My avatar is becoming the final boss

Chapter 348 Epilogue (Part Two)

At 2:30 AM Japan time on August 15th, platform 7 of an abandoned train station in Osaka.

The train demon ceased its restlessness on the tracks, the rumbling of the engine subsided, and the platform fell into a deathly silence, with raindrops dripping from the eaves onto the bright red ceiling of the carriages.

At that moment, the eyebrows and nose of the demonic face at the front of the train suddenly twisted together, and it sneezed loudly, causing a large area of ​​the track to become wet.

Su Zimai, Gu Qiye, and Gu Zhuo'an stopped in front of the carriage entrance.

Gu Zhuoan had been distracted and hadn't paid attention to what the two were saying. Now, he looked up at Gu Qiye, then at Su Zimai, and asked them:

"What happened?"

The brother and sister both had strange expressions. Su Zimai stared at Gu Qiye, and both remained silent, neither of them in the mood to answer Gu Zhuo's questions.

"What about brother?"

Su Zimai lowered her voice and asked again.

“Isn’t Wenyu at home? He sent me a photo a few days ago saying that his electric fan was broken,” Gu Qiye said softly. “Besides, how could I possibly bring him into this mess with us? He’s just an ordinary person; it’s not safe there. Why do you think we would take him with us?”

After saying that, he chuckled gently twice, "If you really miss Wenyu, let's go home and see him right away. Anyway, we have to take him with us, and we can't leave him alone in Lijing."

Su Zimai was stunned for a moment before realizing something important. She thought, "Oh right, it seems that neither Dad nor my eldest brother knows that my second brother is Black Chrysalis."

She wanted to chuckle for a moment, but then she lowered her head awkwardly, as if she was hesitating whether to tell her father and the others. But now that the revenge plan against Hongyi was over, it shouldn't have any impact, right?

But knowing my second brother's personality, he'd definitely get angry if I revealed it casually. I'd better wait for him to tell me himself. Thinking this, Su Zimai raised her head, coughed twice, and asked:
"What happened to the black pupa?"

"As for the black pupa, he has already..." Gu Qiye hesitated, unable to finish her sentence.

Su Zimai was stunned.

“Already…what?” she tilted her head and murmured.

"already……"

Su Zimai wrinkled her nose, about to ask another question, when a voice interrupted her thoughts.

Ke Qirui walked over from the next carriage. "What are you talking about? Why don't you get on the train? Japan is very dangerous right now. Those Rainbow Wings are probably going crazy."

"Xiaomai, let's talk more after we get in the car." Gu Qi nodded absentmindedly.

"Qiye, I'm a little worried about your grandfather," Gu Zhuoan said. "It's not safe for him to stay in the bookstore alone. I want to go back and find him. You and your sister go first."

“But…” Gu Qiye was about to say something when he suddenly recalled Su Wei’s expression in the bookstore earlier. After a moment of silence, he turned to Gu Zhuo’an and said, “Grandpa seemed a bit off just now. Dad, why don’t you go back and check on him?”

"Okay." Gu Zhuoan nodded and handed the suitcase in his hand to Gu Qiye.

"Be careful," Gu Qiye said, then dragged her two suitcases onto the train.

"Isn't Dad coming with us?" Su Zimai asked hurriedly, snapping out of her daze.

Gu Zhuoan raised his hand to wipe his stubble, smiled at him, and said, "Xiaomai, we'll see you in China later."

"Hmm." Su Zimai nodded, still somewhat absent-minded. "Brother, you get in the car first. I have something to say to Dad."

Gu Qiye raised an eyebrow and boarded the train first. As soon as he left, Su Zimai looked up and glared coldly at Gu Zhuoan, "Dad, I haven't settled accounts with you for all the things you kept from me."

"How did you know?" Gu Zhuoan scratched his head helplessly.

"If Mu Long hadn't told me who you were before, I wouldn't even know you were that terrifying clock tower man." Su Zimai said fiercely, taking a deep breath. "Don't you dare wander around after you come back. I'm going to have a serious talk with you!"

Gu Zhuo was stunned.

He then lowered his head, a slow smile appearing on his gloomy face. Yes, after hiding so many things from his daughter and son all these years, he finally had a chance to be honest with them. Su Ying's enemy was also dead.

