Honestly speaking, the flattery from these common folk really isn't that great, it's somewhat cringeworthy to listen to.
But who would dislike others flattering them?
Everyone likes to hear good words, and the man in the black robe with a crew cut is no exception.
He squinted his eyes, enjoying it for a while, then gently pressed his hand down, signaling everyone to quiet down.
"Alright, alright, let's have a little less pure flattery. As for me, I'm quite humble by nature, so I don't really care about it."
Despite saying that, the smile on his mouth never ceased.
"Let me introduce myself."
He raised his head proudly and said, "As you all can see, I am a bona fide Apprentice Death God, serving the Gathering of the Death God in Nest City Number Three, codenamed [Mad Spirit]."
"My purpose here, um... naturally, is to resolve the Death Domain incident here and rescue everyone."
These "righteous" words stirred up excitement among the people again, showering Mad Spirit's composed face with praises.
But they did not notice that before showing a composed expression, the Apprentice Death God's face actually carried a barely perceptible hint of embarrassment.
Is he really here to save people? Can he truly resolve the Death Domain incident with his own strength?
Who knows, since the Apprentice Death God claimed so, it might just be...
"Alright, enough chatter, let's get down to business."
Mad Spirit interrupted them again, and this time, his tone was much firmer.
"Of course, I'll save you, but you all have to cooperate with me."
"Now, whether you're hiding in a corner or buried in a pile of junk, come out and line up in front of me, then tell me your name and how you got here."
"Hurry up, don't make me urge you."
The Apprentice Death God issued a direct order, giving people no chance to refuse.
Hiding under the scrap machines, Yun You's small hand trembled, her body also stiffened slightly.
Although she guessed that the Apprentice Death God might have discovered her, she didn't expect the danger to come so quickly and urgently...
Now that Mad Spirit had spoken, continuing to hide would not only be meaningless but also arouse the Apprentice Death God's suspicion.
"Believe in yourself, Yun You, you've prepared everything, that guy won't be able to tell..."
Yun You slapped her own face heavily, encouraging herself inwardly, and eventually stepped out.
However, she didn't directly line up in front of the Apprentice Death God; instead, she quietly and slowly moved, hoping to wait until everyone else had lined up, then join at the very end, staying as far away from Mad Spirit as possible.
At this moment, she was covered in a sticky, brown liquid...
The pungent smell made the civilians accustomed to the factory's odor frown, giving her a disdainful glance and leaving the last position for her.
This stuff was a mixture of motor oil and chemical agents she had just found, a means she used to "avoid danger."
To survive, she's not afraid of anything...
...
Under the Apprentice Death God's watchful eye, people quickly lined up.
Even the middle-aged woman whose contact lenses had burst stood up painfully, even ending up in the first row.
Only that long-haired child, as if not hearing the order, sat there blankly.
No one helped him, and no one cared about him.
Seeing the child about to catch Mad Spirit's attention, Yun You hesitated for a moment, then gritted her teeth and picked up the child, placing him next to her.
She didn't do this to save him but to avoid arousing the Apprentice Death God's suspicion.
The child was very close to her, and if he indeed angered Mad Spirit for not listening, causing attention to shift towards him and then towards Yun You, it wouldn't be good for her.
Her actions were purely for self-preservation.
Yet the child was indeed surprisingly obedient, completely indifferent to the chemical smell on her, just sitting quietly there...
"Alright, let's start with you."
Looking at the neatly formed line, Mad Spirit nodded contentedly and then turned to the woman in the first position, who naturally responded without hesitation.
"Sir, my name is Meng Nan, I'm a local... I accidentally took a wrong turn down an alley and somehow ended up here."
The woman's explanation was brief, but the Apprentice Death God was satisfied with such a straightforward answer.
"Alright, next one."
He swiftly moved to the second person, not wasting any time.
"My name is Jiang Kai, sir, I was also brought here unexpectedly by an alley."
"Good, third one."
"Yes... sir..."
The questioning progressed faster than Yun You had imagined.
In a blink of an eye, it was almost her turn.
The responses from these civilians were largely similar, all being underclass folks from Nest City who arrived here by winding through the alleys, unlike Yun You's "breakthrough approach."
However, the girl had no time to dwell on these details.
Facing the Apprentice Death God moving steadily closer, her heart was already in her throat, and her hand silently slipped into her pant pocket, tightly gripping a round object inside.
It was her last grenade.
While she had prepared everything and felt confident in deceiving Mad Spirit, if she ended up failing, she'd have to make a desperate move.
She was ready for the worst-case scenario.
"Phew..."
The girl took a deep breath, barely suppressing the unease in her heart.
Meanwhile, Mad Spirit finished questioning the person ahead and cast a chilling gaze upon Yun You.
At the moment their eyes met, the girl's heartbeat skipped for half a second.
Sweat soaked through her clothes.
Yet her facial expression and body movements remained unchanged.
She readied her throat, prepared to speak the response she had rehearsed for so long.
Unexpectedly, the Apprentice Death God, Mad Spirit, spoke first.
"This..."
He furrowed his brow slightly, sniffed the air, then widened his eyes, taking two steps back, looking at Yun You with distaste and impatience, "It stinks... what's going on?"
"I'm... I'm sorry... sir!"
Yun You suppressed her voice, replying in a hoarse and helpless tone, choking up as she quietly explained, "When I just got here... I accidentally slipped and fell into a pile of garbage, getting this dirty..."
"I'm really sorry, sir! I didn't want this... but these things are so sticky, they just won't come off!"
While speaking, she rubbed her arm against her clothes, deliberately demonstrating the chemical liquid's viscosity and the scrapes on her arm, appearing both pitiable and helpless.
"Alright, enough... stay away from me... it's disgusting."
As it turned out, Mad Spirit didn't really care how "miserable" Yun You was, just found it gross and feared the chemicals might stain his expensive clothes.
With that thought, he swiftly retreated several steps, not wanting to look at the girl even for another moment.
And this was exactly what Yun You wished for.
"My... my name is Youyou, just like the uncles and aunts before me, I got lost and somehow wandered here..."
Yun You concocted a lie, and Mad Spirit, holding his nose, nodded, seemingly buying her story.
"..."
"Success!"
Yun You felt a wave of relief wash over her, as if a heavy stone had been lifted from her heart.
But just as she thought Mad Spirit would let it go, the Apprentice Death God suddenly squinted, scrutinizing her tightly, then asked in a voice that made her heart race...
"Hey, little girl."
"What's that in your pocket... what is it really?"
"Take it out, let me see."