Defeat the system! Kiss my little monster!

Standing behind Zhou Yanshu was an Alpha with white hair and golden eyes. He was tall and wore a tasteless pink and gray plaid shirt. He was resting his arm on the back of his wheelchair and looking at Lin Shuang with a half-smile.

Lin Shuang had heard about Yu Zhuo before; this low-level Alpha had gotten incredibly lucky and was chosen by Tamo and assigned to Zhou Yanshu.

"The date is set for the Linyang Festival a week from now. We look forward to seeing you both then." Lin Shuang glanced at Yu Zhuo, his expression unchanged, and still stood up to bow to Yu Zhuo.

Yu Zhuo nodded casually and asked, "I haven't seen the general for a while. Are you... injured?"

"Foreign tribes have always been rampant on the borders of the sea. I only suffered minor injuries when I fell off the cliff this time, so there's no need for you to worry about me, Mr. Yu."

The phrase "临双" implies a reluctance to discuss further with Yu Zhuo.

Yu Zhuo was just a tabby cat who came from the shore. He didn't understand the customs of the mermaids or the border war situation. At most, he was able to stay here by associating with Zhou Yanshu. Lin Shuang had no intention of talking to him about the war.

Yu Zhuo seemed completely oblivious to Lin Shuang's aloofness. He looked at Lin Shuang's right eye with his golden eyes and said, "I've heard that the general is a young prodigy. There probably aren't many outsiders who can harm you, right?"

Zhou Yanshu lowered his eyelashes. In public, he always appeared submissive and tolerant. When Yu Zhuo spoke, he remained silent and listened quietly.

But seeing Yu Zhuo holding Lin Shuang tightly, asking her all sorts of questions, he couldn't help but feel a little suspicious.

Lin Shuang was unsure of the meaning behind Yu Zhuo's words. He frowned slightly upon hearing this and said, "They are indeed an uncommon foreign race. The soldiers in the team have already collected samples and handed them over to His Majesty for review a few days ago."

"Alright." Yu Zhuo waved his hand. "I don't understand much of what you're saying. But I see you've invited quite a few people. Will His Majesty be there too?"

Lin Shuang: "Naturally."

Yu Zhuo immediately made a plan in his mind.

Lin Shuang's deliberate invitation to Zhou Yanshu was likely at Tamo's behest. This victory celebration, attended by important figures of the merfolk, was a golden opportunity for Tamo to establish his authority in front of everyone—especially Zhou Yanshu—and he certainly wouldn't let it slip by easily.

Of course, this is also a good opportunity for Yu Zhuo.

“Earl, I have important matters to attend to later, so I will take my leave for now.” Lin Shuang couldn’t say anything more to Zhou Yanshu in front of Yu Zhuo, so he bowed and said, “Please take care of yourself.”

Zhou Yanshu lowered his head and hummed in agreement.

Seeing this, Lin Shuang didn't linger any longer. He picked up the things he had placed on the table and left with the guards who were standing at the door.

Yu Zhuo was playing on his phone at the corner of the stairs. Zhou Yanshu waited until Lin Shuang's figure disappeared from sight before turning to look at Yu Zhuo.

Why did you say so much to him just now?

Yu Zhu put his phone in his pocket, leaned against the railing at the corner of the stairs, and said, "The Great General of the Merfolk has been injured again. Shouldn't I show him some concern out of courtesy and reason?"

"It's a pity he didn't understand your hidden meaning, all your efforts were in vain," Zhou Yanshu said calmly.

Yu Zhuo raised an eyebrow: "You can understand me?"

Zhou Yanshu snorted: "Your little tricks can only fool the young. If Qi Mohan were here today, you would be dead tomorrow."

Lin Shuang encountered foreign tribes at the border and suffered a severe injury to one eye. This had never happened before. Why did the intelligence fail just as Lin Shuang was about to return, leading him to a dangerous border region where foreign tribes shouldn't be present?

An unexpected incident is a possible cause, but the probability is low. The most important reason... is probably within the Lin Shuang army.

There were traitors planted in his army by other people.

Yu Zhuo is good at giving hints, but he doesn't have many useful techniques, and he doesn't know how to cover things up.

After asking a few questions, he had already subtly pointed the finger at those above him.

Who could have planted a spy in Lin Shuang's army? Who is trying to prevent his return? Who... opposes Lin Shuang at every turn and is his enemy?

With just a little thought, one can tell that the target hidden behind the Yu Zhuo issue is none other than Left Envoy Qi Mohan.

“Of course I wouldn’t dare say that if Qi Zuoshi were here, he’s very shrewd,” Yu Zhuo sighed. “It’s just a pity that General Lin Shuang… can’t understand what I’m saying.”

