84: Chapter 84 A fine of one billion? No money? Then go unclog the sewers in the septic tank to pay off the debt.

Amidst the ruins, the smoke of gunpowder had not yet dissipated.

The once overbearing Skeletal Giant was now reduced to a pile of debris, looking like construction waste that had been dumped at will.

The Bone Demon lay beside a broken femur, his once magnificent robes now hanging on him like tattered rags, his face covered in black ash and bloodstains.

He panted heavily, his chest making a sound like a broken bellows.

Mana exhausted, mental backlash.

The surrounding footsteps grew closer, and countless red laser aiming points fell densely upon him, lighting him up like a disco ball in a club.

"Mortals... damnable Mortals..."

The Bone Demon glared fixedly at the uniformed man not far away, who was looking down and wiping his glasses.

He was unwilling to accept this.

He was a veteran Reincarnator of the Main God Space, a powerhouse who had slaughtered three planes. How could he fall into the hands of a native of this low-magic world?

What made it even more unacceptable to him was that the other party hadn't even used any magic or battle qi; they had simply ground his pride into the dust using those un-aesthetic machines and explosives.

"Return! I want to return!"

The Bone Demon suddenly raised the staff, of which only half remained, and tried to point it at his temple.

As long as he committed suicide, the Main God Space's protection mechanism would activate. Although it would deduct a large number of points, at least he could save his life.

"Once I return to the Main God Space and exchange for more Advanced Necromancy, I will definitely come back..."

"Zzz—!"

The crackle of electric current passing through the air suddenly rang out.

Two barbed metal probes were shot accurately into the Bone Demon's chest, and high-voltage current was released instantly.

"Arghhh—"

Before the Bone Demon could finish his threats, his whole body twitched violently on the ground like a live fish out of water.

His already sparse hair stood on end, white foam spewed from his mouth, and the Soul fire in his eye sockets dissipated directly under the intense physical electric shock.

Gu Changan withdrew the taser and looked at the charred remains on the ground expressionlessly. "Want to leave? Did you ask Customs?"

He waved his hand, his tone as flat as if he were ordering a housekeeper to clean up. "Take him away. Note: put a magic-sealing collar and an anti-bite ball gag on him; this is a high-risk source of infection."

...

Cold.

The bone-chilling cold caused the Bone Demon to wake up with a start.

He instinctively tried to mobilize his mana, only to find himself empty inside. A heavy metal ring was fastened around his neck; even the slightest energy fluctuation would release a current strong enough to knock out an elephant.

A bright spotlight hit his face, stinging his eyes so much he couldn't open them.

After a moment of adjustment, he realized he was sitting in a specially made metal interrogation chair, his hands and feet firmly restrained.

A row of people sat opposite him.

Right in the middle was the very Gu Changan he hated to the bone. Beside Gu Changan sat several men and women in different colored uniforms, holding calculators.

This setup didn't look like an interrogation; it looked more like a joint trial.

"Awake?"

Gu Changan twirled a fountain pen in his hand, a thick stack of documents in front of him. "Name."

"I am the Abyss Walker, the Lord of White Bones..."

"Name: Li Ergou. Former name: Wang Tiezhu. Entered the so-called Main God Space due to an accident."

Gu Changan interrupted his chanting directly and flipped to the first page of the document. "Our time is precious, so we won't listen to your chuunibyou settings. Now, we need to settle this account."

The Bone Demon sneered and tried to straighten his back, putting on an air of 'preferring death over surrender.' "Kill me or cut me up as you please! You want my Soul? In your dreams!"

"Soul? We are a state organ; we don't engage in feudal superstitions."

Gu Changan tapped the table and looked toward the middle-aged man in a green uniform to his left. "This is Director Zhang from the Municipal Environmental Protection Bureau. I'll let him read the indictment to you first."

Director Zhang pushed up his glasses, tapped rapidly on his calculator, and looked at the Bone Demon with a grim face.

"Li Ergou, the high-concentration sulfur and phosphorus-containing poisonous gas you released in Central Park caused the air quality within a three-kilometer radius to seriously exceed standards and caused large-scale groundwater pollution. According to the 'Water Pollution Prevention and Control Law' and the 'Atmospheric Pollution Prevention and Control Law,' you are fined the maximum amount and must bear all ecological restoration costs."

