All along, Yevenko had stood by, letting Tom and Jerry break others' mental defenses. But this time, he himself was sunk by Jerry's utter irrationality.
Great. Jerry ripped the "10 Day Vacation" popup in half. The original ten-day pass turned into Jerry permanently selecting himself.
Tom and Jerry had always been inseparable; Yevenko shuddered to imagine the consequences.
He feared waking up one day to find the Astral Express completely gone.
Just what kind of terrifying things would unfold in the future?
The people around him probably had no idea.
Earlier, Tom had vaguely sensed Jerry's countdown to return home. With a wide, eight-toothed grin, Tom cheerfully waved goodbye to Jerry with a handkerchief, delighted to see him defeated.
But then, Jerry suddenly pulled out the [Jerry (10 Day Vacation) Remaining Time: 00:00:00] countdown popup, folding it in half.
Jerry, who had begun fading away, instantly turned solid again, his little smile clouding over.
The split countdown popup was casually tossed aside by Jerry, floating right up to Tom's face.
Seeing the [Jerry (10 Day Vacation) / Remaining Time: 00:00:00] on the ground, a glowing bulb popped beside Tom's head.
He pieced the torn popup back together, whipped out a roll of tape from behind his back, and taped it up.
Then, carefully tiptoeing behind Jerry, Tom raised the popup, planning to hang it back above Jerry's head.
But right at that moment, Jerry saw Tom sneaking behind him reflected in Yevenko's eyes, and instantly spun around.
Spotting Tom holding the countdown popup, Jerry immediately understood Tom's intent.
Jerry's lower lip jutted over his upper one, puffing up in anger.
Seeing Jerry furious, Tom glanced awkwardly at the popup he was holding, swiftly hid it behind his back, and gave an embarrassed grin, his eight teeth gleaming.
Cold sweat instantly dripped from Tom's entire body, pooling into a small puddle at his feet.
Jerry reached behind his back and casually pulled out a chainsaw, tugging at the starter cord.
Bzzzzz—!
The chainsaw roared to life, blades spinning furiously. Tom's eyes sprang out like springs, legs spinning into mini whirlwinds, ready to flee in the opposite direction.
But the next instant—
Jerry swung the chainsaw down through Tom's body.
Tom instantly split clean in two.
Both halves of Tom fled separately, running a distance before snapping back together.
Jerry quickly chased after him, chainsaw raised.
Cat and mouse dashed in circles, chasing and fleeing. Tom frantically searched left and right for an escape route, eventually circling back to his starting point.
Spotting the small puddle created by his own sweat, Tom leaped inside without hesitation.
Jerry soon appeared beside the tiny puddle, looking around. He spotted the discarded [Jerry (10 Day Vacation) Remaining Time: 00:00:00] popup, picked it up, rolled and twisted it into a fishing rod.
Jerry flung the hook hard into the puddle.
But something mysterious hooked Jerry instead, pulling him down abruptly.
Not long after—
Crack—!
Bang—!
Boom—!
Countless explosive sounds erupted from the puddle.
Instantly, cracks spread wildly across the space of Feixiao's Inner World, the ground fracturing like massive dragons writhing beneath, collapsing into deep pits.
The sky shattered like broken glass, fragments plunging downward.
It was like a scene from doomsday—and not even ten seconds had passed since Tom and Jerry dove into the puddle.
Everyone stared in stunned silence. How could a world perfectly intact after a battle of three Aeons crumble in a blink?
Yevenko was first to snap out of it. Gray-white mouse ears still atop his head, traces of Tuffy's power lingered.
He quickly drew a door on a curtain with a pen from his back, yanking it open and shouting:
"Everyone, follow me! Run!!"
"Feixiao, remember to wake up immediately once we're out!"
The group quickly reacted, sprinting after Yevenko through the door.
Lan, the Hunt Aeon, paused mid-air, gazing towards the puddle, before swiftly dissolving into a brilliant azure arrow and vanishing.
Seeing everyone safely escape, Feixiao turned back to the terrifying spectacle within her Inner World. Her heart quivered slightly; focusing, she stirred her consciousness…
...
Xianzhou Luofu.
Everyone emerged through the door, and Feixiao, lying tied up like a caterpillar on the ground, instantly woke up.
Confused by her bound state, she quickly realized it had to be Tom and Jerry's handiwork.
Since she knew struggling was futile, she gave up entirely.
With a small hop, Feixiao bounced toward everyone else.
After witnessing the previous chaos, everyone was still dazed. Only Raiden remained calm, silently watching Yevenko without speaking.
Jing Yuan, experienced as ever, was among the first to recover from the shocking scene of the world's collapse.
Holding the candle containing Lord Ravager Phantylia's sealed fragment, a hint of astonishment glinted in his golden pupils.
"How could this be?"
"Yevenko, was that situation…caused by Tom and Jerry?"
