"If I had met such a generous boss earlier, I might have sold myself without resistance, after all, in today's competitive workplace, it is rare to find a boss as generous as you."

In the conference hall, Mason looked at the blank pact floating in front of him and the pen being handed to him.

He didn't hesitate for a second, shook his head and said:

"But it's a pity that you're late, I've already sold myself to Ideal and Future, and I've sold it for a pretty good price, so I can only say sorry to you."

"No, young man, you have to think carefully about this kind of major event related to life, it is always good to have one more choice."

Mephisto shook his head and dissuaded:

"You can't be too impulsive to indulge in the beauty of the future, you have to move forward with your feet on the ground, every decision you make at this age is very important in life, and one wrong step will be ruined.

Believe me, this is the life experience of a lonely old devil, and although it is just for reference, I really don't want to see such a good young man go astray.

You see, at the end of the day, you and I have no conflicting goals, we are all trying to find a light to the future in this dark age.

Did Strange tell you about my plans? ”

"He said it."

Mason stepped back and pulled out his chair, sitting on it himself and rekindling a cigarette.

Although standing in front of him is the big boss of the evil organization he wants to overthrow, Mason finds that he doesn't have too much nervousness in his heart.

It's a character-building experience that comes from the past, just as a captain who has seen storms and hurricanes no longer fears the oncoming fur seal waves.

Although he is young, he already has the capital to talk and laugh with such a guy who is forced to be the villain no matter what the story.

He spat out a puff of smoke rings and said to Mephisto, who was standing in front of him:

"Before the Warlock died, he tried to help you win over a more powerful character, and he revealed himself and the contents of your contract with your plans and plans.

And then there's that amazing 'Mephisto Network'.

With all due respect, does that network of divine power still exist today? ”

"Of course."

The old devil pointed to the sky, leaned back on the table and chair beside him like a kind elder talking to a young man, played with the cane in his hand, and said quite humorously:

"All Mephisto was in a mess, and there was nothing to promote unity except that everyone agreed on the idea of 'detachment'.

From planning for the future to today's lunch pastime, they argue and greet each other's mothers, expressing their desire to have intimacy with each other's immediate female relatives.

I never realized how annoying I was until I came into contact with the other me, and I never realized that I was such a rude and nasty devil.

Alas, the self in one's own eyes is perfect, but only oneself in the eyes of others is real.

It's a pity.

You don't have to worry about that, little Mason. ”

The old devil paused, and he looked at Mason as if he were looking at a rare treasure, and he said:

"You don't have a space-time heterotope, so you don't have to deal with yourself, and you don't have to play tricks with yourself, although it will be a lot less fun.

But overall, the pros outweigh the cons. ”

"But I have created twelve water bodies for myself, each with a complete mind and a special character."

Mason sighed and said:

"I made up for that myself, and to be honest, I regret making that decision at the time, especially when I had to be united by those guys every time we met.

Although everyone's current situation is different, I can really understand your troubles, and it is really tiring to fight wits and courage with yourself. ”

"Hahaha, what an interesting young man, if I were tens of thousands of years younger, we would definitely become good friends."

Mephisto laughed, then his face turned serious.

He looked at Mason and asked seriously:

"How the hell did you do that?"

"Huh? Hydrate the body? ”

Mason pretended to be stupid and said:

"That's because of the ability, of course, the mutant's superpower is enough to replicate the body of water, and then give them the maximum freedom within their power to separate and reorganize the different traits of their personality.

It's not that hard.

Especially for devils like you. ”

"You know that's not what I'm asking."

Mephisto reminded, and Mason replied with a smile:

"You should also know that it doesn't seem polite to ask about such an intimate matter when you first meet?"

Both fell silent at the same time.

After a few seconds, the old devil shook his head and said:

"Such a difficult boy, it reminds me of those old friends.

We also fought like this in the Dusk Council, and everyone was on one side of the Hell Monarch, and they didn't dare to start a war at will, so they could only try to get a bargain at the level of discourse or something.

But there is still a difference between the good memories of that time and the present.

