This Is Your Last Chance

Terrell was very nervous, even more so than when he saw Lord Yongxin the night before.

His hands were trembling uncontrollably, and beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, mixing with the blood that had gushed from his finger where the needle had cut him, making him look extremely disheveled.

Apart from the pounding of his own heart, Terrell could hear nothing else. He felt no pain even from the bleeding wound on his finger. The only emotion he could truly feel was fear.

And all of this, naturally, was brought about by Jie La Er.

Terrell still can't forget the scene from just now. The "Clock of Desolate Time," which even Lord Yongxin could only count to "two," collapsed the moment it approached Jie La Er... What does this mean? Has Jie La Er found the power he couldn't bring out of the Contamination Zone? And the concentration of that power... far exceeds that of Lord Yongxin!

But according to Lord Yongxin, they had tested Jie La Er a month ago, and at that time Jie La Er had nothing on him.

Can things really change so much in just one month?

Or is it that... he's always been like this, and he's been faking it for the past ten years?!

One thought and question after another popped into Terrell's mind, pricking his nerves like needles, making him dare not think about it any further. Right now, he only wanted to report to Lord Yongxin immediately.

But Jie La Er stayed right beside him and never left!

As Terrell casually bent down to pick up the parts of the "Clock of Desolate Time," Jie La Er stood quietly beside him, motionless. Terrell could clearly see Jie La Er's legs, straight and pillar-like, out of the corner of his eye, which also brought Terrell immense pressure.

Terrell felt as if he were a prisoner awaiting execution, and Jie La Er was the one about to be beheaded.

With the abilities of this "Knight of the Evening Star," Terrell believed that if Jie La Er really wanted to kill him, he wouldn't even have time to look up and cry for help.

So, will he take action?

Has he realized what he did earlier?

Terrell was extremely nervous, and that nervousness reached its peak when he heard the "thump-thump" of footsteps.

Jie La Er was walking towards him, and the heavy leather boots seemed to be treading not on the floor of the hall, but on his heart... Yes, he could feel that Jie La Er's footsteps and his own heartbeat were in sync.

Then the footsteps stopped, and Jie La Er stopped beside him.

In that instant, Terrell seemed to forget how to breathe; he tried to grab a small part several times but couldn't manage it.

He didn't dare to look up, so he couldn't see Jie La Er's face, but he could feel Jie La Er's gaze.

The gaze that fell upon him felt like a butcher's knife held to his neck.

... Are we really going to take action?

If Jie La Er really wants to kill him, then he must tell Lord Yongxin the news before he dies!

This was the only thought that Terrell could find in his chaotic mind.

So when he saw Jie La Er slowly bending down, preparing to "take action," he could no longer contain the pressure in his heart and almost shouted for help.

But just then, he heard Jie La Er calmly say, "Let me help you."

The moment those words were spoken, Terrell felt the immense pressure he had felt vanish in an instant.

The world that was once so quiet that you could only hear your own heartbeat and Jie La Er's footsteps disappeared, and the bustling noise of the Fourth District Tower returned, and the wound that was still bleeding began to hurt again.

In that instant, Terrell felt as if he had come back to life.

When Jie La Er bent down to help Terrell pick up the parts, Terrell's fear and tension completely disappeared, leaving only a trace of... doubt.

Strange, why was I so scared just now?

Terrell was puzzled.

He looked around. There were hundreds of people coming and going on the first floor of the Fourth District Tower. The commotion he had just caused had attracted the attention of many people, who were now looking in his direction.

This immediately relieved Terrell.

Yes, this is his territory.

How could Jie La Er possibly dare to lay a hand on him here?

Thinking of this, Terrell immediately felt relieved. He attributed his previous excessive tension to the poor rest he had received over the past two days, the shock of Ocott being killed by Jie La Er, and of course, the "truth" that had just been detected. All these factors combined to make him act so abnormally earlier.

