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Even though it was an absurd contraption he had ordered the little alien chicks to assemble himself, Xie Jianwei put on a display of shock that outshone even Lu Li’s, delivering a performance truly worthy of a film emperor.

“M-Make… make…?” He seemed too utterly stunned to speak the final word aloud.

Snapping back to his senses, Lu Li said, “Pay it no mind. There must be another way.”

Xie Jianwei offered an absentminded “Mm.”

Yet this was a “bridal chamber” engineered by Military Advisor Xie himself. Across half the universe, walking out without fulfilling the prerequisite would be an impossible feat.

Naturally, a token struggle was in order. Both remained tight-lipped in heavy silence, diligently scouring every corner of the room for flaws.

None. Absolutely none.

The room was not large, measuring four meters by four meters, with a large bed placed in the center and nothing else. The walls were a seamless silver-white, appearing as a single solid construct without a hairline fissure in sight. The sole exit was that firmly sealed blast door; aside from the glowing inscription flashing upon its surface, no other clues existed.

After about two hours, Xie Jianwei collapsed “in defeat,” looking despondent over failing to find an exit.

Lu Li glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, quickly looking away before resuming his tireless search for an escape route.

Another half hour slipped by. Xie Jianwei spoke softly, “Stop wasting your energy.”

His back to him, Lu Li’s posture stiffened. “There is no food or water here. We must get out.”

“I will not make love with you,” Xie Jianwei stated calmly.

Lu Li replied, “I know.”

Xie Jianwei added, “I would rather die than do such a thing with someone else.”

Lu Li dared not turn around. He feared that even with his disguised features, a single glance from his eyes would lay everything bare.

Remaining silent, Lu Li continued probing for any clue of departure. Yet the room was only so large; even feeling across every square inch of the walls was futile. If there was no way out, there simply was no way out.

After another hour had passed, Xie Jianwei spoke up again: “Rest a bit. It’s useless.”

Lu Li asked him, “Would you truly rather die than…”

Before he could finish, Xie Jianwei cut in: “I would rather die.”

Lu Li’s Adam’s apple bobbed. “Why?”

Xie Jianwei paused, lowering his head for a long moment before saying, “I already have someone I love.”

Lu Li clenched his fists abruptly, his fingernails digging deep into his palms. Yet the stinging pain in his hands could not suppress the twisted, morbid delight blooming in his chest. “He…”

“He doesn’t love me,” Xie Jianwei pulled his knees to his chest on the bed, looking fragile and pitiful.

Lu Li murmured, “Could there truly be someone in this world who doesn’t love you?”

“He cares for me,” Xie Jianwei said with a self-deprecating smile, “but not in the way I desire.”

Lu Li said, “Since he doesn’t love you, why must you remain so… obstinately obsessed?”

Xie Jianwei lifted his eyes to look at him. “One glance and it’s clear you’ve never truly loved someone.”

Lu Li choked on his words. Never loved someone? He loved him so deeply that… never mind.

Xie Jianwei sighed softly. “I shouldn’t love him. It was wrong from the very beginning. I tried for a very long time to let go of this abnormal affection, but it’s impossible… I can’t do it. When he was here, I thought only of him. When he left, I still thought only of him. No…” His voice grew strained with pain, “since he left, I miss him even more.”

Lu Li’s emotions were tangled to the absolute extreme.

Xie Jianwei truly loved him. He harbored the exact same feelings.

Yet soon, crushing sorrow seized his heart.

What was the point? What did mutual love matter? They were brothers, bound by the exact same blood. They could never, ever be together.

Convinced that escape was impossible, Xie Jianwei seemed to lay his heart bare: “He is my brother. My biological brother, born of the same parents.”

Lu Li stayed silent.

Xie Jianwei let out a bitter laugh. “Terribly abnormal, isn’t it? That I would actually fall in love with my own brother.”

Lu Li forced himself to say, “Perhaps you are merely too reliant on him.”

“Is that so? Does being reliant on someone make you dizzy with joy simply by seeing him? Does reliance make you unable to stop stealing glances at him? Does reliance make you crave his touch, crave his embrace, crave…” He could not go on, shaking his head. “I rely on him, but I love him as well.”

