Chapter 137: Infinite Cannon Fodder (27)

Tong Ling personally released Arnold from his room. She showed no curiosity about the sacrificial offering he had chosen; her only suggestion was:

“To ensure the effectiveness of the divine summoning ritual, it would be best to present the Lord with the freshest sacrifice during the ceremony.”

Arnold wholeheartedly agreed.

Ever since converting Tong Ling to share his faith, his remaining goal had been to prepare the perfect sacrificial offering for the arrival of their Lord.

If Arnold’s System hadn’t been hacked, it surely would have jumped out at this point to deride his delusions. The idea that Tong Ling—a “demon”—could possess true faith was nothing short of a colossal joke.

However, even if the System were still functioning, once Arnold decided to change the sacrificial offering, this ritual was doomed to fail in pleasing the Lord.

Tong Ling returned to her room, completely oblivious to both players and monsters outside. As she drifted off to sleep, only one thought flashed through her mind—hopefully someone will still cook tomorrow.

In the middle of the night, Tong Ling’s slumber was fitful. She felt bitterly cold, as though lying in a frigid monster nest. The room seemed to leak wind, permeated by icy chill seeping down to the bone marrow, abruptly jolting her awake.

Without needing m577’s alert, Tong Ling knew her room had acquired an unwelcome guest.

Her eyes remained closed, not moving a fraction as she lay on the bed, her breathing steady and rhythmic.

Everyone was so busy tonight—how could anyone have the energy to come looking for her?

In the quiet room, only her breaths were audible. The newcomer moved with stealth; it wasn’t Medius, for there was no trace of his cloyingly sweet scent. Neither was it Miya—that one would never be so composed.

He must have reached her bedside, his gaze lingering insistently over her body. A cold breeze brushed against her face as Tong Ling heard him whisper softly into her ear, “Lingling, I’ve come to deliver your dress.”

Tong Ling said nothing.

Delivering a dress in the middle of the night and announcing it too? This clearly spells trouble!

A soft bundle of fabric was placed beside Tong Ling’s pillow. She remained silent, curious about what he might do next.

The man, who should have left after delivering the dress, seemed reluctant to depart tonight. He leaned over, his gaze inching across the woman on the bed. His love for her was undeniable—she was his most important lover—but countless others had used their power to tempt her, to plunder her affections. Rage simmered within him, but he knew he must endure this until his strength returned.

He had endured on the first day, persisted through the second… Now on the fourth, his restraints were slipping away, his power surging. Could he perhaps…indulge just a little?

“Ting-a-ling,” he whispered softly to his girlfriend, still holding back yet unable to mask the fervent love in his voice. “You’re always so strict with me, but I know you want me to become ‘better.’ I will, I promise.”

“I will, my darling.” He reached out, yearning to touch her. His fingers gently caressed her long, smooth hair. “Soon, give me a few more days. Then, no one will ever be able to take you from me.”

Tong Ling drifted off, half-asleep. She tugged at the blanket covering her and murmured, ”…I’m cold.”

The man froze for a moment, staring intently at Tong Ling. Seeing she was merely mumbling in her sleep, a hint of helplessness flickered in his eyes.

“Did I make you feel cold?” he asked apologetically. “Forgive me, I lost some control there.”

The chilling air in the room dissipated, but the icy aura emanating from the man grew increasingly palpable.

“How can you be so adorable?” Watching as Tong Ling buried her entire face into the quilt, the man who had been observing her for a long time from beside the bed finally curved his lips slightly upward. He leaned down and placed a kiss on Tong Ling’s forehead. “Your cuteness makes me want to give you a kiss.”

Immediately after kissing her, a tone of mock regret filled his voice. “Aiya, I forgot what Lingling said before—only you can kiss me whenever you like; I can’t do the same with you. Did I do something wrong?”

Despite his words, the man’s lips moved from Tong Ling’s forehead to her soft cheek, then slowly descended onto her lips.

