The black tentacles roamed freely over the body of the person in their arms. Jiang Yan struggled against it, but in the face of absolute power, his desperate attempts felt more like playful pouting.
Stirred by the monster, Jiang Yan felt his mind clear up quite a bit without medication. He grabbed the black tentacle hooked to his pants, doing his best to defend the last line of resistance.
The monster could have easily torn away the last piece of fabric covering him, yet it hesitated, playfully poking and prodding at Jiang Yan like a cat toying with its prey.
Watching his “wife” rendered helpless by its tentacles, even with a hint of crimson creeping into the corners of his eyes, the monster felt immensely satisfied, its paper mask's doodled expression becoming more joyful.
In the dim room, the black creature entwined and “devoured” the pale boy. Anyone witnessing such a scene would be terrified, but to the monster, this was merely a matter of couple's playfulness.
“Yan Yan hasn’t paid me any attention these past few days.” The monster’s tentacles restrained Jiang Yan’s struggling limbs, one lifting his chin.
Originally confused and chaotic due to the lack of medication, Jiang Yan’s mind now swelled with embarrassment and anger, but this very swelling allowed him to gradually calm down and think clearly.
“W-What are you doing here?” Jiang Yan gasped.
“I came to find your friend,” the monster said, its tentacles caressing Jiang Yan's cheek as it added, “the one who had his arm around your shoulders in the cafeteria this morning.”
Jiang Yan struggled to recall the morning's events; fortunately, his memory wasn’t too muddled despite his lack of medication. He remembered how Tao Shi had put a hand on his shoulder to show support when Shi Yin confronted him this morning.
He understood what the monster meant—his “husband” was jealous.
While Jiang Yan had never felt jealousy himself and didn’t quite understand why people experienced it due to love, his ex-husband, Yu Xiu, was the complete opposite.
That man practically bathed in jealousy.
However, when Yu Xiu got jealous, he merely pouted and sought Jiang Yan's comfort, which was just a playful aspect of their marriage.
But this monster coming to Tao Shi’s room wasn’t just for playful jealousy.
A sudden alarm rang in Jiang Yan’s mind as he quickly asked, “What did you do to him?”
“You care about him?” The monster’s voice dropped low, looking displeased at Jiang Yan, who it had lifted by the chin. “You’re my wife; I should be the most important person in your heart, shouldn’t I?”
“I initially planned to eat him, but when I got to his room, he wasn’t there. It’s not the time for psychiatric patients to be out and about; if he’s still active outside, he should have been dealt with by my father’s employees by now.” The monster said with satisfaction.
“I was going to return to find you, but that bastard who covets you showed up at his door. I thought I’d let him bring you here; I knew you would definitely come.” The monster lifted its “wife” high, affectionately pressing its mask against Jiang Yan’s face.
“Why did you think I’d come upon seeing that note?” Jiang Yan asked, confused. “How do you know that poem? Who told you? The person with green eyes? Do you know him? Where is he?”
Jiang Yan felt the mask pressed against his forehead, sensing the uncontrollable breaths coming from beneath it. The monster was genuinely aroused!
This made Jiang Yan shudder; though he was currently single and not a conservative person, he wasn’t ready to engage with such a shapeless monster. He was determined to reject any relationship with it!
However, in the face of such overwhelming power, his resistance felt utterly futile. All he could do was desperately divert the monster's attention away from himself.
Of course, this was not only to shift the monster's focus; after learning from Li Yun that the note was obtained by Tao Shi from a person with green eyes, he was genuinely unsettled.
Jiang Yan was now certain that person was involved in this game!
“Even at a time like this, you’re still thinking about your ex-husband!” 663 voiced its confusion. “I just don’t get what you young people are thinking. Why did you get divorced in the first place? Our generation was better; we didn’t have divorces.”
“You’ve already divorced! Even if he owes you money, you shouldn’t be thinking about him every day!” 663 added.
“Shut up!” Jiang Yan shouted at the useless system during this critical moment.
Did he have feelings for Yu Xiu? Of course! He was happy when he was with that person.
But since they had chosen to separate, he could accept a new life, such as dating Li Yun.
If his parents set him up with a new partner who had a clean romantic history instead of Li Yun, he might even marry again in a few years.
Jiang Yan thought that his lingering feelings for Yu Xiu might not just stem from romantic feelings but also because Yu Xiu had no family left in this world.
When they were still married, Yu Xiu's only “family” was Jiang Yan himself as his “wife.”
Now that this person had suddenly disappeared from the world, Jiang Yan felt he had to find him.
He didn’t think this was any deep emotional bond; even for a regular friend, helping to find someone who suddenly went missing was a matter of course, right?
