HAGLTP Chapter 19

The envelope was very clean, placed oddly in the dusty ventilation duct, and what was even more noteworthy was the title “Aberrant 001.”

Only one faction would refer to him this way—the Public Security Bureau that had killed “Xiao Lu” in the original storyline.

The corpses of the Public Security Bureau members he had seen earlier, combined with this letter, were almost telling him that the place he was in was intricately connected to the Bureau.

Was the letter placed here because they were certain he would take the ventilation duct?

How could they be so sure? Did it imply that the previous appearance of the aberrants was not a coincidence, but rather something deliberately arranged by certain individuals?

Xiao Lu picked up the envelope; it felt light, containing only a brief note.

Mr. Aberrant 001:

Welcome to my territory.

I am pleased that you have passed the first round of the game arranged for you, and I hope your future performance will also satisfy me.

Best wishes,

There was no signature or date at the end.

Xiao Lu raised his head from the letter and scanned the surrounding environment. He did not notice any obvious surveillance equipment, but he was certain that there were plenty of hidden cameras in the places he had passed through.

The other party must be feeling very pleased with themselves at this moment, enjoying the process of manipulating a living person.

This kind of being watched from a hidden angle, even having the plot arranged for him, made him feel uncomfortable.

Looking at the elegant handwriting on the paper, Xiao Lu expressionlessly tore it up and casually discarded it. The pristine white paper became uneven fragments, falling into the dust and getting stained, adding a touch of disarray.

Not bothering to look at the dusty scraps of paper, Xiao Lu continued forward.

He hated people showing off in front of him.

Especially those unknown, control-freak perverts.

·

After advancing for a while, Xiao Lu discovered a room exuding the scent of blood.

The room had clearly been the scene of a fierce battle; the walls and floor were stained with blood, and there were numerous marks from sharp objects.

Two human figures lay on the ground, unmoving, and it was hard to tell what had happened.

Xiao Lu entered the room.

He first approached the figure in a baseball uniform lying face down on the ground. Even from a distance, he could see the grayish skin hidden beneath the disheveled hair and the star-patterned crystal on the neck that had already lost its color.

It seemed to be of the same kind as the aberrants he had just dealt with, completely lifeless.

The other person lay on their side near the door, dressed in a blood-stained gray outfit. Upon closer inspection, it was not an ordinary gray coat but a cloak, bearing the emblem of the Divine Punishment Society.

There was a gaping hole in their back, almost exposing their insides, and most of the bloodstains came from there.

This person had a pinprick on their hand, indicating they had also been injected with the same drug that suppressed abilities as Xiao Lu. In such a condition, they had fought against the aberrants, ultimately finding a weakness to kill the opponent, but had lost too much blood and died before Xiao Lu arrived.

Xiao Lu crouched down, brushed aside the messy hair, and found that this person had a peaceful expression, showing no signs of pain or struggle before death; even the corners of their mouth were turned up in a smile, as if gazing into the distance.

Why could they still smile after such a death?

Looking slightly down, Xiao Lu noticed they were holding a necklace against their chest, a pendant of a deity that almost everyone in the Divine Punishment Society possessed, appearing somewhat rough due to the rushed production.

“The power of faith…” Xiao Lu murmured softly as he looked at the person’s face.

The Divine Punishment Society viewed aberration as a test from the gods, never shying away from pain. Perhaps for them, a tragic death was instead a form of liberation, representing their imminent departure from the chaotic and noisy world into the divine kingdom they longed for.

Xiao Lu laid the body of the Divine Punishment Society member flat, closed their slightly open eyes, covered their gruesome body with the cloak, and finally placed the deity pendant gently on their forehead.

“May your god guide you to His kingdom, where there will be no more pain and sorrow.”

·

Finding that the door to this room could be opened, Xiao Lu stepped out.

Moving through the ventilation duct seemed safe, but once he came face to face with an aberrant, this small space would leave no room for maneuvering, making it even more dangerous than encountering one on the ground.

Outside the door was a monotonous corridor, lined with empty rooms, all cold and dull white, with no windows. The only ventilation was through small vents on the walls, making Xiao Lu suspect he was currently underground.

After turning an unknown number of corners, Xiao Lu heard hurried footsteps ahead, as if someone was being chased.

A few breaths later, a figure appeared at the other end of the corridor.

Chai Yige’s face was pale, frantically fleeing, one arm hanging at his side, covered in blood.

Behind him, a gaunt aberrant was relentlessly pursuing him, its purplish-black fingertips grazing Chai Yige’s back, causing him to break out in a cold sweat.

In a moment of panic, Chai Yige stumbled heavily to the ground, landing right on his injured arm, making him groan in pain.

“Ha… ha…” he gasped for breath.

The instinct to survive told Chai Yige he had to get up and run quickly, but the fatigue from running for so long and the pain from his injury had nearly drained his strength. Every nerve screamed at him to get up, but his muscles seemed to lag behind, refusing to obey.

The gaunt shadow rapidly closed in, already looming over him.

The stench filled his nostrils, and every hair on Chai Yige’s body stood on end. He desperately wanted to escape but felt as if someone had pressed the slow-motion button on him.

Why couldn’t he escape?

Why hadn’t the protagonist come to save him yet?

He didn’t want to die; he didn’t want his life to end in this kind of world!

The aberrant raised its claws.

Help! Help!! Help!!! Chai Yige screamed in his mind.

