After the Full-Level Boss Entered the Infinite Game By Mistake

Chapter 699

The young man with silver hair looked as though he had stepped out of a painting, dressed in a long pearl-white traditional Tang suit, with a tear mole at the corner of his eye, exuding an ancient and ethereal aura.

“Huan Huan, calm down.” The young man soothed the frantic Border Collie. The dog let out a whimper and tucked its tail, hiding behind him.

“My name is Song Yuantian,” Bai Lixin heard the silver haired young man say. “I live in Bihai Bay. I’ve seen you before—you’re the tutor for Lawyer Zhou Guang’s family, right?”

Living in Bihai Bay?

That meant he was one of the only two residents of this area.

This was the first time Bai Lixin had met the owner of the other residence. He nodded and, recalling the frightening incident earlier, belatedly said, “Thank you for calling out to me earlier.”

Song Yuantian narrowed his long, phoenix-shaped eyes, sizing Bai Lixin up once more before his gaze shifted past him, as though he was looking at something beyond Bai Lixin’s shoulder.

Bai Lixin subconsciously turned around, but there was nothing behind him but the rippling artificial lake.

He shuddered involuntarily and turned back. “What were you looking at?”

“Nothing,” Song Yuantian retracted his gaze. “Anyway, you should stay away from this lake.”

Bai Lixin: “I definitely won’t come here again.”

He wouldn’t come even if it killed him.

Other lakes cost money, but the lake in Bihai Bay cost lives.

Song Yuantian looked aloof, but he exchanged a few more words with Bai Lixin before leaving.

The broad white Tang suit fluttered in the breeze, resembling an uncolored figure in a painting amidst the lush greenery of the artificial lake park.

The Border Collie he led kept glancing back at Bai Lixin—sometimes baring its teeth and growling, other times tucking its tail and whimpering, as if it were suffering from some sort of schizophrenia.

A chill crawled up the back of Bai Lixin’s neck. He instinctively hunched his shoulders, glanced once more at the serene yet ominous artificial lake, and quickly left.

When Bai Lixin returned to the Zhou household, Zhou Zirui had already woken up.

The boy was still half-asleep, lying on the couch in his pajamas, his hair a messy bird’s nest.

When he saw Bai Lixin enter, Zhou Zirui froze for a moment, then let out a sharp scream and bolted up the stairs as if possessed.

Bai Lixin: ?

Was there a ghost behind him?

What had scared him that badly?

It took a full half hour before Zhou Zirui came back downstairs.

Oh, it seemed he’d gone upstairs to make himself presentable.

The boy who was still in his growth phase was wearing a neatly pressed white shirt with not a wrinkle in sight, the top button fastened all the way up. He had on a British-style plaid tie, a stylish yet youthful British suit jacket, and a shiny belt, leaving nothing out.

Even the messy bird’s nest of hair had been carefully groomed into neat layers, each strand falling perfectly into place.

Bai Lixin blurted out, “Are you going out today?”

Zhou Zirui hurriedly shook his head. “No, I always dress like this at home.”

Bai Lixin: “…Oh.”

“Teacher Bai Lixin, did you spend the night at my house yesterday?” Zhou Zirui had gone to bed early last night, and until now, he wasn’t aware that Bai Lixin would be staying here for the next few days. Apparently, his father had left in such a rush that he hadn’t even sent his son a message.

Bai Lixin had no choice but to explain Lawyer Zhou’s request to Zhou Zirui, who, upon hearing it, instantly brightened and adopted a studious posture. “Don’t worry, Teacher Bai Lixin! I’ll study hard! I won’t embarrass you on the monthly exam!”

Just then, Zhou Zirui’s phone rang. The sound leaked loudly from his phone speaker, and as soon as he answered, Bai Lixin heard a voice shouting from the other end, “Little King Yama, what time are you heading out? We’re going to fight three hundred rounds today, and I’ll show you who’s the true King of Fighters in B City!”

Zhou Zirui raised an eyebrow. “Fine, fine, you’re the best. I don’t have time. Stay away from me. I’m studying today.”

The voice on the other end hooted, “The Little King Yama is going to study? Is the sun rising in the west today?! Come on, we’re all waiting for you!”