Well, don't waste any time bickering, Mason Cooper, I don't know how you got around the effects of the Soul Curse on you, but you have that tattoo on you

You're my man!

There is no doubt about that.

Now the humiliating defeat you brought to the Stars has become a hot topic in the Council of Hope these days, and the guys I have seen and have not seen, and those who I care about and don't care about are discussing it.

I hadn't fully woken up yet, but I could already guess how much ridicule and strange stares I would get the next time I entered that time-wasting venue.

Compared to the damage to my own reputation, the crisis that the stars will encounter is the most important trouble.

Ciri and Liana are the hands I chose for the Stars, but they need a brain to be effective, and if you destroy that brain that is still useful, you have to replace it. ”

The old devil shook his finger and said:

"I don't care how you want to integrate the Stars Society after you take the throne, whether it is to disband it or regroup, it's up to you. My only request is that no other forces get involved in it.

I'll get straight to the point!

I can't trust those who have scheming in their heads, politics has ruined their brains and only made a mess of things for the imbeciles.

The Stars itself is not important, but it is important to accomplish our plans and purposes.

Can you understand what I mean? ”

"Of course."

Mason nodded and said:

"Detachment is imminent, the imminent liberation from the bonds of the fate of the universe allows you to become truly free, both on a personal level and from a larger perspective, and is now the most important stage of your long life.

If I were you, I wouldn't want things to change at this time.

But here's the problem. ”

He leaned forward and exhaled a puff of smoke, looked at the old devil in the smoke, grinned at the corner of his mouth, and said:

"What reason do I have to help you fulfill your wishes? Do I have to do that? Do I owe you money, or do I steal your rice? I owe you nothing, Lord Mephisto.

So please.

Don't talk to me in this daddy way!

You are not in a position to order me to do this and that, I am not a strange to be bewitched by you, and there will always be retribution on your head for all the bad things you do at your behest.

I'd love to do it myself. ”

"So you don't have to talk about it, do you?"

The hypocritical expression on Mephisto's face was a little unbearable.

After all, the lonely old devil is also a person with status, and it has been a long, long time since anyone dared to choke with him in such a way.

He stared at Mason and said:

"You know I have a lot of ways to control you, like Ciri, like Hallie, like your teammates, who are not as magical as you can ignore my power."

"They're my people!"

Mason looked up into Mephisto's eyes without fear, and said:

"If you dare to move them, we will die now, you haven't woken up yet, old man devil, three exception-breaking powerhouses have entered your lair

I mean, as long as there's a 1 in 10,000 chance that we're a little lucky, things won't be so pretty, right?

As far as I know, you're not an adventurous person.

And how can the graceful devil act as brute force as the rough devil? You are of such a personality that you always act with twists and turns of trickery and intrigue when challenges arise.

It's instinct, it's insurmountable. ”

"Are you sure you can find my bedroom in the Endless Hell?"

Mephisto scoffed.

Then he saw Mason bounce his hand and direct the burning of a demonic fire, which was his power, and it was burning in front of his eyes, but the old devil could not control the flame to be extinguished.

It was a power that was taken away from Mason after he joined the Stars.

"I've never been to hell."

Mason looked at the flame on his finger and said to Mephisto:

"But I have some 'friends' there, Johnny hasn't informed you yet, has he found himself an 'apprentice'?

Although I am still in the internship period, I think if I want to visit my future place of work and familiarize myself with the environment, I guess my knight instructor will not refuse.

Or do you still have undeserved confidence in the loyalty of the Ghost Riders you've recruited in all sorts of ways?

Do you think they'll miss this opportunity to backstab you? ”

"Hah!"

The smile on the old devil's face became more and more distorted, and he stared at the flames on Mason's fingertips, and said:

"You're prepared! You guessed that I was going to visit you at some point and threaten you, so you made a plan ahead and came in handy as planned.

That's your countermeasure? ”

"Or else?"

Mason rolled his eyes and said:

"Otherwise, what am I doing to serve those three masters conscientiously? You can't lose on your turf, but once the real friction begins, the most precious time for you will be wasted.

We can afford these rootless trees, but what about you? ”

"Makes sense! I was convinced by you. ”

The old devil nodded.

