Chapter 82

Chapter 82

What does that mean?? Luo Qingyue is actually connected to the organization behind the white-haired kid!? Bai Fuling stared at the plot unfolding on the screen, stunned for a solid three seconds.

But soon, the player calmed down and ran through the story in his head.

Thinking carefully, this revelation wasn’t too abrupt, because there were indeed clues in their previous interactions.

Bai Fuling had originally guessed that Luo Qingyue’s overly accommodating personality stemmed from his subconscious sense of the harm his beastification caused others, leading him to choose such an attitude to fill his guilt.

Now it seemed that that constant good-natured penance wasn’t just about the damage from the [Cat], but also the influence of the past. Even before Luo Qingyue realized the harm of the [Cat], his easygoing nature came from his history.

Though the player didn’t know exactly what that organization did, it was obviously bad news—at least not a decent organization in the common sense. After all, it was too unfriendly to the player.

In the game, the player was the emperor. Anyone who dares disrespect the emperor is a rebel!

Bai Fuling knew that even in a casual game, there had to be a villain boss to aim for. Now, he’d caught a glimpse of that boss.

Bai Fuling’s gaze fell on Luo Qingyue lying in the hospital bed. He saw the tear stain at the corner of his eye in the CG image, remembering their rooftop conversation from earlier.

Luo Qingyue had said he didn’t want to hurt anyone. He also said he felt he deserved to die.

At that moment, Bai Fuling thought: maybe Luo Qingyue really had wanted to die.

Reviewing the scene again, aside from the [Cat] incident, from Luo Qingyue’s perspective, the shadows of his past were still there. After he thought he had successfully left, the organization had come back for him—or rather, it had never really gone away.

Bai Fuling thought, it was probably like: there was once a cockroach at home. You throw it out, thinking you’re safe. Then one day, you suddenly find cockroach traces again, and realize the nest was never cleared… A total nightmare!

Alright, Bai Fuling thought. He suddenly got Luo Qingyue’s death wish. This situation really was pretty hopeless, huh.

If it were him, he’d probably wanna burn the whole house down and fight the cockroaches to the death. Or just move somewhere new and clean.

“It seems the information I gathered was correct.” Olbert’s lips briefly twitched into a smile, then faded just as fast. He continued, “You’re not an intelligence or combat agent. Otherwise, I don’t think they’d have let you leave so easily, even under some kind of semi-supervised release.”

After answering two soul-searing questions in a row, Luo Qingyue already looked exhausted. He nodded slightly, numbly, not moving otherwise.

“Besides intelligence and combat agents, what else is there?” Bai Fuling asked. He remembered the game’s settings basically had just those two.

“Logistics, paperwork, or liaisons. For an organization to function, it needs plenty of low-key people.” Olbert shrugged. “Actually, it’s precisely because the information I gathered showed that Mr. Luo wasn’t deeply involved in those matters that I chose to leave one last lifeline.”

Saying this, Olbert’s gaze drifted lightly to the hospital bed, his eyes curving slightly. “Besides, I promised Kitten King—I wouldn’t lay a hand on you. So rest assured.”

“Of course, if you seek release,” Olbert smiled, “for the sake of Kitten King… oh, I mean, Fresh Cabbage, I could also help you out. You need that?”

What does that mean? Bai Fuling immediately whipped his head around, glaring back. He’d just transformed into Angel Beast to save Luo Qingyue, and now this Fox Man NPC wants to send him to the afterlife?!

The fox guy should just stick to being a fox spirit, not some Buddha sending people off to heaven!!

…Come to think of it, is this some conspiracy by the game company? Bai Fuling showed a suspicious expression.

Dying and reviving, making players keep shelling out money—oh, this one couldn’t spend money yet. It’s probably to make players invest more game time, boosting retention rates.

Bai Fuling grabbed Luo Qingyue’s hand, looking at the NPC, his eyes darting.

Cotton Spirit! The Cotton Spirit he barely managed to fish out—don’t die again!

Having cockroaches at home is fine; you can just call a professional pest control company!

Bai Fuling couldn’t help but type in the dialogue box: “I’m Farmer Great Detective—you know, professional pest exterminator for a hundred years.”

“?” A little question mark popped up above Olbert’s head, showing he didn’t understand the player’s abrupt words. Even though he was used to Bai Fuling’s abstract behavior, he couldn’t fully decode that abstract statement.

But he roughly guessed it was something he said to Luo Qingyue, so his gaze returned to the person on the bed.

“…” The fog on Luo Qingyue’s breathing mask was thick. He lay on his back, the only sensation being the soft hand he held.