Although he had been through a lot, at least he and his children were still alright, and that was enough. Thinking of this, he raised his hand and touched Su Zimai's hair.

"I understand," he said with a light laugh. "Xiaomai, come back and I'll hear you get a scolding."

"we have a deal."

"Of course, when has your father ever lied to you? I'm leaving." After saying that, Gu Zhuoan withdrew his right hand from Su Zimai's head and put both hands in his pockets.

"Be careful," Su Zimai said softly.

Gu Zhuo nodded silently. Then he didn't respond, but waved to her without turning back, and then turned and walked towards the station exit.

Meanwhile, inside train carriage number 7.

"By the way, where's Gu Wenyu?" Ke Qirui raised an eyebrow, picked up her pipe, and asked Gu Qiye curiously.

Upon hearing this, Gu Qiye suddenly stopped. His face was expressionless, but he slowly turned to look at Ke Qirui, his tone tinged with anger, "What exactly are you talking about?"

"What else can I say? Didn't your brother go with you to fight Rainbow Wing?" Ke Qirui asked, puzzled.

Gu Qiye lowered his head, his bangs obscuring his eyes. He remained silent for a long, long time, taking a deep breath, trying his best to suppress his anger and not show it in front of Su Zimai. Then he asked:

"I really don't understand. My brother has been staying at home perfectly fine the whole time. What are you all talking about? Miss Ke, is it really that funny to you to make fun of other people's families?"

Ke Qirui was stunned for a moment.

Then, she slowly took the pipe from her mouth. "Oh dear... wait a minute, you guys haven't finished the war and still don't know who Black Chrysalis is, have you?"

Gu Qiye was taken aback.

At that moment, a terrifying thought popped into his mind. The light inside the carriage flickered, and his expression shifted between light and shadow. The engine roared up again, and amidst the deafening roar, he opened his mouth.

"You don't mean to say..."

"Yes, Gu Wenyu is the black pupa."

"That's hilarious..." Gu Qiye opened his mouth and suddenly let out a low chuckle.

“Xiaomai and I both know about this. He’s already confessed to us,” Ke Qirui said. “If you don’t believe me, here you go.” With that, she took a voice recorder out of her trench coat pocket and handed it to Gu Qiye.

“Miss Ke, you really know how to joke. I’d like to see what evidence you can give me, but if I find out you’re lying to me, I won’t forgive you…” Gu Qiye’s thoughts were completely in disarray. He took the recording pen and pressed the button.

"Regardless, Gu Wenyu, you hid it really well. I'm only just recovering now. It's a complete and utter defeat." Ke Qirui's voice came from the recorder. "So why did you only tell me?"

"Because I thought about it for a while, telling you this won't actually affect my actions," a youthful male voice said.

At that moment, Gu Qiye froze on the spot. He could tell that the voice on the recorder was Gu Wenyu's.

"That's true. I'm not your family, so I have no right to criticize you." Through the recording, Ke Qirui asked, "So, you've been secretly protecting Xiaomai all this time?"

"Can we not protect her?" Gu Wenyu continued, "I hope you can keep what I just told you a secret from my sister for now."

“I understand. You’re worried that after you die, your sister won’t know who Black Chrysalis really is.”

"Yes, if I really die next, you should tell her my identity."

Gu Qiye murmured, "Impossible, absolutely impossible, it must be the black cocoon disguised as my brother."

"Are you sure?" Ke Qirui looked at him suspiciously. "Forget it, let's not talk about who Black Chrysalis is or where he went."

“Yeah, bro… what did you mean by black pupa?” After saying goodbye to Gu Zhuo’an, Su Zimai returned to the car.

Gu Qiye remained stunned for a long, long time, her lips moving slightly, "Black Chrysalis, he..."

Why didn't he come back with you?

"Brother, why aren't you saying anything?"

"What's wrong with you? Why do you look so strange?"

"Where did he go..."

"Where on earth did you go..."

"You're going to tell me?"

"I really……"

I miss him so much.

Su Zimai's lips moved as she pressed for answers, word by word, until she slowly realized something was wrong, and her face gradually paled.

