Chapter 72
At the Multiverse Transdimensional Station.
The large screen at the top displayed that the next train would arrive in one minute and thirty seconds.
It was unclear who leaked the news, but now the platform was packed with all sorts of people—media reporters, agents from various entertainment companies, and reception staff from the Multiverse Live Stream company.
Everyone glanced down at their watches, then looked up at the direction the train would come from, their faces full of anticipation.
This scene made many passersby whisper among themselves:
“I heard that this train is specially for the newcomer streamer who just completed the Dark River, Bright Light world.”
“Such treatment for a star, totally different from regular streamers…”
“Wow, so many people are waiting. Look over there, the one wearing sunglasses—that’s the chairman of Strawberry Entertainment! And the one with golden hair on the left is the ace producer from that outdoor variety show. What are they doing here?”
“Don’t you get it? They’re all waiting for the streamer to get off so they can be the first ones to talk about a commercial collaboration.”
“There are so many people… Oh wow, that person is so beautiful, is she a celebrity?”
New reporter A suddenly slapped his colleague’s shoulder, excitedly pointing to a corner.
His colleague looked in that direction.
On the platform stood a young man.
He had fair skin, like the bright moon in the sky, with aloof and cool eyebrows and eyes. From time to time, he gazed into the distance at the train, as if waiting for someone.
“…” The colleague was speechless, “You don’t recognize him? He’s Ning Sheng, the protagonist of Obsession of Possession!”
The crowd erupted in screams:
“Ning Sheng! Ning Sheng!!! Ahhh, I’ve liked you for so many years!!!”
“Such a coincidence to run into Ning Sheng, I must have some good karma…”
“Is Ning Sheng also waiting for Boss Jian? Hahaha!”
Yes.
Gong Siyuan pushed up her red glasses and couldn’t help but wipe away some sweat.
They had been waiting at the transdimensional station for a full four hours just to meet Boss Jian.
Gong Siyuan had repeatedly persuaded Ning Sheng to go to the nearby lounge and rest a bit. When the train arrived, he could come out to meet Jian Yunlan.
“The final station is right here, and it’s a direct train. Do you think Boss Jian could jump off halfway?”
Gong Siyuan joked, “Mr. Ning, don’t worry. The train will safely bring Boss Jian to you.”
Mainly because Ning Sheng’s distinctive face was so eye-catching standing there.
Most people wouldn’t want to stand at the platform for hours.
But Ning Sheng was different.
“I want to meet Boss Jian the moment he arrives,” Ning Sheng said calmly. “No one should get ahead of me.”
Gong Siyuan: “…”
Although this sounded very formal.
But didn’t you just want to taste Boss Jian’s food?
What a glutton.
Despite the complaints, as the general manager of the Transdimensional Book Department, she couldn’t afford to offend Ning Sheng, a cash cow, so she helplessly stayed by his side.
More and more people were drawn in by Ning Sheng’s presence and by the rumors of someone special arriving. Some were just there for the spectacle, even without knowing what the excitement was about.
The platform was now packed tightly.
The train was about to arrive, and from the platform, they could already see the train’s front in the distance.
“It’s coming! It’s coming!”
“So excited! I’ve been watching Jian Yunlan’s streams for so long, and now I’m finally going to meet him in person…”
“Sign Jian Yunlan, Big Pineapple Entertainment is going to make it happen!”
Many people stood up excitedly, craning their necks to get a better view, their eyes filled with burning anticipation.
Several agents and company chairmen were rubbing their hands, pulling out business cards. Reporters were setting up cameras. Even Ning Sheng, who was usually indifferent, had changed his usual demeanor. He swallowed hard, his eyes reflecting a kind of feverish excitement.
Boss Jian…
The train was getting closer.
So close that everyone could now see the figures inside the train through their naked eyes. With the reporters’ high-definition cameras zooming in, they could clearly capture Jian Yunlan’s face.
“Wow, so handsome,” Reporter Xiao A couldn’t help but gasp. The joy of being a fan of looks was that simple. He carefully studied through his camera, “His features, those brows, his aura… Even the way his hair moves in the wind looks so atmospheric!”
