TC730

Dark clouds had piled up during the day, and sure enough, rain began to fall that night. The drops strung together into threads, and through the window, the lights glowing across the way looked hazy.

It was eight in the evening.

Wei Yunmo leaned against the window and looked outside. The house felt deserted. Mr. 39 had not come back for two days, leaving the giant house centipede on the wall to watch him. Someone brought food up every day, so he did not have to worry about meals. But when exactly was 39 coming back?

What was keeping 39 busy?

Wei Yunmo rested his head on his arms, watching the rain drip endlessly outside. His curiosity drove his imagination into overdrive.

Mr. 39 had to be carrying out some secret mission. Could it have something to do with the Laboratory? Was he killing one of its higher-ups? Would he get hurt? Did he have powerful teammates? Would those teammates betray the organization? Would he kill them?

Did the organization he belonged to have any cooperation or connections with the Laboratory?

Wei Yunmo never tired of pondering these strange questions. He had even imagined what would happen if 39 died on a mission. Would someone else take over his work?

Wei Yunmo thought that if something like that really happened, he would probably be sad.

Just then, the black cat that circled the eaves every day jumped onto his windowsill to shelter from the rain. It shook the water from its fur, then sat there, gazing gloomily at the rain that showed no sign of stopping.

The black cat had the same dark green eyes, the same cool, aloof attitude toward everyone, and the same air of a powerful predator.

Wei Yunmo had seen the black cat hunt. It caught mice in its paws and toyed cruelly with them, which always made him feel that it was a little like 39.

Right now, though, the stray black cat looked a little pitiful.

Wei Yunmo opened the window, and a cold gust immediately blew inside. He said, "It's warm in here. Want to come in out of the rain?"

The black cat watched him warily, then gave him a critical once-over before stepping gracefully into the house.

Wei Yunmo hurriedly said, "Hey, you're soaking wet. You can't get on the couch!"

The black cat ignored him and claimed the softest cushion on the couch.

"Fine." He couldn't be too hard on a little cat, could he?

Wei Yunmo ran into the bathroom for a towel, intending to dry the black cat off. But the moment he approached, it warily jumped to the other side, refusing to let him touch so much as a hair.

Apparently, it had only come in to shelter from the rain.

Mm, a little cat with a very strong sense of boundaries.

Suddenly, a sound came from the door. Wei Yunmo turned to look, and in that instant, even he had not known his feelings could turn into such delighted surprise. "Mr. 39! You're ba..." The words caught in his throat just as abruptly.

39 was drenched from head to toe, radiating cold. His soaked clothes clung to his body, and his face was a little pale. He ignored Wei Yunmo entirely, striding over to his room, yanking the door open, and going inside.

Wei Yunmo followed in a slight panic. "Are you hurt? What's wrong? Are you feeling sick somewhere?..."

With his back to him, 39 took a syringe from the cabinet and pushed up his sleeve, exposing his cold, pale wrist. He pressed against his vein and plunged the needle into it, quickly pushing down the plunger to inject the liquid.

Wei Yunmo heard 39's low, strained panting and saw him gripping a corner of the cabinet tightly to support his body. Blue-green veins stood out on the back of his hand, and water dripped from his silver hair onto the floor.

He looked just as pitiful as the black cat that had been caught in the rain. Perhaps even more so.

Wei Yunmo looked at the syringe discarded on the floor, barely able to hear his own voice. "Mr. 39, what is that?"

39 did not answer. Wei Yunmo went over and picked up the syringe himself, clearly making out the two characters on it.

Wei Yunmo felt his hands shaking.

It was a Super-Strong Painkiller, used for acute, severe pain requiring rapid relief. Long-term use would build tolerance, resulting in greater numbness.

"Mr. 39..."

"Get out."

Xie De finally felt the pain ease a little. He looked up at the little villain standing in the doorway. The little guy had probably been frightened by him and stood there motionless, staring at him.

Helplessly, he repeated himself, pressing his voice low and heavy so that it sounded harsher. "Get out."

The little villain lowered his eyes, still holding his syringe, and finally obediently shut the door and left.

Xie De exhaled, settled for sitting on the floor against the cabinet, took out his phone, and hurled it onto the bed.

"455! I hate you."

Before entering the Instance, he had picked a random little hotel to stay in. After coming out, he had taken the opportunity to charge 455. He had thought it would at least know to show some restraint and not blow up its own host device again, but clearly, he had overestimated it.

After the last charging explosion, Xie De's body had inevitably been left with some lingering effects from the electric shock. His nerves had been damaged, causing occasional pain afterward. It was not especially intense, just rather hard to endure.

He had originally planned to get some ordinary painkillers from the hospital, but apparently, he had run into a doctor with an overactive imagination.

Yes, he still remembered the complicated look in that doctor's eyes. The misunderstanding seemed to have been rather serious. His electrical injuries were not actually as bad as they looked, but the doctor had refused to listen to his explanation and very solemnly prescribed him something high-grade.

Its pain relief was top-notch.

But he had had no use for it!

Fortunately, he had taken it home without using it, so this time it could spare him some suffering.

The icon on the phone screen spun and spun, until 455's guilty voice emerged.

"I'm sorry. I didn't expect this to happen. Are you feeling better now?"

"What do you mean, you didn't expect this? Didn't the exact same thing happen last time? Hiss... It hurts like hell."

"Well..." 455 sounded guilty and hesitant. "Host, I really didn't know this would happen. Maybe your electronic device is too outdated..."

Xie De sneered. "455, do you dare repeat what you just said?"

455 played dead. Then an electronic voice, both familiar and unfamiliar, came from the phone. "Hello, Mr. Xie."

!

What the hell?

Xie De's expression froze. Wait! He seemed to have heard this voice before. Oh, wasn't this the Instance's voice? Holy shit! 455, you little bastard, you were serious! You actually managed to woo it?!

Wait, could the electric current have been caused by the Instance Main System using his phone as a medium to enter the real world?

Good grief. It had followed him here to kill him.

"Mr. Xie?"

The Instance Main System sounded much more polite in reality than it did inside the Instance.

"Uh, hell...o?"

"Hello. Allow me to introduce myself. I am TC730, the Instance's main system. I have come here on 455's recommendation. It told me that you could help me deal with the..."

The Instance Main System paused, as though choosing its words, then said coldly, "Scum in the real world."

Me?

No! 455, what the hell did you promise? What exactly did you go around promising?

TC730 continued, "I hope to work with you, Mr. Xie."