Death Progress Bar Chapter 4-5

Death Progress Bar Chapter 4-5

"Darling!"

This enthusiastic call reverberated through the house like a ray of light gloriously breaking through the clouds, taking the people present in the living room aback.

Shi Jin became aware that the three pairs of eyes were giving him a death glare, the refined-looking man even pointed the gun at him again. Shi Jin's overexcitation cooled quickly. He looked gingerly at the only person not giving out a killing intent, Xiao Si's “darling”, and tried to save the situation. Forcing a smile, he uttered: “…My dad always called me ‘darling', he loved me very much…”

The man in the wheelchair declined to comment on the whole thing. He waved his hand at the gentle-faced man to stop his approach, his eyes skimming over Shi Jin's figure, and asked, “Well?”

“Well, I, well…” The man's voice was cool and clear, very pleasant to listen to, but it made Shi Jin's hair stand up on the back of his neck. Frantically calling out to Xiao Si in his mind, he tried to save his life. “Well… I mean yes, I am Shi Xingrui's youngest son, Shi Jin.”

“How can you prove your ident.i.ty?” The man continued to ask.

Shi Jin swallowed and couldn't help but look at the progress bar above the other party's head. “Under the bed in my room, there's a cuc.u.mber pillow with my ID card inside…” What was on his mind, though, was the situation of Xiao Si's ‘darling'—with the progress bar reaching 999.5, it seemed to be rather grim.

Just as this thought flashed through Shi Jin's head, Xiao Si finally showed up—he had started to suspect it of having a system freeze. It shrieked in Shi Jin's brain without any warning:

“…” Who are you calling your son?!

Shi Jin knitted his brows in pain, feeling as if his brain was about to explode from Xiao Si's wails. He reacted to Xiao Si's words a second later, looking at his progress bar in shock.

—It really was 998.5, he didn't hear wrongly!

Just a short while ago it had only reached 960, so why… Shi Jin's heart stopped for a moment. Breaking out in a cold sweat, he gaped at the man in the wheelchair, who was watching him indifferently, as if looking at someone already dead.

I'm done for.

Xiao Si puffed out its chest proudly. Receive your power? What power, the heck you're talking about?

Shi Jin was doubtful, but before he could inquire further, the mountain outside the windows trembled. There was a faintly discernible sound of an explosion, and the ground shook.

Holy… s.h.i.t…

Shi Jin was struck dumb with astonishment and he exclaimed in wonder: “Xiao Si, so you were this powerful…”

Xiao Si refuted. It continued in a small voice, Then what has happened just now?

Shi Jin's mind was in chaos. Then he glimpsed the progress bar belonging to the “darling” from of corner of his eye; it seemed to flicker faintly as if filling up. Startled, he turned his head fully to take a closer look. His heart sank—it was really rising bit by bit!

Shi Jin's ability to calm down in the face of danger played a role once again—he looked around quickly and noticed that a crystal chandelier hanging from the ceiling was swaying gently. Without stopping to think, he grabbed the man's legs and shoved the wheelchair back with all his strength, rolling away at the same time.

Creak.

The next moment, the chandelier broke loose.

Bang!

The chandelier crashed into the floor and shattered, some of its broken pieces. .h.i.tting Shi Jin. Across the room, the wheelchair pushed away by Shi Jin slammed into the sofa and toppled over, throwing the man to the ground.

“Jun-shao!” When the refined-looking man who was outside contacting his subordinates realized something happened, his expression changed. He dropped his cell phone and ran towards the fallen man.

Xiao Si let out a shrill scream in Shi Jin's mind. Shi Jin stirred, hurting all over. He said in a weak voice, “Don't shout, I'm not dead…” Turning his head towards the sofa surrounded by an anxious crowd, he managed to catch the sight of the man through the gaps between people. He forced a smile at him and finally felt at ease: the man's points dropped by half. It seems that this ‘darling' of Xiao Si had much better luck with emptying his progress bar than Shi Jin…

The smell of disinfectant was overwhelming. Shi Jin opened his eyes and saw the person sitting beside the bed. He couldn't help but frown and grumble, feeling pained. How come this scene feels so freaking familiar?

Today, Xiao Si's voice was full of vigor. Shi Jin turned his head resignedly and looked at the man. The good-looking man, who changed into a patterned robe that resembled blue and white pottery, appeared to sense his gaze. He looked up and opened his pale lips, speaking with a voice that was still cool and pleasant to listen to: “Shi Jin, my name is Lian Jun.”

What were Shi Jin's options? He could only nod politely and say, “Nice to meet you.”

“Mm.” Lian Jun acknowledged his words, then once again dropped his gaze to the tablet pc he was holding.

One minute, two minutes… After five minutes pa.s.sed, it was clear that Lian Jun was not going to say anything more. Shi Jin couldn't take it any longer: “Uh, yesterday…”

Lian Jun raised his head.

Shi Jin looked at his unhealthy and pallid face, which still seemed entirely too handsome, and said, “We live in a harmonious society, it's better to abide by the law. You shouldn't play at being a gangster, it's too dangerous…”

“Pfft.” Gua Two, who was guarding the door, couldn't help but snicker.

Lian Jun glanced over at him, then put his tablet down and said, “I am not a gang member.”

Only then Shi Jin realized there was someone else in the room. He smiled sheepishly and started to grumble in his mind: The h.e.l.l you aren't! That gun and explosion yesterday, and the whole talk about the contact point and hidden base—if you people aren't a criminal syndicate then what are you, the military?! Wait, the military… He couldn't help but widen his eyes.

“I'm not from the government either.” Shi Jin's thoughts were written on his face, Lian Jun saw through him at a glance. He put the tablet pc next to his pillow and said, “You should rest.” After that, he maneuvered his wheelchair out of the room.

Gua Two smirked and waved goodbye to Shi Jin, following his boss out.

The room became quiet. Shi Jin was baffled: “So why was he here? He waited for me to wake up just to introduce himself?”

Xiao Si was full of exhilaration:

“…” Aren't you far too biased towards your darling?

The tablet pc that Lian Jun left behind was completely new, with only some system software installed. Shi Jin looked it over, more and more perplexed by Lian Jun's actions. Seeing no one else in the room, he stealthily opened the software download center and searched for the mahjong app—he has been scared witless last night and needed to take things easy for now.

He ended up “taking things easy” for five days.

During this time, except for the close-mouthed bro delivering the meals and the doctor who came to change the dressings on his wounds, Shi Jin hasn't seen anyone else. He also couldn't leave his room.

“What exactly is your darling planning?” No matter how good Shi Jin's temper was, he was close to losing it.

Xiao Si asked in a guilty voice, Shi Jin wrapped himself up in the blanket, refusing wordlessly.

That evening, Shi Jin finally met someone else—a handsome young man who had been accompanying Lian Jun that day.

“I'm called Gua Two,” the man introduced himself with a friendly smile. He put a bag on the hospital bed and said, “Change your clothes, I'll take you to dinner.”

Shi Jin got up in silence and took the bag to the bathroom. After five days, he was finally let out for fresh air.

Following the man out, Shi Jin kept observing the surroundings secretly and did not speak, Gua Two seemed to be a talker though. He took the initiative to pick a topic: “I was told you are the new owner of the Ruixing Corporation?”

Shi Jin glanced at him and nodded, then shook his head. “Ruixing has nothing to do with me now.”

“That's right, your company was s.n.a.t.c.hed by your eldest brother.” Gua Two smiled and cheerfully twisted the knife. “You're pathetic.”

“…” If the original ‘Shi Jin' was here right now, this would make him burst out crying.

Gua Two still felt it wasn't enough. He continued, “I've also heard that when you first met Jun-shao, you called him ‘darling' and touched his legs?”

Shi Jin shuddered. Recalling that his progress bar filled up almost completely after Lian Jun heard that word, he frantically shook his head: “It's not true, I didn't, it was a misunderstanding.”

“Don't worry, don't worry, everyone loves beauty. Jun-shao really is so tempting it should be a crime. Still, those who dared to even think about him like that…” Gua Two paused deliberately.

Shi Jin was simple-minded enough to swallow the bait and asked nervously, “What, what happened to them?”

Gua Two's face became unfathomable. His line of sight slowly moved down, stopping three inches below Shi Jin's navel, and he made a snipping gesture with his fingers.

Shi Jin winced and instinctively crossed his legs, feeling a bitter taste in his mouth. Turning pale, he tried to vindicate himself: “Brother, you really misunderstood, I like girls…”

Gua Two's face sank and a small gun appeared in his hand. He asked in a menacing tone: “You mean to say Jun-shao doesn't look better than women?”

“…” This person's face changes instantly, as if in a Sichuan opera! How could I ever think he was friendly?!

“Huh?” Gua Two c.o.c.ked the gun.

Shi Jin weighted his options and decisively flattered: “No, no, I didn't mean this. Your Jun-shao is obviously more attractive than most of the girls, he is really—“

Gua Two suddenly stopped, all emotions on his face disappearing instantly, and slid open a discreetly elegant door beside him. He bowed gracefully and said in a polite tone, “We have reached the dining room, please go inside, Mr. Shi.”

Lian Jun, who was sitting on the tatami mats inside, leaned on the table filled with food and drink and asked: “I'm really what?”

Shi Jin: “…”

Xiao Si exploded: Shi Jin also felt a sudden violent impulse, but he only said in a low voice, “Gua Two, I know you are envious that I touched the legs of your Jun-shao, but it was in order to save him… Oh, but even if you like the same s.e.x, it's fine. You've got nothing to be ashamed of, I won't treat you differently.” He patted Gua Two on the shoulder, hard.

Xiao Si secretly added a strength-raising buff to Shi Jin's hand.

Gua Two's face contorted from pain, but he did not dare to throw Shi Jin's hand off. Turning to look toward Lian Jun, he explained emphatically: “Jun-shao, I was just joking, who knew Mr. Shi would take it seriously…”

“Go punish yourself.” Lian Jun coldheartedly ignored Gua Two's suddenly miserable face and beckoned Shi Jin over. “Let's eat.”

Satisfied, Shi Jin released Gua Two's shoulder and added with a smile, “You're pathetic.” Gua Two revealed an expression as if he was forced to eat feces. Shi Jin, proud of taking revenge, triumphally stepped into the dining room and sat opposite Lian Jun.

Translator's Notes: In case you missed it, Shi Jin and Xiao Si are talking inside Shi Jin's mind. Xiao Si doesn't exist physically (that's why it's an “it” – no gender). Even though the author tends to describe Xiao Si's actions, it's not like Shi Jin can see it performing them; he just has a feeling that “Xiao Si did something”.“Jun-shao!” – ‘shǎo' [少] means ‘young master of a rich family', but it's rather archaic; I'm going to keep it as it is. (Shi Jin was also called ‘young master' [少爷, shàoyé], but it has a modern English equivalent, so I translated it directly. In simple terms, it's like the difference between ‘Mr.' and ‘my lord'.)“…resembled blue and white pottery” – like this.“Gua Two” [卦二] – it's a code name. “…his face changes instantly, as if in a Sichuan opera” – Wiki link: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bian_lian Lian Jun has no idea about the death progress bar. Also, the progress bar doesn't cause the danger, it only shows how dangerous the situation is—it's like a speedometer.

I love Gua Two, he's my favourite supporting character~

Today, Lian Jun was wearing a cyan robe with white patterns. He sat on tatami mats reclining lazily against a beige cushion, looking nothing like the underworld boss—he seemed to be an ancient n.o.ble, carefree and unrestrained.

He waited for Shi Jin to take a seat, then started to pour him a cup of wine asking: “Are you that happy?”

The smile on Shi Jin's face froze for a second. He looked at the progress bar over Lian Jun's head that displayed 600 points, his mind chaotic. “Xiao Si, what happened? Didn't your darling's progress bar fall to 500 five days ago? How come it's 100 points higher now?!”

Xiao Si was also stupiefied. It stuttered, Not getting a response, Lian Jun looked into Shi Jin's slightly unfocused eyes and asked, not losing his composure: “What are you looking at?”

“I'm looking at your…” Shi Jin caught himself in time. He moved without a second thought, catching Lian Jun's hand holding the bottle of wine, and smiled wryly: “…Your face—you don't seem well and I'm still a minor. We both really shouldn't be drinking, so let's forget about the wine…”

Lian Jun's eyes fell on his hand.

Shi Jin instinctively followed his gaze.

A fleshy and pasty paw was boldly gripping the pale, slender hand holding an exquisite porcelain bottle. Somehow, it looked really indecent.

Xiao Si was between laughter and tears: Shi Jin jerked his arm back and explained tearfully, “Ah, I didn't mean to touch your hand…”

“I know.” Lian Jun took back his hand and pressed the bell on the table, saying in a mild tone, “Just like you didn't mean to touch my legs a few days ago.”

Shi Jin: “…” I want to cry, but no tears flow out—why are you such a brat?

As soon as the bell rang out, the door opened. One of the men who were present in the hallway five days ago appeared at the entrance, calling out with a respectful expression, “Jun-shao.”

“Gua Three, go and bring Mr. Shi's belongings.” Lian Jun ordered.

Gua Three nodded in acknowledgement and gently closed the door.

The room became quiet again. This time, Shi Jin did not dare to either talk or look around. He hung his head down and pretended to be a stone statue.

Lian Jun did not look at him. He picked up his chopsticks and ate a mouthful, his pale lips turning slightly darker. He asked, “Why aren't you eating? Is the food not to your liking?”

Why ask when you already know the answer?

Shi Jin bit his tongue, picked up his chopsticks and reached for the nearest dish of pickled cuc.u.mbers. He made up his mind to keep far away from Lian Jun, this man-eating beauty.

“I was told that the sixth young master of Shi family likes all kinds of food, but hates cuc.u.mbers… Apparently, people who like to eat heavily flavored food think cuc.u.mber is without any taste,” Lian Jun said slowly and deliberately, picking up a peanut.

Shi Jin's hand stiffened for a second, his chopsticks grabbing the three-color fried shrimp next to the pickled cuc.u.mbers. In his mind, he started to complain to Xiao Si: “Your darling is trying to fatten me up for slaughter, can't you stop him somehow?”

Xiao Si hummed and hawed, unwilling to face reality: “He wouldn't deliberately put the pickled cuc.u.mbers in front of me in order to test me?” Shi Jin spoke through clenched teeth, his voice gloomy. “He wouldn't deliberately misrepresent me grabbing his legs?”

Xiao Si said in a small voice: Shi Jin felt his system was trying to make him die of anger.

Seeing he refused to speak, Xiao Si softened and decided to appease him. Hearing this, Shi Jin felt a little better. He put the shrimp he held in his chopsticks for a long time into his mouth.

Lian Jun, who has been observing his actions, asked, “What were you doing just now, praying for the souls of the dead shrimps before eating them?”

Shi Jin quickly chewed and swallowed. He said placidly: “My dad used to tell me I should know how to be grateful. Whether it's tasty food, warm sunshine or a smile from pa.s.sers-by, all the good things are worth being thankful for. Also, we should be especially grateful to those who have helped us!”

Lian Jun put down his chopsticks, picking up his cup. “I'm surprised Mr. Shi Xingrui, who was known for his fierce and unforgiving nature, would teach his children to be so… kind and thoughtful. It is truly unexpected.”

“He played dumb just now! He wants to deny my saving his life earlier, what an a.s.s!” Shi Jin's heart was filled with indignation.

Xiao Si quickly placated him: Shi Jin: “…” Hearing this kind of “flattery”, he suddenly wanted to throw up the shrimp he had just eaten.

While they were bickering, there was a second knock at the door and a stranger carrying a bag appeared at the entrance. He had short hair and symmetrical face with deep-set eyes, with brows furrowed in what looked like a perpetual scowl. His irises were vividly green, indicating he was a mixed race.

“Jun-shao,” the man called out respectfully.

Expression in Lian Jun's eyes changed imperceptibly. “Why are you here, what about Gua Three?”

“Gua Three was called away by Gua One,” the man answered in a straightforward way.

Lian Jun acknowledged his words with a nod and ordered, “Put those things down and get out.”

“Yes, sir.” The man stepped into the room, put the bag on the table, and quietly withdrew, completely ignoring Shi Jin the whole time.

Shi Jin frowned slightly.

“Have you noticed?” Pensive, he asked the system in his mind.

Xiao Si said hesitantly: “So I wasn't seeing things.” Shi Jin put down the chopsticks and couldn't help but look at the closed door. His frown became deeper. “This person wants to kill Lian Jun, so he's a lethal factor. Maybe the reason Lian Jun's progress bar has risen in the past few days is him.”

Xiao Si's tone also turned more somber. Lian Jun watched as Shi Jin kept twisting his head to look at the door and asked, “It seems Mr. Shi is quite interested in Gua Four?”

Shi Jin looked back at Lian Jun and the progress bar above his head. His expression became more serious. “Is that man called Gua Four?” Gua Two, Gua Four, and the one before was Gua Three—their names follow the same format and are in accordance with their rank. They can come into close contact with Lian Jun and seem to be his important right-hand men… This is going to be tricky.

Lian Jun turned the wine cup in his hand. His black eyes, resembling a bottomless pool of darkness, looked straight at Shi Jin and he said lightly: “Gua Four's appearance has always been eye-catching. I don't object to my subordinates falling in love.”

What the h.e.l.l is he talking about?

Shi Jin, who hadn't understood the implied meaning, ignored these words and answered Lian Jun's earlier question, “Yes, I'm really interested in Gua Four.”

“Mm.” Lian Jun took a sip of wine and his eyelids drooped, hiding his mood.

Xiao Si shivered: Shi Jin was startled. He looked at Lian Jun, who seemed to be concentrating on the wine, and continued, almost gnashing his teeth: “It's because I'm afraid of him! On the day I was caught, he looked at me through the crack in the door. His eyes were cold and cruel, I thought they resembled the eyes of a bloodthirsty beast. Now that I met him again, I think my gut feeling was right—he is very dangerous. He doesn't even look like a good person.” Nor does he look like someone who is loyal to his master.

Halfway through those words, Lian Jun raised his eyes again. He looked at speaking Shi Jin and took another sip of wine. His expression was inscrutable, making it impossible to know what he was thinking about.

Xiao Si yelled excitedly. “But your darling's bar has gone up, two points for every sip of wine.” Shi Jin splashed the system with cold water. He lost his patience with these constant fluctuations and with both of them trying to feel each other out. He got up and sat beside Lian Jun, taking the wine cup from his hand and stuffing his used chopsticks into it. He said snappily, “If your health isn't good, then don't drink! Are you that tired of life? Stop speaking and eat—I'm hungry and I don't want to talk to you for now.” After that, Shi Jin picked up his chopsticks and started to eat, still thinking about the supposed bad guy, Gua Four.

He's far away from his brothers and Lian Jun, though unpredictable, does not seem to want to kill him for now, so even if his progress bar is almost full, Shi Jin could be said to be currently safe.

Lian Jun was not. His points were rising and falling quickly, apparently, his lethal factors are different than those of Shi Jin. There was a possible traitor by his side and his health was poor—his situation was more dangerous.

Sure enough, there's no fast and easy way to make Lian Jun's progress bar drop… Shi Jin picked up a piece of fish fillet and mourned the naive him from five days ago.

It was a first time that Lian Jun's wine cup was taken away from him. He was stunned for a long time, then looked at Shi Jin, who stuffing himself with food. Strangely, he wasn't angry at his rudeness or annoyed because he was too close—on the contrary, watching the way Shi Jin ate, Lian Jun thought the food must be delicious. He felt hungry and moved his chopsticks, reaching for the fish fillet that Shi Jin had just eaten.

The dinner that began with excitement ended quite peacefully.

Full of food and drink, Shi Jin was shown to a cozy and comfortable room by the plain-looking Gua Three. Holding his lost-and-recovered baggage in his arms, he asked confusedly: “Why did my progress bar fall back to 880 after having a meal?” Could it be that people who don't speak live longer?

Xiao Si proudly puffed out its chest: Shi Jin then remembered that after all, he also was a man with the golden finger. His eyes lit up: “So what kind of buff did you add to me, trust bonus or friendliness bonus?”

Xiao Si shook its head and explained: Shi Jin wasn't convinced: “So in the end, what buff did you give me?”

Xiao Si hesitated.

Shi Jin started to have a bad feeling. His voice became heavy: “To confess is to be punished leniently, to refuse is to be punished severely.”

The threat worked quite well. Xiao Si gave in and mumbled, Shi Jin didn't understand: “What kind of buff is that? Does it make the food tastier or my appet.i.te better?” But he didn't eat that much at dinner.

Xiao Si's voice was getting smaller and smaller. Shi Jin: “…”

Translator's Notes: “Your darling is trying to fatten me up for slaughter” – orig. 鸿门宴, “giving the Hongmen Feast”. Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_at_Hong_GateJinJin is the best, I love you, JinJin, JinJin is the cutest child in the whole world! – Chinese: 进进你最好了, 进进么么哒, 进进是这世上最好看的未成年！“To confess is to be punished leniently, to refuse is to be punished severely” [坦白从宽，抗拒从严] – China's traditional criminal policy. I think most of you know that “golden finger” means “cheat”, aka “the protagonist's cheat”, so I'm not putting it in the notes.

Some of Xiao Si's buffs are quite useful.