My avatar is becoming the final boss

Chapter 248 Death, Birthday, News (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

After Gu Wenyu woke up, he looked up at the wall and saw the clock ticking away.

It was already 8 PM on August 5th.

At this moment, he was lying on the sofa in the living room, his head resting on the armrest, and looking down, he noticed that a thin quilt had been placed on him.

The standing fan next to me was on, its blades turning slowly, blowing a cool breeze that chased away the summer heat.

Turning my head to look at the window covered with a layer of water stains, I saw that the sky had cleared, but a faint damp smell still lingered in the air. A bird flew over the iron cables and power lines, facing the afternoon sun, spreading its wings and soaring into the clear, water-washed sky.

The aroma of cooking food wafted from the kitchen.

Gu Wenyu sniffed, turned his head and looked over, and saw Gu Qiye wearing an apron.

Gu Qiye lowered her eyes, focusing on washing the vegetables, her face expressionless.

Seemingly noticing out of the corner of his eye that Gu Wenyu on the sofa had moved, he raised an eyebrow and turned his head to look at him.

"woke up?"

"woke up."

Gu Wenyu nodded, thinking to himself that his older brother seemed to be in good spirits today. Was it because he had been lounging in the entryway for a whole day and night yesterday and had gotten plenty of rest?

"Let's eat first." Gu Qiye smiled slightly. "Then... let's go buy a cake."

"cake?"

Gu Wenyu was taken aback.

“Yes,” Gu Qiye said casually, “Isn’t today Dad’s birthday?”

“Oh…” Gu Wenyu paused for a moment, “That makes sense.”

He wanted to ask something, like, "Weren't you two making a huge racket in the entryway yesterday? Doesn't it feel awkward to celebrate your birthday today?"
However, considering that Gu Qiye seemed to be in a good mood, Gu Wenyu promptly stopped talking and refrained from saying anything irrelevant.

“Xiaomai replied to my message. She said she was just going out for a walk and would be back soon,” Gu Qiye said. “Don’t worry, the people around her are quite reliable.”

"My little sister is truly unbeatable. She ran off without a word and didn't reply for a whole day."

Gu Wenyu shrugged, thinking to himself that it was extremely urgent and he had to immediately take out the diapers he had been keeping in the cardboard box.

After thinking for a moment, he asked again, "What about Dad?"

“I didn’t ask him, what about you?” Gu Qiye asked after a moment of silence.

“Actually, I sent him a message yesterday morning before you two had even started arguing.”

"What did you post?"

“I told him, ‘Tomorrow night is your birthday, and we’ve ordered a cake for you.’”

"And then, what did he say?"

"I don't know, let me take a look first."

Gu Wenyu muttered to himself as he pulled his phone out from the sofa covered with a quilt.

I swiped to unlock the screen, glanced down at the text message interface, and saw that the message with the red dot was from my dad.

[Gu Zhuo's case: The cake doesn't need to be too expensive.]

Gu Wenyu truthfully said, "My dad suddenly replied to me early this morning, saying, 'You don't need to buy an expensive cake.'"

Gu Qiye paused slightly with her hands in the pool.

After a long pause, he slowly raised his head and asked:

"That's all he said?"

"Yeah, then let's not buy anything too expensive. Let's go along with Dad's wishes. Anyway, it's his birthday today. We're a bunch of grown men, so as long as the sentiment is there, that's enough. If you have any extra money, buy me a new pair of shoes instead."

Gu Wenyu kept talking on and on.

He added, "Ideally, it would be a collaboration shoe endorsed by Tun Yin. Since the rule is that students don't have to wear school uniforms on the first day of school on September 1st, I want to wear a full set of Tun Yin fan outfits to school. That's what a sense of ritual is!"

After saying that, Gu Wenyu clenched his fist, his face filled with hope and courage. It was burning, but he didn't know what it was burning for.

“Actually, it wasn’t that expensive to begin with.” Gu Qiye smiled.

"why?"

"Since we didn't make a reservation yesterday, we can only buy ready-made food at the store today, so the price is relatively lower," Gu Qiye said casually. "Let's go, we'll head out after breakfast."

"oh oh."

"You and your sister always say my taste is terrible, so you pick out the cake."

"No, no, my younger sister often criticizes my aesthetic sense too."

Gu Wenyu waved his hand.

Gu Qiye thought for a moment and said, "How about we take some photos in the cake shop and let Xiaomai pick one out?"

"Good, good... Little sister is indeed the little tyrant of the family. Even after running away from home, she still firmly holds the position of little tyrant. Little brother will always be little brother."

Gu Wenyu said with a sigh, rolling his eyes.

"There's no other way. If we can cheer up the little tyrant, she might suddenly come back in a couple of days," Gu Qiye said with a smile.

"So, bro, are you still going to join Rainbow Wings?"

Gu Wenyu suddenly brought it up.

"Let's not discuss this for now... Oh, by the way, remind Dad for me."

"Remind me of what?" Gu Wenyu raised an eyebrow.

