Chapter 14: Setting Fourteen

Setting Fourteen: The Prisoner and the Prison (Part 5)

Thump.

Shan Ziwei felt as if that single sentence had plucked a string in his heart. He heard a stifled gasp from Rice Grain Darling behind him—the other’s voice was simply too beautiful, carrying a lazy, seductive quality that made one unconsciously listen in.

In legend, Sirens were sea monsters with heavenly voices, luring passing sailors with their songs to crash their ships upon the rocks. The key point was that the Sirens of legend were also called “the daughters of Achelous”—they were a group of girls, a group of girls, a group of girls!

Important things must be said three times.

Shan Ziwei instinctively closed one eye and used Reconnaissance, but no information came back. Clinging to the slim hope that he’d mistaken the person, he called out to the beautiful guard (♂) across from him: “Siren…?”

The other responded naturally, shattering Shan Ziwei’s self-deception. Dragon Emperor Unrivaled leaned in behind Shan Ziwei and whispered, “This guy is Siren? I saw his medical records in the infirmary—he seemed to have taken a lot of medical ether or ethanol or something. What’s your relationship with him?”

What relationship? A relationship forced by the system to be gay!

As if Shan Ziwei hadn’t been traumatized enough, the system leisurely added a new setting.

[Setting 8: You are using Siren to escape. (00:01:00)]

“I just got a new setting—’Use Siren.’ You too, right?” Dragon Emperor Unrivaled said earnestly, delegating the heavy responsibility to Shan Ziwei: “You know him better—it’s on you.”

No, no, no—don’t look at him! He was an upright + perfectly straight good citizen! There was no way he could pull off the emotional deception described in the white book!

While Dragon Emperor Unrivaled and Shan Ziwei were whispering, the guard named Siren uncrossed his legs, stood up, and walked toward them.

“My dear, I’ve been waiting for you.” Siren stood before Shan Ziwei, his tone intimate. He slightly lifted the brim of his cap, glanced briefly at Dragon Emperor Unrivaled and the others behind Shan Ziwei, then looked back without acknowledging them. “Let’s move quickly—the riot will be over soon.”

“…Oh, okay.” Shan Ziwei replied a beat late. He still wasn’t sure how to act toward Siren—thinking about his emotional-deception setting made him deeply uncomfortable. “What should we do?”

“Follow me.”

Siren smiled, one arm bent and extended toward Shan Ziwei. Shan Ziwei stared at the open palm before him. It was an inviting gesture—clearly waiting for him to place his hand in it.

…Alright. From the white book, he knew Siren’s behavioral template toward him was “lover,” so this was understandable. Shan Ziwei followed the offered hand up to Siren’s face. The other made no effort to hide his infatuation—even his gaze carried a subtle burning warmth.

Shan Ziwei felt crushed by the intensity of Siren’s longing stare. He noticed his Club SP (Sorrow) beginning to drop slowly—the system was counting his negative response as a violation of the setting.

[Setting 8: You are using Siren to escape.]

Shan Ziwei took a deep breath. It was just holding hands—not a hug. He could handle this.

And so, with the resolve of a martyr, this particular sufferer placed his hand in Siren’s.

“…How wonderful.”

A vague murmur escaped Siren’s lips. His voice was so sultry that Shan Ziwei inexplicably associated it with embarrassing sounds and images—so much so that he didn’t react at all when the other kissed his hand.

“!!!”

Soft lips pressed against his hand, like molten lava seeping into his skin, burning down to his very core. Shan Ziwei reflexively tried to pull his hand back, but Siren held it firmly. He heard Dragon Emperor Unrivaled suck in a breath behind him, and Rice Grain Darling let out a small squeak. Amid all the noise, his own heartbeat was the loudest.

For this particular sufferer, hand-holding was Level 1, hugging was Level 2, and anything involving mouths was at least Level 2.

“F—”

Before Shan Ziwei could shout, Siren had already pulled away, smiling as if he’d done the most natural thing in the world. “Let’s go.”

Shan Ziwei was led by Siren toward the other end of the cafeteria, stumbling slightly—not just because he hadn’t recovered from the stimulation, but because of the scorching gazes boring into his back. He didn’t dare turn around to see Dragon Emperor Unrivaled’s expression. Siren’s actions were practically a public declaration of just how impure their relationship was. The saddest part was that Shan Ziwei couldn’t find any reason to complain about what Siren was doing to him—just like with the elf Chiron, he had no choice. The other was just a Chess Piece with a behavioral template, acting according to its settings. Arguing with it would be as ridiculous as scolding an alarm clock for not ringing at 5 o’clock when it was set for 3.