Zhou Zirui cast a quick, furtive glance in Bai Lixin’s direction and lowered his voice. “Alright, alright, enough. I’m not joking. I’m hanging up.”

After hanging up, he was about to smile, but then he heard Bai Lixin ask, “What does ‘Little King Yama’ mean?”

The smile froze on Zhou Zirui’s face. He laughed awkwardly. “Little King Yama is just a character name from a fighting game. I always play that character, so my crazy friends gave me the nickname ‘Little King Yama’.”

“Little King Yama…” Bai Lixin mulled over the name, feeling an odd sense of familiarity.

After breakfast, Bai Lixin called Lawyer Zhou. Zhou Guang’s voice sounded tired, as though he hadn’t rested all night.

Though Bai Lixin sympathized with the hard life of a working man, he still relayed last night’s unexpected visitor situation to Lawyer Zhou.

Lawyer Zhou remained silent for a few seconds before quickly replying, “I understand. I’ll take care of it right away,” and then hung up.

About an hour later, the roar of an engine rang out outside. Bai Lixin glanced out the window and saw a man dressed in all black pulling up to the gate on a sleek black motorcycle.

The man removed his helmet, revealing a face that screamed “cool and handsome” down to the very hair strands. Bai Lixin then realized he was a young man, about twenty-one or twenty-two years old.

The young man was clad in a black leather jacket, wearing Martin boots, with a silver earring dangling from his ear. As he dismounted the bike, Bai Lixin caught a glimpse of a leather sheath at his waist.

Bai Lixin watched the young man warily.

The young man looked unruly. “Lawyer Zhou sent me. My name is Lin Jue, and I work for Linchuan Security. This house’s security system is under our care. I heard there was an intruder last night, so I’m here to check it out.”

At that moment, Bai Lixin received a call from Lawyer Zhou. Lawyer Zhou Guang’s weary voice came through, “Teacher Bai Lixin, Lin Jue is the best bodyguard in B City. I pulled some strings to get him here. He’ll be protecting you all for the time being.”

Bai Lixin cautiously took a photo of Lin Jue.

Lin Jue raised an eyebrow. “Not bad. You’re quite cautious.”

“Heh,” Bai Lixin gave a dry laugh. “I can’t help it, I’m afraid of dying.”

After sending Lin Jue’s picture to Lawyer Zhou, Bai Lixin immediately received a reply: “Yes, it’s him.”

Now that the visitor’s identity was confirmed, Bai Lixin finally opened the door.

Lin Jue carried a square black case into the house and changed his shoes before heading straight for the second floor.

He easily located the security system’s main console and began retrieving footage from the night before.

Bai Lixin leaned in closely, watching the screen intently, determined not to miss anything.

The footage quickly reached 10 p.m., the time when the knocking occurred. Bai Lixin held his breath, and even his blinking slowed down.

At 10:03 p.m., his voice could be heard on the recording.

“Who’s out there? Keep it up and I’ll call the police.”

However, at that moment, there was no one outside the door.

Or perhaps… from the beginning until now, no one had ever come at all.

A chill slowly crept down Bai Lixin’s spine. He swallowed slightly and heard Lin Jue ask, “Was it around this time that you heard it?”

Bai Lixin stiffened his neck and nodded, “Yes, and later the housekeeper heard it too.”

Lin Jue pondered for two seconds before continuing to play the video.

After a while, the video suddenly picked up the sound of violent knocking, followed by the voices of the housekeeper and Bai Lixin.

But there was still no one outside the door, not even a shadow.

Bai Lixin was stunned. “I clearly saw someone’s back through the peephole.”

At this moment, he was even a bit thankful that the housekeeper was there as a witness. Otherwise, he’d seem like someone making a false police report.

Lin Jue rewound the footage, playing it back and forth twice.

“The surveillance footage may have been tampered with,” he said with a frown. “I’ll send the video back to the company for professional analysis. In the meantime, I’ll be staying here to protect your safety.”

During lunch, when Zhou Zirui noticed there was another person in the house, he showed obvious signs of resistance.

He sat closely next to Bai Lixin, glaring at Lin Jue from time to time.

Given Zhou Zirui’s young age, Bai Lixin thought that suddenly telling him about the home’s security issues might scare him.

