They were very close, with Yu Deng almost whispering into Lu Yan's ear, calling him "Senior."
The soft tone and the way he addressed him were very much like he was acting coquettish.
Lu Yan's heart skipped a beat, and he was easily flustered by Yu Deng's simple calling of "Senior."
"Deng Deng… how can you be like this?" Lu Yan sighed.
Yu Deng didn't understand why Lu Yan suddenly said that and looked up at him in confusion. "I just called you 'Senior,' what do you mean by 'how can I be like this'?"
Lu Yan leaned in closer, his forehead resting against Yu Deng's. He looked a bit troubled. "Deng Deng, what should I do? You've got me all… cough."
Yu Deng was slow to react, and it took him a while to understand what Lu Yan meant. His eyes widened in surprise, and instinctively, he shrank away.
Still coming?! Not allowed!
Yu Deng raised his voice, glaring at him. "Lu Yan… you, you better not mess with me again!"
The bed creaked a few times. The mischievous senior, Lu Yan, pulled Yu Deng into his arms and nuzzled him for a few moments. Eventually, he stopped teasing him and carried him to the bathroom.
While they were cleaning up, Yu Deng glanced at the mirror and saw the red marks on his neck and collarbones, clearly showing their presence.
Though, this was still fine… Yu Deng knew that his thighs were covered in marks!
—Just now, Lu Yan had coaxed him into lifting his leg, making his leg sore. And this guy kept biting his leg, so Yu Deng didn't need to look to know it must be a mess.
Thinking about this, Yu Deng grumbled angrily, cursing Lu Yan as a jerk and a pervert. Lu Yan didn't argue, instead listening contentedly to Yu Deng's complaints.
After Yu Deng finished cleaning up and changed into fresh clothes, the door of the dormitory suddenly fell with a loud crash—Zhuang Lin outside had directly torn the door down.
Yu Deng: "…?"
He looked at the fallen door panel, then at Zhuang Lin and Lin Qinxu squeezing in, and opened his mouth. "…You guys came too."
If you're coming, just come, but why tear the door down?
"We've been here for a while," Zhuang Lin gritted his teeth, "but we were stopped."
Zhuang Lin and Lin Qinxu had arrived earlier. But after the destruction of Guihuai High, their powers were no longer restricted, and they couldn't immediately open the door that Lu Yan had locked.
After finding the real Guihuai High from the unknown chaotic nightmare, and waiting outside for some time, they were still a step too late.
Now, seeing Yu Deng's flushed cheeks, swollen lips, and eyelids, they didn't need to understand any further.
"…"
Zhuang Lin was fuming, his fists clenched, making cracking sounds as he grabbed that damn top student and pulled him out of the dorm.
Lu Yan remained unfazed, fixing his clothes and casually catching the rival's punch.
The hallway soon echoed with the dull thud of fists hitting flesh.
Yu Deng wobbled as he stood up, his legs weak from the earlier exertion, almost falling over, but was quickly caught by Lin Qinxu.
"Be careful, baby."
Yu Deng shook his head. "Oh... but it seems like they're fighting."
"Don't mind them."
Lin Qinxu, of course, was also dissatisfied with Lu Yan for taking advantage of Yu Deng. He held Yu Deng in his arms and leapt off the balcony, leaving the dormitory building.
"Eh, eh??"
Lin Qinxu's mood wasn't much better than Zhuang Lin's, but as a mature man nearly ten years older, he suppressed his emotions in front of Yu Deng.
He held Yu Deng, his dark eyes deep. "So, baby, do you like that type of Lu Yan?"
Yu Deng felt confused. "What? Didn't you guys say before that it's dangerous to rebel against me? So I was just giving you some encouragement and reward."
Lin Qinxu: "..." But he only got one kiss! Why does Lu Yan get to enjoy so much more?
The deep-thinking Dr. Lin was a little shaken.
