"Click... click..."
The sound of bones grinding together was particularly jarring amidst the ruins.
To the astonishment of the group, the monster that should have been dead lay before them.
The Death Demon, incredibly, staggered and stood up again!
The large hole, about the size of a bowl, that [the Fool] had punched in its chest still remains.
Having lost an arm and half of its body, it twitched unnaturally in place.
"Holy crap! It's come back to life?!"
Mo Wan let out a cry of surprise and instantly went into battle alert, gripping the Cosmic Ring tightly in her hand. She protected Lin Zhu as she retreated while shouting.
"What's going on?! Didn't its boss already give it away?"
"How come this thing isn't completely dead yet?!"
Lin Zhu shook her head, preparing to open her mouth and swallow.
However, after observing carefully for a moment, Zhang Yan hesitated before speaking.
"Wait a minute... something seems off."
"It... has no intention of attacking."
Just as Zhang Yan said, the Death Demon did not pounce on them as fearlessly as before.
Jiangnan stared at it expressionlessly.
Or perhaps, he was watching [him].
At this moment, within the tattered body of the Death Demon, an ultimate storm at the soul level is unfolding.
He was stunned.
Who I am?
In his mind, countless chaotic fragments of memory tore apart his remaining sanity.
The scene shifts to an antique-style martial arts training ground.
"Raise your hand! How can your mind be steady if your sword is unsteady?!"
A stern rebuke rang out, and a ruler struck his back.
Those were memories called [Xing Wu].
The scene then shifts to a cemetery blanketed in snow.
He stood in front of a coffin, wearing a heavy black overcoat, watching his mother being buried in the frozen earth, his heart filled with despair.
That was a memory called [Novsky].
Although the two scenes before were disconnected, he subconsciously accepted them both.
Because it looks pretty good, that's a story for experts...
Until...
The third scene suddenly burst in.
It was a sunny afternoon.
A young man named Li Tie, clutching his newly received university admission letter, happily pushed open the door to his home.
He wanted to share this good news with his family first, and with his childhood sweetheart who always followed him around sweetly calling him "brother."
However, the moment he pushed open the bedroom door, he saw a scene that was enough to shatter his worldview...
His balding father was engrossed in playing [Princess Connect! Re: Dive] with his beloved childhood sweetheart in bed.
The acceptance letter fell to the ground, and he ran out of the house crying.
During a heavy rain, he resolutely signed up to become a soldier who could not go home for many years.
"Aaaaaaah!!!"
Seeing this, the Death Demon's psychological defenses crumbled!
"No! I'm not him! It hurts too much!"
"Kill me! Kill me! My head hurts so much!!!"
A low, desperate roar came from the mouth of the Death Demon.
It clutched its head in agony, kneeling on the ground and banging its head against the rocks.
Jiangnan just watched him go crazy quietly.
He then took a few steps back, stepping out of the [Fool's ] domain, and spoke calmly.
"Wang Ming, what do you think?"
A wisp of green smoke drifted out from the Human Emperor Lamp at Jiangnan's waist, transforming into Wang Ming, who was wearing a white coat.
Wang Ming's soul first looked up at the moon, which had returned to normal, and smiled.
Then, he adjusted his glasses and began to provide Jiangnan with a professional analysis.
"Interesting, very interesting."
"Back when we were at the Weird Research Institute, we encountered similar specimens of Flesh Demon that Fusion multiple soldiers."
"Research has revealed that the Flesh Demon can essentially be understood as a viral program capable of assimilating Fusion any living being or object."
"It has no self-awareness and needs a host, or [host], to run."
"But because the intelligence of such mainframes is often limited, Su Gelu created pilots as well."
"That is, to act as a [hacker]'s Soul-Devouring Monster, manipulating this host and making it even more powerful."
Wang Ming pointed to the Death Demon who was still kowtowing on the ground and continued.
But these two things have one thing in common: they share the same origin.
