Chapter 87 : Chapter 87
Chapter 87
Lin Changqing sent the message and almost instantly received a reply; it was clear the other party had come prepared.
The Dark Organization invited the Apocalypse Society to a video conference on a certain meeting software at two in the afternoon, sending over the room number and password as well.
Lin Changqing showed the message to Yuan Lan.
"No problem," Yuan Lan glanced at the time displayed on his phone, then turned to look at Bai Xuechao, asking with a grin, "Little Xuechao~ In half an hour, I'll be meeting your former employer. Do you want to join me?"
Before Bai Xuechao could answer, he answered himself, "Mhm, of course you have to join!"
Bai Xuechao tilted his head and said, "I haven't said anything yet, have I?"
"Anyway, you'd definitely say yes, so I just answered for you," Yuan Lan walked over, lifted the blanket off Bai Xuechao, and made a move to pick him up.
Bai Xuechao leaned sideways to dodge, pushing the other's arm away with a hint of disdain, "What are you doing? I can walk on my own."
"That's too slow!" Yuan Lan slipped one arm under Bai Xuechao's thin, bony back and the other under his knees, lifting him up and running out of the room. "Let's go, let's go, I'll take you to get changed. Let your former employer see how well you're doing with me~"
Bai Xuechao was a bit speechless.
How could a change of clothes show how well he was doing?
As Yuan Lan carried him out of the room, Bai Xuechao was met with a death glare from Mu Xinyue, her jealousy practically overflowing from her eyes.
Bai Xuechao: "..."
He had a feeling that he'd be receiving a lot more death glares from Mu Xinyue in the future.
But, you can have this good fortune! He didn't want it!
Yuan Lan ran through the corridors carrying Bai Xuechao. Bright sunlight streamed through the stained-glass windows, casting colorful patterns on the floor. Because Yuan Lan was running so fast, the vibrant colors on the windows flew past like a multicolored ribbon of light.
The headwind blew Yuan Lan's pristine white hair, and his golden eyes, like the sun, shimmered with light.
The wind blew back Bai Xuechao's white bangs, revealing a bit of his smooth forehead.
Ignoring their faces for a moment and just looking at their hair color and style, they almost looked like brothers.
Yuan Lan glanced at Bai Xuechao, who was leaning against his shoulder and looking ahead, and asked with a smile, "How is it, is it pretty?"
"It's alright," Bai Xuechao said.
A special ability user's dynamic vision was enough for him to capture the scenery along the way. The paintings on the stained-glass windows were exquisitely beautiful, exuding a strong Western style filled with a sense of mystery and sanctity.
"The Apocalypse Society is on a small island floating in the sky," Yuan Lan said as he passed a balcony during his run, stopping to let Bai Xuechao see the view outside the castle.
"This island is Tao Ru's special ability. Everything you see on this island was created by his special ability. If there's a landscape you like, you can tell Tao Ru. A mix-and-match style is also fine; he'll create it for you."
Bai Xuechao was a little interested, "It's quite like a simulation-building game."
"Right~ I think so too," Yuan Lan carried him through the long corridor. "Every once in a while, I'll have Tao Ru change the scenery, otherwise he'd be too idle."
Bai Xuechao silently mocked Yuan Lan in his heart: Finding things for your own subordinates to do when they have nothing to do, you're the one who's truly idle.
As Yuan Lan passed through the main hall of the castle, he jumped up, stepped on the railing of the connecting corridor, and leaped. Puppet threads appeared from the void and wrapped around Yuan Lan's waist.
"Look up," Yuan Lan said.
Bai Xuechao raised his eyes and looked up. The vast dome was covered with paintings in a classical Western style. A brilliant golden yellow spread out from the center, gradually fading into a sky-like blue. Around it were large clusters of clouds, and angels in flowing robes danced and joyfully praised the one and only God in the center of the light.
The puppet threads pulled them in a circle above the hall.
Bai Xuechao's perspective seemed to have become that of a flying angel, circling the radiant God. A stunning beauty rushed towards him, and for a moment, he felt as if he were in heaven.
After one circle, the puppet threads swung them back to the connecting corridor from which they had jumped.
Yuan Lan didn't stop after landing. He passed through the corridor and entered a new one.
"Was that fun?" Yuan Lan asked.
Bai Xuechao still had the same answer, "It's alright."
"Liar," Yuan Lan ran up the stairs, but he didn't take the usual path, instead stepping on the handrail and jumping up like in parkour. "You clearly liked it."
Bai Xuechao did indeed think the painting on the dome was beautiful, but if he admitted it, Yuan Lan would surely be smug, and for some reason, he felt like he would be losing.
