Mini World Game Console

November 22, at 5:32 in the morning, Tianhe Road, Lianjiang City.

Due to the approaching winter with its short days and long nights, the sky was still pitch dark, tarnished by light pollution that miserly withheld even a single star from the creatures below. However, today being the sixteenth, the moon was fairly round and bright.

The ten lanes of Tianqing Road were now severed by a massive rift; even the fully enclosed BRT bus station platform was half demolished. Traffic police had been urgently dispatched and had already completed the preliminary traffic diversion arrangements nearby, preparing for the rush of early morning traffic.

There was no doubt that Tianhe Road was a critical artery, and Tianhe District was Lianjiang's primary commercial district. Countless individuals from all over Lianjiang flocked to Tianhe District for work. Now that Tianhe Road had collapsed, it put a halt to the Line 3 subway underneath as well, inevitably causing significant traffic disruption.

However, these concerns were not for the Deputy Director of the Tactical Bureau to fret over. Yu Kuangtu glanced at the Cultivators' construction team working overtime under the spotlight to repair the giant crack, then turned his head to look at the enormous footprint on the asphalt road in front of him.

Close to the earth's fissure, the gigantic footprint was only about ten meters away. It was large enough for two or three adults to lie down inside. The footprint was approximately as deep as a palm. It was roughly estimated that the creature leaving such a deep mark on the asphalt road must weigh tons.

Li Dan had been touching the mud inside the footprint for almost two hours. He slowly exhaled, stood up, and went to Yu Kuangtu. "This footprint was made by the Source of Disaster," he said.

"… And it took you two hours to come up with that useless statement?" Yu Kuangtu asked.

Li Dan stated, "This Source of Disaster was created because of the presence of the earth's fissure."

Yu Kuangtu retorted, "Who doesn't know that? The speed enforcement cameras have already captured the entire process of the Source of Disaster's birth."

Li Dan gave him a glance, his tired, dark-circled eyes showing no emotion as he said indifferently, "Tracking is my forte, not deduction… Three days ago, this work should have been handed over to another Deputy Director."

Yu Kuangtu was momentarily lost for words. In fact, Qiao Muyi's promotion to Deputy Director was due not only to her strength but also to her efficiency as a team leader. During her tenure, she worked far more efficiently than other teams. She was capable in both combat and case handling. Furthermore, her team had the lowest casualty rates in the entire bureau while earning the most money and holidays.

Qiao Muyi often spouted toxic 'chicken soup for the soul' that choked both superiors and subordinates. Yet, she lived so leisurely. Her team members enjoyed her leadership, finding it both happy and content, naturally because of the very tangible benefits she provided.

Yu Kuangtu sighed. "Can we confirm who took action?"

"It was a Seeker of the Immortal Palace," said Li Dan. "Surveillance cameras only captured a fleeting glimpse of her, and she had even changed her clothes. However, her specific appearance and way of walking remained unchanged. It took her exactly 7 minutes and 32 seconds to completely annihilate the huge Source of Disaster that appeared here."

A shadow fell over Yu Kuangtu's face. The formidable power of the Seeker of the Immortal Palace was already known from the 'Fate Live Broadcast.' She was capable of easily defeating a Sloth Source of Disaster from ten thousand meters in the sky. Her strength far surpassed that of an ordinary Fourth-Stage Cultivator. Yet it took her over 7 minutes to defeat such a Source of Disaster?

Had it not been for the Seeker of the Immortal Palace, and had they instead waited for the Tactical Bureau, the Yangtze Troops, and the military to suppress it, how much time would have been lost and how much damage would have been caused?

Yu Kuangtu glanced at the high-rise buildings nearby—on both sides of Tianhe Road was a structure of low-rise commercial towers and high-rise residential buildings. That Source of Disaster stood a colossal one hundred seventy-eight meters tall, its tonnage hard to estimate. By the time they arrived to exterminate it, the Source of Disaster would probably have already flattened the vicinity. The prosperous area on this side of Tianhe Road would have been turned into history, and the casualties, it was feared, would reach into the thousands…

Only then did Yu Kuangtu feel a shiver of fear: they had just narrowly escaped the worst disaster in the history of Lianjiang City!

