Chapter 375: Out of Touch with the Times

Gongsun Quan nodded, hesitating slightly. "Your Majesty, forgive my bluntness, but it no longer matters whether Su Mu is or isn't. Even if he is an avatar of Pride, I'm afraid... no one in the world today would dare lay a finger on him.

"Pride's true body is a God of the Nightmare World. Unless someone enters the Nightmare World, who can deal with him? And if they do enter the Nightmare World, who could possibly oppose him?"

King Chi waved her hand in irritation. "There's no need to overthink it. If I say he isn't, he absolutely isn't. An avatar is impossible, too. Pride is a dignified God. Why would he send a Silver avatar here? To play house with my avatar?"

With that, King Chi impatiently walked away.

She left Gongsun Quan and Dongfang Yuan looking at each other in dismay.

After a moment of silence, Dongfang Yuan said slowly, "I keep getting the feeling that Her Majesty feels a bit... differently about Su Mu."

Gongsun Quan nodded calmly. "Going into heat is a biological phenomenon shared by all living creatures. Her Majesty is human too."

Dongfang Yuan was somewhat speechless. "Could you phrase that a little more tactfully?"

Gongsun Quan ignored him. "Given the current situation, if Her Majesty wants to keep a male favorite, I won't object. But she absolutely cannot bear a child. The Royal Family bloodline has been severed; Her Majesty is the only one left. Furthermore, Supreme Heaven is in Pride's hands. If she were to have an heir, it would undoubtedly give Pride an opening to exploit.

"The first generation of Kings relied on the Artifacts of the Seven Kings to end the Nightmare Era stirred up by Pride. This alone shows how powerful the Artifacts of the Seven Kings are. They are our final trump card against Pride. They absolutely cannot be lost."

After returning to her room, King Chi shut the door tightly and curled up alone on her soft bed.

With no outsiders present, the lofty Gold King seemed to drop her disguise. Like an ordinary, delicate young woman, she hugged her legs and stared blankly into space.

Even the potato chips and unhealthy magazines by her bedside seemed to have lost their appeal.

...

...

The Nightmare World.

Su Qing had recovered a little of her strength, and Lin Lingling and the others were slowly waking up.

Upon waking, they turned pale with fright.

"Where are we?" Lin Nanxing yelled. Gripping his bow and arrows tightly, he nervously searched for any sign of the Pope. His memory was still stuck at the moment the Pope had attacked them.

Lin Lingling, on the other hand, hurriedly checked herself over. Finding her clothes completely intact, she finally breathed a sigh of relief. She then pulled a strawberry gummy from her pocket and tossed it into her mouth to calm her nerves.

"Don't worry, Su Mu saved us," Su Qing said.

She followed up with a brief explanation of the situation, and joyous relief finally appeared on their faces.

"That's great! I knew the captain would have a way!" Lin Nanxing shouted in excitement.

Yang Dongqing's expression was complicated. Saved by Su Mu again? he thought. How many times is this now? Why is it that even though I've gotten stronger, I still can't escape my past fate in the end?

Why am I so weak?! When will I finally be able to resurrect Jasmine?!

He clenched his fists tightly, his slightly sharp nails piercing into his flesh. It brought a stinging pain, yet the physical sensation was nowhere near the agony in his heart. He hated his own weakness and incompetence!

"Huh? Where's the captain?" Lin Lingling asked, blinking her large eyes.

Su Qing pointed at the horde of zombies beneath the tall building. "He went to find the source of the nightmare. There's no telling when the Primal Pope will catch up, so he plans to kill the source of the nightmare and then lead us back to reality."

"I'll go help him!" Lin Nanxing struggled to his feet.

"There's no need. This nightmare isn't strong. With a Gold Grade Nightmare Creature at his side, breaking it will be easy for the captain. What we need to do now is recover as quickly as possible..."

Before Su Qing could finish—crack!

The sound of shattering glass rang out, and a crisscrossing web of cracks appeared across the sky of the dreamscape.

Joy lit up their faces.

"It must be the captain! He did it!"

The next moment, a Shadow slithered all the way up the hundred-meter-tall building, eventually landing on the rooftop where they stood. The shadow writhed, and a tall, straight figure dressed in a sharp suit slowly stepped out of it.

A familiar, gentle smile hung on his handsome face. He adjusted his Tinted Glasses and smiled. "Everyone, get ready to go home."

...

...

Su Mu and the others pushed open the laboratory doors. This time, there was no director of the Law Enforcement Bureau or crowd of higher-ups waiting for them. They were greeted by only a single, deeply worried staff member.

The staff member seemed preoccupied and practically ignored Su Mu's group, which sparked Lin Nanxing's displeasure.

"Where is everyone? We made a massive discovery in the Nightmare World this time, and we barely survived a nine deaths and one life situation to make it back! Is this how the Law Enforcement Bureau treats its heroes?"

Faced with the reprimand, the staff member didn't react much. Instead, he smiled bitterly. "The director and the others have all gone to the Imperial Palace for a meeting. There's barely anyone left here."

"A meeting? What kind of meeting? We risk our lives for the Empire, and now..."

"The world is going to be destroyed." The staff member's words left Lin Nanxing and the others completely stunned.

In disbelief, Lin Nanxing said, "Are you sleep-deprived? What kind of nonsense are you spouting?"

The staff member sighed. He leaned in closer and lowered his voice. "Everyone, the world really is coming to an end. Pride, the Head of the Seven Deadly Sins, has opened the gates of nightmare, releasing endless Nightmare Creatures. The ocean surrounding the Blood Moon Empire has already been completely overrun by Nightmare Creatures."

"The era... has changed. It is now the era of the Seven Deadly Sins, the era of Gods!"

"What?!" Everyone's expressions changed drastically. They had only been in the Nightmare World for a few days, and now they returned to be told the era had changed?!

"Then what about our mission? Who do we report the situation in the Nightmare World to?"

"Who still cares about missions right now? Is there even a need to report? Do as you please." The staff member let out a long sigh and walked away, looking utterly despondent.

Lin Nanxing and the others stared at each other in dismay.

"What a joke. He's standing here telling ghost stories. What does he mean, the era has changed?" Lin Nanxing chuckled dryly.

"Let's go outside and take a look," Su Mu said calmly.

Once they walked out and saw the panicked enforcers rushing back and forth through the Law Enforcement Bureau, they suddenly began to believe it.

The Law Enforcement Bureau no longer had its former neat and efficient atmosphere. It was as if an invisible mountain was pressing down on everyone's heads. The atmosphere was incredibly suffocating, and there were even a few civilian clerks sobbing quietly at their desks.

Sensing that things were taking a turn for the worse, their expressions changed slightly. Lin Nanxing walked over to a desk and asked a female clerk with red-rimmed eyes, "Why are you crying? What exactly happened?"

The clerk looked up at him, her eyes brimming with tears. "The world is ending... I just found out I'm pregnant. I'm afraid my baby won't even have the chance to be born."

Lin Nanxing's head throbbed. The oppressive, despairing atmosphere made his heart race wildly. "No, wait, the world was perfectly fine, how can it just end? Can a single Pride really destroy the world?"

"See for yourself." The clerk turned her Computer screen toward him. When Lin Nanxing saw the internal news broadcast playing on it, he was struck as if by lightning!

"This... how is this possible?!"

In the news video, he saw Pride, looking like a God, throwing open the gates of nightmare and declaring the arrival of a new era. What followed was an endless flood of nightmares that swallowed the entire ocean.

The others gathered around. Looking at the news, they were so shocked their scalps went numb.

Su Mu silently admired the footage, finding that the video was shot quite well. It made him look pretty handsome.