End Space

Nefel watched the scene before her in shock and terror. The man whose limbs were locked by mechanical arms had not been torn apart—instead, he was dragging the mechanical arms toward the center of his body.

"What's going on? Increase the output!"

She instinctively assumed the machines lacked sufficient power. Otherwise, how could Lu Li still be alive, looking at everyone in the execution ground with that mocking smile?

The mechanical arms used to execute Lu Li were Tiandong II Models. As a new generation of exoskeleton sold on the market, they had always performed well in sales. A single arm could exert up to 800 kilograms of force, and under overload operation, could even exceed a thousand kilograms.

Someone had once calculated that the force applied to a human body in the ancient Eastern execution method of Five Horses Dismemberment was roughly 375 kilograms, with the instantaneous tearing force perhaps reaching 600 kilograms.

But the strength of horses and mechanical arms was worlds apart. Every mechanical arm acting on Lu Li exerted 800 kilograms of force. In theory, Lu Li should have been torn to pieces instantly!

"It... it's already at maximum output!"

The executioner wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. As he kept increasing the output, the mechanical arms had begun to overheat, yet Lu Li on the execution platform still had not been torn apart.

What they were seeing had already defied their understanding of science. After capturing Lu Li, they had naturally investigated his condition. X-ray scans had confirmed that he was a pure human from the old era, with no mechanical skeletal implants in his body. How could he withstand such immense pulling force?

Nefel had heard that some strongmen of the old era could each pull a stone pillar weighing more than three hundred kilograms with both arms, but leaving aside the fact that they were merely keeping the pillars from toppling, those strongmen outweighed Lu Li by far in both size and mass.

Since his Restraint Suit had been removed for the execution, Lu Li, fixed to the execution platform with only a pair of briefs covering him, revealed a well-proportioned physique—not the bulky, grotesquely muscular build people associated with strongmen.

Lu Li slowly drew in his limbs atop the platform, like an enormous winch tightening steel bars. The mechanical claws embedded in his wrists and ankles, leaving them bloody and mangled, but they could not hinder his movements in the slightest.

Yes, he had been born with immense strength.

When he had told Nefel about that comic before, she had misunderstood. He was not the one with skill but no strength—he was the one whose strength held the upper hand!

The motors of the mechanical arms let out mournful roars. Black smoke rose from their overheated components, and the guards around them realized the gravity of the situation. They did not know how Lu Li was doing this, but the execution could not be allowed to fail.

They all chambered their weapons and aimed at Lu Li on the execution platform. If the execution failed, they would shoot Lu Li dead on the spot.

"Don't shoot!"

At that moment, a middle-aged man in a suit standing atop the platform shouted. His face was excited and frenzied. "I knew it—this is the truth... this is the truth!"

Like a believer who had glimpsed a deity, he stared at Lu Li with fanatical eyes. "Genetic evolution! He must have used a successful genetic serum! My god, someone actually succeeded! Subdue him—I want a live specimen!"

Hearing the man's words, Lu Li only found them amusing. No one understood better than he did that there was no resistance organization behind him, much less any genetic serum developed by genius scientists.

He had been like this since childhood. He had never used any technology.

Bang—

As Lu Li exerted more force, one mechanical arm was the first to fail under the opposing force and snapped at the joint. His right arm was free.

Since he was fixed to the execution platform, it was actually difficult for him to exert force. If the mechanical arms had remained still, then even with his inborn strength, he would never have been able to tear them apart. But the mechanical arms themselves had been exerting force, helping him break free.

The instant his right hand was free, Lu Li ignored the pain, twisted his body, grabbed the broken mechanical arm, and smashed it down.

Boom! Boom! Boom—

In a flash, several explosions rang out as smoke billowed. A figure rose from the dust, his bones cracking as he moved his body.

He could not break free from the highly resilient Restraint Suit, but in a contest of strength against rigid mechanical arms at the exoskeleton level, he would not be the one to break first.

He crouched, sprinted, and leaped.

As if flying!

He stepped on the heads of armored guards charging toward him, weaving and vaulting through the execution ground like an elegant dancer.

The distance of several dozen meters vanished in an instant. His gaze locked onto the black-robed elder standing atop the high wall. He held a broken mechanical arm in hand, like the god-king Odin gripping the spear of fate.

"Fire! Fire!"

The black-robed elder could no longer remain calm. Grabbing the suited man by the arm, he shouted, cursing the man's stupidity inwardly.

Capture him alive?

The result of hesitation would be the death of everyone present!

He had never imagined that this was the truth behind the deaths of those ten Martial Arts Grandmasters. A martial arts prodigy like Lu Li, with such monstrous strength—of course those who relied on external tools could never be his match.

Where had Lu Feng found this monster? Or had he really given Lu Li some unknown genetic serum?

The sound of air being torn apart came from above, and the black-robed elder stopped thinking.

The fanatical expression on the suited middle-aged man's face froze. Warm, scarlet liquid splashed across him, and he screamed in terror, "Kill him!"

Gunfire erupted in rapid succession, but the figure in the arena moved like a dancing ghost.

Fast—he was too fast!

Flames burst from the muzzles, like Shinigami's scythe leaving its sheath, yet they could not catch their prey.

No. As the soldiers fell one after another, they finally realized that this man named Lu Li was the true Shinigami within the arena.

The alarms droned without end. Openings appeared in the surrounding high walls, and rows of lasers swept across the arena. In an instant, the surviving soldiers were cut in half at the waist. Only Nefel, who had already lost control of her bladder and collapsed to the ground, narrowly escaped disaster.

She looked up in terror, hoping to see Lu Li severed apart, but instead she saw Lu Li after he leaped, just reaching the apex of his jump.

Their eyes met for that instant, then slipped apart in the next. All she saw in the man's eyes was a dull intent to kill.

The next moment, before Nefel's despairing gaze, eight objects trailing flames descended from the sky.

The suited man who had been standing atop the high wall was retreating toward the safe zone with a cruel smile, but the next second, his eyes filled with disbelief. One of the missiles near Lu Li's landing point was flying toward him!

Amid the roaring blast, the entire grounds were completely swallowed...

"Explorer, welcome to End Space."

A low female voice sounded by his ear, causing Lu Li to open his eyes.

He looked around in confusion. All he saw was darkness. He touched his head—hadn't his skull been pierced through?

He wasn't dead?

"Explorer, do you choose to sign a contract with End Space?"

The voice rang out again. This time, aside from the voice, Lu Li also saw faint blue glowing words floating before his eyes.

End Space?

What kind of place was this? Had the resistance rescued him?

But he knew his own circumstances well. He did not know any resistance, nor did he believe they had the ability to rescue someone from the prison at the company headquarters.

"Where is this place?"

Lu Li tried asking aloud, his gaze wary. His first suspicion was that he had survived and been captured alive.

The virtual helmets developed by the company over the years had already become highly advanced. It was said that the latest optical brain engine could achieve 95% realism. Could he be in a virtual dive?

"Explorer, you have already reached the end in your original world. End Space has granted you new life."

Lu Li pondered for a moment, feeling the solidity of his body. It was not as though he had never used the virtual helmets sold by the company. Those so-called immersive games were still vastly different from reality.

He could be certain that this was his own body. The company's technology should not yet be capable of creating something this realistic.

Then did that mean he had truly arrived in another world?

"Sign a contract? What do I need to do? What can you give me?"

After calming down, Lu Li asked. Though his expression remained composed, his heart stirred inexplicably, because he felt that he might truly have encountered something supernatural.

If he had truly come to another world, could he fulfill the wish he had been unable to achieve in that era where martial arts had declined?

"After signing the contract, End Space will send you to the planes of various worlds to carry out missions and earn World Exploration Progress. In the end, rewards will be issued based on your mission performance."

Lu Li grinned. "Sounds interesting. Will there be opponents worth fighting?"

End Space remained silent for several seconds before replying:

"You will face challenges unlike any you have encountered before."

Lu Li nodded. "Fine, I'm in. Once I become an Explorer or whatever, I can travel to different worlds, right?"

"You must first pass the Trial World before becoming an official Explorer. Based on your evaluation in the Trial World, your contract benefits in End Space may be raised or lowered."

"Sounds pretty fair. Then what happens if I die in the Trial World?"

Lu Li asked.

"Then you die."

Four simple words. Lu Li understood the nature of this place. It was just as cruel a place, but it seemed capable of allowing him to fulfill his wish.

"The Trial World is about to begin. Explorer, please prepare yourself..."

Lu Li had wanted to ask more questions, but End Space had already begun the transfer. He only felt his body grow weightless, followed by a dizzying whirl.

When Lu Li opened his eyes again, he found himself sitting before the steps of a dilapidated old wooden house. On the empty street, there were only a few gaunt figures dressed in rags.

The summer sun poured down, and the scorching heat seemed ready to dry everything out.

"Explorer, please review your mission."

Only after confirming that the surrounding area was temporarily safe did Lu Li call out in his mind, "End Space."

A translucent menu screen instantly appeared before him, displaying all kinds of information.

Mission World: Shinigami

Mission World Type: Derivative

World Difficulty Level: lv.3~???

World Introduction: The Soul King has fallen, the Three Realms have been established, a thousand years of grudges, and the trial of the end.

Shinigami: High-Spirit-Particle-density lifeforms living in Soul Society. They battle Hollows to maintain the balance of the Three Realms.

Zanpakuto: A system created by Nimaiya Oetsu. Only after a Shinigami communicates with their Asauchi through the soul and learns its true name can they continuously develop their abilities and increase their strength.

Hollow: After a person in the Living World dies, the desires within their soul corrode it, transforming it into a Hollow. Hollows possess their own evolutionary paths.

Quincy: A faction descended from the progenitor of the Quincy, Yhwach. Their philosophy is to completely eliminate Hollows, putting them at odds with the Shinigami.

Current World Exploration Progress: 0

Current Location: Soul Society, Northern Flowing Soul Street, District 80

Notice: The Trial World has allowed the Explorer to learn this world's common language free of charge.

Warning: Explorers may not disclose any information regarding End Space in any form. Violators will be erased!

Lu Li skimmed through the world introduction and was surprised to discover that this so-called Derivative World was actually a manga that existed in "reality."

As times changed, few people in his world still read manga. The only reason he had read any was because, after finishing his training as a child, he would secretly slip into the storeroom and browse through Master's collection.

Master's collection was not particularly large, but perhaps by coincidence, it included the manga Shinigami. Lu Li knew a little about this world; he just did not know where in the timeline he currently was.

He steadied himself and began checking his mission.

New book—please bookmark and recommend! (^▽^)