Ning Busan went to work.
He tapped his fingers absentmindedly on the desk with a melancholy expression, checking the surveillance feed of his home from time to time.
A subtle smile played on Leo's lips. “How are you getting along with those two?”
“Not bad,” Ning Busan replied casually.
He paused mid-motion and snapped his head up, meeting Leo's smiling eyes.
“How did you know?” Ning Busan asked.
Leo said, “You didn't show up for work for several days, so I asked Fang Lei what was going on. I heard you have two older brothers, and that you're triplets.”
After a brief moment of thought, Ning Busan said, “Yeah, that's right. They're my older brothers.”
He muttered to himself, “It's not like they could be clones. That would be way too ridiculous.”
Leo's smile stiffened slightly.
Why on earth did he suddenly bring up clones?
Those two guys must have made up some wild backstories!
Leo changed the subject. “The game I designed is finished. Want to give it a try?”
“I'm not in the mood right now. Maybe some other time.”
“Are you brushing off your boss?”
“Exactly. I'm brushing you off. Do you feel a sudden urge to fire me?”
“I wouldn't have the heart to do that. After all, you're the perfect gaming partner.”
“But my dad has already arranged a position for me in his company. In other words, I'm resigning to go back home.”
Leo cried out in surprise, “You're resigning to go home? What about those two guys?”
Ning Busan asked, “You seem very concerned about them?”
Leo denied it. “I'm not.”
Ning Busan said, “I'm leaving soon. To thank you for taking care of me during this time, why don't you come over to my place tonight as a guest?”
Leo had no desire to face those two, so he politely declined. “I have plans tonight.”
The moment the words left his mouth, the glass in front of him shattered.
A shard of glass grazed his cheek, leaving a shallow, bloody scratch.
Leo's first reaction was to look in the mirror. He roared in grief and indignation, “I'm disfigured!”
Ning Busan's mouth twitched.
If he had been two seconds slower, the scratch would have already healed.
Leo looked at Ning Busan.
Resting his chin on his hand, Ning Busan asked with a bright smile, “I'm inviting you over with absolute sincerity. Are you really not free?”
Looking at the glass shards on the table, Leo didn't dare utter the words “not free.”
This was a blatant threat!
Leo gritted his teeth. “Fine! I'll go, alright?!”
Ning Busan smiled in satisfaction. “That's wonderful. Let's head out together after work.”
Leo licked his lips.
Why did he feel like something was off with Ning Busan?
What on earth was this guy planning?
...
Ning Busan returned to the apartment.
Divinity and Rationality squinted in unison as they looked at the person behind him.
Leo greeted them with composure, “Hey!”
He scanned the room. Looking at the riddled and battered living room, he had already guessed what happened.
“This is my boss.” Ning Busan pulled Leo over to the sofa, sitting him right between Divinity and Rationality. He gently asked for their input, “How about we have hot pot tonight?”
The three of them nodded obediently. “Sure.”
“Oh!” Ning Busan slapped his forehead. “I almost forgot. We're out of hot pot base. I'll go buy some at the supermarket downstairs.”
Leo stood up instantly. “I'll go with you.”
Ning Busan pushed him back down. “How could I make a guest do any work? Just sit down and relax. I'll be back soon.”
Click—
The door was locked from the outside.
Rationality grabbed the fruit knife on the table and held it against Leo's neck. “Where is the exit to this dream?”
Leo raised both hands. “Can we put the knife down and talk nicely?”
Rationality said, “You left an entrance and exit in Ning Busan's dream, but after the two of us entered, the exit disappeared. Where exactly is the exit?”
Divinity snatched the knife from him. “Why are you in such a hurry to leave? Have you already found a new anchor?”
Rationality said nothing, instead grabbing Leo's throat. “I'm asking him. Don't get in my way.”
Leo was forced to scuffle with the two of them on the sofa.
Click—
The three of them froze and looked toward the door.
“Forgot my phone.” Ning Busan glanced at them and said nonchalantly, “Don't mind me. Carry on.”
The three of them: “...”
Once Ning Busan left, the sofa collapsed instantly.
“Listen to me, the exit is no longer under my control,” Leo said seriously. “Answer me one question first: how did you two trigger him?”
“We triggered him?” Divinity said, flying into a rage out of humiliation. “Why don't you ask what he did to us?”
Leo found it baffling. “I don't care about you guys. Why would I ask?”
Divinity: “...”
Rationality: “...”
Leo said, “Originally, Ning Busan was fully immersed in the dream, just a part of it. But now, he has unconsciously begun to take control of this dream.”
“Your sudden appearance must have been too abrupt, triggering him. Next, he will definitely find a way to modify you into a logical existence.”
“In other words, you will be trapped in this dream forever.”
“So what?” Divinity said indifferently. “I'm just a wisp of consciousness anyway. It doesn't matter to me.”
Rationality's expression turned odd for a fraction of a second.
It doesn't matter?
Then who was the one throwing a screaming fit out of anger every single day?
“You'd better worry about yourself. He must have noticed something is off with you too.” Divinity pondered, then asked, “What exactly is he trying to do by putting the three of us together?”
Boom—
A deafening explosion resounded!
The refrigerator exploded, and the adjacent television set was caught in the blast, catching fire as well.
Thick smoke billowed!
“What the hell!” Leo cursed loudly. “Is there a fire extinguisher?”
Rationality said, “There have been too many explosions over the past couple of days. The fire extinguisher has long been empty.”
Right at that moment, Divinity brought even worse news: “The door lock is broken. It can't be opened from the inside at all. Ning Busan gathered us here to kill us!”
Rationality said calmly, “The window is open. Just jump.”
Divinity said, “This is the tenth floor!”
“Do you have any other choice? Jump. You won't die, at most you'll be crippled.” Rationality was extremely composed. “If Ning Busan really wanted us dead, we wouldn't have survived until now.”
With a dark expression, Divinity asked, “Then what is he doing?”
Rationality shook his head. “I don't know. I can't read his mind.”
Leo, on the other hand, seemed to have vaguely realized something and muttered, “We're doomed, we're doomed, we're doomed!”
Downstairs.
Ning Busan leaned against the wall, watching the surveillance footage on his phone. Only after the three of them jumped out of the window did he leisurely dial the fire department, methodically reporting the address.
He caressed his phone, his gaze dark and unreadable.
The clone backstory was too absurd; by comparison, triplets were much more reasonable.
Since they were here, they might as well stay and be reformed!
As for Leo, becoming a vegetable would be quite nice!
Rate on N.U.
