Just when the bomb exploded, the first thing that Zion felt was a wave of stabbing pain in his limbs. Every part of his body was suffering through intense pain. It felt as if millions of scorpions were impaling him at the same time. The feeling of helplessness that surrounded his heart was akin to how he felt like when his father had died. The light in his eyes dimmed when he thought of that.
This was the last thought before his soul floated out of his body.
The next second, the immense pain vanished. As if it was just his worst nightmare. His body was floating above as he stared down at the bloody scene beneath him.
The fire hadn't died down, and the scene before his eyes was horrifying. The residents saw several burnt bodies on the ground as fire sparked the area.
But before he could give it some thought, his transparent body floated above with great speed. Everything around him became blurry. Zion was confused about what's happening around him. Where was he going? If he were dead, why was he still conscious? Then suddenly, his body stopped, and everything became clear around him.
If he had a physical body, all the hair of his hands would have risen because of the floating speed.
After stopping, what he saw before his eyes was a vast universe and…
A handsome young man with long waist hair and a crown on the top of his head. This man was also floating in the universe, with a warm smile on his face.
But what made Zion choke was what this person was wearing.
He had long golden ornaments around his neck, almost as if this wasn't the neck of a man but a woman who loved to show off gold. And this man's entire clothing had fluffy, pinkish fur. He even had a furry scarf around his neck, which made things even worse. The emotion of being nauseous overcame the anxiety and fear he was feeling a while ago.
"What the heck are you wearing?"
The man glanced at his attire and tilted his head in confusion.
"Isn't it the latest fashion?"
"No!" It was almost like the latest fashion disaster, but Zion held his tongue, realizing the absurdity of the situation. He squinted his eyes at the man. "Who're you?"
"Methuselah."
"Methu…" Zion couldn't pronounce that name correctly. Just what kind of name was that?!
"No, it's Methuselah."
Methuselah could tell that the youth was getting impatient. So he chuckled awkwardly and said, "Don't worry about what, where, and how. Yeah?"
Zion said nothing and instead kept on staring at him with his cold eyes. At one point, this Methu person was intimidated enough that cold sweat started forming on his forehead.
After some moment of brief silence, the Methu guy laughed awkwardly and said, "Okay, so I'll explain things in short. You're dead."
Zion again stared at the man as if the latter were a mentally retard person. He already knew he died tragically, but this person had to rub salt on his wound.
Methuselah coughed, "Of course, you know that already."
"Come to the point. Why am I here?"
"Aren't you surprised? Like I've seen many people screaming out of fear for the first ten minutes. To be honest, I was kind of expecting you to scream and yell at me."
Zion felt a headache coming on. He knew he reacted in a strange way, and to be honest, he was creeped out, but what was the point of yelling and screaming like a fool when he could focus on something more substantial?
And who the heck was this person? Zion's eyes narrowed into the floating man's form. From the looks of it, this Methu-something man didn't seem to be an average mortal, but he shouldn't be a God either. Zion wouldn't believe even for a second that a God could present himself in such an embarrassing way! Then his lips parted as he asked, "You're not a God, are you?"
This time, it was the furry man's chance to be surprised. A smile bloomed on his face as his head nodded like a rattle doll. "How did you know? God is the only one who controls the Supreme Emperor on the heavenly planet! I didn't think you'd guess it so quickly. I guess that's why you're called the topmost detective of Earth!" The Methu man even showed him a thumbs-up.
"Hah, I found out because no God would wear pink fur in the name of fashion." Zion's arms crossed over his chest as he squinted his eyes, but within his heart, he was a little nervous. Even though he was smart, it didn't mean he was an overpowered person who wasn't afraid of anything. This situation was too strange, and he was worried his words would cause the furry man to lash out at him and disperse his soul instantly.
When he thought of what he just said, he pursed his lips. Maybe he indeed was rude. He should take up a chance and apologize before things get out of hand. Just when he opened his mouth, the Methu man coughed and said, "You're right. When I think about it, other colleagues of mine laughed at me when I wore this thing. Maybe I should change it." Then he changed the topic. "Coming back to the topic. Since your good karma points are so high, we have given you a second chance at living."
"Good karma points?" This phrase attracted Zion. He could tell what it meant, but he still wanted to confirm it from this weird-looking Methu man.
"It's the number of points you get every time you do a good deed."
"Okay, go on." Zion nodded.
"As I was saying, you'll get a second chance, but you'll have to prove yourself."
"What do you mean?" Zion frowned.
"Um…" Methuselah fell silent for a moment. He didn't know where to start, but he knew about those latest novels on Earth related to the system. And what he was going to propose was like stories. "You'll get a system, and-"
"I don't need it. I'd rather reincarnate." Zion knew that if there were a system, there would be something to hold him back, and he didn't want to be forced to work under someone. He would instead reincarnate into a beggar's body than get a system.
"Well…." Now the man was getting a headache. "You do know that after reincarnating, you would forget everything about your previous life, right? You won't be Zion anymore!"
The Methu man tried to persuade Zion in anxiety. If things weren't urgent, he wouldn't have chosen this person so hastily. But when he thought of how he could lose one and only chance to save another world, he bit his lips and decided to try out another method. He rubbed his palms together and said in a pleading voice, "Mr. Nelson, to be honest, we need your help."
Zion's eyebrows rose, so this was the real reason. They needed his help. He nodded and urged the other person to continue.
Methuselah gave the other a bright-eyed glance.
"One planet is going to be destroyed and pr-" Then the man paused as if he held himself back from saying another word and continued. "And you're the only person who could save everyone."
"Earth's population is around 7.8 Billion, but you felt like I was the only one who could help you." Zion shot an indifferent glance at the man, clearly not believing a word. By now, fear had vanished entirely from his heart after seeing such an expression on the Methu man's face. "Interesting."
The man felt another wave of chilling sensation running down his spine. He knew the youth was brilliant, but he didn't expect Zion to interpret that he had been hiding a lot of things. It was essential to hide the truth from Zion by hook or by crook! Otherwise, the detective would never help him!
Determination flashed in the man's eyes at that. He had to stop this youth from deducing something new!
Methuselah avoided the other's eye contact and was rude for the sake of billions of lives on the other planet! "Well, you don't have any other choice. We have already attached the system to your subtle body."
"Subtle body…?" Zion paused and frowned. "How can you attach a system without even telling me?"
"The subtle body is an invisible body wrapped around your soul. Your ghost body." The man paused and continued. "Now, you'll be reborn with a system that would help you survive. So, toodles!"
Before Zion could open his mouth to curse the other person, his body started fading and vanished from that place.
Methuselah heaved a sigh of relief. That person was hard to deal with, and he could only use force against him.
He hoped Zion could live up to his expectations.
Just then, an anxious voice transmitted into his mind. "Boss, did you send Mr. Nelson?"
"Yes, why?"
"There was a minor mishap…." The voice paused for a second as if he was contemplating something in-between.
The other person transmitting his voice gritted his teeth and said, "Somehow, the coding of an immoral system mixed with the detective system."
"So it became an immoral detective system…." Methuselah finally felt a trace of fear rising in his heart. He was speechless for a moment, not knowing what to say.
If Zion realized Methuselah had made this gross mistake, would that youth come rushing after him with guns or bombs? His limbs suddenly trembled with fear. "Listen, don't pick up Zion's call in any situation. No matter what! Just block the helpline number!"
"…Okay."