Chapter 1 The Universe Calendar, Year 8275, Park Star

That afternoon, the sky looked especially gray.

On the boundless barren hills, a lone figure stood.

Before him was a small mound of earth, at the end of which stood a tombstone made of the planet's unique rock.

The tombstone was inscribed with the following words: [Park Hero, Honbu Taizo's Grave].

"I respect you Earthlings' customs..." Suddenly, a voice sounded from behind the figure, "But I still have to remind you... on most member stars of the Interstellar Alliance, burying corpses in the soil is illegal."

Hearing the voice, Feng Bujue knew who it was. He slowly turned around, chuckling softly, "Heh... are you here to arrest me for that?"

Toad Man maintained his usual attitude, replying in his processed, deep voice, "No, I'm just here to say goodbye."

"Alright... we're all sensible people, you don't have to be so euphemistic," Feng Bujue interjected.

Toad Man didn't respond to that.

He didn't need to...

As Feng Bujue said, they were both sensible people; they both knew that Toad Man's real purpose in coming here was to confirm that Feng Bujue "really would leave this universe."

...

About fourteen hours ago, Jue-ge brought Honbu's body back to the Ultra Dimensional Union of this era, reporting that Honbu had perished together with Dr. Diandian while dealing with the Nuanyang Star crisis. As for the other details... he didn't mention them at all.

After explaining these things, he submitted his resignation to the Ultra Dimensional Union.

Jue-ge stated... that he had found a way to return to his "original parallel universe" and would be leaving forever.

Naturally, the Ultra Dimensional Union wasn't in a position to persuade him to stay, so, the scene before them unfolded...

...

"I still don't believe, nor do I acknowledge... that you're a hero," Toad Man spoke after a long silence, "But I can sense... that you're not our enemy." He paused, his tone changing slightly, "I'm also very glad... that you're not our enemy."

"You're right," Feng Bujue replied, "I'm not a hero, I never have been..." Now that things had come to this, he could be completely frank with the other party, "But... I'm not a demon either..."

"I know," Toad Man answered, "From the first moment I saw you, I could sense... that you're the kind of person who's neither good nor evil, both good and evil... and that kind of person is the most troublesome for me."

"Hmph..." Feng Bujue chuckled, "That's rich... as if you're clearly defined as good or evil yourself..."

In the next second, Jue-ge looked into the other's eyes, and said in a very provocative tone, "I also knew from the first moment I saw you... that you and I are the same kind of person."

"In our world, there will never be a simple multiple-choice question of 'good versus evil'; whether it's holding on to some broad sense of goodness and justice, bearing beliefs and responsibilities, or throwing away all the burdens and embarking on a path of indulgence and evil... none of that can satisfy us."

"You and I both know... that we will eventually return to chaos, because only in absolute chaos... can we find the 'truth' we seek."

"Enough!" Toad Man raised his voice, stopping Jue-ge, "I don't want to hear this..."

"See, this is what I admire about you..." The expression on Feng Bujue's face also changed instantly, returning to that lazy state, "You clearly know that you're not a good person either, but you can use your willpower to suppress the demon in your heart for years, even decades or centuries... you can do it flawlessly."

"Then... what about you?" Toad Man countered, "Do you occasionally let your 'inner demon' out for a stroll?"

"Heh..." Jue-ge chuckled again, "Me... who knows..."

He gave an ambiguous, yet possibly tacit, answer.

Then, the two fell silent again.

After a moment, Toad Man shifted the topic first, continuing, "Oh, right, I have something to bring to you this time."

Before the words faded, he had already pulled out the item from his person...

What Toad Man took out was none other than Jue-ge's "Poker Hero" hero ID card.

Previously, when Feng Bujue submitted his resignation to the Ultra Dimensional Union, he undoubtedly handed in the card... Since he was going to "another universe," keeping it would be useless.

"What..." Feng Bujue interjected, "Is this to give me as a souvenir?"

"Souvenir?" Toad Man muttered thoughtfully, then said, "Heh... that's one of the reasons." He paused for half a second, adding, "The main reason... is that I don't want to owe you a favor... even if that favor might never need to be repaid." As he spoke, he took two steps forward, handing the ID card to Jue-ge's side, "Your contribution to the Ultra Dimensional Union is objective, although I would like to directly convert the hero points you earned into money for you, but considering that you're about to go to another universe, doing so would just give you a bunch of waste paper; so, I thought of a way..."

Listening to Toad Man's words, Feng Bujue had vaguely guessed the other's idea; so, he reached out and took the card, saying, "You did something to this card, didn't you?"

"It's not a big project," Toad Man replied, "After all, time is limited..." He pointed to the card, adding, "This 'thing' was made by me, Ketas, and Dr. Eternal together, rushing for ten universe weeks. Now, it's no longer an ordinary hero ID card, but a 'transformation card'. You can use it to summon a special magic battle armor to wear on your body; this battle armor can allow you to survive in outer space, solving the temperature, pressure, and oxygen supply problems that are difficult for you Earthlings to deal with... Of course, its energy is not infinite, and it takes time to recover and recharge after it's used up."

"Hmm..." Feng Bujue was already secretly overjoyed, but on the surface, he still acted quite calmly, "You're worried... that I'll end up in outer space when I travel back to my own universe, right? How thoughtful..." He paused, "Anyway, thank you, and please pass on my thanks to Tin Foil Man and the Doctor."

"I will," Toad Man answered, "Then... one last question..."

"You want to know how I'm going to another parallel universe?" Feng Bujue directly stated what the other was about to ask.

"That's right," Toad Man wasn't surprised by this, simply replying calmly.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything dangerous like 'forcibly opening a wormhole'..." Feng Bujue laughed, "I can do it like this..."

The moment the word "this" left his mouth, his figure had already turned into a beam of white light, disappearing from Toad Man's sight.