For the monster, the "creations" that provided limbs for these scraps were even less than the petals of dry roses scattered by the wind. At least those belonged to His beloved wife.
And the man before Him, wearing glasses with golden rims, was hypocritical and ugly. Time and again, he referred to His wife, something that He could not tolerate.
The tentacles tightened instantly, and Li Yun's throat emitted a painful muffled groan.
The physical strength of humans appeared so powerless before a "god."
Li Yun struggled, trying to open his inventory, but it remained dim, unresponsive no matter what he tried.
What... what’s going on?
System! Where is his personal system?!
A sense of fear from death began to shroud Li Yun. His face reddened as he struggled to breathe, his eyes bulging as though they might pop out.
No! He couldn’t die!
At this moment, Li Yun finally realized—he might actually die.
He couldn’t die here!
At this moment, he caught sight of the pale blue figure sitting at the desk, those eyes.
Once, he was extremely satisfied with those eyes—though devoid of emotion, they were strikingly bright.
To him, Jiang Yan’s lack of desires was nothing but an excuse for weak fools who couldn’t survive in this jungle-like society, an excuse to rely on their elders.
Foolish but beautiful—truly, the perfect partner in his eyes.
But why?
Why, in this world of the strong preying on the weak, did he, the strong one, receive no special treatment? Why were all eyes on Jiang Yan, this beautiful fool?!
But at this moment...
"Jiang... Jiang Yan," Li Yun gasped, speaking with difficulty. "Help..."
At this moment, he had no choice but to ask this beautiful fool, whom he despised, for help.
[Li Yun truly lived up to his reputation as player! He could bend or stretch as needed.]
[The previous second: Jiang Yan, go to hell! The next second: Jiang Yan, save me!]
[If only he had known this, why bother in the first place?]
[Didn’t understand? From the start of the dungeon, the big shots had shown such great interest in Jiang Yan. Yet, instead of immediately attaching himself to them, he chose to oppose Jiang Yan at every turn.]
[Exactly! Even with such deep hatred, one should let it go at this point.]
In response to Li Yun’s plea for help, Jiang Yan merely stared silently, his expression indifferent, neither sad nor happy.
In the cafeteria, the sizzling sound from the fluorescent light was like the crackling of a roast, cruel and crisp.
The monster loosened its tentacles, and the person hanging from them fell to the ground with a thud.
Ding!
[Dungeon: "Jianshe Road Private Hospital"]
[Dungeon Progress: 70%]
[Game Rules: Survive in the hospital for 7 days]
[Total Number of Players: 14, Remaining Alive: 6]
[Real NPCs: 3, Uncontaminated NPCs: 3]
The cold voice of the main system echoed. The players stood in silence, staring at the lifeless body of Li Yun on the ground.
Seven.
Only seven people left.
And the Creator God was hiding among them. If it weren't Jiang Yan, who could it be?
Shi Yin lowered his head with a bitter smile. "I told you, we can't escape."
A sob came from somewhere at the table, and soon the cafeteria was filled with sighs and weeping sounds.
The game had reached a deadlock.
The black mist had already engulfed the entire world. The gravestones in the garden began to decay, and everything in this world seemed to have become nourishment for the god.
The players looked at Li Yun’s still, agonized body on the ground, their feelings complicated.
Heaven’s chosen one? The wealthy CEO? In the eyes of the god and the main system, there was no difference between a king and a beggar.
Jiang Yan sighed, a trace of sadness disappearing from his eyes as he continued leisurely eating his dinner.
He didn’t dislike Li Yun. Though the other made it clear he was against him, Jiang Yan didn’t feel hatred either, much less any fondness.
Ding Wanyu took out his summoning banner, beginning to "liberate" the soul of the fallen comrade.
The others fell silent, their expressions filled with pity.
Even though they knew it wouldn't help, they, as fellow humans, still wished to show respect to their comrade in his final moments.
"Did you do it on purpose?" 663 asked, somewhat surprised.
"What are you talking about?" Jiang Yan replied casually, sipping his milk.
"Your husband." 663’s voice was low. "Did you deliberately provoke Li Yun to anger Him?"
Jiang Yan responded, "What do you think?"
