Five days passed.
Rain had fallen on the small county town the night before. The air was damp, and cool breezes swept through the early morning, refreshing and soothing.
An elegant black cat padded along the windowsill, then stopped curiously outside one home and peered inside with wide eyes.
The furniture movers had just left. Wei Yunmo sat cross-legged on the newly purchased sofa, engrossed in Happy Superman on TV. Hearing a noise outside, he ran over in curiosity and opened the window. The two creatures stared at each other.
Then the black cat gave a haughty huff, refused to let Wei Yunmo pet it, and jumped onto another rooftop.
Just then, the bedroom door opened. Wei Yunmo ran back over, as polite as a little gentleman. "Good morning, Mr. 39."
"Mm." 39 had returned very late the night before and looked as though he had only just woken up. His soft hair was slightly tousled, his eyes narrowed sleepily. He sat down on the sofa and reached straight for the cigarette case on the table with his long, slender hand.
But when he opened it, he discovered that all the cigarettes had been replaced with the fruit candies he had brought Wei Yunmo the night before.
That jolted him wide awake. From sheer alarm.
"Wei Yunmo, explain yourself."
Mr. 39 looked genuinely angry. Reclining on the sofa with his legs crossed, he gazed down at Wei Yunmo with the air of someone who held absolute authority. The oppressive weight of his stare made it seem as though he could kill him at any moment.
Well, it probably wasn't just "seemed." Wei Yunmo knew Mr. 39 had little patience. He really might kill him on a whim.
But Wei Yunmo also knew his own value. He understood that the man wouldn't fuss over something this trivial, because he belonged to another mysterious organization that rivaled the Laboratory. If he killed Wei Yunmo, wouldn't all his efforts have been wasted?
So Wei Yunmo grew bolder. Even faced with the man's cold expression and frightening pressure, he forced himself to act as though nothing was wrong. After all, what he had done hadn't crossed the man's bottom line.
"Smoking as soon as you get up in the morning is bad for your health."
Sure enough, 39 said impatiently, "What's it to you? Where are my cigarettes?" You little brat, do you have any idea how expensive those things are?!
Yes, Mr. 39 never had a kind expression for him. Only sometimes did Wei Yunmo inexplicably sense a trace of tenderness from this cold gentleman. Perhaps it was pity for the weak.
Of course, it could also have been because he would soon be sent to that mysterious organization to be studied like a lab rat, which was why 39 was being especially tolerant of him.
In any case, Wei Yunmo didn't dislike 39. He thought he liked him a little.
"But even if you smoke on the balcony, the air still smells of smoke. I don't like secondhand smoke," Wei Yunmo said plaintively. "Could you please not smoke first thing in the morning?"
"Tch." 39 pressed a hand against his head in irritation, then stood and walked into the bathroom. "Put my cigarettes back before I come out."
"You won't smoke when you come out, right?"
"Mm."
Wei Yunmo smiled, his eyes curving, because he knew 39 kept his promises. And once again, just as expected, he had indulged him.
Xie De stood in the bathroom with his toothbrush between his teeth, staring into space. He thought he really ought to send this little brat away, but where?
The past five days had been pretty busy. After disposing of the body and cleaning up the bloodstains, he had still been rather on edge. Fortunately, the police hadn't come knocking. He and 455 agreed that it was because the thief had been so skilled that no one had discovered any trace of him along the way.
After that, he had busied himself replacing some of his furniture. Short on money in the process, he had sold a sheet of Talisman Paper on the Player Forum for 550,000.
Meanwhile, ever since he had caught 455 harassing the Instance System, its harassment had grown increasingly blatant. It had even evolved from a sleazy domineering CEO style to that of a melancholy poet.
"Ah, my darling,
you are a Snow Lotus born of nature,
untouched by a speck of dust.
My darling,
my dearest love,
you are the dazzling sunlight,
please forgive my shameless pursuit."
In short, it was still nauseatingly sappy. How to put it? The Instance System responded to every line it said, but its responses were thoroughly robotic.
"Sorry, I don't understand what you mean. You can ask in the following ways."
"For example, how do snow lotuses grow? Where are snow lotuses found?"
How to put it? Even phone assistants didn't sound this much like AI anymore.
But despite Xie De's lack of understanding, respect, or blessings, 455 was going wild as though possessed.
"It replied to me! How can that not count as liking me? Why else would it only reply to me and not anyone else?"
Xie De no longer had the energy to mock it. "I'm just saying, could it be that nobody else is bored enough to confess their love to the Instance System?"
"I'm not listening, I'm not listening, I'm not listening! It definitely has feelings for me too."
Fucking hopeless romantic.
455 was now utterly fired up. It was determined to make Xie De clear every instance. It would become a top-tier system, reach the pinnacle of system life, and finally win its beloved.
So Xie De really had been busy lately.
Busy enough to make him puke.
Only when he finally found a little free time did he see Wei Yanchi's message.
Before you continue