Chapter 11

Lu Mi chased the figure into the small garden.

The place he agreed to meet with the headhunting company was the southwest corner, so when Lu Mi found that the man was heading directly to the southeast, he actually began to suspect that he had recognized the wrong person.

After all, no one stipulated that others could not wear owl masks, and there were even several of them at the party just now.

But there is no one who would come to the small garden during this period of time.

Lu Mi looked back at the palace in the distance.

The king was delivering a speech at this moment, and no one would leave the palace at this time. This would be too disrespectful to the head of state.

The bright lights within the palace, like a vast source of light, were submerged behind the dense shadows of the trees. Only the faint light, combined with the streetlights, illuminated the surroundings. Unknown flying insects flashed in the light, creating mottled black spots and a constant buzzing.

For some reason, I always feel that the current atmosphere is quite bad.

The figure walking in front was short and fat. He clearly noticed that someone was following him, but he didn't show any reaction.

Lu Mi looked at the man in front of him who was walking hard, and his pace slowed down. He wondered whether he should go back and wait until 21:00.

He now seriously felt that he had recognized the wrong person and suspected that he had smelled the scent of trouble.

However, before he could move, the short and fat man in front of him suddenly stopped without saying a word.

By this time they had reached a rather secluded corner of the garden.

The short, fat man slowly turned around and finally spoke, "If you're still alive, why haven't you replied to my messages? Could it be that you've realized you've messed up everything and are afraid of being punished by that adult, so you don't dare to come out?"

Lu Mi didn't expect to hear these words right at the beginning - ah, the werewolf self-destructed?

Although he didn't know who "that adult" was, in this situation, don't tell him that the adult was secretly raising donations to do good deeds.

Before Lu Mi could say anything, the short and fat man suddenly frowned and stared at him through the mask.

"No..." The smug and sarcastic look on the man's face faded, "You are not him, who are you!?"

Although the young man in front of him was wearing a mask, the man could clearly tell based on his figure that the other party was definitely not the person he wanted to see.

Damn! I never expected this to happen!

Who would see a stranger in the middle of the night and then follow him to the garden alone and silently? What's wrong with this person? Doesn't he have any sense of caution?

Fortunately, no key information was leaked!

The man looked into the young man's eyes, with a hint of murderous intent in them.

Lu Mi wanted to accuse the other party of being the first to file a complaint, but since everyone had identified the wrong person, they should stop blaming each other.

The silver-eyed young man lazily raised his eyelids, seemingly completely unaware of the other party's malicious intent. "That's what I wanted to ask, aren't you the one invited?"

"..." The short and fat man cautiously reached into his pocket and touched the cold muzzle of the laser gun. He couldn't help but feel relieved, and then sneered, "So what? Are you from the Kingdom Army? Why do you care so much?"

The man tightened his grip on the laser gun little by little, ready to fight back at any moment.

Who would have thought that when the silver-eyed young man heard his words, he actually made a look of sudden enlightenment, and then nodded, "You are right, this matter is indeed not my responsibility."

After saying this, the silver-eyed young man turned around and turned his back to him without any defense, actually preparing to leave.

……this!

It's so fucking confusing!

The man broke out in a cold sweat and wanted to curse on the spot.

However, before he could exhale the anger in his mouth, the familiar voice suddenly appeared in his ear again.

"I thought about it, and I'm still curious—"

The short, fat man froze. He raised his eyes slightly and saw the silver-eyed young man he had watched walk away, who had somehow returned to his presence.

What's going on? Fear flashed in the short and fat man's eyes. He hadn't even noticed the other person approaching!

"Can you tell me in detail?" the silver-eyed young man smiled slightly. "The adult you mentioned."

Perhaps it was an illusion between light and shadow, but the short and fat man felt that the young man's shadow under the moonlight suddenly twisted, and in a trance, a hideous and terrifying shadow was outlined.

For a moment, the man seemed to see a pair of fleeting scarlet eyes from the shadows—

It was as if a creepy monster was staring at him from inside.

It was an inhuman creature, even its breath was mixed with the coldness of death.

He was watching him, from the shadows, from the dark night, from every dark corner...!

"You, you..." The man's legs went limp and he collapsed to the ground.

A beautiful blue stone rolled out from his body, flashing a brilliant luster in the night.

The young man with silver eyes bent down to pick it up and looked at it towards the moon, "What is this?" It seems a little familiar?

On the other side, the king, who had just finished his speech in the palace, walked down the stage.

The old man politely declined all invitations and waved his hand, "I am old, so I won't get involved in your gatherings, young people. Just have fun."