Moreover, Yu Xiu had once been his husband.
“Riiip!”
Accompanied by the crisp sound of fabric tearing, Jiang Yan's loose hospital pants met their demise under the assault of the black tentacles.
“W-Wait! Hold on!!” Jiang Yan panicked, “You need to answer my question first!”
Struggling against the tentacles binding his hands, he held the strange paper mask before him, his voice trembling from fear, “You need to answer my question! I... I think there’s a problem between us, and you can’t treat me like this right now.”
The faint blush on Jiang Yan’s face deepened, as if painted with rouge, and in the dim, mottled room against the backdrop of the black monster, he looked like a lamb to the slaughter.
“There’s no problem between us, Yan Yan,” the monster said. “I love you, and you love me too. We’ve been together for eighty years; how could there be a problem?”
Eighty years? A number flashed in Jiang Yan's mind—1942!
He recalled his dream, the one that featured Yu Xiu.
“That green-eyed person!” Jiang Yan felt he had nothing to lose. “How do you know the green-eyed person? He even wrote you a poem!”
The monster stopped moving, tilting its head as it quietly looked at Jiang Yan in its embrace.
Jiang Yan took a breath and continued, pretending to be angry, “If we’ve been together for eighty years, why have I never heard you mention a green-eyed friend?”
After a moment of silence, the monster burst into laughter at the sight of its “wife” pouting in jealousy.
Its voice was a blend of a machine's simulated tone and a strange animal-like screech.
Jiang Yan was puzzled as to why it suddenly started laughing, but the tentacles on his body stopped making offensive movements, allowing him to breathe a sigh of relief.
At that moment, the monster's laughter abruptly ceased. It pressed its masked face against Jiang Yan’s forehead and slowly spoke, “My dear wife, don’t you remember?”
Jiang Yan heard the monster say, word by word, in that strange voice by his ear, “Yan Yan, don’t you remember? The green-eyed person is me.”
Jiang Yan stared wide-eyed in shock. He looked closely at the paper mask before him, where the messy, doodle-like features appeared comically bizarre, and the pair of eyes that seemed hastily drawn were green.
Before Jiang Yan could react, the monster completely enveloped him with its body, as if afraid he would be seen by others.
At this moment, it could enjoy its “meal.”
Jiang Yan felt himself wrapped in soft cotton, the black tentacles moving unabated across his body. His “husband” wasn’t planning to let him go.
[What the hell... This isn’t quite appropriate, is it?]
[Isn’t it a bit inappropriate for us to be here?]
[That monster is pitch black; you can’t see anything at all. What’s there to be embarrassed about?]
[Tsk tsk! Not only is that monster greedy, but I am too! Yan Yan is just too beautiful!]
[So beautiful! The moment his clothes were ripped open, his body was immediately covered by the monster's dark form! I want to see!]
[This is where the main system went wrong. Why design such a pitch-black monster? Wouldn’t a transparent one be better?]
At that moment, everyone saw a pair of long, fair legs kick against the mask that the monster wore, emerging from its body, which resembled oil. However, in the next instant, those legs were ensnared by the black tentacles at the ankles, losing all ability to resist.
“Let go!” Jiang Yan shouted.
But his anger was like a spoiled child in front of a monster with such a huge power gap.
[Wow!]
[I feel so sad, but why am I inexplicably excited?]
[You upstairs are so perverted! Fine, I’m a pervert too.]
However, just as the players stared intently at Jiang Yan’s leg, which was tied at the ankle, the next moment the scene was abruptly cut off by the main system.
...
【Main System Broadcast: Due to a significant number of underage players in the game, the following footage will not be broadcasted.】
[…………]
[Shit!! I’m an adult!!]
[Then why did you cut the live signal for underage viewers! Why is everything abruptly stopped?!]
[I can’t believe it! I just escaped from an S-class dungeon and wanted to see what happened to my beautiful wife!]
[What’s with the comments? Did Jiang Yan’s spiritual power rise just now, and now everyone is starting to like him?]
[Heh, can’t you tell? A bunch of superficial people.]
[What’s wrong with being superficial? You’re just jealous that Jiang Yan is not only good-looking but also has improved his spiritual power! Who knows how the score rankings will turn out later!]
[It feels like the people watching this dungeon aren’t the same group.]
[I just got here, and I think this blue-eyed guy is pretty interesting. Why do you care?]
[Exactly! I declare! Jiang Yan is not just that monster's “wife”; he is all of our wives! Is it wrong for me to watch my wife undress?!]
