Alibi

Since Zhongli was so slippery, why didn't she go after Paimon and Ono Yoko instead?

It was obvious at a glance that neither of them had any fighting ability.

"Summer insects cannot speak of ice. Nothing could be more fitting."

Zhongli's tone remained calm. Without any movement from him, the yellow, glittering Mora began to melt rapidly like ice cream.

"All currency that circulates across the continent is my flesh and blood."

Those words were inscribed among the ascension materials of all Geo Element Characters.

Unlike ordinary money, on the Teyvat Continent, Mora was not only currency used throughout the land, but also a precious catalyst that could strengthen weapons and equipment.

To Morax, the God of Wealth, Mora was also His flesh and blood—His divine power.

In the end, the piles of gold coins melted and condensed into a tiny golden droplet that floated silently above Zhongli's palm.

"How dare you—"

Hearing Zhongli's assessment, the Chameleon Witch naturally felt the fury of a giant being provoked by an ant rise within her heart.

Then, she met Zhongli's gaze again.

What kind of eyes were those?!

The moment she came into contact with those pupils radiating golden light, the fury within the Chameleon Witch, which had been on the verge of erupting like a volcano, vanished instantly like a punctured balloon.

What replaced it was instinctive terror born from the depths of a living creature's nature, a tremor from the deepest reaches of her soul.

What exactly was this feeling?!

The Chameleon Witch was uncertain and alarmed. Even when facing her master, Crow Feather Demon Blade Pill, she had never felt such bone-chilling horror.

This was no longer the feeling of facing another of her kind who was simply stronger.

It was like facing an existence that completely surpassed them from the very foundation of existence itself.

"Impossible. I was just chasing him all over the place. This must be me scaring myself."

Yet no matter how she reassured herself, the Chameleon Witch's body was brutally honest.

She did not attack Zhongli again. Instead, she charged directly at Paimon and Ono Yoko.

As long as she captured hostages, then—

The next moment, she slammed hard into a golden barrier.

"This is—?!"

Only then did the Chameleon Witch realize in horror that she had somehow been confined within a golden sphere.

What she found even harder to accept was that although the golden barrier looked like the Jade Screen Shield Zhongli had used earlier, which she had shattered with one blow, it was far sturdier than she could have imagined.

No matter how she clawed or struck at it, the sphere did not budge in the slightest. There was not even the faintest sign of damage.

"So amazing! Just as expected of Zhongli."

Seeing this, Paimon finally relaxed completely.

Since Zhongli had regained his strength, even if only temporarily, it was enough to give her an incomparable sense of security.

Zhongli merely nodded lightly, without displaying his usual modesty.

He raised his right hand and seemed to use that golden droplet as material, remotely drawing a talisman toward the Chameleon Witch, who was raging helplessly inside the golden sphere.

"Arghhh..."

For the Chameleon Witch, merely being illuminated by the talisman's golden light was enough to make her let out a pained howl. Zhongli was now drawing the talisman directly within her body.

"You're trying to control me—dream on!?"

At the instant Zhongli's talisman fully took shape, the Chameleon Witch finally understood its true purpose.

But before absolute power, she no longer had any room to resist—

Watching the witch explode with a thunderous blast and swiftly disperse into smoke, Zhongli raised an eyebrow in mild surprise.

"Decisive, at least."

"Is it over? You're still as amazing as ever, Zhongli."

Once Zhongli dispersed the golden barrier, Paimon immediately flew over and spoke familiarly.

"Paimon flatters me. I merely did what little I could. Besides, there are still some loose ends regarding that monster."

Zhongli nodded. After exchanging a few words with Paimon, he quickly had Yin Kong switch him to the background.

"Traveler!"

When Yin Kong reappeared, Paimon flew over with a worried look and inspected his shoulder.

Thanks to the Mushroom Chicken Skewers, the bone-deep wound had naturally healed long ago.

"Paimon, this time, it was thanks to you too."

Without the little one's private stash, the remaining funds in Yin Kong's own inventory probably would not have been enough to support Zhongli's strength at that level.

"Hehehe, I'm glad I could help." Thinking of how her private stash had been completely emptied, Paimon could not help feeling a little heartbroken. But she quickly asked curiously, "By the way, Traveler, what else does Zhongli need to deal with?"

Yin Kong quickly explained.

"It's about that monster. If Zhongli's guess is right, she probably isn't dead yet."

It was precisely because she possessed a means of resurrection that she had self-destructed so decisively.

Of course, it was also because Zhongli had anticipated this that he had not simply pierced her with a spear, instead choosing the more troublesome method of using a talisman.

"What?!"

Paimon could not help jumping in fright.

She had personally witnessed the Chameleon Witch's strength. Even Zhongli in his normal state could barely protect himself against her.

If she returned, they might not be able to come up with another three hundred thousand Mora every time.

"There's no need to worry so much. Zhongli's talisman cannot be broken free of so easily."

If she could escape that easily, it would be far too much of an underestimate of the Geo Archon's divine power.

