Chapter 36: Xiao Mu is Xibao, Xibao is…

Su Jianglou at that moment was just like a father watching helplessly as his precious son was abducted by a shady weirdo. The moment he made his move, his precarious sanity instantly collapsed.

He knew he had a very strong possessiveness toward Xiao Mu. But he didn’t think there was anything wrong with that.

Xiao Mu was the one he had brought into this world. In this exclusive dungeon he had constructed, Xiao Mu was the only player.

In this world overrun by Weirds, he was the only one wholeheartedly protecting Xiao Mu.

Even his own eldest and second brothers, as close as blood kin, couldn’t fully understand him and harbored great malice toward Xiao Mu.

How could he not focus even more of his energy on Xiao Mu?

And yet…

He could let his eldest and second brothers slide for now—he couldn’t beat them yet. But now even those wild Weirds outside dared to set their sights on Xiao Mu?

Seeing that this wild Weird intended to lure him outside, Su Jianglou didn’t mind. He followed the wild Weird’s intent and left Bizarre Island with him.

It was perfect, anyway—he couldn’t really cut loose on the island.

At the same time, the associate director, who had just been full of vigor in the editing room, cursing out the editing staff, suddenly sensed something. His entire body trembled violently. Then he shoved his short, fat body entirely under the computer desk, leaving only his quivering butt sticking out.

No one in the room had time to worry about the associate director’s abrupt behavior.

Because they were only half a beat behind him before they all devolved into chaos as well.

It was just like frail herbivores keenly sensing the bloody storm brought by a predator on the prowl. Even if the threat hadn’t arrived yet, just a faint whiff of danger was enough to startle them into leaping up.

Going outside at a time like this clearly wasn’t a wise choice.

The space under the computer desks obviously became the safest shelter for everyone.

The skinnier employees curled their entire bodies into balls. After crawling under the desks, they even pulled over an office chair to block the desk opening.

Some who were a beat slow and couldn’t grab a desk spot panicked and looked around for the next best hiding place.

The associate director, who had gotten under the desk first, quivered with his butt shaking as he covered his ears with his hands and muttered under his breath, “Just passing by, just passing by, just passing by…”

Think about it—Blue 534 had seen his promotion slipping away. Defying the great taboo of the Weirds, he had jumped ship from Tourist Garden to the entertainment industry and struggled all the way to this point. What had he relied on? Naturally, caution and getting along well with the Weirds!

These two couldn’t possibly be coming for him.

Just passing by. Definitely just passing by!

The editing room was a complete pandemonium, and it was no better outside.

It wasn’t even ten o’clock at night yet.

Some trainees still walking back from the practice rooms to the dorms personally witnessed what it meant for demons to dance wildly and Weirds to scamper everywhere.

Lin Lan sensed something ominous and immediately yanked Rao Fei, who was closest to him, to stand in front of him as a shield.

In a situation like this, he certainly wouldn’t be brainless enough to just gawk at the Weirds’ commotion. For these usually sinister, ill-intentioned Weirds to act this way could only mean that something big had happened somewhere they couldn’t see.

Lin Lan’s strength was on the weaker side, and neither Blue 242 nor Su Jianglou had ever targeted Bizarre Island specifically, so he couldn’t sense anything.

Rao Fei vaguely felt something, though.

He tossed Wang Xingxing behind him as well and called over two slightly stronger cool guys from the Central Bureau. The three of them formed a triple shield, surrounding Bureau Chief Lin and Wang Xingxing as they hunkered down in a nearby patch of landscaping.

Though Rao Fei’s strength was a tiny bit weaker than the two Central Bureau cool guys, he acted very calmly, with the breezy nonchalance of a veteran. He quietly told the others, “Stay calm, stay calm.”

“If it’s fortune, it won’t be disaster. If it’s disaster, you can’t avoid it. The most important thing for elite players is adaptability. Anyway, if something really happens, you and Wang Xingxing will definitely be the last to die, Bureau Chief Lin.”

As he spoke, he didn’t forget to remind Wang Xingxing, “When the time comes, we’ll pile on top of you and Bureau Chief Lin. Don’t forget to cover for Bureau Chief Lin too.”

“Hold out until the last moment. If we really end up dying here, the dungeon will be pretty much cleared. If you can hold on, Bureau Chief Lin, you’ll clear the dungeon straight up.”

True. Violent clear.

Wang Xingxing nodded. It was his first time facing a scene this massive, so he was still a bit nervous. He whispered, “Deputy Captain, you sure have experience.”

Rao Fei smiled faintly, deeply hiding his merits and name.

Su Jianglou chased Blue 242 and fought for a long time. At that moment, the only thought in his sanity-burned mind was: I can’t beat Su Xuanxiao or Su Wuzi, but I can’t beat a mere wild Weird like you?

Until he threw a full-force punch—and even before that, he had locked the other down firmly with his power—yet the other still slipped past his fist.

Su Jianglou’s sanity gradually returned, and his attacks slowed.

The gaze he directed at the wild Weird opposite him gradually grew complicated.

After battling in the sea and sky for a few more minutes, he finally seized an opportunity and tentatively clawed toward the other’s face.

Then he took a heavy blow. His entire body slammed vertically into the sea surface.

