Ark Simulator, Don't I Have No Physical Body?
Shining's fingertips sank into the sofa leather.
After a three-second standoff, she suddenly took a half-step back. "... You go first."
Nightingale's eyes widened. This swordsman who always tossed her around in training had actually given in? She released Su Rui's collar and turned to look at Shining's left hand hanging by her side—there was a fresh scratch on it, left that afternoon when she shielded her from broken glass.
"... Five minutes," Nightingale said, holding up one finger, "And then it's your turn."
Su Rui: "?"
Before he could protest, Nightingale had already cupped his face and kissed him. The kiss was sweet like strawberries and tentatively cautious, just like her—innocent yet passionate. Su Rui's hand hovered in mid-air before finally resting gently on her trembling waist.
Shining turned and walked towards the balcony. The sound of the glass door opening and closing startled the engrossed Nightingale. As she released Su Rui, panting, she discovered that she had bitten Suri's lip until it bled.
"I'm sorry! I was so nervous..."
Su Rui wiped away the blood with his thumb and shook his head to indicate it was nothing. Nightingale suddenly jumped off his lap and ran barefoot to the balcony. "Shining! Your turn!"
When the figure turned around in the moonlight, the edges of her silver hair seemed to be burning. Shining's gaze shifted from Nightingale's swollen lips to Su Rui's bleeding lips, and suddenly she reached up to untie the sash of her nightgown—
Black silk slipped down like water, revealing her back, which she rarely showed to others. The crisscrossing scars looked like an ancient map in the moonlight, the newest one still tinged with pink.
"Three years ago in Kazimierz." She pointed to the arrow wound on her shoulder blade, "To shield you." Her finger moved down to the laceration on her spine, "Two years ago in Ursus." Finally, she stopped at the burn mark on her waist, "From last week's volcanic eruption."
Nightingale's breath caught in her throat. She had seen these scars during her treatment, but never before had they been displayed like medals.
Su Rui's Adam's apple bobbed. As he stood up, he knocked over a water glass on the coffee table, and amidst the sound of shattering glass, Shining grabbed him by the collar and pressed him against the French windows. The kiss carried the scent of blood and the chill of mint, more aggressive than Nightingale's. As her silver hair brushed against his cheek, Su Rui vaguely saw a teardrop clinging to her eyelashes, about to fall.
"Enough..." Nightingale suddenly hugged Shining from behind, "We agreed on five minutes..."
Shining released Su Rui's collar, her silver hair brushing against Nightingale's reddened eyes as she turned. She silently picked up her robe and put it on, but her fingers were a beat slower than usual when tying the belt.
Su Rui, panting, slid to the ground, his fingertips touching his stinging lips. Nightingale immediately knelt down and used healing magic to soothe his wounds, while Shining stood two steps away, the moonlight casting a long shadow that enveloped both of them.
"... I need double the time tomorrow," Nightingale said in a muffled voice, burying her face in Su Rui's shoulder.
Shining silently curled the corners of her lips. As she bent down to pick up the fallen pages, the silver pendant hanging from the collar of her robe swayed—it was a matching amulet with Su Rui, its inner side engraved with ancient Sarkaz oath runes.
Nightingale suddenly touched the matching pendant around her neck, her golden eyes gleaming in the moonlight. "Wait, did you just do that on purpose...?"
Shining had already headed towards the bedroom, leaving only the words, "I've prepared hot water for you," as she closed the door.
Morning light filtered through the gauze curtains, casting dappled golden hues on the disheveled bedding. Su Rui awoke groggily to find himself caught between two large felines— Nightingale's arms were wrapped around his waist, her cheek pressed against his shoulder, her breath warm and even; Shining embraced him from behind, her silver hair like a net woven from moonlight, spread across the pillow, the ends brushing against his neck, bringing a slight tickle.
Su Rui blinked, his mind not yet fully awake, but his fingers had already moved unconsciously, touching Shining's pointed ear that dangled beside his face. The soft ear tip trembled slightly under his fingertip, feeling cool and moist like morning dew. He subconsciously squeezed it, as if playing with some novel toy.
The Shining's breathing rhythm changed.
She didn't open her eyes, but the corners of her mouth curled up slightly. Her hand, which was on Su Rui's waist, slowly moved up and precisely pinched his cheek—the force was very light, but it carried an irresistible meaning.
