Chapter 1134

Ah, this...

Watching the female reporter who had dragged him out of the dog's mouth and even claimed she was willing to be eaten in his stead, Leon was truly a bit moved after being stunned for a moment.

Although he had long known from his soul vision that the female reporter's moral standards were not low, her ability to actually do something like sacrificing herself for him was still somewhat beyond Leon's expectations.

"Why are you doing this for me?"

Looking at the female reporter who was pulling at him with all her might, Leon said with a toothache-like expression:

"We aren't on the same side, are we? You were captured by our Director, and if it weren't for me interrogating you, you might not have triggered the Aquarius Director's contingency plan and been thrown directly into the Dead Realm... In any case, why are you dying for me? Just because you feel you owe me?"

"I... perhaps..."

After shouting in a moment of impulse, the female reporter seemed a bit hesitant, but as soon as she recalled that it was her "indulgence" toward the Aquarius Director that had led Leon to suffer "unimaginable, immense pain," her attitude became firm once again.

"Lord Angxi!"

Amidst the somewhat bewildered gaze of the Three-Headed Dog God, the female reporter spoke up again:

"You said before that I could go back. Now, I'm not leaving; let him go back instead!"

"..."

No... you're making this sound so righteous, what does that make me?

Watching the female reporter who kept offering to be fed to the dog in his place and was prepared to "generously meet her death," Leon found himself unable to keep a straight face.

Living on would certainly be good, but if the price was "tricking" someone else into dying for him, he feared he wouldn't be able to live in peace for the rest of his life. Every time he thought of today's events, he would have to slap himself twice!

Guess it's my bad luck...

Watching the female reporter who was pulling at him with all her might, Leon couldn't help but sigh in his heart.

If this person had just done a few more bad things, it would be fine. That way, even if he tricked her into dying for him, he wouldn't have any psychological burden.

However, the bad luck was precisely that she wasn't a bad person. Aside from choosing to withhold information about the Watchtower because of the Aquarius Director's upbringing, she really didn't have any major faults. If he really just brushed this off, he feared he would feel guilty for a lifetime.

Tsk... come to think of it, karma really comes around fast.

Clearly, he had been desperately trying to provoke her guilt earlier to fish for information on the Aquarius Director, but now, in a sudden twist, it was his turn to be tortured by the guilt in his own heart.

"Forget it, you don't need to take my place."

After trying to pry the female reporter's fingers off and failing, Leon, unable to get past this hurdle in his heart, could only explain with some embarrassment:

"Although I have a grudge against the Aquarius Director, I'm not actually a victim, nor have I suffered any pain. Everything before was just a lie to you."

It was all a lie to me?!

Upon hearing Leon's words, the female reporter couldn't help but widen her eyes, and the hand gripping Leon's arm loosened slightly.

But as soon as she thought of Leon's eyes, which were filled with pain, her expression became firm once again. She gripped Leon's arm tightly and shook her head with stubborn eyes:

"I don't believe it! Over the years, I've seen many people struggling in pain. Their eyes look just like yours, and none of them were in more pain than you. This kind of feeling cannot be acted out!"

"..."

Ah, this... sorry, that really was acted out...

Seeing that she wouldn't believe him even after he explained, Leon had no choice but to switch to a more blunt approach, glaring and shouting:

"Let go of me!"

"No!"

"This is my business! You don't need to worry about it!"

"Being willing to take your place is my business too!"

"..."

Damn it, this conversation really isn't just ordinarily stupid...

Realizing that the current situation was heading straight toward a melodramatic soap opera, Leon, unable to hold it together, decisively turned his head to look at the Three-Headed Dog God, preparing to end this stupid melodrama once and for all.

"Hurry up! Which one are you eating?"

"Me, well..."

Facing Leon's sharp questioning, the Three-Headed Dog God blinked its six eyes, then shook its three heads. Mimicking Leon's tone from before, it asked back with a grin:

"Tell me, is there a possibility that I can eat both of you together?"

"..." "..."

"Alright, it seems you have no other questions, so I'll start eating."

Amidst the bewildered expressions of Leon and the reporter, the Three-Headed Dog God, having enjoyed the show for long enough, opened its huge mouth. With a left-and-right pincer movement, it swallowed both of them in one gulp without even chewing.

"Two idiots."

After evaluating the intelligence of Leon and the reporter, the Three-Headed Dog God licked its nose while sensing the two souls in its stomach, which were of surprisingly high quality. It then lazily yawned and, with all three faces satisfied, curled back up into the giant doghouse beside the Gate of the Dead.

