Chapter 534 - 11.60 First Green Star - Punishment World: 'Hell' (26)
The expressions Chu Mo and Lan She gave to him and Han Ya made An Yuan uncomfortable. Though he really doesn't have anyone in the real world to return to, that place is still his world. To remain sane in this world, he needs to have a goal at the very least. It just happens that his chosen goal is that he wanted to return to his own world.
But upon hearing that he wouldn't be able to have Han Ya by his side when he returns to his real world, his attachments to that place slowly faded. He had long chosen to love Han Ya as his lover. Though they haven't done anything as lovers, he knows that Han Ya loves him as much as he does. It was because of this that Han Ya had become the most important person in his life.
He didn't know what Han Ya was hiding from him. But he realized that the Han Ya from his world and the Han Ya in this world are two different beings. The only thing between the two is their feelings for him. He had longed to know that Han Ya had been secretly in love with him for a long time. But the time they had spent in his world was too little and only in this world that An Yuan felt his feelings for Han Ya had changed completely.
Han Ya used to be his closest friend and coworker. They were both educators in the field of science and the other in psychology. They got along too well but none of them ask for each other's private life and Han Ya would never approach him to show his hidden feelings for him. He keeps watching from a certain distance. Just watched him but never dared to reach out. That's why even though he knew about his secret admiration for him he never reciprocate his feelings.
But Han Ya is different in this world, he was like a pure child who could only convey his feelings through actions. He would make a move first before he could understand its meaning. In short, he follows what his heart and body want before his brain could even process it. It0 was honest and innocent.
That's why An Yuan likes the current Han Ya more than the one outside the game. But what he didn't know is that. The Han Ya from before is a different one from the current Han Ya.
Now hearing the words of Han Ya just now made him uneased. He had a feeling that Han Ya had decided something in his heart to make sure that he could return to the real world but for some reason, an unknown feeling of anxiety filled his heart.
An Yuan grabbed Han Ya's hand unconsciously. He held Han Ya's hand with both of his and looked at those golden eyes fearlessly.
"Xiao Ya, listen. It is true that I wanted to return to the real world. But choosing between the reality and you, I without any hesitation would choose Xiao Ya." said An Yuan.
An Yuan's last sentence made Han Ya's hand tremble. Though it wasn't overreacted, the Professor had definitely felt it. Even if Han Ya's face remained expressionless, An Yuan could see his nervousness.
"Why?" mumbled Han Ya.
An Yuan answered with a smile.
"To me, Xiao Ya is more important than the real world I know. In that place, I have no attachment. My sole reason for living is to teach, which I am not tired of. I love it when he treats me nicely. When you protect me regardless of the reason and choose me as your most important person. Xiao Ya I am very happy to be with you. That empty world out there is nothing compared to you staying by my side."
Han Ya tightens his hold on An Yuan's hand.
He asked, "But if you stay with me, you cannot leave this Abyssal world anymore. Are you sure, A'Yuan?"
"I'm sure. But... In the future, you will have to tell me everything you are hiding. Don't worry. I can wait," said An Yuan with a smile.
Once he heard his beloved's promise, Han Ya couldn't help but pull his A'Yuan in a hug. He had so many secrets. He wasn't even a human either. But his beloved had already promised to stay by his side. Though he wasn't sure whether he would really stay by his side in the end. Until the right time arrives and I can no longer hide my identity, I will always protect you.
Seeing the two protagonists, Chu Mo who was eating his noodles felt that these extremely expensive noodles were now tasteless, especially with all that dog food being spread before his eyes. Though he knew that his honey had caused this scene on purpose, he could help but be speechless by the situation.
Chu Mo couldn't hold back his real feelings and mumbled, "How clinched!"
"Shut up and just eat your noodles," said Lan She as he gave his lover an annoyed glance. His eyes were saying 'You want to destroy my work'.
The latter could only lower his head and continue to eat his noodles. An Yuan and Han Ya who finally calms down noticed the calm expressions on Chu Mo and Lan She. They were obviously turning a blind eye towards his and Han Ya's interaction.
Because of this, An Yuan felt a bit embarrassed to continue hugging. He could only lightly push away Han Ya with a crimson face
"L-Let go for a bit. Let's continue eating." said the Professor.
Han Ya didn't let go and said, "They wouldn't mind."
"That's right. Treats us as if I and my honey don't exist. My big boss and his wife always treat me and my honey as the air all the time. They are more clingy than both of you." said Chu Mo. Beside h Lan She nodded his head showing his full agreement to what his lover had just said.
Lan She asked, "Anyway, what's your decision? Are we staying here for a night or are we leaving right now?"
Once this question had been asked one of the managers in the area had spoken. It was the small cloud avatar manager that serves Chu Mo. He had been following his current host's orders to check the nearest elevator exit on every floor and didn't need to be ordered again to follow the task.