He got up and straightened his clothes, burned the blank contract in front of Mason's eyes, and put his pen back in his breast pocket.

He said to Mason:

"Then let's stop here this time, say hello to you and meet you as a young talent, I am very satisfied, if you are a devil cub, I will establish you as my successor on the spot.

But what you just said is quite right.

Time!

Time is precious, and this is true for anyone.

The ignorant think that hell is a punishment for every sin, but they don't know that wasting time is the worst sin, so I have a cubicle in my hell for those who don't make good use of their time.

Of course, this is not a threat. ”

The old devil bent down to stare into Mason's eyes, and with a meaningful smile, he reached out and patted Mason's shoulder, and said:

"It's a reminder. The fourth shock is coming, much faster than you might think, thirty days to be exact.

My dear Mason, you seem to have a strange pact with some strange fellows, and that is a pact that bets on your ideals and hopes, up to the fourth shock.

You see, I just advised you to be cautious when dealing with the major decisions in your life, so as to avoid falling into this dilemma of not being born or dying.

I don't need to spend any more time dealing with you personally at all, because you have bigger trouble ahead of you than you can challenge me.

If you can survive."

Mephisto paused, straightened Mason's collar, patted his collar again, and said in an accentuated tone:

"Let's start another game then, now it's time for you to enjoy your celebration feast, your buddies are waiting for you, and your cutie has a surprise for you.

Oh, by the way, remember to comfort Ciri after you have a good time with her.

Her mind is a mess now, she doesn't have the reason that a great teacher should have, and everything she thinks and sees in her eyes is all about you, tsk, little Mason, you are really a sinful man. ”

After saying this, the old devil straightened up, and seemed to be about to turn away, but felt that it was too much trouble, so he turned to Mason and said:

"Give me a ride, I'm too lazy to dissipate this projection and regain consciousness, you see, if you want to fight each other, you have to have a sense of ritual, right? Like a bullet or something? ”

"Of course, Lord Mephisto, I would gladly do so."

Mason stood up and drew his Black Death Sword Ragnarok pistol, aiming it at the old devil with a smile on his face and an even hand to say goodbye to him.

Pulling the trigger, bullets flew out and shattered his skull.

In the scattered light of the astral projection, the projection disappeared before Mason's eyes like a sandcastle crumbling, and the conference room fell silent again.

"Successfully completed a supernatural high-level life, long-range headshot, and execution, and increased the proficiency of shooting skills, currently at Lv7."

Hints of skill improvement flickered in front of Mason's eyes, but he was no longer in the mood to look at them.

"Don't be influenced by that cunning fellow, Mason!"

The hat immediately reminds us:

"Maybe it's just a psychological tactic, just to make you mess up, these hellish creatures have a hand at playing these little tricks."

"But you can't pretend not to hear it!"

A projection of Consus also appeared next to Mason, a reminder from the Isu biologist:

"Especially with the clues about the fourth shock, there is already enough evidence that the speed of the shock event is accelerating, and we were too optimistic that it would take a year or six months.

It's only been a little over two months since the third shock."

"This shows that the speed of the cosmic tremor is accelerating, and it can't hold on."

Mason sat back in his chair, put the gun in his hand aside, rubbed his forehead and whispered:

"It's almost exactly the same as the Supreme Beast's predictions, and it's a bad sign, and the shocks will be more frequent until the last time it brings the end of all things and the restart of the New Era.

This is the fourth time.

According to the current law and the number of existing parallel worlds, at most, at the seventh impact, everything will return to nothingness.

He's right.

We're running out of time, I have to get back to my lab right away, I have to go right away."

"But your teammates are waiting for you, Mason!"

The hat accentuated and said:

"They have a right to know this information."

"Yes, my brother, you can't carry it all on your shoulders anymore."

Consus also persuaded:

"You should stay with your partners, and the more critical the moment, the more you need their support and solidarity efforts.

You can't figure it out on your own. ”

"Well, okay, listen to you."

Mason sighed, he stood up, moved his neck, and said:

"Let's go, go to the celebration feast, don't make them wait."

(End of chapter)