Just as he finished speaking, he froze.
Wind?
The interdimensional train had fully enclosed cabins—where was the wind coming from?
A chorus of shocked voices erupted from the crowd:
“Wait, the window???”
“Shit, Jian Yunlan just smashed the window with one punch! What is he doing? What is he going to do???”
“Hey, guys, this is the Multiverse dimension, you know—”
The Multiverse transdimensional train’s greatest security measure was the high-strength, special material glass.
After all, this was the Multiverse dimension, the dream destination for countless streamers—a hub of advanced technology and benefits. Many small-dimensional streamers joined book challenges simply to experience this new higher-level world.
No one had ever attempted to jump off the train in history!
At this point, many still believed it was some kind of malfunction with the train’s quality.
Then, the alarm blared:
“Warning! Warning! The interior of the Multiverse transdimensional train has been compromised. Passengers, please stay alert!”
“Compromised?”
How could this be damaged from the inside?!
Amid the chaos, the reporter’s ultra-clear macro lens captured the details inside the train.
The young man stepped onto the window ledge, the edges of his white shirt fluttering in the wind. His features, bathed in light and wind, exuded an unsettling beauty—like a free white bird.
His camera presence was incredible.
It seemed like a coincidence, but also somehow destined.
The young man’s dark, nearly blue eyes locked with the camera lens, and he flashed a bright smile. His lips moved, as if saying something.
The reporter, who had studied lip reading, was shocked, thinking he had spoken some profound quote.
After reading his lips, the reporter realized Jian Yunlan had said:
“I’m off to set up my stall, bye—”
Reporter: “…?”
The pure white figure plummeted toward the vast sea of stars.
Everyone stood there, stunned by the unexpected turn of events.
“He… he really jumped off the train…?”
“Shit, I’ve been waiting for two or three hours!”
“Boss Jian, consider us at Strawberry Entertainment… Hey, where did he go?!”
The hands of the agents and chairmen, which had been holding out business cards, froze in mid-air.
Why wasn’t he following the script?!
Ning Sheng, who had been holding onto the railing, suddenly clenched his hand tightly, gritting his teeth: “Boss Jian…”
It’s really hard to meet you!
Not long ago, he had been feeling uneasy, sensing that things wouldn’t go smoothly.
Now, that bad premonition had finally come true.
It was a pity Gong Siyuan had been so adamant in assuring him.
Ning Sheng tugged at the corner of his mouth, giving Gong Siyuan a smile that didn’t reach his eyes: “Manager Gong, would you care to explain?”
Gong Siyuan wiped his sweat with a handkerchief: “Uh… well, this is the situation… We’ll immediately put together an emergency plan and see if we can bring Boss Jian back…”
The crowd fell into silence.
It wasn’t until someone broke the silence with a quiet question:
“Wait… can you just jump off the transdimensional train like that? Won’t something bad happen?”
*
As it turned out, yes, something did happen.
Outside the train window was a vast sea of stars, each light representing a small dimension.
But could one really just jump off and land in one of those small dimensions?
The situation was not so simple.
Though the sky seemed full of stars, with many small lights to land on, in reality, the endless black holes between those lights were where most jumpers would end up.
The system’s gentle female voice became filled with panic, tinged with a hint of despair: “Uh… Mr. Jian, you do realize that if you jump off during a dimension leap, you’ll most likely die, right?”
As he plummeted rapidly, the surroundings began to fade into darkness.
“Die?” Jian Yunlan froze, instinctively wanting to argue. “I’ve already died once. Can I really die again?”
A cultured male voice suddenly spoke in his ear:
“Darling, it’s definitely possible.”
Jian Yunlan turned to look.
What greeted his eyes was a huge horse face.
Not a metaphor, but literally a horse’s face. It was long, with chestnut-red mane, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses. Strangely, beneath the horse’s head was a human body, dressed in a well-tailored tuxedo.
A horse-headed, human-bodied creature.
Jian Yunlan: “…”
“Greetings, Soul Reaper #66666,” the horse-headed figure said politely. “I’m Ma Mian, and this is my partner, Niu Tou. Please don’t worry, we are highly rated soul reapers from the underworld. We will ensure a painless journey to the afterlife for you.”
