Chapter 42: Yaoxing Academy 42 (End) Part 2

“The Brother you’re talking about… who is he exactly?”

“Brother is naturally Xun Ji.” Lin Yule said, “Alright, no more chit-chat. I don’t have much time…”

“You’re lying. There’s no way he’d make me risk my life to save you!” Lu Zhou gritted his teeth, trying to ignore the stabbing pain in his head.

Lin Yule looked at him with sympathy, like he was a stray dog hit by a car, mangled and bloody, clinging to its last breath by the roadside.

“Why would he make you risk your life to save me? Lu Zhou, maybe you should start asking about things from even earlier.”

“When you first met him at Yaoxing Academy, why did he go out of his way to find you and take your mother’s keepsake? At the Winter Sports Meet, why did he specifically set up the Sonic Bomb to harm you? During the school celebration, why did he bring school people to catch you all when he knew you were in the Hunting Shadow Game? Why was your sister kidnapped and conveniently rescued by Xun Qian?”

Lin Yule watched with satisfaction as the color drained from Lu Zhou’s face with each question. Kindly, he added, “Actually, you didn’t need to know this. But since you’re about to die, I couldn’t bear for you to go without knowing the truth.”

“Couldn’t bear? Heh…” Lu Zhou’s eyes darkened. “Lin Yule, I won’t believe a single word you say…”

“Because Brother and I aren’t people from this world.” Lin Yule’s tone was calm as he laid the truth bare before Lu Zhou.

“We’re Taskers. This world is a novel, and you, Lu Zhou, are the Protagonist of this book.”

Lu Zhou thought Lin Yule must have gone insane, his brain broken, to make up such an absurd lie to toy with him.

But then he watched as Lin Yule, who had been perfectly fine a second ago, suddenly coughed heavily twice and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Lin Yule casually wiped it with his sleeve. “Just an OOC Punishment. We have to play specific roles in this world. Telling you this is out-of-character behavior, so the System punishes us.”

“Three years ago, when Brother was suddenly hit by a billboard and fell into a coma, it wasn’t an accident. It was the accumulated OOC Punishments all triggering at once.”

Lu Zhou’s lips trembled. “What did you say…”

Lin Yule explained, “Brother’s role is the School Bully. His Task is to bully you and make you fully blacken. My Task is to redeem you.” A look of disgust crossed his face. “Ridiculous, right? A Redemption Task—why would I do something like that?”

“I thought about just killing you to avoid the Tasks, so I tampered with things at the Winter Sports Meet. But unfortunately, if you, the Protagonist, die, this Small World collapses. That’s what Brother told me after we recognized each other.”

“From then on, to let both of us complete our Tasks and leave this world, Brother started doing both the blackening Tasks and the Redemption Tasks at the same time.”

“Brother’s first Task was taking your mother’s keepsake. The second was to make you go deaf at the Winter Sports Meet, so he set up the Sonic Bomb. The third was to expose your participation in the Hunting Shadow Game and get you expelled from Yaoxing Academy. The fourth was to get your sister kidnapped, making you lose your last family.”

“Oh, and by the way, making you his Little Dog was just to grind Daily Tasks. Every time he bullied you, he got Task Points.”

All the past events flashed vividly before his eyes.

Xun Ji always eagerly made him play the Little Dog but only once a day. Xun Ji seemed to know everything happening around him intimately, appearing at just the right moments in his life. Xun Ji deliberately treated him arrogantly and domineeringly but reverted to his true self when alone…

“Brother planned to complete my Redemption Task first so I could leave this world safely. That’s why he never went too far each time—to ensure he could clear your Blackening Value later. And he succeeded.”

“He found out you liked him. Your Blackening Value dropped quickly when you were with him, so he asked you to be his boyfriend and even marry him.”

Lin Yule leaned down and said softly, “Lu Zhou, from beginning to end, every time Brother hurt you, it was for a Task. Every time he was good to you, it was also for a Task.”

“And just now, at your wedding, your Blackening Value suddenly cleared to zero. I guess Brother said something to you.” Lin Yule smiled. “He wouldn’t miss the wedding, of course. Thank you, Lu Zhou. Now my Task is complete, and I can leave this world.”

How ridiculous.

Tasks? Novels? Protagonist? How could such laughable things exist in this world?

Lin Yule’s words were full of holes. Lu Zhou should have refuted them, mocked his clumsy lies, but his wound hurt too much. The pain drained his strength bit by bit, silencing him completely.

“I know you won’t believe me just from hearing it.” Lin Yule nodded understandingly. “I’ll let Brother tell you.”

He picked up the mobile phone, dialed Xun Ji’s number, and turned on speakerphone.

The ringtone rang for only one second before it connected.

“Lin Yule, where are you? Why didn’t you answer all my calls?” Xun Ji’s voice carried a hint of anger.

“Brother, I’m fine. Don’t worry.” Lin Yule chuckled. “I can’t bear to leave you. I want to say a couple more words before I go.”