My avatar is becoming the final boss

Chapter 381 Farewell Day (10,000 words, seeking monthly votes)
After announcing the start time of the operation to the entire group, Qi Yuanli raised his eyes and scanned their faces, finally fixing his gaze on Xia Pingzhou for a second.

Xia Pingzhou noticed his gaze, raised his head, and met his eyes expressionlessly. The commander's eyes were always so deep and unfathomable, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Qi Yuanli lowered his head and casually left a playing card in the bar glass. Then his figure transformed into a raven feather, scattering with a rustling sound.

At this moment, aside from Bai Tanlang, who was staying by the side of the Nian Beast Lord, there were still ten members of the tour group in the underground bar below Lao Wu's antique shop.

As soon as the group leader left, Xia Pingzhou sat on the sofa and patiently taught Ayase Origami how to play the most basic mobile games. This kimono-clad girl, who had never been exposed to electronic products before, couldn't even understand the simplest game, Snake.

On the screen, the little green snake's head kept hitting the wall.

Every time the snake was about to hit the wall, Origami Ayase would instinctively fly a piece of paper from her sleeve to cover the screen and block the snake. Xia Pingzhou was stunned and thought to himself, "Isn't this just burying your head in the sand?"

Xia Pingzhou would occasionally glance up and use the corner of his eye to look at the Brigade's No. 6 "Mad Gunner" Andrew and the Brigade's No. 11 "Slot Machine Boy" Anlens.

Both of these members benefited from the Battle of the Small Garden, but Xia Pingzhou has not yet witnessed their current strength.

In the Little Garden King's Treasury, Andrew obtained a high-powered bullet forged from dragon's blood;

Meanwhile, Anrons obtained a treasure called the "Gambler's Gloves," which could change his luck and allow him to freely control the numbers rolled by the slot machines.

Xia Pingzhou was very curious about how strong Anlens would be in actual combat, given that he could freely control the slot machine.

To date, he has only seen a slot machine spin out the same pattern three times in a row once. Back then, during the Battle of the Little Garden, Anlens used a slot machine that spun out three "rocket launchers" to blow up the Royal Court team's "Tower of Babylon" to rubble, demonstrating his strength.

Suddenly, someone broke the silence in the bar.

"Speaking of which, why does the troupe leader always leave in such a hurry?" Tong Zizhu sat down at the bar and asked curiously, "I've only seen him a few times since I joined the troupe. He's so handsome, is he trying to hide it from everyone?"

"The team leader said I can explain the rest," the hacker asked without looking up. "Do you have any objections?"

"I have a problem with that. Shouldn't the group leader be building more rapport with the members? He just leaves us behind and runs away every time," Tong Zizhu said casually.

The hacker replied, "After all, the leader isn't like a little cat lover searching for his mother everywhere. He's very busy, although I don't know what he's busy with."

"Try calling me 'Mom' again," Tong Zizhu said with a smile, already holding the illusory fox mask in her hand.

"Mom... what's wrong with calling her?"

The Bloodline spoke jokingly, then suddenly put his glass down on the bar, leaned over, and drunkenly put his arm around Tong Zizhu's shoulder, pressing his face close to her neck. Then, like a vampire checking the quality of human blood, he deeply inhaled the scent of her neck.

Tong Zizhu trembled, his pores dilated, and his previous arrogance vanished instantly.

She could tell that the Bloodline was drunk, so she clicked her tongue and said, "Come on, being called 'Mom' by a hundred-year-old woman is a completely new experience."

Bloodline leaned his head on Tong Zizhu's shoulder, took a sip of wine, and then turned his face to the side. "Newcomer, come have a drink with me. I haven't really talked to you much since you joined the group."

Enma Rin said sarcastically, "You two should chat about your experiences when you join the group to find people. Add a White Wolf and a cat and you'll have a mahjong table."

"What's wrong with you joining the group to find people? I think we guys who are looking for people are the best fighters in the group, don't you think, little Tong?" Bloodline said casually, tilting her head with a smirk, and poured herself another glass of wine.

