Chapter 1

The cold sewage soaked through the fabric of Lin Yao's tattered trouser legs, and the biting cold was like a poisonous snake coiling around him.

He staggered out of the alley filled with the musty smell of death, his tattered combat uniform wrapped around his body on the verge of collapse, and every step he took caused excruciating pain as if his internal organs were being torn apart.

Deep in the consciousness, the cracked core of supernatural power was dead silent, and the power of the old king was gone.

City D, the seventh outer ring area.

The low, crowded huts resemble gray moss, and the air is filled with despair and a harsh scrutiny of identity. Outside the walls lies a polluted land of death, and the four giant domed cities are humanity's last bastions.

Resources are scarce and survival is difficult. Those without identity chips are considered heretics and need to be eliminated.

…

Just as Lin Yao was leaning against the cold wall, his vision going dark and a cold murderous intent gathering almost instinctively, a gaze as sharp as a knife locked onto him.

Across the street, a young man leaned against the porch of a stone house with an emblem of a gear surrounding a lightning bolt.

The dark grey stand-up collar college uniform is well-ironed and fits the body, outlining a figure as tall and straight as a pine tree.

He was about seventeen or eighteen years old, with a handsome and sharp face. His brows carried the sharpness of a young man and an innate sense of dignity and aloofness.

Those eyes, as deep as cold stars, were now staring at the disheveled Lin Yao with scrutiny and a hint of imperceptible... vigilance.

Special admission student of the Academy of Supernatural Powers, the son of the city lord - Lu Cheng!

Lin Yao's heart sank. According to the intelligence he had just gathered from the alley: those without the chip would die upon exposure to light. But now, he was severely injured and near death, powerless to resist.

In desperation, the dead core debris deep within his consciousness was forcibly ignited, and his soul was controlled! The original power of the throne of the old world, the invisible soul tentacles, with a desperate determination, instantly pierced into Lu Cheng's unprepared sea of ​​consciousness.

Buzz——

The soul-level shock left a sweet taste in Lin Yao's throat. He squeezed out the last of his strength, condensing it into two core commands, which he branded deep into the opponent's soul:

Instruction 1: Basic information implantation, Lin Yao, the most important person.

Instruction 2: Emotional anchoring, favorability towards Lin Yao: MAX, trust: MAX, desire to protect: MAX.

After the order was completed, Lin Yao's spirit was completely exhausted and his body fell limply.

At the same time, Lu Cheng, who was standing under the porch, suddenly shook his body. His cold star-like eyes suddenly dilated when they met Lin Yao's pale and bloodstained face.

All scrutiny, alienation, and vigilance were instantly swept away by a tsunami-like force.

Instead, there was an overwhelming amount of... shock, disbelief, the immense ecstasy of regaining what had been lost, heartache deep in the bones, and... a love so strong that it was almost paranoid, an unforgettable love and the fear of regaining what had been lost.

"Yaoyao?!"

A call filled with great surprise and soul-shaking sounded. The clear voice was now filled with excitement and disbelief, trembling, and even broke.

Lu Cheng rushed across the street like an arrow, and the wind he brought blew up the dust on the ground.

He rushed to Lin Yao, his handsome face showing the great joy of regaining what he had lost and the deep heartache after seeing Lin Yao's injuries. His eyes instantly turned red.

He stretched out his arms without hesitation, and with an almost pious cautiousness, yet with extraordinary determination, he picked up the shaky Lin Yao and carried him sideways.

A standard princess hug.

Lin Yao's body was suspended in the air for a moment, and he subconsciously tensed up for a moment, but then relaxed again.

This sudden close contact did not cause him any disgust or resistance. On the contrary, an extremely novel feeling came over him.

In the old world, as the leaderboard leader, he was everyone's target. Anyone who approached him harbored murderous intent and calculations, whether overt or covert.

A hug? Protection? Warmth? That was a luxury I had never had before.

