Chapter 23 The Infinite Boss Invites Everyone to "Eat Melon" 23. Three-in-One...

Why would a fragment of divine power be a portable toilet?

Oh no, it's a panel on the roof of the portable toilet!

The players are practically calling the police.

Including Gao Gan and Bao Xiaoqi, all the players who were involved in this story mission, whether by choice or by accident, spent four days at this huge music festival. They investigated everything, but who would have thought that something as extraordinary as a fragment of divine power, which should be enshrined on a snow-capped peak or in a magnificent palace, would become a board for a portable toilet?

Is it their fault that they didn't climb to the top of the toilet and carefully touch every board?

They even examined the sunflower seed shells that Lu Yu had eaten!

Isn't it supposed to be that people are attracted to the Boss and influence those around them to come and join the Boss? Can a portable toilet really do that?

Wait, it's called a portable toilet, so it does seem to be able to move around?

It's said that the Huanhua Lake Music Festival had a large crowd, and the original public restrooms weren't enough, so many portable toilets were brought in from other places. Only five were left backstage, but Lu Yu had at least eleven or twelve bodily needs over four days. Even if he didn't use all of them, it was close enough that he had a lot of contact with them…

So, why exactly is it a mobile toilet?

Is it because the boss likes to take paid poop breaks?

The moment the portable toilet collapsed in front of Lu Yu and Pei Yanzhi, all the players' expressions were blank, filled with bewilderment.

They even suspected that everything that had just happened was an illusion, a new trick by Pei Yanzhi, a new joke by Lu Yu, or that the fragment of divinity was actually that work badge.

But the flowing light was real, and the power of the rules contained within it, even if only leaked for a moment, was enough to show that the toilet board was different.

Furthermore, if it weren't for a fragment of divinity, would the fall of a toilet board cause such a commotion, even collapsing the toilet itself? Only a fragment of divinity deserves such a grand spectacle!

The game's notification sound was a beat late, ringing in the ears of every player on the mission.

"The current Divine Essence Fragment has been fused with the SSS-level dungeon boss. The first phase of the story mission has ended. Please retreat in time," the mechanical voice said coldly and calmly. "Important Notice 5 Update: The SSS-level dungeon boss has been completely locked on. Location: Baixiang City, Hedong Province, Luyu!"

The Smile Game clearly signaled a retreat, something that neither Pei Yanzhi nor Lu Yu could fake.

The players were jolted awake as if struck by a heavy hammer.

“Once the Godhood fragment is fused with the Boss, the only way to take it back is to kill the Boss…” Jiang Yan sighed in the shadows.

The players were stunned by this sudden turn of events, and even Pei Yanzhi, who was usually calm, was momentarily speechless for two seconds.

Yes, Lu Yu guessed correctly.

Pei Yanzhi suddenly asked him for his work badge and openly trapped other players. He secretly used spatial power to make the work badge disappear, creating the illusion that Lu Yu had absorbed it. This was indeed to mislead the players, using a "openly repairing the plank road while secretly crossing the Chencang" tactic to buy Lu Yu more time to fuse with the real godhood fragment.

Pei Yanzhi had absolutely no interest in the foolish act of sending divine fragments to Smiling Game, and keeping one for himself wouldn't do him any good. He wasn't its master and couldn't fuse with it, and the passive purification effect wouldn't change for him whether it was one or two divine fragments.

He had no further need for the divine fragments themselves. He valued Lu Yu's purification more than the divine fragments.

Pei Yanzhi guessed that Lu Yu's purification ability would likely become stronger after fusing with the divine fragments, so he naturally had to help Lu Yu no matter what.

As for whether Lu Yu needed his help, Pei Yanzhi wasn't sure two days ago, but now he knew very well that the answer was yes.

