Middle-aged Love Patch

The abandoned electric train station at Mount Takao was six kilometers away from their destination, Platform 3.

The station had only one entrance and an exit leading to the platform. Inside, dust-covered benches were arranged in two rows, facing a small concession stand. The wooden shelves and glass display cases of the stand were completely empty.

Shi Yue lay on the narrow aisle between the benches and the concession stand, watching as a green serpent slithered silently toward Xu Youyuan.

The serpent’s appearance was modeled after the 2021 film Legend of the White Snake 2021—Shi Yue’s childhood nightmare and widely regarded as the most terrifying and brutal adaptation of the White Snake mythos.

The serpent flicked its long forked tongue, its faint hissing drowned out by the gurgling sounds of milk being gulped down. Fully focused on its prey, it slowly descended.

Its tail still clung to the ceiling while its upper body lowered, the nimble tongue inching closer to the back of Xu Youyuan’s head.

"Mmmph…"

Shi Yue’s health bar had slowly begun to recover, allowing her slight movement, but the milk bottle in her mouth muffled her words.

Xu Youyuan: "What’s wrong? Don’t move, or you’ll choke."

Shi Yue’s eyelids twitched violently, her stiff arms trembling uncontrollably.

Xu Youyuan sensed something was off. Shi Yue’s gaze was fixed near her face, but not directly at her.

A chilling breath brushed against Xu Youyuan’s right ear, raising goosebumps.

Xu Youyuan abruptly stopped moving, her eyes sliding to the right. She realized the danger was right behind her.

Shi Yue also fell silent. Both of them froze as if petrified.

Xu Youyuan’s eyes flicked back to Shi Yue beneath her. Her throat bobbed slowly before she blinked.

Xu Youyuan’s expression: What the hell is that?!

Shi Yue’s widened eyes: Whatever it is, we can’t fight it.

Xu Youyuan narrowed her eyes: Can we run?

Shi Yue closed hers: No way. In our current state? No weapons, not even a paper cutter left.

Xu Youyuan tightened her grip on the milk bottle, forcing a large gush into Shi Yue’s mouth. Shi Yue nearly choked, her health bar rising faster than before.

Xu Youyuan glanced at Shi Yue, then at the exit leading to the platform at their two o’clock.

Both of them knew—since reaching Platform 3 was the key to clearing this stage, their chances of escaping via the electric train were high.

Getting to the platform and starting the train was their only viable plan.

But Shi Yue doubted it was possible. With the serpent right there, how could it let them go?

Xu Youyuan glared at Shi Yue, then at the exit: Damn it, we won’t know unless we try! We’re dead either way!

Shi Yue smiled and blinked rapidly: Yes, understood, ma’am.

Xu Youyuan silently mouthed a countdown.

One… two…

Shi Yue had no idea how Xu Youyuan planned to stall the monster again. Their backpack still had some tools, but even if they had time to pull them out, they were all physical attacks—unlikely to do much against a serpent spirit.

Still, she’d follow Xu Youyuan’s lead without question. She trusted her completely.

If they died, at least they’d die together.

"Three! Run!"

Xu Youyuan shouted. Shi Yue, her health bar now halfway recovered, sprang up and bolted toward the exit!

The serpent hissed and lunged for Xu Youyuan’s head—only for her to shove the milk bottle into its mouth.

Serpent: "???"

Not just shoving, Xu Youyuan squeezed. Gripping the bottle with both hands, she pressed hard—the nipple burst, spraying milk all over the serpent’s face. Seizing the chance, she fled.

Shi Yue laughed so hard her legs nearly gave out.

Xu Youyuan smacked her on the head: "Run, damn it! No time for laughing!"

They took the stairs three at a time, reaching the platform where an old electric train stood waiting.

Shi Yue: "Can we start it?!"

Xu Youyuan: "It’s electric—we need a backup power source! Get on and look!"

The train doors were open. They jumped in one after another. Shi Yue turned back—the serpent had already reached the platform, its long tail whipping across the ground as it slithered at terrifying speed, faster than even the bamboo-basket gorilla!

The serpent scanned the area, quickly spotting them. It spat a fireball—Shi Yue barely dodged, her face nearly scorched as she ducked into the carriage.

The serpent coiled and launched itself into the air, flying straight for the train. Shi Yue saw its reflection in the folded window glass and slammed the door shut.

Just as the serpent’s head tried to slither inside, Shi Yue mercilessly smacked it in the face, slamming the door shut.

The serpent shrieked, two streams of blood trickling from its nose.

Its delicate features twisted in rage. With a furious roar, it swung its thick tail with all its might, smashing into the train.

