Chapter 168: 167 The True Power of the Gate to the Otherworld

"I saw it with my own eyes."

Through the binoculars in his hand, having witnessed Leon and the Princess fall from the sky together, the middle-aged man couldn't help but sigh. With an expression that was both relieved and complicated, he explained:

"The anomalous object I possess is called the 【Gate to the Otherworld】. Beyond being able to open behind any door in the capital to let you enter the base at any time, it can even open a door leading to the future."

"What?!"

Seeming to hear the middle-aged man explain his ability for the first time, the bald woman couldn't help but look over in shock, her eyes filled with awe as she asked:

"The future? Is it the future I'm thinking of?"

"Mm, it is the future you're thinking of. And this future can be changed. Everything I did after learning of the future could alter its appearance. For instance, that slingshot shot you just fired was the 'answer' I found from the future."

After gazing toward the direction of the Laien Manor, the middle-aged man with graying temples said with a complicated look in his eyes:

"That person from the Cleaning Bureau is truly... cautious to a hair-raising degree. He handles matters with such perfection that there isn't a single opening. At the slightest sign of trouble, he immediately uses that incredibly troublesome ability to protect himself and the Princess, not giving even the slightest chance."

"You know, whether it was sneak attacks, luring him into traps, poisoning, or explosions, I brought the future versions of you yesterday and tried a full eighty-plus times, switching between a dozen different plans, but every single time he dodged them. There wasn't a single instance where I could kill him completely."

"The two times we came closest to success: one was when we mobilized everyone and forced him into a dead end at any cost, but he ended up activating a lethal hair. Except for me and the Fei Liya sisters, everyone was killed in an instant, with no ability to resist at all. He only suffered minor injuries."

"The second time, we sent Fei Liya, who was suffering from an amnesia episode, to mix in by his side and touch him, making everyone forget his existence. But that person just touched Fei Liya's hand, and everyone's memories began to slowly recover. In the end, we still had no way to deal with him."

After recalling the "battle of wits" with "Prince Leon," the middle-aged man turned his head to look at the bald woman beside him, who was listening in a daze, and sighed helplessly:

"This person's ability is truly disgusting; it has almost no weaknesses... I really don't know what he has been through to become this cautious, as if someone is ready to harm him at any moment."

"..."

Er... that person doesn't seem to be wrong in his precautions. After all, you tried to "harm" him eighty-plus times in one night. If he weren't cautious enough, he would likely be gone already.

"That person from the Cleaning Bureau's ability is powerful, but in the end, you still managed to find an opportunity. Looking at it that way, your ability is even more powerful!"

Looking at her own "tireless harmer" leader with an expression as if looking at a pervert, the bald woman said with some excitement:

"By the way, Leader! You can actually see the future! With this ability, aren't you invincible? Doesn't that mean you can do whatever you want?"

"That's not the case."

The middle-aged man's state seemed a bit strange. After reaching out to wipe away the tears that suddenly welled up in the corners of his eyes, he shook his head with a somewhat melancholy tone:

"Even if you can see the future an infinite number of times, you aren't necessarily able to truly change it, because some problems are destined to have no answer."

"This... Leader, I don't understand..."

"Simply put, there are some things that even if you know they will happen, you still lack the ability to change them. For example, the future of this kingdom."

After looking at the bald woman, whose eyes were somewhat blank, the middle-aged man hesitated slightly, then smiled with a hint of relief and explained:

"Do you know? Our last operation to assassinate the Princess actually succeeded."

"Ah???"

"It's true. When I passed through the 【Gate to the Otherworld】 and arrived in the future, I sent Lu Ke to control the Princess's attendant, and we successfully killed her. However, not long after she died, the future me found a way to send a message back."

"The future me said that even in that future without the Princess, the kingdom still wasn't saved; it just went from"

"complete collapse to merely lingering on."

"And because I was soft-hearted for a moment, after retreating from the door to the future, I slightly changed the plan, letting the guard controlled by Lu Ke choose another standing position, actively giving up that successful assassination."

"Ah this... this..."

Hearing that the failed assassination was actually something their leader had voluntarily given up, the dumbfounded bald woman was stunned for a moment before lunging over to grab the middle-aged man's shoulders, shouting with veins popping:

"Why! Why! And! She is the Princess! You are a rebel! You actually told me you were soft-hearted? What on earth are you spouting?"

"I had no choice. I couldn't help but be soft-hearted; she is, after all, my sister."

"Ah???"

Wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand, he rubbed off the concealer on his cheeks, revealing several irregularly shaped freckles that looked like they were stained with dirt. The middle-aged man said with a complicated look:

"If it weren't for her, I would have been killed in the capital in the second year of the war. Since the kingdom's fate is equally tragic whether she exists or not, how could I have the heart to kill her?"

"??????"

So the leader of the rebels... is actually the kingdom's Prince? I... then what have I been doing all this time?

Looking at the very distinct freckles on the middle-aged man's weathered face, the bald woman felt a rush of blood to her head, almost going crazy on the spot, and asked stutteringly:

"You are really Qiaoshuya? That idiot Prince? How is that possible! You? You?!"

"I said it before, my ability is called the 【Gate to the Otherworld】."

Gazing into the distance at the Laien Manor, the middle-aged man said with a lonely expression:

"A powerful anomalous object that can observe the future at will naturally requires paying an incomparable price, and the price I paid is just like the name of this ability."

"Having suffered for thirty years due to the kingdom's destruction, I chose to step into the gate leading to the otherworld, completely abandoning everything I possessed. No family, no past, and I no longer even possess a future."

"The current me is just a ghost wandering in the otherworld. Even if I gained the opportunity to save the kingdom and change all the regrets, all the changed regrets have nothing to do with me anymore. This is the price that must be paid for using the Gate to the Otherworld."

"..."

After explaining the truth of his ability, looking at the bald woman whose expression was completely twisted, the middle-aged man wiped away his tears and bowed slightly with an apologetic look.

"Sorry, I originally intended to take this secret to the grave, but in a few more minutes, sister... the Princess will disappear from everyone's memory, and even I will forget her along with them. I really couldn't help but want to find someone to confide in while my memory is still intact."

"You... I... Damn it! Why did you have to find me? Why didn't you... Mmph? Mmph!"

"Because among us, you are the only one I can beat. Sorry."

Pinching the bald woman's mouth and forcibly sprinkling some strange debris into it, the middle-aged man said to the terrified bald woman:

"Don't worry, what I fed you isn't poison; it's powder ground from Fei Liya's fingernails. Based on the dosage, it should only make you lose an hour of memory."

"You should sleep for a while; just sleeping for a while is enough... Also, thank you for listening to my secret. After saying everything out loud, I feel much better."

"..."

Looking at the middle-aged man in front of her who was apologizing and thanking her, the bald woman struggled twice but couldn't break free, and with her mouth pinched shut, she couldn't curse. She could only continuously express her anger with her eyes.

You feel much better! But now I'm starting to feel terrible! Let me go, you animal! Fuck!

Damn it!