If the Aeons were ranked according to Zandar's preferences, the one he hated the most was not the Aeon of "Hunt."
It was the Aeon of "Elation," Aha.
Zandar knew very well that repeatedly dwelling on what had already happened would only trap him in negative emotions, leaving him stuck in place.
It was useless.
And yet, in the dead of night, he would still stand in front of the medical pod, staring blankly at the heart monitor.
He kept repeating meaningless efforts.
He tried to find a solution in the past, to save his student.
Zandar quickly found the culprits.
First, the Aeon of "Elation."
Second, Shuhu.
Lastly, himself.
Zandar had read the relevant medical reports. Unexpectedly, patients with mild to moderate symptoms had the highest mortality rate.
The reason was simple. Severely ill patients no longer had the ability to carry out suicide.
If Zero's condition had been just a bit worse back then… he wouldn't have died.
Zandar and Akivili secretly helping their student had instead given him the strength to go through with death.
Before arriving at the Luofu, Zandar had speculated that in order to gain the student's trust, the Aeon of "Elation" would very likely descend to the Luofu in its true form.
Facts proved he was right.
No matter how much Zandar hated the Aeon of "Elation," at this critical moment, he only mentioned the Aeon of "Hunt."
There was only one reason.
Zero would never attack that Aeon.
Whether it was because of their deep bond, or because the Aeon itself was useful, the student would never make a move against "Hunt."
Using that Aeon to "lift the roof" couldn't be more fitting.
Besides, it was just a matter of speaking. What did it cost?
This was a tactic the student often used before.
No cost required. Just take the initiative to voice your request.
At the same time, it was also the fastest way to achieve what you wanted.
Rejected? It didn't matter.
You only opened your mouth. You didn't lose anything, right? Instead, it would make the person who rejected you feel awkward.
Try a few more times, and eventually, out of guilt or psychological pressure, the other party would give in.
Thinking this, Zandar urged Zero, "Eric, you can do it."
"Trust me. With your physique… even if you kill all of them in one breath, you wouldn't feel tired."
Guanliang simply treated himself as decoration.
He thought, 'Why aren't the Cloud Knights here yet?!'
Zero blinked slowly.
In this situation… he could only go along with Zandar's thinking.
Zero said stiffly, "Zandar, since 'Cosmic Genesis' can modify and erase concepts… then when the time comes, you could just erase the concept of 'gods,' right?"
Why insist on making him kill Lan right now?
Zandar looked deeply at Zero.
Next, he would follow his student's line of thought.
Since the other wanted to die, he would give him the most perfect plan.
Zandar gathered his thoughts and said with feigned helplessness, "Have you ever thought about a question? To the Aeons, to the 'Imaginary Tree,' what kind of existence are you?"
"If you don't kill them, they will kill you."
Zero fell silent.
His existence, his flesh and blood… were they beneficial to the Imaginary Tree and the Aeons?
Back then, he hadn't thought deeply about this question.
Considering Guanliang was present, Zandar didn't directly say the words "ascend dimension," only hinting at it.
"We've discussed this before, haven't we?"
"If the Aeons are no longer bound by their Paths, and you lose your original advantages, what do you think they'll do?"
Zero tried to put himself in their position.
Here, he did not age or die, almost immortal.
After ascending dimensions, he would lose those traits and become an ordinary person.
And ordinary people die.
At that thought, Zero felt a sense of release.
He could clearly hear his own pounding heartbeat.
He forced himself to pull back his thoughts and continue thinking.
If it were him, facing the culprit who made him suffer endlessly, forcing him to reload again and again…
The answer was obvious.
Zandar sighed and continued, "Even if I don't say it, you know. You will die."
"Are you really going to rely on the Aeon of 'Hunt' to protect you?"
"What you should do now is deal with them as soon as possible."
Zero opened his mouth, stayed silent for a long while, then said, "Zandar… isn't your thinking a bit extreme?"
Guanliang didn't even know what expression to make.
Never in his life did he expect to see the day when Zero called someone else extreme…
Zandar first let out a mocking laugh.
Then he frowned and glared at Zero, "Extreme? I already said it. If you don't kill them, they will kill you."
"Are you, me, and the members of the Genius Society supposed to go through all that hardship, stay up countless nights, only to make wedding clothes for the Aeons and let them reap the benefits?"
As the two looked at each other, Zero faintly sensed something was off.
Did Zandar simply hate the Aeons?
No. He very likely hated other groups as well.
Zandar paused for a moment.
He carefully observed Zero, and after judging from his expression that his stance had softened, he continued pushing further, "Oh, and those idiots who question upper management's decisions, always suspecting them of wasting tax money, they don't deserve to live either."
Before Zero could speak, he added coldly, "Eric, control your emotions."
"Don't let feelings guide you."
Zero thought, 'Who exactly needs to control their emotions here?!'
He closed his eyes, then smiled.
"How about we talk about 'Cosmic Genesis' instead?"
"You said we have to wait a few hundred years. Exactly how long?"
After hearing this, Zandar let out a long breath of relief inside.
He had persuaded him.
He glanced at the suitcase set aside.
The injection inside wouldn't cause the student any pain.
Now, it was time for the final step.
Hand the choice over to Zero. Let him decide for himself.