GBT Chapter 113

The first time Jiao Bai was subjected to torture, his soul left his body. Although he could still feel the mental flogging pain, it was slightly better than being in physical form.

The first six lashes of the second time were in the “dream mode,” and he only suffered the remaining twenty-four, but his soul didn’t leave; he took the punishment for real.

Jiao Bai’s consciousness didn’t know if it had sunk for hours or days, but finally floated up a few inches. He felt his body bumping and shaking, and knew he was on a boat.

A typhoon was passing by the Cen family’s island, and the helicopter couldn’t come. Taking a boat was also very dangerous.

Then he thought, since they had already set out to sea, it meant the typhoon must have passed.

But that didn’t make sense. If the typhoon was gone, why not take a helicopter? Zhang Zhen wasn’t unaware that he had a psychological shadow regarding the sea.

Forget it, he didn’t want to think about it anymore, as long as he was going back.

He didn’t know how Yu Xiang was doing, how Zhang Zhen and the others’ injuries were, or if Cen Jingmo was tired of playing.

Also, Qi Zi Zhi’s main personality should be asleep by now, but he hoped his mom wouldn’t produce any more melodramatic events. His identity as a member of the Qi family should be buried.

Jiao Bai thought about miscellaneous things for a while, then his consciousness fell back into darkness.

When he regained some consciousness again, he discovered that the bumping was gone. He was ashore.

Finally back at Lan Mo Manor, back home.

Once I feel better, I’ll go to the research institute. I have to meet with Hospital Dean Qi and understand Qi Yi Liao’s situation. Jiao Bai thought this and fell asleep again. It wasn’t physical pain, it was mental. He felt torn apart, scarred and battered. Just thinking for less than a minute was exhausting for him.

He didn’t know how much time had passed again, but Jiao Bai vaguely felt someone moving his body. His clothes were taken off, and a warm towel was placed on him, wiping his front and back.

That’s not right, I’m unconscious. Zhang Zhen would definitely do it himself. This isn’t his strength.

Besides, even if Zhang Zhen was seriously injured and couldn’t take care of me, the caregiver hired by the Qi family wouldn’t be so… unskilled and rough.

Crap.

I didn’t go home, I’m in an unfamiliar place.

I’m afraid… damn it, it’s highly likely I’ve been separated from my own people!!!

Back in the dark room, I lost consciousness during the torture, so something else must have happened afterward. Was it that Cen Jingmo hadn’t had enough fun and prepared another feast, or was it related to those bandits?

If it’s the latter, then I’ve fallen into the hands of bandits.

Jiao Bai’s mind couldn’t support him thinking for too long, and he soon was only able to breathe in and out.

His body was wiped down, and he was changed into clean clothes.

The person taking care of him was male, his knuckles were dry, and he was probably not old. He didn’t seem to want to abuse him, just clumsy, awkward, and impatient.

His cheeks were pinched, his jaws forced open, and a plastic tube was shoved into his mouth. Warm liquid flowed in from the tube, and he swallowed with difficulty under the instinct to survive.

Then hands were on his head, rubbing his hair, massaging his scalp, washing it haphazardly.

Why are they even washing my hair? That’s really not necessary, is it???

Jiao Bai didn’t get to complain much before his consciousness fell back into darkness. When he woke up, his senses gradually recovered, and information from the surrounding environment followed.

A fan was blowing diagonally at him, and the wind carried the smell of sweat, mildew, smoke, and alcohol… very foul.

The room also seemed small, dark, and damp.

Cen Jingmo was extremely fastidious and considered him a confidant, he wouldn’t lock him up in this place.

With that eliminated, he basically concluded that this was a bandit’s den.

What was strange was that the bandits were treating him quite well.

The owner of this room washed his hair and body, keeping him clean. Surely it wasn’t because they fell in love with him at first sight, and were charmed by him? He probably looks terrible right now.

Jiao Bai’s eyelids felt like they weighed a thousand pounds, and he couldn’t keep them open for long. He was tired, and in his half-dreaming state, he vaguely heard a rustling sound.

It sounded like a small paper packet was being unfolded, very quickly.

