I! Cleaner!

It's over.

Watching as Leon, instead of accelerating to escape the Cooling Lake when the giant monster fish was momentarily blocked, turned back to charge, the tall, lean man holding a large suitcase at the bottom of the lake couldn't help but slightly curl the corners of his mouth.

This [Whale Shark Puppet] of mine, though it only possesses the simplest capabilities like fin slapping and full-force collision, without any impressive special abilities, sometimes the sheer force of physical destruction itself is the most insurmountable attack.

When a colossal beast weighing over a hundred tons hurls itself at full speed of over forty knots an hour, the impact it creates is beyond what an average person can imagine.

Even the largest unanchored ship in Thousand Sails Maritime Country finds it hard to withstand the full impact of the [Whale Shark Puppet]; with Leon's physical strength only slightly better than an ordinary human's, he likely doesn't even have a chance to become a fragmented mess.

By my judgment, more likely than not, he would be "smeared" onto it, body and blade together, becoming an unremovable stain on the whale's head upon first contact.

Though Leon wouldn't be easily taken down due to his Undying Body, if one were to simply segment and handle that "stain" before his body heals, it could leave him neither dead nor alive... Huh?

Looking at the [Whale Shark Puppet] that seemed to split like soft tofu along its spine's center line, the Scorpio Bureau Chief's eyes didn't help but widen in surprise, gazing in amazement at the blurry figure between the two halves of the whale shark.

What's going on? Why wasn't [Amongst Puppets] triggered?

...

A gamble paid off...

Thanks to the effect of [Silver Dagger of Cutting], Leon, cutting the incoming monster fish into two at once, couldn't help but let out a long breath, having been tensed for a while.

According to what Senior Ruben and the others said, the Scorpio Bureau Chief's [Amongst Puppets] could strengthen a puppet ensuring it wasn't "destroyed" by any external force, but [Silver Dagger of Cutting]'s own effect wasn't about destruction, but to seamlessly split anything the blade touched.

In this back and forth, it seems they managed to exploit a loophole successfully.

While [Amongst Puppets] from Scorpio Bureau Chief prevents puppets from being destroyed, it can't defend against the "like-breaking" of [Silver Dagger of Cutting]; this knife gifted by the Aquarius Director happens to be the nemesis of the Scorpio Bureau Chief.

Leon, taking a slight breath, once again used [Forward Path], dispersing the lake water that had leaked around him, and then raised his hand to again throw out a large cluster of seeds.

"Senior Ruben!"

"Right away!"

Following Ruben's response, the tree seeds Leon cast instantly expanded, erupting with hundreds of thick root systems in seconds.

These banyan tree-like aerial roots grew rapidly in the Cooling Lake, spreading a vast network of intertwined roots in just several breaths of time, firmly binding the monster fish struggling and twisting.

The fins of the fish, used to propel and move water at its chest and tail, were given extra attention, being tightly locked by numerous aerial roots, making even slight movements a luxury.

Resolved!

With the monster fish split in half and completely restrained, a subtle sense of relief washed over one person and three souls.

No matter the level of destruction this monster fish could unleash at full sprint, after being tied up by Ruben just like this, it probably couldn't ram ahead anymore; the next step is to just...

"Well done."

A voice, all-too-familiar to the four, suddenly sounded off nearby, causing the one person and three souls to instantly tense up.

When Leon looked towards the voice, he found the Scorpio Bureau Chief, who had "disappeared" for many days, with his somewhat old large suitcase, stepping into the water-free zone separated by [Forward Path], blocking the "path" with a playful expression.

"Ruben, Mona, Frankie."

After calling the names of the three Scorpio Branch Cleaners, with a sense of joy, the Scorpio Bureau Chief said:

"I thought you all had been blown up, didn't expect to see you again, this is truly wonderful."

"Director Edward..."

Upon hearing the Scorpio Bureau Chief's words, complex expressions unfolded on the faces of the three Scorpio Branch Cleaners.

Good news, the director isn't dead.

Bad news, he's switched sides.

Worse news, if we can't beat him, we're finished.

"Director, the three of us are actually already dead."

After receiving Leon's "stall for time" cue, the female cleaner Mona steadied herself and spoke complexly:

"Leon went to the Realm of the Dead just in time, and when the Grim Reaper wanted to eat us, drove him away and pulled the three of us back."

"I see."

Upon hearing this, the Scorpio Bureau Chief shifted his gaze to Leon, a slight gratitude crossing his features as he said:

"Thank you for saving Mona and the others. To be honest, I'm really grateful I didn't refuse when they wanted you to participate in this mission."

"You're welcome."

Nodding slightly to the Scorpio Bureau Chief, as Leon stealthily touched the split halves of the [Whale Shark Puppet] nearby, he asked hopefully:

"So, given that I saved your subordinates' lives, when we start fighting later, can you go a bit easy on us?"

"Easing up is off the table, but I can try to leave you with an intact corpse."

"..."

With a thankful smile towards the speechless Leon, the Scorpio Bureau Chief pulled out a rapier and said, somewhat awkwardly:

"Actually, I'm fully conscious now, I know you are on the right side, you might even be here to save me.

But there's nothing I can do, my soul has been manipulated, my rightful 'cognition' is suppressed, right now I'm wholly prepared to kill you, and I cannot resist this notion... can you understand this?"

I understand your mom!

After hearing the Scorpio Bureau Chief's words, Leon, whose intoxication was slowly rising, let out a sarcastic laugh, rarely issuing a provocation:

"Then just give it a try."

Glancing at the Scorpio Bureau Chief's chaotic soul and then at his distinctly different colored hands, one yellow and one white, Leon abruptly lowered his stance and, fueled by alcohol, recklessly charged forward with the dagger.

"Given your current state, it's not clear who will end up killing whom!"

...

Thirty seconds later.

"You're really hard to kill!"

After snatching the [Silver Dagger of Cutting] from Leon's hand, poking towards his eyelids several times and not even being able to cut down an eyelash, the Scorpio Bureau Chief exclaimed in awe:

"What on earth is this abnormal object? It actually directly immunizes against all harm, even the [Soul Gnawing Puppet] doesn't work? Is this what you used back then to hold off the King of Nightmares?"

"..."

"What's wrong? Why aren't you saying anything?"

Upon hearing the Scorpio Bureau Chief's curious question, Leon, gripped by a peculiar puppet figure with twenty pairs of arms, couldn't help but roll his eyes fiercely at him.

Having just spoke harshly under the influence of alcohol, and failing to last a minute before falling, where's my face to make a sound?