Chapter 109: All Dead

“That was delicious!”

After finishing the meal, Zhao Xiaoxiao sank contentedly into the sofa, looking utterly satisfied.

“Go wash the dishes.”

Fang Tang set down his chopsticks and went back to his room.

“...What the heck?” Zhao Xiaoxiao pouted and, though unwilling, went into the kitchen.

Fang Tang took off his clothes, flung himself onto the bed, and closed his eyes to rest.

At that moment, the door was opened, and Zhao Xiaoxiao slipped in on tiptoe.

The instant she saw Fang Tang’s state, her face suddenly turned red.

“Pervert!”

“What are you doing?”

Fang Tang tilted his head, showing not the slightest trace of shame at being seen like that, and looked at Zhao Xiaoxiao coldly.

“Warming the bed!” Zhao Xiaoxiao said, lifting her chin stubbornly, her hands twisting the hem of her clothes. “Aren’t maids in ancient times supposed to warm the bed?”

Fang Tang saw through her intentions at a glance, and a faint, unreadable smile appeared on his face.

“I’m not exactly the responsible type.”

“So what?” Zhao Xiaoxiao looked at him innocently. “As long as it’s mutual, isn’t that enough? Do we really need any other conditions?”

Fang Tang nodded in agreement. “That’s true.”

Then he shook his head regretfully. “Too bad I sold the mechanical claw arm. Otherwise we could have done some aerial work.”

...

It was a night of sensual delight.

The next morning, Fang Tang got out of bed feeling fresh and invigorated, and could not help but think his original choice had been the right one.

Rapid recovery, plus my stamina is monstrous.

Fang Tang had played the part of a general all night, galloping across the battlefield on horseback, taking more than twenty cities in a row, his victories piling up one after another until the enemy was routed and scattered.

“It’s just a shame there’s no air force!”

Having tasted too much of it, Fang Tang still could not forget the idea of aerial work.

Zhao Xiaoxiao, sore all over, looked at Fang Tang as he went through his morning routine with resentment.

She cursed him silently as a monster, then sank back into the sofa.

She truly did not want to move now. Heaven only knew how she had survived the night.

It had been like a lonely boat adrift on the sea, facing gale-force winds and towering waves; she had nearly been battered apart.

“I need to rest!”

Zhao Xiaoxiao shouted encouragement to herself, then dozed off in the sofa.

“Why is a second-rank evolver’s body this weak?”

Fang Tang frowned, shook his head in disgust, and hoisted Zhao Xiaoxiao onto his shoulder before continuing to explore the dungeons.

Along the way, Zhao Xiaoxiao slept soundly on Fang Tang’s shoulder, a string of clear drool trailing from the corner of her mouth all the way behind them.

Two hours later, another thirty dungeons had been explored.

Dungeon Three Hundred.

Fang Tang took out his dwelling and tossed Zhao Xiaoxiao onto the bed, while he himself collapsed into the sofa and scrolled through messages.

Before he knew it, Zhao Xiaoxiao woke from her sleep, only to see Fang Tang sitting in the sofa with a grave expression, endlessly kneading at his own chest until he had left a dark red mark there, yet still not stopping.

“What’s wrong?” Zhao Xiaoxiao felt a jolt of alarm, a vague sense of danger rising in her heart.

She was afraid Fang Tang would suddenly make a move on her if he got irritated.

Fang Tang drew in a deep breath, his eyes bloodshot, and stood up to walk toward her.

Panic surged in Zhao Xiaoxiao’s heart, but the room was behind her, and there was nowhere to run.

“You’ve been at it all night. Don’t you need to rest a little?”

Her voice trembled, and there was a note of tears in it.

But Fang Tang seemed possessed. He forced Zhao Xiaoxiao toward the bedroom and slammed the door shut.

...

With a soft click, a flame leapt up and illuminated Fang Tang’s face.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Zhao Xiaoxiao’s voice was a little hoarse, her tone exhausted.

“Everyone’s dead.”

Fang Tang let out a long sigh.

“What?” Zhao Xiaoxiao frowned in confusion.

Everyone was dead?

