Chapter 22 Reality (1)

Chapter 22: Reality (Part 1)

The lock turned with a soft *click*, and the frosted glass door was pulled open a crack.

Now or never.

Shi Wu lunged like an arrow from a bow, the Quantum Blade in his hand leaving a streak of light as it ruthlessly thrust toward the throat of the person behind the door.

That "enemy" tilted his head aside without so much as a flinch, evading the fatal strike.

His reaction was lightning-fast.

Shi Wu's eyes instantly turned cold. With a twist of his wrist, a second strike followed immediately, aiming straight for the other's chest.

Then, the next second.

The man merely raised a hand to block, his movements fluid and seamless. Using Shi Wu's own momentum, he deflected it downward, turned his palm and elbow, and dragged half of Shi Wu's body into the bathroom.

A *thud* sounded as the frosted door was slammed shut heavily. The man's entire body pinned him, rendering him immobile.

Shi Wu let out a muffled grunt. His hands were pinned harshly behind his back, and his entire right cheek was pressed firmly against the wall, still warm and steamy from a recent shower. Yet, there was not a hint of retreat in his eyes; killing intent blazed in his pupils.

He couldn't see the "enemy" behind him, only catching a vague glimpse from the corner of his eye that the other person was currently shirtless, water droplets trickling down well-defined muscles on his shoulders and disappearing into the white towel.

"You woke up faster than I expected," the person finally spoke, his tone low and raspy. "But, jumping someone as soon as you wake up... isn't that a bit too hasty?"

Hearing this familiar voice, Shi Wu froze. "Bao Yan?"

"Hmm?" The other's fingertips still pressed against the Quantum Blade on his wrist, which hadn't fully deactivated. "What is it?"

"Then why," Shi Wu's wariness didn't fade, his words spat out coldly through gritted teeth, "did you bring me to your place?"

"Bring you to my place?" Bao Yan snorted dismissively, his tone mocking. "Are you sure I shouldn't be asking you why, when I opened my eyes, you were in my room, in my bed, sharing it with me, and even sleeping like the dead?"

Shi Wu was stunned.

"Don't make that face," Bao Yan said calmly, but his words weren't. "You slept soundly, so soundly you kept stealing my pillow."

Shi Wu: "My sleep can't be that bad..."

Bao Yan's fingers slowly loosened their grip on Shi Wu's wrist but didn't fully retreat. Instead, he leaned in closer, his damp hair hanging slightly, a few water droplets *plopping* onto Shi Wu's collar.

"When I woke up, you were already here."

Shi Wu's expression also darkened. He narrowed his eyes warily, his voice turning several degrees colder. "And what do you mean by that now? Suspect me?"

"I'm not 'suspecting'," Bao Yan corrected him lightly. "I'm 'verifying'."

Shi Wu laughed in extreme anger. "You motherf—"

"Verbal attacks are ineffective," Bao Yan looked at him, tilting his head slightly. "If you really intend to fight, at least wait until I put some clothes on first."

Only then did he fully release Shi Wu, reaching up to grab a towel hanging on the wall to dry his hair.

"But I'm not entirely unreasonable either," Bao Yan continued after saying this, turning his head to stare directly at Shi Wu. "If you can explain clearly how you got in, I don't mind listening first before arresting you."

"After all, the way you just pounced..." Bao Yan paused briefly, the corner of his lips lifting into a humorless curve. "...gives me a hundred reasons to take you out right here."

Shi Wu peeled himself off the wall, his fingers loosening their grip on the Quantum Blade at his side. His gaze remained icy, but the chill lasted only a few seconds before he reined it in, replacing it with his trademark roguish grin.

He let out a low chuckle, raising his eyes to look at Bao Yan, a playful glint in his upturned eyes. "You've already pinned me against the wall, and you still have the nerve to ask how I got here? Maybe *you* were the one whose lust got the better of you, bundled me up, brought me home, and neatly tucked me into bed."

Bao Yan didn't respond, only the motion of drying his hair hitched for a second, his gaze shifting coldly from the towel to Shi Wu's face.

Just then, the air suddenly emitted a burst of staticky electronic beeping.

"Ding-dong! Well hello, dear players~ I'm System 000, nice to see you again!"

The voice was light, playful, with a deliberately rising inflection at the end, but paired with its mechanical tone, it felt unnervingly lively.

Shi Wu instinctively leaned back. "You followed me even into the real world?"

"Oh, you~" The system's tone sounded almost coquettish. "Because! Your partner-binding relationship is still active! I'm your dedicated system now, so isn't it normal for me to tag along?"

The air fell silent for three seconds.

"System." Shi Wu shifted his posture, sitting on the bathroom counter, one leg crossed casually. He looked the picture of nonchalance, but his eyes were frighteningly cold. "Was it you who put me in his bed?"

"Correct!" the system announced cheerfully, its voice mixed with joyful sound effects. "The reward is—a brand-new cohabitation life full of sparks!"

"..." A faint twitch appeared at the corner of Shi Wu's eye. "Are you kidding me?"

