Love, Gun, Cupid

Soon after, Kapok enjoyed her hospital meal for the evening. The meat, eggs, fish, milk, and staple food filled her stomach, causing her blood to rush to her head and making her feel drowsy.

After she had finished digesting, she lay down on the bed and fell asleep. In the ward where there was no television, no radio, no cell phone, no internet, and she was not allowed to go out, and there wasn't even a newspaper, sleep was the only way to pass the time.

She slept for eight hours. When she woke up in the middle of the night, she opened the curtains and saw that the night was clear, with a half-moon hanging in the sky, and a snowflake falling on the glass.

Let's see how Chelsea performs tonight; if they win, there'll be an extra chapter.

Epilogue Part 3 (Bonus Chapter)

In a country villa, Korobochka meticulously prepares food, the range hood venting the smoky aromas outdoors. In the courtyard, three golden retrievers chase butterflies, having a great time, while a kitten lies under the eaves, lazily watching the dogs' interaction, silently yawning.

Sunlight shines on the pond, where ornamental fish swim. The underwater plants give the water a vibrant green hue, while the rocks at the bottom provide them with a habitat.

Gladiolus sat in the restaurant, casually flipping through a magazine, occasionally glancing up at the garden art in the courtyard. Soon after, Korobochka served the food, opened the lid on top, and Lin Jiade's head was prominently displayed inside.

“I made a mold of Lin Jiade’s head at a 1:1 scale to try to present every detail.”

She opened Lin Jiade's "skull," and steam rose out, releasing the aroma of her carefully prepared food that looked like pig brains, along with some red sauce made from a mixture of tomato and chili sauce.

Gladiolus sighed helplessly: "Ms. Korobochka, I'm reminding you for the thirteenth time that our bodies have been destroyed. Now, you and I are nothing more than souls dwelling in the casket of life and entangled together."

“I know, I just wanted to show my and Lin Jiade’s future life plans.”

Gladiolus said sarcastically, "Eat Lin Jiade's brains?"

"That was just a little scare; it's actually fish soup."

As everyone knows, Brilliant City floats in the sky, turning the entire region, including Isfahan, into an artificial zone of perpetual night. Although the floating city also has aquaculture farms and air transport as supplements, the freshest ingredients come from those that are immediately preserved with preservation magic after being caught and then transported to Brilliant City using teleportation magic.

Gladiolus's sarcasm was even stronger: "You've turned these delicious ingredients into fish soup and added extremely strong seasonings. You've ruined the ingredients and the efforts of many people."

Korobochka smiled and said, "From another perspective, this is a symbol of status. Only if you have enough status can you waste so much seafood cooking ingredients in the Brilliant City where seafood resources are scarce."

The important thing is that we must constantly highlight our difference from others, and that we are superior to them. That's why the Brilliant City floats in the sky, allowing people to directly feel the physical distance between those above and below us.

Gladiolus raised an eyebrow. The "wedding room" that Korobochka manifested in the Life Box was her home in Brilliant City, which had seven bedrooms, five bathrooms, a swimming pool, a home theater, and a training room for superhumans equipped with advanced equipment. In Brilliant City, where land is extremely valuable, a house that would only be considered a low-end mansion on the surface could sell for an astronomical price.

Korobochka had already bought it, but had never had the chance to use it. Now she finally had the opportunity to present it. Gladiolus understood that she was being used as a substitute for Lingard to simulate his married life with Korobochka.

“This is a birdcage, the birdcage you used to imprison Lin Jiade. Even if at first he is happy because of the abundance and novelty of the new environment and new life, sooner or later he will be driven crazy by your tangible imprisonment and intangible control. People get tired of the same scenery,” Jianlan said.

"You probably forgot that there are people in the world who would rather die than leave their homes. If they had electricity, internet, air conditioning, a computer, a mobile phone, and savings, they would be willing to stay at home for their entire lives and never leave."

“There are such people, but you know Lin Jiade is an outdoor enthusiast.”

