ASG Ch1: Overnight [Arc 1]

Outside, the rain was pattering down softly, the air carrying a slight dampness. The dim glow of streetlights spilled onto the ground, illuminating puddles one after another. Above the streets, the old electric wires tangled densely together, resembling a dark serpent coiling overhead, devouring the remaining light.

Chaotic, disorderly, pitch-black, and silent.

At the alley entrance appeared a strange man. He stood in the rainy night, his entire being seeming as if just pulled out of the water. His pale, bony right hand hung by his side, clutching a cigarette that was halfway burned, its ember flickering intermittently.

The brim of his black coat’s hood firmly obscured his face, revealing only a sharply defined chin.

He remained silent, exhaling smoke silently, the gloom around him deepening—

He looked very much like a psychopathic killer.

In fact, this place was about to turn into a crime scene.

Lu Yan stood by the window for a moment, then quietly drew the curtains and turned to look at the black heart floating inside the rented room. “Who is he?”

【The one who wants to kill you.】

That black heart unexpectedly spoke, though its voice sounded mechanical and cold, with faint blue-purple electric currents lingering around it. With each flicker, it pulsated—as if just a moment ago, it was still nestled warmly in someone’s chest.

Lu Yan sat down on the sofa, resting his chin on his right hand, pondering for a moment. In fact, he hadn’t quite figured out what had happened. Half an hour ago, he was just a poor guy with cancer, waiting to die in the hospital due to lack of money. Then, inexplicably, he was bound by someone claiming to be a system. What did the guy say again?

Oh, he remembered.

【Let’s play a game.】

【I’ll take you into different novel worlds. As long as you can survive for thirty days and accumulate a certain amount of life points, your cancer will be completely cured.】

Lu Yan didn’t quite believe such an absurd thing could happen to him, but witnessing a black heart fluttering in front of him, as if it had smoked too much, he couldn’t help but believe.

Lu Yan became somewhat interested. “Why does he want to kill me?”

The black heart circled around him once, then suddenly a blue electronic screen popped up in mid-air, showing a photo of a young man.

Nature as white jade, burning but still cold.

The phrase popped up inexplicably in Lu Yan’s mind. The man in the photo had a calm demeanor, with a detached gaze. He looked like a privileged young master nurtured by a prestigious family, his deep amber eyes revealing an impenetrable depth, indicating he wasn’t easy to approach.

The black heart flew behind Lu Yan and, in a eerie tone, began to narrate the plot to him: 【His name is Yu Zechuan, the heir to the A City real estate tycoon, Yinchuan Group. Five years ago, he was imprisoned for economic crimes and entrusted all his assets to his partner, Jiang Boyun, to manage. He was just released from prison three months ago.】

Before Lu Yan could pull himself out of the pitying emotion of “such a handsome guy actually went to jail,” his attention was immediately drawn to the next sentence. His eyebrows raised slightly. “Partner? It can’t be that simple.”

As expected, the black heart confirmed: 【They are partners.】

【Jiang Boyun came from a poor background, but he had good grades. He met Yu Zechuan, who was the student union president, during college, and they started a business together…】

Lu Yan added two words to it: “But?”

The black heart chuckled, an odd emotion that shouldn’t appear in a machine controlled by a program: 【But Jiang Boyun had a lover outside long ago. He got together with Yu Zechuan just to take advantage of his status and wealth.】

Ending with a sentence: 【The mastermind behind the economic crime was actually Jiang Boyun, and Yu Zechuan was framed by him.】

Lu Yan lazily nestled into the sofa. “How pitiful. He suffered in prison for five years, only to find out that his beloved was actually a fraud. Not only did he scheme to take his property, but he also had a lover outside.”

The voice of the black heart echoed in the air, inexplicably sending shivers down one’s spine: 【Yu Zechuan is downstairs. According to the following plot, you will be killed by him inside the rented room.】

Lu Yan glanced at his hand, feeling like this body was his own. There was a tiny mole on the little finger. “So, am I Jiang Boyun now?”

Black heart: 【No.】

Lu Yan: “Then why does he want to kill me?”