Gu Qiye held the recorder, leaning against the wall in a daze. His mouth was open, but he couldn't say a word. He felt that the whole world was so noisy that it was making him feel irritable. The intense tinnitus made his brain feel like it was about to be torn apart.

At that moment, the carriage door suddenly slammed shut with a loud thud, cutting off the view outside the train.

Immediately afterwards, a cloud of white steam spread out from the gaps in the train demon, enveloping all directions.

Hearing the sound of steam spreading, Gu Qiye suddenly paused. Then he turned around and looked out the window. At that moment, he seemed to see the scene on the deserted island again, with snow-white steam gushing out from the cracks in the mechanical Buddha.

Like a thick fog, it swept in and swallowed the dark figure standing alone on the desert sand. At that moment, the lonely person seemed to think about taking off the mask, so he raised his right hand and placed it on the dark red mask.

But the hand quickly fell down, as if afraid of hurting him, and simply waved to them.

Until the very last second before it was swallowed by steam, that lonely shadow was still waving goodbye to them, quietly and earnestly.

“Wen…Yu?” Gu Qiye murmured in a daze, her voice hoarse as she looked at her reflection in the window, a tear silently streaming down her cheek. At that very moment, the train plunged into the tunnel, the entire carriage swallowed by overwhelming darkness, leaving only the rumbling of the engine in her ears.

Meanwhile, in another corner of Osaka, Japan.

"Father-in-law, you haven't left yet?"

Gu Zhuo hesitated for a moment, then stepped into the bookstore and looked up at the figure slumped against the wall.

He was slightly stunned. It hadn't been long, but Su Wei seemed like a completely different person. Her jet-black hair had suddenly turned white, the wrinkles and age spots on her face were very noticeable, and her whole demeanor had become listless.

Su Wei placed her glasses beside her and silently stared at the floor without saying a word.

Gu Zhuoan frowned, looking at him in disbelief. He had never seen Su Wei like this before.

Su Wei used to be as energetic as a young man, but now anyone could tell he was a sixty-year-old man. What exactly happened in those last half hour? He couldn't help but wonder.

After a moment, Gu Zhuo spoke first, breaking the silence that had enveloped the bookstore:
"Father-in-law, what's wrong?"

“Zhuo An…are you surprised to see me like this?” Su Wei said softly, her back hunched. “My Sky Chaser ability keeps me young, but if I use my ability to measure the future too many times, I might revert to my original state…yes, it’ll be fine in a few days.”

"Let's go first, the people from Rainbow Wings might come knocking on our door at any time."

“I did promise that kid,” Su Wei said hoarsely, her eyes lowered. “I said I would keep it from you guys, but I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have done that. I shouldn’t have been so stupid. It turns out that kid had it all planned out from the beginning.”

He paused, then lowered his head. "That kid really worked hard. He did so much for you... His personality is a lot like Su Ying's—quirky, full of clever ideas. He's the one of your children who's most like Su Ying... I quite like him. He's smart and loves reading. I even thought about asking him if he'd be willing to run the bookstore with me when I got old, but that's no longer possible... I not only failed to protect my own daughter, but I also failed to protect her child."

Gu Zhuo fell silent; he began to not understand what his father-in-law was saying.

“My…child?” he murmured in a daze. “Father-in-law, who are you talking about? Could it be…” At that moment, the black shadow suddenly appeared in his mind.

“Zhuo An, I don’t know how to tell you this… I’m such a coward. I never thought I would be so cowardly at my age.” Su Wei shook her head. “But you have to know, you have to know someday.”

He slowly raised his eyes, his lifeless eyes looking at Gu Zhuoan, "He is... your son, Gu Wenyu, I shouldn't have kept it from you."

“No…impossible,” Gu Zhuo’an was completely stunned. After a while, he shook his head silently, “Absolutely impossible…” Then he staggered backward step by step, disappearing into the shadows.

Finally, he suddenly raised his head, his slightly reddened eyes looking at the dejected Su Wei. At that moment, Gu Zhuo'an's eyes held an indescribable emotion: fear, confusion, sadness, anger, and yet, it seemed as if he were pleading, earnestly begging the other to say something. But Su Wei remained silent. Finally, a blurry crimson seemed to rise in Gu Zhuo'an's eyes, covering his pupils, and then distorting his entire face.

