Death Progress Bar 128
Test Flight
In the isolation ward, Lian Jun put down his phone and let out a deep sigh as he leaned weakly against the bed.
On the other side of the video call, when Shi Jin noticed Lian Jun’s discomfort, he immediately leaned closer to the camera and asked anxiously, {What’s wrong? Is your stomach bothering you again?}
Lian Jun mustered up his spirits and looked towards the computer tablet placed by his bedside. He smiled at Shi Jin, comforting him, “I’m fine, my stomach’s not acting up, just feeling a bit weak… Sorry, I couldn’t come see you off on the day of your departure.”
{It’s okay, you fell asleep. How have you been these past few days? Still feeling sleepy?} Shi Jin asked softly, deliberately choosing more casual words to lighten the mood for Lian Jun.
Lian Jun felt a pang of sadness upon hearing this, but managed to force a smile and said, “I’m sorry, I slept for too long this time.”
{No, you need to rest more to recover quickly. It’s normal to sleep a bit longer.} Shi Jin looked at his pale face, struggling to maintain his composure. {I should be the one apologizing. I made you busy as soon as you woke up. Will you blame me for taking matters into my own hands and not following your previous arrangements?}
“You did the right thing… cough, cough, cough…“
Lian Jun suddenly started coughing, and as he continued to cough, he began to dry heave intermittently. Perhaps fearing that Shi Jin would worry if he saw this, Lian Jun deliberately lowered his body and hid beneath the camera, out of Shi Jin’s sight.
Shi Jin became anxious and asked, {What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell again?}
“It’s nothing… cough… don’t worry, I’ll just… cough… drink some water… and it’ll be fine.”
The screen showed no image, just audio. Soon, the sound of the door opening in the ward was heard, followed by approaching footsteps. Uncle Long appeared on the screen and he glanced at Shi Jin on the video call, saying, “Don’t worry, Jun-shao just needs rest.” Then, he reached out and ended the call.
The call interface disappeared, leaving Shi Jin to stare blankly. All he could hear in his mind was the suppressed coughing and retching sounds of Lian Jun. Glancing at the progress bar for Lian Jun that had suddenly surged to 600, Shi Jin felt overwhelmed and grabbed his hair in despair.
Xiao Si hoarsely comforted: < It’s okay, with Uncle Long here, darling will be fine… >
“I know.” Shi Jin took a deep breath and sat up, looking at the progress bar that was slowly descending again, he guessed that Uncle Long had given medication to Lian Jun. He wiped his face and said, “He’s just feeling a little uncomfortable after waking up. I know, I’m fine.”
With that, he got up and went out to find Fei Yujing, who was reading in his room. He said, “The air in the ship isn’t good. I’m going to play mahjong on the deck today.”
Fei Yujing, seeing him look like he was holding back some emotions, casually set down his book, picked up his coat, and stood up.
Death Progress Bar is translated by Betwixted Translations. Read on the original translator’s site to get the fastest updates!
In the isolation ward, under the calming effect of the medication, Lian Jun stopped coughing and retching. Uncle Long frowned as he adjusted the drip rate, saying, “You’re too weak right now. Don’t force yourself to chat with Shi Jin. Your body won’t be able to handle it.”
Lian Jun’s eyes dimmed as he spoke softly, “I just want to hear his voice more… Uncle Long, how many days have I been in a coma this time?”
Uncle Long glanced at his expression and didn’t respond to his question. Instead, he bent down to retrieve a small box from the bedside table. From it, he took out a ring wrapped in red string and handed it to him.
“What is… this?” Lian Jun froze, staring blankly at the ring, and struggled to sit up to take it.
“Don’t move,” Uncle Long held him down and placed the ring in his hand. He explained, “This is a birthday gift from Shi Jin to you. When the nurse was washing your body, she was afraid that the water would ruin the red string on the ring, so she took it off.”
