The aura of the Death Prelude erupted in a concentrated burst.

Yang Zicang quietly perceived the ghostly images of the Demon Hero Hall trembling and shifting violently around him. Without Grey Crow to preside over it, it moved chaotically along with his perception of the Death Prelude, his gaze always landing beside those who were about to die, sticking like a shadow.

Yet, at certain moments, it would shift to where Morrie was.

Yang Zicang looked up at the now-stabilized scene before him, where Lü Bu was in a full-scale massacre, with no one able to withstand even a single exchange with him—this man already had the capital city’s championship of the Demon Hero Hall in the bag as if picking it from a pocket.

Aside from the teams gradually entering the city’s tactical formation today, the periphery of the Demon Hero Hall had already swelled to bursting, its population sucked in like a vortex. Almost all monsters in the outer and middle grinding chambers had been slaughtered, and so nearly every able-bodied person from both cities had rushed over, hoping to stay inside the Demon Hero Hall until the end to earn the “Impression Recovery” reward.

At this point, a great many people had already pre-ordered that reward from these individuals—because it was equivalent to a precious chance at resurrection.

“I hope Yang Zicang can make it in time!” Director Yu stared at the shattered city outside the glass, his heart unusually heavy.

……

[I sense many people hoping for my arrival.]

[It seems to involve me, but I’m not certain.]

Yang Zicang lifted his face to look at the sky, his fingers gripping the ground tightly but without stirring a single speck of dust.

……

{You have obtained five alien-colored markers.}

Julia looked at the final small curved iron barbed claw of a different color that had appeared in her hand, a beaming smile of genuine joy spreading across her face.

She quickly walked towards the crack in front of her. These cracks were a kind of secret door mentioned in those non-five-color rooms that recorded various information about the Hall of the Magic Avatar behind the Second Waterfall.

Possessing the five-colored barbed claws allowed one to use these scattered cracks, randomly distributed in various rooms, to reach directly the entrance of the Whirlpool Waterway at the massive platform atop the array’s core. Moreover, there were a few cracks that actually served as secret doors, bypassing the activation of the Whirlpool Waterway and leading directly to the location of the final hall within the Hall of the Magic Avatar—the Hall of the Magos Larynx.

“Lucky me. I might just be the first one to enter the hall.”

As the light within the fissure corridor dimmed, a spacious hall appeared at its end.

……

 BAM BAM BAM!

The squad following Morrie stared in utter disbelief. He was no mere Temporal Investor by profession; he was clearly the strongest pugilist.

One person swallowed hard and asked, “This big shot, do you usually on your own?”

——“No, I have teammates.”

Several people looked somewhat disappointed at the man in front of them, who could conjure multiple fist shadows with a single punch. He had shared most of the Chronology they obtained along the way with his squad members. When one Mortal Tooth Chamber came crashing in, the force field shattered, revealing an empty room behind it.

——“However, if you have little statues, I can resonate with them.”

——“Really? That’s great! We didn’t waste money on our statues!”

These people rummaged through their backpacks, produced a small statue, and resonated with Morrie.

[I have left the statue resonance team: Piao Ming Group.]

[I have resonated with a new statue team: Cheng Xuan Little Paw Squad.]

“You’re already this strong, Morrie.”

The image began to shift again.

In a slightly paused scene, Yang Zicang saw someone staring in astonishment at the emptiness in front of them; clearly, they were viewing the sensory feed.

—“That guy looks a bit like the captain of Yang Zicang’s team.”

With just that one sentence, the image flickered again. Not just one or two, but many others who were linked to this squad’s Financing Model recognized Morrie, who had infiltrated their ranks.

“The more you are connected to me, the sooner you can foresee the prelude of the other’s death… and thus, the easier it is to know how the road to your demise unfolds, doesn’t it!”

Yang Zicang was fuming with hatred; he was itching to beat this guy to a pulp.

The image flickered once more.

Lü Bu received a notification that a suspected timing investment manager from Yang Zicang’s team had also come to the Demonied Hall and was currently on his way to enter the Serpentine Lake Passage above the array eye.

—”That’s Morrie?”

A look of hatred twisted Lü Bu’s usually indifferent face!

—”Quick, send people to block that path and capture him! I’ll tear him apart limb from limb! I want Yang Zicang to feel the fury of losing a powerful teammate!”

Yang Zicang’s fists were clenched tight, flames of rage blazing from his eyes.

“Could it be? Could it really be like this?!”

“Lü Bu!!!”

……

“What? The captain of Yang Zicang’s team is at the Demonied Hall too?”

Director Yu stood up, pondered for a brief moment, and his expression shifted slightly.

“Not good. Morrie might be in danger. We have to keep him safe.”

A zigzag beam shot out from the ring on his chest.

“Wenqi. We have to take a risk. Listen to me…”

After giving his instructions, Tong Wenqi’s expression on the sensory display changed color several times.

{If that’s the case and we fail, headquarters could be done for.}

“Even if you have to drag it out, keep them delayed until dawn breaks today.” As soon as Director Yu finished speaking, another person reported that Morrie had stepped onto the array eye platform.

“What? Wasn’t he just in that last grinding-grate room a moment ago?”

