An endless sea of ice stretched out before him, and Lu Mingfei walked on the frozen ocean.
Above him, the Milky Way spanned across the sky, and the giant shadow of a whale moved beneath the ice. In the distance, on the frozen surface of the sea, there was a large, white moon.
The bright and pure round moon reflected off the crystal-clear ice, as if it formed a perfect, seamless circle.
The boy in a suit sat in the moon's shadow, fishing. His long fishing rod hung from the edge of a cliff, with a fishing line as thin as a strand of hair, hanging into the bottomless ice abyss below.
"Is this... a dream?"
Having gone through many trials, Lu Mingfei quickly realized that this was not the real world.
He walked a few steps to the boy's side, then sat down at the cliff's edge. He glanced at the ice abyss below, unsure how deep it was.
If this had been him in the past, he wouldn't have dared to look down, but after all he'd been through, he had completely transformed.
From the 'unlucky' child, he had become a true warrior, one who was willing to bear responsibilities and sacrifice for justice!
Blood and fire had turned him from a little boy into a man.
His once delicate and handsome face had been marred by a cruel scar running from his brow to his lips. Yet, instead of looking ugly, it gave him a distinct manly charm.
Lu Mingfei casually teased, "So, what's the game this time?"
"This is the scene I specially prepared, pretty impressive, right?"
Lu Mingze smiled, looking at the black-haired boy beside him, "What do you think? Isn't it breathtaking?"
"Ah, yeah, yeah, it's super shocking."
Lu Mingfei responded while lying flat on the ice, using his hands as a pillow and gazing up at the dazzling Milky Way that spanned the sky.
"The Dragon King is dead. Even if you covet my soul, it's useless. Or do you plan to try something else?"
"Brother, I'm leaving."
Suddenly, Lu Mingze spoke, his tone calm.
"Oh, when will you be back?"
Lu Mingfei wasn't surprised. The little devil always disappeared mysteriously, only to return again, right?
At his words, Lu Mingze silently set down the fishing rod, turned to face Lu Mingfei, and softly said, "I'm not sure. Maybe soon, maybe never coming back."
"…"
After a moment of silence, Lu Mingfei sat up again, studying the serious expression on Lu Mingze's face. "What do you mean? Never coming back?"
"Our contract is over, isn't it, Brother?"
Lu Mingze smiled faintly, his expression still calm, and slowly said, "You know, I'm a devil, right? There's no business here, so I'll have to go elsewhere to make a living~"
"Don't try to fool me with those childish lies!"
Lu Mingfei was getting anxious, he could clearly feel that the little devil was serious this time: "What's really going on? Didn't you say you'd always be with me?"
"Big brother, I didn't expect that I'm actually so important to you," Lu Mingze sighed and said, "But unfortunately, I've already been assigned elsewhere. It's your fault for being so stingy, not giving me any chances. This might be our last meeting. Goodbye, maybe forever, woo woo woo."
As he spoke, he wiped his 'tears' with his sleeve, pretending to be very sad.
"Stop it, just tell me the truth!"
Lu Mingfei twitched his mouth, clearly seeing through the little devil's poor acting and ruthlessly exposing him.
"I was just trying to lighten the mood."
Seeing that he couldn't deceive him, Lu Mingze flashed a bright smile and said, "Okay, the real reason is simple. 'Mr. Adam' is leaving, and I plan to leave with him. My goal is to expand my business into the stars and become the strongest devil!"
As he spoke, he clenched his small fists, put his left hand on his hip, and raised his right hand toward the sky, striking a familiar pose: "Frieza, the man who will become the king of the universe!"
It was a great performance. Next time, don't do that, Lu Mingfei thought, holding back the urge to make a sarcastic remark and focusing on the key point: "You're leaving with 'Mr. Adam'? Why?"
Just as Lu Mingze was about to speak, Lu Mingfei interrupted him forcefully, locking eyes with him and saying in a deep voice: "I want to hear the truth, don't lie to me!"
Lu Mingze, who had been grinning and joking around, fell silent as soon as he met Lu Mingfei's serious gaze.
Lu Mingfei was anxious and frustrated, grabbing the little devil's shoulders, urgently asking, "What's going on? Is this what 'Mr. Adam' wants? I can plead with him!"
"Part of it is because of that, but the main reason is..."
Lu Mingze shook off the hands and finally answered seriously: "It's because I asked 'Mr. Adam' if I could go with him."
Hearing this, it was as if a thunderbolt struck Lu Mingfei's mind, and he felt completely blank.
After a moment, he slowly processed the information, staring in disbelief as though he had been abandoned, and stammered, "Why? Why do this? Why... leave me? Didn't you say you'd always be with me? Lu Mingze!!!"
"Don't be so worked up, big brother."
Lu Mingze sat down cross-legged again, gazing at the moonlight, and softly said:
"The reason isn't as complicated as you think. I just want to see the broader world. I've been living for revenge all this time, and I'm really tired. After handing the 'power' to you, I can finally let go of those burdens."
"But... I can go anywhere with you!"
Lu Mingfei's pupils shimmered with a faint, desperate light. For the first time, he spoke in a softer tone, tugging at Lu Mingze's sleeve: "So… please don't go?"
"Brother, every gift of fate has its price, marked in the shadows."
Lu Mingze turned his head to look at the boy, who had lowered his head with eyes full of pleading. His expression softened slightly, and he sighed:
"From the moment Mr. 'Adam' resurrected me, it was destined that I couldn't stay in this world. Without reclaiming my lost 'power and authority,' and without Mr. 'Adam's' strength, I will soon completely disappear."
"And no one will remember me."
There was a hint of sorrow in the boy's eyes as he spoke, his mood heavy: "Truly, I'll be completely erased from this world."
Erased, forgotten. Lu Mingfei panicked and cried out: "Then I'll give it back to you!"
"That's impossible, brother."
Lu Mingze shook his head, speaking softly: "From the moment you 'awakened,' it's become an inseparable part of your soul. It can never be separated again."
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