LABMY CH92.2

What exactly was going through Jian Yuanbai’s mind every day?

The system couldn’t help but speak up, “Have you ever thought that even if you have a wife in the future, you might not have kids?”

“But you can treat your wife as a child and make her call you ‘daddy.'”

Jian Yuanbai’s expression turned strange for a moment, as if he had just seen something perverted. Then, with a tone full of disdain, he said, “System, if all AIs were as twisted as you, I think your world would be quite worrying.”

Huh?

Huh???

The system was stunned. Who exactly was the pervert here?! Wasn’t the one actually playing this kind of roleplay Jian Yuanbai himself?

The system emphasized heavily, “I’m talking about you. You’re the pervert.”

Jian Yuanbai, with a righteous and upright demeanor, replied sternly, “How could I be? What kind of character do I have?”

“You’re slandering my morals.”

The system was speechless. Thinking about all the roles Jian Yuanbai had played in different worlds — the father, the brother-in-law, the uncle, and now the ‘Xiao Ba’ — it couldn’t help but let out a soul-crushing question:

“Do your morals… even need slandering?”

Jian Yuanbai’s character was impeccable in other areas, but when it came to certain preferences… it was already so dirty that there was no room for further defamation!

Could he stop adding such a thick filter for himself?!

The man and the system couldn’t reach an agreement and parted on bad terms.

When the group finally found a car that wasn’t locked and could fit them all, they noticed that Jian Yuanbai, sitting in the back seat, looked quite unhappy, with a cold expression on his face.

Wang Li, being considerate, sat in the driver’s seat. After turning on the heater, he finally felt alive again. Seeing Jian Yuanbai’s dark expression through the rearview mirror, he was about to ask about it when Aunt Liu beat him to it, “Mr. Bai, why are you unhappy?”

Her attention was entirely focused on Jian Yuanbai, completely ignoring her own son’s strange behavior. Instead, she could accurately capture even the slightest shift in Jian Yuanbai’s emotions.

Jian Yuanbai shook his head and replied indifferently, “It’s nothing.”

Aunt Liu hesitated, then looked at Shen Nian with a “kind” expression and said, “Young Master Shen, the car has heating now. Maybe you should let go of Mr. Bai’s hand. After all, Mr. Bai is human too. In this terrible environment, catching a cold wouldn’t be good.”

Her words subtly accused Shen Nian of being inconsiderate, a low-level attempt to sow discord. Shen Nian couldn’t be bothered to argue and simply pulled his hand away.

Seeing that Jian Yuanbai didn’t react, Aunt Liu quietly told herself not to rush. Now wasn’t the time. She needed to wait for the perfect opportunity.

The group was traveling in a van. Jian Yuanbai and Shen Nian sat in the middle, while Aunt Liu and her son sat in the back. The short-haired girl, who was so quiet that her presence was almost nonexistent, could only sit in the front passenger seat.

Driving through the gray, foggy weather, Wang Li was extremely cautious, afraid of encountering any monsters on the road. To save time, they didn’t stop for lunch and ate some food inside the car.

When night fell, they found a residential building to rest for a while.

Jian Yuanbai randomly chose an apartment and broke open the door. However, the moment he stepped inside, he was met with a “person” whose head was covered in vines.

Its facial features were no longer recognizable. Thick branches protruded from its eyes, bursting through the eyeballs and cracking the eye sockets due to their thickness.

Dried blood stains crisscrossed its face like hideous red scars. At the base of the branches, faint red traces silently told of the creature’s agony.

Its mouth was stretched wide open, with green vines slithering out like twisted, writhing snakes, lunging toward Jian Yuanbai.

Everyone behind Jian Yuanbai instinctively took a step back in fear — except for Shen Nian.

While the others were terrified and wanted to run, they saw Jian Yuanbai calmly pat the monster on the shoulder and say, “Excuse me, let us borrow your home.”

Aunt Liu and the others were filled with horror and disbelief. In their eyes, Jian Yuanbai must have gone insane. How could he talk to a monster? If it could understand human speech, would it still be called a monster?

Just as they were thinking this, the monster’s branches and vines began trembling violently. It shivered and moved aside, making way for Jian Yuanbai. As soon as Jian Yuanbai stepped into the room, the monster didn’t even glance at Aunt Liu and the others and bolted out the door.

Its escape was so fast that it seemed like the monster wasn’t the terrifying one — it was running as if it had just encountered a monster.

Jian Yuanbai paid no attention to the others who were stunned at the doorway and said to Shen Nian, “Come, let me check the wound on your back.”

Shen Nian nodded and naturally walked into the room. Compared to their calm demeanor, Aunt Liu and the others seemed far from normal with their anxiety and fear.

