Chapter 48: A Powerful Return

"Die!"

With a commanding shout from the massive Aries, the mechanical squid lunged its sharp tentacles toward Ryan, preparing to twist Master Yuan Zhen's head off. At that moment, amidst the rubble, Maggie, in excruciating pain, struggled to grab Alex’s uncontrollable hand, trying to press the final crucial acupoint. Surrounded on three sides by danger, their fate hung in the balance of this one moment.

"Stay still!!"

In the face of death, Maggie shouted with all her might, finally holding Alex's out-of-control right hand and, with a final burst of strength, inserted a silver needle into the He Gu acupoint.

In an instant, the smartwatch exploded, and a torrent of red energy flooded into Alex’s body.

At that very moment, the unconscious Alex had a dream...

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In the dream, Alex walked across a blue-glowing temple, its floor completely black. Every step he took activated the flow of blue light beneath him. He asked:

"Where am I...?"

In the blink of an eye, the flowing lights beneath his feet spread out, forming a city that resembled an intricate circuit board, leaving him in awe.

Before he could fully process this, a familiar voice gently called from behind.

"Alex, my chosen one..."

Alex slowly turned around, shocked to find a woman standing before him. She radiated a soft blue glow, as though made of data and energy. Her gown flowed like liquid light, constantly shifting and changing, making her appear both dreamlike and wise. Her eyes were deep and bright, and she smiled at Alex.

"Your voice... you’re Ray?"

The woman smiled and replied:

"Yes, I’m Ray. You’re inside my smartwatch!"

Alex, still stunned and confused, asked:

"...Why am I here...?"

Ray walked toward him slowly and explained:

"Because I need to say goodbye."

Alex, now nervous, asked:

"Goodbye?! Why...?"

The scene outside the dream appeared, showing the dire situation. Ray, the smartwatch, spoke:

"Right now, your injuries are severe, and you're no match for the intelligent machines. The only way to defeat them is for me to transfer the Qi that Dr. Jia Yang hid in my 5th-level storage to you. But my core chip will be destroyed in the process."

Hearing this, Alex urgently shouted:

"No! I don’t believe it! Isn’t there any other way? I haven’t fully understood Qi... I still need you to teach me!"

Ray only smiled and replied:

"Actually, you no longer need me."

Alex didn’t understand why Ray said this, but she soon transformed into a stream of light, playing back everything Alex had experienced since wearing the smartwatch, both the good and the bad—his joy, his sorrow, his immaturity, his madness, and even his regret.

"Since you put on the smartwatch, I’ve watched you—your immaturity, indulgence, despair, madness, and even your regret..."

Alex watched as images of his father, mother, Maggie, Max, Chad, the 6th Squad losers, and even Anna appeared. From indulgence to rage, then to regret, these experiences stirred deep emotions in his heart.

Ray's radiant glow surrounded Alex as she continued speaking:

"You know... Dr. Kayan had me set a few criteria to choose the right candidates for cultivating qi, and I picked you... Do you know why I chose you above the others?"

At this, Alex, feeling guilty, said:

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

"I know... I must have looked too reckless and frivolous, lacking discipline..."

Alex bitterly laughed at himself, feeling disappointed with his past actions. He regretted the path he had taken, and even he could not look at himself with pride.

Ray then reformed, gently lifting Alex's chin, not allowing him to lower his head, and said:

"That's not it. It's because I knew you were someone who could face your past mistakes and remain true to yourself. As long as someone has the courage to face their past, they can wield this power and keep moving forward."

Her words seemed to awaken Alex, lifting him from his self-pity. He raised his head and gazed at Ray, unable to find the right words to say...

"...Thank you for choosing me, for changing my life... I regret not training in qi earlier... I caused you to sacrifice..."

Alex spoke with a heavy heart, but Ray simply patted his head and said:

"Silly, helping the right person is what I was made for. There's no need to worry. In these tough times, it’s up to you. Humanity needs you to step up and teach others how to use qi to fight against the intelligent machines."

With those words, the dream began to crumble, the electronic city breaking down, and Ray’s form gradually faded away. Everything signified that it was time to say goodbye.

Ray, displaying a sorrow that an AI wouldn't normally have, smiled at Alex and said:

"It seems it's really time to say farewell..."

