Fyren said with a smile, "Big brother, thank you."
Otto looked at Sherry. "Sherry, listen carefully. Starting today, you are assigned to follow my junior brother. You must protect him! I am very, very angry that you rushed out suddenly today!"
"But, I did it to protect you, young lord! I was worried about your—"
"Remember this! From now on, you are my junior brother Fyren's servant. You are not to disobey him in the slightest. You must prioritize him in everything, and be as loyal to him as you are to me! Do you understand?"
"I… I'm confused. I don't know what to do."
"Let me make this clear. If one day we are fighting each other, your duty is not to protect me, but to protect him. Even if the blade is pointed at me, you must not hesitate. Otherwise, I will not forgive you! Do you understand?"
"How… how can that be…"
Sherry fell to her knees, crying. "You're abandoning me!"
Sabrina and Flora immediately knelt on one knee, pleading for her.
"Young lord, please reconsider. Sherry has always been loyal!"
Otto waved his hand dismissively. "This is not up for discussion! Sherry, you are a good girl. This is training for you. If you do well, perhaps one day you may return to my service. Do you understand?"
Sherry said through tears, "I understand. I will obey the young lord's words and strive to protect Fyren, that scoundrel, as I would protect you."
"And you must never waver, no matter the circumstances!"
"Yes, never waver, no matter what!"
"Swear a solemn oath!"
Sherry cried even harder.
Fyren couldn't bear to watch. "Brother, why don't we forget it? Take her back with you. This girl is too devoted to you."
"It's fine, it's fine. Ah, just take her back and train her for a few days."
What he really thought was: Take her away, quickly! If she stays with me any longer, I might lose my life because of her!
From now on, she's your problem. I really want to see how you, Fyren, handle this dim-witted girl.
Hmph! The suffering I endured today is a preview of what's to come for you!
From now on, you'll be the one getting beaten up, falling into manure pits, being driven to rage, getting hit by meteorites, and even sitting on steel bars!
Kid, don't say your big brother never looked out for you!
This girl is definitely a curse to her master. Enjoy it to the fullest!
But on the surface, he said kindly, "Your skills are still inferior to mine. Without someone reliable by your side, I would worry."
Both of them were disingenuous, each putting on an act.
Just moments ago, they had been trying to kill each other, eager to end the other's life right then and there.
Now, they were suddenly addressing each other as "big brother" and "junior brother" with exaggerated affection.
It was all due to the circumstances.
Both were in miserable states, and now their relationship as fellow disciples became useful—it served as a safeguard, allowing each to give the other a way out.
At this point, Otto absolutely could not afford to keep fighting, and Fyren lacked the ability to kill Otto in front of these three girls.
Moreover, Fyren intended to proceed steadily and cautiously.
Otto had too many advantages; trying to settle things here and now was unrealistic.
The aftermath would also be unpredictable and difficult to manage.
Therefore, it was the rational decision for both sides to cease hostilities for now and resume another day.
Especially for Fyren, his life no longer belonged solely to himself. If he acted recklessly for momentary satisfaction, the last normally functioning real world would likely collapse as well.
The system had left him with far too many mysteries!
If I really have to rely on myself to save the entire world—and all the worlds across every dimension—then I truly have a heavy responsibility ahead.
I need to unravel all the mysteries one by one, and then find a way to save the world!
Fyren pulled Zaring over, untied the rope, and led him toward Otto. "Big brother, Zaring is my brother. I hope that from now on, when you or your people encounter him in the world, you won't give him any trouble."
What could Otto possibly say at a moment like this?
He could only force an awkward smile. "Of course, of course."
"Um, Fyren… you must have a lot going on at your company, right? You're probably really busy. Why don't you go take care of things? I'll sit here a bit longer and then head out too."
Fyren smiled. "Alright, take care, big brother. I'll be going now."
"Okay, okay! See you, see you."
Fyren glanced at Sherry, who was still crying. "Hey, stop crying. At worst, I'll treat you better. When your young lord wants you back someday, I'll let you return."
Sherry looked back over her shoulder with every step. "Young lord, I'm leaving."
"Mhm, go on, go on."
"Young lord, now that Sherry won't be by your side, you must take good care of yourself."
"Mhm, mhm, you too."
"Young lord, I…"
"Why are you so talkative all of a sudden!?"
Otto was just about at his limit down there… He couldn't hold on any longer!
"I said go, so go! Quit dragging your feet! Your master is Fyren now! Get out of here, now!"
Sherry covered her face, sobbing as she followed Fyren away.
Fyren walked to the edge of the building and climbed straight down through the window.
Although the Level 3 experience card for The Great Sage's Tiger-Subduing Fist had been used up, he was now a newly minted martial arts expert. For a three- or four-story building, as long as he had something to grip, he could manage a slow descent without any issue.
He landed directly in front of Hakan, who was frantically trying to flee.
Hakan was utterly terrified.
He stumbled back two steps. "Fyren! D-d-don't you get cocky with me! Stay back! If you come any closer… I've got loads of bodyguards!"
Fyren watched him calmly without saying a word.
Hakan panicked. "I'll have you know… I've actually trained in Buddha's Palm—I just don't like to show off! Someone like you… I could pound you into the ground with one hand! Please, just let me go!"
