141

During the gas release, Xu Yu suddenly said, "What if there are players inside..."

Gu Zhan firmly replied, "There aren't."

Xu Yu couldn't help but glance at him. Gu Zhan always carried a calm aura, remaining composed and rational no matter the situation.

"Right, you're right. We've already counted the numbers and confirmed..." Xu Yu muttered, as the earlier doubt in his mind faded.

As everyone watched the toxic gas release, Qin Yue had distanced himself to a corner. Though he didn’t know what had happened, his body still remembered the terrifying fear of losing his sanity, making him reluctant to go near the toxic gas release device.

In just five minutes, the gas filled the entire dormitory building.

This time, it seemed like no one had tampered with anything, and the monsters lay motionless.

They could also hear the system’s broadcast, announcing that everyone’s mission was complete, and they would soon be teleported out of the dungeon.

At that moment, Gu Zhan turned around and saw Qin Yue in the corner.

The laboratory's lights illuminated him, separating him from the others, as though they were in two different worlds.

Gu Zhan felt a sense of unease in his chest and stepped forward, grabbing Qin Yue’s hand.

Qin Yue was startled. "Bro, what are you doing?"

He seemed nervous, rambling, perhaps not even realizing what he was saying: "I’m normal, okay? Even if you do this to me, I’m not going to be with you. Just give up..."

"Is everyone leaving? The dungeon’s almost over, eh, why do I feel like I’m not really part of this..."

Qin Yue rambled on, his speech growing faster.

Gu Zhan could hear the panic in his voice.

But he himself didn’t understand his own fear.

In the final second before being teleported out of the dungeon, Qin Yue forced a smile and said to Gu Zhan, "Thanks for looking after me, bro. I’ll buy you a drink once we’re out."

The next moment, the white light engulfed the room, and everyone was teleported out of the dungeon.

Gu Zhan and Xu Yu, having entered as a team, appeared at the same dungeon exit.

When they looked back, Qin Yue was nowhere to be seen.

Xu Yu forced himself to remain calm, saying, "Maybe he came out from a different exit."

Gu Zhan stood beside Xu Yu, touching his slightly warm starplate watch, knowing that this was almost impossible.

Qin Yue had turned into a monster.

When the SAN value reaches zero, it is irreversible for others.

Gu Zhan felt a wave of doubt rise inside him once more. While the SAN value of others was irreversible, what about his?

"Let's go back first," Gu Zhan said, holding his watch, turning to Xu Yu.

Xu Yu nodded.

The two of them returned to the Guild first.

Only Sang Yue was waiting inside. When Gu Zhan and Xu Yu arrived, Sang Yue said, "Hai Chao is trying to create monster players this way. Yu Ye Zhou has already gone to stop them."

Sang Yue kept glancing behind Gu Zhan. He knew she was looking for someone, so he said, "Qin Yue didn’t come back."

Sang Yue frowned, her reaction the same as Xu Yu’s: "Maybe he came out from another exit."

Gu Zhan nodded. "Send someone to look for him. I need to go home."

Sang Yue quietly watched him, asking, "Do you have another way to solve this?"

Gu Zhan replied, "The results will come soon. You guys send people to search, and if you can’t find him, come to my house."

"Alright." Sang Yue nodded.

The two groups parted ways.

The first thing Gu Zhan did when he returned to the Hive was check his starplate watch’s space. As soon as he landed in the plaza, he saw a familiar figure.

Qin Yue turned around and excitedly greeted Gu Zhan: "Bro! I’ve turned into your pocket monster!"

Gu Zhan: "..."

At this point, he wasn’t sure whether to say Qin Yue was brave or clueless.

"You’ve turned into a monster," Gu Zhan said.

Qin Yue froze, and his smile faltered.

After a while, he sighed bitterly, "Bro, you didn’t have to hit me with the truth so bluntly."

Gu Zhan said, "The good thing is, you can still go to Chun Bai Cheng, but the bad thing is, you can never return to the real world."

"I couldn’t return to the real world anyway," Qin Yue squatted by the pool, looking up at the human-shaped fish sculpture of Mo Tuo. "That escape scroll was as far out of reach as the stars in the sky. It was never something I could get."

