GRMFBS CH206

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Gu Jiancheng was almost annoyed into embarrassment by his laughter.

Zhan Yan thought that Gu Jiancheng, in the throes of his chunibyo phase, was just too amusing.

He hugged his bath towel, his eyes brimming with mirth. “Satisfied, I’m satisfied. Handsome guy, come home with me.”

Gu Jiancheng’s eyes lit up. “Okay, okay!”

Going home to meet the parents!

Zhan Yan tossed the towel to him. “Just wait a bit first. Dry yourself off and go out so I can take a shower.”

After Zhan Yan finished showering, he suddenly realized something. Hey, did Gu Jiancheng leave the towel out there on purpose?

He returned to the room wrapped in a bath towel.

Gu Jiancheng had already changed into his clothes and was drying his hair. His face was no longer red, and his skin tone had returned to normal. A few drops of water fell from the ends of his hair onto his neck, sliding down the curve of his neck into the hollow of his spine. As he moved his arms to towel-dry his hair, the muscles in his shoulders and back flexed, the well-defined contours of his back stretching and moving rhythmically.

Zhan Yan leaned in and poked him. “Hey, did you leave the towel out there on purpose?”

Gu Jiancheng turned red again.

Oh, this is so fun!

After teasing his boyfriend, Zhan Yan began to tidy up and get dressed.

Student Gu was incredibly clingy; it wasn’t until evening that Zhan Yan found a spare moment to check the forum.

The big shot ‘Deep Shadow’ still hadn’t replied to him. Tsk, what is he busy with? Is he off keeping his lover company again?

The next day, Zhan Yan had to go to his internship. Gu Jiancheng couldn’t very well cling to him all the way to the veterinary station, so after a clingy morning workout and a clingy breakfast, he had to watch Zhan Yan leave.

Once he was alone, Gu Jiancheng finally remembered to check the forum.

He frowned as soon as he saw the message from ‘Approaching Science’.

Healing types? ‘Approaching Science’ had compiled a list of healing types for him before, and it was already quite comprehensive. He did know a few healing types not on that list, but their abilities wouldn’t even make it into the first tier of the existing list.

‘Approaching Science’ had very strong information-gathering abilities. If he was asking him about healing types, could it be that he had encountered a very difficult problem?

I Just Saved The World!: “Almost all the healing types I know are in the list you compiled for me.”

“There are a few not in there.”

“[File]”

“Did you run into trouble?”

Seeing the reply, Zhan Yan immediately opened the file and searched the names one by one.

After a round of searching, he felt that none of these healing types were particularly strong. The only harvest was adding a few more ‘Information Words’ to his information dashboard.

Zhan Yan began to feel confused.

Huh? Could it be that Deep Shadow’s lover is hidden within the list I compiled earlier? Did I miss someone when I checked before? I need to comb through it again!

Approaching Science: “There is a very troublesome matter, and I don’t know if a healing type can solve it.”

“Thanks, big shot. I’ll check again.”

Zhan Yan tallied up his tasks.

Aside from re-checking the healing-type superpowered individuals, he needed to save up Organization-type Information Words to upgrade his ‘Information Depth’ ability as soon as possible, to see what preparations Ning Xi had made regarding the fact that “The Artisan is Rongsui.”

There were also the Ability-type Information Words. These could be used to farm “Information Confidentiality” stars, which were used to protect his mom’s secret identity. He had almost saved up enough originally QAQ.

The good news was that there was a pile of new Information Words waiting to be collected in the Dawn World, so refilling his energy bar would be easy. The bad news was that now he needed to save up two more confidentiality stars for his brother and sister…

Although there was no contradiction in his siblings’ identities, if they were exposed (“dropped their horses”), it could easily trigger a chain reaction that would expose Mom and Dad too.

Zhan Yan began working hard to farm Information Words.

For some reason, his search for information on the Post-Apocalyptic World went incredibly smoothly and was very detailed, as if the Post-Apocalyptic World couldn’t wait to stuff all its relevant information into him.

Zhan Yan also consumed a bunch of gossip about other people exploring the Dawn World along the way.

[“Walking Bug” teased a puppy with a grilled sausage while exploring the Dawn World. After pulling his hand back seven times without letting the puppy eat it, the puppy transformed into a Berserk Hellhound and chased “Walking Bug” for seven streets biting at him.]

[“Bug Again?” attempted to dine and dash while exploring the Dawn World. He ended up on the town’s wanted list, was caught by guards, and dragged into the kitchen to wash dishes.]

…

‘Wan Shitong’ and Qi Ye had spent the last two days doing nothing but fishing people out of trouble.

Qi Ye squatted on the beach, poking the ‘Wan Shitong’ who was lying flat. “Why do I feel like they’ve started treating this as a game?”

‘Wan Shitong’ lay paralyzed on the sand. “If they play, let them play. Wasn’t our original intention in designing this world to make a gam— Ow!”

‘Wan Shitong’ clutched his butt, howled, and jumped up.

Qi Ye: “What happened? What happened?”

A crab burrowed out of a sand hole, brandishing its large pincers triumphantly.

