Chapter Six: Forced to Transcend

With nothing but a simple glance over his shoulder, Qi Chen inexplicably grasped the meaning of “Overlord.”

“Overlord” was the name he gave to this gray-white figure, simply because the mask on its face was almost identical to the one from his memories of his previous life.

“My suggestion is to quit while you’re ahead…” Qi Chen didn’t know if Overlord could understand him, but he tried to send his thoughts along the faint connection he sensed between them.

A response did come, not in words, but as a pure, unmistakable emotion that Qi Chen could comprehend.

Roughly translated, it meant: “Get lost! Hurry up and take a few more steps forward!”

He was only offering advice—why so irritable…

Somewhat dispirited, Qi Chen, under Overlord’s stern gaze, was forced to take a few more steps toward the direction where the bizarre fusion was occurring. The chill sent goosebumps up his arms.

Ahead, Overlord let out a roar brimming with excitement. Nearly two meters tall, it charged at the spherical monstrosity like a small giant, fists swinging.

The human face upon the monstrous sphere instantly contorted. Though it bore a man’s features, a shrill, feminine scream erupted from its mouth, woven from several voices at once.

The shrieking horror advanced, rolling forward on a dozen long, pale legs clad in blood-red stilettos, directly confronting Overlord. Its fused form was even larger in mass!

Several legs kicked out with violent force, the crimson heels whistling through the air like the sharpest claws, stabbing at Overlord from every angle.

Qi Chen’s heart leapt into his throat. From his vantage point, Overlord seemed to be leaping into the fanged embrace of a giant spider!

Afraid his companion would suffer, Qi Chen forced himself, despite his instinctive terror, to take several hurried steps forward, eyes wide as he tried to spot weaknesses in their enemy.

But his fears proved unfounded. A scream, raw with pain, burst from the human mouth on the monster’s body.

Bang!

But then a dull, heavy thud abruptly silenced the shriek. Towering before the horror in high heels, Overlord raised both fists high and hammered down blow after savage blow!

With every punch, a visible dent appeared in the monstrous sphere, and though it tried to regenerate, its recovery lagged far behind Overlord’s relentless assault.

As for those many legs, Overlord tore them off one by one as if dismantling spare parts. In moments, the fused horror was reduced to a bare, gleaming orb.

The grotesque face was now wide-eyed, its crimson tongue lashing madly from its gaping mouth.

“So strong?” Qi Chen swallowed hard, falling silent as he watched Overlord continue the pummeling. He couldn’t say exactly what he felt.

He was terrified, desperate to flee—yet at the same time, a surge of excitement and exhilaration welled up within him. He even found himself wanting to charge over and land a few punches himself.

Could something have gone wrong with his mind during his journey into this mist-shrouded world?

But he, Qi Chen, was a thousand percent a perfectly normal person!

A sudden, pained screech rang out—the monstrous sphere, battered by Overlord’s unyielding assault, let out a final cry and abruptly rolled away, desperate to escape.

“Trying to run?!” Qi Chen couldn’t help but shout. Remembering that his presence seemed to set a range for Overlord’s activity, he hurriedly dashed around tables and chairs, chasing after the fleeing horror.

With his active movement, Overlord remained within striking range!

Overlord roared. The monstrous orb shuddered and barreled forward even faster, smashing to pieces the real-world objects it had once been unable to touch before its fusion.

Unfortunately, it managed only a few meters before Overlord, leaping high, crashed down from above, driving a flying kick straight into the horror’s center!

The human face wailed, body convulsing in a frenzy, but Overlord, one leg buried deep inside the orb, wore a savage expression, the black markings on his face writhing like dragons. He raised a hand, shaped it into a knife, and with a swift motion, drove it down into the face.

In an instant, the ear-piercing screams ceased, and the chill in the air seemed to fade.

The fused horror’s body, its face pulverized by Overlord, rapidly dissolved. The bloated sphere shriveled before Qi Chen’s eyes and vanished completely in moments.

The oppressive force on his feet disappeared with the monster. Looking down, the blood-red stilettos were gone.

“Um…are you coming back?” Qi Chen asked tentatively, looking at Overlord, sending his thoughts across their connection.

This time, Overlord did not respond. His form grew transparent, then faded away entirely.

Qi Chen felt as if something new and solid had settled in his heart.

“Oh no! I almost forgot about Old Huang!”

Remembering his companion, Qi Chen hurried to the side of Huang Xu, who had fainted again at some point. Gently, he lifted and slung him over his back. Thankfully, he hadn’t been hurt during the monstrous battle, and the high heels on his feet had vanished as well.

But the blood-red heels had constricted Huang Xu for so long that his feet were now horribly deformed.

With a sigh, Qi Chen shouldered Huang Xu, glanced back at the chaos left by the monstrous orb’s rampage, and, without a word, headed for the stairwell.

He had no intention of staying here any longer. As for the resume he’d left in the elevator—let it be.

...

“Hongfeng Building has been sealed. All teams have moved into the lobby. Signs of intense combat found on the seventh floor.

“Detected strong psychic waves. Awaiting orders!”

A fully armed elite soldier, a black rifle slung across his chest, stood at attention, reporting clearly to the highest-ranking officer.

“Continue searching for survivors. If you encounter anyone severely mentally contaminated, execute them on the spot. At the first sign of anomalous activity, withdraw and report immediately.” The orders came crisply from a short-haired woman with an air of decisive authority.

Once the soldier departed, the short-haired woman pressed her earpiece and listened to the technical team’s update.

“Domain-type anomaly—Number 325.

“Psychic intensity: E+

“Hazard level: Community.

“Preliminary analysis suggests the source is a psychic mutation linked to the serial killer and victims of the Hongfeng Building case. No further information collected for now. Anomalous rules require further investigation…

“Estimated ten victims.”

The woman listened intently, picking up a resume found in the elevator—a simple sheet of white paper with a few lines of the barest information.

“Qi Chen? Introverted personality… strengths are diligence and willingness to work overtime.”

“Not matched to any victim.”

...