Special Crack

Before Ye Chuan could open the door, he saw a figure already standing there, having turned the knob.

"Hello there," Ye Yue greeted, now dressed in Ye Chuan's oversized T-shirt, swinging her slender legs with a smile. "Are you here to see my brother?"

"I’m here for Ye Chuan. You’re… his sister?" Wang Yanran was momentarily taken aback by the unfamiliar face but quickly introduced herself. "My name is Wang Yanran."

"Brother always has so many pretty girls around him. Are you his girlfriend?" Ye Yue grinned.

"No, I’m just his secretary…" For some reason, the cheerful girl in front of her gave Wang Yanran an inexplicable sense of pressure, even though she seemed nothing more than a harmless, friendly girl.

Was she just too tired?

Why did she feel like this sweet-looking girl harbored hostility?

"Oh, so you’re the secretary! Please, come in. I’ll make you some tea." Ye Yue took Wang Yanran’s hand, sweetly calling her "sister" before ushering her inside.

Hearing such a sugary tone, Wang Yanran felt flattered and even guilty for having mistaken such an adorable girl for a threat.

How could she possibly be dangerous?

Once Wang Yanran was seated in the living room, Ye Chuan emerged—carrying Lan Xiaoke under one arm. The white-haired girl dangled limply, looking utterly defeated.

"Wahhh, I’m gonna report you for exploiting me~ I’ve already reached the Crystal Realm~"

"Uh… what’s up with Xiaoke?"

"Don’t mind her. I’m just training her a bit," Ye Chuan said.

Lan Xiaoke, the ultimate shut-in, perked up when she noticed Wang Yanran. "Hehe, Miss Wang, do you wanna eat some oh-renji?"

"Huh? Oranges?" Wang Yanran was puzzled. "Sure."

"I’ll go buy some for you~ You two chat first!" Lan Xiaoke wriggled free and bounced out the door.

Ye Chuan watched her leave before turning back to Wang Yanran. "That special rift you mentioned—is it still there?"

"Yes. Many super-warriors have already gone in to explore, and they’ve found a lot of rare materials."

Monster remains had always been useful for crafting equipment, but now, with these new resources, both technology and gear were advancing rapidly.

"I see." Ye Chuan thought it might be worth checking out—plus, he could test the effects of cognitive contamination.

"Brother, can I come too?" Ye Yue, sitting beside him, asked.

"You want to tag along?"

"Yeah!" Seeing his hesitation, she immediately clung to his arm and pouted. "I promise I’ll behave, brother~"

Wang Yanran smiled. "Ye Chuan, your sister is adorable. Don’t worry, the area’s safe. I can protect her."

She assumed his hesitation stemmed from concern for Ye Yue’s safety.

But what Ye Chuan was really worried about was whether Ye Yue might cause destruction if let loose—his house was like a containment facility, with every tenant possessing terrifying abilities. One wrong move outside, and chaos could ensue.

"Alright, let’s go take a look."

With that, Ye Chuan decided to bring his sister along. As for Lan Xiaoke? She’d already scurried off to hide somewhere, waiting for him to leave so she could sneak back home and game.

So young, yet wasting her potential holed up in a room, grinding away at virtual battles.

Not like him.

Through sheer effort, willpower, and the help of his system, he’d clawed his way up step by step to reach his current strength. The bittersweet journey was something only he truly understood.

Wang Yanran had a car ready. Once Ye Chuan and Ye Yue got in, they set off. Perhaps because this world wasn’t too different from Ye Yue’s, she adapted faster than any of his other tenants.

"Brother, what happened here?" Ye Yue noticed the damaged buildings and construction crews patching things up.

"Rifts," Ye Chuan said.

"Rifts?"

"Yeah. Monsters emerge from them, attacking people and destroying cities. That’s why everything looks like this."

"So this is how brother’s world is…"

"No, the rifts only appeared recently. Everyone’s still researching this supernatural phenomenon."

Wang Yanran found their conversation odd.

Rifts had appeared worldwide, and news coverage never stopped. How could his sister seem completely unaware?

"Ye Yue grew up in an overseas academy, completely cut off from the outside. Coincidentally, no rifts appeared there," Ye Chuan explained.

"I see." Wang Yanran didn’t dwell on it. She didn’t care about Ye Yue’s background—she was just Ye Chuan’s cute, harmless little sister.

If Wang Yanran knew Ye Yue had devoured an entire world’s worth of living beings, her brain would short-circuit.

The car reached the outskirts of the city, where a towering purple rift, about ten meters high, came into view. People were constantly entering and exiting.

"That’s it?" Ye Chuan asked.

"Yes. It’s stable—unlike previous ones, this one isn’t dangerous," Wang Yanran said. "On the other side is a forest."

She added, "But the edges of the forest fade into a strange white void. Anything that goes in—detectors, equipment—never comes back. So we haven’t dared to explore further."

"No monsters?"

"None. Just unique plants and rare elemental ores."

"Hm."

Ye Chuan wasn’t interested. He could travel between worlds himself.

"Any rifts with monsters?"

"There are, but they’re farther away."

"I’ll fly you there."

"Ah? On that flying boat again?" Wang Yanran found it fast but a bit too flashy.

Last time they took it to the beach, it caused quite a stir online.

"No need. With just the three of us, I can carry you directly."

"Alright…"

After parking, they got out.

Ye Chuan levitated slightly and extended his hands. "Each of you, take one side. I’ll fly us over."

Seeing him reach for Wang Yanran, Ye Yue suddenly stepped between them with a smile. "Sister Yanran, why don’t I take you instead? Carrying two people would be too tiring for brother."

"I… don’t mind either way…"

The next moment, a pair of massive crimson wings unfurled behind Ye Yue—woven from writhing tendrils, with eerie eyes blinking open across their surface.

Wang Yanran, however, didn’t react with shock. She simply nodded. "Okay."