Seeing him like this, Lu Li felt a dense, pricking ache in his chest. He whispered, “This is wrong…”

“I know,” Xie Jianwei buried his face in his hands, speaking with utter exhaustion. “I know this is wrong. That’s why when he left, I didn’t hold him back, didn’t stop him, didn’t stand in his way. But I miss him. I miss him so terribly much.”

“He must have noticed my feelings. Leaving was his answer to me. I know I should give up, should forget, should step out of this hopeless vortex. But I can’t. I truly can’t. I can’t do it.”

Covering his eyes, while no sobs were audible, his shoulders trembled faintly.

Lu Li desperately wanted to pull him into his arms, but under what identity?

He was a stranger, yet also his brother.

He could give him the entire universe, yet could never give him the one thing he longed for most.

He was powerless.

Things written by fate could never be altered.

They were brothers, destined to remain brothers for eternity.

A protracted silence settled over the room.

Xie Jianwei spoke no further, and Lu Li ceased his futile search for clues.

One sat at the head of the bed, the other at the foot. Though their hearts were entwined, their bodies remained worlds apart.

After an unknown stretch of time, Xie Jianwei suddenly looked toward Lu Li: “Kill me.”

Lu Li’s pupils contracted sharply.

Xie Jianwei said, “I will not make love with you, nor do I wish to starve to death trapped in this room. So could you do me a favor and kill me?”

Furrowing his brow tightly, Lu Li refused without hesitation: “Impossible.”

Xie Jianwei’s face went blank. “Fine then. I’ll do it myself.”

With that, he snatched Lu Li’s sidearm, pressing it against his temple without a second’s pause. Just as his finger moved to squeeze the trigger, Lu Li reacted with blinding speed, wrestling the weapon away and snapping harshly, “Stop fooling around!”

Xie Jianwei froze.

Only then did Lu Li realize that in his panic, he had failed to disguise his voice, inadvertently exposing his true tone.

Staring blankly for a moment, Xie Jianwei let out a bitter laugh: “I must be going mad. For a second, I thought you sounded like him.”

Lu Li’s heart clenched fiercely.

Standing up, Xie Jianwei spoke in a frantic, scattered daze: “No, let me die. Please, just let me die. I know this is selfish, and it might drag you down into death alongside me, but I…”

Swallowing his bitterness, Lu Li said, “Calm down.”

“I am completely calm!” Xie Jianwei stared at him, his dark eyes brimming with an almost eerie, resolute steadiness. “In truth, I wanted to die long ago…”

Shocked, Lu Li looked at him.

Xie Jianwei said, “When he left, when he told me he had found a lover… that was when I wanted to die.”

All color drained rapidly from Lu Li’s face.

Xie Jianwei continued, “You see, I am fated never to have him, fated never to love him. But I cannot bear the thought of him being with someone else. I cannot stomach playing the good little brother who smiles and offers his blessings…”

As he spoke, he paced back and forth like an ant on a hot pan: “He will return. He will return with his wife… What am I supposed to do then? Tell me, what am I supposed to do? Loving him has already cast me into hell, and to watch him stay with another person every single day… what on earth am I supposed to do?”

“Please, I beg of you.” Xie Jianwei’s eyes turned fiercely bright as he said with solemn earnestness, “To die here brings me immense joy. To break free from this hopeless love brings me nothing but relief…”

Lu Li stared at him, ten thousand words rising to his throat, yet not a single syllable could escape.

Xie Jianwei loved him too, even more deeply than he had ever dared imagine. Yet he could feel no joy; he felt only crushed beneath his own heavy sins, feeling that he had ruined him.

He had never demanded his love; he had only ever wanted him to be happy.

Yet right now, Xie Jianwei was in so much agony that he had lost the will to live.

And what he desired was the one thing Lu Li could never grant.

After standing in a daze for a moment, Xie Jianwei suddenly began stripping off his clothes.

Flustered, Lu Li stammered, “What are you doing?”

Xie Jianwei’s expression was composed, yet his eyes were as lifeless as a tomb: “I was in the wrong just now. I was being too selfish. I want to die, but I shouldn’t drag you down with me. Since you came here, you must fancy me, right? If so, let’s make love.”

“You…” An ominous dread crept into Lu Li’s heart.

Xie Jianwei seemed to have made up his mind completely: “How about this? We make love, and once the door opens, you hand me the gun.”

