Chapter 55

A century-old ruin had transformed into a lush pasture where herdsmen's cattle and sheep grazed leisurely on tender grass. As far as the eye could see, vibrant greenery stretched out, a soothing sight.

In front of a large tent stood an elderly man with a full head of white hair, dressed in a crisp military uniform.

A hundred years had left their mark on him, yet not too deeply. Despite being over a century old, his back remained ramrod straight, still hinting at the thirty-something young soldier he once was.

Shen Jin raised his hand: "You can scram now." The Puddle was caught off guard as a tentacle flung it high into the air, where it tumbled and wailed, "How can you abandon me after I’ve served my purpose?" It then plummeted into a distant lake, reverting to its true form and vanishing without a trace.

"Abyss Lord, please don’t be angry," the Senior General in front of the tent stepped forward, a genial smile on his face. "It’s been many years, yet you remain as impressive as ever."

Shen Jin casually surveyed his surroundings, his eyes lifting. Aside from the man before him, there were no other presences.

"You’ve been doing well all these years too," Shen Jin said as he walked toward the tent, his tone cold and detached. "As far as I know, the human lifespan is around a hundred years. Will humans live to two hundred in the future?"

The Senior General paused for a moment before replying nonchalantly, "With advancements in technology and medicine, human lifespans will indeed grow longer."

"Technology and medicine, huh? Human development is truly surprising." Shen Jin stopped in front of the tent, his gaze fixed on it.

The tent was large—no, the correct term was yurt, as he had seen on television.

Through the open door, he could see a clean and bright interior with a table and a pot of tea.

"When a friend comes from afar, brewing a pot of hot tea and preparing a table of sumptuous food is your way of hospitality," Shen Jin said, turning to look at him.

"Abyss Lord, you have an excellent memory. A hundred years ago, it was thanks to your assistance that humanity was spared a catastrophe. This kindness will be passed down through generations."

"Is that so?" Shen Jin raised an eyebrow. "Then I hope your actions match your words."

"..."

"Abyss Lord, please," the Senior General gestured invitingly, his tone respectful.

Shen Jin looked up, his fingers gently brushing the finger bone on his wrist, but he remained standing still.

...

"Report, the test results confirm that this is indeed the Abyss Lord's physical form." A group of soldiers in military uniforms stared nervously at the screen showing the two figures from a camp a hundred miles away.

"Good, begin the primary protocol," Lieutenant General Pang, the mission commander, ordered calmly.

"Yes." A finger pressed the green button, and a thin, transparent wall silently rose from the periphery of the pasture, enclosing the entire hundred-mile radius without a single gap.

On the screen, the Abyss Lord showed no reaction.

"Are ten seconds really enough?" someone tugged at their collar, their voice trembling with nervousness. "After all, the calculation results show three seconds. The Abyss Lord only needs three seconds to teleport from one place to another. If something goes wrong, the Senior General..."

"Shut up," Lieutenant General Pang kicked the person aside. "What kind of time is this to undermine morale? The Senior General couldn’t have miscalculated. He has waited too long for this day."

Yes, the Abyss Lord’s abilities were formidable, and controlling him was impossible.

But he had weaknesses, and they were obvious.

Naivety, curiosity, arrogance, and pride—as long as they could exploit these traits, they could strike at the root of the problem.

...

"Abyss Lord, please," the Senior General invited Shen Jin once more.

Shen Jin lowered his gaze to the finger bone on his wrist.

His brow furrowed slightly.

He had been the one to decide to play this game with humanity, so why was he now having second thoughts?

A strange sensation—his heart felt tingling and tender, perhaps because his body flowed with his blood.

Shen Jin’s expression remained blank.

Just a mere human. By the time he woke up, that human would have turned to dust.

All humans deserved to die.

Including Jiang Linchuan.

Shen Jin turned and walked slowly into the yurt, his steps unhurried, his tone lazy. "I’ve learned many things since coming to the human world."

"Oh, really? What has the Abyss Lord learned?"

"There’s a saying I think is quite accurate," Shen Jin said as he stepped inside and sat down at the table. He looked up at the general standing outside the yurt, his fingers tracing the rim of a white porcelain cup as he smiled faintly. "Don’t easily interfere with others’ karma."

With a snap, as he took his seat, a transparent door rose from the ground, sealing the yurt’s only exit tightly, forming an airtight space.

Shen Jin turned curiously to examine it, his tentacles probing the ground. Huh? They met a hard barrier—his tentacles couldn’t penetrate it.

Shen Jin raised an eyebrow. Humans were indeed ingenious.

Could they really kill him?

Three seconds, four seconds...

Under Shen Jin’s curious gaze, the massive yurt contracted rapidly within seconds. It turned out to be a square, airtight space made of special materials, disguised as a yurt.

Five seconds, six seconds...

The gaps between particles were compressed to their limits. The table, teapot, and cups shattered into fragments before Shen Jin’s eyes.

All sounds, scents, and sensations of the world dissipated until they were completely imperceptible.

