No one knew how long they had been walking when the scene ahead suddenly changed. A new figure appeared before Skott, and unsurprisingly, it was Rakshmi, the woman who had been mentioned several times before.
Rakshmi looked up at Skott, her voice soft and gentle. "Skott, how long have we known each other?"
Skott's lips curved into a faint smile, his tone so tender it hardly sounded like him. "Seven or eight years, right? Why do you ask?"
Rakshmi laughed lightly, her tone full of joy. "We've worked together for so many years, and only now do I realize our hometowns are so close. Isn't that ridiculous?"
Skott went along with her words, his smile growing a little warmer. "We never really have time to talk about things like that at work."
Seeing this, Tail immediately made an exaggerated gagging gesture, muttering under his breath. "Never thought Skott would turn out to be a pure-hearted scumbag."
"Mhm." The four of them nodded in perfect unison.
Just then, Rakshmi's laughter faded. She lowered her head shyly, her fingers clutching the hem of her clothes. Her tone carried a faint, nervous tremor. "There's something I've kept in my heart for years, but I never dared to tell you."
Before she could continue, Skott spoke first, his tone firm and confident, as if he had seen through everything. "You like me, don't you?"
The bluntness of the words made Rakshmi gasp and cover her mouth, her voice trembling in flustered embarrassment. "You… why would you say that so suddenly!"
Tail's eyes lit up with rare approval. "Oh, not bad, Skott, bold move! I like it!"
Rakshmi seemed to gather all her courage as she looked up at Skott and spoke solemnly.
"Yes, Skott, I want to be your lover."
Tail burst into laughter, his voice full of triumphant satisfaction. "Skott, finally, I've found it! This is your weakness!"
But the next moment, Skott's laughter exploded even louder than Tail's, filled with unrestrained delight. "Hahahaha! Gotcha, caught you off guard!"
The words struck everyone's ears like thunder.
Tail, Rakshmi, Stelle, March 7th, Fu Shi, and Huohuo all froze, blurting out in shock,
"Huh???"
Aha's voice suddenly cut in, playful as ever. "My friends watching from behind the screen, tell me, does this make any sense?"
Skott laughed so hard he could barely stand, shaking the terminal in his hand, his eyes glinting with triumph.
"I recorded everything you just said! Our department forbids office romances. Once I send this out, you'll never have a chance to compete with me for the specialist position again! Hahahaha!"
Tail was speechless, his mouth opening and closing without a word. After a long pause, he squeezed out two syllables through his teeth. "Unbelievable."
Fu Shi was no different. "He's insane!"
At that moment, Rakshmi suddenly began to laugh, her voice trembling with emotion. "This... hahaha, Skott, this is exactly what I love about you Skott!"
Tail stared at the excited Rakshmi, twitching at the corner of his mouth before muttering quietly, "You're unbelievable too."
Fu Shi finally lost all patience, rubbing her forehead with a long sigh. "The two of them are crazy! I can't watch this anymore. I'm going to lose my mind."
March 7th sounded almost disappointed. "Why not wait a bit longer? What if there's a twist, and Skott actually says yes?"
Fu Shi waved her hand but couldn't resist her own curiosity. "Fine... we'll finish this scene, but after that, we're out for good."
Rakshmi looked at Skott again, her tone firm and resolute. "I understand now. I'll step aside. But someday, when I surpass you like this, please accept my feelings."
Faced with such sincere emotion, Skott only raised his hand and sighed deeply, his tone full of exaggerated drama. "I can't, because I, am a Lone Wolf."
Tail could only shake his head, muttering under his breath. "Kid, you're hopeless."
Hearing that, Stelle and March 7th exchanged a glance, the same look of exasperation reflected in both their eyes. "...Let's get out of here, I can't take it anymore."
As they left Skott's inner world, they heard two IPC employees trying to wake him.
"Specialist Skott, Specialist Skott! Are you alright?"
Skott kept his head down, muttering under his breath, ignoring everyone completely.
Seeing no response, one of the employees turned sharply toward the group, his tone accusatory. "Hey! March 7th, what did you people do to Specialist Skott?"
March 7th had just come to her senses and was startled by the sudden accusation. She pointed at herself, bewildered. "Me? I didn't do anything! Don't blame me!"
"Relax, he's still trapped in his own consciousness," Fu Shi said calmly, as if it were the most ordinary thing in the world.
A laugh echoed through the still air. Time itself seemed to freeze as Aha appeared beside Fu Shi, his elbow resting casually on her shoulder. "Hahaha, my dear friend, why'd you leave so soon? That little 'theater of the mind' wasn't even finished!"
Fu Shi glanced at the still-muttering Skott, her brow lifting slightly, her tone tinged with open disdain. "I couldn't keep watching. I've never seen such a vile, shameless man... except Otto."
