Collapse Iron Live Broadcast Connects All Worlds, Scares Away Wuzhan at the Beginning

"Hey, Tony, don't get excited. I mean, if—" Strange stroked his chin leisurely, "if Sam can use his... 'fire-breathing special effects' to finish off his opponent in ten seconds, then why do we need these 'redundant' functions?"

Tony's face darkened instantly.

"Redundant?" he repeated through gritted teeth. "You mean my armor and firepower are inferior to his?"

Strange spread his hands: "You think so, I didn't say that."

-

"Agreement passed, scorched earth operations implemented."

"With these words, Sam descended upon the Earth in the form of a flaming meteor."

"A terrifying shockwave exploded in a circular pattern, crimson waves of fire roaring and rising like a tsunami, engulfing everything in its path. But thankfully, with Huang Quan and Black Swan protecting them, no one was seriously injured."

"Leave this stage to them, my dear." Black Swan stopped Xing in her tracks. She flipped a card from her fingertips and flicked it gently. Xing felt the scene before her eyes quickly change, and the flames and roaring sound suddenly disappeared."

"She blinked and found herself in a silent room."

“This is…” She was about to look around when a familiar laugh came from behind her.

"Hahaha..." Gold Sand sat on the collapsed pillar and slowly stood up. "...What a great show!"

"Thank you for your hard work, Rememberer—a truly remarkable performance. When I first saw the Rangers and Hunters gathered together, my heart sank... I never thought you could successfully provoke a fight between them."

Black Swan said slowly, "As agreed, I have brought this child to you. Transaction completed."

"Xing turned around and glanced at Black Swan: "You two are in the same group..."

-

New Eridu.

"boom!"

Nicole slammed her fist on the table, causing a stack of reports on the Rabbit House's deficit to jump up.

"Sure enough! Women like this are all bad people!" She gritted her teeth and stared at the smile on Sky Curtain Black Swan's face after the deal was completed. "Women like this are not trustworthy. You must be more cautious around them in the future! Do you hear me?!"

Amby raised her head slowly, half a piece of lettuce still remaining on her burger. "Nicole, what kind of woman do you mean by 'this kind of woman'?"

"It's the likes of Black Swan and Kafka!" Nicole grabbed her hair angrily. "They beat around the bush, like to be a riddle sometimes, go for the sexy and mature look, have big breasts, and look very scheming!"

Nicole emphasized every word: "Never chat with women like this in the future! Otherwise, you will definitely be led astray by them."

"Then... Boss Nicole, what if this type of woman becomes our employer in the future? For example, can she give us an order worth five million diners in one go?" Billy asked curiously.

"Nonsense! That's a different matter of course! If you encounter a sexy older sister like this, you must inform me immediately!"

"But, Boss Nicole, this big sister who looks so scheming...are we really okay?"

"It's okay, I have my own way." Nicole sat down on the sofa. "I recently noticed that the rope maker has been hanging out with a lot of sexy older women in the cinema. He can change several people a day... I guess he's very good at tying these women. I can just ask him for help when the time comes."

Cat was startled again and quickly lowered his voice: "The rope maker went to the movies with several women in one day? Isn't this too philandering?"

Nicole smiled softly: "Oh, otherwise how could he become a legendary rope maker?"

-

"Haha, it seems our nameless friend hasn't quite grasped the situation. Don't worry, I'll explain it to you." Gold Sand slowly approached Xing. "In short, my friend, you have this young lady to thank. Far from plotting against you—on the contrary, she saved you..."

"Xing frowned."

Gold Sand's smile deepened. "...from the hands of that sea ranger."

"Huh?" Xing didn't react for a moment.

Gold Dust nodded with satisfaction. "That's right. I really like this surprised expression."

"Friend, let's be frank. This woman named Huang Quan is far more complicated than you think. Some sea patroller..."

"She is a messenger, bringing death and the end."

"Messenger? Whose messenger?" Xing was even more confused.

Gold Sand shook his head and said calmly, "Perhaps it's [Hunting]... [Destruction]... or even [The End]. It doesn't matter. These are aspects of fate—all pointing to the same outcome."

"Let me tell you a little bit about the company, my friend. Do you know the 'Duke of Hellfire'—Afrit of Tophet?"

Chapter 355: Pinocchio (Part 44)

“I fought him.”

"Very well, as expected of you." Shajin's eyes lit up. "Let me make it short... This Underworld Lord is a fire demon from Tophet, an elemental lifeform. It's said his origins are related to a certain genius... He and his followers formed the 'Eternal Fire Mansion' and considered Nanook their benefactor—in reality, they were led by this Lord, burning, slaughtering, and looting everywhere, carrying out the will of [Destruction]."

