True Nature Exposed

Wu Hen sat down across from the girl who had just woken up.

It was as if there was some kind of frequency between them; Wu Hen could tell from the girl's eyes that she might be a fellow countryman.

"Sing, dance, rap..." Wu Hen uttered the code that only a fellow countryman would understand.

The startled girl stared blankly at Wu Hen, and it took a long while before she replied with words etched into her very bones: "Bas... basketball?"

Connection successful!

He had guessed right.

She really was a fellow countryman.

But how was she so completely unprepared?

When he had put on the helmet to enter the Otherworld Desolate Dust, he at least knew his consciousness would leap to another world. She, however, was different; it was more like she had been forcibly dragged here.

"Did you also put on a Virtual Iris?" Wu Hen asked.

"I don't know what you're talking about. A group of us stayed in the library. I was too tired, so I just took a nap. When I woke up, I was here..." the girl explained.

"Where are you from? What's your name?" Wu Hen asked.

"Licheng, Lixue High School. My name is Yang Qin." The girl showed a hint of trust; after all, they shared the same idol.

"Huh?" After hearing this, Wu Hen's brain CPU started running so fast it nearly smoked.

Wasn't this his high school classmate he had spent two and a half years with?

Could she also be a selected Otherworld Pioneer?

But looking at her panicked and uneasy appearance, it didn't seem like that at all.

"You should have heard the global announcement. That was a virtual world hosted on the Nuwa Divine Terminal. You should have awakened in the real world now," Wu Hen explained to Yang Qin.

"I know that, but... why me? I don't want to be in any real world!" Yang Qin was clearly breaking down.

She had no mental preparation whatsoever.

She even thought the global announcement was a conspiracy and that it was absolutely impossible.

That was until she was abandoned by the Nuwa Divine Terminal without warning, her consciousness and soul awakening in this hellish otherworld.

"Face reality," Wu Hen said.

"Can... can you take care of me? I don't know where this is, and I don't know anyone else. I... I don't know what to do... I heard, I heard that it's very easy to die walking around here." Yang Qin showed a hint of fragility, speaking in a very delicate voice.

Hmph.

"Longjing sister, I've known you for two and a half years. Do you really think I don't know what kind of tea you are?"

"Don't pull that act on me!"

"I can barely look after myself, I suggest you find some other, stronger man to talk to," Wu Hen said.

"I'm begging you, as long as you can take care of me, I'll do anything!" Yang Qin was terrified. Her current Vessel had already been implanted with a primal sense of fear.

Wu Hen looked Yang Qin's Vessel up and down. It had to be said, the Vessel bore a striking resemblance to Yang Qin's original appearance and was quite attractive.

However, Wu Hen was currently repulsed by what lay inside.

"If everyone is going to be awakened indiscriminately, then Yu Yu might have suffered the same fate," Wu Hen began to ponder the matter.

He had entered the Otherworld voluntarily.

But because the Nuwa Divine Terminal could not maintain a collective human dream, some people were being forcibly dragged into the real Otherworld without any mental preparation or ability to protect themselves...

Without someone to look after them, they probably wouldn't last long.

Fortunately, Wu Hen was lucky this time; his Vessel had a powerful relative. Before he fully understood the grotesqueries and rules of this area, sticking close to Su Li was definitely the right move!

Su Li had already finished assigning tasks.

Wu Hen naturally stayed close to his aunt, wanting to learn more from her.

"Aunt, is there any weapon I can use?" Wu Hen asked.

"Weapons are very rare, especially after this Evil Soil invasion. The gun I have is made of a special material, and the bullets are infused with Yuan You fragments," Su Li explained to Wu Hen.

"How come it feels like everything is inseparable from Yuan You?" Wu Hen said.

"That's only natural. Yuan You is the only substance in this Desolate Dust that cannot be corrupted; it is the most primal source of power," Su Li said.

"How are we supposed to survive, given that this land is filled with those strange, chaotic evils?" Wu Hen asked.

"Becoming an Awakened gives you the ability to go head-to-head with the Black Sun Evil Spirit and the Midnight Mass. By the way, your Auditory Sense seems to have opened up; you already possess the primary condition for becoming an Awakened!" Su Li said.

Auditory Sense?

Wu Hen had indeed noticed that his hearing had become exceptionally powerful. Even the whispers in the subway could be heard clearly if he focused his attention.

It seemed the strength of Meiqing Muxiu and Fengyun Youcun lay in their hearing. Could it be that after he dealt with them, he inherited their abilities?

"Take this gun." Su Li pulled a handgun from the holster on her leg and handed it to Wu Hen.

"There are only three Suiyou Bullets inside. Use them only at critical moments."

"Alright!" Wu Hen nodded.

"Generally, a qualified Awakened possesses both perception that surpasses ordinary people and the ability to actively trigger extraordinary power. The former is actually the hardest to come by, because the latter can be compensated for by equipping special weapons, such as specialized firearms," Su Li said.

"Are you one, Auntie?" Wu Hen asked.

"I don't have Synesthesia, and my weapon is just a low-level Origin Energy Firearm... but being able to get one or two pieces will, more or less, give you some self-preservation," Su Li explained patiently.

Wu Hen swept a glance at the other unarmed people on the subway.

It was clear that the Origin Energy Firearm Su Li had given him was truly precious; when she handed it to him, the eyes of the others were filled with envy and jealousy.

"Get some rest early. We can leave as soon as we start the train tomorrow morning," Su Li said.

