For this world, once disaster strikes, survival for ordinary humans is an extravagant hope.
As a transmigrator, Reinhard understood this best!
Seeing the vast crimson mist, Reinhard gritted his teeth, facing Yang Jian, who was carrying the girl.
Huh?
Reinhard blinked; Yang Jian blinked back.
“Hey, you’re escaping too?”
Hearing Yang Jian, Reinhard twitched his mouth. Was that even a question?
He'd been on a mission when he suddenly received orders that headquarters had been attacked.
Then headquarters went silent.
Reinhard immediately raced back, only to receive new orders: all right-hand soldiers were to assemble at a designated location.
Reinhard went, only to find The Centaur, Balance, and White Walker.
They launched a coup, controlling all right-hand members and betraying Kitsune!
Reinhard sensed something was wrong; he slipped to the back of the crowd, finding an opportunity to escape!
Whether he joined the coup or remained loyal, Reinhard felt he was in danger!
For safety, he decided to leave immediately!
He did escape, but Chino and Shino arrived before he could get far!
Reinhard was trapped; he couldn't advance or retreat.
“Is it still possible to join the Sea King’s side?”
Definitely not!
He’d personally sealed the Sea King; the Sea King would likely rip him apart!
Reinhard’s only option was to use the game’s space to escape the current predicament!
But there was a fatal problem!
“I don’t have enough money.”
Yes, although Reinhard had a game entry ticket, he never managed to gather the 200 Gold Marks!
Truly frustrating!
Back to the present, Reinhard and Yang Jian stared at each other.
Suddenly, a shrill voice pierced Reinhard's ears!
“I remember you, human.”
“I’m glad you’re still alive. I don’t hold grudges; I settle them on the spot.”
This was…?
The Sea King’s voice?
Oh, no!
The Sea King held a grudge!
Reinhard's face paled; he envisioned his demise.
Soon after, his phone rang.
Reinhard checked his phone; it was his scheduled return date.
This date was…?
“Book return date?”
At that moment, an empty library materialized on the street!
This is…?
Seeing this, Reinhard grabbed his backpack and ran!
The tidal wave followed; Yang Jian, though unsure about the library, could only follow!
There was no other choice; it was a gamble!
Reinhard reached the library, pushing hard, but like before, the door wouldn't budge.
Why was this happening?
“Open Sesame!”
No response.
“Nine-headed Serpent, ten thousand years!”
No response.
“Serpent’s Hand will rebuild the world!”
Click.
The door opened.
Reinhard facepalmed. These weren't opening phrases.
If he had to say them every time, Reinhard felt he'd become the leader of the Serpent's Hand one day.
Oh well.
Reinhard, Yang Jian, and the girl rushed into the library.
The moment they entered, the door slammed shut.
The massive waves crashed, unable to affect the library in the slightest.
Countless frenzied monsters surged forward, only to freeze instantly!
Chino witnessed this from afar, “This library… could it be…?”
...
Number 024: The Library of the Exiled.
Reinhard returned, but he still didn't see Mei.
Besides a girl napping on the counter, there was no sign of Death.
Reinhard approached the counter. The girl had long black hair and wore a black Gothic dress; she looked adorable.
Except her sleeping position… was less than graceful.
She was even drooling, dreaming of something.
Reinhard hesitated, wondering whether to wake her, when the girl stirred.
She rubbed her eyes and yawned.
“Ah… huh?”
001, drowsy, looked at Reinhard, Yang Jian, and the girl, “All items are half-price… browse at will…”
001 propped her chin up.
All items half-price?
Reinhard was taken aback, quickly retrieving a book from his bag.
“I’m here to return this book.”
001 accepted the book, “Ah, do you want to borrow anything else?”
“Can… I?” Reinhard inquired.
001 nodded, “The master said it’s allowed, but borrowing requires collateral.”
Reinhard searched his bag, “I don’t have cash. Can I pay using a QR?”
“QR?”
001 suddenly laughed, “Sorry, by collateral, I don’t mean those financial numbers on your credit cards and accounts, but something… more tangible.”