"Don't drag me along, I'm not good at fighting." Tong Zizhu sighed, gently pushed the Blood Descendant off her shoulder, then picked up a wine glass and drank a glass with her.

"Speaking of which, newbie, have you found that Su Ying yet?" Xia Pingzhou suddenly asked.

Tong Zizhu was silent for a moment, then took a big gulp of wine down his throat. "I guess I've found it."

Xia Pingzhou raised an eyebrow.

"How did you find it?" he asked.

“I asked the hacker kid for help, and after a while, I basically found out who she is,” Tong Zizhu said softly. “The funny thing is… she’s actually my adoptive father’s daughter.”

"Your adoptive parent?"

“Yes, a man who lied and said his name was ‘Ke Wei’, but his surname was actually Su and his name was ‘Su Wei’.” Tong Zizhu said in a low voice, “Back then, when I was still young, Su Ying left and entrusted me to that man without saying what her relationship with him was.”

She paused for a moment: "Every time I said I wanted to see Su Ying, that man would shut up. He also refused to say what his relationship with Su Ying was. At the time, I thought he was some kind of bad guy, so I ran away from home. When I went back, I couldn't find that man anymore... It wasn't until now, with the help of the hacker kid, that I found out that he was actually Su Ying's father, which is my grandfather."

Xia Pingzhou was suddenly taken aback.

Only now did he realize that after Su Ying adopted Tong Zizhu, she did not abandon him. Instead, she handed Tong Zizhu over to Su Wei for care, but Tong Zizhu chose to run away from home.

However, given Su Wei's personality, even if Tong Zizhu ran away from home, he would probably still be secretly arranging her life, just like he secretly protected Su Zimai.

Fortunately, the Gu family members will not participate in this Nian beast incident, and Su Wei has already completely retired. Otherwise, if Tong Zizhu saw Su Wei on the battlefield, he might start to doubt his life. Xia Pingzhou took a sip of orange juice and thought to himself.

As he pondered, the hacker in the distance, looking at his phone, spoke up:
"In case you are not aware of the situation, let me add some more information. The leader received a message from Bai Tanlang that on August 24th, which is three days from now, the Nian Beast King will start a war with Lake Hunting in Haifan City. That is when we will officially begin our operation."

He paused, then said, "Although the Lake Hunters most likely know we're here, they have many informants in the city. But you'd better try not to alert them during these three days and keep a low profile."

As he spoke, the hacker turned his head and looked at the slot machine kid standing with his back to the bar with disdain.

At that moment, Anron was chatting with Rukawa Chiba about the relationship between gambling and psychology.

Anron believed that an excellent psychologist also had the potential to become an excellent gambler, and similarly, an excellent gambler could become a psychologist. Therefore, he thought that having Chiba Rukawa play poker with him might be very interesting.

Rukawa Chiba, on the other hand, said that he was different; when he sat at the gambling table, he couldn't help but dissect other people's brains.

"Did you hear me, slot machine kid?" the hacker asked.

Upon hearing the hacker's words, Anrons turned to meet his eyes.

"Little brat, why are you looking at me like that?" Anlens took a sip of red wine and asked with a smile, "Do I look like the kind of person who would alert the enemy?"

"I wonder who blew up an entire yakuza's underground bar in Tokyo last time, and it even made international news, causing us to be exposed." Robert scratched the mechanical box's head.

Anlens slung his arms over the bar and chuckled dismissively. "That's just because the slot machine drew the wrong numbers. Besides, when have we ever taken an operation that wasn't all-knowing?"

"The draws weren't quite right. If only your slot machine could just send you to your doom," Enma Rin said, leaning against the other corner of the bar while sharpening her knife.

Anron turned to look at her.

He shrugged and said with a serious expression, "Little sister Ripper, could you please not be so hostile towards me?"

Enma Rin said, "Is that so? Then next time I'll just chop you up. How would you like to be cut?"

“White-cut chicken,” Tong Zizhu suddenly said.

“Good idea,” Enma Rin agreed.

"Wow, even the newbies are starting to bully me?" Anlens shrugged and downed his drink in one gulp.

