The black-haired youth was absolutely furious, to the point that he wanted to curse out loud—and so, he did.

“Hou Li, what the hell is going on over there?!” he shouted telepathically. “You’re controlling the D-System that destroyed an entire planet and ruled supreme for fifty years, and yet you got hacked by a mere programmer?! Even if the other side has space-time abilities as support, this is way too weak!”

“Xiao Yi, my mental power can only seize control of the D-System; I can’t enhance its computational power. When it comes to pure computing ability, the D-System is indeed much weaker than Programmer,” Hou Li replied. As if he could feel the boy’s silent disdain across the space, he added:

“For example, if Programmer is a Tibetan mastiff, the D-System’s computational power is at best like that of a golden retriever, and I’m just the golden retriever’s owner. No matter how exceptional the owner is, the golden retriever can’t beat the mastiff!”

Xiao Yi had no desire to deal with this useless “dog owner” for now. Instead, he refocused his attention on the metal chamber, staring at the tattooed girl, who seemed to harbor a trace of hostility toward him.

“You’ve colluded with the D-System and the Zerg race to attack our teammates! What exactly is your purpose for imprisoning us here?”

At this moment, Xiao Mao had already concealed all traces of vulnerability from her face, her body taut and brimming with vigilance as she confronted the youth.

On one side was her boyfriend, whom she had known for hundreds of years; on the other was an alien who could destroy the world. Clearly, under Xu Yun Cheng’s warnings, everything Xiao Yi had just said was, without exception, interpreted as cunning lies.

The black-haired youth sighed. He couldn’t be bothered to keep up the act anymore. Casually removing the handcuffs and tossing them aside, he leaned lazily against the wall and said:

“Yes, I orchestrated the abduction of the saviors.”

Looking at Xiao Mao, who was poised to attack at any moment, the youth continued:

“But let me clarify a few things: it was Hou Li who colluded with the Zerg, and we did not conspire with the D-System. In truth, the D-System is nothing more than a tool in our hands. We imprisoned the saviors because Xu Yun Cheng had gathered a rebel alliance of over a hundred people. Hou Li and I merely wanted to root out those traitors who sided with the parasitic beasts.”

.

After Han Zhe and his group left the cell, mechanical warriors escorted them through a narrow passageway. After passing several storage cabins, they finally arrived at a small hall with an inner and outer room.

In the outer hall, two ability users who had been brought in earlier were already standing against the wall under the watchful eyes of the mechanical warriors. Upon seeing their newly arrived companions, the two subtly exchanged glances, signaling that someone had already been taken into the inner room—likely still inside, Han Zhe thought.

As the group waited anxiously, a familiar voice suddenly came through the broadcast—it was Xu Yun Cheng. Unfortunately, the warning was cut short when the broadcast abruptly lost power. Taking advantage of the brief chaos, Hans, who was standing next to Han Zhe, sprang into action. Six bolts of lightning, each as thick as an arm, struck the six mechanical guards with lightning speed.

As the mechanical warriors fell to the ground, emitting wisps of white smoke, Han Zhe and his group quickly began dismantling their handcuffs. Hans had already tossed his broken handcuffs into the corner and was leaping toward the exit when—

A red-and-yellow blur streaked through the air like a phantom, appearing behind Hans. With a swift knife-hand strike, it knocked him unconscious and sent him sprawling to the ground.

When the blur finally came to a halt, Han Zhe, now surrounded by a new wave of mechanical warriors, got a clear look. The figure was a robot, its appearance eerily similar to a character from a millennium-old movie: Iron Man.

Artificial intelligence has advanced this far? Han Zhe shuddered in fear. Such speed and agility—this upgraded mechanical warrior was entirely on par with high-level speed ability users!

Do we saviors truly have no hope left? Large beads of sweat rolled down Han Zhe's pale, chubby face.

Five minutes later, as Han Zhe mulled over the catastrophic implications of these mass-produced super mechanical warriors, his face grew increasingly grim. Even as he was escorted by mechanical warriors toward the inner chamber, he stumbled forward in a daze, unable to gather his thoughts.

Han Zhe finally looked up when the iron door behind him slammed shut with a resounding clang. The sight before him instantly snapped him out of his stupor, his earlier fog of despair vanishing completely.

“H-Huo... Hu...” His trembling words were abruptly silenced as a surge of immensely powerful mental energy invaded his consciousness. Suddenly, he found himself sinking deeply into the abyss of his own memories. It felt like an eternity passed as he struggled through the torrents of recollection before he managed to break free.

