Chapter 32

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

Chapter 32: The Frozen Wish

The person who appeared was Chaoyang.

He had severed all players’ connections, now facing the final objective of his contract alone.

Chaoyang extended his right hand, forming an axe, and pressed its blade against Kui Qi’s neck.

Choking on blood, Kui Qi shouted indistinctly, “You can’t kill me! If you do… you’ll live in fear for the rest of your life! Those people won’t spare you… They’ll tear off your skin, slicing away at your flesh piece by piece…”

Chaoyang, having positioned the axe precisely, remained unfazed.

“No, please, spare me! I swear I’ll never do such things again! There’s a lot of money in my safe; let me live, and it’s all yours!”

Chaoyang paused momentarily. “I only want one thing.”

“W-What is it? Just tell me, as long as it’s within my power, I’ll definitely get it for you!” A pleading expression emerged on Kui Qi’s bloodied face.

“Your head.”

With those words, he swiftly brought the axe down!

***

“This is what you sought, although not entirely intact and severely burned, it indeed belongs to the Northern City Police Department’s…”

“I know, it’s Kui Qi,” Haiya Mira interrupted, her gaze fixed on the head as if trying to etch the scene into her memory. “How could I possibly fail to recognize him? Even if he were reduced to ashes, I would remember his appearance.”

“Thus, the contract is now fulfilled.” Chaoyang slightly sighed with relief. Currently, he was at Wangshui Manor and could only communicate with his contractor through a projected illusion, meaning the head Haiya saw wasn’t the actual physical object. However, he hadn’t deceived her. Kui Qi’s severed head was indeed in his possession, and the illusory projection replicated its true appearance.

“May I… have that brought to me?” she asked.

“Your body… I’m afraid won’t hold out until I return.” Chaoyang shook his head gently. At that moment, Haiya’s spiritual form sat upright in bed, while her underlying physical body had weak breaths and barely detectable heartbeats. Even by observing the spiritual form, one could notice it had become more translucent compared to an hour ago, indicating her consciousness was gradually fading away.

Apart from spiritual communication, Haiya could no longer respond physically—not even with simple actions like opening her eyes, let alone actually receiving the head.

“It’s alright, this will suffice.”

“This?” Chaoyang momentarily hesitated. Both the woman sitting at the bedhead and himself standing beside it were mere illusions constructed by consciousness. How could there possibly be any exchange of physical objects? Despite his thoughts, he still presented the head to her.

Then, Chaoyang witnessed an incredible sight.

Haiya reached out and took the charred head of Kui Qi.

It was like two 3D movies playing simultaneously, with one transferring its prop into the other.

With the head in hand, she slowly raised it before her face, tears welling up in her eyes.

“Atta, Wuqi’er, Kutus…” she choked back sobs as she recited a long list of names, “Can you all see this? The murderer who killed you has finally met his end! Now, you can truly rest in peace and return to the embrace of the sea.”

With those words, Haiya forcefully squeezed her hands together, crushing the head into fragments of black smoke that dispersed in the air.

Having completed this act, she turned towards Chaoyang and revealed a smile for the first time, her tear-filled eyes now reflecting only relief and liberation.

“Thank you. I knew you would fulfill my wish.”

In reality, it had been quite perilous, Chaoyang thought to himself. Without Detective Zhang’s idea, things might have truly ended disastrously. The biggest issue was insufficient information, such as what exactly the Champion Warrior entailed. Additionally, there was a lack of manpower; finding ways to increase player numbers while minimizing Wish Power consumption remained a challenge he needed to address.

However, he maintained his composed demeanor. “Serving our clients and ensuring their satisfaction has always been our noble goal.” As he spoke, Chaoyang produced the contract. “You may not be able to sign your name right now, but with your spiritual agreement, even a strand of hair or a fingerprint can serve as a valid signature.”

“I’ve already signed,” she said with a smile.

Only then did Chaoyang notice that her name had been inscribed at the end of the contract within the phantom image.

…Could even spiritual communication have tangible effects on the physical world?

Before he could fully comprehend it, Haiya’s spiritual form began to glow, emitting countless shimmering white specks that rose towards the sky. Simultaneously, a surge of potent Wish Power flowed into Chaoyang like a tidal wave, causing him to involuntarily close his eyes in sheer bliss.

“May I ask, boldly, if you are a deity?” Haiya questioned amidst the radiant light.

“No… I’m just…”

“How wonderful it would be if you were a deity.” She slightly shook her head, her tone filled with regret. “I know this might seem disrespectful to the Storm God, but perhaps if you had been protecting Laraki Island, everyone wouldn’t have perished.”

Chaoyang remained silent, unable to respond.

“Oh right, my sister surely has many wishes she wants fulfilled. Please help her as well. Her gratitude will not disappoint you.” Haiya’s voice gradually became lighter and weaker, almost as if drifting from afar.

“Your sister? What is her name?” Chaoyang asked.

However, there was no reply, or rather, he could no longer hear any response.

The light faded away, and everything returned to tranquility.

Haiya Mira’s spiritual form vanished without a trace, leaving only her still body lying on the bed. Her eyes were closed, with no hint of pain on her face, as if she had fallen into an eternal slumber.

Dawn was breaking at the horizon.

The night gradually retreated from the earth.

With a soft sigh, Chaoyang dropped Kui Qi’s severed head, stood up, and prepared to leave.

“Don’t move!”

A sudden shout interrupted Chaoyang’s actions.

“I am Shandela Allen, Commander of the City Guard! Citizen, I order you to raise your hands, turn around slowly, and cooperate with my investigation!”

Chaoyang raised an eyebrow. It was still early dawn—did the City Guard not require sleep?

He complied, raising his hands and turning steadily.

Before him stood a woman draped in armored robes, glaring warily while holding a longsword in her right hand. The sound of hurried footsteps echoed from downstairs, indicating that she wasn’t alone.

“You…” She frowned upon seeing Chaoyang, “Remove your mask, citizen.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Don’t blame me for being forceful,” she said, her voice growing colder. “I have reasonable grounds to suspect you as the true culprit behind the theater arson and police station attack. For anyone trampling on Glorious Fortress’s laws and order, I show no mercy.”

“Me? Trampling laws and order?” Chaoyang chuckled. “If Glorious Fortress is akin to hell, then yes, I admit to breaking its rules. However, there are places like Yeni Cathedral… and many passionate individuals who refuse to tolerate the truth being concealed, boldly stepping forward to unveil secrets. Isn’t it unfair to call this place hell when such things exist?”

“What are you talking about?”

“Just idle chatter, after all, I’m prepared for what comes next.”

Shandela’s expression faltered momentarily, as if realizing something, she swiftly raised her sword and lunged at Chaoyang with lightning speed!

But before she could strike, a black metallic sphere rolled onto the floor even faster.

The moment it touched the ground, a blinding white light accompanied by a sharp explosion, erupted, instantly engulfing the entire room. The brightness surpassed that of the sun, making it impossible for anyone to look directly at it.

Shandela felt her vision blur momentarily, ears ringing painfully as she involuntarily turned away.

The light appeared swiftly and faded just as quickly.

After a few seconds, normalcy returned to the room, but Chaoyang’s figure had completely vanished, leaving behind only a red and black mask punctured by a sword tip on the floor.