"Don't get so angry. Anger damages your liver. We don't necessarily have to be enemies; we can definitely cooperate and achieve a win-win situation."
Facing the poised and ready Hu Jiu, the Queen remained unfazed, her face gentle and full of confidence.
"Cooperation? Cooperation to help you outsiders seize the bodies of local residents?" Hu Jiu asked doubtfully. If there was profit to be made, he wouldn't mind.
The Queen chuckled. "As a top-tier Ghost Tamer, would you really care about the lives of ordinary people?"
"With great power comes great responsibility. As a Ghost Tamer from Headquarters, protecting the lives and property of the people is my innate duty!" Hu Jiu said with a firm and righteous voice.
The Queen's face contorted for a moment as if she'd eaten dog excrement, but she quickly regained her composure. "Stop talking nonsense. You underestimate how well I know you."
"Influenced by Fierce Ghost, those Ghost Tamer will gradually lose their humanity. Perhaps there are indeed noble Ghost Tamer who serve their country and people, but you will definitely not be one of them!"
Hu Jiu's eyes were strange. "You know quite a lot~"
The Queen nodded slightly. "I have my own information channels."
Hu Jiu asked, "Since you don't care about the lives of ordinary people, why are you helping them 'travel through time'? What is your real purpose?"
The Queen smiled. "They are nothing but ants dependent on me; I can do whatever I want with them."
A sinister, Supernatural atmosphere permeated the air, and Hu Jiu's eyes and brows were filled with malice. "If you really want to cooperate with me, you'd better say something that will impress me before my patience runs out, instead of just playing coy here."
"Alright." The Queen shrugged, then calmly dropped a massive bolt of lightning—
"Do you know that the world you live in is about to be destroyed!"
In an instant, Hu Jiu's eyes widened slightly. Although he had not yet confirmed whether what the Queen said was true or false, he had to admit that it had successfully caught his attention!
The Queen continued, "I am not exaggerating, for during my wanderings in the Ghost World, I visited many Parallel Worlds, and I have seen many signs of impending destruction in those worlds."
"Are you sure the destruction of those worlds wasn't caused by you, an outsider?" Hu Jiu's voice rose slightly.
The Queen said expressionlessly, "You've misunderstood the cause and effect. It wasn't the appearance of time travelers that caused the world's destruction; rather, the world was on the verge of destruction, which is why so many time travelers appeared."
"Stop using riddles, riddle tellers are really annoying." Hu Jiu frowned.
The Queen's long, dark purple dress fluttered even without wind. "The birth and destruction of a world is like the metabolism of a living organism; it's a natural phenomenon. When a world shows signs of impending destruction, this process is essentially irreversible."
"What exactly do you mean by signs of impending destruction?" Hu Jiu asked urgently.
"The Supernatural is rampant, and the environment inside the world is converging with that of the Ghost World. The channels between the two are increasing, and when they finally merge into one, it will be destruction," the Queen replied.
Hu Jiu lowered his eyes and pondered, recalling the various pieces of information about the Ghost World that he had obtained from Big Dipper, comparing and verifying them with the information provided by the Queen.
What kind of cooperation are you referring to?
The Queen smiled slightly, "This world won't last long. After its destruction, if you are strong enough, you will gain a new identity—a wanderer of the Ghost World."
"Surviving in the Ghost World isn't easy; that place only follows the law of the jungle."
"However... a considerable number of people are attempting to establish order in the Ghost World, providing shelter for those whose homes have been destroyed."
"Did they succeed?" Hu Jiu asked.
"Almost there," the Queen said excitedly. "It's already taking shape, but we still need a crucial and irreplaceable Fierce Ghost!"
Hu Jiu understood. "That ghost is in this world, and you want me to help you find it?"
The Queen nodded. "That's right. With your status and position, you can both help me cover for me and hide my whereabouts, and you can also use your authority to help me find the culprit."
"What can I get in return?" Hu Jiu asked the most crucial question.
"After this world is destroyed and you become a wanderer, I can guarantee you a place in the human sanctuary in the Ghost World. You can even bring a considerable number of your loved ones to live there with you." The Queen spoke with absolute certainty, as if she were relinquishing an immense benefit.
Hu Jiu resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "What I need are tangible, short-term benefits. Don't even think about getting something for nothing from me with empty promises!"
The Queen's lips drooped slightly. "Young man, you need to broaden your horizons. Don't be so short-sighted. The conditions I've offered will be in the future..."
"The future isn't important!" Hu Jiu interrupted the Queen. "What matters is what we have in our hands now. What the future holds is something to consider later!"
No one knows whether an accident or tomorrow will come first. For most ordinary people, long-term benefits that are out of reach are far less desirable than short-term benefits that are within reach.
In these chaotic times fraught with crisis, who can guarantee they'll see the sun rise tomorrow?
When a person dies, any "long-term benefits" that were not yet received become worthless.
The Queen's attitude became somewhat dismissive, as if she had unilaterally concluded that Hu Jiu was a narrow-minded person with a limited perspective.
"So what do you want?"
"The ghost you're controlling is interesting. Give it to me, and I'll help you!"
The Queen's expression suddenly turned fierce. "This is no joke!"
Hu Jiu chuckled, "Which eye of yours sees me as if I'm joking?"
Negotiations failed, and the two Beauty Snakes standing behind the Queen immediately sprang into action.
One of the Queen's abilities is to summon characters from movies, TV series, anime, and cartoons into reality.
That's why there are so many strange creatures, even traditional ghosts, in this amusement park.
The Queen also possesses the ability to transfer consciousness, helping those from Otherworld to possess the bodies of native inhabitants.
At this moment, the Queen clearly intended to silence them.
Two Beauty Snakes, the golden one holding Ruyi and the blue one holding Hundred-Treasure Bag, slithered towards Hu Jiu.
The shadow beneath Hu Jiu's feet writhed, like tentacles reaching out to the two Beauty Snakes.
The golden snake remained calm and unhurried, muttering some incantation under its breath. A flash of light appeared on the Ruyi in its hand, and it fiercely pierced the shadow on the ground.
The thick, dark shadows seemed to have been cleaved open by light.
Not to be outdone, the green snake beside her held up its Hundred-Treasure Bag and began chanting incantations as well.
Hu Jiu suddenly blew a blast of cold wind at her, the extreme low temperature carrying frost, surging towards the green snake.