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Qi Lintian's tone was calm, devoid of any discernible emotion or fluctuation, as if he were merely asking casually—yet it sent chills down one's spine.
Ruan Qing froze instantly, every hair on his body standing on end, his entire being screaming at him to run.
But he could barely walk even while leaning against the wall, and the elevator was still some distance away. There was no chance of escape.
Hearing the slow, deliberate footsteps approaching from behind, Ruan Qing's slender frame trembled slightly before he stiffly turned around.
Just as he was about to speak, a hand seized his wrist, and in the next moment, he was pulled into a warm embrace.
Ruan Qing's heart skipped a beat. Even after realizing what had happened, he didn't dare struggle.
"Qi Lintian" looked down at the docile, quiet figure in his arms and repeated his question once more.
"Where do you think you're going?"
His voice was as rich and magnetic as ever, the kind that would normally be a pleasure to listen to—but to Ruan Qing, it only made his scalp prickle with dread.
Forcing himself to stay calm, Ruan Qing tried to treat the man before him as the real Qi Lintian. In a small voice, he answered, "Nowhere... I just heard some noise outside and wanted to check."
It wasn't a particularly convincing excuse, but it was the best he could come up with on the spot.
Qi Lintian stared down at him with an unreadable gaze. After a few seconds, the corners of his lips lifted slightly.
"You've already figured it out, haven't you?"
His tone was casual, almost as if he were merely commenting on the weather.
A barely perceptible tremor ran through Ruan Qing's fingers beneath his sleeves. Feigning ignorance, he blinked up at Qi Lintian with faint confusion in his beautiful eyes.
"...Figured out what?"
"Qi Lintian" hadn't been entirely certain before, but the reaction confirmed it. A low chuckle escaped him, his voice laced with amusement.
"Ah, so you have noticed."
His words left no room for ambiguity—anyone would understand what he meant. There was no pretending otherwise now.
All color drained from Ruan Qing's delicate face. He pressed his lips together tightly, neither speaking nor attempting to break free.
He knew it was pointless.
This man was the Evil God—an existence in this dungeon that no one could oppose.
Without another word, "Qi Lintian" scooped Ruan Qing up into his arms and carried him back to the bed. Then, turning toward the door, he moved to retrieve the water he had set aside earlier.
The System had finally managed to reconnect with Ruan Qing while Qi Lintian was away fetching water—but before the other could even get a single word out, he returned.
The System could only seize the brief moment when Qi Lintian walked away to speak urgently in Ruan Qing's mind: [Take the Demon's Eye—]
Before he could finish, the connection was severed once again.
It wasn't encountering a "god" that cut off their connection - it was encountering an actual fragment of "Him" that disrupted their link.
Not all fragments were equal. Some were merely beings corrupted by His power, while others were genuine parts of Himself.
Authentic extensions.
Like the eye in this instance - it was truly His eye.
The System pressed his lips together tightly, eyes revealing traces of unease and panic.
He was afraid.
Qi Lintian wasn't an ordinary human. He was part of the "Evil God."
When those delusional staff members who had attempted to summon the Evil God found their sunken ship resurfaced, they discovered they'd become immortal, bloodthirsty monsters - and noticed an extra person among them.
That person was Qi Lintian.
Back when Ruan Qing first entered the <Horror Live Stream> dungeon, he had accidentally awakened the Evil God.
But due to restrictions and the instance's suppression, the Evil God couldn't forcibly leave the seabed - His overwhelming power would completely destroy the instance.
Yet He remembered that fleeting figure, desperately wanting to leave the depths to find it. Thus, Qi Lintian came into being.
Qi Lintian possessed a fraction of the Evil God's power, though he remained unaware of it. This was precisely why the System had chosen to attach his fragment to Qi Lintian.
This way, he could either merge with Qi Lintian to obtain part of the Evil God's power, or use that power to protect Ruan Qing.
As time passed, the instance's suppression on NPCs would gradually weaken - including its suppression on the System. Once the suppression lessened sufficiently, he could fully possess Qi Lintian.
What the System hadn't anticipated was that by the third day in the instance, the Evil God had already exploited a loophole and awakened within Qi Lintian.
The current "Qi Lintian" was both the Evil God and the System.
Even with their connection severed, the System still shared senses with Qi Lintian - feeling everything he felt, even his emotions and reactions.
Yet the System remained terrified - terrified that the next time he connected with Ruan Qing, he would find him dead in some dungeon.
It was never just coincidence when someone happened to interrupt at the right moment.
After splitting himself apart, "That One" could no longer control his impulses. Fearing He might harm the person He cherished most, and dreading some irreversible outcome, He had placed restrictions and subconscious commands upon Himself.
Whenever any fragmented aspect of his darker emotions grew too intense, the other fragments would faintly sense it and, guided by subconscious suggestion, would instinctively intervene to prevent anything from happening.
But now, the Demon's Eye had blocked all of this.
The Demon's Eye could shield against all observation, and suppress any emotional resonance.
No one could sense those emotional fluctuations anymore. No one would come to stop what might happen.