Resigned to his fate, Shan Ziwei adjusted his breathing and pace and obediently let himself be led. He tried to ignore the unending waves of desire from the hand-holding and asked Siren, “Where are we going?”

“To the morgue.” Siren’s voice was beautiful, but the location sent chills down the spine. “There’s a small passage from the cafeteria that leads there—few people know about it, which is why I arranged to meet you here.”

…Why was the cafeteria connected to the morgue?! Shan Ziwei’s mind went to dark places. He shook off the horrifying images and pressed on: “What are we doing at the morgue?”

“I’ll explain there—it’ll be easier to understand.”

Siren tilted his head slightly to look at Shan Ziwei. His eyes were a rosy red—a color that made one think of dreamy, romantic things.

“Don’t worry. We’ll succeed.” Siren painted their future, his voice seemingly born to seduce, drawing one in without realizing it. “When we get out, I’ll take you across the Pacific. We can go to Hawaii, like you always wanted. Then we can see the corals at the Great Barrier Reef, or tour the Maldives. I know an island with very fine white sand—we can try making love on it. It’s very comfortable.”

As he spoke, Siren’s rosy eyes deepened, and his voice turned honey-sweet, as if every word, every syllable was saturated with an intoxicating, overwhelming scent of roses.

“My dear, it’s been so long since I’ve touched you.”

“…”

The cafeteria was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. Dragon Emperor Unrivaled, Rice Grain Darling, and Host had been reduced to living scenery, watching the oblivious gay couple show off their affection. Shan Ziwei’s face had gone stiff. If he were a girl, hearing such a romantic declaration of the future would definitely have moved him to tearfully throw himself into the other’s arms. But he was a man—a genuine, 100% straight man! The pressure of being forced into a gay relationship was killing him! To make matters worse, the system was forcing him to respond! If he didn’t get along with Siren (= use Siren), his Club SP would drop!

“We’ll talk about that after we escape,” Shan Ziwei could only reply. This particular sufferer was deeply grateful that the Chessboard’s clear condition was “escape from prison.” Whatever happened between GFanzi and Siren after the escape was none of his business.

“I’m already looking forward to it.” Siren’s tongue moved slightly, his voice both lingering and salacious. “To celebrate your successful escape, I’ll use your favorite position and lick you until you’re satisfied.”

Gulp. Shan Ziwei heard someone swallow—whether it was himself or someone else, he couldn’t tell. Already susceptible to temptation, being stirred up like this by Siren’s voice was making his entire body heat up. This particular sufferer knew he had to take control of the conversation—if Siren kept this up, he’d burn through his Heart SP in no time.

Taking deep breaths to calm the turmoil inside him, Shan Ziwei glanced at the book in Siren’s other hand and clumsily changed the subject: “You’re reading HKA?”

Let’s talk about fairy tales! Fairy tales are so wholesome and soul-cleansing!

“Yes. I was just at the part where the Little Mermaid, unable to speak, can only watch helplessly as the prince chooses to marry the princess from the neighboring kingdom—and then you arrived.” Siren followed Shan Ziwei’s lead and talked about fairy tales. “How pitiful, don’t you think?”

Once fairy tales came up, Siren’s voice lost its seductive edge. Shan Ziwei breathed a sigh of relief and was about to nod when Siren continued.

“But I think even if the Little Mermaid had told the prince everything, he still would have chosen the princess.” Siren adjusted his cap, the brim casting a shadow over his eyes, making his expression momentarily unreadable—only those unsettling red eyes remained. “After all, they were the same ‘kind.’ What do you think?”

“No, that’s wrong…”

Shan Ziwei instinctively refuted. Hearing his words, Siren’s eyes behind the shadow seemed to narrow happily.

“You think the prince wouldn’t choose the human princess, but would choose the mermaid instead?”

“…I’m not the prince. I don’t know what he would choose.”

Siren stared fixedly at Shan Ziwei, then suddenly smiled eerily.

“Yes. You don’t have to choose.”

Before Shan Ziwei could probe further, Siren had already looked away, facing forward again.

“I think the Little Mermaid didn’t love her prince enough—because she watched him make a choice, rather than becoming his only choice.”

That sentence became the period, as the morgue was now right before them.