In the end, they still followed nervously into the house. Since Jian Yuanbai had violently broken the lock, Wang Li moved a few large pieces of furniture to block the door, while Aunt Liu and the short-haired girl began preparing the meal as usual.

Wu Tian, on the other hand, sat to the side with a gloomy expression, refusing to help either side.

In the kitchen, they were quite lucky to find some well-preserved vegetables in the fridge and a rock-hard piece of cured meat. The short-haired girl was pleasantly surprised, “We don’t have to eat instant noodles today.”

Aunt Liu nodded without speaking, and the two began working together. However, Aunt Liu was clearly distracted, her mind filled with the image of how Jian Yuanbai had casually patted the monster’s shoulder, making it tremble and step aside.

This wasn’t the first time. In the supermarket, the moment this man stepped inside, the tailed monster fled. Although no one knew what his ability was, both incidents clearly showed that this amnesiac man was extremely powerful.

If she wanted to survive in this chaotic world with her son, she had to firmly cling to this man.

The sharp pain in her finger snapped Aunt Liu back to reality. The short-haired girl, who was serving the rice, exclaimed, “Aunt Liu, you cut your hand!”

“How did you manage to cut yourself while chopping scallions? Be more careful, Aunt Liu.”

Aunt Liu forced a laugh, “It’s nothing, I was just startled earlier.”

Looking at the short-haired girl, she suddenly said, “Girl, can you help me find a band-aid in this house?”

“Look at all this blood.”

The short-haired girl nodded and left the kitchen to search through the cabinets. Her actions caught Wang Li’s attention, and he asked, “What’s wrong? What are you looking for?”

“Aunt Liu cut her hand with a knife. I’m looking for a band-aid.”

Hearing that his mother was injured, Wu Tian remained completely unresponsive. He just sat quietly in the chair with his head down, lost in thought.

In the kitchen, Aunt Liu anxiously glanced toward the kitchen door several times. Then, she discreetly opened a capsule and poured a small amount of the powder into one of the bowls.

She carefully closed the capsule and tucked it back into her clothes, pretending as if nothing had happened. Then, she sprinkled the chopped scallions into the dish.

Braised potatoes with cured meat and boiled spinach. It wasn’t a luxurious meal, but in the apocalypse, it was considered quite decent.

After the short-haired girl brought out the dishes, Aunt Liu followed with two bowls of porridge. The first two bowls were always reserved for Jian Yuanbai and Shen Nian.

Originally, she would offer the first bowl to Jian Yuanbai, but since Jian Yuanbai would always pass it to Shen Nian, Aunt Liu had now gotten used to serving Shen Nian first.

Ironically, Shen Nian, who contributed neither effort nor strength, had become the one who always got served first.

During the meal, Aunt Liu smiled and said, “Young lady, I still haven’t thanked you for finding the band-aid for me. We’ve been traveling together since the supermarket, but I never asked for your name.”

The short-haired girl smiled faintly, “No need to thank me, Aunt Liu. Just call me Su Su.”

Aunt Liu pulled Su Su into casual conversation. When the topic shifted to family, Su Su’s mood turned heavy. She shook her head, unwilling to talk more.

Her sorrow affected everyone. In this apocalyptic world, countless people had died. They had traveled so far without encountering many survivors.

Most of their families… were likely doomed.

Only Jian Yuanbai and Shen Nian remained unfazed, eating and drinking as usual.

The house had two bedrooms and a living room. Jian Yuanbai and Shen Nian took one room. Wang Li originally planned to let Su Su and Aunt Liu sleep in the other bedroom. However, Aunt Liu insisted on letting her son, Wu Tian, have the bedroom and dragged Su Su to sleep on the sofa in the living room.

Su Su was merely a newcomer who joined the group halfway, so she couldn’t refuse and agreed. Wang Li saw Wu Tian already swaggering into the bedroom and decided there was no point in arguing, so he followed.

Jian Yuanbai found a clean bedsheet in the wardrobe and changed it.

Shen Nian, standing to the side, said, “I want to take a shower. Do you want to go first?”

“I haven’t bathed in two days. Who knows when I’ll get the next chance.”

Jian Yuanbai had no intention of competing with him. After testing that the hot water was working, he eagerly and enthusiastically said, “Do you want your ‘Xiao Ba’ to help you wash?”

“Your eyes can’t see. What if you fall?”

Jian Yuanbai asked seriously. Shen Nian was speechless. “I’m just highly nearsighted, not blind.”

Watching the bathroom door close in front of him, Jian Yuanbai innocently touched the tip of his nose. It was his first time acting as a “Xiao Ba,” and this level of intimacy was really hard to grasp.

