Agony

"What exactly do you want to do?" Chen Guan finally spoke, his voice terrifyingly calm.

"I want to watch a grand fireworks display." Lin Jiu pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses, the lenses reflecting the dim yellow streetlights in the distance. "The Cult Leader of the Flesh Embrace is nearing the end of his lifespan. He desires this box more than anyone else. He will summon all of his core forces and stop at nothing to find you."

"And I," Lin Jiu paused, smiling brilliantly, "will go clean up when things are at their liveliest."

Chen Guan understood.

This guy wanted to use him as bait to lure out all the hidden forces of the Flesh Embrace in Jiangcheng at once, and then wipe them all out.

How similar this was to Long Ye's plan.

In Long Ye's plan, as bait, he might still have a glimmer of survival; he was a potential sacrifice.

But in Lin Jiu's plan, he was the fuse destined to be blown to pieces right at the center of the explosion.

[Holy crap, this Lin Jiu is too ruthless, isn't this forcing Chen Guan to die?]

[This is truly an unsolvable dead end now. He can't throw the box away, and holding it makes him a walking target. He's treating Chen Guan like Kamishiro Chizuru.]

[How did Long Ao's side story turn into Chen Guan's death story? Brother Ao, quickly think of a way.]

[Just keep torturing our little Brother Guan, Chen Guan isn't suffering or tired at all.]

[By the way, this white tiger is quite handsome. As expected, apart from the useless Bai Wan, tigers are all very badass.]

The comments boiled over. Aside from a few eccentric ones, it was mostly a sea of wailing.

"Why me?" Chen Guan asked this question again.

"Because you're interesting." Lin Jiu's answer was understated, but he didn't elaborate further.

"Alright, the story is over." Lin Jiu clapped his hands, as if concluding a pleasant tea party. "I'll give you a piece of advice."

He held up a finger.

"The Cult Leader of the Flesh Embrace will hold an ascension ceremony at midnight in three days at the underground casino in the south of the city. That is also the final deadline of his lifespan. If he doesn't get this box before then, he will die. If he dies, this aura bound to you will probably dissipate as well."

"So, you have three days."

Lin Jiu's smile carried a hint of malicious encouragement. "Whether you figure out a way to survive these three days, or take the initiative to strike and disrupt his ceremony... the choice is yours."

After speaking, he ignored the two men frozen in place, turned around, and leisurely walked toward the giant white tiger that had been lying quietly all along.

"Let's go, little cutie, time to go home and drink."

The next second, the space around the man and the tiger distorted slightly, and then they vanished into thin air.

No sound, no light or shadows, they just left like that.

As if they had never appeared.

Leaving only the dead silent street and two young men trapped in a deadly situation.

A night breeze blew past. Long Ao shivered. He looked at Chen Guan, his lips moving, but he didn't know what to say.

Apologize? Useless.

Comfort? Ridiculous.

A sense of powerlessness surfaced.

Chen Guan lowered his head and looked at the black box in his hand.

The object felt cold to the touch. Its surface was carved with complex and bizarre patterns that seemed to flow slowly, as if alive.

He could feel a cold, sinister aura continuously radiating from the box, like a lighthouse in the dark night, broadcasting its existence in all directions.

"We..." Long Ao finally found his voice, "should go back to my grandfather's place first."

Right now, perhaps only Long Ye, the grandfather he had just broken ties with, had the ability to handle this situation. Although his grandfather's strength had declined a lot due to his age, a tiger down in the plains wouldn't be bullied by dogs.

"No."

Chen Guan shook his head, rejecting this most rational suggestion.

"Your grandfather and this Lin Jiu are the same kind of people." Chen Guan looked up. "If we go to him, we'll just be jumping from one chessboard to another."

"Then what do we do?" Long Ao was anxious. "Just wait for them to come knocking?"

"Wait?"

Chen Guan smiled, a smile without the slightest warmth.

"Why should we wait?"

He weighed the black box in his hand, as if weighing an insignificant toy.

"Didn't he give us a choice?"

Long Ao was stunned.

Chen Guan's gaze turned toward the south of the city, where the underground casino was located.

"Since we can't hide from it, let's just flip the table."

His voice was very soft, yet it made even Long Ao feel a palpitation of fear.

"In three days, I'm going to attend that ascension ceremony."

Who says... the only one ascending has to be that Cult Leader.

Speaking of demons, he was familiar with them. He happened to carry the most powerful one on him.

...

On the other side.

Lin Jiu sat on the tiger's back, patted the little guy under him on the head, and sighed. "Why is this kid so dumb? I've already hinted at it to this extent."

Frustrated, he snapped his fingers, and the familiar attire of white clothes, a white hat, and a white mask suddenly appeared.

There was no Lin Jiu; it was clearly White Tiger.

"Could it be that the mask is my true body?"

White Tiger suddenly sped up his petting of the big cat. The tiger let out a low whimper, but didn't dare resist the demonic claws of the person in front of it.

"Sigh, why does it have to be him... making people come up with questions based on the answers again."

White Tiger sighed repeatedly. The real white tiger beneath him was suffering terribly, having quite a bit of its fur plucked out by him.

A token appeared in his hand. He infused it with spiritual energy, and the token immediately radiated a brilliant light.

"Boss said that the Vermilion Bird I'm looking for is right here in Jiangcheng, and is connected to the Flesh Embrace..." he muttered to himself. "Who could it be?"

He was actually quite looking forward to his new colleague.

Hopefully, it would be a tall, fierce macho man who could punch ten Beidous with one fist.

...

"Mhm, got it, Boss~"

A drawn-out, girlish voice echoed deep in the alleyway. The young girl twirled a paintbrush in one hand and held a phone in the other. "Come on, Boss, you've really screwed me over. Now both Uncle White Tiger and Bro Beidou think I'm just a bratty kid."

Santai put away her paintbrush in frustration and started counting on her fingers. "Not just White Tiger and Beidou, even my future colleague whom I've only met once might hold a grudge against me now."

"Oh right, and there's the Vermilion Bird whom I've never even met. What if they end up hating me too?"

"Southern Dipper and Kongchen already think I'm unreliable, and you even made me play the clown, Boss. Is there really any place left for me in this organization?"

"Waaah, Boss, you owe me for my ruined reputation!"

Santai's wails pierced the night sky.