My avatar is becoming the final boss

Chapter 415 The Last Meeting (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
It will take approximately four more hours for the forces representing Ji Minghuan's four mechs to reach the Hofs Glacier.

It was exactly midnight on September 1st, the time agreed upon by Black Chrysalis and various forces.

Before all of this happened, Ji Minghuan decided to meet the children of the Salvation Society.

Because he knew in his heart that this might be the last time they would see each other.

"I want to go see them."

In the elevator on the F2 floor of the Salvation Society, Ji Minghuan leaned against the wall and said this.

“Go ahead, the doors are all open,” the tutor replied.

Ji Minghuan shrugged, silently walked past his mentor, and stepped out of the elevator.

The light curtain rolled down in front of him, forcing him to squint, reach out and hold onto the wall, and walk along the edge of the wall.

He secretly decided that he would see whoever's cell he found first. So he wandered aimlessly through the light screen.

A moment later, his right hand touched nothing.

Ji Minghuan thought there should be an open door in front of him, so he slightly opened his eyes and glanced at it vaguely.

After confirming that it was indeed a detention cell, he stepped inside.

Once he was out of the dazzling light curtain in the corridor, he was finally able to lift his eyelids.

What came into view was a girl with long, fiery red hair.

She had freckles on her face, her features weren't particularly delicate, she had a slight baby fat, and she was wearing a white hospital gown.

"Did I run into the boss right away?" Ji Minghuan wondered. "Should I ask her to be gentle when she hits Shark with the stick later?"

At this moment, Sun Changkong was lying on the bed, his hands cupping his face, one eye open and one eye closed, struggling to read a comic book.

The manga is called Attack on Titan.

Actually, Sun Changkong couldn't understand it, but she often heard other children talking about this comic, so she asked her teacher for a copy to read. As she read, she became a little impatient, squinting her eyes, even yawning, and kicking the bed board with her legs up and down.

Ji Minghuan silently watched her for a while, then moved towards her.

"Who?"

Just then, she heard footsteps, raised her eyebrows, and turned around.

The next second, when she saw that the person who came was Ji Minghuan, she showed her surprised little tiger teeth and froze on the spot—Sun Changkong had been to Ji Minghuan's bedroom many, many times, but had never seen him come to her room to play.

Not even once.

So, her first reaction was novelty, like someone who had studied abroad for a long time and then returned home to find a foreign classmate in their living room. Her second reaction was confusion and bewilderment.

After regaining his senses, Sun Changkong's face immediately showed an expression of both joy and surprise.

"Ji Minghuan? What brings you here!"

As she spoke, she swiftly jumped off the bed, sat on the somersault cloud that was placed on the ground, and flew towards Ji Minghuan like a gust of wind.

The strong wind blowing in her face ruffled Ji Minghuan's hair.

He looked into the girl's bright eyes, which were so close to his, and unconsciously looked away.

"I had nothing to do, so I came over to chat with you," Ji Minghuan said casually. "After all, we might not have the chance again."

As he spoke, he glanced around. In Sun Changkong's room, there was a shelf with some snacks on it. On the floor, there was a game console, a CD player, and a few scattered cartoon CDs.

Ji Minghuan stared at the CD covers. Regardless of what Sun Changkong played or watched, they were all games and cartoons that he, Kong Youling, Mario, and the others had casually talked about.

Although she was a child from the countryside, she really tried her best to fit in with them, probably because she didn't want to feel like she was being ostracized when they were chatting and she was completely confused.

Thinking of this, Ji Minghuan's eyes darkened slightly.

"Why is your bedroom door open?" Ji Minghuan looked up at Sun Changkong and asked curiously.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me today.” Sun Changkong shook his head. “I saw that the door was not closed, so I wandered around outside for a long time.”

"and then?"

“Then…” Sun Changkong lowered his head and muttered, “I originally wanted to come and visit you, but I ran into my mentor on the way, and he told me to come back.”

"I see. It seems our mentor is planning something big today."

"A big move?" Sun Changkong raised his head, his eyes lighting up. "Can we go out and play now?"

Ji Minghuan was silent for a while, then said self-deprecatingly.

"Yeah, we should be able to go out and have some fun today." After saying that, he looked away and added in his mind: It's a pity that this time it's the kind of "play" where we fight each other.

Recalling the "Monkey King" he met in London that day, Ji Minghuan found it hard not to believe that even if his own body had improved significantly during this period, without breaking through the limitations of the inhibitor, he would still be no match for Sun Changkong.

Thinking of this, he sighed, reached out, and unconsciously touched the metal collar around his neck.

If he could find a way to unlock this collar, he was confident he could overthrow the entire Salvation Society; a flawed version like the restricted-level 1003 was no match for him.

