Collapse Iron: The Five Heroes of the Clouds Won't Let Me Go

[Everyone, I believe you all have personal matters to discuss, but before you leave, the company has one more request.]

"Tell me, what else can the company ask us for help with?" Xing asked curiously.

Please leave that die behind. The head of a Great Lord of Annihilation is far too dangerous and must be properly preserved.

Bai Heng asked疑惑地问道, "The Great Lord Jue Mie himself is still a prisoner on the train, occasionally providing amusement for us juniors. What do you plan to do with him?"

This...is indeed a problem.

Just then, the dice in his arms floated out of thin air, emitting a sound of returning to silence:

"Why do I smell a conspiracy? What does the company want to do with me? Could it be some kind of dangerous research?"

The company is indeed not what it used to be, but it's not something that can be slandered by mere lackeys.

"Is that so? Then I would like to ask, since dealing with the Gluttonous Beast's molted body has taken such a great deal of effort, what exactly is your mentality? Could it be that the preservation itself has already been corrupted by Gluttony? After all, there is a living ancient beast beneath Thousand Star City."

"What did you say? Return the dice? Is that really true?" Xing was very surprised.

"Well, so it turns out the thief is crying 'stop thief!' Now I understand why the company has been so indifferent to Erxiang Paradise!" Bai Heng said with some dissatisfaction.

Zaitian's voice carried a hint of helplessness: "Everyone, please don't believe the words of the Great Lord of Annihilation. The positions involved are completely different. I can assure you that the intentions of preservation remain pure. However, as he said, an ancient beast does indeed reside within Thousand Star City; she is the head of the Technology Research and Development Department."

"I'm sorry, but this die and Guiji are a single unit. The Starry Sky Train will be responsible for keeping it under control to prevent any trouble, so there's no need to trouble the company." Xing decisively refused.

"Very well, since you are unwilling, I will not force you. After all, this is only a request from Madam Ya-po, and I am merely a messenger."

Leaving the somber atmosphere of the conference room and returning to the courtyard overlooking the starry sky, some questions need to be addressed directly with Xu Zhao.

Xu Zhao: "Ah, this huge hurdle is finally over. It was easier than I expected. Cheng Xiao's influence really works! Let's take a rest."

Xing and Bai Heng flanked Xu Zhao from both sides to prevent her from escaping.

"Wait?! What are you two doing?!" Xu Zhao looked at the two serious-looking people with a bewildered expression.

"Teacher Xuzhao, don't you have anything you want to say to us?" Xing asked with a kind and amiable expression.

"Well, how should I put it? I'm thinking of finding a suitable place to rest later, ordering three delicious milk teas, and then slowly confessing."

Just as Xing was about to press for answers, her phone popped up with a flood of messages, all praising her, which made her beam with joy.

"Teacher Xuzhao, please see the message sent by Ms. Zhenzhu."

[Zhenzhu]: Thank you, Teacher Xuzhao, for your help in this request for assistance. Please convey my gratitude and my follow-up... to the manuscript.

"No!" Xu Zhao screamed in agony.

"Alright! What other identity are you hiding from us? Tell us now!"

"Sigh, I wanted to interact with you all as an ordinary person, but all I got in return was exploitation and alienation. I'm not pretending anymore, I'm Aha, I'm coming clean~"

A powerful force of joy pulled Xing and Bai Heng into the vast universe, where laughter and cannon salutes exploded in their ears, and their consciousness seemed to rise and fall in a joyous circus.

"How about it? Now that you know who I am, aren't you going to worship me?"

Xing was in a hurry and quickly distanced himself from Xu Zhao.

"Wait! Hold on a minute!"

"I..."

"Don't speak! You're not allowed to speak!"

Xing stared intently at Xu Zhao as Bai Heng handcuffed her.

"You are a fake image."

"right."

"You are still the cartoonist, Teacher Two-Dimensional Ma."

"right."

"You said you're the company's lottery goddess again?!"

"right."

"Now you're telling me you're Aha, the god of joy?!"

"Yes, these are all me."

"What do you mean, 'right'? Tell me! What other identities do you have that I don't know about? Who are you?!"

"I am still your friend."

Bai Heng was already immersed in this explosive news, but Xing calmly took a deep breath, then closed her eyes, as if accepting the fact.

Seeing their conflicted and distressed expressions, Xu Zhao chuckled:

"Oh dear, why take it so seriously? I know that when I return as the Dragon King, I may have surprised you, but please rest assured, I will still consider you my friends. Don't stand on ceremony with me."

"Very good, Aha, right? So your name is Aha. Come on, let me calculate it. The copyright fee for the comic, the maintenance fee for the train carriages, plus the interest from the hit-and-run over the years, all these miscellaneous expenses added up, it's not much, about 10 billion credits."

With each word Xing spoke, another bead of cold sweat trickled down Xu Zhao's face.

"Actually, I am not the true form of Ahha, and I cannot represent Ahha the God. What you said was not done by me. You need to find Ahha."

"Oh ho, chickening out now? Don't dare admit it? Weren't you just supporting Jiaxin? Come on, I want to see your arrogant side again."

"No, don't come any closer! You can't force a widowed woman with no savings to pay off her debts!"

"If you don't have money, go sell them! Aren't your comic books selling like hotcakes?"

"No way! You're forcing women into prostitution, that's illegal! I will never bow down to you capitalists!"

Xing pulled out a baseball bat and weighed it in his hand: "If you don't pay me back today, you'll be working as a machine for the Starry Sky Train!"

The shadow of the baseball bat slowly approached and grew larger in his eyes, and finally, Xu Zhao couldn't hold back any longer:

"Enough! You disrespectful pioneers, I am God! I, Aha, the Lord of Illusion, the One of Mourning, the Killer of All Certainty, the False Lord of All Drama! I am the First Fool, the First Entertainer!"

......

"Stop hitting me! Stop hitting me! I was wrong, I was wrong! I'll pay you back! I'll pay you back! If you hit me again, I'll become an idiot!"

When Cheng Xiao arrived, he saw Xu Zhao crouching with his head in his hands, being punched and kicked by Xing and Bai Heng.

"Waaaah, Cheng Xiao, you have to stand up for me! Look at these two people, they don't treat me like a human being at all! I can't live like this anymore!"

"You, were you trying to show off, but you ended up getting taught a lesson instead? I told you not to be so arrogant, be more low-key when you're a god."

Xu Zhao straightened his clothes and took off his glasses:

"Despite a few minor hiccups, Benha has taken the stage, and this grandest performance at the Universal Theatre is about to begin! The stars are silent, but I say: 'Let's have laughter!'"

"Oh, my [Akivili], I only took off my mask of pretense for you, how could you be so cruel to me?"