Chapter 94

Chapter 94

Suddenly, a bullet shot straight toward Yu Wei's eye. Though its trajectory should have been blindingly fast, to an S-level, the path it tore through the air seemed like a slow-motion film scene. A second before it could blow his head apart, the metal-manipulating Ability System (AS) melted it into molten iron.

Before Yu Wei could even smirk, Gu Shiyun delivered a powerful sweeping kick that sent him flying ten meters away. After tumbling several times, Yu Wei stood up unharmed, thanks to the top-grade defense of his metal shell.

It wasn’t until Gu Shiyun appeared that Shi Jian, standing beside the moon on the rooftop, suddenly came to his senses. He stared in disbelief at the quiet white-haired young man, his mind still filled with the incongruous image of him lying motionless in a hospital bed.

The next moment, Gu Shiyun’s gaze met his. The cold, sharp edges of his eyes softened like an iceberg suddenly melting, a faint, treasured warmth surfacing in their depths.

Shi Jian saw him say, "Long time no see."

When Lei Yu saw Gu Shiyun appear, he involuntarily exhaled in relief amidst his shock. Witnessing the brief, silent exchange between Gu Shiyun and Shi Jian in the midst of the tense battlefield, an inexpressible bitterness welled up in him.

Earlier, in his desperation to save Shi Jian, he had known Yu Wei would likely kill him out of spite, leaving no time to consider how the two would face each other after this. But now, the unspoken understanding flowing between Gu Shiyun and Shi Jian forced his worst fears to the surface.

Suppressing the ache in his eyes, Lei Yu silently gazed at Shi Jian. The distance between them had somehow become as vast as a person stretching on tiptoe to touch the moon.

The figure reflected in his eyes had long since changed to someone else.

In the mere seconds Lei Yu spent lost in thought, Yu Wei and Gu Shiyun had already clashed dozens of rounds. Two top-level S-ranks engaged in brutal hand-to-hand combat, their destructive power no less devastating than when using their AS. Every punch and kick shattered lampposts and buildings, leaving onlookers petrified.

Yu Wei’s close followers couldn’t intervene in this battle. Instead, they formed ice bridges, leading the remaining forces to charge at Shi Jian. Yu Wei had already given the order: as long as this Omega was left breathing, no matter the method, he had to be captured.

Lei Yu suddenly came to, shouting in panic, "Run, Xiao Jian!"

Even though he couldn’t afford to be distracted in battle, Gu Shiyun instinctively glanced back at Shi Jian upon hearing the shout. Seizing the opportunity, Yu Wei grinned maliciously and formed a longsword, stabbing it straight through Gu Shiyun’s shoulder. "That trash Yu Chen was just in the way, wasting the Mutants’ glorious genes. Injecting them into you—an S+ Alpha’s body—would make it far easier for Shi Jian to birth the next generation of supreme Mutants!"

Pain refocused Gu Shiyun’s attention. He yanked the sword out without a second thought and swung it at Yu Wei. "You despise humanity, yet covet our superior genes. That’s why you Mutants will never truly evolve!"

Yu Wei barely dodged, but what happened next left him stunned—

Gu Shiyun was also catalyzing metal elements!

Broken branches, roadside pebbles, concrete utility poles, even entire buildings—everything around him was refined into gleaming silver spears, densely woven like a net and crashing down toward Yu Wei, covering an area as vast as a football field. There was no escape!

Yu Wei’s face paled. A replication-type AS triggered by contact!

In terms of gene level, as the heir to the Federation’s royal family, Abis Norman’s original form had long surpassed normal physiological limits. Even if Gu Shiyun was merely his spirit body, an avatar inheriting only half his power, going all out now was something Yu Wei, a regular S+, couldn’t withstand.

Desperately, Yu Wei accelerated metal manipulation, melting the incoming blades into shields. After a brief stalemate, he gradually was overpowered.

Before Lei Yu and Yuan Xiu had time to feel relieved, Yu Wei let out a mad laugh. "You think this can kill me? Or that calling in the military will turn the tide? I’ve spent over a decade preparing for this! Across the entire Federation—from the First Military Region to the Ninth Military Region—every mall, theater, stadium, hospital, school… anywhere with crowds, I’ve planted bombs totaling billions of tons. The truly smart ones should pray I succeed in the Cuckoo Project. Maybe then, if I’m in a good mood, I’ll spare your lives. Otherwise, I’ll drag you all to hell with me!"

His insane words carried on the wind to every ear. Lei Yu and Yuan Xiu were completely shocked. More horrifying than how Yu Wei had schemed and concealed his plans all these years was his complete loss of humanity—

If explosions of that magnitude occurred, wouldn’t just the Federation and humanity suffer fatal blows? The Mutant infiltrators planted in every military region, the ordinary Mutant soldiers attempting to breach the borders, even Yu Wei himself and his close followers—wouldn’t they all be consumed by this apocalypse?

Yet what sent chills down their spines was that Yu Wei’s Mutant subordinates and human soldiers, having clearly heard his brutal and insane declaration, didn’t stop. They continued fighting like mindless weapons!

