Chapter 33#
The man’s voice came through the special mask, somewhat distorted.
Yet Zhao Hang’s heartstrings trembled inexplicably.
He turned his head sharply to look at the newcomer.
What came into view was a small patch of fair, clean skin on the back of the man’s neck and jet-black, soft short hair.
The eerie sense of familiarity vanished instantly.
This inexplicable feeling came and went in a flash. By the time his mind had settled slightly, Zhao Hang still hadn’t figured out which old acquaintance he had been reminded of in that brief moment.
—After all, among the people he knew, there didn’t seem to be anyone who could kill without batting an eye.
When the white mist dissipated, the more than twenty people who had been so intent on capturing Zhao Hang had vanished without a trace, leaving only four warm corpses on the ground.
As the tension faded, Zhao Hang’s mind gradually steadied, and he began to seriously observe the man who had suddenly appeared and saved him from danger.
This person bore the number D066. He was wrapped up tightly from head to toe—protective suit, jacket, boots, gloves—not a single piece missing. Even the protective mask was a half-head style, with only a small patch of cold-white skin visible on the back of his neck when he slightly lowered his head.
He sure doesn’t worry about dying of heatstroke.
Aside from that, his physique was excellent—broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs. He looked to be nearly 1.9 meters tall, a centimeter or two taller than Zhao Hang.
In his hand, he held a pitch-black pistol, standing straight and upright with a cold, stern demeanor. The whole person looked like a seasoned killer, and he didn’t seem inclined to speak first.
Zhao Hang moved his right hand slightly and reminded him, “Are you planning to hold on until the end of time?”
Only then did D066 release Zhao Hang’s hand.
He took a step back and explained, “Was going to take you and run.”
His voice was very low, and his tone was somewhat taut. If one listened carefully, it was easy to detect the tension in his voice.
But Zhao Hang was too busy pondering the other implications of his words—
He had planned to take him and run, but it turned out he didn’t need to, because these people were far weaker than expected.
Zhao Hang raised an eyebrow.
Tsk. This guy might seem low-key, but his heart is quite arrogant.
Though, to be fair, he certainly looked like he had the right to be arrogant.
Zhao Hang looked at his pure black mask and sincerely expressed his gratitude: “Thank you for saving me just now. If it weren’t for you, I’d probably be tied to a frame and sliced into a thousand pieces by now.”
D066 said nothing, nor did he make any move.
Yet Zhao Hang inexplicably felt that the man’s murderous aura had grown even stronger.
Zhao Hang observed the man before him again and spoke slowly, “But… why did you save me? Because of the Blue Aurora Blessing?”
Zhao Hang had initially thought he had saved him in order to monopolize the mission reward for the Blue Aurora Blessing.
But thinking about it, that didn’t seem quite right either.
The Blue Aurora Blessing entertainment mission was worth 50 points.
Yet D066 had just killed four people without blinking.
Total value: 160 points.
If it was for the mission reward, that would be far too great a loss.
Unless he wasn’t after the mission reward, but the Blue Aurora Blessing itself.
Zhao Hang sighed, his tone helpless and regretful: “Sorry, I really have no idea when or where I received the Blue Aurora Blessing. I’m from Group F, from the Underground. Before today, I didn’t even know what the Blue Aurora Blessing was… If I ever find out the truth, I’ll be sure to tell you first.”
He thought for a moment and then made a suggestion: “Or, if you know of any way to transfer the Blue Aurora Blessing, you can tell me. I’m willing to transfer my Blue Aurora Blessing to you.”
The Blue Aurora Blessing was certainly good.
But Zhao Hang disliked owing strangers any favors for no reason, especially a life-saving debt this great.
Yet D066 paused for a moment, then spoke: “I don’t want it.”
“You don’t want the Blue Aurora Blessing?” Zhao Hang was a bit surprised. “Then what do you want?”
D066: “You.”
Zhao Hang was taken aback.
D066: “I need a teammate.”
D066’s words were far too brief. Zhao Hang had to guess at his meaning and asked incredulously, “You want me to be your teammate?”
D066 nodded.
Zhao Hang: “Why?”
D066: “You are very strong.”
