I write obituaries for the gods

Page 286

His tears burned into gas on his face, and his skin gradually carbonized and curled up, like charred tree bark.

Oswald lowered his head, his forehead touching his daughter's.

“I’m sorry, Matilda,” he whispered, his vocal cords burned.

Just then, a slight popping sound came from Matilda's pocket.

The small bottle containing the anomalous entity exploded, and gray flames suddenly burst forth, instantly climbing onto Oswald's body.

"Ah... Ahhhh!!!"

Oswald, who had been silent until now, suddenly screamed. He opened his arms, and gray flames quickly burned into his body, melting his skin.

His soul was corrupted by the abnormal entity, his will gradually crumbled, and the world before his eyes began to separate.

In a daze, he seemed to see Lavasis standing by the door once again.

"Lavasis!!!"

Oswald spread his arms and roared madly.

"..."

Lucy remembered that roar, and the father's pain, resentment, and anger.

She remembered that when she heard the roar and looked up, a charred figure moved aside the burning beam at the orphanage entrance with one hand and staggered out.

He was holding another charred human figure in his arms. Lucy could no longer recognize the face, but her instincts told her that it was Matilda.

"..."

It's raining.

Oswald knelt on the ground, letting the rain extinguish the fire on his body.

He gently touched his daughter in his arms, and blood and flesh gradually grew back on his charred hands, with gray flames flowing between the contours of his muscles.

"The 'skin-peeling banshee' chose to coexist with you at that point in time; what a strange fate..."

Lavasis slumped into his chair, staring at Oswald, who was holding a gun in front of him.

He coughed occasionally, but his expression remained calm and composed, as if he hadn't been the one shot.

“No one would have ever walked out of that fire,” he said. “Unfortunately… it was because you walked out and brought the Bureau of Investigation back in that our program was only able to restart successfully after so many years…”

"That period of decline led to a gradual decline in the Mercury Society's resources, and the Lizardmen seized the opportunity to snowball their influence, ultimately driving us out of the White House..."

"Poor Matilda, she did manage to pry open a corner of the chessboard..."

Lavasis sighed with feigned regret, and Oswald raised his gun even higher.

“Oswald,” Jiang Zhengge whispered to Oswald from behind.

"Not going to shoot?" Lavasis smiled. "You should know what I'm capable of, right? Now, smash my head with a whale-sounding bullet, and you'll still have a chance for revenge, but if you wait a little longer..."

Lavascis pulled open his shirt, revealing his flesh gradually disintegrating into a ghostly blue light.

"I'm leaving now..."

"Like, on the day of the fire..."

"This is your only chance for revenge, so what? I'm right in front of you. Just pull the trigger... I swear... I'll die..."

......

Chapter 45 The Abyss Foundry

The enemy's face was right in front of him; pulling the trigger would take his life.

Oswald stood there, like a stone statue.

Above his face, which was wrapped in bandages, his deep blue eyes shimmered slightly.

He stared at Lavasis, and in a daze, Matilda seemed to shout at him again from the table:

"This isn't just for the children who were used as test subjects! This is for the next generation of Yudu!"

"I'm a teacher! Dad, I'm a teacher!"

"..."

Oswald slowly lowered the muzzle of his gun.

Upon seeing this, Lavasis let out a sneer:

"Heh, that's interesting. Looks like the Investigation Bureau did a good job training you."

“Shut up,” Lin Chen frowned, “Where is the factory that forges Abyss crystals?”

"Looks like I'll have to trade this information for my life?"

Lavassis staggered to his feet, clutching his gunshot wound.

“Sure,” he smiled. “Come on, I’ll take you there right away.”

......

On the third basement floor of the orphanage, in a long, concrete corridor, Lavasis led the group through.

Lin Chen, Li Zhanyi, and Lucy led the way, escorting Lavasis forward, while Jiang Zhengge, Oswald, and Hua Luori brought up the rear.

"You're the ghost they were talking about, aren't you?" Lavasis asked Lin Chen. "To be honest... I don't see much special about you, but that's probably what makes you extraordinary, isn't it? A true hermit in plain sight, even a loving father couldn't find you..."

"Quiet," Lin Chen said in a low voice.

"Have you ever considered that the Mercury Society's style might actually suit you better?" Lavasis smiled. "We took over this world from the shadows of history, and then shaped it in the direction we wanted... Hmm, isn't that exactly what you're doing?"