Generally, areas with high population density are considered safe havens from disasters, and the selection of major national cities often takes into account historical disaster records. Regions theoretically at risk of earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, and the like usually don't receive national resource allocations—unless there is no choice, like with Flourishing Sakura.

As a result, major cities around the world rarely suffer from large-scale disasters, even if their population density is like that of sardines packed in a can. They mostly suffer from man-made calamities, such as collapsing buildings or bridge failures, rather than significant casualties due to Heavenly Calamities.

But with the presence of the Source of Disaster, all cities blessed with favorable geographic locations have become dangerous.

"Found it! In the subway tracks, on the way to Tianhe Center, the right direction!"

Excited voices came through the walkie-talkie, and Yu Kuangtu and the others immediately jumped down the crack. The leader of the Cultivator construction crew spat. "Hurry up, everybody, seal up the opening!"

There was quite a distance from the subway's interior to the surface. The Cultivators used the rock layers to decelerate and landed safely inside the subway. They descended to the platform and saw that the glass doors to both sides of the tracks were already open. They identified the direction and entered the tracks towards the next stop, 'Tianhe Center,' running swiftly along the rails.

Two minutes later, they saw the oval circles of light cast by flashlights in the distance, with several Tactical Cultivators dressed in black body armor gathered to one side. As Yu Kuangtu approached, he heard a magnetic male baritone speaking: "…no obvious external injuries. His face is withered, but his teeth are very neat and pretty. Only the roots of his hair are gray-white; the tips are still a fresh black. He must have burned his Life Energy to cast spells…"

A corpse resembling a decrepit old man in his seventies or eighties was sitting on the tracks, with graying hair at the roots. He was dressed in red and white checkered long-sleeved clothing and jeans, with Adidas Ultraboost sneakers on his feet, and a full-screen smartphone lay on the ground nearby.

Yu Kuangtu's first impression of the corpse was one of incongruity: the clothing and shoes indicated a young man who might enjoy running, yet his appearance was that of an old man at death's door.

Had he not known that this was the work of Extraordinary Strength, Yu Kuangtu might have thought he was a programmer in his thirties who had overworked himself to death.

At that moment, he realized that the person squatting in front of the body was not a Tactical Cultivator, but a blond man dressed in a white trench coat!

Yu Kuangtu's expression darkened. He walked over and shouted loudly, "Why let a foreign friend come to such a dangerous place!?"

The blond man turned to see him and immediately stood up, wiping his palms and awkwardly twirling the golden hair by his ears. He spoke to Yu Kuangtu in perfectly accented Mandarin, "I'm sorry, it was my request to come down here; it's not anyone else's fault."

"Deputy Director, I brought him down." A female Tactical Cultivator gathered her courage, saluted, and said, "I think Mr. Leopold has been a great help in the investigation! Moreover, it was actually Mr. Leopold who first noticed the corpse sitting in the shadowy corner of the tracks!"

Yu Kuangtu glared at her fiercely before taking a deep breath and saying, "I recall that the Watchers were supposed to wait on the surface for news, not come down for investigation… This is a matter for the Mysterious Country's Tactical Bureau!"

"Of course, it is your affair, and I do not intend to vie for credit with you," the blond man said. "I am just eager in my investigation. When I heard of the Source of Disaster appearing here, I knew the Demon King's Followers could not have gone far, so I couldn't wait to come down."

"If my recklessness has upset you, I hope to be forgiven," the blond man earnestly said. "But our goal is the same—to capture the Demon King. If you do not trust me, you may assign someone to supervise me. However, my investigative skills are among the top in the Watchers, so please let me join the investigation."

"Deputy Director, Mr. Leopold's abilities are indeed very strong."

"Yes, yes, Mr. Leopold is a good man," they said. "He was acting with us just now, without any violations."

"Deputy Director…"

"Enough!" Yu Kuangtu waved his hand, looked deeply at the blond man, and heaved a silent sigh.

