The No. 1 Hunfen King in the Entire Server [Interstellar] Chapter 23

Elena was completely stunned, her charming smile disappearing from her face.

Lin Jing also froze, his body tensing up. That familiar, careless tone—and those words that made his skin crawl.

He tilted his head up, and sure enough, his gaze met a pair of dark, amused eyes.

Xu Wanzhi leaned on the back of his chair, one hand propped against it. Before Lin Jing could say anything, Xu Wanzhi pressed his cold, slender fingers against his lips, blinked, and said, “No need to be in such a rush to catch up. So many people are watching, baby.”

Lin Jing was fuming. “…” Get lost. I have nothing to catch up on with you—except maybe settling old grudges.

Before Lin Jing could pull away and snap at him, Xu Wanzhi withdrew his hand and gracefully took the seat on his other side.

Everyone at the table had put down whatever they were doing, staring at them in dumbfounded silence, unable to process what was happening.

Elena raised an eyebrow in disbelief. “Boyfriend?”

Her eyes stayed on Xu Wanzhi, and soon, she let out a soft laugh. “Wan, you must be joking.”

The truth was, Elena’s original target had been Xu Wanzhi. She had been ambitious and proactive—but unsurprisingly, she had hit a brick wall. The man hadn’t even spared her a serious glance.

Ke Lingxuan was equally shocked, still holding her pen absentmindedly. “Wait, you two know each other?”

In the last world, Xu Wanzhi had been hit with a debuff that made him lethargic and indifferent. Only in this world did his true nature start to show.

He chuckled, his gaze soft—words unnecessary.

Elena’s smile stiffened.

That laugh was all the confirmation anyone needed. Xu Wanzhi had been completely cold before this so-called boyfriend showed up—when had he ever smiled like that?

Karl, on the other hand, was thrilled. That’s two strong competitors out of the way. He nodded in approval. “Ah, you two really must be fated.”

Lin Jing remained expressionless. To his left was Elena, to his right was Xu Wanzhi—he truly couldn’t decide which was more unbearable. Unable to reach a conclusion, he chose silence, picked up his knife and fork, and focused on eating.

Ke Lingxuan scratched her head awkwardly. “Well… couples are a good thing. You’ll have better synergy and teamwork.”

Another person in a floral shirt grinned suggestively. “More than that—you can even share a bed. Something to keep things interesting between games.”

Lin Jing: “……”

What the h*ll? Never mind. In the last match, Scar Bro had been calling him “little gay dude” for an entire round. This time, he should probably cut the misunderstanding off at the source.

Lin Jing set down his knife and fork, looked up, and began to explain, “Not exactly, we—”

Xu Wanzhi interrupted with a calm smile, but his words were directed at the others. “Our business doesn’t require your concern.”

Though smiling, his demeanor and gaze carried a cold warning.

The man in the floral shirt curled his lips, and Ke Lingxuan offered an awkward laugh.

Lin Jing, determined to clarify things, frowned and pressed on. “Actually—”

But before he could finish, Xu Wanzhi casually fed him a piece of fruit with a fork, effectively silencing him.

Leaning closer, Xu Wanzhi spoke softly, his breath cool as snow against Lin Jing’s ear. “If you deny it, she’ll cling to you all night.”

Lin Jing’s eyes shifted to the left, catching a glimpse of Elena’s grim expression. 

She was staring daggers at them, clearly unwilling to accept the situation and searching for cracks in their façade.

Being stuck with Xu Wanzhi might hurt his reputation, but the damage would end with the game. Getting entangled with Elena, on the other hand, brought the unsettling possibility of a late-night visit.

Lin Jing opened his mouth and ate the fruit.

“Good?” Xu Wanzhi asked with a smile.

Lin Jing ignored him and lowered his head.

To the others, however, this looked like shyness—a classic case of reluctant compliance.

The room fell silent. Was this… really happening? The game hadn’t even started, and they were already putting on a show of affection?

Elena pressed her lips together and straightened her posture, her expression dark. 

Ke Lingxuan gave up on her attempts at conversation. What was the point? Better to just eat in silence.

After dinner, Lin Jing got up and found Xu Wanzhi waiting for him. With Elena’s predatory gaze boring into him, he had no choice but to grit his teeth and play along as Xu Wanzhi’s temporary “partner.”

The submarine’s rooms were symmetrical, nine in total. At the top of each metal wall was a digital display showing the current time and location. It read: Chengjiang, 550 million years ago. Each second, the display jumped forward by hundreds of years. By the time they woke up, it would be the Cambrian period.

The corridor was unlit, and as soon as Lin Jing entered his room, he dropped the act and glared at Xu Wanzhi. “Alright, spill it. What’s your role this time?”

Sure enough, there were nine rooms for nine players.

Xu Wanzhi chuckled in the dark. “Hold on, let me turn on the light.”

The room lit up, revealing its interior: a simple white bed, a large circular window showing the algae-tinted green waters outside, and sparse furnishings. Standing against the backlight, Xu Wanzhi’s tear-shaped mole at the corner of his eye softened his expression.

“This time, I have no role,” Xu Wanzhi said calmly.

Lin Jing felt the urge to curse. “Then why are you here? Just to watch?”

