Chapter 940: Death

Chapter 940: Death

Watching the black mountain range in the distance, Li Huowang knew the eye of the typhoon was shifting; if he could not resolve this before the mountains arrived, then everyone he held dear would surely perish here.

"Is this not the eye of the typhoon? Is this not the weakness of the Siming? If it is not, then why would Zhao Shuangdian send me here?" Li Huowang plunged into the water, striking the surface with every ounce of his remaining strength.

Yet, no matter how many times he lashed out, the calm water merely rippled and returned to its stillness.

"No... that is not right. This is the place, surely. It is only that my strength is too meager; I cannot harm it at all!" A sliver of despair welled up in Li Huowang’s heart.

Even though the entity now possessed death, even though its weakness lay right before his eyes, he remained powerless to strike it down; the chasm between them was simply too vast.

"Is this... how I am to lose?" Looking at Yang Na’s pale, lifeless face, a fierce sense of unwillingness burned on Li Huowang’s features.

"No, there must be a way. I will find a way! They cannot be this invincible. If they were truly this powerful, we would have lost long ago! These projections are mere scraps! They are bluffing!" Li Huowang frantically searched for any possibility of a counterattack, when suddenly he caught sight of the black scars spreading along the veins of his arm.

A thought flashed through his mind, and he scrambled back onto the wreckage of the cruise ship. Above, thunder shuddered through the dark clouds, roaring like a beast.

Calming his racing heart, Li Huowang cradled Death in one arm and thrust his saber toward the heavens with the other. "Come! If you have the gall, then strike me dead!

I am Ji Zai! Do you crave the Dao of Bewilderment? Then come and take it!"

With a crack, a bolt of violet lightning descended from the sky, striking toward Li Huowang; this discharge was visibly more violent than the last.

In the instant Li Huowang felt his body on the verge of annihilation, he roared, gripping his saber tight, and with the full force of the lightning coursing through him, he plunged the blade downward. "Die!"

The next moment, everything turned into a vast, blinding white. Li Huowang felt his remaining eyeball burst instantly, much like the salted egg yolk inside a mooncake.

"Egg yolk?" Sitting within the White Tower Asylum, Li Huowang stared blankly at the egg yolk mooncake on the table.

Suddenly, the realization hit him—he had returned to the White Tower Asylum, and that meant time had looped. He had won!

"Hahahaha!" Li Huowang’s sudden, manic laughter made the other patients and the orderlies shudder, causing them to scatter away from him.

"Hey, Li Huowang, keep it down. It’s the Mid-Autumn Festival today," the orderly nearby advised, looking visibly unsettled. This man was notoriously difficult to handle, and he cursed his luck that it was his turn on duty.

"Hahaha..." Li Huowang laughed until tears streamed down his face; he was simply too joyful.

He bowed his head, rummaging through the mooncake box until he found the purple yam mooncake with the note attached, stuffing it into his mouth and chewing voraciously.

"Lunatic..." The surrounding patients shifted their attention away from him, returning their gaze to the television program.

"Three... two... one." As Li Huowang finished counting in his heart, the band of hardened criminals began their scheduled performance without fail. Most people in the lounge were drawn toward the recreation area.

Seeing that the area had cleared, Li Huowang stood up and followed the familiar path toward the men’s restroom.

He looked at Li Huowang’s profile with a playful glint in her eyes. "Do you have any idea who saved you? Do you think it’s simple to fish a madman out of an asylum? Get a grip on your situation, Huozi."

"Put Zhao Shuangdian on the phone. Let me speak to her." Ban Nanxu frowned slightly, her forked tongue flicking against her lip piercing. This Li Huowang felt strange—different from the raving lunatic he had been before.

"Hey, it’s me. That kid Li Huowang has gone off his rocker; he just got out of the asylum and says he’s going to Qing Wanglai’s place."

Before Ban Nanxu could finish, Li Huowang snatched the phone from her hand. "Hello, Zhao Shuangdian. It’s topology. Your previous line of thinking was a mistake."

Even through the phone, Li Huowang could sense Zhao Shuangdian’s shock.

After speaking, Li Huowang remained silent for a long moment before adding, "Have your people take me to Qing Wanglai’s residence, and you should get there as soon as possible. I will explain when we arrive." He handed the phone back to Ban Nanxu.

Ban Nanxu took the phone, grunted a few times, hung up, and looked at Li Huowang with a bewildered expression.

"What are you looking at? Drive!"

As Ban Nanxu kicked the back of her brother’s seat, the car lurched into motion.

On the road, Ban Nanxu glanced at Li Huowang from time to time, finding him staring blankly at the scenery outside the window, seemingly lost in deep thought.

She had never seen such an expression on him before. Having been locked in the asylum for months, she had expected him to be more agitated upon release, not this.

And what was this about "topology"? If she recalled correctly, that was a mathematical term, wasn't it?

Based on what she knew of this kid, could he really understand such things?

When the car pulled into the suburban villa district, Li Huowang did not even wait for it to stop before throwing the door open and rushing toward the villa hidden among the trees.

Completely ignoring Chen Hongyu, who was watching television in the hall, Li Huowang bolted up the stairs toward the third floor.

Kicking the door open, he rushed inside and pulled Yang Na, who was huddled in the corner of the bed, into a tight embrace.

Trembling, he stroked her soft hair over and over again, his heart finally settling into place.

"Huowang, you’re finally back. Thank goodness, I’ve finally waited for you."

"Why are you crying? Did I do something wrong? I’m sorry, it’s my fault, I shouldn't have called the police..."

Li Huowang shook his head, loosening his grip to study her face carefully for a moment before pulling her back into his arms, laughing through his tears.

"No, you are wonderful. Nana, you are truly wonderful. It was your death that saved us all."