When Armand opened his eyes again, it seemed as though he had returned to the time before the accident.
As if time had flowed backward.
Or rather, defining the world Armand was currently in as “before the accident” was not quite accurate. It was more like he had arrived in another parallel space-time. Everything looked like the world he had known before his death, but every place was somewhat different. For the most part, however, it seemed roughly the same.
There was still the Dangerous Heretic Management Bureau.
There were still games.
And there was still his most important Gege, George.
Armand was deeply grateful to have arrived here—because in this place, his Gege was still alive and well. He had not been captured and tortured into madness by Mu Shicheng.
Because in this world, the monkey thief who operated a massive heretic smuggling line and caused the Third Division endless misery simply did not exist.
Within one month of waking up, Armand had confirmed this over and over again.
And every confirmation made him more jubilant.
Thinking of this, Armand let out a long breath of relief. But in his heart, as if he were fleeing from something, there lingered a strange, nihilistic emptiness.
Peace had returned within his walls.
This time, no one would disturb his tranquility.
Armand did not understand why he had appeared in this world after death. Nor did he understand whether this was a world that truly existed, or a perfect illusion created by the hell of the afterlife to entice souls into staying.
Armand touched his throat, where Mu Shicheng had originally gouged open a large hole.
He felt as if he had been favored by some nonexistent god, allowing his game of “life” to reload and giving him one more chance to reach a more perfect “future line.”
But was this “future,” whose reality or illusion he could not determine, truly a future for him?
If even death lost its value, if everything could be “reloaded” and begun again, if his mistakes and sins could all be washed clean, then what was the meaning of his existence?
Armand did not know the answer.
He was still too young.
Young people were not good at reflecting on life.
Especially a young person like Armand, who had spent most of the energy in his short twenty-odd years of life competing with a thief.
But in this space-time where that “thief” did not exist, everything seemed absurd.
Armand suddenly felt that this world was just as that bad guy had once contemptuously described it.
[It’s just a game. Nothing special.]
Armand could never understand why Mu Shicheng always detached himself from the real world, looked down on everyone from above, and treated everything like a toy.
After playing wantonly, the one clearly committing evil had been Mu Shicheng himself, yet he would still lie on the wasteland, look up at the sky in terrible loneliness, and say to him, “Armand, a game without friends isn’t fun at all.”
“I don’t want to keep going anymore,” Mu Shicheng had said softly, covering his eyes with his elbow.
At that moment, Armand had felt as if Mu Shicheng were about to cry.
He was the one who chose the game.
He was the one who refused to stop the game.
And in the end, it seemed he was also the one who was the saddest.
Armand took a deep breath and drew his thoughts back.
No matter what kind of world or game this was, he knew that the only thing he could do now was protect George.
He must never let George experience those terrible things again.
Armand combed his shoulder-length hair and pinned a small wing badge symbolizing the Golden Dawn guild behind one ear.
Otherwise, George would say he looked sloppy again when he saw him.
Armand did not like tying his hair up as strictly as his Gege did. He felt it was too tight, and preferred to let it hang loose, so George required him to at least keep himself properly groomed.
He was going to the Game Pool to train.
This was the only thing he could currently do.
George forbade him from entering the Small Television Area games, saying that the games there could not be exited at any time and were not safe. Therefore, since Armand had woken up, he had not been to the Small Television Area, and he did not understand the situation there.
Armand’s understanding of this game was very limited. Since waking, he had spent most of his time entering the Game Pool with others.
If he had not secretly signed up for Golden Dawn’s combat team behind George’s back some time ago, George would probably have been preparing to let him live this way for the rest of his life.
George was always like that.
He always placed Armand in the safest place.
But Armand had already signed up, and his abilities were considered quite good within Golden Dawn.
After all, he had once been the vice-captain.
Even if George was angry, he still had to place him on the official team. Even if Armand was his Didi, George could not violate the guild’s rules and kick out a member who had already registered.
However, although George had done this, he clearly had no intention of reconciling with Armand yet.
The two of them were currently in a cold war.
So when Armand walked out of the dormitory and saw George standing in front of him, he was visibly stunned for a moment.
“Armand, I dreamed of you.” George seemed to be recalling that not-so-pleasant dream. “I can’t remember the details clearly, but I dreamed that in order to protect me, you died together with someone.”
Armand’s hand suddenly clenched.
He lowered his head, pursed his lips, and said nothing.
Seeing him like this, George reached out and patted Armand’s long hair. His thumb brushed the corner of Armand’s eye.
“—Sometimes, I truly wish you would never grow up.”
“But you have indeed grown up.” George’s gaze fell on Armand’s shoulder, where a butterfly was gently flapping its wings. “Your skill changed from a bow and arrow like mine into a butterfly. That means the core of your desire has undergone a transformation. But every time I ask you, you never tell me why.”