A birthday gift from Shi Jin… Holding the ring up to his eyes, Lian Jun gently touched it and asked, “Which finger does it go on?”
Uncle Long was puzzled. “What?”
“Which finger did Shi Jin put the ring on for me?” asked Lian Jun, his eyes showing a rare sense of vitality since his treatment began.
Uncle Long felt a pang of unease seeing him like this and replied, “It’s the ring finger, he put it on your ring finger. This ring, just like the one you gave to Shi Jin, has a blue diamond set on it. The red string was wrapped by Shi Jin himself because the ring…”
“I’m wearing it too big now,” continued Lian Jun, lowering his eyes. He slowly slid the ring on his ring finger and looked at it for a while. Then, he suddenly smiled and said, “It fits perfectly.”
As the words fell, several vague phrases suddenly flashed through his mind, as if someone had sat by his bedside, held his hand and said the exact same things. He paused, furrowing his brows as he carefully recalled this dream-like memory. His hand that was touching the ring, unconsciously tightened into a grip, and grew tighter with each passing moment.
【If you can’t gain enough weight to fit this ring perfectly, then we’re done for.】
【It fits just right.】
【Get well soon. You promised to come pick me up after my meeting. Don’t break your promise.】
The frustrated tone that he had never heard before, sounding as if he could cry at any moment… Lian Jun covered his eyes with his hand, feeling a heavy discomfort in his heart.
It wasn’t a dream, it turns out it wasn’t a dream…
Uncle Long frowned and called out, “Jun-shao.”
“Uncle Long,” Lian Jun said as he pressed on his eyes with the hand wearing the ring. “The most active period of the toxin has passed, right? Bring me some food, please. I feel like eating.”
Uncle Long frowned even more and said, “But you were just…”
“I suddenly feel like eating, even if it’s just liquid food. Please go and get some. Being well-fed gives you the strength to recover from an illness, doesn’t it?” interrupted Lian Jun, putting down his hand and looking at him with clear and serious eyes, not allowing any refusal.
The Lian Jun, who doesn’t know how to listen to the doctor’s words, is back again.
Uncle Long should have been angry, but he only opened his mouth and said, “Okay.”
The food was quickly brought over, just a small dish of mushy white congee. With assistance from the nurse, Lian Jun leaned back on the bed where he first sipped some warm water to soothe his throat and warm his stomach. He then scooped up a bit of the congee and brought it to his mouth.
He will surely be unable to bear the nausea and would want to vomit.
Uncle Long thought to himself and stood outside the ward, watching as Lian Jun indeed covered his mouth and began to retch, sighing deeply.
It’s still too much of a strain, but… He looked at Lian Jun, who forced himself to swallow the congee after retching, and his expression softened. Taking care of a patient with a strong will to survive is much better than taking care of one who is lifeless because their lover is not by their side.
If you’re seeing this notice, you’re reading this chapter on pirate site – the original translator of Death Progress Bar is Betwixted Translations.
In a bad mood, Shi Jin dominated the card table and won a hefty sum of money from Fei Yujing. Then, with a flourish, he handed a large red packet to both Gua Two and Li Jiuzheng, who had been playing mahjong with him. Using the money he won from Fei Yujing, he played solitaire mahjong on his tablet till two in the morning, until he was too exhausted to stay awake and drifted off into a deep sleep.
A peaceful and dreamless night passed by. At ten in the morning, Shi Jin got out of bed with a messy head and went to the bathroom to take a shower, wash and blow dry his hair, and clean his face. When he came out, he changed into a tailor-made striped casual suit, and adorned various luxurious accessories. Then, covering his grumbling and hungry stomach, Shi Jin headed out towards the restaurant.
All the outfits he had these days were specially made for him by Lian Jun, but he never had the chance to wear them nor was he too keen on wearing them either. Later, when he decided to go with the young master style on the ship, he had Gua Two call Gua Six to have these clothes packed up and sent over by helicopter. Unexpectedly, Gua Six not only sent the clothes but also packed a full set of accessories, giving him even more room to play around in.