The man held in high esteem and supported by the Tactical Bureau's Cultivators was the Federal Watcher sent to investigate the Demon King incident. Dubbed the second-strongest among the Watchers and known as 'Prince,' his name was Bright Leoport.

When he arrived in Lianjiang City, Qiao Muyi had already vanished without a trace. However, he did not blame or get angry but lowered his stance and actively joined the investigation team, contributing his efforts. In just two days, he had gotten along well with everyone in the Tactical Bureau—every Tactical Cultivator he came into contact with was full of praise, calling him a modern knight.

In the entire Tactical Bureau, the only two people who were unimpressed by him were Yu Kuangtu and Li Dan, who stood beside Yu Kuangtu.

Every time Yu Kuangtu interacted with Bright, he felt a tremble in his heart, a chill seeping into his brain, keeping him rational throughout and subconsciously resisting further communication with Bright.

His personal dislike was irrelevant; in terms of combat power, Bright was a Four-Stage Supernatural Being, and it would be humiliating for Yu Kuangtu to lose his temper with him.

The higher-ups of the Tactical Bureau had also ordered that the Lian River Countermeasure Bureau work with the investigators from the Five Great Supernatural Organizations to investigate the Demon King incident—strictly limited to the Demon King incident.

Compared with investigators from the other four Supernatural Organizations, Bright was the easiest one to get along with. Therefore, Yu Kuangtu could only accept his presence helplessly. Together, they examined the withered corpse on the ground.

"The deceased, Zhao Yao, 25 years old, male." Li Dan quickly found the victim's wallet, which contained many IDs. "There is an access card; the address is Gaode Building. It should be his workplace. He is not a registered Cultivator in Lianjiang."

Yu Kuangtu examined the palms of the corpse and found a character etched into each: 'Demon' and 'King.' They seemed to be self-etched, as both characters were crooked and distorted.

Yu Kuangtu knew that the palms are the most critical contact terminals of the body, with a nerve sensitivity far exceeding other skin. The pain sensitivity is also far greater than in areas like the arms or buttocks. To etch characters into one's own palms requires a terrifying will, able to perform this pointless ritual that brought about a sense of Self Satisfaction?

But this detail precisely proved that he was a fanatical follower of the Demon King. Yet, he was already dead.

Bright said, "He looks so young in the photo, but now he is so old. Could it be that he cast a tremendously terrifying spell at the cost of his life?"

Yu Kuangtu nodded. "Yes."

"Is that crack spreading across the highway and deep into the ground his doing?" a female Tactical Cultivator asked.

Yu Kuangtu simply said, "It should be."

"Indeed, the Demon King's Followers have a very close relationship with the Source of Disaster. He created the crack, and then the Source of Disaster came out. This is definitely not a coincidence," Bright said solemnly. "He intended to set off a world-shocking disaster right in the center of Lianjiang City."

Yu Kuangtu turned his head toward Bright, subtly sensing that Bright was guiding the topic in a direction he did not want to see. "The Demon King's Followers do this everywhere in the world. It's just Lianjiang's turn this time…"

"It's different," Bright said, slowly shaking his head, his handsome face full of concern. "Previous Demon King's Followers would not create a Source of Disaster at the cost of their lives. Only this time is different; he would rather sacrifice his life to create a powerful Source of Disaster…

Perhaps it's because all the investigators from the Six Great Supernatural Organizations are in Lianjiang, so someone might want to distract us in this way…"

"Is it Vice Qiao… Is it Qiao Muyi?"

"She's so ruthless! This city is where she's lived for years, and as soon as she fled, she wanted it destroyed!"

"So the Demon King really has no emotions?"

Those Tactical Cultivators in the know expressed shock, anger, and disbelief. Yu Kuangtu glared at them, and they fell silent and straightened up.

At that moment, Bright explained, "I'm not referring to the fugitive suspect. But if the real Demon King knows that our investigators are all in Lianjiang, he might indeed do something like this to divert our attention."