He was holding the black-haired youth’s hand.

Earlier, he had been pulled back from another shore to the human world by that same soft strength.

Did he want to live, or did he want to die?

Luo Qingyue had never been sure of the answer. Sometimes he felt he leaned toward the latter.

But that day—when he opened his eyes in the darkness, saw the swaying fishbone braid, glimpsed the dazzling Angel Halo—the emotions overflowing in his chest spilled from his eyes as hot tears.

From that moment on, he knew he wanted to live.

Someone had given him a new life, and he didn’t want to waste a second chance at a tomorrow.

Now, this life belonged not only to himself but also to that person.

Luo Qingyue squeezed Bai Fuling’s hand back. He couldn’t speak, but his remaining actions showed his choice.

Bai Fuling watched the text prompt pop up on-screen, happily holding on tight with both hands. Amid the green +1+1+1 health recovery background, he said lightly, “So you need me to ask you to clean out the cockroach nest? Right?”

A new quest was coming!

After the series of emotionally turbulent interactions, Luo Qingyue on the bed had exhausted his remaining strength. He vaguely heard Bai Fuling’s cheerful voice.

Though he didn’t catch the specifics, he wanted to make the other happier.

If those words were what Cabbage Friend wanted… Luo Qingyue nodded one last time before slipping into unconsciousness.

With his movement, a new quest window popped up on the screen.

“[???]: If there are pests at home, just clean up the house. After all, this is your eternal home.”

The screen finally showed a new quest as the player wished, but Bai Fuling stared at the window, slightly stunned.

This quest box was different from the previous ones… The earlier quests had the traditional pixel game square borders. But this one had a crooked, tentacle-like ink border, similar in style to the text under the purple triangle in the character files.

And this quest had no name, no marked rewards or time limit.

It appeared abruptly in the middle of the screen, then folded into the quest log.

Bai Fuling opened the quest log and saw it at the top of all active quests. Even tucked away, its style stood out.

Why this tentacle style…?

Speaking of tentacles, had he forgotten something?

Bai Fuling fell into brief thought, but was soon interrupted by Olbert’s words.

“He’s passed out.” Olbert said. “But the important questions are mostly answered.”

“But you haven’t answered me yet.” Bai Fuling looked up, quickly following up. “So what exactly is that behind-the-scenes organization? You don’t need to say much about yours—I know it’s the Celestial Court.”

When the last word was spoken, Olbert’s expression momentarily darkened, then turned into a smile hiding all emotions: “Hey? Where did you hear that term?”

"Underground, underground," Bai Fuling answered truthfully. "A white-haired kid told me—the same one who later tried to kill me and Luo Qingyue, then flew off in a helicopter."

"..." Olbert kept his smile on, his fox-like mask hiding everything. "...Why would he tell you that?"

"Because I asked," Bai Fuling replied matter-of-factly.

Answering players' questions is an NPC virtue.

Speaking of which, Olbert was seriously lacking that virtue—the virtue of answering players!

Bold as hell, now he was turning the tables and interrogating the player. Bai Fuling decided to slap Olbert with a label: "No NPC Morals."

Olbert and Bai Fuling locked eyes.

After a couple seconds, Olbert finally said slowly, "Fine." Then he added, "Fine, Kitten King. I believe you."

"Since you're so curious and already know this much, I guess it can't hurt to share a little more." Olbert crossed his arms loosely over his chest. "Besides, even if I don't tell you, you'll just go ask Mr. Luo yourself later, right?"

Exactly. That was Bai Fuling's plan all along. Luo Qingyue's backstory also involved that organization, so asking him would get the same info.

But Luo Qingyue was unconscious, so he couldn't interact. Bai Fuling wanted to find out more sooner, so he kept pushing Olbert.

"What is the human limit?" Olbert suddenly asked.

Bai Fuling stared at the line that suddenly popped up on the screen, tilting his head in confusion.

"Well?" Olbert blinked, a dreamy look on his face. "Can you answer that?"

The room went quiet for a moment. Wind squeezed through the window crack, rustling the curtain's edge, casting shifting patches of light on the floor.

After a pause, Bai Fuling finally spoke: "Okay, received the question about [Human Limit]. I will analyze it from the following angles: Human limit refers to the physiological limits the human body can endure under various extreme environmental pressures... ①"

Olbert: ???

Wait, why did it suddenly turn into an AI-style answer?!

—In reality, Bai Fuling was actually searching on Baidu.

He pasted the question into the browser, then copied and pasted the encyclopedia entry.