He gently pressed against her lips, hoping for a moment that his girlfriend might wake up. He wanted to see how she would react.

However, she slept soundly, her warm breathing remaining unchanged throughout.

“I think you’ll definitely forgive me, right?” He straightened up, his fingers caressing her crimson lips twice. “Who could help it when they’re the one who listens to you the most?”

“Goodnight, Lingling.” The man gave Tong Ling one last look before quietly leaving the room.

Once the “guest” departed, Tong Ling turned over and continued sleeping peacefully.

Abandoned Castle, Day Five.

Tong Ling slept soundly, waking up near noon.

No “person” had come looking for her; everything was peaceful and quiet.

She picked up the intricately crafted new dress placed beside her pillow, leisurely walked to the mirror, and changed, taking time to adorn herself.

After stepping outside, she first knocked on the neighboring room’s door, “A-Bai?”

There was no response from within. She turned the doorknob and peeked inside, as expected, finding no trace of Bai Bei.

The entire castle seemed devoid of any human presence. Tong Ling descended the stairs, gazed at the empty main hall, and sighed before entering the kitchen.

“It seems nobody is cooking,” Tong Ling said to herself. She retrieved ingredients from the cabinets and prepared lunch herself.

At that moment, she couldn’t help but miss Zhuang Wu and Yuan Ju. It was unfortunate that the players hadn’t persisted until the end; otherwise, based solely on their culinary skills, Tong Ling would have gladly “sheltered” them.

After finishing lunch, Tong Ling wandered around the third floor again. Qiao Qian’s room was also empty; one could only wonder what transpired after she returned last night.

Bored, Tong Ling sat down on the main hall sofa. She entered her consciousness sea, called m577, and asked it to find some comedy movies, using this as a way to pass the time.

As movement sounded from the kitchen, a tall and imposing man entered Tong Ling’s field of vision just as she raised her head.

Arnold hadn’t anticipated finding Tong Ling outside; he had changed out of his torn cultivation robes earlier and found a clean set of clothes in the castle to put on.

His body bore obvious injuries, his face pale, yet his eyes shone with an intense light—the joy of faith about to be fulfilled.

“Ling.” Arnold hurried over to Tong Ling, his handsome face breaking into a smile. No longer restraining himself, he pulled Tong Ling into his arms. “I’ve prepared the sacrifices. Soon, this world will be purified!”

Tong Ling tilted her head. “Already?”

“Perhaps it is the Lord’s guidance,” Arnold said devoutly. “Since the Lord wishes to descend upon this world, my actions have progressed smoothly.”

Merfolk flesh, vampire hearts, witch blood… The individuals gathered within this ancient castle were all targets for Arnold. He hadn’t revealed his chosen sacrifices to Tong Ling—after all, these potential offerings had varying degrees of closeness to her. He didn’t want Tong Ling to develop any compassion towards them.

All he needed to do was welcome the Lord during the divine possession ceremony with Tong Ling by his side. By becoming the Lord’s favored ones, they would all have a bright future ahead!

Initially, Arnold had planned to offer those peculiar humans to the Lord as sacrifices. Little did he expect that every last one of them would be slaughtered by dark creatures. Though disappointed at losing potential offerings, the battling monsters made it effortless for him to capture survivors. Overall, Arnold was quite satisfied with how things turned out.

“Shouldn’t we prepare the sacrificial offerings and proceed directly to the divine possession ceremony?” asked Tong Ling. “Arnold, shouldn’t you take me to see the altar?”

Tong Ling glanced towards the kitchen area. “That’s where you emerged from; is the altar inside there?”

Arnold paused before responding, “On the day of the ceremony, I will personally escort you inside.”

“When does the ceremony begin?” she inquired.

“In two days,” Arnold replied.

He desperately wanted to hold the ceremony sooner, but the voice in his mind insisted it should wait until then. Delaying just two days seemed like divine guidance, so Arnold didn’t mind waiting a bit longer.

