It was almost dusk when Lu Mingze arrived at the church door, patted his chest nervously, and took a deep breath.
He placed his hand on the door and whispered, "Bishop, I want to enter the church. I need your help. Please open the door."
The door opened automatically with a creak, and Cao Qian followed Lu Mingze in carrying the statue.
Qian Da Nv supported Yuna, whose face was now covered with tears. She said helplessly, "Then, what should I do? I love him. Even if he doesn't love me, I still love him!"
Qian Jinlai flashed a cunning smile that was completely different from her appearance. He whispered in Yuna's ear, like a devil's whisper: "There's nothing wrong with love. What's wrong is the way you love someone. It's too humble. Humble love will make people want whatever they want from you, especially a man like the city lord. Women are everywhere, and servants willing to sacrifice their lives for him are everywhere. Do you think your efforts have any advantages?"
Yuna was stunned and said, "Then how can I get him?"
"If I can't get his heart, I'll get his person," Qian Jinlai said. "If you cooperate with us, we'll leave the city lord some breathing space, just like we did with the bandits in the underground. We'll assign you as the city lord's guard. You'll imprison him in the basement of the gold shop, take care of him every day, provide him with meals, and make sure you're the only one in his life, so he can't live without you. He might get angry and upset in a year or two, but in five or ten years, he won't be able to live without you. Love is developed through getting along. When you're the only one in his world, he'll love you. Do you know what Stockholm syndrome is? Hehehe..."
Yan Hebi and Guan Ling listened to Qian Jinlai's words, and slowly gathered together to keep each other warm.
"Women are so scary..." Guan Ling looked at Qian Jinlai trembling with fear.
"I think she not only likes to watch melodramas, but also horror movies and bizarre movies..." Yan Hebi clenched the Ocean Blue Eye in his hand.
That's right, he has obtained the Ocean Blue Eye through an extremely complicated process, and was even kissed by the noble lady.
Yan Hebi had no idea how things had happened. Why did a bloody battle story of exorcism become a love strategy game in his hands? He was also a scumbag who cheated people out of gems!
"What's wrong?" Cao Qian asked when she saw Yan Hebi squatting on the ground in frustration.
"When I found the city residents, they were fighting among themselves to eliminate the spies," Yan Hebi said. "Lu Mingze's previous charting method helped them find the liars. Some people had clearly done evil but claimed not to have. But once the statistical chart was released, the degree of demonization exposed their lies. The residents tied these people up and said they would wait until the prince eliminated the demons and then hand them over to the prince for fair punishment."
"That's great, isn't it?" Cao Qian said.
Yan Hebi hugged his knees sullenly: "That's true, but I always feel like I'm not playing the same game as you guys."
"That's not important," Cao Qian said, taking the Ocean Blue Eye from Yan Hebi's hand. "As long as it's legal and reasonable, the means don't matter. The important thing is that you completed the mission."
She handed the beautiful jewel eyes to Yuna, who was turning darker. "Sunset is half an hour away. I hope you can restore the statue to a semblance of normalcy within that time. Even if it's shoddy work, it doesn't matter. Can you do it?"
Yuna didn't respond.
Qian Jinlai whispered in her ear, "You can actually wait until tomorrow, but the later you finish, the less time you'll have with the City Lord."
"I can definitely finish the task within half an hour. Some of the workmanship may not be very delicate, but I can fix it slowly!" Yuna stood up and said simply.
"Very good." Cao Qian smiled at Qian Jinlai, "It seems your melodramatic writing was not in vain."
"It's mutual. Your novel with a heroine as the main character also gave me some inspiration." Qian Jinlai smiled at Cao Qian.
The two book lovers who sought common ground while reserving their differences held each other's hands and reached a temporary agreement.
Yuna quickly repaired the statue and put on freshly washed combat boots for the statue one minute before dusk. Cao Qian carried the golden statue to the center of the church and placed it on the seal left by the bishop.
Lu Mingze held the statue's hand and said, "I'm handing my body over to you. You must keep your promise and return it to me after you've eliminated the demon."
