Chapter 24: Ravaged Without Warning, My First Time as a Victim

Sunday evening on the fourteenth floor was unusually quiet. Bai Jingchuan stepped out of his office and spotted Jiang Huan’s small figure at her workstation. For a few seconds, their eyes met across the distance. Neither spoke—Bai Jingchuan’s words always carried weight, and they pressed down on Jiang Huan like a heavy stone. The dice floated beside him, pitying her plight, and nudged Bai Jingchuan’s ear until it grew warm. “You’re being foolish! Why not comfort her with a few kind words? Work together to write the story—it’s simple!”

“Comfort is useless. Inspiration born from her pain and writing under my guidance are entirely different.”

“How do you know? Did the arena story lead you to that conclusion?”

Before he could answer, a vision unfolded before him, accompanied by an invitation:

「Dream Preparation Complete. Do You Accept the Mission?」

Did he really have a choice?

________________________________________

Bai Jingchuan returned to Mowu City. Little had changed here. A blast in the Phantom Light District sent gray-yellow sand swirling against metal sheets. Towering buildings pierced the sky, their metallic pipelines glowing through thick smoke. The upper levels continued to function despite overturned cars and shattered glass crunching underfoot. In the sunset, steel beams snapped and fell, scattering people who fled in all directions. Roofs of low-rise buildings and open spaces were crowded with people. Roads were cordoned off by police tape. Bai Jingchuan scanned the area, searching for Jiang Huan. Blocked by rubble and damaged signs, two crashed vehicles obstructed the main road to the station. It seemed he would have to look upward.

A white figure with long hair appeared in the distance, small and frail, searching for direction—it was Jiang Huan. Bai Jingchuan wanted to hurry over; this place was dangerous, and law enforcement would soon arrive. Dressed unlike anyone from Mowu City and without identification, she would surely be detained. But as he took a step, he realized he lacked a physical form—just like during the subway incident, he didn’t exist in Mowu City. He could only manipulate the air.

“I’ve returned to Mowu City but have no body. And Jiang Huan… whose dream permissions allowed this?”

No one answered. A window popped up.

「Mission 2-2: Help Jiang Huan Escape Dream Danger. You have entered Jiang Huan’s dream in an invisible form. You can follow her by manipulating the air. Upon reaching Level 30, you will regain your physical body for one minute and unlock more memories shared between you and Jiang Huan. Protect her safety and focus on leveling up.」

This was Jiang Huan’s current dream. Though he could manipulate the air, he retained the tactile sensations of walking through Mowu City. Stepping on broken stairs still caused him to stumble, but he no longer existed physically in this world. Jiang Huan couldn’t see him.

What good was one minute of physical presence? Half-helping might just make things worse. Perhaps it was better to let her navigate independently.

Jiang Huan darted into an alley—a labyrinthine urban maze filled with smoke and partially blocked roads. If he didn’t follow quickly, he’d lose her. Hearing the metallic clang of climbing, he realized she had ascended an escalator, crossed a staircase, and descended another iron ladder, bypassing the accident scene entirely. Bai Jingchuan quietly trailed behind, shattering a camera that swiveled toward Jiang Huan using the air.

She was indeed a girl with excellent direction sense, having created many maps. She had already run far ahead. To successfully escape, her goal should be the train station. The upper-right corner of the screen indicated 16 minutes until departure, but many routes on the map had collapsed. She needed to reach the main road first, which required climbing up a towering building. Scaling the external pipelines to the zip line would take three minutes. Bai Jingchuan considered using a prop to reduce her climbing time, but as soon as he selected it, a message appeared: 「This mission does not allow props.」

Great. Dragging her back to Mowu City and forbidding any assistance—how frustrating!

Jiang Huan was visibly tense, her legs trembling. Mid-climb, she wiped her hands on her jacket, beads of cold sweat forming. Bai Jingchuan hovered behind her, ready to catch her if she slipped. He felt a pang of sympathy.

That sympathy lasted about three seconds. Bai Jingchuan leapt off the escalator and stood firm in the fire escape. Since he was already here, some paths had to be walked alone. He wouldn’t coddle her simply because she was a woman. If she didn’t want to be underestimated, she’d have to prove herself.

He stood in the wind for a moment, noticing an unfamiliar gray area hidden in the darkness. No matter how hard he thought, he couldn’t recall anything about this region.

“What is this area?”

“A secret.”

“Oh?” Bai Jingchuan narrowed his eyes. “I’ve been in Mowu City for a long time, and even as part of the political elite, I’ve never seen this place.”

“I cannot explain. But Li Bode, you should understand. What you call ‘political elite’ is merely another cog. When existing as electronic data, certain things remain hidden unless you’re meant to see them.”