Korobocca snapped his fingers, and outside the window, part of the garden had been transformed into a five-a-side football pitch.

Korobochka confidently said, "These kinds of things can be solved with money. The greatest misfortune in life is that your desires are as deep as a chasm, but the wealth you can control is less than the mites on your face."

Isn't the ending of your imagined life with Lin Jiade boring? Don't you want to control his life and compete with other women for his favor, or do you want to coexist peacefully, with friendship first and competition second, or the principle of family balance?

No, you want to do that, but you're simply unable to. Just as you call this place a birdcage to mask your poverty, you're still essentially using my money to cover your expenses; you could say my wealth is supporting him.

Jianlan was silent for a moment before replying, "If that's the case, it's strange that you compromised with me in the first place."

Although Jianlan performed the role of a professional mole in front of Lin Jiade, enduring until the last moment to expose her identity, and ruthlessly seized the villain's lifeline to reverse the situation and take control, the situation was not that simple.

Korobochka's influence on her was real; the powerful master of sorcery had once fooled the Empire's overseers (thanks in part to the West Ham Hospital director's willingness to cooperate when he needed Korobochka to handle personal matters). By the time Gladiolus realized what was happening, Korobochka had become too powerful to control.

Gladiolus realized that she was becoming more and more like Korobochka. At first, Korobochka was just an illusion. Later, Korobochka's self-talk appeared in her mind. Later still, Korobochka began to influence her thinking, which led her to subconsciously do the same things that Korobochka did.

Later on, Gladiolus was able to distinguish herself from Korobochka less and less. Many times, she naturally acted as Korobochka.

Seizing the last moment of vigilance, Jianlan has three paths to take: First, confess to Lin Jiade and then work with him to find a way to be saved or die by his sword; second, seek help from Dujuan; third, cast a spell on herself to destroy her own body.

While she was still struggling to choose, Korobochka appeared, and six-pointed star-shaped frost flowers appeared on the glass, spreading until they covered the window like a spider web.

Korobochka did not yet have a physical form, but Gladiolus's shadow betrayed Gladiolus and remained still on the wall. Soon, the shadow grew three crescent moons of different sizes with curved horns to outline Korobochka's smiling eyebrows and lips.

“We don’t have much time,” Korobochka said. “The cuckoo will probably be back in about fifteen minutes, and we have to reach an agreement before then.”

"Our...agreement?"

"Yes, although you are also detestable, you are quite adorable compared to that two-faced celestial monster."

She had already sensed my awakening and was waiting for things to unfold naturally, then striking at the crucial moment to put us both in her hands... Don't tell me you didn't know her reasons for seeking help.

Jianlan could sense that since the Kapok's qualifying match, Lin Jiade and Dujuan had grown distant, and Dujuan's appearances in Lin Jiade's life had gradually decreased... No, there had been a rift between them before that, but it wasn't so obvious.

Du Juan longs to control Lin Jiade, while Lin Jiade, after getting a girlfriend, longs to break free from his control... To draw an inappropriate analogy, this is like a mama's boy who changes his personality after getting a girlfriend, leading to conflict with his controlling mother.

Du Juan will not give up on Lin Jiade. She is eager to uncover the secrets from Lin Jiade. Therefore, she will definitely use both whip and cotton candy to deal with the rebellious Lin Jiade in order to regain control of him.

The best material for whips and cotton candy is the women around Lin Jiade. Their troubles, problems and desires in life will become the whip in Du Juan's hand, lashing at the disobedient Lin Jiade. After Lin Jiade is tamed, the cotton candy will be stuffed back into Lin Jiade's hand as a reward.

"You don't want to be controlled by 'that person,' so you want to join forces with me?" Jianlan asked.

“Controlling this outcome won’t change. You don’t really think you’re capable of competing with the inhabitants of the Celestial Realm, do you? I just want to say that it’s most advantageous for me to replace you and negotiate with her. After all, we have a natural common interest in dealing with Lin Jiade.”

I can assure you, I will not devour the personality that killed you. At the right time, your personality can rise and then turn against us, helping us break free from that person's control.

