LABMY CH152

The room, filled with cobwebs and dust, had three people walking through it. It was dimly lit, and their feet occasionally bumped into objects, producing crisp collision sounds.

There were skylights on both sides of the room, seemingly designed for ventilation, but the lighting was extremely poor. Only the area closest to the skylight was somewhat visible.

At this moment, Li Lijie wished he could blind himself to avoid seeing what lay before him.

Because lined up against the wall near the skylight were piles of white bones. Judging from their size and shape, they were undoubtedly human remains.

The entire top floor of the building was densely packed with such skeletal remains. They constantly kicked and stepped on them, producing cracking sounds—what they were kicking were human bones.

In such an environment, Li Lijie, who had been walking at the front, timidly retreated behind Jian Yuanbai.

The little follower, who had already been trailing behind Jian Yuanbai, pursed his lips and reached out to clutch the hem of Jian Yuanbai’s clothing. Seeing this, Li Lijie, in his bone-chilling fear, instinctively reached out and did the same without thinking.

Jian Yuanbai turned his head to glance at him. Li Lijie was trembling violently behind him. Jian Yuanbai frowned but said nothing.

Shen Tingyue puffed out his cheeks in discontent and silently looked up.

A small black shadow suddenly fell from above, landing precisely on the hand that Li Lijie had placed on Jian Yuanbai’s clothing.

Li Lijie looked down and immediately let out a terrified scream.

“Holy shit!!!”

“A human hand!”

A shriveled, withered human hand had landed on the back of his hand. Li Lijie frantically shook his arm, throwing the skeletal hand off. Even after it was gone, he kept rubbing his hand with the other, desperately trying to erase the cold and horrifying sensation.

Jian Yuanbai frowned. “Why would a hand bone fall from above?”

The little follower clutching his hem looked especially obedient, blinking innocently. “Yeah, why would it?”

Li Lijie kept rubbing his hands and said, “This place is way too weird. Why are there so many human corpses here?”

Jian Yuanbai walked closer to the skylight. Taking advantage of the dim light, he crouched down and examined the bones closely, his expression remaining unchanged. “Judging by the degree of bone whitening, they have been dead for a long time.”

He examined them seriously. Beside him, a small head tilted in as well, nodding as if in agreement. “Probably a few hundred years old.”

Li Lijie glanced at the two of them. They were getting closer and closer to the skeletons, yet neither of them showed the slightest discomfort. Meanwhile, as a mere observer, he felt like his facial features were about to fly off in horror.

Were they not scared at all?

Jian Yuanbai didn’t notice Li Lijie’s expression. Even if he had, he wouldn’t have cared. Staring at the pile of bones, he said, “It’s just very strange.”

“Normally, even if a corpse couldn’t be properly buried, it would be stored in a basement or some other concealed place. Why would so many be placed in the attic of an inhabited building?”

Most people avoided corpses. Even if one person didn’t mind, how could an entire building’s worth of residents be indifferent to this?

Seeing how serious Jian Yuanbai was in his analysis, Li Lijie couldn’t help but rub his arms and say, “If you ask me, we should just get out of here.”

“We came to find a way out or a landline phone, not to look at a pile of dead people.”

The entire top floor had been opened up into a single space. There were no other rooms—just this area, filled entirely with white bones. Calling it a pile of dead bodies wasn’t an exaggeration.

Jian Yuanbai turned to look at him. After thinking for a moment, he stood up. “Let’s go.”

Li Lijie immediately dashed out. On the way, he kept stepping on and kicking bones, but he was too scared to look down. He simply ran forward without hesitation.

After emerging from the chimney-like structure, Jian Yuanbai took out the journal he had found in one of the rooms.

The entries were simple. He flipped through them quickly, but even so, it took him a while to finish.

Curious, Li Lijie asked, “What does it say?”

Jian Yuanbai thought for a moment before summarizing the contents. “This castle was once home to three nobles. They forced the commoners in their territory to send their children to the castle as servants, never to leave for the rest of their lives.”

“The castle’s masters were cruel and hated sunlight. Every day, someone in the castle would die, and the servants never knew when it would be their turn. This journal records the number of deaths each day.”

Li Lijie idly asked, “Then why were those corpses piled up on the top floor?”

Before Jian Yuanbai could answer, Shen Tingyue spoke up, “They longed for the light, I suppose.”

As he said this, he pinched his chin and tilted his head slightly, the movement carrying a childish cuteness, yet his tone was indifferent, a distant and detached sort of pity—like raindrops that could never reach the parched earth.

Shen Tingyue always had many small habits. At that moment, as Jian Yuanbai watched him tilt his head, a strange thought crossed his mind.