Gu Zhan walked over and sat at the edge of the pool. He knew that Qin Yue must have a lot on his mind at that moment.

Though Gu Zhan wasn't good with words, he was willing to stay and talk with Qin Yue.

Qin Yue looked at the sculpture, curiously asking, "Is this the person who was on your bed before?"

Gu Zhan's brow twitched.

Out of all the topics he could have chosen, why did Qin Yue have to bring up that one?

After finally rescuing him, this was the thanks he got?

Gu Zhan was about to stand up and leave when he suddenly heard a lazy voice filled with amusement from behind: "Why are you running away as soon as I’m mentioned? Yep, yep, that’s me."

Gu Zhan: "..."

He turned around to look at Mo Tuo.

To his surprise, the chains that had been on Mo Tuo’s body seemed to be gone.

To confirm his thought, Gu Zhan reached out and tugged at him.

Mo Tuo tilted toward him, and after a moment, he grinned and said, "Heh, I was just kidding."

"How boring," Gu Zhan turned his head away.

Mo Tuo raised an eyebrow, looking like he wanted to pounce on Gu Zhan and drag him into this pointless game.

But as soon as he saw Qin Yue, his actions froze.

Mo Tuo's smile turned dangerous as he locked his gaze onto Qin Yue.

Qin Yue felt like he was being stalked by a fierce predator. He unconsciously fell to the ground, scrambling backward.

Mo Tuo chuckled again.

After Qin Yue transformed into a monster, the rules that applied to monsters took effect on him.

Even among monsters, there were distinctions.

Xiao Xiu and Sun Jingqiu stood at a distance. They knew Gu Zhan had arrived, but in situations involving Mo Tuo, they typically avoided showing up.

Watching Mo Tuo intimidate Qin Yue, Gu Zhan subtly moved his fingers. Golden threads, different from chains, wound around Mo Tuo's body.

The threads tightened slightly, but because they were so fine, they couldn’t move Mo Tuo an inch. They only caused him to lower his head and make a surprised sound.

Then, the golden threads thickened and multiplied. In the blink of an eye, they had wrapped around Mo Tuo’s body.

Mo Tuo was startled, then quickly bound to the base of the sculpture, forced to become a statue.

Qin Yue: "..."

The beast-like figure that had been glaring at him was now rapidly dragged away. The stark contrast left Qin Yue stunned.

Yet, Mo Tuo wasn’t angry. The only visible part of his face still wore a smile as he looked at Gu Zhan and said, "See? I told you, you like this."

Gu Zhan lowered his head, frowning as he studied his fingertips, as if examining how the golden threads had appeared.

Earlier, he had wondered if Mo Tuo could be comfortably controlled by the game's rules in the star chart watch's private space. Would his own power be able to bind Mo Tuo there?

After all, in the previous dungeon with Klepper, not only had Mo Tuo's appearance as a monster been trapped, but Klepper’s sun had also been contained.

The sunlight quickly formed into golden threads, binding Mo Tuo.

It seemed that within his own space, Gu Zhan had absolute control over Mo Tuo.

Qin Yue, however, was now in a daze, his gaze bouncing between Mo Tuo and Gu Zhan.

What did he just hear from the monster?

"Like this"... Is that "like" for real?

Gu Zhan moved his hand again, causing the golden threads to vanish. But unlike chains, these threads, though fine, carried a searing warmth. After they disappeared, red marks from the binding appeared on Mo Tuo’s body.

The marks had a certain cruel beauty.

Mo Tuo didn’t seem to care at all. He lazily leaned against the base of the fountain, smiling as he said, "Be careful, this body is yours. What if you break it?"

Gu Zhan remained silent, looking up at Mo Tuo.

This merman really did fit his aesthetic. Even in his current cheeky form, it seemed like he was made for Gu Zhan.

Too bad he could talk.

Meanwhile, Qin Yue was completely stunned.

He had originally thought that Sun Jingqiu and Yang Lin were just overly nervous when they complained about someone being in Gu Zhan's bed.

After all, he had never seen it with his own eyes.