"Fortunately, the Truth Seeker from the Fairy Palace lent a hand, or countless lives would have been lost tonight. The Fairy Palace is truly a partner of justice." Bright smiled with a sigh of relief, looked up at the ceiling, closed his eyes, and put his palms together as if thanking the Fairy Palace. "Without the Fairy Palace, who knows what might have happened…"

After the Tactical Cultivators took the body for the medical examiner's inspection, Bright suddenly said to Yu Kuangtu, "Next, we will have to trouble you again."

"It's no trouble. The real trouble is for the construction crew," Yu Kuangtu said lightly.

"No, I mean, I made a suggestion to all countries last night at the meeting…" Bright said. "Although we cannot yet confirm whether the fugitive Qiao Muyi is the Demon King, finding her is crucial. Verifying whether she is the Demon King could significantly advance the 'Search for the Demon King.' Thus, finding Qiao Muyi remains our top priority."

"You will soon receive orders to patrol all disaster sites and places where Demon King's Followers died."

Yu Kuangtu was taken aback for a moment. "Why?"

"By constructing a mental model of the Demon King, we believe he is a meticulous thinker, adept at crime, and someone who derives pleasure from accomplishment," Bright explained, leaning against the wall with his hands in his coat pockets. "A person like the Demon King is likely to visit the scenes of the disasters he caused to admire his own handiwork. He might even use the traces on the scene to understand the circumstances of the disaster and death…"

Suddenly, Li Dan said out of the blue, "Or perhaps join the investigation itself?"

Bright was taken aback for a moment, then burst into roaring laughter, almost in tears. He scratched his head, twirling the blond hair near his ear. "You people from the Mysterious Country are indeed humorous."

After a long moment, he stopped laughing and said, "So I suggested countries assign Transcendents to monitor all disaster sites and the death sites of Demon King's Followers. Perhaps we might find some clues. Hmm, the Mysterious Country refers to this plan as 'Waiting for a Rabbit.'

And since the primary suspect is still at large, based on her skin color and appearance, we believe she should still be within East Asia, as a foreigner from the Mysterious Country would stand out too much elsewhere.

Thus, the Mysterious Country, Flourishing Sakura, and other nations all need to execute the 'Waiting for a Rabbit' plan with one hundred percent commitment. You might be busy with scheduling for the next few days."

Bright shrugged, patted their shoulders, and said with an apologetic face, "Sorry, brothers, for increasing your workload."

"It is our duty; no need for apologies," Yu Kuangtu replied without a smile, calmly saying, "As the Deputy Director of the Tactical Bureau, it's only right that I work hard."

"Right. After all, you are the main character in this investigation. Everything now depends on you," Bright said with a smile.

"The main character? No, I am not," Yu Kuangtu slowly shook his head.

At that moment, a female Tactical Cultivator beside him also smiled and said, "Mr. Leopold, if anyone is the main character, it's undoubtedly you. You are the leading role in this investigation. You caught the Demon King's Followers. You persuaded the Six Great Supernatural Organizations to unite in capturing the Demon King. You have been devising strategies for the investigative team… You are now the main character of the entire world!"

"It's the achievement of us all; how could it be attributed to me?" Bright said with an embarrassed smile. "As I've said, just call me Bright."

"Then… I'll call you Bright. Bright, where do you think the… Demon King might appear?"

Leaving a Tactical Cultivator with Bright, Yu Kuangtu then took Li Dan and headed towards the platform.

Bright, who was chatting with the female Tactical Cultivator, glanced sideways at the retreating figures of the two, his smile slightly fading. He extended a finger and rubbed his temples, twisting his resplendent golden hair over and over again.

…

…

"That's the situation."

In Tokyo's early morning, after Lingyin went to work, Ren Suo turned on a YouTube video to show Qiao Muyi.

"Mmm."

Qiao Muyi, with her back to him, responded in a low voice. Ren Suo clicked his tongue and tapped on the coffee table with his index finger. "So, do you know what happened?"

"Last night, just after midnight, the Source of Disaster appeared in Lianjiang City and was killed by a Truth Seeker," said Qiao Muyi softly.

