B U G Arc
Exam God 19
Wan Yan’s lips curved in the evening, stroking the little tiger with the grain of its fur.
Xin Lan furrowed her brow, inhaling her own blood, the sensation causing her forehead to crease even deeper.
“Try mine.”
Wan Yan reached out her hand.
In truth, she wanted Xin Lan to feed on her neck, just like her fake vampire counterpart, but Xin Lan didn’t have fangs, so it was probably impossible to achieve.
That would be so romantic, Wan Yan thought as she reached out her hand.
“No need.”
Xin Lan shook her head, firmly refusing.
“If you’re uncomfortable, give it a try. After all, I won’t die from it.”
Wan Yan cut her hand cleanly. The scent of blood permeated the air, causing Xin Lan’s stomach to twitch, revealing her longing.
Xin Lan cursed her damned body and reluctantly drank a few sips of Wan Yan’s blood.
Stopping at a point, Xin Lan instructed Wan Yan to bandage herself up quickly.
“It seems like this entity doesn’t find this self-destructive drama entertaining enough.”
Originally a situation of internal division with multiple factions, this experimental body even required human blood. If someone else were to inherit this body, there was no guarantee it wouldn’t lead to a bloodbath.
It’s as if this is a breeding ground for curses.
That’s not wrong to say. The essence of this world is indeed a tournament, a constant process of examination and competition to select the victors and bring about the so-called new world.
“Should we continue forward or take a night to rest?”
“Let’s take a break for a while; there’s still time.”
The duration of this examination is fifteen days, and it takes roughly a day to travel from the laboratory to various bases. Wan Yan examined the map and saw that they weren’t too far from their destination.
“Whose hands should we leave it in first?”
Xin Lan and Wan Yan planned to work together, so they couldn’t bring the password-locked box to just any base.
Otherwise, once it was determined to be a success, it would spell trouble.
So, they needed to find someone to safeguard the box for further actions.
In fact, they could choose a slower approach. Wan Yan looked at Xin Lan, waiting for a decision.
“Let’s do it together.”
(Originally translated on littlepandatranslations.com, let's go!)
Though they weren’t sure of the feasibility, they had to give it a try to find out.
Suddenly, there was commotion coming from outside. Xin Lan and Wan Yan walked out and saw their teammate who had knocked down a small zombie.
“Just a small zombie, did we disturb you?”
Chen Bai put away the iron rod in his hand and smiled at Xin Lan and Wan Yan. He still had that nonchalant, not-so-serious demeanor.
Xin Lan didn’t respond; she walked directly to the car, refueling it.
After everyone had eaten and resolved their individual issues, they started getting into the car one by one. Some closed their eyes for a brief rest, while others gazed outside in a daze.
There was a prolonged silence inside the car, and then someone spoke up.
“Can your plan really work?”
The one asking was Lion, and a look of concern appeared on the big boy’s face, displaying a depth of seriousness beyond his age.
“You’ll never know until you try.”
Xin Lan chewed on the gum she had picked up from the store. After drinking Wan Yan’s blood just a while ago, there was always a trace of a bloody taste in her mouth.
“But…”
Lion had a hesitant expression, and the faces of the others also showed varying degrees of change.
“If it succeeds, people from both of our different bases can be pleased. If it doesn’t, we can discuss a new plan.”
Xin Lan looked out at the pitch-black night through the window, her voice carried away by the wind.
“Except for the people from these two bases, I can’t make any guarantees.”
“Are there other bases?”
Ah Cheng inquired.
“That’s hard to say.”
Xin Lan blew a bubble with her chewing gum, watching it burst in the air.
Ah Cheng’s gaze swept over each person in the back, and those being watched by her shook their heads gently.
“You all deny it, so does that mean there isn’t any?”
Xin Lan didn’t make any remarks; she had simply said it wasn’t certain.
After all, no one knew if the rules were playing some kind of word game again, whether the indicated direction was misleading or had some truth to it, no one could tell.
A cold hand suddenly covered her back of the hand, and Xin Lan raised her eyes to see Wan Yan smiling at her.
Xin Lan thought for a moment, then leaned in to whisper in Wan Yan’s ear.
“If I didn’t come along, how would you have completed this mission?”
The warmth of her breath accompanied the words and sprayed onto Wan Yan’s earlobe. Her ear reddened visibly, extending to her neck.
Wan Yan wasn’t aware of how sensitive this body was, but in that moment, she felt a jolt of electricity.
Xin Lan naturally noticed Wan Yan’s reaction, raised an eyebrow, and reached up to pinch Wan Yan’s earlobe.
“The sensation is quite nice.”
“Swift and decisive.”
Wan Yan responded with a hushed voice near Xin Lan’s ear, creating a tickling sensation.
Xin Lan reached up to rub her own ear and straightened up.
“Or did I delay you?”
The others heard this exchange and looked at the person in the front seat.
“How could it be a delay? I’m happy to be by your side, and it was my initiative to do so.”
In reality, the host of this mission didn’t need to enter, but for her own selfish reasons, Wan Yan had pulled Xin Lan in.
She was afraid that when she completed the mission and returned, their timings wouldn’t match up.
And the thought of a world where Xin Lan couldn’t be with her, accompanying her, made her feel quite desolate.
This is absolutely unacceptable.
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The others who overheard the conversation felt like they were intruding, and they shouldn’t have been curious. This display of affection was a bit overwhelming.
What really felt overwhelming was Zero Nine.
As a system with no presence, she believed she shouldn’t be in the car but should be under the car.
