Chapter 155: The Flesh and Blood Throne

That night.

Tianlin City, a villa.

The workday had long ended.

Zhao Yicheng, wearing an apron, carried the last dish—duck blood vermicelli soup—to the table, then wiped his hands with satisfaction.

Xu Yinsheng sat in her chair, her head slightly tilted, eyes tightly shut, completely still like a doll.

This was the natural state of being trapped inside the dream, still unable to pass the level.

Zhao Yicheng took out the bowls and chopsticks, setting them neatly, then picked up the silver metal panel placed in front of Xu Yinsheng—a device showing her activity in the dream.

Inside the dream world.

The Flesh and Blood Maze, Level Five.

A blood-and-flesh banyan tree’s roots spread and expanded, as if about to break through the game and enter the real world.

At the top of the banyan tree’s canopy, countless masses of flesh twisted and entwined… forming a throne.

As a visual novel, Flesh and Blood Maze had multiple endings.

Xu Yinsheng had recently completed the Corruption and Sacrifice routes; now, she was finishing the Purity route.

Corruption route: The heroine succumbs to the maze after being violated countless times within, becoming indescribably broken, ultimately addicted to the maze.

Sacrifice route: The heroine discovers that leaving the maze would effectively break the seal polluted by the evil god, spreading the corruption to the outside world.

Out of compassion for all beings, she sacrifices herself to suppress the Flesh and Blood Maze.

And now, wearing the Forest Robe, crossing the River of Reversal, donning the Crown of Flesh, and drinking the Blood of the Evil God.

All elements of the Purity route were gathered!

Xu Yinsheng’s face flushed crimson.

Draped in a scarlet forest robe, she sat atop the throne!

She raised her hand and snapped her fingers lightly.

【Game Over】

Reality.

Xu Yinsheng suddenly woke up in her chair.

She wiped away nonexistent sweat from her brow and patted her small chest, still shaken.

“Damn it, finally passed.”

“Zhao Yicheng, I…”

“Was the game fun?” a man’s voice softly whispered in her ear.

Xu Yinsheng choked on the words she was about to say, stiffly turning to look.

A pair of deep, dark eyes quietly stared at her, drawing her gaze like an endless whirlpool, yet with the sly smile of a grinning tiger, seemingly waiting for her to finish speaking.

“What did you say? Say it—I want to hear it,” he said.

“Zhao Yicheng, I—I love you so much.”

Xu Yinsheng threw herself into his arms, hugging him tightly, her cheek rubbing against the hollow of his shoulder.

“Thank you so much. I’m thankful for all of you. After this, I promise I won’t play visual novels during work hours anymore. I’ll work hard, and be a good secretary.”

“Really.”

“I swear.”

Xu Yinsheng raised three fingers solemnly.

“Then let’s eat.”

Zhao Yicheng reached out to gently ruffle her hair, handing her a pair of chopsticks.

“Alright!”

Xu Yinsheng sat down immediately.

They ate and chatted.

Xu Yinsheng openly told Zhao Yicheng about the incident with Bai Ruoxi’s tea, curious about his reaction.

“You didn’t do anything wrong,” Zhao Yicheng said, rubbing her head.

“If anything really happens, I’ll back you up.”

Xu Yinsheng shook her head, brushing off his hand.

“Hmph! If something really happens, I’ll take responsibility myself!”

She picked up a piece of sweet and sour pork ribs, put it in her mouth, and her frown eased slightly.

This sweet and sour pork ribs was a bit sweet.

The night breeze rustled the treetops, bringing a slight chill that couldn’t dispel the silence cloaked in darkness.

In the dark, a pool of silver metal liquid seeped out from the door gap, writhing and crawling.

Inside a certain room, it took human shape, quietly stealing a bank card before slipping out without a sound.

In the living room, an orange tabby cat poked its head out of its bed, glanced at the silver liquid, yawned, then lay back down.

***

Tianlin City.