Ruan Qing appeared docile and gentle, not one for grand displays of temper, yet he remained exactly as he claimed - proud to his very core.
A pride that ran deep in his bones.
If unwilling, he would rather shatter like jade than yield.
Suppressing his panic, the System mustered all his power to try reconnecting with Ruan Qing.
......
The disconnection had happened too quickly. Ruan Qing only caught five words from the System: "the Demon's Eye..."
These words revealed nothing substantial. What exactly was to be done with the Demon's Eye? Ruan Qing had no way to guess.
Nor did he have time for speculation now.
Seeing the water Qi Lintian held before him, Ruan Qing instinctively reached to take it. But Qi Lintian showed no intention of releasing the cup, merely watching him with detached calm.
Ruan Qing pressed his lips together and looked up at the man before him.
Noticing Ruan Qing's gaze, something like pleasure flickered in "Qi Lintian's" eyes as he tilted his chin slightly, gesturing for Ruan Qing to drink.
A command to drink, yet denying him the cup - the implication was clear. Qi Lintian meant to feed him the water himself.
Leaning against the headboard in a half-reclined position, Ruan Qing stared at the water held so close to him. His lashes fluttered faintly before he finally leaned forward slightly, drinking from Qi Lintian's hand.
"Qi Lintian" lowered his gaze impassively, yet couldn't stop his eyes from tracing the contours of the youth's lips.
Those lips were thin yet perfectly shaped - so exquisite they seemed almost... tantalizing.
As the boy prepared to drink water, his lips parted slightly, revealing a glimpse of soft pink. But before "Qi Lintian" could get a proper look, the boy gently wrapped his lips around the rim of the disposable cup.
That cautious motion looked as though he wasn’t sipping from a cup—but something far more suggestive.
Watching the obedient boy drink, "Qi Lintian" unconsciously tightened his grip on the cup and tilted it slightly.
The angle had been just right before, but this sudden tilt caused the water to pour forward all at once.
Ruan Qing was completely unprepared. His eyes widened as he instinctively tilted his head back, but he couldn’t swallow quickly enough. A large amount of water spilled from the corner of his lips, flowing down his porcelain-like neck and finally soaking into the front of his robes.
Nearly half the cup of water had spilled, instantly drenching the fabric at his chest.
He also choked on the water, coughing uncontrollably while covering his mouth.
"Qi Lintian" felt as if something had struck him straight in the heart. His expression froze for a second, pupils involuntarily dilating.
The boy’s delicate, pale cheeks were flushed a brilliant red from coughing. His eyes shimmered with moisture, the corners tinged with pink, full of discomfort.
And the way the water dripped from his lips and down his neck—it was incredibly suggestive.
Even his lips, wet and glistening from the water, looked more enticing than ever—as if they were begging to be kissed.
"Qi Lintian’s" gaze darkened completely, like a hungry wolf locking onto prey, eyes fixed firmly on Ruan Qing’s lips, as though he might devour him the next moment.
Ruan Qing looked up just as he finished coughing and met "Qi Lintian’s" gaze. Instantly, his skin crawled, and he stiffened where he sat on the bed, too tense to even process his discomfort.
He resisted the urge to cough again, lowering his head to avoid "Qi Lintian’s" aggressive gaze, his whole demeanor fragile—so fragile he seemed like he might shatter at the slightest breeze, stirring an involuntary sense of pity.
But "Qi Lintian" didn’t show mercy. The next moment, a slender hand clamped around his chin, forcefully tilting his head up.
Ruan Qing tried to struggle, but "Qi Lintian’s" grip was firm and left no room for resistance. Instead of turning away, he only hurt himself in the attempt.
Tears welled in his eyes, making them shimmer even more as he was forced to look directly at Qi Lintian.
"Qi Lintian" stared at the boy in front of him—so weak, so unable to resist him—and his gaze became unreadable.
The boy’s usual facade had long since vanished. With his head tilted back, his hair fell away, revealing an exquisitely stunning face—so pale it was almost translucent. His wide, beautiful eyes were filled with confusion and vulnerability, yet all he could do was press his lips together and meet that gaze stiffly, unable to move.
He looked utterly docile - so obedient it seemed you could do anything to him.
And indeed, anything was possible. On this cruise ship, no one could overpower him, nor could anyone take the young man away from him. He could elevate the youth to great heights, or drag him down into the depths of depravity.
Yet "Qi Lintian" did none of these things. He simply gazed quietly at Ruan Qing for several seconds before finally reaching out to gently wipe away the water droplets at the corner of Ruan Qing's mouth with his thumb.
"How could you be so careless? Even drinking water makes you choke."
"Qi Lintian" appeared to have completely forgotten that he himself was the root cause of this situation. His voice overflowed with tenderness, as did his movements. But after wiping Ruan Qing's mouth, his thumb didn't withdraw - instead, it came to rest on Ruan Qing's pale, delicate lips.
The soft, warm sensation against his fingertip, even slightly moist, made "Qi Lintian's" heartbeat stutter, his pupils dilating further. Almost unconsciously, he pressed down slightly, even feeling a wicked urge to part those lips and explore within.
