HM Chapter 23

Yuan Yuxue slightly lowered his eyes, and without the mask's constraint, his black hair softly fell around his snow-white face. His lips were a soft, crimson red, capturing everyone's gaze in an instant, making it nearly impossible to look away.

That face was pure, an epitome of exquisite beauty condensed to the extreme. Yet this beauty was also cold, as if touched by frost, making it seem unreachable and evoking a sense of unworthiness in anyone who dared approach.

Had this frigid beauty remained consistently aloof, perhaps no one would dare admire it for long. But Yuan Yuxue's eyes, with their faint red mole at the tail, softened the thousand mile indifference, bringing an unexpected tenderness that bewitched the soul.

In a world full of beauties, this level of perfection combined with such unique and harmonious contradictions was unparalleled and unreplicable.

Aesthetic appreciation is subjective and personal, just as beauty is difficult to rank universally. However, at this moment, Curly and Gold felt they might never see anyone more beautiful again.

When the first generation of war robots was created, everything was aimed at perfection. Not only were they endowed with immense strength, but their appearances were crafted to be breathtakingly beautiful, surpassing human limits with their extraordinary allure.

And among them, Yuan Yuxue stood out as an exceptional marvel.

Even his creator marveled, believing it was as if a divine hand had sculpted a miracle.

No one had anticipated the tremendous commotion his face would cause. Some fell in love with war robots because of it, protesting against Yuan Yuxue's continuous deployment on high-risk missions. This even sparked small-scale debates about the ethical treatment of robots. This potential source of danger was swiftly stifled. Before Yuan Yuxue's appearance could widely spread, a new rule emerged: to avoid incidents during missions and prevent any impact on comrades' morale, first-generation war robots must wear masks at all times.

This rule seemed specially tailored for Yuan Yuxue.

Compared to the resources required to reshape his face, simply concealing it with a mask was a low-cost solution. Furthermore, Yuan Yuxue would never violate the lab's regulations on his own accord, thus easily resolving the issue.

Up until now, Yuan Yuxue had never voluntarily broken this seemingly inexplicable rule... but his mask was broken.

With no similar experiences to draw from, Yuan Yuxue had to collect the mask fragments, planning to wait until returning to the lab for researchers to repair it... assuming he wasn’t decommissioned by then.

After processing this unexpected situation, Yuan Yuxue quickly resumed his normal task execution mode. He walked a few steps forward, only to realize his teammates hadn't moved.

"?" Yuan Yuxue came back to his senses, "Is there something wrong?"

Being gazed upon by someone with such a face made Gold's ears tingle, and she felt like she was about to float away. She stammered, "N-no, nothing's wrong." After speaking, she realized how hoarse her voice sounded, making her even more embarrassed, wishing she could bury her face in a hole.

It was just too unsettling and unusual!

But surely no one could remain calm in this situation, right? Gold reassured herself that Yuan Yuxue must have experienced this often and wouldn’t find it strange... and then felt even more mortified.

At this moment, she deeply understood why Yuan Yuxue wore a mask. Not just in the chaotic and dangerous Infinite World, but even in a normal world, Yuan Yuxue would likely face countless disturbances and troubles because of his appearance. No wonder he wore a mask.

Curly silently followed, taking a few mechanical steps. He lowered his head, his face buried in his hands, only his slightly flushed ears visible. After a while, he murmured, "I'll get you a new mask. It's too... too..."

He finally managed a few words, "Too dangerous."

"?"

This assessment seemed unfamiliar to Yuan Yuxue, but it aligned with the restriction imposed on him. Yuan Yuxue paused briefly, then replied, "As soon as possible."

They had the task items and successfully evaded pursuit. But their return journey was eerily quiet, as if they had lost a teammate—

While Yuan Yuxue was typically quiet, Curly's unusual silence was noticeable.

Curly walked ahead, his face still flushed, through the familiar corridor, past the dimly lit lanterns, until they reached the familiar bronze door. The chains they had removed earlier still lay on the ground, and the raised railings connected the basement to the villa.

The eerie, doll-like servants stood on either side. Seeing them return, they silently opened the door, stirring up a layer of settled dust.

It was only upon stepping out of the basement that they could declare themselves safe.

They had won the game, maintaining control. Despite their successful escape, Curly felt an odd sense of loss and emptiness... his game with Yuan Yuxue was over.

Gold, who had been silent, sneezed from the stirred dust, her nose reddening. She quickly covered her mouth, looking slightly embarrassed as she glanced at Yuan Yuxue.