"What's wrong?" Sun Changkong suddenly asked.

"Sun Changkong".

Ji Minghuan suddenly spoke. Sun Changkong was stunned. This was the first time Ji Minghuan had called her by her name. He didn't know why, but he suddenly stopped calling her 'Big Sister'.

"Sun Changkong, no matter what happens next, I'll be by your side." Ji Minghuan looked up into her eyes and said earnestly, "Do you understand?"

"Chicken Popcorn, what's gotten into you all of a sudden?" Sun Changkong said, his face slightly flushed. "I know, I know."

She paused for a moment, then turned her head and hugged the Somersault Cloud, saying, "I know you'll be by my side."

Ji Minghuan looked at her quietly, her lips moving slightly.

He really wanted to say: You'd better run, run as far as you can, because something terrible is about to happen.

But where could this girl run off to? As long as the mentor's spiritual imprint remains, Sun Changkong could become a puppet at any time.

If she could, Ji Minghuan would like to go back a few years and find Sun Changkong, who was still a wild child on the mountain at that time, and tell her not to run around, or she might accidentally wander into the mythical ruins of Sun Wukong, and then her life would be over.

Even so, it's likely that the girl with the sallow face would just look at him strangely, thinking that he made up such a strange story because he wanted to play with her, and then she would show her shocked little tiger teeth and reach out her hand to him.

"That's good," Ji Minghuan said softly.

"Why are you acting strange again today?" Sun Changkong tilted his head. "Although I don't dislike it."

"You must live on, and I will celebrate your birthday with you again on September 5th."

"Really?" Sun Changkong was taken aback. "But everyone says that you can only celebrate your birthday once a year, right? Didn't I already celebrate my birthday early?"

“In China, some people celebrate their birthdays according to the Gregorian calendar, while others celebrate them according to the lunar calendar,” Ji Minghuan said casually. “And some people celebrate both their Gregorian and lunar birthdays at the same time.”

"Are you kidding me? Are you taking advantage of me because I'm from the countryside and don't know any better?"

Why would I play a trick on you?

"Then I'll celebrate your birthday twice too."

Ji Minghuan was stunned.

“Sure.” He nodded. “As long as you survive, you can celebrate a hundred times as many times as you want. Rules are flexible, but people are not.”

Sun Changkong's eyes lit up as he stared at him and nodded happily. Ji Minghuan suddenly reached out and touched the top of her head, her fiery red hair flowing through his fingers like water.

"Why are you touching my head?" she asked, looking up at him.

"Big Sister, I no longer acknowledge you as Big Sister," Ji Minghuan suddenly said.

"why?"

Sun Changkong felt that he was very confused.

"Because... I'm sorry to you."

“How have you ever wronged me?” Sun Changkong said, stunned. “You not only treated me as a friend, but you also celebrated my birthday and taught me how to play games.”

She paused for a moment, then said, "Ji Minghuan, you're the best to me."

"sorry."

"What exactly are you apologizing for?"

"It's nothing, it's just... I'm sorry," Ji Minghuan said softly, looking quietly into her eyes.

"Ji Minghuan, are you sick?" Sun Changkong mumbled, reaching out to place his hand on Ji Minghuan's forehead.

“Sun Changkong, I’m going to find other people now. Since the mentor won’t let you go out, then… are you going to stay here?” Ji Minghuan thought for a moment and asked with her eyes downcast.

"Hmm, I'm afraid if he gets angry, you won't be able to get out either?"

"Yes."

“But I can have the Somersault Cloud take you there,” Sun Changkong said, releasing his hand from his forehead. “We’re just wandering around aimlessly anyway, it’ll be faster on it.”

"Alright, then let your somersault cloud accompany me this one last time."

As Ji Minghuan spoke casually, she shifted her body and sat on top of her somersault cloud.

Sun Changkong moved aside, and she and Ji Minghuan sat together on the Somersault Cloud, lost in thought.

"what happened?"

Sun Changkong didn't speak, her red hair falling down and obscuring her eyes. Suddenly, she leaned in and, with lightning speed, gently hugged Ji Minghuan.

Ji Minghuan was stunned, and gently hugged her back.

"Chicken Popcorn, if you say 'sorry' to me again, I'll bite you." With that, Sun Changkong gently bit Ji Minghuan's ear, leaving a tooth mark.

She whispered, "I'm a wild child from the mountains, I'm fierce, unlike you."

"I……"

Ji Minghuan felt a sharp pain in the tip of his ear and hesitated to speak. After a while, he rested his head on her shoulder, gave a low, self-deprecating laugh, and whispered to her:
"Boss, I'm really scared of you."

After a while, the somersault cloud flew out of the cell and drifted casually inside the Salvation Society's base.

