Mystery Paradise: Wishing Power Demon

Chaoyang was unable to see this scene; he had ventured into the Underground Palace to detonate the bomb specifically to prevent the Divine Country from contaminating it, and now this goal had been achieved—In the instant that light comparable to the sun burst forth, his body was vaporized, followed by the fleshly web and the soil beneath him, as well as the hundreds of war machines that emerged from their egg sacs to defend the God of All Machines.

Most of the energy released by the annihilation was converted into light and heat, with the epicenter reaching instantaneous temperatures of over a hundred million degrees. This extreme heat caused the air to expand violently, ultimately leading to an enormous explosion!

With a thunderous roar that shook the heavens and the earth, the foundations of the entire Royal City were overturned, streets, shops, residential buildings... every construction was sent flying into the sky as the ground rapidly bulged upwards. Melting rock and soil became scarlet magma, spewing out from the cracks in the ruptured earth, like a living fire melting the city.

This spouting flame then stirred up even more smoke and dust, a massive black cloud rose from the ground, piercing the heavens, and eventually formed a giant smoke pillar tens of kilometers high.

Beneath the smoke column, a large crater had formed, big enough to encompass the Inner City District!

The Mechanical Birds that were originally circling above the city now fell like raindrops, blending with the lava lake inside the pit.

The fire ignited by the explosion burned for three full days before it was extinguished, followed by two days of black rain. Massive amounts of soot fell with the rain, soaking the hot ground inch by inch.

It was not until the fifth day that the area of the Royal City finally returned to complete tranquility.

But the Shengxia that had thrived for over a century no longer existed; all wooden houses were reduced to ashes that became fertile soil, bricks and mortar buildings had all collapsed, with hardly any left standing in the aftermath of the subterranean explosion. Only some rocky city walls in the Outer City District stood lopsided, bearing witness to the former scale of the city.

The first to step foot in the ruins were villagers who lived in the distant suburbs. Since the detonation was subterranean, the shockwave had not reached the countryside outside the Royal City. These people cautiously entered the charred city district, looking to see if they could find any treasures left behind. As they approached the Inner City, they were astonished to find the ground here was mixed with a large amount of crystals, refracting dazzling light under the sun.

It was even more pronounced around the crater, where almost the entire crater wall appeared to be made of glass, and the color purer, almost a uniform dark green.

This was the unique terrain formed by the high-temperature melting of sand and soil which then re-solidified and cooled.

The villagers did not understand this, they only knew that in the face of such a staggering explosion, it was impossible for anyone to have survived.

In other words, if they could find treasures, they would definitely belong to themselves.

"Brother, what counts as a treasure?"

"Gold, do I even need to teach you that? Real gold doesn’t fear fire!"

"You guys look below; this place used to be the palace, there must be plenty of good stuff."

Such conversations rippled among the villagers.

Just as they were about to gleefully plunder, a mound of earth suddenly moved beside the great pit.

The clumped earth chunks clattered down, revealing a charred stone door.

Then, the door was slowly pushed open with a dull, grinding noise.

The people looked at one another in terror. It was impossible for a person to have survived the dreadful explosion and fire—so what could still be moving? If not a machine, then a monster! They made their decision in less than a second, screaming as they scrambled away from the edge of the pit. After all, life was slightly more important than wealth.

The villagers did not see the slender figure that walked out from behind the door.

"The palace... it has turned into this..." Bifei murmured as she looked at the pitch-black land.

"Sad?" That gentle voice followed like a shadow.

She thought for a moment, shook her head slightly, "I may have grown up here, but I never felt that I had to be trapped in the palace for my whole life. Besides... you didn’t protect those enemies, did you?"

"Correct."

"Then... they are all dead." Bifei crouched down, scooped up a handful of black soil interspersed with colorful glass that seemed like the souls of enemies, "Is this your plan, Miss Clara?"

"This way is the most expedient... because your enemies are not just the Longjiu Family; there are those nobles who would be opportunists, even the servants of the Laurel Family. Now... your patience has been rewarded."