Behind them, the two who noticed that Yu Deng was taken away by Lin Qinxu had abandoned their fight and were chasing after them. Zhuang Lin, just hearing Yu Deng's words, was completely stunned.
Having just fought, his clothes were slightly torn, and he had a bruise near his forehead. He looked like a stray dog caught in the rain, disappointed and watching another pet dog eat meat—he was extremely disheartened. "Deng Deng, I also helped you a lot. Why don't I get any reward?"
"Alright then..."
Yu Deng awkwardly looked at Zhuang Lin, waved, and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
Now, the other two were even more imbalanced.
[Beep—Beep—Data is being checked... The copy parameters have been restored.]
[Host, your mission is now complete. You may leave the copy.] The electronic sound of System 01 became clearer. [Do you want to leave the copy now?]
"Mm... let's go."
After replying, Yu Deng turned to look at his special mission targets. "I'm leaving now."
The few of them froze, seemingly not expecting the departure to come so soon.
"Bye-bye." Yu Deng waved at them. "Don't look so sad, we'll meet again someday."
"...Goodbye."
Yu Deng's figure gradually became illusory and soon disappeared from their sight. The few people left behind could no longer reach Yu Deng, only watching helplessly as his form vanished.
Yu Deng had left.
Their heavy, violent aura could no longer be hidden. Using this emotion, they vented it on their rival again, landing a few solid blows before no longer wanting to give the rival any more attention.
Their figures also became illusory, eventually disappearing from the campus.
The school stood quietly and beautifully, silently welcoming the next batch of students, ready to provide resources and opportunities for young dreamers to walk towards a better future on this relatively fair road.
On the stone tablet near the school gate, the school motto of Guihuai High School was carved.
— "Diligently pursue knowledge and honor the stars in your heart."
...
[Player Yu Deng is exiting the copy…]
Yu Deng felt the familiar dizziness from the transfer after a long time. His vision darkened for a few seconds, and when he opened his eyes again, he found himself in the residence after he advanced to an intermediate player.
The marks left on him from the copy had disappeared, and the soreness in his waist and back, as well as the subtle pain there, had all recovered. Only the mental fatigue remained.
[Host, do you need to perform the copy settlement now?]
Yu Deng looked somewhat dejected, his voice low: "No, I don't want to hear any of it right now."
[Alright, call me whenever you need something.] System 01 responded, controlling the little robot, preparing a delicious meal and hot water for Yu Deng to bathe.
After being tortured by Guihuai High School's food for half a month, Yu Deng finally felt a little happier when he ate the food made by his system.
After eating, Yu Deng took a hot shower and lay down on his bed to sleep.
He had spent more than half a month in the copy, and he should have been very exhausted, but his mind was overly stimulated, and he kept thinking about the details of his experiences in the copy.
Whenever he closed his eyes, he would recall the rules of Guihuai High School, the mutated teachers and students, the final fire, and the farewells from his mission targets.
Okay, and also the details of Lu Yan bothering him. This honor student, who appeared so elegant, had really messed with him...
Yu Deng turned over in bed and rubbed his ears hard, trying not to think about those details. But after lying there for almost an hour, he still couldn't fall asleep. He decided to get up, open his contacts, and have a look.
During his half-month stay in the Guihuai High School copy, Yu Deng had received quite a few messages. His contact list only had two people, and the one who messaged him the most was his stepson from the public mansion copy.
[Cheng Xiao]: Deng Deng... I thought we could team up... [Little dog crying]
[Cheng Xiao]: Little mom! I finished the copy, I'm an intermediate player now! [Little dog rolling]
[Cheng Xiao]: Deng Deng, are you not out yet? I'm going to a new copy. [Little dog waving]
Yu Deng tapped on the little dog emoji on the screen and replied to Cheng Xiao's messages, but Cheng Xiao hadn't sent any more messages. He was probably still in the copy.
Yu Deng sat on the bed for a few minutes, then pulled out his favorite black cloak and fox mask before heading out to the street.
