Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Now, Xin Yi finally witnessed how her boyfriend, who looked like a mere skeleton with a round face, fought. Song Bunan's style was even more chaotic than his opponent's. At first, he focused on evasion and defense, but soon he began to counterattack, leaving his opponent flustered with every move.
In the midst of battle, Song Bunan wore a blank expression, his eyes fixed intently on every action of his opponent. His small frame was incredibly agile, moving with such fluidity that there were no flaws to exploit. The only mismatch was in his punches—fast, precise, and ruthless. Each strike that landed on his opponent produced a dull thud that echoed painfully.
However, he did not take precautions for himself; as he hit his opponent, he also sustained injuries. The joints of his hands were already scraped, leaving red marks on the other’s body. Xin Yi noticed that the opponent's movements were slowing down. With one side faltering, the other inevitably gained momentum. Seizing the opportunity, Song Bunan delivered a powerful punch directly to the opponent's jaw, knocking him to the ground.
"Live or die, it's up to you," he said as he deftly twisted the opponent's shoulder to dislocate it. With a long sigh of relief, Song Bunan glanced at his friends and nodded towards the incapacitated figure, silently asking how they should handle him.
"Are you sure there won't be any retaliation? This is quite the successful test subject," Xiao Mei remarked as she approached and crouched down to examine Gu Qing's face, poking it with her finger. It was evident that he had grown weaker; there wasn't a single normal spot left on his face. "You really went too far; you've ruined his looks."
Song Bunan shook out his hands to relieve the pain and shot a disdainful look at Xiao Mei after hearing her comment. He asked if she had developed any sympathy for someone who had tried to steal her friend's boyfriend. Xiao Mei retaliated with a punch to his calf and scoffed that no one was as cold-blooded as he was—after all, they were dealing with a living person.
"Now you're turning into a saint," Song Bunan retorted, feeling stifled by her words. After giving her an annoyed glare, he turned away and said, "I’m done with this; my hands hurt like hell. You guys deal with it quickly; I'm hungry." He hurried back to Xin Yi's side and was immediately grabbed by her boyfriend, who checked his injuries. In the man's eyes, he could clearly see concern.
Feeling elated inside, he leaned against Xin Yi and playfully demanded that she personally apply medicine for him later.
Ming You covered his eyes in disbelief at this display of affection and cursed how society had declined; it was unbearable to watch everyone in love acting so shamelessly. Ming Hua shot a sideways glance at her sister before pulling Qian Gu close to her side, their fingers intertwined in an intimate gesture. Xiao Mei remained squatting beside Gu Qing for inspection while Shui Su slowly approached from behind him and half-squatted down to say he would handle it.
The young girl was infuriated and impatiently declared she would clear the area before quickly leaving them behind to watch Shui Su "handle" the situation.
"He’s also on the List; it doesn’t matter who kills him," Song Bunan recalled from the contents of the List as he leaned closer to speak with Shui Su. Upon hearing the question, Shui Su gently shook his head and pulled out a dagger taken from another test subject from beneath his clothing, signaling Xin Yi to come closer.
"Among everyone here, you're the only one qualified to do this. You need to deliver a fatal blow."
Xin Yi felt bewildered by this sudden turn of events. He took the dagger from Shui Su but couldn't understand why it had to be him—what did it mean that only he was qualified? What was this List? Seeing him hesitate to act, Shui Su continued: "I know you’re confused. Think back to when you first saw Bunan here—how many times has he fought? And how many times have we fought?"
He realized why Shui Su had said what he did. Since emerging from captivity, only Song Bunan had killed that woman in the prison; everything else had been done by Ming You. Their sole action since arriving here had been blowing up that strange building.
Noticing Xin Yi crouching down in silence without further questions, Shui Su slowly walked away from them while everyone stood nearby watching him take action. Before striking, Xin Yi glanced back at Song Bunan, who stood there smiling gently at him.
The human neck is said to be fragile, yet it is surprisingly difficult to penetrate. Even a dagger, sharp enough to cut through iron, encounters resistance from the bones before finally reaching the other side. The man beneath him struggled for a moment as the blade pierced his skin, but soon fell still. Habitually, he withdrew the dagger after the other had breathed his last, only to be splattered with blood.
The warm liquid rushed into his brain through his nostrils, accompanied by a nauseating bitterness that made him feel sick. As he instinctively stepped back, he realized his limbs were numb. The moment he tried to stand, a dull pain shot through his head, and before he could react, consciousness slipped away.