663's tone shifted, filled with excitement: "Now we've ruled out one option that's always been a thorn in your side!"
But! He knew Jiang Yan was smart!
This way, when they had the next summary meeting, his performance wouldn’t be so difficult to defend!
Last month’s system summary meeting... thanks to Jiang Yan, his performance had been hard to justify!
663 silently shed a tear for himself.
Being on the frontlines wasn’t easy!
"We’ve ruled out the most useless option," Jiang Yan said.
He glanced faintly at Li Yun’s body on the ground, the man's corpse stiff and twisted.
His skin had turned ashen, his eyes glazed and cloudy, his features frozen in the pain and struggle he had experienced before death.
Jiang Yan looked at his husband, who had calmed down from his anger. As expected, the other man’s eyes were fixed on Li Yun’s body.
Seeing this, Jiang Yan slightly raised an eyebrow. This was the reaction the bastard should have now.
It had to be said, the system's big data capture was really spot on!
"What are you going to do next?" 663 asked.
"If you ask me, staying with your husband in the dungeon for the next three days is the best option right now," 663 suggested.
Though reluctant to admit it, at this point, Jiang Yan’s "let things go" method was the safest option.
After all, with the addition of Li Yun’s death and a timely clue, no one would be looking at Jiang Yan anymore.
"Do you think the old players at the table made it to the player rankings based on looks?" Jiang Yan’s tone was cold, laced with disdain. "Has your main system ever considered replacing you artificial systems with artificial intelligence?"
663 clicked his tongue. "Alright! You're the boss."
Then, with a sly tone, he added, "So, little boss, what’s your plan?"
Jiang Yan’s gaze shifted to Ding Wanyu, who was performing the rite for Li Yun’s soul. "Now… there’s only one last crucial clue left."
After saying that, his eyes darkened.
This subtle change in his expression was keenly noticed by Jiang Xiu.
He lowered his gaze, his pale, slender fingers tracing something on the table, as if calculating or categorizing something.
Meanwhile, Su An was entirely focused on the dead Li Yun.
He watched with interest as Ding Wanyu, holding the summoning banner, was nearing the end of the ritual. Quickly, he stood next to Cang Rou and said, "Hey! Didn’t you say you were going to dismember him earlier?"
The other players: "..."
Cang Rou: "That was for offering to the god. Now that the ritual has started, there's no need for further offerings."
Su An gave a slightly indifferent "Oh."
[Su An, as expected.]
[Ah... But that was still a human life, right?]
[My god! Being in the same dungeon as Su An felt like the worst luck ever. Even in death, they'd be "mutilated."]
[To be honest, Su An had really held back in this dungeon. He even behaved like a good boy and joined the group to hunt the BOSS.]
[Upstairs +1. When they announced that the BOSS was hidden among the players, I thought Su An would tie up all the players and kill them one by one. Eventually, he’d kill the right one.]
[Internal News: The reason Su An is being restrained is because of the meeting at Valen Church, leaving a good impression for Jiang Yan.]
[Wow! So all the major guilds are eyeing him now?]
[Holy crap, Jiang Yan is awesome!]
[Jiang Yan is awesome +1]
[Jiang Yan is awesome +1]
Jiang Yan’s gaze landed on Su An.
If that guy were in this dungeon, they’d probably get along well.
Given that bastard's abilities, he should have been very noticeable as soon as he entered the game.
Major guilds always recruit top talent—could it be... that person is also in Valen Church?
Jiang Yan’s gaze shifted to Tao Shi and Cao Youfeng.
These two had a style that was far too normal for Yu Xiu.
Ding Wanyu completed the final step of the ritual. He retrieved his summoning banner and swept his eyes over everyone present.
After a moment of silence, amidst the thunderous roar and shrill shrieks, under the warm yellow light shrouded by black mist, he spoke the final critical clue for this dungeon:
"The god’s attitude toward its creations is never one of compassion or hatred, but of contempt."
Jiang Yan raised an eyebrow.
Heh, what’s this about?
Ding!
[Real NPC Ding Wanyu Critical Clue—The god's attitude toward its creations is one of contempt.]
Ding!
All the players’ gazes instantly turned to Su An.
There was no way around it. After all, this person had just mentioned wanting to dismember the corpses of his own kind.
