Chapter 85: Terror Live (Complete)
My name is Ke Han. I'm not sure if it's because my name is "Han" (cold), but I feel indifferent toward everything in this world. No matter what happens, I don't feel anything at all.
It's as if I'm detached from this world.
In fact, that's exactly how it was—until I saw him. Only then did I understand the meaning of my existence. In that moment, I felt my blood heat up, my whole body trembling. For the first time, I knew what it felt like to have my heart race so fast.
So fast that I wanted to suppress it, but there was no way I could.
I saw him looking at me with those black eyes. I saw my reflection in his eyes.
His eyes held me.
Confirming this, a strange sensation bloomed in my heart—tingly, itchy. For the first time, I somewhat understood what mother felt. I knew it might be... contentment.
I smiled at him. Actually, I never knew how to smile before. I didn't understand what purpose that slight curl of the lips served, why people always liked to wear such false masks. They were probably rotten inside, yet loved to present themselves with hypocritical faces.
But now I understand, because I only want to show him my best side.
I don't want him... to be afraid of me.
He only appeared for a moment before vanishing, like an illusion or reflections on water.
Mother was crying. She cried so sorrowfully, heart-wrenching sobs, completely indifferent to her ruined makeup. I had been watching all this coldly. She had好不容易 escaped from that place, returned full of hope to this place she called home, only to collapse the moment she arrived.
I watched her pull out a large knife, her thin frame suddenly bursting with惊人的 strength as she killed the man said to be my father.
She laughed and cried at the same time, cutting his body into pieces of meat. I knew she loved him very much, because each time she made a cut, she would caress his cheek with those hands.
Her hands trembled the entire time.
I watched her eat that pot of meat with tears in her eyes. With each piece she ate, the smile on her lips grew wider. "I've finally... completely possessed you..."
I suddenly felt a little sad.
"Hanhan, you must remember— when you meet someone you like, you must hold onto them. You must completely possess them." Mother said this before jumping off the balcony. "If you don't hold on, they'll leave you. So, you must treat that person like I did..."
"As long as you possess them, you will be happy..."
Of course I know what I should do.
I will absolutely not let things end up like this. I and the person I love will be together forever. That's what I told myself at the time.
I watched all of this coldly and left the balcony. But in my heart, I couldn't help but feel a pang of emotion. Everyone was dead—my father, my mother, and my grandfather.
I don't know if I'm alive or dead, but I finally waited for him.
The person I love has come here again. In a real body, truly present here.
My heart leapt with joy. I hid myself in the darkness, following him secretly, watching his every move closely. I learned his name.
His name is beautiful—Qi An.
I couldn't help but whisper his name softly.
He really is wonderful, just too frail. In clothes of the same size, he looked especially thin. After we're together, I definitely won't let him do any work. He just needs to stay there. Whatever he wants, I can get it for him.
I'll fatten him up nice and white.
That's what I told myself back then.
I watched him like a pervert, observing his every action. The woman with him was实在太碍眼了—what right did she have to treat him like that? I was so angry. I wanted to reveal myself and kill her.
But I didn't.
I was afraid of scaring the person I loved, so I only gave her a small punishment.
Really tiny. Not only did I not cause her any real harm, I even gave her a free shampoo.
Mm, I'm indeed such a good person.
I stayed close to my beloved's side. Whatever he did was especially cute.
His skin was so tender. Even the slightest touch would leave red marks. Red and bruised. It made my heart ache.
After we're together, I absolutely won't let these可恶 things hurt him. I'll cover everything with thick, soft padding. This will never happen again.
His eyes were always timid.
So cute. But would he... be afraid of me?
After we're together, I will treat him well. I hope his eyes when looking at me are filled with dependence.
Mm, we have plenty of time. I will definitely try hard! I will definitely succeed!
But...
Something suddenly happened.
The me who had just awakened from a long slumber suddenly sensed a strange fluctuation within my domain.
I needed to investigate it. I couldn't allow uncertain factors here. I couldn't let anything that might harm him exist in this place.
I saw a very miraculous world.
A world I had never seen before. It was full of characters, all kinds of data. In it, I saw busy people of all kinds. I also saw a script.
My lovely boy, in it, was such a character.
I suddenly felt furious.
Even though my father and mother were in there too, even being artificially created as illusory existences, my heart remained unmoved.
But when I saw my boy, I felt enraged.
