NOVPUB"Quick, catch her!"
After a brief moment of distraction, Shen Sijin realized that something was wrong and hurriedly ordered his subordinates to take action.
With no way to restrain the Mystic Fox now, and considering she had already undergone one transformation, even with three peak Dark Force users and two Huajin-level ancient martial artists on his side, capturing her would still be a serious ordeal.
She had to be taken down immediately.
If she really managed to escape, it would all be over!
Ridiculous family affection...
Damn it! Damn it!
That damned old woman!
She didn't die early or late, but she chose to die at such a time to spite me!
Once the Mystic Fox is captured and brought back to the capital, even if you're dead, old woman, don't expect to rest in peace. I will... take good care of you, the once-beloved jewel of the Ruan family!
Shen Sijin's veneer of gentleness shattered like thin ice, revealing his cold and sinister nature.
At his command, the surrounding subordinates moved like phantoms, turning into shadows and swiftly rushing towards the target, ready to capture them.
In the shadowy corner where the light couldn't reach, the girl slowly raised her head. The once innocent and radiant face had turned into a strange, detached calm.
Her clear and beautiful eyes had disappeared, and her pupils were slightly dilated in the dim warm light, resembling an endless abyss, emitting a terrifying aura that made one's heart pound.
They were a deep, blood-red color.
Dong—
Suddenly, a deep and resonant giant bell rang out across the heavens and earth.
Neither hurried nor slow, it permeated every inch of the city.
Inside the car, Ji Mu also heard the commotion.
Wondering where the bell sound came from, the radio channel in the taxi suddenly stopped, and the fare meter numbers stopped changing.
"Driver, why aren't you driving..."
Ji Mu's words stopped halfway.
He was astonished to see that not only the driver, but also the pedestrians crossing the crosswalk at the intersection had all stopped in their tracks, as if... time had frozen.
Wait, time froze?!
He opened the car door, got out and looked around.
All the vehicles had stopped, and the exhaust fumes were frozen in the air.
The nocturnal bustle of the city faded into nothingness.
The entire world had hit the pause button, leaving only his breathing to be clearly heard.
[Host, something has happened.]
The system flew in front of him and spoke in a grim tone.
[We most likely didn't make it in time.]
Sensing the uneasiness in his tone, Ji Mu's nerves immediately tensed, "System, be specific."
[Host, this final plot node is different from the previous ones. It is crucial to the heroine's complete transformation.]
[If we don't prevent the predetermined outcome from happening from the beginning, the novel world area belonging to this book will end like this and enter the reckoning phase.]
"Reckoning?"
[Yes]
The system rubbed its face, a cloud of gloom covering its expression, looking more dejected than losing dozens of games in a row.
[In other words, Ruan Qingqing has to follow the script of the final chapter, just like in her past life, and completely transform into a sinister and obsessive maniac.]
Therefore, this novel world has stopped the flow of time to avoid any external conditions that might interfere with the script during this period.
Ji Mu moved his limbs, each action smoothly following the instructions from his brain.
"Then why am I unaffected?"
The system replied with a somber expression.
[Because you don't belong to this world, so of course you are unaffected.]
Maybe the person the heroine cared about the most was also not affected by the time freeze, but so what?
[In short, Host, we have failed in our mission.]
The writing of the final chapter had already begun, which means that the story of this novel is coming to an end.
The story was almost over, and the heroine still hadn't gotten over her disgust towards men, which was equivalent to failure.
It's impossible to think that in the next few hours we could reform the crazy version of Ruan Qingqing and successfully eliminate the last ten points of disgust value. That's nothing but a fantasy, a fool's dream.
The system sighed deeply. Tasting the fruits of failure was quite unpleasant for it.
[Host, let's go. There's nothing more we can do. This plot node happened too suddenly tonight...]
He turned around, and in the blink of an eye, the boy's figure had already dashed a hundred meters away.
[Where are you going?! Host!]
"To the southern district."
The answer echoed in his mind as Ji Mu's steps didn't falter, silently calculating the time.
With the skill effect of Ancient Evil Lai, the remaining distance would be enough to get there in time.
He should have never let his guard down. Knowing that the plot node would occur in the next few days, he still relaxed his protection of the "silly goose".
Even at night, he should have stayed near the southern district and taken care of her by staying in a hotel for a few nights.
In the end, it was his fault.
Regardless of whether the mission was considered a failure or not, he had to see for himself.
……
Arriving at the building where the girl lived.
The weakening buff from the end of the skill enveloped his body, causing Ji Mu's legs to tremble as he clung to the railing, gritting his teeth and taking the steps three at a time as quickly as possible.
Panting heavily, he pushed open the door and the pungent smell of blood hit him in the face.
