[Abnormal energy fluctuations detected. Host, please be cautious! Host, please be cautious!]
The glass beads were still trembling, and the door of the private room was suddenly knocked on. Chang Yao, with a apologetic expression, walked in, saying, "Sorry for being late. By the way, I ran into your friends outside, it seems like they are your friends."
"Hello," Xiao Rui poked his head out and waved, then yawned while covering his mouth. "Finally caught up. Ye, what's the matter that you had to discuss in person? Both Jia and I were in the neighboring province, but we rushed back as soon as we received the message."
Ye Zhizhou's expression changed upon hearing this. "Received a message? Whose message?"
"Your message," Xiao Rui scratched his head, sat down casually after finding a seat, and showed his phone to Ye Zhizhou. "Take a look. I received over a dozen messages urging me and Jia to come back. When I called you, it was always busy, the same with Gu Yi. Jia was worried that something happened to you, so he kept urging me to return, but it turns out you guys are just having a joyful dinner."
Wen Jiahe pulled him and smiled at Ye Zhizhou. "As long as everything's fine now. How's the gambling event? Did you find any valuable stones? And what about that person you mentioned..."
"Jiahe," Ye Zhizhou interrupted him, looking at Chang Yao, who had been sitting quietly in the corner since entering, and tightened his grip on the glass bead. "Chang Yao, where's Qin Bai? Now that everyone is here, we're just waiting for him."
"He went to the restroom, he'll be here soon," Chang Yao replied with his usual expression and thoughtfully served tea to everyone.
[Abnormal energy detected... Soul Flag anomaly! Soul Flag anomaly! Initiating detection... Detection failed...]
"Don't drink!" Ye Zhizhou waved his hand, knocking over the teacup in Shi Jianwen's hand. He then released his psychic energy, solidifying it into a cage that surrounded Chang Yao, and rushed over to feed him a Revival Pill. His expression turned cold as he said, "Jiang Susu, get out of Chang Yao's body!"
Chang Yao's expression changed dramatically. He reached out to touch the cage that surrounded him but couldn't break free. Suddenly, his body trembled, and he collapsed to the ground.
"What's happening?!" Wu Kaien was the first to jump up.
[Soul Flag anomaly disappeared. Confirming Soul Flag status... No anomalies.]
Ye Zhizhou breathed a sigh of relief, squatted down, and gave Chang Yao, who had fainted, a Clear Mind Pill.
While Wu Kaien was still in a state of confusion, Shi Jianwen, who had been splashed with tea, furrowed his brows in puzzlement. Xiao Rui and Wen Jiahe couldn't make sense of the situation either, while Yin Lie remained expressionless but protectively placed his hand on Wu Kaien's chair back.
"Look at these," Gu Yi handed out the information he had investigated about Jiang Susu to the others. He walked over to Ye Zhizhou and patted his neck comfortingly. "Are you okay? My psychic power is too weak, there isn't much I can do to help. I'm frustrated and helpless about it."
Ye Zhizhou nodded absently, his attention focused on Chang Yao's condition. He also used his psychic power to create a barrier around the entire private room.
A few seconds later, Chang Yao's eyelids fluttered, and he woke up.
"How do you feel?"
"I..." Chang Yao glanced around at Ye Zhizhou and the others who were surrounding him, confused for a moment. Then, he suddenly sat up, placed his hand on Ye Zhizhou's shoulder urgently, and said, "Quick, run! They're after you! I overheard Auntie and Xiaobo's conversation, they're acting strangely. You need to leave quickly!"
Gu Yi's expression changed, and he grabbed Chang Yao and pulled him in front of himself, demanding in a stern tone, "What do you mean by 'they're after Xiaozhou'? Explain!"
Chang Yao didn't mind Gu Yi's impolite attitude at all. He spoke anxiously, "Last night, I wanted to find Xiaobo to ask him why he lied to me. But when I found them, Auntie was there too. Later, I don't know what they did, but I passed out. When I was barely conscious, I heard them mentioning Xiaozhou and saying they could take action now. In short, you guys need to leave quickly; there's something strange about them!"
