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C37

The content broadcast by the main system echoed absurdly in the dilapidated, cold, and blood-splattered office.


“Interesting!” Su An toyed with a small leg bone that he had just snatched from the dark room outside, laughing as he looked at Tao Shi and Cao Youfeng. 


As the personal system’s lapdog to the main system, was it now supposed to respect a real NPC who was even less than us toys?


“Do we need to guess who this special NPC is?” Su An smiled provocatively. He knew that the Dawn Guild's mission objective was not to covet the few pitiful points from this instance but to capture this obviously abnormal real NPC. However, this real NPC unexpectedly became the instance's boss, a boss that would take their lives.


How interesting! Su An thought, enjoying the spectacle. They were originally rival guilds, and he was happy to see the other side suffer!


Cao Youfeng still felt this was ridiculous: “Jiang Yan has received special attention from the main system before; this is nothing new! How can this mean he is the Creator God?”


Jiang Xiu maintained a formal smile, his eyes squinting as he said, “Who else could it be? Among us who remain, the only ones with mental disorders, besides Su An, are him.”


As he spoke, he opened his half-closed eyes, and his tone turned cold: “The only ideal realm of the cave is... the Creator God.


“The reason the Creator God is the Creator God is that this absurd world is simply his warm nest to escape the real world.


“And we are merely accessories in his mental lair.


“Prisoners trapped in the cave mistake the cave for the world, and the shadows cast on the rock walls by the firelight for real things.


“One day, someone is released. He sees the firelight, exits the cave, and realizes that the world he has always lived in is merely a cave—a cave that conforms to their ideals.”


Cao Youfeng opened his mouth, momentarily unsure how to refute this.


Tao Shi reached out to ruffle his head, complaining, “It’s either a mental illness or a zombie siege! The main system’s level in writing instances is as consistently terrible as domestic horror films!”


Su An echoed the criticism: “Yeah! What an outdated trope!”


Cao Youfeng still couldn’t accept it, confused: “But how could it be Jiang Yan? An S-rank instance gives the boss’s identity card to a real NPC ranked at the bottom of the entire server?!”


“So what?” Tao Shi said, rubbing his head. “What does it matter if a real NPC is at the bottom of the server? Among the more than ten players who came in with us, how many are still alive in his hands?”


Cao Youfeng’s heart sank slightly. That’s right...


Currently, only a few veteran players remained in the entire instance.


Today marked the fifth day of the game, and the instance was set to survive for seven days. However, the seventh day was the day the Creator God would destroy the world.


In other words, if they didn’t catch Jiang Yan by the seventh day, then... this instance would face total annihilation!


Thinking of this, Cao Youfeng’s skin crawled. This Jiang Yan... was more difficult to deal with than he had thought.


Seeing the kid fall into self-doubt, Tao Shi continued to ruffle his hair and voiced his discomfort: “There’s one thing I still can’t figure out.”


Jiang Xiu replied, “What else could confuse You?”


Tao Shi put one arm around Cao Youfeng and rubbed his chin with the other hand: “Don’t you think Jiang Yan’s recent behavior has been too conspicuous?”


“According to normal logic, now that it’s the fifth day, if he had hidden until the seventh day without us noticing, he could have shattered his mental world, leading to our total annihilation. But... his recent behavior has been too obvious, as if he fears we won’t notice anything unusual.”


“Maybe he’s just too confident?” Su An replied, “He probably thinks we’ve cleared his suspicions because of the incident with Li Yun.”


Tao Shi pondered: “But based on my interactions with him over the past few days, Jiang Yan has never been an arrogant person.


So... why is that?


Su An sneered, “If he can play us old-timers in the palm of his hand, even the most cautious person would feel smug.”


Jiang Xiu’s gaze turned cold: “This so-called deity likely sees us as prey, using the seven days to hunt us down.”


“The best hunters enjoy playing with their prey, toying with them until the last moment, relishing their despair as they perish.”


Su An threw away the leg bone he was holding, a chilling smile on his face: “If that’s the case, then let’s make sure the prey laughs until the very last moment.”


Tao Shi smiled at the still self-doubting Cao Youfeng: “Yuan Xu has been watching him closely. Let’s play along with this show! It’s his moment to shine!”


“Yuan Xu?!” Su An was taken aback.


That’s right! There were three people from the Dawn Guild this time!


Only Yuan Xu had faded from everyone’s sight. The ones leading Jiang Yan’s rhythm were Tao Shi and Cao Youfeng, so naturally, their focus remained on these two.


He had always thought the Dawn Guild’s only target this time was Jiang Yan!


It turned out Yuan Xu had been observing Jiang Yan in the shadows? No! He should be watching everyone in the instance.