It was a straightforward compliment, with no extra adjectives.
Yet Zhao Hang’s heart gave a heavy thump, and his mood turned cheerful.
Mm, this guy has some good judgment.
D066 looked at him.
His mask was pitch-black, and Zhao Hang couldn’t even tell where his eyes were on his face, yet he could somehow sense the serious emotion behind the mask.
D066 asked him, “Are you willing?”
How could he not be willing?
This man had not only saved his life but also clearly looked like a hidden powerhouse.
Good aim, good judgment, kills without blinking, and has deep pockets.
And he had taken the initiative to ask Zhao Hang to be his teammate.
Only a fool would refuse.
Zhao Hang took a deep breath and said solemnly, “I am willing.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Zhao Hang suddenly felt something was off.
Just then, the familiar electronic voice sounded again from the nearby electronic board.
【Viewer “No one can stop me from shipping pure love in F101” sends a promise firework to F101. Please, F101, look up at the sky.】
What the hell?
Zhao Hang instinctively looked up at the sky.
In the slightly dim sky, a beautiful pink electronic firework suddenly bloomed.
Then, words appeared in the air—
【Wishing F101 and D066 a hundred years of happy union, everlasting and eternal.】
Zhao Hang: …
Zhao Hang turned to look at the electronic board, only to find it covered with all sorts of nonsense.
“Ahhhhhhhh! ‘I am willing,’ ‘I want you’—what kind of devilish dialogue is this?!”
“Wishing them 99!”
“Crying. These two just standing there is like a painting. They match so well! Who gets it?!”
“Although… could they please not talk about love while standing next to corpses…”
“Little brother L has ultimately been let down. He’s probably crying in a corner right now.”
“D066 is so handsome, so handsome, so handsome! How can a man wrapped up this tightly still be this handsome?!”
“Kneeling. What kind of charm does F101 have? How does he match with anyone he’s paired with?! Whether it’s little L, who tipped with a loan, or this D066, who descended like a divine soldier…”
Zhao Hang looked away in exasperation.
What is all this?
Does this barrage have some grudge against him? Why do they always imagine he’s gay?!
Fortunately, D066 merely glanced at the barrage and looked away, seemingly unfazed.
He seemed to be a staunch straight man too.
Zhao Hang felt relieved.
Zhao Hang extended his hand toward D066: “Hello, new teammate. Let me formally introduce myself. My name is Zhao Hang. You can just call me by my name from now on.”
D066 hesitated for a moment, then shook Zhao Hang’s hand. His voice was a bit tense: “I’ll tell you my name later.”
Zhao Hang understood.
After all, as a cold, merciless, taciturn killer boss, a name like that would involve too many enemies. It must not be something easily disclosed.
D066’s handshake with Zhao Hang was very light, almost cautious, but he let go very slowly, as if reluctant.
Zhao Hang didn’t pay attention to these details.
He turned around, scanned the four corpses on the ground, and a gleeful smile gradually spread across his face.
Five minutes later, all the weapons and equipment from the corpses had been scavenged by Zhao Hang.
Zhao Hang spread the high-grade equipment that looked tempting and desirable onto the ground and divided the spoils with D066: “You pick first.”
D066 took a box of bullets and then stopped.
Zhao Hang was stunned: “…There are still so many good things here. You don’t want them all?”
D066: “All for you.”
Zhao Hang: “…”
His teammate was so self-effacing that he suddenly didn’t know what to do.
But thinking about it, D066 was a rich boss who had invested capital without blinking—spending 160 points like it was nothing—so he must not lack these things.
Thus, Zhao Hang began to carefully select and completely upgrade his own arsenal.
Of course, among all the weapons, his favorite was still Su Ye’s laser gun.
The laser gun had terrified him so much back then, yet now it pleased him just as much.
However…
Zhao Hang suddenly noticed that the laser gun was faintly flashing red—almost out of power.
Zhao Hang muttered to himself, “How do you charge this thing?”
As he spoke, he went back to searching Su Ye’s belt, trying to find some charging device inside, but found nothing.
At that moment, D066 also crouched down beside him.
“Don’t bother looking. She doesn’t have one on her,” Zhao Hang said regretfully.
