You Touch My Brother, I'll Dig Up Your Ancestors' Graves

[Countdown: 59, 58, 57...]

The bright red numbers flickered wildly across the safe's display like a death warrant.

The mechanical arms along the walls had fully extended, their black gun barrels locked onto Jian Ning in the center of the room.

[System! Stop playing dead! Think of something!]

Jian Ning clutched the USB drive he had not even had time to remove, cold sweat instantly soaking his entire body.

He might have invisibility, but the room was only so big. Once the bomb went off, even if he turned into air, he would still be blasted into ions!

The system's mechanical voice sounded especially pleasant at this moment:

[Ding! A certain-death situation has been detected. The store has urgently unlocked an S-rank item—[Universal Stillness Card (Non-Living Version)].]

[Effect: Forcibly stops the flow of time for all non-living objects within a designated area for five minutes.]

[Price: All of the host's current gossip points—and an additional debt of 5,000 points. Would you like to exchange?]

[Exchange it!!!]

Jian Ning roared in his head. [Forget the points. At a time like this, I'd trade my kidneys if you asked!]

[Ding! Exchange successful. Item activated.]

At the instant the countdown reached [00:03].

It was as if someone had pressed pause on the entire world.

The red glow on the display froze. The rotating gun barrels on the walls stopped. Even the dust floating in the air hung motionless.

Jian Ning gasped for breath, feeling as though his heart were about to leap out of his throat.

But he knew the danger had not passed.

The traps had merely been paused. King was still outside, and... Huo Si was charging up here!

Bang!

The bedroom's heavy oak door was violently smashed open.

Huo Si staggered into the room, looking as though he could collapse at any moment...

His vampire trench coat was in complete disarray, and his mask was nowhere to be seen, revealing a face pale as paper and full of terror.

The poison had stripped away his sense of touch and severely impaired his balance, yet instinct still allowed him to spot Jian Ning at once, standing amid the encircling gun barrels.

"Jian Ning!"

Huo Si had no idea the traps had stopped.

In his eyes, those gun barrels could spit fire at any second.

There was no hesitation.

Not even a moment of thought.

Huo Si lunged forward, using his broad back to shield Jian Ning, pulling him completely into his arms.

"Don't move."

Huo Si's voice trembled. He shut his eyes tightly, waiting for the agony of bullets piercing his body, waiting for the terror of the unknown.

Yet.

One second.

Two seconds.

Three seconds.

The expected gunfire and explosions never came.

The silence around them was terrifying.

Huo Si opened his eyes in confusion, only to meet a pair of red-rimmed eyes like a rabbit's.

Jian Ning lifted his head from Huo Si's arms. His hands were still shaking as they tightly gripped Huo Si's arm, but his voice carried the relief of surviving disaster.

"Mr. Huo... are you stupid?"

"You rushed in without even figuring out what was going on? What if it really had exploded?"

Huo Si looked at the frozen gun barrels. Though he did not understand what had happened, his heart, which had nearly stopped beating, finally settled again.

He reached out, wanting to touch Jian Ning's face and confirm that he was real.

But when his fingers touched Jian Ning's warm skin, all that returned to his brain was an empty numbness.

Huo Si's hand froze, and a trace of gloom flashed through his eyes.

"It didn't explode... that's good."

"Did you get the formula?"

Jian Ning raised the blue USB drive in his hand and nodded hard. "I got it!"

Just then, a burst of applause suddenly sounded through the still air.

"Clap, clap, clap."

King's voice came from the room's hidden door.

He was not angered by the traps' failure. Instead, he looked at the two embracing figures with approval.

"Wonderful. Truly wonderful."

"Is this what they call true love? You would even throw your lives away?"

King wore a white robe and held an exquisite silver pistol, its muzzle casually aimed at the back of Huo Si's head.

"What a pity... the traps have stopped, but I still have a gun."

"Jian Ning, you do have some skills, hacking into my system. But can you stop a bullet?"

Huo Si's gaze sharpened, and he instinctively tried to turn and block the shot.

But he was too slow. The poison had slowed his reactions by far more than half.