“Since we were small, I could guess what you were thinking. Even our dreams were the same. You were always proud of the telepathy between us.”
“But now, even though I seem to have seen your dream, I am no longer clear on what you are thinking.”
“You have secrets, Armand.”
Armand opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but in the end, nothing came out.
George looked at that obedient, beautiful butterfly and lowered his eyes.
“Perhaps I can no longer keep you trapped in a safe place.”
“A butterfly cannot survive in a place that is too narrow.”
Armand raised his head in shock.
George looked at him calmly.
“Today, the team is going to patrol the Small Television Area and show this year’s members to the players who support us. If you are determined to participate in the league, then take it seriously.”
“Tidy yourself up and come over.”
After saying that, George turned and left, leaving the dazed Armand standing there, touching the hair George had ruffled.
His eyes reddened slightly, but he smiled.
“Yes, Captain!” Armand answered loudly.
The butterfly on his shoulder gently flapped its wings.
Small Television Area.
Bai Liu’s group, who were in the middle of training, leaned against the side of the central hall to rest. Because Tang Erda was there, no one dared to come up and disturb them. Everyone stared in horror at these five lunatics who had cleared thirteen games in two days.
Bai Liu narrowed his eyes and pushed his sweat-damp hair back with his fingers. Mu Shicheng sat beside him with his head lowered, panting.
Tang Erda crossed his arms and scolded them. “You’re calling it quits after only three games? Didn’t you hold out for ten games yesterday?”
“It’s exactly because we held out for ten games yesterday that my body is starting to ache today.” Bai Liu refuted him solemnly. “The intensity is too high, Captain Tang. An office worker like me can’t quite handle it.”
Mu Shicheng exhaled a breath of hot air. “I can still keep going, but the other two who haven’t called for a stop probably can’t hold on anymore.”
Tang Erda was startled and turned to look at Liu Jiayi and Mu Ke, who were both pale and breathless.
He had subconsciously been using future standards to demand things of these people. He had not expected that Mu Ke and Liu Jiayi, whose bodies were somewhat weaker, truly could not withstand this level of training intensity.
But these two were stubborn and had not asked to stop. They had simply gritted their teeth and endured.
Mu Shicheng said, “The games you pick are mostly fast-paced mob-killing ones that don’t require puzzle-solving at all. Some are even games you’ve cleared before, so of course they go quickly. But keeping up is very taxing for us.”
“Work and rest should be balanced, Captain Tang,” Bai Liu said with a smile.
Tang Erda paused for a moment, then relented. “Rest for half a dimensional hour.”
After saying this, Bai Liu turned toward Liu Jiayi.
“Is your number of matches about to reach the league registration threshold?”
Liu Jiayi checked her system panel and answered Bai Liu, “Yes. I only need two more.”
“If you register for the league under our guild’s name, that means you’ll be considered officially withdrawn from the King’s Guild, right?” Bai Liu asked.
Liu Jiayi was quiet for a while.
“Yes.”
Bai Liu looked at her. “No regrets?”
Liu Jiayi could not help rolling her eyes.
“Did you give me any chance to regret it? Asking at a time like this, you’re just being a hindsight expert.”
“That’s true.” Bai Liu admitted it shamelessly. He smiled and asked, “Then have you ever regretted it?”
“I have,” Liu Jiayi admitted without hesitation.
But she paused for a moment, lowered her head, pinched her fingertips, and said in a tiny voice, “...But, well, when you were outside the Heretic Management Bureau and said you wouldn’t use the Queen of Hearts’ methods, at that moment, it made me regret it a little less...”
Before her words could fall, a commotion broke out ahead of them.
The crowd suddenly gathered in one direction.
Bai Liu’s group stood up and stepped back. Tang Erda was the tallest, and his line of sight was higher than the crowd. He looked into the distance and frowned.
“A guild combat team has come out to patrol.”
“Such a big display. Which guild is it?” Mu Shicheng raised an eyebrow and asked. “One of the top three?”
Tang Erda turned toward Bai Liu and said heavily, “Golden Dawn.”
Bai Liu also raised an eyebrow.
He glanced sideways at the Golden Dawn team approaching the central hall.
When Golden Dawn came out to patrol, they brought many members. They orderly pushed the spectators aside, isolating a section of distance so that the team members walking in the very center could be clearly seen by everyone.
Among the spectators were many fans of Golden Dawn, or players who wanted to place bets on Golden Dawn. They greedily and carefully observed this year’s team. When they saw two almost identical faces walking solemnly one after another at the very front of the team, they could not help bursting into even louder cheers.
“...Who is this new member? George’s Didi?!”
“A twins combo! This year’s doubles matches are going to be worth watching!”
“Golden Dawn hid him pretty well. They’re only releasing him now. Is he some kind of trump card? What’s his skill?”
