The blue ball of light was about the size of Xie Fang's palm. A pair of white dots flickered on its surface, opening and closing like eyes—just like the robots shown on TV.
Xie Fang stared at it blankly. The sudden appearance of an unknown entity made him so confused that, for a brief moment, he forgot the panic and pain raging through his body.
Sensing his confusion, the blue ball of light said, "Hello host, I'm 028NT. You can call me Xiao Ba."
"Xiao B—"
Before Xie Fang could finish the name, the familiar pain surged back violently. His body curled up instinctively, making him to collapse onto the bed with a muffled groan.
Sweat soaked his forehead, his breathing turning uneven.
When Xiao Ba saw Xie Fang curling in pain, his eyes narrowed in an unhappy arc.
'So weak'.
He reached out and lightly touched Xie Fang's head. A white light escaped from him and passed into Xie Fang's body, instantly melting away.
Suddenly, the pain all over Xie Fang's body vanished like an illusion.
Huh?
Xie Fang froze. He had tried countless ways to get rid of that "thing" draining his energy, yet nothing had worked. And now, this strange creature had merely touched him—and the pain was gone.
What kind of magic is this?
Xie Fang's eyes sharpened. As confused and happy as he was, he was equally panicked inside.
What is this thing?
What is its purpose in coming to find him?
This question popped up in Xie Fang's head, yet his expression remained calm, different from the fear and panic inside him.
Xie Fang felt that, for an entity who can make his pain disappear in an instant, it was nothing to bring the death back to life.
"Xiao Ba."
He looked at the floating light and asked in one breath, "What are you? Why are you calling me host, and what do you want from me?"
Xie Fang asked all the questions that he thought were important and could give him the information he wanted to know.
Xiao Ba calmly answered, arrogance laced into his voice, "I'm the one who controls millions of tiny universes—including the one you live in."
He circled around Xie Fang, "I can move through the past and present." His voice turned mysterious, "I can bring the dead back to life, and I can make a living person disappeare with the flick of my finger."
"According to you humans, I am a god," he continued. "But in reality, I'm not a god. I am the protector of this universe."
Xie Fang was left speechless by Xiao Ba's speech.
He started to question his life, but before he could think further, he found himself in an unknown place.
It looked like a lake; there were some people by the lakeside, who were washing clothes.
The strange thing was that they were wearing ancient clothes.
Xie Fang looked around, but there was no modern equipment such as a car, bike, or even watch to tell what time it was. The houses were made of wood, and the setting sun cast a warm glow over the lake.
It was beautiful—just like a painting, making people forget about all their worries and enjoy the beauty of nature.
Before Xie Fang could process anything, he was back in his old, dusty bedroom.
Xie Fang stayed silent for a while and asked, "Did we just travel back in time?" Xiao Ba nodded his head. "Yes, now do you believe me?"
Xie Fang nodded, "I believe everything you said." He glanced at Xiao Ba, "Why did you come here... and what do you want from me?"
This was the question Xie Fang wanted to ask from the start.
Xiao Ba said, "I am here to make a contract with you. As I told you before, I have a great power, but with great power comes great responsibility."
"I have limitations as well," his voice carried an irritation and helplessness.
"To unlock all my power, I have to prove to all the beings and the universe that I'm worthy of being able to control them, and for that, I have to go through various difficulties set by them."
Xie Fang listened silently, waiting for the crucial part.
And as he had guessed, Xiao Ba came to the main point: "I was given my test and was halfway through it when something happened..."
Xiao Ba's voice sounded sad, but it soon turned into one full of anger, "Some small creatures started to think they were the master of this world just because I was absent for some time."
"They escaped to different world in the universe and stole the luck of people with high luck value. When the rules of the world realized something was wrong and wanted to kick the intruders out of their world, it was too late."
'So you are a god-like existence,' Xie Fang thought.
Xie Fang seemed to realize something; his eyes shone with a dangerous glow before returning to normal.
It all happened in a second that Xiao Ba, who was lost in anger, didn't notice anything unusual.
"So...," Xie Fang said, "You and the world's rules want my help to catch them?"
"Not just to catch them." Xiao Ba's eyes darkened, hatred reflecting on them, "We want to completely eliminate them to save us from future problems."
He looked at Xie Fang and asked, "Do you know what's been draining the energy from your body?"
"I can guess from your words," Xie Fang replied calmly, not showing any hatred or fear like Xiao Ba had expected.
He stared at Xie Fang, who was calm even after knowing who caused his misery. "Don't you want to get your revenge on those intruders?" He asked in confusion.
"Ha...," Xie Fang chuckled as if he had heard something funny.
"Of course I want to, but I don't know what its weakness is, or where it is." His head lowered, "...So how can I get my revenge?"
Xiao Ba looked at Xie Fang with interest. "That's why I'm here."
He whispered in Xie Fang's ear, "I want you, and you need me. We are the perfect match." His voice sounded like sweet honey, tempting others to taste it.
"Let's kill those intruders and set an example for all those old pigs. So that they never think of rebelling even in their sleep, ever again!"
Xie Fang found it kind of funny, but he hid it and asked, "So what do we have to do?"
Xiao Ba said, "We will go to different the worlds and dimensions. Your soul will travel into different people's bodies who are close to the intruders, and you have to get back the luck value they stole."
Xie Fang frowned, "How can I get back the luck value? Can we start from this world? And what about you?"
Xiao Ba paused, a hint of embarrassment flashed after hearing the last question, but his arrogance returned, "You can get back the luck value by breaking them."
"Let them think they have it all before destroying them."
"Take away what they desire the most."
"And make them so weak... that they can't resist the world's rules anymore."