Seeing this, everyone dispersed.

The old man looked at this scene, which was completely different from the nobles who usually actively gathered around him and were eager to make their presence felt, and couldn't help but sigh again.

He did not let the guards follow him. He passed by a long table in the corner as if unintentionally and glanced at the young man standing in front of the table with an empty cup in his hand.

The moment they passed each other, the old man's lips moved slightly, "Let's talk."

Donald stood there without moving.

But Six, who was standing by, patted him on the shoulder and said, "Go."

As the busiest person in the K8 branch, Xikes naturally knows the information of the official employees in his branch very well.

Xikes had long since vaguely realized that Donald might have a close relationship with the royal family of the Blue Steel Empire, so he did not refuse Donald's request for support at the beginning.

But now it seems that the hidden truth is probably more complicated than he thought.

Donald tightened the cup in his hand, then put it down suddenly, took a deep breath and chased after him.

When he walked out of the banquet hall, he saw that the old man had already sent his attendants away and was walking along the path in the small garden like an ordinary person.

Donald pursed his lips and followed silently.

After about a minute, the old man sighed and said, "It has been ten years since you last came to the palace."

“…”

The old man didn't care when he didn't get an answer. "If it weren't for the incident in the royal city this time, you probably wouldn't have come back at all."

"I..." Donald looked at this person, who seemed both familiar and unfamiliar to him after so many years, and was at a loss for words. In the end, he could only ask, "Are you okay?"

"It's okay, I can still hold on for a few more years. Now everyone thinks the Blue Steel Empire is extinct. If I die, I'm afraid there will be chaos."

Donald fell silent again.

The old man glanced at him and said, "I'm not blaming you. In the final analysis, it's your father—"

"Back then, they talked about going in search of the legendary gods, saying there was a prophecy predicting a great crisis for the empire's future, and that only by receiving the gods' protection could they avoid destruction... Believing such naive and unrealistic stories, they left without a trace."

"And you, when you were in your teens, were brought to me."

"Who knew you were just like your father, unwilling to stay here either? The only good thing is that compared to your father's current whereabouts being unknown, you at least let me know you're alive."

Donald remained silent the entire time, waiting until the old man finished. Then, unwilling to be left out, he retorted, "That's more than just a story! The more I act as a Transcendent, the more I understand the vastness of this world: above the sky, beneath the sea, and even... the abyss where no human has ever set foot! There are so many remarkable things in this world. The ancestors of the Blue Steel Empire a hundred years ago were exceptionally lucky. Before they had the ability to explore, the mystery came to them. They seized it, and in return, they secured a century of stability for the empire."

At this moment, the young man completely forgot the embarrassment brought by his identity, and his eyes shone with amazing brilliance as if he was meeting his faith.

"So it must exist, a god... or even a power greater than that of a god! My father and I, along with millions of other extraordinary beings, have bravely marched forward in the torrent precisely to chase that miraculous moment!"

As he spoke, Donald's mind flashed with a silver-blue light. It was a pity that no matter how he later questioned those closest to the scene, he didn't get any more useful information.

The old man looked at the young man's obsessed expression and immediately wanted to break his fantasy - this cruelty came not only from himself, but also from the despair and unwillingness of the royal families of the Blue Steel Empire who had not received a response for generations.

The old man said in a low voice: "The 'God Clan' in that mural does not exist at all..."

"Bang!"

A sudden gunshot stopped the old man's words.

Donald stood sideways in front of the old man and said, "It's dangerous, please step back!"

Then, he looked seriously at the grove in the distance where the gunshots came from, and frowned deeply.

At the same time, there was another unimaginable scene in the grove.

Lu Mi looked at the short, fat man who had fainted on the ground and sighed softly, "Aaron, your reaction just now was too extreme."

If he hadn't stopped it in time, the devil's chains would not only have seriously injured the man, but would have pierced his heart directly.

"He was disrespectful to you at first, and just now he tried to hurt you."

Lu Mi: "It's probably because I'm too scared. When emotions are stretched to the limit, they tend to get out of control. Besides, his attack poses no threat to me. I can handle it myself."

At least he would control the force. After all, he still planned to leave a person alive for the Blue Steel Empire so that they would have a starting point for investigation. After all, this was their own business.

"Of course I believe in your ability, but if I were to be present and still need my master to clean up these little bugs himself, it would be a sheer insult to the master I serve. If others knew of this incompetence, they would surely burst out laughing."

