He remembered the dying despair in the basement of the factory, the roar of the monkey when he rushed in with the bomb, the numb and terrified faces in the fortress, Lu Qingyi's fragile and worried eyes... He also remembered Lu Qiming's cold mecha, and the dark purple seven-pointed star floating above the ruins!

Safe? Controllable? Under the cold gaze of the chaebol's world-destroying army and the "Ark," safety was nothing but a self-deceiving joke! He needed power! Power enough to tear down all obstacles and protect those he cherished! Even if the price was falling into the abyss!

He slowly raised his head, and in his only remaining right eye, all the confusion, fear, and hesitation were replaced by a near-mad determination. He looked at the "beacon," his voice hoarse but firm, each word like tempered steel hitting the ground:

"I choose two."

Wen Shifei gasped and said in a lost voice: "Chen En! Are you crazy?! That might..."

Lu Chenen interrupted her and turned his gaze to Dr. Chen, with an unquestionable command: "Tell me what to do."

Dr. Chen took a step back at the terrifying determination in his eyes, sweat breaking out on his forehead. "This... this requires extremely precise energy guidance and mental synchronization... It requires Ms. Wen Shifei's mental power as a stabilizing medium... and it also requires... the full support of the fortress's energy matrix! The process will be extremely painful... and once it begins, there's no turning back!"

"Shi Fei?" Lu Chenheng looked at Wen Shi Fei with a complicated expression. He knew the injuries on her hands and that she was overdrawn.

Wen Shifei saw the unquestionable determination in Lu Cheneng's eyes, looked at his empty left shoulder, and recalled the moment in the factory basement where he had unhesitatingly used his body to block a chainsaw sword for her. She bit her lower lip until she could taste the hint of blood. Finally, she nodded vigorously, her voice trembling slightly but with unwavering determination: "I... will help you."

The beacon's electronic prosthetic eye swept between the two men, and a cold, metallic voice delivered the final command: "Prepare the energy guidance matrix. Call upon 70% of the fortress's energy reserves. Dr. Chen, you will lead the operation. Wen Shifei, stabilize his mental connection. Lu Chenentang... Remember your choice, and remember your responsibility. The fate of the fortress rests with you."

Icy energy conduits connected Lu Chenen's body to his life-support equipment. A massive energy-guiding matrix within the special treatment room glowed with a faint blue light and emitted a low hum. Deep within the fortress, stored energy was frantically drained, dimming the lights.

Lu Cheneng, shirtless, lay on the cold operating table, the wound from his severed arm exposed at the center of the matrix. Wen Shifei stood beside him, her bandaged hands hovering over his forehead and chest. Her mental energy was highly concentrated, and a faint blue light shone in her eyes.

Dr. Chen took a deep breath and started the instrument.

Buzz——!!!

Violent energy instantly surged in! Lu Chen's body suddenly arched upward! The layer of "active mithril" covering the wound on his broken arm was instantly activated, emitting a dazzling silver-white light like a red-hot iron! Intense pain, as if every inch of his nerves were being torn and reshaped, swept through his consciousness like a tsunami! He clenched his teeth tightly, and a suppressed roar erupted from his throat. His muscles bulged, and veins bulged! Sweat instantly soaked the platform below him!

At the same time, the magic blade gripped in his only remaining right hand erupted with a dazzling mercury glow! The blade trembled violently, its icy pulse instantly becoming as wild as a war drum! A powerful will filled with destruction and icy order, like an invisible giant python, followed the energy link and slammed into Lu Chen's crumbling spiritual world!

"Ugh—!" Lu Chen's eyes were instantly engulfed by a cold, mercury-colored light! Countless chaotic, murderous fragments of images bombarded his mind! The will of the Demon Blade roared, trying to assimilate him!

"Hold on! Shen En! Look at me!" Wen Shifei's anxious voice carried a powerful mental impact, like a clear spring trying to inject into his chaotic consciousness, "Guide it! Control it with your will! Not to destroy! But to protect!"

Protect... Lu Qingyi... Wen Shifei... the lighthouse... those who are still struggling...

This thought was like a final anchor, firmly pinning Lu Chen's consciousness, which was about to collapse, amidst the violent energy and mental impact! He roared like a beast, his only remaining right eye fixed on the demonic blade, and he used all his soul power to resist and guide the cold will that was trying to devour him!

"Energy peak! Guide the wound tissue to grow in a targeted manner!" Dr. Chen's voice broke as his fingers frantically operated on the console.

In the dazzling light of energy, supported by Lu Cheneng's shrill roar and Wen Shifei's exhausted mental strength, in the fierce confrontation between the mercury light of the magic blade and the cold will... at the broken end of Lu Cheneng's empty left shoulder, those glowing "active mithril" substances began to wriggle, stretch, and shape violently as if given life!

The outline of an arm, gleaming with the luster of liquid metal and flowing with mercury-like energy inside, is growing out bit by bit, laboriously, in the flames of pain and will, at a speed visible to the naked eye!

The power of the abyss was being forcibly brought under control, and the price had only just begun to be paid.

The top floor of the lighthouse, the viewing platform.

This was once a place that overlooked the fortress and gazed into the distance, but now it was shrouded in the haze of the remnant signal from the "Ark" and the heavy pressure of scarce supplies. Outside the damaged transparent dome, the sky was a perpetual leaden gray, and in the distance, the sickly neon glow of Sky City was like a mocking ghost's eye.

Lu Qingyi sat in a wheelchair, wrapped in a thick blanket, her face still unable to conceal the fragility of someone recovering from a serious illness. Her face was pale, a faint shadow of blue under her eyelids. She looked at the people below the fortress, struggling to survive like ants amidst the ruins and narrow passages. Her eyes were filled with worry and... a subtle hint of fear.

My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!