Maybe this laser gun, though powerful, was a one-time consumable.
But D066 didn’t say anything. He just reached out and touched Su Ye’s arm.
D066’s metallic gloves were pure black, with soft metal embedded in the fingertips, wrapping his fingers in a long, elegant shape.
Now, those elegant hands stopped at the position of Su Ye’s right wrist.
D066 picked up a dagger from the ground and gently slit open Su Ye’s arm.
Then he took out a metal ball from inside.
This metal ball also had eight tiny tentacles like an octopus’s arms, all of which had wilted, as if they had lost their nutrient supply.
D066 wiped the metal ball clean with a handkerchief and handed it to Zhao Hang for a look.
Zhao Hang understood his meaning: “This is the charger?”
D066 nodded.
Zhao Hang picked up the “charger” and examined it, roughly understanding its function.
This thing, when placed inside the body, should have some function of modifying the human body.
The tentacles were used to absorb energy from the flesh and blood, storing it in the metal ball and converting it into the “electricity” used by the laser gun.
Normally, as long as Su Ye held the gun in her right hand, the laser gun would have an endless supply of power.
Zhao Hang disdainfully put down the metal ball, thought for a moment, then tossed aside the useless laser gun as well.
How perverse these surface humans were.
They were willing to do things like this just to become stronger.
Zhao Hang strapped on as many usable weapons as possible, looked up toward the beach, and said, “Let’s go. Since we’re already here, we might as well check out the bionic human’s charging station.”
Zhao Hang took two steps forward but noticed D066 hadn’t followed.
The pitch-black mask completely covered his face; all Zhao Hang could see was that his head was turned toward Su Ye’s direction.
Zhao Hang called out to him, “Six-six, what are you thinking about? Snap out of it.”
D066 was taken aback for a moment before he realized Zhao Hang was calling him. He caught up with Zhao Hang and walked forward: “Thinking about the laser gun.”
“Thinking about the laser gun? Do you want one too?”
D066 nodded and answered frankly, “Want to give it to you.”
Zhao Hang almost tripped over a wooden stake at his feet.
Damn it!
Was it him who had a problem, or D066?!
Why did this conversation feel so gay?
He turned his head, and the barrage on the electronic board beside him was, as expected, full of “wishing them 99” and “I’m shipping them.”
Zhao Hang: “…”
Zhao Hang looked helplessly at D066. If he hadn’t known D066 wasn’t that kind of person, he would almost have suspected the man was deliberately pandering to the camera by engaging in fan service.
Zhao Hang: “I appreciate the sentiment, but I don’t need it. Whatever I want, Zhao Hang always gets it himself.”
One of the rewards for the first main mission was a laser gun, after all.
Arriving at the beach, Zhao Hang looked at the charging station before him and his expression turned serious.
To be honest, Zhao Hang couldn’t see anything suspicious about this charging station.
It was about 20 cm tall and had a long charging cable attached, suitable for almost all robots on the market. It looked very ordinary.
The only special thing was that the ground around the charging station had already been dug up by others.
And surrounding the charging station were countless small monitors, allowing others to remotely monitor the scene from inside the White Tower and find bionic humans trying to charge.
Seeing no other useful information, Zhao Hang looked up at the sun, which was gradually moving westward, and squinted: “The sun is about to set. We need to get back to the White Tower as soon as possible.”
He frowned: “I heard that Yinling’er will appear after sunset. I wonder what kind of creature this Yinling’er is?”
Logically speaking, as Zhao Hang’s teammate and an experienced surface human, D066 should have taken the initiative at this moment to pick up on Zhao Hang’s words and explain what “Yinling’er” was.
But D066’s persona was that of a taciturn cool guy; if he could avoid speaking, he would never say a word. Right now, he just stood silently beside Zhao Hang, like a tall black sculpture.
Zhao Hang glanced at the man beside him who was even cooler than himself and patted him on the shoulder: “Let’s go, buddy.”
To avoid any accidents, both of them quickened their pace and moved swiftly.
The closer they got to the White Tower, the more they could see countless contestants racing toward it at top speed.
One poor guy, who had lost his right foot, was even hopping on one leg with unwavering determination, desperately jumping toward the White Tower.
