"Actually, I knew you couldn't escape this time. We came all this way just for you."

Zhou Ze looked at the shadow and lit another cigarette.

"Whether from his perspective or mine, letting you go isn't realistic, and we can't make that choice.

It's not about right or wrong, but about what we need, and you are what we need.

But I can promise you one thing:

If there's a chance,

I can give you an opportunity,

A chance to start over.

You have a soul imprint deep within my soul—no, within *his* soul. Every time after entering, that soul imprint seems to be recharged, able to jump around a few times."

"I didn't even trust him back then. Why would I trust you?"

The shadow retorted directly.

"I was just saying it casually. Actually, I myself don't believe I can fulfill this promise. We'll see when the time comes."

"What's the point of saying all this nonsense?"

"At least, it reduces my guilt a tiny bit when I swallow you. After all, you just helped me. But as you said, the meat rots in our own pot. I think that's pretty good."

"That, I believe. Your promise, I still don't."

"Mm." Zhou Ze nodded.

The shadow began to slowly melt,

Transforming into a pool of liquid floating in the air.

At the same time,

It shouted:

"Open your mouth..."

Zhou Ze opened his mouth.

The shadow entered.

It didn't feel like drinking water.

This feeling,

Was like taking a puff of smoke.

Except this puff couldn't be exhaled.

It made Boss Zhou choke,

And start coughing and gagging.

"Boss..."

Yingying gently patted Zhou Ze's back.

After a long while,

Zhou Ze finally recovered,

Shook his head,

And said:

"I'm fine, I'm fine."

Now that that one had entered, Zhou Ze also believed that he would dissipate his own consciousness. He knew that Tie Hanhan (Iron Dummy) and Taishan were guarding him within his body right now; there was no way Half-Face could play any tricks of secretly crossing over.

A primary target and a suddenly appearing big target were both resolved.

Next,

Zhou Ze turned his gaze to the corner of the wall in the distance.

The little boy walked over, dragging Garfield with him.

"Thump!"

Garfield was thrown in front of Zhou Ze by the little boy.

One of its legs,

Was clearly broken.

It was now whimpering on the ground, its watery eyes twinkling at Zhou Ze.

It knew

Its life and death

Were in the hands of the man before it.

It even

Felt like it was really at the end of its rope.

It had just been beaten up not long ago, and yet it still rebelled.

It hadn't even switched sides for long before its boss was suppressed.

The stupid sable was also suffering inside.

Zhou Ze raised his foot.

The sable's eyes were full of despair.

It was probably chanting the Rebirth Mantra for itself in its heart, if it knew how.

"Bang!"

Zhou Ze kicked the sable away, sending it flying in front of the little boy, who grabbed it.

"It's yours. You can kill it and stew it."

The little boy nodded.

Earlier, he had taken it upon himself to break one of the sable's legs first, which was also a gesture of pleading.

A leg could be healed with care, but a life, once lost, could never be recovered.

Zhou Ze always liked to throw out unstable factors.

It was like the sense of security that a bomb wouldn't explode on you if you threw it next to someone else.

For example, when he threw the Yin-Yang Scroll to the monkey as a toy, and now he kicked the sable to the little boy to raise.

He was reluctant to throw it away, but too lazy to use it, afraid of pricking his own hand.

This hot potato should be digested internally.

"Let's go. It's all over."

Zhou Ze and Yingying supported each other as they walked into the tunnel.

Behind them,

The little boy wrapped the sable's tail around his neck, as if he was wearing a sable scarf. At the same time, Lawyer An was carried on his shoulders.

The group didn't stay in the swamp for long after they came out. They directly crossed the mountain and arrived at the parking spot on the mountain col.

Lawyer An's Wuling Hongguang minivan was crammed with people, with several others placed outside. Fortunately, they were all quite sturdy and didn't freeze to death from the mountain wind.

Zhou Ze sighed helplessly,

Pointed to the little boy behind him and said:

"Find a basin of cold water and wake him up.

Have him deliver these packages first."

"............" Lawyer An, in a coma.

........................

After all the to-ing and fro-ing, it was almost dawn when they got off Qingcheng Mountain and checked into a hotel. After entering the room, Zhou Ze took a shower, and then, without even bothering to eat, he went straight to bed.

Yingying also hurried to take a shower, dried herself, and slipped into the quilt. Without her, the boss couldn't sleep.

It wasn't until noon the next day that

Zhou Ze woke up.

To be honest, he didn't sleep well last night. There was always a "buzzing" sound in his head, and he kept dreaming of scenes.

This should be the aftereffect of overlapping memories and experiences. He didn't know how long this situation would last. It really affected his usually highly valued sleep quality.

Boss Zhou was a little regretful. Why was he so greedy? Yesterday, he could have just let Tie Hanhan (Iron Dummy) swallow Half-Face and be done with it.

But complaining about it made him feel like he was trying to get an advantage after already getting one.