Tong Zizhu rolled her eyes at them: "I mean I want to have poached chicken for lunch. It's rare for me to come back to China, so of course I have to eat some local food... I felt terrible eating in Norway."

"Heh...hehe..." Bloodline chuckled, clutching her stomach. This woman's sense of humor had always been quite peculiar.

"Miss Vampire, a drink, please." At this moment, Andrew pushed an empty glass from the bar towards the Bloodline and said in a deep voice.

"Andrew, haven't you looked a bit too haggard lately? Are you still thinking about Lan Duoduo?"

The bloodline filled the glass with wine, pushed it back to Andrew, and glanced at him.

"Really?" Andrew wiped the stubble off his face, hunching over as he drank his wine. He took a deep breath, pulled a blue earring from his denim jacket, and a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. "I'm doing great right now, better than ever. The thought of killing Zhou Jiuya soon makes me so happy I can't wait another second."

After saying that, he raised his trembling hand and drank the wine in the glass in one gulp, his Adam's apple bobbing up and down.

Bloodline rested his chin on his hand and asked casually, "Speaking of which, didn't you use the remaining dragon blood to forge a bullet, I think it was called 'Dragon Ash'? Do you still have that bullet?"

The ancient dragon blood they obtained from the royal treasury of the Whale Garden was partly absorbed by the Bloodline as an auxiliary ingredient to strengthen herself, helping her quickly break through the threshold of the Cataclysmic level, while the other part was made into a special bullet by Andrew.

“Of course it’s still there. That bullet was meant for that bastard,” Andrew said hoarsely, raising the back of his hand to wipe his mouth with a gloomy expression.

"That's good." Bloodline said softly, "Sister Lan Duoduo will be very happy to see that someone cares about her so much. I really don't know who would care about me if I died."

As she spoke, she raised her wine glass with a smirk, her crimson eyes gazing at the ceiling.

"No wonder she's such a long-lived, love-struck old woman, she's suddenly getting sentimental." The hacker said expressionlessly, "She must be thinking about her 1001 again. To put it another way: 'If I die, will my 1001 brother come looking for me? Will he hold my corpse and cry his heart out?' Haha, women are just so shameless."

The bloodline seemed too lazy to deny it, and simply crossed his arms and took a sip of red wine.

Xia Pingzhou suddenly turned to look at the Bloodline, "What do you plan to do after you've met 1001?"

The bloodline thought for a moment, then rested his chin on his hand and said, "Go with him... or, take him with you."

"What if he doesn't take you with him, and doesn't go with you either?" Xia Pingzhou continued to ask.

"Hmm... then I'll cling to him even if I turn to ashes." The Bloodline smirked. "He gave me this life, and I've lived long enough. Now that I've finally seen him again, how could I possibly let him escape from me again?"

"What if he really gets away?"

“I hadn’t thought about that… but if he really gets away, I probably won’t have the energy to look for him.” Bloodline said, glancing at Ayase Origami with amusement, then at Xia Pingzhou, “I might as well just accept my fate and come back to compete with the young lady for our kind little cat. Anyway, I don’t have anything else to do.”

Upon hearing this, the girl in the kimono suddenly raised her head, glanced at her indifferently, and met her eyes.

"What? You don't dare to compete with me fairly?" Bloodline looked at her with amusement.

"The kitten is mine alone." Origami Ayase said, almost emphasizing each word.

“You only show your childish temper at times like this. You truly are our 14-year-old kimono-clad loli princess. I, a hundred-year-old, would never bother arguing with a little brat like you.” Bloodline cupped her cheeks with her hands and said with a smile, “Don’t worry, I was just joking… If 1001 runs away again, I’ll go find him again. That would be fine too, at least there would be some hope.”

Xia Pingzhou took a sip of orange juice, then said to the restricted-level 1001 in his mind, "Theresa has already said so much, why aren't you going to react or just pretend to be dead?"

Restricted Level 1001 remained silent for a very long time, then suddenly said, "What kind of reaction do you want from me?"

"She's been thinking about you for over a hundred years, haunted by your dreams, and you're just unmoved by all this?" Xia Pingzhou thought to himself. "But she's not exactly a good person either."

