Riceball07

 “Name.” “Jiang Yan.” “Age.” “25 years old.” “What is your relationship with the suspect, Yu Xiu?” “Partner, legally married… now divorced.” “Do you know the people in these photos?” “I don’t.” “According to our investigation, your relationship with Yu Xiu has always been stable, with no sign of conflict or breakdown. So why did you two suddenly get divorced?” “He brought it up.” “Why?” “He thought I didn’t love him.” Clang! A middle-aged man in his forties slammed his enamel mug heavily on the interrogation room table. “Stop talking nonsense.” He stood up impatiently, his slightly bulging belly shaking as the keychain at his waist clinked. With a scowl, he glared at Jiang Yan. “After you and Yu Xiu announced your divorce, Yu Xiu disappeared. Soon after, the first victim was found brutally murdered at home. The cause of death and dismemberment methods match perfectly with the specimens found in your house.” “You and your family pretended to look for him. Were you deliberate...

 Jiang Yan did not expect that the game login system would be under maintenance for an entire month. During that month, he felt completely cut off from the gaming world. Every day, he woke up in his room filled with childhood and teenage belongings, went to the door to pick up the breakfast delivery the property manager had reserved for him the night before, ate alone at the dining table, opened the villa door, let Fangshan play in the yard, then curled up on the living room sofa to watch movies or play games, occasionally stroking Xiao Mei, who sometimes lay sleeping at his feet. Jiang Yan felt as if he had returned many years into the past, like a chick curled up in a warm nest. If it were not for the missing Jian Hou and the black, shapeless lump that had already formed, and if Yu Xiu did not still insist on doing daily chores, he might have thought that the game "Jian" was nothing more than a long, bizarre dream. "According to reports, the city will face its ...

 When the instance ended, the members of the four major guild were already waiting at the entrance. The players who had entered the instance from within the game eventually all appeared there. However, this was usually the choice of veteran players. For new players, they would rather stay in the real world for as long as possible even if only for one more second. Some even upon leaving an instance for the first time, chose to give up their existing jobs and lives just to stay with their families. After all, they could never be sure whether the moment of their death would be the moment they entered the next instance. Veteran players, especially those who had joined guilds, preferred to enter the instance from within the game and eventually chose to return to it. This was because what awaited them there were flowers and applause celebrating a successful clear. Many veteran players also chose not to return to the real world immediately but stayed in the game with their compani...

“We’ve been married for a long time, right? Husband.” Inside the bathroom, the figure of Yu Xiu behind the frosted glass and the constantly writhing black tentacle froze instantly. For a moment, the only sound in the room was the rushing water. Jiang Yan quietly watched the direction of the bathroom, waiting for an answer. He did not ask what exactly this thing was. He did not ask if it knew about the anomalies around him. He did not ask whether these were related to him. He did not ask what the truth of this world really was. So, we’ve been married for a long time, right? He had no memories outside the copies, so this “long time” obviously did not refer to the wedding after graduating from university, or that certificate. So, we’ve been married for a long time, right? But just how long is this “long time,” husband? The room fell into silence, golden dust drifting in the sunlight. Jiang Yan did not get the answer he wanted. In fact, he did not get any answer at all. His husband...

"Perhaps you should devour something ...... devour, absorb ...... " "Bored? You should not have emotions ...... virus invasion ...... " "He is about to collapse ...... " Jiang Yan woke up with a start, sweat covering his forehead. Sunlight filtered through the sheer curtains, spilling across the floor. Scarlet rose petals were scattered over the pure white carpet before the bed. He had another nightmare. Recently, he had been having nightmares almost every day. Although the contents were different each time, they all seemed to be connected to the same thing. Yet whenever Jiang Yan woke and tried to grasp the fleeting threads of his dreams, he could remember nothing. Only the gray data panel in his mind reminded him that his world had become abnormal. However, the usually delicate and timid little prince was eerily calm and strong about it, which even Jiang Yan himself found strange. According to what he knew of himself, he should have thrown himself...