Amidst the noise, Yin Xiu slowly opened his eyes and the first thing he saw was Li Mo's chin.
He seemed to be holding Yin Xiu in his arms the whole time, checking his breathing and pulse every now and then, never letting go for a second.
Upon seeing a familiar face before him, Yin Xiu was stunned for a few seconds. The memory of their promise to meet again in human form seemed like it was just yesterday.
Yin Xiu squinted at the silhouette in a daze, then slowly reached out and stroked Li Mo's chin with his index finger, his gaze tender. "Li Mo, you look quite good as a human. I like it."
The person holding him trembled, and their dark eyes met his gaze. The depths of their black pupils seemed to tremble, unable to conceal their excitement.
He lowered his head and hugged Yin Xiu tightly, his joy hidden deep within, "Boyfriend, I like you too."
Upon hearing Yin Xiu's voice, Ya Ya immediately ran over, excitedly exclaiming, "Brother! You're awake!!!"
Her high-decibel excited screams, like a small trumpet, were filled with joy. While happily facing Yin Xiu, she silently patted Li Mo's hand, urging him to quickly let go of Yin Xiu's arms.
"Brother Xiu! Are you feeling alright? Is there anything bothering you?" Zhong Mu squatted down beside him and asked cautiously, checking on Yin Xiu's physical condition as soon as possible.
The three people were making a ruckus around Yin Xiu, and the lively noise made Yin Xiu, who had just woken up, still a little dazed.
Is it really possible for someone to be surrounded by silent, blood-soaked orphanage one second and then be enveloped in silent love the next?
It felt like a dream.
Yin Xiu straightened up and stood up from Li Mo's arms. He looked around, his memory still a little sluggish as it was returning. It took him a while to remember that he was still in the instance and that everything he had seen before was an illusion.
Although it was an illusion, it also made him realize things he hadn't been aware of before.
"Brother, what's wrong? Why are you so dazed?" Ya Ya took Yin Xiu's hand and shook it, tugging at him. "Are you feeling unwell?"
Yin Xiu silently shook his head, then patted Ya Ya's head.
"Brother Xiu, you just woke up, are you a little confused? Do you want me to sort out the current situation for you?" Zhong Mu asked eagerly.
Yin Xiu shook his head again, "I have all the memories from the dungeon, but I need to take my time to digest them."
Now his memories from his teenage years are mixed with those from his twenties, and he needs to wait a while.
"Okay, Xiu-ge, you get some rest! I'm going to find the key to the dungeon. We'll be able to leave this dungeon soon!" Zhong Mu excitedly turned around and went to the corner to find the key, while Ya Ya and Li Mo stayed next to Yin Xiu to wait for him to recover.
The only one in the room was the eerie creature called 408, who awkwardly squatted behind the operating table and didn't come out.
"Has your boyfriend remembered what happened between us?" Li Mo was the first to snuggle up to him, her eyes fixed on Yin Xiu.
Yin Xiu nodded. "I remember everything."
Li Mo's gaze was gentle yet passionate. "I did keep my promise to come find you, but boyfriend, you've forgotten about me first."
Yin Xiu lowered his eyes indifferently, "I'm sorry."
He recalled that night when Li Mo came to find him, his eyes filled with passion for him, but he was completely unaware of it. He only felt that this person was dangerous, and his gaze was sticky on him, like a snake coiling around him and lingering, so he was on high alert.
Looking back now, the man standing at the door, soaked by the rain, didn't have danger in his eyes, but rather an overwhelming anticipation of seeing him again.
Yin Xiu simply didn't notice.
Now, when he looks up again, he can still meet those unchanging eyes, eyes he has gazed into countless times in the darkness, eyes he should never forget.
"Your name is beautiful, and your human form is also very beautiful." Yin Xiu slowly added the words he had been hesitant to say.
Those dark, abyss-like eyes curved slightly, their emotions as sweet as melting honey. They said nothing, but their joy was unintentionally revealed and hard to conceal.
He was as happy as if he had tasted candy.
Li Mo's understanding of human emotions came entirely from books filled with beautiful descriptions. The most dreamlike and sincere emotions were found in books. Perhaps real human emotions are not so good, but the books depict the most touching parts, and that is what Li Mo learned.
As a result, this monster possessed a purity rarely seen among humans.
He harbored great fantasies about human emotions, and he projected these fantasies onto Yin Xiu, whom he valued most.
Stripped of his terrifying exterior, in Yin Xiu's eyes, Li Mo was nothing more than a little monster who spent his days immersed in books and harbored fantasies about human life, death, sickness, and mutual support.
Ya Ya, standing to the side, couldn't understand why they were looking at each other, or why Hei Qiqi was so happy when her brother praised her. She tugged at Yin Xiu's hand and said in a soft, sweet voice, "Brother, my name is nice too! I'm pretty too! Brother, praise me too!"
Yin Xiu turned his gaze and gently kissed Ya Ya's forehead. "Yes, Ya Ya is cute too."
Ya Ya touched her forehead where she had been kissed and squealed happily, like a little megaphone.
408, crouching behind the operating table, clicked his tongue and shook his head. "To think that mere monster could be handled by players, how pathetic!"
Zhong Mu, who had been rummaging through the corner for keys, turned around in surprise, his hands covered in blood. "Brother Xiu! I think I've found the key! Is this it?!"
He held up what he was holding; it wasn't a key, but a access card.
"So the key to get out was a key card! I was careless!" 408 exclaimed, staring intently at the key card in Zhong Mu's hand.
Although he really wanted to go out, there were two big shots in the room. If he really stole the card, he wouldn't be able to leave the mental hospital, let alone get out.
So he said sullenly, "Anyway, you guys go through the dungeon and then leave. Could I come with you later? I want to go out too."
Zhong Mu glanced at him out of the corner of her eye. "Aren't you the monster in this instance? Where are you going if you want to leave the instance?"
408 stood up from behind the operating table, his face contorted with rage. "I'm not a monster in this instance! This instance was wiped out eight hundred years ago and has never been restarted. It's been used as a prison for abnormal monsters ever since, keeping us locked up here. We all want to get out!"
Yin Xiu raised an eyebrow slightly, as if he had vaguely sensed some secrets hidden within the strangeness.
He did indeed clear this instance a long time ago, and he doesn't know if it has been restarted since, but the current state of the instance is indeed slightly different from before.
"What do you mean by the abnormal and bizarre things you're talking about?"
Yin Xiu asked leisurely.
408 said, "It's not easy to explain this to the players...it's a strange thing."
Yin Xiu calmly slammed his hand on the table and stood up. "If you don't want to talk about it, then we won't take him. Let's go."
He gave the man a cold stare. "You can stay here and wait to be cleared out and locked up again when the dungeon ends."
408 panicked for a moment, glanced at Ya Ya and Li Mo beside Yin Xiu, and gritted his teeth.
"I'll tell you! I'll tell you!"