“I just saved her life,” said R1001, “and gave her a name. I don’t think I did anything out of line.”

"Stop trying to make excuses for yourself."

"Besides... I lost my memory back then, so I was practically a child of a few years old." The voice of R-rated 1001 came from my mind, still neither cold nor warm.

"Oh, according to you, then you're a hundred-year-old grandpa now?" Xia Pingzhou asked in his mind. "You two grandpa and grandma are quite a good match."

"You can call me that if you want, but once our personalities merge, all your sarcasm towards me will come back to haunt you," said Restricted Level 1001 calmly.

Suddenly, a cool, clear voice from the sofa interrupted their conversation, breaking Xia Pingzhou's thoughts.

"Kitty, what are you daydreaming about?" Origami Ayase asked.

Xia Pingzhou asked without turning his head, "How come you always manage to catch me when I'm daydreaming?"

“Because it’s easy to guess,” Origami Ayase said.

"Oh."

"Take a picture." Ayase Origami said softly, then suddenly reached out and tugged at Xia Pingzhou's sleeve.

"Photograph?"

Xia Pingzhou turned his head to look at him, and the girl's empty yet beautiful eyes stared at him without moving.

The two met eyes and stared at each other.

“Yeah, I didn’t take any pictures last time in Lijing,” Origami Ayase said. “I did want to.”

"Ok."

Origami Ayase took her phone out of her kimono sleeve, opened the camera app, and switched to front-facing camera mode.

Xia Pingzhou could tell that she had become more and more proficient at using her phone these days. Before, he had to teach her step by step even how to turn on the camera mode.

Origami Ayase looked up and silently glanced at her pale face reflected on the phone screen.

Xia Pingzhou suddenly leaned closer to the camera, his face almost touching hers. Neither of their faces showed any expression on the screen. At that moment, he glanced at the kimono-clad girl's other hand, which she seemed to be holding somewhere. Then, he gently took her hand, pried open her fingers, and made her extend her index and middle fingers.

"What are you doing?" Ayase Origami looked at his hands, then at him.

"Take a picture with this hand gesture," Xia Pingzhou said. "You look too stiff, like a robot. I always make a 'V' sign when I take a picture. I'm a photography expert."

Origami Ayase frowned slightly, but her expression quickly relaxed. She looked at her peace sign and slowly raised it above her head. At that moment, Xia Pingzhou also made a "V" sign at the camera.

With a "click," the phone's flashlight lit up, illuminating the faces of the two people on the sofa, and the photo immediately froze on the screen.

"let me see."

Xia Pingzhou took Ayase Origami's phone and glanced down at the photos that had been taken.

The girl in the photo, dressed in a kimono, made a peace sign at the camera with a blank expression, her pale face showing a hint of confusion; Xia Pingzhou also made a peace sign, equally expressionless.

The expressions on their faces make you wonder if the photo was generated by AI. A handsome man and a beautiful woman, yet they look completely artificial.

"puff--!"

Before Xia Pingzhou could even open his mouth to complain, the hacker sitting at the bar not far away suddenly spat out the coconut juice he had just drunk, spilling it all over the table.

Ayase Origami and Xia Pingzhou turned their heads almost simultaneously, staring at him expressionlessly.

The hacker quickly pulled a tissue from the "database" and casually wiped the coconut juice off the table.

"Why are you looking at me?" He coughed twice.

"Stop spying on us, okay?" Xia Pingzhou asked. "Little brat, don't you have a life of your own?"

“I don’t want to laugh either, but the photos of you two are really funny, okay? Even AI has more emotions than you. Do you want me to Photoshop them for you so that you two fake humans look a little more human…” Before the hacker could finish speaking, Ayase Origami sealed his mouth with a piece of snow-white paper.

He snorted coldly and eventually gave up struggling.

Xia Pingzhou looked down at Ayase Origami's phone, and casually scrolled through the photo album, suddenly seeing a picture. It was from when they were still in Lijing, when Ayase Origami asked a dolphin trainer to take a picture of her with a dolphin.

But Xia Pingzhou is not in the photo.