A hoarse wail suddenly rang out, tearing through the night and echoing through the sleeping street.

At 2:30 a.m. on August 15, inside a long-abandoned, uninhabited building in Osaka, Japan.

Dark, heavy rain clouds drifted in from afar, and a torrential downpour was raging outside the window, the neon signs flickering in and out of sight, shrouded in the gray rain curtain.

"Are you even human?" Ruri Urushihara took a deep breath, looked up from under her wet bangs, and glared at Kuroko. "You just swam all the way from that deserted island to Japan? Couldn't you have prepared a boat beforehand?"

"Where are the boats?" Black Chrysalis shrugged. "I can't fly, so the only way to cross the sea is to swim, right?"

“I’m almost drowning. Don’t Salvation Society prisoners of war have any personal rights? It’s my good fortune to have fallen into your hands.”

“Miss Liuli, first of all, I must make it clear that I am the one swimming. You were just dragged along by me like a fish hooked on a fishhook the whole time,” Heiyong said nonchalantly. “If anyone should complain, it should be me, not you.”

As he spoke, Black Chrysalis wrapped every inch of his body with the restraints. Then, he took off his black trench coat, wrung out the water with the restraints, and put it back on.

"Is this how you treat women?" Ruri Urushihara sighed. "I see your followers online all call you an 'awakened woman' and a good partner for women."

“I never respect my enemies. Only outstanding women like Tun Yin deserve my respect,” Black Chrysalis said. “So the question is, why is my ‘Binding Belt Mantra’ not working on you? I must find out the answer.”

As he spoke, he extended a black restraint strap, tightly binding Ruri Urushihara's body.

He then activated the "Restraint Mantra," but the situation was exactly the same as on the deserted island. No matter how many times he silently recited the activation command, the restraints ignored him.

"What is your real name?" Now that things had come to this, Black Chrysalis assumed that the restraints had already taken effect, so she simply braced herself and asked.

"Urushihara Ruri, are you satisfied now?" Urushihara Ruri coughed twice, choking on another mouthful of seawater.

“Okay, so where is the Salvation Society’s base?” Black Chrysalis asked, enunciating each word clearly.

"Hmm... why should I tell you?"

Black Chrysalis patted his head and sighed heavily. "As expected, it doesn't work on you. But why can't the restraint mantra work on you?" He rested his chin on his hand and thought seriously.

"The 'binding band mantra' you mentioned can't work on the dead, right?" Ruri Urushihara said quietly after a moment of silence.

The black pupa was slightly taken aback.

Then, he slowly narrowed his eyes and looked into Urushihara Ruri's eyes. "You mean, you're not a living person?"

"Yes, haven't you guessed what I am yet?" Ruri Urushihara sighed.

The black chrysalis stared directly into her eyes, remained silent for a long time, and then slowly revealed the answer that had been in her mind:

"Able to resist toxins and my restraint mantra, could you actually be... one of the puppets created by the Father of Puppets?"

Ruri Urushihara was silent for a moment, then turned her head to the side and smiled casually.

“That’s right.” She said softly, “Actually, Ruri Urushihara has been dead for a long time… and I am just a puppet of the Father of Puppetry now.”

Black Chrysalis thought for a long time before asking, "Then how are you different from the other puppets?"

"Because unlike other puppets, the Father of Puppetry used his mental abilities to give me self-awareness and activate my brain."

Ruri Urushi paused. "Because I am under the supervision of the Puppet Father, and my mentor controls the Puppet Father, they never worry that I will betray them." As she said this, she suddenly curled the corners of her mouth, and a glimmer of light appeared in her glass-like pupils. "Well, it's a pity that the Puppet Father is already dead, so I will disappear soon. I can only last for half a day at most."

It took a while for the black pupa to come to its senses.

"No wonder. If that's really the case, then all the strange things can be explained."

"Yes, it's not just some kind of toxin, but also your so-called restraint mantra. The same goes for the spiritual imprint of the mentor. It has no effect on me."

"why?"