Bai Jingchuan silently noted the district’s location, adjacent to Mowu City’s courthouse and administrative center. It was highly concealed. He prided himself on understanding Mowu City’s layout thoroughly, from the highest gears to the lowest judicial cases. If there was something he didn’t know, it likely fell into one of three categories: 1) Related to the human world; 2) Meant to be known by as few people as possible; 3) Something he, as an entity in Mowu City, wasn’t qualified to know—now accidentally discovered after becoming human.

When Bai Jingchuan looked up again, Jiang Huan had reached the zip line. Without hesitation, she grabbed it and jumped. His heart clenched instinctively, and he used the air to cushion her descent. Her agile silhouette cut through the night, her hair billowing like waves, leaving fear behind in the wind.

Even as a mere wisp of air, his heartbeat was erratic. If he’d harbored doubts about himself before, believing Li Bode’s mastery of air manipulation made him invincible, that moment of determination and bravery on her face completely shattered his skepticism.

If he didn’t catch up soon, it would be too late. Bai Jingchuan climbed the zip line, watching the resilient girl blend seamlessly with the wind. Admiration and excitement welled up within him.

「Mowu City is currently under lockdown. Avoid guards as much as possible.」

The landing zone was marked by caution tape and four breached barriers. The blocked road directly led to the station, guaranteeing a confrontation with guards. Walking boldly through the breach would mean direct combat, but with guards stationed along the entire route, reaching the station in 10 minutes was impossible—and potentially fatal. Rather than facing instant failure, evasion was wiser.

Jiang Huan thought the same. Amid her nervousness, she noticed a vending machine and, after checking for danger, tried to knock out a drink. Mowu City’s beverages didn’t exist in reality, and their flavors were bizarre. Jiang Huan avoided cola, inspecting each option curiously, pressing buttons impatiently before kicking the machine in frustration. Nothing happened.

How uncivilized. Unable to bear it, Bai Jingchuan spent coins to buy her a drink he deemed palatable. Jiang Huan glanced at the empty air, almost as if meeting his gaze. Had she sensed him?

「Jiang Huan’s Favorability +200.」

She twisted the cap, and the sharp citrus scent made her wrinkle her nose. Every sip made her choke on the carbonation—he waited for this exact moment, and sure enough—

Instead of feeling triumphant, he found her squinting while drinking utterly adorable. She must’ve been genuinely thirsty. If she’d entered the dream directly from real life, she probably hadn’t eaten dinner yet. As a producer, he realized he’d been too harsh on her growth pace.

The guards would arrive soon. How could Jiang Huan evade them? Bai Jingchuan mentally reviewed the map for alternative routes to the station when Jiang Huan kicked open a vent fan and crawled into the adjacent building’s ventilation system.

This was unexpected—even he hadn’t thought of that.

Bai Jingchuan politely waited at the vent for a minute, keeping his distance to avoid witnessing Jiang Huan crawling awkwardly while also covering for her to avoid detection. The dice peeked inside and reported, “You can follow now, Li Bode. The guards will find her eventually. She seems to be hurting her knees.”

“I must take responsibility.” Bai Jingchuan teleported from one end of the vent to the other, clearing the exit and ascending to the rooftop via internal stairs. The closer he followed, the more his heart raced. Ahead lay a surveillance zone—being caught by cameras would trigger city-wide alarms.

He manipulated a thin iron rod to smash the camera. Startled, Jiang Huan turned around, her expression brightening instantly. Why did she look at him with such warmth?

「Jiang Huan’s Favorability +100. Lv 29 → Lv 30. You have one minute to regain your physical form. Use it wisely—the body will be reclaimed after 60 seconds.」

She hadn’t seen him, so why that expression? And why was she so familiar with the route? Had she seen these Mowu City buildings before? The deleted system stories, the manuscripts sunk in the lake—were they now the new structures appearing in the city? Had all the data migrated here?

City alarms blared simultaneously.

The first squad of guards appeared, clad in armor with shields and guns, exuding menace. The dice grew anxious. “Bai Jingchuan, help her! Even for one minute, you’re more than capable of defeating them!”

He refrained from engaging physically, instead manipulating the air. Using an iron rod, he struck a guard’s ribs, disarmed him, and illuminated the path to the station. Helicopter noise thundered overhead, wind howling as crowds scattered. He pointed to a narrow path behind the fountain, signaling Jiang Huan to move forward. Among the airborne troops was a captain wearing bulletproof gear, doubling his combat strength. This would take more time. Bai Jingchuan grew weary—the captain’s shield provided heavy protection, and his attacks were relentless. Bai Jingchuan’s control was only a quarter of its former strength. Four minutes remained until the train departed.

Bai Jingchuan teleported to a nearby guard and detonated a tear gas grenade. Even the captain’s shield couldn’t block it. Smoke filled the air as Bai Jingchuan leapt over the fountain, scaled boxes, and teleported from the rooftop to outside the park via a smoking vending machine. The dice remarked, “She keeps looking back for you—so heartbreaking!”