Alibi

"What kind of existence was that?!"

On the other side of the Earth, within a decayed nest filled with surging black aura, the Chameleon Witch crawled out of a huge black egg in an extremely weakened state.

Still shaken by fear, she stared in Tokyo's direction as though she could see those golden eyes looking down upon her again. Her blurry body began trembling uncontrollably.

If possible, she absolutely never wanted to appear within that person's field of vision again.

Fortunately, she had fled decisively enough. This time, she needed to eat a few more delicious livestock—

"Urgh—"

The instant that thought surfaced, the Chameleon Witch clutched her head and collapsed to the ground.

To her utter terror, she discovered a golden talisman floating within her consciousness. The horrifying pain came from it.

"Why is it still there?!"

Soon, the Chameleon Witch discovered in despair that the moment she entertained any thought harmful to Yin Kong, or even the intention to hurt humans, the talisman's restriction would immediately activate, plunging her into agony so intense that she could not move at all.

Chameleon Witch's Mask · Chris ×1

"Is it... over?"

In the Tokyo apartment, Ono Yoko asked uncertainly as Yin Kong stepped forward to pick up the item dropped by the Chameleon Witch.

After all, everything that had just happened had completely exceeded her understanding.

"It really is over."

Yin Kong nodded slightly, feeling the relief of having survived a disaster as well.

He had never encountered a situation where even teleportation could not shake off pursuit.

Sure enough, games and reality were still very different.

If he had failed to pull Zhongli just now, he probably would have had no way to survive the claws of a monster like that.

Now, although he had not permanently dealt with the Chameleon Witch, he could faintly sense the talisman Zhongli had planted within her soul.

It was just that the distance was likely too great, making the connection unclear.

However, as long as she came within a thousand miles of him, Yin Kong could immediately use the talisman to control her every move.

The Geo Archon truly handled matters with impeccable thoroughness.

"So what exactly happened? Why did Miss Chris suddenly turn into such a terrifying monster? And Miss Yuko and Mr. Yamagishi, they really... they already..."

Hearing Ono Yoko's question, Yin Kong said quietly, "I think that was not the real Miss Chris. It was merely a monster that borrowed her appearance. As for those two... I'm sorry. I'm afraid it is just as you think."

"How could this be?!"

Ono Yoko froze, her eyes full of disbelief.

Not long ago, they had still been her living, breathing colleagues and friends. Had they really died without any warning, just like that?

So suddenly? So absurdly?

Seeing this, Yin Kong sighed softly, unable to stop guilt from rising in his heart.

After all, if he had not been careless, the Chameleon Witch clearly would not have had the chance to enter the real world and begin slaughtering people.

Yin Kong had long realized that rashly breaking the boundary between these demons and monsters and reality was not a good thing. But he had not expected that the first accident would cost two innocent lives.

Noticing Yin Kong's low spirits, Paimon immediately waved her hands and comforted him.

"No, don't blame yourself, Traveler. I'm sure you didn't want something like this to happen either, right? And you must have already done everything you could.

The real culprits are those cunning monsters!"

That was true. In that situation, he truly had no room to save anyone.

If Ono Yoko had not moved closer to him of her own accord, this popular idol would probably have been casually drained dry by the Chameleon Witch too.

Ono Yoko wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and took the initiative to comfort him.

"That's right, Mr. Yin Kong. This isn't your fault. You don't need to blame yourself."

"Thank you, but don't worry. I'm not that fragile."

With their comfort, Yin Kong shook his head lightly and quickly regained control of his emotions.

However, he soon discovered that a World Quest called Under the Shadows had appeared in his quest log. It should have been obtained after defeating the Chameleon Witch.

After being attacked by a monster lurking in the cracks, you finally realized that this world was not as peaceful as it appeared. So you chose—

[Strike while the iron is hot and charge straight into the enemy's lair. Just rush in and be done with it. (High difficulty, choose carefully)]

[Keep a low profile for now and develop cautiously.]

Without much hesitation, Yin Kong directly chose to develop cautiously.

Old Master Zhongli was indeed powerful, but he could not produce another three hundred thousand Mora. It was better to be a little more careful.

After Yin Kong made his choice, he immediately received thirty Primogems, as well as miscellaneous rewards such as Experience Books and Mora. The quest guidance also changed to Cleanup.

Only then did Yin Kong remember, prompted by the quest, that the disturbance the Chameleon Witch had caused in Ono Yoko's apartment had been anything but small.

He had no doubt that the residents nearby might already have called the police, or even discovered the bloody remains of Ikezawa Yuko and Yamagishi Ei.

How would the authorities handle this?

And thinking further, did this world have an organization specifically dedicated to fighting such monsters?

If they discovered someone like Yin Kong, what attitude would they take?

Ever since crossing over, Yin Kong had cautiously gathered information on this matter, but unfortunately, he had found very little.

At the very least, he had yet to find any reliable shrines or temples.

Ono Yoko froze for a moment, then said with a shocked expression: