Chapter 457: The Trump Card

(Modified)

Isn't that just nonsense? Who on earth would sell their life to you?!

Although I really wanted to refuse outright, the opponent's ability was pure coercion—he'd just dragged me over, and even "distance" was something he could buy; I had no power to refuse.

Gazing at the grotesquely grinning toad before him, Li Ang had no choice but to meet its dense cluster of compound eyes and grit his teeth to challenge:

"Selling my life to you… isn't impossible, but the price you're offering is far too low!"

"Oh?"

Upon hearing Li Ang's reply, the golden toad, who had merely intended to tease this human and chat with an "old friend," tilted its head and smiled back:

"Then how much do you think you're worth?"

"…"

I'm priceless, okay? I wouldn't sell for any amount of money!

But though this was true, seeing the golden toad's mocking gaze, Li Ang knew saying it outright would be useless—he swallowed the words and shifted tactics:

"I think… some things can't be measured in money."

"So you're not only questioning my judgment of value, but also my understanding of this world?"

Upon hearing Li Ang's words, the golden toad, who had previously seemed gentle, suddenly turned cold. Its massive compound eyes sank inward slightly, and countless tiny spherical facets aligned precisely on Li Ang, staring at him as if carving each word into stone:

"Money is omnipotent."

"Since the first shell coin, shining and beautiful, conquered humanity, currency and the wealth it represents have become the ultimate pursuit of all intelligent life!

Not just your tiny kingdom—down to the merfolk in the deepest abysses, up to the natives on the far side of the moon—everywhere intelligent life exists, omnipotent money is indispensable.

Only money is the foundation upon which this world turns! And your insignificant life? Merely the most pitiful thing it can buy!"

"Sigh… never mind. What's the point of explaining this to you?"

Watching Li Ang, who hadn't immediately retorted but clearly still plotted a comeback, the golden toad shook its head wearily:

"Even if chosen by a great demon, you're still just a servant. You don't need to understand any of this—just obediently accept domination… Come now! Let me appraise your insignificant life!"

As the golden toad spoke, the countless reflections of Li Ang in its eyes trembled, then rapidly replaced themselves with a chaotic flood of new scenes.

The innocent, naive days of childhood, the happy years spent at his parents' knees, the wailing grief after losing them, then vast stretches of hollow darkness.

After the endless dark expanse passed, came the half-year of relentless fever, bedridden, draining his family's savings—then he began to scramble desperately for money.

Painting villa walls under the scorching sun, hauling sacks at the docks with his frail body, wielding a two-meter-long special pole to scrub soot-blackened ferries with exhausting effort.

When the river froze and shipping halted, he took over a discarded newspaper stand, huddling in winter cold to sell papers, occasionally stacking his shoes to fake his age, slipping into lax temporary factories to do menial labor with no resume required, earning meager pocket change…

Unfortunately, after over two full years of relentless toil, the poor household in the scene grew not richer, but emptier. A girl's face, barely visible, grew paler, her coughs deeper and more frequent; two indistinct children began to wither alongside her…

"A boring life."

In less than a second, having witnessed five thousand nights and days, the golden toad shook its head, ready to "cut" the scene—when it suddenly caught a flash of vivid red hair.

?!!!

That woman?!

Frantically bulging its eyes, the golden toad immediately halted the unfolding scenes, its expression darkening as it turned to the goat's head inside the shopping bag, incredulous:

"Damn it! You've been cooperating with the Clearance Bureau?!"

"Shut up, nonsense!" Hearing the golden toad's accusation, the black goat—too destitute to face anyone it knew—could no longer pretend.

It strained to extend its tongue, licking two holes in the bag, revealing its furious eyes as it glared at the familiar toad:

"We didn't cooperate with the Clearance Bureau! We're just temporarily staying there, and in exchange for occasional extreme evil sacrifices, we casually grant them a bit of power."

"So you're not even cooperating… you're hired by them? Or worse—have you been fully captured by the Clearance Bureau and turned into their dog?"

"…"

"You're the damn dog!"

The black goat, stabbed in the wound, instantly broke down, roaring curses:

"We're just temporarily staying there! Do you understand 'temporary'? Are your damn ear-holes plugged shut? Dammit! I'm still not recovered yet—you stupid toad, just wait!"

Hmph. A dog.

With a sneer at the black goat, the golden toad ignored its furious curses, turned back, and fixed its two massive compound eyes on Li Ang, voice icy:

"So… are you with the Clearance Bureau?"

"Yes!"

Hearing the golden toad's tone, Li Ang realized it was likely a mortal enemy of the Clearance Bureau—he decided to go all in, lifted the black goat, shook it, and looked up defiantly:

"You may despise it now, but when you're captured by us and turned into an anomaly, I guarantee your fate will be ten times worse than its!"

???

Wait, why are you talking about it and dragging me into this?!

Amid the black goat's suddenly shrill curses, the golden toad didn't anger—it narrowed its massive compound eyes, studied Li Ang's expression closely, then tilted its head in surprise.

"You're trying to provoke me?"

Noticing Li Ang's suddenly tensed muscles, the giant golden toad grinned, reached over, and grabbed a handful of golden wheels, piling them before itself as it mused calmly:

"Human, you don't seem to think you can escape, yet you don't look prepared to die—even daring to provoke me… that's fascinating.

If I'm not mistaken, you still have a powerful trump card—but you can't control it, or it only activates under attack?"

?!!!

Again, seen through?

Watching the toad, whose mere eyes had pierced his entire situation, Li Ang's breath hitched—he recalled the red-haired director's assessment.

Could it be… I really am that easy to read?

"Heh. I suppose I guessed right."

Seeing the unmistakable confusion in Li Ang's eyes, the golden toad's grin widened. It tapped the pile of golden wheels now stacked into a small mound, its expression mocking:

"Sorry, I dislike crude physical attacks—I prefer fair, reasonable transactions to directly purchase the lives I want to harvest. Your trump card won't help you here.

Take these thirty thousand golden wheels. Hand over everything to me. For your boring life, this is already the most generous offer I can make."

(End of Chapter)