It's so painful! So hard! So difficult!

"Although the bar does have its share of chaos, it's probably the purest place in this city. Letting go, enjoying yourself, and simply expressing your feelings openly, without all the intrigue..."

"According to the data I received during my previous PR work, the number of bars opening has been increasing over the years, and it's for this very reason: they're so popular. Even the profit ratio of conscientious bars is almost higher than that of unscrupulous ones, and their positioning is very effective. It's a pity—"

At this point, Qianhua sighed and said,

"If these dark knights hadn't come, it wouldn't be long before the bar would have been completely taken over by those above them, and more messed up stuff would have been thrown in. Like potato chips with drugs."

"Fortunately, they are here."

Jack Donkey also echoed, and Qianhua smiled slightly and replied,

"Yes, they changed the city, and they changed us, didn't they? It's hard to imagine that you, Boss, would have the courage to harbor an illegal organization. Obviously, this is also a change brought about by their arrival."

After saying this, Jack Donkey paused for a moment, revealing a slightly different expression from his usual enthusiasm. His hands were folded in front of him, but he couldn't find a place to put them, which made him look a little unnatural. His eyes were also downcast. After a while, he slowly replied,

"I guess so. I never expected how I would end up like this. To be honest, I still feel like this is all a dream..."

After saying that, he raised his head again and looked at the sky. Qianhua next to him seemed to see what was on his mind and replied,

"I feel the same way. But no matter what, everything seems to have become a foregone conclusion. After this period of time, what are you going to do, boss?"

"Me? I... I don't know. Maybe I'll just keep running the shop. I don't have too many thoughts."

Jack Donkey shook his head, as if deep within him, he had a very deep defense. He looked completely lost, and those who couldn't even open up normally didn't even have the courage to face their own inner thoughts. It was perfectly normal for him to feel lost.

Qianhua was very understanding. She didn't ask any more questions and just said to the boss,

"No matter what, it will get better."

-

"You look a little anxious."

The old man sat back on the sofa, looking at the girl called the Grim Reaper, staring at the screen in front of him anxiously. The latter left her original position in a trance, sat back on the sofa, exhaled, and then replied,

Chapter 923 Believe in Yourself

"Yes, there are some. In such a tense situation, the attitude of the higher-ups is surprisingly ambiguous."

As she spoke, the Goddess of Death's emotions fluctuated a little. She waved her hands and explained to the old man,

"Master, remember I told you before that I found a pair of sunglasses at the beginning of the recent series of attacks? They were most likely left behind by that donut warrior."

"Well, with your skills, if you have a pair of sunglasses that have been worn, you should be able to easily trace them back to the person, right? Then what?"

Death nodded first, confirming the old man's statement, and then replied,

"The results are in, and we can already infer their appearance based on the information we have. With this kind of investigation, it's only a matter of time. Once they take the stage, they won't be able to contend with the power of this city. And our company is clearly on the city's side."

The old man also nodded, and he answered to the god of death,

"You're right. It seems something happened at the decision-making level that puzzles you, right?"

"Yes. The company didn't assign me to this task, but instead sent some small-time individuals to investigate. I think this is unreasonable. Facing an experienced and cunning old fox, you only have one chance to kill him. Not to mention that the current situation is already grim, time is running out. If we fail to stop them, it will be a near-destructive blow to both the company and the city."

"During the previous bar robbery, the Donut Warriors flew out to deal with the illegal memetic weapons. The people below believed that the Donut Warriors were responding to the organization's instructions, but the timing was too coincidental. Why would they use mechas and heavy equipment to just provide support for this one act and then return home? It would have been more reasonable to intervene in the organization's affairs."

As she spoke, Death breathed a sigh of relief. She looked a little tired, with a hint of confusion in her eyes. No matter how capable she was or how good she was at thinking, things that were unclear to her would remain unclear to her. The old man, however, seemed to see through everything. He said,

"I think it's great that you listen to the news and analyze it. But think about it now. Are you questioning and wavering about the company's decisions? That's not normal for you, is it?"

