Volume Five: Return from the Other Shore - Chapter 470: The Cleanup Crew (Part 2)

"... So I'm not the enemy?"

"I used to consider you an enemy, but let's forget about that now... To be honest, I really admire you, and I had a lot of fun fighting you. If we hadn't met under these circumstances, I probably would have become sworn brothers with you, right?"

"Stop being disgusting..."

"I'm serious... It's rare to find a true friend in life. I can understand how you feel, and you, as you've grown up, can understand me too. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had this conflict... Ha, how ironic."

"... Thank you so much, but are you serious? You want me to kill you?"

"I think dying gracefully is much cooler than lingering on in misery, right? But Spirit Sacrifice-chan will definitely be heartbroken... But seeing me alive and wretched like this, she'll definitely be sad too... Ugh, these kinds of choices with no right or wrong are so annoying!"

"Don't expect me to choose for you. I've told you I hate making choices the most."

"I'm the same—no, wait!!!"

Yu Jie was jolted awake when he suddenly remembered something he had almost forgotten. It was something far more important than life and death, the root cause of his tumultuous escape!

The organization's secrets! They must be entrusted to a trustworthy person as soon as possible! This is of paramount importance!

Honestly, why am I still idly chatting and joking about my own life and death? I've already become like this, who knows how much longer I can live? I can't delay any longer!

"Nid! Remember me? I defected from that organization!"

"Of course I remember, but why the sudden—"

"A secret! I've inadvertently discovered the organization's secrets! If revealed to the right people at the right time, it could potentially lead to the organization's collapse! Come here, you must do it immediately—"

Nid immediately realized that this was no small matter; those few words contained a significance that probably surpassed even their revolution! He immediately ran to Yu Jie's side and leaned down close to him.

"Tell me quickly! I'll tell Sister Ye and the others!"

"--What did you say, Ye--"

"They mentioned to me that, led by Sister Ye, they've been secretly fighting against that 'organization'!"

"Really!? I don't know if I can completely believe it... Damn it, I have no other choice! Make sure to relay what I'm about to say to them!"

"Then speak quickly!"

We must tell Nid quickly... But just how much does "Ye" know about the organization? How strong is she? What does she know about World Crossing Gate and such? Could she know more information? Maybe she already knew about this? Ultimately, can they really be trusted?

--Who cares! As far as he knew, this secret was known only to the Leader, Gustav, and the Void Realm! There was no turning back!

"Tell them! The construction of the World Crossing Gate not only requires those six Divine Item, but also—uh!?"

Yu Jie stopped abruptly after speaking only halfway through his sentence.

My throat is dry.

My mind trembled violently.

In his blood-stained vision, a figure appeared.

It was a man. Thin.

Tall. White hair.

One-eyed.

Right behind Nid,

Getting Closer and Closer

"Nid! Watch out behind you!!!"

"Tsk!!!"

Nid swung his sword backhand, the wind slicing through the air and leaving a deep mark on the pile of rubble behind him.

However, the white-haired man was completely unharmed.

The wind slash passed right through his body without even touching him.

And Nid—

"Hey... why did you suddenly shout? Where are the enemies? Don't scare me!"

He gripped the Greatsword and cautiously looked behind him. The white-haired man was already inches away, within reach of him! But he seemed to see nothing at all!

Could it be... that only I can see him!?

The white-haired man glanced at Nid with his only remaining eye, seemingly uninterested, and walked straight past the still bewildered Nid. Despite the sound of footsteps, the footprints left on the dusty ground, and the movement of his actions causing air to circulate, Nid was completely oblivious to everything related to this man!

"Hello, Mr. Yu Jie."

Then, the man stood next to Yu Jie, looking down at him condescendingly.

"...!"

Yu Jie wanted to shout, to yell and tell Nid that the enemy was right beside him, to convey the second half of the secret, but he couldn't make a sound. It wasn't so much that his vocal organs were broken, but rather that the function of "speaking" itself had been taken away.

Yu Jie was unable to attack or dodge; he could only stare blankly at this being, a being even more demonic than himself.

The man, even more demonic than himself, shrugged, a hint of regret on his face. He placed his index finger to his pale lips in a shushing gesture and whispered—

"It wouldn't do to reveal the secret; it's too early now."

"..."

"But I'm not here to warn you just for something more... Don't forget, what did you give me in exchange for this immortal body?"

"...!!!!"

"You remember now? That's right, according to our agreement..."

Spiked ropes gushed out from the empty socket of the left eye.

Wriggling and chirping, it reached out towards Yu Jie--

"... I accept your soul."

Click!

"--Brother Yu Jie!?"