The train, a small sightseeing tram with only six carriages, groaned under the impact. The 500-year-old serpent’s full-strength strike left a deep dent, rocking the entire vehicle violently.

Xu Youyuan, frantically searching for the backup power source in the front car, lost her balance and tumbled backward.

The fall knocked open a broken cabinet behind her, sending a pile of items crashing down. A heavy black box smashed onto her, taking out 200 HP.

Xu Youyuan looked down—it was labeled "Backup Power."

This was it!

She scrambled to find where to install it while the serpent pressed against the door, trying to force its way in.

Shi Yue used all her strength to hold the door shut, but the serpent shattered the window and began slithering inside, its body slick as oil.

Rage burned through Shi Yue—childhood nightmare or not, she couldn’t let this thing in!

The moment the serpent touched the floor, Shi Yue pounced, sinking her vampire fangs into its neck.

The serpent writhed in pain, trying to shake her off, but Shi Yue bit down harder.

"Got it!" Xu Youyuan yelled. She’d finally found the slot for the backup power. Pushing it in, the smooth click confirmed she’d done it right.

The control panel lit up. Only two buttons—red and green. Simple.

She pressed the green one.

The train shuddered to life, rusty wheels screeching against the tracks.

The serpent clawed at Shi Yue’s arms, flipping her onto her back before sinking its fangs into her neck—pure retaliation.

Suddenly, its tail jerked. It looked back—a rope had been looped tightly around it.

Xu Youyuan held the other end of the rope, now tied into a noose. She flung open the train door as the vehicle picked up speed, trees whipping past outside.

"Bye-bye."

She swung the noose and hurled it—landing perfectly around a forked tree branch.

Serpent: "You—"

Before it could finish, its tail yanked taut. With a final scream, it was dragged out of the train.

"You okay…?" Xu Youyuan collapsed beside Shi Yue, drenched in sweat and gasping for air.

In reality, Xu Youyuan lay on her couch, her body aching, her pajamas soaked through with sweat. She turned over with a groan.

Shi Yue sat up, rubbing her chin. "You bit down way too hard. It's sore."

"Why do you bite everyone you see?" The wind from the moving train felt refreshing against her skin. Xu Youyuan closed her eyes, savoring the exhilaration of having narrowly escaped death.

"It's just a reflex when I panic."

"So you bite when you're stressed. Better stretch your jaw—don’t want it dislocating." Xu Youyuan frowned. "Is the exhaustion from the sensory chip? Would removing it make things easier? At least we wouldn’t feel so drained, and our stamina would hold up better."

Shi Yue replied, "I’ve tried that. Taking off the sensory chip does reduce physical fatigue, but your in-game status still tracks stamina. If it drops too low, your character dies instantly. Without the chip, it’s easy to overexert yourself and miss the warning signs. Plus, there are other risks. Like when that green snake sneaked up behind you—without the chip, you wouldn’t have sensed it."

"Got it. Without the sensory chip, everything in the scenario would rely solely on sight and sound."

"Exactly. That would make clearing stages even harder."

"Fine, we’ll keep it on." Xu Youyuan gritted her teeth as she pushed herself up, clutching her waist. "I need to hit the gym soon. This is only the second stage of the adventure theme, and it’ll only get tougher. If I don’t get in shape, there’s no way I’ll make it. Don’t want to drag you down."

Shi Yue chuckled. "You’re too kind, pro. Feels like I’ve been the deadweight this whole time. I should be grinding practice matches to sharpen my reflexes."

"Do you usually game a lot?"

"Yeah, but nothing as intense as Dark Box."

"Alright. Let’s hope the train makes it to the station safely. After we clear this, we’ll both train up before tackling the third stage—"

Her hopeful words were cut off as a beam of white light struck the train, nearly derailing it.

Xu Youyuan scrambled to her feet after being knocked over—what now?

The two peered through the shattered window, nearly blinded.

The green serpent hovering in the air pointed at the train. "Sister! It’s them!"

The white serpent sneered, sweeping her hands from her head down to her chest before thrusting them forward. Another beam of light sliced through the train, splitting it clean in half!

Xu Youyuan was furious. "You started this! You tried to eat us first! And now you’ve brought your sister along? That’s just bullying! Also, this is Tokyo—aren’t you two Chinese monsters? How are you even breaking script like this?!"

Shi Yue reminded her, "The bamboo-basket gorilla also went off-script to hunt us down earlier."

"Seriously?!"

The white and green serpents ignored Xu Youyuan’s protests, closing in fast.

With no weapons left, Xu Youyuan rummaged through her toolbox—only a screwdriver and wrench remained. She hurled them at the snakes anyway.

