Twin female zombies come to the door: My lord, please have mercy!

"call--"

On the armchair, Lin Ye slowly opened his eyes.

As he exhaled that long, suffocating breath, the oppressive atmosphere in the entire funeral parlor hall instantly vanished like ice and snow melting away.

Outside.

The early winter sun finally shone unhindered on the bluestone slabs of Taiping Old Street.

"Resolved?"

Chu Hongyan leaned against the door frame, the barrels of the two large-caliber rune pistols in her hands covered with a layer of moisture from holding them tightly for so long.

"What else can we do? Leave that dilapidated city open for the New Year?"

Lin Ye stood up from the armchair, his bones cracking like popping beans.

He twisted his neck and casually stuffed the dark red "God-Slaying Brick," which had made such a great contribution, back into his system space.

"It's just a piece of broken code that's bugged by the Heavenly Dao. Just run it through the network cable and smash the CPU of the host a couple of times, and it'll crash. No big deal."

Lin Ye spoke these words casually, and coupled with his nonchalant demeanor, he looked just like a young street urchin who had just returned from an all-night gaming session at an internet cafe.

But to Chu Hongyan, it was like a thunderclap from a clear sky.

That's an extremely dangerous rule-based tale that left the Ninth Bureau helpless and almost forced the authorities to abandon the entire Jiangzhou!

He easily resolved the issue with a simple "I hit him with two bricks."

Chu Hongyan took a deep breath and put the pistol back into its holster at her waist.

She walked up to Lin Ye, her bloodshot phoenix eyes gleaming with a complex light.

"Lin Ye...you have once again saved the lives of 20 million people in Jiangzhou. On behalf of the Ninth Bureau..."

"Stop, stop, stop!"

Before Chu Hongyan could finish her grand and righteous official thank-you speech, Lin Ye quickly reached out and interrupted her.

He took two steps closer, his gaze sweeping over Chu Hongyan's slightly disheveled clothes, a wicked smile playing on his lips.

"Captain Chu, we're like family, so let's skip the formalities. Saving my life is a debt of gratitude. If your Ninth Bureau really wants to thank me, just saying it won't do."

"I won't force you to repay me with your body, but if you really feel bad about it, next time you come to report to me, you can unbutton one of the buttons on your uniform. It'll be a small visual treat for this great contributor."

"You—! You scoundrel!"

Chu Hongyan's gratitude instantly turned into shame and indignation at his sudden inappropriate behavior.

Two red blushes instantly rose to her cheeks. She instinctively covered her collar and glared fiercely at Lin Ye.

This man can't be serious for more than three seconds!

He was sitting in that chair just now, looking down on the world like a god, but how come he turned back into this scoundrel who talks nonsense as soon as he opened his eyes!

"Alright, I'm not teasing you anymore."

Lin Ye chuckled and patted Chu Hongyan's tense shoulder, his tone softening slightly.

"Hurry back to the station to report. The barrier around Baicheng outside has shattered. Although those people in Jiangzhou who turned into sand can't be saved, the cleanup and public relations work will be a real headache for your Ninth Bureau."

"Stop wasting your time here. Your dark circles are practically down to your chin. You look awful."

Although Lin Ye said it looked bad, his actions were undisguised as a gesture of comfort.

Chu Hongyan bit her red lips, knowing that she couldn't really help much by staying here.

She gave Lin Ye a deep look, and all her unspoken words were summed up in one sentence: "Be careful. And remember, the UK suffered such a huge loss a few days ago; they definitely won't let this go."

"Let them come. I'll perform a ritual for each one that comes, and if a pair comes, I'll make a pair and send them off to ride bicycles."

Lin Ye waved his hand.

Watching Chu Hongyan push open the door and hurriedly disappear into the morning streets, the hall of the funeral parlor returned to tranquility.

"Boss... Waaaaah..."

No sooner had Chu Hongyan left than a sobbing sound, spoiling the mood, came from the corner.

Ayougu clutched the bamboo tube containing the Gu worms tightly in her arms, tears streaming down her face.

Just now, this girl thought that Lin Ye really wouldn't come back, and she was also burdened with the destiny of Miao territory. In her heart, she had already staged an eighty-episode drama of tragic love, separation, and death.

Seeing Lin Ye awake and full of energy, the dramatic emotional contrast made her completely lose her composure.

"Why are you crying? Are you going to a funeral?"

Lin Ye walked over.

"I already told you, I'm tough as nails, even the King of Hell doesn't have my name on his list."

"You little brat, aren't you usually so good at swearing while playing games? But when something happens, you think about packing your bag and running away from home to fill in the holes in the Ten Thousand Mountains. Do you believe that the moment you leave Jiangzhou, I'll be storming over to your Miao region and pluck all the beard off your high priest?"

While cursing, Lin Ye naturally reached out and ruffled Ayougu's messy hair, making it look like a bird's nest.

"Stop rubbing it! You're already losing hair!"

Ayougu sniffed and then smiled through her tears.

"Alright, go wash your face. Then go to the basement and keep an eye on those three old men in red riding their bicycles. If they miss a single lap, they're not allowed to have lunch today."

Lin Ye dismissed the Miao saintess like a ruthless contractor.

Helena stood to the side, still holding the specially made tactical stick in her hand.

There was a little dust on her high-slit nun's habit.

"Boss, are you tired? Would you like Helena to prepare a hot shower for you?"

Helena very considerately leaned forward, her voice soft and sweet.

"No need, you've been exhausted these past few days. Go rest in the backyard. I'll give you half a day off. Go for a walk around town, just don't go too far."

Lin Ye waved his hand, his gaze passing over Helena and landing on Leng Yue and Shuang Xing.

Leng Yue remained standing quietly in the same spot.

When Lin Ye's soul left his body just now, it was she who protected Lin Ye's heart meridian with the Red Lotus Karmic Fire.

At this moment, although the millennium drought demon's face was calm, Lin Ye keenly noticed the tension that had not completely dissipated deep in its eyes.

As for Froststar...

The Netherworld Empress had been holding back for a long time.

Seeing that all the outsiders had left, the little girl transformed into a pink blur and pounced into Lin Ye's arms like a cannonball.

"Brother-in-law! You scared me to death! I thought you were really going to turn into sand!"

Froststar tightly gripped Lin Ye's neck, her two long, slender white legs expertly wrapped around Lin Ye's waist.

He buried that face, which was said to bring ruin to the country, deep into Lin Ye's neck.

"Alright, alright, I'm back safe and sound. If you were any stronger, you would have strangled me instead of killing me with the ghost stories."

Lin Ye chuckled and patted Shuangxing's pert, bouncy buttocks, feeling an astonishing elasticity in his hand...