"Shut up, don't you understand?" Lucy said, sounding annoyed.

“Oh... Lucy, I heard you’ve been taken in by Professor Vernei,” Lavasis said in a conversational tone, “How’s it like having a family? Can you still not suppress that fire?”

“I can burn your ass to a crisp. Even if you can run, you’ll have to take your burned ass with you, right?” Lucy squinted.

"Fine, I won't say anything."

Lavasis raised his hands, as if in surrender.

Behind them, Jiang Zhengge and Oswald walked side by side.

Oswald had barely spoken since putting down his gun; he simply walked on silently, his eyes fixed on Lavasis.

“Sorry, Os,” Jiang Zhengge suddenly said.

Oswald turned and glanced at Jiang Zhengge, but still didn't say anything.

“That’s not fair to you,” Jiang Zhengge said. “I know what this guy’s abilities are… He’s a quantum ghost; once he’s fully charged, he can disappear and collapse in another place.”

"This is your only chance, but..."

"It's ok."

Oswald spoke.

He stared at Lavasis's retreating figure, the deep blue in his eyes dimming slightly.

"I will find him again."

"Moreover, Matilda would want me to do that."

Oswald pulled up the collar of his coat and let out a soft breath.

Jiang Zhengge could sense that hatred was still burning within this reserved man. He was not one to readily express his emotions, like a black box that seemed to contain nothing.

But today, a corner of the box has cracked slightly.

Jiang Zhengge gently patted Oswald on the shoulder, then quickened his pace and walked to the front of the group.

At this point, Lavasis led the group to a large door.

He turned around and looked at everyone with a grin:

"It's right here. After I dissipate, an access card will fall out of my body and land on the ground. You can swipe the card to enter."

Did he keep his access card inside his body to prevent being killed beforehand...?

To be honest, Lin Chen had long suspected that this guy definitely had his own tricks up his sleeve.

"Let me take a look, there's about... one minute left."

Lavascis glanced at his watch, then looked up at Oswald.

"Do you want to say anything else to me? You can even curse at me to vent your anger."

“I thought you were in cahoots with the foundation,” Jiang Zhengge said. “So you betrayed your accomplices without hesitation?”

“Yes, there’s no other way. You’re using my life as leverage.” Lavasis waved his hand.

"Come on, you just want to stab the Foundation in the back before you leave," Lucy said in a low voice. "If the Foundation really succeeds, the Mercury Society might not be in a better position. What you want is to leave the Foundation half-dead."

“As expected of Lucy,” Lavasis gave a thumbs up, “but… you’re only half right.”

"There's still half left. Want to guess again?" He raised his wrist. "30 seconds left!"

“You want to use us to weaken Z’s power,” Oswald suddenly said.

"Oh?" Lavasis raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

“Because Z is a member of the Mercury Society,” Oswald said. “The hawks have long been turned into Z’s backyard, his own exclusive power. You need to use our power to weaken him.”

"Ah... Oss, you're truly a talent..."

Lavasis nodded in awe and spread his arms wide:

"You're really perceptive... You guessed it all."

Mr. Z is also a member of the Mercury Society? Lin Chen and Li Zhanyi exchanged a glance and suddenly understood why this organization was so terrifying.

Their undercover agents have all risen to high positions within the foundation; it's no wonder they're so terrifying.

“I don’t like Z. His personality is too extreme,” Lavasis shook his head. “The kind of personality that treats everyone as a tool, sigh…”

He clapped his hands, and his body began to dissipate into a ghostly blue.

“Alright, it’s time to say goodbye,” Lavasis waved to Lucy and Oswald. “Sigh…you two are truly noble, sparing even your own enemies so that this wretched city of Rain City can continue to exist…”

“I will find you,” Lucy whispered.

Oswald simply stared silently at Lavasis.

"Don't look at me like that. As we say in the East, the road ahead is long and arduous..."

Lavasis grinned, revealing his neat, white teeth.

“We’ll meet again,” he whispered, “provided you survive tonight…”

"Hahahaha...hahahaha!"

He laughed, a laugh that was almost maniacal.

The demigod's body dissipated into pale blue specks of light, scattering in all directions.

A card fell out of his body and landed on the ground.

"..."

Just as Lavasis vanished, Oswald suddenly grabbed the wall and bowed his head.

"Os!" Lucy and Jiang Zhengge rushed forward to support him.