Gu Qiye remained silent.

He looked down at the vegetable scraps floating in the pool, and suddenly recalled that day when he woke up in the emergency room of the Alien Association building. Fan Dongqing, "Azure Boat," and Yuriel, "Ice Girl," from Rainbow Wing, told him that besides recruiting him to join Rainbow Wing, they had another purpose in coming to Lijing:
——Arrest Ghost Bell.

Although it's called an arrest, the rules of the Heretics Association state that for an opponent of Ghost Bell's caliber, capturing him alive is not an option; killing him would already be a significant achievement.

Not to mention Rainbow Wing's style of treating human life as worthless.

Gu Qiye didn't know Yu Ruier well, but given Fan Dongqing's arrogant personality, it would be difficult to get him to spare Gui Zhong's life.

If Hongyi discovers that the person behind the Ghost Bell mask is actually his father, then his path to joining Hongyi will likely be completely cut off.

They will then have to undergo various investigations from the Heretics Association, and will not have a peaceful life for at least six months.

"Say something!" Gu Wenyu frowned. "What do you want me to remind Dad of? Why are you suddenly keeping me in suspense?"

“Remind him…to come back early and not to wander around outside,” Gu Qiye said.

"Look at you two, father and son, you're so awkward with each other, it takes you forever to say something like this." After saying that, Gu Wenyu picked up his phone and typed a message to Gu Zhuo'an.

It was as if every word typed on the screen was filled with contempt.

[Gu Wenyu: Dad, Big Brother wants you to come back right away for cake, okay?]

After thinking for a moment, he added another sentence.

[Gu Wenyu: Oh, and what's more! My little sister's run away from home again. Aren't you going to come back and give her a good dressing down?]

"Okay, I'm done sending it."

"Then wash your face, brush your teeth, and eat."

Gu Wenyu quickly finished washing up, had a big appetite, and sat down at the dining table for a hearty meal.

Actually, he didn't eat anything all day yesterday. His older brother was sprawled on the entryway without cooking, and he was too lazy to order takeout. He just lay on the bed playing on his phone and spacing out.

After having breakfast, the two got up and went out, basking in the sun on the streets after the rain as they walked towards the cake shop.

"The owner's name is Connie. He used to be a member of the Outcasts Association."

"A member of the Outcasts Association?" "Yes, but unfortunately not every Outcast can do well. Connie couldn't support himself anymore, so he resigned from the association and opened a cake shop."

"With the economy in a downturn, nothing is easy."

“I think I was only a freshman or sophomore in high school at the time, and I was a newbie in the club. Connie took care of me. So after that, I ordered the cake from him every year for your birthdays.”

"Come to think of it, we don't think we've ever celebrated your birthday once," Gu Wenyu said. "Every time it's your birthday, you make excuses and say you'll buy me a cake when you're working and have money. My little sister is almost brought to tears by you."

"Actually, I've been too busy," Gu Qiye shrugged. "Taking time to celebrate your birthdays with you two was something I already got by asking for leave in advance." He paused, looked up at the sky, and continued:

"At that time, the association was on the rise. Not only did I have to go out on patrol and carry out missions, but I also had to shoot commercials. There was a ton of work to do, not to mention the monthly exams, midterms, finals, and mock exams at school..."

"Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised if you suddenly died at any time."

"Hmph... If you keep saying that, Comrade Blue Arc will get angry."

After saying that, Gu Qiye played a light prank.

He sent a faint electric current through his fingertips, then raised his hand and touched the top of Gu Wenyu's head.

A tingling sensation came from the top of his head, instantly spreading throughout his body along his bones. Gu Wenyu blinked, his spirits lifted, and even his dark circles seemed to have faded.

However, his walking movements suddenly became as stiff as a robot's.

"Isn't that a bit of an exaggeration? You've been turned into a robot dance master?" Gu Qiye asked with a smile.

"You might as well electrocute me! Just like your little sister, you love using your superpowers to bully the only human in the family." Gu Wenyu was furious and forcefully slapped his hand away, his hair getting a little messy.

Before long, the two arrived at Connie's Cake Shop, and looked up to see a dazzling array of cakes in the display case.

Connie was a middle-aged man in a jumpsuit, with a rugged face and a side-shaved hairstyle. He stood behind the counter with his arms crossed, a cigarette dangling from his lips, his physique so good it seemed to burst out of his clothes.

“Pick whatever you like,” Connie said in a low voice, glancing at Gu Qiye.

"Oh? Then I won't stand on ceremony," Gu Qiye asked, looking up.

"Go! Go! Go."

After saying that, Connie moved into the room behind the counter.

As planned, the two brothers then took photos and asked Lord Su Zimai, who was far away in Haifan City, for his opinion.

Su Zimai was in a bad mood because of Lin Zhengquan's matter.

But in order to appear as if nothing was wrong in front of Gu Qiye, she opened a video call and patiently guided the two of them from the other side of the screen.

[Su Zimai: In short, those pretty, bright red, purple, or even girly pink cakes can be ruled out!]