The statue said, "That's not necessarily true."
"I believe you," Lu Mingze said seriously. "Human nature is complex, but you are different. You embody all of humanity's best wishes. You are willing to dedicate yourself to the residents of this town. Even if you lose your way for a moment, you won't be lost."
"What if I wanted to take over your body?" the statue asked.
"They said they would help me." Lu Mingze pointed to his teammates standing behind him.
The statue's gaze fell on the pink-haired girl who could wield the holy sword, and it sighed softly, "You have a group of good friends."
Lu Mingze picked up the mirror that had been turned upside down, took a look, and couldn't help but sigh, "I look so good."
statue:"..."
He had seen it once before, this was the second time.
After praising his face, Lu Mingze put down the mirror and picked it up for the third time at the moment of dusk.
The moment Lu Mingze saw the mirror, his body froze for a moment. After coming back to his senses, he said to the mirror, "It seems to be quite good-looking."
This time, it was no longer Lu Mingze who controlled the body, but the statue. Lu Mingze's consciousness entered the statue, and a pair of eyes carved from blue gemstones now had a hint of spiritual color.
At the moment the two of them switched bodies, Cao Qian picked up the holy sword in the statue's hand, jumped to the top of the church, and looked into the distance. She shouted to everyone, "Here we come!"
The City Lord's Mansion released a black aura that rose into the sky, which even ordinary people could see clearly.
Hooked!
Everyone had discussed whether the city lord would fall for such a simple and crude plan, as it was clearly a trap. It was the statue that gave them confidence, saying that those contaminated by demonic energy would have their desires infinitely magnified according to the degree of contamination, and their rationality suppressed.
The city lord has been patient for 20 years. Now he finally has the opportunity to devour the divinity. It is also at dusk, and he will definitely fall into the trap.
I saw a black figure almost blending into the night, but flying towards the church at an extremely fast speed.
Cao Qian shouted, "I'll hold on, you guys speed up!"
As soon as she finished speaking, the city lord flew in front of her. The city lord's mansion was about 2 kilometers away from the church. It would take several minutes to drive 2,000 meters, but the city lord arrived in an instant. His speed was terrifying!
But Cao Qian was not bad either. She swung her holy sword and blocked the city lord's sharp claws with one sword.
Cao Qian now had a clear view of the City Lord's appearance. His black bone wings, when unfurled, measured seventeen or eighteen meters, and his entire body was a full forty meters long. He was devoid of flesh and blood, merely bones enveloped in black mist. Two green spots shone from his head where his eyes should have been.
"Ugly enough," Cao Qian sneered, "Is it fun to make yourself look like this, Linlin?"
Following her voice, Swan Crystal Linlin started "doing nothing": "Gua gua, I have so many things I want to do, but I don't know where to start. Forget it, I'll just lie down for a while first."
As the swan crystal cried, the city lord gradually became dazed, and the two green lights that looked like eyes dimmed. He retracted his bone wings, not bothering to attack Cao Qian, and shrank into a ball of black mist, silently circling on the roof.
Cao Qian: "…"
She whispered to Linlin, "Well done!"
After controlling the city lord, Cao Qian jumped down the stairs with her sword in hand. She carried the body of the little prince possessed by the statue in one hand and Guan Ling in the other. She said to everyone, "I'm leaving now. I'll leave this place to you."
The wordless book held in Yan Hebi's hand said, "Go quickly and come back soon!"
Cao Qian nodded, carried the two of them on her back and rushed to the City Lord's Mansion.
Outside the city lord's mansion, a man in armor was walking back and forth with a "clacking sound", as if he was on patrol.
When he saw Cao Qian bringing Lu Mingze over, he ran over happily and said, "Haha, Prince, this body is so useful! Huh? You're not a prince."
"I am a statue," the statue said, "take us to the third underground floor of the City Lord's Mansion."
"It's not easy. The bandits on the underground floor have been awakened by a demonic ritual and are making trouble." said the armor.
Cao Qian swung the holy sword and said, "I'll kill them."
