Chapter 27 High-Risk Test Subject

Chapter 27 High-Risk Test Subject

Due to the presence of psychic corruption, Jue's condition was extremely unstable, but he said nothing. As they descended the mountain, he silently followed Jing Rong, gritting his teeth against the ever-present threat of his consciousness scattering or collapsing.

He too saw the colossal shadow-like monster, but he remained silent. As always, he refused to be troubled by hardships beyond the immediate moment.

He conserved his energy, not uttering a word.

Meanwhile, Jing Rong guided him down the mountain while continuously speaking.

His voice was cool and steady as always, yet it served as a constant source of comfort for Jue's strained mind.

Their story had now reached the protagonist's youth. In this smooth progression, the red-haired protagonist was not captured but instead rescued more companions from the laboratory and even gained supernatural powers.

"After finding his friends, he decided to continue his search for the Sword of Peace... The journey was perilous, and he planned to go alone. But then, one of his companions said, 'Let me go with you. From now on, whether in life or death, we'll stay together.'"

Jing Rong asked him, "Do you want to know what this companion looks like?"

Jue lifted his sweat-soaked eyelashes and gazed deeply at him. "Can I choose?" he asked.

Jing Rong replied, "Of course. This is our story."

Jue said, "Then I want him... to look like you."

He wanted a companion with dark hair and dark eyes. If he could have met him from childhood, it would have been a happiness beyond his wildest dreams.

The descent was dangerously slippery. By the time they reached the most dangerous stretch, Jue's strength was spent once more, and Jing Rong carried him on his back again.

Jue rested against him, still deep in thought.

Jing Rong could sense his contemplation and did not disturb him.

The roaring dark wind was nearly suffocating.

That thing could not leave the ice plains. It had gone too long without fresh prey, and its killing urge peaked.

The closer Jing Rong got, the clearer the whispers became.

"Kill... I must kill..."

"Once we slaughter them all, we can go home... Take back our home!"

"Die, die, die, all of you die... None deserve to live..."

...

Countless whispers of death and killing intertwined, filling them with terror.

Jue asked softly, "Brother, what do we do?"

Jing Rong replied, "I'll draw its attention. You find your chance to take a look."

Jue was stunned. "What?"

Jing Rong said, "When it's focused on me, you go and see it. Don't worry—we'll both do our best to survive."

Jue quickly grasped his meaning.

It aligned with his own thoughts.

"Alright," Jue agreed.

No more needed saying.

This might be their final meeting, their last glance.

Jing Rong gently set Jue down.

Jue stared deeply at him, burning the image of this dark-haired, dark-eyed young man into the deepest recesses of his mind.

Jing Rong looked back at him, his lips curling in a faint smile. "The protagonist's companion said, 'I came from the heavens.'"

He continued the story: "He said, 'If you can't obtain the legendary sword, then who can? If you can't obtain the legendary sword, I will do whatever it takes to restart this world.'"

And so, they would meet again.

Their destination was near.

Jing Rong crouched to set down their supplies and tightened his grip on the silver staff.

This was the first time Jue had seen his weapon clearly.

It seemed forged from starlight.

Without hesitation, Jing Rong charged straight into the ice plains!

626 complained, "Such an ancient way of fighting."

Jing Rong replied, "Yeah."

The silver light was not conjured from mental energy—its arc cleaved the monstrous shadow in two, but the darkness quickly reformed.

Dark tendrils of killing intent crawled along the silver light, hungrily consuming every trace of radiance.

626 cursed, "Damn it, damn it, damn it! What the hell is this thing? It's terrifying—it can consume everything! That's the Executive Bureau's top-tier weapon in your hands!"

Before 626 could finish, Jing Rong had already tossed the weapon aside. He turned to face the monster, quickly gauging its speed.

"It's faster than me," Jing Rong admitted, "but I can manage."

626 was still lamenting. "Damn—that was a fine staff..."

Jing Rong didn't care about the weapon's destruction. He pulled out another silver short sword.

This one had been forged by Jue.

For days, he had never used it, and the storms had left no scratches on its surface.

It was just a blade forged from ordinary mental energy—useless against mental constructs.

Jing Rong reversed his grip and drove it deep into the ice.

The ancient ice was unyielding but brittle. As the blade forced its way in, cracks spiderwebbed through the depths below.

The moment the cracks reached the surface, Jing Rong vanished from the ice plains.