"Ugh..." Su Rui protested indistinctly, her voice still heavy with sleepiness.
Nightingale was startled awake by the slight noise. Her eyelashes fluttered, and her golden eyes slowly opened. She first looked at Su Rui's distorted face in confusion, then looked past him at Shining —who still had her eyes closed, but the curve of her lips betrayed the fact that she had been awake for some time.
"Good morning..." Nightingale's voice was soft and sweet, carrying the cloying sweetness of someone just waking up. She tightened her arms around him, burying her face in Su Rui's neck and nuzzling him like a spoiled cub, "What are you playing?"
Su Rui finally broke free from Shining's "control" and rubbed her flushed cheeks. "She attacked first..."
Shining then opened her eyes, her greyish-purple pupils appearing like glass soaked in icy water in the morning light. She released her hand from pinching her cheek and instead used her fingertips to gently comb through Su Rui's messy hair, her movements as tender as if she were handling something fragile.
"You rubbed my ear," she pointed out calmly, her voice still slightly hoarse from the early morning.
Su Rui: "..."
The Nightingale suddenly sat up and curiously reached out her hand. "Can I rub it too?"
Before her fingertips could even touch Shining's ear, she was flipped over and pinned beneath him. Shining, her silver hair Shining down, looked down at Nightingale, a dangerous glint in her grey-purple eyes. "Want to try?"
Nightingale blinked, then suddenly revealed a sly smile, "Then how about you rub mine?"
She deliberately shook her non-existent animal ears on her head, and her long golden hair spread out on the snow-white pillowcase like a handful of flowing sunlight.
Su Rui, sandwiched between the two, silently pulled the blanket up to cover half her face. "... Can I ask to go get breakfast?"
Shining and Nightingale both looked down at him.
After three seconds of silence, Nightingale suddenly pounced on him and kissed the tip of his nose. "Good morning kiss!"
Shining leaned down and placed a light, butterfly-wing-like touch on his forehead. "Good morning."
Volume 12, Chapter 709: I have no idea who this gun is pointed at.
Morning light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the Siesta Hotel suite, bathing the entire restaurant in a warm, amber glow. Su Rui mechanically chewed on his fried egg, the crisp clinking of his knife and fork against the porcelain plate jarringly loud in the excessively quiet restaurant. His gaze remained lowered, deliberately avoiding the burning stares directed at him from either side—as if a slight tilt of his head would be scorching him with the heat emanating from those eyes.
On the left, Nightingale was twirling pasta with a silver fork, tomato sauce smeared on the corner of her slightly upturned lips like a vibrant red mark. She wore a loose white linen dress today, the neckline extremely low. As she bent over, Su Rui could clearly see several pale pink hickeys below her collarbone—marks he had left in the heat of the night. Her blonde hair fell to the edge of her plate, the ends soaked in orange juice, oblivious to her presence. Her honey-colored eyes were fixed on him, as if confirming his existence.
"Would you like some orange juice?" She suddenly pushed the glass towards me, a faint lip print still on the rim, gleaming like pearls in the morning light.
Shining, on the right, set down her bone china coffee cup; the soft clink of the cup against the saucer sounded like a silent warning. Today, she had unusually braided her silver hair into an intricate battle braid, with a black ribbon entwined between the strands— Su Rui recognized it as the belt she had taken from his pajamas last night. Her grey-purple pupils narrowed to slits in the morning light, fixed on the lingering teeth mark on his Adam's apple—the territory she had personally measured with her canines this morning.
"Milk." She slid another porcelain cup three inches to the side, the bottom scraping against the teak table with a harsh sound. "Calcium supplement."
Su Rui's fork slipped on the plate. The remains of fried egg traced a messy path on the glazed white porcelain, much like his nerves on the verge of collapse. Ever since that night at the volcanic hot springs three days ago, the possessiveness of the two had swelled exponentially— Nightingale would suddenly wrap her arms around his waist from behind while he was brushing his teeth, gently rubbing her cheek against his back; and Shining would slowly and methodically comb the hair at the back of his neck with her fingers as he bent down to tie his shoelaces, her fingertips occasionally brushing against his glands, sending a shiver down his spine.
