Ling Xiao turned his head and caught Ning Su’s gaze. He paused, then averted his eyes to some distant point.
The fingers at his side trembled uncontrollably, inexplicably.
His mind was filled with the image of the boy’s peach-blossom eyes, brimming with sorrow and heartache—clear, glistening, almost forming a tear.
Then someone pressed against his arm, effortlessly settling onto his lap, wrapping their arms around him and nestling against his chest.
Their hearts pressed together, and for the first time, Ling Xiao felt the sensation of a heartbeat in his hollow chest.
The world was too silent. The sound of that pulse felt like the first stirrings of existence, the primordial rhythm that breathed life into the universe.
Ling Xiao stared at the crown of Ning Su’s head, his tone unreadable. "Is this how you usually are—clinging to each other, calling each other ‘little treasure’ or ‘little rose’ like it’s nothing? Disgusting."
Ning Su hummed in agreement. "You’re the one who calls me ‘baby.’ You’d better get used to it. Why not try it now?"
Ling Xiao let out a low chuckle, his hand tightening around a certain spot. "Oh? And where exactly do I call you ‘baby’?"
Ning Su: "?"
Slightly confused, Ning Su replied, "Well... at times like this. When no one’s around."
He looked up at Ling Xiao, but the more he studied him, the more unsettling that smile seemed—dark currents swirling in his eyes, a mockery of the entire world.
The longer he looked, the more Ning Su realized how little he truly knew Ling Xiao. "Just who are you? Why is the system doing this to you?"
The system clung to him like a parasite, yet there was also a hint of fear in its exploitation.
"You want to know?" Ling Xiao’s gaze bore into him. "I could send you to that world to see for yourself."
Ning Su was tempted but refused. "Not now."
Ling Xiao’s fingers traced Ning Su’s cheek, his voice icy. "And this is what you call ‘baby’?"
"I really do want to go," Ning Su said. "But I have to finish this dungeon first. I’ll take you out of here. Take you home."
"Once you’re back in your body, we’ll leave this dungeon together. Then we’ll visit your world."
Ling Xiao withdrew his hand. "I can't leave. The moment I step outside this space, the system will detect me, and all our preparations will be for nothing."
Ning Su said, "Then I'll take this entire space with me."
Ling Xiao glanced at him. "It's already been transferred from the Black Tree Monster into your body."
Ning Su: "..."
He stood up, turning his back to him. "Go."
"I'm letting you leave and not taking back my heart yet because the system wants you dead. The enemy of my enemy is a natural ally."
Ning Su stood as well, spotting a path emerging at the boundary.
After a few steps forward, he turned back to look at Ling Xiao, cloaked entirely in black. "Ling Xiao, with over 95% of your memories intact—do you think it was the future you who sent me back into the game?"
"Maybe."
Ling Xiao walked in the opposite direction.
Ning Su couldn’t see his expression, only the long hair swaying faintly down his back in the windless, silent world, brushing against the dark sleeves of his robe.
"Why?"
"He probably didn’t want your world to be destroyed by the system too."
Only after Ning Su vanished did Ling Xiao turn to look in the empty world.
He had no heart—no real body, either. What encased him, what replaced his body and heart, was this sealed, impenetrable space.
This was his last line of defense, a world both unyielding and fragile. No one could enter; the system couldn’t probe it. Even a wisp of stray memory would be repelled on contact.
Yet for some reason, this boy had walked in without resistance.
When Ning Su emerged, he was at the bottom of the lake.
He swam upward, breaking the surface to the sound of frantic shouts.
"There he is!"
"He’s out! He’s out!"
"Ning Su! Ning Su, over here!"
This was the lake at Qingyi High School.
The tree-like entity that had been hovering over the black cabin in the lake had vanished, and the cabin itself was now in ruins.
By now, the sky was fully bright.
Players by the lakeside were waving at him excitedly, their movements vigorous.
Ning Changfeng couldn’t wait—he jumped straight into the lake to pull him out.
Seeing Ning Changfeng’s reddened eyes again, Ning Su felt a pang of softness in his heart. "Old man, what were you staying up late watching this time? Your eyes are all bloodshot."
Ning Changfeng: "What do you think I was watching? Watching a certain someone show off and play the hero!"
Ning Su: "..."
The lakeside was crowded with people—players, students, teachers—buzzing with noise and energy.
The students chattered excitedly among themselves, while the school administrators sat slumped on the ground, faces pale and defeated. Many of the players still wore expressions of dazed confusion.
After climbing ashore, Ning Su asked Ning Changfeng, "What’s the situation now? Isn’t anyone preparing for the ninth mock exam?"
Ning Changfeng: "What exam? More than twenty of the school’s precious young masters had some kind of episode—screaming in pain, rolling on the ground, some even acting like they’d lost their minds. They were all hauled away by ambulances. Their parents are banding together, demanding answers from the school."
Ning Su immediately understood—it was those twenty-odd students, the ones from influential families who had stolen the memories of the top students.
These students came from powerful backgrounds, backed by formidable connections. The school administrators were probably on the verge of collapse, too overwhelmed to deal with anything else.
Ning Changfeng: "They just announced the cancellation of the ninth mock exam. Students are to review and rest on their own before the college entrance exams in four days."
"I grabbed your exam admission ticket for you. Let’s get out of here."
Amid the chaos, all the players began moving toward the exit.
Ning Su noticed Tang Yichen standing beside Wang Zhiqiu, his eyes red-rimmed.
Wang Zhiqiu’s emotions were still unstable—he had gone from wild elation to tears, a mix of joy, lingering fear, and relief.
Suddenly, Tang Yichen turned his head, his gaze settling on Ning Su as he walked away. He stared for a long time.
Several of the newly recovered students around him followed his line of sight.
Some who didn’t recognize them asked, "Who are they?"
Ning Su saw Tang Yichen watching him—along with the person who had carved words into the desk he’d used for nearly two months.
He raised a fist in encouragement. "Good luck on the exams!"
Lu Yue echoed him: "Good luck! Knock it out of the park!"
The other players chimed in with their own words of encouragement, cheering them on.
"Flow freely and leap into success!"
"Heaven rewards the diligent—your bright future is just ahead!"
"Go, go, go! Charge straight into your dream university!"
Tang Yichen’s eyes grew even redder. He lowered his head, thinking of his deskmate—the one who had tugged at his sleeve and talked to him during those two months when the teacher had been violent toward him. Softly, he murmured, "They’re like our lucky charms for the college entrance examination, aren’t they? This year’s exam is definitely going to go smoothly."
After the strange black rain, Qingyi High School seemed clearer and brighter than ever, the campus brimming with budding vitality and hope.
Not restless energy, but something deeply reassuring.
No more students frantically memorizing vocabulary in terror, their scalps stinging from harsh tugs. Instead, everyone waited quietly for the gaokao to arrive, ready to pour twelve years of hard-earned knowledge onto those solemn, sacred exam papers.
"Ding ling ling!—"
"Examinees, please fill in your name, examination ticket number, and seat number."
Examinee Name: Tang Yichen, Wang Zhiqiu, Wang Yi…