It was a pity that he didn’t get a chance to wear them and show Lian Jun. And just when he finally figured out how to use these accessories… Shi Jin touched the decorative buttons on his jacket’s pocket, and couldn’t help but feel his mood sink again.
“Xiao Jin.”
After entering the restaurant, a voice that shouldn’t have sounded here suddenly came from not far ahead.
Shi Jin stopped in his tracks and dumbfoundedly looked towards the direction of the sound. Then, he lowered his head and covered his forehead while muttering to himself, “It seems I’m not fully awake yet, gonna continue sleeping… continue sleeping… Ah, I’m so hungry…”
I’m so hungry that it feels so real.
‘Rumble, rumble.’ My stomach is protesting.
He paused, glanced at his stomach, and blinked. Then, he slowly turned his head to look towards the spot where the “illusion” had appeared earlier.
Wearing a handsome black and blue Air Force uniform, Xiang Aoting was sitting by the window, with a glass of water in front of him. He was frowning while looking in Shi Jin’s direction and was leaning forward with his hands on the table, as if he was about to get up and come over.
Shi Jin’s eyes widened gradually. Then he turned around, ran to Xiang Aoting’s side, and reached out to pinch his face, pulling it.
“Xiao Jin, what are you doing?,” Xiang Aoting furrowed his brows inquiringly. He grabbed his hand and pulled it away, rescuing his face.
It’s hot, it’s alive, it’s real!
Shi Jin’s face was filled with disbelief as he asked, “Fourth Brother, what are you doing here?”
“I was entrusted by Admiral Liu to lead a team to help maintain order at the conference,” replied Xiang Aoting, looking up and down at Shi Jin’s appearance. His brows furrowed even deeper as he asked, “What’s up with your outfit?”
In his impression, Rong Zhouzhong was the only person in the Shi family who would dress so “flashily.” Shi Jin usually dresses more casually, wearing whatever he finds comfortable, never dying or perming his hair, and rarely ever wearing accessories. He was always clean and straightforward, very likable. But now, Shi Jin was dressed in a high-quality striped suit. While the color of the suit was modest, the cut was different from a typical formal suit, and carried a bit of the hip-hop style that young people like. It was… very star-like. Moreover, Shi Jin had deliberately swept his bangs back to reveal his forehead today while also wearing various accessories that matched his outfit, making him look even more “grand” and radiant, like a young master ready to attend some fashionable banquet.
Shi Jin tugged at his suit upon hearing this and said, “Ah, this? Well, since the leaders of the other organizations are coming today, I specifically changed into a slightly more low-key outfit.”
Slightly more low-key… Xiang Aoting looked at the various accessories on Shi Jin’s body and began to wonder whether he had misunderstood the definition of “low-key” a bit.
“But Fourth Brother, you look even more handsome in the Air Force uniform than in the Army uniform!” Shi Jin became excited again, pulling Xiang Aoting up forcefully and circling around him like an eager puppy. He reached out to touch his epaulets, his eyes brightening as he asked, “Fourth Brother, did you fly here? When did you arrive?”
“I arrived last night, but I was afraid you were asleep, so I didn’t come to find you,” Xiang Aoting replied. Seeing his excitement, he smiled slightly and asked, “Do you want to take a look?”
What will he look at, a plane?
Shi Jin’s eyes lit up instantly. He had forgotten all about breakfast in his excitement as he exclaimed, “Let’s go! Can you take me for a spin? I’ve never seen someone fly a plane up close!”
“Yes, but I can only take you for one circle.”
“Fourth Brother, you’re amazing!” Shi Jin cheered and was about to leave.
Xiang Aoting quickly reached out to stop him, saying, “Eat something first. Flying on an empty stomach will make you feel uncomfortable.”