"That's not necessary," the armor laughed, "We are still here to protect the town!"
He raised his halberd and slammed it heavily on the ground. "Brothers, get up and get to work! Remember those bandits who were fighting and killing each other in the City Lord's Mansion? The prince had them captured and imprisoned underground, and they dared to escape. Beat them to death!"
The walls of the City Lord's Mansion began to shake violently, and the clock on the fourth floor began to ding.
"Just go downstairs without worry," said the armored man. "We'll clear the way."
"No need," Cao Qian raised her sword and knocked the halberd on her armor, "I can do it myself."
After saying that, she threw her sword downwards with force. The holy sword penetrated the ground, broke through three layers of ground, and inserted into the center of the summoning ritual!
"Crackling," the armor was so frightened that the iron shell began to tremble. The fear of being crushed made him almost kneel in front of Cao Qian, "Big sister, you are so awesome!"
"I'll leave the minions to you!"
After Cao Qian finished speaking, she took the statue Guan Ling and jumped directly into the ground through the hole pierced by the holy sword.
Their mission is to destroy the summoning ceremony. Once the ceremony disappears, the city lord will lose his support.
"Blood can only be cleansed with blood," the statue said, looking at the blood-stained lines on the ground from the summoning ritual. "The little prince's body appeared in response to prayer, and his blood has the power to exorcise demons. But it will require a lot of blood. Even if I am willing to return the body, he might die from excessive blood loss. Are you sure you want to do this?"
Guan Ling rolled up his sleeves and said, "Just hurry up and bleed him. Leave the injuries to me. Speed up, I don't have much time. Cao Qian can add time, but I can't!"
Before Lu Mingze swapped bodies with the statue, he snapped Cao Qian's bracelet and extended her time for another day. Cao Qian's bracelet had three notches, allowing her to stay in the world for three days, but Guan Ling only had one, meaning he would return to the real world after a while.
With Guan Ling's guarantee, Cao Qian did not hesitate. With a flash of cold light in her palm, she used the surgical scalpel prepared for her by Xing Ye to cut all the blood vessels in the hands and feet of the statue. Blood quickly flowed out along the lines of the summoning ceremony, covering the bloodstains left by the eight sacrifices and the city lord.
Half an hour later, the bloodstains were completely covered, and the statue lay weakly on the ground, saying helplessly: "The human body is so fragile, it hurts so much."
"Don't worry, I'm here." Guan Ling placed his hand on the statue and cast the final "Broken Mirror Reconciliation" technique. In an instant, the statue's injuries were restored to their original state.
"How amazing!" The statue looked at its wrist that had recovered as before and looked at Guan Ling with emotion.
"Well, it's not a skill I gained through any good thing." Guan Ling said a little embarrassedly.
He said to Cao Qian, "Sister Cao, I'll leave it to you from now on. I'll be waiting for your good news in the real world."
"You will remember us." Cao Qian promised.
As soon as she finished speaking, Guan Ling disappeared.
The black energy from the blood-washed summoning ritual gradually dissipated. Cao Qian went upstairs carrying the holy sword and saw a group of people using sofas, chairs and tables to beat up the bandits who were trying to escape. Armor was helping them to clear the way. Upon seeing Cao Qian coming up, he immediately flattered her, "Sister, the prisoners are making a lot of noise. Many of them wanted to rush to the church, but just now, they suddenly weakened and we successfully suppressed them!"
Seeing the clock that had slid down from the fourth floor was about to pull out the tongue of a thief, Cao Qian pretended not to see it and shifted her gaze, saying to the armor, "Take it easy. We can't resort to lynching."
"Yes!" Armor saluted Cao Qian.
After dealing with things here, Cao Qian took the statue back to the church, not knowing how the battle was going on the other side.
The statue looked at the armor and other monsters and chuckled, "I am no match for the little prince. He is more suitable to be the son of God than I am. It is his divinity that the city lord wants to obtain."
Cao Qian said, "But it's you who's protecting this city. Everyone feels inferior to others, but that's no reason to feel inferior or depressed. Find ways to make up for your shortcomings through learning."