‘Wan Shitong’ picked it up resentfully. “I feel like the rules are getting weirder and weirder. This world wasn’t supposed to be able to cause us any harm!”

Qi Ye: “You didn’t lose any HP, though.”

‘Wan Shitong’: “Whose side are you on, anyway?”

Qi Ye: “…Cough. Hey, don’t you think this crab is a little weird?”

‘Wan Shitong’ pinched the crab’s belly and shook it back and forth. “Hehe, can’t pinch me now, can y— Ow!”

A pair of small pincers extended from under the crab’s belly and clamped onto his finger.

Qi Ye helped him pry the crab off. “I remember we didn’t design this kind of creature.”

‘Wan Shitong’: “Of course we didn’t!”

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have dared to pinch the crab’s belly like that.

“It’s because of the fusion with the Post-Apocalyptic World.” Qi Ye prodded the crab with a tool. “Hey, do you feel like the changes are getting faster and faster?”

It was as if the two worlds were accelerating their fusion on a conceptual level of details. Strange concepts were falling like rain; previously, this rain had been a mere drizzle, but now it was starting to pour.

The two of them, along with the Network Ghost, discussed what was causing this sudden acceleration in fusion.

Nie Yu frowned in thought for a long time. Somehow, she suddenly remembered the last time she asked Deputy Director Ning about the nature of network-type superpowers. she sensed many vague and blurry things but couldn’t think them through clearly.

“Maybe the rain hasn’t gotten heavier; maybe the lake has gotten wider.”

Previously, the area where water could enter was small, so the concepts from the Apocalypse could only seep in slowly. But now, someone had opened the floodgates, so the Apocalypse was desperately pouring its concepts in.

“I feel like this Dawn World has other significance for us.” Nie Yu didn’t know how to articulate her vague feelings. She suddenly thought of Red Crystal. If only I could drag Red Crystal over to study this. Come to think of it, why hadn’t Red Crystal appeared recently?

…

Zhan Suiru had just left the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau with Xiao Ran.

Yang Ran’s condition was much more troublesome than Agave’s (Longshe Lan). The suppressor Agave wore was only effective on him for a single day. However, the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau had a special type of secret chamber—that was their true method for completely isolating the power of the Infinite. The suppressor was just a portable, simplified version.

This kind of secret chamber required regular ritual reinforcement from the ‘Great Dance Music’ to ensure the local world’s rules could be sustained.

Zhan Suiru had taken him to try it. In that room, Yang Ran’s curled-up soul could stretch out again.

But the trouble was that it was just a room. Yang Ran’s soul could only find freedom within that small interior space.

Zhan Suiru exchanged her service—joining the Abnormal Affairs Management Bureau as an external staff member—for the Bureau converting her studio into a secret chamber capable of isolating the Infinite’s power, and assisting with regular maintenance.

“I also want a set of suppressors,” Zhan Suiru said.

She wanted to take Yang Ran to see this world, and she wanted to take him to see Ji Lele’s movie. There were sculptures made by Xiao Ran in it; Ji Lele had glimpsed the life within them from their outward appearance.

“Let’s go to this one.” She chose a nearby movie theater.

Wait, it said they had upgraded their equipment and developed 5D movies. She hadn’t experienced that before.

…

When the weekend came, Zhan Yan went to the movie theater where they had booked tickets with the others.

After picking up the tickets, Zhan Yan looked at them. “It’s 5D?”

Bao Qingshan nodded. “Yeah, yeah, they’re having a promotion. 5D is discounted with a student ID. After the discount, it’s the same price as a regular ticket.”

Chu Chengcheng: “I haven’t tried 5D yet. Hey, have you guys tried it?”

Cheng Yichu: “Me neither. I heard 5D makes you feel like you’re actually there.”

Chu Chengcheng: “…We’re watching a horror movie, right?”

Everyone turned in unison to look at Bao Qingshan.

Bao Qingshan: “…Why are you looking at me? Didn’t you guys say you weren’t scared?”

Inside the theater, Old Bao sat in the middle. To his left were Cheng Yichu and Chu Chengcheng; to his right were Zhan Yan and Gu Jiancheng.

The air conditioning in the theater was blasting. It wasn’t just ‘Cool for the Summer’; it was ‘Long Sleeves Required’.

Zhan Yan and Gu Jiancheng exchanged a glance. Both decided to learn from their previous failed haunted house experience.

Scared! We must be scared! Then we can cuddle openly and legitimately!

The movie started, the sound effects kicked in, and amidst the drizzle of the opening credits, everyone got sprayed in the face with water first.

Zhan Yan began to have a bad feeling about the “immersive experience” of 5D.

A ghostly shadow suddenly attacked the protagonist from behind. Before Zhan Yan could pretend to be scared and snuggle up to his boyfriend, the chair punched him in the back.

When the ghost whispered in the protagonist’s ear, a blower blew cold air into his ear; when the protagonist ran away, the chair jolted him around like he was galloping on a horse; when the protagonist accidentally fell down the stairs, the chair tossed him left and right while punching his back; when the protagonist raised a mop and roared to attack the ghost, the chair gave him another wham.