Finally, Xiaomai picked out a dark chocolate cake that had a strangely gothic feel, and said in a very reasonable manner: it suits Dad's reserved personality. The cake is not about being exquisite, but about whether it is suitable!
While packing at the counter, Connie placed a small neon sign that read "Happy Birthday" on top of the cake before closing the box.

"Payment code? Or cash?" Gu Qiye took out her phone.

"This is for you. Happy retirement," Connie said. "Enjoy it... You're still young, life is just beginning."

As he spoke, he took the cigarette out of his mouth, patted Gu Qiye on the shoulder, and then walked away without looking back.

Gu Qiye was taken aback and his smile faded.

He belatedly looked up from his phone and silently watched Connie's retreating figure.

"Dude, what are you so emotional about?"

As he spoke, Gu Wenyu raised his hand and waved it in front of him, "If you tell other people that you are Blue Arc, let alone a cake, I feel like it's not impossible for me to give you a villa."

"Let's go back..."

After saying that, carrying the neat and beautiful packaging box, Gu Qiye walked out of the cake shop bathed in orange-yellow light.

But on the way back, it started raining again.

The two brothers took shelter from the rain at the bus stop, looking up at the drizzling rain. The sky was a hazy gray, with endless rain clouds drifting in from afar.

The dim neon signs were reflected in the puddles, and the world in the rain seemed to be covered with a blurry filter.

"Uncle Connie, how did you know you were retiring?" Gu Wenyu suddenly asked. "Didn't you tell anyone yet?"

“Because he knows me too well,” Gu Qiye said softly. “After hearing what Mu Long said, he knew I would definitely give up, right?”

"But you saved so many people, and all you did was kill one ordinary person..."

“But Mom,” Gu Qiye interrupted him, “wasn’t she just an ordinary person who was accidentally killed?”

He muttered to himself, his bangs falling across his forehead obscuring his eyes, a self-deprecating smile playing on his lips.

After a long time, the rain still showed no signs of stopping.

But then a figure appeared through the rain – it was a cake shop employee. She had been searching for a long time before finally spotting the two people at the station, and hurriedly ran over to hand them an umbrella.

Gu Wenyu was surprised and asked her why she was in such a hurry.
She said, otherwise the store manager would be angry.

"Uncle Connie is such a nice guy. I know a bookstore owner who's also a good person," Gu Wenyu said with emotion, opening his umbrella upwards.

"Yes."

The two brothers, holding umbrellas, walked side by side out of the bus stop and disappeared into the drizzling rain.

A moment later, Gu Wenyu released the key and pushed open the door.

He placed the wet umbrella on the shoe cabinet, then changed into slippers, sat down on the sofa, turned on the fan, and lay down.

"When did Dad say he'd be back?"

Gu Qiye walked in carrying a cake box while asking questions.

"He hasn't replied yet." Gu Wenyu glanced at his phone.

"Then let's wait a bit."

Gu Qiye placed the box on the living room table, took out the cake, and glanced at the candles stuck in it and the extinguished neon sign.

Gu Wenyu fiddled with his phone; after closing the doors and windows of the living room, Gu Qiye picked up the remote control from the sofa, pressed the power button, and turned on the TV.

He sat quietly on the sofa, holding the cake in his hands beforehand.

Just like my younger siblings' birthdays in the past.

When Dad comes back, Gu Wenyu will be in charge of turning off the lights, while he will be in charge of bringing the cake over and lighting the candles with his fingertips in the dark to give the other person a surprise.

It's funny, his younger siblings never asked him before: "Big brother, you don't even have a lighter, how did you light the candle?" Gu Qiye always managed to get away with it.

Gu Qiye's mind was filled with a jumble of thoughts.

"Was what I said yesterday too harsh? Why don't you apologize to your father properly today?"

"If he hadn't come to save me at the auction, I would have died at the hands of the Phantom Troupe."

"What was Dad trying to say yesterday, but it was only half-finished..."

Was he trying to say: Because you are my...son?

Gu Qiye lowered his head, looking at the cake in his arms, lost in thought. Suddenly, the news broadcast from the television drew his attention:
"According to the Association of Outcasts, at 5:12 a.m. today, elite forces from the United Nations' special operations group 'Rainbow Wings' launched a swift raid on the eastern section of the Starlight Theme Park in Lijing City."

"It has been confirmed that the extremist known as 'Ghost Bell' was killed on the spot, and no civilian casualties were reported during the operation."

"According to reports from reporters at the scene, a large number of facilities in the amusement park were damaged..."

Gu Qiye paused slightly. Slowly, he looked up from the cake in his arms and gazed at the screen showing the amusement park riddled with holes. His dull pupils reflected the fluorescent light.

The rain is still falling.

In the deathly silence, the world in his eyes seemed to be fading away little by little.

The cake she was holding fell silently to the ground with a thud.

　Thank you everyone. We've successfully climbed to 7th place on the monthly ticket ranking. We'll be adding 10 more chapters over the next two weeks.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)