Chapter 30: "I Suggest You Write a Book Called The Last Ten Minutes of My Life"

As the Fujishi clan members arrived, everyone scattered like avoiding a plague.

"What's going on? Why's Fujin here? I thought he was training in the Deadwood Mountains!"

"Beats me—might be someone else in trouble."

Lin Binbin looked up at the commotion and suddenly locked eyes with someone radiating pure killing intent. His heart skipped a beat. Quickly, he passed the wolf cub in his arms to Cheng Mo and whispered urgently:

"If things go south, you take the cub and run—just head back to the Exile Zone, and you're safe. The Fujishi clan wouldn't dare break ties with the court."

Cheng Mo froze. "What about you?"

"I'll find a way out."

No sooner had the words left his lips than Fujin stood before him.

Fujin fixed his gaze on Lin Binbin, a smile creeping into his eyes. He sounded almost excited:

"You're the Beast-Tamer who wiped out that entire wolf pack?"

The words hit like a grenade. Gasps and murmurs erupted around them:

"He faced the whole wolf pack alone? Not even an A-tier Beast-Tamer would dare!"

"Fujin might be mistaken—could this kid really be that powerful?"

"Where did this young genius come from?"

Fujin didn't look fooled. He understood the saying, "Don't judge a book by its cover."

"Little brother, you sure you have the right person? Wolf pack? I'm not familiar with that."

Lin Binbin blinked, acting innocent.

"You don't believe me? No worries—I'll prove it."

With that, Fujin motioned to an aide, and a guard wearing the Fujishi wardrobe dragged in a figure—

It was Zhang Heng, battered and bruised.

Zhang Heng fell to his knees, trembling, and began recounting everything:

"My lord, if you hadn't saved us from that wolf pack, we'd all be dead. … The Beast-Tamer's mech appeared from nowhere, smashed through those wolves, and guided us safely out of the mountains."

He went into intricate detail and assured Fujin that any of the other survivors could confirm his story.

Lin Binbin sneered inwardly. Compared to himself—the unassuming child—Zhang Heng clearly feared Fujin more. Rumors said Fujin became a B-tier Beast-Tamer a year ago and had never been defeated.

Lin Binbin's contempt flickered briefly across his face—but Fujin caught it instantly.

"Good. You know your place."

Fujin patted Zhang Heng's shoulder, but as Zhang Heng thought he was being released, he noticed a chill against his cheek. He froze as Fujin gently placed a transparent silk thread at his throat—and cut.

Blood spurted up. Shock registered on Zhang Heng's face. Seconds later, he slumped lifelessly to the ground.

"Murder!" a scream shot through the crowd, and chaos erupted.

Taking advantage of the pandemonium, Lin Binbin shoved Cheng Mo forward, with the little wolf and mechanical drone Dahuangfeng covering their retreat:

"Run!"

Fujin didn't stop them—he only had eyes for Lin Binbin.

Fujin called after them:

"My little sister Xiaorou can be… quite voracious. If she's not satisfied, she might just eat you!"

As he spoke, the ceiling above them began spewing silk threads, drifting down like living beings and brushing against Fujin's robes. The crowd shrank back in terror.

Lin Binbin glanced up at the ceiling. It was covered in large, transparent butterflies—about five to six times larger than normal, but utterly invisible except for their wing outlines. At the sight of them, his blood ran cold.

"What is this thing?"

He hissed:

"White Ape--break through!"

The mech punched at the butterflies, but its strike rippled across the winged mass like water—and rebounded. The shock knocked the mech back several steps.

Fujin's voice rang out:

"Hmm? Your beast's got real power."

Cold crept into his expression:

"My Xiaorou isn't hurt without reason."

Suddenly, dozens of transparent butterflies swelled from above, drifting downward to surround Lin Binbin—and even the mech's optics flickered in confusion.

Lin Binbin frowned. His system stopped responding just then.

"Damn it—why is my system offline?"

Desperation rose in his voice:

"White Ape—switch to guard mode!"

He watched as the mech's hammer glowed red, ready to fight—but nothing...

Then, the system rebooted with a chilling message:

System Notification: "My dear comrade, your day just became unforgettable. I suggest you write a book titled The Last Ten Minutes of My Life. This is inside the Dasher Butterfly's stomach-space. In ten minutes, everything inside will be corroded entirely by its gastric fluids. And—surprise—your mech's attacks don't work. Your only hope now is to pray your body isn't devoured whole."

Above, viscous liquid dripped down from the ceiling, sizzling as it hit the mech—corroding it.

Lin Binbin's heart sank.

He dove under a table as acid dripped steadily from above.

Around him, transparent butterflies hovered, their form pulsing as though alive.

He took stock:

System Insight: "These are extensions of a soul-devouring butterfly. They lack full power, but after nearly a century of cohesion, they retain some of the original's properties—so even though they aren't ranked, they're still dangerous…"

He swallowed hard, gripping the table legs, preparing for the last ten minutes of his life.