Chapter 37: A Prison Break Game for Freedom
The overlapping of time, the disappearance of Zi’ai, Xiao An’s mysterious identity. These are all truths that I cannot know in my current state. Another matter that concerns me is the ‘mental body’ in Lan’s status. Although the meaning of ‘mental body’ is unclear, I can roughly imagine what kind of state it is. If I’m not mistaken, I myself have become this so-called ‘mental body’ many times. It’s even possible that I, like Lan who is in front of me, am currently a ‘mental body’. There is only one condition required to enter this state. That is to enter the blank world within a dream. That is the deepest part of my spirit, the resting place of the Yata no Kagami. When I enter that place, I am likely a pure spirit. Is this world indeed a dream-like world? Or rather, did I arrive in this parallel world in a dream-like manner? That’s right, in my original world, my body was completely eaten by Xuan’er. There was no basis for regeneration, so how could I be intact like I am now? Ah, it’s difficult to draw any useful conclusions on my own. Analyzing up to this point has nearly exhausted my brain cells. It’s a headache not having a consultant. So, Kuga, where did you go… In short, I should go back for now. Since I found Zi’ai, I can no longer enjoy this peaceful life. I need to tell Xinran this news and then start searching for Zi’ai with all my focus. Zi’ai must know everything. “Then Lan, I’ll…” A moment of ice-coldness, as if I had fallen into an ice cellar, chilled me to the bone. …Her aura is… Like Xueqing in full killing intent, like Lianbing spreading death, Lan has also become ‘the same as them’! “Hmm? What’s wrong? Juncheng?” Her face still carried a hint of a lazy smile, but something was different. The sense of disharmony I felt upon our reunion wasn’t like finding a lover I hadn’t seen in a long time, but more like finally finding a lost precious item. This is terrible… I’ve made a mistake… I suppressed the unease in my heart as much as possible and smiled at Lan. “…It’s nothing. I’m going to take a shower; I’ve been sweating a lot.” As I said this, I began to ‘look for’ the bathroom. In reality, it was to observe the room better. The layout of this room, if it were a hotel, would be a bit unusual. I didn’t see any windows. There were no clocks in the room. The lighting was a little dim. It’s a normal two-bedroom, one-living-room apartment, but the door’s position is strange, placed near the corner. Wouldn’t it get stuck when opening? Clothes have already been prepared for me, neatly folded on the lampstand by the bed. To avoid appearing strange, I walked into the bathroom and turned on the faucet. The showerhead gushed water. My focus was indeed misplaced… What I should be worried about now is not future matters, nor matters concerning Zi’ai or this world. The most important thing to worry about is… the person in front of me. The bathroom door was pulled open. I didn’t turn around, but she had already reached me from behind and hugged me. Since Lan found me again, she has hugged me like this several times… “I… won’t let you leave again, Juncheng.” “What do you mean by that?” “Just what it sounds like. I want you to stay here forever, hehehe…” Ah… So this is the ‘development’? Lan’s title of ‘Yandere Lover’ has indeed ‘leveled up’ again! No longer satisfied with stalking and surveillance, she’s decided to physically imprison me! Lan’s hands slid up my chest. I felt the softness against my back as she pressed her body against mine. “Earlier, I said I came to this world through an exchange… that might be a bit inaccurate. It’s more like I ‘remembered’.” “Remembered?” “Yes, so regarding this world, I know a little… Here, Juncheng, you don’t exist. That’s right.” “In this world, people who knew you before no longer recognize you. Those who once adored you no longer hold special feelings for you… There’s no abnormality, no accident. Isn’t this the ‘ordinary daily life’ that you, Juncheng, once yearned for the most?” Lan said. She was right. This world is indeed the daily life I craved. A world without anomalies, where everyone lives ordinary lives. “But what? Oh, I know. You’re worried about the original world, aren’t you? Worried about Ji Lianbing and the others… But what do they have to do with you?” “How could they not have anything to do with me?!” “Even if they had a connection before, they don’t anymore… Because, Juncheng, you are already dead.” “Juncheng, you don’t innocently believe that even death can be reversed, do you? Or do you want Little Bingbing to use that resurrection method that consumed tens of thousands of lives again, exchanging the lives of others for your own?” “…You said it, knowing full well I can’t accept such a thing. Lan, aren’t you afraid I’ll hate you?” Lan’s arms around me tightened. It was as if she wanted to merge into my body, hugging me with all her might, making it difficult to breathe. “Afraid… Haa, terribly afraid… I would rather die than… be hated by you, Juncheng? That feeling is truly hateful… like my heart has been dug out and cut into pieces—more painful than death…” Perhaps this was the first time I truly heard Lan express her feelings from that time. Lan Hua, I had rejected her once before. But afterwards, she appeared by my side again, approaching me with admirable patience. Yet, I couldn’t respond to her alone, and in the end, I even made her lose me once more. This time, after losing and regaining, she won’t let go, is that what she means? But how did Lan get here? “How did you get here? You couldn’t have just stumbled upon me by luck, could you?” “Zihua told me. Intense longing and possessiveness can allow me to find you and obtain you…” “Zihua? That…” That, not just a split spirit… It seems there are still mysteries here. “Now, I finally have the chance to completely possess you.” “Why would I let you go?” I teased her in a joking tone. “Yes, now you’ve really seized the chance.” “In this world, no one will interfere with me. You belong only to me, Juncheng… Can you be with me forever?” Although I desperately wanted to agree, it would surely be very happy. Lan has given me everything without reservation. With her by my side, asking for anything more would seem shameless. But to accept it so readily… I was unwilling. “That won’t do.” I grabbed her wrist, making her release me. I turned around, pushed Lan against the wall, and looked her seriously in the eyes in a “wall slam” pose. “How… I knew this day would come.” The day I would be imprisoned and lose my freedom. “However, I don’t intend to be held in your palm like this, Lan. Even if you want to dote on me, it should be I who dotes on you first…” “…Juncheng…” “It would be boring if you got me without any suspense, right? So, let’s play a game, a very simple escape room game. If I escape, you can no longer restrain my freedom. If I fail to escape, I will belong to you forever. How about it? The rules are simple.” Lan narrowed her eyes and tapped my nose with her index finger. “Hmm~ Juncheng, you’ve become bad too. Did men become self-indulgent without us around?” “Heh, I just learned this from a roommate who likes to play games.” The game is escape room. The stake is my life. Now, let’s begin the game.