His relationship with Lu Yu far surpassed that of other players. Having observed this man for so long, he vaguely knew that although Lu Yu was not simple, he wasn't as powerful and terrifying as other players speculated. Rather, he was limited by something, unable to unleash his full potential. In this battle for the Godhood fragments, as the Boss, the dragon guarding the treasure, he didn't have much of an advantage over the players.

Pei Yanzhi's help would definitely make things easier for him.

However, due to the pollution restrictions of the Smile Game, Pei Yanzhi couldn't directly help much—the large smiley face imprint was still etched on the back of his hand, but he could still help once or twice.

"But Captain, wouldn't doing this be tantamount to revealing your player identity to the Boss, making it obvious that you had ulterior motives for approaching him before?" This morning, Xiao Wan couldn't help but worry when he heard about this plan. "Even if the matter of the Godhood fragments is successful and the Boss's purification ability is enhanced, what if he hates you and refuses to purify you? Wouldn't that be a waste of time?"

"Captain, this is too risky. Actually, it would be better not to help, or to do what we did before and just secretly lend a small hand..."

Pei Yanzhi said, "He is not that kind of person."

"Besides, my player identity can't be hidden for long anyway, and I'll have to go through this sooner or later. Rather than being exposed passively later, I might as well take the initiative to reveal it now. Before, it wasn't the right time, but now, everything is just right. By helping him, I'm showing my value and sincerity. Whether he hates me or likes me, he won't be ungrateful if he needs it."

"just in case……"

“You don’t need to do anything, I’ll handle it,” Pei Yanzhi said.

Before Xiao Wan could say anything more, Xiao Qian and Wang Kun, who had already seen through everything, grabbed him, covered his mouth, and dragged him away.

The plan to assist Lu Yu in fusing the first fragment of divine power was thus decided.

Things were progressing smoothly until this moment, when the portable toilet suddenly collapsed.

Pei Yanzhi: "..."

Lu Yu: "...Save them!"

Lu Yu was the first to react. He shouted and rushed to the portable toilet in a few steps to rescue the music festival staff who were being forced to defecate under the board.

"As expected of the Boss, even when faced with such a shocking event, he was the first to regain his composure, calm down, and focus on the important points. He truly remains unfazed even if the toilet collapses... no, I mean, if Mount Tai collapses in front of him!"

Mai Dadan, who had transformed into a small bird and landed on a nearby tree, was shocked and couldn't help but sigh.

Liu Xian was exposed yesterday, so among Lin Xiaoman and Jiang Yan's subordinates, only Mai Dadan still dares to approach Lu Yu today.

But since there were no further instructions, Mai Dadan did nothing and simply watched the show naturally.

Pei Yanzhi was brought back to his senses by Lu Yu's shout and followed suit to help.

The panels of the portable toilet weren't heavy, but Pei Yanzhi still secretly used his spatial power to pry them open a bit to prevent any staff members from being seriously injured by the pressure.

The trapped worker cried out, "Wait! Don't save me... don't save me! My pants! Let me pull up my pants! I don't want to go out naked!"

Lu Yu remained calm: "Did you wipe it?"

"I haven't pooped yet!" cried one of the trapped people. "I've been constipated for so long! Slow down, slow down... my pants!"

With such a commotion in the sanitation area, it's impossible not to alert others.

In an instant, the people in the other four toilets either pulled up their pants and rushed out, or quietly opened a crack and peeked out, all looking at this side with astonishment and curiosity, hesitantly coming up to help.

Pulling back the boards to rescue the person wasn't difficult. Before other staff members who heard the noise from backstage arrived, Lu Yu, Pei Yanzhi, and two other helpful people successfully dug out the trapped person. The trapped person also managed to pull up their pants before being pulled out, saving their face.

The on-site doctor came over and took a look. He found that the person who was trapped had only a few abrasions and was otherwise unharmed. He treated the person briefly and the matter was over.

Lu Yu felt quite guilty, feeling that he was ultimately responsible, so he made an excuse to buy some fruit and other things for the person.

"How could this toilet have collapsed when everything was fine?"

