"Tch, finally left."

The Drought Demon glanced at the spot where Su Ni Sheng had disappeared, curled her lip in contempt, then turned to Li Ang and grinned. "This time, even if you want to hide, you can't.

Tomorrow your face is going to be on the forum front page."

"If it shows up, it shows up. That day was bound to come sooner or later anyway."

Li Ang smiled bitterly and shook his head, slowly reining in his expression as he asked, "So now, can you tell me more of the truth?"

The Drought Demon's expression also grew a bit more serious. "What do you want to know?"

"The truth of the killing-field game, your specific plan,"

Li Ang frowned and asked, "and also, why you chose me as your executor."

The Drought Demon exchanged a look with the penguin Archille, hesitated for a moment, then slowly said, "The killing-field game is both a blessing and a curse, and more than that, it's fate.

Everything is born because of it, begins because of it,

all of us, all things, in the end must return to its embrace.

Either you defeat everything and live on as a victor,

or you lose it all and greet the fair, unified eternal night of extinction."

"..."

A complicated expression surfaced on Li Ang's face. "Can you put it in words I can actually understand?"

"You think I want to talk in riddles?"

The Drought Demon irritably flicked her hand and said, "Every action the Forever Species take in the Mortal Realm, even just a sentence or a gesture,

will cause information of unknown impact and disturbances in causality.

Like throwing a stone into a pond, it will inevitably generate Ripples that sweep across the whole surface.

We've already hinted this much. Once you've grasped enough information, you'll naturally be able to deduce the full picture."

"Alright, alright."

Li Ang waved his hand, indicating he got it. "Then what about the executor thing?

When did you, cough, pick me?"

"Are you thinking I started plotting your advent even before you were born?"

A slightly mocking smile appeared on the Drought Demon's face. "When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on someone, it must first distress their heart, strain their sinews, and starve their body.

To realize my grand plan, I watched your every move from beginning to end,

guiding you step by step from birth till now, all the way to today?

Hahahaha,

I'm not some old grandpa living in a ring with that much free time and energy."

"Then why..."

Li Ang steadied his heart. He detested that so-called "destiny made it so" talk, even coming from the Drought Demon.

"Back in the Demon Prison I just thought you were fated, like I said before, you were the first one to undo the Seal."

The Drought Demon said casually, "Still, you've done pretty well. At the very least you've already exceeded my expectations."

"Your expectations..."

Li Ang smacked his lips. "Don't tell me it's for me to become number one in the world?"

"You?"

The Drought Demon lifted her girlish brows, ran her gaze up and down Li Ang, and laughed. "Your current strength is decent, but compared to that winged little bird-person...

Hehe."

"A bit worse?"

Li Ang pressed his lips together, narrowed his eyes in thought. "I've still got trump cards I haven't used."

"You think she doesn't have trump cards?"

The Drought Demon curled her lip. "Anyone who can stand on the same level as you is not simple.

Broaden your horizons a bit. You're my executor after all. Don't let your goal stop at Michael."

The Drought Demon girl stepped forward and patted Li Ang on the shoulder with the air of an old man, drawing a wry smile from him.

"Oh right, almost forgot this."

The Drought Demon walked to the edge of the deep pit left by the Vermilion Bird, casually beckoned, and from within the pit fished up a piece of cloth through the air: the Mirage Dragon Red Mane Coat.

This Perfect Level item that had accompanied Li Ang for so long

had finally suffered damage after being thrust into the Phantom Vermilion Bird's abdominal cavity by the Deadwood Titan. The clothing's edges were scorched black, with one or two faint holes visible.

"Ah."

Li Ang looked at the Mirage Dragon Red Mane Coat with some heartache.

This item had saved his life countless times. Even now, with epic-tier items appearing, it still hadn't fallen behind the curve at all.

"Mm... a bit of repair and it's still usable."

The Drought Demon muttered, then gently blew a breath over it.

A scorching wind even hotter than the Vermilion Bird

Flame directly melted all the rubble on the road ahead into slag,

while the Mirage Dragon Red Mane Coat, taking the Drought Demon's breath head-on, faintly shimmered with a bright light. The parts previously burned by the Vermilion Bird also shed their charcoal black, the cracks mending, as good as new.

"That should do it."

The Drought Demon nodded in satisfaction and casually tossed the Mirage Dragon Red Mane Coat to Li Ang.

Li Ang caught the Red Mane and found it wasn't as scalding hot as he'd imagined,

but rather a gentle warmth, like... an electric blanket?

This wasn't the right time to study equipment changes,

so the Drought Demon lazily stretched, patted Li Ang on the shoulder again, and showed a faint smile. "Who knows when the next time we meet will be.

You... do your best."

Li Ang reacted. "Where are you going?"

"Home, where else?"

The Drought Demon once again wore a lazy expression. "Hurry up and get stronger. As you are now, you're still not strong enough."

With that, she waved her hand and walked toward the penguin.

Archille smiled as he took out a pink wooden door from the void, opened it, revealing a scene of the Moon on the other side.

The surrounding air howled as it rushed into the wooden door,

and the Drought Demon strode straight into it.

Before the door closed,

Li Ang saw the Mirage Dragon coiled deep within the Cloud Palace, eyes half shut, meditating,

and in front of it sat a gray-brown bulky television set.

Creak,

the wooden door closed. Still standing beside it, Archille cheerfully adjusted the tie at his neck and said to Li Ang, "This time, I do share some of the blame, actually.

Mm... when I helped hide you last time, if I'd let the then-Su Ni Sheng see through you a bit earlier, none of this would have happened."

"There was always going to be a day like this."

Li Ang took it fairly calmly and waved his hand. "If it wasn't Su Ni Sheng, it would've been someone else from the Special Affairs Bureau who found me."

"Mm." 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

Archille nodded. "You just went through a script mission recently, right? Got any plans next?"

"I'll play it by ear."

Li Ang said casually. "But first, I have to make a trip to the Special Affairs Bureau headquarters.

Some things haven't been settled yet."

"Oh?"

A sly smile appeared on Archille's face. "Hehe, then I won't intrude. Until next time, if fate allows."

With that, he pushed open the wooden door again, revealing a starry scene,

stepped through it, and vanished along with the entire pink wooden door.

The three finally gone, only Li Ang and Chai Cuiqiao remained at the scene.

A light breeze passed through the city's ruins, letting out a wailing wind,

and sunlight shone in through the holes corroded into the high-rise by the Disintegration Technique.

Li Ang and Chaichai exchanged a smile, then turned and walked toward the Special Affairs Bureau headquarters.