What had he discovered?

Fang Tang said quietly, “Using the area codes, I found the regions where the people from our world are located. There were twenty-four in total. I randomly sampled three thousand regions, and found that more than sixty percent of those people had vanished.”

“Huh?”

Zhao Xiaoxiao cried out in shock. “Could they all have gone to the Cradle World? Or maybe they’re just lying low?”

“No.” Fang Tang shook his head. “The regions where the dead were found were all regions that had been invaded by twisted rules.”

Fang Tang thought of that charlatan, and then remembered what he had said.

That pale-faced ghost had once mentioned that he was here on a mission, and that he was being directed by some great lord.

Which meant these people were very likely stripped of their souls.

“Twisted rules... how terrifying.”

Zhao Xiaoxiao’s fear of twisted rules surged to its peak in an instant.

Fang Tang rubbed his face and said nothing.

For a while, the room fell silent, the atmosphere stiff and frozen, with only the cigarette glowing in the dark, flickering now and then to prove that Fang Tang’s heart was far from calm.

That night passed without another word.

The next morning, Fang Tang took Zhao Xiaoxiao and continued exploring.

As before, Fang Tang rapidly emptied the pickaxe mine, and Zhao Xiaoxiao’s pass was almost refreshed.

Fang Tang still had a little over an hour left, and Zhao Xiaoxiao’s eyes flickered as she clearly began scheming.

After two days together, she had not conquered Fang Tang; instead, she had nearly been worn down by him.

In her heart, she had already begun to think that she could not handle Fang Tang alone.

She needed help.

But... where was she supposed to find help?

Zhao Xiaoxiao lowered her head in thought, only to feel someone watching her. She looked up and met those faintly smiling eyes.

In an instant, her thoughts scattered. She no longer dared to set her sights on Fang Tang.

“Uh... I was thinking about the area codes,” Zhao Xiaoxiao said awkwardly with a forced smile.

Fang Tang chuckled. “Didn’t you remember them very clearly?”

“Er, just reinforcing them so I don’t forget.”

Fang Tang gave an “oh” and nodded. “We may get assigned to different dungeons later.”

“Really?” Zhao Xiaoxiao looked delighted.

Fang Tang narrowed his eyes. “You seem very happy.”

Zhao Xiaoxiao hurriedly shook her head. “N-no, not at all. I just thought about going to the Cradle World, and got a little excited.”

“Heh...” Fang Tang ignored her and continued, “After you enter the Cradle World, don’t leave the spring. Tell me the area code, and wait for me to come fetch you.”

“Huh? You can go to other dungeons too?”

Zhao Xiaoxiao was stunned. Last time she went to the Cradle World, she had not even found a way to get to another dungeon.

How exactly was Fang Tang planning to get there?

“You don’t need to worry about that. I’ve got some connections in the Cradle World. Just wait,” Fang Tang said with a wave of his hand.

An hour later, Fang Tang’s pass reached zero, and he and Zhao Xiaoxiao clicked teleport together.

Two beams of white light pierced through the room and enveloped them both.

Yueyue let out an awooo and slipped into Fang Tang’s body.

The white light faded, and Fang Tang appeared in the familiar spring.

Before Zhao Xiaoxiao could send a message, Fang Tang smiled, took out his phone, and sent Liu Yiran a message. Not long after, Liu Yiran sent back an area code.

Fang Tang drove to the region where Zhao Xiaoxiao was, and in the market district he indeed saw Zhao Xiaoxiao’s figure.

“Aah! How did you get here?”

Zhao Xiaoxiao looked at Fang Tang in terror.

Fang Tang smiled faintly. “I told you, I have some connections in the Cradle World.”

Zhao Xiaoxiao drooped miserably and said resentfully, “So big shots can really thrive anywhere, huh?”

“Fine, fine. I’ll take you to that dungeon.”

“I’m not going anymore,” Fang Tang said, folding his arms and looking at her with amusement. “I think it would be better to sell you to the dungeon shop.”

“Don’t, big boss, I was wrong!”

Zhao Xiaoxiao looked as though the world had ended, begging Fang Tang pitifully.