Sylus: [The camera jamming sequence has been destroyed, there's a monster right next to you]
Sylus: [Hurry up and get here, I'm not coming to fish you out]
Sylus: [What, dead already?]
Sylus: [Bastard, die already]
Sylus first, Sylus second: [qAq]
Louis tossed the phone onto the bed with a blank expression, then let himself collapse after it, exhaling a quiet sigh.
The sedative had clearly kept him asleep for a long time, yet he still felt so drowsy now, his head heavy.
He didn't need to guess who had broken Sylus' sequence. The heroine was the only one in this world who could outmatch Sylus in hacking.
Thinking about Aboli, having seen his interactions with the Demonic Twins, she would definitely tear Luna and Lucas apart first, then cut off his head—or else find some method of torture to make him suffer even worse.
Louis couldn't help recalling the monsters locked inside cages, imagining himself turned into one of those...
A cold shiver ran through him. Damn it, people really did live more comfortably when they thought less.
At that moment, the soft mattress on either side of him suddenly sank under new weight. Luna and Lucas had finished bathing and were now climbing up.
Louis lifted a hand, just in time to touch two damp heads.
The veins on his forehead twitched.
He sat up abruptly and spoke lowly: "Let me dry your hair first."
Were these two planning to soak his pillow to irritate him?
Luna and Lucas looked up at him in surprise, then nodded.
Louis didn't care about their expressions. He went to fetch the dryer and a towel, rubbing Lucas' head first before wrapping the towel over Luna's.
At first, the twins had stiffened in discomfort whenever he touched their heads. Now, they seemed almost accustomed to it—even enjoying it.
When Luna saw Louis drying Lucas' hair first, she pressed her lips together, her eyes glistening as she stared at him.
Louis felt the heat of her gaze burning into his back, so he explained softly: "Lucas' hair is shorter, so it'll be faster. If your hair soaks up more water first, it'll be easier to dry later. Besides, you wouldn't want Lucas catching a cold, right?"
Luna said nothing more, but inside, she thought Lucas would never catch a cold—she wanted Louis to treat her better. Hadn't he said he loved her?
Still, Louis' explanation made sense, so she let it slide this time.
Meanwhile, Lucas leaned unsteadily against Louis' lap, eyes half-closed in bliss. Louis' touch was so gentle—it was actually adorable.
Louis switched off the dryer and couldn't resist ruffling Lucas' fluffy hair. He couldn't help but think of his younger siblings from his previous world—those kids also loved to act spoiled. Of course, they were much more adorable; at the very least, they wouldn't bite him or suddenly press a blade against his throat.
Louis dazed out a little, but in Luna's eyes, it looked like he was so absorbed in patting Lucas' head that he had forgotten entirely about her.
She frowned, quickly tugging him down.
Caught off guard, Louis toppled onto the bed. Luna pressed a kiss against the tip of his nose, her expression tinged with annoyance: "Dry my hair!"
Ha… at first it was voluntary, and now she's giving him orders, huh?
The young man lowered his eyes, but even so, he couldn't hide the fleeting sadness that passed through them. He sat up without a word, removing the towel from Luna's head.
Luna panicked, her gaze darting about as she silently begged Lucas for help. But Lucas had already lain down, arms wrapped around Louis's waist, face buried against his back, completely ignoring his sister.
Biting her lip, Luna hastily turned and wrapped her arms around Louis, rubbing her head against his chest as she pleaded coquettishly: "I didn't mean to raise my voice, really, Louis—I love you."
Lowering his eyes, Louis shook his head: "In the end, you don't remember me anyway. I was the one forcing hope onto myself. I shouldn't have clung to you two…"
Afraid Louis might try to leave again, Luna blurted out: "No, I'm sorry, I was wrong, I'll never raise my voice at you again! You don't have to dry my hair, I won't catch a cold."
She lifted her eyes, shimmering with tears, gazing at him.
Seeing that, Louis tenderly brushed at the corner of her eye and said softly: "It's alright. As long as you know you were wrong."
