"What? Fu Zhu disappeared?"
Cocolia, sitting behind her office desk, showed a look of astonishment upon hearing this news. The expressions on Xing and the others standing before her were grim and clearly not feigned.
Dan Heng carefully observed every minute change in Cocolia's expression. Until she asked them what had happened, he couldn't detect any flaws in her reaction.
This puzzled Dan Heng. If it wasn't Cocolia, then who could it be?
Xing, however, was quick to speak, asking bluntly with a frown, "Are you saying my brother's disappearance has nothing to do with you?"
Cocolia nodded, pointing at the various documents on her desk. "After reaching an agreement with Fu Zhu, I've been drafting various plans. I haven't left this office."
'Hahaha, that man is already dead, Cocolia! Give up your ethereal hope! Only the future we promised is Belobog's true salvation!'
The long-silent voice of the Stellaron suddenly echoed in Cocolia's mind again. Her expression couldn't help but darken. She mentally questioned the Stellaron.
Fu Zhu's disappearance, was it your doing?!
'Guess? But those who defy me never meet a good end!'
Although it didn't know how the man who ruined its plan to devour the planet had disappeared, the Stellaron wouldn't miss this chance to sway Cocolia again.
Aside from that man with his bizarre methods, the remaining Nameless were nothing to worry about!
Xing, who had been watching Cocolia intently, immediately noticed the change in her expression. She instantly drew her baseball bat, pointed it at Cocolia sitting behind the desk, and barked sharply.
"Cocolia! Give me back my brother!"
Seeing Xing's fury, Cocolia couldn't bother continuing her exchange with the Stellaron and shook her head again to explain herself.
"It really wasn't me. I just agreed to cooperate with Fu Zhu moments ago. It's impossible for me to move against him at a time like this, right? But I might know who did it."
"Who?"
"The Stellaron." x2
Cocolia and Dan Heng spoke the word 'Stellaron' almost in perfect unison.
Xing and March 7th glanced at the two, surprised. Compared to Cocolia, they trusted Dan Heng more. Since Dan Heng also said it, it was highly likely the Stellaron was responsible.
Seeing the two look over, Dan Heng explained.
"Fu Zhu is very strong. No one could take him away without us reacting, nor prevent him from resisting. The only entity on this planet capable of achieving this is likely the Stellaron that caused the Eternal Freeze."
After hearing this, Xing impatiently looked back at Cocolia. "Where is the Stellaron?!"
"In the abandoned research institute deep within the snowfields."
At this point, Cocolia naturally wouldn't continue hiding the Stellaron's location. Ever since agreeing to cooperate with Fu Zhu, she had planned to lead the Express crew to seal the Stellaron later.
But she hadn't expected trouble to arrive so quickly. Cooperation had barely begun, and her collaborator had vanished right under her nose.
"Now! Immediately! Take us to the Stellaron!"
"Alright."
Cocolia agreed instantly. At a time like this, even the slightest delay in her response would immediately deepen the Express crew's suspicion of her.
Simultaneously, she didn't forget to mentally interrogate the Stellaron, asking if Fu Zhu's disappearance was truly its doing.
But the Stellaron, which had been incessantly tempting Cocolia just moments ago, suddenly fell silent.
It was contemplating. It had been eroding Cocolia for years; seizing the opportunity to possess her body wouldn't be difficult.
Did it have a chance to eliminate the remaining three Nameless in one fell swoop? If it could devour the Stellaron within that girl (Xing), its power would reach a new level.
By then, even if the vanished man reappeared, it would definitely have the means to fight back!
The more the Stellaron considered it, the more feasible the plan seemed. It fell completely silent, waiting for Cocolia to lead these Nameless into its trap.
As long as Cocolia got close enough to its main body, it could control her and use her against these Nameless!
——————————————————————
'Query: Why are certain rules unable to affect you?'
"Don't know, don't know."
'Query: How can you utilize the power of rules undiscovered by any existence without knowing how?'
"I don't know!"
'Query: ...'
Fu Zhu covered his ears, facing away from Nous, feeling tearless. But even so, Nous's voice seemed to bore into his ears like a demonic chant, impossible to completely block out.
Ever since Qlipoth left, Nous, now undisturbed, had become like a relentless questioning machine, asking about everything from the power of rules down to Fu Zhu's home address.
Initially, Fu Zhu, somewhat curious about Nous, answered a few questions and didn't forget to ask some of his own.
Unexpectedly, Nous answered his questions with more questions. Eventually, it devolved into a one-sided interrogation by Nous.
During this, Fu Zhu finally couldn't take it anymore. He pillared up with blocks and punched Nous, forcibly deducting one drop of its health.
He thought Nous would get angry, either retaliating or kicking him out of this space in a fit of pique.
Unexpectedly, Nous just hit Fu Zhu back with another question.
'Query: How were you able to invoke a rule I do not comprehend, forcibly causing me injury?'
Fu Zhu speechlessly abandoned the idea of attacking Nous. Mainly because his current attack power wasn't high enough, while Nous's health bar was an astronomical figure.
Although he could forcibly deduct one drop of health, trying to defeat Nous using the "force 1 HP damage" mechanic would take a terrifying amount of time.
He might even die of old age before Nous did.
"Look, can't you just let me go back? If you keep pestering me, I won't answer any more of your questions!"
This sentence seemed to work on the intensely curious Nous. It pondered for a moment, then agreed.
'Affirmative.'
'Query: After your departure, may I borrow the Iron Golem for a period of observation?'
Although reluctant to part with the first Iron Golem he had ever made, Fu Zhu nodded in agreement for the sake of freedom. He could always make another one when he got back.
"Fine."
Seeing Fu Zhu agree, Nous didn't pester him further. Its indicator light flashed red, and Fu Zhu vanished from the space.
The moment Fu Zhu left, the previously stationary Iron Golem began to move. It immediately turned and started walking in a specific direction.
Nous was somewhat surprised and spoke to stop it.
'Query: An agreement was reached with your creator. Why are you leaving?'
The Iron Golem remained silent, merely walking steadfastly in a particular direction.
'Query: Are you attempting to return to your creator's side?'
Iron Golem: ...