He had already left, leaving only the girl in the kimono standing blankly in the frame. She turned her head and looked around, absentmindedly searching for his departing figure. A dolphin leaped out of the water, and the photo captured that moment.

"Why didn't you call me last time?" Xia Pingzhou asked.

“You left without waiting for me last time,” Ayase Origami said softly. Xia Pingzhou glanced at the photos on his phone, then looked away. “Next time we go to the aquarium, I’ll take another picture with you.” With that, he handed the phone back to Ayase Origami.

Origami Ayase nodded and looked down at the photos the two of them had just taken.

"You are even worse than me." The voice of R-rated 1001 suddenly came from my mind.

Xia Pingzhou asked himself, "What are you referring to?"

"In terms of making people remember you," said R-1001 calmly, "knowing full well that you will betray the Phantom Troupe, everything you do will become harmful."

"How can you be so sure she won't come with me?" Xia Pingzhou asked. "If she comes with me, then what I've done will have been meaningful. I'm just trying to win people over; it's a purposeful act."

"I didn't mean it, it wasn't as bad as you."

"It's a bit funny for someone who destroyed the world once to say that," Xia Pingzhou thought to himself.

At that moment, Rukawa Chiba suddenly walked over from the bar, sat down next to Xia Pingzhou, and said with a smile, "It's so lively. I remember when our group of members got together, it was pretty crazy too."

"Doctor," Xia Pingzhou turned to look at him, "I have a question I'd like to ask you."

"What's the problem?" Rukawa Chiba met his gaze.

Xia Pingzhou thought for a moment: "Could you restore people who are controlled by mental abilities to normal?"

“Logically speaking, it should be possible,” Rukawa Chiba said. “I’m confident… there aren’t many mental abilities in this world that can surpass mine.”

Xia Pingzhou nodded, thinking to himself that this was great. Perhaps when they stormed the Salvation Society, they would have a chance to get Rukawa Chiba to break free of the mental control over those children, thus reducing the number of deaths. Of course, it was only a chance.

He knew he couldn't travel through time like R-rated 1001, so the people he lost wouldn't come back; once they were dead, they were dead, and there was no chance of bringing them back. Therefore, he had to be cautious enough and plan thoroughly enough.

At that moment, Origami Ayase looked up from her phone screen and suddenly turned to look at Rin Enma, who was sitting on the sofa.

"What?" Enma Rin asked.

"Jack, take a picture," said Origami Ayase.

"Why are you taking pictures?" Enma Rin asked.

"Maybe they're afraid you'll turn into Yan Duoduo, so they're keeping some photos as a memento," the hacker said casually.

In an instant, an arc of light flashed through the air as Enma Rin's demonic blade fell, cleaving the table in front of the hacker in two. At the same time, Andrew, standing at the bar in the distance, summoned Sky Drive, turned around with a dark expression, and pointed his sniper rifle at the hacker's head.

"Okay, I shouldn't have joked about this," the hacker said, raising his hands in surrender, "but you guys don't have to be this aggressive, do you?"

Andrew, his face dark, put away his sniper rifle and said coldly like a wild bull, "Don't do it again, kid."

"Take a picture." Ayase Origami looked at Enma Rin and said again.

Enma Rin looked at her expressionlessly, hesitated for a moment, and then said, "Alright then, I'll take a picture with you."

Why didn't you invite me to take the photos?

Anlens leaned closer, standing behind the sofa, drinking and glancing at Ayase Origami's phone screen. This gambler in a suit, as always, loved to join in the fun.

"Go away," the girl in the kimono said calmly.

"That was a bit hurtful, Miss." Anlens smiled and patted his chest.

The bloodline member moved closer, sat in the middle of the sofa, put his arms around Ayase Origami and Xia Pingzhou, and looked at his phone screen, "What about me?"

Ayase Origami held up her phone, and Xia Pingzhou reached out to help her adjust the angle. She pressed the shutter button, still a little confused, and with a "click," the photo appeared on the screen.