“After everyone left the room, they realized that the person in the room before wasn’t Morrie. The real Morrie had already left that team early.”

Director Yu breathed half-a sigh of relief.

As long as that guy isn’t completely brainless, this kind of preparation proves that the nominal leader of the Park Myung Group does have some skill.

On the vast platform.

Morrie, with half his face covered by a scarf, walked to a pond the size of an ordinary residential complex. Using the Five-Colored Thorn Claw, a boat shedding continuous beads of water surfaced from below.

“Hey, are you alone? Can we come along down?”

Many teams around, stuck on obtaining the last molar-shaped Thorn Claw, waited here hoping to hitch a ride.

Morrie ignored their pleas and jumped straight onto the boat.

“Excuse me, boss, how dare you go down to the Demon Throat Palace alone? Want to hire some extra hands?”

“Yeah, according to those who got information on the final demon, the monster in that demon palace is no less powerful than a Defender.”

“Several teams have already gone down. Boss, you could take more people, and I can offer Time-Phase.”

Amid the chatter here, some who’d just arrived cast searching glances around.

“It’s that guy!”

“When did he get here? Hurry up!”

From inside the cabin, Morrie glanced at the sky through the roof. As long as he successfully got on board, the threat from the heavens was useless.

He took out another different Ability Sphere.

[I can use “Dispatch.”]

He crushed it with force.

[I’ve activated “Dispatch.”]

[I’ve consumed 1N.]

The boat, which was already sliding along the waterway in the pool, suddenly accelerated. The group of people shouting and chasing on the shore could only watch as this single-person vessel drifted downstream along the slide channel encircling the entire Spirit Demon Hall.

Yang Zicang let out a long breath and collapsed to the ground.

“That damn bastard… managed to deceive everyone by using the Ability Spheres he had collected before.”

Suddenly, a spark of hope flickered in Yang Zicang’s heart.

Could Morrie also find a new path to survival here? He suddenly thought—the opening scene of Mr. Grey Crow’s death was also, among many possibilities, the one gathering the highest probability of demise, but there were still other outcomes where he might not die.

A tinge of vitality surged in his heart.

“Though slim, you might still make it… Morrie, hang on until I get there!”

He glanced at the sky; there were still seven or eight hours to go.

And at this moment, every single second felt like a sharp thorn piercing into the young man’s heart.

A wave of hunger hit him.

Yang Zicang felt the discomfort from two days without a drop of water or food, but he couldn’t care less about it.

He just stared silently at the scene, unwilling to miss a single detail, afraid this might be the last glimpse of someone who had sacrificed himself to change his fate.

……

Slap! Slap! Slap!

Amidst all the chaotic energies, Yang Zicang suddenly heard a continuous sound of slapping, as if it came from beyond a dream.

“What’s going on?”

Slap! Slap!

Yang Zicang felt the sound was right next to his ears.

[I…]

As if realizing something, Yang Zicang hastily severed the “Right of Mental Manifestation”; in an instant, immense fatigue and hunger surged over him.

Smack! Smack!

His face stinging with pain, he weakly opened his eyes only to see Wang Dingshan’s palm whistling toward his face again—smack!

A fiery, stinging pain surfaced in the eyes of the young man, whose gaze was sharp yet laced with confusion.

“Ah, finally awake, you are! Exhausted me to death!”

Wang Dashan dropped the man he was holding straight to the ground, sank to the ground panting with a thud, and Lele, left aside, glanced up in response.

{No wonder he’s a Rubik’s cube  maestro ; even out here, he can find neural levels to clear.}

“Shut it.” Wang Dashan abruptly covered Lele’s eyes and shoved it into his pocket.

Yang Zicang noticed a crowd gathered around, staring at him, among them Boboli with a solemn expression.

“Is it time?” Yang Zicang stood up in bewilderment.

“No, because you had been unconscious for two days, I qualified to bail you out.” Boboli said.

Yang Zicang was stunned.

Boboli, wearing a black trench coat with gold patterns, stepped forward and stood opposite Yang Zicang, looking up at him solemnly.

“Elite employee Yang Zicang, do you wish to resign immediately?”

“I… of course, I…”

Yang Zicang hurriedly patted down his body, only to remember that the engine was in the model. He pulled Boboli’s hand and pressed his own hand into the boy’s palm. Feeling the “Ether Tunnel Memory-loss Engine,” Boboli’s eyes flickered slightly.

“I have to leave immediately, or it will be too late. Morrie has already appeared in the Demon Hero Hall!” He turned around frantically, about to run outside.

Boboli grabbed Yang Zicang’s arm firmly. “Where are you going?”

“I need to find Executive Huan Bao’er. I want to resign immediately!”

The young man in the black trench coat beside him shouted loudly:

“I, Nuens. Bob. Poly, approve the resignation of employee Yang Zicang! Effective immediately!”

Before Yang Zicang could react, a majestic voice suddenly echoed in his mind.

{You have obtained the qualification to enter the Demon Hero Hall: Demon Gear Millwheel.}

A speck of light appeared in front of Yang Zicang, stretching into a golden thread.

“Brother, I’m counting on you!”

Yang Zicang seized the barely unfurled invitation, its glowing speck not yet fully formed, and vanished instantly into a puff of rising gray mist.