SSS-level catastrophe? That's my wife!

"What you say is true, but..." King Qing hesitated, swallowing his words as if he had some concerns.

"There's no need to hold back when speaking to me," the man's voice softened slightly.

"In this world, only you and I are the people His Majesty truly trusts. Otherwise, why do you think His Majesty would have entrusted the kingdom to you back then, given your strength?"

"As for the four kings, they are nothing but four killing machines."

The Azure King paused for a moment, then finally mustered the courage to speak: "My lord, last time at the Holy Capital headquarters, I had several close-quarters battles with that fire-elemental awakener..."

"I always felt he resembled someone somewhat, but that person is already..."

"Who?" the man interrupted in a deep voice, his tone suddenly turning cold.

"That's the one who followed you three years ago... Bai Jue, the head of Zhen'e Tingting who should have died."

"Zhan Qing." The man's voice suddenly turned cold, and an oppressive aura emanated from him instantly surged towards the Azure King. "Bai Jue is dead."

"What you say is true, sir! It must be Zhan Qing's imagination. After all, how could one person awaken two abilities?"

The Azure King quickly echoed, but still stubbornly pressed on, "But... my lord, if I may be so bold as to ask again, did you really witness Bai Jue completely lose his life force? Is it possible...?"

"Absolutely impossible." The man interrupted coldly, his tone carrying an unquestionable certainty.

"He was covered in fatal wounds, and when he was on the verge of death after fighting the Black King, I pierced his heart with a sword."

"And his sacred artifact has already been exposed to the Central Intelligence Agency by a dead servant who resembles me."

The Green King immediately breathed a sigh of relief and lowered his head, saying, "My lord, if you were to rule the kingdom, surely the four kings would fear your power and submit?"

"Submission?" The man chuckled coldly. "How could the word 'submission' even exist in the mind of a killing machine?"

"Zhan Qing, have you forgotten why I hid in the shadows?"

He paused, his voice turning colder: "The final battle was a reshuffling that would benefit the kingdom."

"The goal is to destroy Bai Jue, Hong Wang, and the Awakened and Mutants under their command."

"At the same time, I will use this war to create the illusion of my death and remain hidden behind the scenes..."

"Everything should have been flawless, but I never expected that the Black King would betray me in the end. Unfortunately, she was severely injured by the high-ranking officials of the Zhen'e Court, and in the end, she was left with only one arm."

"Otherwise, the experimental value of an SSS-level calamity far exceeds our imagination."

"Zhan Qing understands." King Qing nodded, but then asked with a puzzled look.

"But my lord, the central government is merely our puppet, and we have complete control over the kingdom's power. Why would you deceive everyone?"

"Your idea is utterly foolish." The man's voice held a hint of impatience. "Zhan Qing, you're living too comfortably."

"In this world, we cannot trust anyone but you and me, not even our trusted confidants who have followed us for many years."

"Everyone submits to strength, and if one day they believe they are powerful enough, they will seize the kingdom."

"But to my surprise, the final battle had an unexpected effect."

"Those remnants of the previous dynasty, believing there were no more eighth-order awakened beings in the world, began to stir."

The man suddenly burst into wild laughter, his voice filled with intense murderous intent: "Haha! I really look forward to these remnants hiding in the shadows speeding up their actions!"

"The day they reveal all their cards will be the day I personally lead the kingdom's army to annihilate them!"

"Go ahead, Zhan Qing."

"The experiment needs to continue. We don't have enough blood from ordinary people anymore; we need purer blood."

The Azure King paused slightly, then looked up tentatively and asked, "My lord, do you mean... if a large number of Awakened Ones disappear, won't the situation spiral out of control?"

The man suddenly sneered, his tone full of disdain: "Out of control? In the face of absolute power, all public opinion will vanish!"

The Azure King took a deep breath, lowered his head, and replied, "Zhan Qing knows what to do."

After the King of Qing left, a trace of reminiscence flashed in the eyes of the Envoy of the State, and he muttered to himself, "What a pity... I truly admired that young man who was full of passion and enthusiasm whom I met by chance six years ago."

He slowly walked out of the courtyard, gazing at the waning moon in the sky, his voice low and deep: "Bai Jue, if your talent were mediocre, I would have truly considered elevating you to a position of superiority."

"But you are too dazzling."

"So dazzling that it fills me with dread for the future."

"Therefore, you can only die."

"I will not allow anyone who can threaten me to grow up smoothly in this world."

"As your teacher and disciple, the fact that I didn't destroy your body and cover up the evidence is the last favor I can do for you."

……

2:00 AM.

On the side road outside the Duanshe Tavern in Jiangcheng.

Before the black Maybach had even come to a complete stop, the passenger door was flung open with a "whoosh".

Lin Mu practically leaped out of the car, his figure instantly transforming into a blur as he sped off towards the Yunjing residential area.

After Gu Cang turned off the engine, he looked at the open passenger door and then at the direction where Lin Mu had disappeared, feeling somewhat bewildered.

He silently lit a cigarette, and amidst the swirling smoke, muttered to himself, "Damn! Bro, don't you ever get tired?"

"One night of fighting wasn't enough, you want to keep fighting even after you get home?"

"Damn it, we're all single, how come you suddenly have a woman?"

Inside the Yunjing residential community.

"Ding—" The elevator doors slowly opened to both sides, and Lin Mu's figure flashed, already appearing in front of his own door.

He pushed open the door with a "click" and strode into the living room, but his steps suddenly stopped. He hadn't expected to be behind.

Su Nianhe was sitting cross-legged on the sofa, her hands supporting her chin as she stared at the door, her adorable expression remaining unchanged for a while.

Only when Lin Mu appeared did a faint smile appear on her lips.

She straightened up, stretched out her arms to Lin Mu, and said in a soft voice, "Lin Mu, hug me."

Lin Mu didn't respond, his gaze falling on the blood seeping from her shoulder, his brows furrowing instantly: "Why didn't you treat your injury immediately? Didn't you consider that the sword might be poisoned?"

Su Nianhe's beautiful eyes widened in surprise for a moment, then she burst out laughing. She withdrew her arms and gracefully stood up, her jade-like feet touching the ground as she walked step by step to Lin Mu: "When you care about someone, can you not be so subtle?"

Before Lin Mu could speak, she reached out and wrapped her arms around his waist.

I pressed my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat, and a smile involuntarily crept onto my lips.

The next second, she suddenly raised her head, looked directly into Lin Mu's eyes, and said gently, "Lin Mu, I like your heartbeat right now."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Mu's heart started beating even faster than before.

He took a deep breath, met her gaze, and calmly said, "Take off your clothes."

"Huh?" Su Nianhe's expression suddenly turned blank and cute, and a faint blush rose to her cheeks.

At that moment, her heart rate also began to accelerate.

"Lin Mu...you...so suddenly~"

"So...shall we take a shower first? Together or separately...?"