(This is really going to be the end... I feel like I'm suffocating from being enveloped in this tenderness.)
He jumped to his feet, the Oak chair legs scraping sharply against the marble floor. "Let's go diving!"
Nightingale's silver fork froze in mid-air, the rolled pasta fell back onto the plate with a "plop," and the splattered tomato sauce left a few scarlet spots on her snow-white wrist. Shining raised one eyebrow, a smudge of rare berry-colored lip gloss still stained the rim of her coffee cup—it was Nightingale who insisted on putting it on her this morning, saying it would look good with her gray-purple eyes.
"The underwater volcanoes are currently very active." Shining wiped away her lip gloss with her fingertip, a gesture that made her look unexpectedly vibrant. "Visibility is less than thirty meters."
"I can deploy a protective force field!" Nightingale raised her hand as her pajama strap slipped down, revealing lingering blue finger marks on her shoulder. "Just like last week at the training ground!"
Su Rui's temples throbbed. He certainly remembered that "training" session— Nightingale's protective field ultimately trapped the three of them in a transparent bubble two meters in diameter for a full two hours. The gradually thinning oxygen in the confined space forced Shining to personally teach him how to use Originium Arts for internal circulation breathing, and the "teaching method" still makes his ears burn reflexively to this day.
"... Let's go to the market instead." He grabbed a linen napkin to wipe his mouth, deliberately avoiding the hands that both men reached out to him at the same time. "Ceylon said they just got a new batch of Victoria tea."
The name froze the air in the restaurant like a spell. Nightingale's healing magic sparks crackled and popped, burning several small, charred holes in the napkin; Shining's knife silently sank three inches into the solid wood dining table, the blade vibrating and humming for a full five seconds.
"Okay." Shining drew his knife, the tip wiping away a crumb of bread from Su Rui's lips. The cold touch of the metal against his skin sent a chill down his spine. "I just happen to need a new whetstone."
Nightingale twisted the sterling silver butter knife into a rope-like shape. "Miss Black must also be eager to 'catch up'." Her sweet voice was laced with venom, and her fingers unconsciously left scorch marks on the tablecloth.
Su Rui belatedly realized he had stepped into a minefield. It was too late to change his mind and say he wanted to see the Originium Slug Ecological Exhibition— Shining was drawing a precise nautical route map on his plate with the tip of his knife, while Nightingale was carving Ceylon's name on the Perivale hand-embroidered tablecloth with a fork.
(It's completely over.)
As the two people helped him put on the sun-protective jackets, Su Rui vaguely heard a cold laugh from the Upper System.
Nightingale's fingers lingered too long at the waist belt, her fingertips brushing lightly against his abdominal muscles; Shining, taking the opportunity to adjust her collar, gently rubbed his glands with her canines, her warm breath spraying onto the sensitive area behind his ear.
A morning breeze drifted through the half-open French windows, and the sea-salt-scented gauze curtains rustled against the intertwined shadows of the three people, like an extremely gentle kidnapping scene.
In the Venice mirror in the entryway, Su Rui saw himself "fully armed"—the wide-brimmed sun hat Nightingale had forced him to wear, the sunglasses Shining had chosen, and the couple's bracelet that the two of them had secretly put on him that morning—two small pendants hanging from the silver chain, one a golden feather from Nightingale and the other a silver sword from Shining, gleaming in the morning light.
"Sunscreen." Nightingale suddenly pulled a bottle with a coral reef pattern from her handbag. "You need to reapply it to your back."
"A dagger." Shining simultaneously tucked a miniature tactical dagger into his boot. "Within seven paces."
... I have no idea what this dagger is for.
Looking at his reflection in the mirror, sandwiched between the two women, Su Rui suddenly realized that he looked exactly like prey guarded by two lionesses. Nightingale was tiptoeing to adjust his hat brim, her golden hair brushing against his nose with the scent of Suzuran; Shining was kneeling on one knee to check the laces of his boots, the touch of her silver braid brushing against his ankle like a silent declaration of possession.
The market in Siesta was sweltering under the midday sun, the colorful awnings forming a dazzling sea. Su Rui squatted in front of a stall selling strange mechanical gadgets, her fingertips fiddling with a dancing bronze Originium Slug model—its eight thin legs twitching comically as it was wound up.