001 went to the back room, returning with a large flowerpot.
Inside was a peculiar plant, resembling a sunflower, but its stamen was covered in eyes.
Mei had specifically mentioned it could absorb human souls.
Originally a Venus flytrap, Mei had cultivated it into a soul-extractor.
But it hadn't been assigned a Number by Mei; it was simply called Little Flower.
“Trade souls, and you can buy anything here.”
Anything?
Potions?
Reinhard swallowed, “What if I want to buy some… unusual potions?”
“Like, potions that grant special abilities?”
001 sharpened her nails, “That wouldn’t be enough. But if you add the souls of those two with you, perhaps it would work. Can you convince them?”
Yang Jian’s eyes narrowed, “First, let me ask; is this a joke?”
001 sneered, “Of course not. That person always means what they say; I’m just following the rules.”
Using souls as currency…
Reinhard pondered.
It seemed you could rent not only books, but also artifacts.
“Can I browse myself?”
“Go ahead.”
001 idly preened her nails.
Reinhard scanned the shelves.
Yang Jian put down the girl and looked as well, “You seem familiar with this place?”
“Yes, it’s not my first time here.”
“Where is this?”
“The Library of the Exiled.”
“What… what is that?”
“A library.”
“Oh.”
“So, from our conversation, you need souls to borrow books here?”
“Seems that way.” Reinhard wasn’t entirely clear on the rules.
It all depended on Death’s mood.
“What are the benefits of these books?”
What benefits?
“These books contain strange powers, allowing you to acquire forbidden knowledge or special abilities.”
“If you want to survive, even at the cost of your soul, I suggest you choose one.”
However, the knowledge within the books needed time to be absorbed; it wasn't instant.
Like the book Reinhard had borrowed previously; he hadn't finished it by the return date.
And upon returning it, he'd lost the abilities he'd gained.
Borrowing a book didn't mean instantly gaining abilities.
Acquiring those abilities required time to understand the knowledge within.
Given the circumstances, rereading a book was impossible.
So Reinhard turned his attention to another room.
He entered, finding rows of Ancient Artifacts.
“So the Ancient Artifacts really were taken by Death. I thought those dreamers were joking…”
Reinhard walked through the collection; he spotted a needle.
A silver needle.
“Silver Needle?”
At that moment, an eye opened on the counter.
‘Choose it.’
What?
Reinhard frowned; a strange psychic wave surged into his mind, revealing an image of a five-clawed dragon.
The image flashed and disappeared, hinting at something.
“Silver needle… Dragon.”
024 Great Serpent obviously displayed this… so…
Reinhard picked up the silver needle and returned to the counter, “I’ll take this.”
001 grabbed a small book and glanced at it, “Ancient Artifacts have a standard cost: one year of soul lifespan for a month’s rental. So, how long do you want to rent it for?”
One year of soul lifespan?
“What’s a year of soul lifespan?”
001 flipped through the book, “All life has a soul; souls aren’t immortal. Cell division has a limit; the body and soul have limits.”
“Once your soul lifespan runs out, your consciousness vanishes. Simple as that.”
A straightforward explanation…
“Can I know how much soul lifespan I have left?” Reinhard asked.
“No.”
001’s reply was concise and efficient.
At that moment, Yang Jian approached with a torch, “Everything else is explained, but not this. I want to know what it is.”
The torch looked ordinary, burning with a golden flame that required no fuel.
“Don’t ask too much. The more you know, the more painful it becomes.”
The girl tugged on Yang Jian’s sleeve, “Maybe we should choose something else, Yang Jian?”
Yang Jian shook the torch, “No, I’ll take this.”
The less defined something was, the more mysterious it was; the more mysterious, the more unexpected its effects.
Sometimes, a lack of explanation was the best explanation.
001 casually pushed Little Flower towards them, “Now that you’ve chosen, let's confirm the rental period.”
“Three months.”
Reinhard wrote the date on a label.
Yang Jian followed suit.
The moment they wrote down the rental period, Little Flower opened its eyes!
