Xia Chu Becomes Extraordinary

"This world is wrong—the moon is alive!"

Lin Qi had imagined ten thousand possibilities, but never that the reason for this world's explosive Spiritual Energy Particle concentration lay in the moon.

As a Wizard, Lin Qi could sense the mental pressure radiating from that pupil.

An Extraordinary Item wouldn't carry such an aura; Mental Power was a unique force belonging only to living beings.

"Lin Qi, what's happening?"

In his arms, Xia Chu felt a rare sense of safety from Lin Qi. Since the Doomsday World erupted, he had subtly refused any intimate contact with her.

"Close your eyes." Lin Qi's voice trembled slightly.

Even just meeting that pupil in the sky through Psychic Vision brought Lin Qi overwhelming pressure.

Who knew how many survivors would die when the moon's far side turned this time?

How many living people could this world still hold?

Lin Qi didn't care about that. What Lin Qi cared about was that if the moon kept staring, this Doomsday World would become uninhabitable.

If you accidentally locked eyes with the moon, even a Wizard would die.

Only with Mental Power at least at the Third-Tier Wizard level could one survive such eye contact.

And to fight back?

Could a Fifth-Tier do it?

Lin Qi thought probably not.

Still, some weapons from the Cyber World might be able to inflict a certain degree of damage on this moon.

But that was beyond Lin Qi's reach for now.

Lin Qi felt some worry—if he lost the Doomsday World, this crucial source of Extraordinary Items, he'd have to hole up in the Cyber World and develop at a steady pace.

Relying on Psychic Vision, Lin Qi was confident he could research higher-level weapons in the future.

X-level—Lin Qi would eventually get access to it.

Just as Lin Qi was worrying, a new change occurred.

Another surging wave of Spiritual Energy Particles swept in.

From the north, a pillar of ice-blue Spiritual Energy Particles shot straight into the sky, heading directly for the moon that had transformed into a pupil.

Beneath that pillar, Lin Qi also sensed surging mental power.

Another monster?

The pressure this mental power brought Lin Qi wasn't as great as the Crimson Moon's, but it still exceeded Lin Qi's understanding.

The pupil formed by the Crimson Moon seemed to see this pillar and was unwilling to face it head-on.

That enormous eye slowly closed.

The pillar couldn't cross hundreds of thousands of kilometers in an instant, and as the eye shut, its power gradually dissipated.

The mental pressure from the north slowly steadied and finally vanished, and the Crimson Moon's eye did not open again.

Lin Qi breathed a sigh of relief.

He wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but Lin Qi felt the presence in the north was bluffing, and the moon itself seemed somewhat weary.

This was a Wizard's intuition—Lin Qi couldn't judge its truth.

"You can open your eyes now." Lin Qi released his arms that had been quietly wrapped around Xia Chu and continued using Psychic Vision to observe the changes around him.

Two beings far beyond Fifth-Tier had faced off across the void, bringing an even greater flood of Spiritual Energy Particles to this world.

The concentration was nearly twenty times that of the Cyber World.

It was hard to imagine how many Extraordinary Items would be born in such a concentration of Spiritual Energy Particles.

Lin Qi felt the pressure.

One source was the two unknown beings; the other was this world itself.

With such terrifying Spiritual Energy Particle density, his advantage as an Extraordinary would gradually be erased.

No matter how foolish this world's survivors were, natural-born Extraordinary would still emerge.

Not to mention that national machinery still existed in this world.

Xia Chu watched the silent Lin Qi, feeling hollow inside.

Tears slipped down her face without her noticing.

She sniffled, trying to stop the tears from falling.

With Xia Chu's movement, the Spiritual Energy Particles in the room subtly shifted.

That falling teardrop turned into an Ice Crystal, hovering in front of Xia Chu.

"Lin Qi, look!"

Xia Chu repeatedly patted Lin Qi's arm. The hard Exoskeleton stung her palm, but Xia Chu didn't notice at all.

"Lin Qi, is this the Extraordinary you were just talking about?"

Xia Chu instinctively maneuvered an Ice Crystal to hover before Lin Qi's eyes.

Sensing the flow of Spiritual Energy Particles, Lin Qi parted his lips slightly before finally saying, "Yes."

Xia Chu had become an Extraordinary just like that?

Not through a structured Extraordinary Profession, but by spontaneously awakening as one under the terrifying concentration of Spiritual Energy Particles.

That signified talent.

Perhaps the Cyber World had once experienced a time of dense Spiritual Energy Particles, and the origins of Extraordinary Professions might indeed lie in those who awakened on their own.

A hint of delight crept into Xia Chu's voice: "Lin Qi, do you have this power too?"

Lin Qi nodded but didn't demonstrate.

Psychic Vision and Blood Control—neither was convenient to show.

Xia Chu's joy grew even stronger.

Lin Qi also possessed Extraordinary power. When had he gotten it? Probably after the apocalypse broke out, right?

Maybe the reason Lin Qi had been distancing himself was because of that power.

But why wouldn't he show it?

Could it be that his power was too dangerous, prone to losing control, and he feared hurting her—hence the deliberate distance?

Today, Lin Qi had brought up the topic of the Extraordinary with her. Perhaps he was planning to come clean?

Xia Chu unconsciously found a reason for Lin Qi's change.

Crackle...

The radio, cobbled together from a phone, crackled at an inopportune moment.

Both Lin Qi and Xia Chu's attention snapped back to the device.

"This is the Modu Rescue Command. Warning to all survivors: do not look up at the moon. Repeat, do not look up at the moon."

The warning came a little late. Those who had already seen the Crimson Moon and had their pupils change were likely dead by now.

"All survivors are ordered to maintain silence immediately. Zombie threat level has escalated. Place rescue markers in visible locations and await the arrival of the Rescue Team."

"Furthermore, a warning to survivors who have awakened powers: the authorities are still operational. Do not break the law. Do not break the law. Do not break the law. Do not say you were not warned."

"Citizens of the Dragon Nation, please trust that the Dragon Nation has the capability to resolve this crisis. We have weathered five thousand years of storms—we will not fall on this road..."

Beyond the radio broadcast, the distant sound of gunfire and artillery echoed.

Everything indicated that rescue forces were indeed drawing closer.

Lin Qi furrowed his brow slightly. "The authorities in this world seem a bit off too. It's like they weren't affected by the moon at all, or they knew in advance that the moon's dark side was turning. But they didn't know far enough ahead to issue a public warning."

Lin Qi pieced together some intel from the radio's content.

But...

The Dragon Nation had the capability to resolve the crisis?

That seemed a bit far-fetched, didn't it?

Given how terrifying that moon was, even the Cyber World might struggle to handle it properly.

What were they going to rely on? A Nuclear Bomb?

Lin Qi didn't think a Nuclear Bomb had the power to destroy a star.

Even the Cyber World's technology hadn't developed star-killing weapons, let alone this ordinary urban world.

"Could it be Extraordinary means? Maybe the concentration of Spiritual Energy Particles in this world wasn't low even before the apocalypse."

If that were the case, Lin Qi would have to adjust his plans.

Even setting aside the Crimson Moon, the danger level of this world would need to be reassessed.