5.1 Special Precaution
5.1 Special Precaution
Arc 5: My Only Paradise Is You
"With you, Heaven and Hell are the same place."
.
.
.
The purgatory was a blur in Lu Yizhou's mind. His vision was painted with blood, screams echoed in his ears and all his senses were focused on countering any attack that came his way. As soon as he sensed that Heimo was out of the perimeter, he instantly erected a barrier using his soul power.
"You're insane!" The cultivators who realized what had happened were pale with fright, throwing curses at Lu Yizhou and looking at him as if he was a madman. Just to save a demonic cultivator, he was willing to drain his soul and perish?! "You have really gone insane, Jingxue-Jun!"
Lu Yizhou gave a twisted grin, his eyes manic with bloodlust. It had been such a long, long time since he was allowed to kill to his heart's content. He tried to tell himself that he had no choice, that this was the fastest and most efficient way to eliminate the enemies that might harm Heimo, but as he slain people after people and saw bodies crumbling in front of him, deep seated satisfaction bloomed in his chest as if he was loosening a tension in his body he didn't know existed; the relief that had more to do with the sensation of his sword cutting through flesh and the blood that stained his hands. Ah, he came to a foggy realization, he was really crooked to the core. How could his lover ever say that he was the most perfect man alive?
It was only when corpses stacked beneath his feet and he was the last person standing that he gradually snapped out of his senses.
The hazy crimson in front of his eyes gradually faded as the sounds of battle around him dissipated into tranquility. Hexue slipped through his blood-soaked hands and before it snapped into two, he ordered. "Go." Go where you want to go.
And then he breathed his last.
When he opened his eyes again, he was already in the rest station, eyes blank and empty as he stared up to the ceiling.
[666: H—Host, are you okay?]
666—666 had never seen its Host like that before! Even when he was Raphael, the Vampire King who was tormented by corruption, he had never lost control of himself! Oh my Admin God, how could 666 ever think that Host was warm and gentle beneath his distant exterior?! Nobody in this world was more terrifying than its Host QAQ
Lu Yizhou merely sat up with a grunt, swayed minutely as he tried to stand up and went to fetch a drink. However, it was only when he tried to grab the glass from the cabinet over his head that he realized his hands were shaking badly. He paused and examined his palms with a weird look as if this was the first time he had ever seen them.
[666: Host, what's wrong…?]
He clenched his fists and propped his palms on the sink but no, he could still feel the tremor running up his arms. His mind was buzzing with the barely receded adrenaline and he could still taste the repulsive stench of blood on the tip of his tongue. He breathed in…
…and retched, bending over the sink and hurling out thin yellowish bile.
[666: HOST!!! WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU?!]
"Nothing." Lu Yizhou washed his mouth, splashed his face with water and returned to the bed after sipping a few gulps of water. He plopped himself down and sighed, exhaustion evident between his brows. He wished he could sleep it off but he also knew that his mind was too chaotic to shut down. It was only when he recalled the sensation of Heimo's face between his palms, the traces of tears on his cheeks and his hopeful yet grieving look he gave, could Lu Yizhou take a deep breath and slowly feel himself calming down.
Sensing the shift of atmosphere around its Host, 666 seized the chance to exclaim.
[666: Host, let's count the reward for this world! Please don't say you don't need it again! Look at the previous world, you will die twice over without the help of the system store! And also, we need to check your willmeter!]
Lu Yizhou hummed and waved his hand dismissively. "Do it, then."
[System notification: Ding! Processing the data… Calculating the fourth simulation's result…]
[666: Oh my Admin God, 666 is so excited! It has been so long since 666 has heard this notification! Host is such a stubborn brute, how could you cancel the second and third simulation's reward just for a meeting with Admin God?!!]
"Shut up."