He said, "No."
Thinking that everything on this floating island was created by a special ability, he felt a little envious.
How did Yuan Lan find such a useful subordinate with such a good special ability?
"You absolutely did~ Alright, you don't have to say it. I know you're too embarrassed to admit it," Yuan Lan trusted his own judgment. Perhaps intending to understand Bai Xuechao's past, he asked, "When you were little, did anyone ever hold you and play with you? Like this?"
Bai Xuechao was silent for a moment.
Actually, there was.
But it wasn't his biological parents.
He was born frail and sickly, and his parents treated him like a porcelain doll, rarely taking him out to play because the slightest carelessness would make him sick. Moreover, his mother was also in poor health, and her profession as an illustrator allowed her to work from home, so she often kept him at home with her.
When his parents passed away, he had just turned six a few days prior, and was brought into the organization by Jiang Yunyi.
Jiang Yunyi had said that he was the first child he had ever raised.
Perhaps in order to quickly gain his trust and close the distance between them, Jiang Yunyi took him to an amusement park in the warm spring season after hearing that he had never been to one.
However, because he was too thin and small, his height didn't meet the requirements for the popular rides, and the rides he could go on required a guardian's accompaniment. So, Jiang Yunyi played with him. When he got tired, Jiang Yunyi would carry him around the park.
At that time, Jiang Yunyi was only a sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy, yet he patiently carried him around the park for most of the day, visiting every corner, buying all sorts of cute merchandise and toys, and trying his best to fulfill his wishes.
When he saw a child riding on his father's neck, he asked to ride on Jiang Yunyi's neck, and Jiang Yunyi actually let him. When he saw a child being lifted up by his father, and even tossed in the air, he thought it was fun and asked Jiang Yunyi, and Jiang Yunyi granted his wish. That day, he felt like he was no different from the other children in the amusement park.
As a result, they were caught in a thunderstorm on their way back to the organization. He caught a cold and had a high fever that wouldn't go down, and Jiang Yunyi was scolded by Liu Jingchun.
Later, he found out that it was also Jiang Yunyi's first time at an amusement park.
Later, Liu Jingchun also took him to amusement parks, but the one that left the deepest impression was the one Jiang Yunyi took him to. As a small child, he was held in someone's arms, didn't have to walk on his own, and wouldn't feel tired. All he had to do was make all sorts of strange and eccentric requests.
As for Duan Xingzhi, that kid was even more reserved back then than he was now. He had carried him while traveling, but they definitely hadn't played.
Bai Xuechao didn't want to talk about his past with Yuan Lan, so he changed the subject, "Do you even call this playing?"
"Of course, any act for the purpose of entertainment is playing," Yuan Lan said, stopping in front of a carved wooden door in the corridor. "This is my room. Did you remember the way? It's okay if you didn't, I can take you again, as many times as you want."
"No need, I remember," Although Bai Xuechao didn't know what was the use of remembering this path, he added, "Also, you can put me down now, right?"
"Of course," Yuan Lan put Bai Xuechao down.
Just as Bai Xuechao's feet were about to touch the ground, he was suddenly lifted up again.
He heard Yuan Lan say seriously, "I made an oversight."
Bai Xuechao was a little impatient, "What's wrong?"
Yuan Lan said, "You don't have any shoes." He had taken him straight from the bed without giving him shoes.
Bai Xuechao said, "Barefoot is fine."
Yuan Lan said, "This floor is ex—tremely cold, are you sure?"
"I'm sure," Bai Xuechao made a move to jump down himself. "Stop wasting time, put me down."
"Alright," Yuan Lan put Bai Xuechao down.
As Bai Xuechao's feet touched the cold floor, his first thought was that Yuan Lan wasn't lying this time, but it was still within a tolerable range.
Yuan Lan watched his expression as if watching a good show, "How is it, isn't it very cold?"
"It's fine," Bai Xuechao said with a straight face, stubbornly replying.
Yuan Lan chuckled, as if laughing at his stubbornness, then pushed open his bedroom door.
What came into view was an extremely large bedroom full of European style. The overall color scheme was dominated by elegant beige and light blue.
Murals were painted on the walls, with white clouds almost covering the sky, and light blue peeking out from under the thin clouds. On the clouds, angels draped in silk of various colors stood or flew.
On the left side, against the wall, was a large solid wood bed that looked like it could accommodate three people without a problem. On the wall next to the bed was a small door with carved patterns. On the right side of the bedroom wall, there were also two small doors, but the patterns on them were simpler, not as intricate as the one by the bed. In addition, there were also desks, bookshelves, sofas, coffee tables, and other furniture in the bedroom.
