Chapter 365: Epilogue 1

The Giant Train thundered across the boundless wasteland.

Inside the carriage, an old man covered in wounds leaned against the window, dozing off. In his haze, he once again saw that terrifying Dream.

…

After ages had passed, the sinful Giant broke free from its shackles. The gold coins forged from its flesh and blood would now be repaid double.

Beneath its feet, palaces made of gold collapsed in an instant, turning to flowing sand. All prosperity proved to be but an illusion.

On the earth, people as numerous as grains of sand slaughtered each other, demanding in harsh voices the whereabouts of their wealth. Piles of corpses grew into mountains that seemed to touch the sky.

…

“Rumble-!”

Rolling thunder boomed across the sky. Liu Seer woke abruptly from his half-dreaming state, looking out the window in alarm and taking a deep, cold breath.

Outside, the pitch-black sky was tinged with a faint red glow. Clouds surged and tumbled, like flesh writhing.

Far off, in the direction of Dream Come True Entertainment City, the sky looked as if someone had slit its throat. Thick, crimson light bled over the horizon, painting everything in a bewitching blood-red.

“Heavens! Something big’s about to happen…” Liu Seer muttered.

As he spoke, he suddenly realized something. Flustered, he rummaged through the satchel at his side, quickly pulling out a few heavy gold bars, and without hesitation hurled them out the window.

They were the items he had exchanged for at Dream Come True Entertainment City before leaving.

After loitering there for so many years, he’d thought to take away a little something as a retirement fund, but now, he dared not keep any of it.

The dazzling gold bars flew from the train, tracing a narrow arc, landing on the tracks with a crisp sound, and as the train sped away, they gradually turned into a handful of pale sand.

Meanwhile, at the topmost pavilion of the countless towers of Lanruo Inn Customs Shop, a voluptuous woman lounged against the railing, gently waving a peony-embroidered fan, gazing into the distance, her eyes growing deeper. On her fair arm, an ally contract mark shimmered with a blood-red light.

Before long, the soft flutter of wings sounded in the sky. A pure white sunflower parrot landed beside her, and with a flash of light, transformed into the form of a girl.

Hydrangea took a few steps forward and bowed slightly toward Black Peony. “Madame, word just came from the front. A guest was caught using counterfeit chips. The moment they handed over the chips, they turned into sand. What do you think…?”

Black Peony cast a sidelong glance at Hydrangea and interrupted, “Those aren’t counterfeit chips. It’s just someone breaking the contract, that’s all.”

“Contract?” Hydrangea stared at her mistress’s back, her face full of confusion.

Black Peony didn’t respond. She remained silent, her gaze fixed on the direction of the Dream Come True Entertainment City.

It seems that girl really has brought change to this place. But this isn’t the kind of change I wanted!

If that person uses her to successfully escape, the chips will vanish along with him. Without this medium, I’ll probably be stuck here forever.

Hmph, he promised. He swore he’d be the last to leave… Is he planning to disregard the contract?

Black Peony thought to herself, then turned to Hydrangea. “Hydrangea, head over to the Entertainment City and investigate. Report back to me as soon as you find out what’s going on.”

“Understood!” Hydrangea replied crisply. In a flash, her figure transformed into a bird, slicing through the air as she flew off.

The wind howled past her ears.

Clinging tightly to Jiang Li’s waist, Lu Yibei felt the rush of the fierce wind against her face. Her fiery red hair streamed behind her like a battle flag.

Riding a big white horse to flee-why did this scene feel so familiar?

It was exhilarating, sure, but also way too hard. Her backside was killing her… Lu Yibei thought to herself.

The sound of shattering glass exploded around her, sharp shards scattering like a torrential rain toward the Entertainment City. Before they even hit the ground, they transformed into flowing sand.

Jiang Li, clad in gleaming silver armor, shone like moonlight. She raced along the crumbling outer walls of the Entertainment City, descending from the clouds and flowing like a silver stream into the chaos of the streets below.

This city, built around the Dream Come True Entertainment City, had descended into utter chaos. People fled in panic, surging toward the train station. Local gangs took advantage of the disorder, looting and hoarding what wealth they could.

Jiang Li moved swiftly, weaving through the chaotic streets with ease. Soon, the train station of the Dream Come True Entertainment City came into view at the far end of the street. A massive crowd of fleeing people and hauntings had gathered in the open space before the station.

