Defeat the system! Kiss my little monster!

Several hours had passed, and it was now three or four in the morning.

Pei Du wrapped himself in the blanket, and before going to sleep, he moved his lying position to the wall, turned to his side, and closed his eyes.

The house was completely silent; the sound of movement was barely audible. Faint breaths rose and fell, slowly fading into silence, eventually merging with the air.

Pei Du was feeling groggy. He was a light sleeper and easily startled, and could only fall asleep slightly in a relatively quiet atmosphere.

"rustle--"

The sound of insects scratching at the wall rose silently inside the room. It would start, pause for ten seconds or so, as if checking for safety. The sound that reached the ears was incredibly persistent, continuing only after confirming an answer, then resuming its rustling.

Pei Du silently opened his eyes.

He only slept for about half an hour, and at some point he turned over and changed his position, facing forward with his back to the wall.

Sheng Shixian, that restless fellow, is plotting something again.

Pei Du couldn't see the specific expression on his face, but with the faint light coming in from outside, he could see Sheng Shixian's figure in the darkness.

It was blurry, and only the lines could be barely made out. Sheng Shixian carefully slowed his movements, and didn't even make a sound with the chains on his hands during the entire approach.

But Pei Du had already planned the length of the iron lock on his wrist. After advancing a distance, Sheng Shixian's fingers only reached the edge of Pei Du's bed.

Pei Du lay motionless on the bed, silently watching the dark shadow swaying at the head of his bed, clutching the blankets tightly around him.

Sheng Shixian was still trying. His right leg was injured and he couldn't move it, so he relied entirely on his other leg to push forward. However, the iron chain on his wrist was too firmly fixed. Sheng Shixian stretched his hand out several times, and the best he could manage was to grab the edge of Pei Du's bed with his fingernails.

Damn it, I can't even touch him.

Sheng Shixian's face was grim. He remained still, carefully controlling the distance between the chains in his hands to prevent them from colliding and making noise.

Pei Du was highly alert and easily woke up. Sheng Shixian remained frozen like a statue for a few minutes, then suddenly changed his mind and hooked his fingernails onto the bedsheet.

Pei Du felt the sheets beneath him twitching. He didn't speak, but grabbed the sheets with his hand inside the blankets.

Sheng Shixian intended to pull the sheet closer little by little, so that Pei Du would move closer to him as well. He slowly rolled up the edge of the sheet, only to find that it didn't budge.

Sheng Shixian frowned and pulled back with more force. Pei Du, inside the blanket, gripped the sheet and secretly increased his strength as well.

Sheng Shixian hadn't lost control yet. He was deliberately calculating the strength in his hand, and after pulling several times without success, he suddenly realized something was wrong.

Pei Du was still lying there. Sheng Shixian stared intently at Pei Du's sleeping figure. He hadn't moved at all, as if he hadn't woken up yet.

Sheng Shixian withdrew his hand, his dark eyes fixed on the front, silent and still.

A few minutes later, Sheng Shixian turned around and lay back down on the floor. He pulled the blanket up, turned his face to the side, and closed his eyes, just like when he first went to sleep.

The rustling sound lasted for a while, then finally stopped in the air.

Pei Du's palms were sweaty. He watched the figure fall down and not get up again before he slowly relaxed.

It seems he needs to go and check out some other locks.

*

Pei Du did not sleep all night.

He was already a light sleeper, and Sheng Shixian's actions made it even harder for him to fall asleep.

After Sheng Shixian went back to sleep on the floor, he didn't get up again. Pei Du listened to his deliberately concealed breathing in the darkness and guessed that he also fell asleep much later.

When the alarm rang at seven in the morning, Pei Du's brain nerves were still throbbing.

He still has experiments to do today, and he has arranged a working time with the director.

Sheng Shixian woke up when he heard the alarm. He opened his eyes, his hair was unkempt and hadn't been washed much, still piled up messily, and there was still a trace of sleepiness in the corner of his eyes.

Pei Du was getting dressed when he glanced at Sheng Shixian, who was leaning against the wall, his gaze seemingly drifting towards Pei Du.

"How did you sleep last night?" Pei Du asked casually.

Sheng Shixian's voice was hoarse from waking up early as she slowly said to Pei Du, "Comfortable."

It means we'll be sleeping together again.

"Really? I didn't sleep very well." Pei Du stood up and said as he changed his clothes, "Last night I dreamed that a ghost was crawling on my bed, and I was so scared that I didn't dare to move."

Sheng Shixian: "..."

Pei Du looked at him: "What about you? Did you have any nightmares?"

Sheng Shixian shifted his gaze and said, "No."

"Alright." Pei Du didn't ask any further questions.

Sheng Shixian couldn't say much now, and Pei Du was just giving him a warning—although Pei Du thought the warning was useless, as Sheng Shixian's ability to say one thing and do another was already unparalleled.

Sheng Shixian remained silent. He picked up the cane that was used to support his body and reached out his hand as Pei Du passed by: "Help me."

Pei Du: "..."

Pei Du stood still, and Sheng Shixian gripped his cane tightly, remaining silent. After a few seconds of this tense standoff, Pei Du stepped forward and extended his hand.

"Qi Sheng said your wound is healing very quickly, and you'll be able to walk on your own in a while." Pei Du walked downstairs, looked at the empty table below, and said a few words to Sheng Shixian.

Sheng Shixian walked with difficulty. He gripped Pei Du's arm tightly and said, "We can't walk."

“A few more days, of course you can’t leave now.” Pei Du’s arm ached from Sheng Shixian’s grip. He looked at the sharp nails on Sheng Shixian’s hand, which were cracked from lack of repair.

Last night, Sheng Shixian had been scratching at the edge of his bed with these fingernails, making a rustling sound. Pei Du silently withdrew his gaze, hesitating whether he should cut Sheng Shixian's fingernails as well.

Infectious mutants place particular importance on their bodies, and even consider fingernails as part of their physical structure. Any fingernails that fall off due to human intervention, unless they shed naturally, are viewed as malicious damage.

Pei Du remained silent for a moment, then simply shifted his gaze.

Sheng Shixian didn't say anything after hearing Pei Du's words. After going downstairs, he went to the bathroom to wash up and then had a simple breakfast.

Pei Du waited nearby. After Sheng Shixian resolved the basic issues, Pei Du stretched out the shackles on his hands and secured them to the side.

This time, Pei Du changed the location and also extended the distance of the iron chain, so that Sheng Shixian could go to the toilet to relieve himself.

"A game?" Sheng Shixian sat on the bench, looking at the iron chain on his wrist, and asked.