Two tendrils curled and pierced their foreheads, as if something was being extracted!
Both shuddered, looking slightly dazed.
“That’s… it?”
Yang Jian asked.
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001 waved her hand, “Yes, all done. Hurry up and leave.”
Having said that, before the three could react, they vanished from the library.
001 stretched, about to lie down again, when a Fish-Man pushed open the library doors.
Huh?
The Fish-Man approached 001, seemingly recognizing her.
“Long time no see. Remember me, Raven?”
001 blinked, “How come your fish head is so small now?”
Indeed, this Fish-Man was Chino.
But he wasn't smaller; this Fish-Man wasn't his true form, just a priest separated from him.
“It's not important. Those three… they seem to have taken something.”
“Could you please tell me… where is this place?”
...
001 explained Mei's latest masterpiece, 024 The Library of the Exiled, detailing that everything here could be traded for souls.
After understanding the rules, Chino proposed a trade.
A dragon amulet, a pig amulet.
Yes, he traded for those two amulets.
He also rented a book.
《The Book of Death》
Chino paid with soul fragments.
As the trade ended, Chino was about to leave when 001 called him back.
“Fish head, I should remind you that Lord Aurora mentioned that the world is divided into day and night, both returning to a circle. Once this balance is broken, the world itself will intervene to restore order.”
Chino's eyes narrowed, “You mean… don't cause too much chaos?”
“Who knows? That person's mind is unreadable.”
001 said.
Chino paused at the doorway.
“Humanity's replacement is inevitable, unless they can transform the world's energy and achieve evolution. But I won't give them that chance.”
...
Outside.
When Reinhard, Yang Jian, and the girl emerged, they were faced with a city submerged in a red tide.
Fortunately, the oceanic monsters were pushing forward.
Unfortunately, the crimson mist hadn't moved; it continued to expand!
The mist enveloped them almost instantly; Yang Jian and the others couldn't react!
Whoosh!
The dense, liquid-like crimson mist consumed the three, but strangely, they weren't assimilated or dissolved.
Their location became a pocket of purity; the crimson mist automatically avoided them.
Why?
Reinhard found the answer first. He discovered this pocket was centered on Yang Jian.
“Is it the torch?”
Hearing Reinhard, Yang Jian held the torch forward; the endless crimson mist parted, creating a path!
“It really is!”
“As expected, my eye is exceptional.” Yang Jian said.
“The torch allows us to stand within the mist and illuminates our path. So, it’s… similar to the Trident?” Reinhard mused.
Could this crimson mist also be a Great Old One?
Were they going to search for another seal?
But… this time, there were no clues.
The torch bore no inscriptions or markings.
Seeing the torch, the only thing Reinhard could think of was Mount Olympus.
After all, the Olympian flame was quite famous.
And in Greek mythology, Poseidon, the sea god, was one of the twelve Olympians.
Last time, the Golden Trident was related to his son, Atlas, so…
“Could the Great Old Ones correspond to Greek gods?”
Reinhard wasn't certain; it was mere speculation.
Even if his assumption were correct, and the seals corresponded to the Olympian gods, Reinhard didn't want to be involved.
It would be pointless!
Not only would it thrust him into a suicidal mission to save the world, there would be no reward for victory.
Even if they succeeded, if those beings were ever released, they'd seek revenge. It wasn't worth it.
Moreover, the surrounding city was destroyed. There were no planes, not even cars.
Walking to Mount Olympus was impractical.
“Whatever, let’s get out of here first.”
Yang Jian nodded; the three proceeded through the mist, using the torch for light.
The dense mist severely limited their vision.
They were like explorers in a dark forest, inching forward with their torch.
Unfortunately…
Red Mist Shino quickly discovered them!
...
A helicopter flew over a deserted city.
The vast continent was ravaged. The Red Mist’s expansion was rapid; it had consumed the entire Northeast Three Provinces in just seven days.
Chino was systematically traversing Asia, heading towards Europe.
The global surge of superhuman abilities hadn't subsided; wild animals and birds stormed into cities.