The knuckles of Lu Li’s hand gripping the weapon turned stark white.

Xie Jianwei said, “There’s no need for me to be so stubborn. Since I can never do it with him, it doesn’t matter who I do it with. Saving your life in the process is a good deed. Let’s settle it like that.”

As he spoke, he actually laughed with a touch of cheer: “Do you think that if I die, he will feel relieved…?” He laughed, yet it sounded more despondent than weeping. “Once I die, he can return home. He won’t have to feel disgusted by his own brother, won’t have to leave our parents behind. He can bring the person he loves home, get married, have children, he can…”

“Enough!” Lu Li could listen no longer.

Xie Jianwei paused, then smiled again: “Enough talk then. Let’s do it. Do you have experience? This is my first time.”

He rambled on, using empty chatter to mask his own panic and trembling: “Though we’d better not kiss. That… that wouldn’t be right.”

Saying this, he had already stripped bare, standing there with an awkward, defensive posture.

Lu Li looked for a fraction of a second before quickly averting his gaze, his voice low and raspy: “Put your clothes back on.”

Xie Jianwei blinked. “You don’t want to do it with me?”

Keeping his head down, Lu Li said, “Your heart is entirely filled with another person. How could I ever do this with you?”

Xie Jianwei laughed, “Don’t be so rigid. This is merely to save your life.”

Gritting his teeth, Lu Li said nothing.

Xie Jianwei added, “Making love doesn’t really prove anything anyway. How many people who don’t love each other do it, and how many people who love each other can never touch…?” He seemed to be consoling himself. “What does it prove? Doing it with you won’t make me fall for you, and never being able to do it with him doesn’t change the fact that I love him to the bone. So tell me, what does it prove?”

His soft frame pressed against him. Though separated by fabric, that warmth penetrated through everything, reaching the deepest recesses of Lu Li’s heart.

Lightly brushing against his body, Xie Jianwei whispered, “Don’t overthink it. Since I’m going to die anyway, doing one last good deed before the end counts as…”

“A-Wei…” Lu Li finally dropped his vocal disguise.

Hearing that familiar call, Xie Jianwei froze entirely.

Lowering his head, Lu Li tore away the facial disguise, revealing his true features.

Knowing full well who he was, Xie Jianwei still had to feign being stunned to the point of turning ashen, his voice trembling: “Ge… you…”

Lu Li dared not look at him: “I’m sorry.”

Xie Jianwei paused, then frantically reached for his clothes. Grabbing the discarded garments, he tried clumsily to dress himself, but the more rushed he was, the more chaotic it became. Pulling them on, he began to weep softly: “I… I didn’t… I…”

Lu Li pulled him into a fierce embrace: “It was my fault. It has always been my fault.”

All strength deserted Xie Jianwei in an instant. Letting himself be held, the tears he had held back fell like broken pearls, silently drenching Lu Li’s shoulder.

“Why are you here…?”

“I was worried about you.”

“What a wonderful brother.”

“I’m sorry.”

“What do you have to be sorry for?” Xie Jianwei’s voice was airy and weightless. “The one who should apologize is me.”

“A-Wei…”

Xie Jianwei let out a self-mocking laugh: “Quite disgusting, isn’t it…? That I actually stripped naked and begged you to make love to me.”

As if someone had clamped a hand around his throat, Lu Li could only squeeze out, “No, it isn’t…”

Xie Jianwei paused, then suddenly said, “Ge, let’s do it.”

Lu Li seemed not to have heard correctly.

Cupping his face, Xie Jianwei looked at him with earnest focus, unblinking, his eyes overflowing with deep, unvarnished love. He murmured, “You have to live. You have to walk out of here. As long as we do it, you can leave… It’s alright. There is no one here, no one will ever know. Once we leave this place, I will stay away from you forever, and will never make things difficult for you…”

Xie Jianwei drank in his features hungrily, as if seeking to engrave every line into his memory: “Don’t worry, I won’t seek death. Once we leave, go find your lover. I won’t disturb you… Oh, if you’re worried, I can get married too. I will… I will love that person for a lifetime.” He forced a strained smile. “What I said earlier was an exaggeration. I don’t love you that deeply, I truly don’t. Given enough time, I will definitely move on. Trust me… please trust me, alright?”