Curly: "..."

Oh right, there were others too.

…

They returned to the relatively warm parlor compared to the basement.

Even though Curly tried to walk ahead, subtly shielding Yuan Yuxue, it was futile.

The moment they entered, all eyes turned towards them. The attention skipped over Curly’s shoulder to... Yuan Yuxue.

A panoramic camera in the hall had been broadcasting their game, capturing every detail almost as if they were there. When they were in danger, the players in the hall watched intently, some even breaking into a sweat during tense moments.

Except for the illusions experienced by the three players wrapped in the “cocoons,” which the viewers could only speculate about through their conversations, everyone had the same amount of information. Naturally, they didn’t miss the thrilling moment when Yuan Yuxue shielded Curly from the monster's attack.

They saw the mask shatter, and Yuan Yuxue lowering his head to remove the fragments—at that moment, the camera clearly captured his face, delivering a shock to the hall's players as intense as Curly and Gold’s firsthand experience. It was like a heavy blow, scattering their thoughts. Even inappropriately, they couldn’t help but think... why was he so beautiful? Did the camera have a beautifying effect?

But no filter could achieve this level of perfection—

Everything became chaotic, and even the players themselves couldn’t admit what exactly they were focused on while watching the broadcast.

The broadcast cut off as Yuan Yuxue and the others returned.

Unanimously, all eyes shifted to the newcomer.

Even the normally aloof Captain subtly shifted his gaze towards the newcomer.

Thoughts aligned as never before.

...No beautifying effect.

In person, he looked even better.

Though they had watched the broadcast intently, now that Yuan Yuxue stood before them, they stole a few glances and then modestly averted their eyes.

Glasses adjusted his frames, fingers resting on the bridge of his nose, hiding his gaze. A faint blush colored his dark skin. Skirt bit her finger, not speaking, her bashful expression clear.

Skirt, who had always shown closeness to Yuan Yuxue, now couldn’t even muster a greeting.

She thought if she had seen Yuan Yuxue’s face earlier, she wouldn’t have been able to act normally.

Yuan Yuxue and his teammates placed the task items before André. The small glass bottles contained eye specimens, floating in transparent fluid. André stared at the specimens, his golden pupils reflected in the glass. A brief cold smile crossed his lips before he ordered the butler to collect and store the specimens. He then lazily clapped his hands, "congratulating" them as usual.

"Congratulations on winning the game. Wasn't it interesting? Did it clear your minds?" André’s words dripped with malice, but no one paid attention to his sarcasm.

Yuan Yuxue resumed his previous seat.

Skirt blushed even more.

Skirt hesitated, wanting to praise Yuan Yuxue’s appearance—genuinely—but feared he’d grown tired of such compliments. She also thought he hid his face to avoid undue attention, so she swallowed her words.

At the far end of the table, André, seeing the players’ various expressions, felt his face darken slightly. Annoyed, he glanced at Yuan Yuxue and threw out a new game to reclaim their attention.

"This game is voluntary. But I remind you—more participants, the better." André’s fake smile broadened. "Because it’s a team game. If one person wins, everyone gets a special reward."

Captain was the first to respond, coldly asking, "What reward?"

André pressed a finger to his lips, making a shushing gesture.

"My friends, some of you look tired. How about a reward of peaceful, undisturbed sleep?" André spoke with irresistible temptation. "This will also be the final game."

Everyone’s hearts skipped a beat.

Finishing this game meant clearing the instance.

"Since it’s voluntary..." André signaled the butler, "Bring paper and pens."

Each player received paper and a pen. André continued, "Write your names on the paper. We’ll decide the participants by the names. If fewer than four sign up, we’ll skip to the next game. The next game requires at least three volunteers and offers no reward."

He emphasized “voluntary” heavily.

At first glance, the mechanism seemed fair and humane. But a closer look revealed its sinister nature.

This game was highly favorable to the players. If one player from their camp won, they’d clear the instance.

Anyone unwilling to take risks could choose not to sign up, potentially skipping the game due to low participation.

But André didn’t specify that names had to be self-written.

Or perhaps this was deliberate, encouraging players to betray each other.

No one cared about willingness. If your name was written down, you were in.

Under such rules, would those nominated feel no resentment towards their team?

André’s sinister smile remained as the butler collected the papers and began reading the names.

André’s smile became weaker and weaker until it disappeared: “…”

Eight neat names.

Are you people sick?