The bright red sun had finally risen, glowing brightly within the blue sky. The birds singing, beasts roar showing their might echoes within the forest. The trees block the heat and light from the morning sun causing shades under their heads. It is a typical morning for everyone who lives in the forest.
One by one the soldiers started waking up to do their morning exercises. They've also started dissembling the tents and piled it all up properly in one corner. The remaining tents at the campsite are only three. The tent where the host and system pair: Xu Lin and Baize reside. The second tent which Yun Suisen, Shi Moye, and Su Liye sleep into together and the last yet the biggest tent which their general and his family occupied.
In the tent of Baize and Xu Lin.
This is a pair where you have yet to confess each other's feelings. They treat each other better than the rest and would sometimes hug and hold hands but they've never kissed before. The two could sleep and hug in one bed but they did nothing but sleep all night.
The first one to wake up is Baize. He looked at the young man using his left arm as his personal pillow and had his right hand wrapped around his host's thin waist. They've been sleeping like this since he was able to turn into his human form. His eyes landed on that petite figure within his embrace.
Soft forest green hair, fair skin, and delicate features. This is his host's current vessel. But only Baize knew how Liu Yan really looks. He could still remember those almond-shaped eyes enclosing a pair of gold-colored orbs. These people's eyes have always been clear. There is no hint of negative emotions like greed, bloodthirsty, or sadness. He is just an ordinary yet kind soul.
When they first met, Baize had already sent countless of his former hosts to oblivion. It's not like he made them intentionally do all those mistakes. The choices those hosts made are their own, Baize is just doing his job as a host. But this doesn't mean those human souls would listen to him, most systems in the God System were prisoners of the Netherworld. Becoming a system means their sentence is light and it could be exchanged for doing charity work. Becoming a system guide is one.
But most human souls that entered the God System, are ascended beings of their own worlds. They were used to being at the top of their worlds, not knowing that in the God System becoming a deity or a god is a common thing. A lot of them are proud and haughty, they would never listen to another unless necessary. This is the reason why most of the hosts Baize handled before had been punished by the Divine Laws and like him, those souls were thrown to the Nether System for punishment.
Systems like Baize would only be freed by the Main System as long as they were able to help one achieve their goals and that the host that they've helped would exchange their accumulated points to redeem their system's freedom. Only then the system would be cleared of his sin.
Like Liu Yan, Baize's current host, his goal to enter God state. Liu Yan had been able to reach Godhood in the world where he first met Hei Anjing. After his goal is completed, Liu Yan is supposed to finish his world-hopping journey. He had the choice to continue or to stop and return to his own world.
Liu Yan chose the former. The remaining accumulated points he has are not enough to redeem Baize's freedom. They were short by a few million points. If Baize's identity before he becomes a system is just ordinary then the remaining points of Liu Yan would be enough. Unfortunately, Baize's identity is not simple.
Baize's sin is not too heavy for him to become a full pledge prisoner of the Nether System nor his sentence is completely light. This is the reason why even after Liu Yan completed his goal to reach godhood, Baize is unable to revert to his original identity.
Thus the world-hopping journey of Liu Yan and Baize continues.
Looking at the peacefully sleeping figure in his embrace, Baize couldn't be helped but feel helpless. His host isn't unlike the rest of the host in the God System whose goal is to increase their cultivation. It is enough for him to reach godhood and ordinarily live for eternity.
Moreover, his host's luck has always been tremendously extraordinary. It is because of this kind of luck that they were able to meet special authority hosts like Lord Hei and even the current Nether System's Lord God.
Baize watched his host chewing something in his sleep, there's even a blissful expression on his face as if he was dreaming of something extremely delicious. Seeing this Baize couldn't be helped but pinched his host's cheeks.
"Nuu~" Sleep talking of Xu Lin while being pinched.
"If not for me, you would be now enjoying your ordinary life in your own world. Eating whatever you like to eat and sleeping anytime whenever you wanted," murmured Baize. "Fool~" he kissed Xu Lin's forehead reverently.
For a being like Baize whose whole life is to be covered in blood and war, Xu Lin's kindness and affection are like a stray light in the darkness. He is his hope for a new beginning.
At the second tent where Yun Suisen and the other two are sleeping. These three were still in deep sleep as they all stayed up late last night. The snoring in this tent is still ongoing even after the sun has fully risen.
At the tent where the general and his family resided, Ximen Xueya is unexpectedly the first one to wake up. It is better to say that he didn't even close his eyes to sleep the whole night. He just laid next to his son and husband the whole night and stared at them in silence.
After his memories returned last night, the happiness due to his current situation made Ximen Xueya unable to sleep. Only now he could say that his feelings for Cao Junye aren't only due to obsession and affections. It was his true emotions of passionate love. With Ximen Chino included in their life, you could say that except for Cao Junye's incomplete state and they weren't able to come home right now, that everything else is already bliss.
Ximen Xueya murmured, "I've destroyed countless worlds looking for you in the God System. Who would have thought that you were hiding in the Nether System? Thankfully, I made that decision and came over to this side. You don't have to worry about anything. Just focus on getting back all your soul fragments. I will protect you as I have always been doing."