"Alright." Wu Hen nodded.

Looking around the carriage in a daze, Wu Hen didn't know where he was supposed to lie down.

Every seat seemed to be occupied by someone sleeping.

Seeing Wu Hen like this, Su Li couldn't help but smile. "Come here. You used to sleep right next to me."

Hiss~~

There's such a good thing?

Wu Hen followed Su Li shyly into a simple tent made with curtains.

The tent was very narrow, and it was indeed a bit crowded for two adults to lie down, but fortunately, Su Li had a slender figure. Once she lay down, there was still space for him.

Blushing, Wu Hen lay down as well.

It wasn't that he had any ulterior motives; he mainly didn't want to make Su Li sad.

After all, the real Xiao Yun's consciousness might have already dissipated.

"You know, back when you were at your age, it was your father who spared no effort to protect me, allowing a wanderer like me to survive in this world. I am very grateful to him..." Su Li said.

Her cheek was facing Wu Hen, and as Wu Hen lay on his back, he felt the warm breath from her lips brush against his cheek, itchy and strange.

But as she finished that sentence, Wu Hen let out a long sigh of relief.

Oh, an aunt with no blood relation.

Wu Hen's tense body relaxed involuntarily, and there was no need to keep his legs squeezed together so uncomfortably.

"Are you uncomfortable anywhere?" Su Li leaned in even closer.

At this moment, she had shed her previous decisive, heroic, and cold demeanor, becoming as gentle as an older sister who would ache for a long time even if one accidentally scraped their skin.

"N-nothing... just felt like my arm was a bit sore," Wu Hen explained, looking slightly flustered.

He certainly couldn't say his pants were too tight.

"Our Xiao Yun is a big man now, after all." Su Li seemed to have caught a glimpse of something, but she only offered a gentle smile. The allure radiating from her eyes sent a ripple through Wu Hen's heart.

What was that supposed to mean???

He was still young, actually.

Why was the atmosphere so ambiguous?

Could it be that the Vessel and this aunt had a relationship like Yang Guo and Xiaolongnü?

That would be... way too much of a surprise!

Wu Hen instantly transformed into a shy little boy, mumbling incoherent sounds and failing to clarify anything else.

Just then, Wu Hen felt a warm, small hand rest upon him. It was big sister Su Li. Her movements were so natural that Wu Hen felt a jolt of electricity, his entire body beginning to tingle.

"Do you want me to help you?" Su Li's voice teased in Wu Hen's ear.

Wu Hen didn't know how to refuse.

He truly didn't want to expose himself; he needed Su Li's care.

But if he didn't make things clear, he might end up logged into someone else's account and getting into things he shouldn't!

Finally, reason gained the upper hand.

Wu Hen closed his eyes without a word, choosing to accept his fate.

A person has to survive, after all.

Everything he was doing was just to build a home in this Other Dimension!

Feeling that touch as warm as jade and looking at the stunning face so close to his own, Wu Hen's internal struggle was no longer about whether he could or couldn't, but rather that as a man, he had to hold out for a little longer.

However, Su Li fit a pure-hearted boy's fantasy of an older sister too perfectly. Just as Wu Hen was about to surrender, the surging, intense movements came to an abrupt halt.

They were replaced by a very domineering force that made Wu Hen's brows knit together tightly.

"You aren't my Xiao Yun, are you?" The hazy look in Su Li's eyes changed in an instant, replaced by a cold indifference.

"Uh..." Wu Hen's expression stiffened to the extreme.

What the hell!!

He was just one step away!

Isn't this just pure self-torture!!

"I... I don't even know how to explain it to you," Wu Hen said, lowering his voice.

"I am not a Lost One. You just need to tell me the truth." Su Li stared into Wu Hen's eyes, her body almost pressing down on top of him.

"My name is Wu Hen. I only just awakened in this Vessel a short while ago." Wu Hen knew he couldn't keep hiding it.

"Alright, from now on, I'll call you Xiao Hen." Su Li nodded.

Wu Hen was left feeling a bit bewildered. To be honest, he had been genuinely afraid that if Su Li found out, she would just blow his brains out with a single shot!

After all, who could truly accept someone else's soul occupying the body of their friend or relative?

"Auntie, I didn't mean for this to happen," Wu Hen said awkwardly.

"You don't need to explain any further," Su Li said.

"I have images in my mind that feel like dreams, things related to this body, but these images are slowly fading away," Wu Hen said.

"As an Awakener, the memories of the Vessel will only remain as fragments; they won't be preserved," Su Li explained calmly.

"But the feeling is still there—that sense of peace I get when I'm with you..." Wu Hen said truthfully.

Su Li didn't speak again this time.

She stopped pressing down on Wu Hen and instead lay flat beside him, shoulder to shoulder, watching the Fireflies slowly flapping their wings inside the tent.

The faint glow reflected in her black amber eyes, revealing a hint of sorrow.

"We are still family, even if it's a reconstituted one," Su Li said.

"Oh," Wu Hen replied.

"Go to sleep," Su Li said.

"Alright... um, I have one more question. Can I ask it?" Wu Hen asked weakly.

"Ask."

"How did you see through me?" Wu Hen felt a bit unwilling to let it go; he had hoped he could keep up the disguise for a little longer.

"Even a semi-lost Xiao Yun would never allow me to do something like that to him," Su Li said, reaching out and flicking Wu Hen hard on the body.

Wu Hen curled up in pain.

What a disaster!

So it turned out his own lecherous nature had given him away!!