Encyclopedia of Brazil

【LMAO, they’re not competing to see who’s slower anymore. Now they’re competing to see who’s faster.】

【Just a passerby here—is this the training ground for Pacific Rim mech pilots?】

【This is the competition venue for the two biggest idiots in the entire anime. Neither contestant is willing to give an inch…】

Chen Guan: “…”

Damn those comments!

Chen Guan immediately shut off the comments, out of sight, out of mind, while slowing his pace.

Long Ao was the same. He couldn’t keep up, yet insisted on following along without saying a word. Otherwise, how had this turned into a speed-walking competition?

They passed row after row of orderly tents. People came and went around them, hauling equipment and sending emergency communications. The tense atmosphere of a narrow escape hung over the bustling camp.

No one paid any attention to the two of them.

The comments shouldn’t be causing trouble anymore, right? With that thought in mind, Chen Guan—having clearly learned nothing—turned them back on.

【Something’s wrong with Coffin Bro. He’s walking slower and slower.】

【Obviously. He tanked a rampaging upgraded Word Spirit, then had to deal with some old bastard stirring up trouble. Not dying on the spot proves the protagonist’s halo is ridiculously strong.】

【Am I the only one curious? Old Baal swore up and down that the North had Astaroth’s power, but after all that, it turned out to be a family drama involving Su Yuehe’s family.】

【Right? I’d completely forgotten until the comment above reminded me. Old Baal got nerfed on an epic level. Old Baal is out.】

The discussion in the comments happened to touch on the biggest thorn in Chen Guan’s heart.

He unconsciously quickened his pace, wanting to find Doctor Zhou as soon as possible, receive treatment, and then find somewhere to rest.

Long Ao: “???”

Why did Chen Guan keep speeding up and slowing down? What was going on?

…

Doctor Zhou was resetting the dislocated arm of a team member when she saw Long Ao supporting Chen Guan into the tent. Her hands froze.

“Put him on that bed.”

She gave the order in a stern tone.

As a doctor, she could tell that this patient had ignored her instructions.

Long Ao settled Chen Guan onto the bed and stood to one side, with no intention of leaving.

Doctor Zhou walked over, put on a pair of specially designed gloves, and gently touched Chen Guan’s left arm.

“What happened?”

Doctor Zhou looked up at Chen Guan.

“I used a little too much force.”

Chen Guan’s voice was tinged with guilt.

Being afraid of doctors and teachers was practically hardcoded into the DNA of every Chinese child.

“A little?!”

Doctor Zhou’s voice rose slightly. She removed her gloves and took a syringe filled with glowing blue liquid from a metal cabinet nearby.

“That was not ‘a little.’”

As she complained, she injected the drug into Chen Guan’s vein. The icy liquid entered his body, bringing with it a piercing numbness.

“Long Ao, please step outside. I need to perform a mental purification on him, and the process requires absolute silence.”

Doctor Zhou issued him a dismissal. Setting aside a doctor’s professional compassion, this particular patient had been brought here by Su Yuehe. If anything happened to him, it wouldn’t lead to a medical dispute, but it would certainly ruin her reputation.

Long Ao glanced at Chen Guan. When the latter nodded, he finally turned and left the tent.

Half an hour later, Doctor Zhou put away the instruments, her forehead slick with sweat.

“It’s temporarily suppressed.”

She wiped away the sweat. This was one of the most difficult patients she had ever treated.

The main problem was that the young man refused to follow medical advice. Young people were such a pain.

“But the root cause is still there. I’ve arranged a separate tent for you to rest in. Get a good night’s sleep, and don’t use any of your powers again.”

Doctor Zhou gave him a worried reminder, though she had a feeling this young man might not take it to heart.

Chen Guan thanked her, then followed a medical worker into a small tent for one person.

He lay down on the simple military cot and closed his eyes.

“Baal.”

He called out in his mind.

“Where is Astaroth? And where’s Their chosen one?”

“Have you been stuck indoors for too long? Your professional skills are getting rusty.”

【Old Baal’s been roasted so badly he doesn’t dare say anything.】

【Even the Fun Demon has days like this. I’m siding with Brother Coffin this time.】

【Could it be that Old Baal didn’t sense incorrectly, and there’s something going on that we don’t know about?】

The black aura around Baal churned once.

“Brat, watch your tone when speaking to Lord Baal. Do you even know who you’re talking to?”

“Standing before you now is the strongest demon in recorded human history, the one and only savior chosen by the demonic qi of Heaven and Earth, The Hero’s Lifelong Nemesis, the Demon God Sovereign, spanning the ages, benevolent and upright…”

“Stop, stop, stop.” Chen Guan hurriedly cut him off, afraid that the demon would go on boasting about himself forever. “There isn’t enough room here for all those people. Get to the point.”

The black aura around Baal came to a halt, clearly choked off by Chen Guan’s blunt interruption.

“Brat, you’re questioning Lord Baal’s professional expertise.”

His voice stretched out, brimming with displeasure.

Lord Baal hadn’t even finished bragging about how awesome he was. How dare this brat interrupt him?

What terrible manners!

“Professional expertise?”

Chen Guan was speechless. “Your professional expertise led us to the North so we could watch a family drama?”

“What about Astaroth’s power?”

“And Their chosen one?”

【Hahaha, Brother Coffin’s mouth is vicious. I love it.】

【Old Baal: I have no dignity left!】

【The Demon God Sovereign? More like the Sovereign of Bullshit.】

【Correction: The bullshit already burst.】

“Shut up.”

Baal’s voice sank, and he stamped his feet in irritation. “If Lord Baal says there’s power belonging to Astaroth there, then there is.”

“Then where are They?”

Chen Guan pressed on, giving him no chance to catch his breath.

“Hmph.”

Baal snorted lightly. “Listen carefully, brat.”

“The power I sensed definitely belonged to Astaroth. That much is beyond doubt.”

“Either that idiot human named Lu Ming has some connection to Astaroth, or Their chosen one visited this place in the past and did something here.”

“The great Lord Baal will explain this in the simplest, most straightforward, least roundabout way possible…”

“The answer is the former.”

“What does that mean?”

Chen Guan decided to give this demon god—whose linguistic system had clearly been invaded by some internet meme—a little encouragement to keep talking.

Baal took the bait and began showing off his knowledge.

“What is a chosen one? A pitiful wretch whose mind has been completely brainwashed by power, to the point that he’s forgotten who he even is.”

“Does that guy named Lu Ming look like someone like that?”

“He’s a madman, but he’s also a madman with ideas of his own.”

“He isn’t Astaroth’s chosen one. He’s Astaroth’s collaborator.”

Although Baal hadn’t personally witnessed any of this, it was fortunate that he knew a thing or two.

A friendly colleague had already taken the initiative to share this information with him.

“An ordinary human cooperating with a demon god in that era?”

“Why not?”

Baal’s voice was filled with undisguised delight. “There are always people who think too highly of themselves, believing they can control things that don’t belong to them and scheme to profit at a demon god’s expense.”

“Heh heh heh. Just like you. In the end, you can only be toyed with by Lord Baal, right in the palm of his hand.”

Chen Guan ignored that last remark.

“What did he want from Astaroth?”