The calculator was slammed onto the table, and Director Zhang announced a figure: "A total of 850 million RMB."

The Bone Demon was stunned.

He opened his mouth, but before he could speak, the woman in the Forestry Bureau uniform on the right immediately spoke up.

"You illegally summoned undead creatures in the park, resulting in the death of 126 hundred-year-old ancient trees and the corrosion of 7,000 square meters of lawn, including three national first-class protected ancient trees. According to the 'Forest Law' and the regulations on the protection of ancient and famous trees, the compensation and fines total 320 million RMB."

"And me."

The old man in the Sanitation Bureau vest at the very end looked indignant and took out a long list. "After your bone giant was smashed, it generated thousands of tons of hazardous solid waste. Do you know how much effort it takes to clean up those bone fragments? They also have to undergo harmless incineration and landfilling! The removal and disposal fees total 50 million RMB!"

The three numbers were like three mountains, crashing down upon the Bone Demon's head.

The conference room fell into an eerie silence.

The Bone Demon's eyes widened, his eyeballs nearly popping out. He had imagined countless endings: being tortured, being sliced for research, or even having his Soul extracted.

But he never dreamed that these people were actually settling accounts!

"Are you... are you people crazy?!"

The Bone Demon roared in exasperation, veins popping on his neck. "I am a Necromancer! I came to destroy the city! And you're actually asking me for fines?!"

"Attempted city destruction, but completed environmental damage."

Gu Changan closed the folder, his tone calm and unruffled. "A total of 1.22 billion RMB. Mr. Li Ergou, would you like to pay by card, transfer, or cash?"

"I..." The Bone Demon trembled with rage. If there were fire in his eyes, he would have burned the room to ashes by now. "I don't have RMB! I have hell money! I have Soul crystals! I have Main God points! Do you want those?!"

"Sorry, those are considered illegal currencies and contraband here; they cannot circulate."

Gu Changan shook his head regretfully, then revealed that signature, spine-chilling smile. "Since you are unable to repay the huge debt, according to our country's laws and the special regulations of the Bureau of Anomalous Affairs, you can apply to use labor to offset the debt."

"Labor?" The Bone Demon had an ominous premonition.

Gu Changan snapped his fingers, and a photo appeared on the projection screen behind him.

It was a huge treatment tank churning with an unknown yellowish-brown liquid, next to which were mountains of blood-stained needles, gauze, and rotting biological tissue.

"Considering your extraordinary affinity and adaptability for corpses, bacteria, and foul-smelling environments, the Bureau has decided after research to customize a job for you."

Gu Changan leaned forward, staring into the Bone Demon's eyes, and pronounced the sentence word by word.

"Sentenced to life imprisonment and deprived of political rights for life. You will spend the rest of your life in the Special Prison in the Suburbs of Beijing. Your primary responsibility will be the manual cleaning of hazardous medical waste, and—manually clearing the septic tank blockages throughout the city."

"By the way, given your ability to resurrect corpses, if the biogas and bacteria in the septic tanks 'come alive,' that will also be under your jurisdiction. It's called professional alignment."

"No!!!"

The Bone Demon let out a shrill scream, ten times more desperate than when he was electrocuted just now.

He was a noble Necromancer! An artist who toyed with Souls!

Making him clear sewers? Digging through manure?!

This was more painful than killing him! It was simply the greatest desecration of Black Magic!

"A scholar can be killed but not humiliated! Gu Changan, kill me! Just kill me!" The Bone Demon struggled frantically, making the special chair clatter loudly.

"Want to die? It's not that easy."

Gu Changan stood up, straightened the hem of his uniform, and looked down at this collapsed so-called 'powerhouse.' "Paying back debts is only right and natural. Until those 1.22 billion are paid off, you don't even have the right to die."

"Take him away. He starts work tomorrow morning. Remember to give him a shovel—the durable kind."

Two burly Special Police officers stepped forward, dragging the now limp Bone Demon out of the interrogation room like a dead dog.

In the corridor, the Bone Demon's desperate wails echoed: "I want to go back to the Main God Space... Main God, save me... I don't want to dig manure..."

The door of the interrogation room slammed shut, cutting off that tragic sound.