Caressing Cao Junye's cheeks tenderly, one could see how much affection Ximen Xueya has for the former just by seeing his eyes. At this moment, Xueya's eyes were full of endearment and sentiment as if the latter's supreme importance cannot be measured.
---
On the other hand, back to the Z District Base. Lou Lan had returned last night after he was teleported back by one of the leaders of Hope Base. Ximen Xueya did lots of things last night before he went back to their tent. As for the reason why Xueya brought back Lou Lan in the base, it must be because of the existence of the hidden destroyer whose identity is still unknown until now.
In the office.
Lou Lan is doing paperwork at the leader's office while Uncle Wu, the old butler, stays at the Ximen Mountain to continue the management of the place.
Concentrating on the pile of paperwork placed on the top of the table, Lou Lan held a pen and a stamp in his hands. His scribbling and stamping on the papers like there is no end to it.
Actually, Lou Lan's mind is not on the papers in front of him but in the conversation he had with Ximen Xueya last night. He was told that the current Yun Suisen, Shi Moye, and Su Liye were no longer the same people from the world plot. A couple of days ago, their vessels were overtaken but souls who took over were people they knew. They are the fourth world's Tuzi, Lang, and Xiong.
According to Ximen Xueya, the original plot had been destroyed the moment the protagonist's son, Shi Moye had died. No one knew how he died. All they know is that in a single night important characters like Shi Moye, Su Liye, and Yun Suisen had all died.
Xiong said that the original died under the poisoning from incense sticks gifted by Yun Ren. This incense stick is not an ordinary item. It's a special kind of item made from herbs not found in this world. Only the system mall could provide it in exchange for something.
The death of this world's crucial characters is an orchestrated murder. It seems that the culprit possesses a system that is only available for foreign souls like Ximen Xueya and the rest of the group.
In the beginning, Lou Lan had suspected Yun Ren as the last destroyer whose identity is unknown but according to Ximen Xueya. After checking on Yun Ren that day, when the Noble faction made a ruckus in their home, he is one hundred percent sure that Yun Ren's soul is not a foreign one like theirs.
After all, Xueya only needs one direct touch to check whether the soul and the vessel matched. When the former had held Yun Ren's shoulder that day, he had already known that the child isn't an outsider like them, though at the same time he possesses something that isn't supposed to be with him. It's a system. One with an erased barcode and clearly a stolen one. Now they are sure that the third destroyer is hiding within the base.
A knocking was suddenly heard from outside the room.
Knock. Knock.
Lou Lan asked, "Who is it?"
"It's me. Yun Lu, sir." The one who knocked on the door is none other than the former clan leader of Yun Clan, Yun Lu.
"Enter," responded Lou Lan.
The sound of the door opening was heard followed by a few urgent footsteps made by Yun Lu. Once the latter had ended the office with a few more papers in his hands, Yun Lu did his work and placed the reports with him on the table in front of Lou Lan. But the former Yun Clan's Leader didn't leave right away, he just stood in front of the table fidgeting as if he wanted to say something. Lou Lan noticed it but didn't react right away.
"Sir Lou... May I... talk with you for a moment, please," asked Yun Lu.
Lou Lan stopped his hand which held the pen and paused his actions. He raises his head and stares at the middle-aged man in front of him.
"What is it?" he asked.
There's a clear hesitation in Yun Lu's gestures and Lou Lan indeed scurries him to speak. Instead, he waited and in silence.
"I... I would like... to ask for a day off. My son, Yun Ren, is suffering from fear so I... wanted to look after him for a while." said Yun Lu.
Lou Lan suddenly frowned when he heard this. Getting sick during the apocalypse is uncommon but most humans after passing the trial of the bloody moon possess health beyond norms. Except for suffering from the zombie virus when bitten, ordinary illnesses like fever and coughs rarely occur nowadays.
Now, Yun Lu is saying that Yun Ren is suffering from a fever? This is weird.
Lou Lan kept his thoughts in his mind and didn't ask Yun Lu questions about how his son is suddenly down with a fever.
Even if Lou Lan didn't ask questions about the sudden fever of Yun Ren, Yun Lu had already seen him frown once. A smart person like Yun Lu could already guess the reason for Lou Lan's frown.
"Sir Lou. The others might have not informed you but... a lot of people in our base are suffering from fever. The doctors in the hospital say it's only an ordinary hay fever. I'm only weird about my son because his body has been weak since he was young. I wanted to look after him which is why I've asked for a single day off." explained Yun Lu.
Lou Lan's expression turned slightly serious as he heard the news of hay fever spreading in the base. Moreover, the hospital had already diagnosed it as a normal fever and didn't report it to the higher-ups, which is also strange. After all, Cao Junye had informed all the people under the management to report any changes in the base, no matter how small or big the changes are.
"You can go. Take the day off you wanted. Take two days off if needed. There isn't any urgent work in the office anyway." said Lou Lan.
Yun Lu's face lightens when his day off was approved. This worried old man had left the office with a grin on his face. Just his expressions show how good his mood currently is. By the time the Yun clan's leader left the room, Lou Lan's expression turned grave. Just based on the report Yun Lu had told him regarding the hay fever, there is obviously someone blocking some news about the base from reaching the main office.
"An ordinary Hay fever is it?" murmured Lou Lan in the quiet office.