Pushing open the hotel window,

In the distance, there was a misty mountain range, giving people a quiet and long-lasting artistic conception.

This small city on the edge of Rong City was, to some extent, more livable than Rong City.

It's just that many, many people still poured into this human meat grinder called "big city" for the sake of so-called opportunities, so-called children's education, so-called face, etc., smiling and shedding tears.

Yesterday, Tie Hanhan (Iron Dummy) said he was logging off and logged off. Zhou Ze was too embarrassed to ask,

Were you really pretending not to recognize the hanba (drought demon) or were you just showing off?

Perhaps,

It was both.

But to say that Tie Hanhan (Iron Dummy) didn't sense the approach of the hanba (drought demon) was probably impossible.

He hadn't been able to detect it, and neither had Lawyer An, but how could Tie Hanhan (Iron Dummy) not have noticed it?

However, Zhou Ze didn't think the hanba (drought demon) was pitiful. He didn't have the right or the position to pity others. It was like Chinese people during the Anti-Japanese War pitying the poor lives of people on the island nation.

Were they sick?

If Tie Hanhan (Iron Dummy) hadn't taken action in the end, Yingying would have become a hanba (drought demon) now.

Huff...

He took a deep breath,

And then exhaled heavily.

This trip to Rong City could be considered to have come to an end.

He and Yingying had both gained great benefits. It should be considered a great harvest.

Next,

Zhou Ze wasn't in a hurry to go back.

He hadn't had a good time when he came to Rong City last time.

This time, he could take a good look around.

Experience just how compatible he was with this city known for its leisure.

"Boss, you're awake."

Yingying covered her forehead and sat up from the bed. She seemed a little dazed, with a sleepy look.

Zhou Ze turned back in surprise, looked at Yingying, and asked:

"You fell asleep?"

"Huh? Huh! Huh!!! Ah!"

Yingying actually exclaimed.

"I actually fell asleep!"

........................

At noon, they ate noodles at a noodle restaurant outside. Yingying sat next to Zhou Ze, resting her chin in her hands.

The maid had a solemn expression, as if she was thinking about something very important.

Boss Zhou ordered red soup noodles. How could he put it? After getting used to Xu Qinglang's cooking, the food made by outside restaurants could only be called barely edible.

Fortunately, he had gotten through the days of relying on vinegar, chili peppers, and sour plum juice to eat his meals, so he wasn't so picky. He just needed to eat his fill.

He put down his chopsticks, took a sip of Weiyi soy milk,

And looked at Yingying, who was staring blankly and pondering. Zhou Ze smiled and said:

"What are you spacing out about? It's just a nap. What's the big deal? Maybe you'll even have to eat food in a while."

Yingying's body was indeed undergoing changes, especially after receiving the "gift" from the hanba (drought demon) this time. Perhaps this change would be accelerated because of it.

He remembered that Yingying seemed to have said last time,

That she below,

Wasn't so cold anymore?

Hehe...

Yingying shook her head and said very seriously:

"Boss, I'm not worried about that."

"Then what are you worried about?"

Zhou Ze thought that Yingying was troubled by the changes in her body. After all, whether good or bad, after getting used to something, it would be very uncomfortable to have that thing change again.

Especially since it was her own body that was changing.

"Boss, I was thinking, if my body is changing, can it change faster?"

"Huh?"

"If it changes slowly little by little like this, when will I be able to have a baby?"

"Pfft!"

Zhou Ze almost spat out the soy milk in his mouth.

"Boss, eat slowly, eat slowly."

Yingying quickly picked up a napkin from the table and wiped Zhou Ze's mouth.

"Yingying, there's no rush, no rush."

At this moment,

Zhou Ze's phone rang.

He picked up the phone and saw that it was a call from the pharmacy.

Because the year-end bonus was very generous this year, the pharmacy didn't close down for the New Year. Everyone was a local, so they just went back for a reunion dinner on New Year's Eve and then went back to work as usual.

Actually, in this day and age, work cohesion and employee solidarity were simple. Shouting slogans and talking about corporate culture were just empty talk.

If the money and benefits were good enough, everything would be fine.

"Boss, all the employees of our pharmacy wish you a Happy New Year!"

"Oh, Happy New Year, Happy New Year."

"By the way, Boss, that patient is awake. He still can't move, but he's determined to be discharged."

That patient?

Who was it?

Zhou Ze thought for a while,

Oh,

He remembered.

It was that battery named Gou (苟)!

Obviously, Fangfang had developed feelings for Gou Xin (苟薪). It wasn't that kind of simple feeling, but purely the feeling of an employee looking at a performance chart.

"Alright, as medical workers, we must respect the patient's own wishes. We can't make choices for him under the banner of doing what's best for him."

Zhou Ze seriously educated his employees.

"Understood, Boss."

Fangfang felt a little remorseful, feeling that she had indeed forgotten the professional ethics of a medical worker. Her boss was indeed more enlightened.

"Mm, remember, before he's discharged, notify Old Daoist (道) in advance to send him off."