In the Americas, 008 True Ancestor began openly converting humans.
But before they arrived, the Americas faced a brutal massacre.
023 Angel began her evolution.
The monsters had gone mad, engaging in unrestrained savagery!
The apocalypse was real.
Those monsters were now directly in humanity's sight!
This spectacle lasted seven days.
Seven days. Just seven days.
Humanity's population plummeted; a decrease of 3.3 billion in seven days.
The invaded nations didn’t even have a chance to use nuclear weapons.
Hell was overflowing.
...
In the crack space.
Mei clasped her hands behind her back; countless intertwined roots snapped before her, one after another. Souls burned, coalescing into starlight.
She touched a flame; it spread instantly across her body.
Whoom!
Flames engulfed Mei. She turned to a nearby table, picking up future diary.
Rip!
Mei tore the diary, tossing it into the vase.
She then produced a series of test tubes, “Absolute Fear, two generations of special giant-growth serum, Angel’s supplementary potion, Dragon’s refined essence, dual Great Old One list.”
“Plus, a magnifying glass.”
“Come, Death’s Ascension… No, Demi-Godhood!”
Whoom!
She threw these into the vase; a blue flame erupted.
That flame merged with the flames burning on Mei.
She incinerated one of the six great chapters of the future, refining it with blasphemous warmth.
This reminded Mei of a story: the strongest spear and the strongest shield.
The diary dissolved.
The potions condensed into a liquid; Mei poured it into a container.
The liquid, initially blue-green, turned black, then blue-green again.
Mei shook the potion, drinking it.
This was a giant leap towards godhood.
Come!
Whoom!
The flames on Mei burned even more intensely!
Then, her hands disintegrated!
Collapse?
The disintegration started from her hands, spreading to her arms, then her body!
Mei’s eyes widened; a second later, her head followed!
Boom!!
...
BONG~
A resounding bell echoed across the planet; all life heard it.
Chino looked up, seeing a vortex twisting in the atmosphere.
The vortex grew, surpassing the Earth in scale!
It resembled a black hole, greedily consuming everything around it, ultimately forming a colossal ring of stars!
BONG!
Another bell tolled!
A visible shockwave plummeted towards the earth!
Chino ‘thumped’ to his knees!
Not just him; all creation knelt at that moment!
An unprecedented concept was deeply ingrained into their minds!
“Sanctuary?”
Chino muttered.
“6th Step?”
What was that?
Was that even life?
The stellar ring resembled a giant eye, overlooking all life, piercing past and future!
Fear, incomprehensible, indescribable!
Even calling it primordial chaos wouldn't be an exaggeration!
All beings trembled. If Shino and his kin were considered gods, the being in the sky was a god above gods!
Not only the monsters, but even humans couldn't bear to look directly at it!
The world seemed to be severed!
Earth was like a sliced loaf of bread, divided into countless planes of near-zero thickness.
It was the oppression of a higher dimension upon a lower one!
But this phenomenon didn't last long. The giant eye vanished quickly.
The immense pressure dissipated; Chino rose.
“Was that Lord Aurora?”
“Did she… succeed?”
...
Success?
Not exactly.
Mei felt no physical body, no existence; she felt like she’d been torn apart by space, becoming a quantum insect composed of temporal trajectories.
Or perhaps, a quantum ghost.
An invisible, nonexistent being.
She could touch minds; she could perceive the very essence of life.
If a description were necessary…
It was like… the will of the world.
Her mortal emotions were fading, replaced by a higher divinity.
Within the Solar System, minds coalesced into a humanoid being!
Mei tried to reach out; she seemed to grasp something.
An invisible key.
“6th Step, Sanctuary.”
“Insufficient; not even a Demi-god.”
Mei clearly understood her own state.
Strictly speaking, she’d failed.
But biologically, she’d succeeded.
She had become something of a higher dimension, but that something was absolutely not what she called a ‘god.’
This being, like a black hole, consumed consciousness.
She felt an overwhelming urge, a desire to consume the star, the entire Solar System.
