Humanoid Calamity

Cell 019.

Wu Zhong and Endless Summer were in the same room, though there was a partition between them.

But that did not matter. When Wu Zhong heard Endless Summer confidently say that he could leave whenever he wanted, he made up his mind.

He decided to take a gamble. Only then did he dare lock himself inside.

With his ability, he had welded the door shut. Zhang Qinglang could forget about opening it from outside.

As for blasting through the steel wall to get in, that was possible, but certainly not something he could accomplish anytime soon.

"Brother Endless Summer, I know you must have a way to escape, or perhaps companions who will rescue you."

"I only ask that when you leave, you take me with you."

Wu Zhong stood before the glass wall, speaking rapidly.

Endless Summer stared at Wu Zhong with an odd expression. "Oh? You've got some nerve. Not only are you refusing to cooperate obediently with Unit 985, you even dare openly collude with me."

"You were innocent to begin with, but if you leave with me, you'll definitely be wanted."

"Unit 985 is quite a powerful force. Among containment units across all nations, its overall strength ranks first!"

Sweat soaked Wu Zhong's back, but his gaze remained firm. "Call it a moment of recklessness. But since I've already done it, there's no turning back."

"They already suspected there was some connection between us. They practically said it outright just now. I can't guarantee they'll remain this polite to me in the future... but I really don't know you!"

"Besides, now that I've locked myself in here to speak with you in private, there's even less chance of explaining it away."

"If you don't take me with you, they'll definitely infect me with Eternal Thirst Syndrome and force me to explain why. I'd rather die."

Endless Summer paused, then laughed soundlessly and shook his head slightly.

"Oh, so you're saying you've cut off your own escape route, and if I don't take you with me, you're as good as dead... What does that have to do with me? Aren't you afraid I won't accept you?"

Wu Zhong noticed that Endless Summer had never once worried about whether he could take him away.

His heart finally settled.

He said steadily, "I am afraid. After all, I don't know you at all. Entrusting my life and everything I have to you outright is absurd."

"But I had no other path to choose."

"The ghosts and gods of Mount Lu want me dead. That's a real, life-threatening matter! I've already been through it several times."

"They said I'm the best sacrifice, and killing me would bring them great benefits."

"I thought Unit 985 would protect me, but they proposed making a deal with the ghosts and gods. Even if it really was just a probing tactic... I'm timid by nature, and I can't trust them anymore."

"On the other hand, Brother Xia, you once saved my life. You gave me this life of mine. If you end up getting me killed too, then so be it."

Wu Zhong spoke resolutely. He claimed to be timid, but in truth, he was bold beyond measure.

Endless Summer raised an eyebrow. "If it were anyone else, I wouldn't even bother with them."

"But you... I am indeed interested. Tell me... why does Ji Meng want your life?"

Wu Zhong gritted his teeth. "I really don't know! Who the hell did I offend?"

"If it weren't for this, I'd have stayed here obediently. Why would I risk my life and beg you to take me away?"

Endless Summer fell into thought.

Just then, the cell door suddenly boomed under a violent impact.

Cracks appeared across the door, which warped and caved inward.

Clearly, someone outside was battering the door with brute force.

Endless Summer stared at the door uncertainly, seeming to spot something unusual. "Hm?"

Suddenly, the iron ball shackles on his hands seemed to be sliced and twisted by invisible claws, until they were torn apart.

He flexed his freed hands, then snapped his fingers. "Multiversal Moment!"

Purple fluid surged over his body, a viscous violet energy flowing across his skin.

In an instant, his entire body was wrapped in a rugged suit of purple armor, its contours marked by streamlined muscle-like patterns.

He looked like a futuristic sci-fi warrior clad in nanite armor.

Boom!

He broke free of his restraints and smashed through the glass wall with a single punch, then strode toward the door.

The jagged hole left in the shattered glass wall behind him was being eroded by purple fluid, as though it possessed intense corrosive power.

Wu Zhong's breathing quickened. It was only glass, but it was obviously extremely thick blastproof glass, and Endless Summer had taken it out with one punch.

Everyone in the Calamity Realm possessed terrifying strength.

Woooooo!