Shi Jin hurriedly rushed to the restaurant to order food, he carelessly ordered two steamed buns and a bottle of yogurt, and ran to Xiang Aoting’s side while nibbling on them. He pulled him towards the exit, his face full of impatience. Xiang Aoting couldn’t do anything about him, so he obediently let himself be pulled away.
Crunch.
Li Jiuzheng, who was sitting across Xiang Aoting, but had been ignored by Shi Jin all along, drank up his beverage in one gulp, took a piece of ice from the cup, and bit it into pieces.
“Nice teeth,” Fei Yujing, who was sitting beside him and had also been ignored by Shi Jin, commented lightly.
Li Jiuzheng frowned, picked up a fork, and poked at the grapes in the fruit platter.
Gua Two watched the two brothers, who seemed to be surrounded by a gusting cold wind, and smirked. He then turned around to follow in the direction Shi Jin had left.
Death Progress Bar is translated by Betwixted Translations. Read on the original translator’s site to get the fastest updates!
The official ship was very large and the plane that Xiang Aoting arrived in was parked on the spacious rear deck of the ship. It was an armed helicopter, much larger than the regular ones, painted with a dark green body bearing its number and a military flag printed on it.
“I thought it would be a fighter jet,” Shi Jin expressed a hint of disappointment.
“Fighter jets can’t be casually taken out, nor can they carry passengers. The jet is the same as this one. Come over, I’ll help you put on the helmet and equipment,” said Xiang Aoting as he opened the helicopter’s cabin.
“How could they be the same…” Shi Jin sighed regretfully. However, the thought of being able to see Xiang Aoting fly the helicopter up close quickly excited him again. He obediently leaned over to let him put on the equipment.
The armed helicopter was different from a regular helicopter. There were only two seats inside organized in a stepped formation, one in front of the other. Xiang Aoting arranged for Shi Jin to sit in the back seat, secured his seatbelt, then sat in the front seat himself. After closing the cabin door and putting on the safety equipment, he said, “Don’t move around. If you feel uncomfortable, tell me immediately. I’ll fly back and land.”
Shi Jin quickly nodded with excitement, his hands trembling with anticipation— an aircraft, it’s really an aircraft, Xiang Aoting can actually fly it!
With Xiang Aoting’s skillful operation, the aircraft’s dashboard lit up, and the sound of the rotating wings came through the bulkhead. Then, after a slight swaying motion, the sensation of floating emerged, and the aircraft lifted off the ground, the view gradually rising.
Holy crap! We’re flying! We’re really flying!
Shi Jin’s eyes widened in excitement. He glanced at the back of Xiang Aoting’s head, wearing a helmet, then looked at the gradually approaching sky and the shrinking ship below. He was so excited that he almost wanted to howl to the sky three times.
“Sit tight, we’re going to accelerate now.”
The voice of Xiang Aoting came through the dashboard, and then the plane gradually climbed higher, moving closer to the sky. After reaching a certain altitude, it halted its ascent and began circling around the stretch of sea. Looking down through the monitoring screen, Shi Jin saw the massive official ship nearby, with smaller ships quietly docked alongside it. Further out, there were about a dozen or so ships of various sizes slowly adjusting their positions— these were the ships of the other small and medium-sized organizations that had arrived earlier this morning.
“This view is amazing,” Shi Jin couldn’t help but exclaim.
“I’ll take you to see farther,” said Xiang Aoting, a hint of a smile playing at the corner of his lips.
The plane soared higher once again, flying towards a more distant destination. Shi Jin looked at the vast sky and the boundless sea and felt his heart and mind expand, experiencing a refreshing sense of clarity.
“Another ship is approaching, it’s a big one,” Xiang Aoting suddenly spoke.
Shi Jin snapped out of his excitement and looked ahead. With the help of the far-seeing eye buff, he indeed saw a large ship approaching steadily towards the designated meeting area.
“It should be a ship from a major organization,” Shi Jin said, not particularly surprised.” Today is the last day of the assembly, and most organizations’ ships will be arriving today.”
“Let’s go take a look,” said Xiang Aoting. He veered in that direction for a while, then paused briefly at a height where they could see the ship clearly before flying off in another direction.
Shi Jin couldn’t help but laugh. Upon approaching, he used the far-seeing eye buff and discovered that the ship below was actually Tarantula’s. Lu Shan was standing on the deck, looking straight at them with wide eyes while holding a satellite phone in her hand, her mouth clearly forming the words ‘holy crap.’
He quickly enhanced his hearing and heard Lu Shan’s voice coming through intermittently, “What the hell… Meng Qing, there’s an armed helicopter hovering above me. Do you have one on your end? What’s the deal with the authorities? Patrol? Surveillance?”
Meng Qing? The leader of Meridian Gate?
Shi Jin’s heart skipped a beat. He wanted to listen carefully to what Lu Shan was saying, but the distance between the plane and the Tarantula ship had already widened, making it difficult to distinguish the voices.
Upon hearing his laughter, Xiang Aoting asked, “What’s the matter?”
Shi Jin regained his composure and replied, “It’s nothing, I just find it fascinating how the ships look like toys from up here, quite amusing.”
Like toys… What a childish response. Xiang Aoting smiled and sped up the helicopter, flying further ahead.
Later, the two of them also spotted other organization ships approaching the official ship. They approached each one to take a look, teased them a bit, and then swiftly moved away, which the ships found quite hateful. After more than an hour, they finally finished the one circle that Xiang Aoting mentioned, and flew back to the official ship to land.
At this moment, several more armed helicopters had appeared on the deck, each with a person in an Air Force uniform standing beside it. Liu Zhenjun was also on the deck, engrossed in flipping through a document.
Xiang Aoting stepped off the helicopter first, then helped Shi Jin down.
Liu Zhenjun immediately set aside the documents and approached, asking, “Commander Xiang, how was the test flight?”
“Not bad,” Xiang Aoting replied, glancing back at his team before counting them and confirming the number was correct. Then, he turned back to Liu Zhenjun and asked, “Why are you here, Admiral? Is there something wrong?”
Of course there’s something wrong. Liu Zhenjun directed his gaze at Shi Jin and asked, “Mr. Shi, how come you were on Commander Xiang’s helicopter?”
Shi Jin still hadn’t spoken yet, so Xiang Aoting explained on his behalf, “I invited him. Test flights can be boring, so having someone to talk to helps pass the time.”
Pass the time by talking?
Upon hearing this, the team members brought by Xiang Aoting reacted with a subtle change in expression. They collectively turned their heads towards Shi Jin, their gazes filled with curiosity and suggestion—when the captain takes the initiative to invite someone… Tut-tut-tut…
Shi Jin felt his hairs stand on end under their gaze. He glanced at them, and from the corner of his eye, he noticed a ship that was clearly from a major organization approaching their location. Sensing an opportunity, he deliberately reached out and placed his hand on Xiang Aoting’s shoulder, raising his voice as he said, “Fourth Brother, I’m hungry. It’s time for lunch.”
“Mr. Shi.” Liu Zhenjun’s eyes darkened a bit as he called out to Shi Jin. Although he had been warned by Zhang Zhuoyuan that the deputy leader sent by Annihilation this year was a teenager with a complicated background and was completely impudent, he hadn’t expected for this little brat to act so brash.
Not even considering the occasion or how many people are around watching. A deputy leader of a violent organization was actually actively cozying up with an Air Force commanding officer, shoulder-to-shoulder like this? What kind of situation is this? Even though I heard that this deputy leader is related to Commander Xiang… If they’re relatives, then that’s even more troublesome! A deputy leader of a violent organization and an Air Force officer are relatives… Oh my god, this is madness! Why did the Air Force allow Commander Xiang to come over here? My head hurts.