At this rate, she might actually give Shui-Ge a run for his money as the fastest in Hua City-though the outcome would still be Shui-Ge’s win, of course… Lu Yibei glanced at Jiang Li’s profile, partially obscured by her armor, and secretly grumbled to herself.

Just then, a bone-chilling howl erupted from behind them, echoing across the heavens.

Lu Yibei instinctively shrank her neck and glanced back toward the Entertainment City.

In the distance, the once-pristine white skyscraper, a symbol of wealth and dreams, was now riddled with holes. Cracks spread across its walls, support pillars tilted precariously, and statues snapped in half, crashing to the ground. With a deafening roar, tons of flowing sand spewed from massive breaches in the building, surging outward in all directions.

It was like a dam bursting… The thought sprang unbidden to Lu Yibei’s mind.

A decaying wind swirled around the skyscraper, howling ominously. From within the building, a black shadow rose, taking the form of a ferocious giant wolf. Its razor-sharp claws raked across the walls, leaving deep scars on the once-immaculate surface.

The wolf climbed to the top of the structure, stretching its massive body with abandon. Its psychic energy fluctuations surged higher and higher, causing ripples in the air around it and conjuring eerie, terrifying illusions.

As the psychic energy grew more intense, the wolf’s jet-black fur seemed to ignite, glowing with a radiant light. The shimmering brilliance, like molten metal, coursed across its massive body, etching intricate incantations into its fur and dyeing it a golden hue.

So valuable! Even a single strand of fur could buy an entire city… Staring at the wolf, now seemingly forged from gold, Lu Yibei couldn’t help but entertain such a thought.

She quickly shook her head, snapping herself out of it. Thanks to PL girl’s friendly lessons, she knew that no matter how valuable it seemed, such wealth would only bring disaster.

Whoever claimed it would surely die!

“Boom-!”

With a thunderous roar, the sky seemed to tear open. From the rift in the clouds, a deep, pitch-black void emerged, and dazzling lightning descended like a whip, lashing the giant wolf. Endless flames rained down like blood, painting the sky a fiery red.

Yet the onslaught left not a single mark on the wolf’s golden, seemingly indestructible body.

It raised its head high, howling toward the heavens, toward the lightning, toward the flames. Its piercing cry seemed to declare to the world that it bore no guilt, that it had returned.

Staring at the terrifying figure, Lu Yibei’s face turned pale.

This was her first time facing a genuine catastrophe-class psychic energy fluctuation. Yet, beyond the fear, an inexplicable sense of sympathy-like mourning a kindred spirit-rose within her.

But…

Why do I feel this way? Lu Yibei wondered in confusion. Just then, Jiang Li’s cold voice snapped her out of her thoughts and back to the present.

“Hey, now’s not the time to zone out. We’ve got trouble.”

“Trouble? What kind of trouble?” Lu Yibei asked, still dazed.

Jiang Li glanced at Lu Yibei from the corner of her eye and said calmly, “Just look for yourself and you’ll know.”

Hearing this, Lu Yibei looked around, and her expression immediately grew heavy.

At this moment, in front of the Dream Come True Entertainment City’s train station, the place was packed with refugees and hauntings. Sighs, cries, and quarrels merged into a mind-numbing torrent, buzzing endlessly in everyone’s ears.

Lu Yibei, “…”

Right, the Giant Train only runs once a day. Not long ago, Liu Seer had already left on today’s one and only train. Until that train returns, no one-neither people nor hauntings-can leave this place.

Unable to leave means death.

This is truly a deadly problem! Lu Yibei thought with a headache.

Just then, Ah-Hua seemed to be startled by something. She frowned, her body trembled slightly, she opened her eyes, and opened her mouth as if to say something, but not a sound came out.

Back in the Entertainment City, the bunny girl beside her had suddenly gone berserk. To protect Jiang Li, Ah-Hua had taken a heavy blow. It wasn’t fatal, but at this moment she was extremely weak; even uttering a complete sentence was a struggle.

But, even in such a state, she hadn’t lost consciousness completely. The special ability of her Spirit Pattern was still functioning.

Amid the overwhelming psychic energy fluctuations at the station, she sensed a special presence.