But now, everything was real!

Gu Zhan really had an affair with this monster.

Help, he's so dazzling.

Can he run away?

While Gu Zhan and Mo Tuo exchanged words, Qin Yue had quietly backed away, trying to distance himself from them.

Gu Zhan didn’t notice, but Mo Tuo shot a glance at Qin Yue and said to Gu Zhan, "The little friend you’ve been so attentive to ran away."

Gu Zhan turned back and said, “Don’t mind him, I have something I want to ask you.”

“Go ahead.” Mo Tuo spread his hands in a very casual manner.

Gu Zhan asked, “The system traps players here, but the main goal isn’t to have them die, right?”

“Mm, of course not.” Mo Tuo nodded, “You’re all so weak, it would be easy to kill you.”

“Since that’s the case, clearing the dungeon is something you want us to do, or rather, you want more players to enter the dungeons,” Gu Zhan squinted, carefully observing the person before him.

Xiao Xiu had mentioned that Mo Tuo was a native monster of the system, unlike those born in the dungeon like them.

So far, there were three types of monsters within the system.

1. Native

2. Dungeon-born

3. Player-transformed

Monsters didn’t only exist within dungeons. Mo Tuo could move freely, and Xiao Xiu could be summoned to Chun Bai Cheng.

They seemed more like the opposite side of the player, another kind of “player” in a different sense.

“Of course.” Mo Tuo answered the question readily.

Gu Zhan asked again, “What do you get from players going into the dungeons?”

Mo Tuo narrowed his eyes, studying Gu Zhan carefully, as though weighing whether he should reveal the truth.

After a moment, he said, “Of course, it’s for energy. Maintaining such a large system, with so many monsters, requires a lot of energy.”

“What?”

This answer greatly surprised Gu Zhan.

It wasn’t about invading the world, nor exterminating humanity.

It was merely for the acquisition of survival energy?

Gu Zhan furrowed his brow. "Why do you make humans play this life-and-death game with you?"

Mo Tuo spread his hands. "Is it possible that you forget you already dead? You can leave this world, of course, but without the exit token, you’ll return to your previous state. Do you remember what you were doing before entering the game world?"

"You volunteered."

These few words fell lightly on Gu Zhan's heart.

Yes, he had volunteered.

He clearly remembered when he first entered the dungeon.

But his memory was fragmented, as if a fog had clouded his thoughts, so he rarely considered his origin.

Now, with Mo Tuo’s words, it all suddenly came back to him.

He was already dead.

Gu Zhan's head began to hurt, as if something was blocking him from continuing his thoughts.

A splash of water broke the silence, and the seductive mermaid leaned on the edge of the pool, smiling and gazing at him. "Come into my dungeon, and I’ll make you understand everything."

Gu Zhan knew it was just the siren's song, attempting to lure him into the abyss.

He remained silent for a moment before nodding.

The abyss?

Perhaps, he had been in the abyss all along.

Once he agreed, the patterns on his arm began to faintly burn.

Mo Tuo was delighted. He flicked his tail, the cool, damp fin brushing lightly across Gu Zhan's face, leaving a streak of water. "I’ll be waiting for you."

With that, he leaped back to his pedestal, returning to his statue form.

It was only after Mo Tuo left that Qin Yue dared to return.

Over the past few days, he had figured things out and asked, "Brother, have I turned into a monster?"

Gu Zhan nodded.

"Ah..." Qin Yue stood frozen, a delayed sadness crossing his face.

However, Gu Zhan's thoughts had already been swept away by Mo Tuo, leaving him unable to immerse himself in Qin Yue's sorrow over losing his humanity.

He could only walk up and pat Qin Yue on the shoulder, offering a small gesture of comfort.

Qin Yue, not one to dwell on things, quickly cheered up, inhaling deeply. "But it’s fine! I feel great now! Being a monster is no different from being human, and I don’t have to go into the dungeon anymore... I guess I don’t have to, right?"

Gu Zhan nodded. "Mm, but you also can't leave my personal space on your own."

More precisely, Qin Yue, like Xiao Xiu and Sun Jingqiu, had become one of Gu Zhan's "possessions."

