Chapter 61
Hearing A-Ran mention Sootball, An Xun felt a pang of jealousy. Sootball had given A-Ran a gift too? But A-Ran had come to find him. Lin Ran noticed his silence and pulled him closer, the housekeepers watching nervously. The last time someone from the Bureau had tried to touch him, their hand had been crushed. But An Xun didn’t resist, simply averting his gaze as Lin Ran pulled him towards the table.
“Do you really not remember, or are you pretending? Selective memory?” Lin Ran asked, amused.
“Are you upset because I mentioned Sootball?”
An Xun, about to feign ignorance, couldn’t maintain the act. “No,” he said, his denial betraying him.
“So, you are upset,” Lin Ran chuckled, pushing him gently into a chair. “It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have mentioned Sootball. It’s your gift.”
“Aren’t you eating? Are you hungry?” An Xun, looking at him, felt a sense of calm, his usual hostility fading. If every day could start like this, with breakfast with A-Ran… it would be perfect.
“Your fur is thinning. We need to fix that,” Lin Ran said, stroking his ears, which had appeared again. He couldn’t ignore it now that he had seen it. He had to heal it before leaving. Was he becoming like his grandma?
“It’s okay,” An Xun said, hugging him, like he used to as a child. A-Ran still smelled of soap.
Lin Ran chuckled, amused by his clinginess. He pinched his cheek, missing the baby fat. But he was undeniably handsome now. All his cubs had grown up so well. He felt a strange sense of joy, seeing his cubs’ adult forms through the Time Mirror.
After breakfast, An Xun, back in his snow leopard form, played with Lin Ran in the garden, reluctant to leave.
“Go on, someone’s here for you. Work hard and earn money! Otherwise, you can’t afford this house,” Lin Ran said, petting him, having learned from the housekeeper that the annual property tax was a six-figure sum. He was proud of his cubs’ success, but it also motivated him to work harder. He couldn’t earn less than his fluffy dependents!
“Mew…” An Xun, after a few more nuzzles, reluctantly let go and went inside.
“So cute,” Lin Ran chuckled, feeling the full force of his parental affection.
An Xun, back in his human form, entered the hidden room in the basement, his unusually cheerful mood noticeable to the other demons, despite his neutral expression. Many of these powerful, half-demon mutants had been surprised by his aloofness, a stark contrast to his expressive on-screen persona.
“You seem to be in a good mood today, An,” Fu Guo Tao, a werewolf and one of his closest associates, said. He came from a military family, a former prodigy now ostracized due to his demonic transformation. He and others like him, outcasts from both worlds, had been brought together by An Xun, forming a formidable force.
“Do I?” An Xun asked, glancing at him.
“Don’t you?” Fu Guo Tao chuckled, his tone melancholic. He knew An Xun had no intention of living after his plan was complete. He had eliminated his entire family; even Fu Guo Tao found his ruthlessness chilling. He would have gone insane. Perhaps An Xun already was insane.
As a black raven landed silently behind An Xun, everyone fell silent.
Lin Ran, watching An Xun leave, opened the “Demon World” interface. His increased level meant a longer stay in the Time Mirror, though it seemed unfair to the older Sootball he had met.
[Doomsday Interception: 35%. New clue: Doomsday movie ticket. An Xun is wavering but hasn’t abandoned his plan. He’s gathering mutated demons, a large and hidden population.] Lin Ran knew An Xun was a mutated demon, but there were many more like him?
[Yes. He plans to embed demonic energy in his film and trigger a global awakening, merging the demon and human worlds, creating a new apocalyptic era.]
Lin Ran: ? So, he was accelerating the merge?
“But this timeline is earlier than the last one, right? When I met Sootball, the worlds had already merged,” he said, the streets filled with demons, not humans. This time, it hadn’t happened yet.
[Yes. This is the earliest accessible point in An Xun’s timeline.] Lin Ran felt a chill.
“Does that mean… Snowball has no future beyond this point?”
[Yes. He chooses death in the previous timeline.]
“How…?” He was about to ask when the housekeeper interrupted him. “Mr. Lin, I’ve gathered the ingredients. Shall we start?” she asked. He had asked her to buy black rice, beans, and sesame seeds for a nourishing meal for An Xun.
“Yes, let’s go,” he said, following her to the kitchen, impressed by her efficiency and helpfulness.