Su Jianglou’s dark golden pupils contracted into slits, and he roared in fury, “Su Wuzi! Having fun messing with me?!”

The moment his sanity returned, all sorts of thoughts flashed through Su Jianglou’s mind like lightning.

Yes, the Weird World was vast, and there were always Weirds who could beat him senseless.

But in Tanzhong City…

Unless it was a foreign Weird.

But to not exaggerate, with his eldest brother’s domineering personality, if a foreign Weird dared to hit his little brother on his turf, Eldest Brother would have arrived within three minutes of the conflict starting.

Eldest Brother hadn’t shown up yet, which left only two possibilities.

First: The one beating him was Eldest Brother.

Second: The one beating him was Second Brother.

Combined with how this wild Weird was protecting his face so fiercely, the answer was obvious.

“Roar!!”

“Su Wuzi!!!”

Looking at his brother, whose skin had cracked open with fissures—disguised as Blue 242, name written as Su Wuzi—the young Weird felt helpless. But seeing that the other was indeed still lacking in sanity, he simply layered several more skins on himself in an instant before charging straight at Su Jianglou.

…

A long while later, the churning waves finally calmed.

Su Wuzi—whose skin as Blue 242 had nearly been battle-damaged—dragged the now-unconscious Su Jianglou out of the sea.

He was a bit tired too, so after emerging from the water, he simply dragged his brother along step by step toward the dorm building.

Halfway there, Su Jianglou woke up. Noticing his head dragging backward with one leg being towed by Second Brother, he didn’t resist. He even tucked both arms behind his head for comfort.

“Second Bro, let’s make a deal—don’t kill Xiao Mu, okay?” said Su Jianglou calmly, as he was dragged across the sand, leaving a wet trail.

Su Wuzi lowered his gaze without a word and kept walking forward.

The guy still wasn’t fully awake.

“Look,” Su Jianglou tried to persuade Second Brother from the angle of truth, goodness, and beauty. “Xiao Mu’s pretty innocent to begin with. He didn’t provoke anyone. He just got dragged here by me because his name’s similar to Xibao’s.”

“Weren’t you guys searching those shattered worlds back then for people with the same name as Xibao? You didn’t kill those people either, right?”

The reason Su Jianglou said “you guys” instead of “we” was because he had been too deeply assimilated by the Weird World at the time. His mind had always been clear one year and muddled the next.

So Eldest Brother and Second Brother’s search operation back then hadn’t included him.

Su Jianglou still held a grudge about that to this day.

“Second Bro, Weirds still need to be a bit kind,” Su Jianglou said at last, after opening his mouth.

He had originally wanted to say that with Xibao’s personality, if Xibao were here now, he definitely wouldn’t agree with Second Brother killing Xiao Mu.

But he snuffed out that vague thought.

He shouldn’t use Xibao to persuade Second Brother.

Or rather, it was a false premise to begin with.

In the period right after an outburst, Su Jianglou always felt it was when he was the most clear-headed.

Seeing Second Brother still silent, he finally sighed in compromise. “As long as you don’t kill him, I can send him back.”

Only at this moment did he realize that his feelings for Xiao Mu ran pretty deep. He had actually changed his initial idea of keeping Xiao Mu forever.

And yet, out of wariness toward Second Brother, he and Xiao Mu actually hadn’t spent that much time together.

Had he failed to fool Second Brother and instead become truly good and beautiful himself?

Su Wuzi dragged his idiot brother all the way back. Gradually, the dorm building came into view.

Another ten or so minutes, and the dorm building was right in front of them.

While dragging his head back and looking up at the stars, Su Jianglou greeted the man standing not far from the dorm building. “Eldest Brother.”

Su Xuanxiao said nothing.

These past few nights, whenever he remembered, he would come here and stand for a while.

Once the two sides formally met up, Su Xuanxiao finally spared a glance sideways.

He said, “Wuzi, maybe you’re right.”

Su Jianglou stood up and patted the sand off himself. “Right about what?”

“Eldest Brother, you… you’re here to kill too…”

Before he finished speaking, Su Jianglou’s entire body froze. The sensation in his mind of being exceptionally clear-headed finally dissipated.

First off, what had he been most worried about when he first brought Xiao Mu back?

That Second Brother would kill Xiao Mu on sight.

So, if Second Brother had known about Xiao Mu’s existence from the start—even disguising himself as Xiao Mu’s colleague from Tourist Garden and sticking by him all these days—what was that for?

Because…

Xiao Mu was Xibao.

Xibao was Xiao Mu.

He had meticulously built a dungeon and brought home the little brother he missed the most.

The moment this conclusion appeared in his mind, Su Jianglou didn’t even think about settling scores with Second Brother. He stared at that small window on the third floor and took a step forward.

But he was blocked by a hand.

Su Jianglou turned back.

“Look at yourself.”

That’s what he heard Eldest Brother say.

What was wrong with him?

Su Jianglou looked down and discovered that one of his hands was already enveloped and melting into a mass of black mist.

He looked up again to find his facial features shrouded in a thin layer of mist, making them blurry.

“Then… then I won’t go in,” Su Jianglou murmured helplessly. “I’ll just watch him from outside.”

“I miss him.”