Chapter 31: The Apple and the Mirror

His words had just fallen when, as if someone had heard him, almost immediately, the familiar ding-dong sound reached the ears of everyone present—a sound that had disappeared for a long time, making people’s eyelids twitch involuntarily.

“You have a new message.”

“Limited-time mission: [Pride’s Gathering]

Mission time: 24H

Recruitment target: All players

Content description: As the master of the Land of Desire Amusement Park, how could one not entertain guests arriving from the new world?

Ghosts have already decorated the venue, ravens carry blood-stained envelopes in their beaks, venomous snakes slither through the shadows, and a new choice is placed before you all.

Pride appreciates those willing to join in and recreate glory.

Through devout prayer, any believer may come to the appointment at the stroke of midnight—”

“Ding, you have received an invitation.

Please choose whether to open it.
[Yes] [No]”

The subsequent content disappeared from the players’ panels.

The Supernatural Management Bureau members present, who were also former players, involuntarily swallowed, biting their lower lips, realizing that only by choosing the [Yes] option could they see how to actually attend the appointment.

But they did not act rashly.

It wasn’t entirely because they were obeying Captain Lou Chen’s orders; some of them had encountered Pride during missions—though only a distant glimpse—but even a child knows one rule taught from childhood: don’t easily accept invitations from others.

No one alive can give a specific description of what happens when making a deal with evil spirits, so they didn’t even have the courage to look at the invitation.

The room fell into silence again, as if one could hear the sound of death-omen ravens circling and flapping their wings overhead.

Among supernatural creatures, there exists a type called vampires.

Just as in folklore, without an invitation from the master, they cannot enter a house.

They disguise themselves as any temptation to get inside and disembowel the owner.

No one knows what would happen at midnight if they clicked that [Yes].

Lou Chen glanced at Yu Ziyu and found him playing with the pendant on his windbreaker as the mission announcement sounded, like a child wearing adult clothes for the first time, showing a curious and pleased expression, occasionally sticking his hand into his pocket to rummage for something.

Finding Lou Chen looking at him, he raised his head and cast a faint glance at him from beneath thick eyelashes, but the gaze was unexpectedly not sharp.

“Not like you,” Lou Chen murmured.

“Because you’re about to die.”

Yu Ziyu said briskly, a hint of scrutiny in his eyes as he looked Lou Chen up and down, then lazily sneered.

“How could I be angry with a dead person?

No matter what happened before, at least now you have no chance to threaten me.”

Lou Chen shook his head.

The next moment, he opened his own player panel and, under everyone’s watch, selected [Yes] on the invitation.

Xiao He, standing nearby, couldn’t see Lou Chen’s player panel, but he could basically guess what the captain had just done.

He involuntarily sucked in a breath, glanced at him, then looked around at the other members, gritted his teeth, and opened his own panel as well.

But just as he was about to press confirm, a pale hand suddenly grabbed his wrist in mid-air.

With a gentle twist, it moved Xiao He’s finger away from its original position.

Startled, he looked up to find Yu Ziyu watching him calmly.

“You don’t need to.”

He released Xiao He’s wrist and said, “I forgot to mention, Pride doesn’t really like too many spectators attending.

If you accept the invitation, he will definitely notice.

That’s not good news.”

No one felt the word “spectator” was used incorrectly.

The reason they were called spectators was because they neither belonged to the category of players Pride had invited, nor to the boss’s camp—they weren’t even considered enemies.

Deep down, they all knew that, to Pride, they simply didn’t qualify.

The girl named Fu Ying gathered her courage and asked, “What if I attended?”

“You would die pointlessly.”

Yu Ziyu said, his voice devoid of emotion, almost flat without a hint of passion.

“It’s best not to challenge his patience.

You’d be causing trouble for Lou Chen, and they would all notice him.”

“So, you mean only I can go,” Lou Chen said.

“Yeah, maybe you’re special in Pride’s eyes.”

Yu Ziyu shrugged, curling his lip as if scoffing at this notion.

“Actually, I don’t know why he wants to bring you along either.

But maybe he needs an audience, and you’re suitable.

Although so far, I haven’t found anything unique about you.”

Lou Chen began browsing the cover of the invitation and said succinctly, “Unfortunately, I don’t feel honored.”

Xiao He thought for a moment, made a few gestures as if closing his player panel, and complied with Yu Ziyu’s arrangement.

Yu Ziyu simply nodded to him without further words: “Thanks for cooperating.”

Faced with this gesture, Xiao He looked at him in surprise, then at his own wrist that had been grabbed.

The skin there was slightly bruised, showing the other hadn’t held back his strength at all.

He rubbed the spot: “Teacher Yu, what’s with you today…?

I thought you didn’t want physical contact at all; before, we didn’t even shake hands…”

“I’m just a bit tired.”

Yu Ziyu hummed, frowning, but actually seemed a little pleased.

“And I thought we were colleagues now.

Turns out we’re not?

That’s surprising.

But this is a special situation, right?”

Seeing his thoughtful expression, Xiao He quickly said, “It’s nothing!

I was just asking casually!”

Having said that, he first subconsciously glanced nervously at Lou Chen, then somewhat shyly looked at Yu Ziyu, deliberately lowering his voice and stammering, “Hearing you say we’re colleagues… um… does that mean our relationship has improved?”

Yu Ziyu gave him a deep, penetrating look, narrowing his eyes suspiciously: “Oh.”

“I know how to enter.”

Lou Chen’s voice sounded beside them, startling Xiao He.