“Tsk, with that face, he’ll cause a frenzy the moment he appears on stage. He won’t get a ‘death exemption gold medal’ just by relying on his face like George, will he?”
...
The players’ discussions grew louder and louder, instantly drawing away the attention that had originally been focused on Bai Liu and the others.
There were also many players who had already been unhappy with Bai Liu’s group but had not dared to say anything. The arrival of Golden Dawn was like suddenly giving them a powerful backer. From time to time, they swept disdainful glances over Bai Liu’s group, humming with sarcasm.
“This is what a proper team looks like. Some people... really can’t be compared with the teams of big guilds.”
“Look at other people’s new members. Tsk, tsk.”
Of course, these players still did not dare to directly mock Bai Liu and the others, because Tang Erda was standing right there. Only someone tired of living would offend this person.
Bai Liu turned a deaf ear to their words.
He had been mocked all the way here and did not care much.
But this set off Mu Shicheng.
He had already been under pressure from Tang Erda’s training and criticism for the past few days, so his temper was already bad. And now these people were jumping all over him.
With a grim expression, Mu Shicheng rolled up his sleeves and prepared to grab those chattering players.
Even across the space, he was going to give them a beating.
Seeing Mu Shicheng walk over, those players had not expected a team member who was about to compete to be reckless enough to bother with ordinary players like them. After being caught by Mu Shicheng, they were so frightened they almost cried. It was only after Bai Liu intervened, and after Mu Shicheng had vented his anger, that he let go of those players who were endlessly begging for mercy.
After the players ran away, Mu Shicheng was still unhappy.
He and Bai Liu were now standing in the inner circle of players welcoming the Golden Dawn team.
When he turned around, he could see the Golden Dawn team those idiots had been using to belittle him.
Unconvinced, Mu Shicheng looked over, preparing to see who exactly this “newcomer ace” praised to the heavens by those morons was.
Bai Liu, Tang Erda, and the others also stood in the inner circle.
Walking slowly at the front of the procession was a man with waist-length brown hair tied in a high ponytail, brown eyes, and extraordinarily eye-catching looks. Two glittering golden wing badges were pinned to either side of his ponytail. He wore an impeccably neat silver-white ceremonial uniform and gold-trimmed boots. At a glance, he gave off an air of inviolable nobility.
Behind George, slightly to his right, followed a team member who looked almost exactly like him.
He was a little shorter than George, who led the procession, and his brownish-tan eyes were deeper in color. His shoulder-length hair was pinned behind one ear with a golden wing badge, revealing a softer facial contour. A butterfly, looking almost like a decoration, perched motionlessly on his right shoulder.
At this moment, he was walking forward without looking to either side, his face devoid of emotion. Although he looked very young, he carried the dignity of someone who had led a team for a long time.
They really did look like a “big stickler” and a “little stickler.”
Mu Shicheng looked at Armand as he slowly approached, narrowing his eyes with ill intent.
His gaze fixed on the wing badge behind Armand’s ear.
Mu Shicheng’s right fingers moved as if itching. They slowly began to change shape, transforming from a human hand into a monkey claw.
He had not stolen anything in a long time.
The instant Armand brushed past Mu Shicheng, the butterfly on his right shoulder suddenly flapped its wings a few times.
At that exact moment, Mu Shicheng reached out his monkey claw without hesitation, darting toward the back of Armand’s ear.
Armand turned his head and dodged with extreme agility. But the badge, which had not been fastened very securely, was still maliciously flicked off by Mu Shicheng’s quick nail.
Armand’s brown hair fell loose. As he turned his head, half of his face was covered by his hair, revealing only a pair of stunned, deep brown eyes.
The shining badge fell to the ground with a crisp ding.
Mu Shicheng bent down and hooked Armand’s badge with his monkey claw, casually spinning it a few times on his nail. He raised his eyes to look at Armand, and the corner of his mouth curled wickedly upward.
“So this is the alertness of Golden Dawn’s ace newcomer? I’ve seen it now.”
Mu Shicheng’s provocative face was clearly reflected in Armand’s dark eyes.
Armand’s pupils constricted uncontrollably.
The butterfly on his shoulder began flapping its wings rapidly, and a gale of unknown origin swept in, blowing wildly between Mu Shicheng and Armand. It forced Mu Shicheng to cover his face and retreat, blew the surrounding spectators into the air in terror, and also messed up Armand’s hair, which had only just been carefully groomed.
Standing in the eye of the wind, Armand calmly retrieved his badge from the hand of Mu Shicheng, who was being blown back by the gale, and pinned it behind his head again.
Against a background thrown into chaos by the wind, he turned and walked away without looking back.
The hurricane had come again.
—
Author’s Note:
Although these two really do look quite gay, they truly are only friends!
Not a CP! There is no CP line!
The setting is more like lifelong rivals!
