times and knew these creatures would go crazy for food—eating when hungry, turning against each other when no food was available. Never before had one ignored the food to watch him instead.

Does it think I’m better to eat?

Lin Juan took a few steps to the side.

The eyeball pressed against the wall moved along with Lin Juan’s movement.

It was strange—Lin Juan didn’t sense any disgusting malice from this eyeball. It seemed to be simply observing him.

Lin Juan found it odd but didn’t think much of it. He had been stuck in this awful place for far too long; he needed to uncover the truth of what happened years ago and find a way to escape.

Someone was waiting for him outside.

Lin Juan thought of Lu Yanzhou.

He had promised to check in daily, but he couldn’t send messages. After all these days, he wondered if Lu Yanzhou was worried.

Lu Yanzhou knew his abilities—even if he was worried, he wouldn't worry too much. It seemed the communicator still had much room for improvement. Situations like this, where they couldn’t contact the outside world after entering a strange illusion, were too passive.

Both for them and for those outside.

The eyeballs in the transparent tank had reached the final stage of their fight to the death.

As the primary recorder, Lin Juan, perhaps because the eyeballs he cultivated were more vigorous than before, gained approval from his superiors and was told a considerable amount of information about the eyeballs.

Specimen B-023 originated from a mutated bird species. After being captured, its eyeballs were extracted and specially cultivated to reach their current scale.

The laboratory they were in was specifically established for the study of B-023. The other specimens here were incidental; some were even raised specifically as fodder for B-023.

For example, the lifeless artificial mermaid Lin Juan had seen earlier, deemed to have no research value, was sent here and thrown into B-023's tank. In less than ten minutes, it was completely devoured.

This place was essentially a large-scale eat-or-be-eaten cycle.

After feeding, the satiated eyeballs quieted down, sinking to the bottom of the tank to rest.

If all went as expected, they would grow larger within the next 24 hours.

Lin Juan turned off the main lights and prepared to leave.

As he reached the door, Lin Juan paused.

He heard a faint sound of glass sliding.

His hand on the doorknob, he found it wouldn't budge.

Lin Juan tried a few more times, confirming that it was impossible to open using ordinary strength, and smiled.

Were they trying to lock him inside to be fed to B-023?

Lin Juan turned around and, unsurprisingly, saw a large opening in the huge circular transparent tank. The eyeballs, which should have been resting, perked up and began crawling out through the opening.

They all moved uniformly toward Lin Juan.

Openings appeared at intervals along the tank, and eyeballs poured out as if summoned.

Lin Juan caught a faint scent. Inhaling it, his mind fogged momentarily before quickly clearing.

No wonder they were so forthcoming with the lab's secrets—they were determined to use him as a nutrient source for B-023.

No wonder every previous recorder for B-023 was reassigned after a period.

It turned out they weren't reassigned—they were consumed.

Lin Juan stood still, pretending to be on the verge of succumbing to the fumes. He staggered and slowly slid down against the wall.

On the surveillance feed, no one could see the cold glint in his downcast eyes.

Lin Juan was not one to accept being manipulated easily.

Since conventional methods couldn't break the illusion, Lin Juan had no qualms about using some unconventional methods.

He had been waiting only to understand the events of the past more clearly.

He already knew that what they had entered was likely based on events before the lab was abandoned. If not intervened, they might remain until the day the lab was destroyed.

Lin Juan had no patience to wait until that day. After consulting with Su Xingchen, Sheng Tianzong, and others, they decided to accelerate the lab's destruction.

But he hadn't expected the lab personnel to make a move against him first.

The eyeballs swarmed toward Lin Juan, pulsating.

Lin Juan waited calmly.

Dealing with these eyeballs wasn't difficult, but taking action would mean their original plan would need adjustments.

Just as the first eyeball was about to touch Lin Juan, an eyeball the size of a soccer ball leaped from behind, positioning itself between them and smashing the smaller eyeball about to reach him.

A second, a third... countless eyeballs trying to approach Lin Juan were destroyed by this one. It seemed tireless, painless, standing guard like a knight before Lin Juan, allowing no danger to approach.

How could this be?