So, he decided to keep it a secret, only telling Zhou Zirui that Lin Jue was a friend of his and nothing about him being a bodyguard.

“Friend? What kind of friend follows you to my house?” Zhou Zirui said angrily, stuffing a shrimp into his mouth and chewing it noisily, “No sense of boundaries.”

Lin Jue ignored Zhou Zirui and ate very comfortably, completely unbothered by his presence.

Seeing this, Zhou Zirui got even more annoyed. “We don’t have any guest rooms.”

Lin Jue remained calm, “It’s fine, I can sleep in the living room.”

Considering there were still several days ahead, Bai Lixin said, “How about you share a room with me?”

Zhou Zirui immediately objected, “That’s not happening!”

Lin Jue: “No need.”

Both of them spoke simultaneously, startling Bai Lixin.

Zhou Zirui added, “If you’re going to take a room, you might as well stay in mine. My room’s big!”

‘Trying to take this opportunity to get closer to Teacher Bai Lixin? No way!

Lin Jue glanced at Zhou Zirui. “Alright, I’ll stay with you then.”

It would be easier to protect Zhou Zirui that way.

Zhou Zirui: ?

‘I was just saying that!’

In the end, Lin Jue didn’t get to “closely protect” Zhou Zirui as he wished.

The Zhou family villa was big enough, and there was a guest room right next to Zhou Zirui’s.

There were also rooms on the first floor, but Zhou Zirui couldn’t stand Lin Jue being too close to Bai Lixin, so he arranged for him to be directly under his nose and stuffed him into the bedroom next to him.

Lin Jue had no objections to this arrangement. After all, it allowed him to protect Zhou Zirui from a closer distance.

True to his habit of going to bed early and waking up late, Zhou Zirui was fast asleep by nine o’clock.

Bihai Bay had only two households, and even during the day, the place felt quiet. Let alone at night.

As soon as the sun set, the area became deathly still.

In the summer, there was the sound of cicadas and frogs, making it somewhat lively, but once the cold set in, the place felt eerily deserted.

The housekeeper sighed as she tidied the table.

“This place is perfect in every way. The air quality is great, and Mr. Zhou pays well. But it’s just too lonely, especially at night. It feels eerie, like there’s some ghostly presence.”

She finished cleaning the table and stretched. “Take the other day for example—didn’t you fall into the lake, Teacher Bai Lixin?”

The lake again.

Why did everyone keep mentioning him falling into the lake when he had no memory of it?

“At that time…” Bai Lixin licked his dry lips. “I don’t really remember.”

The housekeeper tossed the cloth aside. “I knew it! It was probably a water ghost’s doing!”

“Otherwise, how would a perfectly fine person fall into the water for no reason? It scared us to death at the time. Thank goodness you’re alright.”

Bai Lixin: “I had a fever afterwards and got a bit muddled. I only remember being splashed with a basin of cold water. What exactly happened?”

“Cold water?” The housekeeper widened her eyes. “I poured warm water on you to stop you from freezing! It seems you were really out of it.”

“Don’t you remember? You had called saying you’d come to tutor Zirui, and Mr. Zhou was home at the time. But we waited and waited, and when dusk fell and we still hadn’t seen you, we worried something might have happened. Then, just as it was getting dark, you appeared soaking wet at the front door.” The housekeeper recalled. “It scared us. You’re pale enough as it is, but your face had gone completely bloodless. You were shivering so badly that I didn’t even think. I just poured warm water on you to warm you up.”

“You were barely conscious, dragging a long wet trail behind you. Mr. Zhou followed it and found that it led all the way to the artificial lake.”

Bai Lixin still had no memory of it. Frowning, he tried to recall, but all he could think of was the water being poured over him.

“If you can’t remember, don’t force it,” the housekeeper said softly, noticing how increasingly pale Bai Lixin’s face had become. “The important thing is you’re safe. You probably fell in by accident on your way here. Thank goodness you managed to climb out. That lake is usually deserted. I can’t imagine what would have happened if you couldn’t swim.”

Bai Lixin’s eyes flickered. His lips moved, but he closed them again.

But…

He couldn’t swim.

If he had fallen into the lake, how did he get back to shore?

A sharp pain suddenly shot through his head.