Subsystem spoke, [According to the ongoing task the warden had commanded, I had found the elevator exit of this layer. This layer has 3 Oasis. We are currently in the third paradise. The elevator would appear in the three Oasis according to its schedule. In the morning it would appear in the first oasis. Midday at the second oasis and midnight at this third oasis. The location of elevator exit is at the center of paradise.]
[H-How can you know? Is a manager allowed to do such a thing?] asked Manager Tian.
The small quiet star avatar manager of Lan She had finally spoken out and said, [Managers for the Managerial Society are too rigid with rules. Freelancers like us can help our players and guide them to a way of survival. Or are you only here to watch your players helplessly die before your eyes? What's the point of signing them if you couldn't even make sure of their survival by guiding them.]
[They are right. In the first place, I was afraid of the punishment for breaking the rules by helping my player survive but after signing I had pointed the way or survival to my player multiple times and even advised him to do what must be done and which is to be avoided but I didn't receive any penalty yet. Maybe this is a correct job as a manager,] said Manager Gui.
[Anyway, what is your decision? If the elevator is going to appear here at night we can only stay here. Are you staying?]
[I'm going to inform you now that the one at the center of the oasis is a humanoid human-faced spider with a demonic bloodline. The place where the elevator would appear would be at her lair,] said the Subsystem.
Han Ya said, "Let's stay. Leave the Demonic being to me. Focus on the monsters and other players instead. They would definitely attack tonight as well."
"Would you be alright alone, Xiao Ya? Doesn't that demon have incurable poison?" said An Yuan worriedly.
Han Ya replies, "I'm a demon. My bloodline would deem it worthless."
"Ah! That's right! It says that the poison is ineffective on the same race." said An Yuan.
Lan She spoke, "That's good then. Let Han Ya have the demon. Chu Mo will fight the players. I and An would kill the monsters."
"They're a bit too many monsters. Let's kill the one at the outskirts first and force the two monster bosses out." said An Yuan.
Chu Mo asked, "By the way, where are the monster bosses located?"
The professor pointed the direction towards a certain place. That place just happened to be where Chu Mo and Lan She had gone.
"The river." answered An Yuan.
Chu Mo looked constipated and said, "For real?"
An Yuan nods his head.
"Don't worry. It was far away from the location where you went to take a bath. Moreover, it's sleeping. Both of them." said An Yuan.
In front of him, a holographic game system screen appears.
---
Two-headed River Snake
An experimental animal born with two heads in one body. It's a failed experiment of a hydra.
Weakness: Ice. It can also die by cutting its heads off.
Current state: Deep sleep at the depths of the river. It would wake up at night to eat.
P.s.: It can call a mob group of monster snakes
---
Then he smelled the scent of blood mixed with the aroma of ramen on him, An Yuan felt puking once again as he remembered the severed hand that Chu Mo had almost taken a bite on. Thankfully, Lan She stuffed his mouth with an energy bar before he took a bite of it.
An Yuan grabbed Han Ya's hand and pulled him over to the river to clean themselves up.
"Let's also take a bath, Xiao Ya. I bought soap, towels, and shampoo from the abyssal store and it cost only 2 gold coins in total." said An Yuan. Happy that he didn't use too much money to buy those materials as it was considered junk objects in the store.
Han Ya let himself be pulled by his beloved towards the river. He had a joyous smile on his face as he stared at An Yuan as always.
Chu Mo and Lan She who was watching over them were calm. They've just finished eating ramen and drank some water afterward. Chu Mo took real fruit from his storage. It is something he picked from Hei Anjing's dimensional space when he last entered. After removing the skin on some apples he serves some to his lover.
"Here, honey~ eat some apples. Iced chilled it for you," said Chu Mo as he was trying to feed Lan She with a piece of apple.
Lan She opened his mouth and took a bite of the offered apple.
"The protagonists of this world are not bad. They weren't as talking as that stupid rabbit but... they are a bit acceptable. The only problem is that Han Ya. Do you think he would really try to kill Lord God Ye?"
"If he did then... Both of them would die under the hand of Lord Hei. A Mo descendant would kill even a friend as long as you try to harm their counterpart. He would even kill us both if we tried to do the same thing." said Chu Mo
Right from the beginning Lan She and Chu Mo already knew the weirdness of this Oasis. They are in hell. There is no way that a paradise would exist in such a place.
Chu Mo spoke, "The priorities of that family had always been their family and counterpart. Friends can only be second and the rest would never matter to them."
Lan She as someone who was lived a part of his life working in the God System knew that his lover's words were more than the truth. Not only did the Mo descendants act in such a way, but this kind of thinking was also practiced by the apprentices or disciples that serves the Mo Bloodline. The current God of Reincarnation, Cao Xinsheng is the same.. His priorities are his Master's problems before himself.