Death was slightly startled when she heard this, then she quickly shook her head and replied,

"I'm just a little confused. I do whatever the company asks me to do. Even if it sounds wrong, I will still do it."

"It's just that...right now, there's no sign of anyone in the city uniting to resist that organization. I'm wondering if the company has some sort of plan that's causing all this confusion?"

The old man laughed, his laughter was kind, yet strange. He shook his sword on the ground and replied forcefully,

"Disciple, you have lived for many years, but you still don't seem to understand these things."

"If someone initially has a clear goal but one day starts to go off track, it means they have other ideas but haven't expressed them. If the same is true for an organization, it means there are people who have access to additional intelligence and are making certain decisions."

"And if it's a city, that means... it might be coming to an end."

When he said this, the Grim Reaper suddenly looked up and looked at the old man with an unbelievable look. The old man just waved his hands and said, "I was just joking." Then he said,

"You are the company's most capable person, there is no doubt about that. So, you will never be abandoned, you can rest assured."

"Maybe later, someone wearing a company uniform and sunglasses will knock on your door and ask you to go to an office. In that office will sit a leader you never see normally, or a behind-the-scenes boss you've never met. By then, you'll know everything."

"Then you'll realize that knowing isn't necessarily a good thing."

Suddenly, the look that Death gave his master became complicated. A tense atmosphere gradually filled the space. She seemed to want to say something, but the knock on the door had already sounded. A company employee wearing sunglasses opened her door and waved at her. She could only suppress her words and walked out the door.

Before leaving, the old man left his last words.

"Believe in yourself, my apprentice. If possible, trust this old man of mine too. All I can say is that I will support you. Just go ahead and do what you think is right, and that's all."

That door was shut. And thousands of miles away, doors were kicked open. With the electronic portraits of Bai Lin and his team created by the Director of Deduction, a group of fully armed company representatives entered thousands of homes. Naturally, they didn't miss the bar owned by Jack Donkey.

"Everyone, listen up! This is an official investigation. After checking, if there are no abnormalities, you may continue your activities!"

Their tone, as they halted the dance floor's activities, held no room for questioning. Naturally, no one in the crowd dared to stand up and protest. This situation was clearly commonplace in this city. If the authorities needed to investigate something, their lives would naturally be disrupted. If they stood up, they would only get into more trouble.

"Have you seen these people in the picture?"

As they spoke, they produced the digital portraits for the crowd to see. Everyone stared at them for a few seconds, then quickly shook their heads. Some of the deduced appearance characteristics were indeed quite accurate, but Bai Lin and the others wore sunglasses even during their performances, so there was no chance of revealing their appearance.

"Well, how about this?"

The official side seemed to have thought of this as well and showed a photo of him wearing sunglasses. At this, someone immediately exclaimed, but then he seemed to have said something wrong and quickly controlled his expression.

If they provide information and are questioned, there's no telling what will happen next. If they say they've performed on stage, the entire bar might be taken away, which wouldn't be good...

It was obvious that this young man almost harmed everyone by himself. Those people around him who had already understood the situation couldn't help but tremble in their hearts.

Such unusual movements naturally could not escape the eyes of those people. The soldier quickly walked to the side of the young man and questioned him,

"Have you seen these people?"

"Hmm...yeah, I did see it."

Chapter 924: Dark Chocolate Appears

He knew full well that lying was pointless. In front of professionals, lying would only reveal more of his true identity. But if he continued like this, everything would be ruined.

"So, where did you see him?"

The key questions came one after another, and the brother's tone suddenly became flustered. He seemed to be hesitant, and the soldier immediately shouted in a threatening voice,

"Say it!"

"I'm telling you, I'm telling you! They were in this bar!"