Then there were waves crashing against rocks, panting sounds, wet and heavy.

Jiao Bai listened to the rhythm of the person’s breathing and felt a sense of familiarity. Combining it with the fragmented pieces of information he had gathered, a figure suddenly appeared in his mind.

“Liang… Dong…” Jiao Bai moved his lips slightly. His voice was very weak, only a little louder than a mosquito’s buzz.

No response.

Jiao Bai asked again, “Is that you?”

Still no sound.

The person hadn’t left, they were nearby. If it wasn’t Liang Dong, who was it?

Jiao Bai kept his eyes closed and laboriously turned his eyeballs, open, open, open…

He was anxious, but his body wouldn’t allow it. He fell asleep.

When he woke up from his sleep, Jiao Bai abruptly opened his red and swollen eyelids. Everything he saw was much the same as he had imagined.

A very small room, dimly lit, with daily necessities piled up messily, and even the floating dust was dirty.

He was alone in the room, lying on the only single bed, with a straw mat underneath him.

Jiao Bai’s eyes slowly moved around. The fan was not far from his bed, not turned on. The wind from outside the window blew in, something flying up and brushing past his vision, heading towards the door.

It was half a crumpled piece of tin foil.

Drug use.

Bandits, drugs.

Jiao Bai’s veins bulged. He propped himself up to sit, covered in cold sweat. Too weak, too weak, better lie down.

So Jiao Bai lay back down and called up his account list to check. Shen Er An and Qi Yi Liao, whose activity levels had long surpassed 50, still hadn’t joined the group, and Yu Ling was stuck at 49.99.

Eight friends, whether in the group or not, were all alive. Whether it was Li Jue, whose protagonist halo had faded, or Shen Ji, eking out a meager existence in a small house, all hadn’t died.

The little white flower on Qi Yi Liao’s profile picture was still missing a small petal. His condition hadn’t worsened or improved.

I need to get back quickly. Jiao Bai thought. If Qi Yi Liao doesn’t wake up, what will happen to the Qi Corporation?

If official duties pile up without being handled, it will inevitably attract outside attention, and people will suspect that the Qi Corporation’s chairman’s injury is not just an ordinary fall.

Zhang Zhen’s profile picture didn’t have a white line. Although his life wasn’t in danger, he would definitely be devastated if he couldn’t find me.

Jiao Bai’s back hurt a little. Only then did he remember that he had blocked a flying dart for Yu Xiang, changing a major node.

“Broken Wings” Week 1 was a comic he had read. He was sure there were no Yu family brothers in it.

The little assistant said there were.

Probably referring to them being in Week 2. Yu Xiang even died on Cen Jingmo’s roulette wheel, leading to Yu Ling’s corruption?

Jiao Bai felt that something didn’t add up, something wasn’t right.

The reason Week 2 exists is because the friends wanted to start over. Their desires triggered something like a rollback or something, right?

But, weren’t the Yu family brothers brought in by his butterfly effect?

Not able to figure it out, Jiao Bai simply stopped thinking about it. The little assistant would tell him the moment the mission was completed.

[Congratulations, player Jiao Bai, the last friend’s activity level has exceeded the 50 mark. Victory is in sight! Keep it up!]

Jiao Bai’s spirits were roused by the sudden electronic sound.

Finally!

The miserable life of a wage slave is coming to an end!

Damn it, it wasn’t easy. A new life, a new starting point is beckoning him, telling him to be prepared, throw away what should be thrown away, keep what should be kept, and embark on a new journey with the baggage of life on his back.

Jiao Bai didn’t bother to think about whether Yu Ling’s activity level jumped above 50 because of guilt or gratitude. He immediately had the little assistant open the other person’s information panel.

The information on Yu Ling’s profile was limited, neat and tidy, like a template, with the rigor and self-discipline of a special forces soldier.

Jiao Bai entered Yu Ling’s World Room. He wanted to see what the world construction of a character not in the comic would be like, and what colorful chapters would exist in his life.

But there was no content.

This phenomenon was both within and beyond Jiao Bai’s expectations.