"...I am not human." said the statue.
"But you have some humanity," Cao Qian said. "No one is born perfect, and you are no exception. Lu Mingze will return with us sooner or later. Then you will be the one to manage the city and continue to be the spiritual pillar of the people. Take this opportunity to learn more."
She quickly rushed to the church and saw that the city lord was being beaten by several people.
statue:"..."
Isn't this that powerful demon? How did he get beaten like this?
Qian Jinlai was tired from fighting, and when he saw Cao Qian rushing back, he came over and said, "Xixi, that wordless book is so powerful. I feel like I'm going through the Novice Village with maxed-out equipment."
It turned out that after Cao Qian left, Xing Ye started to move big.
His intimacy with Lu Mingze had reached 80, allowing Xing Ye to use the "Repainting Pen." He used "Requiem" on the left and "Fire Circle" on the right, alternating between "Ghost Wall" and "Hypnosis," beating the city lord to the point where he was unable to resist.
When Cao Qian and the statue destroyed the summoning ceremony, the city lord lost his magic support and could no longer defeat Xing Ye.
Xing Ye took the opportunity to command Yan Hebi, Qian Jinlai and Yuna to press the city lord to the center of the bishop's barrier and draw the "light barrier" that Lu Mingze had obtained in the church before.
The "Light Barrier" is most effective when used at dawn, and it is very rare when Lu Mingze uses it.
But in Xing Ye's eyes, he was just a QR code printing machine, not feeling any pity at all. With the support of Lu Mingze's 15 million points, he released dozens of light barriers in one breath, directly beating the city lord back to his original form.
The bone wings disappeared and he turned back into a human. He was 185cm tall and quite handsome.
At this time, Qian Jinlai and others were tired of fighting, and only Yuna was left, still crying and punching the city lord's chest with her little fists.
The church was illuminated by the "light barrier" as if it were daytime, so bright that it was dazzling, attracting countless residents in the dark to come and watch.
"You are so awesome..." Cao Qian murmured.
Wu Zi Shu glanced at the pitiful City Lord lying on the ground and said, "I am the ultimate winner of the game. My opponent has always been the system. The boss in the game has never been my target."
Although he didn't say it explicitly, his words and actions revealed the meaning of "killing a chicken with a butcher knife".
Cao Qian: "You deserve a beating..."
Yan Hebi: "So handsome..."
Cao Qian and Yan Hebi exchanged glances, and Yan Hebi immediately said sternly, "Too arrogant! You're practically looking down on us!"
Cao Qian, who saw through everything, turned around silently without saying a word.
The Wordless Book said to the statue, "It's all over now. You can change back to your body."
His tone was very polite, but it contained a hint of "I'll kill you if you dare to go back on your word."
Xing Ye was actually very angry. Lu Mingze had been trapped in the mirror, and now he was trapped in the statue for everyone's memory. He wanted to end this state as soon as possible.
"Don't worry, I won't break my promise to him."
The statue then took up the mirror and looked at it three times. The third time he said to the mirror, "You are really beautiful."
As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Mingze returned to his body. Lu Mingze put down the mirror, happily hugged the statue and said, "You too!"
On the other side, Qian Jinlai pulled Yuna up from where she was lying on the city lord and said to her, "Don't rush over. Let's get down to business first and repair the statue. That sword is almost broken."
The wordless inscription reads: "Restore the statue before dawn and you will be granted the power to rule over criminals."
After hearing this, Yuna rushed to the statue as if she had been injected with chicken blood and began to repair it with a "ding ding dang dong" sound.
The golden armor she had put on before was a shoddy project. The system's task progress was 0.81. When the body was not fully repaired, even if Lu Mingze entered the statue, the task would not be considered completed and the game would not end forcibly.
While Yuna was repairing the statue, Xing Ye was also busy. He asked Lu Mingze to show the statue some of his policies on town management and criminal punishment, and said, "Memorize them quickly. You'll definitely need them later."
statue:"..."
He really is just a statue!
Both humans and the little prince had too high expectations of him.
Before dawn, the statue was restored and the task progress in Lu Mingze's bracelet was 5.16, but the diamond heart had not been found yet.
Qian Jinlai's time limit had also expired. Before she disappeared, she said, "If I forget about you after returning to the real world, our relationship will definitely be very bad in the future."
She also said to Wu Zi Shu, "I've memorized everyone's phone numbers. Let's have dinner together in the real world!"
After saying this, Qian Jinlai also went back.
Cao Qian and Yan Hebi were left alone. Wu Zi Shu said to Cao Qian, "Be the cornerstone again."
Cao Qian asked, "What are you going to do?"
"Recreate the Diamond Heart." The wordless calligraphy said.
Cao Qian carried the statue as he instructed, and Wu Zi Shu cast the "Light Barrier" again. Bathed in the holy light, facing the first ray of light, the complete statue appeared on the roof of the church.
The residents gathered outside the church saw their Son of God. Under the holiness, they hugged their heads and cried, and God forgave them.
In reality, there are no gods in the world; it is they who forgive themselves. The weeping people are purified by the "Light Barrier," and traces of demonic influence on their bodies disappear, and time in the town begins to flow again.
Amid people's prayers, the diamond heart progress bar on Lu Mingze's bracelet was also rising rapidly.
"What's going on?" Lu Mingze asked.
"There are no gods or demons in this world. Both exist in the thoughts of man," the wordless book said. "When people once again believe in hope and are willing to believe in the Son of God, the statue will be imbued with divinity again and once again possess a heart of diamond."
"My mission is to rebuild the city, but in the end I have been looking for things to repair the statue." Lu Mingze said curiously.
Cao Qian feels this deeply. She said, "No matter how much money is spent on the development of a spiritually decadent city, it will not awaken the spirit of its people. But a city full of hope, even if its infrastructure is in ruins and it is still a long way from achieving a moderately prosperous life, has a soul. When its residents forgive themselves and decide to embrace tomorrow, the town has been saved."
Sure enough, as soon as Cao Qian, who had a statue on her head, finished speaking, the progress bar in Lu Mingze's bracelet was full.
The narrator's voice sounded: "Congratulations to player Lu Mingze for completing the additional task. You and your companions will obtain lost memories. However, please remember not to mention anything about the system in real life, otherwise you will be punished."
Accompanied by the voice of narration, Lu Mingze found himself being decomposed again. When he was reassembled, he was back in his bedroom.
Memories flooded into his mind like a tide, and Lu Mingze was so excited that tears were about to come out.
His first thought was to call Xing Ye. He wanted to tell Xing Ye that he remembered it and they could discuss and learn together on the road of love!
Lu Mingze picked up the phone with a mirrored case and dialed the phone number Xing Ye told them in the game world, but it was busy!
Who called before him?
Lu Mingze sat on the bed angrily, wanting to hear Xing Ye speak especially. At this moment, he seemed to have a mysterious feeling in his heart, which made him run out of the room without wearing shoes. Regardless of his mother's shouting behind him, he rushed into the yard and rushed out of the gate in one breath.
There was a car parked outside the door and a man was standing next to the car, talking on the phone.
Lu Mingze ran up to the man barefoot and asked unhappily, "Whose call are you answering? Why is the line always busy?"
Xing Ye placed the phone in front of Lu Mingze and said softly, "I'm calling you too, but the line is busy."
Lu Mingze burst out laughing, opened his arms and hugged Xing Ye. He whispered, "I'm back. Sorry to have kept you waiting."
"Soon," Xing Ye's voice was a little hoarse, "I'm willing to wait a lifetime."
"I couldn't bear to let you wait, so I ran down." Lu Mingze said.
"You haven't put on your shoes yet." Xing Ye looked at his feet and said, "Be careful not to catch a cold."
"Then carry me back to the room and help me put on my shoes." Lu Mingze jumped onto Xing Ye's back and put his face on his shoulder.
It's great that he still remembers this person.