Finally, the most crucial point was spoken. Everyone's faces turned grim, but there was nothing they could do about it. A soldier's intimidation didn't lie in how loud his roar was, but in the confidence he possessed to do so. This confidence could destroy the happiness of all their families in an instant.

"Oh? How many times have you been here?"

“Not… not many times.”

"Really only a few times?! Think carefully!"

"Yes! I, I didn't lie."

That's true. A band that's only been at the pub for a short time can only appear a few times. They don't usually drink in pubs, and their performances are as few as possible.

The soldier didn't know what to say. He raised his gun and swept around, then asked,

"Did anyone else see it besides him?"

It was an ineffective question. When the target wasn't clearly on a single individual, everyone would inevitably remain silent. With that, the crisis was halfway over. After all, once it was revealed that Bai Lin and the others had been frequenting the place recently, and everyone could see it, it would be like telling everyone that they were a resident band that had recently arrived.

As a result, the boss who hired them would become the center of the fire and would be subject to a lot of scrutiny. Although this would actually make them safer, fortunately, these people still had a conscience.

While the personnel scans were underway, the officials who had entered were also violently searching the area. They kicked open doors one after another and began patrolling the area. Then, the leading soldier received the message. He immediately put his gun to the neck of a man and pinned him to the stage behind him. The man being coerced was none other than Jack Donkey.

"Tell me! Why did you find a space in the back room of your tavern that wasn't reported to be there? There's also a mechanical modification workshop inside. What did you do in there?"

"I... that place was originally used as a warehouse. But the tavern doesn't need that much extra storage, so I didn't fill it up. As for those tools, they were all left here by my friends. I usually just use them to repair things, and I don't know anything else."

"You're answering pretty expertly, huh?! Friend? Modifying things? Putting aside your motives, you're admitting to the crime of unlicensed modification so quickly? What else are you hiding?"

The soldier didn't eat this day at all. Seeing that Jack Donkey's tone was weak, he broke through and questioned him. Jack Donkey's breathing became tighter and tighter. His throat was strangled and breathing became more and more difficult. He only heard him reply with difficulty,

"Really, that's all I know."

"You don't want to tell me, right? Fine, take them away. And everyone in this tavern, take them back one by one for investigation!"

Even at this point, the people squatting on the ground only wore expressions of discomfort, not daring to raise a single word of protest. They knew there was nothing they could do about such an unprovoked disaster. Habit and acquiescence—this was the law of survival that had gradually formed in this city.

The lights on the dance floor were off, no longer ablaze with color. Even the false beauty was wantonly trampled upon by those above; this was their life. The roof was dark, obscuring everything. Just like this oppressive atmosphere, it loomed over everyone's heads.

At that moment, a sudden explosion echoed from overhead. A massive black figure plummeted from the sky. Its streamlined fuselage, its solid, solid outline, its perfectly interlocking components, was none other than our armor—the Donut Warrior.

A flood of light and shadows swung from its hand, grazing the air and creating waves of light. A continuous sound followed, the sound of shell casings crashing to the ground. In an instant, countless soldiers collapsed, their bodies ablaze with flames, like the marks left by long-dead burns from white phosphorus rounds.

After that, the Donut Warrior immediately grabbed the soldier holding Jack Donkey and threw him to the ground in front of him, pinning him down with his massive metal body. Then, a metallic mechanical sound emanated from beneath the mecha.

"Use the chocolate of love, pour it with the chocolate of justice! Regardless of black or white, always spread love and deliciousness to the world."

"The warriors of love, the donut warriors, enter the scene."

Smoke and dust scattered, and a single beam of light shone through the breached dome. The Donut Warrior's eyes lit up, and he instantly slammed the opponent to the ground, then kicked him straight out.

It stood in front of the kneeling crowd with its sturdy body. The strange, somewhat intimidating and powerful machine, at this moment, actually made people feel extremely reassured. Immediately, someone stood up and said,

"It's you, Donut Warrior! I've been involved in many of the commissions you and the organization that followed you received before, but this is the first time I've met you in person!"