Planet devourer, quantum ghost, higher-dimensional consciousness, silent observer, Heavenly Dao, all these terms could describe her now.
Mei still held something, like a key.
She turned the key; the Earth, the Solar System, began to reverse!
Time, flowed backward!
...
In the crack space.
Mei reappeared; time had rewound 24 hours.
But her existence hadn’t; neither had anything connected to her.
The potions, the future diary, everything… erased.
Mei sat back down.
She possessed power exceeding even that of a god.
She could manipulate time.
That power seemingly originated from the chapters representing the future.
“…079’s materials… originated from me. I am the unknowable origin point.”
Mei gestured; a holographic Earth appeared in her hand.
Then…
Boom!
It exploded; a desolate wasteland remained; this was the planet’s future.
Mei reversed the holographic sphere; the explosion and devastation began to retract, stopping at a point.
“At this point, create a new branch.”
...
No one knew what happened during those 24 hours.
They were forgotten.
Yang Jian and the others navigated the Blood Mist with their torches; their phones were useless.
The compass on their phones malfunctioned within the mist.
“How do we get out of here?”
Who knew?
Reinhard muttered, then frowned.
“Psst, did you hear something?”
A sound?
Yang Jian looked around, “What sound…?”
Swish!
A figure lunged, knocking Yang Jian down!
Damn it!
Yang Jian's eyes widened; it was a zombie-like creature, overgrown with plant matter.
A grotesque hybrid!
Yang Jian pushed off the ground, kicking the plant-zombie in the stomach, then swung his torch, striking the creature’s abdomen!
Whoom!
Flames engulfed the creature; it screamed in agony, “Aaaah a a, no… this fire… isn’t…”
The burning plant-human didn't finish its sentence; it quickly turned to ash.
Yang Jian, puzzled, examined the torch, “Plant-humans fear fire?”
“Hmm… reasonable!”
Reinhard picked up some ash, “It’s not that plant-humans are weak to fire, but that this fire is special; it can burn these plant-people.”
Huh?
Wait!
More sounds?
Reinhard stood up, seeing countless plant-humans appearing in the Blood Mist!
“More?”
The three took a back-to-back defensive stance. The number of plant-humans was uncountable; easily over a thousand!
“You, keep holding that torch!”
Yang Jian nodded, swinging the burning torch.
“Don’t come near! I’ll burn you!”
Hearing Yang Jian, Reinhard twitched his lips.
He remembered the incantations he’d learned.
Faced with Yang Jian's swaying torch, the plant-humans hesitated.
Seeing this, Yang Jian signaled Reinhard and the girl to follow him; he led the way with the torch.
The plant-humans retreated; they advanced.
“As expected, this torch is the right choice…”
Thump!
A figure suddenly appeared in the mist before Yang Jian, kicking him in the stomach!
Before Yang Jian could see what it was, his torch was snatched away!
“Cough, cough!”
Yang Jian clutched his stomach and retreated. Emerging from the mist was a Vampire?
The Vampire was covered in crimson mist; his eyes were vacant, devoid of consciousness.
He grabbed the torch and shoved it into his mouth!
He swallowed the burning torch whole!
Reinhard and the others were stunned.
After consuming the torch, the Vampire collapsed.
Blood Mist erupted from his body, coalescing into a humanoid figure before Reinhard and the others!
“I know you. You’re Reinhard.”
The Blood Mist spoke, a thick, raspy voice!
“Uh, you… are?”
Reinhard retreated behind the others.
The humanoid figure of Blood Mist instantly appeared behind Reinhard, “Red Mist.”
Hmm…
Someone had mentioned that name.
Sea King’s brother?
He was…?
Slap!
Shino grabbed Reinhard, “He wants to kill you personally, and I’ll deliver you to him.”
“As for them…”
Whoom!
Crimson mist enveloped Yang Jian and the girl, instantly consuming them!
Splash, splash!
Their bodies disintegrated; first, collapsing into blood and gore, then vaporizing into the Blood Mist.
Reinhard was seized by Shino, dragged into the vast crimson mist.