Black heart: 【You’re Jiang Boyun’s lover.】

Lu Yan: “…”

He thought he had slipped into a melodramatic novel, but it turned out to be a suspense thriller.

The black heart didn’t give Lu Yan much time to think. Suddenly, a countdown of five seconds appeared on the electronic screen, and the crimson numbers seemed to drip blood:

【Mission One: Please survive under Yu Zechuan’s pursuit for 30 days. Successful completion rewards 500 points. Failure results in eradication by the system.】

【Newcomers have three chances of resurrection. Use them wisely.】

【Game Restriction: Reporting to the police is prohibited.】

Lu Yan questioned, “I can’t report to the police?”

【No, you can’t.】

“Okay.”

Lu Yan shrugged slightly. “He’s so pitiful, I can’t bear to report him to the police.”

The black heart skipped a beat.

3, 2, 1.

The countdown ended.

The black heart gradually faded in the air, leaving only a deep and distant voice: 【The game begins. Enjoy your experience.】

As the system’s closing sound disappeared, the frozen clock on the wall began ticking again, the hour hand pointing straight at nine.

A few minutes later, Lu Yan’s phone, placed on the coffee table, vibrated twice, displaying several voice messages from Jiang Boyun, labeled with a familiar name.

Lu Yan opened the messages.

[A-Yan, I’m almost downstairs at your place. How’s your stomach?]

[It seems like this place is going to be demolished soon, and the noise is too loud. I have an apartment near the company. You can move in there in a couple of days.]

The original owner of this body was also named Lu Yan. He hooked up with Jiang Boyun a few years ago and, in order to help Jiang Boyun seize Yu Zechuan’s property, even disguised himself and applied to work as a financial officer at Yinchuan Group. The two of them colluded together and directly sent Yu Zechuan to prison.

Hmm, how to describe it?

A dog couple?

Lu Yan scrolled through the chat history and found that since taking over Yinchuan Group, Jiang Boyun’s worth had doubled, and he had surrounded himself with flatterers. The two of them had quarreled over this before, and they were currently in a cold war.

The original owner liked gambling and had racked up a lot of debts. He was unwilling to let go of Jiang Boyun, the “golden phoenix.” He intentionally lowered his head and apologized, falsely claiming that he wasn’t feeling well, and asked him to come and take care of him.

And Jiang Boyun happened to be feeling lonely recently and lacked someone who knew him well. When he saw Lu Yan’s softened attitude in the message, he drove straight over here.

Lu Yan’s fingertips moved slightly, typing out a line: [Thank you, but my stomach doesn’t hurt anymore. You should go back first. We can talk about it tomorrow if there’s anything.]

Wouldn’t it be adding fuel to the fire if Yu Zechuan saw them meeting in secret?

But then Lu Yan thought, if Jiang Boyun came over, they would have two people here, greatly increasing their chances of survival. After all, Yu Zechuan wouldn’t be able to take on two people at once, right?

After pondering for a moment, Lu Yan deleted the edited message and re-entered: [Hurry up and come over, I’m waiting for you.]

He clicked send.

Jiang Boyun quickly replied: [Okay, I’ll be there in ten minutes.]

As time passed by, the room became uncomfortably quiet. Just when Lu Yan had waited for who knows how long, there was finally a rhythmic knock on the door from outside.

“Knock, knock, knock—”

Lu Yan, alert, walked to the door and looked out through the peephole, but it was so dusty from not being cleaned for too long that he couldn’t see anything clearly. “Who is it?”

Jiang Boyun’s voice came from outside, “A-Yan, it’s me.”

Lu Yan opened the door a crack, only to see a well-dressed man standing outside. His facial features were handsome, and his demeanor was elegant, indeed possessing some capital, but unfortunately, he was a scoundrel.

Lu Yan glanced past him. “Come in.”

Scoundrel.

Jiang Boyun entered and closed the door. Turning around, he saw Lu Yan lying on the sofa, playing with his phone, his long legs lazily propped up on the armrest, occupying most of the space. He could only sit opposite him. “How’s your stomach? Still hurting?”