"Not at all, it's a proper punishment!" The system's voice was sickeningly bubbly. "The three-meter closeness penalty from the last dungeon carried over until you exited. That's perfectly logical, don't be mad, don't be mad~"

"You call this normal? Are you insane or just malfunctioning?" Shi Wu feigned anger, slapping a hand on the counter. "Do you know I almost slit his throat when I woke up?"

"I know~" The system's tone remained light. "But with binding, you need to *rub along* to build *rapport*! A little friction like this is completely within reasonable bounds!"

"I think you're just doing this on purpose!"

"Don't say that~ I'm the one who understands your human-machine partnership best!" System 000's pitch lowered just a bit. "Don't worry, it won't always be like this. This is just a gentle little punishment. If you don't behave next time, it won't be something as simple as 'sharing a bed'~"

Bao Yan suddenly spoke up. "When is 'next time'?"

"Ta-da!" The system emitted a few comical sound effects, then announced in an exceedingly cheerful voice, "In five days! The dungeon countdown has already started. Remember to get your heads in the game~ The next one won't be such a gentle dungeon, hehe."

The system's voice cut off abruptly, leaving only the sound of their breathing in the bathroom.

Shi Wu fell silent for a few seconds, rubbed the back of his neck, then turned to look at Bao Yan. He clicked his tongue. "I'm thinking, maybe we should try to find a way to unbind this thing?"

Bao Yan lowered his gaze to stare at him. "If you dare pull any tricks, I'll bundle you up and toss you out the window right now."

Shi Wu shrugged, leaning back against the mirror in a lazy sprawl. "Don't be like that, Chief Bao Yan~ I'm the victim here. All I wanted was to live my life as a fugitive in peace. Who knew I'd wake up in your bed—can't I get some compensation for this loss?"

Bao Yan: "..."

Bao Yan's living room was on the first floor, with large floor-to-ceiling windows facing the greenery in the yard. Bright sunlight streamed in, falling on the gray-white carpet, which was spotless as if no one lived there.

Shi Wu sat in the center of the sofa, his left leg casually propped on the coffee table, his eyes lazily following the movements of a certain aloof man.

Bao Yan walked to the kitchen, opened the refrigerator door, and meticulously pulled out a silver-white nutrient tube.

With a *snap*, he tore open the spout, tilted his head back, and downed it in one go.

"You just drink that?" Shi Wu propped his chin on his hand, watching him, unable to hold back a long, disdainful sigh. "How boring. What's the difference between living like that and being a machine?"

Bao Yan gave him a faint glance but didn't respond.

Shi Wu pursed his lips and snapped his fingers. "Fine, so it's boring. But could you at least give me clearance? I can't even step out the front door right now. You're not seriously planning to keep me cooped up here, are you, Officer Bo?"

Bo Yan looked down and tapped a few commands on his terminal.

"Permissions synced."

"Thanks, thanks. Knew you'd see reason, Officer Bo." Shi Wu hopped off the sofa, swinging his jacket over his shoulder, swaggering like he'd just been let out of lockup for some air. "Alright, I'm outta here. Don't miss me too much."

"I won't," Bo Yan replied curtly.

Shi Wu even made a "you've broken my heart" gesture at him, then swaggered out the front door. Sunlight streamed in instantly, making him squint. A moment later, his steps slowed.

Only then did he notice he was standing in a compound of detached villas that looked like a military district.

This was the standardized residential area of a Federation military base.

The ground was paved with thick, durable black alloy, under close surveillance all around. Not far from the villa stood a silver-gray holographic fence. Inside the fence was a wide training ground, from which came the sound of synchronized footsteps and short, sharp whistle blasts.

Great. Just great. So inspiring. And extremely unsuitable for a wanted space pirate.

Shi Wu stood on the steps, let out a soft whistle, and stepped away. But instead of heading for the exit, he ambled curiously deeper into the residential area. He walked extremely slowly, as if savoring this rare sight.

Just as he passed under a tall landscaping tree, a soldier doing physical training by the distant track suddenly halted.

The soldier frowned, as if seeing something that shattered his worldview, then rubbed his eyes vigorously.

"What the hell?" he cursed.

A comrade running beside him stopped, panting. "What's up? Why'd you stop?"

"I..." The soldier was still dazed, staring for a full several seconds at the young man in uniform strolling leisurely, even with one hand in his pocket.

"What are you looking at?"

"How do I..." His voice trembled slightly. "How do I think... I just saw a space pirate come out of our Officer Bo's house?"

"Huh? You're seeing things from exhaustion?"

"How could a space pirate get in here?"

"Really!" The soldier straightened up abruptly, his expression complicated as he watched the receding figure. "That walk, that swagger... it's exactly the same."

"Who are you talking about?"

He swallowed hard:

"Shi Wu."

The air fell silent for a few seconds.

Then everyone's eyes snapped toward the direction the person had just left.

They exchanged glances. After a brief silence, one of them whispered, "You said he came out from where, again?"

"Offi..." The soldier gulped. "Officer Bo's house."

Author's Note: