Chapter 2063: Mosquito

The Central Meteorological Observatory had issued continuous thunderstorm warnings. Over the past six months, most southern regions of the country had experienced lightning strikes, strong winds, and heavy rainfall. Citizens were reminded to exercise caution when traveling.

The LCD screen mounted on the wall had turned on at some point, emitting a noisy, intermittent broadcast accompanied by a static crackle.

It was too loud!

In the empty white ward, a creak from the bed signaled the young man's awakening, though he remained unable to move.

His legs remained numb. He struggled to turn his head, lifted his eyelids, and gazed out the window.

The window screen was half-drawn, revealing bright sunshine outside.

A warm beam of light pierced the room, yet it did little to dispel the lingering chill. Its only message was the arrival of morning.

"Another day alive..."

From habit, he reached out, and a rectangular remote control came to hand.

Xu Xiaoshou casually switched off the weather forecast, then fiddled aimlessly with the wall-mounted display.

He had been in this private ward for three years, having barely left his bed during that time.

Aside from the daily morning weather forecast that served as a wake-up call, the screen on the wall was primarily used for streaming live broadcasts.

It was one of Xu Xiaoshou's few pleasures.

He enjoyed watching outdoor streamers, particularly those who filmed mountain climbing or bungee jumping. Even simple street photography in the city, with a phone, captivated him.

"Look, look! See who the streamer caught today?"

A quirky, excited shout successfully piqued his interest.

Xu Xiaoshou paused, remote control in hand, and squinted at the live stream; he was somewhat nearsighted.

The camera focused on a pedestrian crossing at an intersection, where a towering man stood. Surrounded by modern people, he was the only one in ancient attire, sporting an exaggerated style of long black and red hair.

Traffic flowed ceaselessly around him.

Passersby, none of whom reached his chest in height, cast peculiar glances at the anachronistically dressed man.

"Isn't that awkward...?"

Xu Xiaoshou muttered to himself, assuming it was some celebrity who had just finished filming a fantastical Wuxia drama or movie, then "accidentally" forgotten to remove their makeup before heading out for snacks, hoping to trend online.

He had certainly succeeded!

The live stream chat instantly became frantic, with comments scrolling rapidly:"Who is that? So tall, must be two meters!""Seriously, not at work this early, cosplaying as the Demon Lord? Looks like he's unwell.""Don't recognize his face, and he's not exactly handsome. Which C-list celeb is out here unmasked, making a scene?""Hard to say. He's frowning, looking down, shrugging... Does he seriously think he's from another dimension?""Inner monologue: Damn it, is this the age of spiritual decline? I truly want to exterminate these ants, but that would disrupt the space-time continuum..."

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't help but crack a smile.

He had to admit, online pranksters sometimes displayed a level of wit that was almost enviable.

He focused his gaze and noticed a "500 meters from you" tag in the bottom left corner of the screen. Was this man near the hospital?

"Bzzzz..."

A sudden dizziness swam in his head, an uncomfortable feeling of nausea that wouldn't fully materialize.

Xu Xiaoshou's vision blurred. When he regained his senses, his ears were still buzzing, so he slapped himself hard.

He missed!

A black spotted mosquito darted past his eyes, then settled on the white duvet draped over his knees, seemingly staring at him in defiance.

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes hardened. These mosquitoes were notorious for their venomous bites, which caused large, intensely itchy welts.

"When did the room get so unhygienic? Mosquitoes, this early...?"

He struggled to bend his upper body, intent on swatting the mosquito.

He missed again!

His flexibility, even during school, had always been poor, let alone now with his lower body paralyzed.

Crucially, the mosquito remained unalarmed, hovering directly over the duvet on his knee, showing no inclination to fly away, as if it knew it couldn't be hit.

"You're truly asking for it!"

Infuriated, Xu Xiaoshou flung the remote control, which clattered against the bedside table.

It flew past the mosquito.

He still didn't manage to kill the mosquito.

If not for the faint buzzing, Xu Xiaoshou would have dismissed it as a hallucination. Why wasn't it flying away?

"What are you looking at? Believe it or not, I'll eat you!"

The mosquito remained motionless, like a stone carving, as if he could perceive its disdain. It didn't make a sound.

Xu Xiaoshou took a deep breath, ignored the mosquito, and looked back at the screen. The strange man in ancient attire was still posing on the sidewalk, causing a traffic jam. The longer he watched, the more annoyed he became.

Aside from his height, he seemed utterly useless, much like himself.

Just then, the screen violently shuddered. The man on the sidewalk turned his head, his gaze seeming to fix directly on Xu Xiaoshou through the live stream, and a light ignited in his eyes.

Good heavens, it wasn't an illusion.

His eyes truly glowed, a vivid crimson.

It was as if, when Xu Xiaoshou looked at him for the second time, the man also saw him and uttered a low, guttural sound in an unknown language: "Gulu Sa Lie..."

Xu Xiaoshou was bewildered.

For a moment, he genuinely thought the man was speaking to him.

Then it dawned on him: the man was outside the hospital, and Xu Xiaoshou was inside his ward, separated by a screen. How could they possibly see each other?

And also...

"What was that? 'Saranghae'?"

"What gibberish was that?"

As these thoughts flashed through his mind, Xu Xiaoshou unexpectedly felt he had deciphered the man's words:"I've found you..."

It was merely an intuition, impossible to verify.

Yet, the language itself seemed strangely familiar.

Xu Xiaoshou harbored a secret he had never shared.

For the past six months, coinciding with persistent nationwide thunderstorms, he had repeatedly dreamed the same dream.

In the dream, he had transcended to another world.

Sometimes he'd be competing in a "High-Flying Sword" contest with a female sword immortal fond of wearing camisoles.

Other times, he'd dream of a floating island in the sky, or ancient ruins transformed into a triple-layered world.

Even more absurdly, he seemed to have constructed yet another world within that one!

He dared not utter a word of this to the doctors or nurses.

Though he harbored a peculiar curiosity about psychiatric hospitals, like the Duke of She who loved dragons in theory but feared them in reality, Xu Xiaoshou had no desire to change his bed.

"Bzzzz..."

The infernal spotted mosquito circled his head once more, then settled back onto his immobile knee.

It was as if it wasn't a mosquito at all, but a great guardian spirit, vigilantly watching his surroundings.

Unbelievable.

Xu Xiaoshou's thoughts were broken. He hurled his pillow too, but his aim remained off, and he missed.

He abandoned his attempts to attack the mosquito.

Yet, the language spoken in his dream world sounded precisely like that gibberish.

"The Sacred Continent, then...?"

"That's a bit too fantastical..."

Xu Xiaoshou murmured soundlessly, then abruptly clamped his mouth shut. His private ward was under surveillance, and he needed to be careful not to utter such peculiar thoughts aloud.

"He moved!"

At that moment, hushed exclamations came from the live chat:"The Demon Lord moved! By the looks of it, he seems to be heading towards the hospital?""What? Going to a hospital dressed like that? Such a flashy family visit—he must be desperate for fame!""Whose older brother is this? I don't recognize him at all... Holy cow, he's fast!"

The screen was suddenly flooded with question marks.

Xu Xiaoshou looked up. The afterimage on the screen vanished.

The Demon Lord, astonishingly, was gone. In a fleeting glimpse, he seemed to have shot out of frame with a single stride.

"What was that? A human rocket?"

An ominous premonition settled in his heart. For no discernible reason, Xu Xiaoshou felt with certainty that the man was coming for him!

A sudden commotion erupted outside the ward, as if another medical dispute had broken out.

But this time, the disturbance was immense, with crashing and banging sounds, as if many people had been toppled. Then, suddenly...

"BOOM!"

As if a clown had pressed a remote control, the entire ward vibrated violently, as if a massive explosion had occurred directly beneath it.

"Boom, boom, boom..."

The deafening explosions grew louder, as if relentlessly drawing closer from a distance.

Xu Xiaoshou was terrified. In all his years, the closest he'd come to true danger was being choked by smoke from his abominable neighbor's corridor fire as a child. He'd never even witnessed a real fire, let alone an entire hospital being blown up!

"What audacity?"

"Robbing a bank is one thing, but bombing a hospital?"

"That's surely a crime punishable by immediate execution, akin to setting a fire in a building's hallway, right?"

A flurry of panicked thoughts raced through his mind. With a bang, the ward door suddenly burst open.

Was it the nurse?

Xu Xiaoshou bared his small, cute teeth. He looked up, and his pupils constricted in shock.

"De-Demon Lord... Big Brother?"

The anachronistically dressed man, taller than the doorframe, ducked to enter, a casual, almost complacent smile playing on his lips as he sauntered into the ward.

He seemed to have everything perfectly under control, as if enjoying a mere game.

Behind the door, a chorus of terrified screams escalated, accompanied by electric crackles and occasional small explosions, turning the outside into a living hell.

The sounds alone were enough to cause panic, but the person at the doorway...

One had to admit, a two-meter tall figure exerted quite an oppressive presence.

Xu Xiaoshou felt as if he was hallucinating.

Blood-red aura streamed from his feet, and his entire body seemed enshrouded in ethereal demonic energy. It was as if he wasn't cosplaying a Demon Lord, but was the Demon Ancestor himself!

He had never witnessed such special effects in movies, nor had he consumed any hallucinogens. How then was he seeing this?

Xu Xiaoshou's lips twitched. He instinctively wanted to raise a hand in greeting, but seeing the man's archaic attire, he instead cupped his hands and asked, "May I inquire your esteemed name, sir?"

"Demon Ancestor, Sheng Xin."

You're actually playing the Demon Ancestor?

Nobody told me I was part of the cast today. How did filming start without a script?

He scanned the room with his peripheral vision but found no cameramen or drones. Could hospital surveillance footage really be used for a movie?

Had the production team run so low on funds that they were now "freeloading" actors from among hospital patients?

Xu Xiaoshou was simultaneously exasperated and amused. Yet, he seemed a natural at acting, picking up the cue immediately. "Sir," he said, "are you here to kill me?"

"Indeed."

Oh, you're going to kill me?

I don't have many days left anyway.

But if you kill me, you'll end up in prison!

Xu Xiaoshou's interest was piqued. "May I ask, sir," he said, "what grave offense have I committed that warrants the esteemed Demon Ancestor's personal presence to kill me and sate your wrath?"

He scanned the "Demon Ancestor's" outlandish attire from head to toe, then gestured, smiling, "If I'm not mistaken, you've just crossed over from another world?"

The Demon Ancestor's eyebrows shot up, revealing a hint of surprise.

He glanced left and right, searching his surroundings, but found nothing he expected. Turning back, he scrutinized the young man on the bed, his voice laced with a mixture of caution and strangeness. "You... remember?"

Your acting is impressive!

Xu Xiaoshou felt that this single micro-expression alone was enough for "Demon Ancestor" to outshine all the nation's top male actors.

What surprised him was that the Demon Ancestor, who had just been speaking an otherworldly gibberish, was now conversing in perfectly clear Chinese.

You're kidding me!

Shouldn't you be speaking the language of the Sacred Continent?

He wasn't sure about the name "Sheng Xin," but in the legends of the Ten Ancestors from that other world, there was indeed mention of a Demon Ancestor, wasn't there?

Xu Xiaoshou's expression instantly became inscrutable. After a brief thought, mentally translating his native language into the tongue of the Sacred Continent, and adhering to the principle of "less said, less wrong," he nodded slightly and replied, "Whether I remember or not is irrelevant.""What matters is, are you sure you came prepared?"

The Demon Ancestor's pupils suddenly dilated, as if he had heard something utterly unbelievable, and he instinctively took a step back.

A true veteran actor!

Now that was real acting!

Xu Xiaoshou was startled by the man's reaction. He hadn't expected such an entertaining development at the end of his life. "Well then," he thought, "let's keep playing."

He glanced around. His two "artifacts"—the remote control and the pillow—were gone. Then he looked closer: the spotted mosquito was still perched motionless on the duvet on his knee, as if it, too, was a pre-arranged actor in this bizarre play.

He pointed at the mosquito, then, with an easy air, chuckled softly, "Do you know what this is?"

The Demon Ancestor's gaze flickered, clearly landing on the mosquito. He was about to sneer when he apparently realized that, despite the chaos, the mosquito remained unperturbed. His expression shifted instantly. "Xu Beast?!"

You really did cross over from another world, didn't you?

Xu Xiaoshou's brow furrowed, and he replied noncommittally, "A Ghost Beast."

At the mention of that word, Sheng Xin seemed to lose all composure, his body erupting with blood-red demonic energy.

"No way?!"

Aren't these special effects all added in post-production?

Xu Xiaoshou was astounded. Had the world truly advanced to a point where physical special effects were a reality?

"You intend to make a move?" He maintained a poker face, striving to uphold a master's composure.

"Xu Xiaoshou!"

The Demon Ancestor had just called out his real name. Had he learned it from the nurse, or somehow obtained his medical records?

Useless!

His own acting was superb, and the Demon Ancestor's was equally impressive. After a few lines, his voice turned severe, escalating the dramatic tension. "But do you truly believe that by deciphering my plan and tampering with the body of reincarnation in advance, you can evade death?"