Although, logically speaking, one shouldn't lie down immediately after eating, especially since the two souls just consumed included a genuine Level 1 Cleaner, which counted as a grand feast—it should have taken a short walk to speed up digestion.

But for the Three-Headed Dog God, days of eating when full and sleeping when awake were the supreme happiness. Digesting a bit slower wasn't necessarily a bad thing, and besides, when there was something in its stomach, it often slept more soundly... Hmm?

Seeming to have sniffed some strange scent, the Three-Headed Dog God, who had just been full of laziness, suddenly raised its neck. The six ears on its three heads stood up instantly, and its six basketball-sized nostrils expanded to their maximum, taking a fierce, deep breath.

It was an unfamiliar scent, but also slightly familiar.

Judging by the intensity, it should be at the True God level, but it lacked the fanatical, irritating odor of a True God, nor did it have the putrid stench of an Evil God. If one were to say it was human, it carried a fleeting scent of a Dream Realm creature...

"Sss—!"

Accompanied by a light sound like paper tearing, a small paper cutter appeared from the mist outside the Gate of the Dead. It then pulled sharply toward the lower diagonal, tearing open a huge gap.

Immediately after, a young man wearing a water-blue robe stepped in from the black-and-white gap. He stood before the Three-Headed Dog God and asked with some surprise:

"Angxi? Why did you wake up before I even entered the door?"

"..."

"Oh, you probably don't recognize me anymore."

Smiling at the bewildered Three-Headed Dog God, the Aquarius Director explained with a gentle demeanor:

"I had some trouble recently and had no choice but to change into a new body. Many old friends don't recognize me anymore."

"So who exactly are you..."

"I am Camus... well, also the former Aquarius Director of the Cleaning Bureau."

Aquarius? Aren't you dead?!

Upon hearing the blue-robed youth's words, the Three-Headed Dog God was shocked, then bared its teeth with vigilant eyes.

"Are you trying to enter the Dead Realm?"

"Yes, I do indeed have business to go in and see."

Surveying the surroundings and seeing the drag marks of two pairs of shoes on the ground, the Aquarius Director asked with some curiosity:

"Did someone else come before me? No wonder you woke up directly... By the way, where are the people who just came? Did you eat them?"

"Cut the crap! Let's do this!"

Lowering its body slightly and assuming a pouncing stance, the Three-Headed Dog God bared its teeth:

"My duty is to guard the gate. If you want to enter the Dead Realm, you have to defeat me first!"

"Mhm, I know the procedure."

Upon hearing this, the Aquarius Director smiled and nodded. He then crossed his fingers and pressed down hard. With a loud thud, the Three-Headed Dog God's hill-like body was instantly pinned to the ground by an invisible, immense force, unable to move.

Damn that God-Covering Forked Finger! Damn that Aquarius Director!

Facing the secret art specialized in bullying the weak, the Three-Headed Dog God—who was already the weakest True God in the Dead Realm—truly had no chance to fight back. It could only groan while lying on the ground, cursing the Aquarius Director in its heart, hoping he would be finished off by the Cleaning Bureau soon. However...

"By the way, Angxi."

Looking at the Three-Headed Dog God pinned to the ground, the Aquarius Director pondered for a moment. Instead of passing by it as he had in the past, he stood in front of the Three-Headed Dog God and informed it somewhat bashfully:

"Because every time I want to enter the Dead Realm, I have to fight you, it really feels a bit troublesome. So, I've decided to change methods and solve this problem permanently once and for all."

Hmm?

Upon hearing the Aquarius Director's words, the Three-Headed Dog God was slightly stunned, then asked in a daze:

"My duty is to guard the gate. How do you plan to solve this problem? Could it be... you can create an anomalous object that exempts me from the duty of guarding the gate?"

"Sorry, that won't work."

Upon hearing this, the Aquarius Director shook his head:

"Your guarding of the gate is also one of the rules of the Dead Realm. If I wanted to change it, the price would be too high. I'd rather use a simpler method... Sorry."

"???"

Amidst the Three-Headed Dog God's bewildered expression, the Aquarius Director smiled apologetically at it. Immediately after, a small paper cutter silently sank into the Three-Headed Dog God's skull, stirring recklessly inside.

"I thought about it, and killing you directly is more convenient."

(End of chapter)