My avatar is becoming the final boss

Chapter 386 The Curtain Rises (13,000 words, please vote!)

The time is August 23, 2020, at sunrise. At this moment, there is only one day left before the official start of the war between Lake Hunter and the Year Beast Lord. Whether it is tomorrow or the moment night falls, the curtain will be raised on this war between humans and demons.

At that time, the White Raven Brigade and the Gu family will also join this four-way battle.

Therefore, Lake Hunter, in conjunction with local security forces, evacuated the residents located on the outskirts of Sea Sail City a few days in advance, citing the possibility of a landslide in the coming days. They provided them with subsidies and arranged temporary accommodations near the city center.

The situation was clearly becoming increasingly tense, but for a moment, the underground bar where the White Raven Brigade was located remained quiet.

There weren't enough beds in the private room for two people, so Xia Pingzhou didn't even take off his sneakers. He just lay his upper body on the bed, his head resting against the girl in the kimono.

He placed his hands on his abdomen, closed his eyes, and fell into a deep sleep.

In the silence, the clock on the wall ticked away.

After settling Unit 2, Ji Minghuan synchronized his consciousness to Unit 4.

In the forest of Haifan Mountain, the little Nian beast walked among the dense, shady trees, searching for the divine chicken demons that dwelled in the forest.

With every step it took, it could hear rustling sounds coming from the forest. Sometimes it was ghostly squirrels moving through the bushes, and sometimes it was monkeys climbing over the branches. The commoner demons still avoided it like the plague.

Before long, the little Nian beast found its target.

At sunrise, the palm-sized chickens stood in a row on the branches, about to raise their combs and crow, when the little monster suddenly looked up and glared at them fiercely.

"I'm going to sleep, so you're not allowed to crow today, understand?" it threatened fiercely, lowering its little face.

The demon chickens stared blankly at him from the tree, burped, and swallowed their crowing back down their throats.

The little beast snorted coldly and then strolled away. It found a towering tree, nimbly jumped onto a branch, lay down, and was about to close its eyes to rest when it suddenly raised its head and looked up at the high canopy above.

As the sea breeze blew and the summer sun shone, a huge sun hung at the top of the horizon, and the background color of the sky suddenly changed.

A beam of sunlight pierced through the gaps in the tree canopy and fell on the little Nian beast's head, the cluster of purplish-red flames flickering in the beam of light. This was clearly not a suitable place to sleep, so the little Nian beast had no choice but to leap down and search for a tree with denser foliage in the forest.

After a while, the little Nian beast hid in the cool shade of the tree, listlessly tilting its cheeks and patting the lantern demon on the tree with its paws, as if it were playing with the thing like a roly-poly toy.

Just then, a giant blue snake slowly crawled over from a distance, nimbly coiled its body, and stopped under the tree.

It raised its sky-blue pupils and slowly looked down at the little Nian beast in the tree. The little Nian beast noticed its gaze, opened one eye halfway, and met the green snake's slightly narrowed eyes.

"Hey you from the Zodiac Team, why are you staring at me like that?" the little Nian beast asked curiously.

The Green Serpent Demon remained silent for a moment.

"If you don't speak up, I'm going to sleep." The little beast snorted and slumped its head back down. "I don't have time to waste on your babbling."

"I ask you, with such great power, why didn't you want to go to war with the Great Lord..." the Green Serpent Demon asked coldly, "Then what is the point of your return?"

The little monster shook the lantern with its paw and said indifferently, "Of course, it's to prevent my old man from dying without ever seeing his son. What other meaning could it have?"

"As you can see, the Great Khan's days are numbered. In the battle ten years ago, one of the former Lake Hunters inflicted irreversible damage on the Great Khan, and even after so many years of recuperation, there has been no improvement..."

As the Green Serpent Demon spoke, it flicked its forked tongue.

"so what?"

"The Great Lord chose to gamble on his deathbed for the freedom of demons... Do you really want to watch your father die with his unfulfilled wish?"

The little monster said dismissively, "Demons need freedom, but don't humans need freedom? You've seen how many people those mindless demons have eaten. Maybe you should all go out and take a walk, and you'll realize how much you're like frogs in a well."

"You seem to know a lot?"

"I certainly know more than you closed-minded people. Even if we defeat the Lake Hunters and take such a small city from humans, so what?" Little Nian Beast sneered. "I've seen it all. Humans have more than just superpowered people and exorcists. They also have nuclear weapons, but they just won't take them out easily."

After saying that, it patted the lantern demon with its paw. "Sigh, I can't even imagine what kind of demon could withstand a nuclear attack... In the end, my father's wish was something that could never be fulfilled. Is it strange that I don't want to be foolish with it?"

"Do you even deserve to call yourself a demon?" The Green Serpent Demon's tone turned cold.

"Why can't you say?"

“Completely devoid of wildness, only servility; it seems your mind has been assimilated by humans.” The Green Serpent Demon said coldly, “You are not worthy to call yourself the son of the Great Lord.”