“I’m just a wisp of air. Why would she search for me?”

“That doesn’t mean she doesn’t sense someone protecting her.” The dice spun in the air. “She’s brave, but not foolish enough to think getting saved twice was mere luck.”

Jiang Huan darted into an alley. An undamaged escalator led to a rooftop with a track connecting directly to the station. She waited at the elevator entrance, seemingly expecting him to catch up. Suddenly, he froze—a wave of dizziness hit him. Silver visuals flowed in from the edges, rippling like random images forming a movie. His head pounded, and his legs refused to move. Fragments, shapes, faces—all pieced together memories from before. After the arena, they’d rarely met, always standing on opposing sides. Li Bode was the undeniable Executor, both loved and hated. Jiang Huan stood against him, relentlessly honing her skills, saved multiple times by him… Each rescue reminded her of the training ground days, her eyes brimming with resentment and longing, biting her lip and trying to steal one last glance at him…

Was this a story about him? Why did Jiang Huan appear as the heroine?

After a few seconds of contemplation, Bai Jingchuan teleported a boulder from the alley roof, rolling it down to block their line of sight. Though bodiless and unable to speak, he ensured Jiang Huan wouldn’t foolishly wait for him. A smart girl like her would know to keep moving forward.

Bai Jingchuan turned and ran in the opposite direction, retracing his earlier path to a higher vantage point above Jiang Huan’s position. Desperately searching for a route to the station, time was running out. He scaled walls as quickly as possible, leaping between buildings. His teleportation ability hadn’t fully recovered, and only one minute remained.

The elevator led to a higher floor. As the doors opened, a vision appeared on his screen: Jiang Huan was still trapped on the platform, surrounded by guards. The train had already departed from the station.

Five seconds until departure—five, four, three, two, one—it was too late—

「You have activated one minute of physical form restoration. Use your time wisely.」

He grabbed the zip line handrail and jumped off the high-rise, plummeting rapidly through the air. Opening his eyes, he saw the sprawling three-dimensional city below—spacious children’s playgrounds for the upper class, neon advertisements featuring pop idols, white-collar apartments, and crowded sweatshops. The stratified urban landscape unfolded as he descended, diving into the thick smoke of the explosion. The air grew cold and damp; within seconds, fragments from the blast had scraped his cheeks, drawing blood.

Now was the moment!

Through the dense fog, he reached out, pulling Jiang Huan close and planting his feet firmly against the railing. With a powerful leap, they landed on the rooftop of a passing train. Timing it perfectly, he steadied her on the car roof and boarded the train using extreme measures. There were no rules he couldn’t break—he was Li Bode, and in his dictionary, “impossible” didn’t exist. Now he’d discovered another immutable aspect of his persona: protecting Jiang Huan felt like second nature.

Before the minute ended, Jiang Huan suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck. Greedily, he pulled her closer, savoring the warmth of her body. Before he could hear what she whispered, he reverted to his invisible form. Tears glistened at the corners of her eyes as she vanished from the scene.

「Dream ends. Mission successful. Jiang Huan’s Favorability +100. Lv 30 → Lv 31. Rewards: “Prayer of Dawn,” “Nursery Rhyme Doll.” Judgment function unlocked.」

Jiang Huan jolted awake from the dream of falling from a great height. Before her was a blackened computer screen, her hair disheveled but safe. Everything had been a dream. The blanket lay beside her, and her limbs tingled from leaning on the desk. Good dreams whisked away their thrilling plots, leaving behind only emotions. The final descent onto the speeding train, the massive explosion behind them like an apocalyptic judgment—it was etched permanently in her mind. She quickly jotted down notes but found herself unable to sleep—the dream had felt so real.

Most importantly, though she hadn’t experienced the events in the dream, they felt like memories of something that had truly happened. In the dream, she and Bai Jingchuan were lovers. The snow spray rolling back to her feet on the subway, the strength added to her body—how could that be? It was impossible.

She glanced at the hidden screensaver on her phone. On the desktop sat a man dressed in a well-tailored suit, his gaze steady and affectionate—a stark contrast to the stern, rarely smiling Bai Jingchuan of the real world.

Impossible…

Bai Jingchuan hadn’t yet seen Jiang Huan’s finished draft, but he was curious about her post-dream state. Returning from a morning meeting upstairs, he passed by her workstation and noticed her lack of energy. Entering the office again, he emerged with a coffee cup—to make coffee. The company-provided breakfast was croissants, which tasted worse than anything in Mowu City. Akira approached, pointing at Jiang Huan’s lips. Her chair rolled back to her desk as she pulled a small box from her drawer and slipped it into Jiang Huan’s hands, patting her shoulder. Bai Jingchuan activated his mind-reading ability to eavesdrop. Akira spoke vividly: “This new lipstick is a gift for you. It changes color and turns into a popular peachy pink. I originally bought it to share with my younger brother—it smells amazing and is a perfect weapon for romance. But you’re acting like a nun these days. At least protect your lips and improve your complexion. If you like someone, remember to use it!”