I must change it.
Only my boy deserves to be the main character.
I tried to modify these things. I tried to control that data. Gradually, I seemed to grasp some kind of secret.
It seemed... I was gradually merging with that data.
I left this miraculous place because I needed to see my boy. He was still so cute, every part of him seeming tailored just for me.
But I suddenly realized I had changed.
My senses seemed amplified many times over. Whether vision, hearing, or smell—they all began extending endlessly within these ranges. Even though my true self was by my boy's side, I seemed to exist everywhere in this room.
I saw the people who came with my boy to record the program.
I saw a man.
My head suddenly ached. Something in my memories was slowly awakening. Those were many, many images—countless strange worlds within them.
But one important thing: in every one of them, there was my boy.
I remembered everything.
Both the connection between my boy and me, and the relationship with this man.
I played a game with my boy. Because from these memories, I knew he would leave.
And I, especially... greedily wanted him to stay.
I wanted to be with him.
I told him I hoped he could find me. If he couldn't find me, he would have to stay with me forever.
I terribly, terribly wickedly locked down the surrounding space.
I hoped he could be with me.
I merged with that data more and more closely. I knew this data had a name too—Writer's Block? Some kind of data core. But none of this was important. I had become it. I began mastering all kinds of data.
My consciousness began expanding endlessly.
Anywhere there was data, I could reach.
I... was everywhere.
My heart trembled violently. My heartbeat grew even faster. I could completely observe my boy now...
Because there were countless versions of me watching my boy.
An indescribable excitement rose in my heart.
Dear one, your world contains me. I am everywhere.
I became my mother. I became my father. I could become all kinds of people. I could face him with countless faces.
Dear one, you don't know—there has always been this kind of person, gazing at you with such sick, obsessive devotion.
But I wasn't satisfied.
I wanted to appear before him in my true identity.
So I found a way to make my entrance.
Everything was so perfect. I watched them search for clues, trying to uncover the truth behind this case.
I asked a question.
Who bore the main responsibility in this case?
I saw everyone except my boy write "mother."
Mother. My heart suddenly felt something very subtle.
She was such a pitiful person. The romantic love she was immersed in was nothing but an illusion created by my father. The gentle teacher everyone spoke of had approached her deliberately. He came here only to prove a theory.
But mother didn't know. Under his enchantment, she killed his wife and became a murderer. Grandfather exhausted all their wealth to send her to a mental asylum.
Even though she wasn't mentally ill, she gradually became one.
Of course, that included me.
We were all crazy psychiatric patients.
She finally got discharged, only to receive the news that destroyed her—grandfather had died. Her home had become someone else's, and that person was my father.
Father had deceived her from beginning to end. His true identity was a psychologist. He approached her only to prove his theory.
Someone like that was still blamed as the culprit.
I gently shook my head. My heart suddenly felt a little uncomfortable. Perhaps it was because I suddenly realized that many things aren't simply about wanting them to happen.
I said I would give my boy a reward.
I gave him a protective charm.
He seemed surprised, looking at the empty air with those dark, round eyes.
Mm, even this deliberately performed expression was相当可爱.
He found me. He told me, you exist based on holographic technology. You can change into anyone. Everyone could be you, but none of them are truly you.
I looked at him and felt a sweet-and-sour taste I had never experienced before.
Actually, what he said could be considered right or wrong.
I can become anyone, but at the very beginning, I was only... Ke Han.
The real me has always been Ke Han.
If I wanted him to stay forever, I should tell him he guessed wrong.
But I didn't.
I smiled as I told him. I never imagined I could smile so tenderly.
I said, you guessed correctly.
Mother was actually wrong. Loving someone doesn't mean you must completely possess them. You will uncontrollably want to embrace them.
Because you love them, you want to keep giving them chances.
What the other self said was right. In the end, I couldn't bear to hurt him. I couldn't bear to make him... unhappy.
The only regret is that I cannot truly be with him anymore.
I hope that person can... fatten him up nice and white.
【Main Quest: Survive during the program recording (Completed). Number of Travelers: 3. Survivors: 3】
【Exit the world?】
Qi An gazed down at the protective charm clasped in his palm, only then realizing he had unconsciously gripped it tighter.
Qi An, Qi An, An. Peace.
Qi An looked up at Ke Han. The other still smiled as tenderly as when they first met.
"Dear one, remember... me, okay?"