It’s bittersweet, quite literally.
Combining the Commander’s actions from the previous world, it all added up to a hefty chronicle of her pursuit of her wife. It was a model tutorial through and through.
Zero Nine sometimes wanted to say something to gain a bit of presence but then felt like there was no need. She opted to quietly munch on her own chips.
Xin Lan used to be the least tolerant of sweet nothings and lovey-dovey talk.
Whenever someone said such things in her presence, they were lucky if they didn’t get kicked out by her.
But when Wan Yan said these words, they were annoyingly endearing.
“Is your base closer, or is mine closer?”
Wan Yan could only see a single point on the map representing her destination and pointed to it.
She didn’t mind which one they went to first; it just made sense not to take a detour.
“Mine.”
“Alright.”
“Do you need some sleep?”
Xin Lan shook her head, not very tired.
The car fell silent again, and no one made a peep.
Wan Yan’s hand, holding the back of Xin Lan’s hand, never let go. The hand that was originally cold became warm because of this connection.
Ah Cheng looked at the two people in front with envy. It was really good, their luck was so good that two people in love could meet and support each other on this journey.
In the quiet of the long night, the occasional breeze passed by, making a whooshing sound.
Unconsciously, Xin Lan closed her eyes and drifted into a light slumber.
Wan Yan wasn’t tired; she leaned against her seat, tilting in Xin Lan’s direction.
Suddenly, a request for a mental connection came to mind, originating from Zero Nine. Wan Yan promptly accepted it.
【Wan Yan】: What’s up? Is Ah Lan looking for me?
【Zero Nine】: No, no, the host is asleep.
【Wan Yan】: I see.
Her attitude shifted from proactive to nonchalant, exceedingly genuine.
【Zero Nine】: When does the Commander plan to confess again?
Zero Nine rubbed her hands together, very eager to witness this.
As someone who had witnessed the development of their relationship, she felt she shouldn’t miss the opportunity to witness them solidify their bond.
【Wan Yan】: Get back to reality.
The last confession was too hasty; next time, she must prepare more carefully.
【Wan Yan】: When the time comes, I might need your help, and it might be a bit of trouble.
【Zero Nine】: Not a trouble at all, how could the host’s lifelong affair be considered a hassle?
If the host’s love interest were human, she might need to consider it more carefully and not intervene unless necessary.
However, the other party is their system, and a senior one at that, which makes it perfectly fine, very fine.
Being able to see the host’s happiness is also a source of joy for their system.
At the beginning, Zero Nine hadn’t been concerned about Xin Lan’s love life. She always thought of her as someone who was destined to be single.
Fortunately, there were still astute and insightful systems around.
And Xin Lan also showed signs of affection, which is simply wonderful.
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【Zero Nine】: Commander, how did you end up falling for my host?
Zero Nine recalled the previous worlds, where the host’s combat abilities remained undiminished. She wondered where the feeling of affection came from.
【Wan Yan】: Don’t you find her fighting style particularly cool and charming?
【Zero Nine】: ???
She just thought it was exceptionally ruthless.
So the Commander has a taste for this kind of person?
One should not provoke her.
【Wan Yan】: In my eyes, she’s perfect in every way. Isn’t it natural to like her? It’s just that she’s too oblivious to her own well-being.
Xin Lan always felt that a little injury was no big deal, and if she had the ability, she would take on any challenge, always at the forefront.
Such a person was destined to draw everyone’s attention. While others saw her shining brightly, Wan Yan couldn’t help but feel how many trials and tribulations she had gone through to become the person who saw everything as trivial today.
Without knowing any natural-born strong individuals, Wan Yan had no idea what Xin Lan had been through in the past. She refrained from checking Xin Lan’s background; she knew that Xin Lan would be unhappy if she found out.
Besides, she wanted to hear it directly from her.
After they got together.
Liking someone was hard to quantify in terms of how good that person was. It was more of a mysterious feeling. Just seeing them made you feel happy.
Xin Lan beside her was still lost in dreams, her brows relaxed, and it made Wan Yan’s lips curl up.
When they arrived at one of the bases, Xin Lan and Wan Yan had a conversation.
“This might fail.”
Wan Yan said.
“But it doesn’t matter.”
Xin Lan added, and the two exchanged a glance, filled with perfect understanding.
This might fail, but it doesn’t matter.
Xin Lan and Wan Yan had considered several scenarios and prepared countermeasures for each. Inspection was required when entering the base.
Currently, it was still the early days of the apocalypse, and it was evident that the base’s development was far from complete. There were no specialized tools for testing the virus, and Wan Yan noticed that the people guarding the area didn’t seem to possess any supernatural abilities.
The method of base inspection was still quite simple and straightforward. It involved checking for any wounds or injuries on the body, which inevitably required removing clothing.
Wan Yan looked at her fellow examiners who were about to go for inspection and directly pulled out her energy gun, aiming it at the person in charge.
“I want to see your primary leader.”
Ah Cheng and the others didn’t expect Wan Yan to be so direct, but when they thought about the purpose of their mission, it seemed that being direct was precisely what was required.
Xin Lan, holding the code box, waited in the car without a care in the world, supporting her chin as she watched the entrance to the nearby base.
For the first time, she wasn’t involved in a fight, but she excelled at these intimidating matters.
Novelupdates says this was the last chapter and lists the series as completed. I have no idea how the NU system works, if it is automated based on number of chapters uploaded vs. number of chapters for the completed work or checked off by the translator, but I assume based on this chapter that there are at least a few more chapters?
Yes, there is an extra chapter!