Old district, a shabby Japanese alley full of rundown rooms.

“Brother Li, how’s the payoff on this job?” a young man asked the man sitting on the bed, smoking a cigarette and holding a cigar.

The man called Brother Li wore a black leather jacket and sunglasses.

A long, deep scar cut across his face, making him look fierce and menacing.

He put the cigar to his lips, took a puff, and said coldly, “Four hundred thousand. Damn it, it’s making me want to kidnap someone too.”

The young man named Song San, who called him Fourth Master, sucked in a breath upon hearing the high price.

“Four hundred thousand!”

“The last time we got this much was when we took out several squatters for a real estate tycoon. Someone even died, otherwise the max was twenty thousand.”

Song San inhaled hard, then frowned.

“Does that guy have a hitman backing him?”

“If he does…”

Li Ri glanced at the big man beside him but hesitated to say more.

“I had someone look into it. Usually it’s just small fish.”

Li Ri understood Song San’s concern; in their line of work, you had to have eyes everywhere.

Moreover, he didn’t fully trust Bai Ruoxi’s one-sided story.

After getting Jin Xinnuo’s information, he had someone investigate her background, confirming she was an ordinary person—not a mistress to some rich heir, so no chance of the plan backfiring.

Knock knock knock!

Knock knock knock!

The door rapped sharply.

The two exchanged glances.

Li Ri drew his pistol from his waist. Song San gripped a dagger.

With a look, Li Ri hunched and walked to the door, opening it.

Outside stood a young girl with a youthful face, dressed casually in a white fleece shirt, holding a black briefcase, her eyes lowered on her phone with a faint smile on her lips.

“Miss Bai, what brings you here?”

Li Ri looked surprised to see the girl at the door and loosened his grip on the gun, giving Song San a glance.

Song San sheathed his knife and welcomed her in.

Bai Ruoxi glanced at the messy room—bottles and jars tossed about, half-eaten roast chicken on the table, and the sharp scent of alcohol in the air.

She frowned.

Looking at Li Ri with undisguised disdain, she pinched her nose and cut to the chase, “I have business.”

She then opened the black briefcase beside her.

The dazzling green glow inside nearly blinded the two men, while Bai Ruoxi’s eyes shimmered with a mixture of greed and fear.

She pushed the case forward and stepped on it, her tone icy and laced with arrogance.

“Add another 150,000. I have conditions.”

Upon hearing this, Li Ri immediately smiled, flattering as if he had met his long-lost parents.

“Miss Bai, just say what you want.”

Bai Ruoxi’s lips curled slightly, her beautiful eyes full of calculation.

“The previous plan is off. Now I want you to…”

After finishing her new plan, Bai Ruoxi extended her hand and shook Li Ri’s.

“Pleasure doing business.”

Then she turned and left.

Watching Bai Ruoxi’s retreating figure, Li Ri rubbed his hands.

“This little bitch is slippery and smooth.”

“Heh heh, Brother Li, this job’s done. Let’s go to the nightclub and become brothers-in-law,” Song San said with a smile. The two shared a laugh.

“By the way, Brother Li, how did she find our hideout? I thought all operations were done in the outer alleys? Did you tell her?”

“No way,” Li Ri immediately denied.

“This concerns our lives. Either she’s a lucky blind cat hitting a dead rat, or someone on the streets sold our info.”

Shabby alley.

Pale moonlight bathed the crumbling walls on both sides of the narrow path, mottled tree shadows swaying.

Various graffiti ran rampant on the walls, adding to the desolation and loneliness of the night.

A gust of wind stirred a few dry yellow leaves.

At the empty street corner, Bai Ruoxi toyed with a tiny silver button between her fingers.

With a slight movement, the button spun twice, and she chuckled softly.

Now this would be interesting to watch.

The button flipped gracefully in the air, tracing beautiful silver arcs before being caught, melting into her palm as a drop of silver liquid…