Everyone in the room looked at them.

Yu Ziyu found a chair, pulled it out directly, sat down, propped his chin on his hand.

Unlike his usual expression when enjoying a spectacle, he seemed to just be sitting there bored, playing with his fingers to pass the time.

“At midnight, in front of a mirror, holding an apple in your hand.”

Lou Chen’s voice was taut, his brow deeply furrowed.

“Then the mirror will open an entrance for him, allowing entry into another world.”

“Just like a magic trick,” Yu Ziyu said lazily, but no one laughed.

“Apparition.”

Although it sounded simple, what would actually happen was no simple trick.

“Why an apple?”

Xiao He asked with a strange tone.

“Maybe because he likes eating apples,” Yu Ziyu said listlessly.

Yu Ziyu—or rather, Sloth—slumped onto the table, pulled the hood of his windbreaker up, buried his whole face in his arms, and gently sniffed the familiar scent emanating from the clothes, not stopping his good mood from rising.

He wasn’t particularly enthusiastic about playing the role of his master, but he did enjoy some of the details.

For instance, the clothes he was wearing now were Yu Ziyu’s favorite.

Sloth thought righteously, since he was diligently serving, he deserved something as a reward.

Lou Chen seemed to be giving orders to his team members, but Sloth wasn’t interested.

No matter how they arranged things by then, Yu Ziyu would make everything go according to his plan.

Besides, controlling the development of events wasn’t Sloth’s responsibility.

One of his arms hung naturally by his side.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when suddenly, it was grasped by a pair of hands.

Sloth immediately sat up straight and disgustedly shook off the other’s hand.

It was, of course, Lou Chen’s face—the one he wanted to tear apart when he was a snake.

Lou Chen stepped back, smiled at him, and said in an almost indulgent tone, “You fell asleep.

The meeting’s been over for a while now.”

Though there was a hint of reproach, the tone was full of fondness.

Sloth showed no reaction, but Lou Chen seemed to read something from his face.

His smile quickly disappeared: “You’re planning to go to the appointment.

You’re not at all surprised by how to join Pride’s gathering.

You know what was written in the invitation.”

“You should know my ability.”

Sloth shrugged. “I have to go.

After all, he specifically named me.

I have no choice.”

Lou Chen stared at him for a long moment, his gaze turning cold.

He turned and walked to the door.

Sloth narrowed his eyes, watching his abrupt movement, and noticed Lou Chen’s figure pause in front of the door.

Then, suddenly, he locked it.

The faint click of the lock was very loud in the empty room.

“You know, I did make it to the seventh floor.

I’ve seen all of you.”

Lou Chen’s voice sounded cold.

“You should ask how Jealousy left.

He was injured, and on the surface, he opened up new territory, but actually he’s just hiding in the western part of the city.”

“Oh.”

Sloth laughed with interest.

“What?

Showing off your abilities to me?”

“Where is the real him?”

Lou Chen turned around, facing Sloth.

Behind him was the locked door.

He took a step towards Sloth, an astonishing aura emanating from his body.

“You’ve noticed.”

“You’re not a good actor.

Now, tell me.”

Lou Chen’s voice was like an ice pick; the temperature in the room was dropping.

“You wouldn’t be interested.”

“Just say it, Sloth.”

“He’ll kill me.

You’re not as forgetful as you seem.

I’m dead.”

Being directly named, Sloth was taken aback, muttering to himself as he subconsciously flinched, his face turning pale.

“Oh, master will punish me.”

They both knew who this “he” was—it had to be Pride.

Then, Sloth shrugged, as if he had already accepted this fact.

He paused, glanced sideways at him, and said slowly, “Yu Ziyu is a VIP, so he went ahead.

I think the master is happy to receive the savior first.

He’s fine.

I’m just… how should I put it?

Passing on a message?

You can rest assured.”

Lou Chen glanced at him and said coldly, “Hearing the word ‘rest assured’ from the mouth of a creature like you is truly reassuring.”

He wasn’t as aggressive towards Sloth as he was towards the other bosses because he had encountered this boss before.

He didn’t have any malicious character or disposition; he was just loyal to Pride.

His floor was both the hardest and the easiest to pass—you just needed to overcome inertia.

He didn’t really like killing, which was why Lou Chen hadn’t attacked immediately.

Although he knew Yu Ziyu’s ability to protect himself, the fact that he had actively disappeared made Lou Chen feel things were slipping out of control.

He didn’t know if Pride had made some deal with Yu Ziyu, what that would change… the key was, would Yu Ziyu be in danger?

His heart pounded violently, but conversely, the expression on his face grew increasingly cold.

“I’m finished, but the master should have anticipated this.”

Sloth finally announced.

“But maybe, I can do something now to salvage the situation, to suffer a little less pain.”

Lou Chen subconsciously, following Yu Ziyu’s manner, uttered a sarcastic remark: “I’m glad to hear that.”

But Sloth just looked thoughtful: “I think you’d better get some sleep first.

That would be good for both of us.

I need some time to confess to the master, and you need some time to see clearly which bosses are coming.

It’s a fair suggestion.”

He seemed to know about Lou Chen’s ability to dream.

Lou Chen’s expression froze.

He understood what was happening faster than anyone else, and his body immediately reacted, but Sloth’s movement was faster than his.

Lying in wait seemed to be some kind of instinct for him—

Without any warning, he rapidly transformed into a pool of pus-green liquid, evaporating from the indoor air, completely disappearing from sight in less than half a second.

Every single drop had thoroughly escaped.