Bai Lixin massaged his temples. Something seemed to be stirring, pressing out from the depths of his memory.

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

Suddenly, a loud pounding on the door interrupted the memories he was trying to recall.

He looked toward the entrance blankly, and saw Lin Jue already standing by the door.

Lin Jue was peering through the peephole. Bai Lixin asked what was happening with his eyes, but Lin Jue only shook his head.

Lin Jue said in a low voice, “There’s no one out there.”

Bai Lixin: “…”

There was no one again.

“I’m going to open the door,” Lin Jue said in a deep voice. “Step back a little.”

Bai Lixin obediently retreated to the display shelf in the hall, and Lin Jue opened the door.

Sure enough, there was no one outside.

Lin Jue walked out to check. After a while, he came back with a cold expression, holding a small, square black metal object in his hand.

It was only about the size of a palm, and in Lin Jue’s hand, it looked like a mini power bank.

Bai Lixin asked curiously, “What is that?”

Lin Jue: “It’s a small speaker, it was hidden in the bushes by the door. The sound you heard was coming from it.”

Bai Lixin leaned in. “Why is there something like this here? Is it a prank or something?”

Lin Jue: “We need to investigate further, but the chances of it being a prank in such a remote area are close to zero.”

He fiddled with it for a bit, and suddenly the same “bang, bang, bang” knocking sound they had heard earlier came from the speaker.

“No wonder we didn’t see anyone yesterday,” the housekeeper patted her chest in relief. “I thought it was really haunted. That scared me to death. I couldn’t sleep all night.”

Lin Jue turned off the speaker and asked, “When did you start hearing this sound?”

Bai Lixin: “I just arrived yesterday, and only heard it last night.”

Housekeeper: “Same for me. I hadn’t heard it before yesterday.”

“I’ll check the surveillance footage from the past few days. This thing didn’t appear out of nowhere. If it was done by someone, there will definitely be traces,” Lin Jue said with a stern face as he closed the door. “There probably won’t be any more incidents tonight. You can all go rest.”

Just as he finished speaking, Bai Lixin heard the knocking again.

This time, it wasn’t urgent but a slow, rhythmic tap.

Bang.

Bang.

Bang.

Bai Lixin pointed at the door. “Lin Jue, there’s knocking again.”

Lin Jue frowned and opened the door, looking confused. “Did you hear a sound? I didn’t.”

The knocking stopped as soon as the door opened.

Bai Lixin was about to nod, but the housekeeper said, “No, I didn’t hear anything either.”

Just then, a cold breeze brushed past Bai Lixin’s neck, like the wind stirred by someone walking by.

He subconsciously tilted his head, but of course, there was nothing there.

Bai Lixin rubbed his temples. “Maybe I’m too tense and misheard. Sorry.”

Lin Jue closed the door again and told them to go rest.

That night, Bai Lixin seemed to hear the strange dragging sounds, as if someone was shuffling their feet on the floor.

There was a flashing sound from the bathroom attached to his room.

It felt like someone had lifted his blanket and his body was hugged tightly from behind.

A hollow, husky voice whispered in his ear, “My poor little bride…”

Bai Lixin sat up with a start, drenched in sweat.

He glanced at the space beside him in a daze and quickly got up to wash.

Today was Monday. He had a class, and so did Zhou Zirui.

Zhou Guang had hired a driver specifically to take Zhou Zirui to and from school. The driver usually wasn’t at the Zhou household, only showing up during school runs.

Since their schools were in the same direction, Bai Lixin caught a ride with Zhou Zirui into the city.

As the car passed the artificial lake, Bai Lixin saw the silver-haired young man from the day before.

This time, he didn’t have his dog. He stood by the lake, with his hands behind his back and his head slightly raised. His mouth was moving, as if speaking.

“Do you know much about your neighbor?” Bai Lixin looked at Song Yuantian who was gradually shrinking into the distance, and asked Zhou Zirui beside him.

Zhou Zirui shook his head. “My dad doesn’t let me play with him.”

Bai Lixin: “?”

Zhou Zirui: “My dad says he’s weird and told me to stay away from him.”

“But sometimes I secretly play with Brother Song,” Zhou Zirui leaned in and whispered. “His border collie is really smart. It even salutes me.”