The plant-humans picked up the Vampire’s corpse, vanishing into the Blood Mist.
...
The Red Mist continued its terrifying expansion.
The Sea King’s assault on the continent was relentless.
003, Han Verte, observed the advancing army from a skyscraper, shaking his head.
He had no intention of participating in this chaotic tide.
A helicopter took off from the Sahara Desert, heading towards the GPA headquarters at the United Nations.
The GPA was overwhelmed by the current global situation, at a loss for what to do.
“We’re all going to die; there’s nothing we can do!”
“We’re all going to die! Hahaha! Everyone’s going to die!”
“Drag them out and kill them!”
“Hahaha! This world will belong to the monsters; humanity is doomed!”
The madness was commonplace in the post-apocalyptic world.
A national pilot, along with his accomplices, launched a coup, detonating a medium-sized nuclear bomb in the capital.
Yes, they were mad, but they turned their weapons on their own people.
To summarize the global situation: chaos.
They spoke of the Angel’s arrival, but she hadn't come to save them.
The Angel bloodbathed a city overnight, moving on to the next.
Her cruelty was amplified by torment.
They aimed their tank at her, but not a single shot could harm her.
From that point on, the nation's people went mad.
Monsters rose, all united in slaughtering humanity.
Calling them man-eating, blood-drinking monsters wouldn't be an exaggeration.
Then, a UN conference convened; a nation possessing nuclear weapons proposed a plan, a dark plan.
To add Cobalt-59 to hydrogen bombs, creating Cobalt bombs!
Everyone knew that high-energy neutrons released by a hydrogen bomb, upon contact with Cobalt-59, would form Cobalt-60, which decays into Nickel-60.
This Cobalt bomb was discussed as early as the 1950s.
The technology wasn't complex.
But this Cobalt bomb was anti-human; a doomsday weapon.
Its explosion released powerful gamma rays; based on square meters, it killed one square meter of life per gram of Cobalt.
To kill all life on Earth, releasing a Cobalt bomb weighing over 510 tons into the stratosphere would suffice.
This project was strictly forbidden in its early stages.
It wasn't a weapon of war; it was a weapon of human extermination!
Now, some had gone mad; they intended to perish alongside the monsters!
If humanity couldn't survive, they'd drag all life on Earth down with them!
“The Angel wields a hammer against humanity; humanity responds with the God Bomb!”
Even more insane, this experiment was rapidly progressing!
Until a helicopter landed at the GPA’s executive headquarters.
Zero stood before them, “God has abandoned humanity; the Angel wields the blade, but I… will save everyone.”
“All GPA personnel, follow my orders. I will help humanity win back the game.”
“Who are you?”
“A Demon.”
The current GPA director sneered, “Kitsune is gone. I told you, you couldn’t control those monsters.”
“Zero, it’s too late to remember us now, isn’t it?”
Zero’s blood-crystal eyes glowed crimson; an invisible fear enveloped everyone, “I’m not asking for your opinion.”
Zero held a broken sword to a director’s throat, “You don’t intend to live anyway; I’ll grant you that.”
Under Absolute Fear, Zero became their deepest fear, overwhelming their reason!
Zero thus seized control of the GPA.
A GPA director sweated, “It’s too late to talk about this now. What do you think you can do?!”
“Detonating the Cobalt bomb is the only option!”
Zero produced a fang, “Mutual destruction is fine. If I fail, you detonate the Cobalt bomb, dragging all life down with you. No problem!”
“But for now, give me your Cobalt bombs. I haven’t declared the end; it’s not over!”
The director gritted his teeth, “Then what will you do?!”
“The Angel, the Red Mist, the Sea King, the True Ancestor. Eliminate those four, and humanity can be saved. And I know how to deal with them!”
...
The world isn't fair; neither is Mei.
This unfairness is merely the solace of the survivors after the chaos.
For humanity, this was an unfair and unexpected slaughter.
Mei's disregard and the monsters' cruelty were the main factors shaping the current situation.
Some humans angrily cursed God, crying foul.
But perhaps they should reflect on their own lives.