Once he realized this, Su An glared at the blue-haired Tao Shi, gritting his teeth: “Tao Shi, is it really worth it for just a few points?”


Tao Shi waved his hands repeatedly: “What are you saying? Isn’t the essence of this game just accumulating points? After all, not everyone is as simple as you, Su An, just enjoying the fun the game brings; we are a group of ordinary folks!”


“To the guild, Jiang Yan is undoubtedly important, but for me personally, points are still more important!” He said with a brilliant smile.


Then, Tao Shi sighed regretfully: “What a shame, such a good seedling.”


“By the way, can you pull up another copy of Jiang Yan’s case, Doctor Ding?” Tao Shi turned to Ding Wanyu, who was currently in a daze, lost in doubt about the world.


At this moment, Ding Wanyu’s mind was in chaos.


Are they discussing the final boss of the instance... Jiang Yan?!


But... isn’t the identity card of the instance boss typically held by a powerful player or a highly potential newcomer?


Jiang Yan?


Indeed, this person’s performance in the game world is quite exceptional.


However, his extremely low stats indicate that he has nothing to do with being powerful; furthermore, Jiang Yan has already passed through several instances and can hardly be considered a newcomer!


He admitted that Jiang Yan’s performance in this instance was outstanding and commendable, but... is he the BOSS of the instance? How could this be possible?! Dr. Ding is now questioning his life.


[I am also questioning my life.]


[At first, I thought it was Li Yun who had gone crazy; now I realize it's clearly the main system that's insane!]


[Playing like this, did they really give him the BOSS identity card? Is he really the illegitimate child of the main god?]


[Ha, I suspect the main system is deliberately messing with him, right? With Jiang Yan's capabilities, to get the BOSS card in an S-level instance, isn’t that just setting him up to fail?]


[Could he really be a BUG sent in by a rival system? Is the main system trying to eliminate him?]


[Whether he's from a rival system is unclear, but it’s certain that he is definitely a BUG!]


"Dr. Ding?" Seeing Ding Wanyu still standing there in shock, Tao Shi spoke again.


"Hmm?" Ding Wanyu finally snapped out of his astonishment, "Oh, okay." Saying this, he rummaged through a transformed filing cabinet and found Jiang Yan's complete file.


The group gathered around the documents, examining them carefully, line by line, including Yu Xiu's “love letter.” As they read, they expressed their disdain.


Su An snorted lightly: "Speaking of which, we are the fools! Most things in this hospital revolve around these two!"


"Aiya... ! Last night, I was looking at this perfect love, this poor couple."


Tao Shi sighed.


Jiang Ti’s face showed little expression: "It should be that Jiang Yan and his husband had a car accident in real life, and his husband unexpectedly passed away. Jiang Yan couldn’t accept it for a time, so his mind broke down and he hid in his own mental world?"


Cao Youfeng added, "If we interpret it this way, then the doctors and nurses, the dean who created this deity, are..."


"Medicine," Jiang Xiu answered.


"Boss."


The crowd turned at the sound.


At the office door, in a pool of blood, stood a thin, ordinary-looking man, a member of the [Dawn Guild], Yuan Xu. Upon seeing Yuan Xu, Su An couldn’t help but roll his eyes.


But, anyway, Jiang Yan and the others can’t be taken back


"What did you find?" Tao Shi asked.


"Nothing at all." Yuan Xu's expression was a mix of despair and a hint of disdain. "That monster of a husband treats him like his precious jewel! The couple in the room, besides sleeping, is just being intimate!"


Yuan Xu's tool, the [Ghost Mirror], can observe the current situation and condition of the target within a certain range. This is also why he gradually faded from everyone’s attention, secretly observing each person.


People who are alone in the game always find ways to save themselves or self-destruct, revealing different mental states compared to when they are with others. Someone who is strong in front of others may cry in fear when alone; someone who strategizes well in front of others may be overwhelmed by clues in the instance.


He has seen all kinds of players and NPCs, but has never encountered anyone like Jiang Yan!


This person is so at ease, as if this is just a game—still a "dating simulation game." Now his mind is filled with the warm, sticky sounds of touch on skin and Jiang Yan's lazy reprimands.


Damn! Is this for real?!


[Hahahahahaha! Yuan Xu's expression looks like he just ate shit.]


[To be honest, Jiang Yan is also quite shocking. If he can really wipe out the players in this round, then we, the real NPCs, would be quite embarrassed!]


[Jiang Yan seems to be the type that grows stronger when faced with strong opponents. He was just relaxed in low-level instances, but in high-level instances, everyone’s pushing hard, and he has to push along too.]


