Chapter 355: The Demon of Chaos

"But... but Hu Mo said the monster he saw was green," Wang Han said stammeringly.

Li Yuning shook her head. "It seems there is a detail about the deceased you didn't notice, which is that Hu Mo was colorblind. He couldn't actually see the color of the monster clearly; he was just inferring based on his own inherent stereotypes."

"Then shouldn't a blood-colored monster be more terrifying? Shouldn't its appearance be described as red?"

"This is Shenzhou; it is quite reasonable for blood to be green."

"... You're right." Wang Han was silent for a moment, then shifted the topic back. "In other words, Hu Mo had actually seen what the members of the Blood Rose Knights looked like after their transformation. Is it possible that the Blood Rose Knights suddenly accelerated their elimination of Hu Mo to protect the true forms of their organization's members?"

Li Yuning nodded slightly. "The Child of Cruelty changes based on what the witness fears most in their heart. Hu Mo likely saw the true faces of the Blood Rose Knights members by chance without anyone knowing; otherwise, he wouldn't have seen the Child of Cruelty grow into that appearance for no reason, nor would he have killed Zhao Zheng."

Wang Han understood. "In that case, killing Hu Mo was to keep it a secret."

But upon second thought, Wang Han frowned deeply again. "But if that were the case, wouldn't I, the person who even drew their appearance, be even more of a target to be killed? No, no, this shouldn't be the reason they had to kill Hu Mo so early."

Various irrationalities caused Wang Han to once again ponder deeply in the direction that made him uneasy. When all possibilities he could think of eventually led to a paradox, Wang Han finally had to accept, with a pale face, the speculation that unsettled him the most.

Making him a hunting target was an inevitable result; it was everything the Blood Rose Knights had already foreseen and secretly planned in order to achieve a certain goal.

It was very likely that his ability to reach this point was also within the plans of the Blood Rose Knights.

No, this kind of ability that seemed to foresee the future was not something that the Blood Rose Knights, these Abnormals transformed from humans, could do. It was a higher-ranking existence... secretly guiding them.

This existence is... Miss Hong!?

Wang Han suddenly remembered that person who was almost forgotten. According to what Zhao Qian said, Miss Hong was the initiator and leader of the Baizhou City Socialite Gathering and had deep ties with the Blood Rose Knights. It was highly likely that she was the one leading and directing the actions of the Blood Rose Knights.

Li Yuning also thought of Miss Hong. She frowned and said, "Remember the giant centipede we saw earlier? Although there were many socialites from Baizhou City on it, considering there were other members of the Socialite Gathering like Zhao Qian who would transform into Abnormal creatures similar to the Blood Rose, the socialites who merged into that centipede were definitely not all the members who attended the gathering, just a small portion."

"Looking closely at the female bodies on the back of that centipede and roughly calculating the number, it does seem like there aren't enough people." Wang Han realized with a start. "Then that makes sense. Perhaps many members became members of the Blood Rose Knights, while the rest became growth nutrients for that large centipede. That Miss Hong likely also transformed back into the Blood Rose form and lurked into the different dimension."

Li Yuning nodded. "But the most urgent matter is that we still need to figure out why it must be you, and what goal they want you to achieve."

Wang Han took a deep breath and looked at Li Yuning, saying, "Actually, I have a guess about this point now."

"Let's hear it."

"If the goal of the Blood Rose Knights is to resurrect the Bloody Empress, then... I'm just assuming, assuming they can foresee the future and see that I am the one who facilitates the resurrection of the Bloody Empress, do you think they are trying to drag me into this muddy water?" Wang Han said, his heart pounding wildly.

Li Yuning stared at Wang Han, her expression changing repeatedly. After a long while, she parted her lips slightly. "I think you might have guessed it right. I also seem to have figured out the relationship between the Bloody Empress and that blood-red monster outside the door."

"Do you know what that existence I am unwilling to mention and deeply fear actually is?"

"That is the Chaos Demon, the Lurking Evil, the offspring of the beginning of all things, the most turbid thing in the world. It possesses the authority to sneak through any time and space. If it were It, It could certainly do those things you mentioned."

"If that is truly the case, you, me—even if we have realized the root of the problem now, we cannot solve anything. All of this is within the predetermined path of that existence."

"I think that Bloody Empress is one of Its Avatars. Judging from the legendary style and methods of the Bloody Empress, it does indeed look like Its handiwork."

"You will resurrect that Bloody Empress, and I am also involved in it. It has already seen the predetermined result; we cannot change it."

Wang Han forced a smile. "Haha... isn't that what they always say in web novels? 'My fate is determined by me, not by heaven'... We can also defy heaven and change our fate, right?"

"..." Li Yuning responded with silence.

Wang Han lowered his head and said, "Can't even Lin Laoban do it?"

"Boss Brother can do anything." However, just as Wang Han was feeling dejected, Li Yuning gave such a diametrically opposite and affirmative answer, which made Wang Han pause in surprise.

Wang Han asked curiously, "Since Lin Laoban has a way, why don't we go find Lin Laoban?"

Li Yuning said with a strange expression, "Boss Brother doesn't care about the life or death of any living creature. To him, the living, the dead, the good, the bad, the strong, the weak—all living creatures are equal before him. They can become customers of the Forest Cabin, or they can be driven out at any time, or even beaten to death directly."

Even if you don't buy anything in his shop, Boss Brother won't care much. In a sense, Boss Brother and the Chaos Demon have similar personalities, but Boss Brother does not tend to let others make the choices he expects; instead, he looks forward to others making unexpected results. The Chaos Demon, however, simply hopes for others to make choices that lead to the abyss of chaos.

You can indeed talk to Boss Brother about this matter, but you have to know who the opponent we are facing this time is. That is an Alien God beneath the Primordial. Do you really dare to buy things Boss Brother sells you?"

"..." Whenever Wang Han recalled the scene of his first purchase of the Copper Coin Mask, his hair stood on end. It seemed that every time he traded at the Forest Cabin, he was gradually losing something precious. Even though he was trading "money," he felt as if something even more seriously precious had been taken from him.

Moreover, the "side effects" of this Copper Coin Mask—the price of using it—already carried certain risks.

Just to avoid the hunt of the Child of Cruelty and obtain information about the Blood Rose Knights, he had already suffered this much. If he were to beg Lin Laoban for a way to drive away the Chaos Demon, the price he would have to pay would likely be no better than being killed by the Chaos Demon.