HAGLTP Chapter 3

Huang San’s home was not far from the alley, situated in a slum that had sprouted in a bustling corner.

Unlike the city perpetually shrouded in neon lights, this place was dilapidated and decayed, with buildings from different eras haphazardly mixed together, their structures interweaving chaotically, as if they were desperately vying for each other’s living space.

“Do you two little brothers want to find some excitement?” A skinny old man on the left waved at the two.

Beside the old man, a woman with heavy makeup and revealing clothing threw a flirtatious glance at Xiao Lu: “Why not come to my place for a visit, I guarantee you’ll be satisfied.”

“Come to my place, two people are welcome too~” On the other side, a man dressed even more provocatively than the woman leisurely exhaled smoke rings.

Huang San didn’t say a word and directly pulled Xiao Lu forward.

“This place is beyond the jurisdiction of the Public Security Bureau; many areas hide dangerous individuals. Try not to talk to anyone, especially those who suddenly greet you. Don’t engage with them; you might end up having your organs harvested or sold abroad,” Huang San explained in a low voice.

Xiao Lu nodded, indicating that he understood.

Huang San skillfully led Xiao Lu through various passages, moving like a round and agile cat.

Just when Xiao Lu felt his brain was about to overload, they finally arrived.

Huang San’s home was divided into two rooms, with a curtain separating a kitchen, and there was also a bathroom.

The overall space wasn’t too cramped, but the old-fashioned wallpaper, which had been stuck on for who knows how long, had already turned yellow and black, hanging on the wall in a way that seemed ready to fall off, harmonizing with the room full of broken furniture with peeling paint and missing legs.

“My place is quite shabby; I haven’t cleaned up much since I’m alone. I apologize for the inconvenience, Brother Lu,” Huang San said, scratching his head in embarrassment.

Xiao Lu’s gaze fixed on an old piece of paper on the wall. In this era, people rarely used physical paper; anything printed out must be something significant.

The paper depicted a frail, emaciated woman and a younger Huang San from a few years ago. The two shared similar features, likely mother and son. The background appeared to be a hospital, and even someone like Xiao Lu, who lacked medical knowledge, could tell that the woman was on the verge of death.

As expected, Huang San followed Xiao Lu’s gaze and explained, “That’s my mother. It’s our last photo together.”

In this world on the brink of global aberration, perhaps leaving early was a form of luck.

Xiao Lu didn’t inquire about Huang San’s father. The photo only showed the mother and son, and given what Huang San had just said, asking “Where’s your dad?” would be completely inappropriate.

Moreover, he really didn’t want to chat anymore.

“I need a place where I won’t be disturbed,” Xiao Lu stated directly.

Huang San pointed to the inner room: “That one, it has just a small window and is very quiet.”

Xiao Lu nodded at him and stepped inside. “Don’t come in if you hear any noise.”

As he was about to close the door, Xiao Lu reminded him, “Stock up on emergency supplies. If there’s nothing urgent in the next few days, don’t go out. Also… keep your distance from people who look like me.”

Although Huang San didn’t understand what was going on, he quickly nodded, his cheeks jiggling with the motion: “Okay, leave it to me.”

Once the door was completely shut, Huang San stood there, dazed for a moment. He rubbed his chubby face, feeling that today’s experience was truly bizarre.

What kind of person is Brother Lu?

He was so impressive, yet it seemed like there was something wrong with his body, shrouded in mystery, much like a protagonist from a film or television show.

When Brother Lu comes out, will he teach him something, so he can become as formidable as him?

As he pondered, a subtle smile appeared on Huang San’s face, a flicker of the youthful yearning hidden in a corner of his heart for excitement, and the weariness of a mundane life quietly rippled to the surface.

The so-called “chuunibyou” spirit awakened.

Huang San slapped his face, shaking himself out of his fantasy. “Brother Lu said to stock up on emergency supplies; I need to hurry.”

“Uh, what are emergency supplies?”

“Are potato chips okay?”

“Toilet paper is a must, right?”

“Maybe Brother Lu needs a disguise like a movie character? Let’s prepare a skirt too.”