In fact, Lu Yan hadn’t figured out what to do next. He just wanted to survive tonight and deal with it later. Hearing this, he absentmindedly replied, “It’s much better.”

Thinking that Lu Yan was still angry, Jiang Boyun came over to coax him and said, “A-Yan, don’t be jealous. We’ve been through a lot together. Those people outside are just for show.”

“Now that the Yu family has fallen, and Yinchuan Group is in my pocket, we can openly be together.”

Lu Yan suddenly asked, “Has Yu Zechuan been released recently?”

Jiang Boyun frowned at the question, seeming to dislike the topic, and replied disdainfully, “Him? Even if he’s released, what can he do? He’s just a destitute young master who can’t stir up any waves.”

Lu Yan smiled, “Aren’t you afraid of him seeking revenge on you?”

Jiang Boyun stared at Lu Yan’s captivating eyes under the light, feeling a bit itchy in his heart. Unable to resist, he held Lu Yan’s hand and said, “Don’t worry, Yu Zechuan has nothing now. What can he do? If it weren’t for you helping me with the accounting back then, how could I have sent Yu Zechuan to prison so quickly? I’ve long forgotten about him.”

Lu Yan: “…”

This was the first time Lu Yan had encountered someone who could outperform him in acting. He watched as Jiang Boyun approached closer, but quietly withdrew his hand.

Seeing Lu Yan’s reaction, Jiang Boyun paused in his movements. Only then did he notice the mud spots on his body from getting caught in the rain. Feeling embarrassed, he said, “I didn’t bring an umbrella. I got caught in the rain on the way here. Wait for me, I’ll take a shower first.”

Without waiting for Lu Yan’s response, he found a change of clothes from the wardrobe and walked into the bathroom to take a shower, the sound of flowing water isolating everything.

Meanwhile, Lu Yan was contemplating what to do next. After all, he couldn’t stay with Jiang Boyun every day. Once he survived tonight, he would have to figure out a way to hire some bodyguards.

The original owner didn’t cook, and there wasn’t even a knife in the room. Lu Yan rummaged through for something that could be used as a weapon, all the while keeping an eye on the movements outside, completely ignoring the situation in the bathroom. It wasn’t until a faint smell of blood began to permeate through the steam that Lu Yan finally realized something was wrong.

The sound of rushing water continued, as if Jiang Boyun was still taking a shower inside.

But when Lu Yan checked the time, he realized that it had been half an hour since Jiang Boyun went in. Standing up from the sofa, Lu Yan cautiously approached the bathroom, the stench of blood becoming increasingly strong, mixed with the steam, making him feel nauseous.

Lu Yan stopped at the bathroom door, his intuition telling him that something was definitely wrong inside.

What should he do?

Run, or not?

It wasn’t suitable to escape on such a treacherous rainy night, and the crisis was looming. Plus, the system didn’t allow for calling the police, so escaping wouldn’t help.

Even if one were to die, they should die in a warm room.

As a novice, he had three chances to restart. It was enough.

With this in mind, Lu Yan’s eyes darkened. His slender fingertips twisted the doorknob slightly, and with a soft click, the scene inside the bathroom was fully revealed before him.

What met his eyes was a sea of crimson.

Jiang Boyun lay in the bathtub with his eyes closed, a fresh fatal wound on his neck, blood gushing out from his throat, dyeing the hot water in the bathtub a bright red. He still had his pants on, indicating that he had been tragically murdered shortly after entering the bathroom.

The bathroom window was wide open, and outside was an endless expanse of darkness. The pouring rain blew in, quickly dispersing the heat, and a chill spread from the soles of Lu Yan’s feet.

Before Lu Yan could react, the next moment his neck was fiercely gripped, and a sharp dagger was pressed against it. Behind him, there was a damp, sturdy body emitting a strong smell of blood.

“Do you remember me?”

The voice was cold and playful, familiar yet strange.

After a moment of contemplation, Lu Yan calmly uttered three words, “Yu Zechuan.”

Lu Yan’s heart was anything but calm. Eighth floor? How did the other person climb up here?