If he did not love him to his very marrow, how could he ever speak such words!

Closing his eyes, Lu Li finally abandoned all concealment, saying in a hoarse voice, “I love you.”

Xie Jianwei seemed to freeze, only the tears clinging to his lashes trembling as they fell.

Holding him, Lu Li threw all caution to the wind: “I love you too, A-Wei. I love you, not with a brother’s affection, but with the love that desires to possess you, claim you, and spend an entire lifetime by your side.”

Xie Jianwei stood dazed for a long while: “Truly? Don’t pity me.”

Lu Li sealed his lips, giving him a fierce, passionate kiss brimming with all his devotion.

Yet Xie Jianwei did not feel happy. Not the Xie Jianwei in the dream, but the Xie Jianwei in reality.

From the moment Lu Li departed and the global war erupted, Xie Jianwei had sensed something was amiss with this dream world.

Testing the waters just now confirmed that something was entirely wrong.

Logically, after acting out such devastating heartbreak, Lu Li should have felt so pained that he could no longer maintain the dream. Yet the dream showed zero signs of destabilization.

The Lu Li before him was indeed Lu Li, but…

Pressing a soft kiss to Lu Li’s lips, Xie Jianwei whispered, “Wait a moment.” With that, catching Lu Li off guard, he struck with practiced precision, knocking him clean unconscious.

Looking at the slumped Lu Li, Xie Jianwei felt the abnormality grow even starker.

From beginning to end, this dream had reeked of strangeness.

While Lu Li’s dreams occasionally defied logic, they had never abandoned reason to such an absurd degree.

Thinking it through, the plot holes were rampant.

The world’s backdrop was bizarre, societal structures were absurd, the sudden world war made no sense, and the abrupt extraterrestrial invasion was pure madness…

Even for a dream, this was far too chaotic.

Glancing at the empty air, Xie Jianwei called out softly, “Care to come out for a chat?”

No one answered.

Narrowing his eyes, Xie Jianwei said, “You cannot trap me here. I can shatter this dream world at will.”

“So it truly was a dream,” a deep male voice rang out from the void.

It was Lu Li’s voice, yet undeniably not Lu Li. It was “it.”

The white room fractured like brittle glass—no, the entire dream world was coming apart.

All vibrant colors drained away, leaving Xie Jianwei standing within an empty void, a blurry silhouette materializing before him.

It used Lu Li’s body, Lu Li’s voice, and Lu Li’s mannerisms, yet was definitively not Lu Li.

Xie Jianwei narrowed his eyes: “This dream was created by you.”

It sighed in admiration: “You truly live up to your reputation as a Pioneer.”

Pioneer? Hearing that title, Xie Jianwei found it rather puzzling.

Yet it said no more on the matter, merely chuckling, “How did you deduce that this wasn’t Lu Li’s dream?”

Xie Jianwei said, “Too many flaws.”

Curious, it asked, “Were there flaws? After opening your hearts, Lu Li viewed you as the finest person in the universe; what was wrong with that? Your past family was tragic, so what was wrong with him granting you a loving brother?”

Xie Jianwei couldn’t be bothered to explain. His mind was focused on another deduction. Since this was not Lu Li’s dream, it meant Lu Li’s final personality had already been appeased, not inside a dream, but back in reality!

When they opened their hearts earlier, Lu Li had already resolved to integrate, so the final personality had slipped into slumber the moment his physical body fell asleep. This dream world had never belonged to him.

With Lu Li already asleep, Xie Jianwei looked up at it, killing intent flaring in his dark eyes.

Sensing it keenly, it laughed: “You truly are formidable. No wonder you were deemed a threat.”

Xie Jianwei said, “You shouldn’t have provoked him.”

He was naturally referring to Lu Li. It let out a bitter laugh: “I didn’t want to provoke him either; this was entirely an accident.”

Xie Jianwei had no patience for pleasantries, and it was sharp enough to cut straight to the point: “Do you truly believe you can kill me?”

Xie Jianwei: “Try me and find out.”

It said, “Without regard for Lu Li’s life?”

Xie Jianwei said, “You cannot threaten me.”

It stated, “Believe it or not, I am not merely latched onto Lu Li’s consciousness; I exist in symbiosis with him.”

