Chapter 344.2: Horror Cruise (20)

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Bonus chapter! Thank you to JustSomeOne for the donation! ^^

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Qi Lintian’s eyes turned completely dark, and he emanated an aura of extreme danger.

Ruan Qing could tell something was very wrong. Afraid that Qi Lintian might speak despite the nearby monster, he instinctively tried to cover Qi Lintian’s mouth.

But Qi Lintian was faster. His grip on Ruan Qing’s chin tightened slightly, and in a swift motion, he pinned Ruan Qing against the wall and lowered his head to kiss him.

Ruan Qing’s body stiffened. He instinctively tried to struggle, but he couldn’t—Qi Lintian’s grip on his chin held him firm, and the wall behind him left no room to retreat, let alone resist further.

After a few moments of futile struggle, Ruan Qing gave up and allowed Qi Lintian to kiss him.

But Qi Lintian wasn’t satisfied with just a simple kiss. He applied more pressure to Ruan Qing’s jaw, forcing him to open his mouth in pain. Qi Lintian then took the opportunity to slip his tongue between Ruan Qing’s teeth, licking and sucking with a possessive, domineering intensity, as if determined to conquer every corner of Ruan Qing’s mouth.

The suddenness of it all made Ruan Qing’s eyes fly wide open, pupils contracting. It wasn’t until something unfamiliar invaded his mouth that he truly reacted. In a panic, he reached up to push Qi Lintian away.

But Qi Lintian was much stronger. Ruan Qing couldn’t budge him. And with his chin restrained, he couldn’t even clench his jaw.

Add to that the monster not far away—he couldn’t afford to struggle too forcefully.

Meanwhile, the livestream chat was completely exploding.

[Damn it! I just wanted you to stand up, not stand up like that! Let go of my wife right now!!!]

[Aaaahhh! Who do you think you are?! What gives you the right to kiss my wife?! We wanted a love triangle drama, not for you to start making out with my wife! Let go!]

[Wife, please kill him! I can’t take it—what right does this damn man have to kiss my wife? He’s just a dumped sugar daddy! Bastard! Taking advantage when someone’s vulnerable, you scumbag!]

Just as the livestream chat was exploding in rage, the screen suddenly went black. Only a flood of comments remained—no image, no sound at all.

“Mm…”  

Qi Lintian's kiss was merciless, carrying an overwhelming force, rough and dominating, completely depriving Ruan Qing of air.  

Ruan Qing was nearly suffocating. The lack of oxygen made the corners of his eyes flush red, and fresh tears streamed down his cheeks once again.  

He weakly reached out to push Qi Lintian away, trying to break free.  

But he didn’t have the strength—it was like trying to move a mountain. There was no way he could push Qi Lintian off.  

Only when Qi Lintian, in a rare show of mercy, loosened his grip slightly, did Ruan Qing get a chance to breathe.  

But it was only a little.  

Qi Lintian looked down at the stunning boy in his arms. The boy’s long lashes were soaked with tears, trembling softly like feathers. The light and shadow under his eyes created a breathtaking beauty. At the moment, he was clinging to Qi Lintian helplessly, gasping for breath.  

Probably afraid of drawing the monster’s attention, even his breathing was restrained—carefully stifled—yet it only made it all the more provocative.  

As if he were holding back some kind of pleasure.  

On top of that, from the aggressive kissing, the boy’s lips had turned a rosy red—like a ripe cherry, impossibly beautiful.  

Qi Lintian’s eyes darkened again as he leaned in for another kiss.  

Unlike the previous one, this kiss was filled with tenderness, though still commanding and impossible to resist.  

Ruan Qing’s breath was once again stolen away. But now, he didn’t even have the strength to push Qi Lintian away. He could only passively accept everything Qi Lintian gave.  

When Ruan Qing was once more on the verge of passing out, Qi Lintian finally pulled back slightly, giving him a breath of air. Then, without pause, he lowered his head again and kissed Ruan Qing’s neck.  

Feeling the burning heat against his skin, Ruan Qing’s body tensed. He instinctively turned his head to avoid it.  

But Qi Lintian didn’t give him the chance. Holding the back of Ruan Qing’s head, he leaned down and kissed him again—right on the lips.

"Mmm..."  

The kiss lasted an eternity—long enough for Ruan Qing's strength to drain away, leaving him powerless to resist. Pressed against the wall with his back to Qi Lintian, he could only submit to the relentless assault on his lips.  