Madness! They were the true extremists!

Another Alpha fell with his throat slit by Shi Jian, but more kept coming.

The young man’s frost-like eyelashes were dotted with splattered blood, dripping down his face. His delicate features, so out of place in this carnage, took on a bloodthirsty beauty, as if he weren’t a soft, beautiful Omega but a razor-sharp dagger glinting coldly.

Among those surrounding him were both Mutants and human Alphas. Regardless of race, every pair of eyes held fear, wariness, and an undeniable flicker of awe.

It was unimaginable—a seemingly fragile Omega standing atop dozens of corpses, possessing no combat-based AS, relying solely on perfect dagger techniques and abnormal physical strength to hold off wave after wave of attacks alone.

He showed no fear, no fatigue. No one knew his limits. They only knew that if they lingered too long on his icy, breathtakingly beautiful blue eyes, those eyes would be the last thing they ever saw.

Even Yu Wei’s trusted subordinate admired such a formidable Omega, though with envy and regret. What a shame such an Omega refused to cooperate, leading to such heavy losses and the near-collapse of years of planning.

He drew an ice arrow, his men surging forward. "No one can help you now. Submit obediently, and you’ll suffer less."

At that moment, countless eyes fixed on Shi Jian—near and far, worried and greedy. Some prayed desperately for a miracle; others couldn’t bear to look and shut their eyes.

Even if he were an S-level Alpha, he should’ve reached his limit by now. Yet he was just an Omega, born with weaker physicality than ABs, lacking a combat Ability System. He had already exceeded all limits, earning even his enemies’ reluctant respect.

Yu Wei roared with frantic laughter. "You’ll fall into my hands eventually! What does it matter if they sent you against me? Who can save you now?!"

Of everyone, only Gu Shiyun remained calm. "You think this is enough to defeat him?"

"Keep bluffing!"

But the next second, freesia scent solidified like an explosion-like shockwave, bursting forth. Yu Wei’s face twisted in horror as he turned to see the high-ranking rebels closest to the "epicenter"—all A-rank or higher—collapse helplessly. Limbs weak, faces flushed, they crawled like desperate, filthy dogs, scrambling to reach Shi Jian’s feet faster than their comrades, begging for even a shred of his attention.

Even—just one glance!

That alone would exhilarate them beyond reason!

Yu Wei’s expression contorted. "No—impossible! These are my most loyal warriors! How?!"

Lei Yu, still reeling from the fear that Shi Jian might be captured, muttered before his rationality caught up, "Almost forgot… S+ isn’t his limit. Who said only an Alpha’s AS is a weapon? An Omega’s pheromones…"

Are the Pandora’s Box that shatters all psychological defenses, never to be opened.

Even Gu Shiyun, another S+, was affected by the indiscriminate pheromone assault. This cold-natured man’s blood silently boiled, his instincts screaming to tear apart every living thing in sight except Shi Jian, to burn those groveling at his feet to ashes, to possess and claim the Omega recklessly radiating his scent.

Yu Wei realized in terror that Gu Shiyun hadn’t even gone all-out. Whether spurred by some stimulus, the relentless barrage of blades grew even more frenzied, like a meteor shower from the heavens.

With no room to dodge and his AS pushed to its limit, Yu Wei could no longer block the onslaught. Under the blinding flurry, his bunker-like metal defenses visibly eroded, heating up from the impacts until they became a searing, near-molten prison of his own making.

Gu Shiyun, eyes red with killing intent, slaughtered anything blocking his path to Shi Jian. Once Yu Wei’s defenses crumbled, he was as helpless as lamb to the slaughter. Like Yu Chen’s excruciating death by his own hand, Yu Wei was cut slice by slice, reduced to a skeleton.

He never imagined his defeat would come so swiftly, his death so agonizing and humiliating. With his last breath, he laughed maniacally. "The bomb detonator is embedded in my heart! I’ll drag you all to hell with me!"

Lei Yu shouted, "Stop!"

Shi Jian, bathed in the moonlight, his tied blue hair fluttering, leaped from over twenty floors. His calm voice carried by the wind snapped Gu Shiyun back to clarity:

"Enough!"

Gu Shiyun halted instantly. Yu Wei, clinging to his last moments—S-level bodies didn’t die easily—knew escape was impossible. With a twisted grin, he plunged his hand into his chest, gripping his still-human heart, and crushed it without hesitation.

"Die! All of you!"

Amid the gore, electronic parts scattered. Lei Yu paled—Yu Wei hadn’t lied!

Then his claim about annihilating the entire Federation—

Was also true!

Suddenly, explosions erupted in Yu Wei’s own administrative zone. The shockwaves rolled in, shaking the ground and buildings like an earthquake. Gu Shiyun sprinted to Shi Jian, activating Monarch Domain and pulling him tightly into his arms.

An overwhelming pressure, like a dome descending, enveloped the entire A1 experimental building. Gu Shiyun, carrying Shi Jian bridal-carry style, scaled the rooftop in a few leaps. With one arm around him, he freed Lei Yu and Yuan Xiu.