Qi Yi Liao had four sections, all with “Loading…”

Yu Ling, on the other hand, had all five sections, and each section contained four words: “Updating…”

Although Qi Yi Liao was “Loading,” there was still a sentence at the bottom of his World Room: If life could be relived.

Yu Ling’s didn’t have it.

Now that the information panels of all eight friends had been unlocked, only Li Jue and Yu Ling didn’t have that thought.

What Li Jue hoped for before his death wasn’t a restart, but a next life.

As for Yu Ling…

The initial versions of the World Rooms all contain Week 1 content. Since he wasn’t in Week 1, naturally there was no growth experience, or last wishes, etc. The updates were definitely related to Week 2.

Being in the update stage, it’s normal for the World Room to have nothing. Jiao Bai thought to himself. The comic book ran out.

Next to the black title were three columns of small red characters, not Week 1, but: Week 2.

Supporting Character Yu Ling: A high-quality male with strong hormones. His attributes are strong and brave, and responsibility is his spiritual pillar. Family members are his weakness, and also his armor. A top 5 in the iron-blooded tenderness and repressed male category.

Guide to Conquest: Reveal a small animal-like softness and loneliness, causing him to feel protective of you, and put down his gun to embrace you.

Obsessive Attribute: 60+.

This is still a comic, a rollback and modified version?

Jiao Bai instantly had a creepy feeling that many people were watching him, just like he was reading a comic, watching his life trajectory. Goosebumps rose all over his body.

“That kid’s really gone?”

“I saw him being sent out with my own eyes, it can’t be fake!”

Suddenly, voices came from outside. Something was stuffed into the keyhole of the door, and after a few delicate turns, the door was opened.

Jiao Bai closed his eyes and didn’t move.

Two men walked in furtively and stood by the bed.

“Want to just forget it? This sick ghost really isn’t worth looking at, not as good as those prostitutes.”

“Damn it, wasn’t it you who was curious about the taste of the Qi family’s future chairman’s wife, wanting to have a taste?”

“I was just bragging after drinking… Hey, hey, hey, listen to me! The boss is treating this guy as a long-term meal ticket and a life-saving charm, and wants to use him to get a big sum of money from the Qi and Shen families. If we touch him…”

“Are you a pig brain? Even if he’s awake right now, he wouldn’t dare to say a word, and even less likely to tell anyone after he survives and returns, otherwise wouldn’t that cut off his own escape route? How could a wealthy family want a dirty rag like him?”

“That makes sense, so we… together?”

“Together my ass, with this half-crippled body, he’d die if he took two. I’ll go first, you keep watch.” The big, black man with a foul mouth rubbed his hands. “The Qi family’s big shot’s lover, white is really white, and thin is really thin. I didn’t see anything else, so I’ll try.”

The young man on the bed suddenly opened his eyes.

The big, black man froze.

“It’s good he’s awake.” Another skinny man with sharp eyes said fiercely, “Smart thing to do is cooperate with us, don’t waste your strength!”

Jiao Bai’s face was devoid of color, but his eyes were bright, cold, and piercing.

The big, black man felt a little apprehensive, but he spat for the sake of saving face. “He’s got some spirit, I like gnawing on hard bones.”

He stretched his hand towards Jiao Bai’s waist, but before his fingertips could touch him, the door was kicked open.

In the “bang” sound, a bag of apples was smashed in, hitting the back of the big, black man’s head squarely. He saw stars from the pain, and before he could even shout, he was knocked down by a fist.

The accomplice beside him ran away with his tail between his legs. He was kicked unconscious at the door, and dirty black sneakers ground hard on his face a few times.

Jiao Bai looked at the person facing away from him. He was very tall and thin, wearing a mask and hat tightly. He picked up the scattered apples on the ground and placed them one by one on the table. Then he dragged both intruders away.

Jiao Bai lay on his side, facing away from the bed. His cell phone and Buddha amulet were not on him, their whereabouts unknown, their fate uncertain.

There was a small key on the cell phone, and the Buddha amulet was a relic left by Qi Yi Liao’s mother, one more important than the other.

Jiao Bai’s eyelids closed unconsciously.