Moreover, the voice acknowledged Tong Ling, which alone brought immense joy to Arnold. He felt everything was heading in the best possible direction.

Thank you, oh merciful Lord!

Tong Ling let out a soft chuckle; with m577 hacking the system, it had become “one of us.” Arnold’s obedient nature certainly pleased her.

Of course, she couldn’t forget to complain, “This is so strange. In this castle now, you and I are the only ones left—everyone else has disappeared. Arnold, do you know where they went?”

“Is it that important to you?” Arnold ventured cautiously.

“No, but nobody will cook for me anymore,” Tong Ling said, showing Arnold her hands. With a look of grievance, she added, “Look at my poor hands—they’re red from cooking myself because there was nothing else to eat.”

Arnold hastily took hold of Tong Ling’s hand and examined it closely. Her fingers were slender and white, without any sign of burns or injury. But he knew well enough how delicate she was—she’d always been pampered and headstrong. How could he miss what she meant by this?

He lowered his head and blew gently on Tong Ling’s perfect fingers, soothingly coaxing her, “It was my oversight for not being more attentive. From now on, I’ll handle all cooking matters. Just tell me what you want to eat.”

Only then did Tong Ling smile. “With you here, I don’t need anyone else.”

The smile returned to Arnold’s eyes as he kissed the tip of her finger. “I’m glad you feel that way.”

She had misread him, he thought. Those sacrifices didn’t matter; the one she truly cared about was him.

He indeed didn’t want to give up either faith or love.

That night,

Tong Ling was once again woken by the cold. She suspected that Bai Bei might be doing this deliberately; he could have been secretly watching her during the day from some hidden spot, then showing up at her door when she was alone in the evening.

It must be said, his approach was quite clever. Just as Tong Ling had hoped, he wasn’t impulsive but rather patient and enduring. Given enough time, he would continue growing stronger.

This night, he seemed bolder than last. He progressed from standing beside the bed to kiss her to lying down right next to her.

He appeared angry, his voice filled with icy resentment and fury. “Lingling, do you no longer need me?”

“How is Arnold better than I am? That hypocritical cultist, all he thinks about is his god! His love for you is so fake—no one loves you more than me!”

As the man expressed his feelings, he moved very close to his girlfriend, near enough that with just a slight turn of his head, he could kiss her cheek. He knew Tong Ling couldn’t resist him; he could easily do whatever he wanted.

But it wasn’t possible. Bai Bei always remembered what she had said… he still wasn’t good enough.

What he wanted wasn’t just one night, but forever. He desired for his Lingling to stay by his side eternally, and anyone who coveted his girlfriend was nothing but an obstacle.

How could he blame Lingling? After waking up, she had sought him out first. It was his failure to respond that left her alone in this ancient castle.

She had never abandoned him; it was he who was in the wrong.

“I’m sorry, Lingling,” Bai Bei said, his resentment swiftly turning into remorse. He lowered his gaze like a pitiful puppy and admitted, “I was wrong, all of it.”

Tong Ling remained silent.

What a quick change!

A dense shadow engulfed Tong Ling. Her blanket was slowly pulled aside by unseen hands. Someone took hold of her hand—their touch felt icy-cold, as if not from a living person—and sent shivers down her arm purely due to the chill.

Still keeping her eyes closed, she soon felt something moist and soft brush against her fingers.

It seemed to be…Bai Bei’s tongue, just as ice-cold as his body. He gently touched her fingers over and over again while mumbling indistinctly:

“I saw him touching your hand—that damned, disgusting bastard! He has no right to touch you!”

“I’ll erase every trace he left behind.” Under the moonlight, Bai Bei gazed at her dewy-white fingers stained with moisture, his eyes reflecting an expression of fascination. “Lingling, you belong to me.”

Amidst the puppy-like mutters, Tong Ling drifted off to sleep.