What met his eyes was a horrific scene of carnage, the entire living room blurred by the thick smell of blood.
Broken limbs and torn clothing littered the room. As soon as he entered the room, Ji Mu could feel that an unimaginable massacre had just taken place.
His gaze swept around, and he could vaguely see Shen Sijin's horrified and pained face in a corner.
"Are you Mu Mu?"
A soft female voice came from the direction of the kitchen.
Ji Mu turned around to see a pale-faced middle-aged woman walking out.
"You are..."
Her appearance was vaguely similar to the "silly goose". He tentatively guessed, "Aunt Ruan?"
Ruan Chuyao nodded. "Qingqing often talks about you."
Her gaze lingered on the boy's handsome and elegant face for a few moments, and she kindly said, "You are much more handsome than I imagined.
Feeling a little uncomfortable being scrutinized like a future son-in-law, Ji Mu coughed slightly and changed the subject. "Aunt Ruan, what happened here?"
Hearing this, a sad expression appeared on Ruan Chuyao's face.
"I don't know what happened."
[Host, she has the aura of Mystic Fox's essence blood.]
At this moment, the system prompted in his mind, analyzing the situation based on the scene.
[She was probably seriously injured not long ago, and Ruan Qingqing used her own heart blood to pull her back from the brink of death.]
In front of him, Ji Mu followed the direction she was looking.
He saw that the entrance to the girl's room was shrouded in a layer of black fog.
"Qingqing must be in a lot of pain right now."
Ruan Chuyao walked over, her eyes filled with deep worry and heartache.
The layer of mist seemed to be a natural barrier, preventing anyone from entering.
"She's locked herself in and won't let anyone in."
Hearing this, Ji Mu, who was following behind, reached out to try.
The expected feeling of being blocked did not come; instead, it felt like a mere decoration, allowing him to easily pass through.
Ruan Chuyao stared at him in astonishment, a glimmer of hope igniting in her dim eyes.
"Indeed..."
Her hands, roughened by years of work, clasped the boy's, her hair appearing white in the light.
"Little Mu."
A mother's frail back bent down, her face marked by the passage of time, filled with humility.
"Please help Qingqing, bring her... back."
Ji Mu gently pushed her hand away.
"Aunt Ruan..."
[Host, hurry up and leave, this task is simply impossible.]
He paused for a moment, "Why?"
[As I mentioned earlier, the heroine is now entering the transformation stage, and this stage is often accompanied by great danger.]
[If the transformation succeeds, she will become the most dangerous pureblood fox maiden in the world. If the transformation fails...]
[She will die in there.]
The system's expression became grave.
[Host, the area inside belongs to Ruan Qingqing's spirit world.]
[From what we can see, you are the only one who can enter.]
The chubby hand reached out to the edge of the black mist, obviously blocked from the outside.
[No one knows what is inside or what will happen. If some uncontrollable situation leads to the collapse of Ruan Qingqing's mental world, you will also die inside.]
[So there's no need to take this risk.]
[To put it bluntly, even if this world loses Ruan Qingqing, there are still three other heroines to carry on. The basic structure won't be affected much. Be rational.]
[We can just give up on this 25 million. We—]
Before the system could finish its advice, the boy next to it turned his head and looked at the deep, light-devouring black fog in front of him.
"Aunt Ruan, the silly goose will be fine."
His voice was very calm, without the passionate tone of a hot-blooded manga protagonist.
It was like a warm ray of sunshine that inexplicably calmed Ruan Chuyao's anxious heart.
Qingqing, it seems... you really didn't choose the wrong person.
At this moment, she finally understood why her daughter firmly said, "He's different from others" when mentioning the boy.
[Host?]
However, the system was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, desperately grabbing the boy's sleeve and trying its best to stop his reckless behavior.
[Damn it! What are you doing, host?! Is it worth it for a character in a novel? Don't you only care about money?!]
It roared, questioning him.
Ji Mu turned a deaf ear and continued walking forward.
The system could only watch helplessly as he ventured deeper into the fog.
[Host!!]
It shouted loudly, making a final plea.
[You only have one life! If you die now, you really die!]
"But I've already died once."
Ji Mu tilted his head slightly.
With his hands shoved into his pockets, he blocked out all sounds, leaving only a quiet inner peace.
"If I walk away now… what will happen to the silly goose?"
With that, he stepped forward, his entire body entering the mist without hesitation.
He had promised.
He wouldn't leave her alone and helpless again.
[Challenge 3
(Ding~)
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Reward: An additional chapter.
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... 𝒏𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝙗.𝒄𝒐𝒎
[Challenge 4
(Ding~)
Description: Reach 110 votes on NovelUpdate
Reward: 1 extra chapter
Progress: 100/110]
...
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