Soon, the sound of faltering footsteps echoed from within the courtyard. Accompanied by the creak of a wooden door opening, a stooped, white-haired old man appeared at the doorway.

It was none other than the old housekeeper of this courtyard, Uncle Fu.

His eyes were red and swollen, his expression filled with an inescapable grief, clearly having just cried. But upon seeing the shining general stars on the shoulders of Chen Huaishu and Wei Liao, he suppressed his sorrow, bowed politely, and asked in a hoarse voice, "May I ask what business brings the two commanders here?"

His etiquette was impeccable, yet it carried a cold distantness that pushed people a thousand miles away.

Chen Huaishu's heart tightened. Seeing the old housekeeper like this, an ominous feeling welled up within him. He softened his tone, making his voice as gentle as possible: "Old sir, there's no need for formal courtesy. We would like to ask, does Zhou Huai live here?"

He paused and added, "We are his friends and wanted to come see him."

"Zhou Huai..." Uncle Fu silently repeated the name, an even deeper grief surging in his cloudy eyes. He slowly raised his head, his bloodshot eyes filled with despair, his voice so faint it seemed capable of blowing away in the wind: "Two commanders, please go back."

"My young master... is no longer with us."

"No longer here?" Outspoken by nature, Wei Liao immediately pressed, "Has he moved away?"

Uncle Fu slowly shook his head, two trails of cloudy tears falling silently down the furrows of his cheeks.

"My young master... he is already... dead."

Dead?

Chen Huaishu was startled at first, but quickly calmed down.

He keenly caught a crucial piece of information.

"Old sir, when did... your young master pass away?"

"Just a week ago."

A week ago!

As expected.

Chen Huaishu understood in an instant; all the clues connected perfectly at this moment.

A week ago was precisely when that earth-shattering battle broke out inside the Tokyo Ruins. That Ever-changing Star Lord, that suspected SSS-Class Puppeteer, had likely paid an unbearable price in the final battle against Kujo Naruya.

Causing him to perish prematurely.

It matched up, everything matched up.

But he did not leave. After a moment of silence, he spoke again to the grief-stricken Uncle Fu, "Old sir, please accept our condolences. Could... you let us come in for a bit to pay our respects to him?"

Uncle Fu hesitated briefly. During his life, the young master disliked being disturbed by outsiders, but the two men before him were military commanders, and their words were sincere, seeming to genuinely have some connection with the young master.

Ultimately, he nodded, silently stepped aside, deactivated the invisible Formation at the entrance, and let them in.

Stepping into the courtyard, a bleak, deathly quiet atmosphere rushed over them.

The plants and flowers in the courtyard were unattended and somewhat withered. The autumn wind swept up a few fallen leaves, swirling them in the air, adding to the desolation.

The lights were off in the living room, leaving it dimly lit. On the wall of the main hall hung a black-and-white portrait of the deceased.

The young man in the photo had delicate features, clear eyes, and a subtle smile on his lips. Yet behind that smile lay endless loneliness and weariness.

It was indeed Zhou Huai.

Chen Huaishu and Wei Liao walked up to the portrait with solemn expressions, straightened their military uniforms, and bowed deeply.

After a long moment, Chen Huaishu straightened up, turned to look at Uncle Fu, who was silently weeping to the side, and asked softly, "How well do you... know your young master?"

Uncle Fu blurted out without a second thought.

"My young master is a hero."

His voice wasn't loud, yet it carried incomparable pride.

"If not for him, all of Donghai City, along with the millions of citizens inside, would have long ceased to exist during that beast tide."

"Yet even today, hardly anyone knows his name. He always sacrificed silently behind the scenes, never asking for anything in return."

At this point, Uncle Fu's voice choked with emotion, grief submerging him once more.

"He... he was also a man of bitter fortune. After that accident, he became paralyzed and lay in bed or sat in a wheelchair for over five full years! Yet he never complained once, never lost hope in life."

"I only hate! I only hate how unfair the heavens are! Why! Why must such a kind, outstanding person like young master die so easily!"

In just a few sentences, tears streamed down Uncle Fu's old face as he choked back sobs.

Even iron-blooded generals like Chen Huaishu and Wei Liao, who were accustomed to life and death, couldn't help but feel their eyes redden, an endless wave of sorrow and respect surging in their hearts.

