Forces of Temptation

On the stone steps of [Homeland Island]. A pair of young players were carrying small baskets, selling their fruits to the passersby. The girls enthusiastically tried to sell their fruits to them at a cheaper price than those fruit vendors in exchange for points. Nan Zhou bought ten apples from them.

As soon as Nanji Star saw the apples, it immediately gave up eyeing the dragon fruit it had been watching for a long time, and jumped to Nan Zhou’s chest, excitedly stepping back and forth.

Seeing this, Li Yinhang said, “Just give the one in your hand to Nanji Star.”

Nan Zhou, “No.” 

Li Yinhang, “It’s half-eaten already, and you can’t eat it either.”

Nan Zhou, “No, it’s not the same.”

With that, he stored the half-eaten apple back in the storage slot, handed one new apple to Jiang Fang and one to Li Yinhang. He took one for himself, broke it in half, and crushed the apple flesh into minced fruit with one hand, and gave it to Nanji Star.

Nanji Star ate the minced fruit and buried his head into the crushed apple that was in his paws.

Li Yinhang held the apple, carefully chewing it.

It came as no surprise to her that a regular guy could squash half an apple with one hand.

After feeding Nanji Star, Nan Zhou also gently bit into his apple.

In terms of sweetness, flavor, and texture, the apples from [Homeland Island] were similar to the apples grown outside his bedroom window. 

He could basically confirm that Ms. Apple Tree’s seeds were brought from [Homeland Island].

In [Homeland Island], such apple trees were planted row after row. Apple seedlings were scattered all over the mountains, and there were red apple trees as far as one could see.

Why leave behind this apple that had been bitten by Nanji Star?

The only source he could trace for his lost memories was the apple that had rolled down to the balcony under the force of gravity. 

And when he woke up on the bus, he also had an apple in his hand.

He knew, after that, he had traveled to places and met certain people.

There were some important shapes, concepts, and stories that loomed in his mind.

When he tried to remember, his mind would become completely blank. But subconsciously, he knew, there were a lot of things hidden inside. 

For example…

He raised his hand and threw away the apple core. It accurately hit the flip cover of the iron trash can ten meters away and caused it to rotate in place several times.

Nan Zhou stood up and said, “Let’s go.”

Li Yinhang held the apple and said, “Aren’t you looking for someone?” 

Nan Zhou wiped the apple juice from his hand and said, “Let’s become number one. This way she can come to me.”

… Of course, he might never become number one.

To be honest, Nan Zhou’s obsession with Ms. Apple Tree was not particularly deep.

He just wanted to trace the person that planted the apples for him. 

She planted an apple tree for him.

The apple tree bore apples.

The apple fell to the palm of his hand.

A book he had read said that a man named Issac Newton was hit vertically by an apple and discovered gravity. 

Nan Zhou jumped off of the roof after the apple fell under the pull of gravity. But he lost his memories.

Maybe only by finding the one who had planted those apples, would he find his lost self.

Of course, it didn’t matter if he couldn’t find it.

Going forward, winning the game and fulfilling his heart’s desire were his topmost priorities 

Even the wish he resolutely made by the wishing pool in [Rust City] without hesitation was part of that memory. But the origin of that memory was untraceable.

But he still used the opportunity to make a wish despite his current situation.

The trio, each lost in their own thoughts, gathered their belongings and prepared to leave.

Walking hundreds of meters away and passing a small forest, a gust of wind blew by, sending some fine noises. 

Nan Zhou’s sensitive ears twitched.

Jiang Fang also looked up.

The red coats of the girls who earlier sold their fruits to them were draped over the treetops next to the grove.

The sleeves of the coat were crossed and tied at the end. 

This seemed to be some customary sign, like a carp flag, whistling in the wind.

A few people who wanted to come up the stone steps just now, after seeing this coat from afar, chose to walk around.

Every day was a doomsday carnival for players, who danced at the edge between life and death.

Selling all the apples in their backpacks was already something worth celebrating in their hopeless lives. 

Therefore, people who were familiar with these unspoken rules had kindly given them the space where they could sit on the sky and the ground and indulge in such unbridled behavior.

Listening to the subtle sounds, Li Yinhang coughed. Her cheeks had a tint of red, “Let’s go from here.”

