Chapter 215: Falling into the Trap

The typhoon had passed, leaving calm winds and still waters. The air was fresher than ever.

There were faint dark circles under Long Yi’s eyes, but he had otherwise returned to his usual self.

Long Yi and his group had already been waiting at the appointed location for three days.

Three days later, Long Yi glanced to the side. He saw “Xiang Ze” ambling out of the forest on the Eastern Coast, arriving late.

Long Yi’s pupils constricted slightly.

‘Xiang Ze… So the System Main God chose Xiang Ze as its host.’

Ying Li called out in surprise, “Xiang Ze! Weren’t you in the mining district? What are you doing here in the East all of a sudden?”

The moment Ying Li finished speaking, he noticed that something was off about Xiang Ze’s expression. And his right eye looked strange, too.

His once-empty right socket now held a mechanical prosthetic eye.

‘Seeing a mechanical eye like this in the Beast World is just too creepy!’

“Xiang Ze” completely ignored Ying Li, a wide grin spreading across his face. “High Priest Long Yi.”

Long Yi’s voice was detached, his gaze frigid. “System Main God.”

‘Ying Li’s jaw dropped. The person before him was the System Main God? The System Main God had possessed Xiang Ze?’

Long Yi gently rubbed his fingers together.

Xiang Ze’s mechanical eye whirred strangely. “So you recognized me at a glance.”

Beside them, He Lian was so frightened by Xiang Ze that he shrieked, “Ying Li! Ying Li! He’s… he’s…!”

He Lian felt his worldview shattering. His face was a mask of shock as he cried, “What is that thing?!”

Ying Li quickly clamped a hand over He Lian’s mouth.

Xiang Ze chuckled. “Long Yi, where is this Li Yun?”

Long Yi stared at it intently. “I’ll take you to her.”

…

On the Eastern Coast, in the wake of the typhoon, the full extent of the damage to the coastline and the seabed had been assessed.

The losses from this typhoon were the lowest they had been in years!

The Beastmen were buzzing with excitement.

“Every typhoon, a lot of Beastmen die along the coast. This is the first time we’ve made it through so safely!”

“Emperor Nan is amazing, and so are the Beast Kings.”

Nan Zishi was leading a group to help clean up after the disaster.

Nan Zishi’s reputation grew, and the respect in the Beastmen’s eyes deepened when they looked at her.

“Emperor Nan.”

“Lady Nan.”

A Beastman approached her. “Emperor Nan, this is the finest cut of meat from our hunt. Please, take it.”

A mermaid swam up to her. “Princess, this is the most beautiful pearl we could find. It’s for you. It’s iridescent~”

This was when Xiang Ze and the others arrived.

“High Priest, look. Li Yun is over there.” Xiang Ze jerked his chin toward Li Yun.

Long Yi’s gaze, however, fell on Nan Zishi.

‘She really is popular wherever she goes.’ “Mm.”

Xiang Ze said, “High Priest, go on. Kill her.”

Long Yi replied, “I’ve told you, I do not harm females.”

‘The System Main God was speechless. How could the males of this Beast World be so absurd?’ “Fine,” he said. “If you won’t, I will!”

With that, the burly Xiang Ze strode forward, a strange smile twisting his lips as he faced Li Yun. “Li Yun.”

Li Yun, who had been working alongside everyone else, instantly bristled with fear.

‘The… the Sys… System… Main… Main God!’

She stumbled backward, screaming, “Nan!!! Nan Zishi!!!”

‘Only Nan Zishi had the Boundary Stone! Only Nan Zishi could save her from the System Main God!’

Fox Xiang, who was nearby, immediately rushed over and stood protectively in front of Li Yun.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Fox Xiang yelled.

“I… am the one who’s come for her life.” Xiang Ze’s mechanical eye whirred as it swiveled to look at Li Yun.

The color drained from Fox Xiang’s face, and his Beast Pattern instantly materialized on his skin!