On the wall opposite the bedroom door were two tall windows that opened outwards. Through the window glass, one could see the scenery outside, and sunlight streamed through the windows, filling the room with brilliance.
The bedroom floor was covered with a soft wool carpet, allowing one to walk on it barefoot, which was convenient for Bai Xuechao.
Bai Xuechao took the initiative to walk into the bedroom and step on the soft carpet, saving his feet. Perhaps because the carpet had been basking in the sun, it had a faint warmth.
Yuan Lan led him towards the small door on the right wall, closer to the inside.
"All my clothes are in here," Yuan Lan pushed open the small door, revealing a luxurious walk-in closet inside.
Yuan Lan walked in and pulled open a closet door. Inside hung a row of identical white silk pajamas, the same style that Bai Xuechao was wearing.
He said, "See, these are all brand new. The set you're wearing is also new. You can believe me this time, right?"
Bai Xuechao didn't answer him, but instead asked, "You want me to wear your clothes?"
"There's no time to go buy you some now," Yuan Lan said as he opened several closets filled with his clothes. "At least half of my clothes are brand new. You can make do with them for now."
Yuan Lan's wardrobe ranged from formal to casual wear, with all kinds of styles. Most were custom-made, and a small part were new items from the brand's current season.
"Your clothes are a bit big," Bai Xuechao tugged at the hem of his pajama pants and shook them; the silky fabric swayed loosely.
Although Yuan Lan wasn't much taller than him, his physique was much more robust. He felt that the sleeves and pant legs of his clothes and pants would be loose on him.
If he had to wear someone else's clothes, Lin Changqing's figure was more slender.
Although he also looked much more solid than him—there were really too few people thinner than him, even the petite and slender Yu Ruolan looked healthier than him—at least his clothes would fit better than Yuan Lan's.
He asked, "Can't I wear Lin Changqing's?"
Lin Changqing had never said his name in front of Bai Xuechao; Yuan Lan had always called him "A-Qing," yet Bai Xuechao knew his name.
But just as Lin Changqing knew Duan Xingzhi's name, Bai Xuechao calling him by his full name was also a way of showing Yuan Lan the Dark Organization's intelligence network.
Bai Xuechao was doing it on purpose.
If he also called him "A-Qing," it would mean he intended to cover things up, because it would be too fake for the Dark Organization, which wasn't a minor character, to not even know the name of someone as active as Lin Changqing. But by calling Lin Changqing by his full name, he was showing that he had no intention of covering for his "old employer" and was really planning to join the Apocalypse Society.
Leaking a little information now was nothing. Anyway, Bai Xuechao was going to go back with all of the Apocalypse Society's intelligence later. It wasn't a loss, but a huge gain.
"Eh?" Yuan Lan didn't seem to have any particular reaction, but Bai Xuechao believed that with his mind, he should have thought of that layer. He said, "Are you sure you want to wear A-Qing's clothes? His clothes are basically all in a traditional style."
Bai Xuechao gave a faint "mm."
Yuan Lan didn't give up, seeming to really want to dress Bai Xuechao up. He took out a hanging white suit from the closet, his tone almost coquettish and clingy, "I feel like this one would suit you very well. Are you sure you don't want it?"
"No," Bai Xuechao refused. It was obvious that it would be too big on him.
"Alright, then I'll wear it," Yuan Lan casually tossed the custom-made white suit onto a nearby clothes rack and said to Bai Xuechao, "I'll go get a set of clothes from A-Qing, but if he doesn't have any brand-new ones, you'll have to wear mine."
Bai Xuechao said, "I hope you won't lie and say he doesn't have any."
"I won't!" Yuan Lan pushed Bai Xuechao's shoulder and walked out of the walk-in closet, pointing to the small door on the side, closer to the outside. "That's the bathroom. I prepared new toiletries for you this morning. you'll see them when you go in."
Bai Xuechao: "?"
Something's not right. Why are my toiletries in Yuan Lan's bathroom?
But they were prepared early in the morning. It seems Yuan Lan was very confident that he would agree to join the Apocalypse Society? But did Yuan Lan not think of preparing a bedroom for him?
Then, Yuan Lan pressed Bai Xuechao's shoulder again, turning him to face the bed, and pointed to the small carved door on the wall next to the bed, whispering in his ear, "That door, absolutely, absolutely, do not go in and look."
His voice was very gentle, but his tone was like a tempting demon, luring him to open that door.
Bai Xuechao didn't respond.
Yuan Lan chuckled lightly, released his shoulder, and walked towards the bedroom door, "I'm going to find A-Qing. I'll be back soon."
Bai Xuechao ignored Yuan Lan and went to the bathroom first.