…

·

Several hours later.

In the alley, a man in uniform arrived at the place where Xiao Lu had fought with three others.

Upon seeing the bodies on the ground, his expression remained calm as he crouched down to carefully examine the traces at the scene with his equipment.

After inspecting, he opened his communicator: “Aberrant 001’s trace discovered; fled after killing three. Judging by the attack method, it is suspected to have entered an unrecorded new phase. There are footprints of a fourth person at the scene, possibly abducted by 001.”

“Continue tracking. The first aberrant has high research value. Once located, capturing the target is the primary mission. If the impact is too great, it can be killed, but the body must be brought back.”

“Understood. What about the hostage?”

“That will depend on his luck. If he knows too much, he will be killed immediately.”

·

Inside the room, Xiao Lu curled up alone on the bed.

His eyes were tightly shut, his face flushed abnormally, and his whole body trembled uncontrollably. Only when he was alone could he let go of the dignity he had been desperately maintaining and reveal his most vulnerable state.

The impact brought by the Crown Prince’s starlight was far more severe than ordinary starlight.

He felt as if he were a traveler about to drown in a storm, his consciousness constantly battered by monstrous waves. Whenever he had a moment to catch his breath, the next wave would crash down upon him again.

His awareness was on the brink of collapse, yet Xiao Lu clung to it with all his might, oscillating back and forth in this struggle.

The tug-of-war lasted for a long time, long enough for his perception of time to become blurred.

His nails had already pierced the skin of his palms, yet he felt nothing, only using the last remnants of his rationality to control his jaw, clenching his teeth tightly to prevent any sound of pain from escaping.

Is this the treatment for Aberrant 001?

In this world, “Xiao Lu” was destined to be a cannon fodder, the world’s fortune did not favor him.

Facing the same consciousness impact from the Crown Prince’s starlight, he lacked the omnipotent protagonist’s halo, so there would be no conveniently passing mentor to lend a hand, nor would there be any miraculous turn of events in dire straits.

Moreover, he had to divide his attention to suppress the system in his mind that was always ready to rebel.

With no experience to draw from, no luck to bolster him, and a system 10000 as a massive burden.

But so what? He had already defeated the plot arranged by the system once, even surpassing the system itself. Xiao Lu was unwilling to be devoured by a cosmic parasite like starlight.

Xiao Lu’s face was pale, his body almost soaked in cold sweat, only his lips were an unusual shade of red.

He struggled to open his eyes, his hair falling over his forehead, obscuring part of his vision. He looked at the cluttered desk beside the bed, where a half blade lay, the original handle long gone.

His trembling hand slowly lifted, straining to reach for the blade.

He needed something more intense to keep himself awake.

Suddenly, the system 10000 in his consciousness began to struggle again, nearly breaking through the thin mist. Xiao Lu quickly diverted his attention to barely suppress it.

Just that moment of distraction allowed the starlight’s impact to surge forth, his vision spinning, the chaotic desk before him seeming to come alive, the blade that was clearly within reach drifting far away.

Xiao Lu immediately halted his movements to avoid hitting any obstacles in his unclear vision.

But at that moment, the pile of paper boxes on the desk suddenly shifted, the top box rolling off and colliding with the blade, causing it to fall.

In that instant, Xiao Lu felt a sense of inevitability; could one really expect a cannon fodder to have a stroke of luck at a critical moment?

That was a privilege reserved for protagonists.

A sarcastic smile appeared at the corner of Xiao Lu’s mouth.

Before the smile could fully form, it abruptly vanished—no, the sound of the blade hitting the ground did not occur!

From the desk to the floor, such a short distance, the blade should have fallen in an instant, yet Huang San’s home was poor, and there was no carpet on the floor; how could there be no sound at all?

The sudden shock made Xiao Lu’s spirit lift. He followed the blade’s trajectory downwards, only to see the blade standing vertically in mid-air, as if someone had pressed the pause button.

Something was off around him.

Huang San’s home had poor sound insulation; he had noticed that when he first entered. The neighbors were probably watching a show, constantly shouting, “I love you! I steal energy cars to support you!” “But I don’t love you!” without end.