[Chang Yao's chances of falling in love with the protagonist have dropped to 0%. The fifth Soul Flag has been removed. Congratulations, host. Please continue to do your best.]
[Significant abnormal energy fluctuations detected. Host, please be cautious!]
"We can't leave." The glass bead vibrated wildly again, and Ye Zhizhou stood up, looking around at everyone in the private room. He smiled wryly and said, "No wonder things felt off. I was wondering why this time's flag didn't cause any trouble. Turns out the other party's target has been me from the beginning, and all of you were just bait to lure me in."
From which plot change did this start? The second time or the third? Tongtian had been deceived, and he had been deceived as well. He had been led step by step into this trap in Y Province, and now he was trapped in this closed private room.
It was his fault for not realizing that there were people behind Qin Bai sooner. Since the purpose of the harem was to steal psychic power, how could those male leads who hadn't awakened yet compare to his 3S-grade power? He should have been vigilant from the moment that fake lover, Shi Jianhua, was introduced into the story. The goal of the Soul Flag in this world was not to make the protagonist collect a harem, but to kill him. Perhaps Jiang Susu had predicted this variable long ago and had gradually set a trap for him.
Superpowers, psychic power, Jiang Susu, and Qin Bai—all of them were just tools the Soul Flag had created to try and kill him. He had been careless.
"Xiao Ye, what are you talking about? I don't understand," Xiao Rui was still out of the loop, and Wen Jiahe could sense something wrong in Ye Zhizhou's words, his expression turning serious.
Shi Jianwen took off his soaked coat, glanced at Gu Yi, who had unconsciously shielded Ye Zhizhou, and asked after a pause, "Those people with superpowers... they've come? Their target isn't us, but Xiaozhou?"
Ye Zhizhou nodded as an answer and then patted his lover's shoulder reassuringly. He looked toward the closed private room door and said casually, "Since they're here, they might as well come in. Eavesdropping outside doesn't look good."
The door handle was twisted, and the door was pushed open, revealing Qin Bai, who was smiling outside, followed by a middle-aged woman with a gentle appearance.
"A very enticing aroma," the middle-aged woman entered first, her gaze greedy as she scanned Ye Zhizhou's brain. She smiled warmly but sent shivers down one's spine. "I really want to cut open your brain and see the structure inside."
Qin Bai also entered the room, and then a group of people poured in from the corridor, surrounding the entire private room.
[Significant abnormal energy fluctuations detected. Should the protective mechanism be activated?]
Ye Zhizhou touched the glass bead, asking in his mind, "Can you prioritize protecting several male leads?"
The system remained silent for a while and then displayed on the screen, "[You can.]"
"In that case, protect them." He completely ignored the restless psychic energy in the air and the viscous energy that the superpowered individuals brought as they closed in. He turned to look at Gu Yi and said, "If I leave this world..."
"Wait for me," Gu Yi held his hand. "In the next world, I'll find you."
Ye Zhizhou squeezed his hand and smiled faintly. "Okay."
With his mother and organization providing support, Qin Bai finally tore away his harmless facade, revealing a smug smile. "Ye Zhizhou, didn't expect this, did you? You wanted to deceive me, but you ended up being fooled by me. How does it feel to fall into someone else's trap?"
"Stop barking, Momma's boy." Ye Zhizhou had no fondness for this protagonist at all. He coldly retorted before turning to Shi Jianwen. "Do you still think Qin Bai is a good person now?"
Shi Jianwen shook his head with a serious expression and took out his phone, intending to call the police.
[Shi Jianwen's chances of falling in love with the protagonist have dropped to 0%. The sixth Soul Flag has been removed. Congratulations, host. Detecting mission completion status... Mission completed. Soul release channel opening... Opening complete. Do you wish to enter the next world?]
He declined in his mind, satisfied with rejecting the prompt, then waved his hand at Shi Jianwen. "It's useless. Since they dared to surround us, they must have made ample preparations."