Nan Zhou stood at the edge of the grove, unmoving.

Jiang Fang, “What’s the matter?” 

Nan Zhou pointed toward the woods, “They are calling.”

Jiang Fan, “…”

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Ol Tlctjcu, “…”

Rjc Itbe, “Ktf mbjar kfgf ifoa tfgf abb.” 

Rjc Itbe, “Ktfs jgf qgbyjyis lc vjcufg.”

Rjc Itbe, “P’ii tjnf j ibbx.”

Lfjglcu atlr, tf kjr obgmlyis ugjyyfv ogbw yftlcv ys akb tjcvr, bcf ugjyylcu j mbgcfg bo tlr mibatfr jcv atf batfg tlr jgw.

Rjc Itbe, “…?” 

Ol Tlctjcu qeiifv tlw, “… Dgbatfg, obgufa la. Ofa’r ub.”

Without looking at her, Nan Zhou continued to probe while he absently muttered, “You are older than me.”

Looking at Nan Zhou, who was like a curious cat, she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

——Do bigshots not have sex? 

She turned her head and saw Jiang Fang, who was clutching Nan Zhou’s arm. A smile was seen at the corners of his lips. She threw him a glare and winked.

——Still laughing!

——Help me persuade him.

——Or else your partner is going to see other people having sex. 

Nan Zhou was really curious and turned to look at Jiang Fang, “What are they doing?”

Jiang Fang didn’t stutter at all and explained to him vaguely, “The great friendship promotion meeting.”

Jiang Fang, “Discussion on the origin of life.”

Jiang Fang, “100 million people marathon.” 

Nan Zhou confused, “… Are all of these the same thing?”

Jiang Fang, “Almost.”

Nan Zhou sighed, “This language is too broad and profound.”

Jiang Fang looked at his face and said fervently, “Yes, I thought the same when I first came to China.” 

Jiang Fang’s excuses successfully tricked Nan Zhou’s attention.

From behind, watching Nan Zhou curiously tilt his head and ask Jiang Fang with regards to his question just now, Li Yinhang quickly followed.

—— ……I have to say.

Jiang Fang’s method of tricking this curious cat made him look like he had extensive training in this. 

When Jiang Fang and Nan Zhou walked side by side and he patiently answered all of Nan Zhou’s questions, his eyes fell on his shoulder unconsciously.

His collarbone separated the neckline of his shirt to the sides, exposing his skin.

Jiang Fang was slightly out of breath.

…… 

Before he decided to take Nan Zhou away from Never Town, Jiang Fang had asked him, “Do you want to bring some clothes?”

Nan Zhou, “Can I take my closet?”

Nan Zhou, “When I put my dirty clothes in the closet, they will become clean by themselves.”

Jiang Fang put his hand against his lips and smiled faintly, “I don’t have many free storage slots. Taking you isn’t a problem. To take your little friend Nanji Star, I have to throw away a gun; Counting your sketchbook, apples, and drawing pens, I have to throw three other things. I’m afraid it’s a little difficult to bring your closet.” 

This was the truth.

The number of storage slots he had was limited, and he emptied as many as he could.

Everything was useful.

Jiang Fang’s hoarding habit tended to make concessions when it came to Nan Zhou. 

When Nan Zhou bowed his head and hesitated, Jiang Fang looked at him and said with a smile, “It’s all right. I have clothes here. The clothes provided by the system don’t need to be washed. As long as you don’t mind wearing what I wear.”

Nan Zhou gave a “hmm”.

Clothing and storage slots were two independent systems.

When Jiang Fang flicked open the clothing page with his fingertips, he quickly skipped those clothes that were forcibly removed by the system and lo outfits which were inconvenient to wear. 

After searching, he finally found a suitable one.

It was a black trench coat. According to visual inspection, it was befitting with Nan Zhou’s thin and slender waistline. Coupled with the dark gold belt, it corresponded with his abstinence and cold temperament.

Jiang Fang handed it to Nan Zhou and said gently, “Try it on. When you’re done, come down for dinner.”

Nan Zhou clutched the trench coat and replied obediently, “Yes.” 

Jiang Fang went downstairs and took the sea bass, which was still steaming hot, out of the pot with its broth.

