These words were utterly outrageous. Luo Li bit his lip in shame. “You… what nonsense are you spouting!”
Ghost Hand looked dead serious. “Those men would only defile Mama, but I’m different. I’m one with Mama—we share the same roots. It’s only natural.”
That was exactly what made it so weird!
Luo Li was speechless. He broke free from Ghost Hand’s embrace and jumped off the bed.
He called out in his mind to 007. “Little Seven, where’s Huo Jieqi?”
There was a pause before 007 replied, “The militia Chu Jing brought has surrounded Zhaohua Mansion, trying to force Huo Jieqi to hand over the Chamber of Commerce’s assets. The mansion is in dire peril right now.”
“Bern wanted to save you, but that grenade got mistaken by Ghost Hand as something meant to harm you. He was the one who saved you. Huo Jieqi is downstairs right now, protecting the mansion.”
In that case, the Leader Boss must be in a very dangerous spot.
After a moment’s hesitation, Luo Li walked over to the window.
He pushed it open and was stunned by the sight outside.
“This is…”
The area around the mansion was utter chaos. Countless armed militia from the mountains had completely surrounded the hilltop.
Thick smoke billowed, blanketing the sky. Even the graveyard in the back mountain was sending up plumes of smoke nonstop.
Without a second thought, Luo Li shoved open the room door and dashed downstairs.
But Ghost Hand grabbed his wrist. “Mama, don’t go.”
The cave was destroyed. Nothing could hold them anymore. They could just wait for Zhaohua Mansion to fall and return to their old, free life together…
But that wasn’t what Luo Li wanted to see.
The Leader Boss couldn’t die. And just because Ghost Hand didn’t understand a lot of things didn’t mean Luo Li was blind to them.
Huo Jieqi… wasn’t like the other Huo family members from before.
He had never hurt Luo Li. And besides, without his silent permission, how could Ghost Hand have escaped, come here to rescue him?
Huo Jieqi had probably hoped Luo Li would escape with Ghost Hand. But…
“Let me go!”
Luo Li struggled fiercely and wrenched free from Ghost Hand’s grip.
He saw disappointment flash across Ghost Hand’s face. Unable to bear it, he said softly, “I won’t abandon you. Wait here for me, okay?”
He gave Ghost Hand one last gentle hug, then ran off without looking back toward the sound of gunfire.
~~~
The grand hall downstairs had its doors tightly bolted. The lingering smoke outside blocked out the daylight, leaving the room pitch-black. Only sporadic flickers of firelight pierced the gloom now and then.
Luo Li arrived out of breath and saw the paper effigies reduced to flat scraps on the floor.
A man sat in the grand carved chair at the center of the hall, his fingers pressed to his temple, his body shrouded in shadow.
“Mr. Huo…?”
Luo Li called out tentatively. His instincts screamed not to get closer, but he couldn’t stop himself. He approached the man in the chair step by step.
Black mist swirled around the Leader Boss, enveloping the chair itself. Twisted, writhing liquids crawled along the beams and walls of the entire mansion.
At the sound of his voice, Huo Jieqi opened his eyes—not a pair, but three.
In addition to his normal eyes, another pair had sprouted on his cheeks and brow bones. The dark green pupils were moss-covered, glowing with an eerie, spectral light.
His hands gripped the chair’s arms, black liquid oozing down the back like blood, snaking and dripping to the floor.
His other hands caressed the paper effigies before him—his grandfather and grandmother.
The scene reminded Luo Li of that day in the paper effigy shop.
Huo Jieqi had spoken of his grandparents just like this, with the shopkeeper.
But now, seeing the black liquid staining the effigies, Luo Li suddenly felt that Huo Jieqi must be grieving inside.
Then the Leader Boss set the effigies aside. One of his arms extended, effortlessly circling Luo Li’s waist and pulling him into a hug.
…Right onto his lap.
Those sinister green eyes fixed on Luo Li, as if there was so much he wanted to say.
Luo Li hesitated before reminding him, “Outside… there are a lot of people. It’s dangerous.”
“I know.”
The Leader Boss nodded. “You should have escaped. Chu Jing won’t trouble you.”
Sweat beaded in Luo Li’s palms. He mustered his courage. “Do you want me to leave?”
The Leader Boss’s pitch-black pupils contracted. He was silent for a long time before saying, “No. I don’t.”
Luo Li’s chest heaved. The words “Then I won’t go” churned in his mind a hundred times but never made it out.
Because the Leader Boss pulled him close. Hot breath brushed his shoulder hollow as four hands locked his body tight against that chest.
He murmured something cryptic. “I’d rather you grow up a little.”
But the Mountain God would never grow up.
No matter how many times he aged, fell ill, or died, Luo Li would always stay this innocent and pure. All those experiences would fade like a dream once the little one awoke.
A fierce barrage of artillery fire erupted. Stray bullets hammered the beams and doorframe. The whole mansion shook violently, the ground trembling faintly.
The Leader Boss slowly released Luo Li. His gaze shifted to the door.
“Stay with me a while longer. Let’s watch the world’s final moments together, Lili.”
…
And so Luo Li’s last memory froze on the latticed flower window in the grand hall. Outside, the sky was deep gray. Shattered glass from bullet impacts glittered on the ground like slices of gemstone.
So this world had failed, hadn’t it?
Once Huo Jieqi died, it would all be over.
He felt he’d done a terrible job. How could a Mountain God, long suppressed and slaughtered in the ancestral hall by greedy humans, choose to die alongside Huo Jieqi at the very end?
But he couldn’t remember those past events clearly.