"Fair enough," Aha said with exaggerated seriousness, nodding as his eyes lit up again.
"Say, with your power, can't you make a memory vessel? Copy those scenes for me, will you? I swear I'll remember your kindness forever!"
Fu Shi scratched the back of her head, puzzled. "Of course I can. But why do you want those memories?"
Aha clapped his hands with enthusiasm. "I'm going to gift these 'exclusive memories' to my friends in the Garden of Recollection. They're obsessed with hidden memories buried deep in people's hearts. They'll be thrilled!"
Fu Shi blinked thoughtfully, then lifted her hand into the air.
A faint red light gathered at her fingertips, forming a feather. She imbued it with all the memories from earlier. "Here, all the memories are stored in this."
She handed the feather over. Aha received it with both hands, smiling as if he had been given a priceless treasure.
Then a warm, light energy flowed back into Fu Shi, like a spring breeze brushing across grass, carrying a gentle warmth.
Feeling the barrier of her power loosen, a flicker of joy crossed her eyes. "Hm? What a pleasant surprise. With this energy, I might be able to break the Herrscher of the End's constraint."
Aha, meanwhile, was laughing heartily, holding the feather high as his body began to fade into light. Soon, he vanished entirely.
Before long, a furious voice echoed from the distant Garden of Recollection. "What in the world is this?! The Garden doesn't record gossip! Send this trash again and I'll- Aha? Oh, never mind then."
And from that day on, a new Light Cone appeared in the world: 'Brilliant Lone Wolf.'
Aha's laughter echoed faintly, "Hahahahaha..."
...
Time began to move again.
Tail emerged from Skott's body, flicked his tail proudly, and returned to Huohuo's side.
"Mr. Tail, you've worked hard," Huohuo said, stepping forward, her tone full of concern. "The scenes inside Skott's heart must have been tough to watch, right?"
"Not hard at all," Tail waved dismissively, then suddenly paused, frowning. "Wait, how do you know what happened in there?"
Huohuo nodded obediently and carefully explained that Fu Shi had shared the vision of Skott's consciousness with them.
Tail turned sharply toward Fu Shi, his pupils narrowing in shock. "How did you do that?"
Fu Shi waved a hand casually, tilting her chin upward with smug pride. "With your limited skill, that was nothing but a simple trick for me."
Tail choked on his words, fur bristling. "You brat, let me show you what real power looks like!"
He tried to dive toward Fu Shi's body, but it was as if he'd slammed into a thick barrier. He froze midair, dizzy and confused. "Huh? What's going on? Why can't I get into your body?"
"Figure it out yourself," Fu Shi said with a smirk, deliberately refusing to explain.
While Tail was still reeling, Skott finally stirred. Holding his head, he let out a low groan as he regained consciousness.
Stelle glanced at Tail and asked quietly, "You didn't possess him, did you?"
Tail snorted proudly, watching his handiwork with satisfaction. "Of course not. I just took away his most twisted desires. You'll see what happens next, hehe."
"Uh... uh..." Skott began to whimper strangely, his shoulders trembling as his body twitched unnaturally.
"Specialist Skott, what's wrong?!" The two IPC employees, already in a panic, rushed forward to help, only for Skott to shove them aside.
March 7th bit back a laugh, her tone full of curiosity. "Tail, what exactly did you do to him?"
Tail puffed out his chest, smug and self-satisfied. "Without those twisted desires, he's now a true 'Lone Wolf.'"
Stelle sighed in admiration. "You really are something."
Fu Shi crossed her arms, looking expectantly at Stelle. "I can do that too."
Stelle smiled faintly and praised her without hesitation. "Mom's the best."
Just then, Skott let out a strange howl.
He suddenly crouched low like a wolf, lunging at the nearest employee and sinking his teeth into the man's arm.
"Ah! Specialist Skott, stop biting me!" The terrified employee stumbled back in panic.
"Awoo! Awooo!" Skott ignored him completely, chasing after him on all fours, growling like a real beast.
"Run! Specialist Skott's gone mad, he's biting people!" Within moments, the people broke into chaos, employees running for their lives as Skott pursued them relentlessly.
It was a truly savage scene, like something out of the wild.
And so, this absurd duel finally came to an end in the most bizarre way imaginable.
March 7th watched the chaos and sighed, rubbing her forehead. "I thought Tail would possess me and awaken some incredible sword technique..."
Fu Shi sniffed, sounding proud. "If you ask me, it'd be better if I possessed you instead. I could unleash the Invincible Sword God."
Tail suddenly pricked up his ears, staring at Fu Shi in surprise. "Wait a minute, you're a Helobi too?"