The warm water in the glass had cooled down, but Zhou Yanshu seemed oblivious, still holding it in his palm: "Why are you so concerned about Lin Shuang? His ancestors have served the royal family for many years. As long as Tamo is still on the throne, Lin Shuang can't touch Qi Mohan."

A hint of surprise flashed in Yu Zhuo's eyes: "You thought I was going to deal with Qi Mohan?"

Zhou Yanshu: "...Isn't that right?"

"I have no grudge against Qi Zuo Shi, so why would I want to deal with him?" Yu Zhuo narrowed his eyes, walked to Zhou Yan Shu's side, bent down from behind and wrapped his arms around his neck. "I just want to prove my loyalty to you."

Zhou Yanshu stiffened. His heat had long since passed, but now that Yu Zhuo was close, he still subconsciously felt a sense of closeness and familiarity.

How many times have you said that?

“This is the last time.” Yu Zhuo smiled. “Xiao Luan came to me before, and he has already stolen what I asked him to steal.”

Upon hearing this, Zhou Yanshu also curled his lips and said, "You mean..."

"It's just sending them a gift."

*

Yu Zhuo restarted his phone that night. Ever since his phone was lost and then found again, Yu Zhuo hadn't looked at the app that was hacking Love.

Although everything inside was normal and the abundant energy had fixed the previous system vulnerabilities, Yu Zhuo still dared not use it lightly.

Anything that can connect to the outside world must be handled with utmost care, let alone the existence of the Triangular Detection Stone in this world.

These relics, left over from a century ago, still stand 10,000 meters in the sky, their purpose being to maintain the normal functioning of the world and to eliminate anything that should not exist.

Why did I create you?

Is it so that you... can become human?

Yu Zhuo twirled the phone in his palm with one hand.

Yes... what was the purpose of creating him?

It spent so much system energy to nourish Yu Zhuo, allowing him to grow flesh and blood from the machine, to develop a soul, and to completely transform Yu Zhuo into a completely new being.

They spent so much effort nurturing him, only to crush him mercilessly in the end.

It's as if years of painstaking effort meant nothing; it destroyed Yu Zhuo as easily as destroying a useless program. Utterly cold, ruthless, and numb.

Yu Zhuo frowned. He felt nauseous and uncomfortable thinking about those distant events, so he simply threw his phone down and tossed it aside.

Zhou Yanshu went somewhere late at night, and he did far more things behind the scenes than Yu Zhuo thought. He also used the excuse of seeing a doctor to go to many places outside.

It's already 11:30 p.m., and Zhou Yanshu still hasn't returned.

Yu Zhuo yawned, sent a message to Zhou Yanshu, and walked to the window to draw the curtains.

The villa they lived in was quite tall, already thirty or forty meters high. Furthermore, due to its proximity to the site of the former temple, the villa was surrounded by high mountains and dense forests.

Yu Zhuo rarely saw any strangers around the villa. Tamo had sent many spies to keep an eye on Zhou Yanshu, and the other mermaids, having received the news, wisely stayed away from the area. Apart from those with ulterior motives, no one else approached.

Yu Zhuo closed the window. Just as he touched the curtains, he saw the large tree directly opposite his room standing in the moonlight, its branches and leaves lush and verdant. Strands of pale moonlight fell on the leaves, adding a touch of coolness to the tree.

Yu Zhuo vaguely saw a figure among the overlapping shadows of the trees, hidden among the branches and leaves, crouching down and spying on him.

Yu Zhuo assumed it was another spy sent by Tamo, so he didn't pay much attention and reached out to draw the curtains.

He looked down at his phone.

[A wild, indifferent attitude: It's late, when will you be back?]

[Indifferent: On the way, ten more minutes.]

[A wild, indifferent attitude: Oh, be careful on the road.]

[Wild indifference: Little fish kissing.jpg]

Zhou Yanshu didn't reply to the message. Yu Zhuo stared at the screen for a while, then turned off her phone.

That's so unromantic.

After taking a shower, Yu Zhuo lay back in bed. Perhaps due to being too tired recently, Yu Zhuo felt drowsy after scrolling through her phone for a while.

Ten minutes passed quickly without him realizing it. Yu Zhuo's mind was foggy, and his vision as he looked at his phone screen gradually blurred. He only felt physically exhausted and extremely sleepy.

"... Yuozhuo?"

The door seemed to be opened, and Yu Zhuo barely opened his eyes, only squinting a crack. The person who entered walked with difficulty, and his figure flickered in front of Yu Zhuo for a few seconds before all the lights in the room were turned off, plunging the room into complete darkness.

"You're back?" Yu Zhuo turned over.

He instinctively hugged the person beside him, burying his face in their body.

"Hmm... I had something to do and was delayed on the way. Why are you sleeping so early?" Yu Zhuo smelled the fragrance on Zhou Yanshu's body, the same scent as before, which stirred his already chaotic and tired nerves.

