“So, what’s the point of you staying here and going into the Mist World now?” Zheng Fan asked.
Both Qingye Heshi and Zheng Fan were aware that Hong Yijia hadn't truly left, but seeing her really made it hard for them to be happy.
And what if she was there? Wasn't she just coming in to be imprisoned with them now?
“Tsk, so…” Hong Yijia was about to speak.
“Chuanmu can’t run far. Even if he has another method to actively leave, this is ultimately a temporary overlap of two worlds. If he runs too far, the active disengagement method will become ineffective. The Mist World inherently has a concealing nature. They use the Mist World to hide their tracks, but they also have to face the entanglement of the Mist World; this is the price. We have a chance to catch up to him directly in the Mist World and resolve him.”
A familiar voice rang out. From the Processing Bureau team behind Hong Yijia, Lin Yilin walked out while speaking. Her indifferent voice seemed to echo in the Mist World, instantly capturing everyone’s attention.
Some people’s aura makes them easily the center of attention the moment they speak.
“Weren’t you watching a movie?” Zheng Fan was more concerned about this.
“It seems an accident happened, so I came over. Probably when Chuanmu appeared without any disguise in Xixikeke. Anyway, it’s only the distance of one road, I could even walk over and still make it in time,” Lin Yilin replied.
“Then you should have arrived much earlier,” Zheng Fan said, crossing his arms.
“I actually followed behind Chuanmu. He might have been a bit too pleased with himself, thinking his ‘grand plan’ was about to succeed. His anti-reconnaissance ability can only be described as pathetic.”
Don’t say it, Chuanmu is a bit pitiful.
“Then I spent some time doing something to Chuanmu, for tracking, although it was mainly targeting the Illusion on him. Then preparing the ritual took a bit more time, so I arrived late. Chuanmu was very easy to deal with, he barely noticed anything. I feel he’s actually a very simple person,” Lin Yilin said, her tone as if she were talking about catching a cute stray cat she met while taking a walk and getting it neutered.
Chuanmu is truly too pitiful.
“You were preparing to track him from the start?” Qingye Heshi raised an eyebrow.
Lin Yilin didn't look him directly in the eye. Since she walked out, she had only been speaking to Zheng Fan. At this moment, she only gave Qingye Heshi a glance before replying, “The arrangements he made in your office beforehand, many of them I couldn’t detect because my intelligence network wasn’t deep enough. Chuanmu is very capable when focusing on a single task, acting covertly and making thorough cover-ups and preparations. So I wasn’t sure what he would specifically do, I just made deductions based on his behavior and some recent abnormal actions of Banmu, so I left a safeguard, that’s all.”
Single-minded Chuanmu is too, too pitiful.
“Moreover, the Illusion... Cheng Fei will definitely not put in much effort, and even if Qingye Heshi has the upper hand in strength, due to your relationship, you won’t directly deal a heavy blow to Chuanmu. So, once a physical conflict arises, this situation is obvious. Any more questions?”
Zheng Fan picked up a cigarette: “No~.” Although he had a slight complaint about himself not putting in much effort.
He felt that as the party host, he was quite capable.
Qingye Heshi wanted to say something, but looking at Lin Yilin, he still lost that insignificant bit of spirit: “None.”
“Cheng Fei, smoking isn't cool at all, it's just a pure health hazard. If you're only doing it for fun and it's not addictive or necessary, please stop, even if you don't treat your body as your own,” Lin Yilin suddenly added.
Zheng Fan’s hand holding the cigarette trembled slightly. He reluctantly put it away and said, “This is just a toy, like candy cigarettes. Have you guys ever had candy cigarettes? They’re really fun.”
“Candy cigarettes that explode?” Hong Yijia mumbled.
When those people from the Processing Bureau were watching like bloodthirsty spectators, what Zheng Fan did was clearly visible.
“Anyway, let’s go find Chuanmu. I’m a little curious about the origin of that Illusion on him,” Lin Yilin finally said.
…
Chuanmu felt an intense pain throughout his body. His skin was burned, large areas of tissue exposed, and after getting covered in dust, it was even more agonizing. Whether it was the Mist World's shroud or his body being overwhelmed, he felt his vision blurring.
No…
He couldn't collapse here.
He had to save enough money…
“Chuanmu, your body is in very poor condition now. Quickly purchase your health,” a mature and steady voice suddenly sounded in his ear, making Chuanmu freeze.
Beside him, dressed in a suit similar to Qingye Heshi’s, slightly shorter than Qingye Heshi, with a similar face but rugged wrinkles that added a gravitas Qingye Heshi lacked, stood Zong Si.
“Zong Si… why are you out again…” Chuanmu’s voice trembled slightly.
“You are too frugal, Chuanmu,” Zong Si said earnestly, “I’ve told you many times, I appreciate your desire to save me. But before that, you must preserve your own life.”
“The money you save is not as important as your life. As long as you are alive, there is still a chance.”
“Yes… but speaking of this, Zong Si, did you see it?” Chuanmu smiled and took two breaths, but then changed the subject, “Heshi has grown up.”
“…Yes, he has grown up, he has surpassed us,” Zong Si said with emotion.
“He doesn’t believe me, he doesn’t believe I can save you. The reason is because of those subordinates, brothers, in his office? Heh…” Chuanmu touched a building wall, leaned against it to support his body, covered his eyes with his arm where his right hand used to be, smiling bitterly, his voice hoarse.
“Yes, although it’s regrettable, this is precisely the proof that he has grown up,” Zong Si said with a smile, full of emotion.
Chuanmu maintained that posture, his smile seemingly frozen on his face: “Ah, Zong Si, I ask you. In your ideal, that office where brothers are united, governing a region, protecting the weak… compared to yourself, which is more important?”
At this question, Zong Si remained silent for a long time.
“Of course… the former.”
Bang!
A shot fired directly forward.
Chuanmu swung his severed arm violently, hitting the wall behind him.
Of course, from beginning to end, Zong Si was never by his side.
“Ha… Hahahaha… Hahahahaha! You are too amazing! Illusion!” And then, Chuanmu laughed out loud, his laughter gradually growing, finally turning into a crazy cackle.
“If it weren’t for! If it weren’t for! If it weren’t for you!” He continuously pounded the wall with his severed arm, pounding until his wound split open and blood flowed, yet he didn’t stop, “If it weren’t for the Illusion you wove being so real, so real that you couldn’t even deceive me for your own sake! How could I be so devoted to helping you?! Ah!?”
Strange footsteps approached, unrestrained sounds, seemingly attracting the Mist Dwellers in the Mist World.
The Mist Dwellers slowly approached, revealing their ferocious fangs…
Bang, bang, bang!
Chuanmu didn't even look, firing continuously to his side, riddling them with bullets. Then he quickly turned around. The wounds on his body healed instantly under a translucent glow, but from the severed section of his arm, a new hand did not grow, but rather a transparent blade whose outline was barely visible.
The invisible blade light swung wildly, chopping the Mist Dwellers into pieces.
After torturing the corpses for a long time, he finally stopped, calming his breath.
“I will help you, whether it’s real or fake, whether I’m crazy or sane… it doesn’t matter anymore, even if I give you my body…”
He muttered as he stepped onto the road, his eyes reflecting only a vast expanse of the Mist World.