"Say what you will, demons are just stupid, they're practically beasts that devour silver..."

The little lion muttered to himself, yawned deeply, and gently placed his paw on the lantern demon's head.

A gentle breeze blew from the other side of Lingxin Lake, and its fur swayed gently in the wind like waves. The little Nian beast rested its head on its folded paws, tilted its head, and slowly closed its eyes.

The Green Serpent Demon looked at the sleeping Little Nian Beast, sighed deeply, and then quickly slithered away.

Hearing the little beast's breathing gradually calm down, the lantern demon secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and his heart finally settled down.

Its nightmare is over.

The only price was being soaked in the saliva dripping from the Little Nian Beast for an entire night. Thinking of this, the Lantern Demon suddenly felt like a concubine favored by the Crown Prince but whose heart belonged to someone else—both lucky and unlucky.

Soon, the lantern's light dimmed, like a firefly disappearing into the night, and the halo surrounding the little Nian beast also dissipated.

In fact, Ji Minghuan did not intend to sleep. He sank and sank in the deep sea of ​​consciousness, and then he brushed past a patch of deep blue jellyfish, a white giant whale, and a deep blue giant shark roaring at him with its huge mouth open.

Then, he slid into the giant shark's mouth, sliding down its bottomless esophagus, tumbling in a world of red and black, and slowly falling into a spiritual library.

The boy in the hospital gown stood in the very center of the library.

Like a person about to suffocate emerging from underwater, he raised his head and took a deep breath of the air carrying the scent of dusk. At that moment, his lungs felt as if they were on fire, and his five senses were reactivated in a searing pain.

Each time he deliberately allowed his consciousness to descend into the spiritual world, he experienced a feeling similar to "near death".

This was obviously not a pleasant experience, otherwise, when he had nothing to do, he would come here every day to have afternoon tea with Red Dragon, or to tease that former R-rated character who was hanging from the ceiling, half-dead.

After a while, when Ji Minghuan opened her eyes again, the sun was already setting outside, and the empty library was bathed in the warm glow of the setting sun.

On the bookshelf, the covers of the hardcover books were bathed in a golden glow, and the leaves of the potted plants shimmered in the sunlight. Everything that came into view looked so pleasant and tranquil.

It's like a secluded paradise, a place that soothes the soul.

In the dim, yellowish afterglow of the setting sun, the boy in the hospital gown slowly turned his head to look.

At this moment, a figure draped in a white cloak still hung upside down from the ceiling. Restricted Level 1001 lowered his eyes, silently flipping through the memory book, his face expressionless, as cold as an ice sculpture.

He seemed completely unaware of Ji Minghuan's arrival, not even turning his head for a long time.

Ji Minghuan tilted her head and silently watched him; Restricted Level 1001 was also unwilling to speak, and just quietly let him watch her.

A silence fell between the two, broken only by the soft rustling of pages turning.

At that moment, the red dragon Welsh in the corner suddenly groaned, picked up his teacup, and took a sip of afternoon tea.

He looked up from behind his reading glasses at the two of them, smacked his lips, and said, "What... what are you two up to?"

Ji Minghuan said coldly, "Did you hear that? I'm talking to you... Are you dead, student 1001?"

Rated 1001 was silent for a moment, then said, "What do you want me to do? Dance to welcome you?"

"Please, I've been standing here for ages, can't you at least say something to welcome me?"

"Hello."

"You're so arrogant! Just because someone has destroyed a world doesn't mean they're aloof."

Why are you so anxious today? Is it because a girl confessed her feelings to you that you're in a good mood?

"How am I in a good mood? Can't you see that I'm in a terrible mood right now? I really want to kick a silver-swallowing rat to death, punch a diaper demon to make it cry, and headbutt a penguin monster."

Ji Minghuan sighed, muttering to himself as he sat cross-legged on the ground.

He rested his chin on his hands, staring blankly at the floor, his eyes vacant. He didn't speak for most of the day, resembling a complete autistic child. And given that he was currently using a spirit form that looked like a three-year-old, it only made him seem more like one.

"So... what do you want from me?" asked R-rated 1001. "Do you want me to be sarcastic? Or do you want me to give you a lecture? If that makes you happy, then I'd be happy to."

"Great critic, then tell me, what did I do wrong?"

Ji Minghuan lowered his eyes and asked slowly.

"Despicable manipulation of other people's feelings, resorting to any means to achieve one's goals... Clearly engaging in the actions of a petty person, yet lacking the self-awareness of a petty person, and even feigning concern for those you have used and kept in the dark." Rated 1001 slowly said, "Often, those who try to consider the overall situation end up with nothing. Knowing how to make choices is an essential quality for every successful person."

"I disagree."

"Are you trying to say that you really consider people who take care of the family as your family?"

As he spoke, "Restricted Level 1001" turned his head, and his indifferent, dark eyes met his gaze.

"Actually, it's good to have family. I've never had family around since I was little... They're great, aren't they?"

"So you suddenly have a change of heart and don't want to see these fake family members risking their lives to fight against the Salvation Church in order to save you, right?"

