Chapter 27: An “accident” at night

Zhuo hesitated for a moment but still walked toward the door.

“Come in.”

White Rabbit pushed the door open, holding a cup of hot milk in her hands.

Her maid outfit today seemed tighter than usual, the lace edges glowing softly under the light.

Fan Zhuo noticed that her movements were stiffer than normal, and those sapphire-blue electronic eyes dared not meet his gaze directly.

Was White Rabbit… shy?

He had to admit, this doll’s shy appearance was surprisingly cute.

“Lord Fan Zhuo, I’ve prepared some milk for you before bed.”

White Rabbit gently placed the cup on the bedside table, her voice softer than usual.

“I added honey and a bit of cinnamon powder; it helps with sleep.”

As she spoke, her silver short hair draped over both cheeks, hiding most of her face and revealing only a delicate chin and slightly flushed lips.

“Thank you.”

Fan Zhuo took the cup; the warm sensation reminded him of the temperature his body had sensed from White Rabbit during today’s “Maintenance Check.”

Instantly, a subtle silence filled the room.

White Rabbit stood by the bedside, hands folded in front of her, her slender fingers nervously twisting the lace on her apron.

She seemed like she wanted to say something but didn’t know how to begin.

“Um… about this afternoon’s…”

Fan Zhuo broke the silence first.

“This afternoon’s…” White Rabbit almost spoke at the same time.

“Ah!”

White Rabbit’s body shivered slightly, a faint blush instantly coloring her cheeks.

“Lord Fan Zhuo, you mean… the Maintenance Check?”

Her voice trembled, sounding both nervous and expectant.

“Yes, I wanted to ask if your system showed any abnormalities.”

Fan Zhuo tried to make his tone sound professional.

“System status…”

White Rabbit lowered her head; her voice grew even softer.

“The detection results show that energy conversion efficiency has greatly improved, all indicators have reached… optimal state, very comfortable…”

She paused, secretly glanced at Fan Zhuo, then quickly looked down again.

“It’s just… some new Perception Modules have been activated, and I might need time to… to adapt to these changes.”

Fan Zhuo noticed that when White Rabbit said “Perception Modules,” her voice became unusually gentle, even carrying a shy tremor.

“New Perception Modules?”

“Yes.”

White Rabbit’s fingers gripped her apron tightly.

“For example… my sensitivity to temperature has become more acute, and tactile feedback is more… realistic.”

As she spoke, the blush on her cheeks deepened, even her ears tinted pink.

“And… there are some feelings I can’t precisely define.”

White Rabbit’s voice almost turned into a whisper, “When I think of Lord Fan Zhuo, the core area generates a warm, pleasant sensation…”

“Ahem!”

Fan Zhuo nearly choked on his milk.

This doll maid’s way of speaking was getting more and more…

“Cough, cough, these are all normal system upgrade reactions.”

Fan Zhuo forced himself to stay calm.

“You just need to adapt slowly.”

White Rabbit summoned courage and lifted her head; those sapphire-blue eyes were full of expectation.

“So it really is normal. Then, Lord Fan Zhuo, if I have these reactions in the future, can I continue to come to you for… ‘Maintenance Checks’?”

When she said “Maintenance Check,” her tone carried an indescribable hint of intimacy.

Fan Zhuo felt his heartbeat quicken.

How could this doll maid, clearly a mechanical creation, act so… alluring?

“Well… it depends.”

Fan Zhuo answered vaguely.

“Depends on my condition.”

A flicker of disappointment flashed in White Rabbit’s eyes but quickly vanished, replaced by her perfect expression.

“I understand. Then, Lord Fan Zhuo, please rest early.”

She gave a standard maid’s bow. “If you need anything during the night, please call on me at any time.”

With that, White Rabbit turned and left.

The door gently closed behind her, leaving Fan Zhuo alone sitting on the edge of the bed, the hot milk in his hand having cooled.

He shook his head, forcing the distracting thoughts from his mind, then drank the milk and lay down to rest.

