Mr. Zhongli, we can't slack off anymore!

Emerging from the strange, energy-filled realm of the World Tree and stepping once more onto the slightly damp ground of Sumeru, I dared to truly shed all my pretense, confront the exhaustion that threatened to consume me, and allow my entire body to completely relax.

The cold moonlight shone down, making my skin appear unhealthy and pale. My fingers, stiff from excessive force, were even somewhat out of control, still gripping the knife handle tightly.

The stragglers, whom I had just "re-tamed," stood beside me.

He seemed unable to bear it any longer. Without a word, he reached out and forcefully pried open my still stiff fingers, then grasped my hand in his cool palm: "What are you staring at? Let's go."

pain!

This guy, he really will never understand "gentleness".

Perfect, we can settle both the old and new scores together!

"Hey, I'm telling you." I forcefully shook off his hand, putting on a serious face: "Don't think that what happened just now... is enough! Don't act like nothing happened. We still have a lot of scores to settle!"

"Oh?" He casually crossed his arms, a mocking expression on his face that I knew all too well, as if he was certain I couldn't do anything truly courageous or threatening: "Then what else do you want?"

"At least!" I raised my voice, trying to overpower him with my presence: "I still remember the time you made me lose my towel!" As I spoke, I angrily raised my hand as if to punch him, but when I swung down, my eyes fell on the marks on his face, and my movement stopped involuntarily, my fist hovering in mid-air.

Or... should we wait until his face has fully recovered before settling this score?

But by then, I reckon I'll have completely forgotten about it...

Are we just going to let him off so easily?

I was immediately caught in a huge dilemma, my brows furrowing.

The stragglers clearly didn't have the patience to wait for me to make a decision, much less sit idly by and wait to die.

Seeing my hesitation, he suddenly grabbed my wrist, pulled my hand, and without saying a word, slapped himself across the cheek!

A sharp, unusually loud crack rang out, particularly jarring in the silent night sky.

It all happened so fast that the sound was already out before I even fully realized what was happening.

My hand is burning with pain... Why do I feel like I've lost out even more?

I'm the one who hit someone, and I'm the one who feels the pain?

"Anything else?" He looked at me nonchalantly, casually rubbing his cheek where he had just been hit with his fingertip, his expression still carrying a hint of... unsatisfaction: "What else do you want to do to me? Tell me all at once."

"..." I was completely speechless. I could only frown and rub my numb and hot palms vigorously, feeling a sense of defeat.

It seems like I've never gotten anything out of him!

"What are you spacing out for?" He seemed to have lost interest in continuing the conversation, grabbed me, and lifted me off the ground without a word, hovering me in the air: "Let's go back."

"Wait! Hold on!" I suddenly remembered something very important and hurriedly called out, "I still need to say goodbye to Tinari and Corley before I leave!"

They must be very worried because they can't find me.

"Is it really necessary?" His voice sounded somewhat dismissive, even tinged with a hint of mockery. "They'll forget you were ever here soon."

He didn't immediately fly me back to the hotel, but instead hovered in mid-air, gazing at the distant horizon.

I turned my head in the direction of his gaze and saw a line in the deep night sky, made up of countless tiny particles of light and emitting a faint red glow, spreading toward us at a constant and unstoppable speed. Wherever it passed, the starlight seemed to distort slightly.

"What is that?" I asked in surprise, a strange feeling of excitement rising in my heart.

"The timeline of reincarnation." The soldier's voice was unusually calm: "The next cycle is about to begin."

"Sigh..." I sighed softly and helplessly, as a deep sense of exhaustion washed over me again.

If all the struggles, all the hardships, and all the relationships that had just started to progress in this round were to be completely erased and we had to start all over again...

I'm really starting to feel overwhelmed.

As the glowing line representing reset and beginning drew closer, seemingly carrying the weight of the entire world, I subconsciously gripped the lapel of the soldier's shirt, my fingertips turning slightly white.

"Scared?" He lowered his head, looking at the clothes I was clutching tightly to his chest, his tone unreadable, neither concerned nor simply teasing.

"Is...I'm alright?" I tried to make my voice sound calm as my mind raced.

Next round... shouldn't it be the puzzle-solving round? Is the only way to win by honestly answering the riddle?

Just thinking about that agonizing puzzle gives me a headache.

"If you're scared, hold on tighter." He suddenly blurted out this sentence, his tone extremely unnatural and his expression very stiff. It was clear that he was extremely bad at saying such things.

"Let's forget about it." I was amused by his awkward expression and declined with a smile.

"Watch out, or I'll..." He seemed somewhat embarrassed and angry, wanting to utter some harsh words.

But I immediately interrupted him: "Careful, or I'll never talk to you again!"

These words seemed to possess a strange magic, working wonders. He immediately seemed to choke on something, swallowing back the second half of his threatening words, merely pursing his lips and averting his gaze.

Just then, the red line formed by the light particles silently swept across our bodies.

There was no earth-shattering noise, nor any heart-wrenching pain, but an irresistible, overwhelming drowsiness instantly swept over my consciousness, and my thoughts once again fell into a warm, incomprehensible blur.

The cycle continues, unstoppable. And my choices seem to be dwindling. How can this overwhelming trend be reversed? How can I defeat the powerful demon lurking behind the scenes…?

*

When I opened my eyes again, the familiar hotel ceiling came into view. I found myself lying on a soft bed, my whole body reeking of the lingering fishy smell of the sea, making me so uncomfortable that I immediately wanted to jump up and take a hot shower.

Just then, a face suddenly appeared from beside the bed, almost touching my face: "Awake?"

"Ah! What are you doing!" The soldier's face, which suddenly loomed large in front of me, startled me!

I instinctively shrank back.

Rather than blaming him for his terrifying entrance, I immediately noticed something more important and surprising: "Your face..." I stared intently at his cheeks and chin: "Completely recovered?"

Was it the power of reincarnation that restored him to his original state? Or does his puppet body possess this extraordinary self-repairing ability?

Driven by intense curiosity, I almost reached out to check the skin that looked as smooth as ever, but my hand stopped halfway up because of our strange relationship.

"Just touch me if you want, why are you hesitating, you idiot?" He seemed to read my mind, his tone still carrying that irritating quality, and he actually reached out and grabbed my wrist, then pressed my hand against his own cheek without saying a word: "Your time is much more precious than mine."

The touch from your fingertips is soft and warm, just like human skin, even more delicate and smooth, making you want to pinch it a few more times.

(And in fact, my fingers did indeed follow my instincts.)

……

After quickly washing away my fatigue and the smell of fish, I changed into the new clothes that Mr. Tariq had urgently sent from the tailor shop. I carefully straightened my clothes, took a deep breath, and opened the door.

The soldier was leaning against the wall outside the door, waiting. His face was expressionless, but his eyes seemed to have softened a little more than before.

Maybe it's an illusion.

I solemnly picked up the straw hat that I had previously "confiscated" and carefully put it back on his dark hair, completing the ceremony of its return.

This seemingly endless cycle of calamity has clearly entered its second half.

Although the road ahead is still shrouded in mystery, I believe I will find the next breakthrough.

“Let’s go.” I took a deep breath of the cool morning air, and with an almost childish determination and a slogan-like tone, I took the first step: “We’re going to save Sumeru.”