Newcomers to the tobacco industry are always at the bottom, regardless of skill or knowledge.
A merchant's child lives better than you without lifting a finger.
Whether school or company, have you ever seen true fairness?
No, because fairness isn't a rule of the world; it's something people demand.
Did Mei consider fairness when pitting monsters against each other?
Of course not.
She’d made it clear from the start: it's unfair.
Do you think this is a fair 5v5 game?
Does the world need balance?
Does that bring stability?
No, never.
If every nation had equal resources and military strength, war would be far more intense!
Because everyone is equal, their equipment doesn't crush you; why can't you fight them?
Therefore, equality equals stability is a lie.
People don't inherently desire peace; only when an opponent is too strong to defeat do some seek so-called stability and peace.
Capitalists often understand this better than the average person. A hierarchical system, with clear power dynamics and layers of subjugation, creates stability.
If Chino ruled the world, transforming everyone into Deep Ones, how could the world be stable?
It would be a world devoid of humans.
Chino is strong; Shino is strong. Their power surpasses countless others.
Those weaker monsters couldn't compare to them.
But there’s a saying.
Sheep and cattle flock together; ferocious beasts walk alone.
This doesn’t mean strong individuals are always solitary; it means the weak must unite.
In this world, laws, morals, and parents can't control you.
Only you can control yourself.
Of course, that’s no longer the case.
Mei saw a countdown.
A countdown to destruction; most creatures and life would perish when it ended.
Mei saw countless possible futures, but which path it would take remained uncertain.
But if it leads to destruction, Mei will intervene.
That intervention could be rewinding time or opening a new world, transferring the experiment to another reality.
Mei had considered creating a new world.
She lacked the power before; now she has it.
Creating a new timeline would birth a brand new world.
But this new Mei would bring new rules, affecting all subsequent worlds.
Mei was trying to constrain these rules.
Because she wanted to see where the future would lead.
Musing, Mei swept her hand, overturning the potions in the cabinet.
Dozens of vials crashed to the floor, their containers undamaged.
The dozens of vials floated, spinning around Mei.
“Let's start some truly crazy experiments, shall we?”
...
The original Kitsune headquarters, a hidden bunker.
004 Queen Bee was seemingly asleep, but that didn't mean she was truly unconscious.
Possessing the ability to project her soul, Queen Bee’s consciousness remained alert.
Soon, Queen Bee awoke; three stones appeared in her outstretched hand.
Dog, Goat, Snake.
“009 is coming for me.”
“The Vermin, dare he attack him?”
A figure emerged from the shadows: 019.
“What’s to fear?”
“But… Queen Bee, the Sea King has returned.”
The Vermin's veiled words were clear: if the Sea King arrived, he'd choose the Sea King over Queen Bee.
Simple. There were only four known Fourth Step beings.
To survive, one must align with a 4th Step being.
Queen Bee clearly didn't meet that criteria.
The Vermin shifted his wrist and left the room.
...
Outside the headquarters.
A swarm of Guard Bees blocked 009's path.
009 had returned to his normal form; no more bulging muscles or six arms.
But behind him stood all of Chaos Insurgency, except 019 The Vermin and 020 Computer:
010 The Clown, 011 Celestial Beast, 012 Nightmare, 013 Master of Flesh, 014 Priest, 015 Naira Sorkin.
016 White Walker, 017 Balance, 018 The Centaur, 021 Swordsmith.
Plus the right-hand soldiers extracted from Kitsune.
Queen Bee might have thousands of ability-wielding Guard Bees inside, but whether she could hold them was questionable.
Facing the Guard Bees, Naira Sorkin gestured; a powerful force slammed them to the ground!
Boom!
“Queen Bee, why don’t you just send out all your Guard Bees? It’s unnecessary to sacrifice these little bees.”
009 stepped forward, grabbing a drone’s head.
The drone’s eyes glazed over; Queen Bee's consciousness had descended.
“009… if you dare to die, come down. Let’s play slowly.”
009 smirked, “Fine. I want to see what surprises you have prepared for me!”