"My last words?"

Zhou Huai thought for a moment, then spread his hands, making a helpless gesture.

"To be honest, I really don't have any last words."

Zhou Huai chuckled self-deprecatingly, looking directly at Mr. Duan: "I have no relatives left. The Zhou family is destroyed. My mother's fate is unknown. Now, even your uncle is going to personally cross half a planet to kill me."

"I have nothing to hold me back in this world. So be it when I die."

As Mr. Duan listened to these words, he tapped his fingers lightly on the coffee table, making a crisp tapping sound.

"Very open-minded. Much more decisive than your father."

Zhou Huai avoided the topic of his father, leaned forward, and stared into the other man's eyes: "However, before I died, there was indeed something I was very curious about."

"Oh? Tell me about it." Mr. Duan leaned back on the sofa, looking all ears.

"You've done so much, collecting high-level professionals everywhere, even going so far as to hand over a divine artifact to Kujo Hiroharu and sacrifice the entire city of Tokyo to power the pendulum of life... What exactly are you trying to do?"

"You're already this strong. There shouldn't be anyone in the world who can rival you, right? What can't you get? Why bother with this so-called grand plan?"

Upon hearing this question, Mr. Duan's previously casual expression faltered slightly.

Then he shook his head and let out a soft laugh. The laugh held a hint of pity for the ignorant.

"The fact that you even asked this question shows that your understanding of the world is... too superficial."

Mr. Duan stood up and walked to the floor-to-ceiling window in the living room.

“Zhou Huai, you’ve entered ancient ruins and seen ancient civilizations and their architecture.” His voice became ethereal as he turned his back to Zhou Huai. “Then you should know that the level of civilization in some ruins is in no way inferior to that of the present era. In fact, the professionals of that era were even stronger!”

Mr. Duan turned around and opened his arms.

"In those buried eras, super-level beings were everywhere, and high-level beings were as common as dogs! What a brilliant and extraordinary era that was!"

"But what was the result?"

Mr. Duan immediately suppressed the fervor on his face and became expressionless.

"In the end, didn't they all turn into dusty ruins? Buried underground, # Nоvеlight # becoming copies for you descendants to explore? Do you know why?"

Zhou Huai remained silent, his heart pounding in his chest, waiting for an answer from the other party.

Mr. Duan walked back to the coffee table and sat down again. He picked up his teacup once more and took a small sip of tea.

"Since you're about to die, I can give you a relatively simple answer."

He put down his teacup and uttered four words:

"Version replacement".

"Version update?!" Zhou Huai frowned. "What does that mean?"

As someone with memories of a past life, he was all too familiar with this word! But hearing it in such a real world sent chills down his spine!

Mr. Duan raised a finger and shook it gently.

"Era, version."

"Those ancient ruins you see are products of the old version. But with the birth of a new version, the old version must be forcibly replaced!"

Mr. Duan's tone was chillingly despairing.

"This replacement is a complete and systematic erasure. All humans, all alien beasts, and all traces of civilization will be ruthlessly wiped out! To make room for the new version to run."

At this point, Mr. Duan lowered his eyes. He looked at his hands and gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"Do you think I'm invincible? Do you think I'm at the very top of the world?"

"Hehe... Zhou Huai, I may seem powerful now, and I can even break out of the rules a little. But in the face of the upcoming purge, I am just a pitiful person struggling to survive in the cracks."

Zhou Huai became increasingly confused as he listened, his heart filled with turmoil.

If the world is truly a constantly evolving version, then what is the Abyss Invasion? What is the system? Did Mr. Duan collect high-level professionals as sacrifices to exploit system loopholes and resist the purge?

But Zhou Huai knew all too well that the more he knew, the faster he would die. Since the other party dared to reveal the world's greatest secret, they definitely had no intention of leaving him alive!

He suppressed his shock, looked at the mysterious man in front of him, and sneered.

"Do you mean anything by this?"

"Can you stop playing riddles with a dying man?" Zhou Huai retorted without hesitation. "What is a new version? Who is in charge of the change? You only tell half the story. Don't you know that riddle-makers never have a good end?"

Despite being mocked in this way by a dying man, Mr. Duan was not angry.

He just smiled indifferently, stood up, and straightened the collar of his coat.

"Excuse me, that's just how I talk." He looked down at Zhou Huai, expressionless. "I've said what I needed to say, it's about time. I should send you on your way."

Faced with the imminent threat of death, Zhou Huai showed no fear whatsoever; instead, he revealed a strange smile.

“There’s no need for you to do it yourself,” Zhou Huai said calmly. “I will take the road myself.”

The words had barely left his mouth!

Buzz—!!!

A dazzling white light suddenly shone from Zhou Huai's body!

This light is a harbinger of destruction, produced by the extreme compression of the most violent energy!

Mr. Duan was taken aback, not expecting Zhou Huai to self-destruct in such a resolute way!

A deafening roar erupted!

The white light instantly engulfed everything.

A deafening explosion erupted into the sky, and a violent shockwave swept outwards like a tsunami! In an instant, the ancient courtyard that held so many of Zhou Huai's memories was torn into countless fragments, turning into utter ruins!

Dust flew everywhere, and flames soared into the sky.

a long time.

As the dust settled, a gray figure still stood tall in the center of the ruins.

Mr. Duan stood alone in place. An invisible black earth-based shield perfectly isolated him from the terrifying explosion that had just occurred, an explosion powerful enough to destroy the entire neighborhood.

He looked down at the huge crater blasted into his feet. There was no longer any trace of Zhou Huai's life in the air; not even a trace of flesh or blood remained.

Mr. Duan remained silent for a moment.

Then, he let out a sigh that was a mixture of surprise and regret.

"That's really decisive..."

He reached out, trying to catch something in the air, but in the end he only grasped a handful of empty dust.

"Originally, I was planning to extract your soul after killing you to study the secrets of your puppets."

Mr. Duan shook his head, turned around, and walked out through the ruins.

"What a pity."