Lin Juan looked in astonishment at the eyeball protecting him.

He recalled the eyeball that had stared intently at him during feeding.

Was it the same one?

Why would it defy its instincts to protect him?

Behind the monitors.

Everyone stared in stunned silence at the scene.

It was too strange.

Far beyond their expectations.

They never imagined a specimen would defy its instincts to protect a human.

"Could prolonged feeding have fostered an emotional bond?" a researcher ventured hesitantly.

"Previous recorders fed them the same way, for even longer, and this never happened," another researcher disagreed.

Mr. Qiao stared fixedly at the screen, his eyes growing brighter: "Change of plans. This person cannot die yet."

Whatever the reason, this was their first instance of positive interaction between a specimen and a human, which held significant value for their research.

Lin Juan sensed that the large eyeball guarding him was struggling.

It bore many injuries. Among the eyeballs, some larger than it knocked it aside, slamming it to the ground, yet it didn't give up, moving back each time to stand before Lin Juan.

A complex emotion flashed in Lin Juan's eyes.

An eyeball as large as a human head charged over, ruthlessly slamming into the one guarding Lin Juan.

That eyeball was already battered and torn. Based on the scant knowledge Lin Juan had gained here, it likely wouldn't survive.

Yet it still stood guard before Lin Juan.

Unaware of pain, unaware of fear.

Just as Lin Juan was about to act, several jets of gas emitted from hidden points around the lab. The eyeballs mid-air dropped straight down.

Simultaneously, an urgent voice came over the intercom.

"Xiao Lin (a colloquial term for Lin Juan), are you alright? The room has been filled with anesthetic gas. We'll get you out soon!"

With the crisis averted, the eyeball guarding Lin Juan could hold on no longer. It glanced back at Lin Juan, swayed, and collapsed.

Lin Juan quickly scooped it up.

He was wearing white gloves, and the eyeball, as large as a softball, rested heavily and tattered in his hands.

The anesthetic gas affected everyone indiscriminately. Lin Juan knew he should pretend to be unconscious, but he couldn't help worrying about the eyeball that had protected him for so long. As the lab staff entered, he managed to say "Save it" before blacking out.

He knew that the lab would not give up on this eyeball if there was even the slightest possibility.

They had likely paused their plan and spared his life precisely because of the eyeball's behavior.

Its human-affectionate, instinct-defying act of protection.

Lin Juan received medical treatment and woke up half an hour later. His first question was about the condition of the eyeball.

"It suffered quite a bit of damage, but don't worry, it's fine now," said Mr. Qiao himself, who was at Lin Juan's bedside.

"Why is Mr. Qiao here?" Lin Juan showed just the right amount of caution.

Anyone in this situation would be suspicious.

Lin Juan's caution didn't upset Mr. Qiao; instead, it got him reassurance and a promise that those responsible for the mistake would be punished.

"Was it really just a mistake? Not someone trying to harm me?" Lin Juan asked Mr. Qiao with suspicion and doubt.

Of course, it wasn’t a mistake.

Mr. Qiao thought to himself.

But Xiao Lin is still useful now, so we need to keep him calm.

"We will investigate thoroughly, but based on what we’ve found so far, it was indeed a human error. Rest assured, we will compensate you. You can tell us what you need."

"I want to resign," Lin Juan said, giving the natural first reaction of an ordinary person facing such a situation.

"Well," Mr. Qiao looked troubled, "I'm afraid that's not possible. When everyone joined the lab, they signed NDAs. Even if you resign now, you cannot leave until the experiment is over."

Unwilling to let Lin Juan go now that the experiment was making progress, Mr. Qiao offered a bunch of perks, using both threats and incentives to persuade him to stay.

Lin Juan requested two guards for protection, saying he no longer dared to stay alone in the lab area.

Hoping Lin Juan would continue researching Experimental Subject B-023, Mr. Qiao thought for a moment and agreed.

"I want to choose them myself. I need someone strong to protect me," Lin Juan acted scared.

Mr. Qiao scoffed internally at this display but, given that the experiment still needed Lin Juan, he didn’t show it. Instead, he acted concerned: "Sure, I’ll pick out the capable ones, and you can make the final choice."