Ji Minghuan was silent.

After a long pause, he spoke up: "You've also spent time with the Gu family, and you were even adopted by Su Ying for a whole year. Don't you have any feelings for them?"

“If you don’t want to talk about yourself, there’s no need to steer the conversation towards me.” R-rated1001 paused. “Then let me give you another example. Are you trying to say that you really like that Japanese girl and that you weren’t using her?”

Ji Minghuan was silent for a while, then looked down at her wrist. "I don't really understand either. This is the first time I've met someone who's been so good to me. I just feel... I don't really want to see her sad, even though she must look silly when she's sad."

"This will only backfire; you should keep your distance from her..."

"I know... but the more I understand what will happen next, the more conflicted I feel, okay? I subconsciously want to make amends for something, even though it's difficult."

Ji Minghuan muttered to himself as a grain of sand suddenly appeared in his hand. The harder he tried to grasp it, the more the sand slipped through his fingers and spilled onto the ground.

"Guilt and affection are two different things, and I've seen too many similar examples in the past hundred years. You're just a kid, it's normal that you can't understand these things," said R-rated1001. "Your problem is that you shouldn't have developed feelings for the person you were using in the first place; that was just creating your own trap."

He paused for a moment: "You may have wronged that girl in the kimono, but you did not wrong the Gu family—if you hadn't helped, the Gu family would have been wiped out long ago. Using them to rescue your original body was just a deal that neither side owed anything, so why should you feel guilty?"

"Oh, what about Origami Ayase?"

"To be realistic, she's just a scumbag who's killed countless people. Why should you feel guilty for using her?"

"how do you know?"

"Could there be any good people in the White Raven Brigade?" Restricted Level 1001 said expressionlessly. "No matter how tragic a person's childhood experiences are, they cannot be used as an excuse for doing evil. Otherwise, since you can sympathize with Origami Ayase, then by the same logic... you can also completely sympathize with the Ripper."

Ji Minghuan remained silent, lowering her eyes.

“She said she liked me,” he said. “It sounded a bit like she was talking in her sleep; she was so sleepy she could barely keep her eyes open… but it was the first time I’d ever heard anyone say they liked me.”

"So what if it wasn't a dream?" Rated 1001 said coldly.

“I’m telling you, can you stop pointing fingers at me, you century-old bachelor?” Ji Minghuan sighed. “I can’t even imagine what kind of weirdo I’ll become after our personalities merge.”

"Open your eyes and think about it carefully. She only likes the puppet you're playing. Besides... she'll soon realize you're deceiving her. Stop fooling yourself."

"You're making me sound like some male version of Cinderella, who wore glass slippers to a banquet, attracted a prince, and then slunk away in disgrace."

"As you know, I'm not just referring to revenge against the Ripper, but to the existence of 'Xia Pingzhou' itself—if Ayase Origami knew that Xia Pingzhou was just a fake person, what do you think she would think?"

"Then what impact will it have?" Ji Minghuan asked softly.

The restricted-rating 1001 says, "What she likes is just the layers of lies you've woven, and the reason you can still get along is entirely because these lies haven't been exposed yet."

He paused for a moment, then said, "I've said so much already, do you still think she'll go with you?"

Ji Minghuan thought for a moment and said, "Actually, it's good that she doesn't come with me. That way, she won't get involved in the Salvation Society's affairs."

“She was a member of the Phantom Troupe. Even if she hadn’t defected with you, she would have followed the leader to the Salvation Society, seeking an answer from you,” said R-rated 1001. “You couldn’t even tell her the truth beforehand, so how dare you say you care about her?”

Ji Minghuan remained silent for a long, long time. "I do care. I really do care about her, that's why I can't say it... Why would someone who doesn't care need to worry about so much?"

He paused, then continued, "You want me to rush over and yell at the Silver-Swallowing Rat a hundred times right now? I'm not Black Chrysalis, I'm Ji Minghuan, I definitely won't care..."

"That's why I said you'll only hurt her more..." The restricted-level 1001 was full of meaning.

At this moment, Red Dragon Wales suddenly sighed and spoke.

It said slowly, "Observer, don't be too harsh on a little kid who lacks love. I've said it before, no matter how much knowledge a child has, he's still just a child, and there's no difference in essence."

Restricted Level 1001 remained silent.

"Aren't you two annoying? One of you is over a hundred years old, and the other has lived for who knows how many centuries. Are you two old fogies trying to take advantage of your age and gang up on me?"

Ji Minghuan glared at them angrily, then raised his arms and shouted angrily.

"You two old geezers are disgusting! Can't you tell the difference between host and guest? I'll kick you out tomorrow, so wash your asses and wait!"

After saying that, he seemed to have lost all his strength, and his body suddenly leaned backward, collapsing to the ground in a spread-eagle position.

The boy in the hospital gown had one cheek pressed against the ground, while the other half of his face was shrouded in a hazy afterglow.

