Hades, the Urban Legend

Chapter 541: Chapter 541: How Cold It Is Outside

Perhaps it was because the noise was too loud, or maybe the drug's effects had worn off, or it could be that too much time had passed. In any case, Lin Ruoxi chose this moment to wake up—right when Yang Chen was killing someone, with the shimmering shield enveloping them, surrounded by icy mountains and snowy seas.

From the complex mix of emotions in Lin Ruoxi's eyes—panic, excitement, confusion, pain, and indescribable feelings—Yang Chen guessed that she might have been awake for a while already.

"Heh, awake?" Yang Chen suddenly realized he was stating the obvious.

Lin Ruoxi stared deeply at him for a moment, then all the emotions she had just shown vanished as if they had never appeared. She said nothing, cautiously looking at the shimmering shield around them. Whether due to the cold or fear, she shivered and shrank back.

Like a delicate flower in the icy snow, she was completely out of place with the surrounding world.

Stern and Alice exchanged glances, each seeing the schadenfreude in the other's eyes. They knew very well that while all of this was under Yang Chen's control, it had been kept a secret from Lin Ruoxi.

Yang Chen, scratching the back of his head, pondered how to communicate with Lin Ruoxi. His plan to feign retreat and then strike had considered the possibility that Lin Ruoxi might uncover some of his long-hidden secrets. But after much thought, he decided it was better to be honest sooner or later, so he didn't hesitate much in arranging this series of events.

However, facing Lin Ruoxi in such a unique environment made Yang Chen a bit nervous. He took several deep breaths to steady his emotions.

Seeing Lin Ruoxi sitting on the deck without speaking, Yang Chen assumed she was terrified. After all, despite her strong mental fortitude, witnessing such extraordinary scenes and hearing conversations that seemed otherworldly was overwhelming enough not to faint.

"Don't worry, it's all over. Come, I'll take you back to the ship. We can return to the hotel tonight," Yang Chen said as he approached Lin Ruoxi and extended his hand. The shield Stern cast posed no barrier to him.

Grasping Lin Ruoxi's cold hand, Yang Chen infused a bit of true energy into her to ward off the extreme cold outside.

Lin Ruoxi did not resist or show any emotion. Uncharacteristically obedient, she let Yang Chen hold her hand, stand her up, and lead her away without uttering a word.

Her eyes looked indifferent, her face expressionless, and she didn't utter a single word. The woman who was usually as cold as ice now seemed like a perfect ice sculpture, devoid of any emotions, standing on the snowy ship.

Yang Chen finally realized that the situation was far more delicate than he had anticipated. His imagined scenario was vastly different from reality.

Even if Lin Ruoxi slapped him hard, glared at him fiercely, or cursed him coldly, Yang Chen would have accepted it willingly.

But her complete silence made Yang Chen very uncomfortable.

What went wrong? Unable to figure it out, Yang Chen decided to set it aside for now. The priority was to get Lin Ruoxi and the others, including the mother and son, back to safety.

Of course, Yang Chen was only responsible for escorting Lin Ruoxi. Little Harry and his mother were taken back to the ship by the Stern siblings. He had no intention of letting those two onlookers slack off.

The return journey was smooth. Except for the strange looks everyone gave the Stern siblings on the ship, no one said much. The ship was somewhat lively due to the process where the main leaders of the Sea Eagles and Zero, who had accompanied Soren, introduced themselves to Lin Ruoxi, stating their societal identities and voluntarily pledging allegiance to her.

However, Lin Ruoxi appeared very numb, listening blankly to these people talk. They mentioned a bunch of titles that would cause envy in European high society, but in her eyes, besides confusion, there seemed to be traces of panic.

Yang Chen stood by, frowning, thinking that Lin Ruoxi might be having difficulty accepting so many unexpected things at once, which caused her current state. He decided not to disturb her much. He believed that after a night's rest in Paris, she would naturally recover.

Yang Chen couldn't help but feel some regret. He should have prepared Lin Ruoxi a bit beforehand to avoid her current pitiful state, where she didn't dare to speak.

Compared to her usual decisive and spirited demeanor, Lin Ruoxi now seemed like a little lamb hiding in a corner, with vacant eyes and no presence. This made Yang Chen feel very uneasy.

After returning to Le Havre port, Yang Chen took Lin Ruoxi to his parked Maybach. He let the limp Lin Ruoxi sit inside, reclined the seat slightly, started the car, and turned on the heater to prevent her from catching a cold from the shock and the damp sea breeze.

"Dear, you rest for a bit. I'll be back soon and then take you to the hotel," Yang Chen said warmly to Lin Ruoxi with a smile, not caring if she was listening or not.