The monster, clearly never having encountered such prey before, hesitated for a split second before diving after him into the fissure.

The ice kept cracking.

Jing Rong knew better than anyone how to trap prey with strength and speed several times his own. But that was in the past, for what stood before him was no living creature—a psionic construct knew no fatigue and could never be exhausted.

"Did they measure its data before?"

Jing Rong asked.

As he spoke, he weaved back and forth between the ice layers, circling and probing.

626 said, "I think probably not."

Still running, Jing Rong replied, "Speed: S. Reaction: B. Smell, hearing, vision: all D. Their detection and reaction abilities are on par with a regular human’s. Use the terrain."

626 hurriedly recorded the data.

Jing Rong repeatedly evaded within the hollows beneath the ice, seizing an opening before saying, "Psionic constructs can only be harmed by weapons of the same level, but I think there’s a way to disrupt it."

626 said, "You once disrupted the 'Arbiter’s' judgment because it had no right to judge you. But how do we disrupt this thing? Is there anything that can stop it from killing?"

Jing Rong said, "Yes."

His voice was steady and firm. As the last word fell, Jing Rong suddenly leaped out of the ice.

The ice shattered as Jing Rong appeared before Jue, shielding him while staring down at the titanic black shadow speeding toward them from below.

The window was narrow.

Jing Rong said to Jue, "We’ve both done our best."

Jue focused, ignoring everything else—the black shadow erupted violently, its dark form lunging forward, completely engulfing the Arbiter’s figure.

In an instant, Jing Rong vanished entirely, buried within the black void.

"It" paused briefly as a result.

Amid the black mist, Jue forced himself to concentrate his psionic energy. He wouldn’t stop for anyone, even if the pain seared into his bones.

His psionic ability, named "See Through," could penetrate anyone’s consciousness—even this colossal entity.

A wolf had seized its prey by the throat.

Within layers of darkness, he saw the core of this monster—the core of its murderous will.

Born on the battlefield, it would vanish there as well.

It roared to storm the front—it was someone’s father, child, mother, comrade. It was war’s unfeeling blade, the embodiment of war’s agony.

Killing intent, dreams of youth, flickers of love, fragile hopes—all were woven within.

In the psychic space, 626 suddenly said, "That’s it."

626 continued, "Jue is the key to unlocking the World Boss. He can pierce anyone’s psychic domain and find their weakest point. Brother, how did you figure it out?"

There was no reply.

Jue burned every ounce of his strength, channeling his newly repaired psionics into the chaotic layers of killing intent.

Killing? It didn’t matter. He let them harm him. He only stared, with eyes like glacial ice.

Behind the coldest resolve and utmost effort lay Jue’s deepest love and attachment to this world.

He loved this land and the vibrant life upon it fiercely, which was why he was so determined to find a way out.

Only his soul commanded such trust, could bring the living and the lost home.

"It" slowly came to a halt.

The killing intent weakened, dissolved into the wind, for it had sensed this man’s will.

A soul that had looped endlessly, still searching for answers, still determined to bring everyone home.

The colossal entity stopped.

The soldiers’ souls wailed, the wind over the ice singing a funeral hymn.

This was the only solution—after exhausting over seven thousand timelines, the method to defeat the World Boss that had bested countless Executives.

Jue withdrew his psionic energy. Without support, he staggered onto the ice, dazed.

The crisp wind carried distant scents.

Only silence remained.

Jue thought he’d run out of tears.

Fate had sent him a guardian angel, only to take that person away.

His only light had left him.

Kneeling on the ice, Jue lowered his head, shoulders trembling violently, fingers white-knuckled.

With shaking hands, he picked up the dagger he always carried and, in his haze, began scratching at the ice.

He wanted to leave a will, but his hands had no strength left—he couldn’t even write half a word clearly. He wanted to tell those who came after what had happened here, to tell Youtier that the rest fell to him, for the most important task in the world was complete.

He had spent his life chasing freedom. Now, with the time left, he would follow his heart.

Jue closed his eyes, positioned the dagger over his heart, and drove it down without hesitation!

Blood spattered—but the expected pain never came.

Jing Rong caught the blade with one hand, stopping him. Only his voice, carried by the wind, was exceptionally gentle.

"Moving so fast—why not wait for me, Boss?"

Jing Rong’s hand was cut by the dagger. Jue stared at him blankly, unsure if this was dream or reality, but tears still streamed uncontrollably.

