Chapter 646: Drag Them All Into the Water!

Zhou Mingrui had originally planned to just eat something simple—if worse came to worst, a starch sausage from a street stall, a bowl of instant noodles, and a fried egg would suffice.

"Gululu. Gululu."

Aromatic hydrocarbons from the smoke drifted out of the kitchen; his throat involuntarily swallowed, and his stomach let out an unrelenting growl.

You just attended your friend's funeral today, Zhou Mingrui—how could you?

"Chicken soup's ready~" Huai Zhi's voice called out.

Sorry, Li Jiatu—this smell is just too irresistible.

The girl in the dress, wearing heat-resistant gloves, carried a clay pot from the kitchen; bubbles churned inside, and savory aroma spread with the steam—how could such a rich broth be made in just one hour?

"Don't rush, there's more dishes coming."

Then came Beijing-style shredded pork, potato-braised beef, and stir-fried phoenix tail greens—a lavish three-dish, one-soup meal for a single working adult!

With a heavy heart, Zhou Mingrui picked up a strand of pork and placed it atop the fluffy, grainy rice; the first bite instantly drowned his sorrow in the primal hunger of the human palate.

"Eat slowly, there's more if you're still hungry," Huai Zhi said, sitting across on the sofa, smiling as she served herself a bowl of rice.

"How's the taste?"

It was exactly the same as he remembered.

He recalled Huai Zhi once learned cooking from the downstairs Chef Wei, and had developed her own distinct style—though not as miraculous as Chef Wei's dishes, which could induce hallucinations, they were far superior to any fancy restaurant.

Honestly, Zhou Mingrui had always suspected Chef Wei might have some kind of food system inside him—how else could such skill exist in a small neighborhood eatery?

Of course, according to him, it was to take care of his sister in high school.

"Why did you suddenly come back?"

"I'm preparing to take the local university entrance exam, so I came back."

"I remember you studied music?"

"Yes, the luggage you helped me carry included a cello case."

Huai Zhi smiled slightly: "Want to hear some music?"

"No, better not—you just got back from abroad, rest properly after eating," Zhou Mingrui shook his head.

It must've been how much he missed this taste—in the past two days, he'd even dreamed of Huai Zhi's dishes, and even dreamed they were teammates who cooked for him every day.

That dream was absurd.

Wait—had he dreamed of Young Lady Lu Mingfei, Huai Zhi, and another white-haired beauty, all four of them going on a date together?!

Zhou Mingrui, Zhou Mingrui, you—

"Zhou Ge, is there something on my face?"

"No, sorry."

"Why apologize?"

"Nothing."

After quickly finishing the meal and cleaning the table, Zhou Mingrui bid Huai Zhi farewell and prepared to return home.

So much had happened today; now that he was full, sleepiness came over him.

"What do you want to eat tomorrow?" Huai Zhi asked.

"Not that—I'm going to work tomorrow. After my shift, I'll treat you to dinner—there's a new hotpot place that's pretty good."

Zhou Mingrui nodded, deciding to stay and not disturb her rest: "We live in the same neighborhood—if you need anything, just contact me."

"By the way, security's been bad lately—don't go out alone at night."

Zhou Mingrui reminded her.

"I understand," Huai Zhi replied seriously.

She waved goodbye, and the security door slowly closed.

Zhou Mingrui relaxed too, heading downstairs to return to his own home.

He remembered Huai Zhi's parents died early; her achievements—including studying abroad—were all earned through her own excellence, relying on scholarships and housing aid.

"Not easy at all."

She was a truly outstanding student.

What Zhou Mingrui didn't know was that after he left, behind the security door, the girl he thought of as a virtuous, talented art student sat slumped on the chair like she'd been drained, legs spread with no grace, head drooping as she lit herself a cigarette.

"Inhale, exhale—" Huai Zhi puffed smoke, staring blankly at the hanging incandescent bulb through the secondhand haze: "Finally found someone."

"You little bitch!!" A shrill, high-pitched voice rang out as a giant crow flew from the kitchen and landed on Huai Zhi's shoulder, scolding:

"You're already seducing men at your age?! Are you waiting for him to say he wants your miso soup every day?!"

"I only want to hear a beautiful young lady say that," Huai Zhi said, one hand holding the cigarette, the other lifting her dress to look down—then sighed in despair:

"I just want to be alone. Don't ask who 'alone' is."

Huai Zhi Suzi.

