The knocking tensed Qiao Suisui’s nerves instantly.

‘Knock knock.’

With each successive knock, she even forgot to breathe.

Fake Zongfang appeared at the doorway, his gaze sharp and cold, his face wearing a strange smile, and in the hand hidden behind his back, he held a chainsaw.

“Qiaoqiao, what are you doing here?”

Carl stepped in front of Qiao Suisui, both adopting a defensive stance.

‘Crash—’

A chainsaw suddenly thrust through the wooden door.

“Being so disobedient will give me quite the headache.” It was Zongfang’s voice, but the weird laugh and extremely gloomy tone made Qiao Suisui shiver slightly.

Carl shouted outside, “Who are you, really?”

Fake Zongfang laughed loudly, bursting through the door.

“I had thought to let you slowly uncover the truth, but now it seems, ending you directly is simpler.”

Qiao Suisui asked coldly, “You bombed the underground laboratory, didn’t you? That day, after rescuing us, you kept watching the collapsed direction to ensure the entrance was thoroughly buried. And you pretended to save us just to follow us, so you could keep track of how much truth we really knew.”

“Miss Qiao, you’re very smart,” his expression turned fiercely wild, “but it’s a pity, such a smart Ancient Human can’t help me find what I want.”

Clearly, this man had been guiding them to find the Black Box these past days. Qiao Suisui felt suspicious; what exactly was in the Black Box?

But there was no time left to think; bullets swiftly attacked them, and Carl, while protecting Qiao Suisui, had his arm pierced through.

Fake Zongfang’s movements were rapid and deadly, the air filled with the sharp whistling of blades slicing through it.

Carl ducked his head to dodge, feeling the cold wind graze his face and knowing the chill was the dagger barely missing his skin. Seizing the moment, Qiao Suisui thrust the Emei dagger straight into Fake Zongfang’s side, only to see him awkwardly dodge the lethal blow by leveraging his retreat.

Carl and Qiao Suisui synchronized perfectly, entrusting their backs to each other. A glint flashed in Fake Zongfang’s eyes, then he suddenly accelerated, twisting his body at an impossible angle, his head rotating 180 degrees to the rear. The dagger brought a chilling wind straight towards Qiao Suisui’s direction.

“No!!!”

Carl immediately wrapped his arms around Qiao Suisui, switching their position in an instant, exposing his back under Fake Zongfang’s blade, right into his trap.

‘Putsch’, the sound of the blade entering flesh.

Qiao Suisui’s eyes widened, using all her spiritual power, she hurled the Emei dagger across the room, pinning Fake Zongfang directly to the wall. He struggled for a few seconds, then expired.

“Carl! Carl!”

“Don’t, I don’t want you to die, get up, don’t die….”

Qiao Suisui wept bitterly as she held Carl tightly, her hands covered in blood, feeling helpless and desperate.

Carl lay on the ground, slowly raising his hand to wipe her tears away, and asked weakly, “Why are you crying… After all, you don’t love me… If I die, no one will make you angry anymore….”

“I don’t want you to die… I don’t want….”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want to lose you…” Qiao Suisui cried heartbrokenly, making Carl’s nose twitch, but he had to keep acting.

“Then, do you like me even a little?”

Tears still streaked Qiao Suisui’s face, her sobs making her realize something was off.

“You… you’re okay?”

Qiao Suisui lifted his shirt in one swift move and saw him wearing a tight bulletproof vest underneath.

Carl, clutching his chest and squinting his eyes, said, “I think I can still be saved.”

Qiao Suisui pushed him away and, still upset, kicked him.

“You actually joke about something like this!”

She turned to leave but was instantly pulled into a firm embrace.

Carl held her tightly from behind, the wound on his back still bleeding, but the bulletproof vest meant it wasn’t deep.

“I’m sorry, I’m okay, don’t be mad. Don’t worry, I will always be with you. You’ll never lose me, I promise.”

Qiao Suisui’s eyes were still red, her heart harbored anger, but more at herself. It was Carl who had risked bringing her to the Southern Battlefield; if something truly happened to him, she would never forgive herself. Instead, she should be thanking Carl, who had instinctively shielded her with his body in the nick of time.

She turned and hugged him back tightly, drying all her tears on his shirt.

Carl chuckled softly, watching her burrow into his embrace like a small animal, and caressed her head.

Both thought the crisis had passed when suddenly, the ground began to shake, and from the cracked earth emerged one ‘Zong Fang’ after another, their expressions dull, like controlled puppets.

“Did you think it was over?” Wei Shou’s voice resonated through the air, filled with sarcasm and indifference.

“Is that you? You didn’t die?”

Shocked, Qiao Suisui watched the man approaching slowly, his fingertips controlling countless threads. With a wave of Wei Shou’s hand, numerous ‘Zong Fangs’ began to attack Qiao Suisui and Carl.

Wei Shou, whose Talent was manipulation, had deceived them all along; what Anubis had killed was just a decoy.

From the beginning, the Federation’s plan had been to use Qiao Suisui to lure out Anubis, as the son of the Rebel Army, Anubis might know the whereabouts of the Black Box, and so Wei Shou was ordered to create opportunities for them to meet, whether it was in the wine cellar or during their time in the tunnel, while Wei Shou secretly monitored them.

“I’m running out of patience, I’ll ask again, where is the Black Box?”

Qiao Suisui remained silent, supporting the injured Carl as they both struggled against the onslaught of puppets, gradually finding themselves in a dire situation. Qiao Suisui nearly collapsed, but Carl, desperate, stepped in front of her, his wound tearing further yet he continued to persevere.

As tensions on the battlefield escalated, the dust and debris were scattered by the impact of spiritual power.

Suddenly, red snow began to fall from the sky, like a blood mist. A figure like lightning at dawn abruptly entered the center of the battlefield, blocking all attacks aimed directly at Qiao Suisui.

Silver hair fluttered in the wind as the man in a black combat suit moved with each step resonating like thunder. Wei Shou, commanding countless puppets, looked fearfully and uneasily at the man standing at the center.

“Zong Fang…”