King pulled the trigger.

"Goodbye, President Huo."

Bang—!

The gunshot rang out.

Jian Ning shut his eyes in despair.

This was an outcome he had never anticipated.

[No!!!]

Yet.

There was no spray of blood.

The shot had missed. Or rather, King had been forced to miss.

Because one second before King fired, the floor-to-ceiling window behind him suddenly shattered!

A shadow descended like a god, swinging in on a rope through the broken window and viciously kicking King in the back!

Crack!

The sound of a spine breaking made teeth ache.

King flew through the air and slammed heavily into the wall. The gun flew from his hand as well.

As the smoke and dust cleared.

Jian Xiu stood amid the shattered glass in bomb-disposal combat gear, a heavy assault rifle in his hands. Yes, this was the brother-in-law's full form. His eyes were like those of a demon from hell.

"Gu Han."

Jian Xiu's voice was low, every word seeming to be squeezed through clenched teeth.

"I gave you a chance."

"But you never should have touched my brother."

King lay on the floor, blood spilling from his mouth.

He looked at Jian Xiu, and there was no fear in his eyes—only an almost pathological obsession and satisfaction.

"Brother... you finally... looked at me properly?"

"To kill me... you actually came yourself... cough, cough... I'm so happy..."

Jian Ning watched the scene, goosebumps covering his body.

[Holy shit! Is this the legendary ultimate yandere?]

[He's about to die and he's still begging for attention? What kind of thought process is that?]

Jian Xiu frowned in disgust, walked over, and ground his foot down on King's wrist.

"Happy? Then I'll make you even happier."

"Hand over the antidote."

King convulsed in pain, but he was still smiling.

"The antidote? Heh... isn't the formula already in little sister-in-law's hands?"

"But... Brother, do you think having the formula is enough?"

"There's a core ingredient in it—[Datura Snake Venom Serum]. That kind of snake... there's only one in the entire world, and I keep it here."

"And that snake... I fed it to Lin Yu just now."

Jian Ning was horrified. [What?!]

[That formula still needs special snake venom serum? And the snake ate Lin Yu?!]

[No, wait. Did the snake eat Lin Yu, or did Lin Yu eat the snake?]

Either way, it meant the source of the antidote had been cut off!

Jian Xiu's expression completely changed.

He raised his gun and pressed it to King's forehead. "Where is that snake?!"

King pointed at the floor. "In the dungeon's pool... But... when little sister-in-law released Lin Yu just now, he might not have noticed... that snake had been hungry for a long time..."

Jian Ning's mind buzzed.

When he released Lin Yu earlier, he really had not noticed what was in the water!

If Lin Yu had been eaten by the snake, or if the snake had escaped... didn't that mean Huo Si was beyond saving?!

"Huo Si!" Jian Ning turned to look at Huo Si.

Huo Si was leaning against the wall, his face already a bluish gray. The poison had begun eroding his optic nerves, and his eyes were starting to lose focus.

"Don't listen to him." Huo Si's voice was weak. "Leave first... get out of here..."

Jian Xiu made a swift decision. "Ning Ning! Take Huo Si and evacuate first! Nightingale is downstairs to meet you!"

"Leave this place to me!"

"What about you?" Jian Ning asked anxiously.

"Me?" Jian Xiu sneered and glanced at King beneath his foot. "I'm going to settle the accounts from these past years with my good little brother."

"Don't worry. I'll bring that snake back, dead or alive."

Jian Ning knew this was not the time to be sentimental.

Huo Si's condition was critical.

He gritted his teeth and helped Huo Si up. "Brother! You have to come back alive!"

With that, he dragged the half-conscious Huo Si out of the room.

Outside the castle, inside Nightingale's getaway car.

Jian Ning shoved Huo Si into the back seat and climbed in after him.

The car started up and shot down the mountain road like an arrow leaving the bow.

Huo Si lay against Jian Ning's chest, his breathing growing weaker and weaker.

Jian Ning held his hand, tears streaming uncontrollably down his face.

"Huo Si... don't fall asleep... please, don't fall asleep..."

"We got the formula... Brother will bring the snake back... you'll be okay..."