Bai Fuling: Heh, testing the player? Sorry, but the player has a cheat tool—a side-window search!

He rotated the pixel character on the screen to face Olbert, spinning out a smiley face.

Bai Fuling: You're totally blown away by my vast knowledge, aren't you!

After Bai Fuling flatly recited the whole thing, Olbert fell into a weird silence.

The mysterious, dreamy atmosphere he'd built up was now completely shattered. Olbert looked ahead, seeing only a smug little Kitten King.

"..." Olbert paused, dropped the whole mysterious act, and said bluntly, "That organization's purpose is to explore the limits of humanity."

"To that end, they'll do anything you can imagine—and things you can't even imagine."

"Whether their experiments succeed or fail, they always mean countless victims. And successful experiments will create even more victims in the future—because they'll roll out mass testing, ignoring any potential side effects."

Olbert's eyes narrowed into a sharp arc. "We can't let their experiments succeed. If they perfect a project, they'll use it on themselves first, breed a mutant army, then use that power to control more people for new experiments."

"That's why I had to eliminate the 'cats,'" Olbert said, turning his head, his fox eyes curving. "That's the reason for the shooting. But you've been abandoned as pawns, meaning the experiment's been scrapped. I won't act anymore—sorry about what happened before."

Bai Fuling: "No problem. Next time, fire a few more rounds."

The player could use the shell casings! There's hardly any other way to collect them.

Olbert choked at that, taking Bai Fuling's words as sarcasm.

He silently dropped the subject and steered the conversation back to the organization itself: "They won't stop. They're never satisfied."

Bai Fuling paused for three seconds, then said sincerely, "So why don't they just set up a Guinness World Record?"

"—Their ultimate goal is to break limits, achieve the evolution of all humanity, and usher in a new era of happiness. That's their motto." Olbert sneered. "It's not just about records."

Bai Fuling understood. Sure enough, every villain organization has a seemingly grand goal! But look closer, and you can still see the flaws.

What is "all humanity"? The ones who died before, during, and after experiments—unable to endure them—and those who might refuse future experiments—aren't they considered "human"? Clearly, this organization didn't hand out human rights certificates to them.

"I see," Bai Fuling nodded. "Our mission is to let everyone live normal lives, as regular people."

No more mutating all over the place—this isn't Resident Evil or Suika Game!

"Pretty much," Olbert smiled, shrugging slightly. "One person's strength is too limited, so that's why our organization exists."

"..." Bai Fuling didn't reply, just stared at Olbert.

The air went silent again.

Until Olbert couldn't help asking first, "What's wrong?"

"You didn't freeze? I thought you were loading," Bai Fuling said in surprise. "Then why aren't you inviting me to join?"

Logically, after introducing the villain and the opposing organization, you should invite the player to join. How can you win without the player?

Olbert: "...No. I'm just giving you some info. Joining or not isn't a game."

"Test me," Bai Fuling nodded. "I see."

Olbert: "...No. We're not planning to invite a student, especially you."

"Playing hard to get," Bai Fuling smiled. "Interesting."

The mixed-race young NPC stood at attention, a huge question mark popping up above his head—the mysterious big question mark was back!

The silence was broken by a phone call.

Olbert pulled out his phone. The moment he saw the screen, his expression turned serious. After answering, his face darkened, and he hurriedly strode outside.

The question mark above his head turned into an exclamation mark. The mixed-race Fox Man, topped with an exclamation mark, went out.

There was no sound or subtitle of the call's content in the background. Bai Fuling had no idea what happened. He only knew the other left in a rush, without even giving the player any follow-up.

Bai Fuling originally wanted to follow him out, but the pixel character on the hospital bed stirred again.

So Bai Fuling turned back to the bedside.

"Luo Qingyue?" He tried calling out again.

Since the NPC moved, it meant new plot was coming!

Luo Qingyue seemed to have been woken by the ringing, or perhaps something was on his mind, so he struggled to sit up again.

He tilted his head, glancing at Bai Fuling, his lips moving under the oxygen mask to mouth words.

“…What I promised you… go get it…”

A dialog box popped up on the screen, highlighting a key on the bedside table—Luo Qingyue had changed into a hospital gown, but his old clothes and personal items, including this key, were left on the nightstand.

Bai Fuling paused for a second, then clicked on the key and grabbed it.

“Luo Qingyue’s basement key: Key to the basement of Building 9, Unit 3, Apartment 101, Green Serene Garden.”

He actually gave me the basement key?!

Was he supposed to go get something? Bai Fuling thought for half a second and remembered. Oh, right! The transportation he'd promised earlier—a wheelchair and a bike!