[What a pity, such a good seed. After some refinement, he might become the next "best actor.]


[I still hold doubt about Jiang Yan being the BOSS. Why can’t he be a spy from the Valencia Cathedral?]


[It feels like there’s no direct evidence. If we must say he’s special, he’s special in every instance!]


[Do those upstairs think Tao Shi can’t consider this point? Jiang Yan has already made his intentions clear]


[Regardless of whether he is the real BOSS, it’s obvious that the two major guilds are preparing to team up against him. This time, he is really finished.]


[Sigh... What a pity, such a good seed.]


This world has started to collapse. When are you planning to make a move?" Yuan Xu asked.


"If capturing a Jiang Yan requires timing, we might as well concede early," Jiang Xiu said.


That's right, even if Jiang Yan is somewhat clever and holds an S-grade item, with Jiang Yan's current strength being less than that of a C-grade NPC, it would be a joke for them to go all out against him.


"Jiang Yan doesn’t matter, but his husband is a problem," Tao Shi said seriously.


After saying that, Tao Shi became a bit irritable. That pitch-black NPC, at that time, even the [Number Concealment Card] couldn’t detect his power.


He always feels like something is off.


"Then let’s just play with him!" Su An smiled and said, "Doesn’t he want to play with us? Let's play with him until the last moment! Just when he thinks he's about to become the winner, we’ll drag him down into the mud!


That would be interesting!


Hearing this, the faces of the players showed an unspoken smile.


At this moment, the prey seemed to have become the hunter.



---


The black mist has seeped into the hospital through the cracks in the walls. Millions of human faces on the walls and floor began to emit mournful wails, while a pile of wilted rose petals fell beside the words "Cave Metaphor" in the corner of the garden.


In the room with arched glass windows, Jiang Yan was lazily lying on his dark, soft husband, pretending to be asleep. The monster gently swayed its soft body, trying to create the most comfortable environment for its beloved wheat.


"The real sacrifice was about to begin, baby" The monster whispered.


"Mm." Jiang Yan lazily responded, keeping his eyes closed.


Having just gone to the office to deal with Shi Yin, he had exceeded his activity level for the day. After returning, he was pulled into a long session of enjoyment, and now he didn’t want to move a single finger.


The black tentacles gently brushed over Jiang Yan’s previously wilted roses, bringing them back to life, adding a few vibrant colors to his originally bland face.


"So when are you planning to sacrifice yourself to me?" The monster, in a good mood, teased Jiang Yan's lips until they resembled the color of roses.


"I... didn’t I sacrifice myself from the very beginning?" Jiang Yan lazily turned over.


Hearing this, the monster chuckled softly.


The restless tentacles slid into Jiang Yan’s disheveled blue-and-white patient gown.


The contrast between the black tentacles and his pale skin was striking.


The black monster once again swallowed its pale, beautiful head into its belly.


Jiang Yan couldn’t remember how long he had slept. When he woke up, he was still lying in his husband’s dark, soft embrace.


He turned over and lay on the monster, contentedly humming a sound.


He looked at the massive, dark Yu Xiu beneath him and suddenly thought that if Yu Xiu really turned into this form, it would be quite enjoyable.


At least he could sleep directly on this person every day.


Thinking this, Jiang Yan buried his head into the monster’s soft body and sighed contentedly.


If only he could stay with this guy like this forever.


What games, what instances, what apocalypse? It’s simply exhausting!


At this moment, 663’s mocking voice rang in his ears: "My dear host, please pay attention to your main quest at all times~"


Jiang Yan: ....


It was evident that the main system’s public criticism had greatly displeased this guy.


663 continued with a sarcastic tone: "Dear host, your personal system sincerely advises you that playing so openly might easily get you killed!"


Jiang Yan: "...I won’t.


"Mm? Why won’t you?" 663 feigned surprise, "Those old veteran players are all crafty; they must be discussing how to encircle you right now!"


"Can you speak normally?"


"I’m afraid of being disrespectful and getting publicly criticized by the main system again! I’m already the first personal system in history to be publicly criticized."


Jiang Yan responded, his tone completely unfazed: "Then why don’t you go find the main system and have a fight?"


663 immediately broke down: "You think I would let it go?! Damn it! Is it malfunctioning? How dare it publicly criticize me?!"


Upon hearing this, Jiang Yan’s brow twitched. It seems this mischievous personal system had quite a high status within the game?


663 cursed for a long time, finally venting the resentment in his heart.


He sighed deeply and said to Jiang Yan, "I’m telling you the truth; that group of people must have come to their senses and are discussing how to kill you!"


"How did you manage that? Clearly, you could have just laid in the room for two days! Why bother sticking your head out? Even if you want to earn performance points, you should consider the main quest first!"