The logistics team came over scratching their heads: "Is it a problem with the manufacturer, or did the previous, or even the one before that, break it during music festivals or exhibitions?"

Those trapped: "..."

Dude, everyone knows you guys embezzled the funds and didn't buy any new toilets, but this toilet's history is just too much!

Lu Yu's face also turned a little green.

Although what had merged into his body was just a small piece of the toilet roof, which should have been clean, hearing about this rich experience still gave him an urgent feeling of wanting to immediately take out the fragment of divinity and wash it.

Of course, that's simply impossible.

By the time things were finally finished here, it was already past nine o'clock at night. The music festival was about to end, and Lu Yu and the others still needed to work on post-event promotion, so they split into two groups. One group went back first to organize materials and scripts for the meeting the next day, while the other group stayed behind to film the end of the event and behind-the-scenes footage, and to generate new topics in order to maximize efficiency.

Lu Yu chose to go back first, not because he wanted to slack off, but because of Pei Yanzhi.

The two have not spoken a word to each other since the portable toilet collapsed.

Lu Yu already knew Pei Yanzhi's player identity and his purpose in approaching him, but he was completely unprepared for revealing all of this to the two of them. Pei Yanzhi's little magic trick, revealing his player identity, was entirely unexpected.

He wanted to tell Pei Yanzhi that there were some things he already knew and didn't care about, as long as Pei Yanzhi truly cared for him.

However, firstly, the accident at the scene was too chaotic with so many people around to discuss these matters, and secondly, Pei Yanzhi deliberately avoided him after regaining his composure, not even making eye contact with him.

Lu Yu had no choice but to remain silent for the time being.

This silence lasted until the end of the workday.

The two followed the flow of people out of the music festival venue, found a parking space a little further away, and got into Pei Yanzhi's car.

The car doors closed, the locks were engaged, and the carriage was completely separated from the outside world, becoming a small, cramped, private, and suffocating independent space.

The space was unusually quiet, which made the two distinct breathing sounds all the more clear.

Lu Yu took Pei Yanzhi's car keys, sat in the driver's seat, and instead of starting the car, he first turned on the air conditioning.

A cool breeze was gently blown out, dispelling the sweltering heat of the summer night. It felt slightly icy against their skin, much like the atmosphere between the two of them.

Lu Yu paused for a moment: "I..."

Before he could finish speaking, Pei Yanzhi interrupted him.

His eyes were dim, his face shrouded in the shadows cast by the streetlights outside the window, like a jade statue sinking into the mist of a mountain stream: "You knew all along that I was a player, that I approached you with ulterior motives, didn't you?"

He deduced this from Lu Yu's reaction when the work badge disappeared.

Lu Yu raised his eyes and looked at Pei Yanzhi.

Pei Yanzhi was also watching him.

“Yes,” Lu Yu said.

He carefully considered his words, intending to speak frankly, but Pei Yanzhi beat him to it once again.

"Now that you know all this, are you still willing to kiss me?" Pei Yanzhi asked.

Lu Yu was taken aback, not expecting Pei Yanzhi's next words to be like this.

He would certainly be willing, whether he knew it or not.

Although Pei Yanzhi asked the question, he clearly did not need his answer.

The moment the question was asked, the young man moved. He grabbed Lu Yu's hand and pressed down on Lu Yu's shoulder, like the lingering clouds at dawn falling on the green eaves, like the soft vines climbing the white wall at midnight. With the rise and fall of his long legs and narrow waist, he moved from the passenger seat to the driver's seat.

As the seat moved back, before Lu Yu could even sort out his thoughts, a body he had longed for climbed into his arms.

Before he could even feel the temperature, weight, and breath, Pei Yanzhi kissed him.

This was a kiss that was completely different from the last one, even the exact opposite.

Pei Yanzhi first extended the tip of his tongue.