“Ah-Hua, just rest for now. Whatever you want to say, wait until you’re a bit better.” Jiang Li looked down at Ah-Hua in her arms and spoke gently.

However, Ah-Hua shook her head, struggling to raise her hand. She grabbed the corner of Lu Yibei’s clothes and tugged gently twice. When Lu Yibei looked at her, Ah-Hua gazed into the distance, toward the crowd, and lifted her chin.

Noticing Ah-Hua’s signal, Lu Yibei paused for a moment, then turned her head and followed Ah-Hua’s gaze. There, atop the giant statue in front of the station, she spotted a white-winged cockatoo.

“……”

Hydrangea?

Did Ah-Hua wake up because she sensed Hydrangea’s psychic energy fluctuation?

Lu Yibei muttered inwardly, then patted Jiang Li’s shoulder and said, “I have a way to get out of here.”

Jiang Li tilted her head, frowning. “What way?”

Lu Yibei raised her hand, pointing at the cockatoo perched on the statue, and said seriously, “Follow that bird!”

Seeing Jiang Li’s lingering confusion, Lu Yibei added, “She’s the familiar of the Lanruo Inn Customs Shop’s proprietress. She knows a way to leave here without taking the Giant Train!”

Jiang Li narrowed her eyes, her gaze sweeping over Lu Yibei. She spoke coldly, “You know the proprietress of the Lanruo Inn Customs Shop?”

“Of course I do!” Lu Yibei replied without hesitation. “I’ve even slept in her bed before. We’re close! No way I’d mistake her familiar, trust me!”

“……” Jiang Li’s expression grew a bit complicated. Her lips parted slightly as if to speak, but she hesitated.

Slept in her bed?

How does she have so many bad habits?

Definitely not something she learned from her savior; it must have been Bai Kai’s influence.

As Jiang Li pondered, Lu Yibei suddenly gave her a firm pat on the back, exclaiming excitedly, “Quick, quick, quick, that bird-person is flying away! Hurry, let’s go, giddy-up, giddy-up!”

“……”

In silence, Jiang Li glared at Lu Yibei from the corner of her eye with a hint of grievance, then raised her forehoof, leaped high over the crowd and the barriers, and charged into the station.

“Da-da-da-da-!”

Iron hooves clashed with the marble floor, making a crisp sound. The silvery-white figure flashed like lightning through the dense crowd, finally landing on the railway tracks.

Jiang Li looked up, scanning the sky for that pure white silhouette. Her gaze sharpened, and she dashed forward, following its flight path.

At that moment, Lu Yibei’s body suddenly convulsed.

For some unknown reason, she felt as if something was being drawn out of her body. It was something tangible, yet not psychic energy-something unobservable. Though it seemed unimportant, she could distinctly feel something being stripped away from her shell, filling her with a strange sense of relief.

Like the spring breeze upon leaving a sickbed after a long illness, or a lover’s passionate kiss when all hope is lost-her entire being, every limb, every bone, every cell, was cheering, singing silently.

As Lu Yibei was lost in this wonderful sensation, unable to extricate herself, she suddenly felt a chill on her back. She jerked her head around, and a searing heat surged through her eyes.

The next moment, she saw streaks of dark red light flowing across the sky.

An ominous aura, as evil as a venomous curse.

The light flowed ceaselessly like a river, surging toward the giant wolf perched atop the white skyscraper-and the source of that river was, unbelievably, her own chest.

Lu Yibei’s heart jolted. She hurriedly looked down, only to be horrified to discover that at some point, a pitch-black vortex had appeared on her chest-deep, bottomless darkness. As the vortex spun rapidly, strands of dark red light scattered in all directions.

What the hell? What’s going on? Is this something the PL girl did?

While she was at a total loss, a shrill wail suddenly echoed across the sky. Looking up, she saw that the gap in the stormy clouds above had, at some point, expanded severalfold. Blinding lightning rained down, illuminating the silhouette of the giant wolf in ghostly white.

Dozens of streaks of lightning crisscrossed and then converged into a single beam, ruthlessly slashing across the giant wolf’s body. Its golden fur was instantly torn open, leaving hideous wounds, and black blood gushed out like a tide, transforming into gold, raining down upon the gray city below.

“Awooo-!”

