Return from the Other Shore: BeyonderDevilPlayer (1)

The sun is setting.

The sky was painted with rosy clouds.

Tall commercial buildings, glass-walled skyscrapers, and avant-garde office buildings stand silently in the setting sun.

The commercial area, which should be bustling with people, was completely deserted at this moment.

The smooth, clean streets felt so empty.

Only lifeless reinforced concrete casts shadows.

In this world, the only living thing—a woman—stands in the middle of the street, breathing slightly.

My office lady suit was soaked with cold sweat without me even realizing it, and a slight dizziness was swirling in my brain, swirling in my heart that had already prepared itself for the worst.

Is this really a good idea?

Is going to this point really worth it?

Was stepping into this world really the right thing to do?

"This was presumably your own choice, so it's neither right nor wrong."

A sound rang out.

That was a response to her confusion, accompanied by the sound of hundreds of footsteps.

Figures appeared at both ends of the street and walked towards her.

They include men and women, young and old, tall and short, fat and thin. Some have very striking appearances, while others are so ordinary that they are inconspicuous. However, while maintaining their individual differences, they all have a subtle sense of unity.

332 people walked from each side of the street, a total of 664 people, and surrounded her while maintaining a certain distance.

Welcome, our new compatriots.

This served as a starting point, and everyone expressed their welcome.

Welcome.

Welcome.

"Welcome"...

The same two words were repeated 664 times, and the simple welcoming ceremony came to an end.

664 pairs of eyes were fixed on the woman, awaiting her reaction.

"... Um, I'm very sorry, but how should I address you?"

Her slightly trembling hands betrayed her inner unease, but she still mustered the courage to ask.

"What you want to know is our 'identifier' or our real name?"

"Uh... identifier?"

Thus began the brief self-introductions of a total of 664 people.

"I am Demon who loves music."

"I am the Demon wearing slippers."

"I am the Demon with a sniper rifle."

"I am Sadistic demon."

"I am Demon longing for love."

"I'm Demon who likes saving money."

"I am the Thrifty and house-managing demon."

"I am the Demon wearing pajamas."

After a long time, the presentation for 664 people finally came to an end.

Sensing that asking for their real names might take longer, the woman wisely chose not to ask any further.

"... Excuse me, should I also have an identifier or something?"

"There should be one... let's call it 'The Demon wearing an OL suit'."

It's an extremely arbitrary name.

"Well then, perhaps we'll meet again someday. Goodbye..."

"Goodbye."

"Goodbye."

"Again--"

"Excuse me, please wait a moment!"

The woman interrupted them for the first time, and the 664 demons looked at each other in bewilderment.

"Actually, I... I became a demon for a reason... I had a purpose! I wanted to find someone!"

"... Please speak."

"Excuse me, do you... know Yusuo Zai?"

""

For the first time, the demons fell silent.

Then, the Demon with a sniper rifle spoke as a representative.

"Yusuo Zai, where he is in an instant... what is your relationship with him?"

"We... we were high school classmates, and we both went to Peking University, although he dropped out in his second year... Anyway, for some reasons, I want to see him again!"

Is this your reason for being a demon?

"Probably, I know it's ridiculous... but if you know him, please tell me! He should be one of you—no, one of us!"

"--' The White-haired one-eyed demon's is probably a thing of the past."

"... Huh?"

"Demon is just one of his many titles, not his only identity." "He has transcended our ironclad rules." "He occupies one of the 666 seats." "But he is no longer entirely one of us." "A terrifying fellow..." "He's quite handsome." "Few people know him well." "I don't want to have anything to do with him."

The woman felt lost and confused.

I thought I had finally caught up—only to find that the other person had already continued on their way.

"Even to you... is Yusuo Zai such an incredible being?"

"Ah, of course, after all, he is—"

Then, 664 demons gave someone 664 different names.

"The White-haired one-eyed Yusuo Zai," "The Financially struggling Yusuo Zai," "The Omniscient but incompetent Yusuo Zai," "The Sadistic literary youth Yusuo Zai Ignorant but all-powerful Yusuo Zai," "The Yu Who Is a Demonic and Artistic Youth," "The Invincible Yusuo Zai, "Malnourished Yusuo Zai "The Yu Who Is Malnourished," "The Breeder Yusuo Zai Pseudo-transcender Yusuo Zai," "The Yu Singing king Yusuo Zai," "The Yu Who Is a Breeder," "The Great recluse in the city Yusuo Zai," "The Worldview shattered Yusuo Zai," "The Yu Yusuo Zai of inaction," "The Yu Literature enthusiast Yusuo Zai," "The Master of the abyss Yusuo Zai - Leading figure in science Yusuo Zai," "The Yu Academic genius Yusuo Zai," "The Yu Who Is the Master of the Abyss," "The Virtuous and artistically accomplished Yusuo Zai," "The Lord of contracts Yusuo Zai," "The Weak physique Yusuo Zai," "The Combat idiot Yusuo Zai," "The Invincible in every battle Yusuo Zai," "The Blood and rust Yusuo Zai," "The Dimensional Crosser Yusuo Zai"...