The only thing that stuck was the chirp of cicadas on a Jinzhou City East Alley night. Curled in Huo Jieqi’s arms, he’d woken after some unknowable time to find Huo Jieqi with eyes closed, exhaustion etched between his brows…
No matter what Luo Li asked for, this man would always agree.
Luo Li pressed his lips together and gathered his courage. “I want to know your name.”
A faint flicker lit the Leader Boss’s green pupils. “Haven’t you already figured it out?”
Luo Li met his gaze steadily. “I want to know your real name.”
The Leader Boss paused, then laughed.
He repeated it. “Haven’t you… already figured it out?”
The moment the words faded, the Leader Boss kissed his forehead.
Luo Li went rigid, then wrapped his arms around the man’s neck.
This time, he didn’t pull away.
In that instant, a deafening roar split the air outside—like the earth itself cracking apart.
The mountain shuddered violently.
In 19xx, the largest earthquake to strike the northern city swept over Jinzhou without warning.
~~~
【Current scores are being tallied…】
【Main Quest for Zhaohua Mansion Instance completed. Hidden Plot Points unlocked】
【Plot Exploration: 100%】
【Host Vital Signs: Stable】
【Player Clearance Count: 0】
【Overall Rating: SSS】
Luo Li felt his body yanked into a massive vortex, plummeting endlessly into the depths.
His consciousness blurred, his mind going completely blank.
He didn’t know how much time passed. When he opened his eyes again, he jolted awake in a bed.
All around were pure white walls and ceiling. On the table sat a cake box and that black rabbit plushie. A few crumbs still clung to the cake plate, as if someone had just finished eating.
Everything was identical to before he’d entered the second instance—like the game had never happened, and he’d only napped after dinner.
“You’re awake?”
007’s voice rang in his ear. “Instance Two completed. You’ve returned to the Main God Space.”
Luo Li’s heart pounded; he was still shaken.
He quickly pulled up the settlement screen and checked again. No, he wasn’t seeing things. Clearance count was really zero, and the rating was truly SSS.
What was going on? Wasn’t the Leader Boss supposed to be defeated in this world?
How had it ended up looking like the players lost?
007 said, “I’ve used points to link you to the Player Forum. As a boss, your permissions are limited, and you’ve been out of touch with players for a while. Check the forum if you have questions.”
Full of confusion, Luo Li tapped in.
The top hot post was blowing up, its title impossible to miss:
《B-Grade Instance Boss Living Off a Soft Rice Husband? The Tragic Tale of the Top-Tier Pretty Boy Mountain God Dying for Love》
Luo Li: ?
He clicked in. The replies were a whirlwind.
【I’m done, bros! Epic sugar baby drama with a pampered wife in a B-grade instance—lives up to the hype!】
【Disclaimer: I’m not a player from this run. My buddy is…】
【It’s anon mode, no need for the fake friend story lol】
【It really was my friend! I can’t even clear a C-grade, no access… Anyway, point is, my friend went in fully prepped. At the end, when they stormed the mansion with troops, Leader Huo Jieqi was done for! Then boom—earthquake. All players gg’d!】
【I’d heard rumors that clearing this dungeon could trigger the earthquake Hidden Plot Point, but who would’ve thought it’d hit right at the final moment?! Pulling a stunt like that, my friend lost his shit on the spot.】
【Earthquake… tsk tsk tsk. Feels like the only one with the perms to pull that off is the Mountain God, right?】
【Exactly! Word is the Mountain God in this dungeon stays neutral. Side with the players and you get a sweet buff boost. Side with the Leader Boss and he turns into the boss fight. But after all these years, I hardly ever hear about him siding with the Leader.】
【Tell me about it! Everyone knows the Huo Family kidnapped his son and tried to force a marriage with the Mountain God. If I were the Mountain God, you could give me a hundred chances and I still wouldn’t help Huo Jieqi!】
【That’s my point! Never seen a Mountain God this whipped for his man—ended up triggering the earthquake straight-up to back his husband. Where’s the justice in that?!】
【Holy shit, so jealous. They say the Mountain God’s got white hair, total supermodel babe, pure white rich beauty vibes! Drooling just thinking about it!】
【666 to the sneaky white-hair simp】
【Bro, I get you. If I had a white rich beauty like that for a wife—betrayed for years but still loyally guarding my family Ancestral Hall—I’d go full tender lover mode. “Wife, you’ve suffered so much.”】
【LMAO, upstairs lost in fantasy again. Played too much Galgame?】
【Heh, no matter how gorgeous or devoted the wife, you forgetting he has a son? Only you losers would step up as the cuckold taker. Too bad he wouldn’t even glance your way—still ended up locking lips with the Leader Boss.】
【You know jack shit. A son just makes it hotter, okay? Milf slips up once, shows up at your door late at night with her kid begging for shelter, then breastfeeds the boy right in front of you. You think you could handle that??】
【Fuck, I can’t anymore, bros. Forum time ends here for today.】
【Upstairs pilot’s way too eager for takeoff】
【Bottom line, still no one spilling what the Mountain God actually looks like? Any godfathers got pics for tonight’s dream fuel?】
Seeing this, Luo Li tensed up in an instant.
His photo wouldn’t really get posted, would it?
If these players found out, who knew what kind of trouble it’d bring down the line.
Just then, a new reply shot to the top.
【Quit waiting. Boss data won’t even transmit—no way there’s photos.】
【But I did see him. Only problem is, y’all are gonna be disappointed.】
【That Mountain God? No white rich beauty milf. Just a little loli.】
【…Flat as a board too. Anyone hoping to see him breastfeed his son right in front of you? Go wash up and hit the hay.】
