Read Novel Full Chapter 157 - Banana Flavored Boss Gong (17)
Chapter 157 - Banana Flavored Boss Gong (17)
Translated by Hua Li ^_~
Chapters to go till the end of the arc:
3~
“What’s that sound?”
“Holy crap, that beast’s gone mad!”
At the moment of the beast riot, the five-man team led by Yu Sen was in the middle of a battle with a Class Four beast when it suddenly went berserk without warning. They nearly got injured, but fortunately, the beast wasn’t targeting them and bolted off in a single direction.
Zhou Gao wanted to chase after it but was pulled back by Yu Lin. “Something’s wrong. Let’s check in with the boss. We’re wrapping up early today.”
With that, the five of them jumped back into the vehicle.
Yu Sen opened communications to contact Shi Buyu, but before the call connected, Jiang Ren suddenly shouted, “Guys, come look!”
They all crowded around the screen and saw the beast detector’s interface lighting up with red warning dots, all converging rapidly in one direction. Not just Class Four or Five, even the black-red alerts representing Class Six and Seven beasts were packed densely into a massive cluster.
The number… was easily in the millions.
Qin Bei’s mouth went dry. He swallowed and said, “Holy crap… are the beasts having a carnival or something?”
Even without a live feed, just the data alone terrified them.
“Carnival, my ass! Yu Sen, have you reached the boss or not?!”
Zhou Gao cursed.
Yu Sen’s palms were sweating, his whole body cold. He tried dialing again, but the busy tone made him increasingly anxious.
“What do we do now?”
“Go find the boss!”
Qin Bei and Jiang Ren answered in unison.
Zhou Gao said, “And where exactly do we find him?” He stared hard at the screen, his eyes red as he looked at the storm’s epicenter.
Yu Lin smacked him on the head, annoyed. “What are you thinking?! No matter what’s happening, the boss will be fine! We’ll start with the main base—if he’s not there, he’ll be at one of the emergency shelters nearby. Let’s go meet up with them now!”
“My brother’s right. Lao Jiang, drive! Step on it!”
Among them, Jiang Ren was the most composed in critical moments.
But before they could start the armored vehicle, a deafening rumble of thunder drowned out even the terrifying roars of the beasts. Qin Bei stuck his head out the window to get a look, but the scene was too far—he couldn’t see anything, only hear the continuous thunder crashing in his ears.
“Holy crap! Everyone, look!”
Zhou Gao shouted.
He pointed at the beast detector screen, speechless. Jiang Ren abandoned the wheel and rushed over. The group watched in shock as the black-red alert dots at the center of the encirclement began to vanish—
Not one by one, but entire swaths at a time!
Yu Lin snapped out of his stupor and his face changed dramatically. “Jiang Ren, drive! Head here!”
Qin Bei: “You crazy? Let’s find the boss first!”
Yu Sen and his brother exchanged a glance and immediately understood. Yu Sen’s expression darkened. “If that thunderstorm just now was the boss… he probably burned through all his energy reserves. We have to get there ASAP! I’ll check the beast core inventory. Lao Qin, help Jiang Ren drive. Every second counts!”
Zhou Gao stared at the screen. When the sea of red dots finally cleared, leaving behind only an empty void, he muttered with trembling lips, “All… all gone…”
Millions of beasts—regardless of class or distance—had vanished in an instant.
*
A hand, warm and infused with soul power, gently brushed the wound on his back, healing it.
The short clash with the Class Seven beast had left Gou Liang drenched in cold sweat from the pain, but the gentle soul power quickly eased all discomfort. Meanwhile, the space-freezing ability finally activated—after lightning had already annihilated tens of thousands of beasts.
The world went still for a brief moment before more thunder cracked the frozen silence apart, followed by the dying howls of beasts.
“Silly Keng’er, how many times have I told you—not to get hurt for me again… I’ll go insane.”
The man’s usually cold features now showed a rare trace of tenderness.
“Shi Buyu?”
Gou Liang looked up at the man hovering above him. Despite the tenderness of his embrace, Gou Liang’s heart was pounding with unease.