Zhao Hang turned his head and saw that the sun had already set about a third of the way.
Surrounded by the panicked atmosphere of the other contestants fleeing for their lives, Zhao Hang couldn’t help but feel tense. He grabbed D066’s hand and strode briskly toward the White Tower.
Both of them were tall with long legs. Even after traveling such a distance, they showed no signs of fatigue. Within five or six minutes, they had reached the entrance of the White Tower.
The White Tower had one main gate and three side gates, requiring everyone to queue up to enter.
But the line shortened very quickly, roughly one person per second, without any delay.
As long as you had your room card, everyone could get in.
“F101, pass.”
The robot guard opened the glass door, let Zhao Hang in, then turned to look at D066.
D066 searched his belt for a while before finding his room card.
It was the cheapest six-person dormitory card.
Zhao Hang was a bit surprised.
He had thought that with this person’s lavish, kill-without-blinking behavior, he must be a wealthy player who had charged millions into his card before entering the game. He didn’t expect him to be staying in the cheapest room.
Had he made a mistake in purchasing?
But it didn’t matter. Once D066 entered the White Tower, Zhao Hang could invite him to share his luxurious single room.
However, curiously, the robot guard did not take his room card to scan the information. Instead, it scanned the number on D066’s body and said in a flat tone: “D066, you killed four contestants today and have been deducted 160 points. Is that correct?”
D066: “Yes.”
Robot: “Your personal score is negative 158 points. Are you aware of this?”
Zhao Hang was stunned.
This person… when he killed those four people, he didn’t even have enough points on him?!
—Then how dared he?!
Not only Zhao Hang, but even the contestants queuing at other passages stared over in shock.
The nearest electronic board was instantly flooded with a barrage of comments.
The screen was full of astonishment.
The robot began reciting the regulations in a completely emotionless tone: “『F101』 is a game designed to promote harmonious coexistence and mutual assistance between the two races. In this game, all who take a life will have points deducted. Those with negative points will receive due punishment. Punishment one: exile, expulsion from the White Tower. Punishment two: hunted down across the entire island.”
The robot suddenly took out a large, bright red stamp and pressed it onto the number on D066’s jacket.
The next second, the island-wide broadcast sounded again.
“Full island bulletin: D066, due to excessive killing, has a negative score. His crime value is 158. He is expelled from the brave team. All other braves are requested to eliminate evil and promote good by hunting him down. Reward for elimination: 158 points—”
All the contestants in line became excited and thrilled. Some were already flushed with enthusiasm, raising their pistols and pointing them at D066’s forehead.
Zhao Hang’s heart was suspended in that instant. He almost wanted to smash the door and rush out.
The broadcast continued: “Mission start time: after sunrise tomorrow.”
Many people disappointedly lowered their guns.
Zhao Hang felt a warmth in his right ear as he overheard distant chatter.
“What are you getting excited about? Haven’t you learned anything from all the previous seasons of the show? Whenever this happens, they always throw the person out to feed the Yinling’er first, and only the next day do we get our turn…”
“This is 158 points! I got carried away in the moment—it’s only natural…”
Zhao Hang’s fingers gripped the crack of the glass door, staring blankly at D066.
D066 was still dressed in all black, but the red stamp on his chest was so glaringly conspicuous.
The stamp bore only one character—“Sin.”
D066 lifted his head to look in Zhao Hang’s direction.
He stood there frozen for about three seconds.
Then he turned and walked away.
He didn’t even say goodbye to Zhao Hang.
Zhao Hang tapped on the glass door and shouted his number loudly, but D066 didn’t look back. Instead, he slipped into the woods ahead and disappeared without a trace.
The sun quickly set.
The last person in line also entered the White Tower.
The glass door turned pitch-black.
Zhao Hang clutched his room card in his hand, his face dark and gloomy as he took the elevator back to his room.
Zhao Hang checked into the most luxurious single room on the seventh floor.
The single room, worth 20 points per night, had an area of a full 100 square meters. The layout consisted of one bedroom, one living room, one kitchen, and one bathroom. The fridge in the kitchen was even stocked with fresh fruits and vegetables, and the bedroom had a direct connection to the balcony.