Sheng Tianzong and other superpowered individuals heard the news.

Shortly after, news spread that Lin Juan had encountered an accident and was almost hurt.

Given their skills, Sheng Tianzong and Su Xingchen unsurprisingly made it to the list of candidates.

Mr. Qiao personally brought the selected candidates to the ward.

Lin Juan acted hesitant, deliberating awhile before finally choosing Sheng Tianzong and Su Xingchen.

His whole performance had been to bring these two to his side.

They had already explored most of the lab, and having Sheng Tianzong and Su Xingchen with him would make it easier to move around.

After Mr. Qiao left, avoiding surveillance, Su Xingchen asked the question he had been worried about for a long time.

"I heard something happened to you. What was it?"

Lin Juan explained what happened in Lab Area 5: "I suspect they changed their plans because of that eyeball."

They still hadn’t uncovered what these experimental subjects were truly used for.

"With the original plan suspended, it’s a good chance for us to find out what Mr. Qiao did to Fan Xiwen back then."

As compensation and for experimental purposes, under Mr. Qiao’s direction, Lin Juan’s status in the lab shot up.

Many research projects were no longer hidden from him, though his main responsibility remained researching Experimental Subject B-023.

Yes, he was no longer just a recorder but the main researcher for Experimental Subject B-023.

Lin Juan saw the eyeball again three days later when a researcher brought it to him, fully recovered but half the size.

The eyeball was housed in a separate enclosure. When it saw Lin Juan, it pressed against the wall of the box. If not for the container, Lin Juan felt it would have jumped into his arms.

The researcher joked, "It really seems to like you. It’s yours now—look after it well."

"I will," Lin Juan said, taking the container. "After all, it did save my life."

"Yeah," the researcher, who had heard about the incident, said enviously, "I wish the subjects I raise could be this humanlike too."

"By the way, this eyeball is special. The management wants it kept separately for now. Of course, you still need to take care of the other eyeballs carefully. Who knows, maybe more protective ones will show up."

Lin Juan looked down at the eyeball in the container.

The container was about the size of a hamster’s cage. Even shrunk to just a little bigger than a fist, the eyeball still took up a lot of space. At that moment, it pressed tightly against the container wall, perhaps intentionally, right where Lin Juan’s hand was touching.

Lin Juan placed the container on his workbench.

Lu Yanzhou felt like he was dreaming.

After turning into an eyeball, he initially thought he had fully mutated from consuming the eyeball. But then he saw Lin Juan.

His buried self-awareness resurfaced. He remembered who he was and that he had been searching for the missing Lin Juan.

But why was Lin Juan here?

Judging by the surroundings, this was clearly a laboratory.

He was trapped in a transparent box, likely as a test subject, while Lin Juan, dressed in a lab coat, was the researcher studying him.

Lu Yanzhou, stuck in the clear box, could do nothing but watch Lin Juan through the box.

He was confused—why the missing Lin Juan was here, being called "Xiao Lin" or "Recorder Lin," as if he had always lived here.

This couldn’t have happened in just three days.

Remembering how he had fallen unconscious in the hotel, Lu Yanzhou decided this had to be a dream.

He would wake up and see Lin Juan lying next to him.

He wished he’d wake up and find Lin Juan by his side.

Lu Yanzhou’s eyes followed Lin Juan. He pressed tightly against the transparent tank wall, ignoring the other eyeballs fighting and disregarding the food delivered by the mechanical arm.

A half-dead mermaid.

Lu Yanzhou knew this was their food.

But he didn’t want to eat; he felt full.

He didn’t think too hard about why he felt full, focusing only on Lin Juan, observing his every move.

The young man in a white coat, with his hair neatly tied back, seemed very different from the usual impression he gave.

In front of him, Lin Juan was casual, doing whatever felt comfortable, but in this unfamiliar place, Lin Juan was cautious, every move was by the book.

Lu Yanzhou wanted to break that framework.

He wanted to get out, to get closer to Lin Juan.

He didn’t expect it to happen so fast.

The tank, always sealed tight, was opened with multiple gaps. The eyeballs, having just eaten to half-full, smelled humans and eagerly surged out toward Lin Juan.