Inside the bathroom, the hot water splashed against Shen Nian’s body. After taking off his clothes, his cold body warmed up slightly. However, after stepping out of the bathroom and losing the warm steam that filled the room, he shivered from the cold.

He dried his hair while trembling, and even the hairdryer in his hand shook along with him, which made Jian Yuanbai laugh.

Jian Yuanbai walked over and rubbed Shen Nian’s head. Just as Shen Nian was about to ask him what he was doing, he was surprised to find that his dripping wet hair had already dried.

A man’s amused voice sounded by his ear: “Shh, don’t tell anyone.”

“Just a small ability.”

Shen Nian wanted to say thank you but couldn’t stand Jian Yuanbai’s smug look. He replied coldly, “Tell others what? That you’re a human hairdryer?”

“Oh right, thanks, hairdryer.”

Jian Yuanbai was speechless as he watched Shen Nian, who looked like he had a tail wagging behind him, quickly climb into bed.

He chuckled lightly and didn’t bother arguing with the kid, turning to head into the bathroom.

In reality, Shen Nian, who was lying on the bed, felt extremely uncomfortable. The bed was icy cold with not a trace of warmth. The penetrating chill made him feel like he was sleeping on a cold stone, and he was about to become a frozen sculpture.

When Jian Yuanbai finished his shower and got into bed, he immediately felt the person beside him slowly and subtly inching closer.

Shen Nian’s arm touched Jian Yuanbai’s arm, and he stopped moving.

Soon, feeling that it was still too cold, half of his shoulder pressed against Jian Yuanbai.

Jian Yuanbai spoke abruptly: “What am I now? A human heater?”

Shen Nian froze, pouted, and silently moved away.

A moment later, he timidly moved back and pitifully said, “Xiao Ba, I was wrong.”

Jian Yuanbai: “I’m not a hairdryer anymore?”

In the darkness, Shen Nian pouted so much that an oil pot could hang off his lips, but his voice was soft and sticky: “What hairdryer? How could Xiao Ba be a hairdryer?”

He had no idea that Jian Yuanbai’s eyesight allowed him to see Shen Nian’s expression clearly in the dark.

Jian Yuanbai didn’t expose him and simply reached out to pull Shen Nian into his arms, patting his shoulder like coaxing a child. “Sleep.”

Shen “able to bend and stretch” Nian felt as sweet as if he had swallowed a whole bag of candy. “Good night, Xiao Ba.”

With someone holding him, he slept soundly. Meanwhile, the people in the living room tossed and turned. Yesterday, sleeping against the wall was uncomfortable, and today, even sleeping on the sofa felt bone-chilling. The temperature changed every day, and this world simply left no way for ordinary people to survive.

Aunt Liu couldn’t help but complain: “This family is so poor. They can’t even afford an air conditioner. It’s freezing to death.”

“In this world, why did these strange mutations and pollutants suddenly appear? Just a month ago, I was still watching dramas in my villa. Now, what kind of life am I living? Might as well die.”

Su Su, who had been listening, spoke up to comfort her: “Aunt Liu, just sleep. The more you talk, the more awake you’ll be. When morning comes, you won’t be able to sleep at all.”

“Complaining won’t change anything, Aunt Liu.”

Aunt Liu grumbled a few more words before finally quieting down. The two of them were still half-awake when they heard noise coming from the master bedroom.

The light from the master bedroom turned on, leaking through the door gap. Aunt Liu immediately got up and knocked on the door. “Mr. Bai, is something wrong?”

Su Su also sat up. Seeing no one opening the door, she felt a bit worried and stood by the door, slightly behind Aunt Liu.

After knocking with no response, Aunt Liu knocked again, “Mr. Bai?”

With a “swoosh,” the door suddenly opened, and Jian Yuanbai stood there with a dark expression. His voice was low: “Find out if this family has any medicine for nausea and vomiting.”

Aunt Liu and Su Su hurriedly searched. The noise even woke the people in the neighboring room. Wang Li joined the search, while Wu Tian only started reluctantly rummaging through things after Aunt Liu yanked him up.

They found nothing and entered Jian Yuanbai’s room empty-handed, only to discover something.

Shen Nian’s face was deathly pale as he clutched his stomach, clearly having just vomited. Jian Yuanbai handed him some water. After taking a sip, Shen Nian rushed to the bathroom again.

At this moment, Wu Tian suddenly spoke, “Could the wound be infected?”

“One of the symptoms of being infected by pollutants is vomiting. The infection has an incubation period, so showing symptoms now is normal.”

With this remark, the others’ faces changed drastically, and they instinctively stepped back.

Jian Yuanbai cast him a cold glance. “Does vomiting automatically mean infection?”

“Have you never heard that eating something bad or catching a cold can also cause vomiting?”