Xiang Ze finally turned his attention to Fox Xiang. “You want to fight me?”

“You won’t hurt her!” With that, sharp claws extended from Fox Xiang’s hands and he lunged at Xiang Ze.

But Xiang Ze caught Fox Xiang’s hand with ease.

“Uncle Xiang!!!” Li Yun cried out anxiously. “Help! Somebody help!! Save him!!”

“Li Yun!” Fox Xiang sensed his opponent’s immense strength. He wrapped his legs around Xiang Ze’s body to restrain him. “Run! Just run!!!”

Xiang Ze reached out to finish him off.

However, just as Xiang Ze’s hand closed around Fox Xiang’s throat, Long Yi caught his wrist.

“Do not harm innocent Beastmen.”

‘This High Priest was really getting on his nerves.’ “Long Yi, if you stop me again, I’m going to start wondering if we’re even on the same side.”

But he still needed Long Yi’s help, and the Main God System wasn’t ready to make an enemy of him.

So, Xiang Ze released Fox Xiang.

‘Just a Three-striped Beast Warrior. It wasn’t worth ruining his cooperation with the High Priest over him.’

As Fox Xiang stood to the side, clutching his throat and coughing, Li Yun found herself staring at him with a growing sense of familiarity.

‘She felt like she’d seen him before.’

‘A fox… a male Fox Beastman.’

‘Fox Xiang?’

Li Yun’s head snapped up.

She had borne cubs for so many males that she could only vaguely recall them if someone mentioned a name and reminded her they were a Beast Husband.

But Li Yun had always just known him as “Uncle Xiang,” and besides, she didn’t really have any memory of a male that age.

That’s why it hadn’t clicked.

But now, she remembered.

‘Uncle Xiang was probably Fox Xiang…’

‘…the shy male Fox Beastman from Stone Village who used to blush whenever he saw her.’

‘How did he… end up like this?’

As Xiang Ze advanced on Li Yun, Fox Xiang grabbed his leg, his voice raspy. “Don’t… Don’t go near her… Li Yun, run!”

Li Yun turned and bolted.

‘What an idiot!’

‘Such a foolish male. She abandoned him, and yet he keeps trying to save her!’

‘Why?!’

Xiang Ze kicked the meddlesome Fox Xiang aside and charged at Li Yun. Just as his elephant trunk was about to wrap around her, Nan Zishi shot in front of Li Yun in an instant.

She swatted Xiang Ze away.

Nan Zishi stared in astonishment at the two powerhouses who had joined forces. “System… Long Yi… what do you two think you’re doing?”

Long Yi met her icy stare, and a flicker of emotion crossed his eyes.

Xiang Ze thought Nan Zishi looked familiar. He tilted his head, studying her for a long moment before speaking. “An Earthling. Are you a host, too? Could you be 007’s host, Nan Zishi?”

The garbage data Nan Zishi had fed it was taking effect.

Xiang Ze tried to search for Nan Zishi’s file amidst the mountain of garbage data.

Nan Zishi: Gender female or male? Age 18, 15, or 43?

Was this person even Nan Zishi?

The sheer volume of junk data twisted Xiang Ze’s expression into a bizarre grimace.

Before long, Nan Zishi’s six Beast Husbands were all standing behind her.

Unable to tell which of its data was real and which was fake, Xiang Ze suddenly flew into a rage. “I don’t care! I’m killing Li Yun!!!”

Nan Zishi stared him down. “Main God System. Are you sure she’s Li Yun? What does your data say about the person named Li Yun?”

Xiang Ze’s mind seemed to short-circuit again.

Li Yun: Age 25, 27, 38, or 45?

System 006’s host, Li Yun: Is the person in the photo Black or white? What color is her hair? Is she tall or short?

Xiang Ze’s mind reeled, and he clutched his head in pain. He pointed a finger at Nan Zishi and declared with ironclad certainty, “You are Li Yun!”

Nan Zishi: “…”