"Oh, then wouldn't I be ruining my dearest Chacha's wish? No, no, I have to do it again." Freya tilted her head, quickly cleared her throat, and stood up straight with a serious expression.
Then, she pounced straight into Bai Cha's arms.
"Long time no see, my most, most, most, most, most favorite Chacha!"
Seeing Freya again, Bai Cha actually wanted to ask many things. She wanted to ask Freya why she sacrificed herself without saying anything, and why they couldn't live well together.
But when Freya stood in front of her, Bai Cha found that she couldn't say anything.
It was meaningless, and unnecessary.
The two sat there on the edge of the broken city, on top of the tall buildings, waiting for dusk to arrive.
A gust of wind blew past Bai Cha, who was already alone.
The distant scenery was fragmented like a shattered puzzle. If Bai Cha truly didn't understand the current situation, she wouldn't have been a leader for so many years.
"Dad!"
Bai Cha ran home quickly, flung the door open, Meng Qinghuan's ability to delay time was limited. She didn't know how much time she had wasted and had to find a way to wake Ye Feng up quickly.
Even though this was a dream she had always longed for.
In the living room, Ye Feng leaned back on the sofa, holding an ancient paper newspaper. He wasn't surprised at all by Bai Cha's abrupt rush in.
"Dad, I... this..."
Ye Feng was still as refined and calm as ever, as if he had stepped out of a painting, causing all the words Bai Cha wanted to say to get stuck in her throat.
Freya was right, she was a little unwilling to accept reality.
There were many dreams, but only one waking reality. Choosing one meant all others ceased to exist, which made Bai Cha hesitate for a moment.
"Is it confirmed that this world is fake?"
Before Bai Cha could speak, Ye Feng's words stunned her into silence for a long time.
"Because of how I look now?" Bai Cha was momentarily unsure how to react. The sudden transition from a child to an adult was too strange. It was understandable that Ye Feng would notice, and her explanation made sense. However, Ye Feng's reaction was too calm.
This space was Ye Feng's inner world, a reality created by the genetic mirror image of his divine aspect and his brain. As long as Ye Feng existed, there were almost no flaws, and it was almost impossible for her to escape on her own.
"Well... I'd say it was when you appeared in the dining room." Ye Feng pondered, "The change in a person's temperament cannot be faked. The temperament of a four or five-year-old child... should not be like this."
So early?
This time, Bai Cha felt a little flustered. Before she could get over her daze, Ye Feng had already understood everything. Perhaps he had allowed Freya to hint at things for so long out of consideration for her.
"You've suffered, Chacha." Ye Feng gently hugged Bai Cha, and Bai Qingyuan appeared behind Bai Cha at some unknown time and hugged her.
The change in Bai Cha before him compared to the Bai Cha he remembered could be described as earth-shattering: fragile yet tenacious, broken yet mature, weary yet resilient.
Ye Feng felt a pang of heartache. He could only vaguely recall that he seemed to have died. The reality of the divine genetic mirror offered no flaws. If Bai Cha hadn't entered so abruptly, he would have remained dormant forever.
"Time seems to be running out." Ye Feng paused for a moment, and seeing Bai Cha's silence, he seemed to understand something. He sighed softly and took Bai Cha's hand.
Then, the world shattered, uncontrolled genes were quickly regained, and the blood-colored crystal necklace on Bai Cha's collarbone suddenly bloomed with dazzling light. A transparent soul flew out, helping Ye Feng quickly reclaim everything.
One of the pure white souls stopped, merged with the ethereal Bai Qingyuan behind it, and then transformed into white mist, merging into Ye Feng's body.
Thus, the world returned to human hands.
In the silence, no one knew how much time had passed.
Mo Ziye felt an unbearable frustration from the temporal stagnation. He had pushed forward with all his might, managing only two steps, but before he could take further action, time suddenly returned to normal, and he fell to the ground due to excessive force.
In the air, Bai Cha's aura rapidly weakened, and Ye Feng was not faring much better. The hearts and brains of those who had been modified were their only weaknesses.
Humans, due to their inherent flaws, could not directly become Holy Gods. Such simple and crude methods of stimulation would inevitably pull humans towards the demonic side, turning them into demigods with demonic natures. Furthermore, no human could survive after their brains were damaged, while for a Demon God, the heart was the source of power storage.
"So much has happened." Memories flowed into Ye Feng's newly functioning brain like a tide. Ye Feng held his daughter in his arms, feeling guilty and heartbroken.
"I defeated you, Dad," Bai Cha whispered as she hugged Ye Feng.
"Of course, you've always been our pride."
On that day, the gods fell from the sky, and countless zombies and asuras from hell disintegrated. The survivors watched in astonishment as the gods descended from the sky.
After a long period of stillness, the gray crystal flower bloomed with light for the first time. Pink bubbles enveloped the lifeless Bai Cha, slowly descending.
Light and airy, like a feather.
This gave Lucifer time to buffer. He first caught the weak Ye Feng, then immediately embraced Bai Cha. Bai Cha's body was very cold, not just due to the damaged heart, but the side effects of the medication had fully taken hold.
The golden holy sword cleaved the ground in front of those with malicious intent. Mo Ziye stood before everyone, his face still carrying a trace of childishness, but his eyes held an unprecedented frost and maturity.
