Recovery in the Downpour

Golden light shone, shielding us from the rain and dispelling the gloom.

Looking at the small black cube Levitation above his palm, the Blond Young Man exhaled slightly and turned his gaze forward.

Not far in front of him, a purple-haired Young Girl fully encased in mecha stood there with her eyes closed, as if in standby mode.

[Puzzle Card▪Guardian], a Level- Half-Epic card, has the Special Effect of dispelling and sealing. It is a powerful tool specially crafted by the Council for those Anomaly that have a physical body or core.

The Council spared no expense in this rescue operation. The Puzzle Card were hailed as the ultimate cards, said to be able to do anything. As long as the person could be rescued, a way to completely save them could eventually be found.

Although Tian Huo's reputation in the Real World has been tarnished, Ziyi is indeed Hero who saved hundreds of thousands of people in a city. This achievement is something that the other two Patrol Envoy never erase, so they can only desperately pour Black Water on Tian Huo.

While the primary objective of this Large-scale Campaign Quest is to resolve the issues arising in the Core Zone, the matter concerning Ziyi is equally of paramount importance.

Ziyi herself had merged with the [Curse Origin] and become one with it. With the [Curse Origin] sealed by the Puzzle Card, she herself also fell into a state of dormancy.

And along with her, the enormous Stone Giant born from the Anomaly underground also fell into silence. The city, which had been in chaos just moments before, became quiet in an instant.

"What a pity, without any self-awareness, you're nothing more than a Corpse..."

He wiped the blood from his face, took a few deep breaths, then took a box out of his Inventory, opened it Blond Young Man, and put the black cube inside.

Although this thing has been sealed by the Puzzle Card, he dares not touch it. Once he does, his Sanity Value will plummet and his maximum Sanity Value will be reduced.

At the same time, this thing cannot be put in Inventory, otherwise the consequences will be even more serious.

But none of that matters anymore. His mission is complete. Once he gets rid of the rats, he can return to reality as the Hero who saved the Hero, carrying these two items.

"If you hadn't come out earlier, it's too late now; you've missed your chance."

The Blond Young Man closed the box, casually tossed it aside, and turned to look at Tian Huo standing in the midst of the chaotic street.

"Or have you finally thought it through? Are you ready to wear the collar and become my slave girl?"

"That's a low-level tactic. Do you think I'd get angry over such boring nonsense?"

Clutching a Scarlet staff tightly in his hand, Tian Huo's face was icy cold.

"Are you so sure that I haven't made any progress during the three years I've been trapped here?"

"Progress? There are only endless Flayed Living Corpse here. What progress have you made?"

The Blond Young Man spread his hands, looking utterly astonished.

"It's really tough on you, really. You used to be so disgusted by the sight of Flayed Living Corpse that you couldn't eat, but one day you actually managed to eat these Flayed Living Corpse for three years. You really have no guts to survive... What, did I hit the nail on the head?"

Looking at Tian Huo, whose expression had slightly changed, the Blond Young Man wore a mocking expression.

"Where's your little boyfriend? Is he hiding somewhere preparing to Black Gun again? I was really looking forward to him making a move when I was fighting your Master, but I didn't expect him to actually hold back..."

Pointing to his temple, the Blond Young Man's eyes were filled with a cold glint, but a bright smile graced his face.

"Come on, I won't move. Let him hit me here and see if he can kill me."

"..."

Amidst the torrential downpour, Tian Huo remained silent.

To be honest, she hadn't expected someone to be so bold.

Her earlier change in expression wasn't due to the other person's words, but rather because she saw a hand suddenly emerge from the Shadow behind the other person, from beside the box containing the small black cube that had been casually tossed aside, and deftly snatch the box into her Inventory...

Highly skilled Rogue often employ the simplest methods of theft.

The System Inventory isn't something you can just put anything in. There have been cases where people have gotten themselves killed by randomly stuffing things into Inventory, but considering the Pitch Black Rubik's Cube that the other party took out earlier... it doesn't seem like there's really anything wrong with it?

To be honest, she felt that the [Pitch Black Rubik's Cube] was far more terrifying than the [Curse Origin]; they weren't even in the Level...

If the [Curse Origin] is Level 10, she thinks the Pitch Black Rubik's Cube is at least Level 30.

... Should it succeed?

For some reason, Tian Huo felt a sweat trickle down his face.

"What, you're not going to say anything? Or have you already considered my suggestion?"

Looking at the silent Tian Huo before him, the Blond Young Man couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. He frowned slightly and turned around to look behind him.

--Everything continued as usual.

Under the Shadow of the box's back, and with the cover of the downpour, several fingers were quietly retreating into the Shadow.

"... What level have you reached now?"

After a moment of silence, Tian Huo spoke up and asked.

"And what exactly happened outside during the three years I was trapped here?"

"What, you really want to know?"

Turning his head again, the Blond Young Man looked at the Tian Huo in front of him with a playful expression.

"Beg me, beg me, and I'll tell you."

"..."

Tian Huo didn't reply this time, but just stared at him coldly.

"Tsk, boring. I much preferred your earlier angry, murderous look."

After scrutinizing the other person for a moment, and finding no emotion he desired in their eyes Blond Young Man waved his hand dismissively with a bored expression.

"What happened outside? Didn't I already tell you? Your family is ruined, all the family businesses have been swallowed up by me and Uncle Kong... Oh no, you're not quite ruined, because you still have a Little Brother in here, don't you?"

The Blond Young Man wore a fake expression of concern.

"You're already at your wit's end, so it's better for you to submit to me sooner rather than later. But this time you won't be a female slave; instead, you'll be a female dog. I'll guarantee your life, what do you say?"

"I didn't do anything wrong."

Tian Huo's face remained expressionless.

"You didn't do anything wrong, but what does it matter? The only mistake was that your Master shouldn't have sacrificed himself. All the consequences you're suffering now are caused by your Master."

The Blond Young Man let out a sneer for no apparent reason.

"When a ray of light shines into darkness, that light is guilty. Have you ever thought about where your Master's self-sacrifice would leave Uncle Kong and the others? People would accuse them of being cowards and afraid of death. Under the condemnation of public opinion, would they still have a future in the Council?"

"They were inherently cowards who clung to life. If they weren't, they wouldn't have dawdled and waited for my Master to make a decision back then."

Tian Huo spoke coldly.

"Don't try to find lofty excuses for your despicable behavior; it only makes me feel nauseous and disgusted. There's a limit to shamelessness. Do you really have any sense of shame?"

"These are the unspoken rules that everyone has to follow. You've been here for three years, and you're still so naive?"

The Blond Young Man wore a mocking expression.

"The one at fault is your Master, because she almost put Master Uncle Kong and the others in an unjust and immoral position. So, don't blame us, blame your Master. Because she's the one who caused your... family ruin and death!!"

As soon as the Blond Young Man uttered those words, a thick bolt of lightning ripped through the Tian Kong, illuminating the entire world in a blinding flash.

Behind him, the purple-haired Young Girl slowly opened her eyes.