Xu Xiaoshou lifted his chin, his expression haughty, and retorted instantly, "You want to kill me? You can try!"

With a low rumble, the Demon Ancestor's eyes shifted, and the ward wall, as if pre-rigged with explosives, shattered with a deafening blast.

Dust and smoke billowed, and the enormous roar of the explosion was identical to the one heard earlier from downstairs in the hospital.

"Holy cow, you're for real?!"

Xu Xiaoshou was so startled he nearly broke character, as debris from the explosion struck his bed, even tearing through his duvet.

It was just like real!

The Demon Ancestor raised his hand, and blood-red demonic power surged through it, as if to unleash a "Demon Ancestor's Grand Palm Seal"...

No, not "as if"!

"Die—"

Startled, he refused to utter another word, instead unleashing a palm strike that truly tore through the air.

In that instant, Xu Xiaoshou no longer felt like he was acting in a movie; he genuinely experienced the illusion of impending death, until...

"Whoosh!"

The Demon Ancestor's Grand Palm Seal suddenly vanished, as if it had never existed.

At this unexpected turn of events, the Demon Ancestor recoiled in shock, seemingly unable to comprehend what was happening from his vantage point.

Xu Xiaoshou, however, saw it clearly...

The Demon Ancestor's Grand Palm Seal—its energy had been directly absorbed by the mosquito.

So, this mosquito was actually a prop from the crew, and one of the actors too?

He lifted his head, looked at the bewildered Demon Ancestor, smiled, and spread his hands. "Is that all you've got?"

The Demon Ancestor was visibly enraged, his features contorting into a savage mask.

Just as he was about to make a move, a dusty nurse emerged from behind him, pushing the hospital dean forward. "Sir..." she began.

The Demon Ancestor backhanded him.

The dean's head, like a watermelon, exploded.

"Holy cow! Holy cow! Holy cow!"

Xu Xiaoshou's eyes nearly popped out of his head; he almost leaped out of bed.

Unfortunately, his lower body was completely paralyzed. But this scene didn't look like special effects. That blood... was it real?

He killed someone?

He really slapped a person to death with one palm?

No, I'm dreaming...

No, I transmigrated...

No, that's not right either. This Demon Ancestor Sheng Xin, he couldn't possibly have truly transmigrated, could he? No, am I going crazy? What am I even thinking...?

Terror-stricken, Xu Xiaoshou somehow maintained his composure, effortlessly continuing the role-play. Whether he was masking his panic or accepting a nightmarish reality, he only wanted to buy time. "Are you enraged out of humiliation?" he taunted."Sheng Xin, if this is the extent of your power, then my advice is: you now have ten breaths to flee."

A wave of dizziness washed over him.

In this moment of soul-stirring intensity, despite being fully conscious, he found himself re-entering that familiar dream.

In the dream, he was no longer paralyzed. Instead, he stood in the void, radiating power, his fist drawn back for a mighty blow. He unleashed it towards the time-space rift before him. "Fifty million accumulated power! Let's see how you block this, Sheng Xin!"

With a resounding boom, the time-space rift violently convulsed, revealing the shadowy outline of an entire world behind it, which then cracked and splintered.

The details were too abstract for Xu Xiaoshou to discern clearly.

Nevertheless, the passive punch, charged with fifty million units of power, effortlessly shattered that temporal world.

Fifty million just like that?

Xu Xiaoshou was utterly stunned.

His dreams could be saved.

Although they often fragmented or skipped, in the current main storyline of his dreams, his punch's maximum charge value never seemed to exceed a thousand.

How had it suddenly skyrocketed to fifty million?

Wait!

That wasn't the crucial part. The crucial part was that his other self, over there, had shouted "Sheng Xin"!

"This isn't a dream..."

A peculiar sensation welled up within him.

Ever since he encountered whatever those "Reincarnation Credentials" and "Two-Life Appearances" were, his occasional dreams of other worlds seemed to grow incredibly vivid.

He and his counterpart from the other world seemed to be forging a deeper connection as his other self's power continuously escalated.

And now!

As he looked towards his other-world self once more, that other self seemed, at last, to sense his gaze.

"Who's there?"

His other self, having just shattered the temporal realm with a punch, abruptly turned his head, scanning the surroundings.

"Me!""I'm here!""I'm here!"

