Sparse white fingers suddenly tightened, the nails almost digging into Li Yuheng's skin.
"Shameless." His voice was as cold as ice, but a barely perceptible flicker of emotion flashed in his eyes.
Li Yuheng laughed heartlessly: "What's the point of having a face? You're all I need."
Shu Bai: "..."
He abruptly released his grip, straightened up, and looked down at Li Yuheng with a gloomy gaze: "Who exactly are you?"
Li Yuheng lazily propped himself up against the headboard, moonlight filtering through the curtains and illuminating his face, outlining his sharp features.
He looked up at Shu Bai, the smile on his lips fading slightly, but his eyes becoming more serious.
"Who I am doesn't matter," he said softly. "The important thing is that I will always be with you."
His pale pupils contracted slightly.
Li Yuheng continued, "Aren't you lonely?"
These words were like a blunt knife, slowly and precisely piercing Shu Bai's heart.
Of course he was lonely.
In this endless game, he killed countless people and was killed countless times.
Shu Bai's gaze wavered slightly, but quickly returned to its icy composure.
He took a step back, black mist swirling around him, and said in a low, dangerous voice, "You know nothing."
Li Yuheng suddenly reached out and grabbed his wrist: "I know more than you think."
Shu Bai abruptly shook off his hand, and the black mist instantly surged, causing the temperature in the entire room to plummet: "Don't be so clever."
“For example—” Li Yuheng ignored his anger and continued, “I know that in this game, players are resurrected in the next round after their memories are erased. I know that you were originally a player, but later you killed the boss of the third dungeon and took his place.”
His pale pupils suddenly contracted.
“I also know that you’ve tried to get countless people to clear the game, only to find that they come back in the next round with no memory of it.” Li Yuheng pressed on, “and I also know that you, Xifeng, and Madam Bai have been trying to break this cycle.”
Shu Bai's breathing became rapid.
"Shut up!" he shouted sharply, his voice trembling slightly.
Li Yuheng suddenly smiled, his smile gentle: "That's why I said I would stay with you."
Shu Bai stared intently at him, her expression indescribably complex.
After a long pause, he said coldly, "Are you trapped here?"
Li Yuheng shook his head: "No, I came here specifically to find you."
“Lies.” Shu Bai sneered. “How could anyone willingly enter this game?”
“I’m a bit special.” Li Yuheng shrugged. “After all, someone as handsome as me should have some privileges.”
Shu Bai: "..."
He took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and said coldly, "Whoever you are, don't get in my way."
After saying that, he turned to leave.
Li Yuheng suddenly called out to him: "Shu Bai."
Shu Bai paused, but did not turn around.
"If this cycle can really be broken, what would you most like to do?"
Shu Bai's back stiffened.
After a moment of silence, he said coldly, "It's none of your business."
Before he could finish speaking, he had already closed the door.
Li Yuheng looked at the empty room and a helpless smile appeared on his lips.
"You're so stubborn..."
He lay back down on the bed, put his hands behind his head, and stared blankly at the ceiling.
0090 asked cautiously, "Your Highness, what you just said... is it true?"
“Of course it’s true,” Li Yuheng replied lazily. “Do you think I’m as unreliable as you?”
【...How did you know that?】
Li Yuheng turned over, and a cluster of eerie blue flames ignited at his fingertips, standing out conspicuously in the darkness.
“Little system,” he said casually, toying with the flame, “do you think just anyone can manipulate my dreams?”
0090 suddenly realized: [Wait... so when Shu Bai entered your dream just now, you read his memories instead?!]
Li Yuheng's lips curled into a smug smile: "Smart~ but you only guessed half right."
The will-o'-the-wisp at his fingertips suddenly split into countless tiny points of light, forming a complex rune array in the air.
“It’s not ‘reading,’ it’s ‘sharing,’” Li Yuheng said softly. “The moment he entered my dream, our consciousnesses had already established a two-way connection.”
0090 was so shocked that even the data stream became disordered: [This...how is this possible?! Shu Bai is one of the top bosses in this world, how could his mental defenses be breached so easily?!]
"A top-tier boss? In my eyes, he's just a child throwing a tantrum."
He snapped his fingers, and the ghost fire rune array instantly reorganized, revealing fragments from Shu Bai's memories.
Under a blood-red sky, Shu Bai held a tattered doll, surrounded by twisted and deformed corpses.
“During the first cycle, he was just an ordinary player.” Li Yuheng’s voice deepened. “An unlucky guy who got caught up in the game, but unlike others—he had memories.”
As the scene shifts, Shu Bai gradually becomes numb with each death, his eyes changing from fear to emptiness, and finally to utter coldness.
"Until one cycle, he killed the boss of the third dungeon and took his place."
0090 suddenly realized something: [Wait... if Shu Bai was originally a player, then the current game guide, Xi Feng...]
A hint of amusement flashed in Li Yuheng's eyes: "That's right, Xifeng is also a 'former player.' To be precise, all the current bosses are former players."
The will-o'-the-wisp scene changed again, showing West Wind wearing the Game Guide badge, standing expressionlessly in the Crimson Hall, his gray-blue eyes lifeless.
“This game is like a giant meat grinder, grinding players to pieces and then piecing them back together, over and over again.” Li Yuheng’s voice carried a rare hint of coldness. “And Shu Bai and the others are like pieces of meat stuck on the blades of the meat grinder, unable to be completely freed, and unable to truly die.”
0090 fell silent.
In this endless cycle of purgatory, the white space is like a mirror, reflecting the despair of all the trapped souls.
"So," Li Yuheng suddenly reverted to his nonchalant tone, "I'm here to be the hero and save the damsel in distress, you know~"
He yawned and casually waved away the will-o'-the-wisp: "Alright, time to sleep. I have to play dungeons with my wife tomorrow."
0090 couldn't help but ask: "Young Master, how do you plan to break this cycle?"
Li Yuheng had already closed his eyes, but a confident smile was on his lips: "Simple, just unplug the meat grinder."
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