After settling Lin Ruoxi, Yang Chen walked back to the port. A group of over a hundred people, who had earlier fled back with Louis XVI, had already scattered, but some remained.

Because Stern and Alice didn't intend to fully disclose their identities, their intervention was merely due to Deipni impersonating Apollo and Yang Chen's involvement, making it seem like the three of them played a game.

Naturally, the witnesses like Fodesa didn't dare to reveal everything that had happened. They simply described Deipni's crimes and attributed all the credit to Yang Chen.

This was inevitable. Besides Yang Chen, no one else could have resolved the situation so easily.

However, Yang Chen wasn't too worried about whether these people knowing his identity would cause trouble. These organizations weren't foolish. No one would risk offending the gods by spreading Yang Chen's real identity and whereabouts.

In essence, these people preferred that the gods' identities remain unconfirmed. The existence of gods would only destabilize governments and lead to the fervent rise of religious sects, which was undesirable for the authorities. Similarly, when Yang Chen returned to China, the Yan Huang Iron Brigade, knowing his divine status, wouldn't casually disclose it.

So, even though everyone knew the identities of Yang Chen and the others, they wouldn't spread it around. In a world ruled by humans, if the gods were willing to remain unknown, that would be the best cooperation.

Thus, Stern and Alice continued to play the roles of rescued hostages, with Soren, Nun Yun Miao, Sargeras, and others as witnesses. The matter was almost settled, with the remaining details to be wrapped up in future meetings between the authorities. The various organizations at the port quickly began to disperse. Takamagahara and Excalibur were among the last to leave. Excalibur's attitude towards Yang Chen had evidently improved, as they owed their lives to him. The eccentric group from Takamagahara also bid their simple farewells, which was a sign of great respect from them.

As for the Death God's Sword in Soren's hands, although many coveted it, no one dared to take it from Yang Chen, even if Yang Chen didn't take the sword too seriously.

"My Lord Hades, do you really not need to take this artifact?" Soren hesitated, holding the black box, and asked Yang Chen for confirmation.

Yang Chen patted his old friend's shoulder. "You guys take it. Just send it to Ron to keep. The sword is of no use to me. I thought someone might come to snatch it, but it seems I was wrong. Keeping it with me is just an extra burden."

Soren nodded, said no more, and after saluting Yang Chen, he led his group away.

The French officials, including Fodesa, watched as their former possession was taken away. Though they had mixed feelings, they didn't dare voice any complaints. Fortunately, with the Domain of the Gods gone, the crisis for the president and the EU was over, and they didn't suffer any real loss.

At this time, Sargeras and his daughter Lilith approached. Sargeras, with Lilith, bowed slightly and smiled, "Thanks to your intervention, Lord Hades. If you're willing to stay a few more days, I would like to invite you to my castle to show our hospitality."

Yang Chen waved his hand. "Forget it. I'm not interested in your thousand-year-old house. You should go back and recuperate from being pierced by the Longinus Spear. If the clan leader of the Ventrue clan falls, the Camarilla would be in chaos."

Sargeras looked a bit embarrassed. "Hehe, it's no big deal. The Longinus Spear has great destructive power, but with your help, Lord Hades, I can still hold on."

Lilith, standing quietly by, had a shy and complicated expression in her enchanting blue eyes, her thoughts unclear.

The Stern siblings were already impatient, holding each other and kissing for a while. Seeing Yang Chen still chatting, Stern waved his hand, "Hey, Mr. Yang, we're waiting to ride in your car back to Paris. Can you hurry up? It's freezing out here!"

Everyone else silently despised them. As if they could feel the cold!

Yang Chen was about to tease the siblings when a sudden sense of alarm flashed through his mind.

"Something's wrong!"

Just as he realized it, it was already too late!

A hundred meters away, as Soren and his group walked towards their parked car, there was a sudden spatial fluctuation beside the leading Soren!

Before Soren could react, the box in his arms disappeared!

"Clang—"

The crisp sound of metal echoed as the Death God's Sword, now devoid of its black box, fell to the ground!

Yang Chen, Stern, and Alice appeared in front of the startled Soren almost instantly, right as the sword hit the ground, shocking everyone!

"Still, it's too late," Yang Chen said haltingly, managing only a bitter smile, over and over again.

He had thought this time was a miscalculation, that the mysterious person wouldn't steal the Sword of Death. But to his great surprise, that guy didn't just refrain from stealing—it was only when there were fewer people that he made his move. Everyone had relaxed their guard, thinking he wouldn't show up, and that's when he struck!

Looking down at the Sword of Death, which had clearly been drained of all its divine power—or rather, it should now be called an "ordinary metal sword"—Yang Chen clenched his fists tightly.