The "out of service area" warning echoed in the quiet private room. Several male leads stared guardedly at the superpowered individuals closing in, gradually gathering around Ye Zhizhou. Chang Yao wanted to confront Qin Bai, Wu Kaien seemed ready for a fight, Xiao Rui clenched his fists, and Ye Zhizhou, seeing the situation, quickly comforted them with soothing words. Then, he looked at Jiang Susu, who was staring straight at him, and said, "Do you find my psychic power tempting?" He glanced at Qin Bai, who still seemed ready to declare victory, and smiled. "But you won't get it. Just a friendly reminder, I'm not human; I'm a demon."
The mission was already completed. Since the protagonist was acting recklessly, he decided to give the protagonist a special gift. As for the laws of the universe... he believed that Tongtian would protect him from being erased by the universe. So, the worst-case scenario was being expelled from this world. He had already said his goodbyes to his lover, and he could wait for his lover in the next world.
Qin Bai's triumphant expression froze, and he frowned. "I saw your soul..."
"Who told you that a soul couldn't be that of a demon while the body wasn't?" Ye Zhizhou sneered, materializing all his psychic power that he had already spread throughout the private room. He then teleported behind the protagonist and lowered his voice. "Thinking of stripping my psychic power sea? You guys alone aren't enough." With that, he inserted a small knife, materialized in his hand, directly into the protagonist's brain. With a bang, the knife disappeared from existence, turning into psychic power surging toward the depths of the protagonist's brain.
"Ah!" Qin Bai screamed in pain and instantly collapsed.
Jiang Susu didn't expect his actions to be so quick. She hesitated for a moment, her expression changing dramatically, and then she screamed and tried to rush forward. The other superpowered individuals in the vicinity also began to attack Ye Zhizhou.
Strange psychic power, viscous superpowers... various chaotic forces swirled around, and his brain began to feel heavy. Ye Zhizhou smiled at Jiang Susu's lover, who had blocked her way, and didn't retract his psychic power anymore. He teleported behind Jiang Susu. "Tasting the sensation of stripping psychic power isn't pleasant. Why don't you try it?" With that, he pointed his finger at Jiang Susu's forehead, broke through her hastily erected defensive barrier, materialized his psychic power inside her brain, roughly searched for her psychic power sea, and violently invaded it. "S-class, it's not easy to reach this level, but unfortunately..."
"No!" Jiang Susu screamed, clutching her head, wildly swinging her arms, her expression twisted in madness. "No, how can you be stronger than me, ah!"
[Rules have been lowered... Significant abnormal energy fluctuations detected. The soul release channel has been opened. Please leave as soon as possible.]
Jiang Susu began her final psychic power counterattack. Those superpowered individuals, seeing that both of their bosses had been instantly restrained, panicked and rushed toward several male leads, attempting to take them hostage.
Ye Zhizhou was already feeling the force of the universe expelling him. He swallowed a Clear Mind Pill to stay awake and extended his hand to Gu Yi. "I'm sorry."
Gu Yi shook his head, embracing him and stroking his hair. "I'm too weak..."
[Warning! Warning! Abnormal fluctuations detected in the host's soul. The soul release has been forcibly initiated. Preparing for release... Matching task world...]
"This world can't accompany you any longer." Ye Zhizhou hugged Gu Yi, suppressing the discomfort of his soul being torn away, forcefully suppressing Jiang Susu's counterattack, and then destroying her and the superpowered individuals' energy. His body gradually descended. "Dongfang... I'm a little tired..."
[Matching complete. Soul release beginning... Release complete.]
With a cracking sound, the glass bead shattered into powder and disappeared.
With empty arms, a few pieces of clothing fell to the ground. Gu Yi lifted the small dog's body, hidden beneath the clothes, kissed its head, and then turned to look at Jiang Susu, who had collapsed on the floor, unconscious. He took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to kill, and said to Shi Jianwen, "Call the authorities in City B, and then call the police. Tell them we've encountered terrorists who've taken us hostage."
Shi Jianwen widened his eyes as he stared at the small dog in Gu Yi's arms, his eyes filled with disbelief. "How did Little Ye... how did he..."