In the dining room, the team members who were trained by him looked at the nose, look at the heart from the nose. They were as honest as a nest of little quails.

Although they did not quite understand why the boss brought his own pots and pans to cook in other people’s homes, it did not look like he was trying to make friends or chasing after a girlfriend.

Not long after, Nan Zhou was dressed up and trodded down the stairs. 

Jiang Fang inadvertently glanced at him.

Jiang Fang, “…”

He felt something was wrong.

Before the other teammates noticed him, Jiang Fang rushed up to welcome him and brazenly opened his neckline. After he confirmed his guess, the corners of his mouth pursed in amusement. 

He tightened his neckline for him and ordered, “Go back. I’ll find you a shirt.”

Nan Zhou looked at him with puzzled eyes.

“Inside the trench coat…” Jiang Fang patiently explained with a smile, “You can’t be naked. You have to wear clothes.”

Nan Zhou suddenly realized, “Well, I don’t usually wear these kinds of clothes.” 

Jiang Fang pressed his ignorant new friend’s chest and said with a smile, “Let’s go. I’ll teach you.”

He was led back upstairs with Jiang Fang covering his chest.

Thinking of the naked and beautiful breast line that he had glimpsed at that time, and the two natural red spots further down, Jiang Fang naturally averted his eyes and exhaled a slightly hot breath.

After a while, Nan Zhou finally understood the whole story thanks to Jiang Fang’s vague explanation. 

Nan Zhou, “Ah, they are mating for breeding, aren’t they?”

The moment he heard these words, Jiang Fang’s expression was slightly complicated.

But he quickly adjusted his expression and mentality, “It can be understood that way.”

Nan Zhou’s curiosity was immediately satisfied, “I understand.” 

The three of them had a quiet rest in the fresh rural air of [Homeland Island] for two days and finally made up for the overdrawn physical strength spent on the snowy mountain.

During this period, the rewards they randomly drew from the prize pool had also arrived.

The trio perked up when they received the items.

Nan Zhou drew an [A-grade item, Pornographic Magazine]. 

[The number of uses was 10.]

[The effect was that when thrown, it will forcibly attract the opponent’s attention for five seconds.]

[In these five seconds, the opponent will only see this magazine.]

Li Yinhang drew an [A-grade Armor Pants]. 

[Your mother calls you to wear autumn pants].

[Usage Description: The armor in the shape of autumn pants can maintain the normal body temperature of the human body. At the same time, it is weightless when worn. It can also carry a dagger for assault and will give protection against injuries.]

[But the armor will lose blood.]

[If the durability drops, the ability to shield against injuries will also be reduced.] 

[When the durability becomes zero, the autumn pants will turn into ordinary autumn pants.]

In addition to these two sand sculptures but practical props, it was worth mentioning that Jiang Fang finally got a practical [S-grade item].

… Two dice made of agate.

One four-sided dice and one twelve-sided dice. 

Because of its excellent texture, it gives off an ounce of a warm sensation when shaken in the palm of your hand.

[Twelve Sided Dice]

[Prop Name: Concerto of Fate]

[Usage Description: If you don’t have a good idea about the instance, take it out and shake it.] 

[The patterns on the four-sided dice symbolize the type, while the numbers on the twelve-sided dice represent the difficulty.]

[Scepter: Symbolizes the physical strength, courage, and fervency of the element fire.]

[Sword: Symbolizes the wisdom of the game and the transmission capabilities of the wind element.]

[Holy Grail: Symbolizes the emotion, spirituality, and mind games of the element water.] 

[Star Coin: Symbolizes the composite, diversity, and inclusivity of the earth element.]

[Use it to comfort your restless heart.]

[Anyway, the wheel of fate has turned to its rightful scale.]

After reading the prop description, Jiang Fang rolled the two dice at his fingertips and opened the task log. 

The dice fell from his fingertips and fell into the [Three People Become Ghosts] column of their trial level.

The symbol for the level icon appeared to have transformed into a three dimensional bowl with a rooster print that allowed the dice to fall into the virtual screen.

The dice bounced, spun, and rolled within until it stopped.

The four-sided dice stopped and showed a Holy Grail symbol. 

The twelve-sided dice showed the number 3.