"I'm really tired, okay?" he said softly. "I can't even get a few minutes of rest all day long. To be honest, we still haven't found the Salvation Society's base. Even if we do find it... I don't know what I'll do when I see Ghost Bell and Blue Arc again. I even hope I don't find it, so I don't have to force myself to see them."

"What's so difficult about that?" asked R-rated 1001.

"Please, I don't want to see them again at all; especially that wretched diaper devil."

What happened to Su Zimai?

"Cry, cry, cry! All she does all day is cry! What is she crying about? Will crying make me feel sorry for her? Will she die if she loses a brother? She still has so many family members! I don't even have a single family member. I was thrown away like trash when I was little. What is she being so dramatic about?!"

"She's just a little girl, so it's natural for her to be sad to lose her brother."

"Ugh, this is so annoying, so incredibly annoying! I finally managed to get a moment's respite, but if I find the Salvation Society's base, I'll be back in front of them again!"

Ji Minghuan kept complaining, kicking his legs and throwing punches into the air.

On the ceiling, the shark's carcass convulsed as it was struck by an invisible current of air. It looked as if it had truly been punched and kicked, its tail thrashing back and forth like a sandbag.

The next moment, the shark carcass suddenly bared its teeth, raised its fins, pointed at the black pupa beside it, and shouted loudly:

"What did Shark do wrong? Why are you hitting Shark? Why don't you hit the big moth instead!"

"I'll beat you, I'll beat you!"

Ji Minghuan shouted and delivered another uppercut, striking Yagubalu from a distance, sending it flying like a sandbag.

The rope gripped the shark's head tightly, pulling it back from mid-air.

"You bad guy, you have to pay a sandbag fee to hit a shark!" the little shark waved its fins.

"Tch, then I'll go catch the big moth!"

After saying that, Ji Minghuan frowned, kicked out from a distance, and stomped hard on the head of the black cocoon hanging from the ceiling.

He yelled, "Sandbag fee, sandbag fee, sandbag fee is here! All you do is play dead, you won't share my troubles. What's the use of raising you all this time?!"

With a "crack," a corner of the black pupa's dark red mask shattered, revealing Gu Wenyu's face.

He scratched his chin. "Uh... are you kidding me, Ji Minghuan? If you want me to help you with your troubles, shouldn't you put us aside first?"

"That's right, that's right, you just take it out on Shark..." Shark said, wiping away her tears with her fins and pouting, "Shark isn't a real punching bag."

"Get out of here! And that sleazy guy who only knows how to live off women, playing dead won't work!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Minghuan swung his right hand like he was playing ping-pong, slapping Xia Pingzhou across the face. With a "smack," a red mark appeared on his face, and Xia Pingzhou's face twitched slightly.

Ji Minghuan was furious and slapped Xia Pingzhou several more times. With each slap, Xia Pingzhou would meow expressionlessly.

As more and more red marks appeared on his face, his cries became increasingly eerie. The scene was so bizarre it gave one goosebumps, and Ji Minghuan seriously suspected that this fostered personality had been ruined and needed to be replaced.

"And you too! You anthropomorphic child abductor, come and get your beating! Don't think you can escape just because you haven't appeared much! You abducted children, you abducted children—!"

Ji Minghuan, his teeth chattering, angrily shouted, grabbing the little Nian beast's tail and pulling it several times.

The little monster bumped into the restricted-rated 1001 hanging next to it, causing it to sway back and forth.

After a while, Ji Minghuan finally released the little lion's tail, panting heavily. The bodies of the restricted-level 1001 and the little lion collided back and forth several times before slowly stopping shaking.

Restricted Level 1001 raised his hand and patted the cloak that had been ignited by the cluster of flames on the little Nian beast's head. The flames on the cloak quickly went out, but a faint smell of burning still lingered in the air.

Honglong Wales sipped his afternoon tea, quietly watching Ji Minghuan sitting on the ground, hugging her knees.

"What are you looking at? Haven't you ever seen a primary school student like Chao Xiong before?" Ji Minghuan suddenly turned around and glared at him fiercely.

Red Dragon Wales remained silent, simply adjusting his reading glasses and slowly withdrawing his gaze.

The restricted-level 1001 hung quietly upside down below the ceiling and said, "Alright, stop being so overpowered. Just be your resourceful, melancholic, and dark elementary school student."

"None of your business!"

Ji Minghuan's voice suddenly weakened and became a little hoarse after shouting for so long.

Rated 1001 continued, "You don't actually not want to see Ghost Bell and Blue Arc, you just don't know how to face them, right?"

"Then let me ask you, why do I have to act all the time? I have to play so many people every day, sometimes a kitten, sometimes a younger brother, sometimes a shark! What the hell am I supposed to do, shark?" Ji Minghuan scratched his hair, rolled on the ground, and kicked the air, making the shark's round belly jiggle.

After a long while, he stopped struggling and then collapsed to the ground as if he were dead, motionless.

After a long silence, his lips moved slightly. "Why don't I just tell them that my name is actually Ji Minghuan... not Gu Wenyu, not Xia Pingzhou, not a stinky shark, not the son of the Nian beast, and I don't have time to play house with you bunch of idiots?"

Restricted Level 1001 glanced at him silently and reminded him:
"But if you confess to them at this point, all your groundwork so far will be for nothing."

"I might as well just entrust all my bodies, including myself, to you." Ji Minghuan closed her eyes and murmured, "That way I won't have to think about anything anymore, and it will all be over."

As he said this, the four corpses hanging overhead suddenly twitched, but quickly returned to calm.

"Then what are you still hesitating about?" Restricted Level 1001 asked in a flat tone.

"I can't die."

“That’s right,” said Restricted 1001. “Instead of venting your emotions and thinking about nonsense here, you should be busy with more practical things… If you don’t kill Jack the Ripper, your second unit will automatically be deactivated on September 1st, and the probability of your main body leaving the Salvation Society will be even lower.”

He paused for a moment: "If we continue to hesitate like this, it will only hurt others more."

"How about we forget about it?" Ji Minghuan said casually. "I won't kill the Ripper. Let's just let the second unit self-destruct. That way we won't have to think about it so much."

Restricted Level 1001 was silent for a moment, then said, "What about Kong Youling? Isn't she family?"

Ji Minghuan suddenly fell silent for a moment.

He idly drew circles on the floor with his finger. His fingertips, as if painted, formed a little penguin on the floor, then added two red eyes. "That's true," he murmured, "family..."

“It seems you really care about those people,” said R-rated 1001. “If it were before, given your personality, you wouldn’t have hesitated at all.”

“You develop feelings for even a pet, and I have so many memories of spending time with them…”

"Don't make excuses for your weakness. You should know that they don't care about you, but about some non-existent dolls, whether it's the people who take care of the family, or Origami Ayase, or Caesar... Once you take off your mask, do you think they will still accept you?"

At this point, Restricted Level 1001 paused for a moment, "Give up... Only Kong Youling will be by your side, only she knows who you are, everyone else only knows a fake you, only she knows what the real you is like."

"Yes... so she's my family."

Ji Minghuan lowered his head, his bangs obscuring his eyes.

"And what about the others? Are they just used like trash and then thrown away?" he continued.

Rated 1001 says: "You can't consider everyone, so is it really that hard to give up on some people, admit your own despicable behavior, and admit that you're taking advantage of others?"

Ji Minghuan turned her head and glanced sideways at R-rated 1001.

"You say you no longer care about Kong Youling, but you still do care a lot."

Restricted Level 1001 remained silent, head bowed, turning the pages without uttering a word.

Red Dragon shook his head. "How can I let go of someone I've been searching for for a hundred years so easily?"

After a moment, Restricted 1001 spoke up: "I just don't want to see you repeat my mistakes. If you can't give up some things, you'll get nothing and will only watch Kong Youling die in front of you again."

"Alright, stop lecturing me, let me have some peace and quiet," Ji Minghuan said in a low voice.

"So, what do you want from me...? It can't just be about discussing these boring emotional topics." The restricted-level 1001 flipped through the pages, asking slowly and deliberately.

"Of course it's because of what happened a few days ago. Didn't you say you met my parents once?" Ji Minghuan thought for a moment, then sat up from the ground, crossed her legs, and held her ankles as she said, "Ten years ago, when I was only one or two years old."

Restricted Level 1001 nodded. "Yes, I met them once ten years ago."

Ji Minghuan took a deep breath and, instead of asking directly what happened, asked:
"Speaking of which, how did my parents die?"

He thought for a moment, then asked, "My mentor said they died in Arabia. Is that true? Could they actually still be alive and plotting to rescue my brother and me? If so, I'd really be grateful."

“It’s true, they’re dead,” Restricted Level 1001 replied.

Ji Minghuan remained expressionless.

"And how did you die?" he asked.

"The person who killed your parents was Shang Xiaochi, who is also the holder of the mythical wonder 'World Tree'."

"Shang Xiaochi?"

Ji Minghuan raised an eyebrow, slightly taken aback.

“That’s right… Your mentor controlled her and took her to see your parents.” Restricted Level 1001 nodded. “Although your father is a Calamity-level ability user, there’s no way he could possibly be able to fight against the power of a Mythical-level wonder.”

Restricted Level 1001 paused for a moment, then said, "Unfortunately, I arrived too late... But with my current abilities, I would have a hard time fighting against even a Dragon-level ability user, let alone a holder of a Mythical-level Wonder."

"And then, my brother was taken away by the Salvation Society?" Ji Minghuan thought for a moment, then asked.

The restricted level 1001 nodded.

"Yes... they went there for your brother from the beginning, and your parents fled the Salvation Society to protect your brother... but the ridiculous thing is, no one knew that the real monster was you, the abandoned 'Muggle child'."

"Could my younger brother also be a restricted-level superhuman?" Ji Minghuan said. "So my mentor wants to use his genes to create an artificial human that can rival me and be completely under his control."