"I advise you not to make any rash moves. I'm not in a good mood today." Mo Ziye's holy sword shone brilliantly, forcefully denying any chance for the forces of light to retort. He snorted, turned to Lucifer, and said, "I will keep my promise and stand with you until the shadow is fully stabilized. Take Xiao Bai to be..."
Before he could finish the word "buried," Mo Ziye froze.
There was no wound on Bai Cha's chest!
[Alright, a reminder to our contestant, Mr. Lucifer, it's the final round now!]
Freya's voice echoed in Lucifer's ear. Lucifer looked at the pink crystal in astonishment and suddenly realized.
"This should be enough. If Cang Liu Ge overdraws his power any further, he'll disappear. I'm sorry." Gu Mingze stood up. Mo Ziye hadn't seen when Gu Mingze arrived. By the time he came to his senses, Gu Mingze had already done what he needed to do.
The merman pearl in Gu Mingze's hand was already dim. It was Cang Liu's merman pearl and soul, what allowed him to become a merman and inherit the curse, but it was also the core of his power.
"Don't be so surprised. Since I inherited Cang Liu Ge's power, I must uphold his will." Gu Mingze's expression was stiff and indifferent, making many feel he was a stranger. "Don't misunderstand, I will definitely wait for the day Cang Liu Ge recovers. Helping you is just a small matter."
At this moment, everything seemed to be in motion. Freya's Love God crystal, Cang Liu's merman pearl, and the World Tree seeds were rapidly repairing Bai Cha's body, racing against time.
However, Bai Cha did not wake up. Her heartbeat was almost imperceptible. Next was Bai Cha's race against death. The living and the deceased had done all they could.
Bai Cha was rushed into the operating room. Doctors worldwide worked to resolve the side effects of the medication, finally stabilizing Bai Cha's condition.
But Bai Cha did not wake up. Apart from her heart still beating, there was no other movement, and even her heartbeat was so faint it was almost negligible.
Lucifer went mad.
At least, that's what the Shadow faction believed.
Lucifer brought Bai Cha back to the Bai family villa. Every morning, he would faithfully open Bai Cha's curtains, prepare three meals, and then close the curtains at night, bidding her goodnight with utmost care.
And so it went, day after day. He would go on missions, complete them, wander around, and then return on time, as if he were in a vacuum.
At the subway station, Lucifer glanced at his watch. It was time to go back and prepare dinner for Bai Cha.
The subway was approaching. The current subways were vacuum-suspended, fast, and safe. As long as one caught it, there would be no delays, not much slower than spatial displacement capsules, just slightly more troublesome.
Suddenly, a little girl bumped into Lucifer. Lucifer stood firm as a rock. He looked up and glanced at the girl who was fleeing in panic. In his peripheral vision, he saw three men following closely behind.
The little girl was surprised that she hadn't knocked Lucifer over. She had bumped into quite a few passersby on the way, and this was the first person she felt like she had bumped into a stone.
Then, her shoulder was grasped. Though the grip was light, it was like an iron clamp, preventing her from moving. The little girl's expression immediately turned pale. Before she could say anything, she heard a low voice from above.
"Where are your family?"
The man's voice was pleasant, low like the cello's hum, resonant and magnetic in the silent church, captivating the little girl.
"Where is your home?" Seeing the slightly frightened little girl, Lucifer's expression softened, and he continued to ask.
"Elmwood Community, B District, City C." The little girl swallowed nervously, a little scared. The person before her had red lips and white teeth like a gentleman of the fields, but she felt an innate fear.
More fear than the men behind her.
City C? Lucifer narrowed his eyes. City C was too far from the capital.
"Do you want to go home?" Lucifer asked indifferently.
The little girl was stunned for a moment, then suddenly seemed to remember something, like she had grasped a lifeline, and nodded desperately, "Yes! I want to! My home is in Elmwood Community, B District, City C!"
"Hey kid, don't meddle in other people's business." Someone stepped forward quickly, his eyes sinister. "This is my daughter. Don't concern yourself with other people's family matters."
"I'm not! They drugged my parents and brought me here!" The little girl hugged Lucifer's leg and shouted, "He, he, and him! They are human traffickers! I finally managed to escape!"
"Little brat, you're asking for death!" Another person stepped forward to grab the little girl, shouting. Before he could get close, he felt a heavy blow to his stomach. His words were cut short as he was thrown against the wall behind him. It looked like it would take considerable effort to pry him loose.
Lucifer tapped his watch, still calm and composed. He casually picked up the little girl and walked in a direction.
"Kid! I told you, that's my dau..."
Before he could even finish the word "daughter," Lucifer kicked the man in the stomach again, adding another person to the wall.
The remaining man dared not act rashly. He had already realized that he had encountered a tough opponent this time. However, Lucifer did not advance further but calmly looked at him.
Then, the last man was suddenly pinned to the ground by two people.
"Shadow Enforcement Team! You are arrested for child trafficking!"
One of them shouted loudly, while the other went to figure out how to pry the two men off the wall, looking conflicted.
Ah... he'd have to pay for this again.
It had only been a few minutes, and the Shadow Enforcement Team had already arrived? The people around applauded in surprise. It was indeed reliable to count on the Shadow.
"There should be a chain of profit. Let's question them together," Lucifer said indifferently, but the emphasis on the words "question them" was particularly heavy. The three understood each other implicitly.