Xie Jianwei’s heart skipped a beat, though his expression remained placid: “Several versions of you died, yet not a single one of Lu Li’s personalities vanished.”

It countered, “Did I truly die?”

This had indeed been Xie Jianwei’s lingering concern.

Across eight dream worlds, it had not manifested in every single one.

In the earlier dreams, unaware of its existence, they had not targeted it directly.

Xie Jianwei had assumed that multiple versions of it would gather in this final dream, yet there was only one…

If one personality corresponded to one instance of it, where had the excess versions gone?

The most likely explanation was that it could fuse and divide at will.

It said, “You know that if a single one of Lu Li’s personalities perishes, his mental structure collapses, leading straight to death.”

Before it finished, Xie Jianwei interjected, “You are not human.”

It was genuinely awed by Xie Jianwei’s intellect, yet pressed on: “However, I entered symbiosis with Lu Li. If I had truly been slain by you, I would have vanished entirely the first time you struck me down.”

Its meaning was clear. Like Lu Li, who split into multiple personas, it had divided into multiple entities; if a single persona vanished, death followed. Yet it was still alive, which meant by reverse logic… Xie Jianwei had never truly killed it in the previous dreams.

It concluded, “You didn’t kill me; you merely helped me integrate as well.”

Xie Jianwei stared at it unblinkingly.

It added, “You can kill me, but the moment I die, he dies alongside me.”

Xie Jianwei remained silent.

It taunted, “You can test it, if you dare take the risk.”

It was banking entirely on the certainty that Xie Jianwei would never take that gamble.

Having witnessed so many “worlds,” it understood all too well how deeply Xie Jianwei loved Lu Li.

Forget a life-or-death gamble; if Lu Li were to suffer even a scratch, Xie Jianwei would go to great lengths to prevent it.

In a heavy voice, Xie Jianwei said, “What exactly do you want?”

It said, “Conversing with an intelligent person is remarkably effortless.”

A cold smirk touched Xie Jianwei’s lips.

It continued, “In truth, I hold no interest in Lu Li. The one I am genuinely interested in is you.”

Xie Jianwei raised an eyebrow: “Oh?”

It said, “Lu Li was an accident. I assumed he was you, but he wasn’t…”

Xie Jianwei said, “You are not the Hundred-Limbed King.”

It replied, “Oh, that was merely my temporary vessel.”

Xie Jianwei’s mind was razor-sharp: “You attacked the Milky Way solely to locate me?”

It said, “Yes, to draw you out.”

“Why?”

“To kill you, of course.”

Xie Jianwei reasoned calmly, “Because Lu Li was so formidable, you assumed he was me?”

It said, “Indeed. Humanity’s god of war, the hero who turned the tides; logically, he should have been you.”

Xie Jianwei said, “Yet you didn’t kill him.”

It fell silent.

After a pause, it said, “Upon invading his consciousness, I discovered the real you.”

Xie Jianwei chuckled softly: “Self-contradictory.”

It remained quiet.

Fixing its gaze, Xie Jianwei said, “Since you mistook Lu Li for me and sought my death, invading his mind should have prompted you to kill him immediately. Why choose symbiosis instead?”

It offered no reply.

Xie Jianwei pressed, “A so-called symbiosis implies not only that Lu Li dies if you die, but that you die if Lu Li dies, correct?”

Silence.

Xie Jianwei smiled: “It appears you have no desire to kill me after all.”

It said nothing.

“Speak. What are you truly after?”

Frustrated, it snapped, “I truly wish I could devour that brain of yours.”

Xie Jianwei merely smiled.

Looking at Xie Jianwei, it declared, “I want symbiosis with you.”

Expecting Xie Jianwei to refuse adamantly, it was stunned when he agreed with crisp ease: “Done.”

It froze. “I will enter your consciousness.”

Xie Jianwei said, “Go ahead. Do you require any cooperation on my part?”

It stood dumbfounded.

Xie Jianwei said, “Do not waste time. I might change my mind in the next second.”

Hesitating, it asked, “What trick are you playing now?”

Helpless, Xie Jianwei countered, “Haven’t you been the one stirring up trouble all along?”

Yet it could never outmaneuver him!

Letting out a soft sigh, Xie Jianwei whispered, “Stop tormenting Lu Li.”