Siren released Shan Ziwei’s hand and pulled out a ring of keys from his waist. He selected one marked “Morgue” and unlocked the heavy iron door before them.

“Clunk—”

The door opened, releasing a wave of cold air mixed with a faint, stale odor. Shan Ziwei shivered, the chill completely extinguishing any lingering desire. The room before them lived up to the ominous name “morgue”—dim and icy cold. Probably to prevent rapid decomposition, the refrigeration was cranked up high, making it feel like a biological cold storage. One wall was lined with rows of metal cabinets; beneath them, body bags were neatly arranged. At the other end of the room, a number of bodies were scattered haphazardly—seemingly freshly delivered, their blood still wet.

Siren stepped into the morgue first. He walked to a metal cabinet and unzipped one of the body bags.

“This riot will claim many lives.” Siren spoke as if discussing something unrelated to himself. “Soon there won’t be enough room here. A truck will come later to take away some of the bags.”

Under the players’ horrified gazes, Siren dragged the corpse out of the bag and tossed it onto the pile at the other end.

“The bags contain prisoners whose identities have been confirmed. Only a few guards have the keys—they won’t expect any prisoners to have sneaked in.” Siren handed the empty body bag to Shan Ziwei, then glanced meaningfully at the layers of corpses. “I doubt they’ll have the energy to check the bags a second time.”

By this point, if Shan Ziwei still didn’t understand Siren’s plan, there’d be something wrong with his head. His mind was flooded with “WTF.” Dragon Emperor Unrivaled’s expression also turned sour, and Rice Grain Darling’s face went pale with fright. This escape method was practically an endurance test for the human psyche. The only one still calm was Host—though Shan Ziwei suspected that even if the world ended, Host’s wooden face wouldn’t change much.

Amid the players’ strange looks, Host very rationally discussed the feasibility of the plan with Siren.

“Where do the bags get taken?”

Siren seemed reluctant to engage with the other players, but when Shan Ziwei also looked at him expectantly, he answered.

“To the crematorium east of the prison—of course, we’re not actually going to cremate you. Once you’re out of the prison, you can get out.”

“How do we know when?”

“The truck leaves through the east gate. There are two checkpoints. After the second stop, that’s our chance.”

Finding Siren’s explanation logical, Host said no more. Like Siren, he selected a body bag, unzipped it, and dragged the body out.

Seeing Host take action, Dragon Emperor Unrivaled’s expression flickered—apparently feeling embarrassed that he was the only guy who hadn’t dared to touch the bodies. Unwilling to be outdone, he headed toward the body bag pile. The last one, Rice Grain Darling, was sheet-white and simply couldn’t bring herself to approach the bags.

Making a girl do this was a bit much. Shan Ziwei set down the bag Siren had given him and walked toward the pile of bodies. Rice Grain Darling saw him, understood why he was doing it, and with teary eyes whispered, “Th-thank you, Fanzi, thank you—”

Her final “you” cut off abruptly. She flinched and cautiously looked up—the guard with the beautiful voice was staring at her, his hostility undisguised.

—Fanzi is really nice, but the people around him are all terrifying. QAQ

Shan Ziwei had no idea he’d just been cut off from another romantic prospect. He randomly chose a body bag and opened it—a foul stench hit his nose, making it tingle. His luck was bad; the corpse inside had died horribly, its face a purplish-blue, swollen beyond recognition, its features squeezed out of existence. The moment Shan Ziwei saw it, his Diamond SP (Fear) dropped. Creeped out, he rolled the body over and stripped the bag off it like taking off clothes.

“Clink.”

As he pulled off the bag, a nameplate fell out and hit the floor with a crisp sound. Shan Ziwei picked it up. A name was written on it—somewhat familiar. It took him a moment to remember where he’d seen it. He pulled out the white book and compared—it was indeed a name mentioned there: the guard that GFanzi had planned to target next.

“What’s wrong?”

Siren approached. Shan Ziwei instinctively put away the white book and closed his hand around the nameplate, blinking casually. “Nothing.”

“We have to move quickly.” Siren said. “The truck for the bodies will be here soon.”

Shan Ziwei nodded in acknowledgment. He dragged the corpse to the pile, then handed the body bag to Rice Grain Darling. The girl kept her head down, not daring to look at him. She took the bag, thanked him in a voice as faint as a mosquito’s, and scurried off.

…The mirror image had really left a deep psychological scar on the girl.