Bai Lixin: “What do you mean by ‘weird’?”

Zhou Zirui: “Well… he seems to be a Taoist priest. He keeps to himself mostly, and he says things I don’t really understand. One moment, he’s talking about how this place is full of miasma and is a death zone. The next, he’s saying it’s a place of good feng shui.”

The boy tapped his temple. “Maybe there’s something wrong here.”

Bai Lixin: “Does he live alone?”

Zhou Zirui: “Brother Song is married. He has a wife named Hongyue. Sister Hongyue is really pretty, even more beautiful than TV stars.”

Bai Lixin: “You said he’s a Taoist priest? Can he exorcize ghosts?”

Zhou Zirui: “I don’t know. My dad is a firm materialist. He doesn’t believe in that stuff. I take after him in that way.”

As they entered the Fourth Ring Road, their routes diverged. Bai Lixin had Zhou Zirui drop him off at the subway station, choosing to take the subway to school.

Being Monday and the morning rush hour, the station was really crowded.

People jostled each other, all eager to reach their destinations as quickly as possible.

Bai Lixin was pushed onto Line 4 by the crowd. There were two girls beside him, holding up a phone and chatting to each other.

“Is it fake?”

“The Sun Group dug up another ancient tomb?”

“That’s crazy. How many times is this now? Are they in real estate or tomb robbing?”

“That land’s a goner.”

“A piece of land is nothing. The Sun Group has plenty of money. They could donate it and gain a good reputation.”

‘Did they find an ancient tomb?’

Bai Lixin took out his phone and opened the trending news. The hot searches were all about the tomb.

#A majestic ancient tomb found in S City

#Another tomb unearthed under Sun Group’s real estate project

#Counting the number of tombs Sun Group has uncovered

#The tomb suspected to belong to Marquis Haitian

#Life of Marquis Haitian

#Sun Group, the little archaeologist

Lawyer Zhou Guang had rushed to S City. It must have been related to this tomb incident.

The Sun Group was the largest conglomerate in B City, covering almost every industry.

Real estate, mining, aviation, tourism, entertainment, education, dining… you name it.

Among the Sun Group’s main business ventures were real estate and mining, with their real estate developments spread across the entire country.

With so much development, issues would arise from time to time.

No one knew if the Sun Group had a particularly sharp eye, but whenever they dug the land they bought, they would always seem to uncover something strange.

For example… ancient tombs.

Bai Lixin couldn’t even remember how many times the Sun Group had stumbled upon ancient tombs by now—it had been quite a number of times.

Once an ancient tomb was discovered, it had to be protected, which meant the land could no longer be developed.

Although they couldn’t earn money from homebuyers, they could still receive government compensation.

This time, Lawyer Zhou Guang had probably gone to S City for the compensation related to that plot of land.

When the subway reached the next platform, a constant stream of people poured in, pushing Bai Lixin against the opposite door frame.

The glass reflected the packed crowd, and in the cramped space, even the air seemed stagnant.

Bai Lixin tugged at his mask and took a deep breath.

He stared at the glass in front of him, watching as the buildings outside blurred past as the subway started up again.

In a flash, the reflection in the glass suddenly shifted, revealing a familiar and terrifying figure in a white lab coat standing behind him.

Bai Lixin abruptly turned his head around, but all he saw was a middle-aged man wearing a white jacket.

The air in the subway felt even more stifling.

He turned his head back, and when he looked at the glass again, the figure in the lab coat had disappeared, but the fear hadn’t faded.

In its place was a shapeless mass of black mist.

The black mist in the reflection seemed to form a human-like silhouette behind him, slowly stretching and expanding.

The thin tendrils of mist gathered around Bai Lixin’s waist, gradually encircling him.

Bai Lixin could even feel the sensation of pressure around his waist.

He looked down in confusion, but there was nothing there except for the slightly bunched-up edge of his sweater.

Yet the sensation was still there.

He could even feel the coldness of something pressing against his back.

That thing slowly lowered its head, placing its head-shaped outline on his shoulder.

Through the glass, it looked as though someone behind him was holding him in a close embrace.

Bai Lixin wanted to turn around, but a low voice whispered in his ear, “My little bride, it’s been a long time.”