"Ninety-two..."
To be frank, after so many games, the Silhouette Monster could barely remember the details; most worldlines had played out with such thoroughness.
However, certain worlds were etched in its memory with exceptional clarity.
Because in World Ninety-two, it had almost failed.
But this failure wasn't the conventional kind, not a near-death experience, but a near-replacement.
That Duan Chen from that worldline...
Thinking of that man, the Silhouette Monster shivered involuntarily.
It roared in a low voice.
"You madman, you actually dared to revive that worldline. I knew why you were hiding here all this time. Your divine power must be almost depleted."
Wu Suowei chuckled lightly, a strange smile playing on his lips.
His gaze seemed to pierce through time.
"So what if I have it, so what if I don't? How much divine power I have left has nothing to do with me being in this divine hall."
"Here, you cannot harm me, and I cannot harm you."
"Don't overthink it. You just need to watch the game unfold quietly."
"The real show is about to begin."
...
Far away in the secret realm, Duan Chen suddenly found himself the center of attention.
Jin An, who had previously treated him with indifference, and Melberons, who appeared exceptionally mysterious and powerful, suddenly began to argue.
Both wanted to leave with him.
No, it should be said, one person and one snake wanted to leave with him.
And neither was willing to be with the other.
They didn't make things difficult for Duan Chen.
Instead, they were having a silent communication that others couldn't fathom.
The person and the snake glared at each other, neither speaking, but their thoughts had already collided countless times.
Outside the secret realm.
Jun Wuchen frowned, a sense of unease gnawing at him.
Jun Wuchen glanced at the crystal ball in his hand.
He exhaled, feeling a surge of frustration.
"Why is the progress so slow this time? Why are so few people dying?"
A woman beside him smiled reassuringly.
"Master, there's no need to worry too much. The crystal ball will be full one day."
"It's only a matter of time. Do you think they can escape from there?"
Jun Wuchen felt a sense of relief.
That's right, no one could escape this secret realm.
They had set stringent conditions for escape.
Moreover, the entire secret realm had already been handed over to the eerie realm.
No one would survive.
This was an agreement and a deal between him and that eerie entity.
He felt a lot more at ease.
His emotions slowly settled.
However, just then, Jun Wuchen suddenly noticed the crystal ball in his hand begin to tremble violently.
His eyes lit up.
Jun Wuchen couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"Could it be that more people are finally dying, and it's beginning to accumulate energy for the crystal ball?"
But to his utter disbelief.
The crystal ball continued to tremble, yet its energy level did not rise at all. Instead, it shook more and more violently in his hand, until finally, a crack appeared at the top of the crystal ball with a *snap*.
"No!!!"
Jun Wuchen couldn't accept this reality.
Fortunately, the crystal ball didn't shatter completely in his hand.
He gritted his teeth, his eyes wide, looking like a vengeful spirit returned from hell.
"Who is causing trouble and nearly destroyed my crystal ball?"
Recalling the fleeting figure of a man glimpsed within the crack, Jun Wuchen almost ground his teeth to dust.
"Damn you, don't let me catch you."
"Who on earth let such a terrifying individual inside?"
"No..."
He thought of something. Gritting his teeth, he reached for a piece of paper, grabbed a pen, and quickly sketched the man he had seen.
Then he handed it to the woman beside him.
A malicious glint flashed in Jun Wuchen's eyes.
"Print this portrait and distribute it. Anyone who encounters a man with this appearance is to be executed on sight."
"Tell them he maliciously sabotaged the secret realm and went on a rampage, slaughtering indiscriminately."
The woman nodded charmingly and agreed.
"Don't worry, Master, I will complete any task you give me perfectly."
After saying this, the woman lowered her head and looked at the portrait in her hand.
A flicker of admiration crossed her eyes.
The man in the portrait had an ethereal aura, with a mysteriously enigmatic smile playing on his lips.
He wore a single-sided gold-rimmed spectacle and a tall top hat.
He was dressed in a tailcoat.
He looked like a scholar.
The entire person exuded a sense of being detached from the world.
As the woman walked out with the portrait, she couldn't help but sigh and shake her head.
"A pity. I don't know who you are, but none of those targeted by our Master have ever had a good end."
...
In the secret realm, Melberons suddenly frowned.
"Something is probing me..."
He raised a hand, signaling the small snake in front of him to stop, then raised the other and gently calculated. A more and more peculiar smile spread across his eyes, and then he couldn't help but laugh.
"So that's how it is, so that's how it is."
"What an interesting turn of events."
Jin An, feeling defeated, bit its own tail tip.
It glared fiercely at Melberons.
Then, with a look of disappointment in Duan Chen's innocence, it vanished in a flash.
Jin An's furious roar echoed in Duan Chen's mind.
"Do whatever you two want. You're the one who dares to scheme with a tiger."
Although Jin An's words were full of threats, Duan Chen detected a hint of nervousness in its voice.
Duan Chen stroked his chin, a look of understanding flashing in his eyes.
So Jin An couldn't defeat Melberons?
After finishing his calculations, Melberons refocused his gaze on Duan Chen, the smile on his lips widening slightly.
"Now that the issue between me and your little pet is resolved, you can take me with you, my Retriever."
Duan Chen couldn't help but ask.
"You still haven't told me what a Retriever is."
Melberons, however, refused to answer.
"No, no, no. I was going to tell you, but that snake is right. This is a very interesting matter. I'll tell you when you have contained ten eerie entities."
Contain ten eerie entities.
What a strange requirement.
Duan Chen said nothing, but he filed this information away in his mind.