In the photo, Enma Rin stands behind the sofa with her arms crossed, glancing at Anlens with disgust. Anlens, with a sly, fox-like smile, turns to stare at Enma Rin. The hacker also manages to squeeze in at the last moment, sprawling on the sofa and making a face. Rukawa Chiba sits at the very edge of the sofa, smiling silently.

In the background, Andrew and Robert are drinking at the bar. The latter's mechanical head is very eye-catching even in the far corner of the photo. Tong Zizhu didn't have time to walk into the frame, he just made a "V" sign and stretched out his right hand into the shot.

After taking the photos, everyone dispersed and went back to the bar to drink.

Only Xia Pingzhou and Ayase Origami remained sitting on the sofa, their heads huddled together, quietly gazing at the group photo.

Suddenly, a piece of paper flew up like snowflakes, blocking his and Ayase Origami's view.

Xia Pingzhou raised an eyebrow and looked up at the page.

Just as he raised his head, he suddenly felt a cool touch on his cheek. Despite the noise all around, the whole world seemed to fall silent for a moment.

Xia Pingzhou was slightly taken aback.

When he came to his senses, he realized that the girl in the kimono had gently touched his cheek with her lips.

"Don't go," she said in a very soft voice.

Xia Pingzhou was stunned.

He suddenly realized that the girl in the kimono actually knew everything.

He had hinted to her countless times that he was about to leave. Even if she was naive and oblivious, she couldn't possibly misunderstand his meaning. Yes... how could she not know?
When the piece of paper that had been covering their faces fell away, Xia Pingzhou silently lowered his head, his eyes hidden by his falling bangs.

August 21st, Haifan Mountain.

That night, for some unknown reason, countless demons emerged from the forest.

The mindless demons hide deep within Mount Haifan, and only a few intelligent demon races are worthy of living in this forest near Spirit Heart Lake.

Therefore, most of the demons that have emerged at this moment are high-level demons, with the twelve zodiac animal groups being the most numerous.

In the heart of the forest, the Nian Beast King exhaled a breath of fire, igniting the mountain of timber, and a bonfire immediately roared to life. Then, like dominoes being toppled, the lantern demons lit up one after another, swaying and emitting a warm glow that illuminated the entire forest.

In a short while, the entire forest was brightly lit, looking like a sea of ​​stars from afar.

The rooster demons stood on the branches, singing in unison. At this moment, the monkey demons of the forest emerged, climbing up the branches and using their long arms to pass pots of fine wine and bright red fruit through the forest.

The Green Serpent Demon Clan was responsible for catching the wine and fruit thrown down by the Spirit Monkey at the bottom and distributing them to the demons in the forest.

The rainbow-horse demons galloped in from afar, creating a colorful rainbow in the air, rising like fireworks into the dark night sky, and then falling like stars, raining down on the heads of each demon.

This is the annual bonfire feast at Haifan Mountain. The little Nian beast is currently lying quietly on one of the tree branches, standing out from the other demons.

It watched silently as thousands of demons bustled about, unaware of what they were busy with.

"Boring, I want to see rivers of blood." The little Nian beast yawned.

It tilted its head and suddenly realized that the last time it participated in a bonfire party was ten years ago.

Back then, it was still young and ignorant. In order to prove itself, it rushed to the wood ahead of the Great Lord and blew hard for a long time, but it couldn't blow any fire out of it. It was ridiculed by the other demons in the forest.

Finally, the Nian Beast King even used his claws to drag it aside. The little Nian Beast lay on the ground, looking at the small flame on its head with a pitiful expression, thinking to itself, "If only I had used the flame on my head to light the campfire, I wouldn't have been so embarrassed."

When the little Nian beast came to its senses, it raised its head from the branch and looked at the Nian beast king who was walking towards it. The old giant lion slowly walked over, raised its head, and gazed at the little Nian beast on the branch.

"Dad, we're going to war with the Lake Hunters in a few days. Is it really okay for us to be so relaxed?"

The little Nian beast looked at it, puzzled, and asked. However, the Nian beast king did not answer.

The Rat Demon happened to pass by this secluded maple tree and headed towards the burning campfire, where he overheard their conversation.