Jing Rong gently pulled the blade away and slipped it into his pocket, then knelt beside him, showing him something in his palm.

A bullet casing—the kind used by the oldest mechanical firearms, its surface smeared with black residue.

Jing Rong said, "I collected the fragments from the Arbiter’s three shots and packed them into a bullet, for emergencies. Today, it came in handy. The smoke from its explosion bought me a few seconds—I wasn’t pulled in, but to avoid it, I fell through the ice. Took me this long to climb back."

Jing Rong said, "Stop crying."

He watched the man before him, realizing the words had no effect. Jue sobbed uncontrollably, shaking like a leaf, coming undone in silence.

So Jing Rong pulled him into an embrace, cradling his head atop his crimson hair.

He quietly listened to the heartbeat of the person in front of him.

After so many worlds had passed, this was the only person who, upon thinking he was dead, had been ready to die with him without hesitation.

626 was also scared shitless just now: "You really went there, man!! You almost didn’t come back. I called you so many times, and you didn’t respond! Scared the hell out of me!"

Jing Rong gave a faint smile.

One Arbiter bullet was not enough to withstand the murderous will of hundreds of millions.

He was dragged into a world of endless slaughter and death, facing the worst corrosion single-handedly.

He faced a world of infinite killing, a living hell. Even though outside, he'd only delayed for a few seconds, he had single-handedly redirected a massive amount of the will to kill.

He couldn’t say for sure what would have happened if he had been even a few minutes later. Compared to losing all his psychic energy before, would he have lost even his consciousness and soul entirely this time?

But thankfully, none of that happened, because he had found the key to the world's lock.

In every world, there were always those who were forsaken by fate, yet they truly loved everything and everyone in this world.

Jing Rong didn't love the world or care for people.

But he would find that key.

*

Jue’s meltdown lasted only about ten minutes before he quickly regained his composure.

After this battle, they were both running on empty in both energy and stamina.

Jing Rong helped Jue to his feet, lit a smoke, let Jue take a few drags, then took it back for himself.

He studied the monster before them.

The monster hadn’t disappeared, but its corruption levels had plummeted to a harmless state. The massive collective consciousness faced Jue with respect and trust.

It stood there, its dark figure sinking slightly into the ice, looking kinda lost.

626 said, "It’s almost... human."

Jing Rong said, "Yes."

Jue asked, "What should we do with it?"

Jing Rong replied, "The psychic remnants and will to kill of hundreds of millions of people are too dangerous."

It was a psychic residue, not a soul, unable to seek liberation, and had already developed a basic consciousness.

It submitted to Jue but feared Jing Rong.

626 said, "It’s a bit tricky. Destroying it is the best option. We can't let monsters like this exist anymore."

"This world will always have such monsters," Jing Rong said. "As long as psychic constructs exist, there will always be those who attempt to create such war weapons. That’s the temptation of the world."

That's exactly why the Executives exist. Problems arose again and again, and they'd come down again and again to correct them, until the world’s energy was exhausted.

626 asked, "What do you plan to do?"

Jing Rong examined the massive monster before him. At this moment, he looked every bit the Arbiter, about to pass judgment on "its" fate.

Jing Rong said, "We'll keep it."

Jue asked, "And then?"

Jing Rong made a decision in an instant: "You take it and broker a truce with the Orc Empire. I’ll return to deal with the other threats on your behalf."

In just that short sentence, Jue immediately grasped what it really meant.

Peace was within reach.

Jing Rong said, "The will to kill and war weapons are neutral by nature—they just need to be leashed. Humans are the most uncontrollable factor in the world, but as long as we live, the leash will remain in our hands."

"When the day comes that we leave, I’ll take it with me."

Jue's eyes lit up, kindling fresh determination and hope: "Alright."

He didn’t even ask how Jing Rong would take it away.

Whatever Jing Rong said, he believed unconditionally.

626 was also a little excited, because in the greater world, he'd never kept a BOSS before: "Really? So, you’re planning to collect your first BOSS?"

Jing Rong said, "Looks that way."

626 asked, "But how do you collect it?"

Jing Rong replied, "Still working that out."

Jing Rong asked "it," "Where did those people create you?"

"It" lifted its pitch-black, swirling eyes, hesitated for several seconds, then turned and walked in a certain direction.

