Working Records in a Weird World - 108

 

| WRIAWW | I'm Not Here to be Your Friend | 108

After seeing he ran into Joshua, Zong Le froze for a moment.

The man before him looked utterly different from his usual self.

The thick darkness, paired with the blood-red moon, cast an eerie silhouette around him. His silver-white hair seemed to glow, each strand shimmering with an unnatural crimson hue, a far cry from the saintly radiance he usually displayed before the survivors.

Zong Le stared for a second, recognized him, then pretended not to notice and turned to leave as if nothing had happened.

"How sad."

But the moment he took a step, he heard the man's deliberately pitiful voice behind him: "When you saved me in courtroom two days ago, you clearly said that I was your companion."

"How come you have become so cold after just two days of not seeing each other, Lele. You don't regret saving me, do you?"

The words "companion" and that overly affectionate nickname were drawn out with exaggerated emphasis, sending shivers down Zong Le’s spine.

"...No."

Seeing no way to dodge the conversation, the dark-haired young man sighed and turned back. "As you can see, my true identity is exactly as the survivor forums have exposed. If you don’t want to be dragged into gossip by the others, it’s best to keep your distance."

He thought he had said it decisively enough, leaving no room for maneuver, and drawing a firm line between them.

Yet Joshua acted as if he hadn’t heard nothing at all. Instead of backing off, he took another step forward, his voice so close it nearly brushed against Zong Le’s lips: "Oh? So you’re saying you want to draw a line with me?"

As he spoke, Joshua suddenly chuckled, and there was a hint of danger in his laughter: "Do you think I am the same as those ants in the factory just now? The kind of person who cares about so-called status and identity?"

This sentence successfully made Zong Le look in shock.

His clear, dark eyes widened in disbelief. "You believe in me?"

"Of course. How can you be an undercover agent when your emotions and thoughts are written on your face?"

Joshua knew better than anyone that someone like Zong Le, so righteous that it was almost infuriating, could never be the so-called spy the survivors accused him of being. Even if every last weird and NPC in the ultimate dungeon were wiped out, it still wouldn’t happen.

If he was that kind of person, how could he ever say something like, "As long as I witness suffering with my own eyes, I will definitely lend a hand"?

Besides, this dungeon held far deeper secrets than those ignorant survivors could ever imagine, and far more intriguing than they realized. Only those mindless followers, incapable of independent thought, would ever paint Zong Le as some scheming spy.

Zong Le stared at him in daze.

"That’s a relief..."

Although Joshua’s words were often a mix of truth and deception, sometimes even dripping with sarcasm, Zong Le could tell this time, he meant every word.

Ever since returning from the Central Court, though he hadn’t voiced it, Zong Le had been feeling down. For someone as naturally cheerful as him, this was a rare occurrence.

When he was on his way out to buy alcohol, Zong Le couldn't resist taking a peek at the survivors' Forum. Seeing the overwhelming conspiracy theories and curses directed at him, his mood grew even more somber.

Including the earlier rescue, although he didn't expect anything in return, no one would like the feeling of being misunderstood.

At this time when all the survivors were united against him, Joshua's trust felt especially precious.

"Thank you for believing in me."

The black-haired youth stood still, offering a solemn thanks.

His lips curled slightly, his eyes were bright and filled with starlight. Such earnestness made it seem as though Joshua hadn't just uttered a simple phrase but accomplished some world-saving feat.

Of course, what truly revealed the other's feelings was the number above his head representing his favorability.

—From an eternally unchanging 1, it skyrocketed like a rocket to 10.

Joshua: ?

He stared at that number, which hadn't budged despite all his previous efforts, tricks, and schemes, only to soar because of a single sentence. For a moment, he was silent.

So all this time, he'd been sprinting in the opposite direction, huh?

To make matters worse, next to that 10 hung a glaring, pink-tinged 60.

In the Eros Code system, 60 could issue force commands and also marked the beginning of affection. Especially for someone like Joshua who lacks emotion and has a weak sense of feelings, it was practically equivalent to an 80 for ordinary people.

That pink number burned like a red-hot brand, incessantly reminding him of his loss of control.

"No need to thank me."

Joshua averted his gaze nonchalantly, and said lightly. "Last time in the Central Court, you saved me too. So consider it as returning the favor."

If it were in the past, he might have repeatedly emphasized and hinted under the excuse of "pursuer", and then take the opportunity to tease him. Now that he has really fallen, he avoided mentioning the disguise that he used to do easily.

Compared to that, Joshua is more anxious whether this favorability rating was withing scope of human control.

As a master manipulator of emotions, he despised being swayed by feelings. Having witnessed too many examples of people being played by emotions and this left a deep impression.

Joshua had followed Qin Ye's team to the ultimate dungeon immediately after resurrection, aiming to find Zong Le and determine whether this favorably would affect his rationality.

