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

"As for this ring, I already said I found it. If you really don't like it, just give it back to me."

As Zhang Heng spoke, he twisted his body to indicate that he was a normal person with flesh and blood.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Jian sneered.

He looked as if he had caught a loophole in what the other person said.

"You already know Ainz Ooal Gown's secret, and you still say you're not Ainz Ooal Gown!"

"If you weren't Ainz Ooal Gown, how could you possibly know that he's made entirely of bones?!"

Zhou Jian made up a random excuse, hoping to trick him.

To his surprise, Zhang Heng's expression became even more aggrieved after hearing his words.

He looked at Zhou Jian with an expression as if he were looking at an idiot.

"You call this a secret?"

"I wish I could be an octopus with eight arms, so I could take turns slapping you!"

Zhang Heng spoke in an annoyed tone.

"If you want to beat me up, just say so. Why beat around the bush!"

After saying that, Zhang Heng also struggled and resisted, looking like he was ready to fight back: "To be honest, I really envy you."

"Sometimes, I also want to be like you, not caring about everyone's opinions, and living such a harsh life."

"Uh..." Zhou Jian's raised fist froze in mid-air.

"You're really not Ainz Ooal Gown?"

Zhang Heng: "Isn't that obvious? What exactly do you want me to do for you to believe me...?"

Only those who have been wronged truly know how wronged they have been!

Zhou Jian stared intently into Zhang Heng's eyes, their gazes meeting, as if trying to detect a hint of guilt in the other's eyes.

But there was none at all.

He chuckled awkwardly and patted the dust off Zhang Heng's clothes: "Hehe, sorry, brother, looks like I was overthinking it."

As he spoke, he pulled Zhang Heng up from the ground, his actions conveying a deliberate sense of familiarity and intimacy.

"Thank you, my canine friend."

Zhang Heng slowly sat up, without saying a word, only lowering his head to brush the grass clippings and dirt off his body.

Faced with Zhang Heng's mockery, Zhou Jian felt embarrassed to refute: "Um... brother, I'm really sorry."

Zhang Heng: "Hehe~"

"If apologies were enough, what would be the point of having police?"

Zhou Jian tried to salvage the situation: "Brother, don't take what happened earlier to heart. I've just been too stressed lately."

Zhang Heng finally cleaned the dust off his body. He raised his head, his face showing little reaction, and simply looked at Zhou Jian calmly.

"If you're sick, go get treatment!"

His words were very direct, without a trace of politeness.

"You pinned someone to the ground for no reason and then called him the Bone King? I think you're really out of your mind."

"Really, I'm not kidding."

Zhou Jian nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, it's my fault, it's my fault. How about you give me your address and I'll come over and treat you to a meal? Consider it an apology."

"There's no need for that!" Zhang Heng stood up, ready to leave. "Besides, I dare not eat your food. I'm afraid that halfway through the meal, you'll have another episode and shove my head into the soup."

Zhou Jian waved his hands: "If you don't like it, we can have hot pot too."

Zhang Heng looked shocked: "You really aren't leaving me any way out!"

After saying that, Zhang Heng turned to leave.

At this moment, Zhou Jian truly believed it.

If it were truly a monster, it wouldn't know anything about hot pot.

"Hey, stop!" Zhou Jian quickly stepped forward and stopped him.

Then, gritting his teeth, he reached into his pocket.

Then, after rummaging in his pocket for a while, he pulled out half a pack of cigarettes that were crumpled and bruised.

"It was so hard to get this; it's a rare find here."

He pulled one out and handed it to Zhang Heng.

"Want one?"

Zhang Heng's eyes lit up, but he didn't immediately take it. Instead, he looked at him with a strange reaction, a mixture of wariness and a hint of grievance.

"You...you're not going to suddenly attack me again, are you?"

Zhou Jian: "I'm not crazy."

Zhang Heng: "That's really hard to say..."

"..."

Cicada, cicada, cicada.

As the flames rose, accompanied by two wisps of smoke, my anxious heart instantly calmed down.

There's nothing a cigarette can't solve.

If so, then have another one.

Zhang Heng took a deep breath, his face still showing just the right amount of lingering shock.

"Dude, your joke just now went too far."

He rubbed his aching shoulders and complained.

Zhou Jian chuckled, his cheerful demeanor making it seem as if the person who had just been all menacing and about to beat someone up was a completely different person.

"It's my fault, it's my fault. I've been under too much pressure lately, and it's made me a little obsessed."

He sat down next to Zhang Heng and familiarly put his arm around the other's shoulder, acting like they were good buddies.

"Don't take it to heart, I've apologized."

"Sorry, brother."

The atmosphere seemed to have returned to its initial relaxed state.

Zhou Jian slowly began, "By the way, brother, where are you from?"

"My hometown is in the north, a small place called Linshui Town. I bet you've never even heard of it."

"That place is small; you can walk to the other end in just a few steps. It's all mountains, and the air is filled with the smell of damp earth and burning firewood."

He spoke slowly, with a lingering sense of reminiscing about the past.

Zhou Jian's smile remained unchanged as he nodded.

"I've never heard of it."

Zhang Heng sighed, his whole being exuding an exhaustion that seemed to have been beaten down by society.

"Hey, it's all just to make a living."

"I work as a data entry clerk in a logistics park in the eastern suburbs. I'm just a clerk, typing numbers into a computer all day long. It's incredibly boring."

Zhou Jian: "Oh?"

"There aren't any good jobs in our small town. What else can we do if we don't come out?"

"But now everything is different."

After listening, Zhou Jian patted his thigh in deep agreement.

"I know, I know! This line of work is tiring too. Our boss is like a nagging ghost, always having a ton of trivial things to do."

"She gets angry at the slightest thing."

Zhang Heng forced a wry smile.

"They're all the same."

After a brief silence, Zhou Jian seemed to remember something amusing and turned to the side.

"Hey bro, do you play Wasteland?"

Zhang Heng looked at him like he was an idiot: "Aren't we right here in 'Wasteland Era'?"

"Uh...hehe, look at me..." Zhou Jian chuckled awkwardly, "This game is too realistic. It often feels like this is the real world."

As soon as he finished speaking, Zhang Heng, who was standing next to him, did not react.

The nearly burnt-out cigarette was held between his fingers, a long ash piled up, teetering precariously.

Zhang Heng rolled his eyes at him, the previous grievances and confusion gone, replaced by a pure, speechless look as if he were looking at an idiot.

"You still doubt me?"

Zhou Jian's smile froze for a moment, before he could reply.

Zhang Heng inhaled the last puff of smoke into his lungs, then slowly exhaled, the smoke blurring his outline.

"I keep seeing those kinds of videos when I'm on Douyin lately."

His words were flat and monotonous, without much variation.

"What if you suspect your brother is a hidden rich kid? Simple, if he doesn't admit it, beat him until he does."

He paused for a moment, turned his head, and stared intently at Zhou Jian.

"Everyone else is just making jokes and using memes, but you're fucking doing it for real..."

"You little bastard, you're quite the player!"

Zhou Jian's lips twitched, and he froze.

The friendly camaraderie instantly crumbled, and the hand that was around Zhang Heng's shoulder hung awkwardly in mid-air, unsure whether to retract it or put it down.

It can't be sprayed.

This is really impossible to criticize.

Because... that's really what he thinks.