But the one he hoped for, Xiao Keyang, did not descend from the heavens. The purplish-black fingertips were getting closer and closer, so close that he could clearly see the bloodstains that belonged to him.

The claws came crashing down.

Chai Yige closed his eyes in despair, letting out a final wail: “Ah———————————————”

The air in his lungs was exhausted, but the expected pain did not come. Suddenly, hope surged in Chai Yige’s heart. He opened his eyes abruptly, mist rising in them: “Keyang…”

But what appeared before him was the fallen aberrant and Xiao Lu, who was covering his ears with a look of disdain.

“Hiss…” Xiao Lu painfully rubbed his ears. “Why are you screaming so loudly? Planning to give birth to triplets?”

Of course, he wouldn’t admit that he had waited until the last moment to save this guy who always spoke ill of him just to see him in trouble.

God knows this guy was more exaggerated than a thousand screaming chickens, making his ears ring.

“Xiao, Xiao Lu… it’s you.” Chai Yige said somewhat awkwardly.

Xiao Lu smiled coldly: “Sorry, it’s not your brother Keyang. How about I wake up that brother on the ground and wait for Xiao Keyang to come and save you again?”

Chai Yige glanced nervously at the fierce aberrant in front of him and couldn’t help but shiver: “Forget it…”

“Heh.” Xiao Lu turned to leave.

Chai Yige, still on the ground, was stunned. Was this how one saved someone? Not even asking, “Are you okay?” and at least pulling him up from the ground? What was with this casual dismissal?

“Xiao Lu…” Chai Yige couldn’t help but call out.

Xiao Lu paused, turned his head with a look that seemed to say, “What do you want?”

“…” Chai Yige choked, instinctively feeling that what had just flashed through his mind was better left unsaid; it would bring bad luck.

This was the experience he had accumulated over years of being a cannon fodder.

He quickly got up and followed Xiao Lu: “I’ll go with you; it’s better to have someone to look out for you.”

Xiao Lu glanced at his injured hand, guessing Chai Yige’s little thoughts. It was nothing more than wanting a temporary bodyguard before reuniting with Xiao Keyang.

He didn’t mind having company; as for whether to save him or not, that would depend on his mood.

Thus, the two formed a temporary plastic team, each with their own thoughts, and moved forward together.

After walking for a while, Xiao Lu felt a stir in his heart and tentatively asked, “What do you think the next game will be arranged?”

“Game?” Chai Yige looked surprised. “You call this a game?”

Xiao Lu observed his expression and realized that his surprise and confusion were genuine, meaning Chai Yige had not received that strange letter.

He had no intention of explaining and casually said, “A closed building, monsters everywhere, various reasons for not being able to leave—standard horror game setup.”

Chai Yige curled his lip: “Crazy.”

In this “game,” death was real; they would truly die.

Xiao Lu shrugged: “Being crazy is still better than completely handing over the chance to survive to others.”

Chai Yige, however, remained unmoved: “Following the strongest one is the safest.”

He lowered his voice to a level only the two could hear: “I warn you, don’t continue to oppose Xiao Keyang. Only the protagonist can defeat the boss; if you keep messing around, you’ll only end up dying worse.”

Xiao Lu dismissed his judgment, responding quietly: “If it weren’t for me, you would have already died just now.”

“If it weren’t for you, there wouldn’t be this part of the plot now.” Chai Yige gritted his teeth.

He should have comfortably followed the protagonist, being the second-in-command in the White Dove, watching the protagonist level up step by step, which would have been a hundred times more comfortable than being in a violent place like Night!

Touching his injured arm, Chai Yige lowered his voice even further: “Do you really think you can change the plot?”

“The trajectory of fate is predetermined; cannon fodder is just cannon fodder. Your two lackeys were non-existent in the original plot. They are either dead or useless. Bringing cannon fodder to a place like this, aren’t you afraid they might already be dead? Or even worse than before?”

Xiao Lu stopped in his tracks, turning to look at Chai Yige, his gaze as deep as a well.

Chai Yige instinctively stepped back, creating distance between them.

“W-what are you doing? I was just speaking the truth…” Chai Yige had his back against the wall, while Xiao Lu continued to approach him.

Actually, Chai Yige was right.

If Xiao Lu hadn’t intervened, Huang Sansheng would likely have been beaten to death by a few drug dealers on the day the plot began. And Ye Qi would have been disfigured after enduring prolonged torment, becoming a terrifying legend in the dark nights of Yao City.

Whether dead or alive, neither outcome was good.

They were all people without a glimmer of hope.

Long fingers gripped Chai Yige’s chin with an unyielding force, Xiao Lu’s voice devoid of emotional fluctuation: “Shut up; I don’t like to hear it.”

Chai Yige felt as if his jaw was about to be crushed, interpreting this as “If you don’t shut up, I’ll kill you.”

What kind of person was this!

At that moment, the tightly shut door beside them swung open.

Ye Qi stepped out, arms and legs intact, holding a knife in his right hand and a severed aberrant head in his left, as if he were delivering gifts during a family visit.

Xiao Lu’s oppressive aura suddenly dissipated, and a smile appeared on his face: “Look, my teammate is just fine!”

“Just come; why bring gifts?” After saying that, he even patted Ye Qi on the shoulder.

Ye Qi remained expressionless, standing there without flinching, as if saying, “Go ahead and pat as much as you want.”

Chai Yige: “…”

You really are something.