It was morning in the Player Center, and there were many people hurrying along the street. Yu Deng picked out a strawberry ice cream cone from a dessert shop, then chose a quiet bench on the side of the street to quietly enjoy his ice cream.
As he spaced out for a moment, he overheard a conversation from passersby.
"Wow, where did Yu Deng come from? He's only been in four dungeons, right? And he's already on the leaderboard?"
"He's amazing, definitely a pro. But he doesn't join any guilds or create his own, so we have no idea who he really is."
On the leaderboard…?
To be honest, after his experience in the Guihuai High School dungeon, Yu Deng had some psychological trauma when it came to leaderboards. He had to mentally prepare himself before distinguishing between the Infinite World leaderboard and the Guihuai High School ranking.
He slowly lifted his head and looked at the leaderboard monument in the central street area.
He first instinctively scanned the new rankings, but after checking dozens of names, he couldn't find his own. He then turned his attention to the other leaderboards, where he saw his name in third place for live stream popularity, with a note saying that he was the top live streamer of the week.
The most prominent leaderboard was the overall player leaderboard. Yu Deng glanced at it lazily, only to find his name at the very bottom!
"Are you looking at Yu Deng too? This newcomer is pretty impressive."
Yu Deng heard someone speaking to him.
The man next to him was also wearing a mask, so Yu Deng couldn't see his face. However, he could tell that the man was tall with long legs, had a relaxed posture, and a pleasant voice.
Yu Deng averted his gaze from the leaderboard and secretly felt proud. He then smoothly reinforced the lie he'd told earlier to a stranger: "Yeah, after all, Yu Deng is a two-meter-tall powerhouse who can punch ten people with one blow!"
The man chuckled lightly and seemed more interested in continuing the conversation. He looked at the boy hidden beneath the cloak: "You know so much about Yu Deng?"
"Well... that's what everyone says," Yu Deng replied vaguely. "I think it makes sense."
The man nodded, seemingly acknowledging Yu Deng's words, and casually asked, "Just out of a dungeon?"
Yu Deng instinctively nodded but then realized it and warily moved a bit further away. "I won't tell you."
The man wasn't upset and spoke in a lazy tone to reassure him: "Don't worry, I mean no harm. A lot of players choose to stay on the streets after spending a long time in a dungeon, just like you are now."
Although this was a virtual city, at least it felt a bit more lively compared to being in the dungeon.
"Oh... I've been in there for a long time," Yu Deng said softly. "I'm so tired. It seems like the further into the dungeon you go, the more dangerous it gets."
"You're right," the man affirmed. "According to player experience, the longer you stay in a dungeon, the more likely unexpected dangers will arise."
Yu Deng thought about it and realized that was true. Several of his dungeons had strange dangerous situations in the later stages.
"But there are dungeons that set a time limit for how long you have to stay inside. There's nothing you can do about it..."
The man said, "Rules aren't something you have to strictly follow."
Yu Deng nodded inwardly. After all, like in the Guihuai High School dungeon, where he had managed to shorten the duration of the final exam, he had reduced the dungeon's time by three-quarters.
They chatted briefly, and when the conversation ended, the man casually suggested, "Want to add me as a friend?"
Yu Deng hesitated for a moment: "Tongtong, can I trust this person?"
[Regarding the privacy information of other players, the system cannot provide it directly. However, if the host wants to add a friend, they can hide their own information.] System 01 replied, [In the Player Center, all communication between players is based on identity information. When adding contacts, players can choose whether to share their information.]
Yu Deng knew this.
When he added Zhou Ji as a friend before, he hadn't shared his identity information but instead used a random nickname to mislead the other person.
He had only exchanged a few words with the man today, so he'd do the same. With that thought, Yu Deng added the man as a friend.
Yu Deng glanced at the series of numbers in the friend's nickname on the list and watched the man get up and leave.
What a strange person.
Yu Deng sat outside for a while longer and eventually felt sleepy. He returned to his place, flopped onto the bed, and quickly fell asleep.
