"Heaven-Peering Mirror! Activate!"
With a command, the Heaven-Peering Mirror hovered in mid-air, projecting the entire scene of the Ox-Horse Factory onto the Soul Return Town.
"Now, please welcome Jiangnan, the leader of the first stage, to select two team members!"
Ingrika's high-pitched voice echoed through the mine.
Accompanied by the clattering of chains dragging on the ground, hundreds of cattle and horse employees dressed in prison uniforms were escorted to the center of the field.
In the backstage darkroom.
Shangguan Shuyi gripped a sandalwood fan tightly, a smile playing on her lips.
At the very front of the line stood twenty burly men, each wearing a red badge around their neck.
That's a brand that only outstanding employees can get!
"My Dragon God, this is all I can do."
"This guy's been a model worker in the factory for three consecutive years; he could win even with his eyes closed!"
Shangguan Shuyi prayed frantically in her heart.
Under the watchful eyes of the entire audience, Jiangnan slowly rose from his seat.
He put one hand in his pocket and walked straight toward the group of employees.
"It's decided! The leaderboard is going to pick the red card!"
Everyone held their breath, waiting to see this madman take on the strongest fighting force.
However, Jiangnan didn't even spare a fraction of a second of his gaze for those burly, red-card men.
He completely ignored the group of muscular men and walked straight into the deepest corner of the crowd.
"You."
Jiangnan casually pointed his long, slender finger at a skinny monkey huddled in the crowd.
Lu Mingfei was sent to a labor camp because of his attempted rape.
"And you."
The finger moved horizontally and landed on [Tang Sirui] next to him.
The entire venue was deathly silent.
A few seconds later, the comments section in the audience and in front of the Heaven-Peering Mirror exploded!
"Holy crap?! Is he blind? He ditched the top-performing, hardworking player and picked two complete idiots instead?"
"I know that skinny guy; he's a top-tier simp from that Second Ring Town!"
"It gets even more outrageous later on; it looks like you can't even tighten a single screw!"
Backstage.
Snap!
Shangguan Shuyi's folding fan was crushed in two by her!
Her vision blurred, and she nearly collapsed to the ground. "Has the Dragon God gone mad?! A red card!"
"Couldn't he see that whole row of red cards?!"
Why did he have to pick out two of the most non-recyclable items from the garbage dump?!
Liu Ruyan, unusually, remained silent.
Because she was staring at Tang Sirui...
Something's not right. There's something strange about him.
As the only person in charge of the drum, Liu Ruyan had no idea that the Tang Sirui in front of her was an imposter.
And in the players' area.
Zhao Yan, however, paid no attention to this farce.
His brows furrowed deeply as he scanned the faces of the hundreds of employees.
"No... still no..."
Zhao Yan's hands were clenched tightly inside his sleeves, his palms covered in cold sweat.
The missing Elder Yue Tian should be in this area!
But he had just See Through almost everyone's faces, and there was no Shadow of Yue Tian at all!
Where did the elders go? Could it be...?
When Zhao Yan recalled that downward-facing forbidden zone, a wave of fear washed over him.
The waters of this Ox-Horse Factory were deeper than he had imagined!
Unable to find Yue Tian, Zhao Yan forced himself to calm down and turned his attention back to Jiangnan.
"Knowing full well that the other person wasn't Tang Sirui..."
What exactly is this man plotting?
Meanwhile, at the Shen Residence.
In the vast courtyard, everyone was gathered around the projection screen of the Heaven-Peering Mirror.
Looking at Jiangnan's utterly blind player selection in the video, I couldn't help but sigh.
"Dad! What the hell are you doing?!"
Circle clutched her head with both hands and screamed in despair at the light screen.
"That's fake! That's a counterfeit Si Rui!"
"Why would you choose that imposter when there are so many muscular men out there?!"
"It's him! It must be him!"
Tu Xiaowu stood to the side, her rabbit fur bristling, her eyes flashing with a fierce light.
"That's him! He's that white-haired, blind old man's accomplice!"
Xin An and Shadow suddenly stood up, their eyes bloodshot and their fists clenched so tightly they cracked.
How could they not recognize him?!
On the first day I stepped into this eerie Soul Return Town, I encountered this imposter wearing Tang Sirui's face!
The death of Zhen Si Rui is absolutely related to this bastard!
"He must be hiding clues that can bring Tang Sirui back!"
Xin An drew his weapon from his waist, his eyes sharp. "Let's go! Let's go to the Ox-Horse Factory and bring him back!"
"Yes! Kill this imposter!"
Circle and Tu Xiaowu responded immediately, making a move to rush out.
"Hey, hey, stop, stop, stop."
Just as the group was about to leave, full of murderous intent, Guo Shuai waved his hand.
"Sit down, everyone, don't rush."
Tu Xiaowu suddenly turned her head and glared at him fiercely. "Aren't you worried about your boss?!"
What if he sabotages the match?
"Worry?"
Guo Shuai chuckled, his face full of confidence and admiration.
"That's my boss! When have you ever seen him suffer a loss?"
"He didn't even glance at the other red cards, heading straight for this imposter. What does that tell us?"
Everyone was stunned. "What?"
"This proves that the boss definitely did it on purpose!"
Guo Shuai slapped his thigh, "He See Through this bastard a long time ago!"
"Intentional?!" Circle's eyes widened.
"Guo Shuai is right."
Han Fei, who had been silent all along, nodded and pushed up the stockings near his mouth.
"Based on my understanding of the boss, he never does anything without being certain of success."
"If he chose the counterfeit, it can only mean one thing."
"That counterfeit product is going to be in big trouble."
"Let's not cause any trouble, let's just sit here and wait and see."
Upon hearing this, the previously anxious group exchanged bewildered glances.
In the end, he suppressed his impulse and sat back down in his chair.
Yes, that's Jiangnan.
That goes without saying.
The man who turned the Weird Island upside down.
As everyone quieted down, the courtyard returned to tranquility, and all eyes were once again fixed on the image displayed on the Heaven-Peering Mirror.
What they didn't know was...
It was in a shadowy corner outside the Shen Residence mansion courtyard.
After hearing the decision of the people inside to give up going out, hundreds of dark figures silently pushed their long swords back into their sheaths.
Outside the gate, Shen Yingchun, the commander of the Garrison Division, stood at the boundary between sunlight and shadow.
He stroked his gray beard and glanced at the Shen Residence, which was surrounded by ghost messengers.
I'm sorry everyone.
Shen Yingchun silently recited in her heart, "For Phoenix Emperor Phoenix's overall plan, for the future of Soul Return Town..."
"We have no choice but to sacrifice you all before the selection competition ends."
Meanwhile, the camera returns to the Ox-Horse Factory.
The atmosphere on the field had become extremely strange.
On the field.
The Clown lowered his head. "This guy actually chose me?"
"Was it intentional, or did they simply not recognize him?"
Or is it just arrogance and a desire to win against the odds?
The Clown sneered inwardly, "Since that's how it is, fine!"
Neither of these scenarios will affect my subsequent actions.
"Once the game starts, I'll give you a show of slacking off."
The Clown was completely unaware that [Tang Sirui]'s disguise had been exposed to Jiangnan.
I thought I hadn't See Through.
Jiangnan, however, suppressed a laugh, and could tell what the guy was thinking from his eyes.
All I can say is that the name "Clown" truly belongs to him.
"On your marks! First item, the Crazy Sewing Machine, let's begin!"
With the sound of a gong, all eleven teams started working simultaneously! The entire mine was instantly filled with the clattering sound of sewing machine pedals!
Jiangnan stood behind the two with his arms crossed, like a ruthless overseer.
"Cough cough cough..."
The Clown immediately launched into an Oscar-worthy performance.
He clutched his chest and coughed violently, his hands trembling like someone in the late stages of Parkinson's disease.
With a cry of "Ouch!", the needle twisted the thread into a tight knot.
"Team leader... cough cough... I've always been physically weak, and this machine just won't listen to me..."
"I might be holding you back..."
The Clown feigned a pitiful look as if he was about to cry, but inside he was ecstatic.
"Team leader, I'm sorry, I don't know how to operate a sewing machine..."
Lu Mingfei, who was standing next to him, wanted to do it, but he was a pampered young master from the Second Ring Town, and almost everyone there never lifted a finger to do housework.
After pedaling for ages, the fabric was sewn crookedly, and he was sweating profusely with anxiety.
The audience shook their heads and laughed at the scene.
"It's over, this team is completely ruined."
However, Jiangnan watched the Clown's performance and sneered.
This was entirely expected.
He then slowly leaned down and brought his face close to the Clown's ear.