After saying goodbye to Sun Changkong, the first place he found was Philo's dormitory. Like Sun Changkong's, his dormitory door was wide open, allowing him to pass through unimpeded on his somersault cloud. Ji Minghuan sat on his somersault cloud and looked around curiously. The big dog's dormitory had a computer, a slide, and a high-tech treadmill.

At this moment, Filio was sitting on the edge of the bed, head drooping, cleaning his wolf ears with cotton swabs.

Ji Minghuan thought to himself, "Other animals have their owners help them clean their ears, but you can clean your own. You really are a good dog."

Filio suddenly sniffed, smelled his scent, immediately put down the cotton swab, pricked up his ears, and turned his head, "Ji Minghuan? What are you doing with Somersault Cloud?"

“I came to play with you, big dog,” Ji Minghuan said, her face expressionless.

"Your bedroom door wasn't closed either?"

"Hmm, otherwise why would I come looking for you?" Ji Minghuan said, flying over on her somersault cloud, grabbing his tail and shaking it up and down. "Big dog... what would you think if I told you you could see your old man?"

"Will you see my father?" Filio's expression changed suddenly, filled with conflict and melancholy.

"Ah."

"Will he... will he really forgive me?" Filio asked.

"Probably, he'll worry himself to death about you."

"You won't blame me for what happened to Mom?" Filio stammered.

“Of course he will, but he’ll forgive you soon. Then everything will be back to normal, and you can live together again,” Ji Minghuan said without hesitation.

"I want to see him."

“That’s right, but the prerequisite is that you have to survive.” Ji Minghuan said softly, “At crucial moments, you must remember who you are… You’ve already regretted it once because of your mother, you don’t want to regret it a second time, right?”

"I don't want to regret it."

"Okay, I'm leaving now. I have to see other people." With that, Ji Minghuan released Firio's tail and flew away on his somersault cloud.

He quickly found Shang Xiaochi's cell.

The cell where this chuunibyou (delusional) girl was kept contained one or two potted plants and one or two cacti. The bookshelf was filled with many Shonen Jump manga, mostly featuring Naruto covers.

Just as Ji Minghuan guessed, she especially liked Uchiha Sasuke, so there were many outlines she had drawn herself in pencil on the bookshelf, which were pasted together with tape, like a bound volume.

Right now, Shang Xiaochi is lying on the bed, one hand supporting her chin, the other hand drawing on a piece of paper with a paintbrush. Her eyes are drooping, and a small beauty mark at the corner of her eye makes her look very focused.

“I’m coming in,” Ji Minghuan said, drawing her attention.

Shang Xiaochi immediately raised her head and turned to stare at him.

She was stunned for a long, long time. "Traitor, what are you doing here?"

"I came to chat with you," Ji Minghuan said with a smile.

Shang Xiaochi was silent for a while, then muttered, "Traitor, don't think that just because you're trying to get close to me you're not a traitor anymore... Heh, now that things have come to this, I don't need any of those kinds of bonds anymore."

"You're still so... energetic." Ji Minghuan smiled slightly. "Can I borrow your comic books?"

"No."

"Can I see your paintings?" Ji Minghuan asked casually.

Shang Xiaochi's face instantly turned red. She turned her head sharply, frowned, and was about to get angry when she saw that Ji Minghuan had already picked up her sketchbook from the bookshelf.

"So you can draw too, and you draw even better than our penguin monster."

Ji Minghuan exclaimed in admiration as she flipped through her sketchbook.

"Really?" Shang Xiaochi asked blankly.

"Yeah, the penguin monster can only doodle, your drawing is much more detailed than hers."

Shang Xiaochi was stunned for a moment, then suddenly curled the corners of her mouth slightly. She looked down at the drawing paper spread on the bed, and then secretly glanced at Ji Minghuan out of the corner of her eye.

"Do you like cacti?" After a moment of silence, Shang Xiaochi suddenly asked.

Ji Minghuan paused for a moment, then turned to look at the cactus in the corner. For some reason, he could almost picture Shang Xiaochi squatting there with her knees drawn up to her chest, staring blankly at the cactus every day.

She must often imagine herself as a plant, like a cactus.

But she is a big tree. When she closes her eyes, thorns and branches will grow outwards, eventually covering her limbs and making it hard for her to breathe.

Every holder of a mythical wonder is cursed. This is a power that no human can control, let alone Shang Xiaochi, who is still a child. Every day when she closes her eyes and faces the "World Tree" with its branches growing wildly and as magnificent as the sky, she only feels fear and unease, and then realizes how insignificant she is.

So, she would probably stare at that cactus for a long time, imagining herself as a small plant, standing there quietly without having to think.