“The question is, how can I trust you?” Jianlan asked.

"Love."

The answer from Korobochka almost made Gladiolus laugh. She and Korobochka were each other's reflections; no one understood Korobochka better than her. Korobochka did have love, but it was as much as the beef in a classic braised beef instant noodle.

Korobochka is selfish and self-serving. Her so-called love for Lin Jiade is almost equivalent to a painter's love for a painting or a sculptor's love for a sculpture. In a sense, she and Du Juan are birds of a feather.

"Although we have different understandings of love, we both want to form a family and have children for the same man, right? Our internal conflict is not the external conflict that prevents us from doing whatever we want."

You have many reasons not to believe me, and you also have reasons to believe me: in that person's hands, we have no future.

When Du Juan returned, she noticed that Jian Lan's energy had become even colder. Pushing open the door, she saw that the glass of Jian Lan's room was sealed with a layer of frost, and the person in front of her exuded a dangerous yet joyful aura, like an escaped prisoner.

"How should I address you now?" Dujuan asked.

The gray-haired woman knelt on one knee and said respectfully, "Korobochka, my lord, I need your help."

Dujuan looked at the woman with her head bowed with satisfaction, but did not immediately trust her. In order to gain Dujuan's trust, Korobochka followed his nature and did a few things that were part of the plan. Only then did Dujuan feel at ease, which led to the story of Jianlan appearing at the crucial moment and playing the role of the traitor.

“I still don’t understand why Du Juan didn’t touch me back then… Our bodies, if she had just examined them a little, she would have been able to sense my presence inside us besides you,” Jianlan said. “Just as I don’t understand why you didn’t devour me.”

Korobochka explained, "I don't know the answer to the first question because my plan is just a rough draft, a last-ditch effort in front of the celestial observer. I think there's a 50% chance it will be exposed. But I'm not worried about being controlled by her for the rest of my life if I do nothing, so the risk is extremely high, and I have to do it."

As for the second question, I know the answer, but I won't say.

Gladiolus glared angrily at Korobochka, who then vanished. She sighed; getting entangled with Korobochka wasn't a good idea, but if she were alone in the timeless casket of fate without him, she would eventually be driven mad by emptiness.

Even an enemy you have to be wary of at all times is better than emptiness and loneliness—that's what Gladiolus thinks.

Did Korobochka spare her life and refrain from harming her because he couldn't bear the cost of loneliness and emptiness?

Unaware of this, Jianlan continued reading the magazine in her hand, which contained things she had read before, extracted from her memories. Right now, Jianlan needed to chew on those memories to pass the time.

After a while, she put down the magazine. The memories were nice, but if she greedily devoured them all at once, the days that followed would become unbearable. So she got up and took a walk in Korobochka's fictional love nest.

Of the five bathrooms in this love nest, three are single bathrooms located between two adjoining rooms. Of the remaining two bathrooms, one is a more functional bathroom with a physiotherapy machine and hot and cold water tubs, while the last one is the spacious bathroom that people imagine a luxury home should have, with a large swimming tub, a statue with constantly flowing water into the tub, and a large mirror that has been waterproofed and painted with classical oil paintings.

Gladiolus took off her clothes and immersed herself in the hot water. Although it was a virtual scene, she still felt happy, as if she were really enjoying a luxurious bathroom.

Unfortunately, the good times didn't last long. Korobochka entered, and here, Gladiolus's spirit form used her own image. She looked at Korobochka, who was taller, whiter, and had a better figure than her, with envy. As the tall woman stepped one leg into the bath, she got up and left.

Gladiolus passed by the large mirror once more, but could no longer move, for in that mirror she saw the pattern of submission etched upon it.

"You discovered it a little too late, but thinking about it, it makes sense. This is the first time you've taken off your clothes in the Life Box and looked down at your body, only to find that the mark of submission is still there."

Korobochka stood up and walked towards Gladiolus, who noticed the same pattern on the other's chest.