"I don't know what's wrong with the family, or if someone's behind this, but these guys actually received an invitation. The Yonghuo Mansion certainly won't refuse, and they're coming with such force, vowing to turn the event's planet into a sea of ​​fire..."

“But don’t worry, they won’t show up. Do you know why?”

"Gold Sand said calmly, "—Because Afrit is dead."

"What's going on?" Xing looked at him in disbelief.

"Gold Sand slowly walked behind Xing and said, "They were destroyed on their way to the appointment. The murderer brutally murdered Afrit in a miraculous way and stole the invitation letter received by the Annihilation Gang. The Everfire Mansion also fell apart, and the people scattered—"

"And then, a mysterious sea ranger arrived at Pinocchio and checked into the hotel with a music box... Need I continue, friend?"

-

At the same time, all the heavens and worlds.

Mingming, Celia, Nezha, Kyoraku Shunsui, the Fire God Mavika, and so on... Their pupils constricted, their lips parted slightly, as if they were about to say something but couldn't utter a sound. Their facial expressions were almost frozen without exception. After a long moment, they all simultaneously uttered...

"?"

-

Spell return battle.

"Wait, um... I, I need to calm down for a while..."

In the meeting room of the Jujutsu High School, there was a loud "snap" as Mingming's fingers unintentionally crushed the handle of a teacup, sending the tea splattering down the edge of the table. Her usually calm and elegant face now showed a rare crack, and her red lips trembled slightly, "How is this possible..."

"Shouldn't that guy be brewing some kind of [destruction] plan? Didn't he have many descendants? How could his death be so... easy?"

When Sha Jin heard the news of Afrit's death from his mouth, it seemed that he died too easily, so easily that Sha Jin didn't even blink.

"Ahahaha!" Kusakabe suddenly burst into laughter, nearly falling off his chair. "What the hell! We've been guessing for ages that he's behind all this, and he died before he even got to Pinocchio?!"

Yuji silently moved closer to Kusakabe Atsuya. He felt that Sister Meimei's cursed energy was about to explode, so he leaned over and whispered, "Teacher Kusakabe, why don't you stop laughing? This is the first time I've seen Sister Meimei lose her composure like this..."

"Well, it doesn't matter. Who among us sitting here hasn't been intimidated by the Duke of Hellfire? To be honest, I also thought at first that the fire demon would come to Pinocchio in an unexpected way - but I didn't expect that he didn't come to Pinocchio at all."

"But I think that even though the Grand Duke's death was a bit hasty, it doesn't mean he was weak. Facing a Commander, I'm afraid no one in Pinocchio could contend with him," Ottokotsu Yuta said seriously. "What's strange is that Shajin said Huang Quan was a Commander... But based on the strength she's shown so far, is she really at the level of a Commander?"

-

grim Reaper.

“Hahahahaha——”

Kyoraku Shunsui spit out a mouthful of wine, then slapped his thigh and laughed wildly, "We were actually fooled by a dead man, and you thought he had a 30% chance, but now it's not even 10%, hahahaha!"

Kyoraku Shunsui lifted his straw hat slightly, his cheeks slightly flushed from laughter and alcohol. "Byakuya, it seems you overestimated Lord Heihuo—no, we all overestimated him."

"No." Byakuya's brows furrowed slightly. "It's not that I overestimated her. It's that we all underestimated her. That woman's strength...we underestimated her."

Kyoraku Shunsui's laughter suddenly stopped.

He recalled what Shajin had mentioned earlier: Huang Quan was a Commander-in-Chief. There had only been three Commander-in-Chief-level figures so far. Besides the Black Tower Lady, who had never made a move, compared to Huanlong and Jingyuan... Kyoraku Shunsui stroked the pattern on the wine jug, a sharp glint in his eyes. "She's probably not strong enough, is she? Otherwise, she should have been able to kill Sam in her dream."

"No." Byakuya picked up the slightly cold tea. "You should know that she has never drawn her sword. I guess, like us captains, she has an ability similar to 'Bankai' - that is, to release the true power of her Zanpakutō. Of course, I don't know the name of her sword, but... she should have a similar ability to strengthen herself."

"But why doesn't she use it?"

"I don't know." Byakuya looked up at the sky, "Perhaps in her eyes, she hasn't met an opponent truly worthy of drawing her sword yet?"

-

The burial of Fulilian.

"Lady Celia, do you think... could it be possible that Duke Hellfire faked his death?"

"suspended animation?"

Celia narrowed her eyes and began to seriously consider her disciple's speculation.