Those words enlightened it, and it remarked, “You truly are hopelessly in love with him!”

Xie Jianwei said, “Yes, I love him very much.”

Pondering it carefully, it found no flaw in the reasoning.

Xie Jianwei loved Lu Li, Lu Li was on the verge of being consumed by it, and Xie Jianwei was offering himself up to spare his lover; it made complete sense!

It warned, “Don’t play any tricks. Once bound in symbiosis with you, if I die, you die as well.”

Xie Jianwei said, “I know.”

It added, “Lu Li will certainly protect you with all his might.”

Xie Jianwei said, “Indeed, which indirectly guarantees your safety.”

Reflecting on Lu Li’s terrifying prowess, it felt thoroughly secure, remarking, “You must cherish your life, understand? With someone who loves you this much.”

Xie Jianwei smiled: “Of course. I will definitely live well.”

Scrutinizing the arrangement from every angle, it found no trap; if no problem could be seen, there surely wasn’t one. Most importantly, entering symbiosis with Xie Jianwei meant genuine, shared survival. Xie Jianwei would never gamble with Lu Li’s life, and Lu Li would protect Xie Jianwei at all costs.

Their bond was ironclad; neither would let the other face danger.

Thus, it would be safe.

Furthermore, it was indeed time to depart from Lu Li; Lu Li’s psychological knots were nearly untied, and lingering any longer would invite trouble…

“Settled then,” it said. “I will leave Lu Li.”

Xie Jianwei smiled, “Mm.”

It possessed its own method of invading human minds, an esoteric art Xie Jianwei could not counter, preventing him from destroying it the instant it separated from Lu Li. He could only accept it.

The moment their symbiosis forged, a memory flashed before Xie Jianwei’s eyes.

The protagonist was Lu Li, an abandoned orphan on ancient Earth who endured relentless abuse and neglect from childhood. Yet he survived with stubborn resilience, living in squalor until his teens without a soul to care for him, until an older man took him in. That man raised him, granting him a new life, and Lu Li served him with unwavering devotion, willing to do anything for his sake…

Having viewed it, Xie Jianwei asked flatly, “What is this supposed to be?”

It answered, “Oh, that is Lu Li’s true past life.”

Xie Jianwei scoffed: “Meeting each other was when our true lives began.”

Pausing, it said, “That was real.”

Xie Jianwei said, “Mm, I believe you.”

It: “…” You don’t believe a single word!

Xie Jianwei blocked its voice.

Withdrawing from the dream world, Lu Li remained asleep.

Yan Ke had been monitoring the entire exchange, smartly keeping quiet so it never detected his presence.

Seeing Xie Jianwei wake, Yan Ke feigned ignorance, asking brightly, “My Lord, how did it go?”

Xie Jianwei said, “The final personality has been appeased as well.”

Yan Ke let out a massive sigh of relief.

Xie Jianwei staged an explanation of its situation, and Yan Ke, who knew everything, feigned shock on cue.

Xie Jianwei said, “I leave the rest to you. Integrate his personalities as swiftly as possible.”

Saluting, Yan Ke said, “Understood!”

Massaging his temples, Xie Jianwei said, “I am going to rest for a while.”

Yan Ke chimed in, “Leave it to me with complete confidence.”

Xie Jianwei felt deeply exhausted, likely an effect of housing it.

Returning to the Marshal’s Manor first, he lay in bed to sleep, only for it to immediately plunge him into a nightmare, dragging him straight back into the horrors of the Xie residence.

It lacked intellect, yet possessed an exquisite grasp of human vulnerabilities. It was a truly wretched nightmare.

Meanwhile, Yan Ke worked tirelessly, orchestrating the integration of the Lord Marshal’s personalities.

Before long, Lu Li awakened.

Pausing for a moment, he asked Yan Ke, “Success?”

Panting, Yan Ke answered, “All clear!”

Lu Li asked, “Where is A-Wei?”

Only then did Yan Ke urgently explain the situation regarding it and its symbiosis with Xie Jianwei.

Hearing this, Lu Li surged to his feet: “Nonsense!”

Yan Ke said, “Please do not panic, My Lord! The Military Advisor had a plan.”

Back in the dream, prior to merging with it, Xie Jianwei had laid out the strategy to Yan Ke.

