Chapter 69
Chapter 69
After reading the description of the Bond of True Friends supernatural ability, Xiao Huai remained silent for a long time.
Then he selected [Yes] without hesitation.
The system had malfunctioned once before, back in the Ivy Girls’ School instance.
That error had sparked Xiao Huai’s desire to continue exploring the horror game.
And this error…
The resulting god-tier supernatural ability could no longer be described as merely pseudo-god tier.
Used properly, it would be a genuine god-tier supernatural ability.
Perhaps even something greater.
[Confirmation successful. God-tier supernatural ability Bond of True Friends successfully bound…]
[Bound Player: Xiao Huai.]
[Unlocked Friend/Companion: Hanako.]
The system continued announcing his rewards.
[2. Hidden mission completed: Rescue the Count’s true personality.]
[Mysterious reward acquired: Hemera’s Ring.]
[Hemera’s Ring] Item Description: A special defensive item capable of blocking one fatal attack.
[Note: Legend says Hemera traded her lover’s life for a lifetime of regret.]
A pure-black ring appeared in the system inventory.
[3. Soul Contract with Joseph has taken effect. Joseph is now bestowing his blessing upon you.]
“Wait.” Xiao Huai spoke suddenly, and the system interface froze.
He murmured, “Since this world is about to collapse anyway, can I meet Joseph?”
[Submitting request… Response received from Main God system…]
[In light of player Xiao Huai’s outstanding performance in *Diamond Magnate* and the favor he has earned from numerous gods, the Main God system has granted a one-time privilege.]
[Directive received: The two of you may hold a brief conversation in the third space. Remember, do not exceed three minutes.]
Xiao Huai nodded. The next second, a beam of light shone down.
The third space was an endless expanse of empty white.
Only one figure stood out against it.
Joseph gazed into the distance, seemingly lost in thought. When he heard Xiao Huai’s footsteps, he turned around.
“You’re still alive.”
Xiao Huai smiled faintly. “Not far from dead.”
“Why did you come to see me?” A pair of icy green eyes stared at him.
Xiao Huai offered no lengthy explanation. He simply held out the heart formed from Joseph’s and the Count’s halves.
“He protected your other half, keeping it from being completely corrupted.”
Joseph went still. He stared at the faintly beating heart in Xiao Huai’s hand and reached for it, only to stop midway.
Xiao Huai placed the heart directly into his palm, along with the other half-heart that had already been cleansed of corruption.
Joseph remained stunned for a long time. Xiao Huai did not rush him. Instead, he took out the Wraith Child’s crystal ball.
The crystal ball held many memories from Joseph’s past.
Had Xiao Huai not obtained it when he did, he might never have accomplished everything that followed.
He spoke calmly. “Joseph, even if you’re a monster now, you’re still human too. I don’t believe there is any clear line separating monsters from humans. So, would you like to be my friend?”
Joseph’s lashes trembled. “You would… be friends with a monster?”
A smile brushed Xiao Huai’s lips, warm as an April breeze.
“Mm.” He narrowed his eyes slightly. A trace of casual languor rested in them, as though this were no great matter. “Besides, you can think of me as a little monster too.”
Blood continued dripping from the corner of his mouth as he spoke. Despite the gruesome sight, he pointed to it and joked:
“See? I’m the little cockroach monster no one can kill.”
Joseph frowned, but failed to hold back a laugh. His brow relaxed as he rubbed the corner of one eye and spoke softly.
“Xiao Huai, you really are interesting. I’d be happy to be your friend.”
[Ding! Joseph’s affection for you has increased to 50.]
It would probably take more than a little while for Joseph to become his soul friend. But from the start, Xiao Huai had never intended only to make Joseph his soul friend.
He wanted him as a soul companion.
With a wave of his hand, a Soul Contract appeared beside him.
Joseph looked at the contract in confusion.
The smile faded from Xiao Huai’s face. His voice held no fear, no dread, and no concern for the future.
He was merely stating an ordinary fact.
“Joseph, once this world is destroyed, perhaps you’ll be forced to suffer through everything again and again. Or perhaps you’ll be erased completely as anomalous data. But I want to gamble.”
He wanted to gamble on priority.
Would his own authority outrank the system’s punishment?
The contract floated over to Joseph.
Xiao Huai said, “I know we’ve only known each other for a few days, and all I wanted was your blessing.”
He looked toward the Wraith Child’s crystal ball, which once more projected a sky full of stars.
“But as long as I’m alive, the next starry sky waiting for you will be even more beautiful.”
He laughed softly, an entire universe of stars reflected in his eyes.
Joseph stared for a moment. The corner of his mouth lifted almost imperceptibly, and the coldness in his green eyes softened.
“Mm… That sounds interesting.” He signed his name on the contract.
Joseph Edward.
[Ding! Joseph Edward has successfully signed the Soul Contract. Soul relationship successfully established.]
[Abnormal NPC data detected. Original outcome upon instance destruction: Existence erased.]
[NPC is player Xiao Huai’s soul companion. Calculating priority…]
[The system cannot directly punish a player’s soul companion. Post-destruction erasure outcome amended. NPC will enter dormancy in the soul-companion space and may emerge only when the supernatural ability is used.]
When the notifications ended, a thread of silver wound around them both. Xiao Huai held out his hand.
“I look forward to working with you, my soul companion.”
As Joseph clasped his hand, Xiao Huai seemed to remember something and spoke again.
“Joseph, would you like to watch the stars with him one more time?”
Joseph instantly understood who Xiao Huai meant by *him*.
The Count.
His pupils quivered. After a moment, he lowered his head and gave a small nod.
“I would.”
Xiao Huai smiled faintly. “I understand.”
[The three-minute limit is nearly over. You will soon be transported from the third space back to the instance world.]
Before he vanished, Xiao Huai still said what he had come to say. “Joseph, he wants to watch the stars with you again too.”
It was only after seeing that starry sky that the Count had truly recovered his own personality.
Like Joseph, he was a tragic man. The puppet string bound to him had left him powerless to change anything, even though he knew his actions were wrong. With his own hands, he had cut the heart from his dearest friend’s chest and watched him become a monster, one step at a time.
In the end, he too had become a heartless walking corpse.
All light had long since vanished from his life.
Xiao Huai’s arrival had rekindled his hope. The moment the puppet string was severed should have marked a new beginning, yet it seemed that everything had already ended.
Why should a tragedy like theirs be beyond rewriting?