“Because I am just a puppet, the Puppet Father has more control over me than the Mentor,” said Ruri Urushihara. “So, you can ask me anything about the Salvation Society. In fact, I’m the only person in the entire Salvation Society who can answer any question you ask.”

She spoke slowly and deliberately, lowering her voice, "Because even if I answer your question, I won't be like others, driven to brain death by the mentor's mental imprint, understand?"

Black Chrysalis met her gaze, then took a deep breath. The oxygen pierced his lungs like a sharp sword, slowly cooling his excited spirit.

"Looks like I really did find the right person." He scratched his chin. "It was all by accident."

"Aren't you going to ask?" Ruri Urushihara teased. "If you don't ask me now, this incredible opportunity will slip away."

"Uh... then are you willing to answer my question?" Black Chrysalis narrowed her eyes.

"If I don't want to answer, you can't threaten me," Ruri Urushihara said calmly. "I'm a dead person anyway, what's there to be afraid of?"

“Alright.” Black Chrysalis knew she would say that. “Then let me rephrase my question. What would it take for you to answer it?”

"It's very simple, I have one condition."

"explain."

"Before I die, I want to see my brother one last time," Ruri Urushihara said softly after a moment of silence.

"Who is your brother?" Black Chrysalis tilted her head, asking a question she already knew the answer to.

"You should know him too, the leader of the White Raven Brigade—Qi Yuanli."

“Alright, that’s not a problem,” Black Chrysalis said. “But first, I need you to prove that you can reveal information about the Salvation Society without being killed by the mental imprint.” “Restricted-level ability user 1002, Ji Minghuan,” Urushihara Ruri suddenly said.

The black pupa paused for a moment.

"It's you, isn't it?" Ruri Urushihara raised her eyes and looked directly into the eyes of the black chrysalis.

Black Chrysalis shook her head. "No, I don't know what this thing is, but you just said it's restricted, right? That's what surprises me. Restricted things really exist in the world?"

Ruri Urushihara looked at him silently, as if she were looking at someone who was pretending to be asleep.

A moment later, she suddenly laughed. "You were there during the London incident, right? My mentor specifically told me to keep an eye on those kids and see if you were there. The boy in the underground tavern who was holding onto the white-haired little girl was 'Ji Minghuan,' the world's only restricted-level superhuman."

She paused for a moment, then continued, "I've gone this far, do you believe me now? Or do you think the Salvation Society might allow me to reveal the restricted content of 1002?"

“Alright, it seems you can indeed freely reveal information about the Salvation Society without being affected by the mental imprint,” Black Chrysalis said. “So, if I call Qi Yuanli over for a meeting, will you answer my questions?”

"Correct."

“Okay, then I’ll reverse the order,” Black Chrysalis said. “If you answer my question, I’ll let you see your good brother one last time before you die.”

"I knew you'd say that," Ruri Urushihara said. "Oh well, there's nothing I can do about it."

"Right?"

“Okay,” said Ruri Urushihara. “Go ahead and ask me anything you want.”

Where is the Salvation Society's base?

“Iceland. Below the glacier at Dome of Hofsberg.” After saying that, Ruri Urushihara showed a photo, which was the approximate location on a map.

Black Chrysalis was taken aback, seemingly not expecting the other party to answer so readily, almost without hesitation.

"Where's the evidence?"

"What evidence could a living dead person like me have? Believe it or not, it's up to you."

"Then how can I trust you?"

"I was just a puppet of the Salvation Society. I'm already facing death. Why would I need to lie to you? What benefit would I get from keeping their secret?"

"That's true."

“Actually, if I could, I would give you all the information about the Salvation Society. They used me for experiments and turned me into a puppet.” Ruri Urushihara said softly, “Now that I’ve answered all your questions, all I want to do is see my brother, is that alright?”

"How many Cataclysm-level members does the Salvation Society have in total?" Black Chrysalis asked after a moment of silence.

"I don't know. I don't know that much. Julius is one, and the other undercover agents of Rainbow Wing are another, but you all took them down."

How many children does the Salvation Society house in total?

"I don't know, I'm not qualified to know."

"What is the relationship between the Father of Puppetry and the Mentor?"

