Yin Xiu, lying on the bed, opened his eyes groggily and saw Li Mo's black figure squatting outside through the half-open door.
The morning light fell on him, outlining the figures of flowers and monsters.
It was Yin Xiu's favorite flower and his favorite monster. The two appeared in the same scene right in front of Yin Xiu's house, which he could see as soon as he opened his eyes, giving him an indescribable sense of happiness.
Ten years ago, when he opened his eyes, he saw the cold window of the orphanage and his sister's sleeping face.
A few years earlier, when he opened his eyes, he saw this cold and silent house, where he lived all by himself.
But now, when he opens his eyes, he sees a monster that will accompany him for the rest of his life, and this will continue for a very, very long time.
"Boyfriend, did I disturb you?" Noticing the gaze coming from inside the house, Li Mo quickly got up, went inside, and closed the door.
He took off the cold black clothes he usually wore and changed into the pajamas Yin Xiu had bought for him. He went to bed like an ordinary person and pretended to be an ordinary person, embracing Yin Xiu as they slept.
Two figures lay tucked under a large quilt, heads touching, toes touching, sleeping in each other's arms.
The dark room was silent. Yin Xiu leaned against Li Mo. He didn't know when, but he was able to sleep peacefully without lying in the coffin and without anyone watching him.
During the long journey, I gradually woke up from that suffocating, murderous nightmare and drifted into another blissful dream.
At noon, the town was bustling with activity. This was the first day of the operation after everyone had decided whether to stay or leave. After a full morning of preparation, many people entered the instance so that Ye Tianxuan could see their complete playthrough before they left.
Those who weren't planning to leave also had to complete the dungeon. In order to prove that everything they had learned in the town could be put to good use, they considered it a test for themselves. So today, many people from the town entered the dungeon.
Ye Tianxuan sat on a rooftop near the town square, smoking a cigarette as he watched the players bustling about below, silently observing their departure.
Not long after, he heard footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw Yin Xiu coming up, yawning and stretching, looking tired.
"What's wrong? Didn't you sleep well, Yin Shashen?" Ye Tianxuan joked with a smile, only to be met with a cold stare from Yin Xiu.
"Thank you so much for sending Li Mo the book."
"Not at all, it's what good friends should do, don't be so polite."
The two sat side by side. Yin Xiu noticed the commotion below and sat there thoughtfully, saying, "Soon, there will be fewer people in the town, and it will be much quieter."
Ye Tianxuan calmly exhaled a puff of smoke. "Hmm."
Yin Xiu pondered, "Everyone is finally leaving this place and returning to the normal world, but we have to stay here forever."
"That's good." Ye Tianxuan smiled. "They've finally escaped this swamp. As for us, even if we leave here, we'll have nowhere to go, won't we?"
"That's true." Yin Xiu murmured. Even without Ye Tianxuan's reminder, he knew very well that reality had long since left them with no place to stay.
When he returned, he was faced with an empty orphanage. When Ye Tianxuan returned, he would die without the power of the gods to sustain his life. From the moment they entered this place, they had already severed their connection with the normal world.
"But those people still have a better future. I hope they can live well after leaving here." Ye Tianxuan bit his cigarette butt. "When I came here, I never thought I would stay here for long. At that time, I only thought about leaving as soon as possible and taking more people with me."
"Who isn't?" Yin Xiu replied indifferently. At that time, he was also thinking about leaving as soon as possible, taking his sister away with him.
Ye Tianxuan glanced at the black cat running across the town square out of the corner of his eye, and clicked his tongue impatiently, "Why is that stinky cat still looking for me? What a nuisance."
"You returned the ring to it? That's like returning the power you borrowed from it, right?" Yin Xiu looked down and noticed the cat running back and forth. "You returned the power after using it, wanting to put an end to it, huh?"
"Yeah, after all, there won't be any places where I need power anymore, and I don't like cats." Ye Tianxuan narrowed his eyes and stared at the figure running past below.
"I used to carry the weight of the entire town on my shoulders. I made a pact with it for the sake of the town, but now there's no need for that. I don't want to get involved with monsters anymore, especially this stinky cat. It indirectly made me experience the taste of death. I didn't throw it into the river because of my kind heart."
Yin Xiu nodded understandingly, "It's normal that you value freedom more and don't want to be bound by contracts. If you ignore it, it will naturally give up."
Ye Tianxuan silently made the sign of the cross on his chest, "I hope that when I wake up tomorrow I will see the black cat fall into the water."
"..."
"Alright, I'm planning to go into the dungeon later. Now that all the dungeons are open, I want to see how some new players from other towns clear them. Maybe I can attract some people to our town and make it more lively." Ye Tianxuan stood up, dusted himself off, and smiled at Yin Xiu.
"We'll be here for a long time to come, so remember to take your boyfriend to the dungeon while there are still people in it, Yin Shashen."
"Understood." Yin Xiu waved his hand.
Ye Tianxuan had originally planned to leave, but after taking a step, he turned back and muttered to Yin Xiu, "Also, your neck is covered in marks, remember to cover them up, otherwise people will think you've hanged yourself."
Then he quickly got up and slipped away from the roof.
Yin Xiu silently raised his hand and touched his neck. It was probably a mark left by Li Mo. He hadn't noticed it before looking in the mirror.
He turned around, glanced at the little tentacle ball peeking from behind, and waved, "What are you doing squatting there?"
The little tentacle ball, having been discovered, didn't hide at all, and scrambled into her boyfriend's arms. "I saw you chatting with your best friend, so I didn't want to bother you."
"We've finished talking, and there's nothing more to say. We don't need to say goodbye." Yin Xiu ruffled the little tentacle ball in his arms. "Where's your human form?"
"Coming right away!" The little tentacle ball happily rolled around in Yin Xiu's arms, sprawling out in a wild, clawing motion. Then, in the blink of an eye, it twisted and solidified into a human shape, immediately hugging Yin Xiu. "My boyfriend called me?"
"Hmm." Yin Xiu raised his hand and patted Li Mo's head. "We'll go into the dungeon to find Ya Ya in a bit. Since we have nothing else to do, let's just wander around in the dungeon."
"I'll listen to my boyfriend." Li Mo replied without hesitation, leaning close to Yin Xiu's side.
The two sat side by side on the rooftop, watching the people hurrying by in the town below, and gazing at this land that had once been incredibly dangerous and terrifying, but had now become their new home after weathering the storms of life.
And they will stay here for a very long time.