That is, Huai Shi—right now, he felt only emptiness and cold beneath his skirt.

As a professional top-tier male host, cross-dressing was a black mark, but the psychological burden was negligible—almost nonexistent.

If a kind-hearted, beautiful, fair-skinned wealthy madam wanted to keep him, selling a little dignity to satisfy a customer's needs wasn't a big deal.

But now his gender had changed.

He felt a deep ache, and let out a helpless sigh.

"Was it because when I was in the Marvel universe, I told K that I was a girl?" Huai Shi frowned, analyzing.

Thinking carefully, he never got the chance to clarify before leaving the reincarnation space.

Perhaps that impression stuck, causing him to enter this world as Huai Zhi Suzi, with a female identity.

"Ah," Huai Shi crushed the cigarette in his hand.

Time-wise, it was about right.

Huai Shi scrolled on his phone for a while.

Thud thud!

A knocking sound echoed.

Huai Shi walked to the security door and, through the peephole, saw a girl with black hair and golden eyes—the image of Xiao Yinghua, whom he had once seen in the Marvel universe.

Indeed, if he had initiated contact with Zhou Mingrui, he would have entered others' field of vision.

Huai Shi thought for a moment, kept a trace of caution, and opened the door.

"Still got your niu zi?"

This was Lu Mingfei's first question upon meeting him.

"."

Confirmed—it was definitely him.

Huai Shi silently shook his head; perhaps this was the fate of a niu lang—even if he had only nearly joined the profession.

He wondered whether, after completing the Divine Trace imprint and contracting the recorded phenomena of Huai Zhi Suzi, he could dilute or erase these black histories entirely.

What a torment.

Though not everyone in the group came here, it was still plenty—this was truly social death.

Huai Shi already saw the future scene of his social death, and after that, his actual death, as people dragged out this humiliation again and again throughout his life.

"Come out—he lost his niu zi."

Lu Mingfei shouted toward the stairwell above.

Nani?!

Huai Shi's eyes widened in shock, speechless.

His trusted Xiao Yinghua senior had betrayed him! Are you some water ghost trying to drag someone down to drown with you?!

He felt the temperature of his head rising in a straight line, steam beginning to rise—though he knew it was hard to hide, he still wanted to salvage something before that day arrived.

But now, it was all over.

He stared upward, expecting a crowd laughing hysterically and taking photos—but instead,

A woman with black hair and slightly cold eyes descended from the corner.

In an instant, Huai Shi forgot to breathe; the earlier red-hot warning instantly cooled. By the time the young lady reached him, he involuntarily drew in a sharp breath.

She was even more beautiful and captivating than the picture Meng Qi uploaded in the group!

Clearly an ice queen, ascetic style—with that untouchable aura paired with men's clothing, truly jil!

"How should I address you, young lady?"

"Su."

"Surname Su? That's great—I have a friend with the same surname."

"Mm."

【Crow: "I must remind you—the Book of Fate has no record of her. And this situation? Only one person has ever had this happen~~~Gahahaha~~~!!!"】

The crow laughed heartily; even though it wasn't visible to Huai Shi, he could clearly imagine it rolling on the floor laughing.

"."

Huai Shi's smile slowly faded. Su Lin stepped aside and entered the room. Lu Mingfei cautiously scanned the surroundings, then shut the door again.

In the center of the living room stood a modern fabric sofa arranged in a U-shape, its dark gray surface both stain-resistant and stylish.

At this moment, three seats held three women, each with a distinct style, yet all unforgettable, breathtakingly elegant.

The atmosphere was subtly tense, almost solemn—even though a crow lay unconscious beside them, convulsing from laughter.

Now was the time to say something…

Huai Shi looked at Lu Mingfei and said: "Lu senior, you're beautiful."

Lu Mingfei nodded and replied: "You too."

Huai Shi couldn't help but roll his eyes and decided to shut up.

"This is a dream world; nothing here is real," Su Lin said. "So we cannot truly kill Kleine—sorry, I mean we should find a way to wake him up."

If his niu niu were still intact, he'd now be worrying whether Su Lin would kill him to bury the black history.

"." Huai Shi suddenly understood what "losing a cow, who knows if it's not a blessing" meant.

"I don't care," Lu Mingfei suddenly smiled. "I've already experienced social death once."

Coach, there's a bai ge here.

"I originally planned to ask Zhou Ge directly about the reincarnation space."