"As long as the Evil God behind them, that is, the [head office], collapses, the employees who are accomplices of the company..."
"They should have been arrested and perished along with them."
"But..."
Wang Ming's gaze fell on the smooth, mirror-like hole in the Death Demon's body.
"At the very moment he was supposed to perish along with Su Gelu, the appearance of [The Fool] broke this fundamental precept."
Wang Ming concluded, "[The Fool's ] elimination rule: he forcibly pulled the internet cable before [the police] could arrest him!"
"He severed all causal ties with [the company]."
"So, he miraculously escaped the crisis."
"In other words..."
Jiangnan narrowed his eyes slightly, and deep within them, the capitalist soul of the factory director was burning fiercely.
"So, he's basically a college student without any contractual obligations now?"
Wang Ming saw through Jiangnan's intentions and nodded with a smile.
"You could say that."
"But be careful, this thing has the memories of three people Fusion within it, and its soul is currently a complete mess, very chaotic."
"I suggest you use [that trick] to brainwash him before you get him to work in the Human Emperor Lamp."
"Don't worry, I know what to do."
Jiangnan nodded slightly, and the next second, he suddenly exerted force with his feet.
[Near Yet Far!]
Jiangnan's figure traversed space and appeared directly in front of the self-mutilating Death Demon.
He extended his only remaining left hand, bringing his index and middle fingers together, and touched the forehead of the Death Demon.
"By the words of God, my command is etched into your soul!"
Word Spirit - Divine Edict activated!
In an instant, a wave of soul energy spread out.
The Death Demon, which had been roaring just moments before, immediately fell silent.
Jiangnan closed his eyes, forcefully entering the other person's mental sea with his consciousness, beginning to sort out those chaotic memories, and preparing to tamper with their will.
He quickly went through all three sets of memories.
The first one is Xing Wu, a founding father of the China.
Because his memory had been so shattered and severely damaged, almost turning into a paste, Jiangnan had no choice but to reject it.
The second Novsky, Su Country elder.
Its memory is relatively complete, and it possesses rich combat experience.
But Jiangnan frowned slightly; this guy's memories were too bleak.
She spends all her time reminiscing about her deceased mother, and even has strong feelings of misanthropy and suicidal thoughts, making her difficult to manage.
Reserved opinion.
The third, and the last, was Li Tie, a common soldier.
This kid has the most complete memory of the three.
Jiangnan weighed the pros and cons in his mind, and finally, his gaze settled on Li Tie.
Although Novsky's combat experience was tempting, Jiangnan knew that what a qualified employee needed most was not experience.
It's a yearning for the future!
Youth and vitality, along with the resilience to withstand pressure in dire situations, are the foundation of 007's hard work!
Especially...
Li Tie actually experienced an epic setback that was impossible for ordinary people to endure: coming home to find out that his own father had cheated on him!
"The level of psychological trauma I've experienced is comparable to the loneliness I've endured for the past eighteen years without uttering a single word."
Jiangnan sighed inwardly.
With this ability to withstand blows, whether you're operating a sewing machine or working as a bodyguard at the Human Emperor Lamp!
She is definitely an excellent employee who won't easily break down.
It's Li Tie I've decided on!
With a thought, Jiangnan activated the power of the [Divine Edict], forcibly stripping and Suppression the subconscious of Xing Wu and Novsky!
This made Li Tie the sole dominant will of this body, and conveniently engraved the underlying logic of absolute loyalty to Jiangnan deep into his soul.
Willpower modification complete.
However, since the core structure of this body has been erased by [The Fool], it may collapse at any time, and it is highly likely that it will not be able to bring the trial out alive.
Jiangnan had no choice but to summon the Human Emperor Lamp, directly absorbing Li Tie's soul into its wick.
After doing all this, Jiangnan turned around and returned to Mo Wan and the others.
"All done, we've hired a new employee."
Jiangnan said calmly, "Now, let's discuss how to get around to the evacuation point from the other side."
Upon hearing this, Mo Wan's face immediately fell, and she wailed in despair:
"This mountain is so long, and the road has been blown up by Su Gelu."
"We're now accompanied by [the Fool], so we can only climb mountains with ordinary bodies!"
"We'll still not reach the other side even if we walk until dawn! How about... we camp and rest for a day on this wretched mountain?"
But she had barely finished speaking.
Suddenly, a rustling sound of climbing came from the dark bottom of the cliff.
"Who?!"
Mo Wan immediately became alert. Without saying a word, she swung the Cosmic Ring in her hand and smashed it down in the direction from which the sound came.
"Holy crap!"
A scream came from below.
Jiangnan raised an eyebrow. That voice... it sounded vaguely familiar.
Wang Ming's soul immediately flew down the cliff to investigate, and after a short while, he floated back up with a strange expression.
"It's someone I know."
"That guy who only has half a body left, Dennis, and another one..."
"Surprise!"
Jiangnan walked to the edge of the cliff and looked down.
Good heavens, Dennis and Lu Zheng, who was inflated to the brim, were bound together by the Cosmic Ring and swaying in the wind on the stone wall halfway up the mountain.
"Ah! It's Professor Wang! And... a senior colleague?!"
Dennis looked up and, upon seeing the figure on the cliff, was so excited he almost cried.
"That huge commotion in the sky just now, could it have been you, senior? That was incredible!"
Lu Zheng, looking terrified, quickly explained loudly, "Senior! We absolutely did not intentionally follow you!"
"We were chased all the way here by a huge horde of Flesh Demon!"
"Originally there were four of us, but the other two have already sacrificed themselves..."
"But just now, for some unknown reason, those Flesh Demons that were chasing us suddenly exploded on the spot!"
"We only dared to climb up to take a look because we heard noises coming from the top of the mountain!"
Dennis realized what he meant and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, yes, yes!"
"We have absolutely no ill intentions towards you, senior. We wouldn't dare to offend you even if we had ten times the courage!"
Jiangnan looked down at the two unlucky fellows from his high vantage point.
Surprisingly, these two half-baked individuals have managed to survive this hellish trial.
But...
Perfect timing!
Jiangnan and Wang Ming was floating beside her, exchanged a glance.
As former superiors and subordinates, the two instantly understood the meaning in each other's eyes.
They all smiled kindly, as if by unspoken agreement.
Do you want to go back to Blue Star?
Wang Ming looked down at the two of them with a smile, his voice as gentle as a caring older brother.
Dennis and Lu Zheng felt a chill run down their spines from that smile. They were stunned and remained silent for a moment before nodding frantically.
I want it! I dream about it!
"Just think about it."
Jiangnan snapped his fingers.
Seeing this, Mo Wan released the two from each other using the Cosmic Ring.
A moment later.
A spectacular sight appeared above the dark Mount Tai Canyon.
Lu Zheng swelled up like a hot air balloon.
His limbs were bound by ropes, the other end of which was connected to a makeshift platform constructed from discarded planks and vines.
Everyone else is standing safely and securely on this platform.
Using the buoyancy generated within Lu Zheng's body, the [artificial hot air balloon] floated across the ravine and flew towards the blue evacuation gate on the other side.
"Waaaaah... Senior, could you loosen the rope a little... I feel like I'm about to leak air..."
Lu Zheng, acting as a balloon, emitted indistinct sobs from above.
"Shut up, talk less, and generate more anger."
Jiangnan coldly issued orders from below.
Finally, the wooden platform stopped in front of the portal that emitted a faint blue light.
And at the very moment they reached the portal.
The voice from the Sky Curtain rang out once more.
[Ding! You have reached the evacuation point!]
[The trial "The Solitary Watcher" has been completed!]
[Rewards are being processed and distributed...]
[Congratulations! You have received 3 random premium gift packs!]