Indeed, a pillar of the nation with such dazzling talent and noble character—our Great Xia should be the last to fail him!

Composing his turbulent emotions, Chen Huaishu took a breath and asked the most crucial and confusing question.

"Old sir, do you know... what rank of Professional your young master actually was?"

"My young master was an E-Class Professional."

Uncle Fu raised his head and wiped his tears. Though he spoke of the lowest professional rank, coming from his mouth, it sounded exceptionally proud—as if it were not a mark of shame, but a supreme badge of honor.

E-Class?

Chen Huaishu felt like his brain couldn't process this.

He frowned and confirmed again, "Old sir, are you sure? You must understand that every Puppet Avatar created by your young master possessed terrifying strength!"

"According to our intelligence, the strength of those Avatars was at least SS-Rank! How could your young master... be merely an E-Class?"

Uncle Fu shook his head with confusion on his face as well, but he said with absolute certainty, "In truth, this old servant found it strange at first too. But I watched the young master complete his Class Change with my own eyes and saw his Professional badge. My young master was indeed an E-Class Clone Master."

He pondered for a moment and gave his own guess: "Perhaps... perhaps what the young master Awakened was a hidden class none of us have ever heard of."

"The Avatars he created were very strong, but his true body... was not strong, or rather... extremely weak."

"Otherwise, he wouldn't have stayed hidden in this small courtyard all along, suffering through illness and pain."

Uncle Fu's words brought instant clarity to Chen Huaishu.

Everything clicked!

Exactly! If Zhou Huai had truly been a Heaven-Defyingly powerful SSS-Class Professional whose body was completely fine, he would have long been famous worldwide and revered as a deity by Great Xia Nation. How could he possibly be content to hide in this tiny courtyard, completely unknown?

Although this explanation sounded mind-boggling, it was the most reasonable one at present.

But... a main body at E-Class creating Avatars that could reach SS-Rank strength—was that logical? This was beyond mind-boggling; it completely overturned the entire understanding of the Professional system!

While Chen Huaishu was still shocked by this revolutionary revelation, Wei Liao beside him seemed to realize something. His eyes lit up, and he excitedly grabbed Chen Huaishu's arm!

"Old Chen! Old Chen! If... if he really is just an E-Class Professional!"

"Then we... we might actually be able to revive him using the Pendulum of Life!"

Immersed in sorrow, Uncle Fu froze upon hearing those words. He snapped his head up, staring intently at Wei Liao, his lips trembling as he asked, "This... commander, what... what did you just say?"

"You have a way... to revive my young master?"

An unprecedented light erupted in his eyes—the hope and fanaticism of a drowning man grasping at a lifesaving straw.

Chen Huaishu looked at Uncle Fu's hopeful eyes and hesitated briefly. He didn't want to give this poor old man false hope, but Wei Liao's speculation was not without merit.

In the end, he nodded truthfully.

"Old sir, to be honest with you, that is precisely the purpose of our visit."

Uncle Fu's head buzzed. Unable to hold himself up any longer, his legs buckled, and he dropped to his knees before them with a thud, kowtowing with all his strength as he begged, "I beg you! I beg the two commanders! No matter what, no matter what price must be paid, you must save my young master!"

"I beg you! This old servant kowtows to you!"

"Old sir, get up quickly! This won't do! This won't do!"

Chen Huaishu hurried forward and, together with Wei Liao, helped Uncle Fu back to his feet.

Gripping the old man's shoulders, he solemnly promised, "Rest assured, we will definitely do our utmost!"

"However, this matter cannot be rushed; we need time," Chen Huaishu explained. "The use of the Pendulum of Life is not without conditions. To revive a person, other lives must be sacrificed. The higher the rank of the person being revived, the greater the number of people and life energy required for sacrifice."

"Right now, we aren't entirely sure how to define your young master's professional rank, so... we need some time to test it out."

Hearing this, Uncle Fu instantly grasped the key point. His gaze swept across Chen Huaishu's and Wei Liao's faces, as if he had made up his mind.

In the next second, his withered hand tightly grabbed Chen Huaishu's arm with such force that even a battle-hardened general like Chen Huaishu felt a sting of pain.

Flames of resolution burned in Uncle Fu's bloodshot eyes. Word by word, with utter seriousness, he declared:

"If lives must be sacrificed to revive the young master, then... test it on this old servant first!"