As consciousness gradually dimmed, when Jun Ye also regained some clarity, he saw the familiar system screen again.
With the experience from last time, Jun Ye also was much more proficient this time. With just one glance, he noticed something unusual. Where the hourglass used to be, there was now a number flashing, and that number…
5—
4—
Jun Ye also paused for a fraction of a second, then quickly realized it was a countdown to send him to another world. Without dwelling on why the time seemed so short this time, he hurried to check other information.
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On the right:
LA2 World [Mission Rating D-]
3—
In the middle:
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Congratulations, Host, for clearing the LA2 World. You will be automatically transferred to an S-level mission world in 3 seconds.
2—
Below, in the comment section:
PS: Please refrain from doing anything beyond your identity!!!
1—
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On the left:
A circular icon labeled “Store” had appeared, but there was nothing on the shelves below.
0—
Consciousness once again began to fade.
In a daze, Jun Ye also felt his body become very light, light enough to be blown away with a breath.
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He heard the sound of hard-soled shoes stepping on hard ground, accompanied by the rustle of clothing.
In just an instant, a picture formed in Jun Ye’s mind.
It was a man wearing a cloak, like a protagonist or antagonist from a novel. He had long legs, taking large, steady steps with a strong presence.
The footsteps drew closer, and Jun Ye could almost feel the wind stirred up by the man’s movement. The sensation of being light enough to float became even more pronounced.
The footsteps stopped about three meters in front of him, and a slightly chilly male voice rang out, “Guide?”
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As if some restriction had been lifted with this voice, Jun Ye felt the world around him suddenly come to life.
Car horns, music, shouts, and laughter, along with a series of other sounds, flooded into his ears.
Nightfall, alleyways, streetlights, and the cloaked figure before him…
“Who sent you, Greenbout or Ailina1Both these names seem to focus on “Green” for Greenbout and “Gem” for Ailina. I don’t know yet if it’s gonna play an important role in the future, but I’m noting it here in case??” came the cold voice from beneath the hood.
Just like in the mermaid world, Jun Ye also hadn’t received any information about this world. These two names were completely unfamiliar to him, so he couldn’t answer.
But now, Jun Ye also’s attention wasn’t on the person questioning him. Instead, he was focused on the small map unfolding in the upper right corner of his field of vision.
The map hadn’t changed much. His own location was still represented by a blue dot, and pedestrians on the main street over ten meters away were still represented by yellow dots.
However, the figure before him, wearing a hooded cloak, was displayed in the same pink color as Gu Jiaoxiu from the previous world.
Jun Ye also had spent over sixty years in the previous world and had only encountered one other person displayed in pink. He had initially thought it represented a partner, but now it seemed that wasn’t the case.
The person before him clearly didn’t recognize him and held some hostility towards him.
Jun Ye also thought about how the garbage system had thrown him into an S-level task world, meaning the difficulty of completing the “task with unknown specifics” was very high.
Looking at the person’s hostility, perhaps the pink icon represented his target for the task?
Though he knew this rationally, Jun Ye also couldn’t resist the impulse to lift the person’s hood, his emotions surging intensely.
Would he find someone familiar underneath? Like the young master and Gu Jiaoxiu, could this person be another “young master”? What was the system’s purpose?
And indeed, he took a step forward.
The person opposite him didn’t move, but Jun Ye also could feel their eyes staring intently from beneath the hood.
Jun Ye also stared back, slowing his breath as he moved closer step by step.
Since the person held hostility towards him, there was a high possibility they might attack him.
This body felt strangely light, and all the emergency response actions he had practiced countless times before were ineffective. Jun Ye also had to rethink and plan a more flexible strategy in his mind.
Closer now, the distance between them was less than half a meter. Jun Ye also halted his steps. This distance was optimal for both defense and attack, for both him and the other person.
Perhaps he shouldn’t have been so reckless, risking danger in a situation where his own strength was unknown, all for a mere thought.
With the close proximity, Jun Ye also noticed that the person was only slightly taller than him, which made him feel slightly uncomfortable. However, he quickly suppressed those meaningless emotions.
Jun Ye also stared at the features beneath the hood, which were obscured from his view, and raised his hand.
The person still hadn’t made a move, not even showing signs of tension in their body.
Their dark eyes seemed to gaze at him like one would look at a domesticated pet. Though this pet wasn’t theirs, it posed no real threat to them.
Suddenly, Jun Ye also remembered the first thing the person had said when they approached him— “Guide.”
What did that term mean?
Jun Ye also reached out and grabbed the person’s hood…
Immediately, Jun Ye’s pupils contracted.
No, he hadn’t grabbed anything…
There was no sensation as if he had touched nothing but air…
What kind of ability was this…
An illusion?
Jun Ye cautiously shifted his gaze away from the hooded figure’s eyes and down to the edge of the hood he was “holding.”
Suddenly, he froze at what he saw.
His hand, his arm, all seemed like virtual projections…
There was no substance, just a translucent blue material that seemed to emit light.
