No one can maintain their peak state after taking two heavy hits. Even a serpent is no exception.
After being struck by two bolts of Heavenly Thunder, not only did its head ring, but its internal organs were thrown into a state of upheaval. Now, surrounded by seawater, the creature began to flee in blind panic.
The Old Speaker watched as it darted away with a *whoosh*, moving so fast that his own abilities could not keep pace.
After swimming past two blocks, the snake-man, driven by instinct, desperately dove into narrow alleys to hide. However, it overlooked its own massive body, which was far larger than a human’s; houses were crushed and shattered wherever it went.
Finally, it dove into a dead end and tore off a canopy, only to discover two unexpected faces.
“General Chu, why have you come here as well?”
“Hello, General. It is so hot today. Why don’t you come over here? It is much cooler.”
These were the two remaining councilors.
That was the reality of fleeing for one’s life — Zhou Tian, the quickest to react, was the first to die; Domo, who ran the farthest, was the second; whereas these two, who had the best luck and simply found a random place to hide, had managed to survive until now.
They simply had not expected the snake-man to arrive as well. He had not come to hunt them down, but was also fleeing for his life. Now, the two men and the serpent stood face-to-face, staring at one another.
The two councilors forced smiles onto their faces, their expressions stiff.
“Well, General, this is all actually a misunderstanding. We never intended to betray you.”
“Yes, yes, it was those two little girls who threatened us.”
“That is right, they forced us.”
“Those two little girls…”
The only answer they received was a hiss and a roar.
“Just give the order, and we will turn back immediately to kill them and capture them alive!”
“Yes, yes, just give the order!”
However, the only response they received was a peal of thunder.
*CRACK — !!!*
The third Heavenly Thunder descended in response. Xu Chuyao did not even know where she was aiming; she simply chose a random direction and closed her eyes.
This time, the snake-man, Chu Cang, could not hold on any longer. After three strikes of Heavenly Thunder had stacked, true destruction descended. The Power of Rules instantly destroyed his internal organs and the twisted soul upon the occipital scale.
The Old Speaker, having just waded through the seawater to catch up, saw a giant serpent staggering out of the alley. It did not advance far before its movements ceased. Its entire body rapidly stiffened, turning into sand from head to tail.
When the wind blew, it scattered.
As for those two foolish councilors, they, like Zhou Tian, were reduced to ashes by the lightning.
It was over, leaving behind only a messy, ruined alleyway.
The Old Speaker pressed his headset to report the result and heard the happy cheers of the girls on the other end. He turned his head to look at the alley and let out a long sigh.
As the saying goes, once everyone involved is dead, matters tend to become much clearer.
The councilor seats had been emptied, but there were still plenty of people in the Council Spire. The assistants and subordinates of Wen Shengqing and the others were brought to the floors above the tenth. After a brief interrogation, the Old Speaker finally pieced together the cause and effect of the situation.
Everything had begun with that “Ghost Protocol” from after the war.
“The things they did… they were truly excessive.”
Thinking it over, he changed his wording. “No, I should say that every single one of them made a mistake.”
Their intentions could not be called good, but they were not particularly evil either. It was merely a relatively neutral starting point that had been magnified layer by layer during execution until it eventually rotted.
“From the beginning, I asked Wen Shengqing and the others to raise funds and gave them too much freedom and power. Wen Shengqing then hired the Ghost Party to do the work, and did so secretly. Then came the liaisons like Zhou Tian, who, for the sake of making money, allowed those beneath them to act recklessly… In the end, it led to the worst possible result.”
“Chuyao, what conclusion have you drawn from this?”
The past could not be changed, the dead were already dead, and there was nothing more to say. The reason the Old Speaker brought these matters up was to take the opportunity to give Xu Chuyao a “politics lesson.”
“Um… I don’t know.”
Chuyao did not want to care about any of this. She only knew that the Boss was defeated, the game was cleared, and from now on, she could take the Crown Princess and enjoy her life.
“This shows that when power is too great, it can lead to uncontrollable consequences. Of course, as the future Council Speaker, your power will be limitless, but you must strictly control the power you grant your subordinates.”
This was what the Old Speaker wanted to teach her.
However, Xu Chuyao was dismissive. If she did not give power to her subordinates, was she supposed to do all the work herself?
“It does not matter. Anyway, they cannot beat me,” Chuyao said confidently. “They cannot beat me now, and they definitely will not be able to beat me in the future.”
The Old Speaker fell silent for a moment. He ran the events through his mind and realized — she was right. Wen Shengqing could not beat Chu Cang, and Chu Cang could not beat her.
“…Fine. The new generation surpasses the old. Oh, Chuyao, where are you going?”
“I am taking Shen Ning back. Where else would I go?” Xu Chuyao blinked. “Everything has been handled.”
“But look at the state of the Council right now. Aren’t you going to stay for an internship?”
The tall girl with long black hair shook her head firmly. “No, I am going back. Besides, the Council might be missing a few people, but it is not completely empty. There are still people to do the work.”
As for the so-called “Intern Speaker” role — she had absolutely no interest in it.
Having a phone book was enough; she could just call if something happened. As for whether the Council existed or not, she did not care.
“People to do the work? Who?”
—
Some time later.
Long Jun looked at the mountain of documents on his desk and scratched his head in a daze.
“Little Chu… you said that the more one works, the more power one has, but this is a bit too much…”
Calling for “Little Chu” was useless, because she had already taken Shen Ning and the Head Teacher back — back to Center City, back to Shengling Academy.
They did not take a plane. Instead, they used the Crystal Directional Shuttle to travel directly between the two realms. The reason they were in such a hurry to return was that this place was merely a transit station, not the final destination.
“Shen Ning — have you finished packing? We’re leaving as soon as you’re ready.”
In this heat, who would stay in Center City? They were going to the beach for a vacation, of course.
It just so happened that since no one went to Cui City anymore after the previous incident, the entire beach had been “contracted” by Chuyao.
“I’m packing, don’t rush me.”
Inside the “little villa” on campus, Shen Ning stood in the center of the living room, looking around, feeling a bit lost in thought.
When the third Heavenly Thunder fell, Xu Chuyao had found her on the street and happily told her that everything was over, the Boss was cleared, and they would never have to risk their lives again. For a moment, she had found it hard to believe.
‘Chuyao said it’s over, so it’s over,’ Milky Ning Reflection spoke first. ‘Don’t ask questions, keep your mouth shut, and it’s best to keep your eyes closed, too.’
Shen Ning’s lips twitched, neither agreeing nor disagreeing with the statement.
She knew that if she truly did as “Milky Ning” said, it would not be long before she became a second version of her. In fact, she already felt like she was on that path.
‘So things are incredibly urgent now!’ Suppressed Reflection smashed a fist against the mirror. ‘You should immediately drop those middle-of-the-road, passive thoughts and do as I say from now on!’
That was completely unnecessary.
Shen Ning did not want to become Milky Ning, nor did she want to become the Suppressed Reflection.
She decided to listen to her wife first and pack her luggage.
Milky Ning Reflection: ‘Hey, exactly!!’