As he spoke, 663 grew anxious: "It’s over! It feels like this time you’re really finished!"


In contrast, Jiang Yan remained calm and replied, "I won’t."


"Won’t?" 663 was almost amused to the point of laughter, "Even a fool can see your identity! What’s the next step? Of course, it’s to take you out and end the game!"


Hearing this, Jiang Yan chuckled softly: "You! You’ve just been away from humanity for too long."


663 fell silent for a moment, pondering whether this guy was mocking him again. After a moment, he asked, "What do you mean?"


"They are at the top of this world; they are the top hunters of this world."


"Do you know what the greatest advantage and disadvantage of the human upper class is?"


"What?"


"Arrogance."


"They are indeed preparing to encircle me, but believe me, they will want to toy with me like playing with a cat until the very last moment of the instance."


"You understand, by the end the only one who wins—will be me." Jiang Yan’s lazy voice carried a hint of soft, hoarse charm.



Day Six:


【Copy: "Private Hospital on Jianshe Road", Copy Progress: 80%】

【Game Rules: Survive for 7 days in the hospital】

【Total Number of Players: 14, Current Number of Survivors: 51】

【Real NPC: 3, Current Uncontaminated Number: 2】


The sky and ocean, shrouded in black mist, have completely merged into a dark, gelatinous mass, wrapping around the hospital like a coating of egg wash, waiting to engulf it.


At this moment, the hospital has been crushed to ruins by this unknown force; the walls and floor are covered with countless faces melting like wax, emitting wails that seem to come from hell.


As time passes, the buffs affecting the players in the copy grow heavier. Symptoms of the Death and tuberculosis are starting to take their toll even on veteran players.


After waking up, they gather again in the hospital's medical office, discussing their plan to "encircle the deity."


"We can't let him die easily, not until the very last moment," Su An said.


"No! He can't die at our hands," Tao Shi retorted.


"Why not?" Su An asked, puzzled.


Tao Shi's gaze darkened: "Jiang Yan's uniqueness in the game is evident. This time, his role as the copy's boss clearly shows the main system's favoritism, but the main system has overestimated his capabilities."


Yuan Xu added, "What the boss means is that if we act against Jiang Yan, we can't ensure the main deity won't take its anger out on us, potentially leading to future troubles."


Jiang Xiu thought for a moment and asked, "Oh? So what does Mr.Tao plan to do?"


Tao Shi smiled brightly: "Naturally, we leave the choice to the main system."


As he spoke, he looked out the window, which had lost its glass.


In the black gelatinous mass, it seemed that faces were making different expressions, and countless hands were trying to tear apart the thin membrane to break free.


Tao Shi's expression darkened: "Aren't our artificial deities also looking for him? We should drag it out until the last moment of the copy and reveal his identity to the main system; his life and death will be determined by the main system."


If the real NPCs are designed to successfully complete the main quest role-play, they will either be contaminated by the main system and become system NPCs or be eliminated to become fodder for the system NPCs.


Leaving the choice to the main system means Jiang Yan's fate is of no concern to them.


However... if Jiang Yan manages to survive, that would be truly interesting!


If that’s the case, they wouldn't have completely offended Jiang Yan; instead, they could be seen as letting him off easy, allowing for smoother interactions later on.


Jiang Xiu seemed to grasp Tao Shi's intention and remarked, "You sure thinks things through thoroughly."


Tao Shi waved his hand, pressing his temples as he said, "But I still feel something's off. I've been pondering all night, and I finally thought of a crucial point."


Cao Youfeng added, "Jiang Yan's husband—the system NPC that even the detection card can't pick up data on."


"His husband is also an artificial deity," Tao Shi explained, "but his husband didn't participate in the director's sacrifice, and unlike the other artificial deities, he bears no traces of humanity."


"That dark mass—who knows what it really is?"


"The main system doesn’t assign NPCs with exceeded parameters," Jiang Xiu reflected. "As for the uniqueness of his husband... I feel it relates to Jiang Yan's spiritual world. In Jiang Yan's spiritual world, his husband should naturally appear as he imagines him."


At this moment, everyone envisioned the figure of that black tentacle monster and momentarily fell silent.


"Hmm... I didn't expect Jiang Yan to be so twisted."


Meanwhile, Jiang Yan had just opened his eyes, having awakened from his husband's embrace, looking out at the enormous black gelatinous mass that encapsulated the "deity," where millions of mouths simultaneously emitted piercing shrieks that made the world seem like hell.


"It has begun," Jiang Yan said slowly.


At that moment, his husband wrapped his body with tentacles, whispering, "It has begun, baby."


"Our sacrifice."





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