At that moment, seeing the young man fallen to the ground surrounded by eyeballs, Lu Yanzhou’s mind went blank.

He didn’t think at all; by the time he realized it, he was already guarding the young man, knocking eyeballs away one by one.

Exhausted, searing pain washed over him, but he felt nothing, springing up repeatedly, using his small body to block the eyeballs surging toward Lin Juan.

He was on the verge of giving up.

As his strength drained, he felt his body splitting with countless cracks. The pain was so intense it turned numb. With one last glance back at Lin Juan, he hurled himself toward an eyeball much larger than himself.

A sharp, acrid smell filled his senses, and Lu Yanzhou instantly lost consciousness.

When he woke again, he absorbed the surrounding fluid on instinct, his body gradually swelling. The aftermath of the immense pain left him in a haze, unable to hear outside sounds clearly, his movements lethargic.

Something prodded him, and he flinched in response.

"Activity has dropped significantly."

"When it was brought in, it was nearly unsalvageable. If not for Mr. Qiao’s order to save it at all costs, it would’ve been in the discard pile by now."

"Finally alive. I heard this thing is loyal to its keeper. I really don’t want to return it."

"Don’t cross Mr. Qiao. Send it over quickly."

"Yeah, yeah."

Lu Yanzhou finally saw Lin Juan again.

He instinctively moved closer, tuning out the chatter, pressed firmly against the young man’s hand through the tank wall.

The previous incident had a major impact on him. His consciousness was hazy, his memories as Lu Yanzhou fading bit by bit. He began to behave more like an experimental subject should—losing the ability to think, spending his days either staring at Lin Juan or zoning out while staring at him.

Mr. Qiao wouldn’t put all his eggs in one basket. He sent out some eyeballs and assigned another researcher to copy to a T what Lin Juan was doing in Lab 5, trying to create a second experimental subject that would actively protect humans.

Every single one failed.

"What’s the issue here?" Mr. Qiao sat at the head of the table, frowning as he asked.

The researchers below remained silent; they had no clue either.

After a quiet moment, someone suggested, "Why don’t we study No. 1 for a bit?"

They had had their eyes on this special experimental subject for a long time.

No. 1 was the eyeball in Lin Juan’s possession, the subject Mr. Qiao had high hopes for upgrading.

After some thought, Mr. Qiao nodded. "Very well."

Two researchers arrived at Lin Juan’s lab area and stated their business.

Lin Juan glanced at the eyeball on the worktable, tapped the tank with his pen. "This experimental subject is very special. It’s only just perked up a bit under my care. If you take it away and something goes wrong, I’m not liable."

The two researchers exchanged glances, frowning. "This is Mr. Qiao’s arrangement."

"I know." Lin Juan was well aware these two had long wanted to study No. 1. Logically, an experimental subject was just that—something to be handed over if needed. But for some reason, Lin Juan didn’t want to let them have their way.

The way they looked at No. 1 gave him the creeps.

"Still, I should remind you: No. 1 is fine here. If you take it and damage it, can you give me another just like it?"

"This is my work. You didn’t think you could wreck it and walk away without consequences, did you?"

The two researchers had never considered this and were stumped.

"I know experimental loss is normal, but No. 1’s situation is special. Even I don’t dare make major moves with it. After all, Lab 5 has researched for so many years and only produced one No. 1. Do I need to remind you of its value?"

The two researchers walked away empty-handed.

They did want to study No. 1, but they couldn’t bear the cost of damaging it.

Not only Mr. Qiao, but the top brass was also watching closely No. 1’s condition. If something went wrong at this point, Lin Juan might be fine, but they would likely face severe consequences.

After sending off the two annoyed researchers, Lin Juan returned to the worktable and tapped the transparent tank with his pen.

The eyeball inside drifted closer slowly.

Lin Juan wasn’t sure if this eyeball was a spontaneous mutation or something that had happened in the original timeline. He could clearly sense this eyeball was different from the others.

The entire Lab 5 was under surveillance. To avoid suspicion, Lin Juan rarely communicated with Sheng Tianzong or Su Xingchen here, and on the few occasions he did, it was all business.

