A Wish Frozen in Time

The person who appeared was Chaoyang.

He had already severed every player's connection. Now he faced the contract's final target alone.

Chaoyang stretched out his right hand and formed an axe, then pressed its blade against the man's neck.

Kuiqi choked on blood as he shouted incoherently, "You can't kill me! If you kill me... you'll live in fear for the rest of your life! Those people won't let you get away with it... They'll skin you alive and carve the flesh off you piece by piece..."

Once he had lined up his strike, Chaoyang raised his hand without a flicker of hesitation.

"Don't! Please, spare me! I swear I'll never do anything like this again! There's lots of money in the safe. Let me live, and it's all yours!"

Chaoyang paused for a moment. "There's only one thing I want."

"W-what is it? Just say the word. If I can do it, I'll get it for you!" Kuiqi's bloodied face twisted into a desperate smile.

"Your head."

With that, he swung the axe down!

"This is what you wished for. It's not exactly intact, and most of his face was burned away, but he really is from North City Police Station..."

"I know. It's Kuiqi." Haia Mila interrupted him, staring fixedly at the head as if she wanted to engrave the sight into her memory. "How could I fail to recognize him? Even if he were reduced to ashes, I'd still remember his face."

"Then the contract is complete." Chaoyang breathed a little easier. He was currently at Wangshui Manor, and could only contact his contractor through an illusory projection, so the head Haia saw wasn't the real thing. But he hadn't deceived her. Kuiqi's head was in his hand, and the image was modeled on its actual appearance.

"Could you... bring it to me?" she asked.

"I'm afraid your body won't last until I can get back." Chaoyang gave a slight shake of his head. The spirit representing Haia sat at the head of the bed, while the body beneath her had only the faintest breath and a faltering heartbeat. Her spirit had also grown a little more transparent than it had been an hour ago, a sign that her consciousness was gradually fading.

Aside from communicating through her thoughts, Haia could no longer react in any way—not even perform a simple act like opening her eyes, let alone take the head in her hands.

"That's all right. This will do."

"This?" Chaoyang stared at her, momentarily confused. The woman sitting at the head of the bed and he himself, standing beside it, were both just projections shaped by consciousness. How could they possibly exchange anything? Still, he held the head out to her.

Then Chaoyang witnessed something impossible.

Haia reached out and took Kuiqi's charred head.

It was as if two 3D movies were playing side by side, and someone had passed a prop from one film into the other!

Holding the head, the woman slowly raised it in front of her. Tears welled in her eyes.

"Ata, Wuqier, Kutes..." She choked out a long list of names. "Did you all see that? The man who killed you... is finally dead! Now you can truly rest in peace and return to the embrace of the sea."

Then Haia clasped her hands together, crushing the head. It crumbled into flakes of black smoke that scattered and vanished in midair.

When she was done, she turned to Chaoyang and smiled for the first time. Her tear-bright eyes held nothing but relief and comfort.

"Thank you. I knew you'd make my wish come true."

That was a close one, Chaoyang thought. If Detective Zhang hadn't come up with the idea, things might really have gone wrong at the end. The biggest problem, of course, had been the lack of information—like what exactly a champion warrior was. The next was the shortage of manpower. He still needed to figure out how to increase the number of players while limiting the consumption of Wish Force.

But he kept those thoughts to himself. "Serving our clients and making them happy has always been our noble goal." As he spoke, Chaoyang took out the contract. "You may not be able to sign your name right now, but if you agree in your heart, a strand of hair or a fingerprint can also serve as a mark of agreement."

"I've already signed it," she said with a smile.

Only then did Chaoyang notice that her name had already been engraved at the end of the contract in the projection.

...Could communicating through their thoughts really have a tangible effect on both of them?

While he was still trying to make sense of it, Haia's spirit began to glow. Countless white points of light rose from her and drifted toward the sky. At the same time, a surging torrent of Wish Force poured into Chaoyang, so soothing that he couldn't help half-closing his eyes.

"Forgive me for asking, but... are you a god?"

Amid the dazzling light, Haia asked him.

"No... I'm just..."

"How wonderful it would be if you were a god." She gave a small shake of her head, her voice full of regret. "I know this is disrespectful to the God of Storms, but if you had protected Lalachi Island, maybe everyone wouldn't have died."

Chaoyang fell silent.

"Oh, right. My younger sister must have many wishes she wants to fulfill, too. Please go help her. I'm sure she'll give you a worthy reward." Haia's voice grew lighter and fainter, as if coming from far away.

"Your younger sister? What's her name?" Chaoyang asked.

But she didn't answer—or rather, he could no longer hear her reply.

The light faded, and everything fell still.

Haia Mila's spirit vanished without a trace, leaving only her body lying quietly on the bed. Her eyes were closed, her face free of pain, as though she had fallen into an eternal sleep.

The sky had already begun to lighten.

The night was slowly retreating from the land.

Chaoyang sighed softly, dropped Kuiqi's head, and rose to leave.

"Don't move!"

A sudden shout stopped him in his tracks.

"I am Sandella Allen, commander of the City Guard! Citizen, I order you to raise your hands, turn around, and cooperate with my investigation!"

Chaoyang raised an eyebrow. It was still the middle of the night. Did the City Guard never sleep?

He did as she said, raising his hands and slowly turning around.

A woman wearing an armored cloak stared at him warily, a long sword in her right hand. Noisy footsteps sounded from downstairs. She clearly hadn't come alone.

"You..." She frowned when she saw Chaoyang. "Take off your mask, citizen."

"And if I refuse?"

"Then don't blame me if I use excessive force." Her voice turned cold. "I have reason to suspect you're the one who burned down the theater and attacked the police station. I never show mercy to anyone who tramples on Glorious Fortress's laws and order."

"Me? Trampling on the law and order?" Chaoyang laughed. "If Glorious Fortress itself were a living hell, then I'd admit I was breaking the rules. But there are places like Yenie Holy Hall here... and plenty of passionate people who can't stand seeing the truth buried and dare to step forward to expose what's hidden. Isn't it a little unfair to call it hell?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Just making conversation. After all, I'm ready."

Sandella froze. Then, as if she realized what he meant, she thrust her sword at Chaoyang with lightning speed!

But a black metal sphere rolled to the ground even faster than she could move.

The instant it hit the floor, a blinding white flash burst forth with a sharp bang, swallowing the entire room! The light was brighter than the sun, impossible for anyone to look at!

Sandella's vision flashed white, and pain stabbed through her ears. She turned her head before she could stop herself.

The blinding light vanished as quickly as it had come.

A few seconds later, the room returned to normal, but Chaoyang had disappeared completely. All that remained on the floor was a red-and-black mask pierced by the tip of a sword.