"This is quite interesting." He looked up at the stall owner and smiled, but was caught off guard by Nightingale's burning gaze. She was already pressed against his back, her long golden hair falling over his shoulders, the ends brushing against the tentacles of the copper Originium Slug, causing a slight metallic tremor.
"If you like it, I'll buy it for you." Nightingale's voice was as sweet as melting honey, but her fingers gripped the back of his neck warningly. Today she was wearing a white backless halter dress, and her shoulder blades rose and fell with her breath, like wings that could unfold at any moment.
Volume 12, Chapter 710: I Yearn for Freedom
Shining stood on the other side of the stall, her silver braid hanging down her chest, her grey-purple eyes coldly sweeping over the stall owner. The poor Feline youth immediately shrank back and flipped the price tag over—from "200 Lungmen Dollars" to "Small gift included".
Su Rui sighed, about to politely decline, when she suddenly heard the familiar sound of a folding fan opening and closing.
"Oh, isn't this Mr. Su Rui?"
Ceylon's voice was like lemonade with ice, crisp yet with a pungent sourness. Today she wore a lake-blue cheongsam, the slit revealing her long legs encased in black stockings, her azure eyes gleaming feline-like in the shadow cast by the parasol. Black followed behind her, her tactical vest and hot pants attracting frequent glances from passersby. The moment her red eyes locked onto Su Rui, the Originium gun at her waist clicked into place with perfect timing.
Nightingale's fingernails immediately dug into the flesh of Su Rui's nape.
"What a coincidence." Shining took a half step forward, the black ribbon on her silver braid moving without wind. "Want to buy a murder weapon?" Her gaze swept meaningfully over the dagger on the side of the black thigh.
Ceylon quickly unfolded her folding fan, obscuring the lower half of her face, revealing only her smiling eyes. "Just browsing Mr. Su Rui's stall." She deliberately emphasized "Mr. Su Rui," pointing the tip of her fan at the pile of strange trinkets in front of Su Rui. "These junk... cough, these collectibles are quite unique."
Only then did Su Rui realize that he had been squeezed to the inside of the stall without his noticing, and in front of him were all sorts of strange little gadgets from his phone—a glowing Ursus nesting doll, a miniature piano that could blow bubbles, and even a replica Laterano gun-shaped lighter that he had found on the black market last year.
"This isn't my stall..."
"Boss, how much is this?" Hei suddenly leaned forward, the neckline of her tactical vest drooping down with the movement, revealing a deep cleavage. Her fingertips hooked around the Originium Slug model, but her red eyes were fixed on Su Rui.
The Nightingale's healing spell sparks crackled and popped, burning several small, charred holes in the wooden stall.
"Free." Shining stepped on Nightingale's skirt to stop her from jumping up, and with his other hand, he pulled a black card from his pouch and slapped it on the stall. "I'll buy the stall too."
The third rib of the Ceylon fan snapped off with a "crack".
Su Rui watched helplessly as her little gadgets were packed into three shopping bags— Nightingale snatched the singing ceramic bird, Shining took the replica gun, and Black clipped the Originium Slug model to her tactical belt. The crowd at the market began to swirl around them; some vendors secretly raised their devices to take pictures, and several Liberi girls climbed coconut trees to get a better view of the standoff.
"Su Rui," Ceylon suddenly used her broken fan to lift his chin, "My family has just acquired a batch of artifacts at the Victoria auction house. Interested in having them appraised?" Her fan tip slid down his Adam's apple, tracing a circle at his collarbone. "Food and lodging included."
The cacophony of the crowd, the shouts of vendors, and the crashing of waves in the distance all blended together, creating a suffocating sense of oppression. Su Rui stood in the center of the four women's intertwined gazes, feeling like prey surrounded by four predators— Nightingale's golden hair swayed slightly, her fingertips shimmering with the faint glow of healing magic; Shining's silver braid hung down her chest, her grey-purple eyes locked onto Ceylon's every move; Ceylon's folding fan was half-open, her azure pupils holding a playful smile; and Black stood a little further away, her red eyes narrowed, her fingers lightly resting on the Originium gun at her waist, as if ready to strike at any moment.
(This can't go on...)