With his changed role, Lin Juan wasn’t just recording Experimental Subject B-023’s data but also conducting related experiments.

Fortunately, he was mainly responsible for researching No. 1. Mr. Qiao valued No. 1 highly, so particularly gruesome experiments weren’t necessary.

No. 1 loved experiment time the most because that was when Lin Juan would take it out, allowing it to briefly touch the young man’s hand through thin gloves.

It yearned for the young man’s touch.

For this, it could defy all its instincts.

Nothing from the lab could be taken out. Lin Juan placed No. 1 back into its tank. No. 1’s injuries hadn’t fully healed, so it was housed alone for now. Occasionally, Lin Juan would toss a few small eyeballs inside for it to eat.

No. 1 wasn’t fond of moving. Its favorite activity was pressing against the tank wall, watching Lin Juan work.

When Lin Juan was recording data for other eyeballs, if he became too absorbed, No. 1 would bump against the tank until Lin Juan looked its way.

Eventually, Lin Juan found a tank just large enough to hold No. 1 and started carrying the small tank with him while he worked.

No. 1 quieted down.

Watching this, Su Xingchen and Sheng Tianzong marveled.

They asked Lin Juan privately, "Is this really all right?"

"What?" Lin Juan straightened the documents on the table. For both convenience and protection, Sheng Tianzong and Su Xingchen lived next door to him.

The dormitory was the only place without surveillance and the best place for them to talk privately.

"Is No. 1 a little too clingy?" Su Xingchen asked. "Like a puppy with separation anxiety."

Is that so?

Lin Juan thought it over and had to admit it was true.

Remembering right before he shut the door, Lin Juan saw through the gap that the eyeball in the container was watching him unblinkingly.

It usually stuck close to him, and when taken out of the container, it would cling to his hand.

As Lin Juan was changing out of his uniform, he felt something and picked it up and gave it a shake.

Out tumbled an eyeball.

Sheng Tianzong and Su Xingchen went on high alert.

When did it get out?

Lin Juan picked up the eyeball and examined it. "Making a break for it?"

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Author's Note: Putting up a new story for pre-order. If you're interested, feel free to add it to your collection! [Throws confetti]

Title: After Transmigrating into the Divine Boss of a Full Dive Game

Synopsis:

"Divine Descent Continent" is the world's first full-dive virtual reality game. Released five years ago, it became a global phenomenon.

As the lead designer, Jian Luobai died the day before the game's launch and found himself transported into the game world, becoming an NPC of unknown identity.

To catch a glimpse of the final version of the game, Jian Luobai blended in among the players, ventured out of the dungeon alongside them to explore the game world.

Gradually, Jian Luobai started to sense something was off. Though he believed he had no combat skills, he could easily defeat high-level bosses, replicate player techniques, and even access the player forums. Aside from being unable to log out, he blended in almost perfectly with the player community.

He even started dating the top-ranked player.

The top player, Lu Tingyu, was generous, deeply affectionate, attentive, and clingy—a perfect boyfriend. Jian Luobai was very satisfied and almost treated the game world as reality, until his boyfriend brought up meeting in real life.

The game wasn't reality, and Jian Luobai couldn't meet up.

Just as Jian Luobai was worrying about how to gently decline, everyone panicked upon discovering that the game world was gradually merging with the real world.

—

As the game and reality merged, the Divine Fall War began. Deceased gods resurrected as fallen deities, monsters ran rampant, and humans in the real world had no choice but to organize a resistance to seize a chance at survival.

As the game's strongest fighter and undisputed top-ranked player, He Tingyu was appointed by the authorities as the chief commander to lead the counterattack.

Fighting to the end, He Tingyu, drenched in blood, mustered his last ounce of strength to defeat the boss. Before he could catch his breath, a new boss emerged from the filth.

Everyone awaited the announcement of defeat in despair.

But then, the newly resurrected fallen god was stomped back into the ground.

A silver-haired deity lowered his head and spoke displeasedly, "How dare you mess with someone under my protection?"

With those words, the fallen god shattered into pieces.

Top-ranked player (gōng) × Divine game boss (shòu).