My Avatar is Becoming the Ultimate BOSS

"Good news and... bad news?" Ji Minghuan muttered.

You could almost feel the chilling air within the imprisonment chamber; it felt as if someone had turned on the air conditioning.

The Mentor's expression was particularly severe: the way he was seated at the table, the turbulent gaze beneath his glasses, it was reminiscent of the last time he announced, "The Prophet is coming."

It seemed this situation was indeed not simple, perhaps as threatening as the Prophet?

Thinking of this, Ji Minghuan tilted his head from the pillow and quietly observed the Mentor for a while, then got out of bed and sat down opposite him.

"You're not just fooling me, are you?" he cautiously asked.

"Honestly," the Mentor said deeply, "If I could, I wouldn't want to tell you this bad news at all."

"Oh, then I might as well hear the bad news first." Ji Minghuan rested his chin in his hand, looking up at the Mentor, "Whenever faced with this kind of dumb question, I always wonder, does anyone ever choose to hear the good news first?"

"Why do you say so?"

"Because hearing the good news followed by the bad just spoils the mood, doesn't it?" Ji Minghuan said, "After the bad news, hearing something good is at least some consolation, much better than the former."

"Makes sense, then I'll tell the bad news."

"Go ahead, stop dragging it out." Ji Minghuan looked at him with disdain.

"Your parents are dead," the Mentor said.

Ji Minghuan paused briefly. A brief dead silence enveloped them, the lighting in the imprisonment chamber remained icy cold, and their faces were as pale as corpses, with no trace of color.

After a moment, he finally responded, "Uh... did you just say my parents are dead?"

The Mentor silently nodded.

Thinking for a moment, Ji Minghuan asked again, "Could you have mistaken the bad news for the good news?"

"Why do you say so?"

"Isn't this actually good news? Those who abandoned me finally kicked the bucket, I'm too happy for that."

"Ji Minghuan, your parents really are dead."

"Oh, then can I apply to have another party?" Ji Minghuan clapped, the sound crisp and clear, his face expressionless, "Last time was a birthday party, this time I'll hold a memorial party, inviting the Salvation Society team to celebrate my parents' death anniversary."

"I'm serious. Ji Minghuan, this is not a joke." the Mentor said sternly.

"So what?" Ji Minghuan propped his hand against his cheek, sighed heavily.

"Our people recently discovered your parents' bodies over in Arabia, I have photos, but if you don't want to see them, then..."

The Mentor reached into his sleeve, hesitated.

"Why not look?" Ji Minghuan said flatly.

"Alright then, I respect your opinion, prepare yourself mentally." Then the Mentor slid a set of photographs onto the table.

Ji Minghuan lowered his head to look at the photos, clearly a male and female corpse, heads slumped, sitting within a tent, covered in blood, no part intact, eyes hollow and unfocused.

From their appearance, thick eyebrows and large eyes were his father's, the one with glasses and smooth black long hair was his mother.

Indeed, they matched his memory, just with different styling.

Fake death?

Assuming my parents were really that formidable, perhaps they had a way to fake death, like Cezar's "Mimic Puppet" and my "Restraint Incarnation";

But if they're truly dead, it's not surprising either. The Salvation Society has so many Catastrophe-level monsters, my mom was just an ordinary person, and though my dad was Catastrophe-level, he couldn't hold out alone.

After a silence, Ji Minghuan raised his eyes, "You guys move fast, already took down two Salvation Society traitors?"

"No, we found your parents already murdered." the Mentor said, "Your parents made great contributions to the Salvation Society, we couldn't have harmed them."

"Yes, yes, great contributions. Their biggest contribution was secretly creating an allocation-grade, maybe they were the only two in the world, outside of the Salvation Society, who knew about the allocation-grade's existence." Ji Minghuan clapped again, "Of course you'd want them dead."

The Mentor was silent.

"If you think that way, we're unable to defend ourselves, just find the real killer, wait until everything is laid bare." he said softly, "Ji Minghuan, we really tried to find your parents, it's just all too late now."

Finishing, the Mentor reached into the pocket of his white coat, taking out a pack of cigarettes and a lighter, placed a cigarette to his lips, clicked open the lighter, leaned in towards the flame to ignite.

He inhaled deeply, the blue smoke rising, swirling around his fingertips.

"Alright... My parents are dead, so be it, it's over, doesn't matter." Ji Minghuan said, "The issue is, what about my brother? Since you've found my parents, you can't possibly have missed finding my brother, right? Or maybe, my so-called brother is just a figment of your imagination?"