Gasping for air, Han Zhe raised his eyes toward the figure seated behind the interrogation table—none other than Hou Li, a top-level fugitive.

Hou Li’s expression seemed to carry a hint of approval as he gave Han Zhe a slight nod, signaling that he could leave through the back door.

Still not fully grasping the situation, Han Zhe allowed the mechanical warriors to remove his handcuffs and walked out through the back door of the interrogation room.

Ding! A message from the main system arrived: “Congratulations, mission taker hz9i87, Han Zhe, for passing the test! You have obtained the highest-level clearance for the top secret ‘Parasite Beast Crisis’...”

.

In just one hour, Xiao Mao had become overwhelmed by the tangled messages flooding her mind. She anxiously looked at the youth, unsure of whom to trust.

For a while, neither of the two in the cell spoke, and the only sounds that could be faintly heard were the occasional disturbances from the adjacent cells—likely caused by Xu Yun Cheng’s broadcast warning. Clearly, a small group of ability users had realized that the hidden mastermind behind the collusion with the alien forces didn’t want to easily kill the saviors but had some other, sinister purpose.

The bolder saviors, betting that the mechanical warriors wouldn’t easily detonate the bombs in their handcuffs, became emboldened and launched a series of disturbances.

“Where’s Hou Li?” Xiao Mao asked, her voice cutting through the distant sounds of gunfire and metal clashes, still trying to discern the truth of the situation.

However, the youth made no attempt to explain or clarify. He didn’t answer her question: “Whether you believe it or not doesn’t matter. After all, you most likely leaked the secret of the parasite beasts to Xu Yun Cheng. Of course, maybe you didn’t do it intentionally.”

The youth paused for a moment before continuing, “Right now, I have only one goal: to capture Xu Yun Cheng at any cost! In his eyes, all life is as insignificant as dogs, with only you as the exception... Well, I’m sorry, Xiao Mao.”

He drew a handgun and pressed it against Xiao Mao’s forehead.

This time, Xiao Mao didn’t even flinch, nor did she make any move to resist. A trace of mockery flickered in her eyes.

Without raising his voice, the youth spoke in a calm tone: “Xu Yun Cheng, I know you’ve been watching every move inside this cell. There are surveillance cameras here, likely already under the control of Programmer. But you don’t dare come close to Hou Li’s range of mental power. So, can Xiao Mao’s life be enough to make you show yourself?”

The youth continued, “Parasite beasts are far from benevolent. Don’t make a mistake you can’t undo. I’ll count to three. If you still don’t show up, I’ll have no choice but to pull the trigger!”

At this moment, a flicker of nervousness appeared on Xiao Mao’s face, but it was quickly replaced by a self-deprecating expression that the youth, Xiao Yi, couldn’t quite decipher.

The youth added, “Don’t assume that I care about human lives more than you do and won’t pull the trigger. I might hesitate if the choice were to save ten lives versus nine, but I can still make the right decision when it comes to the lives of billions of humans versus one girl.”

"3!"

"2!"

"1....."

Xu Yun Cheng still didn’t appear. The youth’s right hand pressed down slightly as he pulled the trigger!

With a loud bang, the bullet shot out of the chamber, piercing through Xiao Mao’s neck and leaving a spray of blood in its wake. The force of the shot sent Xiao Mao crashing to the ground with a thud.

One second, two seconds and three seconds passed, but Xu Yun Cheng still didn’t show himself. The youth’s hand holding the gun trembled slightly as he waited. Ten seconds later, he let out a soft sigh. His left arm transformed into black threads that swiftly wrapped around Xiao Mao on the ground, working to mend the wound on her neck—which, though it hadn’t hit her spine, continued to bleed profusely. As he worked, he muttered to himself, cursing under his breath:

“Damn it! Xu Yun Cheng is really cold-hearted enough to not even care about his own little girlfriend...”

Five minutes later, Xiao Mao, now fully healed by the black threads, sat in a chair in the cell, her face cold as she wiped the blood off her clothes.

She didn’t seem particularly angry about the fatal shot, nor did she seem especially surprised about her revival.

Xiao Yi, on the other hand, looked a bit uneasy. “Sorry, Xiao Mao. I really didn’t mean to kill you. That shot must’ve hurt. I just… I honestly didn’t expect Xu Yun Cheng to really...”

