Brother, I'm Sorry

At the door to room 22 on the second floor, the moment he opened it, Lin Qi saw Xia Chu inside bolt upright, a hammer clenched tight in her hand.

Once she made out Lin Qi's face and the familiar Exoskeleton gear, Xia Chu finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"How's the Crimson Crystal absorption going?"

Lin Qi set the bedsheet-wrapped bundle under the desk and asked Xia Chu as an afterthought.

Xia Chu stirred her tongue slightly, feeling it over. "Less than half melted. It'll take another six or seven hours to fully dissolve."

That slow?

Could the absorption efficiency of Crimson Crystals vary between individuals?

Thinking it over, Lin Qi found it reasonable enough.

He was a Wizard, spending years in meditation absorbing Spiritual Energy Particles—his absorption rate should be faster than an ordinary person's.

By that logic, as the number of absorbed Crimson Crystals increased, efficiency should also rise.

"Does that mean in this world, I can just rely on absorbing Crimson Crystals to rapidly boost my physique?"

"If my physique surpasses the First Rank before my Wizardry does, would I count as a Wizard or a Martial Artist?"

Lin Qi pictured the odd image of himself bulging with muscle.

Far too inelegant. Far too contrary to a Wizard's aesthetic.

Besides, it was just wishful thinking. The enhancement from a First Rank Extraordinary Item couldn't be limitless.

Most likely, once it pushed his physique to the First Rank threshold, it would lose most of its effect.

If Lin Qi wanted real strength, he still needed to rely on the variety of Extraordinary Items.

"I need two more First Rank Extraordinary Items to become a Second Rank Wizard, but before I get the next one, my Mental Power still needs to grow."

"Shuttling between two worlds means I have double the meditation time. Even if meditation in the Cyber World is less effective, it still speeds things up considerably."

Lately, Lin Qi felt an ever-growing urgency to boost his power. The Witch Hunt was escalating—who knew when it might threaten him directly.

He opened his Psychic Vision, keeping constant watch on the Zombies in the remaining two units and the stray cats wandering past downstairs, clearly showing signs of mutation.

Through Psychic Vision, Lin Qi saw Xia Chu slowly edging closer again.

"Lin Qi, it'll be dark soon. How about we..."

It was getting dark, and Lin Qi's face darkened too.

No wonder the parallel-world Lin Qi had such a weak physique—the moment the Doomsday broke out, he turned into a Zombie. It was all cause and effect.

"Your eyes are bloodshot. Get some good rest. The world's already ended—we need to conserve our strength."

The scorch marks on the ground constantly reminded Lin Qi that he was a Wizard from the Cyber World, not some beast driven by mating instincts.

Xia Chu didn't grow suspicious again for now. Under Lin Qi's reassurance, she lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

At Xia Chu's strong insistence, Lin Qi lay down beside her.

He closed his eyes and began to meditate.

The Spiritual Energy Particle concentration in the Doomsday World was extremely high. At most, Lin Qi would need to meditate in this environment for two or three days to reach the threshold for analyzing the next Extraordinary Item.

A Wizard's Mental Power growth came in stages. Each time he analyzed an Extraordinary Item, it raised his Mental Power ceiling.

Only after reaching the new ceiling could he analyze the next item.

In his meditative state, Lin Qi's breathing was steady, his appearance no different from sleep.

He meditated while maintaining his Psychic Vision.

Beside him, Xia Chu, who seemed equally asleep, suddenly sat up.

She sat cross-legged next to Lin Qi, staring straight at his face.

Through Psychic Vision, Lin Qi saw her gaze fixed on him for a long time.

Her expression shifted several times. Her arm even rose and fell.

And twice, her hand drifted toward the hammer at the head of the bed.

What was she planning? Had she grown suspicious of his identity?

Lin Qi's breathing remained calm.

The Brain wasn't just for show. If danger arose, it would instantly trigger the Exoskeleton's defensive maneuvers.

Xia Chu watched him like that for a full half hour.

Slowly, she lowered her head, leaning close to Lin Qi's ear. She made no sound, but Lin Qi "saw" her mouth the words.

"My love, until death."

There was no sound, yet it rang like thunder.

Whether in his past life's city or the current Cyber World's Red Fruit City, love was the most expensive luxury.

Lin Qi had never possessed it. He had never even witnessed it firsthand.

After finishing the seven-character mouthing, Xia Chu lowered her head a little more.

The wooden planks of the single bed creaked under Xia Chu's movements, mingling with Lin Qi's steady breathing.

The afterglow of dusk filtered through the window into the room.

Parts of their shadows overlapped, but parted at the slightest touch.

Xia Chu quickly lay back down, as if nothing had happened.

Two minutes later, Xia Chu rose again, her delicate face pressing close to Lin Qi's.

Her lips landed on Lin Qi's neck.

After a long while, as if tired, Xia Chu lay back down.

But a mark was clearly visible on Lin Qi's neck.

Meditation nearly broke; Mental Power fluctuated wildly, yet it devoured a vast amount of Spiritual Energy Particles.

The effect of just a few minutes of meditation had astonishingly achieved what would normally take an entire day.

This was a good thing, but Lin Qi couldn't be happy.

"Brother, I'm sorry."

After offering an apology to the Lin Qi of the parallel world, Lin Qi continued to lament in his heart.

Two lifetimes' worth of time.

And his first kiss had just been so hastily taken?

He hadn't even been in a relationship...

A nameless sorrow rose in his heart, unsure whether it was for himself or for the Lin Qi of the parallel world.

Calculating the time, there were less than twenty minutes before the [Gate] would take him back to the Cyber World.

Lin Qi stopped meditating and opened his eyes.

Beside him, Xia Chu's breathing was steady; she was already fast asleep.

Since the apocalypse broke out, Xia Chu hadn't rested.

Only by staying close to Lin Qi did she feel a little at ease, falling into deep sleep.

Lin Qi rose with the lightest movements, opened the door, and left the room.

It wasn't that he intended to abandon Xia Chu and leave; he headed to the bathroom instead.

This house was a partitioned rental unit, and Lin Qi's room didn't have its own bathroom.

Before returning to the Cyber World, Lin Qi planned to wash himself thoroughly.

The Exoskeleton Armor hadn't been removed in a long time.

In the Cyber World, even in his own home, Lin Qi didn't dare to easily take off his disguise.

It only took ten minutes for Lin Qi to finish washing and re-lock the Exoskeleton Armor.

Standing in front of the sink, Lin Qi looked at himself in the mirror.

His gaze fell on the mark on his neck.

His mood was complicated.

He quietly returned to the room and lay back down in his original spot.

Xia Chu wasn't disturbed; she continued to sleep peacefully.

Zzz...

The sound of electric current appeared, and the signal briefly returned.

"This is the Modu Rescue Command. Warning to all survivors: the Dragon Nation government still exists. In this national crisis, please continue to abide by laws and morality. The Modu rescue operation has already commenced..."