Race Against Time

"Bro, I checked on Mom and Dad. They're okay. We've had some aftershocks here, and everyone's gathered by the square—"

"Okay. Be careful, you two! I'm busy over here—"

"Hello? Hello! Can you hear me? Fuck, this signal—"

"Bro? Hello—"

Static and distortion filled the call. The signal kept fluctuating, so he had no choice but to hang up.

Li Jiye was anxious, but at last he could breathe a little easier.

As the eldest son, he had come to the Shu Region, but his younger brother still lived with their parents back home in Shaanxi Province.

Earlier, the moment that huge earth-yellow "star" had exploded in the sky, broad arcs of light had streaked across the horizon, and a faint tremor had begun to rise from beneath his feet—

Before daylight had fully broken, everything had descended into chaos!

Sirens and ambulances sounded everywhere. Crowds surged, collided, dodged, and shouted amid frantic rescue efforts, while security officers yelled themselves hoarse—

Most streets were already blocked, but this Second Tier user had grabbed a bicycle he'd recently bought and simply charged his way out of the city!

Out in the wilderness beyond the city, he'd found just enough signal to call home, exchange a few words, and let them know he was safe.

Only then had the man in his early thirties finally felt the weight lift from his chest.

He tucked his phone away and kept a steady hand on the handlebars as he raced along a rugged mountain path on his bicycle!

True, the ability he had exchanged for upon reaching the Second Tier was the physically focused Life Energy Enhancement. But Old Li had also picked up the "cheap and effective" Psychokinesis back in the First Tier, giving him mental capabilities beyond those of ordinary people!

Now