【Main System Broadcast:】
【Player Duan Meng: Three-day mute! 50 points deducted.】
【Punishment Reason: Inappropriate comments.】
【System Reminder: Please speak healthily on the forum, and if you’re bored, quickly enter the next dungeon.】
**
At this time, Tao Shi, Ding Wanyu, and Shen Hua, who had a buzz cut, were gathered in the hospital room of Cao Youfeng, who was wrapped in bandages.
“Where’s Li Yun?” Tao Shi asked.
“Who cares where he is!” Shen Hua frowned as he pressed on his somewhat uncomfortable chest, confused, and asked, “I feel like that guy’s thoughts aren’t quite right.”
“What do you mean?” Ding Wanyu asked.
“For the past few days, hasn’t he been talking badly about Jiang Yan in front of us? He said the reason for their breakup wasn’t Jiang Yan, so why does he talk bad about him every day?” Shen Hua said unhappily.
“Forget about talking badly about people; saying it in front of us while putting on a righteous act in front of Jiang Yan is something I can’t stand!” Shen Hua said.
“He’s not just talking badly about Jiang Yan in front of us; he genuinely thinks Jiang Yan is useless,” Tao Shi said, sitting on a chair against the wall and rocking it back and forth.
The legs of the chair made a “thud thud” sound against the ground, which was annoying to hear.
“I’m not particularly fond of Li Yun either, but the boss has his reasons for bringing him in.” Tao Shi glanced at Shen Hua.
The “boss” they referred to was Zhuang Dan, the head of the Dawn Guild, who was currently ranked second in both points and spiritual power.
“Facts prove that the boss’s vision is always good. Look, only Jiang Yan’s escape progress has been updated.” Tao Shi said.
“I’m very curious why his escape progress has been updated.” Cao Youfeng looked at the data analysis on Jiang Yan’s “Stealth Card.” “His spiritual power has risen quickly, now ranking 50th overall, surpassing Shi Yin.”
The other three fell silent.
“Just why has his spiritual power suddenly skyrocketed? People can sometimes tap into potential in dangerous situations, causing a spike in spiritual power. But now isn’t a time for infectious or mental health activities. What danger could he encounter in the hospital?” Cao Youfeng felt perplexed.
Danger?
Tao Shi recalled what Jiang Yan had said to him earlier: “Since one can die even while adhering to the rules, why not break the rules?”
He frowned slightly, suddenly looking up at the rusty, closed hospital door, feeling quite incredulous.
Could it be that Jiang Yan is out there moving around?!
**
Jiang Yan clutched his hospital gown, stumbling as he escaped from the dimly lit hospital room.
His hair was slightly messy, beads of sweat dotting his forehead, and some strands stuck to his brow, his pale blue eyes glistening with moisture.
His previously pale face was slightly flushed from the recent struggle, and his wrists and ankles bore red marks—evidence of the struggle against the tentacles’ restraints.
He stumbled out of the hospital room and ran down the corridor until he realized the monster had no intention of following him. Only then did he lean against the dirty, mottled wall, gasping for breath.
Meanwhile, the monster lay sprawled in Tao Shi’s hospital room, its entire body filling the small space, feeling secretly despondent.
“You actually managed to escape.” 663 said in surprise, “I thought your pants would definitely come off today, but it stopped.”
“Because this monster seems to really like its ‘wife.’ Since it likes me, it won’t force me.” Jiang Yan wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes, calming his breath and restoring his expressionless demeanor.
Jiang Yan slowly buttoned his hospital gown and walked step by step upward.
At that moment, the red-clad woman, who had just escaped, crawled out from the wall and followed Jiang Yan.
Jiang Yan arrived at his hospital floor, and the woman continued to follow him, but she showed no intention of attacking.
Jiang Yan walked a few more steps, hearing the sound of flesh scraping against the ground behind him, and finally turned around.
“Why are you following me?” Jiang Yan asked.
The woman was startled by Jiang Yan’s sudden turn and dropped her jaw—a literal drop.
Her previously broken jaw, with only scraps of flesh hanging, completely fell off, exposing a row of bare teeth.
This was Jiang Yan’s first time seeing her, but he felt an inexplicable familiarity, as if he had seen her somewhere before.
The red-clad woman, having lost her jaw, could no longer speak. While Jiang Yan was examining her, she struggled to draw a number on the ground with her own blood—59.
In that instant, Jiang Yan remembered where he had seen her!
That dream! In the dream, a woman in a red qipao was holding a child and shouting “59” at him!
The beautiful face from the dream and the tattered face before him gradually overlapped, causing Jiang Yan’s hair to stand on end!
So, that dream of his wasn’t just a meaningless nightmare? It truly existed and had happened before?
The woman’s hand continued to write, and Jiang Yan clearly saw the three words—“Save me.
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