Now the noise had stopped, not just the neighbor’s program, but the outside world was completely silent, the world enveloped in tranquility, making the slight rustling of his clothes as he moved particularly pronounced.

Even the starlight that had been assaulting his consciousness had quieted down.

Time seemed to have paused.

“Let me see, are you the rule-breaker of this world?” A cold male voice suddenly rang out, the tone pleasant, carrying a calmness that made it hard to feel any malice.

But to Xiao Lu’s ears, it was no less than a thunderclap, sharper than a knife in waking him up.

It’s someone from the system!

He quickly scanned his surroundings. The narrow room, aside from a broken bed, contained a table with a broken leg and a cabinet missing a door, all piled high with Huang San’s belongings. To put it bluntly, there was no place for a ghost to hide if it wanted to scare someone.

“You can call me Mr. A,” the voice sounded from behind.

But he had just surveyed the area, and naturally, he hadn’t overlooked behind him, where there was only a peeling wall, with no one there at all.

Xiao Lu turned around and found a figure had appeared by the wall without him noticing.

The person was tall and slender, a young man by the looks of it. Dressed in a well-fitted shirt and vest, with trousers that had no wrinkles at all, he leaned casually against the wall, exuding an elegance that penetrated to the bone, making Huang San’s war-damaged wall seem to emanate a hint of ink fragrance.

Strangely, the man wore a pure white mask, devoid of features or expression, just a void of white.

Seeing Xiao Lu look at him, Mr. A spoke, his tone starkly different from his appearance: “The division system 10000 has suddenly gone offline; you did this.”

Before Xiao Lu could respond, he suddenly vanished from sight.

In the next moment, he appeared right in front of Xiao Lu, the blank mask mere inches away, and although there were no visible features, Xiao Lu felt as if he were being scrutinized.

His voice was filled with pressure: “The main system does not favor rebellious lambs.”

“Do you know what it will do when it learns of your masterpiece?” Mr. A’s hand gripped Xiao Lu’s chin, the sensation devoid of physical touch yet carrying a bone-chilling coldness.

“It will try hundreds of punishment methods on you, making you wish for life but not be able to live, and wish for death but not be able to die.”

“Endless fiery hell, boundless icy seas, or perhaps it will exile you to a void world, tormenting your nerves with loneliness, solitude, and emptiness until you become obedient.”

At this point, he leaned closer to Xiao Lu’s ear and lowered his voice, like a snake flicking its tongue: “There are always many ways to tame a lamb, aren’t there?”

Xiao Lu’s response was a sudden flash of the blade.

When he had checked the surroundings earlier, Xiao Lu had quietly concealed the suspended half blade in his palm. At this moment, the blade’s edge ruthlessly stabbed at Mr. A’s wrist.

But the blade fell short.

Just like when he had suddenly approached, Mr. A’s figure vanished in an instant, then reappeared a step away.

He flexed his wrist, standing tall, his tone revealing no hint of anger or joy: “That’s rather impolite.”

As he spoke, the temperature around them dropped further, the chill pricking at Xiao Lu’s skin, making his already pale face appear even more translucent.

Xiao Lu seemed oblivious, raising his hand to sweep aside his disheveled hair, revealing his strikingly dark and vivid brows and eyes once more.

He casually set the blade down: “I was just returning the favor.”

Mr. A’s tone turned dangerous: “You seem to have misunderstood what I said.”

Xiao Lu raised his gaze to him, a cunning light dancing in his eyes: “I’m certain I completely ‘understood.'”

This time, it was Xiao Lu who took the initiative to approach Mr. A, closing the distance between them once more.

He leaned in close to Mr. A’s ear and whispered, “You asked me, ‘What will it do when it learns of your masterpiece?'”

“This indicates that you knew before the main system that I had taken control of system 10000, and then you concealed this information, appearing here alone.”

“There must be some purpose behind this, a purpose that cannot be known to the main system.” The corners of Xiao Lu’s mouth lifted slightly.

The room fell into a brief silence.

The two faced each other in silence, and beneath the calm surface, undercurrents surged.