It landed on Lu Yu's lips a step ahead of the two lips, but didn't rush in. It gently circled around, meticulously tracing the man's lip line, lip seam, lip corners, and even the fine, invisible lip lines.

It is incredibly tender and incredibly soft, like a tiny bit of cream squeezed out. You can't actually taste it; it just seeps in a thin layer. It's not greasy or sweet, and it doesn't have a distinct flavor, but it just happens to whet your deepest appetite.

Lu Yu's heart began to race uncontrollably, and his glasses fogged up.

"Last time I said I hoped for something deeper, could you give it to me?" Pei Yanzhi said softly.

Lu Yu looked at him.

He took Lu Yu's hand and guided it down to his throat, as if marking a spot.

"Is this place alright?" Pei Yanzhi asked, looking at him.

Lu Yu's Adam's apple bobbed, but he couldn't utter a word.

Pei Yanzhi didn't want to hear what he had to say.

He hooked off Lu Yu's glasses, removing the man's last layer of concealment, parted his lips and stuck out his tongue, rubbing against the man's mouth, slowly and softly licking it in. It was an extremely erotic and passionate kiss, forcing Pei Yanzhi to open up completely, unable to hold back or swallow, only able to offer it all to Lu Yu to devour.

His waist also collapsed, as if bones had been removed, and pressed against Lu Yu's lower abdomen, causing the muscles there to suddenly contract as if branded with a hot iron.

"Lu Yu, Lu Yu..."

Pei Yanzhi was calling his name.

If Lu Yu could still endure this, he would truly be a saint.

Of course, he isn't.

He is not only not a saint, but in some respects, he is even a villain, a villain who has been thirsting for a long time.

Pei Yanzhi was captured again.

He personally led the way, and the hand that reached his throat suddenly tightened, suppressing a short, low moan as it flipped him over, turning him upside down in the narrow, reclined driver's seat.

The seatbelt clicked softly.

The man pressed down on us like a thick, overwhelming cloud.

Pei Yanzhi could not escape in the slightest.

His legs were bound, his waist was restrained, and his hands and neck were locked. Only his lips and tongue were free, welcoming the man's stormy, tearing kisses.

The small flower on his collar was completely torn to shreds.

The petals and stamens were covered with large patches of damp dew, turning their originally fresh color into a deep, beautiful blue.

The man seemed truly determined to fulfill the promise of "going deeper." His lips and tongue were powerful, almost like a giant python. After invading his teeth and mouth, he ignored all resistance and plunged straight in, trying to break through the soft interior marked by his palm.

Pei Yanzhi couldn't stand it at all.

He was trembling uncontrollably, and tears were streaming down his face.

He had never seen a kiss like this before—so deep, so fierce, so intense, so like a sharp knife, like tentacles, cutting him open from the inside out, sucking and licking, with a tremor and madness as if touching his internal organs—he had never seen anything like it before, whether in real life, in movies, or in fictional fantasies.

The light and shadow flickered and swayed.

In the gaps between passionate kisses, Pei Yanzhi saw himself in the rearview mirror, looking like he was being viciously devoured by a beast, exposed and disheveled, trembling and chaotic, so bad as to be almost pitiful.

This was even more terrifying than our first kiss.

But Pei Yanzhi did not call a halt.

A fire ignited in his heart without reason, clamoring to give everything he had to Lu Yu to devour and suckle.

This cannot be controlled, nor can it be extinguished.

However, at some point, before things truly spiraled out of control, the man's ravaging lips and tongue withdrew from his mouth first.

They didn't move downwards to suck at the messy, flowing liquid, nor did they move backwards to bite the skin that was already flushed and red from the stimulation. They simply retreated, as if their entire arrival had been solely for this one kiss. They didn't move anything except Pei Yanzhi's lips, tongue, and throat.

Everything came to an abrupt end.

They pressed themselves together passionately, sharing only one kiss.

Pei Yanzhi opened his eyes wide, his expression blank.

Lu Yu leaned on him, his breathing heavy.