But Zhao Hang had no interest in admiring the luxurious layout.
He swiped his room card, slammed the door hard behind him, and then kicked over a wooden chair beside him in barely contained fury.
Damn it!
What cool guy? What rich boss? What big shot?
D066 was just a goddamn idiot!
An idiot just like Luo Mingshan!
Zhao Hang didn’t know why he had suddenly lumped D066 and Luo Mingshan together to curse.
They were clearly two completely different people.
One was so silent he never spoke more than ten words at a time; the other was such a chatterbox Zhao Hang had to put him on mute.
One could kill four people without changing his expression; the other was cowardly, timid, and weak.
But when he learned that D066, clearly knowing he had no points, still unhesitatingly helped him kill those four people—
The first image that popped into his mind was Luo Mingshan giving him a hundred million, only to be sent for electroshock because his repentance value was insufficient.
Zhao Hang didn’t understand—
Why did he always meet people this stupid?
Stupid enough to make him care deeply.
Zhao Hang ruffled his hair in frustration, wanting to kill someone.
Just then, a gentle breeze blew in, disrupting Zhao Hang’s thoughts.
Zhao Hang paused, looked up, and turned toward the direction the breeze came from.
—So this room actually had a balcony.
The balcony was semi-enclosed, fitted with round, fist-sized ventilation openings.
Zhao Hang walked onto the balcony and looked outside.
The sun had set faster than he had imagined. Just moments ago, the horizon was still painted with the gorgeous colors of sunset. Now, the sun had completely sunk, leaving only a thin line of brightness on the western edge. The rest of the sky had turned into a deep blue, almost black.
But strangely, even though it was this dark, Zhao Hang could spot D066, dressed completely in black, at first glance.
D066 stood under a tree downstairs, looking up at him.
Even though his entire face was covered by the black mask, Zhao Hang was inexplicably certain that he was looking at him.
The moment their eyes met, D066 suddenly lowered his head.
But less than a second later, he raised his head again, looking back at Zhao Hang.
The wind stirred his fine hair. Streetlights stretched his shadow long.
Zhao Hang couldn’t see his face, had never even seen his features.
Yet at that moment, he discerned clearly—
—That man was smiling, relaxed and carefree.
“Snap!”
Without warning, Zhao Hang drew his pistol and shot the glass in front of him.
The glass shattered. Half fell inside the room, and the other half cascaded down to the ground below.
D066 didn’t retreat; instead, he anxiously stepped forward.
Zhao Hang roughly gathered some things from inside the room, then took out a compressed low-altitude parachute, stuck it onto his back, closed his eyes, and jumped off the balcony!
The seventh floor was still too low. The wind howled past his ears. It wasn’t until he was almost touching the ground that the parachute reluctantly opened, barely slowing Zhao Hang’s descent—but not enough—
“Thud!”
Zhao Hang fell into a cold, hard embrace.
The powerful impact sent the man tumbling with him in a roll on the ground.
The cool guy, who never spoke more than ten words, now could barely hold onto his persona, his voice frantic: “How dare you jump from this height—”
“Oh.”
Zhao Hang cut him off, stood up from the ground, and brushed the dust off his clothes.
He looked at D066, raised an eyebrow, and smiled boldly and handsomely: “I figured my teammate would definitely catch me.”
D066 looked up at him, almost dazed.
After a moment.
D066 regained his original calm, taciturn demeanor.
He stood up, brushed the dust off himself, and asked Zhao Hang, “You, why, come out?”
“To keep you company,” Zhao Hang said quickly, cutting off D066 before he could speak again. “My turn to ask. You, a pauper with only two points to your name, how did you dare to kill people to save me today?”
D066 was silent for a while before answering in a low voice, “I forgot.”
The moment he saw Zhao Hang, he forgot everything.
Zhao Hang: “Forgot what? Forgot that killing deducts points, or that negative points lead to punishment?”
D066: “Both.”
Zhao Hang didn’t know why, but he secretly breathed a sigh of relief inside.
So it was because he didn’t understand the game rules that he had done something wrong.
Yeah, there was only one idiot like Luo Mingshan in the world.