How childish.

Bai Jingchuan had only planned to find something tasty to fill his stomach during lunch. Recalling the previous omelet rice, he searched and ended up at Renwu Road, where he spotted Jiang Huan slipping into Soul Room. He had little impression of the place. Entering, he saw her staring into a mirror, hurriedly stuffing something into her pocket. “What are you doing here?”

“Eating. Renwu Road is Lori’s backyard—I can’t come?”

“You can’t eat here. This is Sandimon’s shop for games and merchandise. There’s no business—it’s just a private garden for regular customers. Leave.”

Her words irked him further. He insisted on staying, determined to see who would dare kick him out.

“You said… dreaming of a complete plot—isn’t that too bizarre?”

“What kind of plot?”

“You wouldn’t know. The manuscripts sank in the lake and rotted. I just dreamed of one of the previous male leads—it felt so real, like breaking through the fourth wall in a dream.”

So she had projected him as the male lead. Bai Jingchuan’s curiosity was piqued: “You have deep feelings for him?”

“Yes, something you wouldn’t understand. My spiritual pillar.”

Of course, he knew he wasn’t the one. In the Realm of Gods’ hard mode, every hellish start came with max DPS and minimal mercy. Not giving him a blood feud was already the greatest kindness. But even to capture Jiang Huan’s attention, he wanted to try: “Suppose I’m your male lead now. What would you do if I appeared before you?”

“How could you be? You’re nothing alike.” Jiang Huan blew away her uneven bangs. After staring for a while, the hairstyle seemed uniquely hers—not ugly, but almost witch-like. Yet the witch refused to focus on him, lost in thought.

“I’m serious.” Bai Jingchuan felt challenged. “If I were the character you’ve liked for so long—the mature, sexy type from Romance Continent —the one you yearned for across dimensions but couldn’t meet, how would you react?”

Jiang Huan froze, seemingly contemplating. Bai Jingchuan pressed on: “Why aren’t you speaking? Would you be so nervous upon meeting him that you wouldn’t know what to do, crying because you feel unworthy? Did I hit the mark?”

Before he could finish, Jiang Huan suddenly leaned in, gripping his face tightly—her strength surprising him. Reflexively trained to dodge punches and counterattack, he’d never encountered being held firmly by both hands. Stunned, he watched as Jiang Huan began planting kisses all over his face—eyebrows, temples, cheeks, forehead—in random, unrelenting succession. She even kissed his temples and ears, leaving traces of warm breath and moisture.

Perhaps she kissed too forcefully, her hair became disheveled. Pulling it back with a sharp motion, she smirked: “Seen enough?”

Though his mind-reading ability failed on Jiang Huan, he felt her heartbeat when he instinctively gripped her shoulders, brushing against her chest. What unsettled him more was the sound of wind chimes ringing in the background. The inner door of the Soul Room was open, and the wind carried through his body, kissing his… soul. Sandimon stood at the doorway, witnessing everything. Jiang Huan rose abruptly, dragging Sandimon out of the Soul Room, shouting about being hungry.

Equally frozen in mid-air was the dice, witnessing such an aggressive display for the first time.

The sunlight was blinding, the door blown wide open by the wind, the chimes still ringing. The dampness on his cheeks cooled slightly. Particles seemed suspended in the air, reminding him of celestial bodies orbiting along fixed paths—or the people of Mowu City, trapped within predestined lives. Those kisses seemed to slow time as they evaporated into the air, weaving new threads into his soul and life. Deficient arrogance and abundant timidity embraced each other, waxing and waning, leaving Bai Jingchuan momentarily paralyzed under the sun’s rays.

The dampness faded, the crisp sound of kisses nearly forgotten. He regretted forgetting to activate the recording function. That moment when she charged forward and kissed him fervently—he hadn’t captured any of it.

For the first time, he felt discouraged and regretful, clenching his fists instinctively. So the pounding heartbeat was fake, the deafening vibration false. If he didn’t acknowledge it, time would erase all traces. Such loss—it was unbearable.

Turning to rise, he caught sight of himself in the mirror—his face smeared with lipstick marks, redder than a tomato. His collar was askew, his temples and hair disheveled. Ravaged without warning, this was his first time as a victim. He recalled Akira whispering to Jiang Huan about the color-changing lipstick—a perfect romantic weapon. Initially colorless, it left a lasting pink stain and fragrance, unforgettable even after being wiped away.

「You have used the camera function to record this moment.」

「Jiang Huan’s Favorability +300.」

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PS: Today’s chapter is ready! Welcome to add this story to your bookshelf and vote for recommendations. See you in the comments!