“You’re making… “Three Blacks” porridge?” she asked.
“Yes, you know about it?” Lin Ran asked, surprised.
“I made it for my daughter when she was stressed and losing hair,” she explained.
“Oh, where does she go to university?”
“She… passed away. Mr. An kindly paid for her medical bills, though it wasn’t enough. I stayed to repay him, but he never asked for the money,” she said, her voice tinged with sadness.
“So, you stayed… not because of the mark?” Lin Ran asked, pointing at the dark blue mark on her neck. He had assumed it was a magical compulsion.
“You can see it?” she asked, surprised.
“Yes, I thought it was a… restraint.”
“No, it’s from the Monitoring Bureau. They can make us reveal secrets. It’s a precaution,” she explained, realizing the mark wasn’t active now. She was increasingly afraid of An Xun, but he had never harmed them, only helped them.
Lin Ran was relieved. So, An Xun still had some compassion.
“And Mr. An must have pitied me. I sold everything I had for my daughter’s treatment. And his parents… they were terrible, always asking for money, even after everything he had given them,” she said, her usual reserve broken by Lin Ran’s gentle presence.
“Why doesn’t he live with his parents? And he has a younger brother, right?”
“Live with them? They only cared about money. I’ve never seen such parents. Fortunately, they went insane…” she said, then stopped, everyone suspecting An Xun’s involvement, though feeling no sympathy for them. They deserved it. It was a shame their mansion was now abandoned.
Lin Ran, watching the porridge simmer, decided to talk to An Xun.
A few hours later, the porridge was ready, but An Xun hadn’t come upstairs.
“Should I call him? Mr. An said you can move freely inside the house, but you should ask before going out,” the housekeeper said, pointing downstairs.
Lin Ran decided to knock. “An Xun? Lunch is ready. I’ll leave it outside your door…”
But the door opened automatically as he approached, the magic in the necklace activating the lock.
[Quest progress +5%. Discovered hidden space.] A notification appeared, and before he could react, he was facing a room full of demons in a video conference. A room full of large, fluffy creatures!
An Xun, seeing him, his expression changing for the first time, quickly pulled him inside and closed the door.
“Strange feeling,” Fu Guo Tao muttered, staring at the spot where Lin Ran had appeared, wanting to see him again. But he was gone.
“Who was that?” a demon asked, but no one knew. They had only felt a strange sense of calm.
The black raven in the center, however, recorded everything, especially Lin Ran’s appearance, sending the information to a distant land.
“Sorry, did I interrupt? The door opened by itself…” Lin Ran said, realizing he hadn’t even touched it.
“It’s fine. Just… don’t let them see you,” An Xun said, pulling him away, his usual coldness replaced by a gentle concern, worried about scaring him. He had forgotten about the necklace and its ability to open the hidden room.
“Is this for me?” he asked, looking at the bowl of porridge.
“Of course,” Lin Ran chuckled, relieved, calming down.
An Xun’s eyes lit up. “I’ll eat it soon,” he said, eager, like a child afraid of missing out.
“Sure, just don’t forget to eat,” Lin Ran said, petting his head, watching him disappear. He wouldn’t have many chances to share meals with the adult Snowball.
“Who was that?” a demon asked as An Xun returned.
“My… caretaker. He called me for lunch,” An Xun replied, his casual lie surprising the demons, who knew his parents were… unavailable. And his tone was strangely smug.
“I haven’t had a home-cooked meal in ages. Can I join you, An? It smells delicious,” Fu Guo Tao said, and the demons looked at An Xun expectantly. Could they join too?
“No,” An Xun said, his flat rejection making Fu Guo Tao realize the human’s importance. An Xun usually disregarded humans, unconcerned about their fate. Who was this human?
“We’re postponing the plan for two weeks. Are you sure, An?”
“It’s a wise decision. The previous plan was too risky,” another demon said, the discussion intensifying.
Lin Ran, waiting for An Xun, decided he couldn’t wait any longer. He had to ask. Those demons were clearly the mutated demon representatives mentioned in the quest. Did An Xun really intend to subjugate humanity? Even if the worlds merged, a new order was needed, not this hostile standoff.
[Breaking News: Large bat sightings in S City. Experts believe this is related to the increasing frequency of extreme weather events…] He saw the news report on the TV. Bats, flying in broad daylight? Then, another report: An Xun’s new movie, “Doomsday,” was about to be released globally.