“That possibility cannot be ruled out,” said R-rated 1001. “But I have never met your brother directly, nor do I know his potential.”

"That's true. After all, in your timeline, you didn't even know you had a younger brother, or that your parents were still alive."

"Correct."

"So, in this timeline, you met my parents once ten years ago, right?"

"Yes."

"What happened back then?" Ji Minghuan's lips moved slightly.

With his eyes lowered, the blood-red afterglow of the sunset, like the tide near the coast, surged in from outside the library and covered his face.

“Your father’s name is Ji Huaiye and your mother’s name is Lin Xi. At that time, your parents were members of the Salvation Society,” he said. “After you were born, they had not yet discovered your potential and mistakenly thought you were just an ordinary child.”

“I lingered outside your house for a moment, and they spotted me, thinking I was a homeless child. So they opened the door and let me in to warm up. Your mother gave me a glass of milk and said I looked like you when you grew up…”

Ji Minghuan hung her head and listened quietly to his story.

Perhaps because their personalities had begun to merge, images from the restricted-level 1001 memory suddenly surfaced in his mind.

It was a drizzly rainy night. He was wearing a ripped T-shirt and jeans. His head was drooping, and his rain-soaked hair obscured his downcast eyes, making it impossible to see his expression.

Ji Huaiye, the middle-aged man in a plaid shirt with a stubble, opened the door, glanced at the restricted-level 1001 squatting by the door, then helped him up, put his arm around his shoulder, and led him into the living room.

At this moment, Lin Xi, who was holding a baby in her arms, came over, handed him a bath towel, and helped him dry his hair, which was wet from the rain.

The warm, orange glow of the fireplace burning in the living room spilled over the blankets and climbed onto the body of R-rated 1001.

Rated 1001 felt warm all over. He slowly raised his eyes from under his bangs and looked at Lin Xi. Lin Xi was gently patting the swaddled baby in her arms. She had a pair of bright eyes that were hard to look away from, like a lake with maple leaves falling in summer.

"Why...why are you helping me?" Restricted Level 1001 looked up and asked them.

"We can't just leave a kid out in the rain, can we?" Ji Huaiye asked, a cigarette dangling from his lips. "Kid, did you run away from home?"

Restricted Level 1001 remained silent for a long time, then shook his head, "No, my parents died in a car accident... I'm currently homeless."

“You can’t lie.” Lin Xi smiled slightly and put the wet towel aside. “You can sleep here tonight, but my child cries a lot. He might disturb you.”

After hesitating for a moment, Restricted 1001 extended an index finger and gently scratched the baby's chubby cheek.

He asked softly, "He's very cute. What's his name?"

“Ji Minghuan,” Ji Huaiye said with a smile.

"Can I really stay here for one night?" Restricted Level 1001 asked hesitantly. "Aren't you worried I'll steal something?"

Ji Huaiye pulled up a chair and sat down in front of him, placing his hands on the back of the chair.

He said, "You little brat, who do you think you are? I'm a superhuman, and I'm watching you, you know?"

"A superhuman? Are your children ordinary people?" Restricted Level 1001 thought for a moment and then suddenly asked.

“Yes, he’s just an ordinary person,” Lin Xi said.

"Aren't you disappointed? Don't you want him to be a superhuman like you?"

“No, we hope he grows up to be an ordinary, healthy person,” Ji Huaiye said. “He should be content with what he has and down-to-earth, which is why we named him ‘Ji Minghuan’.”

Lin Xi asked softly, "And you, where are your parents?"

"My parents..."

Restricted rating 1001 hesitated for a moment.

"Actually, I ran away from home. Can you please leave me alone? I don't want to be arrested by the police," he said. "I'll leave tomorrow."

Ji Huaiye took a deep drag of his cigarette, the smoke curling around his fingertips.

After a long pause, he said with a serious expression, "It's normal for children and adults to have conflicts. After all, adults don't understand children, and children also find it hard to understand adults... But if you really can't take it anymore, just go home. It's not a big deal."

As he spoke, he patted Restricted 1001 on the shoulder.

"Thank you."

“I also ran away from home when I was a child,” Lin Xi suddenly said with a smile. “My husband found me in the park and secretly took me back. We laid out a blanket on his rooftop and chatted all night.”

Ji Huaiye scratched his head. "Hey, why do we keep talking about this kind of thing? Aren't you ashamed?"

He paused, flicked his cigarette and pointed at 1001, "But then again, running away from home is a minor issue in our eyes, but cursing your parents to be killed in a car accident is a major issue... How can you tell such a despicable lie?"

The restricted level 1001 was taken aback.

"You look just like me when I was young," Lin Xi said, then suddenly burst into laughter, as if something had tickled her funny bone. She laughed so hard she almost dropped the baby in her arms.

Ji Huaiye quickly went over and took the baby, then lowered his head and rubbed the baby's cheek with his stubble. The baby cried even harder and kicked Ji Huaiye's face.

Rated 1001 watched them silently.