His dark eyes were like deep abysses, imprisoning him.

"Is this your honey trap?" Lu Yu asked.

His voice was extremely hoarse, as if it were on fire.

"……What?"

Pei Yanzhi's eyes trembled vacantly, then he came back to his senses and slowly smiled: "I guess so. Did you succeed?"

"Very successful." Lu Yu raised his finger to pull out a tissue and slowly cleaned Pei Yanzhi's face and body, which were covered in water.

Pei Yanzhi said, "Aren't you going to ask why? Why did I approach you? Why did I want to help you? And why did I use my beauty to seduce you?"

The tissue smeared into Pei Yanzhi's collar, and Pei Yanzhi bit his lip, but a sound still escaped.

Lu Yu paused, then readily asked, "Why?"

Pei Yanzhi paused for two seconds before catching his breath and said, "Why else? Of course, it's because I need your help."

"You..." want me to help purify the pollution, right?

Lu Yu wanted to ask that directly.

But Pei Yanzhi also spoke up: "I know that Smiling Game is wary of you and wants to form an alliance with you to get your help and take down Smiling Game."

An alliance to take down SmileGame?

Lu Yu stopped abruptly as he began to speak. He knew that Pei Yanzhi's words were most likely true, but: "Just an alliance?"

"It's just an alliance." Pei Yanzhi made no mention of purification.

He was unaware that Lu Yu already knew all this. After finally struggling out of the lingering shock that Lu Yu had given him, his appearance was still terrible, but his eyes were much more composed.

Lu Yu understood.

Pei Yanzhi wanted to be honest with him, but he didn't intend to tell him everything.

Without much effort, Lu Yu quickly understood the reason behind it.

First, they hadn't known each other long enough for their relationship to be deep enough for them to completely open up to each other. Second, Pei Yanzhi was, after all, a player, unlike his current, hazy self. In his life over the years, he had followed the survival rules among players, where suspicion and defensiveness always outweighed trust. Third, a sense of security is a very luxurious thing. Perhaps Pei Yanzhi had it in the past, but he had long since lost it and needed to slowly rediscover it.

Lu Yu understood all of this, but he still couldn't suppress the sense of defeat welling up inside him.

But even more than the setback was the bitterness and heartache.

If there were no Smiling Game, what would Pei Yanzhi be like at twenty-five? He probably wouldn't be as powerful or mysterious as he is now, but he would certainly be peaceful and happy.

Don't you believe me?

Seeing that Lu Yu did not answer for a long time, Pei Yanzhi suddenly laughed: "What player would sincerely want to leave the Smiling Game? Extraordinary superpowers, exciting other world, and the power, status and money that have already been obtained, can players still have these without the game?"

"Back three years ago, we were all just ordinary people, working hard to earn money, struggling to make ends meet. How could we possibly transcend social classes, realize our ideals, stand at an infinitely high place, and look down on those who were once mean and looked down on us?"

"Many players think this way."

His amber eyes were clear and deep: "They resent games, yet they can't live without them. Because it takes away many things from them, but it also gives them more, more... things that perfectly align with human desires."

"Not many players genuinely want Smile Games to disappear completely. It's understandable that you doubt my sincerity in forming an alliance and worry that I'm setting a trap for Smile Games."

"But I still hope you can believe me, I will only be its enemy."

Lu Yu saw something resolute in Pei Yanzhi's eyes.

He was unaware of the grudge between Pei Yanzhi and Smiling Game, but there was clearly a painful past involved. He could tell that Pei Yanzhi didn't want to talk about it, so he hesitated for a moment, then opened his mouth and followed Pei Yanzhi's words, saying, "I believe in you, and I can form an alliance with you."

"I also want to get rid of the Smile Game."

Lu Yu had already planned to reveal some secrets he had obtained from the gossip system to Pei Yanzhi, so he didn't hesitate much and simply explained the grudges between Blue Star and the Unknown Game.