Huo Si struggled to open his eyes, but all he could see was a blur of light and shadow.

He could not feel Jian Ning's warmth, nor could he hear Jian Ning clearly.

But he could sense the scorching drops falling onto the back of his hand. Though his sense of touch was dulled, the feeling in his heart remained.

"Don't cry..."

Huo Si used all his strength to lift his hand, wanting to touch Jian Ning's face, but it only fell weakly back down.

"Jian Ning... if I really..."

"Shut up!" Jian Ning shouted, cutting him off. "You are not allowed to say your last words! I won't listen!"

[System! Is there anything in the system store that can keep him alive?]

[I don't care how many points it costs! I'll go into debt! Sell myself! I'll exchange for it all!]

System: [Host, calm down! The Universal Stillness Card has already left you deeply in debt. However... it has detected that Huo Si possesses an intense will to survive that is resisting the poison.]

[As long as he can hold on through tonight, once Jian Xiu gets the snake venom serum, he can be saved!]

Just then, an earth-shattering explosion sounded behind them.

Boom—!!!

Jian Ning whipped around.

The castle atop the mountain was engulfed in flames.

One side of the tower had already completely collapsed.

"Brother!!!"

Jian Ning's heart stopped.

That was where Jian Xiu had been!

His phone suddenly vibrated.

It was a text message from Jian Xiu.

The contents were simple: only a photograph.

A huge, charred snake carcass.

And one sentence:

[Done. The snake was cooked, but the serum could still be extracted.]

[I was cooked too (crossed out—just a minor injury). Don't worry, I'll meet up with you soon.]

Jian Ning looked at the text message, crying and laughing at the same time.

[What was with the Jian Family... Why did every one of them have such ridiculously good luck?]

[The snake was cooked? Bro, did you roast it?]

Three days later, at a top private hospital in the country.

Using the "roasted snake" Jian Xiu had brought back to extract the serum, along with the formula from King's USB drive, the antidote was finally developed.

Huo Si had lain in the ICU for three days before finally being transferred to a regular ward.

Morning sunlight spilled across the hospital bed.

Huo Si slowly opened his eyes.

At last, the world was no longer a blur, and his fingertips felt the familiar touch of the sheets again.

He turned his head and saw Jian Ning asleep with his head resting beside the bed.

There were faint dark circles beneath his eyes. Clearly, he had been keeping vigil for days.

Huo Si moved his fingers and lightly touched Jian Ning's cheek.

Warm and soft.

The feel of someone alive.

Jian Ning woke groggily. When he saw that Huo Si was awake, his eyes instantly lit up:

"Are you awake?! How do you feel? Can you see me? Do you know who I am?"

Seeing how nervous he looked, a mischievous glint flashed through Huo Si's eyes.

He deliberately put on a stern face, his gaze blank.

"Who are you? Why am I here?"

Jian Ning froze.

[A-amnesia?]

[Did the toxin fry his brain?]

[Oh no, oh no! Did my hundred-billion husband turn into an idiot?]

Huo Si held back his laughter and kept acting.

"Even though I don't remember who you are... you're pretty good-looking. How much for one night?"

Jian Ning blanked for a second, then caught on.

[Oh, so that's how it is! You old bastard, Huo Si! You dare mess with me?!]

Jian Ning gave a cold laugh and held up one finger.

"One hundred million. Fixed price."

"If you can't pay, don't touch."

Huo Si grabbed his hand and kissed it against his lips.

"Deal."

"I'll pay with the rest of my life."

Just as the mood between them was perfect and they were about to share a deep kiss in the hospital room,

the ward door was shoved open violently.

Jian Xiu stormed in with one arm in a sling, injured in the explosion at the castle.

"What are you kissing for?! You haven't even brushed your teeth!"

"Huo Si, since you're awake, let's settle some accounts."

"To save you, I nearly got blown to death by that lunatic! How are you going to pay for that?"

Huo Si looked at his brother-in-law, who had not only survived but was still full of energy, and sighed.

It seemed that in the days ahead, there would be no escaping the hellish battlefield of this "trio."