"And you know what that means?" Ren Suo went on.

"I know," Qiao Muyi replied quietly. "If the Truth Seeker hadn't shown up, the Source of Disaster would have caused immense casualties. Everyone would have blamed this sin on me. My colleagues at the Tactical Bureau would have been utterly convinced that I am the Demon King…

"Now, even though the Truth Seeker has killed the Source of Disaster, they will surely believe that I created this Source of Disaster to retaliate against the Tactical Bureau for capturing me…

"If such incidents continue to occur, the Six Great Supernatural Organizations will surely think it was my doing.

"The longer I escape, the more sins I will bear…"

Ren Suo slammed his hand down on the coffee table. "Hey, look at me when you're talking. Why are you showing me your butt? I get that you've got a good-looking peach-shaped behind!"

Last night, Ren Suo sat in front of Qiao Muyi's room door and heard her cry out "Ren Suo," to which he promptly replied.

Then, when Qiao Muyi left her room this morning, she had been deliberately avoiding Ren Suo as if he were a ten-year-old cockroach—not wanting to even look at or touch him.

Ren Suo wondered if sitting in front of a girl's room door in the middle of the night could cause such a significant drop in her good feelings toward him. But after giving it some thought, if a man were sitting in front of his room door at night, he'd certainly be scared stiff.

Therefore, Ren Suo deliberately provoked Qiao Muyi, thinking that if she beat him up, they could call it even. But when she heard his comment, she didn't get angry; instead, she just turned slightly, allowing him to see just half of her behind.

Ren Suo sighed inwardly and walked over to her, twisting Qiao Muyi's body to face him. "What I mean is, now the Fairy Palace is on our side! Even if a disaster appears that tries to frame you, they will surely step in to help and prevent it from happening!"

Qiao Muyi turned her head away, avoiding his gaze, and murmured an acknowledgment. "Whatever you say. So, where are we going to investigate today?"

Ren Suo felt a twinge in his stomach and shook his head. "We can't go to the investigation sites anymore. I've received intelligence that Martial Soul Hall Warriors will be stationed there, and we won't have a chance to investigate."

Qiao Muyi blinked, asking confusedly, "Then… what do we do?"

"Go elsewhere!" Ren Suo declared. "We'll just pretend we're ordinary tourists, going to various tourist spots and trying our luck. Who knows, we might encounter passersby who have clues!"

"Luck… luck?" Qiao Muyi suddenly laughed. She freed herself from Ren Suo's hands, hugged her legs, and buried her head in her chest, saying with a bitter smile, "I've become so down and out that I can only rely on luck. I should have realized… I've run out of options."

It was time for routine comfort. Ren Suo drank a sip of tea to hydrate himself.

He was just about to speak when Qiao Muyi suddenly said, "You go back."

"Hmm?" Ren Suo was stunned.

"I've already lost. You should go back. With Bai Ji, Yu Kuangtu… and Cheng Ling, as long as you say you don't know me, you won't be implicated."

Qiao Muyi plunged her head into the darkness she had woven for herself, speaking softly, "Stop following me. I am just a villain destined to fail, a witch who will be sent to the stake, a fugitive surrounded on a cliff… I can't keep selfishly dragging you down with me."

But sometimes, I too wish to be selfish.

"Sure, I won't give up. Two people make too big of a target, so I'll continue to investigate who's Behind the Scenes. As for the result… that'll depend on my luck, which can be pretty good at times."

Therefore, I don't want my occasionally good luck to end up buried with me.

"You go back and focus on your Cultivation. If I can't clear my name, I'll keep running, and who knows, we might have a chance to meet again. You can look forward to that day of reunion."

Yes, a reunion has become my greatest luxury. Being together all the time, such a boring and prosaic desire, really isn't for me.

"So, you should leave. I don't need you by my side."

After that, Qiao Muyi stopped talking. A dozen or so seconds later, she felt a fluctuation of Spiritual Energy.

An indescribable sense of relaxation and heart-wrenching Regret occupied her thoughts simultaneously. Her body began to shiver uncontrollably. She bit her teeth hard, refusing to let out a cry that she would find shameful—huh?

