DADH Chapter 59

The advantages of the Jing brothers’ appearances became evident in front of Huo Yi. The dragons didn’t need Jing Nian to explain. They immediately showed goodwill to the three brothers. After all, they looked so much like Jing Nian, and there was one who was a perfect match.

The three Jing brothers made their way through the circle of dragons surrounding Jing Nian with ease and came before him. Since this was a game world, they weren’t overly shocked. They all squatted down and carefully examined their lost little brother to understand his current situation.

Jing Nian, with red eyes, allowed his brothers to observe and ask questions. Even the baby dragon, who had clung tightly to Jing Nian, felt the concern emanating from these three men who looked so much like Jing Nian. It released its little claws and positioned itself behind Jing Nian, wide-eyed. He studied the faces of the three men, ultimately fixing its gaze on Jing Yan, who bore an uncanny resemblance to Jing Nian.

After a brief exchange, the brothers confirmed that Jing Nian’s spirit or soul appeared unharmed. They breathed a temporary sigh of relief. After searching for their beloved younger brother for so long, the fact that he was alive was reason enough for celebration.

They affectionately held the shrunken version of their little brother and asked numerous “nonsense” questions. Finally, they noticed the little baby dragon that couldn’t be hidden behind Jing Nian.

The three pairs of beautiful sapphire-blue eyes shifted behind Jing Nian. Due to their instincts, the baby dragon had some favorable feelings toward Jing Nian’s three brothers because of their similar or identical appearances. However, they couldn’t hide the aura of two brothers who had seen battle.

So, as the little dragon observed freely from behind Jing Nian, under the gaze of the brothers, its paws, which had been kneading playfully, suddenly froze. It instinctively buried its head behind Jing Nian, attempting to conceal itself. But the result was that the long stretch of the baby dragon that had grown during its slumber nearly knocked Jing Nian over, and it still couldn’t hide itself properly.

The dragon cub that tried hard to curl up into a ball: Pitiful.

Jing Nian: “…”

Jing Nian tiptoed and reached out to pick up his chubby 200-pound baby, soothingly saying, “Ao Ao, let me introduce you. These are all my brothers. You can call them ‘brothers’ too.”

“Brothers?” The baby dragon lifted its head from its hidden spot inside its belly, with big, round eyes shining brightly as it looked at the three brothers.

Although the three brothers appeared outwardly colder and more composed than the other, the truth was that they had all turned into enthusiasts for cute things over the years because they had a lovely and soft little brother at home.

Instantly, they were all charmed by the baby dragon.

While encouraging it and gently pushing it towards his brothers, Jing Nian laughed and said, “That’s right, little one.”

“Brothers?” The baby dragon tentatively tilted its head and looked at the three brothers. Even though the baby dragon had grown significantly since awakening, it was only about 1.5 times the size of the previous tiny Jing Nian. In the eyes of the fully grown three brothers, it was still a little one.

Moreover, it looked incredibly adorable through the filter of having a younger brother. Even the most stoic of them, Jing Da-ge, made a sound and patted the baby dragon’s head.

Seeing that his brothers and the baby dragon were getting along well, Jing Nian felt relieved.

Talking in the forest wasn’t practical, so Jing Nian used his consciousness to briefly explain the situation with his brothers to the old dragon Hesse. He then informed Hesse that it was time to be honest about his identity with the other members of the dragon clan.

Hesse had always known more about Jing Nian’s identity than the other dragons. So when he heard Jing Nian, he nodded in understanding.

In reality, even with Jing Nian’s three brothers arriving, his true identity couldn’t be concealed any longer. Player progression was becoming faster and faster.

However, Hesse believed that the dragon clan’s attitude toward Jing Nian wouldn’t change because of his identity.

The old dragon nodded and bent his knee, allowing Jing Nian, the baby dragon, and Jing’s three brothers to climb onto his back. He then carried them back to the dragon palace.

The remaining group of dragons closely followed. In the blink of an eye, the dust and smoke below left only two lonely figures: Huo Yi and Ga’erfu.

The two of them exchanged glances.

Just as Huo Yi was about to catch up, the dragons behind finally, seemingly at Jing Nian’s reminder, rashly realized that they had forgotten about the Dragon Lord’s friends. Several young dragons quickly flapped their wings and rushed to them.

In the midst of the chaotic rush, the duo was grabbed by the collar and flown toward the Dragon Abyss. They both had bewildered expressions.

—

After explaining everything thoroughly, the sky had darkened. Because they were all “players,” the four brothers’ conversation wasn’t blocked, so Jing Nian learned about his family’s efforts to find him, and his brothers learned about his experiences in the game. Their hearts were filled with gratitude and relief.

Seeing the exhaustion that even holographic images couldn’t conceal on his brothers’ faces, Jing Nian checked the time and looked at them with concern. “I’m doing well here. You should log off and rest. When you’re fully rested, come back online to find me.”

Realizing that his brothers were reluctant to log off, Jing Nian had to find an excuse. “I can’t leave here for now, and my physical condition can’t be rushed, but I do have something I want to ask you for.”

Jing Nian had already learned about his brothers’ investment in the game. Currently, he had two major concerns: whether he could contact his family and return to his body.

Another concern Jing Nian had was the upcoming invasion of players into the game world. Knowing that the “Dragon Slayer” was now considered part of the Jing family, he breathed a sigh of relief.

“I want to ask you to shut down the game temporarily,” Jing Nian continued.

He didn’t tell his brothers that he believed the people in the game world were real. Seeing the serious expression on Jing Nian’s face, his brothers initially thought he might be concerned about them spending too much time online and needing a break. However, they quickly yielded to his earnest request.

Originally, the Jing brothers were reluctant to open the game to players because they were worried about the unknown risks their little brother might face in the game world. However, to find their brother as quickly as possible, they had no choice but to agree to open the game and even offer substantial rewards to players for spreading items to help locate their brother.

Now that they had found their brother, the resolve to shut down the game was even stronger. After all, this was a game called “Dragon Slayer,” and their brother was surrounded by actual dragons!

When Jing Nian added, “I have some matters to attend to here, and maybe I’ll find a way out smoothly. Once you’re well-rested, come back to find me!” his brothers were finally reassured.

Jing Nian emphasized again, “I’m perfectly safe here!”

Little Dragon, who had forcibly joined the conversation, couldn’t understand most of it and sometimes encountered blocked messages. He puffed out his chest and gave a confident pat. “Don’t worry! Little Dragon will protect his brother!”

With their brothers’ persuasion, they finally began to feel a bit more at ease.

Jing Nian was concerned that his brothers hadn’t rested well, so he decided to give them a time limit, using the excuse that he would be busy for a while. In reality, this translated to about half a day in the real world.

Finally, one by one, his brothers gave Jing Nian a hug and reluctantly pressed the log-out button.

As his brothers’ figures disappeared, Little Dragon, still with Jing Nian, waved his tiny claws and said in his cute baby voice, “Goodbye, big brothers~”

The three brothers shared a knowing smile.

Just before they vanished, they suddenly saw the chubby little dragon turn around and hug their youngest brother. His cheerful, babyish voice calling out “Daddy!!!” echoed clearly in their ears a second before they logged out.

—

In the studio.

The doors of the three gaming pods simultaneously popped open, and the three brothers, after hearing that voice and seeing that image just before logging out, exchanged puzzled glances.

Because they had found their little brother, Jing Yan was in a better mood and even cracked a joke, “Could it be that my recurring dream of ‘Daddy every year’ is true?”

As he said this, he considered the possibility and, in terror, looked at his two brothers. “Could it be that Jing Nian has actually married and had children in the game?”

His two brothers were still recovering from the shock of hearing that crisp “Daddy,” and they fell into silence. After a few seconds of contemplating this possibility, they realized…

Even Jing Nian had dragon horns on his head!

Jing Nian and Little Dragon had prestigious positions among the dragon clan!

Could it be that Jing Nian was actually the husband of the dragon lord?!

The three brothers exchanged fearful looks and then…

“Bang!” Jing Er-ge gave a good smack to Jing Yan’s head for his wild imagination.

Jing Yan held his head and looked at his eldest brother. “Big brother, look at Second Brother! Jing Nian and I have a strong spiritual connection. I must be right! I’ve been saying that little chubby one looked so adorable. Turns out, we’ve become uncles!”

Jing Family’s eldest brother, after a few seconds of being drawn into Jing San’s thoughts, reached out with a stern face.

“Bang!”

“Brother!!!”

Outside the room, employees who had grown used to working in a low-pressure environment happened to pass by and overheard the lively commotion inside. Their eyes widened in shock, and then they suppressed their emotions and stealthily made their way into the office area to report to their colleagues.

When they heard that the Jing Family’s three brothers were playfully arguing in the login room, no one believed it.

However, less than two minutes later, the three brothers came out looking relaxed.

Everyone in the studio was stunned. Could it be that they had found their little brother? But how could they be so unaware? Meanwhile, the game world was running wild in an uncontrollable direction.

Before anyone could guess, the studio’s benefactor and father spoke with a somewhat cheerful tone.

“We’ve found our missing family member, so we need to temporarily close the game gateway. Until my little brother returns, all losses during this period will be covered by the Jing Family.”

General Jing Chen, who had rarely smiled before, now had a wild grin on his face. “So, my apologies to everyone!”

Upon hearing the news that Jing Nian had been found, the people in the entire studio let out a collective sigh of relief. After all, they had only wanted to create a simple game. The prospect of a human life being at stake within the game was both unimaginable and a constant threat, as it meant they could “kill” someone at any time.

The decision to close the game was reluctantly accepted by most, understanding that it was the right thing to do, both morally and in respect of their benefactor. They didn’t want to shut down the game permanently, only temporarily.

While many were reluctant to do so, they nodded in agreement. No one noticed a man in the corner with a beard, who appeared somewhat disheveled, let out a light chuckle, and lowered his head. In a place where no one could see, a hint of mockery flashed in his eyes.

“Boss?” A young technician who had become the man’s little sidekick at this moment caught the man’s last hint in the corner of his eye and called out in confusion.

The man raised his head, revealing his carefree face. “What’s up?”

The young technician, still uncertain, stared at the man’s eyes and felt like he might have seen it wrong. He hesitated and asked, “Don’t you want it to be shut down?”

The man didn’t answer; instead, he reached out and grabbed the technician’s shoulder. He leaned in close to the young man’s face, his eyes, which were typically lazy, now sharp and piercing. He stared into the young man’s eyes, making him blush furiously before speaking in a low, languid voice:

“Using ‘you¹formal‘ for me again? Do I look that old?”

The young technician was forced to meet the man’s gaze, his eyes falling on the man’s sexy face framed by slightly long hair. His face turned red, and all his suspicions were forgotten.

“No, no, not at all!” The young technician was left breathless, and he quickly found an excuse to run away.

Once the young technician had fled, the man regained his composure, speaking in a low voice.

“Smart kid, but…”

–

On this day, a post suddenly appeared on the game forum.

[Rumor has it that the game is about to be shut down!!! It’s the mysterious benefactor who gave the order!]

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