“Heh.” Xiao Mao let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Did you actually think Xu Yun Cheng would love me? Between us, there’s only gratitude, nothing more.”

"What?" Xiao Yi instantly realized that his entire series of plans might have been built on the wrong premise.

"Ever since I was discovered by the main system and brought to the Salvation Alliance at the age of 14, I’ve been chasing after Xu Yun Cheng," Xiao Mao said, her expression growing more self-mocking. "Back then, I was just a C-level tasker, an aimless and rebellious girl, but I fell for that unsmiling man who seemed like a saint, always busy saving the world.

"Perhaps I was missing something in my life and sought to compensate for it through my relationship with my partner. At that time, I felt incredibly weak and envied Xu Yun Cheng, who was ranked number one. I was just 14, spending my days smoking and drinking, yet I became enamored with Xu Yun Cheng's ruthless self-discipline."

"Before I came to the Salvation Alliance, everyone I knew—my family, my friends—thought I was a harbinger of disaster, someone who only brought pain and misfortune. They all wished for my death, and honestly, I wished the whole world would just die. But I was utterly obsessed with Xu Yun Cheng’s compassion, his dedication to saving humanity with his entire being."

Xiao Mao exhaled a long breath and leaned casually against the metal wall of the chamber. Xiao Yi thought to himself that if the system space hadn’t been sealed, this nonconforming girl would probably already have lit a cigarette.

"So, at the time, I went crazy. Whenever Xu Yun Cheng was on a planet carrying out a mission, I’d follow him there, even if it meant sneaking in. I must’ve made a fool of myself countless times. After all, it’s pretty rare for a bottom-tier nobody in the Alliance to pursue a top-ranked god-like figure so brazenly. Xu Yun Cheng was aware of me, but he never even bothered to tell me to leave..."

"Oh?" The youth's eyes lit up. Does my plan still stand a chance?

"He just treated me like air. Whenever I went through all the trouble to create a chance to meet him, he completely ignored me. Of course, it wasn’t intentional avoidance—he just saw no difference between my presence and an ant crawling on a leaf. Perhaps his brain filtered me out as useless information without even needing to engage his saintly, compassionate mind."

Xiao Yi: "....."

"One time, I was secretly watching Xu Yun Cheng at an oil depot, and I suddenly foresaw him being blown to pieces in five seconds. I didn’t have any powers besides precognition, so without thinking—I just rushed in and knocked him away... In the end, he was gravely injured, and I was reduced to nothing but blood foam."

The youth looked skeptical. "Blood foam? Isn’t that an exaggeration? If it was really that bad, even the main system wouldn’t have been able to bring you back."

Xiao Mao just nodded. "I really died back then. But Xu Yun Cheng used all his strength to reverse the time on my body by three seconds and then froze my time with his ability. That’s how I returned from blood foam to a living person. However, my body’s time is now permanently frozen. I can’t grow up, I can’t marry or have children, and I can’t evolve or awaken other abilities. Aside from making predictions that make the world worse, I’m nothing but a waste."

"Maybe Xu Yun Cheng felt indebted to me for saving his life. He spent centuries helping me accumulate points, elevating me to the rank of an SS-level tasker. Rumors spread that I was his girlfriend, but he never denied them. That’s all there is to it. No matter what your intentions are, trying to use me to threaten Xu Yun Cheng is utterly futile." Xiao Mao’s tone had lost all trace of mockery, replaced by an icy calm as she laid out the facts.

The youth seemed to recall something and cautiously probed, "In all these years, you’ve never given him a pendant or anything like that?"

Xiao Mao frowned slightly, puzzled. "A pendant? What pendant?"

"Never mind." The youth quickly suppressed the twitch of his lips, and his expression suddenly turned serious. He fixed his gaze on the girl in front of him and said,

"Xiao Mao, you once said that the visions you see can’t be changed. If you reveal the future you’ve seen to anyone or try to alter it yourself, it only becomes worse, right?"

"Yes, without exception," Xiao Mao replied firmly.

"Then have you ever considered," the youth continued deliberately, emphasizing each word, "that your vision of Xu Yun Cheng dying in the explosion was also the kind of prophecy that cannot be changed—but you saved him anyway?"

Xiao Mao seemed to realize something, her face turning pale.

The youth pressed on, his tone steady but pointed. "Have you ever wondered why, if Xu Yun Cheng is truly the compassionate saint you see him as, would your act of saving his life bring calamity to the entire world?"