Rules of the Unusual: I am the Final Boss

Shi Mo frowned as he looked at Bai Xu kneeling on the ground.

"Get up," he said.

The voice was cold.

Bai Xu didn't move.

He knelt upright, his back straight, his head bowed, his eyes fixed on the cracks between the bricks in the ground. The impact of his knee hitting the ground was heavy, and a dull pain lingered, but he ignored it.

Shi Mo stared at him for a few seconds, then smiled.

It's not funny, it's the kind of laugh that makes you angry.

He stood up, stepped down from the throne, paused briefly as he passed Bai Xu, but did not look down, and walked straight toward the side door of the hall.

"Kneel if you want," his voice came from the doorway, tinged with impatience. "I'd like to see how long you can kneel."

The door opened and then closed.

The footsteps faded into the distance, disappearing into the depths of the corridor.

Only Bai Xu, Casper, and Augustus remained kneeling beside him in the hall.

The chat room was buzzing with excitement:

[They've been defeated! The White Team has been defeated!]

[Shi Mo actually left?!]

What's going on here?!

[The couple broke up...it really broke up...]

This is so cruel...

Shi Mo is so cruel...

Casper and Augustus exchanged glances, both seeing the embarrassment in each other's eyes.

They slowly stood up, their legs a little numb from kneeling for so long, and moved around a bit before walking to Bai Xu's side.

Casper spoke first, his voice very soft: "Captain White...please get up."

Bai Xu didn't move.

Augustus also advised, "The master is in a fit of anger; your current behavior is... useless."

Bai Xu still didn't move.

Casper crouched down, looking at Bai Xu's face. Bai Xu's eyes were fixed on the ground, his long eyelashes obscuring the emotions within. But Casper could see his tightly pursed lips and his slightly trembling shoulders.

"Captain White," Casper sighed, "when Master... gets angry, no one can persuade him. You should go back first, and come back in a few days when he's calmed down, then talk to him properly."

Bai Xu finally spoke, his voice hoarse: "Will he calm down?"

Casper choked.

He didn't know how to answer.

He hadn't been with Shi Mo for long, but he understood his master's temperament well enough. Shi Mo usually seemed lazy and carefree, as if he didn't care about anything, but once he got really angry, no one could persuade him.

Just like now.

Augustus replied, "It's better than you kneeling like this."

Bai Xu shook his head: "I'm not getting up."

He spoke softly, but with great determination.

Augustus was about to say something when Casper tugged at him and shook his head.

The two stood up, walked to the side, and spoke in a voice that only the two of them could hear.

"What should we do?" Augustus asked in a low voice.

Casper glanced at Bai Xu, who was still kneeling on the ground: "What can we do? The master said to keep him kneeling. Can we forcibly pull him up?"

"But……"

"But what?" Casper lowered his voice. "He's the master's... friend. It's not appropriate for us to interfere too much."

Augustus was silent for a few seconds, then said, "What if he really keeps kneeling?"

Casper didn't say anything.

He turned to look at the door on the side of the hall.

The door was tightly shut.

Shi Mo returned to his room, but he was certain that something had happened outside. Nothing in this castle escaped his perception.

So he really doesn't intend to get involved.

Augustus glanced at the door, then sighed, turned, and left the hall. He was the head of Everlasting Bank and had many things to attend to.

Casper didn't leave; he stood in the corner of the hall, watching Bai Xu.

Bai Xu knelt upright, his back ramrod straight, but his shoulders were trembling slightly. It was unclear whether it was due to knee pain or something else.

Time passed second by second.

The number of comments in the live stream gradually decreased.

Some people left, while others remained, wanting to see how long Bai Xu could kneel.

An hour passed.

Bai Xu's posture remained unchanged, still kneeling upright, but sweat began to bead on his forehead. The pain in his knees became increasingly pronounced, changing from a dull ache to a stabbing pain, and then to a numb, persistent ache.

His lips were pressed tightly together, and his face grew paler and paler.

Casper couldn't bear to watch any longer, so he came over and knelt down beside him: "Captain White, I'm begging you, please get up. Kneeling like this will ruin your legs."

Bai Xu shook his head, his voice very soft: "He won't let me be crippled."

Casper paused for a moment.

"He can't bear to part with it," Bai Xu said again, his voice so soft it sounded like he was talking to himself.

Casper didn't know what to say.

He stood up, walked to the door, hesitated for a moment, and then raised his hand to knock.

No response.

He knocked a few more times.

There has been no response yet.

Casper took a deep breath and said to the door, "Master, Captain White is still kneeling; it's been an hour."

Shi Mo's voice came from inside the door, as cold as ice: "Make him kneel."

Casper choked.

He turned to look at Bai Xu, who had also heard the words. Bai Xu stiffened for a moment, but did not move.

Casper had no choice but to walk back and stand beside him.

Another half hour passed.

Bai Xu's knee began to bleed.

Blood seeped out, staining his pants black and spreading a small dark red patch on the floor.

Casper panicked and ran to the door again: "Master! Captain White's knee is bleeding!"

There was silence inside the door for a few seconds.

Then Shi Mo's voice came through: "He chose to kneel himself."

Casper opened his mouth, but couldn't say a word.

He walked back to Bai Xu's side, squatted down, and looked at the bloodstains on Bai Xu's knees: "Captain Bai, please don't do this..."

Bai Xu raised his head, glanced at Casper, and then lowered his head again.

"I'll wait until he calms down," he said.

The voice was soft, but firm.

Casper looked at him for a long time, then sighed, stood up, walked to the other side of the hall, leaned against the wall, and closed his eyes.

He stopped caring.

There's nothing we can do about it.

In the live stream chat, the comments started flooding in again:

My knees are bleeding...

[Shi Mo is so ruthless...]

[The white team is so stubborn...]

What kind of mutual torture is this...?

Please, please make up...

But the hall was very quiet.

The only sounds were the burning of torches and Bai Xu's suppressed, increasingly heavy breathing.

Another twenty minutes passed.

The door on the side of the hall suddenly opened.

Shi Mo stood at the door, wearing the same clothes as before, with no expression on his face.

He glanced at Bai Xu kneeling on the ground, then at the bloodstains on his knees, and walked over.

He walked up to Bai Xu and stopped.

Bai Xu raised his head and looked at him.

Shi Mo looked down at him for a long time, then squatted down and reached out to touch Bai Xu's knee.

Bai Xu trembled as soon as his fingers touched the fabric.

Shi Mo's hand paused.

He withdrew his hand, stood up, and turned to leave.

Bai Xu reached out and grabbed the hem of his clothes.

They gripped it so tightly that their knuckles turned white.

"Don't go..." Bai Xu's voice trembled. "Shi Mo... don't go..."