Su Rui's fingertips quietly slid towards the System Space, searching his consciousness for something that could help him escape—a smoke bomb.
"Su Rui, what do you think?" Ceylon's voice was gentle yet carried an undeniable air, and she lightly tapped his shoulder with her folding fan. "Victoria's art appraisal must be very interesting to you, right?"
Nightingale immediately took Su Rui's arm, her golden eyes narrowing slightly. "Su Rui has been very busy lately and hasn't had time to go to such a far place."
Shining didn't speak, but her fingers were already on the hilt of her sword, and the black ribbons on her silver braids moved without wind, as if they might turn into sharp blades at any moment.
Hei chuckled coldly, tapping his fingertips lightly on the Originium Gun: "Busy? Busy being surrounded by the two of you?"
(Now!)
Su Rui suddenly pulled out a smoke bomb from the System Space, flicked it with his thumb, and the safety pin fell off silently.
"Bang--!"
Thick white smoke exploded instantly, shrouding the center of the market in a hazy mist. The crowd gasped, vendors frantically packed up their stalls, and several Liberi girls jumped down from the coconut trees, screaming and running away.
"Su Rui?!" Nightingale's voice sounded panicked through the smoke, as golden healing spell fragments scattered in an attempt to dispel the fog.
Shining's silver hair whipped through the air like a lash, her grey-purple eyes searching for Su Rui's figure in the smoke. "... She got away."
Ceylon slammed his folding fan shut, a flash of annoyance crossing his azure eyes. "Black!"
Her dark red eyes flickered in the smoke as she quickly scanned her surroundings, but her target was no longer there.
Under the cover of the smoke, Su Rui quickly slipped away from the crowd. He pulled his hat brim low, walked lightly through the alley, bypassed the patrolling Siesta guards, and jogged all the way to a secluded rocky area by the sea.
(Finally got rid of him...)
He let out a long sigh, sat on the reef, and gazed at the azure sea in the distance. The sea breeze brushed against his cheeks, carrying a salty and damp scent, which relaxed his tense nerves slightly.
The afternoon sun in Siesta lazily spilled into a quiet alley, the cobblestones glowing slightly warm, the air filled with the aroma of sea salt and coffee. Su Rui leaned back in a wicker chair at an open-air café, his hat pulled low, obscuring most of his face. He held a glass of chilled lemonade, condensation trickling down his fingers and leaving a small, dark stain on the wooden table.
(Finally... it's quiet.)
He let out a soft sigh, his gaze sweeping across the empty street. This alley was tucked away at the intersection of the market and the beach, sparsely populated with tourists, with only a few locals hurrying by occasionally. There was no Nightingale's golden hair fluttering at the edge of his vision, no Shining's silver braids brushing against her neck, and no Ceylon's folding fan or Black Originium Gun flashing in his peripheral vision—only the soft rustling of the sea breeze past his ears and the rhythm of the waves lapping against the shore in the distance.
Perfect.
Su Rui tilted his head back and took a sip of lemonade. The icy, sour taste made him squint. Sunlight refracted through the glass onto the table, forming a small, flickering patch of light, like a restless little animal. He stretched out his index finger and gently pressed it against the patch of light, feeling a faint warmth on his fingertip.
"Sir, your blueberry muffins."
As the waiter placed the porcelain plate down, Su Rui reflexively tensed his back, only relaxing after confirming that the other person was just an ordinary human girl. The pancakes were baked to a golden brown and crispy, with honey drizzled on top slowly seeping into the fluffy interior. He picked up his silver fork and had just cut off a small piece when a burst of laughter suddenly came from the alleyway.
Chapter 711 of Volume 12: He was captured.
Three scantily clad Liberi girls walked by arm in arm, their feathered headdresses shimmering with iridescent light in the sunlight. Their gazes swept across the café, brightening noticeably when they saw Su Rui sitting alone.
"Wow, that guy is so handsome--"
Should we ask for their contact information?
"Look at his collarbone! Oh my god, and that bracelet..."
Su Rui's fork froze in mid-air. He had deliberately taken off the couple's bracelet that Nightingale and Shining had given him today, replacing it with an ordinary leather wristband, but unexpectedly, it attracted even more attention. He subtly pulled his hat brim down a little lower, pretending to be extremely interested in the muffins.