"Your acting is pretty good."
Jiangnan's voice was extremely soft, "The Clown of the Desolate God Society."
Boom!!!
The Clown's pupils suddenly contracted!
The weakness and pitifulness on his face froze for a moment!
This guy definitely recognized him!
But why choose yourself then?
Isn't he afraid of being eliminated?
Before the Clown could recover from his shock, Jiangnan had already straightened up.
Those jet-black eyes transformed in an instant into a majestic and dazzling crimson gold!
Jiangnan looked down at him and uttered Devils command, "In the name of the king! Give it your all!"
"No slacking off, no stopping!"
[Word Spirit: King's Authority] activates instantly!
The next second, the Clown realized that his body was out of control!
Under the Suppression [King's Authority]'s domain, his body instinctively began to squeeze out its potential!
"Whoosh!"
The Clown's hands left two afterimages!
He grabbed the fabric next to him and stuffed it into the sewing machine!
His feet left afterimages as he pedaled!
"Da da da da da da da da!!!"
Because of the high speed, the needles and fabric rubbed violently together, even producing sparks and white smoke!
"No... stop... stop it now!!!"
The Clown roared inwardly in despair!
He's a high-ranking member of the Desolate God Society! A Human Heart schemer!
Now they're being forced onto an assembly line to work as heartless, human-shaped laborers?!
His hands were starting to ache from the friction, but his body just wouldn't stop!
"Holy crap..."
Lu Mingfei next to him, was completely dumbfounded.
He stared blankly at the Clown beside him, who had just looked like he was about to die, but now seemed possessed by the god of sewing machines.
The sewn fabric flew out and piled up into a small mountain.
Then I turned my head and looked around at the whole of Jiangnan.
Lu Mingfei suddenly lost control of himself too!
The domain of King's Authority also extended to him!
He was yelling as he worked!
That previous gloomy state is gone forever!
"I'll work! I'll work my ass off!! Labor makes me happy! Not working is worse than death!!!"
It quickly reached the speed of Clown!
The entire room fell silent.
The audience members who were just laughing suddenly had their jaws slammed to the ground in unison.
The other contestants, who were engrossed in their work, stopped in despair upon hearing the sonic boom-like sewing sounds coming from the other side.
How can they possibly win with this hook eight?
In the Heaven-Peering Mirror, Jiangnan was seen sitting in a chair.
The two good-for-nothings in front of him were sweeping across the entire production line at an astonishing speed!
In the distance, Zhao Yan's back was soaked with cold sweat.
"He didn't choose randomly..."
He knew who that person was from the very beginning!
The atmosphere on the field had become extremely strange.
When [Word Spirit: King's Authority] appears...
Qin Jiudao, huddled in the corner, trembled violently!
That familiar oppressive aura!
Others might only find it terrifying, but to him, this aura was like a brand etched deep into his soul!
He was the lighthouse he had been searching for for thousands of years in the endless darkness!
"King's Authority... it really is King's Authority..."
"And it didn't even happen to that Gambler..."
Qin Jiudao bit her lower lip until it bled, completely unaware of it.
Tears welled up in his eyes and streamed down his weathered face, falling to the ground.
"Hahaha!"
But he was laughing, laughing like a madman, laughing with boundless passion!
"My lord... it really is you! You've finally returned!!!"
The bones in the Heavenblade Dragon King's body were cracking with ecstasy.
It took all his willpower to suppress the urge to rush onto the stage, slide to his knees, and kowtow.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the field is the players' area.
Aeria's reaction, on the other hand, revealed a kind of... fanaticism.
He watched as Jiangnan forcefully lashed and exploited the two men with such a brutal manner.
I reminisce about my days as a rancher in the Eagle Country.
That's how he used to urge those Haki haters.
A blush rose on Aeria's beautiful cheeks.
Oh my god...
"This is so brutal, so captivating..."
Aeria twisted her waist, her legs tightly crossed and rubbing back and forth.
"This suffocating sense of oppression, this supreme and absolute command..."
"What a wild Eastern guy..."
"If he used that Supernatural Ability he just had to pin me to the machine and force me to do that kind of thing like it's a death sentence..."
Ah~
Under the watchful eyes of the public and with various forces harboring ulterior motives, it unfolded.
Jiangnan remained quietly behind the workbench, supervising the work.
The game started again from the beginning...
It's over!