I chose the safe house, and the Human Alliance regretted it.

The living room quieted down.

The eight people looked at each other, seemingly hesitating about who should speak first.

They represent different forces and have prepared different conditions, but none of them want to reveal their true intentions to the other seven.

The atmosphere remained subtly tense.

Wang Wei leaned back on the sofa, his fingers tapping lightly on the armrest, once, once, once.

His gaze swept across the eight people's faces, as if he were examining goods waiting to be sold.

"That's fine," he said. "I agree to your terms."

The eight people were stunned upon hearing this, and all looked at Wang Wei in disbelief.

The terms of the deal that they have prepared have not yet been announced—what does Wang Wei mean by this?

"Are you aware of our conditions?" the white man from the astrology club couldn't help but ask, his voice tinged with uncertainty and probing.

"If I didn't even know these things, would you have come all this way to find me?" Wang Wei said calmly, a slight smile playing on his lips.

All eight people gasped simultaneously.

Yes, they came prepared, and Wang Wei was waiting for them.

This man's precognitive abilities allow him to see through even what cards they're carrying!

"Great!" The white man from the astrology club immediately became excited.

He took a sealed cloth bag from his pocket and respectfully handed it to Wang Wei with both hands.

The cloth bag was small, about the size of a palm, and its surface was embroidered with the emblem of the astrological society—an eye surrounded by a ring of stars.

The other seven people exchanged glances, then, without further hesitation, handed the sealed items to Wang Wei one by one.

The priest would offer a roll of yellowed animal hide.

The cult presented a piece of obsidian engraved with runes.

The warlock group gave them a bronze ring.

……

Eight items, each exuding an ancient aura.

Wang Wei casually placed them on the coffee table without even glancing at them.

Seeing this, the eight men admired Wang Wei even more.

Wang Wei didn't care at all about what they saw as their trump card.

One could even say... that they disdain it.

"Ahem." Wang Wei cleared his throat, his gaze sweeping over the eight expectant faces.

"This blood rain will last for ten days. The catastrophic weather will disappear in two months."

After he finished speaking, the living room fell silent.

The pupils of the eight people widened suddenly, staring intently at Wang Wei, as if to confirm whether they had heard correctly.

Beside him, Zhao Lie looked utterly shocked, his lips slightly parted, unable to close for a long time.

Zhou Yao covered her mouth with her hand, her eyes wide open like saucers.

Did it disappear two months after the disaster?

So... everything is going back to normal?

"You mean, the world will return to normal in two months?" The white man from the astrology club was so excited that he was incoherent, and his voice was trembling.

"No," Wang Wei shook his head.

"Huh?" The white man was taken aback, and the other seven people also looked at him with surprise.

It's not back to normal? Then what is it?

Wang Wei calmly looked at the group, his smile widening: "Want to know? You'll have to pay more."

The eight people were stunned.

They looked at each other, their expressions shifting from shock to confusion, and then to stiffness.

The white man from the astrology club swallowed hard, as if to make sure he hadn't misheard: "Mr. Wang Wei, but... we want to ask about the source of the catastrophe."

"Really?" Wang Wei was taken aback, his expression innocent. "Then I misunderstood. I thought you wanted to ask when the catastrophe would end."

The expressions on the faces of the eight people instantly became quite interesting.

The priest's psychic couldn't help but say, "But... you've already accepted everything."

"So what if we accepted it?" Wang Wei smiled, a smile colder than a blade in the eyes of the eight men. "The answer is already clear."

"Keep nagging..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping across their faces, and casually uttered a few words:

"Both things and people must be left behind."

After he finished speaking, the living room fell into a deathly silence.

Blood rained down on the windowpane, making a soft, rustling sound, like something grinding its teeth.

Zhao Lie's expression was strange, and the corner of his mouth twitched.

Zhou Yao's eyes widened in disbelief—how could someone be so shameless?

They accepted something from someone and then gave them a vague or ambiguous message.

Then they said, "I misunderstood. If you want to know the truth, you have to pay more."

How is this any different from fraud?

But she didn't say anything.

She saw the expressions on the faces of those eight people—

They wanted to be angry, but dared not;

I want to reason about it, but I know it's useless;

I want to leave, but I can't bear to part with what I've already given away.

Her extremely frustrated expression almost made her burst out laughing.

The white faces of the astrological society changed from white to red, and from red to purple.

The seven men behind him also had ashen faces.

But none of them dared to move—because Wang Wei's words just now were not a threat, but a statement.

After a moment of silence,

"In that case..." The white man from the astrology club took a deep breath, trying to make his voice sound calm, "Mr. Wang Wei, we'll go back and prepare the 'additional payment' items. We'll visit again another day."

He turned around and walked away without looking back.

The other seven people also filed out with gloomy faces.

Zhao Lie stood at the door, watching their backs, and suddenly felt a little sorry for them.

They traveled a long way to bring precious gifts, only to receive a meaningless remark in return.

What's even more ridiculous is that they have to go back and prepare another gift that costs extra...

The door closed.

Only Wang Wei, Zhou Yao, and Zhao Lie remained in the living room.

Zhou Yao finally couldn't hold back any longer: "What you just said... is it true?"

"Which ones?" Wang Wei picked up his water glass and took a sip.

"The blood rain lasted for ten days and disappeared two months after the catastrophe."

Wang Wei put down his water glass, glanced at her, and said, "Guess."

Zhou Yao was speechless.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but didn't know what to say.

Zhao Lie stood to the side, his expression complex.

"Do you think they'll come back?" Zhao Lie asked.

"Of course." Wang Wei stood up and walked to the window.

The blood-red rain outside grew heavier, shrouding the entire Jiangnan city in a dark red curtain of rain.

"They had no choice."

Zhao Lie remained silent for a moment, then turned and left.

He stopped at the door without turning around: "Um... is the catastrophic weather really going to disappear in two months?"

Wang Wei did not answer.

Zhao Lie smiled wryly, turned around and left.

Watching Wang Wei's retreating figure, Zhou Yao suddenly asked, "You actually know the truth, right?"

Wang Wei turned around and looked at her: "What do you know?"

"When will the catastrophe end, and what is its source?"

Wang Wei smiled, but there was something in that smile that was hard to describe:

"Who told you the catastrophe would end?"

Zhou Yao was stunned.

Wang Wei offered no further explanation.

He picked up the eight items on the coffee table and casually flipped through them, as if he were looking at a pile of worthless trinkets.

"This catastrophe..." His voice was very soft, so soft it was as if he were talking to himself.

"It's not the end, it's the beginning."