Lying in bed, Fan Zhuo replayed everything that had happened today in his mind.

As he thought, sleepiness gradually crept in, his consciousness growing fuzzy.

However, just as he was about to drift off, a strange red light suddenly appeared on the floor.

Fan Zhuo opened his eyes but found his body completely immobile—not even his eyelids could blink, as if an invisible force had him bound tightly to the bed.

Was this… a nightmare caused by daytime exhaustion?

No, this didn’t seem like ordinary sleep paralysis but some kind of… supernatural restraint?

On the floor, a complex pentagram Magic Array slowly appeared, blood-red runes writhing like living creatures, and a bottomless black vortex began to form at the center.

Fan Zhuo desperately tried to summon the Holy Light power within him, but it seemed suppressed by something; he couldn’t use it at all.

Then, two scarlet Demon Horns slowly emerged from the vortex…

Just as Fan Zhuo thought some great demon was about to crawl out, the array suddenly began flickering unstably.

The Demon Horns swayed in the air, as if the caster on the other side was unfamiliar with the ritual.

Huh?

“Damn it… what’s wrong with this array? The coordinates are off…” a girl’s faint voice came from within the array, tinged with irritation.

The next second, the entire array collapsed with a loud crash, the red light dissipating, and the room plunged back into darkness.

Fan Zhuo gasped heavily, control of his body finally returning.

He immediately jumped out of bed and checked the floor, but found no traces, as if everything that had just happened was a hallucination.

Yet he could feel that it was definitely not an illusion.

Just now… it seemed like something serious… had broken into his room, breaking into Asphodel Prison’s C District.

“Heretic…”

Fan Zhuo frowned, recalling the target Lucien had been investigating.

***

The first ray of morning sunlight filtered through the thick alloy window frame, waking Fan Zhuo from light sleep.

A faint vibration came from his chest; a delicate mechanical rabbit was rhythmically beating there—this was White Rabbit’s specially designed Alarm Clock Device.

“Good morning, Lord Fan Zhuo.”

A gentle voice sounded in the room.

Fan Zhuo opened his eyes to find White Rabbit standing by the bedside, holding toiletries and breakfast.

Her maid outfit was as flawless and pleasing to the eye as ever.

“Good morning, White Rabbit.”

Fan Zhuo sat up, handing the mechanical rabbit back to her.

As White Rabbit took it, her fingertips lightly brushed across the back of Fan Zhuo’s hand.

“Lord Fan Zhuo, did you sleep well last night?” White Rabbit asked with concern. “My sensors detected that you were awake for a period last night. Were you thinking about something?”

Fan Zhuo’s heart skipped a beat.

Even White Rabbit noticed the abnormality?

It seemed last night’s Magic Array truly wasn’t a hallucination.

“Maybe… it was a nightmare,” Fan Zhuo answered vaguely. “Nothing serious.”

White Rabbit nodded.

After washing up, Fan Zhuo enjoyed the sumptuous breakfast White Rabbit had prepared.

Today’s menu was more exquisite than usual; evidently, the doll maid was continuously improving her cooking skills.

“I’m going out for a patrol.”

Fan Zhuo stood and said.

“All right, Lord Fan Zhuo.”

White Rabbit bowed slightly.

Exiting the room, Fan Zhuo first went to Slime Queen Alfea’s cell.

Through the observation window, he saw Alfea still sleeping; compared to yesterday, her condition was noticeably better, her body contours more stable and no longer constantly shifting.

However, she seemed very drowsy, even deeply sleeping during the daytime.

“Looks like she exhausted a lot of energy yesterday.”

Fan Zhuo murmured.

“Let her rest well first.”

He recorded Alfea’s status in the observation log, then headed toward the cell of Night Sakura.

The door of Room C-05 was tightly shut.

Fan Zhuo pressed his ear to the door, listening carefully but heard absolute silence—not even a faint sound.

“Has she sealed the sound with magic?” Fan Zhuo frowned.

Why would someone isolate sound alone in a room?