Shan Ziwei turned back to pick up the bag Siren had given him. By now, everyone was climbing into their body bags. Host looked perfectly calm, as if he were crawling into a sleeping bag rather than a corpse sack. Dragon Emperor Unrivaled’s face was as black as if his parents had died, cursing nonstop under his breath. Rice Grain Darling had her back to him; he couldn’t see her expression clearly, but from her rigid posture, she was clearly suffering.

Lying in a body bag was indeed a lifelong unforgettable experience. This game really enjoyed torturing players’ psychological limits—sadistic to the point of outrage.

Shan Ziwei spread out his body bag and lay down halfway while zipping it up. Siren crouched beside him, hugging his knees, gazing at Shan Ziwei with eyes full of honeyed affection, not caring that his long hair fell across the body bag.

“Soon, we’ll be together forever.”

It was an indescribable voice—like poison mixed with honey, or a blessing that was also a curse. Shan Ziwei was a bit mesmerized. He saw Siren reach out as if to touch his face.

This particular sufferer reflexively ducked his head into the body bag. To his surprise, there was no foul smell—only a faint sweetness. Had Siren specially perfumed it for him? That was too thoughtful. Besides, weren’t they escaping? Wouldn’t other guards smell it and expose them?

And this scent was familiar—it was like, like—

Shan Ziwei immediately held his breath and sat up abruptly. His sudden movement drew everyone’s attention to the white-haired youth.

His vision blurred slightly. Even with only a few seconds of inhalation, he’d almost lost consciousness. He knew that scent—back when he’d been in the car accident and taken to the hospital, he’d vaguely smelled something sharp yet sweet. Perhaps because it was a near-death memory, he remembered it and the doctor’s words with unusual clarity.

—Use ether for anesthesia—

Gasping for air, Shan Ziwei shook his head vigorously to stay awake. He looked up at Siren across from him. Through his spotty vision, the other’s expression was especially blurry.

“Is there… medical ether in here…?”

“What!?” Dragon Emperor Unrivaled jumped up, almost tripping over his body bag. He kicked it away. “Why is there medical ether in here? Who did—” He abruptly stopped, glaring at Siren. “I saw in the infirmary records that you took ether—it was you, wasn’t it?! You were trying to knock us out?!”

Under Dragon Emperor Unrivaled’s accusation, Siren only continued gazing fervently at Shan Ziwei. Shan Ziwei swallowed dryly. Before, he’d only found it awkward—now he was utterly horrified.

“You… didn’t you want me to escape?”

“I don’t.”

Under everyone’s gaze, Siren smiled eerily, as if tearing off a mask of pretense to reveal his darkest nature.

“I never did.” Siren spoke as if his words were coated in honey, painting a sublime blueprint with his beautiful voice: “You’re a prisoner, forever locked in this prison. I’m a guard, forever watching you here. Isn’t that wonderful?”

Shan Ziwei felt terrified. The other wasn’t asking for his opinion—he was stating an established fact, a horrific relationship of eternal imprisonment.

In a dry, strained voice, Shan Ziwei asked, “But you promised me before…”

“If I hadn’t promised, you would have gone to someone else.” Siren slightly adjusted his cap and curled his lips, even his address carrying a hint of familiarity: “Little liar.”

Shan Ziwei… Shan Ziwei didn’t even know whether to be angry at GFanzi’s incompetence. For all his being a con artist, it turned out the other had seen through him from the very start!

Remembering how GFanzi in the white book had wanted to find another target, Shan Ziwei instinctively glanced at the swollen, unrecognizable corpse in the body pile. A terrible suspicion was forming in his mind.

—I think the Little Mermaid didn’t love her prince enough—because she watched him make a choice, rather than becoming his only choice.

As if confirming his suspicion, Siren set down the HKA magazine he’d been holding. His movement was incredibly fast—before Shan Ziwei could react, Siren had grabbed his left hand, pried open his fingers one by one, and exposed the nameplate in his palm.

Siren picked up the nameplate and, under Shan Ziwei’s shocked gaze, closed his fist around it—the iron plate was crushed into a ball and casually tossed aside.

“You only needed to deceive me. Why choose someone else?”

“You only needed to stay in prison. Why choose to leave?”

Siren released Shan Ziwei’s hand, grabbed his shoulders, and with undeniable force pressed the white-haired youth down onto the body bag.

“You’re a prisoner. From beginning to end, you are my prisoner.”

…