“The Military Advisor explained that its goal was to seize control of a mind. But it cannot do so directly; it must provoke psychological knots to cause mental division, then slowly devour the psyche…”

Lu Li said, “Then leaving it inside my mind would have sufficed!”

Yan Ke said, “Then your personalities could never have integrated.”

Lu Li countered, “Isn’t it just as perilous inside A-Wei’s mind?”

Yan Ke said, “It is entirely different. The Military Advisor was prepared in advance, granting him far stronger mental resistance. With our support, he can certainly contend with it.”

Comprehension dawned upon Lu Li: “You intend for me to enter A-Wei’s mental world?”

Yan Ke said, “Yes! Aside from you, no one can resolve the Military Advisor’s psychological knot. And once that knot is untied, it will be left entirely powerless!”

Lu Li closed his eyes: “I understand.”

Yan Ke added, “We cannot waste time. It is surely making underhanded moves already; we cannot allow the Military Advisor to be ensnared.”

“Mm,” Lu Li stood up. “I will go bring him here.”

Yan Ke suggested, “We should go directly to the Marshal’s Manor; that way we avoid alarming it.”

Lu Li said, “Agreed.”

Returning to the Marshal’s Manor, Xie Jianwei was already asleep in bed.

Approaching, Lu Li gazed at him with infinite tenderness.

He believed wholeheartedly, without a shred of doubt, that Xie Jianwei loved him.

He loved him, even more deeply than he had ever dared imagine; it was an exquisite truth.

Yet annoyance followed immediately. His sole obsession had been protecting him, yet in the end, he had been protected by him instead.

No matter… Lu Li pressed a gentle kiss to Xie Jianwei’s lips. He would never let harm befall him.

At worst, he would bait it back into his own consciousness; he knew what it truly desired.

After experiencing so many dreams, Lu Li finally had the opportunity to enter Xie Jianwei’s dream world. It was rather novel.

Yan Ke asked, “My Lord, are you ready?”

Lu Li said, “Begin.”

Following a brief wave of dizziness, Lu Li opened his eyes.

He was inside the Marshal’s Manor, in his own study, his consciousness still linked to the central computer, processing a mountain of data requiring his review.

Because it felt so vivid, Lu Li could hardly tell whether he had entered a dream.

Fortunately, Yan Ke’s cautious voice sounded: “My Lord, this is already the Military Advisor’s dream.”

“Mm.” Lu Li was rather unaccustomed to having a voice inside his head.

Processing work with practiced skill, he suddenly asked after a moment, “Were you present throughout my dreams?”

Yan Ke: “…”

The aura around Lu Li dropped several degrees.

Nearly weeping, Yan Ke pleaded, “My Lord! I saw nothing, heard nothing, and know nothing!”

Lu Li: “Heh.”

Yan Ke swore, “Truly! Whenever you two… did that, I severed the connection! I can truly sever it, completely cut it off!”

Reflecting on it, Lu Li figured it should be fine. Though fragmented, his memories showed deep intimacy with Xie Jianwei; Xie Jianwei would never permit an audience, so Yan Ke had likely disconnected.

Abandoning small talk, Lu Li swiftly wrapped up his current tasks. He needed to find Xie Jianwei to see what this dream was about.

Before entering, Lu Li assumed he would see Xie Jianwei in his youth, or witness the Xie household, never expecting it to be the Marshal’s Manor.

What psychological knot could take precedence over Xie Jianwei’s youth?

Lu Li had no idea.

Finishing his work, he stepped out of the study. At this hour, Xie Jianwei should be in the front garden…

Striding forward, through a blooming expanse of Azure Mandarin blossoms, he caught sight of Xie Jianwei’s silhouette.

Quickening his pace, Lu Li drew near, only to see the figures standing beside Xie Jianwei.

…Two people.

Lu Li’s footsteps halted abruptly.

Xie Jianwei’s melodious voice carried helpless exasperation: “Stop bickering! You are clearly the same person, what is the point of fighting over me?”

Staring at the two men identical to himself, Lu Li’s emotions were tangled to the absolute extreme.

Xie Jianwei’s very first psychological knot was actually the fractured versions of him.

Rather than the horrors of the Xie family, was Xie Jianwei far more terrified of him truly splitting into separate individuals?