Can No Longer Be an Ordinary Person

Embarrassingly enough, even the great Lord White Tiger still had no idea what this kid's deal was.

Just like how his superpower didn't belong to any known category in the world.

He had done a background check: Chen Guan was just an ordinary orphan, parents deceased, no sister, no house, attending school on a Huaxia government subsidy.

His social circle was also extremely meager. He had always been a loner with no relatives or friends. Where his dark iron coffin and the entity inside it came from was completely unknown.

Perhaps Zero and the Boss knew, but even if they did, they wouldn't tell him. Zero and the Boss were incredibly mysterious even to their own subordinates; they only issued orders and never explained the reasons.

White Tiger respected his subordinates' privacy, which didn't conflict with his curiosity about Chen Guan's past.

Why would a student, who still seemed a bit green when they first met, step onto the ship of the Origin Return Group without hesitation?

Moreover, he already knew about their Boss who practiced mysticism. This was too abnormal, and the Boss's attitude was also quite strange.

[Here it comes, the classic pressure. White Tiger is trying to completely figure out A-Guan's stance.]

[Coffin Sect! Hang in there, don't get tricked by the old fox.]

[Brother Coffin: Guess?]

"Because your Origin Return Group, just like me, are people who walk in the dark."

"You have a grand goal, to save the world, or rather, to preserve the world in your own way."

He paused, then changed the subject: "I don't have such a great ideal."

He actually didn't know what White Tiger and his group's purpose was. He was just taking a gamble, because White Tiger and the others really didn't act like a bunch of world-destroying villains.

According to the usual tropes of shounen manga, if it wasn't destroying the world, it was saving it.

Just like how transmigrators in fantasy worlds always loved blowing up or piercing the heavens.

White Tiger leaned forward slightly, showing a listening posture.

"My goal is very simple." Chen Guan raised his hand and patted the black coffin on his back, making a dull thud.

"To survive. For this goal, I don't care about the means, nor do I care about the rules."

His gaze met White Tiger straight on, without dodging.

"Whether it's the Great Wall or the Superpower Association, they have too many rules and regulations, too much light to consider. In the light, there are some things that cannot be done."

"But you are different."

"You walk in the dark, asking neither about origins nor pasts, only looking at results. This suits me very well. Besides, is it still in time for me to say I quit?"

White Tiger was momentarily stunned by Chen Guan's words, then he began to laugh softly, his chest vibrating.

He leaned back into the sofa, crossed his legs, and returned to his lazy demeanor.

"Quit?" he repeated, dragging out the syllables. "You're right, student Chen Guan. Once you board a pirate ship, it's not so easy to get off. The door of the Origin Return Group is not a revolving door where you can come and go as you please."

"Whether what lies ahead is the ruin of burning to ashes or the despair of raging thunderstorms, you must taste the apocalypse together with us."

His gaze fell on the stack of self-reflection letters at the corner of the desk.

"Besides, haven't you already made your choice through your actions?"

[White Tiger's oppressive aura, I can feel it even through the screen.]

[It's over, it's over, Brother Coffin is trapped. From now on, he's destined to work for the villain organization.]

[I can't agree with the person above. Chen Guan is a very complex character. He won't belong to any faction; he will only be true to his own heart and offer his loyalty to himself.]

[A good chef makes a whole meal out of a single sentence.]

Chen Guan didn't reply. For a moment, the only sound in the office was the faint tapping of White Tiger's fingers against the sofa.

"We don't care about your purpose."

White Tiger was the first to break the silence. "Just like you said, we only look at the results. You want to survive; you need power, resources, and a stage where you can let loose. The Great Wall can't give you these, but the Origin Return Group can. You've already experienced it."

He said sincerely, "We never make empty promises to our subordinates. We will give you whatever you want. I just need you to grow as fast as possible. At the very least, you need to reach the level of that little girl Santai to be qualified to participate in certain matters."

White Tiger stopped and observed Chen Guan's reaction.

The boy in black remained calm. On his pale face, there wasn't the slightest fluctuation of emotion.

Chen Guan raised his eyes and looked at White Tiger.

"I will work hard." His voice betrayed no joy or disgust.

White Tiger rubbed his chin and said casually, "Let me tell you my story. Before becoming White Tiger, I was just a clown."

After admiring Chen Guan's expression for a moment, he smiled. "That's right, exactly the kind of clown you're thinking of. A circus clown."

White Tiger seemed completely unfazed by mentioning his embarrassing past, as if he were telling someone else's story.

"At that time, I was only at the Fifth Tier. It was Zero and the Boss who sought me out and gave me a summoned beast as a greeting gift."

"From then on, the legend named White Tiger began. With the Boss's unsparing help, I quickly became who I am today. In this world, there are not many humans who can defeat me."

"Just kidding, that goes for non-humans too."

"I'm getting off track. What I mean is, what the Boss gave me back then was more than just a summoned beast." White Tiger's voice carried a hint of reminiscence. "It was a ticket, a ticket to step onto a larger stage and see the true face of this world."

He leaned forward, his lazy eyes now reflecting Chen Guan's figure.

"Now, I want to give you one too."

Before his words faded, he took out a palm-sized black wooden box from the inner pocket of his trench coat.

The box was completely black without any patterns, yet it emitted a faint fragrance.

He pushed the box to the center of the desk, toward Chen Guan, and opened it.

"The thing inside here, the Great Wall can't give you, Huaqing can't give you, and the Superpower Association can't give you either."

Chen Guan's gaze fell on the item inside, and Sys sensibly offered an assist.

[High-concentration life energy source detected... Analyzing...]

[Item Name: Soul-Nourishing Wood Core]

[Tier: Red]

[Effect: Contains pure life and soul energy. Can slowly repair a damaged soul and purify a polluted life origin.]

Chen Guan's fingers gripping the hem of his shirt tightened for a split second.

This was exactly what his main body needed most. As someone who had observed everything, White Tiger knew all too well what he required.

"What's the price?" Chen Guan raised his eyes and looked at White Tiger.

"I like your directness." The smile on White Tiger's face deepened. "The price, just as you once said, is your future. We are investing in you, placing a bet on you. When we need you, you'll have to pay it back with interest."

He retracted his smile, his expression turning serious.

"When that time comes, you might lose everything you have now."

White Tiger's gaze shifted slightly, looking behind Chen Guan with a look of pity.

"Actually, you can no longer go back to being an ordinary person. Between the entity on your back and your current life, you can only choose one."

Having it pointed out by White Tiger, Chen Guan's heart sank.

How could he not know that?