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Tiannan City Temporary Command Center
The piercing sirens had long since been replaced by a deeper, heart-pounding hum.
In the command center, most of the screens have turned into a snowy or eerie gray, and only a few can still display the hellish scene outside.
The sky is shattered, illusory creatures roam rampant, and humanity is trapped in a nightmare manifested by its own desires and fears.
Chen Yubing stood before the main screen, his posture still erect, but his clenched fists were already white-knuckled. Headquarters had just issued the final order: abandon all active offensive missions, focus on building defenses at a few key safety points, and gather as many survivors as possible.
"Ji Ling..." She silently pronounced the name, and the icy voice from the encrypted channel that brought the final warning echoed in her mind.
From that moment on, she knew that the teammate who had fought side by side with her and then mysteriously disappeared was going through something far beyond their imagination.
"Sister Yubing!" Jiang Wang rushed in, his face covered in blood and sweat, and one of his arms was half melted and had not had time to reshape. It was obvious that he had been through a fierce battle.
"The third outer zone has been lost! The energy readings are completely chaotic. That kind of power... is simply beyond our ability to resist! But..." He was panting, but his eyes were surprisingly bright.
"But just now, for a moment, I felt a very familiar power fluctuation, very, very strong, and in that direction!" He pointed to the area on the screen where the energy reaction was most violent.
Song Nanxing followed behind him, his face showing extreme fatigue and a calmness that seemed to see through everything. "Don't feel anything. There's no one else except her. That strange power amidst the chaos is the same as the one she displayed at the supply station, only it's countless times stronger."
He shook off his dusty sleeves and continued, "Combined with the warning she gave us and the fact that the core area of 'Starry Sky Lord's' faith is within the Black Dragon Gang...isn't the answer obvious enough?"
A deathly silence fell within the command center. Many had speculated, but no one dared to confirm. How could a former member of the investigation team become a force to oppose the Old Gods?
Chen Yubing closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her mind flashed back to the memory of fighting alongside Ji Ling, the myriad doubts surrounding her disappearance, and the chilling warning she had sent. Reason told her it was unbelievable, but her intuition, along with the apocalyptic scene before her, all suggested the same answer.
"Reporting to the General Administration, 'Lord Xingqiong' is suspected to be Ji Ling, a former member of our bureau. He is currently directly confronting 'Gali', the source of this disaster, in the core area of Tiannan City." Her voice was calm, almost cold, but with unquestionable determination.
"Recommendation: Trust and authorize at the highest level, mobilize all remaining resources, create all possible conditions for it, and, if necessary... provide all support, including faith-based support."
The moment these words came out, everyone in the room was shocked. This was practically a gamble, tying the fate of the Investigation Bureau to a "suspicious" existence.
"I agree!" Jiang Wang was the first to shout, his eyes firm.
"Although it sounds crazy, this is the only reasonable explanation and the only option at the moment." Song Nanxing sighed, but nodded.
…
Inside the Black Dragon Gang's stronghold.
Bai Zang stood on the crumbling wall, his face covered in blood and dust.
He commanded the last of his strength to resist the bizarre attacks from outside and the occasional chaotic illusions from within. The blade in his hand had already been bent, but his eyes remained as cold as ice.
He noticed the unusualness of this uninvited "second in command" earlier than anyone else.
Her mysterious power, her subtle attitude towards her faith in "Lord of the Starry Sky," and the words "I'll leave this to you" she said after bringing back a large amount of supplies...
When the sky completely shattered and the huge shadow behind it appeared, when the soul-trembling pressure descended, all the guesses in his heart turned into certainty.
It's her.
She must be fighting that thing.
"Boss! We can't hold on any longer!" A team member roared in despair.
Bai Zang suddenly raised his head, looking towards the center of the energy explosion, as if he could see through countless obstacles and see that figure. He took a deep breath, and with all his strength, his voice penetrated the clamor:
"Everyone! Keep your mind focused! Believe in 'Starry Sky Lord'! Give her all your thoughts and hopes! Pray! Pray with all your might! Pray for her safe return!"
He didn't shout "victory", but only "peace", because he knew what a terrifying existence she was facing.
In an instant, everyone still struggling for survival within the stronghold, whether soldiers or women and children, seemed to have found their final spiritual support. They closed their eyes, whispered softly, or shouted at the top of their lungs, placing all their faith, all their worries, all their strength in that name—"Lord of the Starry Sky."
…
The Bureau's instructions were transmitted to the remaining branches through the channels that were still usable.
There were many confusions and many doubts, but at the final moment, their professional beliefs made them choose to execute.
Countless investigators, along with the survivors they sheltered, also grasped at this only straw in this abyss of despair and turned their thoughts in that direction.
"Xingqiong-kun... please win!"
"Ji Ling...come on!"
Thus, at that most critical moment, the trust and prayers from different camps, which were equally heavy, converged into a torrent that transcended illusions and rushed towards the divine fire that was about to go out.
When the mirror light that freezes everything covers the stronghold, when all perceptions are stripped away, the second before consciousness is about to fall into eternal darkness.
Bai Zang, Jiang Wang, Chen Yubing, Song Nanxing... all those who poured their whole hearts and minds into prayer, could clearly hear in the depths of their souls a faint sigh filled with endless fatigue and apology.
"I'm sorry...it's the only way..."
The next moment, all contact was cut off.
The world fell into silence.
I wonder how much time has passed. A year? Ten years? Or an epoch?
In a new and somewhat desolate valley, an extremely subtle, almost inaudible cracking sound seemed to be coming from inside a huge black rock that was as smooth as a mirror and seemed to have stars flowing inside.
“Crack—”
It was like the first sound of spring beneath the ice.
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