At the same time, an alarm sounded outside, faintly filtering through the cracks in the door.

"Kid, you really do have a problem."

"You locked this door shut? You have a calamity object!"

Endless Summer had already noticed what was wrong with the door. Its edges had warped and split, and even the bolts had snapped, yet the door remained standing.

No matter how Zhang Qinglang bombarded it from outside, it simply would not open.

Wu Zhong froze. "A calamity object?"

Endless Summer pressed, "What did you use to lock this door?"

Wu Zhong answered honestly, "My hand."

"..." Endless Summer paused.

"I'm asking what strange thing you have on you that gave you this characteristic."

Wu Zhong blinked. "Something? You mean, I have some anomalous item on me that lets me weld doors shut so no one can open them?"

"So that's how my ability works?"

As he spoke, Wu Zhong began patting himself down and checking the small items on his body.

Endless Summer frowned. "That thing could also be you yourself... You just said... you can shut a door absolutely, and no one can open it?"

Wu Zhong nodded. "That's right."

"I've welded this cell door shut. I also closed the B12 gate outside. Other than me, no one should be able to open them."

"By your terminology, that should be called an absolute characteristic, right?"

Upon hearing this, Endless Summer's eyes widened as he stared at him.

"So that's it... so that's it!"

"No wonder Ji Meng wants to kill you! That sacrifice nonsense... it's all bullshit."

"Those ghosts and gods are actually afraid that you'll seal the Mount Lu Heavenly Gate someday, leaving them unable to open it ever again."

"That's why you have to die!"

Wu Zhong shuddered as well. "The Mount Lu Heavenly Gate? A gate? Where is there a gate?"

Endless Summer said, "You've seen it too. Wasn't there a glowing vortex?"

Wu Zhong nodded.

Endless Summer continued, "Inside that vortex is a gate through space and time!"

"Beyond the gate is an almost vacuum-like environment, so when it opens, it devours heaven and earth."

"And ghosts and gods like Ji Meng all crossed through time and space from the other side of that gate."

Wu Zhong was stunned. "A space-time gate?"

He really had never considered that there was a gate there. Nothing on the surface gave it away; all anyone could see was the high-pressure vortex.

The vortex was high-pressure, high-speed, and luminous. Like a sphere of light, it concealed what lay within.

Even the people from Unit 985 did not know about it. They had always called it a "vortex" and never mentioned a gate.

"Brother Xia, how did you know?"

Unit 985 had been the first department to secure the scene, yet even they did not know. How did Endless Summer know?

Endless Summer did not explain. He merely said, "Ji Meng wants you dead, and if anyone can kill you, that means your absolute characteristic does not rely on an external object."

"Either you were infected with it, or you were born with it..."

"Kid, when did you gain this ability?"

Wu Zhong said, "Yesterday morning. I suddenly had it for no reason. I never had it before."

Endless Summer's eyes lit up, gleaming with excitement. "So that's it. It came from nowhere, with no known origin..."

"You didn't pick up a calamity object and gain a characteristic. Rather... you are a new humanoid calamity!"

Wu Zhong's eyes widened. "A humanoid calamity? Me?"

Endless Summer said gravely, "Existence itself is a calamity... People like that are as rare as phoenix feathers and qilin horns. A few of the most supreme among them are even called Concept Gods."

Wu Zhong's heart burned. Concept Gods?

That sounds incredibly badass... Does that include me? Probably not. I know what my ability can do. It feels damn useless.

It was somewhat useful, but not by much. Compared with Captain Lu and the others he had seen, he felt vastly inferior.

He was probably at the very bottom of the Calamity Realm.

Still, in certain fields, he could be extremely useful.

For example, sealing the Mount Lu Heavenly Gate... His ability had appeared on the same day as the Mount Lu Incident. Could they have been born as opposing calamities, meant to counter each other?

"I'm curious. How did those ghosts and gods know about my ability?"

Endless Summer stroked his chin and pondered. "The ghosts and gods are still weak. For now, only the Day-and-Night Patrol Gods can leave the Heavenly Gate and patrol the world."

"Most likely, when you used your ability yesterday, the Day Patrol God spotted you. Then the ghosts and gods discussed it and decided that you had to be eliminated to prevent future trouble."

