"My final words?"

Zhou Huai thought for a moment, spread his hands, and made a helpless gesture.

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

Zhou Huai chuckled self-deprecatingly, looking straight at Mr. Duan: "I don't have any family left. The Zhou Family has been destroyed. My mother's life or death is unknown, and now, even you, my uncle, have personally crossed more than half the planet to kill me."

"In this world, I have nothing left to be attached to anyway. If I die, I die."

Listening to these words, Mr. Duan gently tapped his fingers on the coffee table, making a crisp ticking sound.

"Very open-minded. Much more resolute than that father of yours."

Avoiding the topic of his father, Zhou Huai leaned forward and stared into the other person's eyes: "However, before I die, there is indeed one thing I'm very curious about."

"Oh? Let's hear it." Mr. Duan leaned back on the sofa with a posture of listening attentively.

"You've done so much, collecting high-tier Classer everywhere, and even sparing no effort to hand the Divine Artifact over to Kujo Koji, sacrificing the entire Tokyo City to charge the Pendulum of Life... What on earth are you trying to do?"

"You are already so strong. In this world, there shouldn't be anyone who is your match, right? What is there that you want and cannot get? Why do you insist on stirring up this so-called grand plan?"

Hearing this question, Mr. Duan's originally casual expression paused slightly.

Then, he shook his head and let out a light chuckle. In that laughter, there was a trace of pity for the ignorant.

"For you to ask this question shows that your understanding of the world is... too superficial."

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

"Zhou Huai, you have entered ancient ruins and seen ancient civilizations and their architecture." With his back to Zhou Huai, his voice became ethereal: "Then you should know that the civilization level of some ruins is not inferior to the current era in the slightest. Even the Classer of that era were stronger!"

Mr. Duan turned around and spread his arms.

"In those buried eras, super-tier beings walked everywhere, and high-tier ones were as common as dogs! What a brilliant transcendent epoch that was!"

"Yet what was the result?"

Mr. Duan instantly restrained the fanaticism on his face, expressionless.

"In the end, weren't they reduced to one sealed ruin after another? Buried underground, turning into dungeons for later generations like you to explore? Do you know why?"

Zhou Huai did not speak, his heart beating violently in his chest, waiting for the other party to give the answer.

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

"Considering that you are about to die, I can give you a relatively simple answer."

He put down the teacup and spat out four words:

"Version Replacement."

"Version Replacement?!" Zhou Huai frowned: "What does this mean?"

As someone with memories of a past life, he was too familiar with this term! But hearing this word in such a real world made the hairs all over his body stand up!

Mr. Duan raised a finger and shook it gently.

"An era is a version."

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

Mr. Duan's tone revealed a despairing ruthlessness.

"This replacement is a thorough, systematic annihilation. Including all humans, all exotic beasts, and all traces of civilization, they must be ruthlessly cleared! Making room for the operation of the new version."

Speaking of this, Mr. Duan lowered his eyes. He looked at his own hands and smiled self-deprecatingly.

"You think I am already invincible under heaven? You think I am already standing at the very top of this world?"

"Hehe... Zhou Huai, although I now appear powerful and can even slightly jump out of the framework of the rules, facing the upcoming great purge, I am nothing more than a pitiful person surviving in the cracks."

The more Zhou Huai listened, the more confused he became, and monstrous waves churned in his heart.

If the world was truly a constantly changing version, then what was the Abyss Invasion? What was the System? Could it be that Mr. Duan collected and sacrificed high-tier Classer to exploit a loophole in the System and resist the purge?

But Zhou Huai knew deeply that the more one knew, the faster one died. Since the other party dared to speak of the world's biggest secret, they definitely did not intend to leave him alive!

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

"Is this fun for you?"

"Can you not play charades with a dying man?" Zhou Huai unceremoniously retorted: "What is a new version? Who is leading the replacement? You only say half your words, don't you know that riddle-makers come to a bad end?"

Being mocked like this by a dying man, Mr. Duan did not get angry.

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

"Sorry, that's just how I talk." He looked down at Zhou Huai with an expressionless face, "Everything that should be said has been said, and time is almost up. It's time for me to send you on your way."

Faced with the death that could arrive at any moment, Zhou Huai showed no fear at all, but instead revealed a weird smile.

"You needn't trouble yourself with doing it personally," Zhou Huai stated extremely calmly, "I'll send myself on my way."

As soon as his voice fell!

Hum——!!!

On Zhou Huai's body, without warning, a dazzling white light lit up!

This light was the precursor to destruction produced by the extreme compression of the most violent energy!

Mr. Duan couldn't help but be taken aback, not expecting Zhou Huai to directly self-detonate in such a resolute manner!

A deafening roar erupted!!!

The white light instantly swallowed everything.

A deafening explosion soared into the sky, and the violent energy shockwave swept outward like a tsunami! This quaint courtyard, which held many memories for Zhou Huai, was torn into countless fragments in an instant, turning into a complete ruin!

Dust flew, and flames soared into the sky.

After a long while.

When the smoke and dust filling the sky gradually dissipated, in the center of the ruins, a gray figure was still standing upright.

Mr. Duan stood alone in place. A layer of invisible black Earth-element shield perfectly isolated him from the terrifying explosion that had just been enough to destroy a city block.

He lowered his head and looked at the huge deep pit blasted under his feet. In the air, there was no longer any life aura belonging to Zhou Huai, not even a scrap of flesh left behind.

Mr. Duan was silent for a moment.

Then, he let out a sigh mixed with surprise and regret.

"This is really decisive..."

He reached out his hand, wanting to catch something in the air, but in the end, he only grabbed a handful of illusory dust.

"Originally, after killing you, I also wanted to extract your soul to carefully study the secrets of those Puppets of yours."

Mr. Duan shook his head, turned around, and walked outward stepping on the ruins all over the ground.

"What a pity."