Zhao Hang: “You’re a surface human, and you forgot something this important. Don’t tell me you’ve never watched 『F101』 before?”
D066 shook his head.
Zhao Hang: “…”
Zhao Hang: “Then… you don’t know what Yinling’er is either, do you?”
D066 shook his head again.
Zhao Hang: “…”
Come on, what happened to that killer boss from the first meeting who said little and did much?!
Now he was starting to think this guy was a bit of a fool.
Zhao Hang took a deep breath: “I don’t know either, but don’t be afraid. No matter what it is, I’ll face it with you.”
Regardless of whether D066 had made a mistake that led to his exile and being hunted, it was still because he had saved Zhao Hang.
Zhao Hang couldn’t just abandon him.
D066 suddenly stepped forward.
His arms slightly opened, as if wanting to embrace Zhao Hang, but then, as if remembering something, they halted awkwardly in midair.
Zhao Hang, however, understood his intention well.
He smiled, opened his arms, and gave D066 a big hug, saying cheerfully, “No need to thank me. From now on, we’re brothers. Brothers should treat each other with complete sincerity.”
D066 said nothing. He silently held Zhao Hang tighter and gently rested his chin on Zhao Hang’s shoulder.
One second passed.
Five seconds passed.
Thirty seconds passed.
Wait, wasn’t this hug lasting a bit too long?
But D066 still held him tightly, showing no sign of letting go.
Zhao Hang pushed him away, pulled out a pistol from his pocket, and said with a bright smile, “Let’s go! Let’s find a place to rest first and see what kind of monster this Yinling’er really is.”
D066 lowered his head and followed.
Cutting through the small woods near the White Tower, a beautiful lake soon appeared shimmering before Zhao Hang, with a small cave nearby that looked like a great resting spot.
“Let’s check out the cave.”
As he spoke, Zhao Hang instinctively pulled out a portable flashlight from his pocket.
He had taken this from the single room.
After all, for a Underground human like Zhao Hang, a flashlight was an essential item he could never be without. Even after arriving on the surface, he hadn’t changed this habit.
The flashlight emitted a not-too-strong white light, illuminating every corner of the cave.
Mm, it was fairly clean.
If he collected some grass, it would be barely passable for a night’s sleep.
It felt like a scene from an ancient Earth human era in a documentary.
Zhao Hang found it novel and was quite satisfied.
The beam of the flashlight moved from the left side of the cave to the right.
Suddenly, Zhao Hang felt something flash before his eyes.
He paused, then slowly moved the flashlight beam to the center of the cave.
And then—
He saw a “woman” with black hair and a white dress, floating in midair.
The woman lifted her head, her crimson lips slowly moving as she stretched into a smile.
Then her mouth suddenly opened wide, revealing a row of gleaming white teeth, with sticky blood stains between them. She lunged straight at Zhao Hang!
Zhao Hang’s heart stopped instantly!
Ah—
A ghost!
Zhao Hang frantically pulled the trigger on his gun, but he saw with his own eyes the bullets pass straight through the woman’s body, hitting the wall behind her.
The woman cackled, opened her gaping, bloody mouth, and was about to bite down on Zhao Hang’s head—
Zhao Hang turned around, closed his eyes, and instinctively hugged the pitch-black D066 tightly beside him.
Ahhhhhhhh!
A ghost—
The Yinling’er was actually a ghost!!!!
As his mind reeled, Zhao Hang felt himself being pressed firmly into someone’s arms.
D066 looked up at the white creature before him.
With one hand, he firmly held the person in his arms. With the other, he reached out toward the Yinling’er.
He caught it.
The Yinling’er, its neck seized, pupils dilated, body trembling, its expression gradually turned to terror and fear.
At the same time, a dazzling, ethereal, brilliant white light emerged from every part of D066’s body.
Like a deity.
This time, the Yinling’er didn’t even struggle.
Though D066 exerted no visible force, the Yinling’er in his hand lost its life. It gradually turned transparent and finally dissolved into silvery-gray specks of light, vanishing into the air.
D066 looked at his now empty hand and tilted his head slightly.
Hmm?
So this was the strange and dangerous power of the surface?
Seemed nothing special.