Chapter 54: The Third Time Entering the Evil Dragon Space
"Your Excellency, what are you doing back again?" Mino was dressed neatly in a white shirt and vest, his smile stiff.
Xia Feng replied calmly, "You didn't kill Yan Xujia, nor did you fulfill the conditions I set. So, I have no choice but to return and challenge you in the game again."
The bartender fell silent.
Xia Feng walked to the bar and sat down leisurely. "By the way, why didn't you leave with the Divine Evil Society?"
Mino quickly responded, his tone sincere, "Your Excellency, my relationship with them is purely cooperative. Since we've taken this chance to enter the present world, I naturally have no intention of returning to the Gray World."
"Oh, I see." Xia Feng nodded thoughtfully, then rapped his knuckles on the table and said seriously, "Enough small talk. Start the game. I find your Evil Wine Game quite entertaining—I like it."
You like it?! Who asked you to like it! Mino cursed inwardly but hurriedly interjected, "Your Excellency, wait! How about this—aren't you curious about the mastermind behind the rift in the Infinite Realm? I happen to know some insider information."
"Oh?"
Though Xia Feng had mostly lost interest in the matter, it occurred to him that whoever orchestrated the Infinite Realm's collapse must possess a vast number of Infinite Stones. He nodded. "Go on."
Relieved that negotiations were still possible, Mino exhaled and spoke gravely, "Since my ties to the Divine Evil Society are merely cooperative, my knowledge is limited. However, I do know the identity of the director of Pingshan Hospital."
The director? Xia Feng acknowledged this. As the hub for Infinite Stone theft, the director's identity was undoubtedly a crucial lead.
"All records of Pingshan Hospital's staff have been erased. But before arriving here, I stumbled upon a leftover employee badge."
Mino pulled a blue card from the drawer and slid it toward Xia Feng.
Xia Feng took it skeptically, but the information on it made his pupils dilate involuntarily.
[Name: Wei Shutong]
[Position: Director of Pingshan Hospital]
The badge appeared to have been sliced cleanly by a sharp blade, leaving only half of the photo visible—yet the remaining portion unmistakably showed Wei Shutong's face.
Xia Feng frowned, closed his eyes, and tapped the table in thought. That Old Wei was involved in this was completely unexpected.
Yet, upon reflection, it made sense.
In the entire 51st District, only one person commanded enough power to mobilize such vast resources, openly dismantle the Infinite Realm, evade public scrutiny, and escape the Holy Ministry's sanctions.
The hereditary prince of the Hydrangea Family—Liszt.
As Prince Liszt's loyal lapdog and confidant, the Six-Tails Society would naturally partake in the covert operation to destroy the Infinite Realm.
Xia Feng recalled questioning Wei Shutong about Pingshan Hospital before. The old fox had feigned genuine concern, asking if Xia Feng's "friend" was hospitalized.
What an actor.
But this wasn't something he could confront him about. After organizing his thoughts, Xia Feng shook his head. "Never mind. This isn't my problem anymore. Let it go."
"Your Excellency, what do you mean?"
"Fine, we won't play games this time." Xia Feng waved a hand. There was no need for a life-or-death struggle with Mino—he might still need him later. "Just relocate to somewhere remote and deserted, then let them leave."
Mino, tense until now, finally relaxed.
The Disaster Beast's true form resided in a parallel dimension overlapping with the present world, granting it a unique method of movement—shifting within that dimension allowed its Disaster Realm to synchronously relocate in the present world.
However, each move demanded tremendous energy, so under normal circumstances, the Disaster Beast couldn't be bothered.
But this was an exception.
Mino conjured a light gate for the Spade Man and smiled earnestly. "Dear guest, you're welcome to return anytime~"
Xia Feng nodded and stepped through.
The moment he crossed the threshold, the light gate snapped shut behind him.
In Xia Feng's perception, the faint pulse of evil energy fled northward at blinding speed, vanishing in an instant.
"Ran pretty fast," Xia Feng remarked, his eye twitching slightly.
Thinking about it and seeing no one around, he was about to leave the alley when suddenly, the sound of rushing wind cut through the air.
"Little niece Mu! Finally found you! Where have you been?" Chen Xingdao's deep voice called out.
"I'm sorry for making you worry, Uncle Chen," Mu Qingtong whispered apologetically, then explained softly, "I was hiding in the disaster shelter over there. I only came out when I saw it was safe."
"That's good, that's good."
"Did you see Xia Feng?" Freya asked, her tone edged with urgency.
As soon as she finished speaking, a black-haired boy came sprinting around the corner. "I'm here! I'm here!"
Xia Feng jogged up to them, wiping sweat from his brow. He patted his chest and shook his head with lingering fear, his voice still shaky. "So scary, so scary… So many evil souls! Luckily, I ran fast~"
Mu Qingtong: "..."
Freya exhaled in relief seeing Xia Feng unharmed, but her expression quickly turned stern. "Where were you this time? The teacher had to search for you forever."
"Sorry, sorry." Xia Feng genuinely meant it this time—he hadn't expected Freya to worry so much about him. After a pause, he explained seriously, "Professor Freya, I was hiding in the disaster shelter nearby. When I came out and saw it was safe, I didn't expect to run straight into a horde of zombie-like disaster-infected."
"You two got lucky," Chen Xingdao remarked, shaking his head with a sigh. "If the Spade Man hadn't absorbed all the evil energy this time, and if the Heart Man hadn't been clearing the disaster-infected outside your shelter, you might not have made it out alive."
"Yeah, yeah! I saw it too—the Spade Man was so cool!" Xia Feng exclaimed, eyes sparkling with admiration. "He's my new idol!"
Mu Qingtong closed her eyes. She suddenly realized her greatest weakness: her face wasn't nearly as thick as this idiot's.
"Enough chatter," Freya cut in firmly. "Bloodnight Street will be sealed off to purge the remaining disaster energy. Let's get you both out of here first."
After returning home and charging his phone, Xia Feng saw countless missed calls from Mushroom. He quickly called back to assure her he was safe, then finally relaxed.
A quick shower and dinner later, he began setting up the formation.
It had been nearly a week since his last visit to the Evil Dragon Space—he missed it dearly.
The light gate opened, and he stepped through.
The Evil Dragon Space was unchanged. The World Tree's canopy blotted out the sky, and at the center of its trunk, the pale dragon still reared its majestic head, wreathed in undying blue flames.
Black Crow opened her eyes, her voice regal and slightly displeased. "You haven't come for so long. I thought you'd died out there."
"Ms. Black Crow, that's not a nice thing to say," Xia Feng chuckled, stepping forward.
"Hmm—? Wait." Black Crow's vertical pupils suddenly sharpened.
Xia Feng froze. "What's wrong?"
With a flutter of dark feathers, Black Crow leapt from her branch, circling Xia Feng before stopping abruptly. Her voice turned suspicious. "There's no mistaking it—you reek of the Star God of Life's disgusting aura!"
She fixed him with a piercing stare. "Has the Star God of Life marked you?"
(End of this chapter)