Damn!

When Zhao’er heard the man call his name so clearly, he instantly lost his composure. He kept calling out to the system in his mind.

[What’s going on!!!]

[What’s really going on!]

How does he know my name? Who is he?

The voice of 258 remained the same as always, without any fluctuation.

[Searching…]

Time moved back a bit, to the moment when that strange man proposed cooperation to Morrison, and at that time, Morrison hesitated slightly before rejecting.

Morrison’s exact words were:

“I don’t want to, and I never planned to cooperate with someone who once betrayed me…” He paused here, his tone heavy as he called the blonde youth’s name, “Brule.”

“I thought you’d already forgotten about me.”

The youth, called Brule, didn’t refute Morrison’s words.

If it weren’t for the many limp bodies scattered around, Zhao’er might have thought this was some touching reunion of old friends.

They were probably indeed old friends, but this reunion wasn’t touching at all.

That man kept persuading Morrison, detailing how he could sell Zhao’er, how he had channels, and how they would gain wealth beyond their wildest dreams, etc.

He painted the conditions in extravagant terms.

“How about six for you, four for me?”

“Seven’s fine too.”

Morrison remained unmoved.

He continued, talking about how dragon blood could be used for various purposes, and when he mentioned that dragon blood could revive humans, he grinned and asked if Morrison didn’t want to resurrect his father.

He tried to provoke Morrison, but the latter only quietly observed him like he was watching a circus clown. It seemed to say:

— Are you done?

As the dragon involved in all of his schemes, Zhao’er shuddered lightly.

Actually, when Zhao’er heard Morrison call out this name, he vaguely had some impression of it. After all, he had gone through Morrison’s life script many times before. Thinking back on it, he realized…

This name belonged to the protagonist’s childhood friend!

To be more precise, it was the one who had betrayed the protagonist…

As soon as he remembered who Brule was, the details of his story gradually surfaced in Zhao’er’s mind.

Brule and Morrison were probably born in the same place, grew up together, both aspired to be knight commanders, were about the same age, and enrolled in the same academy… It seemed like they were meant to be foils for each other.

Brule was also quite talented. In their birthplace, he had a certain level of fame. If it weren’t for Morrison, Brule would have undoubtedly been number one. But… there’s no “if.”

In the end, like many minor antagonists in literary works, Brule became dissatisfied, began to darken, and backstabbed the protagonist. In the early stages, he successfully pushed Morrison out, becoming the knight commander of the country.

However, his good fortune didn’t last long, and the final outcome was still the protagonist’s victory.

Though the script didn’t focus much on Brule, and many times Zhao’er didn’t even remember someone like him, it only showed that Morrison often didn’t pay attention to him.

The Brule standing before him was clearly completely different from the one in the script. After becoming a dragon, Zhao’er’s senses were far sharper than when he was human. Even at this distance, he could feel that the other person had no heartbeat and no body temperature.

He was no different from the zombie-like corpses on the ground.

Now, he was nothing more than a living corpse.

But… this was normal.

Every transaction has its price.

[….]

To be honest, Zhao’er didn’t know why, but the longer he stayed near that strange man, the more he felt a strange unease, a growing anxiety as if something was slowly collapsing, making it hard to breathe.

And while he felt this discomfort,

Morrison naturally began to gently rub Zhao’er’s forehead with his fingertips.

Zhao’er thought about how he didn’t even know when Morrison had the time or the mood to do such things. At the same time, he felt Morrison’s fingertips were cool, and it felt quite comforting, even causing his anxious heart to slowly calm down.

The man was still talking to Morrison.

He kept offering better and better conditions, trying to lure Morrison into making a decision, but Morrison remained unwavering.

It was clear they had grown up together, as they seemed to know each other very well. Although Zhao’er didn’t know what they were doing, he had always been good at reading the atmosphere, and he could clearly feel the tension in the air…

It felt like the situation could ignite at any moment, thick with the scent of gunpowder.

“Really not going to reconsider?”

After Morrison once again firmly rejected him, the man named Brule finally stopped forcing the fake smile he had been wearing. “Such a pity… You’re not even the slightest bit shaken…”

Without the deliberately forced smile, Brule began muttering to himself.

“If only you would waver a little… How nice it would be…”

“Morpheus, do you know how incredible fate is… Back then, I kept trying to catch up with you, always thinking I wasn’t trying hard enough, but in the end, I realized I wasn’t the protagonist, just a supporting character…”

“Because you’re the protagonist, you have everything…”

“It’s always like this… Clearly, I…”

“Sigh… Why don’t you just waver a little…?”

This person’s brain is definitely messed up.

Just a moment ago, he was eagerly discussing with Morrison how to sell him, how to drain his blood and skin him, and maximize profits, and now he’s self-pitying, talking about how miserable his past was…

He said he was almost sold by his mother when he was young.

He said that humans always waver when faced with interests…

As if his life had been so tragic.

What a damn psycho!

Zhao’er thought to himself as he moved a little closer to Morrison.

Morrison probably thought Zhao’er was scared, so he gently stroked the edge of Zhao’er’s dragon wing as a form of reassurance. “It’s okay, it’s fine.”

Zhao’er wasn’t really that scared. After all, the protagonist, Morrison, was by his side, which made him feel braver. Besides, he believed he was stronger now than before. If he couldn’t beat him, he could always run.

“What are you looking at?! You still want to drain my blood, idiot!!”

Zhao’er wasn’t sure what Morrison heard, but he saw him slightly curve his lips.

After Zhao’er spoke, the eyes staring at him from not far away became even brighter. Brule’s laughter, which had been stuck in his throat, became clear, as if he had thought of something very amusing, his language and expression full of excitement.

“When I thought I would never be favored again, I… I was actually favored… You’re so lucky. I searched all over Red Cliff Valley, inside and out, but I couldn’t find it… You’re just a little late, and you found it before me…”

Morrison frowned tightly, clearly ignoring him, thinking he was just babbling. He didn’t want to engage and was planning to take Zhao’er and leave, but Brule suddenly spoke again.

“But now things are different… Morrison, it’s not like the last life… Now I’m the protagonist.”

Zhao’er immediately caught the key point in his words—protagonist. For some reason, he felt a little anxious, and Brule’s next words completely confirmed his unease.

“Zhao’er, only I can understand what you’re saying…”

He looked at Zhao’er and said the words that shocked him.

“You’re really so stupid…”

“You’re looking for the wrong person. I’m the ‘protagonist.’”

“Come… come to my side!”

At this moment, the system’s query finally returned results.

After hearing this, Zhao’er, in his dragon form, froze for about five or six seconds, still unable to believe what he had just heard, thinking this must be a joke.

First of all, 258 said it found a bug in this world.

The bug is—there are two protagonists at the same time.

—To differentiate between them, we can temporarily call them the original protagonist and the current protagonist. The original protagonist is Morrison, whose storyline is the earliest version, the same one Zhao’er saw in the eggshell before.

—And there is another current protagonist, Brule.

—He has been reincarnated, and with all the memories of his previous life.

—The reason Brule can understand Zhao’er’s language is due to one of the hidden subplots, a storyline that was not included in the original Morrison-centric script.

—In Morrison’s story, Brule’s background was that his mother died when he was very young, and he was a poor orphan with unexpected talent. Apart from a few sparse words, there was nothing else about him.

—Many hidden plots were revealed and completed in the version of the script where Brule is the protagonist. For example, his family, his mother, and his growth journey.

—Brule didn’t have a father because his biological father wasn’t human, but a giant dragon from the Abyss. He carries some dragon blood. Brule’s mother took him to a strange, unfamiliar place because of this.

—A half-human, half-dragon hybrid was, of course, not accepted by the other dragons in the Abyss, and definitely not accepted by humans either…

[What the hell!!?? Can this be even more ridiculous… Dragons and humans can actually have offspring? Are you kidding me?]

Zhao’er felt like his worldview was about to be completely reshaped.

258 paused, as if explaining but also mocking.

[Dragons don’t have reproductive isolation.]

[……………What does this have to do with me?]

—Currently, it has been found that in the last dimension where Brule was reincarnated, there was also Zhao’er’s presence. However, it’s unclear what Zhao’er might have blurted out at that time, which caused Brule to seemingly know about things like ‘the protagonist’ and ‘missions.’

—From the moment Brule was reincarnated, he proactively became the new protagonist, and the world’s will created a new script—a first-person perspective script centered around Brule.

Zhao’er hadn’t had time to look at that new script yet.

However, even without reading it, Zhao’er could roughly guess what it might contain. In his previous life, Brule was always overshadowed by the earlier protagonist, so he must have been unhappy. After being reincarnated with prophetic foresight, how could he not do anything?

Though Brule only had a small amount of dragon blood, he likely felt he was superior to other humans…

Zhao’er’s guess wasn’t a random one. He had picked up on Brule’s mocking, condescending tone earlier when Brule had said that only he deserved Zhao’er, and that the lowly humans didn’t deserve to stand with him.

Zhao’er, who still saw himself as human, was somewhat speechless. He had sensed Brule’s air of superiority, which further confirmed that his earlier perception was correct.

That Brule had indeed been watching him the entire time…

[So what should I do now…?]

Zhao’er quietly asked in his mind.

The somewhat confusing and complicated situation before him had become somewhat clearer to Zhao’er, or rather, many things that had felt off before now had reasonable explanations.

Logically speaking, since Zhao’er was always close to Morrison every day, the energy progress bar shouldn’t be advancing so slowly. The only reason for this would be that Morrison wasn’t the new protagonist…

Including Brule’s earlier ramblings, and his appearance here, everything now made sense. In the previous life, Brule wasn’t the protagonist, but he likely had observed Morrison and Zhao’er’s future paths.

That’s why he knew Zhao’er would appear in the Red Cliff Valley, and in his own recounting, he had searched for them there, but he went too early, and Zhao’er wasn’t there at that time.

After not finding them, he had tried intercepting along the known route…

If it wasn’t for Brule having the reincarnation “golden finger,” he never would have found them. Because Morrison was excellent at hiding his tracks; wherever he went, he would erase all traces before leaving.

Zhao’er had always thought this behavior was unnecessary.

[The new protagonist of this dimension is Brule…]

After 258 briefly explained the situation, it finally asked Zhao’er.

— [Please make a decision, choose one.]

— [The current protagonist and the original protagonist.]

At this moment, Brule began speaking, his tone confident as if he was sure Zhao’er would choose him. Zhao’er guessed this must be because of something he had said in his past life, which made Brule so certain.

He probably categorized everything about Morrison as being because he was the protagonist.

“Zhao’er, your mission is with the protagonist, right? You wouldn’t want to fail the mission, would you…?”

Brule mimicked Morrison’s tone, calling him “Zhao’er” affectionately. Zhao’er felt a slight discomfort at his calling.

When Brule said his name, there was clearly some unusual emotion behind it, occasionally slipping into strange, low murmurs—it was really odd.

[So… who to choose, the current protagonist or the original protagonist?]

This question didn’t require much thought. Zhao’er didn’t hesitate for a second. He glanced at Morrison, who had been with him for over half a month. Morrison had his eyes lowered, seemingly without any emotion showing. Then, Zhao’er looked at Brule, whose face was full of anticipation, almost written with excitement.

Zhao’er placed his claw on Morrison’s hand, signaling his decision, while slightly lifting his chin. Since Brule had dragon blood, it was natural for him to understand Zhao’er’s language.

“Who your dad chooses is none of your business, stop blabbering.”

Brule clearly saw his choice, but he probably didn’t believe it. His confidence cracked bit by bit, as if in disbelief. He repeated several times, “Why… why…”

He had been the protagonist in this life, yet Zhao’er still chose Morrison.

“Why… why… I’m the protagonist this time…”

For some reason, Zhao’er felt no sympathy.

He felt a slight disgust and irritation, emotions he rarely had.

“Why all these whys… whatever you say, goes. Damn, what are you even? Is your brain broken or something?”

Zhao’er snapped, “Talking to yourself and playing this poor me act… it’s hilarious. How I choose is my business, why the hell do you need to keep nagging?”

“Stupid [beep]… I swear!”

Zhao’er had a habit of using profanity when playing games, something that had been repeatedly stopped by his family with little effect. However, Zhao’er was mindful of when to use it; it was mostly just an emotional expression.

He rarely had genuine aggression toward anyone, but this time, he truly thought Brule was a fool with a broken brain. He gritted his teeth, almost wanting to give him a slap…

“Blaming everything else… If your life sucks, it’s because you’re weak, you’re trash. Stop blaming others for everything… Just like blaming the toilet for not being able to poop.”

Zhao’er’s attitude was not polite; in fact, it was somewhat brusque.

But Brule didn’t seem offended at all. Instead, the more he listened, the more his chest heaved, his breathing becoming more rapid, and the temperature on his face rising little by little, as if… he was becoming more and more excited.

He gasped for air and took a few steps forward, wanting to get closer to Zhao’er.

“Ah!!! Get lost!! You’re crazy!! Stay away from me!!”

At the moment Zhao’er spoke, sharp protrusions suddenly emerged from the ground in front of Brule. Elemental power was a basic skill for a knight, a warning from Morrison telling him not to approach.

However, this level of warning didn’t make Brule back off. Instead, he stopped in place without getting any closer—not because he didn’t want to, but because the time wasn’t right yet.

To be fair, Brule wasn’t bad-looking. His disheveled appearance was somewhat deceptive, making it look like he had been deeply wronged.

“…We’re the most suitable…”

This was the first time Zhao’er had encountered such a pervert.

When he cursed at him, Brule blushed and actually wanted Zhao’er to curse more.

From the look of it, it seemed that if Zhao’er cursed even more, Brule wouldn’t get angry at all. In fact, it seemed like he might get… excited.

Zhao’er shuddered, moving even closer to Morrison’s chest.

Seeing that Zhao’er no longer wanted to speak to him, Brule seemed a little disappointed. His eyes stuck to Zhao’er, almost as if he had just noticed something.

“That’s strange… Why are you still in dragon form? You should be able to shift forms by now…”

As he spoke, a slightly abnormal flush appeared on Brule’s face again. Anyone could tell what he was thinking at that moment.

“Of course… I still prefer you in this form…”

What the hell, what the hell, what the hell!!! Damn!!!

This person is really a psychopath!!

This is truly a freakin’ pervert!!!

It’s hard to accurately describe Zhao’er’s mental state at that moment using any language. If he had been in human form, you could definitely see his brow furrowed high and his mouth pulled into a long line.

At this moment, Zhao’er finally understood why he had felt uncomfortable with Brule’s gaze from the start. It was because the other person’s moist, lingering look was filled with… an overtly wet desire.

This was an area Zhao’er had never encountered before.

This kind of thing wasn’t in Morrison’s gaze, which was always calm, occasionally carrying some affection, but it was always pure and didn’t include anything else.

For heaven’s sake, he wasn’t even in human form yet.

The fact that someone could develop… this… toward him… ugh… how perverted!!

But… according to Brule’s words, during this cycle, he should have already had his human form by now. But here he was still in his juvenile dragon form…

Ah, so it really is because this cycle is messed up.

“You’re a freak, stay the hell away from me…”

Zhao’er wanted to curse at him again, but when he saw Brule’s face just a few meters away, that… expression… he immediately stopped.

It was incomprehensible,

It was as if, to him,

Being cursed by Zhao’er was somehow a gift.

Morrison had always had an excellent grasp of understanding. Although Brule deliberately used vague language, trying to create a kind of private code only Zhao’er could understand, hoping to make Morrison think that he and Zhao’er were on the same side.

His subtle little schemes were not lost on Morrison.

It was clear that Brule was trying to provoke Morrison, even going so far as to mention enticing conditions, like resurrecting his family. It was all meant to make Morrison waver and sow discord between him and Zhao’er.

If Morrison had shown even the slightest hesitation at that moment, Brule was probably prepared with more words, like, “You see, he’ll abandon you for his own benefit at any time, but I won’t,” and other similar lines.

Such tactics were truly low-level, almost identical to those Brule had used to push Morrison out before. But back then, Morrison had willingly stepped aside, seeing through the filth of the aristocracy.

Morrison didn’t fully understand those coded words, but he wasn’t a fool. By piecing together the context and Zhao’er’s reaction, he could easily figure out what had happened.

Brule’s repeated mention of “this time,” “last time,” “this life,” and “the last life,” of course, didn’t escape Morrison’s attention.

Brule had changed a lot since they last met. There was a faint, corpse-like stench on him, indicating he had made some sort of deal…

Besides that, he was still as sneaky and underhanded as ever, resorting to those subtle tricks. Morrison was tired of dealing with them. He could tell Brule was stalling.

How is it possible that after being reborn, he still hasn’t grown any brains?

When Morrison was at the academy, his alchemy skills were top-notch. What was he thinking, playing these tricks in front of him… It was just stupid.

And the reason Morrison was willing to play along and pretend he didn’t know anything wasn’t because he had suddenly developed a sense of camaraderie. It was simply because he was waiting for Zhao’er’s choice.

Morrison enjoyed being with Zhao’er. It allowed him to completely let go of everything, but he didn’t want to influence Zhao’er’s choice.

If Zhao’er didn’t want to be with him, if he preferred to stay with the so-called “main character,” then Morrison would, of course, respect his decision.

Morrison gently stroked the little dragon wings on the juvenile dragon’s back, who was resting on his arm. He couldn’t believe how fast the little one was growing. It used to be no bigger than his palm, and the little one would even sleep on his shoulder.

Now, it was about the size of his arm… Feeling Morrison’s gaze, the little dragon gently nuzzled him, as if comforting him. Its crystal-clear pink eyes were so pure that every detail was visible.

— So cute.

A warm sensation flooded Morrison’s chest. When he spoke again, his voice carried a slight tremor, indicating that his heart wasn’t as calm as it appeared.

After all, he and Zhao’er had spent so much time together, and they still had a fundamental understanding of each other. Sometimes, there was no need for words; just a glance, and Zhao’er could understand his meaning.

Looking at the little dragon’s tail swishing in a small arc,

Zhao’er… seemed truly happy.

Everything was proceeding exactly as Brule had planned from the beginning. He appeared at a specific street corner, guiding them to the trap he had set up in advance. The invisible drug powder in the air was taking effect a little slowly, but it wouldn’t draw attention…

Next came the delay…

Looking at the figures of one person and one dragon slumped on the ground, it was almost too smooth to be believable. Brule had a slight doubt and didn’t dare to get too close.

However, he remembered what Zhao’er had said in the previous life—that main characters always had the “main character’s halo,” and everything they did would succeed. So… is this the main character’s halo?

He cautiously approached Morrison, or rather, he was trying to get closer to Zhao’er.

“You’re finished.”

“Murphys…”

At the moment he bent down, a sharp sword blade pierced through his abdomen, swift and precise, without a trace of hesitation—truly the style of the former Knight Captain.

“Is that so…”

The previously slumped Morrison opened his eyes. His gaze was clear, and there was no sign of having been knocked out. Zhao’er also immediately woke up. His external signs of happiness were very obvious, with his tail wagging non-stop.

“You’re the one who’s finished…”

The Kingdom had produced many famous Knight Captains over several generations, but Morrison was the most renowned among them. During his time, there was a saying passed down to new recruits who wanted to spar with the Knight Captain:

“If you face off with Morrison, don’t let him close the distance. His speed is so fast that by the time you think the match has started, to him, it’s already over…”

Brule, of course, knew this.

He knew Morrison was skilled in close combat and possessed immense strength. If it came to a physical fight, he certainly wouldn’t stand a chance against him. That’s why he had initially tried to keep his distance, planning to bring him down from afar before moving in…

And Morrison knew it would be nearly impossible to let Brule get close. Brule was very cunning, always maintaining a safe distance no matter what.

It seemed that Morrison wasn’t really a knight anymore and most likely didn’t follow any paladin code. And as everyone knew, wizards could be full of nasty tricks, making them hard to defend against.

So… he decided to turn the tables on Brule…

---

“Looks like reincarnation didn’t do much for your intelligence.”

Morrison wiped his sword, and for the first time, his tone held a hint of mockery.

Brule didn’t respond, as if he didn’t feel any pain at all. His gaze was entirely fixed on Zhao’er.

All he wanted was for Zhao’er to look at him, even if it was just for a moment…

But… gods were always supposed to be high and mighty…

And what he was thinking, Zhao’er had no idea.

He even thought Brule would try to make some sort of counterattack.

However, unexpectedly, Brule didn’t make any move to resist.

He struggled, his knees slowly sinking to the ground, as if the blood gushing from his wounds didn’t exist at all. Trembling, he pressed his elbows to the ground, crawling slowly to Zhao’er’s feet.

He lifted his face, gazing at Zhao’er with his deep eyes.

His gaze was incredibly sincere, and his expression could almost be described as devout…

Like the most loyal follower kneeling before Zhao’er…

His lips were pale from blood loss.

He was yearning for Zhao’er to reach out and pat his head, as though rewarding him.

Zhao’er was momentarily stunned by his actions, unable to react at first. But as Morrison picked him up, Zhao’er could clearly see out of the corner of his eye that Brule was kissing the ground where he had just stood.

— There were small claw marks on the ground.