My avatar is becoming the final boss

Chapter 399 The Final Deadline, The Iceland Pact (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

Xia Pingzhou walked slowly among the group members, passing through several teleportation portals set up by Robert.

The scenes before my eyes changed constantly, like a fleeting glimpse of a landscape. Sometimes it was an empty harbor with fishing boats moored on the shore, and sometimes it was a deserted street with every household's door tightly shut, bracing for the approaching typhoon.

With each door he passed through, Xia Pingzhou would leave the scene of the previous door behind; the only constants were the continuous rain and the figures of those who accompanied him.

Before long, Xia Pingzhou traversed most of the Haifan City, passed through the last door, and walked back into the bar with a blank expression.

The group members passed through the portal one after another and entered the heated bar.

As Robert closed the portal, the sound of rain was completely shut out, and only the voices of the group members chatting and the hissing sound of the television receiving no signal could be heard.

Amidst the cacophony of voices around him, Xia Pingzhou sat on the sofa, head bowed in a daze.

Qi Yuanli was sitting at the bar, pondering the "Tonggu Compass" he had stolen from Zhou Jiuya. Xueyi was dancing a French dance with his hands on his hips. Andrew was drunk again. Yanmo Lin was eating fast food biscuits and silently watching the TV.

Xia Pingzhou tilted his head slightly and glanced at Rukawa Chiba out of the corner of his eye, still wondering how the doctor had read the name "Kong Youling" from Zhong Wujiu's memories.

He was fairly certain that the mentor had previously hypnotized the two Lake Hunter team members with Kong Youling's help. However, the details in between were still unclear, so asking Rukawa Chiba directly would be a good option.

Thinking of this, Xia Pingzhou pulled up a swivel chair and sat down at the bar, pouring iced orange juice into a glass while checking the system panel.

[Current attribute points: 2]

[Current skill points: 3]

[Assign attribute points immediately?]

He raised his finger and gently poked at the work surface. Suddenly, he noticed that Origami Ayase was staring at him without moving. In order to get away with it, he looked at Origami Ayase in confusion.

The two faced each other in silence. He tilted his head, and the girl in the kimono tilted her head as well, her clear hair falling to her ears.

"Orange juice?" Xia Pingzhou asked.

The girl in the kimono nodded. Xia Pingzhou reached for the glass bottle containing frozen orange juice and poured her a glass as well.

Origami Ayase looked down at the orange juice in her glass.

Xia Pingzhou looked up at the attribute panel and quickly allocated the two attribute points he had obtained from the mission.

[Your second unit's "Speed" attribute has changed: S-rank → S+ rank.]

[Your second unit's "Mental" attribute has changed: S-rank → S+ rank.]

The current overall attributes of Unit 2 are as follows: Strength: D-rank; Speed: S+-rank; Spirit: S+-rank.

Immediately afterwards, Xia Pingzhou opened the skill tree panel of the second mech and glanced at the skills that were yet to be developed.

[Branch 1 (Group): ... → Final Recruitment (2 skill points) (Gain one Knight chess piece and three Soldier chess pieces) → ???]

[Branch Two (Brave): ... → Final Evolution (To be learned) (Learning this skill requires consuming "2" skill points above other branches) (Human Form) (Branch reached)]

[Branch 3 (Soul): ... → Repulsive Hand (The player raises their hand, repelling a target from in front of them) (Learning this skill requires "2" skill points) (Branch endpoint reached)]

Xia Pingzhou looked up and glanced at the skills to be learned on the three branches.

He only has three skill points, which is not enough to learn "Final Evolution" yet. "Final Evolution" requires two skill points to be spent on other branches, and the skill itself also requires two skill points, making a total of four.

Therefore, we should first rule out the skills in the second branch.

The third branch of skills seemed somewhat useless to him, so Xia Pingzhou simply pressed the top of the first branch. After a while, the skill icon suddenly emitted a black and white halo, and then a prompt box popped up.

[Congratulations! You have spent 2 skill points to learn the skill "Final Recruitment" from the "Group" branch.]

[Hint: Based on the effect of the skill "Final Recruitment," one Knight Statue and three Soldier Statue have been added to your chess set.]

[The next skill in the "Group" branch has been unlocked: Colossus (requires 2 skill points to learn) (Enlarges your soldier and knight units to a massive size; current spirit attributes are sufficient to support their expansion to a height of 40 meters) (Branch endpoint reached)]

“Giant God Soldier…this seems useful.” Xia Pingzhou raised an eyebrow, thinking, “The combat power of Unit 2 currently mainly relies on the Queen Statue’s individual combat capabilities. I wonder if this skill can change the current situation.”

At this point, he only had one skill point left, and he couldn't learn the other three skills. So Xia Pingzhou closed the skill tree panel, picked up his glass, and took a sip of orange juice.

As the cold liquid entered his stomach, he turned to look at Rukawa Chiba, who had just walked over.

Rukawa Chiba pulled up a chair and sat down, then switched to a song on the player on the bar.

"Doctor, I have a question for you," Xia Pingzhou said suddenly after thinking for a moment.

"What's the problem?" Rukawa Chiba turned her head and met his gaze with a smile.

Xia Pingzhou asked, "Kong Youling... who is the name you just mentioned?"

Rukawa Chiba clasped his hands together, stared at the ring on his right index finger, and remained silent for a while.

“I should have reported this to the leader first, but it seems the leader’s attention is focused on Zhou Jiuya’s antiques, so let’s talk to you first,” Rukawa Chiba said slowly.

Xia Pingzhou nodded.

Rukawa Chiba thought for a moment: "In Zhong Wujiu's memory, I saw a white-haired girl. At that time, he and Zhou Jiuya were chatting in the office when a girl suddenly opened the door and walked in, saying that she was lost. The two asked her name, and she said that her name was Kong Youling. As a result, they had already been mentally imprinted by this girl without realizing it, even though they had only chatted for a short while."

Xia Pingzhou remained silent.

He appeared expressionless, but a series of thoughts were swirling within him.

"As expected..." he thought, "Kong Youling brainwashed Zhou Jiuya and Zhong Wujiu, but why would she help her mentor do this? And she didn't mention it to me at all."

After a moment, Xia Pingzhou raised his eyes and asked knowingly, "Is that girl also a psychic?"

“That’s right, and her abilities and talents are probably even greater than mine.” Rukawa Chiba smiled. “So I’m very curious about her background… But based on the clues we’ve gathered recently, she’s most likely from that organization.” He lowered his voice slightly at the end.

“The Salvation Society,” Xia Pingzhou blurted out.

“Yes…” Rukawa Chiba nodded.

"Hey, you two, still looking so bitter and resentful?" the hacker said as he walked over. "Can't we come over and celebrate? The team leader said we'll have a long vacation after this mission, and I bet we won't be able to get together again for ages."

He paused for a moment: "If you don't come to play, the young lady won't come to play either. How boring."

The girl in the kimono lowered her eyes and said casually, "The kitten... prefers to play with the doctor."

“That’s normal. Our little cat Casanova is into everything, both men and women,” the hacker said, patting Xia Pingzhou on the shoulder.

Xia Pingzhou was silent for a moment, then asked Rukawa Chiba, "Is the secret you told the leader before really that simple?"

"What secret?"

"The secret in Su Zimai's memory?"

"I don't know about that..." Rukawa Chiba said with a meaningful smile.

Xia Pingzhou took a breath without making a sound. As long as the doctor was still there, his identity could be exposed at any time.

Thinking of this, he raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the excited faces of his group members, finally settling on Enma Rin. At that moment, the schoolgirl in her uniform was watching the television without moving, occasionally nibbling on a piece or two of puffed biscuit.

He understood that if he was going to make a move, now was the time. He only needed to wait until the other members left before he could start working on the Ripper.

Today is his final deadline.

August 24, Haifan Mountain, Lingxin Lake.

The torrential rain stopped, and the rain clouds in the sky were dispersed by the sea breeze. The first rays of sunlight after the rain shone through the bamboo forest and onto the lakeside, illuminating a girl who was sleeping on a huge lotus leaf.

At this very moment, the lotus leaf was continuously secreting sweet and glistening dew. The dew flowed onto the lotus leaf like moonlight, gently soothing the girl's bleeding wounds.

The Lotus Leaf Demon himself didn't know what was going on.

First, the Little Nian Beast hurriedly brought Lin Xingshi back and asked the Lotus Leaf Demon to use the dew it extracted from the Spirit Heart Lake to wash her wounds.

You must know, this is dew that the Lotus Leaf Demon painstakingly collected over a long period of time on Spirit Heart Lake! The dew gathers the essence of heaven and earth and can be used to heal wounds and replenish the body.

The Lotus Leaf Demon originally intended to save the dew for the Great Lord, to flatter the King of the Forest.

But the little beast actually made it use the dew on an exorcist! Moreover, this exorcist was their mortal enemy, the leader of the Lake Hunters.

The lotus leaf demon was initially unwilling to comply, thinking that a scholar can be killed but not humiliated. However, when it saw the little Nian beast silently raise its claws, it thought, "Let it be humiliated." Despite its aversion and reluctance, it had no choice but to comply under the coercion and enticement of the Nian beast prince.

"Splash... splash..."

At this moment, the water of Lingxin Lake flowed gently, and the ferocious blood color on Lin Xingshi's body was visibly fading away slowly.

The lotus leaf demon looked up at the sky, trying its best not to think about its losses. Out of sight, out of mind; if it didn't look, it wouldn't hurt.

The clear skies are only temporary. A typhoon is coming soon, and the rain will only intensify, forcing the forest demons to cower in fear in their caves.

The Lotus Leaf Demon sighed softly.

After a while, Lin Xingshi slowly woke up. She looked fine, her hair was slightly damp from the lake water and hung down over her ears.

"Happy birthday."

In the darkness, Lin Xingshi heard a calm voice, a voice that felt strangely familiar. She abruptly opened her eyes from the lotus leaf and stared blankly at the undulating white clouds for a while.

Her clear pupils reflected the clear blue sky after the rain. She blinked, her expression blank and pale.

"Happy birthday?"

She murmured to herself, slowly coming back to her senses.

Lin Xingshi slowly sat up from the lotus leaf, turning her head to look in the direction of the sound. There, on the long, boat-like lotus leaf, she saw a young man wearing a black hoodie. A tuft of purplish-red hair adorned his head.

He was sitting cross-legged, staring blankly at the lake.

"Little New Year?" Lin Xingshi tilted his head.

She remembered that when the Little Nian Beast was a child and transformed into human form, it also had a tuft of hair of a different color on its forehead, which seemed to have replaced the purplish-red flame.

"Otherwise what?" The little beast turned around and looked into her eyes.

"You're only wishing me a happy birthday now?" Lin Xingshi thought for a moment, then asked.

Her thoughts were still a bit muddled, and her brain was trying its best to sort out those fragmented images.

The little monster tilted its head. "It is indeed late. Your birthday doesn't seem happy at all..."

He paused for a moment, then said, "But here, this is your birthday present." With that, he handed Lin Xingshi a bunch of forget-me-nots he was holding, which he had picked from the mountain.

"Did you save me?" Lin Xingshi looked down at the bouquet of flowers and asked softly. She vaguely remembered some blurry images.

"Correct."

"I'm so happy to see you again, even though a lot has happened."

A lot has happened, but it's all in the past now.

The Little Nian Beast and the Lion Awakening sat in the center of the vast Spirit Heart Lake, gazing at the shimmering surface. At that moment, the Lion Awakening's memories gradually returned, and he asked:

"What happened to Jiuya and Wujiu?"

"They've been brainwashed by the Salvationists, that's why they attacked you."

"The Salvation Society..."

Upon hearing the name, Lin Xingshi's expression changed slightly. She finally remembered the origin of the image on the television and became fully awake.

“That’s right, it’s a very dangerous organization. In my ten years of traveling around the world, I’ve heard a lot about them,” said the little beast.

He paused for a moment, then said, "Iceland, Dome of Hofs. If you want to know the truth about Zhou Jiuya and Zhong Wujiu being brainwashed, go there. You'll meet someone called Black Chrysalis, who will show you the way."

"Black pupa?" Lin Xingshi was taken aback. "Wasn't he already..."

"He's not dead, and he'll be back soon," the little beast said expressionlessly.

"By the way, how are Jiu Ya and Wu Jiu doing?" Lin Xing Shi asked after a moment of silence.

The little beast was silent for a while: "Their condition... you can confirm it with your own eyes when you get back. Zhuge Hui has already taken them back."

“Like this…” Lin Xingshi murmured.

She thought to herself, now that Little Year Beast and Zhuge Hui have arrived, Nine Crows and Wujiu should be alright.

The little monster looked up into her eyes, then suddenly reached out and touched her hair.

"Lin Xingshi, take care of yourself... I'll be waiting for you in Iceland."

After saying that, he stood up from the lotus leaf. The lotus leaf demon drifted towards the lakeside like a long boat. The little beast got off the lotus leaf and walked into the quiet forest without looking back.

Lin Xingshi remained on the lotus leaf, silently watching his departing figure.

On that very day, a message spread among the demons of Mount Haifan.

The Nian beast king is dead.

Before his death, the Great King of the Nian Beast, in front of countless demons in the forest, handed over the position of King of the Forest to the Little Nian Beast, who became the next leader of the Zodiac Team.

On the same day, the Little Year Beast announced something crucial: it had set the time and place for the final battle with the captain of the Lake Hunters.

In order to avoid harming innocent human civilians and the demons in the mountains, it will select a new Zodiac team from the forest and take the new Zodiac team to a remote and cold country, where they will fight against the Lake Hunter in that secluded place.

That place is called "Hofs Glacier".

(End of this chapter)