He was used to being cold, vigilant, walking alone, and dancing on the edge of a knife.

And at this moment, being held so cherished in the arms of a powerful young man, feeling the strong heartbeat from his chest and the warm body temperature that can be seen through his uniform, as well as the undisguised, overwhelming worry and love...

Very novel.

Not annoying.

Even the warmth from another person that was pressed against him seemed to slightly dispel the dying coldness and numbness brought on by the severe pain in his body.

"Yaoyao, it's really you, you...how did you get hurt like this? Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, I'm here, I will never let you leave me again, never again."

Lu Cheng's voice was filled with fear and sobs. His arms were tightly clasped together, but he carefully avoided any possible injuries on Lin Yao's body, as if he was holding a rare treasure that had been lost and found again.

"It's all my fault... It's all my fault for being so foolish before, worrying about those damn identities and rumors... I made you suffer so much... This time, I swear, even if it means making the whole world my enemy, I will protect you."

Driven by his full favorability and the identity of the most important person, his brain is automatically filling in a tragic love story of "huge disparity in status, suffering from criticism, going through hardships, and finally breaking through obstacles to confirm feelings" at an astonishing speed.

He automatically rationalized Lin Yao's embarrassment, injuries, and appearance in the dangerous area as escaping from the oppression of the inner city for love, avoiding family pursuit, and the recurrence of old injuries. He accepted these facts in an instant, and his heart was filled with regret for his past stupidity and ecstasy for regaining what he had lost.

He even automatically found a reasonable explanation for Lin Yao's otherworldly clothing as a disguise and struggle for survival.

Just then—

“Beep—beep—!”

The patrol car's beeps and engine sounds approached, and two city guards jumped out. The red light of the scanner locked onto Lin Yao, who had no identification tags, in Lu Cheng's arms.

"Identity scan, no valid ID chip signal detected, warning! Unregistered abnormal individual detected, immediately..."

"Get away, don't touch him."

A rebuke rang out, carrying the clear voice of a young man but containing terrifying anger and the pressure of a superior.

Lu Cheng spun around abruptly, holding Lin Yao in his arms even tighter, like a dragon protecting its inverted scales. His eyes were cold and sharp, and the look he cast at the soldiers was like a literal blade, carrying the unquestionable authority of the city lord's son, instantly silencing the soldiers.

"He's mine, Lin Yao." Lu Cheng's voice was firm and possessive. "His identity chip... was destroyed when we decided to leave the inner city and break free from those shackles."

His brain was working rapidly, and he automatically came up with the most reasonable reason that could best explain his chip-free status - eloping for love, even at the cost of destroying his identity.

At the same time, he turned slightly to reveal the identity badge on the inside of his wrist, which was branded with the emblem of a roaring steel lion.

"I'm Lu Cheng, a special student in the advanced department of the D City Academy of Supernatural Powers. Do I need my father to come and explain to you why his son's partner doesn't have a chip yet?"

He made shocking remarks, directly defining the relationship as a top-level partnership and using his status to exert pressure.

The soldier's scanner confirmed Lu Cheng's identity, and the red light turned green. When he saw the highest authority associated person logo and heard the word "partner", his face turned pale instantly, cold sweat dripped down, and he almost couldn't stand.

"Mr. Lu...Mr. Lu, we are so sorry! We...we didn't know that this was...your partner." The soldier's voice trembled, and his head was lowered almost into his chest.

"Do you understand now? Get out of here! You've delayed my partner's recovery. Ten lives of yours won't be enough to compensate you." Lu Cheng's tone was icy cold, filled with strong impatience and murderous intent.

"Yes, yes, we will disappear immediately. I wish... I wish your partner a speedy recovery." The soldier climbed onto the car as if he had been pardoned and fled.