Shi Jin turned his head to look at him when he heard the call and he warmly invited, “Admiral Liu, are you hungry too? Then, come along with us as well. Let’s also call Director Zhang and have a good meal together.”
Dub, dub… Liu Zhenjun’s forehead veins bulged and he almost couldn’t resist scolding him like an unruly recruit. He lowered his voice and reminded, “Mr. Shi, I remember you were an outstanding student at the police academy. Perhaps your style of doing things… could be more composed.” So stop being so out of line!
Shi Jin immediately misunderstood his meaning, so he withdrew his hand, stood at attention, and performed a standard military salute to Liu Zhenjun. He exclaimed loudly, “Yes, Admiral! This student will remember your teachings!”
Swish, swish, swish. With a clatter, everyone around who heard those sentences looked over and stared at Shi Jin’s precise military salute, their eyes wide open like copper bells.
Liu Zhenjun felt like he was having a heart attack. He reached out and suppressed Shi Jin’s military salute, squeezing the words out slowly from between his teeth, “Mr. Shi, you are here to represent Annihilation. Please temporarily forget your identity as a police academy student. Thank you for your cooperation.”
What’s even more terrifying than the fact that the deputy leader of a violent organization is related to an Air Force officer is the fact that the deputy leader is actually a bona fide police academy student! Is Shi Jin genuinely naive or pretending to be naive? What is Lian Jun’s intention in bringing such a person to attend the conference?
“Admiral, what’s the rush? Everyone is well aware of the alliance between Annihilation and the authorities. I am an important liaison between the two parties, so you can relax a bit.” Shi Jin suddenly reached out and lightly patted Liu Zhenjun’s shoulder in a cooperative manner. His fingers subtly gestured towards the large ship that had already docked diagonally behind them. Then, he signaled to Xiang Aoting and said, “Fourth Brother, let’s go. Let’s have a meal, and afterwards, I’ll teach you how to play mahjong.”
Xiang Aoting responded with a nod and took off his helmet.
Shi Jin also casually invited Xiang Aoting’s team members, smiling as he said, “Why don’t you all come along too? Fourth Brother praised your skills during the test flight just now, and I’m curious about your combat experience.”
The captain actually praises people? Wait, Fourth Brother?
The members of Xiang Aoting’s team were all surprised. They glanced at Xiang Aoting, who seemed to be in a much better mood today and had a softened demeanor, and then at Shi Jin. Doing some quick calculations, and seeing that Xiang Aoting showed no signs of objection, they eagerly accepted Shi Jin’s invitation and followed along, filled with curiosity.
In the blink of an eye, there was only Liu Zhenjun left on the deck. He frowned as he watched Shi Jin and Xiang Aoting walk away, then glanced back at the silver ship belonging to Epoch in the distance. Reflecting on Shi Jin’s recent behavior, he pondered thoughtfully—this Shi Jin didn’t seem as brazen as Zhang Zhuoyuan had described.
Was it intentional?
He walked in the direction where Shi Jin had left, his furrowed brows slowly relaxing. After all, someone who was not well-behaved can’t possibly achieve the top spot in both the police academy and military training.
If you’re seeing this notice, you’re reading this chapter on pirate site – the original translator of Death Progress Bar is Betwixted Translations.
Translator’s Notes
- “their eyes wide open like copper bells” – I.e. their eyes are very open and round.
Translator: GoldBerry
GoldBerry:
Happy Belated Valentines Day!!!
I wanted to have this chapter finished on time for the holiday but I’ve been so busy with work, classes, and research papers. I just want to pass out and go to sleep for like a week (╥_╥)
Hope you enjoy this one!
Thanks for the chapter!
WAHHHH THANK YOU FOR PICKING THIS UP, I was so worried that this novel wouldn’t be finished. THANK YOU AGAIN DEAR
Shi Jin is pulling all the aggro at this conference and it’s hilarious.