The warm wind of the dryer blew against her, and Luna closed her eyes in contentment. Louis was so easy to fool—just a few teary eyes and he immediately forgave her. Of course, he really did love her, she thought with joy.
At last, Louis peacefully drifted into sleep, holding both of them in his arms.
Whether Luna and Lucas might later get the urge to slit his throat or not—he couldn't resist whatever was to come anyway. He needed to sleep if he wanted the strength to struggle.
"Current heart rate: 50 beats per 60 seconds. Deep sleep state confirmed."
That night, Luna rested her head against Louis' chest, pressing her ear to him and listening to the steady beat of his heart, his calm breathing.
She couldn't help but curve her lips into a smile, wanting to see what Louis' heart actually looked like.
Beside her, Lucas picked up Louis' phone and unlocked it.
The screen lit up amidst the gloom, illuminating the siblings' cold violet eyes and unnaturally beautiful faces.
Only, because of the angle of the light and their current expressions, the sight of them looked even more terrifying.
On the phone's screen was the image of a sleeping girl.
Even though it was only her side profile, they could tell at a glance—this was definitely a great beauty!
Louis had secretly taken a picture of someone while she slept, and even set it as his wallpaper! It was apparent—he must be madly, desperately in love with her, but so cowardly he didn't dare confess!
Louis actually had someone else while he was with them. He wasn't faithful!
Louis' phone instantly cracked, even though Lucas had tried to restrain his strength.
Clack, clack!
Luna's mechanical hand immediately transformed into a sharp needle, stabbing at Louis's neck. It was clear that a little more force would pierce him—but she couldn't bring herself to do it!
Just then, Louis shifted in his sleep, turning as though to embrace her. His neck leaned closer toward the needle.
Luna's eyes flew wide in panic. In the end, Louis' neck only brushed against her metal hand.
She stroked his throat, a cruel impulse flashing within her, wanting to tear open that skin.
Clang!
Lucas' blade was blocked by Luna's mechanical hand, leaving a hole punctured clean through her palm.
Lucas' face darkened as he glared at her: "Luna, what are you doing? Louis isn't faithful!"
"Lucas, you're crying! You don't really want to kill Louis either, do you?!" Luna snapped back, clutching Louis tightly in her arms.
Lucas touched his face in confusion, only to feel tears streaming down. His eyes were now red to the point of madness.
Luna quickly said, "Louis must have been seduced. We'll tear apart the slut who dared tempt him first—then we'll deal with Louis afterward, alright?"
Lucas lowered his gaze to Louis: "When that time comes, we'll make sure Louis can't see anyone except us."
Luna's expression brightened: "Exactly. As long as he can't see anyone else, he'll only love us!"
Her mind seemed to drift into a fantasy of their private world, her cheeks flushed with excitement.
Reaching an agreement, the twins contentedly lay back down, wrapping themselves around Louis like octopuses, drifting into a blissful dream.
A long while later, the young man's hand twitched under the blanket. No one could say whether it was numb from being crushed or something else.
The next morning, both of his arms were entirely dead for sensation. Why was every so-called "main character" like this—always piling on top of him?!
Enduring the crawling discomfort, Louis washed up, then glanced at Luna and Lucas, giving instructions: "I'm going out to find some food. You two wait here for me."
Rubbing their eyes, the twins obediently nodded.
Even knowing it was an act, Louis still couldn't help but reach out and ruffle their heads before leaving.
Sigh. Who knew—this might be the last time he got to pat their heads.
Closing the door behind him, Louis glanced at the crack across his phone screen. His lips curved faintly, his steps light as he entered the crowd.
"I heard the underground arena just announced it's suspending operations for a while."
"What a pity, I thought something exciting was coming up."
"Inside info says all those grafted creatures got wiped out. The intruder was bloodthirsty as hell—who knows, maybe we'll all get our throats slit next."
"Don't joke like that, hahaha."
"Come on, drink up, laugh it off, hahaha."
Ha… no one slit your throats—you were just poisoned with "opium," Louis sneered inwardly, blending into the throng and heading toward his destination.