Fyren remained silent, flexing his jaw.
Behind them, Eliza, Chloe, and the secretary-general had already stepped out.
Hakan, surrounded by a few nervous bodyguards, grew even more frantic.
He was on the verge of tears. "And besides… I'm good friends with Iron Man! I often have tea with the Hulk! I even gave Wolverine a prostate exam once… Fyren, please… could you just let me go?"
Fyren finally smiled. "Hakan, got a cigarette? I'm tired."
All the tension instantly drained from Hakan's body. Overwhelmed with relief, he pushed his bodyguards aside and hurried toward Fyren while pulling out a cigarette.
Obediently, he placed the cigarette in Fyren's mouth and lit it for him.
"Fyren, you're a great man, really. Even back in school, I could tell you were different. How is it that I feel such a connection with you? When I see you, honestly, it's like looking at my own father! Sometimes I really just want to affectionately call you 'Dad'."
Fyren said, "Where's the bomb?"
"Huh? What?"
"The bomb!"
"Oh, the bomb?"
"The bomb!" Fyren raised his voice.
"You scared me! I thought you were talking about the bomb!"
Fyren grabbed him by the collar. "The bomb! Damn it, the bomb you set up! Where is it!? If you don't make yourself clear, I'll twist your head off and use it as a chamber pot!"
…
Dasheng Group.
Inside the suite within the CEO's office.
System: "Congratulations, host! You actually survived your first encounter with the male lead, Otto! Ding ding dong dong!"
Fyren was fuming. "Sis, cut it out! Last time you disappeared right in the middle of talking!"
"Huh? Were we talking last time? Hehe~ Host, which female lead are you planning to pursue this time? We have Love Potion here…"
"I don't need that stuff!" Fyren slapped the back of his right hand against his left palm. "The world! What's wrong with the world!? Explain it to me clearly!"
System: "Host, don't get so worked up~ If I could explain it clearly, wouldn't I have done so already? The reason I can't explain clearly is… well, there must be a reason!"
"What? The world is about to end, and you're still this chirpy?"
System: "Because you've given us great confidence!"
"Confidence my ass!" Fyren was going crazy. "Sis, stop joking around! I can't save the world! I'm just a food delivery guy!"
"I have no merits, no abilities!"
"If it weren't for life's pressures—my mom being sick, me earning just over three thousand a month—I'd still be hanging out with my buddies in internet cafes!"
"I'm greedy and lustful; I get excited at the sight of money and fantasize about beautiful women."
"I'm cowardly and avoid trouble. If I see someone causing a scene on the street, I walk around them, afraid of getting involved!"
"I have hundreds of gigabytes of Japanese movies on my hard drive, and the household item I use the most every month is toilet paper!"
"I grovel for good reviews when delivering food; if I run a red light, I bow and scrape to the traffic police…"
"How can an ordinary person like me save the world!? Where's Superman? What about Captain America? What's he doing!?"
System: "On his way to prepare for a new movie, the world came under attack and entered a static state."
"What exactly is going on? Can you just explain it clearly!?"
System: "Well, you see! All parallel worlds, with Earth as the central point, froze instantly at the same moment!"
"At that instant, only six people on Earth were suspended between death and survival—and you are one of them. The other five are: a U.S. Navy SEAL, a Korean world taekwondo champion, a Russian astronaut, a research professor from a high-tech weapons institute in India, and a Japanese ninja."
Fyren nodded. "These people are all more badass than the last, and you chose a food delivery guy to save the world!?"
"The U.S. Navy SEAL believed that the world has the freedom to be frozen, and that villains have the freedom to freeze the world, so…"
"Fuck! What about that Korean taekwondo champion? Wouldn't he be better than me at learning ancient martial arts?"
"Well… he came out and declared that all the female leads were his, all the money was his, all the property was his—including Otto. Otto was so pissed he slapped him to death. All seven times."
Fyren nodded. "Gotta say, Otto isn't entirely without merits."
"The astronaut! And a Russian one at that! He must be pretty awesome, right?"
"Logically, yes. But he had too short a temper. All seven chances, he went straight to duel Otto as soon as he started… so… he left with no regrets."
"That Indian guy!" Fyren said. "I heard the elite class in India is really smart—high IQ humans. Shouldn't he be more suitable than me?"
"Well… he did perform the best. But Otto was born in the Year of the Ox, so he believed Otto was the savior. Plus, he drank cow urine every day for fitness and kept trying to make super recovery potions from cow dung… He didn't last long. Oh, except once—that one time he sincerely invited Otto to drink cow urine. Otto felt insulted. You could say it was a death caused by cultural clash."
"The Japanese ninja… don't even tell me." Fyren said. "He probably thought Crystalpeak City couldn't contain him anymore and started expanding outward, right?"
"No. He decided that Otto was the strongest in the world, so he chose to be Otto's dog."
Fyren sat on the spot, eyes closed, utterly devoid of hope.
"Host, do you have any other questions?"
Fyren shook his head. "So… it's just me left, is that it?"
"That's right, dear!"
"What happens if I fail?"
Fyren's eyes were bloodshot.
"Nothing much. This world will continue to operate as the only remaining world until it's destroyed. As for the other worlds… they will completely disappear across physical, spatial, temporal, and some unknown dimensions."