Chapter 10: Methods for Dealing with Identity Exposure

Time couldn't be wasted anymore.

Zhou Baiyu decisively picked up the comb and walked towards Midel's room.

Standing before the exquisite and lavish door, Zhou Baiyu knocked.

"What do you want, lowly human?"

Midel's voice lacked the sense of dignity it once had, instead becoming somewhat languid.

Without waiting for Zhou Baiyu to reply, she continued.

"Come in."

This emotional change indeed gave Zhou Baiyu a great sense of accomplishment.

Of course, at this moment, he needed to complete his task.

This was the last night, and perhaps because of the impending separation, he actually found Midel somewhat beautiful.

Midel was wearing the black deep V backless gown suitable for bedtime that Zhou Baiyu had described.

The enchanting demon's power lies in charm, and its combat ability wasn't particularly strong amongst many monsters.

However, it seemed that Midel had never used this ability on Zhou Baiyu.

Becuase Zhou Baiyu's role was that of an attendant. Attendants were meant to be without consciousness.

But Midel had gradually become aware of Zhou Baiyu's uniqueness.

This human.

Compared to the other attendants, he seemed far too special.

"You look very beautiful tonight."

"Is that what you came to say?" Midel's eyes began to grow complex.

"Of course not, I've thought of a new hairstyle. In the human world, twin tails signify the prestige of status, and I just happen to know how to arrange it. I'm eager to try it and want to see you at your most beautiful..."

Zhou Baiyu mustered his courage, for he had done this often enough these past few days, and even though the timing was odd, it wouldn't anger Midel.

"So, I'd like to comb your hair."

"Oh, that is quite interesting, agreed, weak human."

Midel briskly consented, and things were going so smoothly that Zhou Baiyu felt something was amiss.

But upon reflection, his efforts over the past seven days had made it not difficult to get the enchanting demon leader to agree to a small request.

Especially since it was just to comb her hair.

So Midel rose slowly from her bed full of Crystal Stones, hooked her finger, and gestured for Zhou Baiyu to come closer.

Every movement was filled with charm.

Zhou Baiyu even felt... his blood surging.

But even if he realized something was off now, attempting to leave would only make him appear more peculiar.

"Something feels wrong… but the more this is the case, the more I need to stay calm."

As if silently contending with Midel, Zhou Baiyu displayed the standard "servile" smile, lowly, devout.

He approached Midel, and the delicate fragrance that emanated from her seemed particularly stirring today.

Yet, he maintained a composed demeanor, lifting Midel's silvery hair and began to comb it gently.

The moment the comb touched her silver hair, Midel suddenly spoke.

"Pioneer, have you enjoyed these days?"

This question struck Zhou Baiyu like thunder at midnight, making him shudder.

On one hand, Midel mentioned the term "Pioneer." This meant... his identity had been exposed.

He suddenly realized... Midel was not as simple as he had imagined.

Perhaps the update announcement about making enchanting demons more like humans... was truly about completely replacing humans with enchanting demons.

On the other hand, as the comb touched Midel's long hair, a stream of memories flooded into Zhou Baiyu's mind.

If he looked carefully at the comb in his hand, he would see that the durability had become 1/2.

And the status changed to non-alterable.

But Zhou Baiyu had no inclination to notice these details, his mind preoccupied with how to deal with Midel while assimilating the memories—

The Enchanting Demon Empress Reina, an advocate of the faction intent on human extinction, her breathtakingly beautiful face filled with disdain for Midel:

"You want to learn from a species that is about to be extinguished? Midel, you truly disappoint me."

"You've seen it as well, the Corruption Gu, once it enters the human body, how splendidly humans bloom. The coming of humanity's end, stems from human traits themselves."

"The great God of Corruption created the Corruption Gu, which can only bear fruit on human beings. The sole value of humanity lies in being the soil to welcome it."

"And for the hatching of a god, enough soil is needed. Your thoughts are hindering the coming of the truth! I command you, be gone to Linxiang City, you do not deserve to stay here."

This was a conversation between the noble Midel and Empress Reina.

Midel merely glared at Reina with hatred, but in the end, knelt and accepted her exile.

Thus, Midel arrived at Linxiang City, where the level of corruption was only A-rank.

If she couldn't unite with the monsters of other races and elevate the corruption level of Linxiang City to S-rank, she would never be able to return to her homeland.

But that would require continuously implanting the Corruption Gu in humans.

Zhou Baiyu was puzzled, what exactly was the Corruption Gu?

It sounded like the coming of the end of the world wasn't just about a monster invasion?

On reflection, the information he had collected also mentioned people who weren't fighting monsters, but rather some rules that sounded very weird and supernatural.

Could this be related to the Corruption Gu?

The advent of humanity's doomsday, originating from human characteristics themselves—how should one interpret this phrase?

Zhou Baiyu's mind was full of doubts, yet at the moment, he didn't even have the time to ponder further.

For he had to deal with something—Midel's awareness.

It was not surprising that Midel knew of the presence of pioneers.

This was version 2.21 after all. If it were version 1.01, the monsters might have been surprised, wondering where these humans had come from.

But having reached version 2.21 and countless deaths later, the monsters must have long been clear that humans had some way of traversing versions.

Among those loves swaying in the wind outside, some were pioneers.

So Midel definitely knew about the pioneers.

The current problem was how to respond to Midel's acknowledgment.

Deny? Admit?

Faced with a life-or-death choice, Zhou Baiyu also grew tense.

The orator trait and the sixth sense player were burning fiercely at this moment, and soon, Zhou Baiyu had a plan in mind.

He gave a mournful smile, followed by a helpless sigh,

"Midel, just kill me. I am willing to die by your hand."

"Oh?"

Midel's beautiful brows furrowed slightly.

"You're not going to try to defend yourself?"

"There's nothing to defend; since you already know I'm a pioneer, you should guess that at a certain time, I'll return to another world," Zhou Baiyu actually knew very little about pioneers.

But his tone made him sound like a seasoned pioneer.

Midel sneered,

"Do you think you still have the chance to go back?"

"No, from the moment I saw you, I actually never thought of going back."

Zhou Baiyu appeared as if he had given up on life, speaking with a resigned tone as if speaking well on his deathbed,

"Even if I were to go back now, I would just be living like a walking corpse. To die here, perhaps like those corpses hanging outside, exposed to the wind, sun, and rain, and then slowly rotting away, would fit my current state of mind better."

"I will be going back in three hours. I've struggled for a long time, thinking that if I just stay silent for these three hours, I would be able to leave smoothly."

Indeed, it was so. Although Midel suspected Zhou Baiyu to be a pioneer,

If Zhou Baiyu hadn't gone to Midel's room, offering to brush her hair in the dead of night, Midel might not have brought it up, opting instead to observe for a while.

"Then why did you come in here, had you had enough of life?"

The sadness on Zhou Baiyu's face was so real:

"Being a pioneer, once I disappear tomorrow, you'll know I am one. By then, you'll think I betrayed you and ran away."

"Just thinking that you would despise and hate me tears me up inside."

"Those Enchanting Demons will secretly gloat, won't they? They will mock you in the shadows for letting me, a pioneer, get away, won't they?"

"Thinking about that scene, I just don't want to leave."

Zhou Baiyu picked up the comb again, preparing to obtain the second piece of information.

At the same time, he embodied the phrase 'bewitching charm with a handsome face' to the fullest, saying affectionately,

"Midel, please forgive my overstepping, but I have fallen in love with you."