Chapter 321

"Tsk… you just love playing those useless little tricks!"

After glancing back at his own kicked-away coffin, the old man with a square head—whose eyeballs and irises were upside-down but otherwise looked no different from a living man—grumbled unhappily:

"I've already climbed out of the coffin, taken the materials you brought—what's the point of crawling back in if I don't finish the job?"

"Mm-hmm, you're absolutely right."

The red-haired director, though scolded by the old man, merely smiled and shoved the square-headed elder toward the forge, helping him set up a massive black iron pot, then began recounting recent events.

"Third Generation, don't let Li Ang's newcomer status fool you—he's only been with our branch for less than a year, yet he's completed countless dangerous missions, even exposing the Aquarius Director's conspiracy…"

If the forging has already begun… then I should act now!

Watching the old man chat with the director while tossing a serpent's tail and half a trident into the pot, stirring it with grunt after grunt, Li Ang confirmed his attention was fully occupied—then he tiptoed two steps back, seized the coffin on the ground, and bolted away!

…

Time rewound slightly.

"Li Ang, the person we're about to meet is the second-best anomaly forger in the world—and the third director of the Cleanup Bureau."

Pointing at the distant, dilapidated graveyard, the red-haired director, gripping a large iron shovel, said with solemn seriousness:

"Third Generation can mark a soul by its voice—once you've spoken a single word to him, you can't escape his perception no matter where you go. So once we enter, no matter what he says to you, ignore him completely. If you absolutely can't, just smile at him and pretend you're mute."

"Understood…"

Li Ang, also carrying an iron shovel, nodded, then couldn't help asking:

"Director, shouldn't the third director of the Cleanup Bureau be long dead? How can he still forge anomalies for us? After you or I die, could we become like him?"

"We certainly can't—and neither can the Third Generation."

The red-haired director shook his head:

"The real Third Generation died long ago. The one inside is just like the 【King of Drama】 we caught at the Central Cross Theater when you and Princess Wang Nuwei went to see a play—it's a manifestation of Third Generation's obsession with anomaly forging.

Back then, he mastered the Taurus Secret Art better than anyone else, far surpassing all others, on the verge of becoming the next Taurus Director—until his talent was deemed too exceptional, and he was abruptly appointed Third Director, losing his chance to pursue the Taurus Secret Art he loved, a regret that haunted him his entire life."

With a loud *bang*, the red-haired director kicked open the graveyard gate, counting graves as he continued:

"You know, obsessions and regrets like these naturally trigger anomalies. Add to that Third Generation's immense strength and truly peerless forging skill, and the odds skyrocketed.

After Third Generation died, his obsession—his failure to become the greatest anomaly forger—manifested as an anomaly capable of forging anomalies, preserving his unparalleled forging ability."

"Naturally, the Bureau was thrilled by such a high-level forger's emergence. But although Third Generation's forging skill was supreme, he never truly mastered the Taurus Star Palace. Once a new Taurus Director appeared, he could only remain the second-best anomaly forger.

Even though every new Taurus Director's forging skill was far inferior to his, once the Taurus Star Palace's blessing was added, they always surpassed him by a hair—no matter how he tried… Li Ang, dig up that grave. Third Generation isn't buried here—he may have moved."

Pointing to the grave opposite him, the red-haired director switched to a new grave and kept digging as he went on:

"At first, Third Generation could tolerate it, but after several generations, his proud nature couldn't bear being perpetually second—he had himself sent into the Death Realm, declaring himself the best forger among the dead.

And whenever a new Taurus Director died, their soul, stripped of the Taurus Star Palace's blessing, would be dragged by him to a forging duel, proving who was truly the strongest forger.

But this generation's Taurus Director chose Ascension—their soul never reached the Death Realm. He lost his chance to duel a Taurus Director without the Star Palace's blessing and prove himself the strongest forger… so he flew into a rage, crawled into his coffin, and buried himself alive… Hmm, this must be it!"

After digging up seven or eight graves, he finally struck the coffin. The red-haired director nodded in satisfaction, then called Li Ang over to help dig up the coffin sealed beneath a massive iron pot.

"Remember—don't speak to him under any circumstances."

After repeating the warning, the red-haired director tossed aside his shovel and pointed at the coffin covered by the pot:

"The forge is right beside the graveyard. I'll help him set up the pot. Once Third Generation begins forging, you steal his coffin!"

"Huh?"

"Don't 'huh' me—just touch it and you'll see."

Grabbing Li Ang's hand and pressing it against the coffin, the red-haired director explained:

"You managed to free Emma from the 【Emerald Dream】, but she died over three hundred times inside it—many parts of her body turned to jade, and even her soul was infused with the Dream's power.

While many anomalies could fix Emma's condition, most of those at this level are stored in the Central Bureau. Only Third Generation's coffin remains outside—so we have no choice but to steal it."

"…."

Staring at the black iron pot and the dusty coffin before him, Li Ang hesitated:

"Director, why do we have to steal his coffin? Can't we just ask him to borrow it?"

"If he'd willingly lend it, do you think I'd be scheming to steal it?"

The red-haired director shot him a glare and urged:

"The living Third Director might have lent it—but the dead Third Generation, no matter how human he seems, is merely an obsession. To him now, becoming the strongest forger matters more than anything.

Once someone else lies in that coffin, his maintained corpse-form will slowly unravel, and he'll revert from 'strongest forger among the dead' to 'second-strongest forger among the living.' So he'll never lend it…

Look, just trust me—I'll distract him, you steal the coffin, put Emma inside, seal it shut, let her rest until she's healed, then sneak it back. That's the whole plan. Any questions?"