Rebirth Island, Seven-star Lake, Final Gate.
Next to the Mother Stone, a flash of light sparked and a faint spatial fluctuation occurred as a portly figure suddenly materialized.
As the engraving on the Starry Stone in his hand was completed, Lu Lin Haohan only felt a blurring before his eyes, and the scenery around him shifted; he had arrived at the Star Alliance headquarters.
Without spare time to marvel at this miracle, he looked around and then set off, running toward the Inheritance Land following the route he remembered.
Time on Rebirth Island was three hours ahead of Huaxia, and it was night here; there was a lack of lighting along the way, and if not for the distant, mist-enshrouded Goddess Peak serving as a reference, Brother Hero would have almost gotten completely lost.
Stumbling and tripping over stones, he finally found the entrance buried among the ruins.
"Xiao Man! Xiao Man! Are you there? Help me!!"
Before he even arrived, the shrill cries, akin to the slaughtering of pigs, had already echoed into the hall.
At that moment, the hall was brightly lit; after days of construction, it was now equipped with a generator set and a lighting system, which was why Brother Hero could find the place so quickly.
Zhang Xiaoman was sitting on a chair, intently observing the combat training between two Star Guards in front of him.
Around him, five or six armored figures were bustling back and forth; they were the summoned Star Guards, now cleaning up the debris or sweeping the hall.
"Brother Man! You are here! Help me! Quick, save someone!"
Zhang Xiaoman had been carefully considering some combat skills from the Star Guards to enhance his own close combat ability—since having more skills could never be a disadvantage—when he heard a very familiar cry of distress. Only when the person entered the hall did he recognize that it was Brother Hero.
"Brother Hero, what happened? Slow down and tell me, don’t panic."
Brother Hero rushed into the hall of the Inheritance Land, overlooked his step in his haste, and fell flat on his face, ending up covered in dust.
"Brother Man... Quick, help Tang Yuan! Tang Yuan, she’s been cornered by a monster, and they’re about to discover her!"
The Tang Yuan he mentioned was Mrs. Hero.
Zhang Xiaoman was startled for a moment and then got up quickly, asking, "Tang Yuan’s been cornered by a monster? What kind of monster? Which direction specifically?"
Out of breath, Brother Hero replied, "It’s, it’s the Corpse Demon, the one we encountered in the underground parking lot last time... The location is, Qianhu Fu’s sixth floor, the cleaning room in the northeast corner... I used the Starry Stone to run back here..."
"Corpse Demon... Qianhu Fu... sixth floor..."
Zhang Xiaoman frowned slightly, not asking for details, but confirmed again with Brother Hero.
"I got it. Is there anything else you want to add?"
Brother Hero shook his head and said, "Nothing more, Brother Man, please, I beg you to rescue Tang Yuan, I really can’t lose her..."
Zhang Xiaoman slapped his shoulder, saying, "Enough, we are brothers; no need to beg. How could I do nothing when sister-in-law is in trouble? Rescuing her is urgent; we’ll talk more when I get back."
Having said that, he activated the Infinite Teleportation Skill and immediately returned home, while the eight Star Guards beside him dissipated collectively as they were beyond the control range.
Because he left in such a hurry, he didn’t even bother to collect the scattered Mountain and River Swords, simply grabbing one before leaving the place.
Fortunately, his Water Bullet Gun, specifically used for fighting Demon Monsters, was still in the car, so he wasn’t worried about being weaponless.
On the other side, after Brother Hero left through the Starry Stone, the Corpse Demon outside the restroom clearly paused, seemingly puzzled as to why the target that had been attracting its attention had suddenly disappeared.
However, this did not diminish its determination to break through the wall.
The Corpse Demon paused briefly, then took two steps backward, crouching and preparing to launch itself at the wall with force.
Just then, a burst of gunfire erupted from below the building, crackling like popping beans, faintly interspersed with the roars of comrades.
The Corpse Demon immediately ceased its movements, turning its head toward the source of the sounds, and then, with big strides, it abruptly left the scene.
Inside the door, when everyone heard the terrifying footsteps growing distant, they all breathed a sigh of relief at once, and only then did they remember to pay attention to the scene of Brother Hero’s sudden disappearance.
However, before the three women had time to think further, a man’s voice suddenly sounded beside them:
"Hmph, performing magic, huh? Playing the great vanishing act, right? First, you distract my attention with noises from outside, then you use that time to complete your setup, and finally, you leave the scene through some mechanism. Hmph, don’t think such petty tricks can fool me."
The speaker was the man in the suit, and his tone sounded rather unfriendly, his expression also seemed to carry a touch of annoyance.
"The mechanism to leave this place must be inside this room, don’t think I don’t know. We are live broadcasting right now, with monsters, actors, and gunshots, you’re really going all-in, aren’t you!"
He grew angrier as he spoke, and when he thought about how his frightened behavior must have been seen by who knows how many people, his anger intensified.
How could this happen?
I had already seen through their tricks, so why did I still fall for it in the end?
Those damn people, they must be laughing at me outside right now!
They must think that today’s prank was successful yet again, don’t they?
Including my current embarrassed state, must have also been seen by them.
Maybe even the guests are pointing at me, saying I’m not much of a challenge, huh?
I can’t let them get away with this!
The man in the suit’s expression kept changing, a mixture of frustration, embarrassment, anger, and other emotions began spreading in his mind.
He actually hated those TV shows that pranked passersby the most, those that disregarded the feelings and dignity of the victims for their own ratings and popularity, mocking them mercilessly. Such people, utterly lacking in character!
At the beginning, the only reason he had patiently played along was to create an image of a detached seer, to thwart their goals, create a psychological gap, and ultimately lower the show’s impact.
But all his carefully laid plans had failed at the last moment; the so-called monster’s roar and the man-made noise had frightened him, making him feel humiliated now.
So, the man in the suit became angry out of embarrassment, he felt he had to do something, to reclaim the face he had lost.
His eyes began to show determination and ferocity, even carrying a hint of anticipation that his plan was about to succeed.
He abruptly reached out his hand, and then flung open the door of the restroom, resolutely walking out.