At the restaurant that evening, in the same old spot, Huai Shi saw the Bear God again.
"You know what's going on, right?"
Compared to last time, Richard seemed far more exhausted. Who knew how many nights he had stayed up? His eyes were bloodshot from tobacco smoke, yet his appetite had not diminished in the slightest. With an appetite Huai Shi could only envy, he was wolfing down the mountain of brisket on his plate at astonishing speed.
Sauce dripped through his fingers, carrying a spicy, cloying scent. He ate with tremendous relish. Such heavy flavors were truly admirable.
"Want some?" Richard noticed Huai Shi's stunned stare and looked up.
"...Everything happened too suddenly. I don't have much of an appetite. Maybe next time."
Huai Shi sighed. "You got the notice too?"
"A notice? I never saw anything like that. But the Unified Bureau's transfer orders and command papers came down with Congress's documents. Their tone was unpleasantly arrogant, and their methods were unbearably overbearing. They looked like they were here to save the world and everyone else merely needed to cooperate. But it seemed there was no other choice but to cooperate—"
Richard paused, glanced at Huai Shi's solemn expression, and could not help baring his teeth in mockery. "Relax. The Present Realm hasn't reached the point where it needs to count on you yet, 'great hero.'"
"I'm just a little nervous," Huai Shi said helplessly.
"Look on the bright side. Even if you die, it won't affect the overall situation, right?"
The Bear God offered comfort in his own unique way. "This won't be America fighting alone. It's a true coalition of lineages—even I'm nothing more than a screw in the machine. And what we'll be facing is..."
He thought for a moment and shrugged slightly. "That