An inescapable fate
It sighed:
"Vera, I just hope you can live a good life."
"I want to live too." Lorry gave a strange look. "But didn't you just say that Altair wouldn't let me leave?"
Always prepare for the worst.
The aged voice paused slightly, then said in a low voice:
"But these words were spoken by that Begat to the young Vera, perhaps with the aim of provoking him and undermining his fighting spirit."
"You can Teleportation directly; he shouldn't be able to stop you."
"That's easy." Lorry shrugged. "Why don't you try and see?"
With that, he put on the White Bone Ring, leaving all the other Sealed Artifact behind in the office, and quickly used "Teleportation".
His figure quickly became illusory.
The next second, they appeared in the bizarre and detached Spirit World.
"He really couldn't interfere..." The aged voice echoed deep within Lorry's mind, but before he could finish speaking, his tone suddenly turned panicked.
"Oh no, kid, come back right now!"
Lorry glanced at the enormous, mantis-like creature with a blood-red body not far away and abruptly ended the "Teleportation".
He reappeared in the office of the Face Mask Factory.
The aged voice spoke with unusual solemnity:
"Kid, you're in danger."
"If I'm not mistaken, that creature must be one of the notorious Spirit World Hunter. Luckily you came back in time."
"If it sees you as prey, it might hunt you down into the Real World."
"It seems Begat's words weren't just made up; Altair might indeed possess Demigod- level abilities in certain aspects."
"Demigod level... that also relies on Sealed Artifact." Lorry's expression was calm as he suddenly asked, "Old Gentleman, you are my master now, aren't you?"
The White Bone Ring hummed in response.
Lorry nodded slightly and said nothing more.
He walked to the corner, took out a few packets of Pet Treats from the box, opened them for Albert, and squatted down to gently stroke his shiny head.
Sensing the heavy atmosphere, Albert, who usually devoured his food immediately, lowered his head to sniff and nuzzled Lorry repeatedly with his head.
It spoke in a human voice, asking softly, "Master, why did you seem so sad just now, but I can't feel it at all now?"
"Because..." Lorry glanced at the White Bone Ring and continued:
"Expressing one's emotions freely is the privilege of children, the elderly, and ladies; a man like your master would only keep them to himself."
You can't learn everything from it, you know?
The White Bone Ring snorted unhappily, unusually refraining from uttering a rebuttal.
Albert nodded, seemingly understanding, and then asked, "So, when you came back after failing to leave, did you smile?"
"From the teacher's description, it seems we've encountered a big problem."
"Shouldn't you be unhappy?"
"Yes, a lot of trouble..." Tired, Lorry plopped down on the ground, muttering to himself in a daze, as if in a dream:
"But if I really leave, I feel I'll have even more regrets."
"That's good... Everyone puts their lives on the table, and then each relies on their own abilities to either defeat the other or be defeated by the other..."
"I prefer this ending to running away in disgrace..."
After saying that, he smiled slightly, stroked Albert's head to signal him to eat his snack, and then fell into a long silence.
The next day, at noon.
A group of MI9 members who had just finished a mission were playing cards in the lounge.
Suddenly, footsteps sounded.
The short man facing the door displayed a couplet, then glanced up at the doorway and greeted the person entering with a smile:
"Team leader."
At this point, the other group members finally turned their attention away from the card game, and, whether quickly or slowly, turned around or not, casually exchanged pleasantries with their superiors.
The man in his thirties, referred to as the captain, smiled and nodded.
"Just playing, who's the Winner today?"
"By the way, I just went to turn in the mission, and Colonel Cezanne said we completed it very efficiently, so everyone's contribution will be increased by 30%."
As soon as he finished speaking, the card players and spectators all cheered.
The game continued.
As the captain continued walking towards the innermost part, he casually remarked, "Oh, by the way, Colonel Cezanne also issued a temporary assignment."
"What mission?" someone asked casually.
Unbeknownst to them, the captain had already walked up behind the short man, quietly reaching behind his waist to grasp the metal handle.
No one noticed the captain's actions; most of their attention was still on the card game.
This is not because they were careless.
Instead, he always habitually lowers his guard whenever he returns, after all, this is MI9, one of the safest places in Backlund!
"The mission is..."
As he spoke, the captain gripped the dagger tightly in his right hand and suddenly exerted force, cleanly slicing open the short man's neck, causing blood to spurt out instantly.
The playing cards on the low table were stained with blood.
Everyone stared wide-eyed at the scene, and after realizing what was happening, they quickly moved away from the captain and picked up whatever they could use as makeshift weapons.
At that moment, they had only one thought in their minds:
The captain has gone mad!
He actually killed Sharp in public!
"Ding-dong."
The captain decisively threw the dagger to the ground, raised his hands, Calmness said:
"This is the task Colonel Cezanne gave me: to kill Sharp —because he has been bewitched by his former superior Vera, and has long since secretly worshipped Evil God."
"If you don't believe me, you can send someone to ask Colonel Cezanne."
"Wow!" A round-faced woman with many freckles on her face, who was on good terms with Sharp, stood up and strode outside.
About ten minutes later, she pushed open the door and came in, looking rather lost and dejected.
"It's true..."
"And it's not just Sharp," Colonel Cezanne said. "There is now ample evidence that former subordinates and Informant who followed Vera are also being dealt with."
"Once their whereabouts are discovered, kill them on the spot without interrogation."
For a moment, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.
We looked at each other, and then fell silent in the lounge.
The suburbs adjacent to the Factory District.
Lorry, who was walking slowly along the road, was stopped by Police running from the front:
"Sir, we are apprehending a vicious cult Believer. For your safety, please do not proceed."
Just then, a furious shout rang out from afar:
"You're framing me!"
The Police stared warily at the man in front of him, his right hand subtly tightening its grip on the baton.
"Okay." Lorry nodded slightly, not wanting to meddle, and turned to walk towards the dirt path that connected to the main road and led to an Evergreen Woods.
A faint smile played on his lips, his eyes filled with anticipation.
He was just out for lunch, but he encountered a series of unexpected events, including a restaurant fire, Gang shooting in the street, and a driver accidentally taking the wrong turn.
In short, they inexplicably left Backlund and ended up in the countryside.
Lorry realized that someone was waiting for him.
So, he came.