I really didn't expect Agent Seven to be able to drink so much. There were already seven or eight empty bottles, and I was starting to feel drunk myself. The night was deep; we'd already carried Agent One and Sylvia Blue inside and let them sleep together.
The two of them were terribly drunk. I didn’t press Agent One for details about her situation, since it had nothing to do with what I planned to do next.
“You want to find all the Forsaken—what exactly are you planning?”
Agent Seven finally got to the point, and I chuckled.
“To build my own army. Is that how I should put it to you?”
Agent Seven let out an 'oh' and then nodded.
“And the goal?”
"To wake this dead world up for real, and in the end, let everything return to Endbringer."
Agent Seven immediately burst out laughing, then lowered his voice.
“Your journey sounds insane.”
I let out a sound, took a sip of my drink, and said.
“But my journey has only just begun. Maybe I used to hate everything about Ethan Zhang, thought he was childish.”
“And now?”
Agent Seven filled my glass, and I chuckled.
"Now I’m actually afraid of him. The possibilities he carries are terrifying. I used to think he wasn’t even worth fighting, that he never would be, as long as he clung to those naïve beliefs. But now my perspective has completely changed. The miracles happening in the Living World can only be called miracles. That willingness to die is the same as mine, so I can’t let my guard down. I need to respond even more forcefully, to crush everything he stands for. Our beliefs are different, but we’re headed for the same ending. One day, inevitably, he and I will have to kill each other. For that day, I need my own empire—and I’ll be its king. I’ll face Ethan Zhang, who is slowly becoming a king himself."
“If it’s you, I’d be willing to be one of your soldiers charging into battle. He probably feels the same. After all, we’re only here thanks to you.”
I shook my head.
“You shouldn’t thank me. If you’re grateful, thank those two instead. It’s only because their beliefs intertwined that the miracle happened. I just helped transmit that belief to you, that’s all. The rest was up to you.”
At that moment, the front door rattled. I smiled and walked over slowly; Agent Seven immediately followed.
With a creak, the door opened. Under the dim streetlight outside, a figure suddenly lunged in—dressed head-to-toe in black, hood pulled low, mask covering the face, only a pair of eyes showing, surrounded by skin crisscrossed with deep, ravine-like scars.
"Why did you come so late? I've already given you the signal, Yongjie Ma."
Yongjie Ma pulled down his hood and took off his mask, revealing a face as rough and uneven as dried mud. He chuckled, while 007 looked at him in surprise.
"Did you get that burn on your face from a fire?"
007 muttered a comment and I closed the main gate.
"Recently, I've been planning to build my own empire and I'm short on people. You were the first one I thought of, and sure enough, you came. The other four don't seem interested in what I want to do."
Yongjie Ma shook his head.
"I don't really know about that. The Old Freak is busy looking for his grandson Wang Jianhui, while Ma Feng has some matters to take care of. As for the guy from the Yanguan family, I don't want to talk about his mess. And Tunjiu is missing—maybe it has something to do with him and the Ghost Worm Monk successfully reincarnating."
I responded with a nod. The Five Freaks of Desire Forest—if they support me, I'll gain a powerful force, especially Yongjie Ma. I've never seen his true strength, but at least for now, I'm no match for him. His abilities should be above the Greenface from the Eternal Life Society.
"Are these the Forsaken you mentioned?"
Yongjie Ma sized up 007. I nodded, and then we entered the courtyard. Yongjie Ma sat down without ceremony, grabbed a pair of chopsticks, and started eating from the hotpot.