Yu Zhuo smiled, and just as he was about to speak, he felt the person on top of him touch his lips. The fingertips were icy cold, and the person casually pressed their entire body against Yu Zhuo's lips before pressing their entire body against him.

Yu Zhuo reached out and put his arm around Zhou Yanshu's back, his palm tracing down Zhou Yanshu's spine as he narrowed his eyes slightly: "Why are you being so proactive tonight?"

Zhou Yanshu did not answer. Their breaths were hot, and soon their clothes were all off, falling to the foot of the bed.

"Commander, you can't do this..."

Yu Zhuo had already rolled over and pressed down on Zhou Yanshu. He gripped that small, thin wrist tightly and heard the restrained and indistinct sounds coming from Zhou Yanshu's throat.

"What are you saying..." Yu Zhuo kissed his lips.

Zhou Yanshu groaned, biting the corner of the blanket tightly, and didn't make a sound no matter how Yu Zhuo manipulated him.

Yu Zhuo's mind was in a daze, his chest was burning hot, and he inexplicably tasted a hint of strong liquor in his mouth.

But he hadn't gone out today, nor had he interacted with any outsiders, so how could he taste something like alcohol in his mouth?

The breathing in the room grew heavier, disrupting the previously clear air.

When it was over, Yu Zhuo was covered in sweat. The damp hair at his temples clung to his cheeks as he held Zhou Yanshu and kissed him tenderly: "Brother..."

Zhou Yanshu lay half-lying on Yu Zhuo's chest, his breathing heavy, muttering to himself.

“…Commander…I am His Majesty’s man…you are really…too presumptuous…”

Yu Zhuo: "...?"

Sweat-dampened eyelashes felt heavy. Yu Zhuo opened his eyes and immediately got out of bed.

He instinctively reached for the bedside light switch, but his hand touched nothing behind him. The cabinet that had been there was now empty. Yu Zhuo almost fell off the bed because he couldn't find any support.

The room had changed long ago without his knowledge. The wooden bed was rustic, and the room was almost devoid of decorations, except for a porcelain vase with blue and white glaze placed on the corner of the table next to it.

"...Where is this place?" Upon seeing this, Yu Zhu frowned immediately. He retreated while suddenly fixing his gaze on the front.

The dark figure lying on top of him was still panting, his face obscured by the vast darkness of the scene, making it difficult for Yu Zhuo to see clearly.

"You're not Zhou Yanshu...who are you?!" Yu Zhuo exclaimed, yanking him off her. "Who are you?!"

The figure seemed to have bumped into the bedpost behind him, and after a heavy thud, he pulled the blankets off the bed.

"...Me? I'm a palace maid recently chosen by His Majesty. I was supposed to serve him tonight..."

A woman's voice slowly rose from inside the room, and the person hooked up the thin clothes that had fallen under the bed and wrapped them up layer by layer.

"Commander Mu, you forced yourself on me without even asking what happened, and now you want to hit me? I'm a respectable girl, and you've ruined my reputation, what am I supposed to do..."

The man sobbed in the shadows.

Yu Zhuo stood there, stunned: "What?"

The person whose face was obscured simply bowed their head and wept, no longer speaking.

Commander Mu...

Yu Zhu blinked: "I am... Mu Yuyuan?"

His pupils moved as he looked around. The scene here was ethereal, hazy and indistinct, like clouds or mist. But when Yu Zhuo stretched out his palm, he could still feel a touch almost like that of a solid object.

It's a dream.

It was a dream on a higher level than the previous one.

The initial dream about Lu Xun, generated when the soul fragments merged, was extremely short-lived and lacked tactile sensation. This time, however, the dream was significantly more complete and clearer than before.

Even when Yu Zhuo was in the midst of it, he was still able to maintain a relatively clear mind.

This is a memory from another core soul fragment.

This is Mu Yuyuan's dream.

Yu Zhu could barely remember the general development of Mu Yuyuan's world, which was also the ancient background in which Shen Yu lived.

Mu Yuyuan was the commander of the Dark Guards. She had contact with him while working on the system.

Yu Zhuo calmed himself down, sat on the edge of the bed, and focused his gaze back on the figure in the center of the bed.

For some reason, he couldn't see the person's face clearly. No matter how close he got, Yu Zhuo could only barely make out a blurry facial feature.

"A woman from an innocent family?" Yu Zhuo narrowed his eyes. He couldn't see the person's face clearly, so he simply lowered his gaze and examined the figure of the person on the bed.

Hidden in the darkness, hazy and indistinct, yet vaguely recognizable by familiar lines and contours. His intuition was correct; this person carried the aura of Zhou Yanshu.

In the previous many small worlds, there was always someone who... carried Zhou Yanshu's aura.

Yu Zhuo turned his head, suddenly reached out and grabbed the person in front of him, pulling him close.