Chapter 678: The World Is an Absurd Stage Play

"You yourself said it too, that it was in the past; I experienced less than a second, and the other me took all my power away."

Yang Yixie shrugged his shoulders.

"You still want to play a bit longer, don't you?"

Mu Linyuan stared with a dark line across his face at someone who knew no limits, the divine power already thoroughly polluted by Mutation, and even that contact—perhaps less than a second—has forever severed the link between Yang Yixie and the Mutation.

The Ying Duo's Ying Guang Lu is a side effect of Mutation; if the Mutation is completely stripped away, it may not fully return to normal, but at least it won't cause light pollution any more.

Now whenever Yang Yixie uses energy, his hair turns green—that's the whole story.

Even if the Mutation is fully stripped away, its remaining traces cannot be erased.

The few people beside them fell silent; Ying Duo is the Church and Dome's jointly most-wanted criminal, yet now appears quite familiar to the Pope, though the Pope seems to look down on Ying Duo.

But the Pope, knowing Ying Duo's identity, can sit here so calmly and speak to them—that's already a miracle.

And the words Mu Linyuan said... make one dare not think too deeply.

"Excuse me, may I ask? What does 'the other me' mean?"

Perhaps they've mistaken someone; the Ying Duo of this world isn't entirely different from the Ying Duo they know—the Ying Duo they know actually stayed inside the game...

But that also seems off; the few of them thought a bit and found the more they pondered, the more confused they became.

"Rest assured, the one who's been interacting with you all this time is me."

Yang Yixie only clarified that point, offering no further explanation, and he pondered for a moment.

"If you need evidence, I have some here; I originally intended it as an extra reward, a gift for you, mainly in case you refused, to play the emotional card."

"But I won't show it now; recalling the past before the war is a big taboo, such a flag can't be raised."

Generally, if before the great war one begins to doubt the past happy life, the ensuing great war will surely be bloody.

"Haven't you noticed anything amiss lately?" Yang Yixie asked.

Mu Linyuan leaned on the sofa, his hand on the armrest, looking very relaxed.

"I did retire, that's true, but the people of Tianmian City can't pretend the Pope never existed; those trying to find my whereabouts have never been few."

"If you must say something's wrong... the two who just left went to handle part of the trouble; do you want to wait for the outcome?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of short gunfire rang through the wall; the battle's flashpoint was close, perhaps right next door.

It seems indeed someone has found Mu Linyuan's hideout.

"The apartment next door is occupied by a lady who came from the Dome to treat me; I didn't expect she left just yesterday, and today someone has taken over the nest."

Su Jingchuan's strength is well known, and the few continued to explain the situation, planning to wait until the battle there ends before gathering intel.

But after waiting a long time, the gunfire next door not only didn't cease, it grew more intense.

Yang Yixie's gaze unintentionally drifted outside the window, catching a broken ribbon being blown away, its surface bearing obvious charred marks.

It must have been his eyes playing tricks.

Yang Yixie silently withdrew his gaze.

Sensing the charred situation next door, Mu Linyuan unusually employed his ability; after receiving the missing half of Space Law, it can be said that nothing in Tianmian City can hide from him.

Mu Linyuan's complexion was extremely pale, his expression oddly calm, "....... You'd better go to the next door."

Yang Yixie had already reached the doorway when he spoke.

Though reluctant to face the fact, Mu Linyuan's attitude already told him it was exactly as he thought.

Su Jingchuan and Li Ya, the teacher, were in the next room, tangled in a battle with Xi Ren Sheng.

It's unclear how Xi Ren Sheng got here, but now clearly discovered and treated as a suspect to be arrested.

"Partner~!" a familiar tilde popped up.

Xi Ren Sheng sought a chance to escape, but Su Jingchuan's style was relentless; he couldn't kill the person, and at that moment entropy increase would instantly turn into a terror organization.

At the sight of that familiar figure, he immediately lunged toward Yang Yixie.

Su Jingchuan raised his hand to fire, but a Ying Guang Lu green barrier blocked it; of course, it stopped not only the bullet but also Xi Ren Sheng charging forward.

Yang Yixie, having previously been harassed by Chi Jin An, could instantly raise several energy shields as a matter of routine.

Even though blocked, it didn't prevent Xi Ren Sheng from perched on the energy shield, speaking to Yang Yixie.

"Partner, you finally found me! Did you see the notes I had people spread around the city? I tell you, I've been looking for this place for ages!"

Heh, actually he's been pestering her for a long time, wanting her to bring him here.

"Notes?" Yang Yixie frowned, "What notes?"

"What's up, Partner, didn't you see my playing cards? I wrote many for those people to deliver, and none reached you?"

Xi Ren Sheng's face was full of disdain for the Entropy Light Cult; writing in garbled text is a hassle, and little did he know the authorities have been cracking down on cults, so his playing cards were mostly confiscated by the Special Division.

Xi Ren Sheng wilted, clearly disappointed.

But this way, the anomaly here originated from Xi Ren Sheng, having nothing to do with the Fang Zhiyan he was looking for.

"By the way, Partner, guess who I ran into here?"

Xi Ren Sheng said that while gesturing Yang Yixie to look at the opposite corner.

Xie Jingyan had intended to leave directly, but Xi Ren Sheng gave her no chance, determined to drag her into the fray.

The solid wall suddenly turned into a flimsy wooden backdrop that fell with a gust, and as the wall collapsed, Xie Jingyan, who had been hidden nearby, was forced into view.

It was meeting Xie Jingyan that made Xi Ren Sheng relentlessly force her to bring him here.

Does this guy even have a sense of contract?!

Is there anyone who would trap a partner like this?

Xie Jingyan awkwardly raised her hand and waved; she swears she's never been this embarrassed, even when she messed up a dance move on stage.

She now hardly dares to look at Li Ya and Su Jingchuan's expressions; after all, they trusted her, and during the fight she secretly used a trap on Li Ya, causing her Aberrant Arts to go out of control, and the two thought it was Xi Ren Sheng's chaotic rule at work.

"Li Ya," Su Jingchuan gritted his teeth, shielding her behind him.

Li Ya is indeed a Special Ability Practitioner of the Life Law, but before the Divine Oracle, she is utterly insufficient.

Su Jingchuan didn't even focus his attention on Xie Jingyan and Xi Rensheng; he stared fixedly at the person shielded by the Ying Guang Lu-colored energy barrier.

Go sound the alarm, protect Your Majesty and leave this place!