Lu Ce let out a scornful laugh, looking at the Arbitrator, and spoke:

"There's no need to be so guarded. I just wanted to have a chat with you."

"You're not still thinking of using me to fight against Them, are you? Don't dream about it. I told you, this is the last time we'll meet."

The Arbitrator said coldly.

"Even I am about to attend Their meeting soon. What happens after that, I'm not sure either."

"But don't get any ideas—don't hope that I'll fight Them and we'll both be crippled or something. That's impossible."

"Oh~ That's so cold of you to say." Lu Ce smiled nonchalantly. "I don't know why you have so many misunderstandings about someone as kind-hearted as me."

"For dealing with those guys, I don't need you. I'm just asking—what about you?"

"Have you figured out your own role? In this upheaval, everyone has their own position or goal."

"Me, and people like the Sun—we're aiming for the top, to challenge the strongest power."

"In this world, guys like Dragon Group and Perfect Life are probably thinking about survival and saving the world."

"And the gods, of course, are simple—they want to destroy us to gain more power and satisfy their own needs."

"So, what about you?"

Lu Ce stared intensely at the Arbitrator, making them momentarily stunned, as if their mind had slipped.

An overwhelming sense of fear and confusion engulfed Them, making Them feel like a newborn child who had only been alive for a few days.

Lu Ce's voice continued, pressing on:

"What is your self-positioning? What are your plans for this matter?"

"As the currently known being that is likely the single most powerful entity, you are at the very center of this most secret and direct vortex, yet you always seem like an outsider."

"Arbitrator—that name was given to you by Them, used to adjudicate the game. Now that name no longer holds..."

"So, do you even know who you are?"

At the end of this conversation, Lu Ce, as if on a whim, suddenly asked the Arbitrator this philosophical question.

—Who are you?

And this question instantly seized the biggest weak spot in Their mind. Their entire body seemed to writhe in pain as They struggled and glared at "Sin":

"What did you do to me!?"

In Their understanding and judgment, Their current state was a textbook example of being weakened or attacked.

But the "Sin" opposite Them had done nothing at all—he had only spoken a few words. He shouldn't have the ability to harm Them now...

For a moment, the baffled Arbitrator became very flustered.

"I didn't do anything, and I didn't use any of my own abilities. It was just a simple question—but also the ultimate question since the dawn of humanity."

"Don't overthink it. I'm just giving you a thought, a reminder."

"If you can truly solve this problem, this doubt, then all your previous confusion will vanish."

"Take your time to think about it. No rush. Consider it a return gift for you taking the initiative to warn me earlier."

The Arbitrator slowly calmed down, their face grim. They remained silent, as if lost in deep thought.

"Thank you." 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

With that, They instinctively made a turning motion, as if about to disappear.

Suddenly, a lazy voice came from behind Them again.

"Hey, business is business, but is this how you leave? No handshake?"

The Arbitrator paused, turned around, and looked at the person before them with a complicated expression. Light flickered for a moment, as if They really intended to reach out, but in the end, Their eyes hardened, and They turned away.

"No need."

"If you want to quit, you can at any time. Or just wait until the energy of this space is depleted."

After saying this, Their figure vanished directly, leaving this space.

Lu Ce slowly withdrew his hand. Now the space was empty except for him. He put his hands behind his head, enjoying this rare moment of peace.

He muttered to himself:

"This gambit of mine—I really took a huge risk..."

The question he had just posed—humanity had interpreted it from perspectives of philosophy, religion, and life's meaning, but there had never been a single, accurate, standard answer.

But the Arbitrator was different. This newborn, condensed from the power of the gods and immensely strong, might reach an unpredictable conclusion to that question amid such a cataclysm.

Lu Ce's spontaneous move was essentially planting a time bomb. But it was hard to say who that bomb would ultimately blow up.

Still, there was no other choice. Deep down, Lu Ce was pessimistic about the final battle with the gods. He could only bury as many mines as possible.

"I hope this knife doesn't end up stabbing me in the back..."

"Ah, forget it! Whatever!"

After muttering a few words to himself, he lay back down and closed his eyes. The mask on his face shifted to the Gluttony side.

How could he voluntarily quit?

Since the Arbitrator had been so kind as to offer this opportunity, he was going to devour every last bit of it!

.......

"Under Qingcheng Mountain, Bai Suzhen~"

Not knowing how long he had been asleep, Lu Ce's eyelids fluttered slightly. A bizarrely tuned song rang in his ears, startling him awake.

Looking up, he found himself back in his Room, lying on the bed.

Following the sound, he saw a familiar figure in shorts, sitting cross-legged at the foot of the bed, wearing headphones and swaying their head from side to side.

At this time, the only person who could be beside him was Xie Antong.

She was clearly facing away from Lu Ce, but the moment he opened his eyes, she stopped singing and turned her head to look at him with a half-smile.

"Oh, you're awake, Brother Agony."

"You really can sleep."

Lu Ce looked down at himself. He was still fully dressed. He sat up with some exasperation and said:

"Where did that nickname come from? What's with 'Brother Agony'...?"

"How come every time I wake up, you're right next to me? How long was I asleep?"

"What? Not happy to see me when you wake up?" Xie Antong pressed the soles of her feet together, grabbed her own feet with both hands, and swayed left and right.

There was a constant hint of a smile on her face. For some reason, her mentality seemed incredibly good.

"Not counting the time you spent not coming out of the game, you've been sleeping for about two days since you got out."

Lu Ce didn't respond much else. He just narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Xie Antong's face across from him.

"Let's not talk about that for now... I have a question."

"Is the current world's number one already changed?"