The crisis averted, Lu Cheng immediately lowered his head to look at Lin Yao in his arms. All his strength instantly melted into endless tenderness and tension. He carefully adjusted his position to make Lin Yao more comfortable, his movements as gentle as holding fragile glass. Looking at Lin Yao's pale face and closed eyelashes, his brows furrowed with heartache.

"It's okay, Yaoyao, it's okay...those annoying guys have all gone away."

He whispered soothingly, his voice so gentle that it could drip water, completely different from when he scolded the soldiers just now.

He lowered his head very naturally and gently touched Lin Yao's cold and sweaty forehead with his warm cheek. This extremely intimate action was filled with infinite pity and cherishment of what had been lost and regained.

"Don't worry about the chip, I'll take care of it. As for father... I'll take care of it. You just need to rest and recover. We'll go to the clinic now and use the best medicine. I won't let you get hurt again..."

His tone was filled with firm commitment and deep love, and every word seemed soaked in honey.

Lin Yao leaned weakly against his firm, warm embrace, forced to accept this sudden, extremely intimate hug, the close touch, and the gentle words of love. His body still ached, his spirit was exhausted, but a new and unprecedented experience washed over him.

Protected...

Being cherished...

To be loved so passionately and purely...

These feelings are strange and bizarre, like a cold body immersed in hot spring water.

The numbing nerves of daily killing and calculation in the old world seemed to be slightly stung by the scorching heat, but it also brought a strange, almost addictive comfort. He did not resist, and was even a little curious to experience more.

He opened his eyes slightly, his long eyelashes trembling, revealing a pair of pupils that looked particularly deep due to blood loss. He looked at Lu Cheng quietly. There was no love in those eyes, no emotion, only a subtle hint of inquiry and... evaluation of the new experience.

It was successful, but it also laid the groundwork for greater hidden dangers.

The deep affection in Lu Cheng's eyes and the keywords he blurted out, such as partner, destroying the chip for love, and making enemies with the whole world, made Lin Yao completely understand that the relationship in Lu Cheng's mind was a relationship of lovers who had gone through hardships and were committed to each other through life and death.

This realization made Lin Yao feel alarmed, not because of guilt, but because of the risk of exposure brought about by the huge information gap.

He knew nothing about this relationship, not knowing how they fell in love, what hardships they had gone through, how Lu Cheng's father opposed it, or even what intimate habits or secrets they had. Any communication or intimate behavior about the past could become a fatal flaw.

He must play the role of the lost and found, suffering lover well, without showing any trace of confusion or unfamiliarity with the past.

Silence, weakness, and post-traumatic avoidance and dependence will be temporary protection.

At the same time, he needed to observe, learn, and imitate like a most sophisticated instrument, and quickly complete the details of the sadomasochistic script automatically generated by Lu Cheng's brain.

"Hmm...it hurts..." Lin Yao groaned very weakly and put his face closer to Lu Cheng's warm neck, like a little animal seeking shelter.

This action not only fits the character of a seriously injured and weak lover, but also avoids the other person's overly scorching gaze and conceals the cold calculation that may be revealed in one's own eyes.

He let Lu Cheng hold him, feeling the vigorous vitality and passionate emotions coming from the young man, but his heart was like a frozen wasteland and rapidly running plans.

This affectionate protection, forcibly bound by soul manipulation, is like a gorgeous and dangerous drama. Lu Cheng is the male protagonist who is deeply trapped in it, and he is an actor who holds the script but does not know the plot.

Every step is like walking on thin ice.

His severely injured body and his status as an unawakened waste under the rules of the new world will become props that can be exposed at any time.

He looked at the beating pulse on Lu Cheng's neck and felt the warmth of that young life. After the novelty faded, only a calm assessment remained.

He needed this shelter, and he also needed to recover his strength as quickly as possible. Before Lu Cheng's affectionate plot was exposed, he had to find a real foothold, or... prepare chips that would tear his face apart.

This forced tragic love affair may also be the best cover for him to obtain resources and understand the rules of this new world.