Xu Wanzhi raised an eyebrow. “Can’t I be here to watch you?”

Lin Jing: “…”

Xu Wanzhi stopped teasing and opened the top drawer of the bedside table, retrieving a photo. “Don’t be mad. Here’s a peace offering.”

Still fuming, Lin Jing reluctantly accepted the photo. He blinked when he saw the image: a peculiar, flat, round creature with concentric circles in the center. It resembled a spiral mosquito coil.

“What is this?” Lin Jing asked.

“Discinella,” Xu Wanzhi replied. “It’s from the Ediacaran biota. The submarine passed through that region, and I took this from the window.”

Lin Jing froze. “This is an animal?”

“Yes,” Xu Wanzhi confirmed. “This is the only pre-Cambrian organism in the codex.”

Lin Jing: “?”

D*mn, that’s a limited edition.

As angry as he was, points were still important. For a moment, Lin Jing was at a loss for words—he couldn’t exactly turn down a freebie.

After offering his goodwill, Xu Wanzhi smoothly continued, smiling. “Don’t worry. I really won’t do anything in this game.”

Lin Jing: “……”

Xu Wanzhi said, “We’ve matched twice now. That must mean we’re meant to be. If I stick by your side, I might even be able to help you.”

Lin Jing had completely lost trust in him. He curled his lips slightly. “That kind of generosity? You don’t seem like a good person.”

Xu Wanzhi chuckled. “You have to be a little special to your boyfriend.”

Lin Jing’s expression was cold. “Stop saying those words.”

“Alright, as you wish.” Xu Wanzhi sat at the table, still smiling. “But really, are you not going to consider my offer?”

Lin Jing sat down across from him, flipping through the illustrated guide for comparison. “Which offer?”

Xu Wanzhi: “Letting me stick with you. Now that our relationship is ‘confirmed,’ there’s no need to worry about appearances.”

Lin Jing stared at him in silence for a moment before speaking slowly. “I’m afraid you’ll stab me in the back at the last minute.”

Xu Wanzhi stifled a laugh. “Oh? And how exactly would I do that in this instance?”

Lin Jing: “For example, before the mass extinction event, you could leave me stranded outside on purpose, making sure I never make it back.”

Xu Wanzhi considered it, his eyes filled with amusement. “That’s a valid concern. But I think that, without me, you wouldn’t make it back anyway. Do you even know when the extinction event happens?”

Lin Jing: “……” Sh*t. That was an awkward question. He chose to change the subject directly. “So is your ID real? Wan Feng Wan Yue? The top-ranked player?”

Xu Wanzhi paused for a moment, then nodded with a soft laugh. “I’ve never lied to you.”

Lin Jing almost wanted to call him big bro. “You’ve got 3,000 points, and you’re here in a lobby with an average of 34? You’re basically smurfing—how is that fair?”

Xu Wanzhi tapped his fingers on the table and calmly replied, “I’m not a player, and I don’t decide the outcome. It’s fair enough in the grand scheme of things.”

Lin Jing’s eye twitched. “The person who put you in here… are they trying to teach you a lesson, or us?”

After all, he had already been thoroughly schooled in the first round—a lesson he’d never forget.

Xu Wanzhi smiled. “Why dwell on that? Shouldn’t you be more concerned about our situation right now?”

“……”

Lin Jing pulled out his camera and snapped a photo of the one Xu Wanzhi had given him. A flash of white light accompanied the familiar click, and the camera slowly printed out an image.

But as the new photo developed, the one Xu Wanzhi had handed him gradually faded—until all that remained was a blank, black film.

He entered late, missing the chance to witness the submarine passing through the Ediacaran Biota. Without Xu Wanzhi’s help, it was highly unlikely he’d have been able to collect this image.

After taking the photo, his codex marked the section on Diskagma with a frame, signifying a completed collection.

Lin Jing held the camera and stared at the codex for a long moment before reluctantly saying, “Thank you.”

However, he didn’t plan to rely on Xu Wanzhi for further assistance—depending on others wasn’t a good habit. “You can keep watching the show this time. I’ll handle my own game.”

Xu Wanzhi nodded. “Alright, then I’ll change my approach.”

He smiled, eyes curving. “Would you be willing to take me along to explore this Paleozoic era?”

Behind Xu Wanzhi, through the submarine’s round window, the strange and colorful underwater world unfolded. The glow of the deep sea reflected in his gaze, like an aurora.

Lin Jing hesitated, gripping the photo, and replied uncomfortably, “Suit yourself.”

The two had shared a bed back in Door of Life and Death, so Lin Jing didn’t feel particularly awkward now.

The submarine rested in the sand, and faint sounds of water currents and the swaying of underwater plants surrounded them. It was quiet and hypnotic.

Lin Jing fell asleep almost immediately and woke up to find the time had advanced to “510 million years ago,” the early Cambrian period of the explosion of lifeforms. Marine species were emerging in abundance.

When they arrived in the meeting room, it was already packed. Taking a deep breath, Ke Lingxuan finally said what she had failed to express the entire day before: “Our task this time doesn’t involve competition. Let’s work together—some ancient lifeforms might be very challenging to deal with.”

In the game, everyone cared about winning or losing. Despite their differing personalities and private agendas, no one objected.

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