A howl resounding with pain and despair rang out. The giant wolf opened its eyes, suddenly realizing that events had spiraled beyond its control. In its golden-forged pupils, the shadow of authority and fury flickered intensely.

It searched the surroundings, and from afar, its gaze locked onto Lu Yibei’s direction. Its eyes, blazing like fire, bore straight into her, the heat of its stare so scorching it felt as if it would ignite her on the spot.

Though the giant wolf’s gaze encompassed a vast swathe of land, in that instant, Lu Yibei understood-she was the one it looked at. A chill shot up her spine to the crown of her head, and her blood seemed to turn metallic, clogging in her veins.

“We’re dead, we’re dead! Meow Meow-chan, run faster! If you slow down, we’ll die here today!” Lu Yibei shouted in terror, smacking Jiang Li’s backside through the armor as she urged her on.

“What?” Jiang Li was stunned for a moment. She glanced back toward the Dream Come True Entertainment City, her pupils shrinking fiercely. At once, she unleashed her Spirit Pattern to the limit, and with a low, resonant hum, charged forward at full speed.

Lu Yibei, what on earth did you do? Jiang Li thought in panic.

The sinful giant wolf began to move.

It arched its back, limbs slightly bent, and leapt with all its might toward the sky, as if in that single bound it could traverse the kilometers from the white skyscraper to reach Lu Yibei.

Yet, the very moment it leaped, those dark-red streams of light wound around its body like unbreakable ropes, binding it tight and yanking it from the sky. The wolf plummeted, crashing down onto the earth.

In the city.

Countless people and hauntings chased after the golden rainfall throughout the city, but the instant they touched the gold, they turned to withered bones. Others fought fiercely for the gold, engaging in brutal slaughter, the stench of blood and carnage filling every corner.

On this chaotic street, a girl in a tattered cloak curled up in the gap between two trash bins, staring blankly at the scene before her.

“Ding-Ding-!”

Suddenly, a pleasant, clear sound rang out nearby as a piece of gold fell from the sky, rolling to a stop not far from the girl.

She widened her eyes at that dazzling gold, feeling an endless temptation radiating from it, a madness that made her want to risk everything for it.

But…

But, Daddy said you can’t accept others’ favors for nothing. If I pick up that gold, does that count as receiving a favor? the girl wondered.

As she hesitated, two figures darted past in front of her. One snatched the gold first, but in the next second, the other tore them to pieces.

Scalding blood splattered and flowed, spreading until it reached the girl’s feet.

Horrified, she stared at the carnage, her eyes vacant. She shrank deeper into the space between the bins, trembling as she grabbed a wooden board to shield herself.

A deafening roar suddenly came from afar. The earth quaked violently, as if a small asteroid had crashed down. The violent shockwave swept up rocks and soil, burying the girl’s frail little body.

Just like the scene Liu Seer had seen in his dreams, the entire city-both people and hauntings-were driven mad by the giant wolf’s fall.

They surged from every corner, scrambling for the blood that spilled from the wolf.

Deep within the shattered earth, the giant wolf struggled to rise, gasping for breath as it sucked in massive gulps of air. The people near it suffocated instantly, and then two columns of white vapor slowly jetted from its nostrils, psychic energy fluctuations stirring up a high-energy storm that tore those people to shreds.

Steadying itself, the wolf fixed its gaze on the direction Lu Yibei had fled, then strode forward in a mighty leap.

The ground trembled. Each thunderous step was like the roar of the heavens, and countless crazed figures doggedly pursued its massive, deadly form.

Yet the dark-red streams of light wound ever tighter around it, slicing through golden fur, cutting deep into flesh.

Chunks of flesh and blood rotted and fell away, exposing gleaming white bone, only for new flesh to grow instantly, covering it again.

With psychic energy draining rapidly, its advance became slower and more labored until, at last, it collapsed heavily to the ground.

A thunderous crash erupted-like a signal-drawing countless greedy figures, who, like ants scenting blood, hurled themselves madly at the wolf’s body…

Far in the distance, watching the giant wolf’s form disappear into the city, Lu Yibei let out a long sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from her brow.

“Damn, that was terrifying. If it caught up, I’d be dead before I knew what hit me,” she muttered under her breath-just as the voice of the PL girl suddenly rang out in her ear.