They provided both money and labor. This was the original operating model of the poets. There was no responsibility on their part; it was simply a transaction of interests.

Ordinary people often have many dissatisfactions with life. The information cocoon is not airtight, and there are always people who can think of their own answers. Of course, due to limitations, their thinking can only be one-sided. Therefore, at the beginning, only a few people dared to invest money.

Later, more people would go from simply "giving it a try" to "well done!" and unconsciously, they would start to expect them to win more. Finally, hope would arise from this, and they would begin to yearn for that forgotten wish—

That is, to control your own destiny.

There might not be many people who wanted to be heroes. But when they saw the news about factories being destroyed, saw the columns about buildings being blown up, and witnessed with their own eyes the heavy mecha standing before them, they would more or less have some thoughts in their hearts.

Should I also give it a try for my future?

The mecha tilted its head slightly, as if about to reply. At this moment, a violent impact sounded from outside, and a large amount of colorful light sprayed from the outside, carrying a scorching high temperature, and instantly reached the crowd.

Chapter 925 Portable Plasma Regression Decomposition

The mecha instantly raised one arm, and a transparent light shield instantly unfolded from above, protecting everyone in front of it. And it also took advantage of this opportunity to respond,

"From now on, we will no longer accept your commissions."

Hearing such an unexpected response, the young man who asked the question showed a somewhat sad and surprised expression. After being stunned for a moment, he asked,

"Hey, why?"

The Donut Warrior didn't respond immediately. It steadied itself, turned its head, and placed its other hand on its shield. The barrier immediately began to vibrate violently. At its shoulders, waist, and legs, the Donut Warrior's carapace began to deform, revealing the heavy artillery hidden beneath its body.

Then, the shield instantly shattered, flooding the mech's interior like a stream of light. Simultaneously, numerous cannons fired. Missiles, line shots, lasers, countless flashes of fire tore through everything in sight. The dark room suddenly became brighter than daylight. In that brief moment, the image of its back against the light was imprinted deeply in the mind.

When he came to his senses, he felt his whole body was extremely hot. Standing next to the mecha, it was normal. The Donut Warrior had turned around and said to him,

"My goal is simple: to destroy everything in this city that shouldn't exist, everything that doesn't make sense. Those I killed were people like them, those who were even more powerful than them, or those who were mysterious and unspeakable. I took their lives like I would remove pests from a field."

"But after that, many problems will remain. History has shown us that some things will repeat themselves, and when order collapses, life will also fall apart to a certain extent."

"And how will the future be rebuilt? For now, there's no answer. I only know that it's no longer my business. It's not the Donut Warriors' business, nor is it that organization's business. The future is up to you to decide."

Such a long speech did not make anyone feel complicated. Words spoken from a majestic mouth always have more persuasiveness. The young man seemed to understand something instantly. He looked at the donut warrior and replied,

"I understand. We will follow in your footsteps..."

"No, the path is there, there is no need to follow us."

"So, how do we go?"

"...Just keep walking forward."

The metallic sound, by this point, seemed less jarring. The young man also felt the scorching heat on his body not cause him any discomfort. The slightly lowered metal head seemed to pay him respect. He, in turn, raised his head, and though he was confused, he still gave the other party a determined look.

The Donut Warrior didn't respond. He just said to the boss,

"I'm sorry, boss, I smashed your store. I'll compensate you later. Now, I have to go first."

As he said that, the Donut Warrior turned around, waved his arms, chuckled twice, and said,

"Just wait and see. Regardless of what you think, whether you support me or not, after days of fighting with this city, today is the day to end. And, it will definitely end with my victory!"

Not everyone could understand the previous words, but when the Donut Warrior said this, the people who were rescued immediately reacted and replied,

"Come on, donut warriors!"