Except for the times he had Xiao Xiu assist with dungeons, Gu Zhan had never used this right.

They all had independent personalities and full thoughts, so Gu Zhan found it difficult to treat them as "objects."

Qin Yue, naturally, understood this. "It’s alright! I believe in you, brother!"

He looked around. "Maybe in the future, you can collect more monsters and expand this place, turning it into a whole new world. Then you’ll be a creator god, and I’ll be like one of the founding elders."

Gu Zhan paused, as if he had caught something from Qin Yue's words.

Expand the space, recruit more monsters...

"A flower, a world; a tree, withering and flourishing."

A drop of water could also be a complete world.

That star chart watch...

Gu Zhan didn’t dare think further. All decisions would have to wait until he exited Mo Tuo’s dungeon.

Gu Zhan said, "You’re right, this place isn’t very big, but it's relatively free. Stay here for now and get along well with the others."

"The two young ladies from earlier? Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of them."

Gu Zhan gave him a faint look. Taking care of Xiao Xiu and Sun Jingqiu? Who would take care of whom was still unclear!

After parting ways with Qin Yue, Gu Zhan returned to his room.

Just in time, Xu Yu and Yu Yezhou arrived, and they hadn’t found Qin Yue outside.

Xu Yu kept his head lowered, looking disappointed.

Yu Yezhou whispered, "There are still a few dungeon exits we haven’t searched. I’ve sent people to look, but the chances aren’t high..."

"No need to keep searching." Gu Zhan said, "I’ve already found him."

Yu Yezhou paused. Without Gu Zhan needing to elaborate, he understood the unspoken words.

Gu Zhan thought for a moment and said, "Let him come out and meet you."

With that, he summoned Qin Yue from the star chart space.

This summoning was compulsory, and no matter what the person inside was doing, they would be called out.

It was Qin Yue’s first time as a monster, and he wasn’t used to it. When he came out, he was still in a greeting posture, smiling brightly. "Hi, beautiful ladies, I’m Qin Yue. Let’s get to know each other!"

The ones opposite him were, however, a group of concerned men.

Hearing Qin Yue’s words, Yu Yezhou immediately felt constipated. All his worries seemed to be in vain.

What a nerve!

Qin Yue quickly realized there were no beautiful ladies before him, just a few big men.

"Ah?" Qin Yue exclaimed. "Why is it you guys!"

Yu Yezhou and Xu Yu had already expected that "letting him meet you" meant Qin Yue had turned into a monster.

In those few minutes, they had mentally prepared for all sorts of tragic scenarios: crying and mourning over his new identity, his body riddled with scars, and his twisted, ugly appearance that no longer resembled his former self...

However, when the person actually appeared before them, Yu Yezhou was surprised to find that the guy seemed to be doing quite well!

He was even in high spirits.

"Well, then." Yu Yezhou quickly accepted the reality and asked, "How do you feel now? Anything unusual?"

Qin Yue shook his head. "Feels just like normal."

Yu Yezhou furrowed his brow.

He wasn’t sure if it was because of Gu Zhan’s item or the Hai Chao Guild’s method, but it seemed that transforming into a monster really didn’t affect one's sanity.

After a moment of silence, Yu Yezhou looked up and glanced at Gu Zhan.

Gu Zhan instantly understood his meaning and then looked at Xu Yu.

Xu Yu nodded.

Their small actions were not hidden from Qin Yue.

Qin Yue was getting more and more confused and asked in a daze, "What are you guys doing?"

Yu Yezhou said, "Since you’ve already come out, there’s something we need to tell you. The dungeon you entered before was actually part of Hai Chao’s scheme. The reason you turned into a monster..."

He paused for a moment, choosing his words carefully, then said, "It’s because the gas you used to kill wasn’t mostly monsters, but players."

"Ah?" Qin Yue was stunned.

A blank expression appeared on his face for several minutes, and after the silence, he bitterly smiled. "I see."

It seemed he had already known, but didn’t want to think about it, so he had pushed that truth aside.

Yu Yezhou didn’t know how to comfort him, so he patted his shoulder.