He was wielding the Lord God’s Law?!
The realization sent a shudder through even his soul essence.
How was that even possible…?
Gou Liang was too stunned to think straight, his mind buzzing. He wasn’t sure if it was the lingering effects of the thunder or the fleeting sigh he’d just heard from Shi Buyu.
He only snapped out of it when the system suddenly announced that mission progress had jumped from 50% to 99%.
“Shi Bu—”
Shi Buyu raised a finger to gently press against his lips.
“You don’t like that name. If you’re more used to calling me Shi Yu, then call me that.”
“You… you remember?”
Gou Liang’s eyes widened. He instinctively leaned in closer, not realizing the cautious hope shining in his gaze.
But Shi Buyu didn’t answer.
His expression was tinged with apology. Gou Liang didn’t have time to ponder it before he heard him continue—
“Xiao Keng’er, you don’t like this world. I’ll take you away.”
Gou Liang stared at him in stunned silence, like he didn’t understand.
But the very next second, he realized exactly what Shi Buyu was planning to do!
Soul power was being devoured, and the soul itself was fading.
He was no stranger to this process—thousands of years ago, just before his death, he had experienced the same thing—the transition world, collapsing into its end.
[Level One Warning!!]
[Lord God consciousness awakening. Current world will be cleared in thirty seconds. Executor must find a way to push the final 1% of mission progress!]
Even the main system could no longer maintain composure—its mechanical voice was sharp and urgent.
Only then did Gou Liang remember the mission he’d thrown to the back of his mind. He immediately grabbed Shi Buyu and shouted, “Stop! Shi Buyu, stop right now!!”
“Xiao Keng’er?”
The man’s tone was puzzled, but he really did stop, obediently still.
Gou Liang’s sweat-slick hand held onto him, nervously repeating, “Calm down, you need to calm down, don’t act impulsively.”
“I am calm.”
Shi Buyu replied, and suddenly reached out to touch his face, saying softly, “Did I scare you?”
Gou Liang instinctively shook his head, but Shi Buyu furrowed his brows, clearly not believing him.
“I’m not scared, really.”
Gou Liang said, his peach blossom eyes locking onto Shi Buyu for a long moment. Then, suddenly, he reached up and pinched his cheek. The realness of the touch comforted him somewhat. Gou Liang gave a complicated smile and said, “I’m really not scared, it’s just… the surprise came too fast. Who are you? Tell me, who are you?”
Shi Buyu pressed his fingers into his dimples and chuckled softly. “Silly Keng’er, when will you finally remember me?”
“What?”
Shi Buyu leaned down and brushed a kiss across his lips. Before Gou Liang could react, the sweet banana-flavored soul power flowed into his mouth, merging directly with his soul.
He felt his soul uncontrollably separate from his physical body, exposed under the Law of the lord god, branded with a mark—the taste was gentle and sweet, making him sink into it.
A force of expulsion from the Law of the Lord God approached, and Shi Buyu raised a hand to block it. He watched silently as Gou Liang devoured his soul power with fascination, and a mysterious symbol gradually formed on the left side of Gou Liang’s chest, then disappeared.
In the last moment, Gou Liang heard Shi Buyu say: “Xiao Keng’er, I won’t allow you to leave me again.”
As his soul returned to his body, Gou Liang immediately fell into deep sleep.
He had a long dream, where someone held him gently in their palm.
His body had shrunk so small it felt vast even nestled in the man’s hand. A familiar voice whispered beside his ear, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t make out the words—until the man gently put him down, and finally, he heard his voice: “Silly Keng’er, greedy little thing. Wait for me to come back—I’ll bring you something delicious…”
Gou Liang watched the man walk away, and an overwhelming sorrow and reluctance filled his heart. He cried out anxiously, trying his best to call him back, but the man didn’t turn around.
“Xiao Keng’er, wake up. Xiao Keng’er?”
A voice drifted in and out beside his ear, but Gou Liang remained focused on chasing the blurry figure in his dream. Desperate, he finally pushed the sound from his throat—
“Woof!”
…Woof??
Realizing something was wrong, Gou Liang jolted awake from the dream.