[Successfully completed the mission +1000 points, received additional rewards Effective Sleeping Pills x 30 and Knockout Bomb x2. This is a special reward for your generous purchase in our store. No one has ever received it before oh~]
[Fulfilled the villain's wish +500 points, received additional reward Permanent Skill "Time Rewinder"! This is a special reward for your generous purchase in our store. No one has ever received it before oh~]
[666: Congratulations, Host! You have made many purchases of this skill in the second simulation. It must be why it has become your permanent skill! Ugh, if Host didn't reject the reward last time, we might have obtained this skill sooner!]
"Shut up." Lu Yizhou scowled. He didn't need anyone to complain about his decision. He didn't regret exchanging his reward to meet Admin God at all. If he had any other matter that needed confirmation, he would be willing to do it all over again.
[System notification: Lastly—]
[666: Oh oh oh! What is this? Another reward?!]
[—punishment for being OOC. The main system has judged Host deviated greatly from the character he's supposed to be. The main violations that ought to be addressed included but not limited to killing the character's master and father figure, turning his back on his family and peers for unclear reasons, as well as committing a massacre that eliminated half of the skilled cultivators in the mortal realm. As for reasons stated above, Host's reward points will be cut into half.]
[666: …]
"Shut up."
[666: …666 hasn't said anything yet, Host QAQ]
"Whatever it will be, just shut up." Lu Yizhou pinched his brows.
[666: H—Hmph, stinky Host! 666 has known that this kind of thing will happen sooner or later! Host has always been doing whatever you want! Whatever, 666 doesn't care about Host anymore! Let's look at the willmeter!]
[System notification: Ding! Calculating the Host's willmeter…]
A familiar bar appeared in front of Lu Yizhou's eyes. The last time he had seen it, there were two colors on it; brilliant sapphire and molten gold, simmering at the edge of 7% but this time…
[666: H—Huh? What is this?!]
Instead of two distinctive colors, the bar was filled with crimson, the bright and bold kind of red that was almost shimmering on its edges. The surface bubbled and shot up until it stopped at 30%. Lu Yizhou was stunned.
[666: Eh, this is not bad at all, Host! 666 has prepared itself to see a number less than ten. For someone who has made a declaration to be the first one to fail, your willmeter is quite high! Who knows, maybe we only need to go through a few more worlds for Host's willmeter to reach 100%!]
Like a jinx it was, as soon as 666 finished the sentence, an ominous beep resounded.
[System notification: Warning! An anomaly is detected! The willmeter is depleting 30%... 29%... 28%...]
666 instantly went crazy.
[666: AAAAH, 666 won't say anything anymore! Please don't drop again! How can this kind of thing be possible?! Stooooop!!!]
It wasn't only 666 who was surprised, Lu Yizhou was also caught off guard by the sudden development. If 666's words could be trusted, the willmeter had never been designed to fluctuate and it would always push the number to the highest calculation. But twice it had happened to Lu Yizhou and both times, he believed he had done nothing to affect it. Moreover, why did the two colors disappear? And what did the bright crimson represent?
666 continued sobbing like a dramatic system it was until the willmeter finally edging on the precipice of 24% and stayed there.
[System notification: Reminder for Host! If the willmeter still hasn't reached 50% until the completion of fifth simulation, then a special precaution will be taken.]
A frown appeared between his brows. "Special precaution?"
[666: Host, 666 has said before that Host is 666's one and only. This is also the first time 666 has ever heard of this hehehe. But don't worry! At most Host will be thrown into a more difficult world! Host has even gone through an A level before. 666 believes that Host can definitely do it!]
It took Lu Yizhou's all to resist not rolling his eyes at 666's BS. No matter what, he didn't believe that his willmeter would double just because of one world so he had better prepared himself for the special precaution. Lu Yizhou had gone through many unthinkable things in life and he had always survived by playing everything by ear. Surely, there was nothing he couldn't endure.
"Let's go." He sighed and stood up, his spirit surging all of a sudden at the thought of being reunited with his lover. "To the next world."
[666: Aye aye, Host!]