They decided to leave him alone in a corner to process the news slowly.

Meanwhile, Gu Zhan turned to Yu Yezhou and brought up another matter. "The monster you guys saw last time, the one in my space, well..."

He wasn’t sure how to describe it to Yu Yezhou and the others.

Casually mentioning Mo Tuo’s name didn’t seem quite right.

Yu Yezhou, however, quickly caught on. "We know, the one that appeared on your bed!"

Gu Zhan: "..."

What should have been a serious matter had become awkward with those words.

But he couldn’t find a better way to describe it, so he reluctantly nodded. "Yes, it’s him."

Yu Yezhou’s expression changed when he looked at Gu Zhan.

Gu Zhan felt like they had caught the same strange infection as Sang Yue and Yang Lin.

"In any case, it’s him. I’m planning to go into his dungeon to check it out."

Gu Zhan added, "We know too little about monsters right now. Maybe we can learn more from him."

Yu Yezhou looked at him worriedly. "Did you just get one invitation? Can we join your team?"

"No need. I’ll go alone," Gu Zhan said indifferently.

For some reason, Yu Yezhou felt that when Gu Zhan said this, there was a hint of possessiveness in his tone.

But a monster?

He must be overthinking.

"When are you leaving?"

Gu Zhan replied, "In a few days."

He had originally planned to go to Mo Tuo's dungeon, but Qin Yue’s situation had interrupted his schedule.

Yu Yezhou sighed deeply. "Well, once teammates are sent out, they’re like water poured away. It’s up to you."

Yu Yezhou and Xu Yu stayed at Gu Zhan’s place for a while. Soon after, Sang Yue and Yang Lin arrived.

They surrounded Qin Yue and chattered with him. The girls were much better at comforting him than these few men, and before long, Qin Yue’s face brightened again.

He wasn’t the type to be negative, so it didn’t take long for him to recover.

Back at Gu Zhan’s side, Qin Yue excitedly asked, "All monsters have special abilities, what’s mine?"

Gu Zhan glanced at him and said, "I don’t know. You should be the most aware of your own abilities."

"Ah?" Qin Yue looked puzzled as he clenched his fists. "But I don’t feel anything."

His body, his thoughts, didn’t seem any different from when he was human.

Gu Zhan said, "Should I call Xiao Xiu out and have her teach you?"

Qin Yue still remembered Xiao Xiu as a beautiful young lady, and didn’t want to embarrass himself in front of her, so he quickly said, "Maybe not now, I’ll try again on my own!"

Gu Zhan nodded.

He suspected Qin Yue might not have any ability at all.

After all, his wings had been chopped off by Xu Yu when he transformed.

Xu Yu, feeling guilty, scratched his nose, clearly thinking the same thing.

After chatting for a while, Yu Yezhou and Yang Lin, both busy, prepared to leave.

Qin Yue, having stayed outside too long, also started feeling exhausted, so Gu Zhan had to send him back.

It was time to leave.

Sang Yue and Yang Lin reached the door and were about to open it when Qin Yue suddenly said, "You two be careful, I have a feeling you’re going to use too much strength and do something to Gu Zhan’s door..."

Before he could finish, Sang Yue twisted the doorknob, and with a "crack," the doorknob fell off.

Sang Yue blankly held the doorknob in her hand, staring dazedly at Qin Yue.

Qin Yue, still stunned, finished his sentence, "I meant... break it."

Sang Yue gasped. "Qin Yue, your monster ability is bad luck!"

"Ugh!" Qin Yue quickly lowered his head and lightly slapped his mouth, "Ugh ugh ugh! What nonsense am I talking, bad luck what..."

Gu Zhan said, "Maybe. When you said that, what were you thinking?"

Qin Yue was confused. "I didn’t think of anything. I just felt like this might happen."

Gu Zhan said, "You often say things that surprise everyone, things that are crucial, and you don’t even notice. Maybe that’s your ability."

"But how is this different from bad luck? I don’t want to be a bad luck bringer!" Qin Yue sighed.

He looked around at the others, hoping to find support.

However, everyone just looked at him with sympathetic expressions. It seemed that his bad luck was confirmed.

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