Oh wait, it's not an unknown game anymore.

He had already learned from Pei Yanzhi that the game was called the "Smiling Game," and the garbled text in the "Gossip System" entry had been replaced accordingly. However, perhaps due to missing information or his own lack of organization and deduction, the "Gossip System" had not yet unlocked the "Smiling Game" entry.

Pei Yanzhi listened to Lu Yu's story, his expression showing some unusual fluctuations, but he was not particularly surprised.

He said, "Actually, I know part of these things."

Lu Yu was taken aback; he was genuinely surprised.

Pei Yanzhi noticed his surprise, smiled, and said, "That was about a year ago. I topped the player leaderboard and got an opportunity to go to the core area of ​​the game to upgrade my special ability. At that time, I did some tampering and glimpsed some secrets of the Smiling Game. These secrets mainly concern events from five years ago, and they contain images of Blue Star and you."

"I saw you back then, but of course I didn't know your specific identity, I only knew a vague appearance."

"I've discovered that, for some reason I don't know, the Smiling Game is extremely wary of you and of Blue Star, but at the same time, it also covets you and Blue Star. It wants to devour you all."

"I searched for all sorts of clues and your whereabouts for a whole year. It wasn't until recently, when the SSS-level dungeon 'Fool's Kingdom' officially opened and you appeared, that I gradually became clear about many things. I know that with your help, my chances of taking it down could be greatly increased."

Lu Yu asked, "Is this your purpose in approaching me?"

Pei Yanzhi paused: "Our first meeting at the First Municipal Hospital was purely by chance. But later... yes."

Lu Yu asked again, "Aren't you afraid I'll turn on you and be ruthless if you just tell me like this?"

“You wouldn’t,” Pei Yanzhi shook his head. “If you’re a smart person, you’ll understand that if we’re together, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks; if we turn against each other, the drawbacks outweigh the benefits.”

"I have already demonstrated my abilities and seen through your current predicament. You need me to help you seize the fragments of divinity, and I need you to help me deal with the Smiling Game. We are on the same side. Those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles. A little disagreement can be put aside."

"If you're a fool..."

"How is it?" Lu Yu asked, looking at him.

Pei Yanzhi smiled gently, "Then you must already be completely under my control. You won't do anything I say, so why would you refuse me?"

Lu Yu looked at this fox-like person and felt truly helpless.

But just as Pei Yanzhi said, no matter if he was smart or stupid, he was already under Pei Yanzhi's control and couldn't escape.

Lu Yu didn't care about who ate and stayed at whose place, but looking at the man's cunning appearance, he couldn't bring himself to say the words about purification that had been swirling in his throat all morning.

But after a moment's hesitation, he finally spoke.

“I know you approached me to purify the pollution,” Lu Yu said.

Sure enough, Pei Yanzhi's smile froze instantly.

But only for a moment. The next second, he regained his natural expression, his gaze darkening, revealing a deep and unsettling undercurrent: "You..."

Before he could say anything, Lu Yu continued, "I can help you purify without any additional conditions, but I can only purify passively at the moment, and it will be more effective if there is closer contact."

He didn't mention that excessive purification and contamination might harm him when the divine fragments were incomplete. Pei Yanzhi was alone; no matter how heavy the contamination, how much damage could it cause?

Upon hearing this, Pei Yanzhi stopped speaking and his gaze froze.

Lu Yu looked back at him, his expression gentle.

“If you do this…” Pei Yanzhi raised his lips, “I’ll think you like me a lot, that you… love me.”

Looking into Pei Yanzhi's eyes, Lu Yu's heart softened indescribably.

He lowered his head and gently kissed the young man's brow, the corners of his eyes, and his cheeks, his voice deep and resonant like the most enchanting music in the world: "Don't think that I just really like you or love you."

Pei Yanzhi's eyelashes trembled, and a shimmering river of stars flowed through his pupils. He couldn't help but open his lips again, taking the initiative to receive Lu Yuxin's gentle and loving kiss.