“It was too early to celebrate. If it ended like this, it wouldn’t deserve to be called a former world-ending force.”

“What the hell? You mean this isn’t over yet?”

Lu Yibei exclaimed, then stole a glance at Jiang Li to confirm she couldn’t hear her conversation with the PL girl. She continued, “Wait, hold on! Why are you back again? Didn’t you say cutting off our connection was the only way to make the plan work?”

“Tsk!” The PL girl clicked her tongue. “It’s just that I know you have a bad habit of procrastinating, and I was worried you wouldn’t act quickly enough. So I only told you half of it. To be precise, there’s another half.”

“And what’s the other half?” Lu Yibei pressed.

“The other half is: first cut off the connection, then reconnect after a while to make the plan successful,” the PL girl explained.

“…” Lu Yibei fell silent for a moment before speaking seriously, “Honestly, what kind of trick are you pulling here? If you don’t explain it clearly, I can’t help but feel like you’re setting me up!”

“Let me tell you, when that big guy was staring at me earlier, I felt like I was about to die.”

“Ah-!” The PL girl sighed. “You’re usually pretty sharp, aren’t you? Why can’t you figure it out this time?”

“Let me ask you, do you think you and I are the same person?”

Suddenly asking such a sensitive question made it hard to answer. But… Lu Yibei muttered inwardly and shook her head. “No.”

In a certain sense… Lu Yibei muttered inwardly.

“Then that’s settled!”

Upon hearing this, Lu Yibei exclaimed, “What the hell! The exchange between the PL girl and the Big Boss-what does it have to do with Lu Yibei? Is that what you mean?”

“Ha, that’s right!” The PL girl chuckled softly. “Moreover, in a certain sense, I don’t even exist in this world. So the exchange can’t be valid. If the exchange isn’t valid, then of course it has to be nullified.”

“Logically, after the exchange fails, the world’s malice originally belonging to the Big Boss should immediately return to him. But once I completed the exchange, the world’s malice on the Big Boss briefly transferred to me. By cutting off our connection, I delayed this process. Now that I’ve reestablished the connection…”

At this point, Lu Yibei’s eyes lit up, and she interrupted, “So now the return process is starting, and it’s finally his turn to suffer?”

“That’s pretty much how it works,” the PL girl responded.

However, there’s still something missing. The mere return of the world’s malice isn’t enough to harm this Eldritch Destroyer, who has borne malice for so many years.

Only when I cut off the connection with you, and the return process can’t locate the original malice, will the chaotic “exchange contract” extract something from you. The PL girl muttered inwardly.

“But…” Lu Yibei glanced at the pitch-black vortex on her chest. “What’s going on with this?”

“…”

Yes, yes, that’s the thing!

This is the kind of thing that might evolve into the world’s malice in the future.

On you, it’s bad luck. On the Big Boss, it might not just be simple bad luck.

The PL girl thought for a moment, hesitated, and decided to tell a small lie. “How should I know? You’ve done something yourself, haven’t you? You should know better than me.”

Lu Yibei: “…”

She couldn’t possibly tell her that she’s cursed with bad luck, and if she does certain things in the future, this bad luck might evolve into the world’s malice, right?

With her psychological resilience, she’d probably be so scared she’d hide in The Midnight Watchers Society for the rest of her life.

The PL girl thought and then said solemnly to Lu Yibei, “Once this last thing is done, I’ll be leaving soon. Even a dying camel is bigger than a horse. Before the Big Boss is completely finished, he might launch one last desperate counterattack. Be careful; you should be able to handle it.”

“Also, after I leave, I might lose contact for ten days or half a month. During this time, be cautious and don’t do anything reckless.”

“Huh? Where are you going?” Lu Yibei asked in surprise.

“Damn it, do you think I’m invincible? Of course, I’m going to recover!” The PL girl cursed.

I can’t even handle my own problems! Bearing the world’s malice for the Big Boss for over an hour isn’t as simple as one plus one equals two. How could it be easy?

Muttering to herself, she added with heartfelt sincerity, “Lu Yibei… don’t rely on me too much. It won’t end well.”

“What do you mean it won’t end well? Using power leveling will get me banned? Then can I just buy a membership?” Lu Yibei asked.

No response.

When the faint sound of hooves striking iron rails reached her ears, she realized the PL girl had indeed left…