On a bronze-colored rack next to the sink were two sets of toiletries; one was obviously brand new. He glanced around the bathroom. It was very large, comparable to a room, with a wet and dry separation. Behind a glass door, there was a shower head on one side and a bathtub big enough for two people on the other.
While he was washing up, he listened to the footsteps outside.
Yuan Lan didn't close the bedroom door when he left. And he didn't know if it was intentional, but he walked very slowly, the sound of his leather shoes on the corridor floor was very clear, and it was gradually getting farther away.
By the time Bai Xuechao finished washing up, he could no longer hear Yuan Lan's footsteps.
Bai Xuechao walked out of the bathroom, ran to the open bedroom door, and peeked down the corridor from the side of the door. Both the left and right sides were empty, with no one in sight. But he didn't let his guard down. He looked up again to make sure there was no one hiding on the ceiling at the end of the corridor.
He retreated back into the bedroom, checked the ceiling and behind the door again, and saw no one. The air still held the sweet, cloying creamy scent of Yuan Lan's lure-pheromone.
He was quite sure that Yuan Lan was really gone.
Good, let's go see what's behind that small door next to the bed.
With that tone Yuan Lan used, wasn't he just asking him to go and see?
Bai Xuechao walked on the wool carpet to the side of the bed, placed his hand on the handle of the small carved door, and gently pressed down, pushing the door open a tiny crack.
A chill air flowed out from inside the door.
The door was indeed unlocked.
If he really didn't want him to see, he would have locked the door.
Bai Xuechao let out a "heh" and pushed the door open. The sight before him made his eyes widen.
Xiao 6, who had been quiet for a long time, gasped in his mind and shouted, "Oh my god! This wasn't written in Yuan Lan's character profile! How perverted!"
What came into view was an extremely dark room.
The sunlight from the bedroom squeezed through the open carved door, casting a small patch of faint light in front of the door. With the weak light, Bai Xuechao was able to see the furnishings inside the room—
The room had no windows. A candle chandelier with a black lamp holder hung from the center of the ceiling, with several half-burnt and extinguished white candles on it. There were also several retro European-style black wall lamps on the walls, but he didn't know where the switch was. In the corner, a standing air conditioner was working, maintaining the temperature at around 20°C.
The candle chandelier hung quite low, at a height of about two meters, which Bai Xuechao could reach by raising his hand.
Under the candle chandelier was a large European-style black wooden coffin. It was an irregular hexagon, and looked to be a flip-top, similar to the coffins that vampires sleep in in movies, but much larger. It was estimated to be over three meters long and over one meter wide.
If it were just a coffin, it would be nothing.
What was more shocking were the rows of neatly arranged glass display cabinets, each about two meters tall.
Inside the display cabinets were all people!
More accurately, they were human specimens.
Each of them had their eyes open, replaced with glass eyes, and wore a somewhat stiff smile, looking towards the doorway as if welcoming Bai Xuechao's arrival.
And their grayish-yellow, dull skin color proclaimed the fact that they had long been dead and made into specimens.
The human specimens were both male and female, and their appearances were, without exception, young, delicate, and handsome. The style of clothing they wore was also different, varied but all very good-looking, making them look at first glance like life-sized, exquisite ball-jointed dolls.
Bai Xuechao had seen many dead people, but this was the first time he felt a little horrified.
Right now, he just wanted to pay a hefty price for a pair of eyes that hadn't seen this.
Yuan Lan truly deserved to be called a pervert. His bed was just a wall away from a human specimen exhibition room, and he could still sleep.
Bai Xuechao decided to pretend he hadn't seen it.
Just as he was about to exit the room and close the door, the faint sunlight that streamed into the room from behind him flickered rapidly, as if something had flown past at high speed, briefly blocking the light.
At the same time, a body suddenly pressed against his back!
But he hadn't heard any footsteps just now, nor had he smelled the lure-pheromone!
At this moment, Bai Xuechao was truly a little scared. His body trembled subconsciously, and he immediately jabbed his elbow backward. He glanced at the ground and found that his own shadow had expanded in a circle because another person's shadow had overlapped with it.
No matter who it was, they would have to take his elbow strike first.
But his elbow was caught firmly by the person behind him. Then, an arm was draped over his left shoulder, and a head with snow-white, medium-length hair pressed down on his right shoulder. Yuan Lan's unique, gentle, and sweet voice sounded next to his ear, "Little Xuechao, you're not being good."
The warm breath on Bai Xuechao's ear brought a ticklish sensation, making him shrink his neck.
"You've seen my secret," Yuan Lan's voice trembled slightly, it was unclear whether from excitement or agitation. "What should I do with you?"