“The Father of Puppetry was an artificial human created by my mentor by fusing his own genes with the genes of another catastrophe-level ability user,” Ruri Urushihara explained. “Therefore, the Father of Puppetry possesses both mental and other types of abilities. It was through his ‘mental’ abilities that he granted me my personal consciousness.”

"I knew it?" Black Chrysalis murmured. "No wonder he looks so much like our mentor."

"So... you really are Ji Minghuan? Even the mentor suspects you have a relationship with that restricted-level brat."

"do not know."

“Don’t worry about being exposed in front of me. They have no way of knowing where I am or what I hear,” said Ruri Urushihara. “I was under the control of the Father of Puppetry. He is dead, and now I am free… Of course, I will disappear in a little while.”

"Never mind." Black Chrysalis picked up her phone. "Miss Liuli, since you can provide me with the location of the Salvation Society's base, I'm already satisfied. Although I don't know if it's true or not, I will verify it myself."

After he finished speaking, he tapped into his phone's contacts.

The phone that Qi Yuanli gave to Caesar had Qi Yuanli's phone number in the contacts, because Qi Yuanli had told Caesar that he could contact him if he needed any help.

Ji Minghuan once used the No. 3 machine, Yagubalu, to turn on that cell phone and memorized Qi Yuanli's phone number.

Therefore, at this time, Hei Yong's phone naturally contained Qi Yuanli's contact information.

"How long will it take him to get here?" Ruri Urushihara said softly. "Don't keep me waiting too long, I'm about to disappear... I've been waiting for so long, there's no chance to wait any longer."

"You should talk to him yourself."

As Kuroko spoke, he raised his finger and pressed the screen, dialing Ruri Urushihara's number. A "beep beep" sound came through. He turned on speakerphone and then used the restraint strap to hold the phone to Ruri Urushihara's ear.

Ruri Urushihara paused slightly, then lowered her head and remained silent for a moment, her lips moving slightly:
"elder brother?"

There was a long, long silence on the other end of the phone.

Seeing that the other party did not respond, Ruri Urushihara smiled and said softly, "Come see me, I only have half a day left."

At that moment, a response finally came from the other end of the phone.

"Where are you?" Qi Yuan asked, his voice as indifferent and calm as ever.

“I’m in Osaka. You can find my location by locating this phone,” Ruri Urushihara said. At that moment, Kurokuma poked the screen with her restraint strap, ending the call.

"You're so mean, can't you let us talk a little longer?" Ruri Urushihara turned her head and glanced at the black chrysalis.

"Your dear troupe leader seems to be in Tokyo. At his speed, he can get to Osaka in three hours."

"Can I survive for three hours?"

“That is indeed a good question,” Black Chrysalis said. “Precisely because I don’t know if you can survive for three hours, I must hurry up and ask you some questions about the Salvation Society. Well, I have a lot more to ask, let’s take it slow.”

Three hours later, the rain stopped, the sky began to lighten, and the Japanese sky began to clear.

As the first rays of sunlight streamed through the window into the abandoned building, a black crow suddenly flew in. It landed on the windowsill, raised its eyes, and its scarlet pupils silently gazed at Ruri Urushihara's retreating figure.

"Brother, you are here."

Ruri Urushihara glanced at the crow out of the corner of her eye and a smile played on her lips. After a while, the crow transformed into black feathers and dispersed.

Qi Yuanli walked over step by step with his hands in his trench coat pockets, his face expressionless.

“I… have been looking for you for a long time,” he said softly.

“I know you’ve always wanted to kill me,” Ruri Urushihara said. “Because you don’t acknowledge me as your sister, but I have your sister’s thoughts and body. It’s disgusting, isn’t it? I know that. You hate me so much.”

“She is dead, and the dead should rest in peace.” Qi Yuanyuan stopped in his tracks, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

“Yes, brother.” Ruri Urushihara smiled coldly, “I’m about to be laid to rest. Are you happy? I searched for you for so long, but you hated me so much. It’s so unfair.”

The principle of lacquer remained silent.

After a long while, he took out a black pistol from his trench coat pocket and pressed the muzzle against the back of Urushihara Ruri's head.

"Goodnight..." he whispered, pulling the trigger.

