Simultaneous traversal: All Abyss difficulty.

Chapter 761 There's More Than One Boss

There's a faint milky scent in the air of Iceland.

Oh, I got it wrong. It's that the female protagonist has such a great figure that I can smell her milky fragrance.

Wanda wrapped herself tightly in a thick cashmere shawl, her breath condensing into a fleeting wisp of white mist in the cold air.

Her cottage sits on the edge of a fjord, with snow-covered black volcanic rocks outside the window, and further away, the deep blue sea with white waves churning under a leaden sky.

The area is sparsely populated, with only about twenty households scattered throughout the fjord, each maintaining a sufficient distance from the others to safeguard its own tranquility, yet able to help each other when needed.

This was a near-luxurious tranquility, a place where she could catch her breath.

Even if the current global mutant crisis is raging and they are on the verge of extinction.

But that has absolutely nothing to do with the contented townspeople or Wanda.

Last night, the Aurora Borealis was unusually generous.

Green and purple light bands, like flowing silk, illuminated the entire fjord and the distant snow-capped mountains.

Wanda sat alone by the window, holding a cup of warm floral tea, lost in thought.

A new day begins in the cool morning light.

As usual, Wanda prepared to go out to the small dock to see if old Einar had caught any fresh fish.

She loved the hustle and bustle of the dock in the early morning, the cries of seagulls, the sputtering of fishing boat engines, and the salty, fishy smell mixed with diesel fuel in the air—it was the breath of life.

However, today is a little different.

Pushing open the wooden door, the expected sound did not come.

There was no sound of engines from Einar fishing boats returning home, no clamor of seagulls fighting over fish entrails, not even the sound of wind.

No, the wind was still blowing, swirling up the thin layer of snow on the ground and making a soft rustling sound.

But apart from that, the world was eerily quiet.

Wanda frowned slightly and stepped out the door.

The snow underfoot made a familiar "crunch" sound, but this familiarity now highlighted an eerie sense of strangeness.

She habitually glanced at her neighbor, old Mrs. Goodrun's house, where dried fish always hung under the eaves.

Today, the dried fish is still there, but the snow on the path in front of the house is thick and there are no footprints.

Mrs. Goodrun gets up early every day without fail to sweep the area in front of her door.

A sense of unease crept into my heart.

Wanda quickened her pace, heading along the only main road toward the town center—which was actually just a small supermarket and a small open space where a few families gathered.

The houses along the road had their doors and windows tightly shut, curtains drawn low, and no smoke rose from their chimneys.

On ordinary days, at this time, Hansen's wife would have already baked bread, and the aroma would waft far and wide. Sora's youngest son would be riding his old bicycle, which always made a creaking sound, around the open space.

But today, there is nothing.

"Is anyone there?" Wanda's voice wasn't loud, but it sounded exceptionally clear in the silence, even carrying a slight echo.

No response.

Only the wind swirls the snowflakes across the road.

Her heart began to race, and a cold, unknown fear slowly crept up her spine.

This is not right, this is really not right.

Even if someone goes out temporarily, it's impossible for everyone to disappear at the same time without leaving a trace.

Wanda walked to the nearest house, Hansen's, and knocked on the heavy wooden door.

“Mr. Hansen? Mrs. Hansen?” Her voice rose slightly, with a clear questioning tone.

beep.

Only a dull echo.

The door wasn't locked; she pushed it gently and it opened a crack.

The room was dimly lit, the fire in the stove had long since gone out, and it was as cold as an ice cellar.

A half-empty cup of coffee remained on the table, long since cold and frozen. But the person was gone.

The unease instantly turned into a chilling panic.

Wanda suddenly turned around and rushed to the next store.

Similarly, no one answered the door when knocking. Pushing the door open, the room was clean but cold and empty. Even the old lady's beloved reading glasses were casually placed on the low table next to the rocking chair, as if the owner had just gotten up to pour a glass of water and never returned.

She went around like a madwoman, knocking on doors, calling out, and pushing doors open to check.

There were no signs of struggle, no indication of fighting, and no mess left behind by a hasty departure.

Everyone, along with their pets, was as if wiped away by an invisible hand, leaving only a frozen fragment of their lives in the last second before they disappeared.

She was the only one left in the entire town.

at this time.

A very faint footstep, with a strange rhythm, came from behind. It was on the snow, yet it was as clear as stepping on Wanda's eardrums.

Wanda froze, her back straightening instantly.

The red light of the chaos magic instantly became brighter and more concentrated, forming a thin, defensive barrier around her.

She turned around abruptly, crimson energy gathering in her palm, ready to be unleashed.

Then she saw it.

A woman stood just five steps away from her.

A woman who looks exactly like her.

The same crimson hair color, the same facial features.

But the woman in front of him did not show the panic, vulnerability, and pain that Wanda was experiencing at that moment.

A lazy yet wicked smile played at the corners of her lips, her eyes sharp as knives, flashing with a molten gold-red light. That light did not reveal sadness or confusion, but rather a naked, almost playful power and an indifference that looked down upon all living beings.

She wore a deep red, sharply tailored, battle-armor-like garment, rather than Wanda's soft loungewear, and was surrounded by a faint, deeper, and darker energy fluctuation.

Seeing Wanda's wary posture, as if facing a formidable enemy, Wanda's smile deepened, carrying an undisguised pity, or rather, the sympathy mixed with a sense of superiority that a strong person shows when seeing a weak person struggling.

She gently shook her head, in a tone that was almost a sigh, yet as cold as frost:

"Pitiful."

The sound, like shattering icicles, pierced Wanda's ears clearly.

"Me in this universe."

The alluring Wanda took a graceful small step forward, her scarlet eyes fixed on Wanda's bewildered emerald pupils, as if admiring a broken work of art. "No lover, no child, no goal. You can only hide at the ends of the earth like a frightened rabbit. How pitiful."

Every word was like a poisoned needle, precisely piercing Wanda's deepest wound.

"Who are you?!"

Wanda's voice trembled without her even realizing it, but her eyes were unusually firm as she stared intently at the other person, "What did you do to them?!"

Crimson energy condensed in her hand into the shape of a spear, its tip pointing directly at that sinister self.

Wanda's enigmatic smile deepened, radiating an air of effortless control.

She didn't even look at the energy spear pointing at her; instead, she raised a hand that was also wrapped in dark red energy arcs, her fingertips casually twirling a strand of deep red hair.

"I?"

She chuckled softly, her voice carrying a strange echo, "I'm here to help you find release, you other 'me,' trapped in this boundless suffering, guarding empty ruins—why bother?"

She tilted her head slightly, her scarlet eyes like the entrance to a burning inferno, filled with undeniable allure and threat:

“Come with me, let’s see true power, let’s reclaim what’s rightfully yours, like…” Her smile turned eerie and meaningful, “two lovely children? A husband who loves you?”

"And... a goal in life."

Wanda realized that the "self" before her was not a kind person, and immediately refused, "I have things I want to do in my life. I want you to give the townspeople back to me, and then disappear from my sight forever!"

Evil Wanda covered her mouth and chuckled, "Oh, it seems you're just as wary as 'me' from the previous universe. In that case, I have no choice but to kill you myself."

Her face flashed with a mix of emotions: hesitation, reminiscence, resentment, and resilience. Finally, she murmured, "I'm sorry, but from the moment I killed Strange, I had no way out."

(End of this chapter)