As he spoke, Ma Mian tried to tug at something beside him.
But nothing moved.
“Er,” Ma Mian pushed his glasses to cover his awkwardness, offering Jian Yunlan an apologetic smile, “My colleague Niu Tou is a bit slow. Please wait a moment.”
Then he turned and instantly changed his expression, yelling angrily: “Old Niu, stop slacking off! We’re at work, do you want to lose your performance rating?!”
Under Ma Mian’s urging, a large, slow-moving figure began to materialize from the void.
Like Ma Mian, this figure also had a beast’s head and a human body, but this time, the head was that of a cow.
The cow head was heavy and sturdy, with thick, curved horns and a short, dense dark gray coat on its forehead. Its nose was moist, and its large eyes looked simple and honest.
Unlike the well-dressed Ma Mian, Niu Tou was dressed in a tattered blue work uniform with patches on it, looking like a hard-working laborer from a construction site.
…Somewhat familiar.
“Old Ma, stop rushing me,” Niu Tou mumbled, holding a fried dough stick and nibbling on it slowly, “I still haven’t finished killing the chickens. I need to send them to Boss Jian later. I’m worried I might be late…”
Jian Yunlan: “…..”
“Boss Jian?” Niu Tou looked at Jian Yunlan in confusion, as though not realizing what had happened. He scratched his head in a simple, honest way. “What are you doing here? Did you come to find me, Old Niu? I told you I’d bring the chickens later…”
Jian Yunlan felt a bit embarrassed: “Uh, here’s the thing.”
“…I think I’m about to die.” Jian Yunlan shrugged.
Seemingly in disbelief, Niu Tou looked from Ma Mian to Jian Yunlan.
Niu Tou’s large, clear eyes started to fill with teardrops.
After a long pause, Niu Tou finally broke down.
Tears streamed down his face like beads from a broken string:
“Boss Jian, why are you going to die? I still have so many chickens to give you, and your fried dough sticks…” Niu Tou pulled out a bag, filled with fried dough sticks, “I haven’t finished them. I only eat one a day, and I was planning to thank you…”
Jian Yunlan hadn’t expected that the fried dough sticks he casually gave him would be remembered for so long, making him feel a bit embarrassed: “No need to thank me. It was just a small gesture.”
Meanwhile, Ma Mian, seeing the two catching up, became a bit impatient.
“Familiar with each other, huh?” Ma Mian said sternly, “That makes things easier. Old Niu, get to work.”
But Niu Tou didn’t move.
Ma Mian pushed him.
Niu Tou stubbornly stood still.
“I won’t take Boss Jian’s soul!” Niu Tou cried, “I’m a good bull. My mother taught me to be loyal and righteous from a young age. Boss Jian is a good person. I can’t let him die! If Boss Jian dies, so many people will be sad.”
“Fine, you won’t take his soul, huh?” Ma Mian sneered, rolling up his sleeves. “If you won’t, then I will. Don’t blame King Yama for being ruthless when your performance gets docked.”
Ma Mian put on white gloves and reached into his suit pocket.
The next second, he pulled out a massive scythe!
Jian Yunlan couldn’t help but ask, “Aren’t you Ma Mian? Why are you using a Western-style death scythe?”
“Accelerating the localization of overseas soul-taking tools, promoting cross-border underworld academic cooperation, and advancing the export of domestic soul ropes…” As though triggered by something, Ma Mian mumbled these lines absentmindedly before realizing, “Ugh, why am I telling you all this? You’re not my superior.”
Damn it, the delay plan failed.
Jian Yunlan sighed inwardly.
It seemed that his time was up.
The scythe’s blade was curved and sharp, reflecting a silver glow.
Ma Mian grinned, raising the scythe and getting closer, as the blade neared Jian Yunlan’s neck: “Darling, don’t worry. We’ve introduced the most advanced painless soul-taking technology. It won’t hurt. You’ll be in the afterlife soon…”
Suddenly, Ma Mian’s words caught in his throat.
It wasn’t that he didn’t want to speak.