The word “soul” flashed through Jun Ye’s mind.
At this moment, having finished the scene and feeling like it could end, the hooded figure finally moved.
They withdrew their gaze from Jun Ye, took a step, and walked straight through him.
Just like casually walking out of a theater.
Jun Ye: “…”
What the hell…
What kind of mystical world was this…
Jun Ye stood in place for a long time, watching the pink dot gradually move away. He surveyed the unfamiliar world around him, unsure of where to go or what to do.
At that moment, it felt like it overlapped with the time he was teleported to the Zerg world.
Back then, he had fought off attackers, stepped out of the dark alley, and found himself surrounded by technology that didn’t belong to his original world.
But at least then, he had a blonde young master by his side. Now…
Oh, now he had a task target.
Jun Ye immediately turned around and headed towards the still-visible pink dot on the map.
Though he still didn’t know what the task entailed, at least it was something to do.
He couldn’t just stand there contemplating life without the blond young master or Gu Jiaoxiu, who always liked to touch his tail. Being alone and reminiscing about the past would drive him crazy.
But…
The legs of this body seemed a bit short. Despite the short distance, why hadn’t he caught up yet?
Fifteen minutes later.
Clattering along too hastily, Jun Ye couldn’t stop himself and crashed through a just-closed door.
He stopped just before crashing into the cloak of the hooded figure.
The hooded figure lowered their head. “…”
Jun Ye looked up from the person’s chest. “…”
It had been a while since he’d encountered such an awkward situation. Damn height difference.
Three awkward minutes later.
Jun Ye sat on the couch in the living room. Of course, he couldn’t actually touch the couch, but sitting down felt natural.
It was as if this soul-like body had performed the “sitting” action, so from the outside, it looked like he was sitting.
Jun Ye surveyed the apartment-like room, looking left and right, then glanced behind him through the glass sliding door, where the hooded figure was busy in the small kitchen.
Oh, the figure had already taken off their hood and cloak.
The person’s face wasn’t anyone Jun Ye recognized, which was disappointing but expected.
They had black hair and black eyes, with a complexion that looked deliciously tan. Their face was angular and somewhat rigid, reminiscent of the military subordinates he once commanded, but with a touch more solitary aura.
In Jun Ye’s aesthetic opinion, the person in front of him was actually quite decent-looking, ranking third after the exquisite young master and Gu Jiaoxiu, albeit barely.
The person only made eye contact with him briefly when he burst in, then proceeded to treat him as if he were a speck of dust that had floated into the house, adopting an attitude of indifference.
They didn’t even ask him about whether he was Greenbout or Ailina anymore, as if they had already confirmed something and lost all interest in him.
Whoosh—
As the sound of the kitchen’s glass sliding door being pushed open echoed, Jun Ye turned his head from the couch to see the black-haired loner, who was about a head taller than his body, walking over with a plate of fried rice.
The loner’s gaze fell on him for a moment before retracting, redirecting his steps, and heading towards the nearby dining table.
The square white table, along with a straight-backed, flat-bottomed, stiff chair, clearly screamed “single dog setup2Meaning that he is obviously single.”
Jun Ye, lacking any sense of propriety regarding occupying the only comfortable seat, felt emboldened once he realized that the other person was not going to pay him any attention—he figured the person couldn’t handle a soul—so he acted without restraint.
While examining the loner’s single-person apartment, he also looked down on the person’s taste.
Aside from something resembling a television, there was nothing entertaining in the room. It was all empty and boring.
Of course, at this point, Jun Ye hadn’t realized what his psychological state represented; he was just thinking that his task target seemed to lead a pitiful life.
The loner finished eating the fried rice.
The loner cleaned up the dishes.
The loner took a shower in the bathroom.
Despite this being a very boring single dog’s daily life, Jun Ye found it strangely fascinating.
Until… the other person turned off the lights and went to sleep.
The room was very quiet, so quiet that one could almost hear the gentle breathing of the person on the other side of the room, separated by a door.
The other person didn’t even turn off the living room lights, but Jun Ye felt inexplicably restless.
Maybe it was thinking of the slightly curly blonde hair, or maybe it was thinking of the person who always held his tail. It seemed like there were many emotions stuck in his chest, unable to be released, making him feel like he was going crazy.
Jun Ye felt the urge to rush into the bedroom and wake up the person who was sleeping soundly to make him clarify who the hell Greenbout or Ailina was, or whatever else.
He hated this kind of silence.
Just as this thought became more and more urgent, Jun Ye suddenly felt dizzy.
Before he could think about how a soul could feel dizzy, when he opened his eyes again, what he saw had turned into a pure white ceiling, with a faint smell of disinfectant in the air.
His body felt so weak that he couldn’t muster any strength. The sensation of weakness in his body made Jun Ye furrow his brows slightly. It was difficult to turn his head to look around, but he felt like there was something stuck in his throat.
A strong urge to cough.
“Cough, cough, cough, cough…”
Drip, drip, drip…
Oh la la la~ We’re having quite a different ML for this side~