Korobochka put his arm around Gladiolus's shoulder and said, "That's why I didn't devour you."

“It’s not because I ‘don’t want to,’ but because I ‘can’t.’” Gladiolus finally understood the truth. “The existence of the imprint means… why is Azalea still alive?!”

“I don’t know, we’ve all been deceived by her,” Korobochka said. “Although, in terms of the fact that we are all still alive, it is Lingard who defeated her, or perhaps only defeated her without killing her. In any case, we will only know the truth once we recover.”

Jianlan collapsed weakly to the floor, praying in her heart that Lin Jiade and the others would be safe and sound.

Following the tips from the group, more votes were cast for Manchester City, so there will be an extra episode tonight if Manchester City wins.

Epilogue 4

Similar to Gladiolus, Yang Xuemeng sat around a table in the university dormitory with a woman and a cat. The woman had maroon hair and wore bright makeup, looking quite beautiful under the white light.

In addition, she also had an extremely good figure, with her chest bulging out of the fabric, making Yang Xuemeng unable to help but feel jealous and suspicious that the woman had undergone breast augmentation surgery to achieve such a size.

The cat was just an ordinary black cat with a bow-tied tail that swayed back and forth. For some reason, Yang Xuemeng found it quite pleasing to the eye.

At that moment, the two women and the cat were casually drawing playing cards in a counter-clockwise order. When they drew the last three cards, they stopped, looked at each other, and Yang Xuemeng said, "It's a bad hand. I'm not going to bid for the landlord role. What about you, Iphigenia?"

“Pass,” the black cat replied.

Yang Xuemeng glanced at the glamorous woman, and Di Tao smiled and said, "No."

The three put the cards back, and Di Tao shuffled them again. Di Tao's shuffling technique was skillful; the cards seemed to flutter between her hands like butterflies flitting among flowers. After she liked the cards, Yang Xuemeng cut the cards, and finally, the cards were drawn starting with Iphigenia.

This time, Yang Xuemeng had a good hand. After thinking for a moment, she called for the landlord position. No one competed with her for the landlord position, so she successfully won the extra three cards and the right to deal the first card.

She rearranged her cards, starting with the lowest single card, the 3. The next player was Iphigenia, who immediately played a Queen. The Hearts immediately passed. Yang Xuemeng looked at her hand: three Kings, two Aces, a 2, and the Joker. Among these cards that could beat the Queen, she hesitated.

Three Kings are not easily split, unless someone can throw out three 2s. Her three Kings are the highest in a three-of-a-kind hand, and her pair of Aces is also a top-tier pair. As for the single 2...

She thought for a moment, then tossed out the number 2. Iphigenia refused it, but Momo smiled and said, "You have the King in your hand?"

"Looks like you have Xiao Wang in your hands?" Yang Xuemeng said.

Yang Xuemeng was not good at cards, so she simply kept quiet and casually said, "If you want to know, just tell me the name of the person you like."

“If you mean romantic love, then no,” Di Tao replied. “If you want to ask me who I want to have a child with, then I choose Lin Jiade.”

Teacher Yang was taken aback for a moment: "You...know my student?"

"I've known him for a long time, but back then he treated me like one of his sisters, and I was just trying to tease him. Later, when we grew up, he and my sister got together, and I was really unhappy about it. I wanted to do things before my sister could do them."

And you, why did you react so strongly when I mentioned her name? Could it be...?

"Oh, I was just surprised." Yang Xuemeng turned her head and looked at Iphigenia, asking, "And you?"

Iphigenia wagged her tail: "Although I'd love to join in your conversation, I'm just a cat."

"You're a fully grown female kitten, when are you in heat?"

"I'm not just an ordinary cat... So, do you want the 2 that Yang Xuemeng threw out?"

"No," said Di Tao.

Just as Yang Xuemeng was about to unleash her full potential and throw out the pair of cards in her hand, her body swayed and she plummeted from the dream. Reluctantly opening her eyes, she was forced to close them again by the blinding light overhead.

"I'm alive?"