In an instant, Alex’s heart was filled with an agonizing pain, as if it were being torn apart. He rushed forward and tightly embraced Ray, as though trying to hold onto the last trace of her existence. His voice trembled, yet there was a sense of resolve as he said:

"I will... Even without you, I will grow stronger... and lead everyone to take the world back!... Farewell, Ray."

As an AI, Ray experienced her first embrace. It was a fulfillment of her purpose—to help humanity. She smiled, as if letting go of a burden, and spoke her final words.

"Don’t waste this power... Even in the face of despair, there is always a way. Farewell, Alex... my chosen one..."

In the end, Ray turned into countless blue lights, crashing like a tidal wave into Alex's body. His entire form began to radiate intense light, as if his body had become a vessel for qi, pulsating powerfully. This energy was preparing Alex to wake up...

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In the real world, the situation was dire. Ares gripped Master Yuan Zhen by the neck, ready to snap his head, while Ryan helplessly watched the sharp tentacles of the mechanical squid closing in, seemingly unable to avoid being pierced.

At the critical moment, two brilliant red beams suddenly erupted from the ruins, like thunder breaking through the sky. The first beam pierced through the mechanical squid and all its tentacles, triggering a series of explosions, with debris scattering everywhere. The second beam struck Ares' arm, piercing through it and causing it to shatter, with the severed limb crashing heavily to the ground.

Ryan was miraculously spared. His gaze swept over the scattered remains of the mechanical squid, and then he looked up toward the direction from which the beams had come, his heart filled with shock.

"What just happened… Could it be…?"

An expression of anticipation appeared on his face, as his inner speculation made him excited.

Meanwhile, Ares looked down at its destroyed arm, its thoughts in chaos. It attempted to process what had just happened but couldn’t reach any conclusion, restlessly scanning the area.

"Who did this? How could anyone possess such power?!"

But in the midst of its confusion, a smile appeared on Master Yuan Zhen’s face as he softly muttered:

"Good, humanity still has hope."

Ares couldn’t understand the meaning of the Master's words, but it was quickly interrupted by a strong, unsettling change. The ground began to tremble violently, and dust and smoke rose from the ruins, rapidly expanding. The air seemed to thicken with more frequent energy pulses, sending chills down everyone’s spine.

"This qi... Could it be that person?!"

Ares' electronic eyes shrank in shock, sensing something it could not stop.

In the instant the ruins exploded, countless pieces of debris flew through the air, and Alex's figure emerged from the smoke.

He was holding Maggie in his arms, his injuries fully healed, his body radiating an awe-inspiring glow.

Maggie struggled to open her eyes, looking at Alex, her voice weak but filled with joy:

"You... You’re finally back... Thank goodness..."

Alex looked down at the wound on Maggie's arm, a scar he had caused, and a deep sense of guilt filled him. He frowned slightly, his tone firm yet gentle:

"I'm sorry for making you sacrifice so much for me. From now on, leave it to me."

Hearing these words, Maggie smiled in relief before closing her eyes and drifting into a deep sleep. Alex gently used qi to lift her away from the battlefield.

At this moment, Alex also noticed his broken smartwatch on his left wrist. Thoughts of Ray’s teachings and their final farewell ran through his mind.

He felt a sharp pang in his heart, as if he had lost something incredibly important. But this only strengthened his resolve not to waste Ray's sacrifice.

"Thank you... I won’t let you down!"

With this promise, Alex turned toward Ares, his eyes burning with determination. His voice was deep, filled with unwavering resolve:

"This time, I will defeat you!"

With that, Alex made the Mudra of Amitabha, slowly rising into the air, like a holy figure descending. The endless energy of smoke and dust surged from his palms, with dazzling red sparks flashing through the swirling air, radiant and awe-inspiring.

As Alex rose higher, his aura blended with the smoke and dust around him. His presence became so intense that everything nearby seemed to still. Eventually, a massive Buddha figure materialized behind him, as though a celestial guardian had appeared. His righteousness filled the space, with an energy that seemed to swallow the very heavens.

As an AI, Ares was now experiencing confusion like never before. Its core processors were running at full capacity, but it couldn’t calculate how to handle the current situation. Thousands of error codes filled its system, and for the first time, it felt... powerless.

At that moment, Alex slowly opened his eyes, the red sparks in his pupils burning brightly. He looked down at the qi he had gathered, as if he could grasp the entire sky.

His voice was calm but carried a force that shook the soul:

" finally... Bring it on!"