When Qi Lintian’s mouth trailed to his neck, Ruan Qing had no energy left to evade. His head fell back in helpless surrender, yielding entirely to the other man’s whims.  

His breathing was ragged, his pulse chaotic.  

Outside, monsters roamed, their victims’ screams occasionally piercing the air—yet none of it breached the world behind the curtains.  

That space existed in eerie isolation.  

Ruan Qing’s uniform jacket hung open, revealing the white dress shirt beneath—his own, not part of the disguise. The top two buttons had been undone all along, though the high-zipped jacket had concealed them.  

Now his neck bore a constellation of marks, each a lurid testament to Qi Lintian’s hunger. The effect was obscene, as was the glaze of helpless arousal on Ruan Qing’s face—a sight to unravel anyone’s restraint, even with death lurking beyond the fabric.  

As Qi Lintian’s teeth tugged at his shirt’s third button, Ruan Qing gazed down through half-lidded eyes and spoke coldly in his mind:  

'System. Tell your avatar to behave.'

Silence. As if the System didn’t exist—or was willfully ignoring him.  

'Playing dead?' His mental voice sharpened. 'Fine.'  

'Don’t regret this later.'  

The System finally responded, his usual monotone frayed with something darker: [Can’t stop. This dungeon’s rules restrict direct possession. Only subtle influence is possible.]  

That explained why Qi Lintian kept appearing—timely rescues engineered through faint nudges.  

But those nudges were useless now.  

[If I were in his place,] the System admitted hoarsely, [I wouldn’t stop either.]  

A beat. Then, almost ruefully:  

[Just kill him if you have to.]  

Ruan Qing: "..."  

Ruan Qing naturally couldn’t actually kill Qi Lintian. Before encountering him directly, he hadn’t realized this man was the System’s avatar—but now that he knew, outright killing him wasn’t an option.  

His long eyelashes fluttered slightly as he stared at the man before him. Just as he was about to feign fainting, footsteps echoed from outside.  

These weren’t the footsteps of a monster.  

Monsters dragged their feet heavily, their movements accompanied by the sound of dripping liquid. But these footsteps were crisp and clean—the distinct sound of leather shoes against the floor.  

Whoever was outside was human. And more than one.  

Players? Or the cruise staff?  

He soon got his answer. It was the lead staff member, followed by… Lin Zhiyan.  

Damn it.  

If Lin Zhiyan saw him and Qi Lintian like this, neither of them would leave the eighth floor alive today.  

There’d be no chance to explain, either. The marks on his lips and neck made what had happened painfully obvious.  

Ruan Qing stiffened, not daring to move a muscle.  

***  

The eighth floor sat in the middle of the ship—neither strictly a guest area nor an entertainment zone, but a restricted operations level with few places to hide. Hardly anyone lingered here for long.  

The monster, too, had long since vanished. The entire floor was now eerily silent, save for the approaching footsteps and the murmur of conversation.  

The lead staff member followed behind Lin Zhiyan, his expression blank as he spoke. "Mr. Lin, shutting down the entire permission system seems… risky. Even we won’t be safe."  

Lin Zhiyan didn’t pause. "Oh?" His tone was indifferent. "Are you saying you can’t handle a little danger?"  

The staff member’s eyes darkened. He could handle it, of course—but that fragile boy couldn’t.  

That young man was just an ordinary college student—delicate, helpless, likely never even been in a fight, let alone faced these horrors.  

Yet when he’d returned to the room earlier, the boy had vanished.  

With the ship’s permission system still active, it wouldn’t have been so bad. The boy had taken his access card, after all, and still carried the one Lin Zhiyan had given him. Anywhere above the sixth floor would’ve been relatively safe; the monsters rarely reached those levels.  

But if the ship's security system were completely disabled, the monsters would have free rein. There would be no safe places left on the cruise ship, nowhere left for the young man to hide.  

If he encountered those grotesque creatures in such a state—completely defenseless—the outcome would be unthinkable.  

At that point, summoning the evil god might be the only way to bring him back.  

And even that was no guarantee. They had attempted countless summoning rituals already, yet never received even the slightest response from the deity. All they had achieved was transforming themselves into complete monstrosities.  

Perhaps one day in the distant future they might finally succeed—but he couldn't wait that long. He couldn't endure another second of existence without that young man.  

Even his former fanatical obsession with summoning the evil god had inexplicably faded.  

The lead crew member didn't refute Lin Zhiyan's words. Instead, he met the other's gaze coldly. "You know perfectly well, Mr. Lin—we're already in the eye of the storm. This isn't just 'a little' dangerous."  

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