But…
Two hands, as though lifting a small chick, effortlessly grabbed Ma Mian by the back of the neck and lifted him up.
“Human,” Taotie yawned lazily, his golden eyes squinting. “Who’s bullying you? I’ll back you up.”
His silver hair cascaded over his shoulders, and he wore a long-forgotten Warring States robe, with cow bone shoulder armor spewing red and blue flames.
“Taotie!” Jian Yunlan’s eyes shone with admiration. “I knew you wouldn’t disappoint me. Hehe, I’ll give you a raise next time.”
Taotie: “…”
Upon hearing this, Taotie nearly choked.
Who cares about your measly money!
I’m saving you because… because I…
“Hmph.” Taotie turned his face away and snorted coldly.
Unlike Ma Mian, who held a scythe, Taotie was unarmed and barehanded.
But the previously menacing Ma Mian immediately grew pale when he heard Taotie’s voice: “Ta-Taotie Lord? What are you doing here…”
Taotie tilted his head, confused. “Who are you?”
Ma Mian: “Wuwuwu!”
“I’m Ma Mian…” Ma Mian mumbled, shedding bitter tears as he took out his phone. “When you came to the underworld earlier, you ate my soul hook, and you said you would compensate me. I’ve been waiting for you for ten thousand years. The total is 15,789.45 yuan. Would you prefer WeChat or Alipay…”
Taotie: “…”
Seems like that happened.
Taotie could only turn to Jian Yunlan and ask awkwardly, “Salary… can I get an advance?”
Jian Yunlan: “….”
After transferring the money, Ma Mian immediately began counting the bills, grinning with joy.
It seemed that the immediate danger of Ma Mian taking his soul was temporarily resolved.
However, they were still plummeting rapidly!
Coincidentally, the direction they were falling in had fewer light clusters and was filled with vast black holes.
A small fox-shaped figure flew out of Jian Yunlan’s pocket, drifting toward a light cluster: “Master, Master, this dimension is the safest and nearest. Let’s go there.”
Hu Dangui, sitting in her lotus lantern, excitedly flew above the light cluster and waved at Jian Yunlan.
She turned back, only to find that Jian Yunlan and the others weren’t following.
Hu Dangui: “…?”
Awkward.
She could freely travel across the realms because the lotus lantern was blessed with her master’s incantations.
Ordinary humans, and even Niu Tou, Ma Mian, and the fierce beast Taotie, couldn’t move between dimensions without a lotus lantern!
Hu Dangui quickly tried to go back, but it was too late. The small dimension’s gravity was pulling her down:
“We’re finished! Master and Taotie are going to be done for!” Hu Dangui turned, tears welling up, “Master, I’ll always remember your fried chicken—”
With a loud “boom,” Hu Dangui was sucked into the small dimension.
The others: “…”
“Not good.” Ma Mian suddenly snapped out of it and looked down. “If we fall any further, we’ll end up in a black hole. I still need to go back to the underworld and work, so goodbye.”
Ma Mian and Niu Tou were official employees of the underworld, just like Hu Dangui’s lotus lantern, with the ability to freely travel between dimensions.
But if they fell into the black hole, even Niu Tou and Ma Mian wouldn’t be able to escape.
With that, Ma Mian opened a door out of thin air, walked through, and vanished.
But Niu Tou didn’t go with him.
He stood up, broad shoulders shaking, his eyes moist and sincere as he looked at Jian Yunlan.
“Boss Jian,” Niu Tou wiped away his tears, his expression now determined. “Boss Jian is a good person. I can’t let you die.”
Jian Yunlan only saw a flash of light before Niu Tou disappeared.
In his place was a massive black bull, standing at least two or three times the size of a person.
The black bull’s eyes were moist. It lowered its head and gently nudged Jian Yunlan and Taotie toward the light cluster of the small dimension.
The force was gentle, but the sudden shift in the gravitational field made the surrounding wind grow sharp, and the sensation of weightlessness hit abruptly.
Jian Yunlan sensed something and hurriedly turned to look at him: “Old Bull—”
A sigh echoed in his ear.
