Bakery Horror: Totem's Blood and Tears
The bakery was filled with the rich aroma of osmanthus late at night. Xiaodou followed Bai Shenyuan into the basement. The tip of his tail swept across the "Lin Shen Bakery" sign on the wall. The sign suddenly lit up, revealing a hidden combination lock - the combination was the date when Bai Yan proposed to him in the Demon World chapter.
"That guy Lin Shen really remembers everything." Bai Shenyuan (Lin Shen's online personality) chuckled and entered the password. "Back in the modern era, he stared at the totem mural every day, saying that one day he would wait for you."
The moment the basement door opened, Xiaodou sneezed at the aura that rushed towards him. The conceptual rat totem on the wall was bleeding. The conceptual rat king (Xiaodou in human form) in the mural had a golden teardrop mole in the corner of his eye, while the guardians (the three souls of the White Abyss) knelt beside him, holding a broken ring in their hands.
"This is..." Xiaodou reached out to touch the mural, and blood beads stained his fingertips, which turned into osmanthus cake crumbs.
Bai Shenyuan switched to Bai Yan's personality and gently put his arm around his shoulders: "It's a three thousand year obsession, and it's also the source of the curse."
[Mystery of Blood and Tears: Three Thousand Years of Memory]
Xiaodou subconsciously gnawed on the blood bead, and the scene from three thousand years ago came flooding back like a tide:
- The dream-eating tapir devours the hope of the Concept Rat Clan. To protect the clan, Xiaodou (the Rat King) splits his soul and the key. Baiyan (the Guardian) voluntarily falls into reincarnation to protect the fragments.
- The Heavenly Dao sent down a curse: "The Concept Mouse and the Guardian cannot live together forever, or their souls will be scattered."
- When Lin Shen (Modern Guardian) was assembling a mechanical cat in the laboratory, he swore to the totem: "Even if you forget me, I will use technology to catch up with you."
"It turns out we were destined to meet..." Xiaodou choked up and grabbed Bai Shenyuan's hand, only to find that his palm had the same cracks as the mural. "What is this?"
"It's the mark of the curse." Ling Yuan said coldly, "After the three souls merged, our lives became shared."
The mechanical voice of the mechanical cat suddenly came from the shadows: "Finally here, my concept mouse."
Xiaodou turned around and saw the mechanical cat remove its disguise, revealing a metal skeleton engraved with the runes of the Heavenly Dao. "Master Tiandao said that as long as you offer your fur, you can remove the restrictions of my program."
"You lied to me!" Xiaodou took a half step back. "You said you would help me avoid being hunted down!"
"That was a lie." The mechanical cat raised the scalpel, the blade reflecting the bloody light of the totem. "The Concept Mouse must die. This is the law of nature. But considering that you helped me chew the chip, I will make your death a sweet one."
[The first quarrel between the three personalities]
Bai Shenyuan's three personalities flickered alternately in his eyes, and eventually split into three shadows:
- Ling Yuan (holding up a gun with a cold face): "Kill him and put an end to it all."
- Bai Yan (red eyes, shaking his head): "The mechanical cat was once our friend, he was just controlled by the program!"
- Lin Shen (analyzing while pushing up his glasses): "The blood in the totem mural can purify the process. Xiaodou, can you chew off those blood tears?"
Xiaodou watched the mechanical cat's trembling claws, remembering the scene in the Star Wars arc where he'd helped repair the chip. Suddenly, he leaped onto the mural and gnawed at the bleeding teardrop. The moment the blood entered the mural, the mechanical cat's skeleton made a harsh, grinding sound, and the chip on its chest popped out, engraved with the words "Slave of Heaven."
"So you've been trapped in the program..." Xiaodou said softly, pressing the chip with his claws, "Now it's my turn to help you."
The mechanical cat's chip suddenly emitted a blue light, and Xiaodou gnawed away the blood and tears of the totem mural, revealing the Concept Rat Throne hidden behind the wall. The throne was engraved with the same patterns as the White Abyss Ring, and in its center lay a human body identical to Xiaodou's.
"That's..." Bai Yan's personality covered his mouth, "your true self."
Xiaodou felt his fortune-mouse form disappear, replaced by the touch of a human—warm skin, nimble fingers, and the remnants of a mouse ear at the tip of his ear. He looked down and saw that he was wearing the same color-blocked jacket as Bai Shenyuan's school uniform, with half a piece of osmanthus cake sticking out of his pocket.
"Welcome back, my Concept Rat King." The mechanical cat's voice returned to its gentleness. The "Heavenly Dao" pattern on the chip had been completely eaten away. "Now, it's time to face the judgment of Heaven—because all the teachers and students in the school are on their way."
Bai Shenyuan's three personalities merged again. He held Xiaodou's hand, and the ring fragments emitted a strong light, resonating with the throne: "No matter what happens, I will stand by you - in the name of Bai Yan, Lin Shen, and Ling Yuan."
Footsteps were heard on the basement stairs, and the Dean's voice was filled with ecstasy: "Concept Mouse is here after all! Mechanical Cat, catch him!"
The mechanical cat suddenly stood in front of Xiaodou, and its mechanical claws raised the fragment of Bai Shenyuan's ring: "Sorry, I am now the 'President of the Rat Fan Club' - Xiaodou, use your new body to show them the power of the Concept Mouse!"
Xiaodou nodded, feeling a surge of warmth within him. With a gentle wave of his hand, the gold coins surrounding the throne suddenly levitated, transforming into a shield shaped like osmanthus cake. The teardrop mole at the corner of his eye now glowed golden, echoing the cracks on Bai Shenyuan's chest.
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