The woman was almost dumbfounded.

"Um... isn't there a more standardized way to address someone?"

"If you want unification..."

The 664 demons paused for a moment, then gave the same answer.

"The King of Ten Thousand Demons, Yusuo Zai."

"--I suppose some bored people will give me a title like 'King of Ten Thousand Demons'?"

"What an outdated title."

Wait, why are they suddenly having such a peaceful conversation!?

"Personally, I believe that peaceful communication is always better than violent conflict. The biggest difference between humans and other animals lies in the presence or absence of intelligence. Solving problems through language rather than violence is itself a manifestation of intelligence, so this is a good thing."

He casually brushed the dirt off a relatively flat rock, lazily sat down, and Triangle Head stood silently behind him.

A dusty mountain breeze ruffled his slightly disheveled white hair. It wasn't the dreamy, snow-white of Xiao Wu, but a deathly pallor reminiscent of old age and death. He was very thin, with little flesh on his body, and the lines of his ribs were visible beneath his slightly oversized old T-shirt. His skin, though not flawless, had an unhealthy sallow complexion, as if he had been suffering from chronic malnutrition, which had largely ruined his once handsome face. He wore almost completely white jeans, with frayed cuffs and a loose belt. The jeans weren't baggy, but they still looked loose on his legs. On his feet were a pair of worn-out, grayish Nikes. It was hard to tell how long he had worn them, but they were probably the most valuable things he owned.

Well... but what's most striking is his empty left eye socket, dark and lifeless, with something seemingly wriggling inside.

Overall, if he had a few months of good food and drink to replenish his nutrition, wear a prosthetic eye, and change into a fashionable new outfit, he could definitely become a handsome man who would turn heads, instead of looking like a low-income person struggling to survive.

"I'm not exactly struggling to survive, but I do receive government welfare, which makes me a little embarrassed."

"Hello, hello..."

I have absolutely no idea where this guy came from or how he appeared.

By the time we noticed, we had already greeted each other and even started exchanging pleasantries naturally. The atmosphere was quite harmonious, and we didn't feel like we had encountered an enemy at all.

I stared at him coldly... or at least I felt my gaze was quite cold.

"Anyway... may I ask your name?"

"Didn't it say that in Ling Ye's Relic?"

"..."

Okay, I do remember, I can't help but remember, after all, it's a character listed after the Leader.

"Wherever Xu Yu is, Yusuo Zai... By the way, do you know what Ling Ye left for Xiao Wu?"

"I do know about this, although I'm not completely omniscient, Mr. Ye."

"... Omniscience is divided into 'complete' and 'incomplete'?"

"The truly omniscient know everything from the beginning, while the partially omniscient only possess the ability to know everything and need to accumulate knowledge before they can approach omniscience."

"I see... Wait, that's not important!"

I was completely bewildered.

This guy named Yusuo Zai is a high-ranking member of the organization, right? He just appeared in front of me without any sense of tension? He doesn't have the aura of a final boss at all? Could he be the "cooperator among the higher-ups" that Huang Huo mentioned? He just called me "Mr. Ye," didn't he? But I'm clearly a girl right now, aren't I? And what's with Triangle Head? Is he his subordinate or a summon? And why do the people from Spirit Star have classic monsters from Konami games?!

"Explaining each of your questions individually would take a lot of time, so please ask them one by one. However, I am not the one to assist you in this Huang Huo."

"... Do you know what I'm thinking?"

"If I made you feel disgusted, I apologize," Yusuo Zai, scratching his head apologetically. "But neither of us needs to be too reserved. After all, we're from the same hometown, and I've essentially erased the concept of 'sound' from the understanding of anyone else in this area, so there's no need to worry about our conversation being leaked."

Are you from the same hometown?

This should have been explosive news, but for some reason I couldn't get excited.

To give an analogy, it's like being in bed with a girl and just about to reach home base, when you suddenly lose your erection.

"I suddenly lost my erection just as I was about to reach home base with the girl?"

"You can really Mind Reading!?"

"It's not impossible to Mind Reading, but I can usually tell what others are thinking just by relying on my intuition."

"I actually believed it... Wait, we're getting a bit off-topic. You said you're an Earthling like me? And from China at that?"

"Pingqiao District, Xinyang City, Henan Province —this is where I grew up, attended junior high and high school there, went to university in Beijing but dropped out midway, and now lives in the oldest part of Xi'an's old city."

He tilted his head slightly, as if recalling something.

"We even grew up in the same province... So, can I assume you're also a time traveler?"

"If time travel is defined as transcending the limitations of time and space to reach other worlds or eras, then I could tentatively be considered one. However, I should add that the concept of time and space in the human world has very little binding force on me; I can go back anytime to eat a Roujiamo) or something like that."

"...?"

I initially thought this guy was just a time traveler who came before me, who, like me, had some fortuitous encounters, became very strong, and eventually joined the villainous organization to become the new protagonist's opponent—a typical, cliché plot. But something seems off?