“…Xiao Keng’er, what did you just say? You’re finally awake—can you hear me?”
Shi Buyu’s voice thundered in his ears like a bell, snapping Gou Liang back to full awareness. “Shi Bu—Shi Xiaoyu?”
“I’m right here. How do you feel?”
Shi Buyu’s expression was full of worry and joy, so familiar yet oddly surreal. But before Gou Liang could gather his thoughts, the gnawing hunger and aching emptiness in his stomach made it impossible to think clearly. “Hungry…”
Hearing this, Shi Buyu finally relaxed and quickly picked him up.
“Anywhere else feel uncomfortable?”
He hurriedly opened one of Gou Liang’s custom liquid energy tubes, and seeing that he still had the strength to absorb it, gently stroked his head while watching him drink.
Gou Liang stared at him with searching eyes—Shi Buyu acted as if he’d forgotten everything that happened that day, not the slightest change in demeanor.
Before he could figure anything out, Yu Lin burst in from outside guard duty.
“Teacher Tang, you’re finally awake!”
Yu Lin exclaimed joyfully, “You scared us half to death. You suddenly wouldn’t wake up, and you’ve been asleep for a whole day and night, you know that? If you didn’t wake up soon, Boss was about to cry!”
He blurted out like Zhou Gao usually did—clearly also deeply shaken.
Seeing Shi Buyu holding Gou Liang, needing Teacher Tang’s comfort more than anything, Yu Lin tactfully said he’d go share the good news and bring the others back.
Gou Liang gave him a puzzled look, then turned back to Shi Buyu.
He’d been asleep for a whole day and night?
What about the battle? Why wasn’t anyone mentioning it? Why was everyone acting like nothing had happened?
Shi Buyu saw the confusion and sleepiness still lingering in his eyes. Feeling a rush of tenderness, he kissed his forehead and whispered, “Be good, don’t think about anything yet. Eat first, then we’ll talk.”
“…Okay.”
Gou Liang was so obedient he seemed dazed, and finally, a hint of a smile returned to Shi Buyu’s face.
[Xiao Si, pull up the surveillance from after I fell asleep… Xiao Si?]
No response from the system—Gou Liang was startled.
[Main System: Executor NO.00401, please be advised that the 004 system was damaged by an unknown force and has entered the repair module. During the repair period, the executor must manually operate system functions.]
[Additionally, the current time is 12:50:43 on March 30, 2124. Due to unknown causes, a temporal regression of twenty-four hours has occurred in the mission world. Do you have any memory of what happened in the replaced timeline?]
Time reversal?
Gou Liang’s eyes widened slightly in shock.
He remembered very clearly—high noon on the 30th was the exact moment he and Shi Buyu were attacked by the Level 6 Four-Winged Dragon. And yet now, he was nestled in Shi Buyu’s arms drinking a nutrient solution. Not only had the system crashed, even the main system had its memory data of the event wiped…
With that thought, Gou Liang looked at Shi Buyu, eyes filled with inquiry.
Who are you? Could you really be who I think you are?
“What’s wrong?”
Shi Buyu held him tightly, clearly still shaken.
“I was asleep for a whole day and night?”
“Mhm.” Shi Buyu nodded. “Exactly twenty-four hours… Did using your ability too often tire you out?”
Gou Liang shook his head and kept sipping the nutrient fluid with a slurp. His focused look made Shi Buyu not dare disturb him, and he went to get another tube of nutrients for him.
In truth, Gou Liang had already returned to his sea of consciousness.
Without the chattering Xiao Si, the stormy sea of consciousness appeared deceptively calm.
Gou Liang sat cross-legged, looking up toward the void. “Main system, what is my mission target really? Where do the fragments come from?”
“Executor’s question exceeds mission scope. No answer.”
“Then… is the lord god’s consciousness truly asleep?”
“No comment.”
“So each world’s collected fragment is actually part of the sleeping god’s consciousness, right?” Gou Liang was clearly annoyed by the system’s evasiveness and pressed forward with his sharp speculation. “It’s not that you lost something. It’s that the lord god’s consciousness across these worlds suddenly fell into slumber, and my task… is just to wake him up?”
The main system paused briefly, then repeated mechanically: “Executor, please focus on completing the mission. Do not concern yourself with matters unrelated to execution.”
“So, the one with me… is the lord god?”
I slept with the lord god? More than once?!
Hearing his inner voice, the main system finally snapped: “…Shut up, NO.00401.”
Gou Liang suddenly burst out laughing. “That tone sounds so familiar. Director, since when did you start moonlighting as a system?”
Main System / Director of the Space-Time Administration Bureau: ………
Gou Liang mused, “For a mission to require your personal involvement from start to finish… seems like I guessed right. But why did the lord god fall asleep? If I collect all the fragments and wake him… what happens to me? And him? …Will he no longer belong to me after the mission ends? Will he… forget me?”
Sensing his growing disinterest in the mission, the main system urgently warned: “Executor NO.00401, please remain committed to your mission. If the lord god’s consciousness cannot be revived within the designated timeframe, the consequences will be—”
Realizing too late it had let something slip, the main system instantly knew—it had fallen into Gou Liang’s trap!
Grinding its metaphorical teeth, it knew there was no taking it back now.
And with that answer, Gou Liang instantly shot to his feet, the sea of consciousness erupting into towering waves—his earlier calm had only been a fragile front.
“He really is the lord god? How can a god fall asleep? And why me? Why does it have to be done this way to wake him? Why did he say I forgot him? What the hell is going on?!”
Gou Liang was no longer calm—too many questions had shattered his composure.
But even the main system couldn’t provide answers. Pushed by Gou Liang’s relentless questions, it finally said: “The initial questionnaire was crafted by the lord god’s law. Only you scored a perfect score… no, actually, no one else even passed.”
In fact, the Director himself had taken the quiz once. The result for that wise and mighty director… was an abysmal 2 points.
“How many other executors are there? Are they still on missions?”
Gou Liang frowned.
Since the biggest secret was already exposed, the main system no longer hid it: “After you completed your second world mission, the others were expelled from the mission worlds and denied re-entry. They are now handling the recovery of lost soul fragments.”
Gou Liang asked again, “Is there a time limit for this mission? How long?”
He had never heard of such a condition before.
“Unclear. The faster, the better,” the main system said. “That’s why we urge you to complete your mission promptly. If the fragments of the lord god’s consciousness are not gathered in time, he will fall into eternal slumber—with unimaginable consequences.”
So how long is this “in time” supposed to be?!
“Xiao Keng’er?”
Gou Liang snapped out of his thoughts. “Hm?”
“Still sleepy?”
Shi Buyu watched Gou Liang, who was listless and frequently distracted, with a look of deep worry.
Gou Liang stared at him quietly for a moment, then suddenly sat up on his knees, cupped Shi Buyu’s face, and asked, “Shi Xiaoyu, will you ever leave me?”
“What kind of nonsense is that?”
Shi Buyu chuckled and ruffled his hair. Seeing that he was stubbornly waiting for an answer, he said, “No. I swear.”
As the words left his mouth, Gou Liang felt a sudden heat in his chest—the resonance of his soul stirred at that very spot.
Shi Buyu… or rather, the mark left by the Lord God before he departed, etched into that very place. It was a fragment of divine soul power, intrinsically linked to Shi Buyu’s soul. And now, the mark was telling him plainly: the vow has taken effect—never to be betrayed.
Gou Liang smiled, more freely than he ever had since arriving in this world, his eyes even growing damp with joy.
He said, “Shi Buyu, actually… I think your name sounds really nice.”
“Hm?”
Shi Buyu didn’t quite catch the meaning.
“I said, I love you.”
While Shi Buyu was stunned, Gou Liang kissed him. Desperately, fiercely, he claimed him—wanting to prove to the world that this man was his, no matter whether he was the Lord God or anyone else.
So when Yu Lin returned with the others and was the first to open the car door, only to see their Teacher Tang pinning the boss to the floor in a passionate, unrestrained kiss—
He had only one thought:
—Why is it always me?!