But now that she's calmed down, Terrell knows she has absolutely nothing to be afraid of.

Even if Jie La Er already knew everything, he would never dare to lay a hand on him.

Because he was now standing in the sunlight, while Jie La Er... was nothing more than a rat in the shadows.

"Thank you so much, Lord Jie La Er." With that thought, a smile returned to Terrell's face. "Actually, you don't need to help me; I can handle it myself."

"Tell me what happened," Jie La Er said in a low voice.

Terrell was slightly taken aback. "What did you say?"

Jie La Er looked up at Terrell and said in a voice only the two of them could hear, "Stop pretending and tell me what happened. What happened ten years ago? What happened in the last ten years? And what about the Clock of Desolate Time that was just blown up?"

Terrell narrowed his eyes.

He didn't expect Jie La Er to lay his cards on the table so directly.

Are you feeling nervous? Nervous that your secret has been discovered.

That's the only way.

Terrell smiled again, but said, "Lord Jie La Er, I don't understand what you're saying. Everything here is normal, just as it was ten years ago, and it is now."

Jie La Er looked at Terrell and said slowly, "Could we talk somewhere else? There are too many people here."

Oh... it seems I guessed right after all.

Upon hearing Jie La Er's request, Terrell's smile widened, even carrying a hint of sarcasm. "Lord Jie La Er, I don't understand what you mean. Is there something shady between us? Perhaps you do, but I don't. If we must talk about it, let's do it here."

Jie La Er remained silent.

He was still watching Terrell, but his gaze no longer exerted the same pressure on Terrell as before.

In his view, Jie La Er already knew his secret had been exposed, so he wanted to try again.

In situations like these, Terrell is less likely to give him a chance.

Terrell has decided that when he sends a message to Lord Yongxin later, he will not leave this hall.

Jie La Er stared at Terrell for a long time before speaking for the last time, "I don't know how much you were involved, but I didn't detect any contamination on you, so I think you still have a chance... but this is your last chance. I'm helping you; any later and it will really be too late."

Terrell was somewhat surprised that Jie La Er would say such a thing; in fact, he detected a hint of sincerity and... pleading in Jie La Er's tone.

He looked at Jie La Er's eyes with some confusion. For some reason, Jie La Er's left eye, which was covered with gauze, always gave him a feeling of unease.

However, this feeling did not last long.

Terrell said calmly, "Lord Jie La Er, I don't understand what you're saying. Perhaps in your eyes, we are all problematic, and you are trying to save us all. But is it possible that we are all normal, and the only one with a problem is you?"

After saying that, Terrell stopped arguing with Jie La Er, tidied up the remaining parts, and stood up.

"The rest can be yours as a souvenir," Terrell shrugged and said. "That clock is ten years old after all. It's broken and outdated. It really shouldn't be kept with you anymore. Perhaps a scrap metal yard is the best place for it?"

After saying that, Terrell turned and left.

He was still somewhat wary that Jie La Er might come after him.

But Jie La Er didn't. He just stood there, watching Terrell's back. When Terrell turned around and glanced back, he suddenly felt that Jie La Er's gaze was like that of someone looking at a dead man.

This sent a chill down Terrell. He blinked, and when he looked again, Jie La Er had already turned and left.

"What a pretentious charlatan," Terrell muttered, then strode quickly toward the front desk. "Get me to the Tower of Babel right now."

He wanted to get the news to Lord Yongxin as soon as possible.

The sooner the better.

So he kept quickening his pace.

Then he felt his steps were fast and his body was very light.

And it's getting lighter and lighter.

It even felt like it was flying.

Then he saw the receptionist's expression gradually change from a smile to a blank stare, and finally to terror.

Final--

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh!"

With a snap.

Terrell's head hit the ground.

The last thing he saw before losing consciousness was a body that was only a third of its original size, walking briskly forward.

I'm going out tonight, so the second chapter might be a bit late. I'll post the first one first.