More than just ridicule, if the other beings in the Book of Keys knew, perhaps their reactions would be different, but the Shadow Demon who seized the initiative and failed to fulfill his responsibilities - would definitely be in great danger.

Of course, before being killed by other beings, it is more likely that the demon will commit suicide due to its own disqualification.

Lu Mi: ...He should have gotten used to it long ago.

The silver-eyed young man simply skipped over this.

The short and fat man was just about to attack him with the laser gun in his pocket. Perhaps it couldn't be considered an attack, but rather a chaotic venting behavior caused by the pressure of not wanting to reveal more information and the pressure of facing Lu Mi due to his extreme fear.

Lu Mi searched the other person's pocket again and found another explosive bomb - the same model as the one previously placed under the palace.

It seemed that this person was most likely in cahoots with the two men in the underground tunnel. Tonight, the short, fat man had even used a special communication channel to try to meet up with the two men he had lost contact with, only to discover they had already been killed by the demon.

To summarize, two groups of people were killed directly or indirectly by Lu Mi.

...I wonder what "that adult" would feel if he knew about this.

But no matter who the other party is, he hides safely behind the scenes, but lets his subordinates stir up trouble outside, causing ordinary citizens like him to be forced to run around and miss the opportunity to make a living - it's hateful!

Lu Mi narrowed his eyes slightly, and suddenly heard footsteps approaching from afar. He immediately placed his white fingertips on the short and fat man's forehead, blurring his memory.

But the person coming was still coming faster than he imagined.

Lu Mi even sensed a familiar aura from one of them: Oh no, although he was wearing a mask, with the experience of the short and fat man, there was no guarantee that the other party would not see something from his figure.

In a split second, he made a choice.

"Aaron."

Following the young man's call, the demon that had been waiting in the shadows for a long time immediately emerged.

The pitch-black wings suddenly opened and stretched out, like the night curtain suddenly spreading, covering the young man's figure tightly.

So, when Donald and the old man finally came out after pushing aside the obstructing bushes, what they saw was a scene like a dream.

A creature with pure black wings, definitely not human, stood in the pitch-black night, yet it exuded an undeniable presence.

For a moment, everything around seemed to be submerged in the dark night, everything was sinking, everything was distorted.

Those who accidentally enter here feel that they are no longer in the ordinary world, but have stepped into a dark kingdom.

Like a hero trekking through mountains and rivers, he drifted down the Acheron River of Resentment, and then in a daze he sank and floated across the Lamentation River Xerxes, and then he waded through the River of Fire and the River of Forgetfulness, and finally fell into the legendary Hades.

This dangerous and mysterious country is beyond the reach of even the moonlight that kisses the earth, and can only return to obscurity.

And who is stationed here?

These pitch-black wings and scarlet eyes should belong to the god of death who reaps lives.

But this "God" is not alone.

There is an unknown existence in His arms.

Outsiders can only see a white finger exposed under the protection of the wings.

Following the white fingertips that glowed like a glimmer in the moonlight, they pointed downwards.

In an instant, the world shook.

The shadows of the trees were swaying, the shadows of the buildings were swaying, and the sound of flowing chains came from every shadow.

These things instantly gathered into a huge sea of ​​shadows, but it was like a red carpet laid in front of the throne, welcoming their king to walk up the steps leading to the highest point.

The god of death counts the remaining lifespan of each person, and then leads the souls that are reaching the end into the River Styx.

He was so cruel, but at this moment, like a guardian protecting the king, he embraced his monarch and sank into the dark sea of ​​shadows beneath his feet.

The two humans, one old and one young, were completely unable to make a sound.

They didn't know whether it was because their voices were taken away, or because - after witnessing a brand new legend a hundred years later, all their emotions poured into the hot tears that flowed down their cheeks, and they completely lost control of their tight throats.

Fear? Joy? Excitement? Thrill?

They have long lost their judgment on everything.

Until all the shadows returned to their places, the drifting night wind gradually subsided, and there was no one in front of him, as if everything before was an illusion.

But they knew it was definitely not an illusion.

Donald: “Just now…”

He wanted to tell something, and at the same time, he wanted to prove something—Look, the legend is clearly true! The gods have appeared again!

He had the confidence to refute, but he lost to his incoherent speech due to his boiling blood, and his fingertips were still trembling with the spasms of his body.

But the old man no longer cared and just muttered in a trance.

"A hundred years ago, we knelt before the gods. But now..."

"The gods have surrendered to someone else, a person who has become legendary..."

It was as if, amidst an unprecedented shock, I realized for the first time something extremely shocking yet natural.

Above God, there is also God.