After leaving the restaurant, the two walked down the street hand in hand. Bai Ling spoke up.

"Why are you so good to me?"

Bai Ling was puzzled by this. It seemed like from the moment Chi Xiaoyu met her, she had always been very kind to her. Even without participating in missions, she would have anomaly cores to give her, and would occasionally take her shopping and to eat delicious food.

"Because I like you, Bai Ling 【Lin Bai】."

【At first I just wanted you to be my contracted anomaly and work hard for me. I didn't expect you were Lin Bai transformed, so it's not just about work~ there's much more work to be done~】

"Eh eh eh?"

【So you really are a lesbian? So it's because you covet my body! Then what do you think of Lin Bai!】

Just then, Chi Xiaoyu's phone rang. Chi Xiaoyu answered unhappily.

"What? Do you need me to come help?"

"What happened?"

Bai Ling asked with concern.

"Don't worry, rest well. See you tomorrow!" Chi Xiaoyu patted Bai Ling's head.

"Okay, then... see you tomorrow."

Returning home, Bai Ling stretched and lay on the bed. The girl had a sweet dream where she lived carefree, and staying by Chi Xiaoyu's side like this wasn't bad either. She murmured.

"Tomorrow... see you."

○

Morning, feeling the bright sunshine, Lin Bai remembered yesterday's promise with Chi Xiaoyu and couldn't help but smile.

【Today, where will she take me to play?】

On campus

Su Wanying still stared at Lin Bai as always, resting her chin on her hand.

Lin Bai helplessly scratched his head.

"Although I know the reason now, you don't have to stare at me like this every day. It's quite embarrassing."

"I don't! This is only my first day staring at you!"

"You were clearly doing this yesterday too."

"Was I? Yesterday I switched seats with Chi Xiaoyu."

"Hm?"

Lin Bai tried hard to recall. What Su Wanying said, shouldn't that have been the day before yesterday?

"I shouldn't have remembered wrong. What's the matter?"

Su Wanying asked with concern.

Just then, Chi Xiaoyu walked over and spoke.

"What are you two talking about?"

"Hm? Very familiar lines."

"Lin Bai, have you forgotten something?"

"Are you going to say my contracted anomaly got too hungry and ran back to the Investigation Bureau?"

"Eh? So you remember."

【Something's wrong. Wasn't this the day before yesterday?】

"Your contracted anomaly spent a total of..."

"15,600?"

"How do you know? Did someone notify you?"

The moment those words left his mouth, Lin Bai felt like he was being watched by a pair of eyes, as if he would be killed on the spot if he revealed any more information.

"I, I guessed."

"Then hurry up and do missions, then take your contracted anomaly away!"

"Oh oh oh."

Lin Bai left campus somewhat confused. What had he encountered? Could this be the rebirth that often appears in novels?

Or was it time regression? And those eyes—it felt like I'd be torn apart if I spoke up.

According to his other self, if he encountered unimaginable things, he should try to change the world line? Did something happen last night after I fell asleep?

Lin Bai still followed the original progress, picked up Blood Princess, then called Su Wanying.

"Darling, what's wrong?"

"I can't explain the reason, but I need your help."

○

On the rooftop, Chi Xiaoyu looked at Su Wanying in confusion.

"Lin Bai's call?"

"Mm, it's him."

"I'm going too."

"That's fine."

Outside the water treatment plant

"Why did you bring us here?"

"There doesn't seem to be anything abnormal here."

"That's not right."

Su Wanying frowned.

"I can't detect the interior. There's veil concealment inside."

"Follow me!"

Su Wanying drew a blade covered in black flames and charged into the water treatment plant.

Standing in the center, the girl closed her eyes, concentrating and holding her breath. In an instant, she swung countless blade lights covered in black flames. The black flames seemed capable of burning even the water surface. Soon the aroma of roasted meat wafted over, and bug corpses floated on the water surface.

"So many bug anomalies!"

"Not the main body."

Su Wanying sheathed her long blade and slowly shook her head. Soon she seemed to sense something and walked toward the nearby mountain. Lin Bai and the other followed closely.

○

An old grandfather and a young man were frantically packing things.

"You useless fool, what happened? Did you properly set up the veil anomalous tool the lord gave you?"

"My lord, I don't know either. How were we found so quickly?"

"Damn it, the plan was supposed to succeed tonight. Even if they killed me, my unhatched bug eggs could hatch again, become wild anomalies, and kill everyone in the city who used tap water, offering them to the evil god."

"What do we do now?"

"What else can we do? After that girl killed my bugs, I felt her finding me! Let's run. What can we do with just this many hosts?"

Just as the two finished packing and prepared to flee, the sound of ground cracking came. A black abyss spread from the distance, the ground continuously cracking as it chased them. Soon the ground beneath their feet became a cliff, and black flames formed from the abyss, erupting forth.

This was Su Wanying's anomalous domain—Endless Inferno.

Seeing he couldn't escape, the old man transformed into a swarm trying to fly away, but black flames shot up from underground, instantly burning the two to ashes.

"So strong?"

Lin Bai watched in amazement from the side. Was Su Wanying this powerful?

But suddenly things changed. The moment the two died, a man wearing a top hat with a single black wing slowly materialized.

"Dead, two of them? Heh heh heh, interesting."

"Be careful!" Su Wanying protected Lin Bai and Chi Xiaoyu behind her.

"Mere ants, two strikes will suffice."

The man soared into the sky, drawing a pitch-black sword from a crack in the air. He swung a sword energy at Su Wanying. The surrounding world seemed to turn black and white, and this sword energy suddenly appeared before Su Wanying. Su Wanying also swung black flame blade light to resist, but due to the vast difference in strength, after taking this strike she was knocked to the ground, struggling to get up, covered in wounds.

But the moment she stood up, the second strike was already close at hand, unavoidable.

Su Wanying knew she couldn't resist and ran to the side trying to draw away the sword energy.

As the sword energy was about to hit her, she slowly closed her eyes, but felt no regret in her heart.

【Lin Bai, did I... help you?】

But what she didn't expect was that Lin Bai rushed over and pushed her away. This strike hit Lin Bai's shoulder, and he immediately collapsed, the bloody wound continuously bleeding.

The man in the air also slowly dispersed, looking coldly at this scene.

"Ants!"

In his daze, Lin Bai felt the two girls continuously calling to him.

"Lin Bai!"

"Lin Bai, wake up! You can't sleep! If you fall asleep, you won't wake up!"

What reached his ears were the two girls' crying voices. He slowly lost consciousness.

【Am I... dead?】