"Duke Netherfire is an elemental life form. Do you remember Suiyang from the Luofu Immortal Boat? Although Suiyang and Afrit are not the same species, as both are elemental life forms, I believe they do have something in common... For example, they are very difficult to kill."

Jian Ze said in a low voice, swallowed nervously, and waited for the answer from the teacher on the throne.

"You go on."

"……Yes."

Jian Ze said calmly, "Grand Duke Netherfire possesses the ability to teleport. Unless Miss Huang Quan can kill him with one strike, it will be difficult to kill him. Even if he and his descendants are not very strong, they should be able to escape."

"Escape." Celie repeated thoughtfully. She suddenly grinned, "Jian Ze, do you think Duke Netherfire is someone who would run away?"

"I……"

"Jian Ze, don't insult the Duke of Hellfire." Celie said coldly, "...next time, don't bring up such ridiculous assumptions."

-

"Is there any other evidence?" Xing asked.

"The Sea Patrol Ranger is elusive and rarely interacts with each other. This outfit is too easy to wear. As long as she doesn't confess, there will be no evidence. The company has ways to track her down, but it will take time."

Gold Sand looked at her seriously. "So, my friend, it's time for you to make a choice... You can leave here right now, without looking back, and forever give up any chance of getting closer to the truth."

"On the other hand, you can also accept my invitation and learn a fact that is enough to overturn the entire Pinocchio."

"Gold Dust said he could give Xing some time to think about it, but he won't wait too long. She needs to make a choice here."

Chapter 356: Pinocchio (Forty-Five)

"Before answering Gold Dust, Xing decided to have a chat with Black Swan."

"You lied to me?" Xing asked bluntly.

Black Swan didn't deny it. "I admit I made a deal with that gentleman to bring you to him. But... this is also a safe place. He needs you; it's essential to reclaiming Pinocchio. I believe he has potential and can help me gain unique memories, so I agreed to cooperate."

"At Pinocchio, everyone can lie, including me, of course." Black Swan's voice softened. "I can't refute this, and I won't ask for forgiveness. But, remember? I also said... 'I believe in your potential', and there is absolutely no falsehood in this statement."

"So do you think Gold Dust is still trustworthy?" Xing continued.

"My opinion may surprise you. In my opinion, he is a trustworthy person, if for no other reason than that he is an excellent businessman. In this vast world, no one values ​​integrity and contracts more than a businessman."

"But you must be careful, especially when signing a contract with them. They won't consider your rights outside of the contract... They will do anything to maximize their own interests."

-

Teyvat.

The aroma of tea wafts through the tea room of Qun Yu Pavilion.

Ningguang held her pipe lightly between her fingers. After listening to Black Swan's warning to Xing, she couldn't help but chuckle. "I thought the people at Liuguang Yiting didn't know much about the company. It seems she not only understands the company, but also understands businesspeople even better."

"Do you also think Shajin is trustworthy?" Keqing put down her teacup, a hint of displeasure in her tone. "That guy, I feel like he's always using others as pawns."

"Pawn? Perhaps, but a chess player can only be honest with his pieces." Ningguang exhaled a thin wisp of smoke. "Think carefully, how many forces has Xing encountered since entering Pinocchio? The company, Liuguang Yiting, the Patroller Ranger, the Masked Fool, the family... and Liuying, whose details and background are unknown."

"Of all the forces involved, it seems only the company represented by Shajinjin was honest with Xing. While Shajin acted assertive, he stated his purpose from the outset: to reclaim something from Pinocchio for the company. The reward for cooperating with him was also clearly stated."

Keqing was stunned. Thinking carefully... it seemed to be just as Ningguang had said. On the chessboard of Pinocchio, there were so many people playing, yet so few pieces.

Everyone has their own purpose and ulterior motives, which makes the gold sand look legitimate.

Ningguang narrowed her eyes. "But if Huang Quan is truly the Emissary, then she undoubtedly possesses even greater potential than Xing. If we can win her over to the side of [Exploration], what cards should the family pull out to counter it?"

-

“Who do you think is behind this?”

Black Swan bluntly stated, "I still believe Miss Liuying's case... is more closely linked to the Star Core Hunters, as we've speculated. But you also heard that Gold Dust accused that ranger."

"While I don't know why he made such a judgment, he has access to the company's intelligence network, and his opinion deserves further discussion. Furthermore, I also believe that Miss Huang Quan is hiding something... or rather, hiding everything."

"This is an unexpected discovery I made during a previous encounter. Regarding the Annihilation Gang... I can also verify what Sand Gold said. Therefore, at this golden banquet... she is the dancer I pay the most attention to."