Was it poison? He knew he should be dreaming, yet felt oddly awake in this strange state. He felt as if he were trapped in a small box, unable to move anything but his mind. Carefully examining his body, he found that only his head remained functional; everything else seemed to have vanished.
He began to recall and analyze why this was happening. The drugs in his system had long since worn off, and the dust on him was merely ordinary wall debris. The only possible source of poison was the blood that had splattered on his face, but how could normal human blood be toxic?
No, that man was not normal.
As an experimental subject—indeed, the most successful one—Gu Qing must possess more than mere combat skills. But what kind of parent would willingly transform their child into a creature that was neither human nor beast, incapable of thought or normal movement, unable to live independently, ultimately reduced to a weapon?
This too was a form of family, he reasoned with himself. Yet in his current state of confusion, with only his mind still functioning, how could he assess his surroundings and determine where he was? Xin Yi found himself at a loss for solutions.
Perhaps the toxins had not yet cleared from his system; after some contemplation, an overwhelming drowsiness suddenly washed over him. His unresisting brain succumbed once more to sleep—this time it was true slumber, and he even began to dream.
Once again, he found himself in that forest, cradling a bloodied child while teammates rushed to provide emergency care. Normally, he couldn’t recall the child's appearance; all he remembered was the small body covered in gore. Yet now he realized he could see that face clearly.
The child had lost consciousness; their round little face was smeared with dirt and grime, revealing wounds even on their neck. That face was impossible to ignore—it was almost a miniature version of Song Bunan's. He had woken up earlier than Song Bunan most days and often saw the man’s sleeping visage: black hair tousled against his face and pale skin occasionally marked by red impressions left by the pillow.
Recalling how Song Bunan had once told him about being inexplicably harmed as a child in the mountains—leaving scars all over his back—he could now confirm that the child he had saved back then was indeed Song Bunan.
Fate is truly a curious thing. Even as someone who does not believe in gods or spirits, he had to acknowledge its existence. At that time, he had been discussing views on love with his teammates and maintained an uncertain stance on what kind of person he would eventually like; even boasting that he surely wouldn’t be fond of someone significantly younger due to generational gaps.
Now reality slapped him hard in the face—after all, Song Bunan was over ten years younger than him.
Fortunately, their relationship had progressed to this point without much intimacy beyond kisses. If he were truly to die now, the child could seek out others who would love him without any burden on his conscience.
"Can I die?" Xin Yi asked himself in the dream.
The child in his arms was gradually becoming transparent, along with the surrounding scenery. Everything seemed to have its opacity adjusted, slowly fading away until the entire world was engulfed in darkness. He stood there, unable to move, his hands stained with the child's blood.
Could dreams collapse too? He didn’t understand the concept, so he simply stood there, waiting for the part of himself that was still alive to wake up.
The darkness didn’t last long. A rustling sound came from all directions, like someone crumpling a plastic bag or a mouse scurrying around, stealing bits of food. As the sounds continued, various smells emerged—first the aroma of meat, followed by a hint of spice and an odd sweetness.
Unable to discern what these smells were, he instinctively rubbed his nose. The motion of raising his hand caused him to feel as if he were falling, and the sensation of weightlessness jolted him awake. Yet again, only his mind was functional; this time, however, he could feel his body’s presence—heavy like a large stone.
His hands and feet were the first to recover. The small parts of his body sent successful reboot reports to his brain, gradually restoring control throughout his limbs. Finally, it reached his head, activating his hearing at the ears to complete the process.
His eyelids felt heavy as if weighed down by a thousand pounds. After much effort, he managed to open them and found himself in a dimly lit room. For a moment, his mind went blank as he tried to recall where he was. The lampshade above resembled a flower; the bed was soft; and there were many plush toys piled around him. No one lay beside him, but there was a giant rabbit…
This was Song Bunan's bedroom; he had not died.
After taking several deep breaths, though his body felt sore and weak, he could manage some movement. His eyes adjusted to the light, and he noticed a very bright glow at the foot of the bed.
Struggling to sit up and look over there, he saw Song Bunan wearing his pajamas, sitting atop a pile of plush toys while engrossed in his phone. In one hand, he held a half-eaten chicken claw. The floor was littered with takeout containers; it seemed he had just received them and was enjoying himself. Lost in his phone screen, Song Bunan didn’t notice that Xin Yi had woken up; he stared intently at the screen with a tense yet focused expression, even searching for the straw of his milk tea with his mouth.
If Xin Yi wasn’t mistaken, that cup of milk tea had ice in it. He squinted his eyes and began plotting how to punish this little thief for sneaking snacks and drinks.
Comment 0 Comment Count