Yu Jie, who hadn't even seen a shadow of the enemy, turned his head in confusion, only to find that something was wrong with Yu Jie.

On his broken body, the barbed wire suddenly began to writhe violently, while Yu Jie's eyes were tightly closed, as if he were experiencing extremely intense pain!

"Yu Jie! Yu Jie? What happened!? An enemy attack? From where? Damn it!!!"

There was no doubt that Yu Jie had suffered some kind of attack of unknown origin, but where did the attack come from? Where was the enemy hiding? Why attack Yu Jie, who was already incapacitated, instead of someone who could still fight? Nid had no clue about any of this!

Just then, Yu Jie's expression returned to normal, but his eyes remained closed.

All the barbed wire covering his body had disappeared, leaving only countless marks and stitches.

"... Yu Jie?"

There was no response.

No way... he's dead?

Nid had seen tens of thousands of dead people. He examined Yu Jie's mangled body and found that, apart from being scattered and broken, his vital signs were... very subtle. He couldn't be said to be alive normally, but he wasn't completely dead either.

"Yu Jie? What... what happened? Yu Jie? Answer me, Yu Jie!"

Hundreds of meters away, in the shadow of the ruins, Yusuo Zai sat on a pile of rubble.

He held a half-empty can of Harbin beer in his left hand and something else in his right...

If I had to describe it, it would be like a piece of meat that had been stitched together, with patterns that resembled both nerves and blood vessels, twisted and bizarre in an indescribable way.

Those were the souls he had just acquired.

Yu Jie's soul.

It looks bizarre and ugly, but in fact, everyone's soul is more or less like this. The true face of the soul is far from what ordinary people imagine as a "human shape like wisps of smoke," a "glowing ball of light," or a "brilliant crystal." This is trivial knowledge known only to a few, Yusuo Zai is certainly one of them.

(Even the most meticulous Jili the three of them has inevitably decreased. Fortunately, the members below the higher-ups, including Mr. Yang —with a few exceptions—did not know of my existence, otherwise he certainly wouldn't have rashly revealed it, much less traded his soul with me...)

Speaking of the soul...

Yusuo Zai carefully examined the soul he had just acquired, assessing its strength, then crumpled it into a ball and stuffed it into his empty eye socket.

(Seriously, when was the last time I made a deal with a human's soul? Probably when I was still a complete demon?)

It seems like a very distant memory.

Ultimately, why would demons want human souls? Souls could indeed serve as food or collectibles for demons—but in reality, they are disgusting to eat and disgusting to look at, so among the 666 human demons, almost none truly crave souls.

In the end, equivalent exchange is merely a means for demons to wield power, and one of their few reasons for existence. As long as the person making a wish to them—or the person they are trading with—can pay an equivalent price, it doesn't matter what they pay. It can be traditional things like life, soul, health, or humanity, or it can be mundane things like money, food, supermarket discount coupons, or a certificate for being a model student.

As for why many demons resort to threats and inducements to demand souls right off the bat... well, it's because most people's common sense dictates that demons crave that. Although the vast majority of demons aren't interested in souls that are neither attractive nor useful, "If you want xxx, give me your soul!" sounds much more respectable than "If you want xxx, pay my mortgage/have sex with me/do my homework/give me a shoulder massage/..." right?

"Let's go back first... As for the entangled fates of Ye, Madam, and Givinia, I only need to know the ending."

Drag -- Drag --

"... Um?"

Drag -- Drag --

--what happened?

My consciousness is still hazy.

I have absolutely no strength left in my body.

Drag -- Drag --

My senses seemed to be returning a little, and I immediately used my hazy consciousness to check my physical condition.

The limbs seemed to be in relatively good condition, and the internal organs were also in okay condition. The clothes were all torn to shreds, and the plump, round, and tender buttocks (bragging) without the protection of panties were rubbing against the rough soil and rocks.

And my body is very heavy.

Drag -- Drag --

Someone is dragging me down.

The person seemed to be struggling to drag the heavy object that was pressing down on them.

I feel so awful.

Just as I was thinking this, the dragging suddenly stopped.

The sandy smell that filled my nostrils faded, and I could feel fresh air at the tip of my nose.

A brief moment of peace, and then--

Ding!!!

Something exploded, then disappeared along with its own weight. A slight impact reached my body, but it was still within my tolerance range.

Compared to those, a large amount of fresh air immediately enveloped me, reducing the hazy feeling, and the pain that I had been unaware of due to numbness surged up.

"Hmm... how... is it..."

"You're awake, Miss Haoyue?"

"You..."

"Please don't speak. I've already used Air Bomb to clear the rubble off you. Soon... hehe..."

"... Yes, Givinia?"