"Yikes!"

Upon seeing the dagger glinting with silver under the moonlight behind her, Bai Yi was dumbstruck. Her body, not yet fully recovered from anemia, caused her vision to flicker.

"Watch out!"

Thankfully, at the critical moment, Yan Huan, sensing something amiss, gave her a feline-like flying kick that caused her to turn her head sideways.

"Buzz!!"

In an instant, the silver light grazed her hair, strands falling to the ground,

"How... how did this happen..."

With lingering fear, Bai Yi sat on the beach, retreating a few steps. Only after dodging the fatal blow did she barely realize what had happened.

She glanced up at Yuanlina’s eye, which had turned an eerie purple, and exclaimed in shock,

"Isn’t this if-line... weren’t all the modifiers resolved?"

"Apparently not... it’s the index finger!"

Seeing the same thing, different brains can come to completely different conclusions.

In the instant of seeing the remaining index finger, Yan Huan’s mind raced, extracting more information, such as:

"There’s no way only the index finger remains, there must be other modifiers that haven’t been abandoned! The most likely possibility is you!"

Having gone through what happened in Tokyo, no one understood better than Yan Huan:

If the modifiers were not all abandoned together, the progress of the abandoned modifiers would only be added to other hosts.

If all four modifiers were abandoned at the same time, even if the index finger did nothing, it would instantly enter the fourth stage, causing the Evil God to descend.

Since this if-line hasn’t shown such a scenario yet, it only indicates that there are still other modifiers present, sharing the corresponding progress.

"But... ugh!"

Bai Yi was still puzzled, but in front of her, Yuanlina, with tears streaming down her face, raised the dagger for another slash, scaring her into turning and fleeing towards the direction of the abandoned factory.

Seeing her run in that direction, Yan Huan on her shoulder and the manipulated Yuanlina both simultaneously called out,

"Don’t run that way!"

"No... don’t go there, Bai Yi..."

"Huh?!"

"Creak～"

Ahead, the gates of the abandoned factory opened, and an abyssal purple glow leaked out.

A red-haired demon hung her head, slowly emerging along the purple light.

In her hand, she held a long blade.

"Yikes!!"

Seeing Tong Yingying hypnotized as well, Bai Yi was so frightened she came to a halt, before turning to run in another direction.

"You won’t be able to escape like this, you have to use the modifier!"

Yan Huan urgently reminded her from her shoulder, while Bai Yi, with a tearful face, shouted,

"I tried in the bathroom before, I can’t summon the pocket watch! Did you make a mistake?!"

"Impossible! The index finger has to choose a host to share the desire, the big thumb can’t be hypnotized, Sakuragi Hitomi and An Le are too clever."

Hearing this, Yan Huan shook his head, stating with certainty,

"So, if the host of the index finger has any brains, they will definitely choose you!"

"Huh?! You’re sarcastic about me being an idiot at a time like this?! You worthless Yan Ye, does Aria look like a person with brains?!"

Yan Huan’s face darkened, feeling a sense of helplessness akin to playing the lute to a cow,

"You still don’t get it, meow?! If Aria was the host, she wouldn’t have a plan to fake abandoning the modifier!! The real host of the index finger is someone else!!"

"Right... oh right! And your modifier incarnation is with me, I... must still have the modifier!"

"You’re finally smart for once, meow!"

Bai Yi finally had an epiphany, but at that moment, the footsteps of Tong Yingying behind her, like a vengeful spirit, rushed forward, terrifying her to speed up as she cried out,

"But the problem is, if I still have the modifier, why can’t I summon the pocket watch?!"

"...I have an idea."

Yan Huan glanced back at Tong Yingying who had charged close, contemplated for a moment, then opened his mouth, attempting to spit out the horn he had obtained earlier.

It was an item in the palm he had acquired before, drinking which granted 100% resistance for 24 hours.

But before he could spit it out, the horn felt stuck in his throat, and a phantom page appeared before Yan Huan,

[Items in the Palm can only be used by you or the host corresponding to the authority]

[For example, this item of the big thumb can only be used by you or the host of the big thumb]

Seeing this, Yan Huan’s face darkened.

The issue is, Aria already has this resistance, does she really need to use it?!

"Wh... what idea?"

Meanwhile, Bai Yi, who was fleeing, was still puzzled.

Hearing this, Yan Huan, like having swallowed a fly, muttered softly, 𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

"Nothing..."

"Huh? You useless thing!"

"Meow?!"

Before Yan Huan could reply, a violent gust like a storm hit from behind.

His pupils constricted, and he hastily warned again,

"Watch out!"

"Huh?"

In fact, without Yan Huan’s reminder, Bai Yi also felt the almost tangible sensation of danger on her back.

Will...

Die!

"Ugh!"

When that ominous feeling, almost like the moment the ambulance was about to crash into her face, returned, Bai Yi hurriedly closed her eyes and lunged forward.

In that split second, she narrowly avoided the slash from Tong Yingying that could have cleaved her in two.

"Hiss..."

Bai Yi collapsed onto the beach once again, turning her pale face to look behind her.

She saw Tong Yingying gripping the knife, hands trembling slightly. The blade was stuck in the sand, unable to be pulled out.

The direction of this slash...

She didn’t aim for me?

"Sister Tong..."

Bai Yi’s legs went weak, unable to comprehend why Tong Yingying hadn’t continued to draw the knife but instead seemed stuck, body trembling.

In the distance, in a rapidly approaching black car, Alvira’s eyes, in an eerie purple, seemed to be monitoring the situation live through the phone held up by Sakuragi Hitomi...