In his daze, he felt the door open. It wasn’t some scoundrel with bad intentions, it was the owner of the house returning.

Not just him, there was also a string of footsteps catching up behind him.

Jiao Bai was pulled awake by his self-awareness. His vision was a little blurry, only catching half of a red plastic bag at the edge of the door frame.

The person holding the bag leaned against the outside of the door.

There were two shadows faintly on the ground, one standing, one squatting.

After a short time, a wisp of low-quality smoke drifted into the room, vaguely mixed with the sound of water.

That water sound seemed to be deliberately created, very exaggerated.

Jiao Bai’s head went cold, drugs, prostitution, indulgence and depravity, until destruction. He lay for a while, then slowly got up.

The shadows at the door changed.

The one squatting left, and the one leaning against the wall was still smoking.

“I want to drink water.” Jiao Bai shouted weakly.

The person outside came in, still wearing a mask and hat, a vest and shorts, and old-fashioned slippers on his feet. The skin color on his arms and legs was dull and lusterless, like a skeleton frame hanging with some flesh. He put the plastic bag on the hook behind the door and found a plastic cup to pour water.

Jiao Bai watched the owner of the room hand over the cup, that hand was as thin as a twig. He was dizzy and lightheaded, feeling a burst of emptiness: “Liang Dong, I know it’s you.”

The cup hit his teeth, and he grunted in pain, opening his mouth to drink the water.

The person holding the cup didn’t rudely pour it in, but fed him little by little.

Jiao Bai suddenly grabbed the wrist under his eyelid, the touch under his fingertips was uncomfortably rough.

The next second, his hand was flung away, and most of the water was spilled, wetting his entire body.

Jiao Bai was violently flipped onto the bed, the wound on his back causing continuous pain. His face was pale, and his lips trembled.

The person pressing him down turned him over, making him lie on his stomach. His t-shirt was lifted up a lot, and the hot wind drilled into the pores on his back that were rolling with cold sweat.

“Click”

The gauze was cut open in a few strokes, exposing an extremely deep wound, a small hole like it had been punched into his flesh.

A cool, pungent medicine was sprayed on it, drenching the wound, and then new gauze was wrapped around it.

Jiao Bai didn’t stay conscious for long, he soon fell asleep, not knowing anything.

Jiao Bai was awakened by a noise.

What woke him up wasn’t shouting, nor any loud commotion, but that kind of “I’m so good” whimpering that wanted to shout and scream to the whole world, but was muffled by having his mouth covered and his neck pinched.

Jiao Bai’s two eyelids propped open a small gap. In that narrow slit, he saw two figures, one tall and one short.

The short one had a nylon rope around his neck, and he was dog-crawling.

The tall one was training the dog, telling him to move forward.

Jiao Bai couldn’t look at it, couldn’t not look at it. He didn’t want to make his presence known at this time, but his throat itched, and he couldn’t control the dry cough that burst out.

As long as he wasn’t embarrassed, the others would be.

But damn it, he was embarrassed.

So the two of them weren’t embarrassed. They did what they needed to do, treating his cough as background music.

Jiao Bai coughed so much that he hunched his back and his whole body shook. His face was flushed, and several veins bulged on his neck. He was covered in sweat, sticking uncomfortably to the mat, and wanted to turn over, but ended up falling directly to the ground, making a “thud” sound.

The two people in the room finally noticed him.

“Damn!”

The short youth was very dissatisfied. He glared over, pointing at Jiao Bai on the ground, “You did that on purpose!”

“You can go.” The tall one’s voice was severely hoarse, his vocal cords sounding like they had been corroded.

The short youth didn’t leave. He yelled at Jiao Bai, who was supporting himself to get up, “Trash, ruining things when someone’s about to climax, may you be struck by lightning…”

Before he could finish speaking, he was slapped.

The youth’s flailing arrogance instantly disappeared. He bit his lip in embarrassment, covered his face, and ran out of the room.

And he forgot to take his clothes and pants, which were all thrown out after him.

“The person inside is a hostage! We’re bandits! We’re the ones who are the same!” The youth was hopping mad outside the closed door, his knees were very red, and his legs and waist were covered in bruises.