Huai Shi shifted topics to the matter at hand:

"But when the Book of Fate confronted him, the recorded information suddenly turned into garbled symbols—as if an invisible force had twisted all data related to Zhou Mingrui."

"I sensed danger, so I followed the information setup and claimed I was a returned overseas student."

"After that, the records on the Book of Fate returned to normal."

According to the Primordial Creator, Yuanshi Tianzun's consciousness had merged into every element of this dream world; any unusual actions or words toward Zhou Mingrui would be resisted by the dream world.

Su Lin didn't care—Yuanshi Tianzun had apparently been wary of him all along, so when he awoke as "Su Yuling," he was immediately targeted.

The aspect of Blind Folly—or rather, the Blind Folly God's side: the Shadow of Azathoth.

That force was indeed troublesome, but Su Lin held the emblem of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life, which rendered him immune.

"I'm actually heartbroken," Su Lin sighed.

"I always regarded Yuanshi Tianzun as a friend. Couldn't he, even if he couldn't return to being a pillar, just be my Nascent Soul summon alongside the Primordial?"

Are you talking about a dog?

Lu Mingfei and Huai Shi opened their mouths but said nothing.

Yuanshi Tianzun probably wanted to subtly alter Kleine's way of thinking within this dream world, guiding it toward his own direction, ultimately achieving divine dominance over humanity.

The dream world shrouded by the authority of blind folly is His best defense against interference.

"There's another issue: his dream is causing the Primordial Substance to coalesce, and the intensity of this coalescence is continuously increasing."

Su Lin crossed his legs and looked at the ceiling, saying: "If we destroy this dream world, it might harm Kleine."

Didn't you just say you wanted to kill him?

"Then let's find a way to wake up General Ke." Huai Shi suddenly fell silent.

Only those of us who possess the chat group can remain conscious within this dream, and even he took a long while to regain his self-awareness inside the dream.

So now, it's best if we all unite for easier action.

But there's a problem now.

"A, A, A," the crow rubbed its beak with its wing, studying the three, and said: "It's 3A."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly grew oppressive; in the silence, an ominous aura began to envelop them.

Huai Shi grabbed the crow and shoved a fruit into the mouth of the woman, Tong Ji—birds don't spit out ivory; if you can't speak, then stay silent!

"Xiao Yan is making pills in the Dan Alliance; Meng Qi seems to be bringing two more people in, though we don't know who yet, but they'll arrive sooner or later—just go to the Wanjie Tongshi Group to find him." Su Lin lowered his head, his hands limp on his thighs, and asked:

"How do you put that?"

How do you put that?

People are already numb, and now more are coming—how do you put that?

"Will they keep it secret?"

"What do you think?"

Probably only secret within their friend circle.

"Are there other ways?" Huai Shi's expression was blank.

"Who knows?" Su Lin tilted his head and glanced at him, saying:

"We're all victims of Zhou Mingrui's stereotypes; ordinary people would find it hard to empathize with us. Put yourself in our shoes—I'd find it fascinating."

To be honest, absolutely.

But at this moment, Huai Shi noticed records related to Su Lin beginning to appear in the Book of Fate.

He was first bewildered, then puzzled; instantly, fear and immorality rose within him, only to be replaced by self-loathing and excitement.

"Yeah," Huai Shi's pale face held a flickering, uncertain gaze: "It's all a dream, all fake—if only everyone were the same."

"To be honest, our appearances in the dream are fixed; otherwise, we could use the Eight-Nine Profound Art to transform." Su Lin sighed again, then suddenly seemed to remember something and mentioned it casually:

"Could the City of Calamity affect us?"

"Didn't I already tell you, we can only make potions that don't work on us?" Lu Mingfei said.

As he spoke, he noticed the other two were staring at him.

Huai Shi: "Would it work on others?"

Lu Mingfei: "."

Su Lin thinking this way didn't surprise Lu Mingfei—but Huai Shi…

"Since I brought it up, it makes me seem too cruel," Su Lin narrowed his eyes and smiled: "Of course. If you oppose it, then forget it."

Huai Shi coughed twice: "I—I was just saying it offhand."

"." Lu Mingfei fell silent for a moment, blinking in confusion: "Hmm… I don't really understand these things. A weak coward just follows the majority."

The crow swallowed the fruit, staring dumbfounded at the three characters whose minds had all turned "green tea, cruel, and white-cut black."

"Newborn…"