Xu Xiaoshou frantically yelled inwardly. Unfortunately, he couldn't manifest "Reincarnation Credentials" or "Two-Life Appearances." Beyond this desperate internal plea, there was no other way to summon his other self for help.

What if this wasn't a dream? What if that other world was real too?

Xu Xiaoshou's mind sprang to life. A phrase like "Transcendent Dao Transformation, Ancestral Sight" could establish a connection, and simply "Calling the Sacred Name" could draw a glance.

If everything were built upon such absurd reality...

Perhaps, if Sheng Xin could cross over from that side, then why couldn't his other self?

"You actually have the aid of the Nuo Ancestor?"

At the entrance of the collapsed ward, Demon Ancestor Sheng Xin stared at the mosquito before him as if it were an ancient primeval beast.

The sight was utterly ridiculous, yet Xu Xiaoshou found no humor in it, for the dean's head had just been exploded.

It wasn't Ye Xiaotian from the other world; it was the dean of *this* hospital!

Although neither was particularly tall...

"Believe it or not, I have a way to control this beast?"

Half-paralyzed on his hospital bed, Xu Xiaoshou pointed at the mosquito, his eyes seeming to blaze with fiery light, cutting through the smoke and dust to stare directly at Demon Ancestor Sheng Xin.

What could be more beautiful than this absurd life, at its end, witnessing the world's spiritual awakening, offering the hope that he might one day stand again?

Even if, perhaps, it was all just a grand dream...

"Mosquito... Xu Beast... Nuo Ancestor..."

Xu Xiaoshou struggled to piece these elements together, as fragmented images he had experienced in that other world flashed through his mind.

There was the passive system triggered by casually swatting a mosquito when he first arrived in that world.

There was entering the "Ancient and Modern Tower of Forgetfulness," viewing the Gate of Reincarnation to read the past, and discovering the Nuo Ancestor.

And there was escaping the absurd "World Beyond the Three Doors," accompanied by the Nuo Ancestor's final word and the mosquito's buzzing, everything a dreamlike illusion.

Yet, the memory left behind was incredibly vivid. At that time, the Nuo Ancestor had said:"Name! After reincarnation, I shall use this to awaken you. Remember our slogan..."

Was it real?

Was none of this a dream?

From his hospital bed, Xu Xiaoshou watched Sheng Xin flicker, his face suddenly contorting into a grimace as he prepared to strike again.

Xu Xiaoshou couldn't stay put.

He abruptly raised his hands, acting preemptively, and chanted loudly, like one possessed, casting aside all embarrassment and shame:"Wings of eternal flame, lift me from mortal despair!"

—The Power of Belief!

Sheng Xin was stopped dead in his tracks, not from awkwardness, but from genuine shock.

Seeing this, Xu Xiaoshou decisively formed the "Malevolent Yin hand seal" and pressed it before the tiny, fingernail-sized spotted mosquito. The gesture was incongruous, yet he dared to roar:"APPEAR!!!"

With a thunderous crash, the eighteenth floor of the hospital exploded again with a tremendous roar.

This time, however, it wasn't Sheng Xin's doing—the Demon Ancestor himself was blown backward by the sudden blast.

On the hospital bed, Xu Xiaoshou felt himself flying upwards. Panicked, he desperately clutched the bedding beneath him...

But there was no bedding.

What he gripped was the black-and-gold speckled hide of an unknown, colossal creature. He himself was lifted from the ward and carried high into the sky.

"Holy cow! Holy cow! Holy cow!"

Xu Xiaoshou was losing his mind; he had acrophobia.

This time, however, looking down from such a height, his blood wasn't chilling but boiling with exhilaration.

The hospital clearly had a massive hole blown into it. Outside, traffic was completely jammed, alarms blared everywhere, and chaos reigned.

"Unbelievable!"

It was too fantastical. Below, people looked up, their faces etched with terror.

They were staring at him—at him, the one who could fly. And not just him, but also the sudden colossal creature he was riding.

The mosquito?

The spotted mosquito... it transformed?

"Xu Xiaoshou—"

Not far off, a voice gritted with fury echoed.

Xu Xiaoshou spun his head sharply, spotting another figure flying in the distance: the Demon Ancestor, Sheng Xin!

He was no longer afraid.

Not afraid at all.

For even as Sheng Xin reappeared, imbued with blood-demon energy and looking incomparably powerful, a deep, hoarse voice had resonated loudly in his ear:"Twelve-winged Blood-Feasting Golden Spotted Mosquito, by order, protect the Dao!"