Before he knew it, his eyes were already wet with tears. He stretched out his hand blankly, thinking to himself that it seemed like he hadn't shed a tear in a hundred years.
"Want your uncle to drive you home?" Ji Huaiye asked while coaxing the child. "Uncle's car is very high-end. You're lucky to be able to ride in it. If it's just one or two provinces or two or three cities away, then I'll drive you home tomorrow."

"What about work?" Lin Xi asked. "Aren't we going back to Iceland tomorrow?"

"Oh right, how could I forget about that?" Ji Huaiye said, picking up a cigarette and frowning.

"Lijing lives a bit far from my home, thank you... Uncle and Aunt, I'll go back by myself."

"That's good. Do you have your ID card? Let me buy you a train ticket."

"No need, I can go back."

"Sigh... If it really doesn't work out, I'll postpone my flight to Iceland tomorrow and personally take you back."

"No, I can do it myself."

"Alright then, when you get home, talk to your parents more. Communicate properly about anything, understand, kid?"

"Yes, I... will."

"Take a shower, then go to sleep."

"Your parents actually love you very much. They were forced to leave you for your safety."

In the library, the voice of "R-rated 1001" came from the ceiling, waking Ji Minghuan from her memories.

“You lied to me. You said you approached my parents as a prophet,” Ji Minghuan said, head down. “But that’s not true.”

“There is no difference. Although I lost all my abilities at that time, I still retained some mental abilities. As long as I get close to your parents, I can sense fragments of their thoughts... It was around that time that I learned that the Salvation Society’s base was in Iceland.”

Rated 1001 paused, then continued:
"Later, the Salvation Society set its sights on your brother. From the moment he was born, he was determined to become a dangerous superhuman. The Salvation Society decided to take him in... Of course, your parents couldn't bear to see this happen. In order to avoid affecting you, they took your brother away and arranged a place for you to stay."

He was silent for a moment, then said, "After hearing all this, do you still hate your parents?"

"How would I know these things?" Ji Minghuan asked in a low voice.

He raised his head, expressionless. "Who told them to die so quickly? I didn't even have time to ask them a single question. Isn't it right for me to hate them?"

“Yes, that’s why I appeared.” Rated 1001 asked, “I appeared to change your fate. Are you grateful?”

"Well, I really have to trouble you to travel through time to tell me that I'm not some pitiful child who isn't loved by my parents." Ji Minghuan said casually, slowly standing up from the ground. "But... I still don't forgive them."

"Too."

Ji Minghuan let out a long sigh of relief. "I'm leaving. I still have things to do tonight."

Late at night on August 23, inside the cave behind the waterfall at Haifan Mountain.

The waterfall crashed down with a thunderous roar, sending a chilling aura in all directions, with wisps of white steam rising in the air.

Inside the cave's meeting space, the demons of the Zodiac Team sat on prayer cushions, Little Year Beast sat in the corner as always, listening attentively, the Great Lord sat majestically in the center, and White Greedy Wolf stood silently against the wall in human form.

The little Nian beast turned its head to look.

Totoro, Rat, Bull, Rainbow Horse, Aries, Rooster, Green Snake, and Monkey—all eight demons of the Zodiac team have been gathered, while the sole survivor of the Seven Deadly Sins, the "Gluttony Demon," is wriggling his body, devouring the food in the fruit platter.

Every time the little Nian beast saw this lump of rotten flesh, it felt nauseous, so it covered its mouth with its paw and silently looked away.

"It's tonight..." Mad Bull Demon said in a deep voice, "It's been many years since I've faced Lake Hunter, and I'm a little excited."

"Don't let them turn you into a hornet's nest," the Monkey Demon said, taking a bite of a huge peach.

The Green Serpent Demon emphasized in a cold voice, "Everyone, remember not to act rashly, and follow the Great Lord's orders."

"Hey, did you hear that? Tonight, the Great Lord is going to war with the Lake Hunters." The Rat Demon stroked his beard, turned to look at the Little Year Beast sitting in the corner, "You little brat, stay away... understand?"

"Oh? You really want me to stay away?" The little Nian beast raised an eyebrow. "I have a feeling I'll have to come and save you guys later, right, Dad?"

The Nian beast king remained silent.

"Go away, we don't need you." The Rat Demon waved his hand.

"Even if you don't need me, I still have to show my presence. I haven't even gotten a single attribute point from my reputation system yet." Thinking of this, the little Nian beast slapped the gear panel in the lower right corner of its vision with its paw to bring up the character panel.

[Character-Specific Development System: "Ruler"]

[“Ruler” Development System Introduction: As a ruler, the higher your prestige among demons, the more powerful you become.]

The prestige levels are divided into three categories, from lowest to highest: "Newcomer," "Emerging Talent," and "Regal Presence."

[Current prestige level: "Newcomer".]

[Note: You will receive 1 attribute point as a reward each time your prestige reaches a new level.]

"By the way, Dad, won't you accidentally hurt the ordinary people in the city?" the little beast asked, looking up.