After Yu Deng fell into a deep sleep, black mist slowly filled his room, taking shape as a demonic figure.
"Wife..." Cheng Chaoling bent down and kissed Yu Deng's cheek, "We're meeting again. I missed you so much."
The dark room enveloped Yu Deng, the ghostly figure caressing him obsessively. Yu Deng hummed softly in his sleep, allowing the cold, demonic figure to kiss him.
Outside the window, the simulated sunlight gradually dimmed. Cheng Chaoling's attention finally left Yu Deng, and he went to the modern kitchen, planning to cook for him.
After Cheng Chaoling left, a disturbance occurred again in Yu Deng's room. The figure of the vampire prince Ronald slowly appeared.
The prince's body solidified, scanning the unfamiliar surroundings. His gaze landed precisely on the sleeping Yu Deng, sighing, "Baby, I finally found you again."
The prince half-knelt at the edge of the bed, reaching out to trace Yu Deng's brows and eyes. He faintly sensed a foreign aura that disgusted the vampires. He took out a handkerchief and wiped Yu Deng's face, kissing the sleeping fledgling.
Click.
The bedroom door opened, and Cheng Chaoling stood in the doorway, glaring at the vampire prince, who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?"
The vampire prince turned around, looking at the unfamiliar man, equally filled with hostility: "Who are you?"
Cheng Chaoling sneered, stepping into the bedroom, and said in a low voice: "Me? I'm his husband. He's my wife, whom I've already married."
Husband? Wife?
Ronald furrowed his brow in displeasure, suppressing the urge to kill the man, and emphasized, "He's my fledgling, and I am his guide. We share an inseparable bond."
Rivals, upon meeting, couldn't stand each other, wishing they could eliminate the other immediately.
At that moment, subtle ripples appeared in Yu Deng's bedroom again. A few seconds later, the vampire butler Wen Luo and the werewolf leader Anders also appeared in the room.
Cheng Chaoling: "…?"
Ronald: "…" Tsk.
The once spacious room was now crowded with four men, making it feel a bit cramped. They all sized each other up with hostility, and the air was thick with tension.
The robot controlled by System 01 crouched at the head of Yu Deng's bed, watching as these men nearly came to blows. The screen lit up with a red warning, ready to kick them all out.
But the robot was one step too slow. The movements of these men finally woke Yu Deng.
"...Hm?"
The men immediately froze, all of them looking toward Yu Deng in unison.
The beautiful "baby" on the bed mumbled a few sounds, slowly opened his eyes, and crawled out from the blankets.
"???"
Yu Deng blinked his eyes, confused as he looked around at the now crowded room, rubbing his eyes hard. This was so strange—was he still dreaming? How could there be so many people here, and all of them were the mission targets he'd encountered in his previous instance?
"Wife," Cheng Chaoling called softly, "I've prepared dinner for you."
The vampire prince snorted coldly, trying to win over Yu Deng: "Baby, you can drink my blood."
Yu Deng blinked, still not quite understanding what was going on.
"Young master, I can also prepare dinner for you. I understand your tastes and will make sure you're satisfied." That was the butler.
"Baby! It's been so long since I've seen you. Want to touch my tail and ears?" Clearly, this was the werewolf leader, trying to attract Yu Deng with his fluffy traits.
These tall men were all gathered around Yu Deng's bed, staring at him with eager eyes, their emotions in perfect harmony.
—So, baby has so many dogs. No, he must be the most favored dog!
A familiar feeling, the kind that comes from being surrounded by dogs and feeling overwhelmed, surged in Yu Deng's heart.
Yu Deng, with his disheveled hair sticking up from sleep, drowsily made eye contact with them, his mind blank.
He remained silent for a long time, and under their eager gazes, he slowly slid back into the blanket, reaching out to pull the covers up, covering his messy hair.
Yu Deng completely curled up in the blanket, closed his eyes, and muttered to himself.
This was too strange. He must be dreaming.