Shen Jin looked at his hands, feeling his abilities being rapidly drained from his body. The world was eerily silent and hollow. His body floated upward—he was completely isolated from the world, stripped of all sources of power.

Wow, humans were truly remarkable. They had actually found a way to subdue him.

His human form dissipated, and a transparent square, compressed to the length of an arm, fell to the ground. Inside, only a fist-sized black mist remained.

*

Jiang Linchuan walked out while dialing Shen Jin’s number, but the call didn’t connect.

His mind was racing, his heart pounding so fast he could barely breathe.

Jiang Linchuan braced against the wall, trying to calm himself.

"Linchuan." Yun Feng’s urgent yet excited voice came from behind. "The military has sent word—they succeeded."

Jiang Linchuan turned slowly, his gaze heavy as it fell on Yun Feng. "What did you say?"

"Linchuan." Yun Feng stepped forward, grabbing his arms and shaking them vigorously, his pale face flushed with excitement. "We’ve captured the Abyss Lord. The Senior General’s plan succeeded. The Abyss Lord will never escape."

Everything went black for Jiang Linchuan; Wu Yao steadied him from the side: "Captain Jiang."

Those humans emerging from the lab, with various plants growing on them, fell silent for a moment upon hearing Yun Feng's words, then erupted into cheers: "The Abyss Lord is dead, the Abyss Lord is dead! We'll have peace at last, peace at last!"

Shen Jin is not the Abyss Lord.

Shen Jin is not the Abyss Lord.

Shen Jin cannot be the Abyss Lord.

Jiang Linchuan pushed Wu Yao aside, got into the car, started the engine, and drove away.

Unfortunately, Shen Jin is most likely the Abyss Lord.

The phone rang, and the car swerved abruptly. Jiang Linchuan’s hands trembled as he picked up the phone—it was from Yun Zheng.

Jiang Linchuan answered the call, and Yun Zheng’s delighted voice came through: "Linchuan, when did you bring the little guy back?"

"The little guy is with you?"

"Yeah, I pulled an all-nighter last night and got up pretty late today. When I woke up, I found the little guy playing in the living room... Wasn’t it you who brought him back?"

"...Yes. Please take good care of him for me. Thank you."

The little guy had been sent to Yun Zheng’s place—he hadn’t taken him along.

What about the other monsters? Where did they all go?

Things were getting way too weird.

Jiang Linchuan sped all the way and arrived at the military headquarters by dusk.

He bounded up the stairs to General Wu’s office and burst through the door.

A video was playing on the large screen in the room.

The person in the video clearly showed Shen Jin's face.

"Linchuan, you’ve come just in time," General Wu said with a smile upon seeing him. "You’ve heard the news about the operation too, right? It went very smoothly."

Jiang Linchuan stared at the screen and pointed, "What is that?"

"That’s a new type of material developed over the past few years," General Wu said, waving for the others to leave. After the room emptied and the door closed, he picked up the teapot and poured Jiang Linchuan a cup of tea. "You were right before—darkness gives rise to the abyss, and human emotions sustain it. The senior general had already realized this. Once we understood it, we devised a way to contain it, and things became much simpler."

"We can’t eliminate him, so we can only imprison him using this method. Not even humans can break this material. Since we can’t do it ourselves, we can ensure the Abyss Lord will never escape." General Wu looked at him. "Linchuan, I expect you know the Special Operations Brigade’s next mission."

"Eliminate all monsters?" Jiang Linchuan’s gaze remained fixed on the screen. The video had ended, and the final scene showed a mass of black mist—the human form had completely dissipated.

"Of course not. We’re not that ruthless," General Wu sighed, standing up and patting his shoulder. "As before, they are to return to Baigu Town and never set foot in the human world again." Without the Abyss Lord, those monsters were no longer a threat.

"What about the Abyss Lord?" Jiang Linchuan turned to look at him, his eyes bloodshot. "Where are you imprisoning him?"

"That’s a matter above your clearance level, not something you need to know," General Wu frowned. "I know this is difficult, but the matter is settled. You must realize this is for the best for humanity—"

"He's the man I love."

"...What?" General Wu was stunned, thinking he had misheard. "Lover? What do you mean?"

"From now on, I am no longer the captain of the Special Operations Brigade. I am just another monster. I’m going to find my lover."

Jiang Linchuan snapped to attention and saluted General Wu, then turned without hesitation, opened the door, and marched out.

*

In front of the massive crater in Baigu Town, a two-tailed squirrel lay with its head tilted, listening. "Old Tree, something's not right here. Do you hear anything?"

There was movement underground—from faint rumbling to clear cracking sounds.

"The Abyss Lord's in danger. His presence is fading," the Old Tree transformed into human form, his expression grave. "How could this happen?"

"Holy shit," the squirrel leaped up, its tail wrapping around the Old Tree as it took off running. "It’s those abysses—they're breaking free! Run!"

No sooner had the words been spoken than mud spewing crimson flames erupted from the ground. Where the mud flowed, flowers and grass withered instantly. A hopping little rabbit rolled on the ground and transformed into a giant rabbit, several times larger than a human. With a single slap, trees came crashing down.