Lei Yu, face white, said, "This is Xiao Jian’s father’s AS… but it won’t last. Every military district’s administrative zone has an armory. If the explosions reach them, the entire capital will be flattened instantly. No AS, no matter how powerful, can change that. The same goes for the affiliated cities—"

"We probably have no more than a minute left at most."

Even in the face of death, Gu Shiyun remained composed. In the distance, explosions continued to resound, yet amidst the flames and smoke, he chose to kiss Shi Jian's lips.

"In the final moment of life, let me spend it with you."

Lei Yu: "What about me?"

Yuan Xiu: "..."

Not exactly the time for romance.

With these two awkward third wheels around, the doomsday mood was utterly ruined. Shi Jian pushed Gu Shiyun away with a cold expression and snapped, "Save the kissing for when we’re alone."

Lei Yu couldn’t help but admire their unshakable, chill attitude even in the face of death. But as an ordinary man with little time left, all he wanted was to sincerely apologize to Shi Jian: "If time could be rewritten, I wish you had never met me—then you wouldn’t have suffered all this trouble I dragged you into."

Shi Jian countered, "Do you really wish you’d never met me?"

Gu Shiyun jumped in: "I wish I had met you sooner. Best case, from the moment you were born. We met too late—there’s too much of your life I haven’t been part of."

Lei Yu retorted indignantly, "Even if you and Xiao Jian... that doesn’t change anything! I’m his childhood friend!"

Shi Jian: "So you were lying."

Lei Yu hung his head, avoiding his gaze. "I’ve done too many wrongs... I don’t deserve to remain in your life."

Shi Jian said nothing more. He turned and looked out from the high ground.

The explosions illuminated the dark night sky, and flickers of white light appeared on the distant horizon. At this very moment, blasts were erupting in every corner of the Federation. Even though they had warned Shi Cangfeng, there was simply no time to defuse more than a few of the bombs.

In fact, being on the front lines, Shi Cangfeng was in even more danger.

But none of this was his responsibility. An explosion of this magnitude—capable of human extinction—wasn’t something one person could stop. On the contrary, with an AS like Monarch’s Domain, he could easily protect himself when the blasts hit.

Just like in his past life, during the apocalypse, when he'd used Monarch’s Domain to save himself.

But Shi Jian no longer wanted to go on living alone.

The moment he recalled all his memories—past and present—it clicked why he had awakened such a reality-defying AS, one that came at a huge cost. He refused to be powerless, just be protected. He wanted to grow stronger, to protect those he cherished.

Looking back, the roots of his suffering in this life all led back to choices made in his past. Yet Shi Jian had no regrets. Because faced with the same choice again, he would make the same decision—

Whatever it takes.

Gu Shiyun drew Shi Jian close, pressing his head against his chest to shield his slender body from the cold night wind. He gently kissed the top of his messy hair.

"No matter how the story ends, I’ll be with you."

That night, as terrified, crying crowds looked up, the apocalypse arrived alongside a sudden, brilliant aurora in the distance—its wings stretching like a butterfly’s, rippling slowly.

The illusory ticking of a clock drowned out the roar of explosions. Tick, tock—

Time was rapidly... rewinding.

The starry sky twisted into a deep vortex, as if devouring all light.

The causality-tier special spirit, Dawn Flash Butterfly, activated its AS: Time Wormhole.

Crossing this river of time, he would decide when the story restarted.

——

The last day of June, the end of the unified exams.

Lei Yu, holding two ice creams, ran toward Shi Jian under the blazing sun before turning to walk side by side with him into the crowd leaving the school.

"Hehe, I knew you’d successfully differentiate into an S+ Omega. Come on, let’s hurry back! Uncle Shi and your two brothers have already prepared a celebration banquet—they’re all waiting for you!"

After finishing one ice cream, he eyed the other greedily.

Shi Jian smiled helplessly. "I don’t like things too cold. You can have it."

"Yay!"

But their cheerfulness came to an abrupt halt when a royal family limo blocked their path. Lei Yu glared at the Alpha getting out of the car and immediately shielded Shi Jian behind him. "Hey, hey, hey—what are you doing here?"

Gu Shiyun opened an umbrella and held it over Shi Jian’s head, meeting his gaze with a light chuckle. "Here to pick up my crown princess. What’s wrong with that?"

The jealous glares from nearby Alphas were unmistakable.

Shi Jian stepped out from behind Lei Yu and got into the car with him.

Lei Yu rolled his eyes at Gu Shiyun and took the front passenger seat.

Midway, Shi Jian leaned close to Gu Shiyun’s ear and whispered, "Keep it low-key next time."

Gu Shiyun lowered the car’s curtain, wrapped an arm around him, and pressed close to his ear with a possessive edge. "I don’t like the way those Alphas look at you."

Shi Jian smiled faintly, his voice so soft only the two of them could hear: "After granting you such a difficult wish—being by my side since childhood—haven’t you gotten used to the trouble a high-ranking Omega attracts?"

Gu Shiyun nipped his earlobe. "No. Especially not when it’s my father causing the trouble."

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