Perhaps those little movements weren’t instinctive but imitated—like a newborn child mimicking actions, as if trying to simulate emotions through these copied gestures.

The thought came suddenly. Before Jian Yuanbai could dwell on it, he saw Shen Tingyue’s eyes widen slightly, his gaze curious as he looked at him.

Clang—

That was it.

Li Lijie flinched at the sound, as if granted amnesty. “Well, uh, time’s up, I’ll just—”

Jian Yuanbai didn’t stop him, and Shen Tingyue, who had mischievously played along, certainly wouldn’t keep him either.

It was exactly five in the afternoon. The next round of the game wouldn’t start until six, and even then, it wouldn’t be his turn. Li Lijie quickly made his exit—he was perfectly safe now.

With the interruption, Jian Yuanbai forgot what he had wanted to say.

Shen Tingyue, however, circled to Jian Yuanbai’s other side and patted his suit jacket twice.

Meeting Jian Yuanbai’s gaze, Shen Tingyue narrowed his eyes slightly and said with a smile, “It got dirty just now. I cleaned it for you.”

Jian Yuanbai didn’t think much of it and casually threw an arm around Shen Tingyue’s shoulders. “Thanks.”

Shen Tingyue let himself be led along, obediently shaking his head and saying sweetly, “No need to thank me.”

Protecting his food, making sure no one else left their scent on it—that was his duty!

A beautiful young man in a white Lolita dress was being held close by a tall man in a suit with nothing underneath. The young man’s short hair brushed against the man’s shoulder, exuding an unusual intimacy.

Shen Tingyue rubbed against him subtly, the corners of his lips curling in satisfaction. Delicious food—his.

He basked in the moment for a while before his mood sank again.

Right now, he was too weak. His past memories were a complete blank, but he had a vague feeling that he used to be powerful.

If it were his past self, no one—no one—would have been able to lay even a single finger on his food.

Shen Tingyue’s expression darkened with disappointment. He whispered, “I’m sorry…”

Because he was too weak, Jian Yuanbai had to deal with so many people on his behalf.

Jian Yuanbai: ?

“What did you do that you need to apologize to me for?”

Shen Tingyue was startled. He hadn’t expected Jian Yuanbai to have such sharp hearing. His eyes widened slightly as he hesitated, mumbling, “I don’t have the ability right now…”

Instinctively, he grabbed Jian Yuanbai’s hand, his voice lacking confidence. “But in the future, in the future…”

Jian Yuanbai looked him up and down. The way he spoke, the way he phrased things—his gaze finally landed on Shen Tingyue’s hand, which was still resting on his own.

He was stunned for a moment before blurting out, “You don’t have the ability to give me a home?”

Shen Tingyue: “Huh?”

Jian Yuanbai felt a mix of emotions. “Wait, what exactly do you think our relationship is?”

“Companions and—” Shen Tingyue hesitated, his voice uncertain. He felt that his current weak self was unworthy of being Jian Yuanbai’s companion. He didn’t even dare to admit his identity as a vampire.

What he left unsaid, someone else finished.

“You think I’m your companion?!” Jian Yuanbai was so shocked that he failed to control his voice.

He stared at the obedient young man standing in front of him, dressed in a Lolita gown, his short white hair pristine against his fair skin, declaring with such innocence that he was his companion. Unconsciously, Jian Yuanbai’s Adam’s apple bobbed.

Jian Yuanbai struggled to find words. “Are you even an adult?”

Shen Tingyue was displeased. He was a noble vampire—how could he possibly think of a mere human as his companion? As for whether he was an adult or not… he had forgotten how many years a vampire had to live before they were considered of age.

His silence was answer enough for Jian Yuanbai.

Jian Yuanbai rubbed his face, conflicted. As a policeman with a strong sense of justice, he really, truly… “You can’t call me your companion, got it?”

“Tell you what—if we get out of here and you can’t find your parents, I’ll adopt you.”

He reached out and pinched Shen Tingyue’s face. “Your life, your schooling—I’ll take care of it as your guardian.”

For the first time since meeting Jian Yuanbai, the usually well-behaved Shen Tingyue scowled and shook off his hand.

Jian Yuanbai watched as the young man stomped off in anger and clicked his tongue. “I’m not even married yet, and I already have a son this big. That’s really going to hurt my chances of finding a wife.”

“You’re the one in a hurry, not me.”

Shen Tingyue didn’t turn back and quickened his pace.

He would see for himself—whether Jian Yuanbai would become his guardian first or if he would become Jian Yuanbai’s companion first.

The young vampire, recently freed from his coffin after hundreds of years of slumber, puffed out his cheeks in frustration. His slightly pointed little fangs pressed against the soft flesh inside his mouth as he mulled over how to grow stronger.