Lin Mowei bowed her head slightly, fine beads of sweat peppering her forehead.
She watched the Rift Beasts below. Once, she had found them repulsive, but now they failed to stir even a ripple of emotion in her heart.
A strange tranquility enveloped her, like a layer of soundproof glass that quietly separated the external chaos from her inner thoughts.
When was the last time she had felt this way?
Oh, she remembered now—the first time she met Little Yu.
That young boy’s face had clearly shown lingering panic, yet his eyes held a clarity of judgment that transcended his age. He was so small then, not even reaching her chest.
She, as the elder, was supposed to be the one protecting him.
But that wasn’t how it happened.
That small figure had pulled her along with all his might while her legs were weak with fear. They had navigated through chaotic hallways and thick smoke to find a hidden corner in a storage room.
The moment they tucked themselves away, the terrifying sounds of the outside world felt muffled.
Frozen with terror, the only thing she could do was tightly hug the small, warm body in front of her, as if he were the only piece of driftwood in a boundless sea.
The sense of security she was supposed to provide was instead drawn from that small body.
In her ear, the boy’s whisper had repeated over and over again:
“Don’t be afraid, Sister… We’re hiding here, it’ll be okay… It’ll be okay…”
His voice had been youthful, yet it was like a warm, gentle stream, slowly soaking into her frozen nerves.
That moment was so similar to this one.
The corners of her mouth curved upward slightly, carrying a hint of self-mockery.
‘What a failure… I’m supposed to be the older sister, but it feels like you’ve always been the one looking after me. I’ve been saved by your courage then, and by your very existence now…’
She tried to adjust her position within the mass of tentacles. The King Beast’s goal was to bring them back alive; it didn’t care if it gripped them too hard or caused injury.
The three others had already fallen unconscious. Lin Mowei, possessing a slightly stronger constitution, endured the intense pain and fought to remain conscious.
She wouldn’t give up. She had to go back. Someone was waiting for her, and there was someone she still wanted to see.
Along the way, she had figured out what this King Beast wanted. It was taking them into the Black Tower. Although she didn’t know what they planned to do with them, that would be her opportunity.
Upon entering the Black Tower’s radiation zone, the King Beast would inevitably lower its guard. That would be her chance to escape.
As for the others…
In this situation, she could only prioritize herself. She had no room to worry about anyone else.
Seeing the radiation zone drawing closer, she focused every ounce of her concentration.
But just then, an unusual sound reached her ears. She looked back.
“Xiao… Yu…”
Lin Mowei’s eyes widened, and she cried out her brother’s name with a trembling voice.
Not far behind, her brother appeared in her line of sight, riding that mountain motorcycle. He was followed by… so many Rift Beasts?
She raised an eyebrow, noticing the person beside him. That girl… oh, then it wasn’t surprising.
‘Wait? Is Sister Xin Yao tied to my brother? She looks seriously injured.’
She bit her lip. She knew now wasn’t the time to be jealous, but she couldn’t quite help herself, her cheeks puffing out slightly.
‘Fine, fine, I won’t be jealous of her. She’s just an old married woman; my brother wouldn’t like her anyway.’
She comforted herself with those thoughts.
Watching Mu Liuli lead the pack of Rift Beasts in a charge toward them, she prepared to break free and counterattack at any moment.
When she saw that Mu Liuli had completely controlled the surrounding common Rift Beasts, she was genuinely shocked. She couldn’t understand how this girl had improved so much in just the few minutes since they last met.
‘She didn’t seem this strong in my previous life. Could it be…’
Her gaze pierced through the dense cluster of Rift Beasts toward her brother.
A thought flashed through her mind, but she couldn’t quite grasp it. Before she could dwell on it, the King Beast went into a frenzy.
“Ugh…” The sudden tightening of the tentacles forced a groan of pain from her. Beads of sweat rolled down her face.
‘A comminuted fracture in my arm… and several vertebrae in my spine seem to be snapped.’
She quickly assessed her physical condition.
But it didn’t matter. As long as she could escape, these injuries could be perfectly healed.
In this era where the survival of the species was at stake, many difficult medical conditions were no longer an issue. Those who sought to profit from such things had long since been executed.
Only genetic editing remained untouched, because the conditions for awakening “Star Resonance” were still unknown. Every human was a precious potential asset.
Suddenly, she noticed her hair flying backward.
The King Beast’s charging speed slowed down as if something were dragging it back.
She soon realized what it was: wind.
An unparalleled gale was blowing them backward.
‘It’s Sister Xin Yao! But…’
She had seen the scene clearly just a moment ago. Xin Yao was tied to her brother and heavily injured. Could she…
She looked back, but the gale whipped her long hair into a mess, and the surrounding Rift Beasts blocked her line of sight. She couldn’t see anything clearly.
Amid the chaos, she only heard the girl scream, “Now! Take them away!”
The tentacles on her body were bitten off, and her restraints were released in an instant. Two Rift Beasts carried her and quickly fled the area.
She instinctively looked back, only to see the Rift Beasts being blown toward her brother’s position.
“Xiao Yu!!!” she shrieked.
Mu Liuli also noticed the situation because of her cry, letting out a mournful wail: “No!!!”
However, the scenario they feared did not happen.
With a *hum*, the surrounding air began to vibrate and the temperature surged. An even more violent current of air swept in from nearby.
A faint, pale blue stream of light pierced through the dark clouds, tearing the sky apart as it shot straight toward the head of the Rift King Beast.
But just as it was about to hit, it deflected slightly for some unknown reason. It didn’t penetrate the head; instead, it completely shattered the beast’s horn.
At the same time, all the Rift Beasts near the center of the explosion were annihilated into dust. The massive shockwave also sent the beasts lunging toward Lin Yu flying.
The two over there reacted quickly, dropping to the ground and using the motorcycle to shield themselves from part of the energy impact.
One had to admit, that military-grade mountain motorcycle was incredibly durable, though it was now completely scrapped.
On her side, Mu Liuli controlled the remaining Rift Beasts to block the impact.
The shockwave lasted for about fifteen seconds before finally dissipating.
Just as things settled, a roar echoed. “ROOAR!!!”
The King Beast’s cry rang out again, causing everyone’s heart to tighten. ‘It’s still not dead? Is that thing even a carbon-based lifeform?’
Looking over, they saw that although it had roared, it was in a miserable state.
Its horn was gone, and more than half of its body was charred black. It dragged its mangled form into the Black Tower’s radiation zone.
The dark clouds dispersed, and as the sunlight fell on Lin Mowei, she suddenly felt a long-lost sense of relief.
She turned to look at the few people near her. Though they were unconscious, they didn’t seem to be in mortal danger.
She looked toward her brother again, but what she saw there made her brow furrow.
However, she couldn’t think any further. The sudden relaxation caused her consciousness to blur, and darkness slowly began to swallow the image of her brother.
‘That boy… why is he running? Sister Xin Yao is actually a pretty nice person…’
—
Inside the command vehicle, Mu Qingqing stared at the returning battle report.
“How did we miss?”
A subordinate holding an analysis report said, “It seems Captain Xin Yao created a vacuum around the King Beast. We didn’t account for that, so it caused an error of a few centimeters.”
Mu Qingqing pursed her lips. There was nothing they could have done about that.
In truth, they had arrived right as Mu Liuli rushed in to stall the King Beast. But if they had fired then, everyone within a 30-meter radius of the King Beast would have died. They had no choice but to wait.
“Forget it. Heavy damage is good enough. Go and begin the rescue… Actually, I’ll go too. I need to meet the Section Chief!”