The white serpent raised two fingers skyward. Clear skies darkened instantly, thunder rumbling as violet lightning crackled.

"Monk, return my husband!" The heavens behind her seemed to rupture, a torrential flood gushing down and sweeping the train off its tracks.

Half-submerged, Xu Youyuan struggled against the raging current.

"Is the white serpent directionally challenged? This isn’t Golden Mountain Temple! Xu Xian isn’t here! And who’s a monk?!" She could barely move in the violent flow.

Shi Yue, an excellent swimmer, surged forward and grabbed her. "Probably just their preset dialogue. No changing it! What’s the plan now?!"

The water was rising rapidly, nearing the ceiling. If they didn’t escape soon, they’d drown.

Xu Youyuan tilted her head back, gasping for air. "I checked the map earlier—Station 3 is only 6 kilometers away! We’re more than halfway there. Let’s swim for it!"

"Got it!"

They abandoned the train and plunged into the water. By now, the white serpent had flooded the mountainside, the current ferocious. Station 3 lay perpendicular to the flow, making the swim nearly impossible.

Xu Youyuan used to love swimming and was good at it, but work and life had kept her out of the water for years.

Exhaustion ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‍hollowed her out in the rapids. Her stamina plummeted; even lifting her arms felt impossible. She was running on sheer willpower.

Shi Yue noticed her deteriorating state and tried to support her—but it was too late.

Water filled her vision as she sank deeper.

Darkness swallowed her. Xu Youyuan knew it was over.

What a shame.

"FAILED" sprawled across the black screen. After respawning in the room, Xu Youyuan was too spent to continue and logged off.

Removing the neural link crystal, she panted heavily, her chest heaving.

Shi Yue sent a video call request. Xu Youyuan picked up her buzzing phone—it was a holographic call. Glancing around her shabby apartment, she declined and switched to a standard video call instead.

"You okay?" Shi Yue’s face was pressed so close to the camera it nearly distorted, obscuring the background.

Xu Youyuan felt a flicker of amusement. So they both preferred keeping their private lives hidden.

"I’m fine. Just wiped out."

"No kidding. You’re drenched in sweat."

"Such a waste. We failed at the last stretch—I could already see Station 3."

"Don’t sweat it. I checked our progress—we cleared the bamboo-basket gorilla stage. The game saved at the station, so next time we’ll start from there."

"Meaning we’ll have to face those two snakes again…"

"Yep."

"Those sisters are way too OP. I need to camp at the gym for a while. My stamina’s just not cutting it."

"Huh? You’re tired already?" Shi Yue glanced away, likely checking the time. "It’s only been an hour and twenty minutes."

Xu Youyuan studied her. Even with the unflattering upward angle and distorted close-up, Shi Yue’s youthful, flawless skin—overflowing with collagen—held up effortlessly under the HD lens. Not even winded after such an intense session. Enviable.

"Fair enough," Shi Yue said. "You really should hit the gym. I go often, so my stamina’s decent."

No wonder her figure was so toned—a regular gym-goer.

Out of the camera’s view, Xu Youyuan pinched the softness around her waist. Resolute, she vowed: Tomorrow. No excuses.

She remembered an old-school gym across from her apartment. After a quick shower, she dragged her weary legs over to inquire. An eager trainer gave her a tour, detailing class schedules and mentioning the swimming pool in the basement.

The annual membership was 5,500 RMB—cheaper than most, but still painful.

But for the sake of the season, she needed a stronger body. The cost would be worth it.

After purchasing the annual gym membership, the personal trainer mentioned they’d gift her ten professional sessions. Xu Youyuan thanked them, though she could barely stand straight, and went home to sleep soundly…

That night, she had a strange dream. In it, Shi Yue was holding her as they sat together on a small train heading to Platform 3.

Shi Yue teased, "You’re kinda heavy," and Xu Youyuan snapped back, "What nonsense—I’m even heavier in real life."

Across from them, the Green and White Snake Spirits fanned themselves, hiding half their enchanting faces behind their fans, glancing at the pair and whispering to each other.

Shi Yue tightened her embrace and said, "No matter how heavy you are, I’d still adore you."

Xu Youyuan woke up a little past 3 a.m., her face burning as she dwelled on the dream, scolding herself for having such an indecent fantasy at her age.

Her head also felt heavy and ached—when she looked up, she realized Shuang had not only claimed her pillow but had also coiled half their body over her head.

No wonder she’d had that dream! It was all Shuang’s fault!

Xu Youyuan tugged at Shuang’s lips, then got out of bed to drink some cold water and cool herself down.