…Heartwarming. The Cotton Spirit actually remembered at a time like this.

Bai Fuling wasn't about to waste the NPC's kindness.

He pocketed the key, left the hospital, and used the mini-map to navigate to Luo Qingyue's place. This was his second time at the NPC's house.

Bai Fuling took the elevator down to the basement and easily found the bike and wheelchair—good news: both could be stored in his backpack!

This was way more convenient than that big dog (wolf) from before—summonable anytime, anywhere.

Bai Fuling happily pulled out the wheelchair, planning to ride it back to school first.

The bike was stable, sure, but the player liked the wheelchair for its little surprises. In games, riding a wheelchair was just more fun.

He sat down in the wheelchair, adjusted the hand controls, and took a little joyride around the neighborhood, even making the security guard at the gate stand up straight. Then Bai Fuling hit the main road and headed back to school.

The player sped along in the wheelchair, the asphalt pixels gleaming black under the midday sun.

Looking at the flat ground, Bai Fuling suddenly felt a twinge of familiarity—like he'd seen something flat and black like this before.

Oh no! His Little Pitch Black was still outside the fish tank!!!

Had it dried up into a crisp by now?!

Bai Fuling's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately opened [Little Garden].

On the screen, a puddle of unrecognizable black liquid was spread across the table next to the fish tank, like a spilled ink bottle.

Bai Fuling poked at it with his finger, and after a couple of prods, the black liquid reluctantly squirmed. He pinched it with his fingers and lifted it up, and Little Pitch Black stretched out like a noodle.

Not dried out, but melted in the sun?! How did it end up all damp and sticky!

Bai Fuling felt super guilty about the melted Little Pitch Black. He carefully lifted it and gently placed it back in the fish tank.

“Sorry,” Bai Fuling said. “I forgot again… I didn't mean to.”

As he spoke, he felt a little dazed, like the words had traveled through time back to his childhood. Back then, he hadn't meant to abandon that little raising game either. He really didn't remember.

Little Pitch Black fell into the fish tank, absorbed the water, and fluffed back up into its soft, cottony form, with pointy ears sprouting on its head—cats really were liquid, melting and then reassembling!

It extended two slender tentacles, grabbing onto the finger icon on the player's screen, suction cups latching on and pulling away with soft 'pop' sounds, leaving red marks. It was like a small complaint, mixed with a bit of affectionate begging.

Bai Fuling watched Little Pitch Black interact on the screen, a smile spreading across his face.

He didn't stay long in [Little Garden], since he was still on the road and hadn't reached his next destination.

Just as Bai Fuling exited [Little Garden], he noticed a flash of colorful light in front of him—it was the ultra-rich second-gen, Zhong Xiaye!

A voice came from the game: “…You, what's up?”

A sleek, silver-gray sports car was parked by the roadside, and Zhong Xiaye stood there, frowning, leaning against his car door.

Zhong Xiaye hadn't expected to run into that guy from the hospital on his way back—and now he was in a wheelchair.

Zhong Xiaye observed for a moment and noticed the other person sitting quietly in the wheelchair, motionless, stopped about a third of the way into the lane.

That was dangerous! Even on the sidewalk, a wheelchair was risky, let alone on the road.

The black-haired youth lowered his head, a gentle breeze swaying his braid on one side, brushing against his pale neck. He seemed lost in thought for a long time.

Zhong Xiaye hesitated for a moment, but ultimately his chivalrous spirit got the better of him, and he pushed open the car door and got out.

“What's your deal?” His tone wasn't exactly friendly, but Zhong Xiaye felt that just offering to talk was already impressive. He looked the other up and down. “…Where's Olbert?”

Zhong Xiaye instinctively asked, gritting his teeth. Weren't they dating? Why wasn't the boyfriend seeing him off?

“He left,” Bai Fuling said, turning his face away. “He doesn't want me.”

Huh? Zhong Xiaye had no idea what had happened in that time. He stared at Bai Fuling: “What's going on?”

“I haven't completed the mission yet,” Bai Fuling sighed. “I can understand why he rejected me.”

Thinking about it now, the player could understand why Olbert refused to let him join the Celestial Court on the first meeting. That would be too easy; there must be a series of trials to pass.

So Bai Fuling's expression turned resolute, full of determination: “It's okay, I'll work hard to complete all the tasks given next!”

What tasks? Zhong Xiaye fell silent. How could there be tasks to complete while dating? So weird.

…Don't tell him this was some kind of master's orders play?! After the three-batch thing, now there was another strange, not-at-all-pure-love roleplay emerging!?