"The bonfire festival is only held once a year, and so many demons look forward to it." The Rat Demon waved his hand and said, "Sigh... if we cancel the festival, how heartbreaking would that be for them?"

"Can't we postpone it? We can talk about it after you've killed the Lake Hunter," the little Nian beast asked curiously.

Although it said that, it felt that after this battle was over, either the Nian Beast King would die, or the Zodiac Team would be reduced by at least half.

Lake Hunters are undoubtedly the top tier below the Salvation Society. No organization in human society can challenge them, let alone these demons who have been driven to the mountains.

"Hey, what do you know, you little kid? Go away, go away..."

After saying this, the Rat Demon shook his head and sighed, then took a fruit and slipped away to the place where the banquet was taking place, leaving the Year Beast and his son alone.

The little beast glanced speechlessly at the back of the Rat Demon, then looked down at the Great Lord.

“Let’s come down and talk,” said the Great King of the Year Beast, his voice deep and resonant.

"Oh, then I'll get off."

The little monster spoke calmly, then got up, twirled down from the tree branch, and landed on the ground with a fallen leaf in its wake.

The Nian Beast King walked forward in silence, with the little Nian Beast following beside him. Behind them was a cacophony of noise, as all the demons of the forest revelled in the dim light. But the Nian Beast King and the little Nian Beast King were drifting further and further away from the noisy world.

A moment later, the Great King of the Nian Beast finally asked the question that the Little Nian Beast had been expecting for a long time.

"Ten years ago, you met the current leader of the Lake Hunters—'Lin Xing Shi'—on that ship, right?" asked the Nian Beast King.

The little beast was silent for a moment, looked at the Great Lord's expression, and nodded, "Yes, she helped me on the ship back then."

The Nian Beast King pondered for a moment, "So that's it... Then do you know what happened back then?"

"You thought I was dead, so you stormed into Sea Sail City and caused a huge ruckus, killing many people from the Zodiac Team and the Lake Hunter Clan," the little beast said after thinking for a moment.

“I mistakenly thought you had fallen victim to the exorcists,” the Nian Beast Lord said in a deep voice. “I was too impulsive… I thought the child from the Lake Hunt was someone they had planted to get rid of you on that smuggling ship.”

“It doesn’t matter, you’ll fight anyway, whether I’m there or not. You’re so proud… Dad, how could you possibly allow yourself to live in this forest forever? Others may not understand you, but don’t I understand you?” the little beast asked.

It tells the truth.

Although the restricted-level superpower correction history made "Little Nian Beast's departure from home" the fuse for the great war eleven years ago, even if Little Nian Beast had not appeared, that war between humans and demons would most likely have still occurred.

Just like the war that will begin ten years later, the Nian Beast King is no longer content to live a life of hiding in the deep mountains. In order to reclaim his living environment from humans, he has chosen to wage war against the Lake Hunter.

The Nian Beast King shook his head. "Tell me, what exactly happened between you and Lin Xingshi back then..."

"What happened...?"

The little beast muttered to itself, raised its head, looked up at the night sky, and recalled its last memory with Lin Xingshi ten years ago.

Eleven years ago, on August 24th, Little Nian revealed his identity at Lin Xingshi's birthday party.

She learned that he was actually the offspring of the Nian Beast King, and that his name wasn't Xiao Nian at all; he was the Little Nian Beast. But Lin Xing Shi didn't dislike him at all. Something seemed to have changed between them, yet nothing seemed to have changed at all.

Two more months passed, and it started snowing in Lijing.

The city was covered in a blanket of white snow, and every time you opened the window you could see snowflakes falling in a flurry. The eaves and tree branches were covered with a layer of snow, and the streets were covered with ankle-deep snow. Every time the little monster and the lion danced and played in the snow, someone would slip and fall.

Lin Xingshi and Xiao Nian have been living in this apartment building for half a year without realizing it.

By this time, Lin Xingshi's hair had grown to her waist, and the tuft of fiery red hair at the back of her head was becoming more and more noticeable, making her easily eye-catching when walking on the street.

Following the techniques in the book, the little beast helped her braid that tuft of fiery red hair into a separate braid. Lin Xingshi loved it and had him style her hair every day.

