Chapter 1086

"Very well."

Upon hearing the Aquarius Director's instructions, the female reporter nodded and took the glass lantern from his hand. However, instead of immediately setting off for the Dream Realm, she bit her lip and said with some hesitation:

"Director, may I ask you a question?"

"Of course you may."

Hearing the female reporter's words, the Aquarius Director—whose appearance seemed very young, yet whose eyes could not hide a sense of weariness—turned back, smiled gently, and said with a kind expression:

"Nicole, ask whatever you wish. I will tell you anything I can answer... Besides, there is no need to be so reserved in front of me. You are one of the few people I can trust, and I hope you can trust me more as well."

"Very well..."

Upon hearing the Aquarius Director's words, the female reporter's demeanor relaxed slightly, and she then asked in a low voice:

"Director, the people from the Virgo Branch have repeatedly sabotaged your plans, even causing you to suffer soul damage and forcing you to play along with the Nightmare King... Do you not feel any resentment?"

"What you really want to ask is not whether I feel resentment, but why I didn't take the opportunity just now to make a move and finish off the Blood-Haired Maiden or that Li Ang, isn't it?"

"Um..."

After pointing out what the female reporter truly wanted to ask, the Aquarius Director did not answer her question directly, but instead asked with a smile:

"Nicole, can you tell me what kind of person I am in your eyes?"

Hearing the Aquarius Director's words, the female reporter couldn't help but be startled, then she lowered her head slightly and said in a low voice:

"You are my benefactor. If it weren't for you, I would have died when I was seven. It was you who saved me from the privateer ship of the Saio Kingdom and gave me the ability and opportunity to take revenge..."

"Nicole, you know that the question I'm asking isn't about the relationship between you and me, but how you truly see me."

After interrupting the female reporter's attempt to dodge the question, the Aquarius Director couldn't help but laugh:

"Forget it... Although you chose to avoid talking about it, you have essentially answered my question.

In your eyes, I must be a bad person who is obsessed with the secret arts of anomalous creation, who will stop at nothing to fulfill a long-cherished wish, and who will sacrifice anything as long as the goal can be achieved—an evil madman who deserves to die... right?"

"That's not true!"

The female reporter couldn't help but say anxiously upon hearing this:

"Director, you... although your methods are a bit extreme, you have also done many good deeds and saved many people. You are actually..."

"I am actually just a bad person."

After defining himself, the smile on the Aquarius Director's face faded slightly, and he then said calmly:

"To you, I am a benefactor, but to many more people, I am indeed someone who deserves to die."

"..."

"Although the number of people who died because of me is far less than the number of people I have protected over the past hundred years—perhaps not even a fraction of them.

But in the process of researching the secret arts of anomalous creation, I have truly done many bad things. In order to create anomalous objects or obtain materials for secret arts, I have left those in desperate situations to their fate, or even secretly pushed them further, and have even personally caused tragedies that ruined their lives.

Even saving you from the Saio Kingdom's privateer ship when you were young was not because I had a kind heart, but because I noticed your outstanding talent and thought you were a good seedling that could nurture a top-tier anomalous object.

Nicole, although you have always refused to admit it, I am indeed a bad person."

"..."

Looking at the silent female reporter, the Aquarius Director smiled and said: "Let me ask you, when the intelligent machines of the Krolok Kingdom placed the royal family under house arrest a few years ago, and in doing so blocked the Gemini Branch and secretly controlled all the cleaners, do you know why I only saved you?"

The female reporter hesitated for a moment and said:

"Because... I am a Level 1 cleaner? And the strongest in the branch?"

"No."

The Aquarius Director shook his head and said:

"Because you are a good person."

"???"

"Haha, you are different from everyone else in the bureau who is willing to follow me. Although they also obey my orders and can even stand on my side to hide my various violations, they don't truly approve of me.

Those people are either used to obeying, fear my power, or want to obtain stronger anomalous objects. Only you are different. The reason you follow me is simple gratitude—gratitude that I saved your life and gratitude that I gave you the ability to take revenge."

"..."

"Once my affairs are exposed, those who are used to obeying me will obey the Cleaning Bureau without any hesitation; those who fear my power will naturally fear the more powerful Cleaning Bureau; and those who want to gain benefits from me will naturally be swayed by the benefits I can offer.

Nicole, only you—your purpose for following me is simpler than anyone else's. You just want to repay a debt of gratitude."

Looking at the silent female reporter, the Aquarius Director smiled and began counting on his fingers:

"Although you hate my actions and always secretly sabotage my experiments, destroying quite a few anomalous objects that might have been born, and even reported me to the bureau several times in private, hoping someone would stop me.

Including this time—when you went to steal the Blood-Haired Maiden's wallet, you could have remained completely unseen, but you went there anyway, and you didn't even change your appearance. You were intentionally reminding them to be careful of me, in addition to the Nightmare King, right?"

"..."

At this point, the Aquarius Director paused slightly, then smiled and continued:

"But at a time like this, you, who are trying to warn the Blood-Haired Maiden to be careful of me, are actually much more reliable than those in the Gemini Branch who have never stood against me.

As long as you remember the past—that I saved your life, raised you, and helped you take revenge—and feel that you haven't yet repaid the debt of gratitude you owe me, you will never truly betray me."

"..."

"Um... when people get old, they like to ramble about this and that. I seem to have strayed a bit far from the topic."

Looking at the female reporter who was unconsciously biting her lip, the Aquarius Director smiled and said:

"In short, although I am a bad person, I do things with a purpose. I am not the kind of madman who likes killing and destruction, and cooperating with the Nightmare King was just a last resort.

I have no grudge against the people of the Kingdom, so naturally, there is no need to harm them. Moreover, if I really let the Nightmare King invade reality, it would not only be of no benefit to me, but would instead lead to me being controlled by him. Of course, I wouldn't help it.

As for why I didn't take the opportunity to ambush the Blood-Haired Maiden and that Li Ang while they were occupied, and finish off these two guys who have been causing me trouble... um... there are many reasons, but the main one is that I can't beat them."

"Ah?"

"I really can't beat them."

Raising his hand to point at the River of Nightmares, which was rapidly closing under the illumination of the morning sun, the Aquarius Director said with a pained expression:

"It's only been half the night, and the number of nightmares killed by the Blood-Haired Maiden is close to a million. And this is her performance while mainly preventing nightmares from rushing into reality, without being too proactive in her attacks.

The over 100 million strands of 【Slaughtering Blood Hair】 in the Blood-Haired Maiden's hands are the Cleaning Bureau's top physical damage anomalous object. If consumption is completely ignored, it could pierce through the moon in just fifty hours.

Any individual that needs to rely on flesh and blood to exist will naturally be at a disadvantage when facing her. And one of the fundamental rules of reality happens to be that one must rely on flesh and blood to stay for a long time. In reality, she is almost invincible."

(End of chapter)