"We are demons, what time do we have to care about human lives? They don't think that much when they're slaughtering our own kind." The Mad Bull Demon snorted through his nostrils, crossed his arms, and said in a deep voice.

"what……"

Just then, the Totoro Demon yawned. It lay down on the cushion, buried its face in it, and meowed.

The little beast turned its head and saw that Totoro was blinking its sapphire-like eyes and staring at it without moving.

"What are you looking at?" It wrinkled its nose, but the Totoro grinned and rolled around on the cushion, exposing its belly.

The little monster silently looked away.

"What should we do with this lump of rotten flesh?" The little Nian beast pointed at the Gluttonous Demon with its paw.

Knowing that the Gluttony Demon had extremely low intelligence and couldn't understand what it was saying, it directly pointed at its head and started cursing.

"The Great Lord said it's useful to keep it," said the Rat Demon. "What do you know, you little brat?"

"Oh, oh." The little Nian beast nodded.

"Don't talk to our little Nian beast like that, it's just a child." The Aries Demon said with a kind face, which was so kind that staring at it for too long could even trigger the uncanny valley effect.

"Let's go, let's make preparations," the Great Lord of the Year Beast said in a deep voice.

Having said that, it rose from the huge futon in the center, then slowly turned its head and took one last look at the little Nian beast, "You... really won't come to the battlefield with me?"

"No." The little Nian beast shook its head. "Sigh, fighting and killing are things that a civilized demon like me shouldn't get involved in."

The Nian Beast King lowered his head, a hint of disappointment flashing in his eyes. "Then so be it."

As soon as it finished speaking, it turned around and walked forward with the White Greedy Wolf. The eight demons of the Zodiac Team followed behind the Great Lord and disappeared at the end of the forest, entering the Spirit Heart Lake.

The little Nian beast emerged from the waterfall, perched on a tree branch, and silently watched them depart.

At that moment, the voice of R-rated 1001 came from my mind.

"What are you planning to do?" he asked. "Isn't now the perfect time to follow them? We can also make an appearance in front of the demons, increase our reputation, and complete the training mission for Unit 4."

“You don’t understand. If I go there now and win the Lake Hunt, that rabble will only say that I’m riding on the coattails of the Great Lord and the Zodiac Team.” The Little Year Beast shook its head. “Only when the country is in danger can I make a big splash of reputation points.”

It paused for a moment: "But why the country is in danger is none of your concern."

Restricted Level 1001 was silent for a moment, then said, "That's one way, but it's rather risky."

“What’s so risky about this? If things don’t go well, I really can’t beat Lake Hunter. When I show up, that Lin Xingshi will naturally stop.” Little Nian said, “I don’t believe that as a childhood friend, she would beat me up over a disagreement.”

"Indeed, the probability is only higher than Kong Youling choking you."

"Can you please stop talking about penguin monsters all the time?"

"Keep it up, I'm going to rest now."

After saying this, Restricted Level 1001 fell silent.

Soon, time jumped to the early morning of August 24th.

The city of Haifan was utterly silent, with only the gentle sound of the waves. The entire sea was shrouded in darkness, except for the searchlight on the shore that pierced the night and illuminated the full moon reflected on the water.

"boom--!!!"

Suddenly, a beam of light, like a meteorite, shot out from Haifan Mountain, cleaving through the night, sweeping over the walls of Haifan City, and descending from the sky, drawing dazzling arcs like torches, precisely heading towards the Lin family mansion.

These are "Explosion Fruits" created by the Monkey Demon using its abilities. Each fruit has a radius of four meters. When a fruit touches its first target, it immediately explodes, turning into a devastating burst of fire.

But in the next instant, the bronze cauldron engraved with nine dragon patterns suddenly rose from the ground, standing like a city wall in front of the mansion, blocking all the explosive fruits that were suddenly launched.

This is the "Nine Dragons Cauldron" summoned by Zhou Jiuya using the Tonggu Compass.

Flames exploded on the surface of the giant cauldron, shooting into the sky before dissipating into the night. At that moment, Lin Xingshi, Zhou Jiuya, Zhong Wujiu, and Zhuge Hui stood at the edge of the cauldron.

Lin Xingshi, dressed in a white shirt, slowly raised his eyes, his fiery red braid flying behind his head. A thousand meters away, he met the gaze of the giant purplish-red lion on the mountainside.

Zhuge Hui waved his folding fan, "This day has finally come."

"Enough with the nonsense, or it'll make us Lake Hunters look stupid." Zhou Jiuya put his hands in the pockets of his Zhongshan suit.

Zhong Wujiu silently put on the Nuo mask.

At the same time, the flock of crows lurking in the shadows let out hoarse cries.

From the woods of the park, from the streets and alleys, and from above the railings of the harbor, flocks of gray crows rose into the night sky, revealing their silhouettes under the moonlight.

Immediately afterwards, a thunderous roar of lightning suddenly came from a corner of the city, a giant silver ruler flew across the sky, followed by a deafening chime.

The curtain rises, and a war begins.

(End of this chapter)