Chapter 674: Now Is the Best Time to Win You Over

Of course, Lynn revealed none of this on the surface. He shot a glance at the bouncing girl behind him and muttered quietly:

"Acting young!"

*Smack—*

Another whip strike landed near Lynn's foot, nearly making him jump.

The girl lifted her chin, resting the whip on her slender shoulder, and said loudly: "What was that? Say it again!"

Lynn sneered sarcastically: "I mean you, old-timer. Even counting your tree rings, you've got hundreds of circles by now, yet you still disguise yourself as so young. Do you really think you're still what you were before the fall? Don't forget, you've long since become a twisted monster!"

The toxicity of Lynn's words was no small matter.

The girl who had been bouncing moments ago stopped in her tracks, standing still, staring straight at him.

Silence fell all around.

Her hand gripping the rattan switch slowly tightened.

Lynn continued stumbling forward nonchalantly until the vines binding his wrists pulled taut, and he realized the girl had stopped at some unknown point.

He turned his head and glanced at the Desire Mother Tree.

Then the corners of his mouth curled upward.

"Oh? Struck a nerve again, did I? Give it up. The appearance you take in this space isn't the real you. Your true body is still that massive tree of flesh and blood. You're the Flesh and Blood Root, representing desire and distortion. You've already fallen into hell, so it's about time you faced reality! Hah!"

Lynn kept up his venomous tongue.

He kept prodding her nerves.

Making her angry.

Because only then would the fear-inducing projections from the past slip in more quickly through the cracks.

But to Lynn's surprise, the girl just stared straight at him without the fury and murderous intent he had anticipated.

Then he heard her speak calmly:

"Have you faced reality too?"

Lynn was momentarily stunned.

But he quickly recovered, let out a cold laugh, adjusted his Monocle with his shoulder, and said:

"Of course I..."

Yet the words that followed got stuck in his throat, refusing to come out.

For some reason, his mind instantly flashed back to that scene on Earth from months ago.

He knew clearly that those weren't his parents. He knew that wasn't his home. It was just a place that looked like his hometown. Yet still, he couldn't hold back—like he was bewitched—he had wanted so desperately to reach out and touch it.

So absurd.

So laughable.

But perhaps only he knew that since waking up to find himself in hell, for the past few years, he had thought of nothing but returning to his ordinary hometown almost every waking moment.

Because no matter how good this place was, it was never home.

It was never the land that gave him birth and raised him.

The girl stared straight at him and said: "You should understand, shouldn't you? We're both people who fell into hell. We both have homes we can't return to. Maybe your home still exists, but mine has already turned to ashes. So I won't blame you, because you can understand my feelings."

Lynn's smile faded as he narrowed his eyes at her.

The girl met his gaze and continued: "I can tell you this—I truly miss that place beyond words. I miss my past. That's why I want to keep growing stronger, to break out of this cage that binds me. Because if I could trade it all, I would gladly give up all my power, just to go home."

Her eyes were clear, like an oath unto death.

A pure obsession.

Not the obsessive flames of vengeance like Big Brother Titan's, nor the sorrowful preservation and longing of Sir Aiwen's. Just the simple obsession of going home.

Because she was far from her homeland.

She had learned to disguise herself.

It was like a kind of protection.

Guarding that shred of hope and longing in her heart, then putting on a heavy, smiling mask to face this chaotic and evil world.

Lynn suddenly realized.

They really were alike. So much so that sometimes, he couldn't even remember who he really was beneath the mask.

Lynn looked at her for a moment.

Then he suddenly grinned.

"You know, under circumstances like these, girls are usually at their most vulnerable. But I held back."

The girl's lips curved upward. "Oh? Is that so?"

Lynn reached his hand over his head, adjusted his Monocle with his palm, and said with a faint smile:

"That's right. Because if a girl is willing to open up to you, it's easy to steal her heart at a time like this. But conversely, if you accidentally let your genuine feelings show too, she could just as easily become the thief and firmly take hold of you."

The Desire Mother Tree's face showed an intrigued expression.

Lynn's face twisted into a slight smirk. "Just now, if I didn't know you were the Desire Mother Tree who had lived for countless ages, I think I would have gladly accepted a kindred spirit as a friend. After all, we're both lost souls in this world. When the feeling's right, it's easy to stand on the same side."

The Desire Mother Tree smiled faintly. "So why didn't you?"

Lynn adjusted his Monocle and smiled. "Didn't I just say it? Because you're the Desire Mother Tree. A Root-level entity of the chaotic domain. No matter how pure her past was, three thousand years of hell life must have completely changed a person, right? Someone as cunning as you—how could you possibly show genuine feelings to a human you've only met a few times? Hmm?"

As soon as the words left his mouth.

The girl was stunned for a moment, then immediately covered her mouth with laughter, laughing heartily until she was shaking all over.

Then she slowly suppressed her laughter, and her eyes no longer held the girlish lightness from before, but instead took on a silky, seductive charm.

She looked at Lynn with a smile, brushed a lock of hair behind her ear, and said:

"You're absolutely right."

"But it really is frustrating. What? Don't you want another Root-level family member to have your back and spoil you? Hmm?"

Lynn laughed extravagantly. "Of course I do. When good fortune like that comes knocking, why wouldn't I take it? But whether this family member would harm me, whether she's only approaching me with the intent to control me—that's something I have to weigh carefully. After all, if you can't entrust your back to a family member, how can they be worthy of trust?"

The girl's gaze at him grew more and more alluring, but also more and more dangerous within that allure.

Needless to say.

If Lynn hadn't remained so vigilant.

He really might have fallen into her trap.

The truth was, during this entire time, she had been crafting a persona in front of him—one that made her seem not very dangerous, not truly evil beyond redemption.

She deliberately showed her flawed side to test his desire for redemption.

After all, one who becomes a Night Doctor.

Who wouldn't have a bit of a savior complex in their heart?

Especially with a girl who could empathize with him, who longed to go home just as he did—who wouldn't want to awaken the true beauty within her, bring her under his wing... no, enlighten her to the side of justice and give her love?

But Lynn knew all too well.

Every single Root-level entity forged in the alignment of Chaotic Evil was a terrifying existence twisted to the extreme.

If they were so easy to fool.

What would hell even be for? Just take them home and put them on a warm kang!

The Desire Mother Goddess looked at him with a seductive smile, slowly approaching him step by step. The green leaves all over her body gradually transformed into a blood-red hue.

"Fine."

"Since you don't want to seize that opportunity, I won't bother playing along anymore."

"You've been stalling this whole time, but I really can't figure out why you'd do that. If you were waiting for that Cyber guy to save you, then after I showed you his situation, you should have given up. But you didn't. So that only makes me more curious."

"What exactly are you plotting?"