The substantialized psychic powers that had been floating all over the room had already disappeared, and the superpowered individuals who had previously come with great momentum all lay helpless on the ground. Wu Kaien looked at the people on the floor and then at Gu Yi holding the small dog, shouting in shock, "What's going on?! What happened to these people? And how did Little Ye...?"
"There's no Little Ye." Gu Yi looked at him coldly, gritting his teeth and repeating, "There's no Little Ye. You've never encountered anyone named Ye Zhizhou... and as for these things, there are no superpowers or superpowered individuals in this world, understand?"
The male leads were stunned by his gaze and fell silent.
"Don't waste his sacrifice." After saying this, he picked up Ye Zhizhou's clothes from the floor, opened the door, and left. He was too weak; he couldn't protect his loved one, and he could only watch his loved one leave.
"Damn the rules of the universe!"
Thunder rumbled in the sky, and he looked up, his eyes turning red. "Someday... someday..."
The once-clear sky was quickly covered by dark clouds, followed by heavy rain. Gu Yi held the gradually cooling body of the small dog in his arms, took a deep breath, and walked away with large steps.
The male leads tacitly stopped mentioning the name Ye Zhizhou, each returning to their own life paths.
Jiang Susu and Qin Bai, upon waking up, became mentally handicapped. The superpowered individuals fared no better; some went insane, some became idiots, and some remained unconscious. Under Gu Yi's manipulation, they were all labeled as terrorists and sent to prison, where they would never get out.
Several months later, the psychic powers in the male leads' brains that were supposed to awaken soon disappeared. Gu Yi noticed this change and, after looking at many photos of Ye Zhizhou, dissipated his own awakened powers.
On an ordinary afternoon, the last photo belonging to Ye Zhizhou in Gu Yi's hands turned into specks of light and disappeared. He sat there in a daze for a long time, then held his forehead. "He corrected the balance disrupted by your Soul Flags, and you want to erase any trace of his existence... Hah, the rules of the universe, the rules of the universe..."
Several years passed, and there was no longer any trace of the remnants of the superpower organization. Psychic power users no longer existed, and superpowered individuals had all disappeared. The world, disrupted by the Soul Flags, had finally returned to its proper order.
In the distance, a muffled thunderclap sounded. Gu Yi gently touched the custom-made small dog plush on the table, a cold smile curling his lips. "You won't take away my memories. No, you won't."
In a private room at a downtown restaurant, a somewhat drunk Wu Kaien put down his wine glass, scratched his head, and said, "Strange, how did I meet you guys again? Why can't I remember..."
"You're drunk." Yin Lie took his wine glass and handed him a glass of honey water.
Chang Yao also took a sip of wine, furrowing his brow in confusion. "I can't remember either... Senior, do you remember how I came to your studio for an interview? I can't recall."
Shi Jianwen shook his head, frowning. "I can't either..."
"Haha, you're all silly. I remember it. We were..." Xiao Rui's words halted midway, and he turned to hug Wen Jiahe. "I don't remember, but Jiahe definitely does. My Jiahe has the best memory."
Wen Jiahe supported him and apologized to the others with a shake of his head. "Actually, I..."
"You're all drunk." Yin Lie adjusted his glasses and said lightly, "A few years ago, there was a gemstone gambling event in Province Y, and that's where you all met."
"Oh, right, right, right! I and you were on a trip," Wu Kaien started shouting again, picking up his wine glass and taking another big sip. After wiping his mouth, he chuckled. "Back then, Little Ye... hmm? Who's Little Ye... Ah! I remember now. We were all watching a rich guy's stone cutting, and then, burp, we got to know each other."
The group of drunks chimed in excitedly, reminiscing about their thrilling gemstone gambling journey.
Yin Lie looked at them all, about to correct their words, but inexplicably, his mind went blank for a moment. When he snapped back to reality, he furrowed his brow, rubbed his eyes, and stood up, supporting Wu Kaien. "You're all drunk. Let's disperse. I'll call a designated driver for you."
Outside, heavy rain suddenly poured down, washing away many things that should never have existed in this world.
[Disturbance detected, failed to release the soul... Protective mechanism activated, temporarily entering hibernation.]