The end of the world is approaching, I'm handing myself over to the country.

The next second, the body that Lin Xiu was supporting began to change.

Starting from her feet, Ling'er's body gradually became transparent, like ink diluted with water, and light penetrated her ankles, calves, waist...

"No!"

Lin Xiu subconsciously tightened his arms, trying to grab her, but only grasped at empty air.

Her figure grew fainter and fainter, and her tear-streaked face gradually became blurred.

Just before Ling'er's figure completely disappeared, the dilapidated door creaked open from the outside.

The light from the doorway streamed in, completely eclipsing Ling'er's last remaining image.

"Time is up."

Sun Ye leaned against the door frame, looking relaxed, as if he were watching a movie that had nothing to do with him.

He didn't look at the dejected Lin Xiu, but instead looked down at his personal income.

"Tsk tsk tsk."

Sun Ye smacked his lips, then looked up at Lin Xiu inside the room.

He had that signature, warm yet irritating smile on his face.

"How's it going, bro? Feeling pretty good, huh?"

He paused, seemingly appreciating Lin Xiu's stiff reaction, and then slowly added a sentence.

"Two thousand five hundred source crystals, is it worth the price?"

Lin Xiu's body remained motionless, still holding the position of his outstretched arm.

Ling'er disappeared.

Even the faint fragrance in the room disappeared completely.

All that remained was the air thick with the smell of dust and decay.

There was also a slightly greasy, sweaty smell.

pat.

In the corner, the last flicker of candlelight struggled to stay lit for a few moments before finally going out completely.

The entire room was instantly swallowed by darkness.

Lin Xiu stood in the center of the darkness, like a lifeless statue.

Sun Ye's voice came from the doorway, carrying a hint of the coldness and businesslike manner typical of a businessman.

"Alright, time's up. Next time you want to see her, remember to prepare Source Crystals in advance."

"2500 Source Crystals, you won't lose out, you won't be cheated, you can't buy anything with 2500, you poor bastard."

Those last two words, like steel needles tempered with ice, pierced Lin Xiu's heart with precision and ruthlessness.

Anger surged from his chest to the top of his head with a "boom".

Lin Xiu clenched his fists tightly, but then relaxed them again.

In a fit of anger, he snapped.

Even if he wanted to fight the other party to the death, he wouldn't dare.

If you can't win, you'll lose face; if you win, you might never see the person you want to see again.

Lin Xiu suddenly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes fixed on Sun Ye's smiling face.

Sun Ye, however, seemed oblivious to his murderous expression, maintaining his haughty demeanor and looking him up and down with the gaze one would give a pitiful wretch on the street.

"you!"

Lin Xiu squeezed out a single word, his teeth grinding together.

Sun Ye was too lazy to listen to his nonsense and simply stepped aside to make way for the doorway.

"What do you mean 'you'? Alright, you piece of trash, your time's up, get out here!"

Lin Xiu clenched his fists tightly at his sides, his nails digging deep into his flesh, the stinging pain keeping him on his last shred of sanity.

He stared intently at Sun Ye, forcing out a sentence through gritted teeth, each word trembling with resentment.

How do you know I won't become rich in the future?

"Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river; never underestimate a young person's potential!"

The way he shouted those words carried a sense of tragic desperation, as if he were making a desperate gamble.

However, after hearing this, Sun Ye was stunned for a moment, and then burst into exaggerated laughter.

"Ha ha ha ha!"

He laughed so hard he almost fell over, and while holding onto the door frame, he nearly couldn't breathe.

"Okay, okay, whatever you say goes."

He waved his hand, laughing so hard tears were almost streaming down his face.

The way he looked wasn't arguing with anyone, but rather watching a ridiculous clown.

Lin Xiu was taken aback for a moment.

Sun Ye's reaction was really strange, as if he was sympathizing with himself.

Yes, it's compassion.

It was a condescending pity, looking down on an idiot who was oblivious to his own ignorance.

This feeling was more unbearable for Lin Xiu than any malicious mockery.

The anger in my heart felt like it had been doused with a bucket of ice water, leaving only a bone-chilling cold and endless humiliation.

He couldn't stay there any longer.

Even looking at Sun Ye for a second felt like torture.

Lin Xiu turned around abruptly, using all his strength to straighten his already overburdened spine, and walked into the darkness outside without looking back.

Watching Lin Xiu's figure disappear at the end of the corridor, Sun Ye's smile slowly faded, finally turning into a cold sneer.

He spat under his breath in the direction Lin Xiu had left.

"It's like the saying goes, 'Thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river...'"

"Do you have thirty years left?"

"Idiot."

Sun Ye murmured, then turned around and gently knocked on the cold door next to him, facing the deep darkness inside the room.

"Come out, everyone's already gone."

In the darkness, a figure slowly emerged.

At first, it was still Ling'er's delicate and slender figure, but the next second, the figure began to twist violently, like a reflection in boiling water.

Her originally delicate features were roughly pulled and reshaped, and her slender frame made a "crackling" sound as it expanded outwards under the strain.

A moment later, the man standing there was a burly man with a full beard.

He was still wearing the white dress that belonged to "Ling'er," which was stretched tightly over his muscular body, making him look out of place, both comical and eerie.

"Pooh!"

The burly man spat viciously at the ground, his voice so rough it could rub a layer of skin off a person.

"Those who smear sentiments are the most disgusting."

As he spoke, he raised his thick arm and rubbed it vigorously against his chest, as if trying to wipe away something disgusting.

That movement was precisely where Lin Xiu had just embraced her.

Sun Ye was used to this and just glanced at him indifferently.

"This is probably the last time." Sun Ye's voice was calm and indifferent.

"He probably won't have time to come looking for us anymore."

Upon hearing this, the burly man grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth, and his laughter was muffled.

"Who can argue with that?"

He tugged at his skirt, which was about to burst, his face full of disgust.

"Do you really think Tianhu's credit loan is so easy to repay?"

The burly man said, "But you're classmates. Don't you feel guilty about ripping people off like this?"

Sun Ye chuckled: "It's a scam, and it's a scam targeting acquaintances."

As Sun Ye spoke, he looked down at his personal panel, tapped it lightly with his fingertip, and brought up a virtual interface for a loan contract.

Above, Lin Xiu's name and the amount owed are glaringly displayed in scarlet.

Behind that number, a tiny, almost invisible percentage is rapidly ticking away, measured in seconds.

"My old classmate, really..." Sun Ye turned off the panel, chuckled, and his smile was full of amusement and cruelty.

"So adorably innocent."