"Tsk, this is quite a grand affair..." Lin Yi's lips twitched, and almost instinctively, he pulled the slightly slender Su Qing behind him.
A chilling, bone-piercing sense of crisis, as if a venomous snake were coiling around his heart, instantly made the hairs on his entire body stand on end.
This is no longer just simple pressure; it's a "conceptual crushing" that comes from a higher dimension and a deeper level!
That power is invisible and intangible, yet it is omnipresent.
It's not a direct physical heaviness, but rather like countless invisible, cold steel needles piercing the depths of your soul, brutally tearing at your will and freezing your thoughts.
"Ugh—!"
A muffled groan of pain came from the side.
This guy is usually carefree and irresponsible. He's used to dominating the newbie zone because he's awakened the "True Dragon Bloodline". He's never suffered such humiliation before.
At this moment, his face was ashen, veins bulged on his forehead, and his bones cracked and popped, as if he were about to be crushed by the invisible pressure at any moment!
His proud dragon might was like a child's toy gun hitting the main cannon of a starship in the face of this power—it couldn't even make a sound.
"Warning! Unknown ultra-high energy level interference detected! Energy level far exceeds the database record limit! Attempting analysis... Analysis failed! Core computing unit overload! Overload! Buzz..." In Chu Yao's originally lively eyes, blue light flashed rapidly, and data streams frantically filled the screen like a waterfall, eventually even accompanied by a slight static noise from unstable current.
As an AI life form, she is most sensitive to energy and therefore suffers more direct impacts.
Her virtual body began to become unstable, with slight ripples appearing at the edges, as if it might collapse and dissipate at any moment.
Lin Yi himself was also feeling bad.
The power of the [Time and Space Dominator] was running wildly within his body, trying to create a domain of his own, but it felt like trying to use a small umbrella to withstand a tsunami caused by a category 12 typhoon.
The laws of spacetime twisted and trembled around him, yet he was never able to truly break free from the terrifying will that loomed over him like the sky.
Feeling suffocated!
A strong feeling of suffocation! Not just physical, but also psychological.
It was as if a cold, huge, slimy hand had gripped their throats and, more importantly, their souls.
Thinking becomes sluggish, and the thought of resistance, barely arising, is ruthlessly crushed.
Fear, like the most primal instinct, grows and spreads wildly from the deepest part of their hearts, almost threatening to completely devour them.
This is a despairing power gap.
Like an ant looking up at a giant's boot that is about to fall, it seems there is nothing it can do but tremble.
Lin Yi gritted his teeth, and a trace of blood even seeped from the corner of his mouth.
He could feel his consciousness fading, as if he were being dragged into that endless, cold abyss.
He can't fall!
Su Qing was behind him!
Just then, a soft, slightly cool yet unusually firm hand gently grasped his hand, whose knuckles had turned white from the force.
Lin Yi's body jolted, and he struggled to turn his head to the side.
What came into view was Su Qing's clear, water-like eyes.
Her face was also pale, and her breathing was somewhat rapid, clearly indicating that she was also under tremendous pressure.
But in those eyes, Lin Yi saw not fear, not despair, but...heartache?
There was also a gentleness he had never seen before, as steadfast as a rock.
"Lin Yi..." Su Qing's voice was very soft, with a slight tremor that was almost imperceptible, but every word clearly entered Lin Yi's ears, like a clear spring flowing through his heart, which was almost frozen by fear. "Don't be afraid... I'm here."
Her voice was not loud, even somewhat weak, but at this moment, under this terrifying pressure that seemed to crush everything, it was like sunlight piercing through layers of dark clouds, carrying a strange power.
"I... will always be by your side."
She didn't make any grand pronouncements or earth-shattering promises; she simply used the most basic and unpretentious words to express her most sincere emotions.
The hand that was holding his was soft, even a little cold.
But the warmth from that palm was like a spark that instantly ignited the flame in Lin Yi's heart that was about to go out.
warm current!
An indescribable warmth began in their clasped hands and quickly spread throughout Lin Yi's body, dispelling the biting cold and resisting the soul-corroding fear.
It turns out that in this cold, cruel, and crisis-ridden world, there is still such warmth that can become his source of strength to fight against everything.
Su Qing...
Lin Yi looked at her, at the pure concern and trust in her eyes, and something in his heart seemed to be gently touched.
My nerves, which had been taut for so long, miraculously relaxed a little at this moment.
Yeah, what's there to be afraid of?
Even if the enemy is ridiculously strong, so strong that it makes people despair, so what?
What has enabled Lin Yi, an ordinary college student, to get to where he is today?
Isn't it that indomitable spirit, that ruthless determination to fight your way out even in the most desperate situations?
Moreover, he is not fighting alone now.
He has companions, Chu Yao, Long Wu... and Su Qing.
The mysterious leader's "Ragnarok" plan, the world-ending prophecy, and the suddenly appearing, incredibly powerful mysterious force... all of this felt like heavy mountains, pressing down on people and making it hard to breathe.
But isn't that precisely why he needs to become stronger?
[Master of Time and Space]...Time and Space...
Lin Yi's gaze gradually sharpened.
What he currently possesses is merely a superficial understanding of the power of spacetime.
Traveling between reality and the game, tearing through space for short-distance teleportation, accelerating time (to oneself)... These abilities, which seem miraculous to ordinary players, are probably not enough in front of true masters.
The fact that the mysterious leader could be so easily eliminated by this power shows that the other party's level has far exceeded his imagination.
To break the deadlock, to protect those around him, to uncover the truth of this world, and even... to survive, he must truly master the mysteries of the [Master of Time and Space]!
It's not simply about using skills, but about understanding the flow of time and the structure of space, and truly making these two most fundamental and greatest forces in the universe your own!
Before, there might have been some confusion, and some things were done step by step.
But now, this sudden, potentially fatal pressure has acted like a heavy hammer, slamming him awake!
We must break through!
Immediately! Right now!
Lin Yi took a deep breath. Although the air he inhaled was still sluggish and cold, his eyes were brighter than ever before.
Fear still exists, but it has been firmly suppressed by a stronger will.
That will is called protection, responsibility, and also... love.
He turned his hand around and gripped Su Qing's hand even tighter. The warmth of their palms mingled, as if forming a small, unbreakable domain.
“Yes,” he responded softly, his voice no longer trembling, but carrying a resolute determination, “I know.”
Long Wu, standing to the side, gritted his teeth and endured the pressure, but out of the corner of his eye he caught a glimpse of Lin Yi and Su Qing's tightly clasped hands, and the fighting spirit that had been rekindled in Lin Yi's eyes.
He paused for a moment, then grinned, though the smile looked more like a grimace: "Damn... Boss, you... at this crucial moment, you still can't resist showing off your love... But damn it, it's got me fired up too! So what if the pressure is a bit high? True Dragon Bloodline, hold on for me!" He roared, and faint golden dragon scale phantoms appeared on his body. Although they were still suppressed, his indomitable will stood firm.
Chu Yao's flashing blue light gradually stabilized, and although the data stream was still enormous, it became more orderly.
As she watched Lin Yi and Su Qing supporting each other from behind, something in the core program seemed to have been touched.
"Master... Chu Yao, requesting maximum access... to assist you in analyzing the current spatial structure and finding a breakthrough!" The crisp electronic voice carried an unprecedented firmness.
The fear has not subsided, and the crisis is still looming.
That immense, almost tangible pressure still weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.
However, some things have quietly changed.
In the darkness of despair, a glimmer of light ignited.
Lin Yi slowly raised his head, his gaze piercing through layers of obstacles, as if trying to see the source of that invisible pressure.
With his other hand, his fingers were slightly spread, and a faint, almost imperceptible silvery-white light began to gather and dance at his fingertips, like a newly born star.
The mysteries of time and space begin to be unraveled from this moment on!
For the first time, the power of [Time and Space Domination] within him was no longer a simple passive defense, but began to actively explore and experiment in a completely new way...
Just then—my brother arrived!
We'll make sure everything is arranged perfectly for you. The battle royale is about to begin!
***
Just then—
That mysterious being seemed to feel a slight displeasure at the resistance of these ants.
It's like a giant manipulating a sand table, suddenly discovering that tiny ants in the sand table are trying to shake his fingers, so he increases the pressure on his hand.
"boom--!!!"
If the previous pressure was just a "drizzle", then this is a "nuclear-level" mental storm!
Lin Yi felt as if ten thousand alpacas were galloping through his mind, causing chaos and upheaval.
"puff!"
Long Wu could no longer hold on. He spat out a mouthful of blood and collapsed to his knees. The dragon scale phantoms on his body instantly collapsed, and he became as if his spine had been removed, turning into a limp mess.
Chu Yao's data stream was completely disrupted, her virtual body flickered violently, and it looked like it was about to crash at any moment.
She tried desperately to maintain the operation, but faced with this energy surge that exceeded the limits of her understanding, everything seemed so futile.
Su Qing's face turned even paler, and she held Lin Yi's hand, her fingers trembling slightly.
But she gritted her teeth and tried her best to support Lin Yi.
Lin Yi was in no better shape. He felt as if his consciousness had been torn to pieces, and every nerve in his body was screaming in pain.
That invisible pressure, like sharp knives, was cutting into his soul, trying to completely disintegrate him.
The spacetime power within him surged and resisted wildly, but it seemed so powerless and so insignificant.
"Hmm..."
Lin Yi let out a painful groan, and blood seeped from the corner of his mouth again.
He felt his body was losing control, his consciousness was gradually fading, as if he were being dragged into that endless abyss of darkness.
No! I can't fall!
He still has Su Qing! He still has his companions! He still has... an unfinished mission!
He desperately tried to grasp the last sliver of clarity, to mobilize the power of time and space within his body, to find a breakthrough, to... survive!
However, that force was simply too powerful, so powerful that it made him feel desperate.
Is this really the end?
Just as Lin Yi's consciousness was about to completely sink, a cold, mechanical voice, yet carrying a barely perceptible hint of... expectation, appeared.
The voice echoed in his mind:
"...Break free? Interesting. Let me think, what can I do to help him...?"
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