After the kiss, Lu Yu's desire was even greater, and his love was so overflowing that it was almost bursting.

Undeniably, he fell deeply in love.

But no matter how passionate their love is, they still have to go home on time. They've been parked in the car long enough; if they stay any longer, there's a real risk of the gun going off.

And it was indeed very late.

Lu Yu sighed, restraining himself from letting go of the sweet and tender taste that filled his mouth.

Pei Yanzhi looked at him, seemingly lost in thought. She simply raised her numb fingers and slowly ran them over the man's unusually sharp and strong features, now that his glasses were no longer covering them, and gently straightened a few strands of his messy hair.

"I'll take you back."

Lu Yu and Pei Yanzhi touched noses.

He carried the person back to the passenger seat, fastened their seatbelt, and then decisively started the car and drove home.

If he stayed any longer, he was afraid he might really lose control and devour the person.

Summer nights are enchanting, with neon lights shimmering in the sunlight.

As Lu Yu drove along the road, the burning sensation in his heart subsided, gradually filling him with ease and joy.

He felt that, aside from the gossip system, he and his lover had already talked about most things, and their relationship had deepened, so his mood naturally lifted. He carefully selected a playlist with melodious tunes, clicked play, and the carriage was instantly filled with joyful and happy singing.

As the song played, Pei Yanzhi glanced at Lu Yu and asked casually, "Speaking of which, can you sense the fragments of divine essence? Or rather, are you attracted to their energy?"

Pei Yanzhi has discovered from the battle for the godhood fragments over the past two days that Lu Yu, as the owner of the godhood fragments, may not even be able to perceive what the godhood fragments actually are.

This made him doubt his previous assumptions. Could it be that Lu Yu wasn't attracted to him, got close to him, and liked him because of that pendant?

Lu Yu was focused on driving and, upon hearing this, assumed Pei Yanzhi was worried about the upcoming battle for the divine fragments. He replied, "I can't sense it, but if it's attracting, it might exist. I thought back, and that portable toilet today was the one I went to the most in the past four days. There doesn't seem to be any reason; it was just subconscious."

Is this considered attractive?

“…I suppose so.” Pei Yanzhi smiled, but the light in his eyes dimmed abruptly as his eyelashes covered his face.

He turned his head and looked out the car window, his hand sweeping across a certain area of ​​his chest as he raised it.

There, a pendant hangs, close to the skin, its soft light shimmering silently.

Half an hour later, the car arrived at the parking lot of Xingfu Community.

This time, Pei Yanzhi didn't dare to invite Lu Yu to come up for a visit again.

He escorted Lu Yu to the entrance of the residential area. As they parted, disregarding the sticky summer night, he gently leaned close to the man and whispered, "When you successfully fused with the first fragment, I received a notification from the Smiling Game that the first stage of the story mission had ended. The second stage, which is the search for the second awakened divine fragment, should still be some time away."

"As expected, the players participating in the mission will temporarily retreat, and things will probably calm down around you."

"However, S-class players have the same right to roam freely outside as Earthlings, so things probably won't stay quiet for long. I'll deal with any troublemakers, but you'd better be careful."

"good."

Lu Yu held the person close, listening to their instructions, feeling a strange sense of satisfaction, like someone who was living off a woman.

They chatted for a few more minutes before finally letting go of each other's hands with a brief goodnight kiss and parting ways.

Pei Yanzhi stood under the streetlight, watching Lu Yu leave.

He saw two shadows on the ground, initially overlapping intimately, one being enveloped by the other, before receding, separating, and disappearing into the distance. The smile on his face unconsciously faded.

Lu Yu's car had already driven away, merged into the traffic, and disappeared from sight.

Pei Yanzhi stood there for a while before slowly turning around and returning to the residential area.

I just got home when my phone vibrated; the encrypted group chat kept buzzing.

Xiao Wan: [Captain, how is it?]