Wasn’t that cold enough? Didn’t that show enough contempt for human life?
Furthermore, he was the "Player Rankings" number 10!
He had enough capability and strength to be a BOSS!
[Su An: "Thanks, just use my name directly.]
[hahaha! You should have seen Jiang Xiu’s speechless expression.]
[Jiang Xiu: Damn it! I told the guild leader we should’ve poisoned this guy!]
[! Is this the classic case of the villain dying from talking too much?]
[So that’s why Su An was so "restrained" in this dungeon!]
And facing the fearful and cautious gazes of the others, Su An didn’t care at all. "Oh, so now you all think it’s me?"
Tao Shi’s eyes turned cold, but the corner of his mouth lifted into a smile. "No, after all, it’s not the first time you’ve shown contempt for humanity."
"...."
The fluorescent lights flickered, and the atmosphere around the table grew tense once again.
The new players kept their eyes down and their thoughts inward, not daring to speak. After all, when gods fight, who knows whether they might get caught in the crossfire?
At this point, all they wished for was to survive.
Meanwhile, Jiang Yan remained calm, leisurely enjoying his dinner, as all of this was no longer his concern.
He let out a light laugh. "Contempt? Truly an arrogant god."
—
The dinner ended amidst the oppressive atmosphere of death, and only Jiang Yan didn’t feel full.
The monster wrapped his body around his wife and swam back to their room, carefully placing Jiang Yan on the bed before heading to the bathroom to prepare bathwater for his beloved.
What about rituals, gods, or world destruction?
He didn’t care at all.
He just wanted his wife to enjoy a comfortable bath and then cuddle up with him to sleep.
And that’s exactly what he did.
Jiang Yan was lifted by his monstrous husband into the bathtub, where black tendrils weaved through the foamy water, massaging and tending to him, all while adding oil.
Jiang Yan lay in the warm water, surrounded by fragrant bubbles, with his eyes closed, enjoying the service from his husband.
For the few actions his husband thought were hidden well, Jiang Yan naturally ignored them.
“It seems like you’re getting along quite well with your husband now.” 663 mocked.
Jiang Yan, eyes closed, replied, “Mm, not bad.”
He comfortably stretched his legs, revealing a pinkish hue just above the water's surface, completely unaware that one of the tendrils had quietly grasped his foot.
“Alright,” 663 said helplessly, “Now that everyone is suspicious of Su An, just keep up your usual style for these three days, and this dungeon will be over.”
He never expected that one day, he’d have to advise Jiang Yan to slack off.
What he didn’t anticipate was that the person who usually couldn’t wait to stick to the bed was now inexplicably active.
“Lie in the room for three days? No way,” Jiang Yan yawned with his eyes still closed, rejecting the idea.
663 was a bit confused: “Ancestor! Now that everyone is suspicious of you, what more do you want to do?”
Jiang Yan lightly chuckled: “Of course, I want to make them doubt me.”
663: “? !!!! ”
Jiang Yan’s words left 663 both shocked and confused!
After a long pause, he finally managed to stammer, “You... have you been too affected by the dungeon? Is your brain not working properly now?”
He suspected Jiang Yan was deliberately going against him!
When he told him to be more active earlier, Jiang Yan resisted fiercely.
Now, when he told him to lie low, Jiang Yan suddenly acted like he wanted to stir up trouble.
Seeing 663 flustered, Jiang Yan felt pleased.
Just as he was about to say something, a tingling sensation suddenly shot through his sensitive areas.
“Hiss…”
The black tendril had quietly crawled up Jiang Yan’s thigh without him noticing, attempting to delve deeper.
Jiang Yan instantly opened his eyes, reaching down to grab the overly restless tendril, stopping its progress.
"Yan Yan..." The monster’s voice was full of grievance.
The tendril softly tapped along his tender leg, as if it were coquettishly begging his wife to allow it to indulge.
Jiang Yan didn’t let go. He stared at the pitiful black monster in front of him, its paper-like mask displaying a pair of familiar green eyes.
Although it was just a string of data.
After a moment of silence, Jiang Yan smiled.
A smile that was filled with clenched teeth:
"Are you enjoying yourself, you bastard?"