What's that smell?

"Fried chicken for breakfast seems not too bad. If there were any kids next door, they'd probably be crying with envy."

She lifted her head and saw Ren Suo relishing a chicken wing; a bucket of fried chicken had suddenly appeared on the coffee table.

Qiao Muyi didn't care where Ren Suo got the fried chicken from. She opened her mouth only to find she couldn't repeat the words she had just said.

Qiao Muyi had already regretted her words, so when she saw Ren Suo was still there, her Regret instantly turned into endless, heart-gladdening joy that blocked her reason, influenced her tear ducts, and numbed her tongue.

If Qiao Muyi didn't possess such strong self-control, she might have already pounced on Ren Suo and ravaged him a hundred times over…

Watching Qiao Muyi, who looked like a child who had lost and then found their toy, trying to cry but holding back tears, Ren Suo scratched his head. "Well… Young Master, believe me, as long as I'm by your side, all your troubles will be easily dealt with—I already swore on my life yesterday."

Qiao Muyi took a deep breath through her nose, her voice trembling and her tone complicated as she asked, "How can you be so certain?"

Ren Suo finished the chicken wing in his hand, his mouth gleaming with grease. He thought for a moment and said, "Because you are the protagonist of a legendary story. You will indeed become a prominent figure of this era in the future, a great figure of the Transcendent era, able to gain everyone's admiration in the capacity of the Demon King…"

Ren Suo blinked. He noticed that, for some reason, Qiao Muyi was now crying profusely, bubbles forming from her nose.

She wiped away the snot bubble with her sleeve, sniffed hard, her voice carrying a sob. "You, you know, I take Line 3 to work every day, passing by Tianqing Road station.

"I sometimes go skating on the fifth floor of the plaza there. The ice is very smooth right after they resurface it; it feels so comfortable and effortless to skate on.

"There's also a nice Korean barbecue place there I just discovered. I was thinking if you and Cheng Ling come to the city center, I must take you both to try it.

"There is an arcade too, with lots of games. I love playing Taiko Drum Master there… I think you would really like it as well.

"If the Truth Seeker hadn't shown up, if the Source of Disaster destroyed that place, and my colleagues died fighting it… Not just the people of Lianjiang would hate me; I would hate myself too! Why can I do nothing? Why can I only watch all this happen…"

"What kind of protagonist is so powerless…" Qiao Muyi bit her lower lip, unable to stop herself from wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "The whole world sees me as the Demon King. I know I am the Demon King… Why do you still have so much faith in me? Why can't you give up on me?" Her voice broke on the last few words.

Watching Qiao Muyi cry, Ren Suo realized he had overlooked something.

Unlike him, a bystander who already knew the ending, Qiao Muyi was truly enduring the pain of confusion and injustice.

Ren Suo had been somewhat dissatisfied with his role as a comforter and a warm presence. But now he was reconciled. Knowing the future, he felt he had the duty and the responsibility to encourage the person in the present not to give up, to walk forward with unwavering Determination.

"Have a chicken steak."

Qiao Muyi looked up in confusion, seeing Ren Suo handing her a piece of Szechuan pepper chicken steak.

Noticing Qiao Muyi staring straight at him, Ren Suo rested his chin in his hand and spoke earnestly,

"If you insist on getting an answer from me… then I will tell you, it's because I'm not everyone else; I am the one and only Ren Suo."

I am a Player with a Mini-World Game Console, and also a mortal who can foresee the future.

"Even if the whole world sees you as the Demon King, in my eyes, you are my protagonist."

Qiao Muyi dazedly took the chicken steak, quietly asking, "One person's protagonist?"

Ren Suo nodded affirmatively. "One person's protagonist."

With the chicken steak in her hands, Qiao Muyi bit into it gently, allowing the crispy outside and tender inside meat to burst with flavor on her palate, mixed with the salty tears.

I am the Demon King who bears the Resentment of the whole world, yet also the exclusive protagonist to him alone.