While Qin Ye led the way unhurriedly, Joshua followed leisurely behind. The layers of weird domains overlapped, and teleported the group to various parts in the community. 

Fortunately, he had already known Zong Le’s true identity. He even left a backup plan to use the weird child to stir up chaos with minimal effort before calmly withdrawing.

Yet those fools never realized, that while the weirds in Ankang Community were strong, they didn't kill anyone.

Joshua didn't even bothered to find Building 4, he simply asked the weird child about Zong Le's whereabouts before leaving unhindered, without a single weird blocking his path.

The survivors have been through so many dungeons, and it's not the first time they have dealt with weirds. Hadn't they noticed the weirds never attacked outright?

Any logical person would've sensed something amiss, yet prejudice had blinded them all.

Joshua mused idly when suddenly, a face abruptly enlarged before his eyes.

"Oh right!"

The black-haired youth leaned in close, warm breath nearly brushing against Joshua's face.

"You turned into light and disappeared, was that the resurrection ability you mentioned before?"

Joshua was rarely stunned. His silver lashes fluttered slightly, his entire body frozen like a precision instrument on pause. Before his rationality could catch up, his body had already instinctively nodded in response.

"That's good. I only heard later from the judge that the Holy Flame could affect souls. I was so worried about you, I was afraid something might have happened. And then when I messaged you, you never replied."

Zong Le completely missed the stiffness in the silver-haired man’s demeanor.

In his mind, after such an incident, Joshua, who still chose to trust him, had rocketed past "companion" status and been upgraded straight to "friend," and a good friend at that.

As for the man’s earlier mention of pursuing him? That had long been tossed to the back of his mind, forgotten entirely.

"..."

Joshua smiled. "It's not that I didn't reply. You didn’t have the private messaging function enabled for non-friends. In other words, because you set it to block messages, no one could reach you."

"Ahaha, really? I had no idea."

Zong Le’s eyes widened in realization, and he quickly changed the subject, knowing he was in the wrong. "So, uh, you’re amazing! You actually have a resurrection ability. Does it have any side effects? Can you use it repeatedly? Is there a limit to the number of times you can resurrect?"

As a good friend, Zong Le was always generous and warm, and held nothing back. He changed his previous wariness and coldness, and now he was practically ready to sling an arm around Joshua’s shoulders, and ask about his well-being in various ways.

"It can be used repeatedly, with no limits. However, there’s a period of weakness afterward."

Joshua quickly adjusted from his earlier surprise and answered each question calmly as if nothing had happened. He even acted a bit pitiful, his tone deliberately laced with a hint of vulnerability.

"Ah! A weakness period?"

Just as expected, Zong Le took the bait, his face paling with alarm. "Is it serious? Should I call a doctor in the community to check on you?"

"No need." Needless to say, it feels good to be cared for.

It seemed those useless survivors weren’t entirely worthless after all. At least this incident had unexpectedly brought the two of them closer.

The corners of his lips curled imperceptibly beneath his silver hair. "I have healing abilities. There's no need to make a fuss, I just need to rest."

The weakness period was real, of course. He’d just exaggerated it a little. .

Playing up his advantages to win sympathy? Joshua was a natural at this game.

"You mentioned the community earlier...?"

"Oh, that’s where I live." Zong Le scratched his head, offering a shy smile.

Now that his identity was out in the open, he no longer had to exhaust himself with secrecy. "I live in Guiyi City, so of course I need a place to stay. Actually, we are preparing for a open barbecue tonight, everything’s ready except for the drinks."

As he spoke, he shook the plastic bag in his hand.

The cans and bottles inside clinked together crisply. "So I came out to buy some, and I was just about to head back when I ran into you. Do you want to come over for a meal?"

In order to express his sincere invitation, Zong Le leaned in closer to the silver-haired man.

The distance between them had far exceeded normal social boundaries. Joshua could even see his own reflection in the other’s clear, snow-like eyes.

Watching helplessly as the pink number above the other person's head ticked up another notch, the person in question feigned nonchalance: "Oh, with those weird friends of yours? Wouldn't they have any objections?"

"No, they are very nice people, we are all friends. You are also my friend."

Zong Le’s eyes curved into crescents, his warm breath brushing unintentionally against the other’s face. Yet the words that followed wiped the smile right off Joshua’s lips.

Friend? Hah.

His string of reason snapped instantly.

"Twice now."

"What?"

Before Zong Le could react, his wrist was seized.

Because he didn't detect any hostility, the black-haired youth just blinked in confusion and let the other party push him into the corner step by step.

"I'll say it again, you should be a little self-aware. I'm not here to be your friend."

The man closed in, his blue eyes were cold. For the first time, he shed all pretense, revealing the predator beneath.

"I’m your pursuer. If you still don't understand, let me explain it more clearly... I want to fuck you, understand?"

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TL: AHHHHH, this is the part where I had to scream because ML is fed up lol