Encounters of All Parties

Big shots have their concerns, and nobodies have their own troubles just the same.

Outside Sixiang City.

Liu Bo's strategy was different. He hid here and there along the way, trying to delay his encounter with anomalies as much as possible.

Just as he finally found a spacious little cave and prepared to lay low for a few more hours.

A voice rang out from the uneven ground of the cave, Hey, you stepped on me.

Liu Bo jumped three feet high in the air.

Who? Who is talking?

It is me. No need to be so loud, I can hear you. A human face emerged on the ground.

Are you an anomaly?

According to human classification, I suppose I am.

Are you a rock monster?

How rude. I am clearly a zombie. It is just that I am a bit laid-back and do not really like moving around. I have been lying here for so long that I have gathered a bit too much dust on my body, that is all.

Liu Bo's face looked awful.

Just how long have you been lying here? This is not just a bit of dust, you are practically buried! Give it another two years and you will probably turn directly into a fossil.

Then please continue lying here. I will not disturb you any longer. Farewell.

Liu Bo ran toward the outside of the cave.

Come back.

At the zombie's call, Liu Bo's legs immediately obeyed, carrying him back in front of the zombie.

Bro, no, Uncle, I beg you to spare my life, please? The moment I first laid eyes on you, it was as if I saw my late great-grandfather. It felt incredibly endearing. Thinking of my great-grandpa, back when I was only three years old...

Stop.

Liu Bo's mouth was instantly sealed.

This is the first time I have met a human who talks more than I do. I will not make things difficult for you. Let us chat about life, explore the meaning of existence and the truth of the world, and then I will let you go.

Release.

Liu Bo could speak again.

Great-grandpa, how would you like to explore these topics?

Let us casually start with the first topic: Who am I?

Ha, speaking of this, I am wide awake now! Let me tell you, Great-grandpa, to figure out this question, we have to start from the three perspectives of the ego, the id, and the superego. Let us first...

The zombie only started the conversation, and after that, Liu Bo's lips never stopped moving.

Two hours later.

Alright, alright, stop!

Liu Bo's mouth was sealed once again.

Kid, you do not need to be in such a rush. You are overacting a bit. Since you called me Great-grandpa, I do not want to see you die either. How about this: let go of your worldly attachments and join the eternal tranquility. What do you say?

Mmph, mmph. Liu Bo pointed at his mouth to gesture.

Release.

Great-grandpa, what is the eternal tranquility?

In layman's terms, it means lying here with me and chatting every day.

Liu Bo shook his head vigorously.

Forget it. At your age, you probably do not appreciate the beauty of tranquility. How about this: you find a substitute to stay here in your place. How does that sound?

A substitute? Are there any requirements?

Of course, it must be someone of a similar age and physique to you.

Great-grandpa, are you telling me to find a classmate to be my scapegoat?!

Yourself, or your classmate, you choose. Or perhaps you would rather leave the choice to your classmate?

Even though he was no longer muted, Liu Bo fell silent.

On the top of a small hill.

Class Monitor Yue Junyang stepped onto the highest point.

Reaching the summit, I am the peak. Haha... Whoa!

Yue Junyang did not look cool for more than three seconds before he was so scared that he fell flat on his butt.

It was a crab larger than a human.

He had no doubt that those two massive pincers could easily snap him in two.

Your brief phrase just now was quite imposing. Daring to come alone to the most conspicuous place, you have good courage.

Yue Junyang climbed up from the ground and adjusted his hair and clothes.

Of course. I am the top student of our year.

Boy, I am the Gift-giving Crab. Do you dare accept my trial?

Bring... bring it on. Who is afraid of who?

Good. The content of my trial is very simple. Within three weeks, you need to receive over 100 sincere gifts of gratitude.

Three weeks? What about today?

Today, in your human terms, you can successfully rank up.

You mean you are giving me the trial's prize in advance?

Yes, but do not celebrate too early. The penalty for failure is very heavy.

What penalty?

First, when others give you gifts, you cannot refuse them. Even if you reject them, it still counts as one gift.

If you do not receive a single sincere gift, you die.

If you receive more than one but less than 100, you will be fine, but the people who sincerely gave you gifts will die.

Huh? Alright, it is a deal. Yue Junyang was overjoyed.

With this trial, it would be hard to die even if he wanted to.

Shi Lei, Mian Ruyan, Yi Shuangzi...

One by one, the students participating in the graduation exam met their own unique examiners.

Finally, for this batch of prospective graduates, the longest [Day Without Tomorrow] had ended.

A new week, 0:00.

The Eternal Moon reappeared.

The fog dispersed, and the crowd slowly hurried back toward the city gates.

A group of instructors stood at the city gate with complex expressions, waiting for the students from their classes.

By convention, they would stand here for a full 12 hours.

In reality, after three hours, the chances of anyone returning were very slim. The remaining nine hours were merely spent praying for a miracle.

And every year, the ones who stood waiting here even longer than these instructors were the families of many students.

A small hill outside the city.

The Eternal Moon had come out, and Chen Miemie was once again omnipotent.

Good things come in pairs. The Painter lasted until midnight, so Chen Miemie happily acquired a massive fortune of 3,000 years.

The Painter naturally could not be kept alive. After all, he knew too much.

Because of his 3,000 years, Chen Miemie was decent enough to pick a spot with nice scenery and bury him properly.

Having dealt with this, Chen Miemie's body turned into specks of light, and he turned toward Stitch Nurse with utmost majesty.

Now then, Loop, allow me to formally introduce myself.

My name is Chen Miemie, the leader of [Eternal as the Moon], Huangyi.

On behalf of the Eternal Moon, I extend an invitation to you. Are you willing to join my command and forge this brand new era together?

In this wilderness far from the city.

The Eternal Moon sprinkled down billions of rays of moonlight, seeming to lay down flights of stairs leading to the moon behind Chen Miemie.

The Eternal Moon flowed in Chen Miemie's eyes, his divine might like an inescapable prison.

Loop was completely mesmerized for a moment.

I... I am willing.