"It" moved incredibly fast, eating up a hundred meters in just a few steps.

When "its" figure was almost out of sight, "it" stopped, motionless in the snowstorm, as if waiting for them to catch up.

626 tsked: "Scary as hell, but follows orders."

Jing Rong held out his hand to Jue: "Can you still walk?"

Jue could barely move. He looked into Jing Rong’s eyes and finally reached out his hand: "Just gimme a hand, brother."

Jing Rong crouched down in front of him, his voice easy: "Come on, I’ll carry you."

Jue didn’t say anything, just climbed onto his back.

As Jing Rong walked through the snow, he said, "If you want to cry, no one will see you now."

"I won’t."

Jing Rong felt Jue bury his face deeply into the crook of his shoulder, holding onto him with unexpected warmth.

"From now on, nothing but happiness."

"It" led them to a mine deep in the ice plains.

The mine was equally deserted, its rails, carts, and pits lifeless, the steel gone brittle, the tracks warped.

Jing Rong set Jue down in some cover, crouched, and scraped the rock wall with his knife.

Glinting shards gleamed in the shattered frozen soil.

"High-purity mental energy vessel material. Extremely rare, only found in the capital's laboratories." Jing Rong glanced at the glass vial hanging around Jue's chest. "This single mine likely supplied the entire Olk Empire with all its mental energy vessels."

"This mine needs to be destroyed." Jing Rong stood up. "But before that, I’ll need to borrow it for a while."

They found some simple dwellings deep in the mine, along with the bodies of several people.

Most of the corpses bore expressions of terror, while a few remained in their lifelike postures, curled up in corners as though resting.

Even the miners themselves probably had no idea what kind of monster they were helping the empire create. So when the creature devoured the entire mine, they were utterly unprepared.

Jing Rong and Jue buried the dead, then borrowed a small hut for a temporary respite.

Jing Rong lit a fire, heated some canned food, potatoes, and vegetables, fed Jue, and then laid him on the bed to rest properly.

"It" stood motionless outside the hut, only the inky flames licking around it ceaselessly.

Jing Rong stepped outside, dragging a still-operable smelting furnace closer. "It" merely turned to follow him before turning back.

As Jing Rong ate a roasted potato, he tested the furnace’s temperature.

After a while, noticing "its" gaze, he asked, "Want a potato?"

626: "Bro, have you lost it?! Would it even eat a potato?!"

Jing Rong said, "You never know. Eating is also a vegetable massacre—maybe it’ll like it."

"Its" mind wasn’t developed enough to understand what a potato was, so Jing Rong tossed another whole roasted potato toward it.

The potato made a shattering sound before vanishing without a trace.

The churning energy around "it" seemed to weaken slightly.

626 was dumbstruck.

Holy hell, this thing actually eats roasted potatoes...

Jing Rong said, "Good. It can serve as a recycling plant for waste and hazardous materials—anything this world’s technology can’t handle, we can feed to it."

Jing Rong charged the furnace with a sufficient amount of ore, lit the fire, adjusted the temperature, and began waiting.

"I’m making a container for you," Jing Rong said. "From now on, you’ll heed the one inside the hut. We clear?"

His tone was calm, like he was haggling.

"It" nodded.

"Occasionally, I’ll take the reins too. In emergencies, you’ll need a force of equal strength to restrain you. I’ll take you back to the Prime World—along with the person inside the hut, of course."

Jing Rong asked again, "Do you agree?"

This time, "it" paused for a while.

Reborn snow drifted down slowly outside the hut.

A Cosmic Executive and an unfathomable horror of the Prime World struck a deal through simple negotiation.

"It" nodded.

Jing Rong said, "Good. Then you must remember his name. In this world, he’s called Jue. Follow the guidance of this name—in any time, any world, you must find him, protect him, and fight alongside him."

"It" nodded again.

626 said, "Cosmic Ledger: BOSS No. 001 and Lodestar of World No. 001: Jue, are now inextricably bound. BOSS No. 001 will henceforth be woven into Jue’s tapestry."

626 said, "Current World’s Child’s Destiny Quotient: 1000."

626: "Jue’s Destiny Quotient has shifted from negative to positive 8000. From now on, in this world, he will no longer suffer the whipsaw of fate."

In the torrent of destiny, a guttering spark was plucked from the current and sheltered.

The world had never shown mercy to Jue, but someone else was—redrawing the lines of his destiny.