A sharp gunshot rang out, shattering the deathly silence of the abandoned building. Blood splattered everywhere, and Ruri Urushihara's head drooped. Her clear, glassy eyes dimmed, and her eyelids slowly closed.

Then, a brief silence enveloped the interior of the building. Shiori lowered his eyes and silently watched as Shiori Ruri's corpse turned into a glowing light and dissipated.

"That's cruel. How could you treat your sister like this?" Black Chrysalis tilted her head and asked, puzzled.

"My sister died many years ago."

“Well, it’s good to be rational, but unfortunately, you’re not very charming. So, Commander, you owe me another favor?” Black Chrysalis asked. “I helped you find your dear sister’s puppet, so you should thank me.”

"Will you get involved in the lake hunt and the Nian beast incident?" Qi Yuanli asked without turning his head.

“Of course, how could I possibly miss something so interesting?” Black Chrysalis grinned. “Let’s cause a huge ruckus together then.”

"Okay, then see you in China."

After finishing his explanation, Qi turned and walked towards the windowsill. Then, his figure transformed into a gray raven feather and disappeared into the clear blue sky.

At the same time, a series of task settlement panels slowly appeared in the black pupa's pupils.

[Main Quest 1 (Stage 6) Completed: Help Gu Qiye kill four Rainbow Wing members belonging to the "Salvation Society faction".]

[Task rewards obtained: 3 split point, 3 skill point, 3 attribute point.]

[Main Quest 2 (Stage 4) Completed: Help the supervillain "Ghost Bell" kill four Rainbow Wing members belonging to the "Salvation Society Faction".]

[Quest rewards obtained: 3 skill point, 3 attribute point, 1 split point.]

[Note: All main quests for Unit 1, "Black Chrysalis," have been completed.]

[Received "Mech Graduation" rewards: 2 attribute points, 2 skill points, and 2 split points.]

"So... now that the Salvation Society's base has been found, the next step is the final preparation."

Black Chrysalis lowered its eyes and looked at the vast, boundless glacier on the map, muttering to itself softly.

He scratched his chin. "Oh right, it's time for Unit 4 to make its appearance. Let me see what this perfect machine is all about."

As soon as the words were spoken, the black pupa extended a restraint strap and grabbed the windowsill, soaring outwards like a jet-black bird, plummeting from a hundred meters in the air towards the city.

March 8, 15 am.

Yuriel woke up in her hospital bed, the first rays of morning light streaming through the window onto her pale face. She opened her icy blue eyes, staring silently at the ceiling for a moment, lost in thought.

The white-haired girl had no expression, like a robot sorting through memories.

Due to the side effects of her superpower, Yuriel became a hyperthymesia patient. She cannot forget anything she has experienced, so no matter how much she subconsciously does not want to recall it, she cannot. Those memories are as clear as a roll of photographic film.

On that deserted island, her last memory before losing consciousness was that Gu Qiye suddenly grabbed her hand, gently hugged her, whispered something in her ear, and then put a finger against her neck. At that moment, an electric current surged through her body, and she fainted.

"Where is this..." After a long silence, she finally spoke, asking the person sitting on the edge of the bed playing on their phone.

"Osaka, the Oddity Leaders Association building," Hodo Ao said without looking up.

"How is the situation?" She paused for a moment, then asked softly.

"They escaped, and the Heretics Association is still searching for them."

"Someone died?"

“They killed the Puppet Father, Karina, last night, and Oda Hideaki was also killed by their men, and Ruri…” Fan Dongqing paused, his face darkening, “is currently missing.”

"I understand."

Yuriel spoke casually, turning on the tablet computer beside her pillow.

“Blue Arc is now an internally wanted criminal. If he contacts you in the near future, you must report to your superiors immediately,” Fan Dongqing said expressionlessly. “White Hair, you’ve been deceived by him. From the very beginning, he…”

I will make my own judgment.

Yuriel interrupted him.

She lowered her icy blue eyes, took her phone from the bedside, and opened WeChat. The last message she received from Gu Qiye was a pre-recorded video he sent her before heading to the deserted island.

In the video, Gu Qiye donned the Blue Arc Outfit for the first time in a long time and smiled gently at the camera.