A few minutes later, An Xun returned. Lin Ran, watching him eat his porridge, gestured for him to show him his tail.
An Xun, though puzzled, obeyed, and Lin Ran started brushing it.
“You need to take better care of your fur. I’ve asked Wang Ayi to get you some supplements. Such a beautiful tail,” he said.
“Okay,” An Xun said, not mentioning that there might not be a “later.” But he enjoyed having his tail brushed by A-Ran. He wished it could always be like this.
“You have a new movie coming out?” Lin Ran asked, after a while.
“…Yes,” An Xun replied hesitantly.
“Let’s watch it together. Can you get me a ticket for the premiere?”
“No,” An Xun said quickly. “You can’t watch it.” Not A-Ran. He didn’t know what to do now that A-Ran was here. His plans were crumbling.
“An Xun, sit still,” Lin Ran said, using his full name for the first time, a note of authority in his voice, making An Xun obey instinctively, though he could easily break free.
“Are you planning something… irreversible? Don’t lie,” Lin Ran asked, his serious tone and intense gaze making An Xun nervous. This was a risky tactic, relying on An Xun’s inability to harm him, but he had no other choice.
“It’s just…”
“Yes or no?” Lin Ran interrupted him.
An Xun nodded slowly.
“Is it… good for you?”
“No.”
“Then why?”
“I don’t know. I just… do it,” An Xun said, and Lin Ran, after a long silence, touched his cheek and pulled him into a hug.
“It’s my fault. If I had found you sooner… You’ve suffered so much, haven’t you?” he whispered, and An Xun, expecting disappointment or fear, felt his heart clench, then relax. He had learned to hide his pain, knowing no one cared. But now, being comforted, he felt a surge of wronged. He transformed back into a snow leopard, hiding his face against Lin Ran.
Lin Ran, holding him, said, “I’ll heal your ear. It won’t hurt anymore.”
[This requires spending all your gold. It’s not necessary for the quest; you can complete it without healing his ear.] “Demon World” knew An Xun wouldn’t refuse anything Lin Ran asked for.
[Yes.] Lin Ran clicked “Yes,” and a small, icy blue bottle appeared in his hand.
[Millennial Golden Spirit Fruit Elixir. Level: ???. This hidden item requires all your gold and is only available under special circumstances.]
“It’s okay if it doesn’t work,” An Xun mumbled.
“Who says it won’t?” Lin Ran said, and An Xun, hesitant, worried about disappointing him, let him touch his ear. He had tried everything after awakening his magic.
“Your magic is… different now. Corrupted. That’s why your ear hurts when you use it,” Lin Ran said, using the icy blue magic from the necklace to apply the elixir. A soothing coolness spread through his ear. An Xun also noticed the difference in their auras, both his, yet different.
“Your magic is polluted,” Lin Ran said, now certain of it. Perhaps the dwindling magic in “Demon World” had forced demons to absorb corrupted energy, mixed with the dark miasma, which seemed to amplify negative emotions, twisting their personalities. Were the other demons also affected?
“Sleep if you’re tired. I’ll watch over you, baby,” Lin Ran said, seeing An Xun’s drowsiness.
“Mew…” An Xun snuggled against him, falling asleep, his tail tucked under his paws, letting Lin Ran pet him. His only moments of peaceful sleep had been with A-Ran. He hadn’t realized how much the constant pain and insomnia had affected him.
Lin Ran watched as his ear began to heal, the burnt edges receding, new fur growing. A flash of blue light made him close his eyes, and when he opened them, a new, fluffy ear had appeared.
[This item is extremely rare. You won’t be able to obtain it again.] “Demon World” reminded him it was a waste of gold, especially in the Time Mirror. And spending all his gold would hinder his progress.
“I don’t care,” Lin Ran said, not regretting it. How could he not heal him? And there was still some elixir left.
[A-Ran is fierce.jpg] “Demon World” was silenced.
“Cheep…” Just then, a familiar chirp made Lin Ran look up.
“Sootball?” Wait, wasn’t this Snowball’s timeline? Sootball was clinging to the window. And before Lin Ran could open it, it broke through the glass, transformed back into its human form, and hugged him tightly.
“Shh… Sootball, you’ll wake Snowball,” Lin Ran said, startled, instinctively catching him, then looking at An Xun, who had opened his eyes, his newly healed ear twitching.