“No one can save him now.” Taotie protected Jian Yunlan in his arms, shielding him from the surrounding, cutting wind currents. His eyelids lowered, “He’s already entered the gravitational field of the black hole.”
Indeed, as Taotie had said.
After using all his strength to send Jian Yunlan and Taotie into the gravitational range of the small dimension’s light cluster, the black bull was swiftly pulled in the opposite direction by the darkness.
“Boss Jian, thank you for the fried dough sticks.” The black bull transformed midair into a cow-headed figure wearing a blue work uniform, waving at Jian Yunlan, “We’ll meet again if fate allows…”
His tears were blown away by the wind.
In the last second before being sucked into the black hole, the bull lowered its head and opened his phone, staring at a job offer on BOSS ZhiPin that he couldn’t accept:
‘[Spiritual Field Manager] No experience required, at least a middle school diploma, full-time, daily pay.
Position details: Manage the farm of a small snack stall owner, using extensive farming techniques to plant various crops.’
“If there’s a next life,” the bull murmured softly, accepting the offer with a resigned look in his eyes, “I don’t want to be a cow head, or some mighty underworld messenger. I don’t want to work for a contractor either.”
“I just want to be a farmer, planting in spring and harvesting in autumn, working at sunrise and resting at sunset…”
The next moment.
A supernatural light suddenly enveloped the bull.
At the same time, Jian Yunlan heard a ‘ding-dong’ sound in his ear:
[You have successfully recruited a new employee for the position of [Spiritual Field Manager]. You can view it in [Employee List]!]
Jian Yunlan: “?”
The bull: “?”
Taotie: “???”
Jian Yunlan wanted to say something, but it was too late.
The gravitational field of the small dimension completely enveloped the three of them, and as they plummeted at high speed, their consciousness began to fade…
Meanwhile, at the headquarters of the Multiverse Live Company.
“Jumped out of the car? He really jumped out of the car?!”
General Manager Li Yuehan looked at Gong Siyuan with an expression of disbelief.
“Yes, we watched him jump,” Gong Siyuan said, near tears. “Is he going to get sucked into the black hole?”
Li Yuehan’s forehead broke out in a sweat.
Jian Yunlan, the new live-streamer, had untapped commercial potential.
If he dies, it would be an enormous loss for their company!
Using his manager permissions, he unlocked the live-streamer tracking system, and dozens of light screens appeared in the air. One of them, a bright little dot, represented Jian Yunlan.
Sure enough, the dot was rapidly falling toward the black hole.
Li Yuehan’s vision went black.
Gong Siyuan: “What should we do?”
“What should we do?” Li Yuehan pinched the bridge of his nose and gave a self-deprecating smile. “Big operation!”
Gong Siyuan: “…”
It’s over, it’s over, it’s over.
If Jian Yunlan dies, the characters from “Paranoid Possession” and “Dark River Light” will demand her life!
“He’s already in the gravitational field of the black hole,” Li Yuehan said. “It’s too late to save him… Wait a minute?”
The next second, both of them watched in disbelief as the light dot, which was almost about to be sucked into the black hole, suddenly changed direction.
It was drifting straight toward the nearest small dimension.
However, before either of them could breathe a sigh of relief.
Upon seeing the detailed information about that small dimension, both of them fell into silence.
Li Yuehan: “If I’m not mistaken, this small dimension is…”
Gong Siyuan smiled: “Haha, I’m not dead.”
The next second, with a peaceful smile, she laid back.
She had been the manager of the melodrama section for five years, and in those five years, Gong Siyuan had never caused such a huge mess.
Most messes could be fixed, but this one… just by looking at it, Gong Siyuan knew…
—Maru La!
[Dimension ‘The CEO’s Priceless Escape Wife: Genius Baby at Three and a Half’ (Urban/Soap Opera/Birth/Runaway/Second Chances) loading…]
[Loading successful!]
A strong scent of baby formula flooded the nostrils.
A gentle, pampering voice echoed in the ear: “Baby, hurry and drink this bottle of milk, then Daddy will tell you a fairy tale, okay?”
Jian Yunlan: “……?” What’s the commotion?