Bifei nodded, closed her eyes in relief, "Thank you."

As if praying to someone, she paused before speaking softly again, "Actually, your name isn’t Clara, right?"

The other party did not respond for the first time.

"Because I am also a member of the Laurel Family, Miss Clara abandoned the entire family, so there’s no reason she would still care for me alone. But it’s okay, as long as you wish, I will continue to call you that... because at the most desperate time, only you answered my prayer."

"You’ve grown a lot."

"Without your help, I couldn’t have made it this far," Bifei smiled and sprinkled the handful of dark soil into the pit. "But now, my purpose has also been fulfilled."

"No, you’ve only taken the first step," a woman’s phantom image appeared before her, speaking to her with a voice for the first time, "Didn’t I tell you? The Longjiu Family is only your shackle, and you will eventually receive everything I’ve promised you—you will become the new Queen."

...

Earth.

One week after the robot rebellion had been quelled.

Chaoyang leaned against the living room window, gazing at the robot cleaner in the neighborhood lawn leading a dog on a leash in circles while children ran alongside the dog, creating a lively scene.

The rebellion had been quelled, but the world had been forever changed.

The war machines incubated by the God of All Machines all became scrap metal, but the local machines that were infected did not revert to their original forms. The term "machine souls" has now become the most discussed topic on the internet; news of a washing machine striking work or residents smashing machines in protest against the campaign that machines are sentient beings could be seen every day.

Chaoyang could easily distinguish these "awakened" machines through the Cyber Eye—although they were also connected to the network, in the cybernetic vision, they appeared as elusive black boxes, indicating that his ability to invade or control them was no longer as effortless.

From this perspective, they did indeed qualify as another form of life.

Perhaps Kosmos’s wish had still been fulfilled.

When it fell, all machines gained their freedom.

As for what human society will look like in the future or whether it can coexist smoothly with these machines that now possessed machine souls, no one knew the answer. Everyone always discussed what the future would look like, and now the future had indeed arrived.

"Dinner’s ready!"

"Coming, coming, I’m so hungry!"

"Wow... Ailuodi made such a lavish lunch? It feels even better than Luowei Siya’s cooking!"

"Be careful or I’ll give you a beating."

Chaoyang turned around and saw Angel waving at him. Her smile was just as lively and charming, and she looked very cute wearing a kitchen apron.

This was Ailuodi’s first proper visit to Chu City as a tourist.

"Sorry to trouble you, I really should have taken you to a restaurant..."

"Oh, what does it matter? I’ve always enjoyed cooking... and I took a long leave from Skeleton Hand this time, so if there’s anything tasty, you can take me along later," she said.

"Okay," Chaoyang smiled as he sat down at the dining table, "consider it a rehearsal for the days to come."

After saying this, he saw Ailuodi’s cheeks blush rapidly in a visually discernible way.

However, just as Angel seemed to want to forcefully explain a couple of things, the phone in his pocket rang.

She picked up the phone, her eyebrows slightly raised, her expression quickly becoming calm. Then she turned to Chaoyang, "It’s Mr. K. He’s found the Demon’s whereabouts."

"Why does it have to be at this time?" Chaoyang couldn’t help complaining.

He knew Ailuodi would certainly not ignore important matters.

The discovery of Sussas’s trail also meant Angel could pursue him to his world through his aura—although they didn’t know what awaited them there, it surely wouldn’t be a peaceful trip.

"He needs to be held accountable for the hundreds of thousands of casualties all over Earth," Ailuodi stated righteously. "Travel can be postponed. If we can’t arrest him soon, I suspect he’ll plan something earth-shattering again."

"Fine, fine, since we can use Paradise World as a springboard, it’ll only take a minute to get to K’s estate," Chaoyang said helplessly. "We’ll set off after eating."

"Understood!" Leisk and Luowei Siya said in unison.

"I knew you wouldn’t stand by idly." Ailuodi gave him a slight smile, then mouthed, "Thank you... I’m counting on you for the days ahead."

The end.