Though Jing Yuan already suspected, he still sought Yevenko's confirmation.
Yevenko nodded solemnly.
"Yes. Others might still be unaware, but you probably had suspicions earlier."
"The Divine Foresight HQ, Ambrosial Arbor…all were accidentally destroyed during Tom and Jerry's 'playtime'."
"This time was just slightly more severe."
Feixiao's Inner World had even been reinforced by Yevenko using Tuffy's powers.
Yet even so, it still couldn't endure Tom and Jerry's casual rampages. Whenever that cat and mouse appeared quiet, they were silently wreaking monumental havoc.
Destroying Divine Foresight HQ might just be akin to breaking a fridge in Tom and Jerry's original world.
Splitting the Ambrosial Arbor was like chopping a common tree in their cartoon.
As for wrecking Feixiao's Inner World, it probably equaled demolishing a small attic room.
And what might an entire house represent? Perhaps a planet, a star system—or even…the cosmos itself?
Who could know for sure?
Jing Yuan, however, sharply noticed Yevenko's wording.
"'Playtime'...huh?"
Hearing this, even the steadfast Jing Yuan felt a deep sense of helplessness.
Thankfully, it was Feixiao's Inner World destroyed, and she had woken safely.
He couldn't even fathom what he'd do if Tom and Jerry had caused that kind of devastation on Luofu itself.
At that moment—
A mouse-hole suddenly appeared on the wall ahead.
Jerry dashed out.
Bam—!
With a loud thud, Tom's head jammed into the mouse-hole. Pushing harder, his body squeezed through as a semicircle shape, popping back to normal after emerging. Pulling out a flyswatter from behind his back, he immediately chased Jerry into the distance.
Jing Yuan's usual composed demeanor shattered instantly; pupils shrinking, breath halted, he urgently shouted:
"Yevenko—!!!"
In a flash, Yevenko invoked his Trailblazing power, instantly appearing beside Tom and Jerry, lifting Tom by the scruff.
Tom's little black brows furrowed, almost having caught Jerry. Realizing it was Yevenko, he shook his head playfully, putting on a flattering grin, hurriedly shoving the flyswatter toward Jerry, whom Yevenko had also grabbed.
Jerry, equally quick, passed it right back. The flyswatter bounced between them like a hot potato.
Yevenko shook his head.
He placed Tom onto his neck and settled Jerry onto his chest.
Jerry got the hint. Drawing a pocket onto Yevenko's clothes with a pen, he slipped inside, peeking out like a kangaroo.
In fact, Yevenko served as the balancing force, capable of stopping Tom and Jerry's destructive antics—just as he'd managed earlier on Luofu.
Without him to mediate, the duo would've long since demolished Luofu entirely.
But even Yevenko knew they couldn't be suppressed indefinitely. Like energetic huskies, Tom and Jerry had to expend their energy—or else they'd wreak unimaginable chaos.
From now on, Yevenko thought, better give Tom and Jerry somewhere safe to destroy.
Otherwise, if left unwatched, they might slip away again and cause disasters beyond control.
Relieved upon seeing Yevenko control Tom and Jerry, Jing Yuan sighed heavily.
Feixiao likewise sighed deeply, bouncing toward them, softly saying:
"General Jing Yuan, we've completed our purpose on Luofu. What happened in my Inner World—we should discuss first before reporting to the Marshal."
Jing Yuan nodded understandingly. "Indeed."
Considering the Aeons' arrival and Tom and Jerry's incidents, only Luofu, Yaoqing, and Zhuming knew. Such matters were too serious; how much should be disclosed required careful deliberation.
After a brief thought, Jing Yuan spoke decisively:
"The situation on Luofu is likely already spreading through the cosmos. Let's quickly meet the Alchemy Commission and General Huaijin."
Feixiao interjected:
"Wait—"
Turning to Yevenko, she said sheepishly:
"Could you ask Tom and Jerry to untie me?"
Yevenko glanced at Tom. Sleepily yawning, Tom tugged the rope's end. Feixiao instantly spun wildly forward, spinning toward her destination, Moze and Jiaoqiu hastily chasing after.
Tom turned toward Jing Yuan, who quickly waved him off.
"No need, Tom—I'll walk myself."
Turning to everyone else, Jing Yuan smiled warmly:
"Once Dan Heng and Welt rejoin you, come to the Alchemy Commission. I'll prepare a feast."
March 7th immediately forgot her exhaustion and fears, eyes sparkling excitedly, licking her lips:
"A feast?! Then I'll skip meals to save space!"
Stelle quietly tucked her smashed cake back into her pocket.
Hearing the word "feast," Yevenko instantly thought of his own "feast" of exploration points.
It was finally time—to pull some cards!
---
T/N: I DONT THINK ANY OF YOU READS THE THOUGHTS SECTION SO IM GONNA JUST TRY POSTING IT HERE
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