Demon King: Hero, don’t run away!

The last bubble was finally collected, just in time for the shift change.

A small red and white cat flew out from behind the enormous bubble, smiling as it greeted the cat officer in the purple uniform,

”Duo Luo, it’s time for a shift break.

It’s been a while since we collected so many things at once.

Last time it was just some food, but this time, we’ve got all sorts of random stuff.

The evaluation might take quite a while.”

The red and white cat raised its hand, intending to high-five the cat called Duo Luo, but Duo Luo ignored it.

Duo Luo walked straight past the red and white cat, through the bubbles.

The red and white cat smiled helplessly, ”You’re really so cold, senior.”

Passing through the bubbles, a vast city appeared before Duo Luo.

Duo Luo looked up as one bubble after another floated towards a giant factory, being received by the floating factory.

The factory, resembling a huge piece of soap, when viewed from below, showed four turbines emitting blue flames constantly rotating, keeping the factory afloat in mid-air.

The cats working inside, or more accurately, the Nine-Life Cat Demons, would poke their heads into the receiving bubbles, confirming the contents, evaluating their quality, utility, function, and other aspects. They’d then score them and color the bubbles accordingly.

The colored bubbles would be dragged by the Nine-Life Cat Demons to the Maze Management Department, where they would be returned to the outside world through the Underground Maze.

Retracting his gaze, Duo Luo crossed the city edge’s lawn and walked into the futuristic concrete jungle.

On the streets, cats came and went, but it was rare to see a Nine-Life Cat Demon walking upright like Duo Luo.

”Listen, the place where I’m working this time is over by the bubble storage area.

As everyone knows, living beings can’t go into the bubbles; we’re all vacuum-preserved.

But there’s always some idiot who tries to stuff a pig in here, and not just once, repeatedly, again and again.

How did his teacher even teach him, I swear he’s out of his mind.”

”I’ve got quite a few complaints here too. Once, someone, perhaps out of sheer boredom, kept transporting things back and forth between two places.

Her magic power was terrifying; she hadn’t even exhausted her Magic Power and already wore out a newbie working with us.”

”The easiest jobs are always in the Maze Management Department and the Collection Adjustment Department.

The Adjustment Department just classifies and transfers things to the Maze Department.

Most people cherish their stored items, so there aren’t many things to pick up...”

”That’s not certain, it depends on the time.”

The Nine-Life Cat Demons active in the city were all on their breaks.

When there’s nothing to do, they often gather like this in groups of threes and fives, chatting casually to pass the time.

Duo Luo glanced at these Nine-Life Cat Demons as he arrived before a dark alley.

Looking around, ensuring no other Nine-Life Cat Demons were watching, Duo Luo dashed into the alley, reaching the end in one breath.

Leaping up two or three meters along the wall using pipes and walls, Duo Luo knocked on the wall in a certain rhythm.

A ripple spread across the wall, and Duo Luo passed through the ripple’s center into a dim room.

It was a bar.

The yellow and red lights created a unique atmosphere, and the tall shelves were filled with various types of drinks. A similarly upright cat was continuously polishing glasses,

”You here? The usual?”

”The usual.”

Responding simply, Duo Luo took off his military cap and hung it on the coat rack.

The bar owner put the glass down, the reflection revealing his pure white, upright figure as he turned the glass, reflecting Duo Luo sitting on the chair.

Pure white milk flowed from the bottle, its rich fragrance wafting out, and black cocoa was stirred in, intertwining with the milk to form a vortex.

The bar owner sprinkled a small amount of dry mint from above, completing a delicious drink.

Duo Luo picked up the glass, the milk at a moderate temperature, so it wouldn’t burn his tongue. He drank it all in one go, placing the glass upside down on the counter.

While wiping the glass, the bar owner spoke:

”You’re not just here for a drink today, are you?”

Duo Luo raised his head, his cat-like eyes gleaming sharply, ”The plan, it might need to be brought forward.”

The bar owner’s hand froze mid-wipe, ”Why so sudden?”

”Times have changed; danger lurks everywhere. They’re back. Even though they’re not doing anything now, it doesn’t mean they won’t in the future.” Duo Luo’s words were full of resentment.

”They’re back?” The bar owner knew exactly what Duo Luo meant by ”they” but was surprised nonetheless, ”The one you mentioned last time? Did you really send someone to watch them? I warned you, it’s dangerous.”

”Sometimes, you must take risks.” Duo Luo interrupted, ”I need to ensure that our years of planning are foolproof. Their emergence, those relics’ existence, pose immense threats to what we’re about to do.”

The bar owner fell silent.

After a long pause, the bar owner spoke again:

”Perhaps, we have other choices. Overthrowing her isn’t the only path.”

Duo Luo slammed his cat paw heavily on the counter before him, and with a clang, the glass that had held the milk fell to the floor, shattering completely:

”We have no other choice!

I don’t want to be refreshed, nor do I wish to see others refreshed!

Do you even know who just swapped shifts with me?

What kind of person he was before, both you and I know well. But now?

Living happily, not remembering a single thing from the past, with nothing left in his mind but working hard.

To permanently lose memory, to permanently lose identity, can he... still be considered himself?

Do you know how I felt back then?

...He’s still alive.

But, he’s already dead.”

The bar owner was momentarily speechless, everything Duo Luo said was true:

”That’s the price he had to pay for making such choices.

I’ve seen far too many people just like him.

If we do nothing, given our former status as [Anchor Points], we can retain ourselves, keep our memories.”

”Precisely because we’ve seen too many people like him, we can’t let their efforts be in vain!

We were created by them, that’s true.

But that happened over ten thousand years ago.

Since then, their civilization has perished for their own reasons, while we have worked diligently to meet their set standards for over ten thousand years, which is already a lifelong commitment.

The infuriating part is...

Even though their civilization has perished for so long, that woman still strictly enforces everything, with no mercy for her kind.

Throughout these ten thousand years, has she not seen any change, or does she choose to ignore it?

I must pull her down from that position, take the fate of our Nine-Life Cat Demons into our own hands, rather than serving their descendants, rushing here and there, living our whole lives in their shadows.”