The Mentor took the cigarette down, holding it in his hand, "Here's the good news I have to share: your brother is still alive."

"He has been brought back to the Salvation Society by you?"

"Indeed." The Mentor said, "Because his parents are dead, he's emotionally unstable and needs some time alone. Knowing he has a brother might not be a good thing for him; he has difficulty accepting your existence."

"Shouldn't I be the one having difficulty accepting him?"

"Anyway, if you wish to see him, I can arrange for a meeting soon."

"What would I see him for?" Ji Minghuan asked, "You people are so good at arranging things, first Zeus, now my brother, what exactly are you planning?"

"Ji Minghuan, he has no one else in this world, just you." The Mentor spoke deliberately.

Ji Minghuan looked at him in silence.

Cold light cast down from the ceiling, turning their faces ghastly pale.

After a moment, he spoke softly, "First of all, I don't acknowledge a brother I've never met; secondly, even with my parents it's the same—whether they're dead or alive doesn't concern me, do you understand?"

"I understand." The Mentor said, "Your brother has a unique quality; we found he has potential as an Anecdote Envoy, Exorcist, and Superpower User all at the same time."

"Huh?"

"That's right, this is an unprecedented case, which leads us to reasonably suspect that you might be similar to him, both being Power Users who integrate three extraordinary systems."

"Oh, I get it..." Ji Minghuan suddenly understood, squinting his eyes, "The Prophet must have gotten it wrong; my brother is actually the one meant to destroy the world, otherwise how to explain that I'm just a Magicarp with splash ability, while he's a divine beast with three attributes all at once?"

"There's indeed such a possibility."

The Mentor clasped his hands together, nodding in agreement.

"Snap!" Ji Minghuan clapped his hands, lowered his head suddenly, "Then, can you hurry and let me go, while you keep my brother here for research? You can research to your heart's content."

He paused for a moment, coldly saying:

"By the way, if that Prophet really came to the Salvation Society base, make sure that idiot goes to see my brother and ask if he's gone senile and prophesied the wrong person. My lifelong innocence was destroyed in an instant and I'm inexplicably locked up for a month."

"Not necessarily." The Mentor shook his head, took a puff of cigarette, "Though there's indeed a greater suspicion on your brother, we still can't let you go."

"Why?"

"Because, when the Prophet arrives, all truths will naturally be revealed."

"I feel like this whole mess started when he suddenly discovered he prophesied the wrong person, and now to meet my brother, he came to the Salvation Society wanting to correct his mistake; do you agree?"

"I told you, within this month, all answers will be revealed..." The Mentor smiled, "So don't be anxious, Ji Minghuan; if the Prophet mistook you, we will certainly apologize to you and then let you go."

"What about Kong Youling?"

The Mentor thought for a moment: "Her situation is unique; we need to wait until I've taught him to fully control his superpower before discussing it."

"In the end, it's still unchanged, if she doesn't leave, I won't either, so what next?" Ji Minghuan said, "If there's nothing more, you can say farewell sincerely and stop smoking in front of a child, disrupting his sleep."

He sighed: "Or, do you think anyone enjoys breathing your second-hand smoke?"

"No, there's one more thing to discuss." The Mentor took a puff, "We've found leads to investigate the White Crow Travel Brigade; remember that hot-tempered officer? You saw him a few times when you first came here."

"I've only known a few people here, how could I not know him?"

"His name is 'Julius,' the warden of the Hokkaido Prison for Superpower Users, and according to intelligence we've received from him these past two days, it's said that a member of the White Crow Travel Brigade is being held at the Hokkaido Prison."

"And then?"

"According to that member, the White Crow Travel Brigade is possibly planning a jailbreak, but this is just a suicide mission—they have only a few Quasi-Calamity-level Superpower Users, their jailbreak attempt is pure foolishness."

At that point, the Mentor extinguished his cigarette, smiled slightly, and said, "Maybe, this time we can round up the White Crow Travel Brigade."

"Ah, so that's the real good news... I was wondering why you said one bad news, one good news, but all I heard was bad news until now; turns out you saved the good stuff for last."

"The Brigade's members are indeed dangerous; not only did they threaten you and Kong Youling at the underground bar last time, but they also destroyed the Terrarium State." The Mentor said, "They severely impact the balance the Salvation Society strives for, and we will impose the harshest punishment on them."

"Alright, then I'll keep an eye on it, hoping you can really teach those bastards a lesson."

Saying so, Ji Minghuan raised his head, looking expressionlessly toward the Mentor; he thought, then let's see who ends up in trouble from this jailbreak fiasco.