To put it bluntly, it was a psychological instance, with a difficulty of 3.

… Pretty accurate.

And so on. 

[Xiao Ming’s Daily Life] had the Sword and with a difficulty of 6.

[Sha, Sha, Sha] had the Holy Grail, and with a difficulty of 8.

[Fear of the Full Moon] had the Scepter and with a difficulty of 7.

After several experiments, Jiang Fang casually threw the two dice into the newly opened props grid. His expression was impassive, and with no lick of interest in sight. 

It was not necessarily true to say how outstanding such a prop was.

It couldn’t change one’s fortune or predict future instances. It could only measure the nature of the instance that had been drawn.

As the prop description said, “The wheel of fate has turned to its rightful scale”.

“This is quite good.” 

But Li Yinhang’s face was full of excitement, “This is an S-grade item. Regardless, if it’s a practical prop, we can sell them for higher points.”

Nan Zhou blinked and looked at Jiang Fang.

They both admired Li Yinhang’s positive thinking of “Selling anything that could be sold”.

Now that they got some good props, they planned to take advantage of their good luck and go into the next instance. 

After confirming that everyone’s mental and physical state was fit for the task, Nan Zhou bought the selected level mode.

They chose PVE mode as usual.

Given the performance of the system last time, Nan Zhou was prepared to be basked in the full moon as soon as the teleportation was finished.

However, when his body and mind were immersed in the darkness, Nan Zhou finally heard the broadcast of the game voice again. 

[Hello, Dear Players of the Cube Boat Team~]

[Welcome to the Instance: Brain Invasion]

[Number of Participants: 3]

[Nature of the Instance: Adventure, Exploration] 

[Wishing You a Happy Game~]

This time, the instance was only composed of the Cube Boat team members.

Of course, this was a good thing. There was no need to interact with strangers and waste time communicating and building relationships with them, as well as having the opportunity to monopolize all of the reward points.

However, the expressions of the three people were not very pleasant at this moment. 

Along with the game announcement sound, there was a chewing sound filled with a mouthful of saliva.

It was a familiar sound that had been amplified countless of times.

The chewing sound was originally a rather popular ASMR sound with sleep-aiding effects.

However, when every detail of this sound was amplified, it would only make people uncomfortable. 

The sound of teeth crushing food.

The clear, chirping smack of the mouth

When swallowing, a greasy sound mixed with saliva was heard.

The sound, inevitably, reminded them of the last instance in the snowy mountain’s cannibalism scene. 

This time, there were very few tips.

[Please explore within the specified time and area.]

[Survival time is 48 hours.]

[Explore as much as you can before your time limit ends.] 

Nan Zhou keenly captured a crucial detail.

This time, the system was not talking about “game time”, but “survival time”.

However, in comparison to the ominous words such as “survival”, the sight that actually caught their attention was fairly serene.

The light around them was extremely dim. 

Li Yinhang opened the flashlight of her fully-charged-yet-no-signal phone.

They were, at this point, at the intersection of three long corridors with oddly colored walls.

Under their feet, was a layer of velvet-like and snow-white carpet.

The walls on both sides of the passageways were thin. It had dense depressions, like air holes, that reduced the reflection of sound waves. 

They were standing in front of a three-way crossroad.

One of the passageways ran straight ahead, winding all the way forward. The other two passageways were formed into two semicircle arcs that stretch to both sides of the central corridor, creating a wreath-like pattern.

There were no windows in the passageways.

No light source. 

Stilled silence echoed. Only the annoying, and drudging chewing bass could be heard.

Jiang Fang opened the prop slot, took out his brand new and marketable S-grade dice, and threw them in the instance interface currently in progress.

The two dice entangled and collided with each other.

Gradually it came to a stop. 

… [Brain Invasion] instance represented the type and difficulty of Star Coin and 11 respectively.

Li Yinhang’s spirit suddenly tightened.

This was something they had all never experienced before. A composite instance of Spiritual + Intellectual + Physical.

It was also a difficulty that they had never experienced before. 

“…… [Brain Invasion].”

Nan Zhou didn’t care much about the difficulty.

He repeated the name of the instance, looked around at the weird environment, and lightly pointed out a somewhat creepy fact.

“So, we are now, in a person’s brain?” 

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