Su Su, one of the people who cooked, spoke up softly, “But… we all ate the same thing for dinner.”

The implication was clear—why was Shen Nian the only one affected?

Aunt Liu’s heart pounded with fear. She had indeed drugged Shen Nian. The medicine she used was from the pharmacy, meant to treat her own palpitations. When mixed with other drugs, it was fine, but taken alone, it caused stomach pain and vomiting.

But she had used only a small dose. Shen Nian shouldn’t be reacting this quickly.

Her original plan was to find an opportunity to “risk her life” to save “Mr. Bai” and leave a good impression, then make Shen Nian vomit to create the illusion that he was infected.

Now… with such a small dose, Shen Nian was vomiting so severely. Could he actually be infected?

Her heart skipped a beat, and she fearfully stepped back.

The five of them looked at Shen Nian with fear and hostility. At this point, Aunt Liu decided to team up with her son.

“Yes, yes, Mr. Bai, you should stay away from him. What if…”

Wang Li couldn’t help but chime in, “I think we should lock Shen Nian in a room before he turns into a monster.”

He didn’t have the guts to suggest kicking Shen Nian out directly, so he only proposed isolating him.

Su Su stood to the side, wanting to speak several times but ultimately shrank back and stepped further away.

When Shen Nian finished vomiting and came out, he saw the five people standing at the door, staring at him with caution.

Wu Tian looked at Shen Nian’s pale face with hostility in his tone. “Shen Nian, you’ve already been infected. If you have any conscience, you’d leave this place yourself.”

Aunt Liu added, “Mr. Bai, you must stay away from him. He’s already polluted.”

Jian Yuanbai remained silent. At this moment, he directly picked up Shen Nian and said, “Let’s go, I’ll find medicine for you.”

However, the five of them formed a human wall, blocking his way. Wu Tian, knowing how formidable Jian Yuanbai was, silently stepped back. Aunt Liu and Wang Li stood at the front.

“Mr. Bai, you can’t leave. What about us if you go?”

Wang Li also said, “There are five of us—living, breathing humans. Can you really abandon us?”

“You can’t be so cold-blooded.”

“We’re just suggesting locking Shen Nian up to observe him. If he doesn’t turn into a monster, we won’t do anything to him.”

Jian Yuanbai suddenly laughed. “Do what to him?”

“What exactly do you want to do to him?”

“Your five lives have nothing to do with me.”

“Mr. Bai!”

Aunt Liu suddenly fell to her knees, crying bitterly. “Shen Nian is a human, but aren’t the five of us human too? He’s destined to become a monster, but we are the ones truly worth saving!”

“Besides… besides, Shen Nian…”

Wu Tian interrupted her, “Shen Nian, you’re a nearsighted person who is useless without your glasses. Now you’re infected. How can you shamelessly watch all this happen?”

“Don’t you feel ashamed?”

At this moment, the system in Jian Yuanbai’s mind dinged: “Please make Long Aotian say the classic Long Aotian line with full emotion and a powerful tone.”

“Line: ‘What kind of trash are you? The situation is still unclear. Whether I’m a dragon or a tiger, it’s not up to you to judge.'”

Jian Yuanbai glanced at the deathly pale Shen Nian in his arms and then at the five people blocking his way. He asked the system, “Do I really have to say this ridiculous line?”

The system insisted, “It’s crucial. You must say it, and Wu Tian must hear it.”

Twenty minutes later, the five people looked even paler than the unconscious Shen Nian lying on the cushion. Around their necks were semi-transparent water rings that continuously circulated. Blood was still dripping from Wu Tian’s neck as Aunt Liu carefully sprayed medicine on it.

Looking at her son’s injury, Aunt Liu could no longer hold back her fear and anger. She blurted out, “You’re not Mr. Bai at all! And Shen Nian isn’t your stepson either! Why are you going this far for him?”

“Mom!” Wu Tian growled in a low voice, eyes filled with frustration and helplessness. “He knows. He knows everything.”

“I already told him a long time ago.”

Jian Yuanbai, who had been watching over Shen Nian, raised his eyes to look at Aunt Liu and the others. His gaze was cold and threatening.

“You should be grateful that Shen Nian passed out. Otherwise…”

“You better know what to say and what not to say. Got it?”

Then, Jian Yuanbai sneered, “I just wanted to take Shen Nian to find medicine, but you insisted that I stay and ‘stick together with you all.'”

“Great. If Shen Nian is fine, everyone will be happy. But if he turns into a monster…”

“You’ll be his food.”

“Don’t worry. In Shen Nian’s stomach, we’ll all ‘stick together.'”

The five of them stared at Jian Yuanbai, feeling as if they’d fallen into an icy abyss.

They realized…

He was scarier than the monsters.