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The moment Adrian Vale spoke—and the moment Raven Shaw's expression shifted—the chat completely lost its mind.
"Help. I can't escape this stream."
"I forgot what I'm even watching—this is the Divine Domain: Forbidden Zone."
"Boss Raven Shaw: Fine. You've successfully caught my attention."
"Adrian Vale: Woman, you have not caught my attention."
"Wait… Boss Raven Shaw really has world-class potential now… that one anime character energy."
"No—old news. It's a different era now."
Raven Shaw, meanwhile, was genuinely furious.
In the outside world, anyone who saw her would… yeah. No need to spell it out.
Any normal man faced with a woman like Raven Shaw wouldn't act like this.
But Adrian Vale?
He didn't just ignore the script—he shredded it, stepped on it, and kept walking like it was dust.
Raven Shaw almost choked on her own breath.
Her smile vanished.
"This isn't over, kid. Remember that."
Normally, Raven Shaw wouldn't waste words—she'd act.
But Adrian Vale… Adrian Vale was interesting.
So she decided to hold back.
For now.
Adrian Vale didn't even turn his head.
"Boring old lady."
Raven Shaw: "..."
Chat: "..."
"Bro… how many times is that now?! Adrian Vale really isn't afraid to die!"
"I'm calling it—Boss Raven Shaw is about to explode."
"Step on him. Crush him."
But the scene everyone expected still didn't happen.
Raven Shaw stared at him for a long time.
Then—like a balloon losing air—she exhaled.
"Fine. Fine, fine. I lose."
"I won't call you 'kid' anymore."
"Happy now… Adrian Vale?"
A normal person would've been "treated" already.
But Adrian Vale gave off a kind of lethal pressure that made even pride hesitate.
So she swallowed it.
The livestream was still reeling from her surrender when Adrian Vale replied, calm as ever:
"Okay, old lady."
"..."
"..."
The silence was physical.
Raven Shaw's eyes narrowed—danger flashed.
"Brat… I really want to cuff you right now…"
Adrian Vale answered like he hadn't even heard the threat:
"I really want to eat you too… old lady."
Depending on who heard it, that line meant different things.
To them, it was a quiet, chilling truth—one that carried teeth behind the words.
To the chat?
It was something else entirely.
"W-Wait… are we really going there right now?"
"Going where? What are you even talking about?"
"THIS ROAD IS PURE SAND AND YOU'RE STILL TALKING LIKE THAT?!"
"STOP. THIS ISN'T A SCHOOL BUS."
"Someone translate. What does this even mean?"
"First, 'cuff' means you're about to get handled. Second, he said he'd 'eat her'—you tell me what kind of 'eat' that is."
"I understood instantly… am I doomed?"
"Doors welded shut—NOBODY'S getting off this ride."
"…Uh, hello? Adrian Vale is literally a food-type—what if he means the other kind of eat?"
Compared to other countries' streams—people bleeding, starving, crawling through hell—
Dragon Nation's feed was surreal:
Two clean, composed competitors casually roasting each other like they were doing a comedy bit.
If you didn't know better, you'd think it was a variety show.
But the Divine Domain: Forbidden Zone didn't care about punchlines.
While the world laughed, death kept spreading—quietly, steadily—like ink seeping through paper.
Back in the real world — I Watch the Divine Domain
The studio guests were laughing too—until Sienna Blake received a fresh report from production.
Her smile faded.
"While things look relatively safe for our competitors… that's not true for many others."
Then she read the numbers.
Deaths were still climbing.
Countries wiped out by the Divine Domain: Forbidden Zone had already reached twenty… thirty… and rising.
Some survivors were lucky enough to be absorbed as dependents by nearby major powers.
Others?
Their homelands had already turned into living hells.
People watching felt sick.
But sympathy didn't change reality.
Even with Dragon Nation ranked first, even with resources multiplying—
Dragon Nation's consumption needs were massive.
Those resources bought time, not salvation.
There wasn't enough capacity to rescue the world.
Across the globe, experts were already whispering the same words:
Humanity is finished.
Will of Blue Star is finished.
And right on cue—
Derek Vaughn barged in again, this time trying to sound "serious."
"Exactly. If we can't keep finding resources, Dragon Nation only has destruction ahead. And our competitors' luck isn't even that good—they've only found a low-tier resource. We've got billions of people. How many days does that last?"
The studio went dead.
The chat did not.
"Are you even human?"
"Then YOU go in. All you do is talk."
"We're the only country with an E-rank resource—what more do you want?!"
"What kind of clown judges Boss Raven Shaw and Adrian Vale like—"
"WAIT—LOOK AT THE STREAM!!"
And right then—
Back in the Divine Domain: Forbidden Zone—
Adrian Vale and Raven Shaw made a new discovery.
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