“I feel like the cactus looks a lot like you,” Ji Minghuan suddenly said.

"Why?" Shang Xiaochi asked, puzzled.

"A prickly personality and an awkward personality will make it impossible to find friends."

Shang Xiaochi was taken aback, then stammered, "As expected, a traitor is a traitor, he can't understand me."

“But that’s what makes you special,” Ji Minghuan said. “Even if you’re a cactus, you’re the most special one. Your thorns look scary, but if you touch them, you’ll find they’re actually soft.”

He paused for a moment: "You didn't want to hurt others, nor did you want to be hurt yourself, so you pretended to be a cactus."

After saying that, he turned to look at Shang Xiaochi and smiled gently at her.

Shang Xiaochi looked into his eyes, her face flushed, and stood there frozen.

"What nonsense are you spouting?" Shang Xiaochi crossed her arms, turned her head and snorted coldly, "Don't think I'll fall for it."

"I'm leaving."

"where are you going?"

"Go and meet the other people."

Will you come back to chat with me?

"Maybe."

After saying that, Ji Minghuan put the sketchbook back on the bookshelf, waved goodbye to Shang Xiaochi, and then left the prison cell on his somersault cloud.

Ji Minghuan went to see Kong Youling and Mario.

Rather, he never found the cell where Kong Youling, Mario, and Wu Qingjie were imprisoned—he rode his somersault cloud around the Salvation Society's F2 floor, but couldn't find the cell that was still open.

Where did you all go?

Thinking this, Ji Minghuan returned to her dormitory alone, and the metal door slowly closed.

He was a little tired and lay down on the bed. He was about to use all four mechs to fight, but a bad feeling kept lingering in his mind.

Ji Minghuan raised her head, staring silently at the penguin-shaped broadcasting equipment above her, before asking:

"Kong Youling, Mario, Wu Qingjie...where did they all go?"

As he expected, his mentor did not respond.

In the deathly silence, Ji Minghuan took a deep breath and raised his arm to shield his forehead. In his mentor's eyes, he had long since lost the right to negotiate.

At the same moment, in another corner of the world.

In the remote mountains of Iceland, late at night, a convertible is driving on the snow, its headlights cutting through the darkness to illuminate the road ahead.

At this very moment, a man wearing a mechanical box on his head is sitting in the driver's seat, holding the steering wheel.

Behind him, four figures were sitting in the open-air compartment of the convertible: Anron, Hacker, Origami Ayase, and Chiba Rukawa.

Above the convertible, a flock of crows circled in the night sky; it was Qi Liyuan scouting the way for them.

“We’ll be meeting that traitor soon.” The hacker looked at the map on his phone. “According to the schedule, we’ll reach the Hofs Glacier in two hours.”

Origami Ayase didn't react.

The hacker glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and changed his words, "We'll be seeing Xia Pingzhou soon."

The girl in the kimono slowly raised her head.

"So, what do you plan to do when you see Xia Pingzhou?" the hacker said. "The leader might take him out; but of course, we'll have to figure out why he lured us to Iceland first."

He paused for a moment: "Miss, you don't mean to kidnap him and bring him back, do you?"

Origami Ayase lowered her eyes once again.

Rukawa Chiba smiled slightly: "It's not bad to bring him back. I can help you figure out what he's thinking."

"Come on, doctor, everyone knows your abilities are useless against the little cat Casanova," the hacker said.

“There’s nothing I can do, it’s because I can’t see his emotions.” Rukawa Chiba shook his head.

"So, you don't know what to do when you see him?" the hacker asked the young lady again, as if being a jerk. "Don't let the little cat Casanova sneak up on you."

"Stop provoking the young lady, you little brat," Anlens said, reaching out to ruffle the hacker's hair. "Can't you be quiet for a bit? Or how about playing a couple of rounds of poker with me and the doctor?"

"Come on, everyone knows you're the number one gambler." The hacker tucked his hands into the collar of his cotton coat. "You can fool newbies, but don't try to fool me. I won't fall for it."

"You flatter me, the number one gambler is flying in the sky." As he spoke, Anlens pointed to the black raven flying overhead.

"Quiet down, listening to you talk is a mental pollution for me as a driver."

"he……"

At that moment, Origami Ayase suddenly spoke in a low voice.

The hacker was taken aback and turned to look at her.

"Is he alright?" she asked.

The hacker was silent for a moment, then sighed heavily: "Who knows? You'll know when we meet." As he spoke, he turned his head to look at the snow-capped mountains shrouded in the night.

The snow-capped mountain was utterly still, the dark pine forests motionless, the wind rustling through the snow. The aurora borealis overhead was breathtakingly beautiful.

Anyone would have thought it was just an ordinary night.

(End of this chapter)