It's Time to Wake Up

Kevin returned to the Moth to the Flame headquarters and saw Cosmo and the others gathered around.

Kevin: "How did you know I was here?"

Elysia: "Not long ago, someone came tumbling in here in quite a sorry state."

Kevin looked at Cosmo. Feeling Kevin's gaze, Cosmo awkwardly turned his head away.

Mobius, however, noticed the problem. "Do you know how this happened? And how did he arrive here so precisely? There aren't any marks on the ground."

Mobius carefully inspected the floor, trying to find some clue.

Kevin did not answer Mobius's question for the moment. Instead, he asked the others whether they had received the earlier message.

Qian Jie answered first. "We did. I don't know how much longer it'll be before he weakens."

"We might as well charge over there. We can kill whatever we encounter."

Kevin: "Don't rush. Before coming here, I already asked Angela. His power dissipated not long after. We can go over now, but we still need to prepare."

Qian Jie: "Then what are we waiting for? Let's go."

With that, Qian Jie jumped out the window and suddenly teleported away. (If he was going to teleport anyway, why jump out the window?) He headed toward Huang Hao's location.

"Hey, wait." Kevin watched Qian Jie sprint away helplessly. There was no stopping him, so he turned back to the others. "What are you planning to do?"

Elysia: "What else can we do? We'll go with him." With that, she also left through the window Qian Jie had just flown through.

"...Isn't there a door?" Cosmo looked at the shattered window and sighed. Then he opened the door and left as well.

Kevin watched the three of them leave and rubbed his forehead. "So none of you planned to prepare?"

"No, I plan to prepare. After all, I'm a researcher, and I've never been on a battlefield." Mobius, who had found nothing after searching for a long while, stood up and answered Kevin's earlier question.

Kevin: "Forget it. I'll go too."

With that, he tried to imitate them and jump out the window, but after seeing the door Cosmo had opened, he chose to leave through it instead.

By the sea, Qian Jie had already arrived. Seeing Huang Hao apparently fighting something, he went straight up and kicked him.

In reality, Huang Hao was acting entirely on instinct. The moment Qian Jie approached, Huang Hao sensed him and swiftly dodged the attack.

Qian Jie brushed past Huang Hao. Seeing that he had missed, he immediately stopped, turned around, and began grappling with Huang Hao.

At first, the two still dodged each other's attacks. After a while, they simply started trading blows head-on, one punch for another. But Huang Hao's power had only just begun to weaken, and Qian Jie was still no match for him. Though it looked like an even fistfight, it was actually a one-sided beating.

Elysia arrived second and rescued Qian Jie in time.

Qian Jie: "Damn it! Don't stop me! I'll kill him right now!"

Elysia: "Wait! Look at how strong he still is. We're no match for him yet. Let's wait until the others arrive."

Elysia immediately dragged Qian Jie away at high speed. Huang Hao did not pursue them.

On the way back, they met Kevin and Cosmo and told them what had happened.

Kevin: "Originally, he was only stronger than me. If we wait a little longer, I should be able to defeat him."

The four of them returned to Huang Hao's previous location. Huang Hao was still there, doing nothing.

The four stared at Huang Hao, not knowing what to do. All they could do was awkwardly look at him.

The awkward scene was broken by a message from Mobius. "His energy has stopped dissipating. I've already tested it. His current condition has been recorded, and you can attack now."

After receiving the message, everyone stopped hesitating and attacked Huang Hao.

Although much of Huang Hao's power had dissipated, he remained extremely strong. They fought for a long time without managing to suppress him. In the end, it was his "good brother" Qian Jie who hit him with a Leo Kick, finally pinning him down.

Qian Jie looked at the fallen Huang Hao, picked him up, and slapped him several times. "Hey, wake up. Look at me. Do you know who I am?"

Huang Hao: "..."

Qian Jie: "Are you mute?"

Seeing Huang Hao in his current state, Cosmo asked Kevin, "Kevin, did Angela tell you how to deal with this before you came out?"