Xiaoqian: [I saw you two saying goodbye so tenderly at the entrance of the residential area, Captain. Didn't the Boss hold a grudge against you? Did your relationship even grow stronger?]

Wang Kun: [Captain, it seems the other teams are preparing to retreat to the game's transit station for a debriefing meeting. Should we move?]

Pei Yanzhi replied while turning on the light: "It went fairly smoothly. I haven't been resented. I'll let you know tomorrow."

Xiao Wan: [As expected of the captain!]

Wang Kun: [Yes, Captain.]

Xiao Wan and Wang Kun settled down after Pei Yanzhi's reply. Only Xiao Qian didn't speak in the group chat, but instead sent a private message: [Captain, are you in a bad mood?]

Pei Yanzhi stopped changing his clothes.

This little girl is quite perceptive.

Pei Yanzhi had explicitly told his teammates about the divine fragment, and they had made a spiritual pact when they formed the team, so they wouldn't betray each other under normal circumstances. However, he hadn't mentioned that the energy of the divine fragment might attract Lu Yu and make him develop feelings for him.

He thought he didn't care, as long as he could achieve his goal, nothing else mattered. But tonight, apart from the fact that the purification matter was suddenly revealed, which was beyond his expectations, everything was as he had anticipated and planned. But why... could he not be happy?

【No. 】

A few seconds later, he looked away and replied to Xiaoqian, "Go to bed early, don't stay up late playing games."

Xiaoqian: [...]

She replied with a speechless rabbit emoji, ignoring Pei Yanzhi's urging, and bluntly pointed out: "[Captain, to be honest, you seem to be in a bad mood today. Is it because you suddenly started to think that the Boss's affection for you is also for ulterior motives?]"

Pei Yanzhi's brow twitched: [What does "applying one's own experience to others" mean?]

Xiaoqian pretended to be clueless and didn't reply, only typing: "[Is it a fragment of divine power, Captain? Do you think the Boss only allowed you to get close and pretend to be in a relationship with you because he wanted your fragment of divine power? But didn't we already conclude that he, like us, couldn't sense the existence of the fragment of divine power, and didn't know where it was or what it was?]"

So, judging from this, he probably didn't know you had a fragment of divine power, right? Even if he saw your pendant with his own eyes, he wouldn't be able to sense it, so how could he possibly detect it?

Pei Yanzhi remained silent for a moment, then sent: "I don't think he's after my divine fragments."

However, he is the owner of the divine fragment, and there may be some kind of invisible energy attraction between him and the fragment that we don't fully understand. Both the Chairman and the "mad scientist" have researched this, and the storyline of the Smiling Game mentions that the divine fragment will approach him after awakening, which indirectly supports this point.

Xiao Qian: [Captain, you mean the Boss fell for you because of the energy from the divine fragments on you? Even if that energy is strong, it couldn't possibly control someone's feelings, right? If it were that powerful, why didn't the Boss fall for Ji Chengchuan and the portable toilet?]

According to their team's speculation, Ji Chengchuan is another player who possesses a fragment of divine power.

Pei Yanzhi: [Have you forgotten? The god fragments that Ji Chengchuan obtained have all been processed by the game's core. Although they are still in his hands, they have long been marked with the game's imprint and can no longer be considered Lu Yu's god fragments. Energy attraction and the like should no longer exist.]

As for the portable toilet, Lu Yu went to that one the most in the past four days; perhaps he liked it?

Xiaoqian: [...]

You really are very reasonable and stubborn!

[From love arises sorrow.]

Xiaoqian replied thoughtfully.

Pei Yanzhi looked at the message and didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He'd never been in a relationship, but he wasn't stupid; of course he understood what Qian meant, it's just...

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Author's Note: See you at 6 PM for the next chapter!

Because this is a newly released VIP novel, there may be some adjustments to the update schedule over the next four days. I will let everyone know in advance in the author's notes and synopsis.