A moment later, Yuriel turned off her phone and got up from her hospital bed.

"Where are you going?" Fan Dongqing asked.

“China,” Yuriel said expressionlessly, “I’m requesting a sick leave.”

“Don’t you understand your current situation?” Fan Dongqing said. “You’re very close to Lan Hu, so the higher-ups are keeping a close eye on you.”

Yuriel was silent for a moment: "Let them do whatever they want."

“They probably won’t restrict your movements, but they will be keeping a close watch on you in the coming days,” Fan Dongqing said. “If you’re going to see Blue Arc, I advise you to reconsider.”

"I don't know where he is."

Fan Dongqing was silent for a moment. "Never mind... White Hair, you'd better watch yourself. But if you know where Liuli is, I hope you won't hide it from me, otherwise we'll be enemies." After saying that, he got up from the chair and slowly walked towards the exit of the ward.

That afternoon, Yuriel boarded a flight to the Chinese capital at Osaka International Airport.

By the time the plane landed, it was already dusk. She sat silently in her seat, tilting her head to look out the window. The setting sun was red, slowly withdrawing its last rays from the city, and birds darted among the power lines.

After leaving the airport, Yuriel hailed a taxi and headed to the welfare home in Lijing.

She tilted her head, staring blankly out the car window, as if trying to spot someone in the bustling crowd, but everything on the car window slowly faded into colorless outlines.

When they arrived at the orphanage, the children saw her and cheered as they ran from the lawn, hugging her tightly around the waist until the nurses came over and they finally calmed down.

Yuriel's face remained expressionless.

Amidst enthusiastic greetings, she reached out and casually patted their heads. Then, leaning against a banyan tree, she sat down on the lawn.

Under the shade of the trees, the children's questions kept coming.

"Sister Yuriel, didn't you say you knew Blue Arc?"

"Yes, yes, you also said you would bring them to see us next time."

"Where is he? Why haven't we seen him?"

"Blue Arc must be hiding, right?"

“He’s too busy to come,” Yuriel said softly. “He’s a great hero; he has to save people in many places.”

“How could this happen? You promised us!” a boy said.

At this moment, Yu Ruier opened her tablet, opened WeChat, hesitated for a moment, and then opened the video that Gu Qiye had sent her.

The children curiously crowded around, their little heads huddled together against the wall, their eyes fixed on the tablet screen.

The video is set in a room in the Osaka Outcast Association building. The camera is on, and a figure wearing cyan-blue metallic armor and a dark blue helmet enters the frame.

He adjusted the shaky camera and then coughed twice, even his coughs sounded so gentle.

Yuriel lowered her eyes and silently watched the video. The great hero that everyone was mourning was sitting cross-legged on the ground, awkwardly waving to the camera. Outside the window in the background was a brightly lit city.

Lan Hu crossed his arms, solemnly yet playfully recited the children's names, then waved to them and smiled at the camera.

Yuriel was stunned.

He remembered every single name of the orphanage children she had casually mentioned to him; he remembered them all perfectly.

At the end of the video, Lan Hu also told them some of his own stories, encouraging them to study hard at the orphanage so that they could help Sister Yu Ruier in the future.

"Is Blue Arc really still alive?" A girl nestled in Yuriel's arms, cupping her face in her hands as she asked.

“Yes, he’s still alive,” Yuriel said.

"What kind of person is Blue Arc?" the girl asked again.

Yuriel was silent for a moment, then shook her head.

"I do not know."

"Didn't you say you knew him?"

“Yes… but I don’t know what kind of person Lan Hu is,” Yu Ruier said softly. “I only know that he prefers to be called Gu Qiye.”

"Then, what kind of person is Gu Qiye?" the girl thought for a moment and then suddenly asked.

Upon hearing this question, Yuriel remained silent for a very long time. At this moment, the setting sun withdrew its last rays, and night enveloped the courtyard. The excited pink on the children's faces was also covered by darkness, and it was pitch black all around.

"he……"

In the darkness, her lips moved slightly. "He's a very good person."

　The story of Volume 3 ends here. The author has been writing all day without eating or drinking, and is releasing a 10,000-word update. Please vote for me!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)