Kevin shook his head without saying anything.

Elysia held Qian Jie back to prevent him from hurting Huang Hao further, but Qian Jie continued cursing at Huang Hao.

Then Kevin sensed something. "Wait. Why is his energy rising again?"

Just as he was wondering, Angela appeared out of thin air and came to Kevin's side.

Elysia noticed Angela immediately and greeted her. "Oh, Angela, what brings you here? Perfect timing. Come take a look at your father."

Angela: "Could you please wake Father up? He's already beginning to absorb the space again, and I'm almost unable to suppress him. You only need to awaken his consciousness."

Qian Jie: "What's going on? Why is he getting stronger again?"

Angela said aggrievedly, "I don't know. I only sense that Father is experiencing an extremely strong emotional fluctuation, as if someone had been cursing him."

The three of them all looked at Qian Jie. His mask hid his expression, and he said nothing.

Cosmo: "Then how do we enter his consciousness?"

Angela: "Father and I have the same energy. I can try to bring you inside, but I can only take one person."

"I'll go," Elysia said first.

Kevin: "Forget it. I'll go. Elysia, you've only met him a few times. I'm relatively familiar with him, so I'll try to wake him."

While the two were deliberating, Qian Jie directly picked Angela up. "Let me in. Quickly."

As soon as Qian Jie finished speaking, Angela transmitted his consciousness inside.

Kevin and Elysia: "?"

Angela said aggrievedly, "Father once said that Brother Qian Jie and he shared a bond forged through life and death. I think he may have a higher chance of success."

On the other side, Qian Jie arrived at the place and immediately saw Huang Hao playing chess with another version of himself.

Qian Jie: "What the hell? Why are there two of you?"

When Huang Hao saw Qian Jie arrive, his head began to ache, and he remembered what had happened earlier. "Qian Jie, why are you here? How are things outside?"

Although Huang Hao had remembered, he remained perfectly calm as he played chess.

Qian Jie: "Looks like you're the real one. Hurry up and get out."

The other "Huang Hao" said, "That won't do yet. There are still several problems he hasn't resolved."

Qian Jie looked at the other "Huang Hao" in confusion. "Who are you? Why are you interfering with us?"

"Huang Hao": "You can leave, but you must finish this game of chess first and resolve the problem."

Huang Hao also tried to stand, but he could not leave the chessboard.

Seeing that struggling was useless, Huang Hao asked the other person, "What exactly is going on?"

"Huang Hao": "I already told you. I'm your true heart. Until the problem is resolved and the game is finished, your heart will remain deeply troubled. That keeps you from leaving—and makes you unwilling to leave. You must think through everything."

Qian Jie tried to approach them, but he could go no farther. He could only shout from outside, "Hey! What are you thinking about? Just do whatever you want! Do whatever you feel like! Why are you sitting here playing this damn game of chess?"

Just as Qian Jie was about to continue cursing, he was teleported out and woke up on Elysia's back.

Qian Jie: "What happened?"

Angela: "I'm sorry... I don't have enough energy left..."

Huang Hao watched Qian Jie leave and could only turn his attention back to the chessboard.

"Huang Hao": "That's right. Keep thinking. There must be an answer to all of this."

Huang Hao was indeed thinking, but he was thinking about Qian Jie's words. "Tell me, was what Qian Jie said just now right?"

"I think it was."

Huang Hao immediately flipped up the chessboard and smashed it into the other "Huang Hao." He successfully broke free from the control and stood up.

After being knocked down, "Huang Hao" froze for a moment before suddenly bursting into laughter.

Huang Hao: "Are you sick? Why are you so happy even after getting hit?"

"Huang Hao": """I'm not happy because I was hit. You did this, so you must have found an answer in your heart. Have you figured out the problem from before?"

Huang Hao: "...I haven't figured it out. I just want to do what I want to do."

"That is one answer, but it isn't the only one."

"But you've finished the game, so you can leave. You still haven't found the answer in your heart, but you've done what needed to be done. Go and do it."

With that, he dissipated.