At the end of November, one day, because all the food in the refrigerator was gone, Little Nian and Lin Xing Shi went out as usual to the nearby supermarket to find food, ostensibly to "stock up".

The two walked one after the other in the shadows, away from the surveillance cameras. Lin Xingshi looked up at the back of the little beast, then turned to look at the street where children were building snowmen and sticking carrots into their noses.

As their laughter reached her ears, Lin Xingshi suddenly felt a little dazed. She thought how wonderful it would be if she could walk openly on the street with Xiao Nian without having to hide, and how wonderful it would be if she could go to school with him without having to eavesdrop outside the classroom.

Just thinking about it made her happy, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but turn up slightly.

At this moment, Lin Xingshi's expression suddenly changed. She looked away from the snowman on the street and slowed her pace. The little beast turned around and asked her, "What's wrong, Xiaoxing?"

Lin Xingshi remained silent, only shaking his head and gesturing to the little Nian beast to let it go first.

The little Nian beast paused, then stopped at the corner of the alley ahead, peeking out from behind the wall. Like a wild beast hunting in the forest, it concealed its presence, secretly observing Lin Xingshi.

"Stop following me." Lin Xingshi stopped and suddenly turned his head to say to the person behind him.

A moment later, a man with a buzz cut wearing sunglasses and a floral shirt walked over. He was the same man who had been tricked by Little Nian Beast and Lin Xing Shi on the street that day. At that time, Little Nian Beast used his spatial power to pluck a clump of his hair.

"Lin Xingshi, we've been looking for you for a long time." The man with the buzz cut stared at her retreating figure and said in a deep voice.

"Stop talking nonsense and tell my father that I will never go back." Lin Xingshi said coldly. "I advise you not to interfere with me. You are no match for me. I can knock you out and leave immediately... I will leave this city right away and go to a place where you can never find me again."

"Do you know... what happened at home while you were gone?"

"I don't care, get out of my way." Lin Xingshi said almost word by word, his long, fiery red braid flying in the wind and snow blowing in his face.

The man continued, "Year..."

"I won't say it a second time, I don't want to hear it." Crimson flames ignited in Lin Xingshi's pupils, and the faint shadow of a lion rippled in the air, enveloping her head.

But at that moment, the man with the buzz cut practically shouted, "The son of the Nian beast disappeared half a year ago!"

Lin Xingshi was suddenly stunned. "The son of the Nian beast?" Upon hearing this name, she immediately raised her eyebrows, turned around curiously, and looked at the man with the buzz cut.

“That’s right… Little Lion, the son of the Nian Beast is missing in Haifan City.” The man said hoarsely, “So the Nian Beast King was furious! He rushed to Haifan City demanding his return! We couldn’t hand him over, and he said the son of the Nian Beast had already left Haifan City…”

Lin Xingshi listened blankly, "And...and then?"

"The Nian Beast King didn't believe us. He didn't believe what we said, so he started a war in Haifan City, in which many people died."

The man's Adam's apple bobbed as he hesitated before saying, "Little Lion, your parents... your parents..."

"What happened to them?"

"To resist the Nian Beast King, they sacrificed themselves in that war..." The man with the buzz cut paused, lowered his head, and dared not look directly into Lin Xingshi's eyes. Finally, he hoarsely squeezed out the last three words:
"Sacrificed."

Lin Xingshi froze, her long, fiery red braid, billowing in the wind, slowly drooping down her back. After a moment, she slowly raised her head, staring into the man's eyes, her lips slightly parted, "Sacrifice...does it mean death?"

The man with the buzz cut remained silent, his face twitching slightly, but he didn't continue speaking. After a while, he gritted his teeth and nodded forcefully.

Not far away, the little Nian beast leaned against the corner of the wall, listening blankly to the conversation between the two. He seemed to realize something and slowly sat down.

For some reason, he suddenly felt incredibly cold. So he squatted down and slowly hugged his knees.

After a long while, he raised his eyes and stared blankly at the snowflakes in the alley brushing past his nose and swirling down.

(End of this chapter)