Frozen Wish

The person who appeared was Chaoyang.

He had now cut off all player connections, facing the final target of the contract alone.

Chaoyang extended his right hand, shaping it into an axe, and then pressed the blade against the opponent's neck.

Kuiqi, swallowing blood, yelled indistinctly, "You can't kill me! If you kill me... you'll live in fear forever! Those people won't let you go... They'll skin you alive and scrape your flesh off bit by bit..."

Aiming at the right spot, Chaoyang raised his hand, unmoved.

"Don't, please, spare me, I promise I'll never do this again! There's a lot of money in the safe, spare my life and it's all yours!"

Chaoyang paused slightly. "I only want one thing."

"Yes, what is it? Tell me, as long as I can do it, I'll get it for you!" Kuiqi forced a fawning expression onto his bloody face.

"Your head."

With that, he swung the axe down fiercely!

"This is your requested item. Although it's not quite complete and the face is badly burned, it is indeed from the North City Police Station..."

"I know, it's Kuiqi." Haia. Mila interrupted, her eyes fixed on the head, as if trying to imprint the scene into her memory. "How could I not recognize him? Even if he turned to ash, I would remember his appearance."

"With this, the contract is considered complete." Chaoyang breathed a sigh of relief. He was currently in Wangshui Manor and could only communicate with his contractor through a phantom projection, so the head Haia saw was not a real object. However, he hadn't lied to her; Kuiqi's head was currently in his hand, and the projection was constructed according to his true appearance.

"May I... have it?" she asked again.

"Your body... I'm afraid it won't last until I get back." Chaoyang shook his head slightly. The spirit representing Haia was currently sitting on the bedside, while her physical body beneath was breathing weakly, her heartbeat almost gone. In fact, the state of the spirit indicated she had become even more transparent than an hour ago, meaning her consciousness was also gradually fading.

Aside from communication on a mental level, Haia could no longer react—not even to simple actions like opening her eyes, let alone truly taking the head.

"It's okay, this will do."

"This?" Chaoyang was slightly taken aback. Both the woman sitting on the bedside and himself standing by the bed were merely phantoms conceived by consciousness. How could there be a concept of exchange? However, even as he thought this, he brought the head closer to her.

Then Chaoyang witnessed an incredible scene.

Haia reached out and took Kuiqi's scorched head.

It was like two 3D movies playing simultaneously, and then one of them transferred an object from within the movie to the other!

The woman held the head, slowly raised it to her face, and tears welled up in her eyes.

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

With that, Haia clasped her hands together forcefully, and the head was immediately crushed, turning into pieces of black dust that dissipated into the air.

After doing all this, she turned to look at Chaoyang, smiling for the first time. The tears still lingering in her eyes were replaced by relief and liberation.

"Thank you, I knew you would be able to fulfill my wish."

"It was actually quite perilous," Chaoyang thought. "If it weren't for Detective Zhang's idea, it might have really gone wrong in the end. Of course, the biggest problem was insufficient intelligence, like what exactly a 'Champion Warrior' is. Secondly, there was a lack of manpower; how to increase the number of players while limiting wish power consumption is also something he needs to solve."

However, he wouldn't show it on the surface. "Serving clients and ensuring their satisfaction has always been our noble goal." As he spoke, Chaoyang took out the contract. "You may not be able to sign your name now, but as long as you agree in your heart, hair and fingerprints can be considered marks of the contract."

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

Only then did Chaoyang notice that the contract within the phantom projection already had her name engraved at the end.

...Could consciousness communication also have a substantial impact on each other?

While he was still puzzled, Haia's spirit began to glow. Countless pure white light spots emerged from her body and flew towards the sky. Simultaneously, a powerful surge of wish power flowed into Chaoyang's body, making him feel so comfortable that he couldn't help but close his eyes slightly.

"May I be so bold as to ask, are you a deity?"

Amidst the shining light, Haia asked.

"No... I am just..."

"If only you were a deity," she shook her head slightly, her tone full of regret. "I know this is disrespectful to the God of Storms, but if you were the one protecting Lalachi Island, perhaps everyone wouldn't have to die."

Chaoyang fell silent.

"Oh, right, my sister must also have many wishes she wants to fulfill. Please go and help her. Her reward will surely not disappoint you." Haia's voice grew lighter and weaker, as if coming from a great distance.

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

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

The light faded, and everything returned to peace.

Haia. Mila's spirit vanished without a trace, leaving only the body lying quietly on the bed. Her eyes were closed, and there was no trace of pain on her face, as if she had fallen into an eternal slumber.

The sky was already beginning to turn white.

The night was slowly receding from the earth.

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

"Don't move!"

Suddenly, a loud shout interrupted Chaoyang's movement.

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

Chaoyang raised an eyebrow. It was still early morning; didn't the City Guard need to sleep?

He raised his hand as instructed and slowly turned around.

He saw a woman clad in an armored cloak glaring at him vigilantly, a longsword still in her right hand. At that moment, the sound of hurried footsteps also echoed from downstairs, clearly indicating she wasn't the only one who had come.

"You..." She frowned upon seeing Chaoyang's appearance, "Take off your mask, citizen."

"What if I refuse?"

"Then don't blame me for being overly rough." The other party's voice grew colder, "I have reason to suspect you are the culprit behind the theater arson and the police station attack. I never show mercy to those who trample upon the laws and order of Glorious Fortress."

"Me? Trampling upon laws and order?" Chaoyang chuckled, "If Glorious Fortress itself is a hell, then I admit to breaking the rules. But it also has places like Yenie Holy Hall... and many enthusiastic people who dislike seeing the truth buried and dare to step forward to uncover secrets. Isn't it a bit unfair to call it a hell?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Just chatting, really. After all, I'm ready."

Sandella's expression faltered for a moment, then, as if realizing something, she suddenly thrust her sword at Chaoyang, her speed as swift as lightning!

However, a black metallic sphere rolled onto the ground faster than her.

The instant it made contact with the ground, a blinding white light erupted with a sharp explosion, instantly engulfing the entire room! The intense light was brighter than the sun, making it impossible for anyone to look directly at it!

Sandella's vision blurred, her ears throbbed, and she involuntarily turned her head away.

The intense light came and went quickly.

A few seconds later, the room returned to normal, but Chaoyang's figure had completely vanished, leaving only a red and black mask pierced by the tip of a sword on the ground.