Wu Zhong suddenly understood. So that was it.

When he tested his ability yesterday, he might have hidden it from everyone else, but hiding it from the ghosts and gods was wishful thinking.

The Day Patrol God must have observed him in secret, while he remained completely unaware.

"They discovered my ability and worried that I might be able to close that Heavenly Gate in the future. That gate is the key to their entering this world and recovering their strength, so I have to die..."

Wu Zhong finally understood why he had been hunted for no apparent reason.

At the same time, regret welled up inside him. He realized that if he had come clean, Captain Lu and the others would likely have worked with him to find a way to close the Heavenly Gate instead of making a deal with the ghosts and gods.

If they succeeded, wouldn't he become a hero?

Damn it! If Captain Lu and the others had made me feel a little safer, or if they'd discovered my ability themselves, maybe things wouldn't have turned out like this.

His thoughts became a tangled mess. Was it still too late to turn back?

"Brother Xia, if I leave, Mount Lu will be destroyed in a month, and Xunyang City will become a no-man's land too, right?" Wu Zhong scratched his head and muttered, secretly watching the other man from the corner of his eye.

Endless Summer remained perfectly calm. "The Mount Lu Heavenly Gate incident won't threaten humanity within the next three years. And Unit 985 will soon seal the place with Best Metal."

"Best Metal?" Wu Zhong was startled.

Endless Summer said flatly, "A metal that absolutely cannot be destroyed. It can only be controlled by psychic power."

"To put it this way, even if the universe were destroyed, Best Metal would still exist without losing a single atom... In fact, it isn't even made of atoms. No matter how much you magnify it, all you see is darkness. You can't make out its composition."

Wu Zhong's eyes gleamed. The Calamity Realm was an extraordinary world hidden within ordinary society.

There were countless mysterious and wondrous things within it. He might be able to seal that Heavenly Gate, but there was no way he was the only thing capable of doing so.

He did not need to think too highly of himself or treat himself as some savior.

Instead, he felt relieved. He did not want to shoulder such an enormous responsibility.

Wu Zhong steadied himself. "Brother Xia, since I've chosen to leave with you, I won't turn back."

"You saved my life. Consider this life of mine sold to you."

Endless Summer chuckled. "What do you mean, sold? Little brother, I'm bringing you into the circle."

"Don't worry. Your ability may be a little useless, but any talent with a unique absolute characteristic is valuable in the Calamity Realm."

"As long as you're alive, you have value. I need you."

That was exactly what Wu Zhong wanted to hear. If Endless Summer had played along with the talk of selling his life, he would have confessed everything to Zhang Qinglang the moment he got outside.

Fortunately, the man was still polite. He was merely a mercenary, with at most a few mercenary companions. His faction might be small, but that meant its foundation was simple and it did not have so many rules.

His ability was useless, but in a small team like this, it would have great value.

As for Unit 985, it was a little unfair of him, but he believed that even if he ran away, those people would still take good care of his grandfather.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The fierce impacts continued, but they were no longer coming from the door.

The two looked over and discovered that the wall had cracked, with flames spilling through.

Wu Zhong hurriedly said, "I can weld doors shut and stop people from blasting them open, but I can't do anything about walls."

Endless Summer said calmly, "That Taoist is no match for me."

Boom! The wall exploded.

Zhang Qinglang shattered the thick steel wall with only two strikes!

Waves of energy erupted around him, his Taoist robe whipping in the air. A solidified high-pressure fireball orbited him, making the air hum and vibrate.

"What's going on with that door? What were you two talking about?"

Endless Summer's expression turned cold. "Cut the nonsense!"

"Touch the Cold of the Void!"

He stepped forward, violet light quivering around him as if stirring a bone-chilling cold across the heavens.

Wu Zhong felt nothing, but Zhang Qinglang's face turned deathly pale.

Without warning, a piercing cold descended upon Zhang Qinglang's senses, as if he had been cast into a frozen hell in an instant.

Sharp pain stabbed across his skin, as though countless icy needles had pierced every pore at once.

The pain was sharp and distinct, then quickly turned numb, as though his skin no longer belonged to him.