Zhan Yan: …

Immersing us as the human is fine, but why are we also immersed as the ghost?!

It felt like spending money to get beaten up.

Gu Jiancheng whispered softly in his ear, “Yan Yan, are you cold? I brought a jacket.”

He brought not only a jacket but also tissues to wipe the “drizzle” off their heads.

Gu Jiancheng had a large build, and his jacket was large too. Zhan Yan shared half of it, and the two leaned in toward the center as much as possible, covered by the same jacket.

Forget it, forget it. Even though the romantic plan didn’t work out, it’s still pretty sweet right now.

On the other side, Chu Chengcheng and Cheng Yichu were terrified. They screamed when the ghost spoke and the chair blew air, screamed when the jump-scare chair sprayed mist, screamed when the character bled and water dripped on their heads… Screaming and screaming, the two best buds ended up hugging each other tightly within a death grip.

Bao Qingshan sat alone in the middle, simultaneously experiencing being the ordinary person bullied by the ghost and the ghost being beaten up. To his left was a pair of shivering best friends hugging each other; to his right was a young couple draped under the same jacket.

On the big screen, the ghost laughed hideously and lunged at the camera, startling screams from the audience in the cold wind.

Ah, the autumn wind is bleak, exceptionally desolate.

Bao Qingshan started looking for his own scene in the movie.

Although he remembered his position, the edited footage with special effects looked very different from the filming, so he couldn’t confirm it at a glance.

Bao Qingshan looked for a long time and only found himself in the scene where the whole class turned their heads collectively. But not long after, he saw Zhan Yan in a close-up shot, then another time, and yet another time.

Good lord, the director secretly added scenes for him!

Zhan Yan was good-looking, the gentle and non-aggressive type. He had appeared in the protagonist’s dream earlier, walking on the road with a group of college students, smiling brightly like sunshine. The next second, it suddenly cut to him expressionless and pale, a trail of bloody tears flowing from his pitch-black, ethereal eyes. Who knows how post-production handled it, but aside from being terrifying, it inexplicably made people feel sorrowful.

When the movie finished and the lights came on, Chu Chengcheng and Cheng Yichu immediately sat up straight, pretending they weren’t the ones screaming their heads off earlier.

Chu Chengcheng tried very hard to find a topic to distract himself from the fear. “Hey, I was focusing on the plot and didn’t pay much attention to finding people. Did you guys find yourselves?”

Cheng Yichu: “I didn’t pay much attention either. I think Zhan Yan had a shot.”

Bao Qingshan: “Yeah, I saw it too. I found myself, but I didn’t see Gu Jiancheng.”

That was true. Ji Lele felt Gu Jiancheng was too outstanding and disharmonious in the shots, so he had shoved him into barely visible corners.

Zhan Yan was with Gu Jiancheng; if not for the three close-ups Ji Lele added for him, he wouldn’t have been found either.

Zhan Yan: “He’s there. In the small woods scene, he’s behind the tree in the bottom right corner, half blocked by the tree. In the playground scene, he’s next to the basketball hoop in the long shot. And…”

The other three listened, dumbfounded. What kind of eyesight is that?

Gu Jiancheng was incredibly sweet on the inside. Oh my, Yan Yan pays so much attention to me!

Relying on the Gossip System’s backup and retrieval functions, Zhan Yan counted all of Gu Jiancheng’s shots, then counted the others.

“Chu Chengcheng is in the classroom shot; you’re in the third row by the window. You’re also in the hallway shot…”

“Cheng Yichu is in…”

Gu Jiancheng: Smile gradually disappearing.

Sob! So it wasn’t special treatment for me?

Meanwhile, a few rows ahead of them.

Zhan Suiru had been focusing on the sculptures in the movie the entire time.

The sculptures didn’t appear in many shots, but every shot was special. Ji Lele had processed the shots with his unique aesthetic; with the coordination of light, shadow, color tone, and composition, the ugly sculptures radiated a strange vitality.

It was as if she saw the traces of Yang Ran’s struggle through the lens once again.

She held Yang Ran’s hand.

“Did you see?” Zhan Suiru said softly.

This was a director who liked Yang Ran’s sculptures. She felt she should bring him to take a look.

Yang Ran’s fingers curled uneasily, and Zhan Suiru noticed he was actually blushing.

“I made them so ugly…” Yang Ran was very disdainful of his own sculptures.

Zhan Suiru: Oh right, almost forgot. Xiao Ran has very high artistic standards for his own work.

She remembered the studio wall covered in sculptures. Yang Ran’s memory of the past was blurry, only recalling vague images. He didn’t know how many “ugly” sculptures he had already made.

Zhan Suiru smiled, her eyes twinkling with playful anticipation. “Hey, I haven’t taken you into the studio to look yet.”

The people in the theater gradually decreased, and the sound of the ending theme song faded.

The voices of the conversations on both sides became clear.

Zhan Yan and Zhan Suiru turned their heads sensitively at the same time and their eyes met.